Before the Silent Scream

  “What were you doing before it came around?” Serena asked, holding up Pinn’s arm and massaging it up and down.

  “I was trying to help Pa lift the steel beam,” Pinn answered.

  “And just like that?” She clapped her hands together. “You suddenly had super strength too?”

  “Just like that,” Pinn agreed with a quiet clap of his own.

  Pinn watched his mom parse the information, a mix of disbelief and amazement in her eyes. She had an infinite potential to worry over him, but he also trusted her knowing about all the weird stuff going on within him. Maternally, she ran her hands through his hair as she pondered. Pinn focused extra hard on not igniting his head in flame.

  “Rocky!” she called over her shoulder. “Your family ever have a history of powers?”

  From the living room couch, Rockwell looked up from his tablet but said nothing.

  “Me neither,” she murmured, looking over Pinn. “You got something special in you, Pinny. A real, true, honest blessing. You saved lives with it, too! I’m so proud!” She squeezed him in a quick hug, then released him to look him over again.

  “I got another question about what happened that first night,” Rockwell said, his eyes lingering on the screen.

  “Yes, Pa?”

  “Oh, don’t make him relive the mugging every day!” Serena scolded.

  “It’s fine, Ma.”

  “You said you used your head fire to get out of the fight, yes?” Rockwell continued.

  “Yes.”

  “Was it a strong flame? Like it was at the construction site?”

  Pinn thought back, the heat of his power not exactly being on the top of his mind when the knife was inches from his face.

  “I guess so,” Pinn said.

  Rockwell clicked his tablet off and removed his glasses, rubbing them thoughtfully.

  “Let’s get back out to the pool. You need more practice.”

  “All right Pa,” Pinn said, sighing.

  “Hey, what’s this about!” Serena said, pulling Pinn back into his chair. “He just saved people from a disaster yesterday. He can take a bit of a break.”

  “No. He needs control. Now.”

  “Rocky.”

  “This is serious.”

  “What’s so serious that we can’t have a single day off? Is stopping a building from collapsing on people not enough?”

  “Not if he was the one to cause the disaster,” Rockwell said, his voice cold.

  The living room filled with silence, feeling like a vice around Pinn’s throat. He watched his father for more explanation. As usual, he was a statue. Hoping for a second opinion, he looked to his mother and saw a hand placed lightly over her mouth, mortification in her eyes.

  “Rockwell! Why would you say that!?”

  “It was the same construction site he got mugged in. He said he used his flame. From what I was reading in the news and what I heard on the ground, there’s a good chance his fire caused there to be some weakness in the structure and therefore the…”

  “No, Rocky! Read the room! Why would you tell your teenage son that he’s to blame for causing the whole site to collapse!?”

  Pinn lowered his head, licking his lips nervously. Had he caused all of that? Whatever excitement he felt for saving those men was crushed like a pea under a steamroller. A deep pit of shame opened in his heart.

  “Because it looks like he was to blame,” Rockwell said. “But there’s no shame on him for not knowing at the time. We can prevent it from happening again. We have to.”

  “I’m not saying you’re unreasonable. I’m saying there’s a better way to frame this,” Serena snapped.

  “He’s right, Ma,” Pinn said, standing suddenly. “Let’s go, Pa. I need a lot more training.”

  “You boys,” Serena groaned as Rockwell and Pinn made their way outside.

  Without bothering to put on a swimming suit, Pinn threw off his shirt and leaped into the pool with nothing but pajama pants. Frowning to himself, he grit his teeth, hating the fact that he couldn’t imagine a scenario in which his father was wrong. One day, the scaffolding was standing strong. Then, the day after Pinn emitted his searing hot flames, the whole thing came crashing down.

  Control. He needed control over his powers if he wanted control over his life. And he would have it.

  He swam up for air, treading water and watching his father for instruction. Rockwell was checking over the fences, ensuring there weren’t any neighbors in their backyards who could overhear them. Pinn waited patiently until Rockwell turned and regarded him. They shared a quiet stare-down, only the bobs of the water against the side of the pool breaking the silence.

