Shining Example (WORM ORIGIN QUEST)

As a kid you had always dreamed of skydiving. You imagined falling through the sky, letting the wind blanket every sense as you drift blissfully away as the forces of nature take over.

In reality, it's nothing even close to blissful.

There's just the feeling of utter horror, blocking out every other sense in an all consuming hell. You can only hear the roar of the wind. You can only feel the sharp sting of sea salt battering your face.

Everyone of your nerves is going haywire, screaming for you to do something, anything to get out. Your arms and legs flailed uselessly. Your face is wet but whether it be from sweat or the sea salt you can barely hazard a guess.

You're screaming, and you're not even afforded the luxury of hearing it.

Waves appear and disappear faster than you can blink, turning the entire cliffside into a shining golden mural. It's beautiful, and disgusting.

You can focus on them, you should be able to control them. But you can't, you're just going to keep falling until you hit the waters below. For a second, everything slows. Just like with David, even with the threat right in front of you, your mind still has the gall to ask a single question.

Why is this happening?

All you wanted to do was get her out. Away from all this chaos, and for your kindness, you're thrown off the side of a cliff. Did you really mess up that badly? Or was this just how Contessa is going to make things better?

Whichever way it was, it doesn't matter now. You're falling, and knowing you, you'll just fling yourself into the cliffside if you tried to stop it.

What the hell were you thinking? Not stopping Rebecca and David with your powers when you had the chance. You just ran up, and did nothing for no one.

Wait no, better question.

How many times did you just lie down and accept what happened to you since you got here?

Doctor Mother ordered you around and you followed without question. You laid down, and just let her order you how to live. Just like every other doctor.

For a kid that could only keep a girl laughing by badmouthing controlling doctors, you're fucking useless. That would be bad enough, but no! You didn't even stop to ask for an explanation from Contessa. You drank in her every word like the gospel!

Then there's David. He attacked you, nearly killed you, and you fought back. Only because your family would be disappointed if you didn't. That was fear driving you to throw a mountain at someone. That was the fear that made you stumble so many times since you woke up.

And worst of all, it didn't even start with Cauldron.

Clint was always at the top of his class, while you could barely hold on to a B. Danah wrote her own song by ten, you couldn't even hold a tune. Actually, you don't know what you're good at, you didn't take the time to even look! You just sat back, smiled, and accepted the fact you weren't like them, working hard just because it's what they did. It's what they wanted you to do.

Then, cancer.

You sat in that bed as they pumped you full of chemo and morphine until you couldn't even recognize yourself in the mirror. You only got up to see Rebecca, keep her company, the first act of defiance you've ever done in your life. You joked, you insulted, you reminded yourself everyday of the truth instead of being sucked into their lies.

But when Doctor Mother asked if you were going to live, what did you say again?

IKnowNothing said:

"I have cancer." You say, stating the obvious.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

There was no fight, you just accepted it.

Then you got out, you had a chance to change things, but what did you do?

Manton insulted you, told you that he wasn't worth his time. What had you done that was actually worthy of recognition? Nothing. There's not a single thing to your name that anyone else couldn't do. You were angry, but only because on some level, you knew he was right. So instead of proving him wrong, you just peaked his interest with something you were given.

Not something that you earned.

Honestly, you can't be mad at people for taking control. You've just sat back and let others tell you how to move. You put up no resistance, you just let it happen, almost like you wanted then to.

At least the few times that you did have a choice, it felt good. And during that, someone managed to ask what you wanted to ask.

It wasn't you, but at least it was someone who you trusted to ask.

---

August 7th, 1986

Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles.

It's getting harder, a lot harder.

Yesterday, you could manage ten steps without using the wall. Now, you've barely made it two before you're hugging the wall for dear life.

God damn it, first your hair, now your legs. Well, at least it isn't your kidneys.

If those go, you owe Rebecca five bucks.

Or was it twenty? You made that bet like two days ago, how did you forget this already? Oh well, at least the distance between the rooms didn't change. Sure as hell feels like it's getting worse though.

Every step is heavier than the last, but after your talk, you need to do this. So suck it up Everett, one foot forward, medial jack next, other foot forward, medical jack.

Repeat over and over, until you get to the last door.

You got to the frame, and thank whatever god was in heaven that Mrs. Reece forgot to close the door again. No lock means you just need to put your jack between the frame and push. The hinges creeks, and you peek your head through.

"Didn't your dad ever tell you it's rude to come into a girls room without knocking?"

You let out a barking, stuttering laughter that hurts for the right and wrong reasons. You manage to keep yourself up long enough to steady yourself on the guest chair. Once you're over, you don't bother acting tough. Gravity works it's magic and for the hundredth time, you thank whatever receptionist put in new cushions for this chair. Rebecca's sitting in her bed, a small leather book in her lap. She's concerned, worried like she always is. She's trying a new way to hide it actually. Clutching her book with one hand, rubbing her thumb against the covers with the other.

