✖️✖️✖️✖️
*Six Months Later*
*Third Person's POV*
Newspapers and clippings of anything remotely about Des, about Quake, was pinned to the living room wall inside of the penthouse. The newspapers were all articles about Quake taking down a bridge, robbing a bank, and other destruction like that; Justin and Chase stood outside on the terrace, looking down at the street with a pair of binoculars in their hands.
Kaz and Oliver walked onto the terrace and moved over to them, paper bags of fast food in their hands. "Hey, Oliver and I got us some sandwiches. You two should, uh-" Kaz started.
"They're here." Chase interrupted him, cutting him off and nodded over at the park bench to find Justin's and Destiny's Aunt Lucy and her six year old daughter Robin sitting on it. Since, Destiny disappeared, the girl has been meeting their only family that her and her brother has left. "They're early."
"Well, in the meantime, you guys should eat." Oliver replied.
"We will- after this meet." Justin commented.
"How are you guys so sure she'll even show up? You've been watching them for a week now." Kaz started as Justin replied, "I just have a feeling."
*Destiny's POV*
I was wearing a pair of ripped, black skinny jeans and a blue flannel shirt with my black combat boots. My hair had grown since six months ago, now making it a little past my shoulders. I also dyed my brown hair to black and was wearing a black beanie hat over the top of my head.
I walk over to one of the park benches and stop in front of my aunt as she was talking to her six year old daughter, my cousin, on the bench. I had my leather jacket folded over my arms at my waist in front of me as Lucy looked over at me.
"I wanted to thank you. The money you sent us was too generous, and to help us relocate... Ever since that supervillain, Hive, stopped by our old home and destroyed it, I never felt safe in that town ever since." She began.
I glanced at her and nodded slowly, moving over to Robin and knelt in front of her while also pulling out a wooden robin bird. "Do you like animals?" I start towards the child who smiled and nodded, "I saw this in a store and thought of you. It's a robin like your name." I hand her the wooden toy bird and then stand back up, sliding my jacket on, and start walking away.
"Des!" Chase, my brother, Kaz, and Oliver stepped out of their building and started running towards me while I turn into an alleyway; I crouch down, one palm in front and the other palm behind me, both pointing down at the ground. I manipulate the vibrations through my earth and air abilities and then shoot up into the air and land on top of a building. I then open a portal and jump through it, still disappearing from the team.
***
I enter inside of the apartment, closing the door behind me, and took off my jacket. "You do know that they're gonna catch up to you, sooner or later. It's been six months, and they're still searching for you. You need to go back to them, Des. They're hurting- and so are you." Reese spoke up in one of the chairs at the desk on her laptop.
"I can't- I can't go back. I'll just destroy their lives, probably even end their lives." I mutter, flexing my left fingers a little and sat on the edge of my bed. "They're better off without me." I move my fingers through my medium length black hair and stood up, going over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.
I grab the pair of scissors in the drawer and cut my hair to shoulder length again; Then I search the cabinets for anymore hair dye and found the last box of brown hair dye. "Awesome." I murmur, retrieving it and then dyed my hair back to my natural brown.
"Hey, check this out." Reese spoke up after half an hour had passed. She was staring at the news on the flat screen T.V that was mounted on the wall. I walk out of the bathroom after just finishing drying my hair and now stood beside her, my hands on my hips. "The team is going against my siblings, and it looks like they're losing."
I frown at seeing my family getting their butts beat, hurt, and then quickly change into my oldish-new black super suit, buckling up the utility belt around my hips and zipped up the top of the suit, stopping at my collarbone. I put on my old gauntlets on my wrists that stopped at my fingers. My new gauntlets, which helps heals the bones in my wrists and hands better than these, are in mission command. "Be right back, unless you want to go also?" I comment, casting a glance towards her.
"I'll let you handle this one this time. You don't need me." Reese replied.
I smirk a little and then super speed out of our apartment and head straight for the scene; I stop and notice six Laylas and Riker and Roman approaching the Elite Force who was now hurt on the ground.
I step forward and thrust my hand out in front of me, using my earth ability to send the villains through the air as they all crashed onto the ground a good distance away from us. My bangs flew in my eyes as I glance over at my team, my friends, slowly dropping my hand back down on my side.
"Des, where- why did you leave?" Justin spoke up first, helping Bree stand back up on her feet as the team also stood up. They made their way over to me while I took a reluctant step back.
I didn't answer his question just as Roman shot out an orange energy blast aimed at Bree and Skylar. I super speed in front of the speedsters and shield us with my shield, the energy bolt deflected and shot back to Roman as it hit him, making him fall back on the ground even further away.