  “You have the head on fire and the strength. Anything else?” Rockwell asked.

  “Not that I know of.”

  Rockwell scratched his beard, seemingly disappointed by the answer. Pinn didn’t know how else to reply. Searching, Rockwell walked around the pool steadily and scanned the objects in their backyard. He lifted a shovel next to his garden an inch off the ground and pursed his lips. Then, with a nod to himself, he grabbed a five-gallon bucket and dumped out the soil.

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  “Fill this up with water and hold it over your head with one hand while lighting yourself on fire underwater,” Rockwell instructed, tossing the plastic bucket to his son.

  Pinn caught it midair and dipped it under the water, somewhat nervous. He knew he had already activated the two powers simultaneously, but he didn’t know how. Once the bucket was filled, he struggled to bring it out of the water, even with two hands. Rockwell waited with arms folded and Pinn maneuvered himself in the water to get one hand under the flat end. Pushing with his feet, he barely managed to force the bucket out before the weight made him drop it back into the pool.

  “Use your strength power,” Rockwell instructed.

  “I know, Pa, I’m trying!” Pinn snapped, frustrated.

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” Rockwell shot back.

  Pinn closed his eyes and exhaled quietly, willing himself to calm down. He was here to train, it didn’t matter that his father said obvious things. Especially if they were reasonable instructions. They were after the same goal.

  Opening his eyes again, Pinn grabbed the bucket and willed strength into his arm. His arm lifted up as easily as if he was carrying a plate of food. On Rockwell’s approving nod, Pinn took a breath and ducked into the water.

  The power of flame over his head came significantly easier than his super strength. It was more like lifting a limb than finding a whole new source of power. Through the stinging chlorine, Pinn opened one eye under water to try and get a good look at the water being superheated by his fire. A white sheen covered his vision, like he was wearing glasses made of light bulbs, but he could also see the faint outline of mist coming off the top of his pool. Amused, he thought about how he could make his own jacuzzi with enough effort.

  Pinn popped his extinguished head out of the water, lowering the bucket and catching his breath. He was pleased to see his mother had joined them. Pa couldn’t get away with any harsh or annoying remarks with Ma around. He even unfolded his arms and had them casually at his sides.

  “Again. Push yourself to your limit,” Rockwell said.

  Pinn blinked, barely able to register the instruction while still recovering.

  “Come on, Rocky, look at him. He’s exhausted,” Serena said.

  “I know. That’s why it’s important he tries again.”

  Reluctantly, he nodded, taking a deep breath and sinking back below the water. He could barely hold up the bucket of water, the two different powers straining his head with compounded pressure. Running on all cylinders, his mind felt like he had just been asked a series of questions in an intense investigation and was required to answer them in alphabetical order if he didn’t want to go to jail.

  Gasping, he popped out of the water, dropping the bucket and placing one arm on the side of the pool to avoid having to tread water. Before he even looked up, he heard another command.

  “Again.”

  Wincing, Pinn looked up and met his father’s brick-like gaze. He looked to his mom for support, but evidently she’d gone back inside. He was on his own again.

  “Again,” Rockwell repeated.

  “I know…” Pinn breathed. “I know, just… let me…”

  “No. Do it now. It’s less effective if you get your energy back.”

  “Why?”

  Rockwell stared quietly, but Pinn met his eyes without backing down.

  “It’s not good training if I’m not learning anything,” Pinn said, making sure his tone remained even.

  Rockwell scoffed. “Right. Today you have two powers, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And yesterday, was it true that the only thing you knew of was the fire?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you think that means?” Rockwell asked, his arms folded.

  Initially, Pinn found the question irritating, questioning its relevance to power practice. But as he took a moment to think, he realized it had a lot of weight to it. Shuddering in the warm pool, he gave his best guess.

  “I could have more abilities. I just don’t know about them yet.”

