9 Chapter 9: Control
"So you think Pharaoh has suddenly awakened super hearing or something?" Asked James with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Sara before glancing at Tut, who was no longer grunting in pain, but his face was still contorted in agony.
"I-I don't know exactly, Mr. Kent, but this entire time, he's been grabbing his ears, so maybe that's the case? I mean, if I were to hear something too loud, I'd grab my ears in hopes of suppressing the sound." Replied Sara awkwardly as she looked at Hana, who seemed annoyed at her, and James, sporting a thoughtful expression.
"Even if what you said is true, and he suddenly awakened super hearing, why has he been in such pain for so long?" Said Hana with a frown as she eyed Sara, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bed.
"Well, in the article, the Mutant had said when he first awakened his ability, he was in Times Square, and at that time, he suddenly received an influx of noise, which gave him a massive headache." Remarked Sara, feeling more confident as she spoke when she noticed Hana and James weren't outright dismissing her words.
"Times Square is noisy to the average person, so I can't imagine how terrible it would be for Mutant, but we're in Queens, and Times Square is in Manhattan, which is miles apart-" Stated James while stroking his beard, frowning as he looked at Sara before suddenly stopping and widening his eyes, causing both Sara and Hana to look at him.
"What? What is it, James? If you've discovered something, don't keep it for yourself; tell me." Commented Hana as she saw James approach Tut and kneel right before him, though all she got was a shush from James.
"You two, be quiet; I think Sara might be right about Pharaoh's condition." Remarked James in a whisper as he rested his hand on Pharaoh's side.
"Sara's right? I'm right?" Questioned Hana and Sara, respectively, in surprise, both speaking quietly.
"Didn't you say it yourself? Times Square is miles apart. Besides, even when disregarding Times Square, our house is in the middle of the suburbs; there isn't anything but houses and a park for at least three hundred feet." Said Hana quietly in confusion as she gently rubbed Pharaoh's head, doing his best to soothe his mind.
"Hana, remember what happened shortly after we fo- adopted Pharaoh? How he saved me from being crushed to death while I was fixing my tractor?" Asked James as he looked up at Hana, who nodded in response while Sara slightly widened her eyes.
"Well, I wasn't there since I had to return to New York because of my job, but I remember you telling me. You said you didn't even realize the floor jack had broken until you finished fixing the tractor. For almost an hour, Tut held the tractor and kept it from crushing you; slightly ironic considering you're the father, yet your not even month-old child saved you." Remarked Hana with a slight chuckle as she remembered James explaining everything to her once he arrived in New York with Tut.
"Yes, but even though he was only a few weeks old, he was already capable of inhuman feats, and he only continues to grow stronger; however, what if his hearing is now just as strong as his physical strength? I don't know why his hearing would suddenly improve, but when it did, what if its power was at the same magnitude as his physical strength." Said James with a slight smile before shaking his head and turning solemn, his words causing Hana to widen her eyes in shock as she covered her mouth.
"I-If that's the case, James, let alone Queens, h-he might be hearing everything happening in New York!" Stated Hana in disbelief as she looked down at Pharaoh, the pain in her eyes only deepening, though before she could do anything, someone interrupted them.
"F-For not having a high school education, you're rather smart, Dad." Said Pharaoh as he removed his hands from his ears and slowly sat upright, though he kept his eyes shut.
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'Urgh, fuck me; that was terrible! Worst hours of my life by far!' Thought Pharaoh with a scowl while occasionally grabbing his ear and wincing in pain.
After hours of being mentally tortured, hearing things I would prefer never to hear again, I finally managed to control my hearing, well, not entirely control it; mainly, I was just suppressing it, and I was hardly achieving that, though the longer I focused, the faster I gained control over my newfound hearing. I'll tell you what: super-intelligence may have its cons, but its pros far outweigh it; without it, I wouldn't have been able to do a lot of things, but most importantly, I would have terrible control over my powers.
My powerful mind granted me an incredible level of control over my body, allowing me to accurately fine-tune my strength; otherwise, as a child, everything I touched would've been destroyed. I wouldn't have been able to touch Mom or Dad without worrying about ripping off their limbs by accident.