Seeing it makes the next smile come a lot easier. At least she still cares.

"I don't think he thought I'd ever even get into a girl's room. So I think he'd be stumped with what's happening right now." you say. "On the plus side, he won't have to go too far for a much needed drink."

Rebecca rolls her eyes "I thought we agreed not to make fun of family, Alex."

You blink.

"He's a bartender, what's the problem?"

"... Oh, never mind then."

A second passes, and Rebecca takes a long time putting her book on the pile.

"You still ok moving those?" you ask, sitting up.

Rebecca glances back and sighs, but the smile still hasn't dropped "It's just books Alex, it's not that hard to move them."

"Yeah, but you should be resting."

"It's books." She repeats.

You hold your hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, but the second you start struggling I'm moving them for you."

You manage to catch a quick eye roll.

"I only have these things because your sister insisted that I have them."

"What did you want me to do? Stop her?" you ask. "If you know a way to, tell my dad. He's been looking for years."

"But you didn't warn me." She complains, pointing a shaky, painfully slim finger at you. "God, all you had to do was warn me."

Rebecca falls back on her pillows, mock despair written all over her. It draws a laugh out of you, and this time it only hurts for the right reasons.

"So how did your talk go?" she asks.

The smile that had been effortless to keep up till now goes sour "Oh you know, the usual. Charts are looking up, we just need to put you on this drug and everything will get better." You throw up too sets of air quotes as you grumble out the old line, "This is what, the sixth time they've said that this week?"

"Eighth, actually." Rebecca corrects.

You rub your head and raise what should have been an eyebrow.

"How is this the eighth time?"

"You keep forgetting the time they take back what they said. The 'oh, my mistake' talks, remember?"

You blink again, and you must have looked helpless because she let loose a tired sigh.

"The first of the month? Two days before Danah came in?" She says trying to ring some bells.

You lean back in the chair, your back aching as the frame bites into you. The first? Mrs. Reece offered to give you a wheelchair that you turned down. Doctor Thomas ran late.

Oh yeah, it was the assistant. Mr…. whatshisname gave you the diagnostic for the day. But he only gave that once. You glance at Rebecca, and despite not having any hair, she could still glare with the best of them. It wasn't a bad one, just the kind that dared you to challenge her ruling. Well, even if you wanted to, you're not going to get into an argument.

You'd lose anyway.

"Sorry, can't remember," you shrug, smiling innocently.

Rebecca slumps as much as she could given the covers and books.

"The next time that Danah comes, we need to get you a book to fix that memory of yours," she mumbles.

"I can remember things," you say, but it sounded more like a whine, even to you.

A smug smile flashes across Rebecca's face. She straightens in her bed and clears her throat.

"Ok then, prove it. Who's my favorite band?"

You click your tongue and lean your head back for show "The Beatles."

Rebecca nods.

"Good, off to a good start. Favorite song?"

You humm, moving your IV back and forth.

"I'm a Believer?" you fake guess.

Rebecca nods "Correct, my favorite movie?"

"Rocky," you say instantly.

"Right," she smiles, and then slight frown followed a pause "But I only told you about that on-"

"It was your favorite because it was the first movie that your dad took you to." you say, interrupting her, your gaze moving to the monitor on your IV.

"R-Right, how did you-?"

"It was opening day," you continue, "Your Dad heard the story of how this nobody actor was given a few thousand for his movie idea, but couldn't give it up because he wanted to be the star. He thought even if the movie sucked, he could still teach you something about never giving up or something. He was trying really hard for a dad moment with you."

Rebecca doesn't say a word, you just smile up at your IV as she stares unblinking at you.

"But he loved the movie, he loved the message at the end as Rocky 'went the distance'. He actually loved it so much he threw you up on his shoulders for the first time in years, carrying you to the top of the hill as fast as he could just so you two could throw your hands in the air with the sunset behind the hill. Just like the movie."

You shift in your seat, doing your best not to notice Rebecca moving a hand to her mouth "When you got home he made you your favorite, steak. The next day, you asked for piano lessons, so you could play the theme for him. It took you a month, but when you managed the first few bars, he paid for another year of lessons just to hear the rest."

Utter silence fills the room and somehow, you manage to keep your smile. You don't even think Rebecca blinks.

"Why did you remember all that?"

You look down at the base of your IV, anything not to let her see dumbass grin you can't keep off.

"You said it was most fun you had with your dad, and you never stopped smiling when you talked about it. So I kinda, sorta, memorized it, hoping I could make you smile again when the talks got to much. Make things a little happier for you."

