I looked at the thorns that ran up against my arms and then at my dad. “What is...” I stared at my bleeding arms in horror. “Dad, what's going on?” I stumbled a way and the thorns broke off my skin.

“Out of all the things...” His eyes were wide.

I pulled my arms closer to my body, “Dad.”

“It’s okay, it's your Perk, okay, it's just your Perk,” he tried to calm me down.

“No! Get away from me! I don't want to hurt you!” my black hair curtained over my face. “I can't control-” another line of thorns grew out of my arm and I winced. “It hurts.”

“I can't believe you got mine… but also your mothers,” he took another step toward me. “And… of all things it hurts you.”

“Get away!” I screamed. “Dad! Listen to me. I want you to not get any closer because at any moment it will shoot out and hurt you.” Blood stained my shirt.

“Honey-” he picked me up with the vines that came  out of his arms, but they didn't hurt him.

“No!” I tried to struggle.

“Don't be mad, it’ll just activate it,” he smiled at me. “Everything will be fine, now let's get you cleaned up.” He brushed hair out of my face. “I love your Perk, you'll control it and then it won't hurt you.”

Scars ran along my arms and I hugged my dad, “I don't want to go.”

“It's Kindergarten you've gone before,” he stroked my head.

“But I got my Perk,” I muttered.

He smiled, “You’ll be fine, now go in and make your Dad proud.” I hesitantly went inside, gripping my backpack. Immediately I was pulled to the side by a teacher.

“Is everything at home?  What happened to your arms?” the teacher asked me.

I looked away, “I got my  Perk.”

“Oh! Maybe you can show it off at Show and Tell,” she smiled.

I shook my head, “I can't control it and I don't want to hurt another kid,” I spoke softly.

“Oh, I see, what is it?”

I shrugged, “I don't want to talk about it… it hurts.”

“What hurts?”

“My perk, it hurts me and my dad said I have to learn to control it so it won't hurt me.”

She nodded, “Okay but if there's anything you want to talk about then i'm here.”

I nodded and sat down next to the other kids. “Hey!” I smiled.

“Aislynn! Are you gonna play tag today?” a boy asked excitedly.

I nodded quickly, “You know it! Who can go a day without playing tag?”

“I don't know, adults?” He started to draw. “We can play during recess.”

“When else would we play?” I asked jokingly.

“I don't know.”

After a while we were called outside for recess and I started chasing kids. I reached my arm out and thorns came out. My eyes widened and I pulled my hand back but it was a little too late. My thorns had grabbed the boy's shirt and blood was oozing out slowly.  Stared at him in horror and I held my hand close to my body. He touched his back and looked at his red hand. A teacher came out and gasped.

“Aislynn! You don't hurt others-” she looked at my bleeding arm.

I started to cry, “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!”

The boy glanced a t me, tears were pooling in his eyes, “I-I'm fine, see?” he sniffed. “I’m not hurt, don't cry-” he started to take a step toward me and I stumbled back.

“No! I told my dad this would happen… don't come near me! I don't want to-”

“-Hurt you,” I sighed. I looked at bandaids on my arms. My dad came and sat down on my bed.

“Honey… I know what happened at school today,” he said softly.

I pulled the blanket over my head and sniffed. “I hurt him!”

“I know baby, it's not your fault,” he rubbed my back.

I felt like crying again, “I hurt him.”

“Do you want to see his parents and apologize?” he asked me.

I nodded slowly.

“Okay, let's go,” he picked me up. “I promise you won't hurt anyone this time.” I nodded again and he drove us to his house.

His parents opened the door and looked at me. “Is she crying?” the mom asked.

My dad nodded, “She’s been crying ever since, she feels really guilty and she wanted to apologize.”

“We know it was an accident and it wasn't very deep.”

“That's because she pulled her hand back!” I recognized the boy's voice immediately.

I flinched and hid behind my dad.

“Oh, she's here!” his expression brightened. “Do you want to come in? I have video games! And a backyard.”

I looked away and my dad pushed me forward, “Go on, if that okay.”

“It is! Come on in!” the dad smiled.

The boy took my hand and pulled me outside. There were two nets on either side and he pulled a ball out. “Do you know how to pay?” he asked.

I shrugged.

He set it on the ground and kicked it into the net, “You just do that but you want to get it into mine. You don't want it to go into yours.”

I nodded and kicked it out. I kicked it as hard as I could and a small thorn came out of my leg. I bit my lip and he looked at them curiously.

“Does it hurt?”

I nodded.

“Mom!” he shrieked and ran inside. “She's bleeding!”

“What do you mean she’s- what did you do?” she started to scold him. “Since when did we have thorns?”

“No it's my… my Perk..." I muttered. “I think it happens when I want to do things.”

“Thank God, I thought that Alexis did something,” she breathed. “I’ll go get some cleaning alcohol and bandages.” My dad came out and sighed.

“Again? Do I need to buy you more pants?” he asked, looking at the rips on my pants. I laughed slightly but I felt tears prickling in my eyes. The mom came back and she cleaned my cuts. I winced and gripped the grass. She was smiled at me and clapped.

“All done,” she sang.

I smiled  and looked at the cuts on my legs. “Now I have bandages everywhere.”

“You should be a Mummy for Halloween!” Alexis commented. I nodded in approval.

We hung out a lot after that, especially hard at school.

A boy shoved me and stuck his tongue out at me, “Monster!”

“Villain,” a girl behind me giggled.

“Isn't her dad one?” another boy asked.

I stiffened at the insults, i normally wouldnt care but I was embarrassed about Alexis being with me. “So what if he is! Aislynn is a good person! She’s going to be a hero!”

“She has a villain Perk, I got angel Perk,” the girl said proudly. “All she does is hurt herself and other people, or have you forgotten, Alexis?”

He clenched his fists, “She’s more of a hero than everyone here combined!”

After everything he still defended me and one day near the end of the year I ran to his house and knocked, excited to tell him the news. My mom found me and she smiled sadly. “Honey...”

“Mom! Alexis! I have to tell him that-”

“He moved away,” my mom picked me up. My eyes widened.

“What?”

“He didn't want to say goodbye… he did! But it was too painful to say goodbye to his best friend,” she smiled at me.

I looked at the bracelet he gave me for my birthday. “But… I would like a goodbye...”

“I know but he just couldn't, he said that he was sorry for leaving but that you'll be fine.”

“Fine...”