With such a powerful mind, It should've only taken me an hour at most to get elementary control over my five senses, but suddenly being blasted with everything that was happening in fucking New York made that impossible. Control my strength? Nigga, I couldn't even hear myself think; the only reason why I'm able to control my hearing now is only that it's night, and a significant portion of the noise has disappeared, giving me enough leeway to actually think.
"Pharaoh!" Yelled Hana happily as she suddenly reached forward and embraced Pharaoh in a hug, causing him to wince in pain.
"Ouch, quiet Mom, please; it sounds like you're yelling right in my head." Said Pharaoh with a frown while grabbing his ear; nonetheless, he didn't try to escape Hana's hug.
"Ahh, sorry about that; I got excited." Remarked Hana with an apologetic smile as she spoke as quietly as possible while wiping a few tears threatening to escape.
"It's great that you're no longer in pain, Tut; everyone was worried sick." Said James softly with a fatherly voice as he stood up and patted Tut's shoulder, causing him to shiver unconsciously.
"Yeah, tell me about it, Dad; not having everything in New York pounding inside your head feels wonderful." Stated Tut with a wry smile while shaking his head.
"Also, I appreciate the compliment, but the one who figured out what was wrong with you was Sara." Added James with a grin as he pointed to Sara while folding his arms, though his words caused Pharaoh to freeze suddenly.
Hearing Dad's words, which, despite him probably speaking very quietly, still sounded like he was yelling directly in my ear, I instantly froze before turning to my left as that's where my Dad's skeleton pointed to, and lo and behold, there she was, Sara in the flesh; well, more like a skeleton for me.
"Umm, sorry, Pharaoh, but I may have accidentally revealed that I know of your powers." Said Sara awkwardly as she looked away while Pharaoh looked quite pissed.
"What!? Why did you snitch on me!? Didn't you promise me you wouldn't discuss it with anyone!" Exclaimed Pharaoh angrily as he grabbed Sara's shoulders and shook her, though he controlled his strength, lest she end up dead.
"I-I didn't snitch on you; b-besides, I thought you would've told your parents that I knew! How was I supposed to know that?" Replied Sara defensively while her head constantly bobbed back and forth, nearly getting whiplash from the intense shaking.
I was going to yell at Sara, but before I could, I felt a soft hand grip my shoulder, causing me to instantly freeze as I knew who that hand belonged to. Gulping nervously, I slowly turned around, and just as I expected, I saw Mom looking at me with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"I'm happy you're not in pain anymore, Tut, as it now gives me a chance to punish you without feeling bad." Said Hana with an angry smile as the grip on Tut's shoulder strengthened, causing Pharaoh to be filled with fear.
"Tch dammit; M-Mom, if you let me explain." Remarked Tut, cursing quietly before smiling while forcefully yet gently removing Hana's hand from his shoulder and holding it.
"You'll explain? Good, I want to know everything that happened at that incident; then, and only then, will I punish you. Just know no matter what you say, your entire summer is gone, young man." Stated Hana with a scowl as she removed her hand from Tut's and folded her arms while glaring at him.
Sighing in defeat, I looked at Dad, hoping he'd say something, but other than raising an eyebrow, he didn't bother moving, causing me to sigh once again as I glared at Sara, who just gave an apologetic smile before I explained what really happened last year.
'Fuck me, I can't catch a break. It's just one thing after another; at least let me better control my hearing!' Thought Pharaoh, though he didn't dare to say those words, not to Hana of all people.
"Haa, well, it started with me going to their house to hang out with Jean…" Said Pharaoh as he started explaining the drug incident.
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It was a Saturday evening in the year 2005, and everything was normal for most residents in Queen, though that was about to change for one person.
"Mom, I'm going to Jean's house!" Yelled Pharaoh as he walked down the stairs and headed toward the front door with a basketball in hand.
"Just be back before dinner; I'm making sushi!" Yelled Hana as she peeked from out the kitchen and glanced at Pharaoh.
"Okay, see ya." Said Pharaoh as he waved his hand and left the house, closing the door behind him.
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I initially didn't plan to post a chapter today cause it was my birthday, but I was bored, so I said fuck it; so, since it's my B-Day, mind giving me some extra power stones?😏
