Made for Error

I clutched my head in agony as the memories rushed through my mind. The swirling debris came crashing down to the roof of the apartment building. The battle around me blurred as my body fell rapidly toward the ground. A scream ripped from my throat as I made contact with the concrete, wetness pooling around me from various spots on my body. I struggled for air, the wind knocked out of me. I blinked away the stars to see that no one had noticed my descent. No one. Not my father if that was to be true. Not even my mother knew her daughter was slowly bleeding out on top of a building a few yards away. I moved my hands around, desperately calling on my power to move the debris out of my body but I was too weak. With a determined grunt, I got my arms out underneath me and pushed up. Colors and stars danced in my vision as my head swam with both pain and confusion. What was real? What was a lie? Was this all a really bad dream? I sucked in a breath, coughing out the dust in my lungs.

“Help,” I rasped out, my throat burning with tears and dust. I swallowed, attempting to make my voice louder. “Help me,” my voice was barely audible over the sounds of fighting happening a few yards away. A noticeable cold swept throughout my body. I placed my hand on the back of my head, drawing it away to see crimson blood cover my entire hand. This was not good. I pushed myself to stand, swaying slightly as I shivered in the summer breeze. I was supposed to take my dog for a walk. I giggled, probably delirious from the blood loss. A perfect bloody outline of my body greeted me from behind with a large pool of blood in the center of the head. This is really not good. I giggled to myself. And not a time to be laughing. There was blood everywhere, flowing down my legs and arms, trailing behind me as I limped slowly toward the roof access door. The door stared back, taunting me as the world tilted. I closed my eyes, shaking my head to get rid of the stars. I was so tired. When was the last time I slept well? Every night for a week, I’ve tossed and turned, unable to sleep because of a splintering headache. Consciousness was slipping from me every second. I barely registered the pain of impact with the ground as I welcomed the escape from pain, from the confusion, from the hurt and drifted into a fever dream.

***

Except it wasn’t a fever dream. Because this actually happened. It was a memory. A memory I had long forgotten. Or had it been taken from me? I couldn’t remember. I sat around the dinner table, platters of food floating to their respective spots courtesy my dad. I saw faces I recognized but couldn't remember sitting around the table, smiling and laughing about something my brother, Axel, had said.

“What about you Juniper? If you could switch powers with anyone at this table who would it be?” Axel asked, turning his gaze to me.

“I don’t know…I think I’d have to go with your powers,” I said, my voice a bit higher than normal.

“Why mine?” He asked, curious. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. I’ve always admired you,” the words came tumbling out of my mouth before I could think. It’s like I was watching someone else be me. His face softened, a proud smile on his lips that didn’t quite meet his eyes. Something flickered there. Anger? I couldn’t tell because it was gone before I could look deeper.

“Well Jumpy Juni, I think it’s time for bed.” my mother said, using the nickname given to me for my endless energy. I haven’t been called that since…since my parents died. Or didn’t die? Questions swirled around me but before I could ask them, I was thrust into another memory.

***

“Jinny! Wake up!” a voice called out to me. I opened my eyes to see Axel standing over me, sweat beading his brow as if he had been running.

“Axel? Why’d you wake me up?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“Because the house is on fire and I need to get you somewhere safe.” That woke me up.

“Can’t you control it?” I asked, skeptical.

“No,” he said, a dark tone in his voice. “We’ve got to hurry,”

“What about mom and dad? Our pets? Tana, Lila, and Andlyn?” I said, panic beginning to take over.

“They’re already out. I told them I was coming to get you. We need to go now!” I got out of bed, running down the stairs in my butterfly pajamas. The smoke was suffocating. I could barely breathe. Axel ran in pace beside me and, after deciding I was running too slow, picked me up by the arms and slung me over his shoulder. I sucked in a breath but my lungs refused to work. I’m gasping for air as black spots dance in my vision. I can’t see anything through the smoke. I hear the frantic cries of my family calling my name but I’ve breathed in too much smoke and I pass out.

***

I was in a bright, white room, sedated, I guessed by my limbs lack of response to my command to move. The bright lights hurt my eyes, causing a pounding headache. The room was small, the only furniture being the cool metal table I was currently laying on. There was a square of glass on the wall in front of me. I sat up as best as I could and was met with my reflection. Or my reflection from six years ago when I was ten. There was a thin, blue bracelet on my right hand. My blond hair hung limply on my scalp. My skin was pale, not the usual golden tan I normally would have from being outside all the time. My brown eyes, normally so full of life, looked so dead. The normal spark in my eyes was gone and replaced with a glint of…was that anger? Anger towards who? The door to my left opened and Axel entered.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice dripping with pity. Pity for what, I didn’t know.

