IGNATIUS The Colors of Rage

Chapter e Photokinesis

As they crossed paths with Amare, Baine patted him on his shoulder and spread his lips wide in a taunting smile that was more like a jester's mock than anything else. Amare tensed his shoulder. “You wouldn’t mind driving the two old folks up to the house personally, would you?” Baine dug the crumpled note out of his pocket and dropped it down in between Amare’s feet. “I have my hands full.” As he walked away, Amare smashed the note with the heel of his foot in one last attempt at passive aggression that he could muster.

Down on the ground, they returned home the same way that they had arrived. By the time they parked out front, though, the entire house was aware of the injustice done to the food supply and no one was happy about it. Members huddled around the lit windows and doors, glaring into the night, thirsting and waiting to unleash their frustrations out on the house leader. The one responsible. The Fenderson in charge.

Baine stopped the car and got out. He rushed up to the front door and held his hands up with open palms. “Before you all jump on me,” he started, “I’m here to tell you good news!” 

A house member plucked their head out of the crowd and with a shrill voice hollered, “your baby brother stole more than nine portions!” The mob’s glare shifted from one brother to the other.

The tension in the air was overwhelmingly thick. Perhaps Iggy was just sensitive, but either way, he lingered by the open car door, collaborating with ideas that revolved around staying outside forever to avoid walking through the bad vibes or just letting them have him on a silver platter. Slice and dine, perhaps?

Emi did much the same. 

Baine lifted his hands higher, reclaiming their attention as well as claiming the responsibility to answer for the injustice. “Good news, though!” he assured them. “I found replacements!” 

“Still! We aren’t satisfied,” another member interrupted. “This sort of selfishness is not sustainable. We’re depleting all of the enemy bases that we come across, but soon, they will follow the missing faces and find us. We must keep our appetites at a bare minimum if we want to survive here!”

Iggy cowered even lower. He still couldn’t remember the feeding frenzy from earlier and he sincerely didn’t want to make any problems, but how was he supposed to help if he couldn’t remember what had happened? He felt alone, cold, and unprotected the further away Baine was. He wanted to race to him and find shelter under his large arms like he used to. After all, Baine was the strongest one that he had on his side. However, Iggy was nearly a full grown man now, and it would be a joke on them both if he did so. 

He peered upwards, and in less than one second, he was distracted by the natural beauty of the stars overhead. Emi had already been more lost in the cosmos than she was interested in the resolution of the house. It was the peak of night and they had plenty of time before the sun would rise. A blessing as well as a curse. 

Iggy glanced back at the house where the argument was still occurring. The group was more or less fuming, pointing their fingers at Baine, shaming him. Still, Baine didn’t seem threatened or insecure, so, Iggy shrugged his shoulders and straightened his back. “f**k it,” he sighed. Unconcerned with everyone else, he set off to find things that were free to take. Things like branches, plant pieces, long grass, and other natural things. He grabbed a branch that was the length of his arm with bunches of green leaves and he snapped it in half like a twig. He shattered the bark and found the clean light brown and green insides. He peeled strings out of the wood and wound it around his hand.

Emi hovered over him, curiously watching as he scavenged through the yard. “What are you doing?” 

He glanced up at her. “I like it. I’m going to make something out of it.” 

She smiled, bent over and pulled a hand full of long grass out of the earth. Chunks of wet dirt fumbled from the ground mass onto the tops of her shoes and she giggled to herself. “I’m not sure if you and your whole family is crazy, or if it’s just you. So, I’ll play along until I can decide for myself.” She perked her shoulders up. “I mean, where else would I go? I’m an orphan, now. I’d better play in the dirt with the only other orphan around here.” Then, like a white dart, she flew past him, running wild around the corner of the house. Her voice filled the night. “This way! Into the garden of shadows!” 

Iggy bolted after her, laughing and forgetting everything else. They came to a place in the yard that was just as she had described. The garden of shadows. Every plant overgrown and dangling outward, shielding the two of them from the night sky like a heavy umbrella. Emi stood ankle deep in the brush, plucking small white flowers from the vines and collecting them in her hands. She looked over her shoulder and held a flower to her cheek. “Do you like this?” 

He smiled. “Yes.” 

Behind her in a section of heavy willow branches, there was a faint glimmer of light from the ground near the trunk of the tree. The light looked like many tiny little candles alight. Iggy’s smile melted into a simple opened mouth and he went around her.  

Her gaze followed him. “What is it?” 

“I see something…” He passed her, snagged the nearest branch and folded it in on itself. A path was now open into a small patch of red poppy plants. They were fully opened scarlet cups squatting on thick green stems with a color red that shimmered and burned all at once. It had a living breathing vibrancy to it. Iggy focused on the edge of a single poppy petal. Then, just like looking through a piece of red stained glass, everything in his vision became colored with it. He fell onto his knees and stared at the magnificent flower in awe. He could see forms and figures just fine, but it was all empty of its own colors. His fingers reached out to touch the fragile flower, but his arm moved meticulously slow.