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The day before winter break of sixth grade, my parents decided they’d had enough and packed their bags to work overseas, leaving me with the apartment and monthly paychecks. They wanted a redo on their life; the stress of Claw attacks and an esper son was too much for them to handle.
It took 4 hours before I realized that they had left the country. There was no farewell, no call, just an envelope of money that sat on their bed collecting dust and a note stuck to the fridge that said, “Your mother and I are pursuing work overseas and believe you’d benefit more by staying in Japan. You’ll receive a monthly allowance in the mail, don’t cause any problems, Teruki.” Their note didn’t include where they were, how long they’d be gone, or even if they’d be coming back.
The moment I saw that damn money on their bed, I knew my fears were true. It was always clear how they felt about me; neither of them was secretive about their hatred or fear. They’d been planning their great escape since the day they found out I was a dangerous esper.
I sat on their bed, clutching the money and re-reading their letter over and over again. No matter how many times I read the note or closed my eyes, the nightmare just wouldn’t go away. I only broke out of my mechanical trance when I saw the faint white reflection of snow that envelopped my parents' room.
Snow had begun to pound on the houses and roads of Salt Lake City, covering every inch of space it could reach. I ran to every window in the apartment, and they all showed the same shimmering landscape of pure snow and ice; it was completely impossible to make anything out in that weather.
I ran and snatched up the TV remote. Plopping onto the couch, I watched as the TV flickered to life and turned up the volume as I changed it to a weather station.
*A Blizzard Warning is in effect for your area until further notice. The National Weather Service is tracking a powerful storm system that will bring life-threatening conditions to the Salt Lake City region.*
*Blizzard conditions with widespread blowing snow and near-zero visibility are expected. We anticipate sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. These winds will create dangerous whiteout conditions and cause significant snow drifts, making travel extremely hazardous or impossible.*
*We repeat: Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you and inform others of your plans. If you become stranded, stay with your vehicle.*
*Secure outdoor items that could be blown away and prepare for power outages. Remain indoors and keep warm until the blizzard has passed.*
Just my luck, I thought, of course my parents chose now of all times to go and ditch me.
I sighed and turned off the TV. The warning was unsurprising; I’ve never seen snowy weather conditions this bad before. The report was right, definitely a blizzard. Apparently, they didn’t know how long it would be staying for, which is odd, and makes me question the possibility of supernatural interference.
Getting off the couch, I went looking for my phone. If it weren’t for this blizzard, I wouldn’t even consider the possibility of what I was about to do. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, plus I really don’t want to be alone right now.
Despite knowing the chances of my parents not picking up, I still called. I yearned to hear their voices. We’d never been close, but we’d at least always kept in contact in some form. Between them leaving and the blizzard, who would be able to resist human connections?
I ran to my room, grabbed my phone, and dialled mom’s number,
*The person you are trying to call is not available. Please leave a message after the tone*
I froze. My heart sank as the call went straight to voicemail. Maybe… she just isn’t awake right now.
Or maybe, I thought, she blocked me…
I’m still their son; they wouldn’t actually cut all contact, right? I mean, that’s crazy. I tried again.
*The person you are trying to call is not available. Please leave a message after the tone*
C’mon, I thought desperately, tell me it isn’t true. They were never good parents, but they aren’t monsters.
*The person you are trying to call is not available. Please leave a message after the tone*
My vision blurred as my hands clenched the phone, turning white as I tried again, and again, and again.
“Damnit!” I threw the phone, watching as it broke into pieces as it hit the wall, “Why won’t this work?!”
The ground started to shake as my knees fell to the ground. I was so angry at everything. *Crack* I felt a cold gust of wind followed by the soft touch of snow hit my back. Quickly glancing behind me, I realized what the cracking sound was.
The window next to my bed had been shattered open, leaving no barrier between the cold exterior and my body. I stood up and walked towards the open window, shivering as another gust of wind hit my skin. I’m really not dressed properly for this, I thought.
