Staying Neutral

Chapter Thirteen

 I've been known as a quiet and secluded person, even as a child. Sure, I am friendly and social with others but I've never felt any close connection with anyone before, not even my own parents.

 Speaking of, who and where are my parents? Are they around here? Do they remember me? Are they even alive?

 I have a weird suspicion, but I suspect that I altered my own memories as well. I don't know when or don't know how, but it makes sense in some sort of twisted way. I feel like I'm slowly losing myself the more I use this ability, this power that even I don't even know where it begins.

 I'm dying, is what I'd like to say. I'm slowly decaying from the inside because I make little to no effort to stop the raging emotions from the people I've encountered.

 I'm not strong.

 I am weak.

 That's okay, though.

 It's going to end soon.

~~ ---

 "REALLY? NO WAY!" Isen's loud and surprised voice interrupted Y/n's thoughts. 

 "Yup, she pretty much knocked herself out trying to get to me. So I had to help her back there, then cuff myself," Remi says with a sweatdrop. "I kinda wonder what would've happen if I had kept going though. How many security guards would it take to stop--"

 She cuts off her words as Remi realizes something. "You know... I've been thinking a lot about this lately. I get that the authorities are made up of some really powerful people... But what is someone like Seraphina or Arlo ever decided to challenge them?"

 "They could cause some serious damage at any time, right?" Y/n asks. Remi nods. "It doesn't make sense that the authorities would let people that strong roam free without some kind of condition."

 "You're quite right, Remi," Y/n says as she glances to the side. "But maybe... people like them don't have as much freedom as we think."

 'What do you mean, Y/n? Those two literally do whatever they want at school. They don't even need to go to class!" Blyke said with a bit of disbelief.

 "Yes, but..." Y/n trails off.

 "Don't they also seem a bit obsessive?" Remi suddenly questions. "Take Seraphina for example. She's always bent on being perfect." Y/n tilts her head. "Arlo, as well. It seems that all he cares about is keeping order," the h/c colored girl adds on.

 "Both of them are so distracted by their 'responsibilities'... They wouldn't even think to question the system they're part of."

 "Distracted?" The redhead mumbles.

 "It's almost like they've been crippled..."

 Y/n notices Isen had been oddly quiet during their conversation. Her eyes spare a quick glance at his face. He was staring hard at the floor, deeply contemplating at what Remi and she said, almost as if...

 As if it reminded him of someone.

 Crippled, was it?

 "Anyway, that's just a theory," Remi ends the topic, but before so, Isen suddenly says, "Now that you mention it... The idea seems pretty realistic." 

 Y/n taps the metal cuffs slightly. "How so?" She asks.

 "Well, if the authorities want to stay at the top, they need a reliable way to keep the strongest people in line."

 "Okay," Blyke says, "then what about all the Superheroes running around? They're all high-tiers, but the authorities haven't done much to pressure them."

 Isen deadpans at the red-haired male. "Stupid Blyke," he said almost exasperatingly," Don't you keep up with current events?"

 "Superheroes don't act in compliance to the authorities' wishes," Y/n explained, "Then a mysterious group called EMBER appears and starts killing them off... You get what Isen is trying to say, yes?"

 Blyke's eyes widened. "There's no way--!"

"That's right, my friends! When there's an insane threat that refuses to be controlled... You have no choice but to get rid of it!"  The student reporter declares.

 Turning to the pink-haired female, Isen then questions, "So Remi, when you asked me to write that EMBER article..."

 "I want the school to be more wary of its existence," she said without hesitation. "And I want you to slowly introduce to them the idea...

 That the authorities and EMBER are connected."

"Good news, kids!" The security says with glee as he suddenly appears in the room, making all Wellston students jump. "You four are in the clear. But we've escalated this case to the authorities, so I'm going to need you all to give an official statement."

 Y/n stiffens as the man makes eye contact with her for a few brief seconds before leaving.

 That's strange... I thought they'd ask me about the other stuff? Did they finally comply with my wishes and left me alone? Or is this something else...?

~~ -.

 For some strange reason, Y/n wasn't called to the Headmaster's office along with Remi, Isen, and Blyke, as if she wasn't part of it at all. 

 She started heading back to school that week, expecting to finally get caught and escorted to some weird isolated island in the pacific ocean but instead was greeted with the student newspaper, the top story about their little chaos that erupted in the mall that weekend. Y/n was glad that she was finally left alone but there were small hints of fear of not knowing why she was allowed to be free.

 And what was even stranger was seeing John and Arlo standing at the gates, with John's hair still being messy which threw Y/n off a bit, before seemingly to walk somewhere away from the school. Call her paranoid, but she saw the route they were heading on was a bit familiar and it wasn't a good one. Another part of her told her that Arlo and John were finally getting along and that they were going to someplace to hang out, but it didn't sit right with Y/n.

 Arlo wouldn't dare attempt to do what he might do, right? 

 He knows her and she knows him.

 But does she really know enough?

In the end, she decided to let them be, and started to walk  back to John's residence to get some sleep. 

However, the small parasite of worry nibbled on her mind.

This day is going to be the start of something horrible.

 And Y/n knows that she won't be able to stop it.

~~ .

Helplessness!

You see what I did in this chapter? ;)

 It's her ability.

//

unedited