…

Did you really just say that?

Oh my god that's so sappy. Just wait, you're never going to live this down. It'll be quick but it won't be subtle. If she tells Danah, oh good lord in heaven.

There's another moment of silence, and you try your best not to look up. But then again, you're not exactly at your best right now. You sneak a peek, and Rebecca's shaking. And her eyes are red as tears try to make their way through the chemo.

But she's smiling bright again. Your embarrassment be damned, it's worth it just for that.

She sputters, coughing twice before sinking back into her bed. You see the covers raise a bit, but it's only a bit. They go back down, and they only rise with the rhythmic sound of Rebecca's strained breaths. She's out of strength for the day, that's your cue. Locking the IV's wheel, you grip the shaft of metal and lift yourself up. It's shaky, and you feel like you've just finished running a marathon.

But your room is still down the hall, and you've got to get going. You take a step to the door and wedge the IV between the door, forcing it open and letting you through.

"Do you want to go see it?"

You stop, midway through the door to look back.

"The movie?"

Rebecca's head weakly moves up and down "Yeah, it could be fun. We can do it first thing when we get out of here."

"You want to go to a movie once you're out of here? That's it?"

You expected something like riding a motorcycle through a mountain range. Or scuba diving, something so out of this world that you never would have wanted to do it otherwise. Going to a movie sounded so… normal.

"Well then what do you want to do?" Rebecca asks.

"Wait, why do I have to chose now?" You complain.

Rebecca smiles a little brighter.

"Because when we get out of here, I don't care what we do, so long as I can do it with you."

You blink, and you feel your jaw drop. That… that's not what you expected. For a second, it feels like a joke, just a little tease before you head out for the day.

But looking at Rebecca's grin, she knows exactly what she said.

And she wanted to hear your answer.

In that moment, nothing else mattered.

---

Rebecca, I don't think I can pick just one.

There's so much that you wanted to do that you could list them for hours. Back then, they were nothing but dreams.

But, they don't have to be dreams anymore, do they?

No, they can happen. With your gifts, with her, it will happen.

You just need to live through this, and keep living.

But not they way you've been living. Just letting people walk over you, ruling and choosing for you. Letting yourself be thrown around like you're nothing. You're not just some kid whose family outshined him. You're not a mistake whose mother left him, and you're definitely not just kid in the hospital waiting to die.

You're Alexandar Everett, and you're not dying here.

It's a promise, to yourself, and no one else. Because for the first time in your life, you want to take control. For the first time, you can.

For the first time since she asked, you finally have an answer to that question for your best friend.

What do you want to do?

"I want to save myself."

There's a snap, a spark, your eyes flash open.

And the world shines.

Waves and golden light erupt from the rock and the water. Another second of waiting, and you'd hit the unforgiving surface.

So you don't wait, you don't stop, and you make that air change.

Waves shimmer into existence, raw power exploding from nothing. But it's not enough, so you simply add more. They pile atop one another, building up and up until you hit them. You feel the air bend, forces of nature bracing you and gently lowering you to the waiting ocean.

But you don't want to touch the water. You want to stay here, in the air, away from the forces that bring you down. So instead of looking to the world, you look to yourself. You see the waves cascading around you, pushing you up, down, to the side. There was no direction left untouched, but you didn't need all directions to be equal.

You don't even have to wave your hand to tell the waves bringing you down to grow weaker. As the last wave of air disappears, you feel your waves brace you as you slow to a stop, leaving you frozen in the air like that ball. You look down, and the surf whips and churns not two feet below you.

In the black ocean, you can see a billion waves, both golden and natures design. And as you look into it, you see two shining golden orbs. For a second, the tide calms.

For a second, you don't know recognize who's looking into that water.

He's standing straight, floating in the air as the wind makes his clothes flap. His fists are clenched, ready to extend a fist, or a palm. His eyes were shining gold, you couldn't even see his pupils through the sheen. He looked like he could do anything, and he could do it with a smile.

You raise a glowing hand, and he raises the same hand. You move it, and he moves with you. A second passes, and he doesn't do a thing.

Because he's waiting for you to make that choice.

You raise your hands, then you raise your head towards the sky. You see the sun shine down in a radiance that you don't remember seeing before. It looks warm, inviting.

How much better it would be, if you could get closer? There's nothing stopping you after all. You feel the waves add themselves under you, slowly pushing you up. You can stop them, but where's the fun in that?

One by one, the waves build. One turns to ten, ten turns into a hundred. Next to you the cliff face blurs as you rocket towards the open sky. You just keep going faster and faster as more waves add to the ones already below. They push you up, and other waves place themselves in front of you, stopping the wind from biting at your face.

