Powers?

A sigh escaped your lips as a crisp breeze blew past you, the wind dancing its way through your hair and gently tickling your face before swaying to a state of rest. You stood behind your house, feet grounded in the dirt as if you were one with the earth. The breathtaking sky, vibrant greenery, the refreshing air— you admired it all. The dirt's coolness sent a surge of excitement through your body and you wiggled your toes in the dirt one last time before sitting yourself down at the edge of the earthen creek.

As you sat down and gazed at the mesmerizing water, a memory replayed in your head. You recall telling your parents that you were on your way to go play with the neighborhood kids. "Okay, love you, amor. Be safe!" They told you, completely unaware of the false statement you told them.

Being honest, you weren't very fond of playing with the neighborhood children. You never took a liking to them in general. They were only a bunch of snotty, uptight brats, most of them sharing the same mindset amongst each other. That being, that they were the superior ones there, and that they were better than everyone else.

Some of the kids you liked because they weren't bratty like the others. A bond did exist between you and those few friends, but you didn't feel close enough to want to hang out with them. The motivation just wasn't prominent enough.

Because of your views and impressions of the other children, you've always found and considered yourself to be independent.

Albeit, your parents, including a handful of your other neighbors, would think otherwise. If they were to describe you, they would choose to label you as "the neighborhood loner."

You knew they would describe you as such because, well, you overheard them discussing it once. And being ten years of age, it should not have bothered you as much.

It did.

"(M/N), don't you think it's weird she isolates herself? She doesn't even seem to want to make an effort to be friends with the other kids." Some neighbors would say, speaking under their breaths as not to let you know they were talking about you.

It pained you to think your own parents would address you, their daughter, as a loner.

Your mother and father, those whom you admired and displayed your adoration for.

Not to mention, right in front of you as well.

~~~

"(M/N), she's a loner." Your father stated in his hoarse voice. "You know it and I know it."

Your mother, overwhelmed with stress and anxiousness, only listened.

"That's why she doesn't have any friends." He continued.

Warm tears struck your eyes as you heard your father say this and you slid down the wall you were hiding behind.

Your original intentions had not been to eavesdrop on your parents' conversation.

Instead, you were on your way to ask for permission to go outside and "play." But you couldn't help but stop in your tracks to overhear their conversation.

"Aye, (F/N), don't speak like that!" Your mother yelled at him.

"She's not a loner. She's just..." Your mother sighed, thinking of an appropriate word to use. "She's different. Independent is what she is. A strong, independent girl."

Your head perked up when you heard your mother's words.

Wiping away your stray tears, you let out a gasp when you heard your mother call out to you. "(Y/N), it's alright, mi amor. Come, come."

Your eyes widened. How did she know you were there?

Bringing yourself up to your feet, you turned the corner and made your presence known. Your father stared at you with wide eyes and then adverted his gaze to your mother.

"H-Hi, Mamá." You sniffled, drying your face with your sleeve.

"Aw, come here, mi vida." Your mother cooed, holding out her arms.

Running into them, you let go of any excess tears that remained.

Your usual brightness and colorfulness was gone, and there was only sadness to take its place. It saddened your mother to see you cry like this.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, glancing down at you as she caressed your hair.

"Long enough to know that I'm a l-loner with no friends." You sniffed, your voice muffled.

"Ah," She chuckled. "Your Papá was only joking." She gritted her teeth and stomped on his foot. "Wasn't he?"

Your father let out stifled cries of pain. "Mhm!" He squeaked, holding his injured foot and balancing on the other.

"See? There's nothing to cry about, mi vida." Your mother comforted you. "It hurts me to see you sad."

Wiping away your tears, a small, sad smile made its way onto your face. "Okay, Mamá." You grinned.

"Oh!" You said, remembering the reason you were there. "Mamá! Can I go play outside?" You asked in a vibrant tone.

Your mother, with the anxious look returning to her face, nodded with hesitance. "Of course," she allowed. "Be safe, alright?"

"Okay, Mami!" Giving her a kiss on the cheek, you rushed outside.

Thrill and excitement filled you to the very brim. You weren't actually going to go play, that was obvious.

You had another idea in mind...

As soon as you left to go outside, your mother sighed. With the wave of her hand, an arepa appeared, and taking it, she fed it to your father.

"There. That should heal it." She huffed.

"Thank-" He was about to say, but your mother cut him off.

She pointed a threatening finger at him. "Never talk smack about my child."

Smacking the side of his head, she walked off to continue washing the dishes.

"Ow." He groaned, his words muffled because of the arepa.

"Aye, men. The words they say are strong, but they are never strong themselves."