“Where am I? Axel, what’s going on?” I asked, eyes darting around the room for any information as to if this is real or just a dream.

“Our parents…they’re dead. Villains broke into our house. They used you as a hostage and tortured you,” his voice cracked. “When I came home, mom and dad were dead and you were bleeding out beside them. They took you to a regular hospital but I was able to bring you here. To my lair. The doctors here were able to save you.” Axel stepped toward me but I scooted away.

“What about our siblings?” Confusion etched across his face.

“We don’t have any siblings. It’s just you and me.”

“No. That can’t be right. I remember two other brothers and a sister,” Tears slid down my face. I hadn’t realized I was crying. Axel held me in his arms, rubbing soothing circles on my back while whispering words of encouragement.

“You were in pretty bad shape. The doctors were worried they wouldn’t be able to repair the damage. You almost died! But your powers, somehow it protected you. But your brain was badly damaged,” he explained, squeezing me tightly. “They were able to heal you. They said there might be gaps in your memories or you might think you know someone when you really don’t. It’s a process that’s going to take time. But I’m here. I’ll help you as best I can while also fighting off these ruthless villains,” he said, running a hand down his face.

“You can take on Mr. Scorpion just fine with your fire.” He shook his head.

“These villains are different. They’re new and it’s a trio. I don’t know where they came from but they’re bent on stopping me from getting rid of villains entirely.”

“What do you mean by getting rid of them?”

“Sending them somewhere where they can’t hurt anyone ever again. An alternate dimension of sorts once I figure out how to create an alternate dimension. But you don’t worry about that. Focus on resting and getting better. When you feel up to it, I’ll have a trainer help you remember how to use your powers. Until then, this bracelet on your wrist turns your powers off. Only I can take it off because I know you’re going to be stubborn and try taking it off before you’re ready.”

“I’m not stubborn!” I said, getting to my feet and almost falling flat on my face. Axel rushes to catch me.

“Not stubborn? You literally just got out of surgery. You need to lay down I know the table isn’t ideal, but it’s all I have right now. You only have to be here for a few more hours and then I can show you your room. I brought all of your stuff from mom and dad’s house and did the best at recreating it,” he said, helping me back onto the table. “I’ll be back with a blanket,” he reassures after giving me one last hug. Once he left, I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I screamed, my chest heaving with sobs. I would never again hear my dad’s contagious laugh or my mom’s gentle words. You still have Axel. I thought. That’s true. I still have my big brother. My best friend. My protector. A small smile forms on my face. I will help Axel. For mom and dad, I will rest. Only if so I can rid this world of the people who took them from me in the first place.

***

I awoke to various voices, all familiar, but there was one that stood out. Axel. I squinted in the bright sun. My head felt sticky and warm.

“Axel?” I gasped out. He rushed to my side, tears shining in his eyes.

“Hey Juniper,” he said softly. His wrists were bound in glowing handcuffs.

“It was you. All this time. All these years. It was you,” I said, the pieces falling into place. “You did something to me. To my head so I wouldn’t remember our family!” I said, too numb to feel anything. All the pain. All the lies. It was too much. He nodded.

“I’m sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt,” he said, squeezing my hand. I ripped it from his grasp. He looked like I had slapped him. My face hardened, walls forming over my heart and mind, protecting myself from any more pain or heartbreak.

“Why? How?” He bit his lip.

“Tell her. Now,” said a stern voice beside me. All my attention had been on Axel, I had forgotten about the people around me. My family. My very real, not dead family. My mom, dad, and siblings. My sister, Tana, was the one who had spoken, her healing hands glowing over me. Her eyes looked tired. My injuries were taking a lot of energy to heal.

“That night at dinner, the one when I asked who you would switch powers with, we had an argument. A big one. Right after you went to bed. Mom and Dad have always worried I’d end up being a villain. Turns out they were right,” he said with a small smile.

“What are you talking about? Why would they think you’d become a villain?” I said, glancing at my parents.