Suddenly, there's no sound and a second later you feel a different wave push you forward. Soon, you're above the rock and heading towards the calm white layer in the sky. You don't stop, you don't even feel a wave brace you right before you hit the cloud, and how is a cloud going to do to stop you?

So you let yourself hit, and you feel the cool water wash over you, but you don't feel a single drop through your waves. A sheet of white fills your vision, breaking into something new a second later.

Clouds, a sea of white under pristine blue as far as you can see. You see them shift, A million gallons of water hanging in the air, moving with the wind. Or your order, if you wanted.

And you do.

You wave your hand, and the golden sheen of waves follows your will. Like a titanic gail, the clouds part around you, creating a sphere of calm in the middle of the sky.

And looking out is… wow.

You can barely see the ground anymore you're so high. The facility, the people who tried to control you, they're barely a prick in the distance. A tiny grey blob in a sea of ocean blue.

There's a crack, a bark that cuts through the calm. It sounds happy, joyful even, full of life and ready for anything. It takes you hearing it once, then twice to recognize the sound.

You're laughing.

For the first time since the man, you're laughing your head off. You've chuckled, but this is making your sides hurt. You're up here, on top of the world with your answer, and it all seems so far away. Cancer, danger, everything!

Your holler rings out, and the waves send you soaring through the sky. You dip, rise, spin, anything you wanted to. There isn't a single thing stopping you up here, you can barely even feel the wind. The only thing that could ruin it you, is the feeling of weight on your head.

It increases every time you go faster, slow down, or move in general. But it goes down when you stop.

Then something makes your skin shake. It stops you dead in the air, then it happens again. A crack, then the pulse of a bass drum.

What could be… oh no.

David and Rebecca, they're still-!

You don't even finish the thought. The waves explode behind you, forcing the sound from your ears and making the clouds turn into white blurs as you rocket towards the sound. Soon, twin dots appear, and the waves behind you only increase. The wind folds around you, circling you with in a cone of white wind. It disappears, and the water below you blurs.

It takes you maybe a second for the dots to come into focus just over the water. David hovers, completely calm, surrounded by ice and fire. He looks fine, given what's happened in the last few moments, not even a wrinkle in his cloths. On the other side, Rebecca looks like hell. Her breath was ragged, and she's completely soaked. Nevertheless, she clenches her fists and steps forward on nothing. As she moves, David raises a single finger, the water under him becoming solid ice. You see waves pile behind Rebecca as she starts to move.

No, that's not happening.

Waves layer in front of you, slowing you to a stop about a hundred meters from the two. And as you stop, you cut through the air with a hand. From your hand, a wave explodes. A single shock wave of golden energy hurtles from your fingers, slicing the air. Every breath of wind rushes into excitement, sending gail forces everywhere. Rebecca and David are blown back, tumbling through the air, gaining control only a second later.

But despite completing its mission when the wave hits the water, it doesn't stop. The ocean parts as a single straight line carves itself into the water, splitting it and creating a divide through the waves. Fifty feet and thousands of tons of water are simply moved by your will as the wave continues to burrow deeper into the black waters. You lower your hand, and you feel the wave stop it's crusade. It disperses into the water, raising the two sides of the divide. Water shoots up, a tons of water becoming an enormous geyser, raining down in a saltwater shower.

They hit your waves, sliding off you as they would a windshield. Rebecca looks wide eyed, her lips quivering between pride and disbelief. She doesn't care about the water getting into her eyes, she can't stop looking at you. David slowly uncrosses his arms. His jaw is tight, his features a hard line as the water folds around him. But the back of his lips twitch upwards, just for a second.

"Alex, you're…" Rebecca starts.

Her eyes dart over to David who glares down at her. For a second, Rebecca matches it. And in that second, you will the waves to slide you between the two.

"Rebecca, stop," you say.

Rebecca flinches, flying back a few paces "But David-"

"Don't even start." David warns "I didn't do a damn thing until you went off the deep end,"

"No, you probably just made it worse," you say.

David reels back, his fingers curling around his arm. He doesn't like it, but he isn't denying it either.

"It's complicated, you wouldn't understand." He mutters.

"Then how about you actually explain it to me until I do," you fire back.

You feel your eyes narrow as David unfolds his arms again, his hands flashing through neon colors as he looks anywhere other then when you're flying. Rebecca on the other hand lets her head fall, and her arms go slack.

Neither of them can look you in the eye.

[] Press the issue with Rebecca. No matter what it was, it doesn't matter. You'll forgive her, you just need to know.
[] Press the issue with David. He promised to be better, and you're going to make sure he holds to that promise.
[] Don't press it with either of them, just go back to the island and start asking Contessa some questions. A lot of questions.