17 years later

“ Jaden get up right now if you're late for your first day of junior year we're gonna have a problem!” 

I was startled awake to the sound of my mother yelling downstairs and groaned loudly. My mom has been talking about this day since the beginning of summer and I wasn't any less tired of hearing it. So I'm a year older to me It just means another year of hiding who I am, but she’ll never see it that way.

After all, I'm the only one in the family who isn’t normal.

Rolling out of bed I decided to wear a simple white button up shirt with some black pants. Not too noticeable but not exactly extravagant. I quickly laced up my shoes and headed towards the bathroom only to find the door closed and locked. 

“Madison opened the door I gotta go!” I yelled while my younger sister continued to take her sweet time.

“ You know you’re not the only one who has school today 1st graders are ruthless.” She opens the door and gives me a smug look while continuing to brush her hair. “ I must let all of the little peasants know that i am the new queen in the school hierarchy”.

“Sis this is not New York this is Georgia.” I point out as I grab hold of her brush and hold it out of her reach “ Literally no one knows who you are”

She groans dramatically before kicking my shin causing me to drop the brush that she quickly scooped up off the floor.

“If you weren’t such a freak we wouldn’t have had to move in the first place.” she utters before slamming the door to her room.

I shrug my shoulders and quickly brush my teeth and wash my face before grabbing my own brush and heading downstairs. “I love you mom by!” I bellow attempting to just rush out the door without facing the wrath of my mother.

“ Jaden lamar Giles .”

Dang.

The fact that she  used my full name lets me know she is not happy as I slowly turn around to face her. “ Yes mother who I love with all my-”

“One good day.”

“What?” my mom's question had caught off guard as I was expecting her to yell at me.

“Don’t “what” me Jaden. Since middle school  it’s always been something with you whether it’s a “mysterious power outage” or “making a school toilet explode” or “ghost sighting-”

“ You have to admit the toilet exploding was  extremely funny-”

“And I'm not even gonna mention the excuse you gave for “ accidentally beating a group of punks to near death-”

“They were trying to sell me drugs mom if anything it's almost your fault for raising me so well”I shrugged sheepishly as my moms glare got bigger and more menacing by the second.

“My point being,” my mother began, “ Trouble follows you like a magnet. The last thing I need is you looking for it.” She caresses the side of my face while giving me her signature heartwarming mom smile.

“So I'm gonna make you a deal stay out of trouble for one day… and I will consider letting you drive my car-”

“Seriously!?!”

I had gotten my license over last summer and had been begging mom to let me in her car but she wouldn’t budge now she was just going to let me have it. I was actually tempted to behave this time.

“ Ok fine i’ll do it.” I say as she kisses the top of my head “Thank you” she sighs relieved “ and remember-” 

“I know mom” I say knowingly my body halfway out the door “ Keep my powers hidden.”

And with that I left out the door and ran down the street to catch the bus. To this day i wish i had just said i loved her before I left. I wish I had turned around hugged her and told her I love her more than anything else in the world. Because unbeknownst to me at the time, the sacrifices my mother made for me were going to resurface…. And nothing I had ever done could prepare me for it.