  Rockwell nodded gravely.

  “You think they’ll come out as suddenly as the first two?” Pinn asked nervously.

  “You tell me.”

  A thousand scenarios ran through his head at once. One moment he could be sitting in a car and the next moment it could melt away. He could electrify someone when shaking their hand. Blast someone’s hair off. Hurt people.

  He needed control.

  “I’m testing to see if a new one comes up when you’re put at your limits, like yesterday,” Rockwell said.

  “How do we know these aren’t my only two?” Pinn asked.

  “That’s what we’re testing for, isn’t it?” Rockwell asked simply.

  Pinn nodded, seeing his point. At least now training made sense. He could deal with Pa pushing his limits if he knew what they were after. He took in a deep breath, then stopped as he heard his mother’s voice from inside.

  “Rocky! An ‘Officer McNaulty’ is looking to speak with you. Something about a flaming man?” Serena sounded baffled, but Rockwell and Pinn knew it was an act, exchanging a glance.

  “Don’t use your power while he’s around,” Rockwell told him quietly. “Take a break. I’ll be back when I can.”

  His father hurried off, moving with more urgency than Pinn normally saw in him. Not knowing much about the officer outside of what little he could pry from his father, Pinn had no idea what to expect. Was he already under investigation? Could he be considered a criminal in any way? He hadn't done anything that could be considered a crime as far as he knew. Unless his father’s hunch was right and he had caused the collapse. But couldn’t that be considered self-defense as a result of the mugging?

  Pinn floated in the water for a few seconds, running the scenarios through his head. Suddenly, he realized nobody told him to stay in the pool. Rushing, he pulled himself out to check out the conversation.

  Entering the home, Pinn could see the scorched front door slightly ajar, his father’s frame blocking the light from coming in. Like a roadblock, he was obstinate, with his arms folded and his words sharp. Pinn approached to get a better listen to the conversation.

  “There were multiple eyewitness reports that claim you were at the scene of the collapse. How could you not have seen the man with the shining head?” McNaulty asked, sounding like a friend asking how he could miss the easiest question on a quiz.

  “Too much going on,” Rockwell said, his voice monotonous.

  “So much that you didn’t even see a thing? Some of those who were rescued said it was like a flame eating his head, bright enough to be a flood light. Can’t you give me a rough estimate of height and build?” the officer asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Pinn was a mix of nervous and amazed. His father was so good at shutting people down, and McNaulty sounded like he wasn’t backing off. The unstoppable force and immovable object were at his front door. Inching forward, he stopped himself suddenly.

  An instinct nagged at his brain, like a signal that a sneeze was coming soon. Breathing sharply, Pinn spun in place, stumbling and sprinted outside.

  “What was that?” he heard McNaulty call over his father’s shoulder.

  Pinn dove face first into the water just as his head exploded into flame. Mortified as he was with the timing, he still grinned widely. He’d successfully predicted when his head was going to randomly erupt into flames. With a little more control, he wouldn’t need to jump into water when the sensation hit him. He knew he could turn off the power. And if that was possible, there was a way to never accidentally set it on as well.

  When he pulled up for air, he saw Serena looking down with a kind smile and hands on her hips.

  “We can’t keep practicing here,” she said. “Too many questions. Once your father deals with the cop, we’re going to go find you a new spot. Somewhere you can burn things freely.”

  “Aren’t we not supposed to talk to cops without a lawyer?”

  “Your father is smart regarding many things. But not everything.”

  Pinn nodded, feeling the steam waft off his face. Carefully approaching the edge of the pool, he took a moment to feel out any other spontaneous bursts of energy before emerging from the water. Breathing calmly, he climbed the steps out of the pool.

  On the last step, his foot cracked the plaster on the stair, shattering the top layer into a dozen pieces. Pinn winced, looking down and seeing the mess he created.

  “We’ll take you somewhere stronger than this,” Serena promised with a quick run of her fingers through his hair, smiling with a mix of compassion and amusement.