I grabbed onto the side of the window and curiously poked my head over the edge; the blizzard filled my senses instantly. The cold burned my skin and left my nose running and eyes watering; the only thing I could hear was the heavy winds, and the only thing I could see was the bleak white of the snow.
Maybe I should have done a better job at regulating my powers, I pondered, doesn’t matter now, though. I left my room and slammed the door, trying to preserve the last of the apartment's heat.
Walking past the living room and kitchen, I stopped at the coat closet. I began rummaging through the coats with freezing hands that felt like they could fall off and run away at any moment. Jeez, I thought, this was not fun.
I started handling the coats roughly and even dropping a couple. I was getting frustrated; nothing was working out for me today, my parents abandoned me, there’s a stupid blizzard, I’m freezing, and the room was too dark. Giving up, I ripped all the coats out onto the floor. ‘Cause who cares anymore anyway?
Sorting through the coats on the floor was way easier, still, by the time I got my hands on my coat, I could hear the snow churning in my bedroom and feel a significant drop in temperature and light throughout the rest of the apartment.
I sighed, pulling my blue winter coat over my arms and swiftly wrapping a red scarf around my neck, before hastily grabbing a pair of mismatched mittens as well. I glanced around, checking for any other broken windows that might have appeared, and smiling when I didn’t notice any.
Entering back into my room was like being transported to another planet, a very, very cold planet. The couple of minutes that I had left in the room were enough time for it to be remodeled. The whole room was a mess; my clothes and dresser had both been overturned, and all the lighting was destroyed; their lightbulbs had been brutally smashed to pieces, the sheets of my bed had been torn to threads, and that wasn’t even taking into account the mountains of snow that were littered everywhere.
I grimaced. This would definitely be a pain to clean up later. Maybe it isn’t too late to make amends with my parents? I contemplated, I could just try and track them down. I shivered and raised my hands, bringing my knees together as a warm yellow light left my body and encompassed the broken window, stopping the cold wind and snow from entering.
I froze for a second, an uncomfortable feeling settling in my gut. The blizzard warning didn’t say anything about when it would be over. For a scary moment, I doubted how long I could keep up that force field; it would definitely take a lot of stamina.
Discarding that thought, I walked up to the newly repaired window. It looked alright at the moment, no gaps or cracks. I gave it a punch test just in case, a flicker of embarrassment crossing my face at the pain, which was overpowered by my accomplished smirk.
Satisfied, I went into my closet and grabbed the warmest clothes I could find, pausing only when I saw a busted-up family photo at my feet. My fists clenched up, and I bit my tongue. I hate them. It was frustrating that I could only bring myself to think it.
My force field opened as I quickly tossed the photo to the mercy of the blizzard. “Bunch’a assholes,” I murmured, slamming the door as I exited my room.
I frowned, jumping onto the living room couch. Why was everything so dark now? I tugged the remote towards me and tried flicking through channels. Why is everything broken now?
An unsettling feeling started to form in my gut. The only thing illuminating the apartment was the light color of the snow. I sprang to my feet, rushing over to the kitchen light switch.
…
Nothing happened…Nothing happened when I tried turning it on. A power line or something must’ve fallen over in the absurd weather.
The apartment doesn’t have any power. I could feel the panic settling in; my once cold body couldn’t stop sweating and shaking, while each of my breaths got heavier than the last. Oh, my God, the apartment doesn’t have any power. I took a shaky breath. This is fine, I thought, I can handle this!
*Crack*
I jumped as the TV went flying across the room. Repeating the thought, This is fine. I sat myself down on the kitchen floor, trying to regulate my uneven breathing.
*Shing*
The knives and forks started to form a mini-tornado around me, accumulating other objects and cutlery until I could barely see anything.
“This isn’t fair!” I yelled, “I didn’t ask for my useless parents or my stupid powers.” The couch went flying through the wall. My vision started to blur, as tears came streaming down my face. I crumpled to my knees; the only thing I could hear was the roaring tornado of objects around me. I don’t want this, I thought hopelessly, just give me back my family!
I felt my vision fading in and out till the only sense I had left was my hearing. Then I passed out.