I turn around and face the team, walking away backwards. "Stop- Stop looking for me... and just let me go. I'm not worth it. So, please, please stay away from me." I start, my voice breaking.
Then I noticed the villains trying to sneak up on the team as I stop in my tracks and then step in front of my friends; I drop down on one knee and pressed my right palm on the pavement, sending a shockwave towards them.
They was hit by it and fell on their backs, rolling onto their stomachs in pain. Riker and Layla shifted into pigeons and flew away. Roman exclaimed after the two of them with a grunt, "Riker, Layla! Come back and fight, you cowards!" He looked over at me and stated, "You think you won this battle, but you are so wrong!" He too shifted into a pigeon also and flew away, catching up to his siblings.
I stand back up, my back still facing the team, unable to look them in their eyes. I sigh inaudible and start walking away.
"We really need you to back home, Des. We're not ourselves and it's just too... quiet, too different there without you. Mr. Davenport and Douglas- They're taking your absence the hardest, I think." Bree spoke up as I stop walking but still don't look behind me at them. "I'm sorry, Des. I'm sorry that you had to grieve your family's deaths again. I'm sorry for you believing that stupid prophesy. I get that you're pushing us away because you're scared. You're afraid that somehow even being near you, that means that we're all gonna die."
Bree had stepped closer to me and then reached out and held my arm in her hand, turning me around to face her and the others. I move her hand off of me, my eyes watery. "Don't, okay? Just don't. I'm not-" I sighed and looked away.
"Des, it wasn't your fault. None of it was-" Bree started.
"That's the same thing you guys said when I hurt all of you when I briefly worked for Krane or any other time I had messed up. But you're wrong. All of it- That's on me." I cut her off, taking a step back from her, from all of them.
"And we forgave you then and we forgive you now. You're already forgiven, Des." Bree commented, stepping forward to me again.
"I- I didn't ask for that." I reply, shaking my head.
Justin stepped over to the two of us and now stood in front of me, starting, "That's too bad because we forgive you." He reached out to try and hug me as I step back and hold my hand out in front of me slightly.
I look at him and stop him, "No, don't be stupid." My brother stepped closer to me, pulling me into his arms as I object and struggle in his arms but stop and just start crying. He moved his hand to the back of my neck reassuringly as I murmur miserably, "I don't deserve this."
I part from the hug and step few feet back, away from them. "No, no. I have to go." I super speed away from the group who called out to me, wanting me to stay. I find myself stopping in front of the building that was once my home and then hesitantly super speed inside of the place and entered the penthouse, going down to mission command.
I remain close by the hyperlift and notice Donald slam his hands down against the cyberdesk, moving one hand to rub his eyes. "She's a ghost. Every time I even get one tiny glimpse of a clue to her whereabouts, it's gone. Des is gone. She's making it pretty clear that she doesn't want to be found." He replied, his voice full of emotion.
Douglas moved his hands over his face and removed them, hitting his palms against the other cyberdesk also. "We can't just give up on her. I- She's..." He didn't even want to finish, his voice distraught. I want to go over to them but I stop myself and just turn around, starting to head back over to the hyperlift. "D?" Douglas started after glancing over at the hyperlift.
I freeze, not moving an inch or saying anything at all. "Des, please. Talk to us. We haven't seen you in months." Donald started as both of them began to move over to me.
"I- What would you like me to say? That- That I'm sorry? That I'm coming home? I am sorry but I can't come back. I just- I can't." I reply, inhaling a bit shaky, "People gets hurt being around me, and sometimes, they die. So, I'm removing myself from this family because I can't lose you guys, too... You're better off without me here."
"That's not how that works. You can't just remove yourself out of this family. Look, I know that you want to run away, but you can't run away from yourself." Donald commented, "All of your problems will just go with you. That's why no matter how hard it gets... you just gotta stick at it. And you always have people who care about you and love you. And we really care about you."
"You're not some destroyer, D. You help create things, you give people hope and show them light. You always look out for everyone's best interests. You genuinely care about everyone's needs and problems and you sacrifice your own needs. You even sacrifice your life, so that others can live. You're a true hero. And that's who you are." Douglas added.
Both of them moved closer to me and pulled me into a hug as I start to fight it a little but stop, accepting their hug. "So, again, please come home, Des." Donald commented.
My lip tremble as a single tear fell down my right cheek while I look at them, my brown eyes brimming with water again. "I... I really can't, but... No- Okay." I give in. They both grinned and hugged me again, laughing in relief, just glad to have me back home. After all, they consider me like their own daughters- and they are like my father figures also. "I'm so sorry..."
"You have nothing to apologize for, D." Douglas assured as Donald nodded in agreement with him. I fake a convincing smile and slowly nodded also.
✖️✖️✖️✖️