~~~

Here you were, sitting outside at the edge of the creek.

You dipped your hand into the clear, freezing water, which sent chills up your arm and down your spine.

"Okay..." You murmured, taking your hand out and shaking off the excess water.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, you shut your eyes and concentrated. With a series of hand movements, you detected the sound of water whooshing around. Peeking out through an eye, you saw a blob of water levitating in the air.

Your eyes widened in fascination. "Whoa."

Performing a few hand movements, you shaped the water into whatever shape you desired. This was perfect practice for you to improve your powers.

Powers that only you knew you had.

You did plan on telling your parents, you just didn't know when the right time was.

There was some contemplation about if this would be the right time to reveal your secret to your parents. And after some deep thought, you decided it was time.

You hoped your powers would captivate your parents as it had captivated you.

So, standing up, you made your way home, leaping across the many stones and rocks before you. Because of your reckless behavior, you misplaced your footing, tripping over a rock.

"Whoa!" You shouted, shutting your eyes tight and preparing for the impact. But it never came.

Upon opening your eyes, realization hit you as you saw the ground right in front of you, a few inches away from your face. You must've caught yourself out of instinct.

Lifting yourself up so that you were upright, you let out a laugh and placed yourself down. You continued to make your way home, being much more careful this time.

"Mamá!" Your voice boomed throughout the house as you burst through the door. "Mamá, look!"

Drying her hands with a cloth, she, along with your father, came rushing over to you.

"What is it, mi amor?" She questioned. "Did something happen?"

You shook your head, a mischievous smile forming on your face. Your parents only stared at you in anticipation.

"I want to show you my powers!" You beamed, making your way towards the kitchen sink.

"P-Powers?" Your father blurted out in shock, looking at your mother.

"Mhm! Let me show you!" Reaching the sink, you turned on the faucet.

Your mother and father both exchanged glances with each other.

"Wait, (Y/N)-" Your mother said.

Closing your eyes, you focused all your concentration on the water. Moving your hands around in a circular motion, the gasps you heard from your parents made you smile.

They liked it!

...Or so you thought.

Opening your eyes, you grinned with pride as you saw the blob of water. Giggling, you turned your head to face your parents, but the shock and fear their faces held took you aback.

"Mamá? Papá?" You put the water back in the sink and turned off the faucet. "What's wrong?" You asked. "Do you not like it?" Taking a step forward towards them, they took a cautious step back.

"(Y-Y/N), mi vida, you know how you can control water, right?" Your mother questioned.

You rose an eyebrow and gave her a slow nod.

She continued. "Do you know of any other powers you might have?"

Thinking for a second, a few others came to mind, but you weren't exactly sure.

You held up two fingers. "Well, there's water and air..."

"You don't suppose the other two are... fire and earth?" Your mother suggested, hoping the answer was no.

"Oh, yeah!" You exclaimed. "Fire and earth, those are the other two."

Your mother's eyes widened, and she looked at her husband.

"It can't be. Don't tell me our daughter is..." Your father couldn't even bring himself to mention the name, but your mother knew who he was talking about.

"I know it can't... but I–I think she is..." Your parents held onto each other with tight grips.

You tried stepping towards your parents again when you fell to the floor. Your yells echoed throughout the house. You did not know what was happening to you. Hot tears spilled from your face as you felt a wave of nausea come over you.

Attempting to stand back up, you tried taking another step. But every time you stepped forward, they would step back, keeping their distance from you.

"(Y/N), just... stay where you are, okay?" Your mother told you, not knowing what to do.

All you could feel... were fear, confusion, and pain. You didn't know what was happening.

Your eyes glowed, cycling between different colors such as blue, red, green, and gray. Your parents didn't know what it meant.

And along with your glowing eyes, you were attracting everything that was near you. It was as if you were a black hole, attracting and consuming everything in your presence.

Your father let out a sudden gasp. "I don't know what's going on with (Y/N), but I might know some people who do."

"You don't mean..." Your mother spoke. "The Madrigals?" She whispered.

Your father looked at your mother in her eyes and nodded, kissing the hand that she had placed on his cheek.