"No, Honey, you'll be fine. I'm not letting you go."
Her grip loosened, and her eyes fluttered closed. "I'm so tired, Daddy. Can I take a nap?"
He lowered her onto her pillow. "Of course, Baby. You sleep. I'll come back tomorrow."
The sobs couldn't be contained any longer. He locked himself in his daughter's private bathroom and splashed cold water on his face.
"Laura, why did you have to leave? Our girl needs you. I need you. I can't do this alone. I never could."
The doctor called for Mr. Black from outside the bathroom.
He dried his face and met the doctor in the hallway. "What's happening to Sarah? Why is she so much worse?"
"Her body is failing. I'm sorry, but we knew this would happen. As she ages, her internal organs are eating themselves in an attempt to survive. She won't make it much longer. All we can do is keep her as comfortable as possible."
Mr. Black balled up his fists. "How long? How long do I have with her?"
"There's no way to know for sure, but I'd say a few weeks at most."
He slammed his fist into the wall. "And is there nothing you can do? No cure or treatment we could try?"
"Sir, please calm down. And no, there's nothing that can be done. Barring a miracle breakthrough in genetic testing, there are no cures for this disease."
A dim hope took root once again in his soul. "A miracle breakthrough?"
The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. "Wrong choice of words. There is no miracle forthcoming. You must accept the fact that your daughter is dying. I'm sorry."
Mr. Black stalked out of the room. He would not accept that outcome. He would get his daughter her miracle.
***
"Forgive me for saying so, but your methods seem excessive compared to the threat posed by these kids." The Headmaster sat behind his desk and tried to look authoritative, but Mr. Black knew Higgins lacked the authority to have the bathroom cleaned, let alone to challenge his disciplinary choices.
That didn't stop the bastard from running his mouth, though. "These paranormal children are the heart of our organization. They're the reason we exist at all. They must not be so broken and terrified that we can no longer use them effectively. That boy didn't have to be whipped. You could have found another way."
Dark shadows filled Mr. Black's vision. "These kids, as you call them, are freaks of nature. They're self-righteous pricks with superpowers who think they're better than everyone else because of some genetic defect. You've let them get away with murder for too long. They need to be taught some manners and respect, and that's what me and my men are doing."
Mr. Black put the full weight of his own power—the real power that came from combat and weapons training—behind his stare. "My job is to keep this school safe. These kids lack discipline and have dangerous abilities. Accidents are bound to happen, and it would be a shame if one of the faculty members got hurt, don't you think, Mr. Headmaster?"
The color drained from Higgins's face. He looked down in defeat. "I understand."
A hard smile curled Mr. Black's lips upward. Some people are just too easy to break.
Shouts filtered into the office from the courtyard outside. Mr. Black jumped up and pulled the shades.
Two kids stood face-to-face, as though dueling. One was dressed in all red, and had even dyed his hair red, and held a ball of flames in his hand. The other wore blue and played with a ball of ice.
A tall boy stood just outside the dueling area and raised his voice so that all the kids gathered around could hear.
"Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate,
To say that for destruction ice,
Is also great,
And would suffice."
Mr. Black couldn't believe what he was seeing. Were these kids really about to duel to a Robert Frost poem?
Flame and ice clashed between them. The crowd screamed.
Mr. Black and the Headmaster ran from the office into the courtyard.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted at the top of their lungs. They formed such a tight circle that Mr. Black had to pull out his gun to get their attention.
The gun distracted the ice boy just as he deflected a fireball—only the fireball didn't fizz out as planned. Instead, it careened into the crowd and lit a young girl's hair on fire. The chanting ended abruptly and the kids began scattering to their classes or dorm rooms.
The ice boy having already disappeared into the crowd, Mr. Black aimed his gun at the fire boy. "What the hell is going on here?"
Instead of cowering, the boy flared another fire ball in his hand. "You can't do anything to me. I have power you can't even imagine, and I'm sick and tired of this crap you're putting us through."