Renegade

Chapter twenty-nine

"David, how old are you?"

"Fourteen." he finally answered, sounding like he had done something wrong.

Makoto blinked at him in shock. Fourteen? He was two Makotos in height and three in width and still in his early teens? Wow.

Lost in his befuddlement, Makoto almost missed the way David's shoulders slumped and how he seemed to draw in on himself. He was a self-conscious, awkward kid who had probably never been treated as such since his manifestation and Makoto's questioning had only made him feel worse.

Riddled with remorse, the Vermilion was wracking his brain again, this time to find a way to make the boy feel better.

"Should I try replicating your ability?" he asked in the end, sliding his upturned palm in David's field of vision. "If it works, we could maybe figure out how to control it. You know, together?"

David whipped his head around, his gentle brown eyes wide as saucers. Makoto patiently waited for his answer, his hand hovering between them. They could hear the lively chatter from around the fire pit, the air filled with the clanking of pots and pans. Shrill laughter broke out, followed by exclamations to keep it down.

A breeze blew by, ruffling the strands of Makoto's messily tied up hair. The more seconds ticked by, the stupider he felt. He was beginning to consider retracting the offer altogether when a large hand landed heavily atop his. David uttered a barely audible "Okay", his eyes trained on the yellow writing of Makoto's T-shirt, visible above the V-neck of his leather vest.

"Okay," the Vermilion repeated, activating his ability.

It was said that activating one's ability was a very personal and unique feeling. Makoto had never discussed it with anyone, so he didn't know what it was like for them.

In his case, when he allowed his replication to awaken, it felt a little like releasing a breath you didn't know you were holding. Sometimes, when somebody was falling asleep they forgot to breathe and the body would flinch, jump-starting the process. That's what his replication felt like. It's what happened now as he allowed his body to memorize and copy David's power.

He released the boy's hand seconds later, for he didn't need more than that. Then the wait began. The telekinesis activated when he'd snapped at Ethan and the healing when he was begging Amanda not to die. Both those abilities were tied to one's psyche, whereas an Umber's powers were mostly physical.

Activating an acquired ability felt a whole lot different than doing so with his own. He had to think about the foreign power real hard until something began feeling different in his body. Telekinesis prickled at the tip of his fingers, while the healing burned deep in his chest.

David's ability felt like he was being stabbed on the top of his head but from the inside. It wasn't long until a pair of horns sprouted from his skull. David gasped in surprise beside him, but Makoto paid him no mind, too engrossed by the stabbing feeling now emanating from his rear.

"Oh no," he mumbled, paling as he realized he was also going to grow a tail.

While the growth in itself was as smooth and quick as that of the horns, having to unzip and lower his jeans in order to allow the newly grown limb to slip free was the most mortifying experience of his life.

The tail was long and thin, the same ivory tone as the rest of his body. It ended in a tuft of black fur, similar in color and texture to his hair. His whole face was aflame, the embarrassed blush coloring even the tip of his ears.

To make matters worse, David was shaking beside him with barely repressed laughter. At least his mood had been lifted...

Somebody snorted nearby.