Chapter 9

Peter's perspective:

As I saw Mary fall I wasn't sure what to do. I ran and caught her just before she hit the floor. I pulled her tight to my body unsure where I should bring her. I eventually dragged her up to her room and lay her on her bed. I didn't have Hope's number but I knew she had to be around here somewhere. I checked Scott's room first but found no one. I headed to Bruce's room and found her there as Bruce woke up.

"Hope. I need your help." I said

"What?" she asked

"Mary passed out. I brought her to her room. She didn't sleep last night."

"Wait here, Bruce. I'll handle this."

"No." He said, "Let me help her. I'm more qualified than both of you combined."

"You sure? You don't have to."

He nodded and slowly got to his feet. He headed out the door and up to Mary's room. He leaned towards her to check her pulse and suddenly jumped back.

"Her powers." He murmured before turning to us "I can't touch her. Her powers have gone haywire and have created an electric field around her. Based on what Peter told us it's probably just from lack of sleep. Although I can never be sure. Someone should stay with her to make sure it doesn't get more out of hand."

"I'll stay," I said

"You sure? It could be dangerous."

"I'll be fine."

He nodded and left. Hope glanced at Mary before following after him. I stayed there the whole night. Unlike Mary though I actually slept. I only saw the ghosts of Tony and Cap and the many others in my dreams but it was better than no sleep. I sat through the morning next to Mary's bed and heard a knock on her door. I opened it to find Hope standing there holding a bowl of cereal.

"I got you some breakfast." She said, "Can I come in?"

I nodded and opened the door wider allowing her to step inside. She walked up to Mary but was careful not to touch her. She didn't say anything but nodded to me in thanks as she left. I sat there for a while longer eating my cereal until I was hit by a horrible vision. There sat a young girl holding the body of a man and a woman in her arms as she wept in the ruins of a house. An older girl kneeled next to her trying to comfort her.

"It's not your fault Ama." She said

"But it is." The younger girl responded

"It's not. You just got your powers you couldn't control them."

"It is. I destroyed the house, I didn't protect them, I killed them." The young girl glanced up and I saw those green eyes I know all too well.

Just then the vision shifted. I saw the same girl, Mary, watching an ambulance drive away.

"Ama, I know you didn't mean to." said the older girl

"But I did anyway. I used my powers knowing I couldn't control them."

"Yes, but you were just trying to make a friend."

"This is why the kids bully me at school."

"They bully you? What do you mean?" Asked the older girl without a response "Ama? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Ella. I just want to go home."

The vision shifted once more now showing the two girls sitting behind a store somewhere. There was a loud rumbling sound and I saw a giant beast stomping towards them.

"Run!" Screamed Ella

Mary obeyed and turned around. I heard a loud crunch and saw the monster had Ella in its jaws.

"Leave her alone!" Mary yelled

It continued to hold her there. She was nearly dead from the looks of it but she managed to speak.

"Do it Ama. Kill the beast. Save yourself."

Mary's eyes began to glow and I saw the energy coursing through her veins. A huge lightning bolt struck the beast killing it and her sister. Mary collapsed knocked out as Tony and the rest of us rushed up.

The vision ended there and I finally realized how much Mary had truly been through. She had killed although unintentional. Her sister was always there but now she had killed her too. I finally understood how much pain she was in every day but that day when she had killed those dummies for me she hadn't even seemed to care. I don't think she notices anymore and she's probably done much worse than slash a handful of dummies. I stayed by her the rest of the day and into the night. She didn't wake up even when Hope came in the next morning.

"Do you want me to take over?" She asked

"No I'm fine," I said as I heard a terrible crash outside

Me and Hope both rushed to the window to find a thunderstorm starting. The bubble around Mary grew bigger as did the storm. The clouds shadowed the mansion making it hard to see. Soon Mary's bubble covered her whole bed as the clouds covered the mansion.

"Walk into her bubble!" I yelled at Hope

It shocked me and tried to push me out but once I was through the thin walls of electricity I was safe from the storm. Hope followed soon after me but she couldn't make it through. It scorched her skin as she tried.

"I can't!" she yelled

"Then run. Hide. I'll handle this."

She left leaving me alone with Mary. I wasn't sure what to do but I knew there had to be a reason I made it through and Hope couldn't. I headed to her bed and sat next to her. I brushed her hair lightly out of her face with my hand so I could see her eyes. I still wasn't sure what to do so I just sat there watching the electricity run through her veins. The mansion began to fall around us. Anything that touched her forcefield crumbled to dust. It had stopped expanding as it reached the corners of her room. That was the only part that was protected. Everything else fell but her powers kept her and me safe. I saw another vision as the mansion fell. Mary again as a young girl sitting in a classroom. One of the other girls got up and walked over to her.

"Look at what super dork's wearing today." She said loud enough for everyone to hear

"I'm not a dork!" Mary responded

"Oh yeah? Then what are you? A super freak!?"

All the kids in the class were laughing as Mary ran into the hall and to the bathroom. The other girl followed her and grabbed her wrist.

"Let me go!" Mary yelled

The girl tightened her grip fingernails digging into Mary's skin. Mary tried to get away she tried to run but she couldn't. A shock of lightning ran through her body and hit the girl. She screamed and cried as Mary ran away. She left the building and walked back to her house. By the time she got back, the sun was setting and tears were running down her face. She locked herself in her room and that's when it happened. A thunderstorm started tearing apart her house it was the same as the one now except this was her family. I knew what came next from the other vision. Her parents died leaving her and her sister alone. The vision ended abruptly and I glanced up to find Mary awake though with her eyes closed. She seemed to be concentrating hard on something.

"Peter." she said, "I'm sorry."

The electric field around us disappeared and we fell.