The Destroyer

JC- Biggest Mistakes

I was born into a family of strange and supernatural people. My father was a shadow, someone who could send his soul out of his body. He could do it at will. My mother could dimension hop. I got both of their abilities, and then some. Nobody realized that when two power filled people have children, their gifts morph in the kids. I have three sisters, and none of us can do the same things.

When I was sixteen, I was taken into training for a band that would end up being a worldwide sensation. That was also when my powers started forming. I had been able to visit Selene with my spirit since I was about nine-years-old. I thought that would've been the extent of my gifts. I was wrong.

I didn't know how to control my new powers. They came and went with my moods. My parents pulled me out of training until I learned how to manage them. Or, really, how to keep my emotions in check. When I was seventeen, I started dimension hopping for fun. That's how my trouble began.

The first dimension I found- we'll call it Dimension Two- was a war zone. There, I found a version of myself and a version of Selene. That continued through every dimension I went to. We were everywhere. I went back to Dimension Two to try to help myself and Selene fight against an oppressing government.

There was a man in this dimension named Hyatt who knew a lot about dimension hopping. He helped me learn more about my powers and how to use them. And how to not let them destroy me or those around me. This lesson was not finished before it was too late.

It was late one night. I was out with my copy and his Selene. We were driving through the backwoods of the major city, known as Weffost in this world. A gunshot sounded through the quiet night, and an explosion rang out near us. The car next to us- another group of the Resistance- had run over a landmine. The impact killed all of them and flipped our vehicle.

My doppelganger and I hurried out to join the action. We left Selene behind. We rushed into the battle, guns blazing. I could hear people shouting from all over, but I could hardly make out what they were saying. The other Jackson disappeared into the forest, leaving me to fend for myself. I killed a group of six men, then turned around to see if Selene had made it out of the wreckage.

A man stood before me with Selene at gunpoint. She was sobbing, begging me not to do anything stupid. The man was yelling, but the ringing in my ears was so loud that I couldn't hear him. I took a step towards them. The man waved his gun in my direction, then pointed it back at Selene.

“I will kill her if you don't put your gun down and surrender.” He said.

She shook her head. “Don't do it, JC.”

But I couldn't let him kill her. So, I put my gun down on the ground. When I stood back up, he shot her.

“No!” I screamed out into the night.

Some kind of energy burst from my chest, flooding the forest with orange light. It disintegrated the man, the cars behind him, and other soldiers in the area. I fell to my knees, watching the world burn around me. I vaguely remember my other-self pulling me up and away from the scene. I didn't have the heart to tell him about Selene.

That was the moment people started calling me the Destroyer of Lives. It began with members of the Resistance. Some were angry with me for my magic killing people, even though I didn't have control over it. The government- because of the attack- became more oppressing and overbearing. The Resistance turned their hatred towards me, blaming me for this unforeseen turn of events. That's when I decided it would be best to go home.

No matter where I went, some terrible accident occurred around me. And I couldn't stop it from happening. I tried helping people, but it always backfired. On my twenty-second birthday, I made a vow that I would quit dimension hopping, stop time traveling, and stop trying to help people. I would focus on improving myself and my life. I would finally find Selene and settle down with her. All I wanted was to live a quiet life with the love of my life.

But then the wraiths took her. I wasn't going to let them get away with that.

“What are you doing?” Caleb, another of my six bandmates, asked.

He came in and sat on my bed, letting his blonde hair bounce as flopped down. He looked up at me with curious eyes. Caleb was the only one who truly understood what I was and he was the closest guy to me. He was a dimension jumper as well. My best friend practically lived in the Void when there wasn't anything for him to do here on Earth. His unnaturally blue eyes had seen so much, I couldn't fathom how he kept himself composed.

“To America,” I told him. “To get Selene.”

“Why now all of a sudden?” Caleb asked.

I paused my packing, remembering her face as they took her. “The wraiths got her. I have to go rescue her before they do something horrible.”

He folded his hands. “When's our flight?”

I looked over at him. “You’re not coming.”

“Yes, I am.” He said it very matter-of-factly like there was no way I was going to change his mind. “You need help.”

“I don't need help,” I said through my teeth. “This is my girl, and it's my fault she was taken in the first place. I have to go alone.”

“You don't have to,” Caleb said. His voice was calm, never wavering. “You're choosing to, as usual. Don't fight this battle alone. Don't be a one-man army. I can help you get her back. I'm the only one who can.”

“That's not true,” I said. “The other one can.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure, if you can convince him what you say is true. He doesn't know what he is, just like Selene doesn't know. Besides, I think he's on tour right now. We have no idea where he's at.”

I flopped on the bed next to him. “You're right.”

We sat in silence. Caleb reached over and grabbed my arm. I looked up at him. His eyes were unclouded as always. I was sure he wasn't from this world. But, he was my best friend nonetheless. And he was trying to help me. He leaned his head against the wall as if he was waiting for my answer.

“I don't know what to do,” I told him.

“Let me help you.” He said. “I know the Void better than you. I know how it works. I can help you find her.”

“It'll be dangerous,” I said.

He nodded. “Very. I would not be surprised if they took Selene to get to you. They've been hunting you for a long time.”

“Will I be able to succeed?” I asked him.

Caleb looked down at me again. For the first time since I'd met him, I watched an emotion flash through his eyes. Worry. He wasn't emotionless, I knew. He was just very good at hiding anything he was feeling. He locked himself away from the world. And, in that strange moment, he cracked a smile.

“Only time will tell.”