“You were too young to notice but whenever I used my power to destroy something, there was a bit of glee in my eyes. My power comes from destruction. I find joy in destruction. In chaos. In insanity. It’s who I am. Who I’ve always been but have hid. I was born into a family of superheroes for goodness sakes, of course I hid who I was! Because I knew they wouldn’t see a son. Just a villain. And that’s what they said to me at dinner that night,” Axel ran his hands through his hair, or tried to as much as he could with the cuffs on. It was something he always did when he was upset. “That night was the breaking point. All of the anger and resentment I felt towards our family exploded. Our siblings…they never once stood by my side. None of you did,” he said, turning to address them all. “You all saw me as a villain every day of my entire life. Not once did you ever say you were proud of me or that you loved me. No, it was always “Axel be careful,” “Axel be good,” "Axel, why can’t you be more like your brother or sister?” and I was tired of it. So I set fire to the dining room. The place where all of those comments were made.”

“But why me? Why’d you alter my memories?”

“You were the only one who didn’t see me as a villain. As a monster. You looked up to me. You loved me. You always have. I couldn’t bear the thought of you seeing me as a villain, so while our family struggled to control the flames, I grabbed you and ran. I took you to a secret base I’ve been using as a form of anger management before I turned it into the science lab it is now. I asked Dr. Katana for help. She knew how I felt about our family and with her own vendetta against them she agreed to help. It was supposed to work! You were never supposed to find out! But evidently because our parents came to this fight, it triggered your buried memories. That’s what I was worried about when you came out of surgery. Why I had your powers temporarily turned off. So that if you ever found out or started to remember, I could explain myself without fear of you hurting me, ”

“You asked Dr. Katana to mess with my brain? My memories? Our arch nemesis?” I cried, anger coursing through my veins. All I saw was red as I stood to my feet, pushing Tana out of the way. I had been lied to for six years. Felt such a hole in my heart at the absence of my parents. Had fought my own family for six years, injuring them badly, and not one of them had said anything. I turned to Tana. “Why did none of you ever say anything?” I asked, my voice hardened with anger and hurt.

“We didn’t know. We thought you were doing it willingly. We were so focused on stopping Axel that we didn’t realize you didn’t recognize us,” she said wearily, swaying from side to side.

“We’re so sorry,” Andlyn, my eldest brother, said.

“You didn’t know,” I said, turning to Axel. My eyes glowed with rage as the debris around me lifted and aimed at him. “I went through so much pain. So much rage at these “villains” for supposedly killing my parents but they were actually my own family all along! All of this because of you! I helped you with your schemes, not at all noticing that my own heart was turning black! That I was evil. That I am evil! Because of you!” I shouted, throwing the debris at Axel. He dodged as best as he could before a rock smacked into his head. Blood trickled down his temple as he crumpled to the ground.

“Juniper! What are you doing! That is not how heroes behave! We don’t get revenge!” my mother said sternly. I turned around, angry tears running down my face.

“Who said I was a hero? I may be mad at Axel for altering my memories, but he did that from a place of pain and rage and I can understand that. What I can’t understand is how you could treat your own son like a villain just because of his powers like he had a choice. Or did you forget that my powers also come from destruction? Does that make me a villain too? Even after all the awful things Axel has done, he never once treated me like a villain. He loved me. He even gave me the choice of working with him. He didn’t force me or anything. He said no matter what I chose, I could still live with him until I was ready to live on my own. Yes, it was built on lies, but it was a choice nonetheless. This whole sixteen-year-long mess would never have happened if you had just loved him! If you had treated him like a son. The ones to blame for this are you. All of you!” I shouted.

“Juniper! Calm down!”

“My name is not Juniper anymore,” I said as I crushed the handcuffs around Axel’s wrists, an evil smile upon my lips. He didn’t move but he still had a pulse. The piece of concrete Axel was laying on glowed and detached itself from the building. I rose to the air, staring at my family’s expressions. Anger. Shock. Disbelief. They’re all fools. Did they really think I would go running back to them after finding out the truth? Not at all. Was I mad at Axel? Hell, yeah! But I could understand where he was coming from. Besides, I was having so much fun working with Axel. “Call me Persephone, queen of destruction. Of hate. Of pain. Because when I’m done, the world will be nothing but ash,” I said nodding toward Axel, “And debris,” I said, turning away from my family, my enemies, as I flew back to the lair. They had no clue what was in store for them.