Chapter 15: Only Human

Sebastian gets the chance to be a normal teenager for a day, but things aren't ever that simple.

Chapter 15: Only Human

I’m worried about Gabrielle, Sebastian was anxious. Every time he rang her phone it went straight to Voicemail. They’d been training together this last week since Sebastian was now fully healed.

They’d been working at an abandoned construction site and Gabrielle was learning fast. They were supposed to go down again today but something wasn’t right. Gabrielle was basically ignoring him.

Maybe she just wants a break, as much as Sebastian wanted her to get stronger he understood that she might need a day off. After all, now that Eric was dead, there was no war to prepare for.

The few times he tried to talk to Gabrielle about her Father’s death she clammed up. Which was understandable because Sebastian still couldn’t talk about his own parent’s death.

Sebastian’s phone buzzed and he immediately answered it. Hardly anyone ever called him because he wasn’t really close to anyone. The only two people with this number were Gabrielle and Sebastian’s uncle.

“Gabrielle! Why haven’t you been answering my phone calls? What if something had happened to you?” he wasn’t angry, well he was a bit. He was more worried that if something happened to her he wouldn’t know about it. How could he help if he didn’t know anything was wrong.

“I’m fine Puppy, cool your jets I was just… Just doing some research for us” Sebastian could hear Gabrielle’s voice echoing so he knew she was out somewhere. He could have used water to find her… But it had stung the last time and he wasn’t all that keen. Besides she was fine.

“Why were you doing research? My Uncle knows more than anyone! About basically everything!” he’d been holed up in his room for a while. Furiously working with his ‘people’ and investigating the events surrounding Eric’s fall from power.

“Well I mean… We don’t know everything, and besides knowledge is what makes us powerful, not what’s inside us” Gabrielle had strange ideas sometimes. But if Sebastian wanted her to keep talking to him he knew he had to agree. Maybe she would find something interesting.

Sebastian heard muffled voice’s in the background and Gabrielle drew in a deep breath. Sebastian wondered exactly where Gabrielle was for her research.

“Look, I have some friends who’ve just got here ok? I’ll call you later on” Gabrielle hung up and Sebastian stared at his phone. Girls were so confusing, hot and then cold. When you were almost dying for them they were basically stuck to you. Except when things went back too normal they backed right off.

Even though something weird had happened the last time Sebastian pondered using water to see what Gabrielle was doing. At least then his nerves would settle, once he knew she was safe he could relax.

Sebastian walked into the kitchen and turned on the tap. He ran his hand under the flow of cool water and closed his eyes. Through the water Sebastian glimpsed streets and houses. It took longer to find her this time, was Gabrielle further away?

Suddenly he saw her, she was in a dark room with a single light from the lamp beside her. She was sewing with a needle and humming under her breath. She was using black thread, but just as Sebastian was about to see what it was she looked up.

Their eyes connected and Sebastian was thrown out of the vision. The sting that he felt this time was worse than last time. When he looked down at the hand he’d had in the water it was very slightly burned. What the hell was that? Did Gabrielle push me out?

So many questions ran through Sebastian’s mind as he stood by the sink. Where were the ‘friends’ that she was supposedly with. What was she sewing? and how did she know Sebastian was there?

Something felt… Off. Sebastian’s could almost hear the beginning of warning bells going in his head. He should tell his Uncle about this, who knows what it could mean. It could be fine but then again…

Sebastian’s phone rang where he’d left it on the table. It was Gabrielle. Calling him back. Sebastian picked up the phone and answered.

“Hey, my friend’s had somewhere they had to be so I’m out by myself… Do you want to... I don’t know, do something human today? Like see a movie or something?” Sebastian felt his heart lift. No one ever invited him out, it was by choice for their safety. Still, he’d always wanted to just…. Be a normal teenager.

“Yeh that sounds good… I’ll just do one thing and then I’ll come” his mind preoccupied with the prospect of doing a stereotypical teenage activity Sebastian hardly noticed his burned hand as he wrapped it in a bandage and headed out the door.

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Hours later, Sebastian returned almost with a smile on his face. He’d just had a completely normal date with Gabrielle. They’d gone out to the movies and he had never felt… So human before.

Even before his parent’s died Sebastian hadn’t felt normal. His Uncle had taught him from a very early age that there was a need to blend into the background. It had felt like he was an alien, even before his uncle taught him about his abilities.

Of course, most of it had been to stop the Peacemakers from finding them. It hadn’t worked. They had found them. Of course they did, and just because they no longer had a leader didn’t mean Sebastian didn’t hate them.

Sebastian was so wrapped up in his thoughts that when he looked at his phone it took him a minute to realise what he was seeing. The 6th of July… His breathing hitched in his chest. Today was the seven-year anniversary of his parent’s deaths and he had spent it having fun without even realising what day it was.

I’m sorry Mum and Dad, Sebastian felt like they would hate him right now. For forgetting them, for almost allowing himself to be happy on the day that they died. What kind of a son was he that he would go out with a friend instead of mourning them like he should?

He wasn’t sure what triggered it, maybe it was some leftover emotions from the day his parents died, or maybe it was the shame at having fun when he should be in mourning. There was a massive surge of power and Sebastian lost all control.

He held his head in his hands as blue light streamed out of him and into the city’s water systems. Oh no… No not that! I can’t lose it now! But Sebastian couldn’t rein it in before everything around him exploded.

Author's Note

Sebastian is incredibly skilled in many ways, however he is easily distracted and almost to quick to trust people.