Ulysses dropped his bag by the side and lay on the bed for a few seconds.
The room was a mess.
Father must have stormed in here when he didn't return home last night.
Fantasy books and comics littered the floor, and some were torn to pieces.
He sighed and turned his attention to more pressing matters.
He held the crude, dark dagger and had an inkling of what it could be.
Without much thought or further ado, he threw the dagger with speed and precision.
Bam! It bit deep into the dry wood wardrobe.
'Impressive.'
But now that the dagger was away from his touch, there was a noticeable strain on his mind as if trying to keep the dagger tangible…
"What if I?" Without much thought, he released his hold on the dagger, and it turned into sparks of light before disappearing into nothing.
"I guess I'm not normal now?"
He should have been more impressed, even jumping for joy, but it all felt surreal, as if he were in a dream.
A stream of sunlight flickered into the room from the window.
It was the first light of dawn painting the eastern horizon in pale lilac.
Ulysses sighed, and sneaked into the bathroom in the corridor.
Leaning on the cold white sink with both hands, he slowly raised his head and met the gaze of a grim, exhausted boy staring back at him from the dirty mirror.
His gray eyes were lost, his skin pale, and his clothes were torn and filthy.
Dried blood crusted his face and dirty blonde hair.
He turned the water on and began scraping the blood, dirt, and grime from his face.
Something must have happened in that cave. The blood transfusion and that shock must have done something to me, made me a Beholder?
Suddenly, he was elated. Excited even.
That would have been great news; he could turn up at HC with his parents, and he'd be eligible for Hyper School.
There he'd be trained to be a protector.
Mother and Father would have their ranks elevated to first, and maybe Father wouldn't hate him anymore.
But something told him that explaining how he became a Beholder would put him in deep trouble.
Especially with the nature of the Angel-like man. And in all honesty, he was a bit scared.
Bang!
Sudden footsteps interrupted His thoughts.
"Lys!"
Footsteps pounded down the hallway, the heavy tread growing louder with each step. Ulysses felt a shiver and a burning sensation coming from his father's footsteps.
Then Silas was at the bathroom door, rage already twisting his face. His father was gone, replaced by this obsessive cruelty.
"Where have you been, you ungrateful boy!"
He stormed into the small bathroom, towering over Uly.
"Well? Speak up when I ask you a question!"
"I-I was–."
"Don't lie to me! I was once your age! I've played these games before!"
His father leaned in; the sharp acrid scent of his whiskey breath wafted into Ulysses' nostrils.
"Going out for parties with a bunch of druggies!"
Ulysses flinched back, but rough fingers clamped around his neck like a vise.
"You're nothing but a lazy, ungrateful brat," the man snarled. "I'm going to beat some sense into you if I have to kill you to do it!"
He yanked Ulysses off his feet with one arm. With his free hand, he fumbled for his ornate buckle belt, but the belt wasn't on him.
"No, Dad! I was–"
"Shut up. Don't you dare raise your voice at me!"
A shove sent Ulysses stumbling face-first into the wall, slamming nose-first into the tiles.
Blood trickled from his nose, and in his terror, Ulysses found rage.
And he realized he could kill Silas.
With his ability, he could kill this man.
"Ungrateful... liar"
Silas mumbled under his breath as he stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous.
"Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I'm a fucking fool?"
He stopped just in front of Ulysses, hesitating for a moment. As if noticing something in the boy's eyes.
Then he shook off his hesitation, repeating the same nasty drivel;
"Do you think I can't read you like an open book, fucker? I was once your age! I've played these tricks before."
Ulysses licked his lips, tasting blood, and then smiled.
Silas' eyes narrowed in brief confusion, then more in rage.
Then he swung. His fist crashed into Ulysses' face, snapping his head to the side and sending him stumbling into the bathtub.
The rage within Ulysses grew colder and furious. He was going to break this man. The ability was calling him. Whispering the idea of a hundred thousand knives stabbing… no impaling Silas and tearing him limb from limb as he died slowly.
"Get up! You fucker!"
Silas's finger wrapped around his neck a second time.
He raised his fist to hit Ulysses again, and he inhaled deeply.
Ulysses smiled, he was ready to release his restraint, and turn Silas to gore and mush, killing him.
But then he noticed something in his eyes, was it deceit or some familiar emotion?
"Your mother is hospitalized because of you! You ungrateful child!"
And Ulysses paused, the ability streaming off his body and losing its density.
Wham!
The second strike threw him against the tiles. He heard a crack, and the fingers around his neck yanked him, and suddenly he was underwater.
What?
Silas buried his head in the bathtub.
Ulysses couldn't think to do anything. His hands reached out for anything. He tried to scream, but water rushed in, slamming into the back of his mouth and drowning his windpipe.
Just when he was about to drown, His father pulled him out.
Cough cough!
Suddenly, someone was cradling him and sobbing.
It was Father.
"I'm sorry, Ulysses. I didn't mean to." He started sobbing, "Val got sent to the ER because you didn't give her meds yesterday. You forced me. I didn't mean to!"
"If only you had just done what I told you to do, and been better. Not for me but for her."
Ulysses couldn't find his rage anymore. He looked down at his feet.
"I-I just want you to have a better life than me." The man sobbed in anger, "And I don't want to see you wasting your time, being unserious n'stuff. 'Cause it'll ruin you like it ruined me."
Suddenly, a hot lump formed in Ulysses' throat, and he gulped.
"You're smarter than I ever was at your age... Stronger too. Land yourself a good desk in the army."
"I-I'm sorry."