My Explosive Birthday

On a child’s tenth birthday, they may manifest a special power, or bent. That is to say, Five-sixths of children will. The other one-sixth are what are called bentless. Having no power, they are relegated to servitude of those more fortunate. Countless types of bents exist. They range from things like controlling the elements and healing, to telepathy and technopathy.

Naturally, a child’s tenth birthday is a cherished event, to be celebrated among family. One such event was for Annebeth Windwood. Anne descended from a long line of healers, and had trained her whole life to pick up the torch. She would be ready. She hoped.

Anne could hardly stop herself from running down the hall towards the dining room. There would be a goblet there, with her name on it. The liquid had a bitter taste, she’d been told, but she could care less. The drink would unlock something( “Chi”, her teachers voice hovered at the back of her mind, long forgotten.) inside of her, allowing power to flow through her.

All she had to do was grasp what was her’s, and hold tight. She stopped in front of the door, feeling breathless. The door turned swiftly on it’s polished gold hinges.

The dining room, while normally grandiose in decor, was somehow even more striking, with rare statues and paintings lining the walls. On the far side sat a long table. Anne spotted her seat immediately. It was at the center, raised above the others. A seat fit for a princess.

She practically hopped into her seat, and stared intently at the drink in front of her. If she had to describe how it looked in one word, she would say powerful. It someone radiated power. It was like it was saying, “Hey! Look at me! I’m important!”

She felt a hand slide into hers. She looked up to see her mother, Adela, sitting beside her. “You’ve got this. Now drink.” she urged. Mother always knew what to say to make her feel better. Anne didn’t know what she would do without Mom. She locked eyes with Mom one last time, and drank.

The world began to flicker before her eyes. She could feel her heart pulsing through her body. With the last vestiges of her rational thinking, she remembered her mother’s instructions. “You must feel for it.”

“But Mom! how will I know what I’m feeling for?” She had questioned.

“You will be able to tell when the time comes.” She had refused to explain further. Anne closed her eyes, and reached. Looking back, that was the only word she could think of to explain what she had done.

The first thing she found felt cold, like plunging headfirst into a snow mound. Not it. She reached again. This one felt warm, a dull ache of power flowing through it. Maybe...

No. She reached again and again, to no avail. Anne began to grow aggravated. “COME ON!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!``she screamed.

She growled, and reach again. This... this one felt like power. Like pure unadulterated rage, capable of toppling mountains. She wanted to be repulsed by it, to throw it away.

But... It felt right . The power flowed through her bones, filling her to the brim. It clicked, like the missing part of her she never knew she needed. She opened her eyes.

Anne was back in the dining room, looking exactly as it had before. Even now, she could feel the bent, *her* bent, buzzing below her skin. Ready to erupt at a moments notice. Speaking of that...

Her bent was rapidly growing in intensity, making her hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Her vision went red. “Annebeth?” Her mother asked frantically. Anne couldn’t see her with the red cloud covering her vision.

No. NO. As her panic grew, so did her bent. It built up, and up, and up, until...

She exploded. Fire and brimstone rained free. Anne felt a rush of adrenaline go through her. This. This felt good. Her vision cleared, to reveal...

Devastation. Pure and simple. Where there once was priceless relics, only rubble lined the hall. The paintings were ash. She froze. Wait. Mom! Frantically, Anne scanned the room. She screamed, a guttural sound that echoed through the now barren halls. “MOTHER!!!!”

She laid limp against the floor, cold and unmoving. Anne ran towards her. “Please-be-okay-Please-be-okay,” She chanted under her breath, her words slurring together.

Anne had never been a religious person, but now- now she prayed to any god who would listen. After a few minutes of sitting there in desperation, it appeared to have paid off. Mom opened her eyes. “Anne? What happened?`` she questioned. Anne launched into telling her mother what had occurred, leaving nothing out. By the end, Mother’s eyes looked glued open from shock.

“You must tell no one of this,” Mother said, her firm tone was at odds with her vulnerable appearance.

“Why?”, Anne inquired.

“That bent you have... it’s forbidden.”

“Forbidden?”

“By the Kings. Having a bent with destructive capabilities is a death sentence.” The Kings! Every knew them, the three solitary rulers of the land of Porthor. Her land. Their word was law. If they wanted someone dead, they might as well do it themselves. At least that way, they go quickly. That could be her. She realized, feeling her breath falter.

“But what do I say my bent is?”

“You will say you’re bentless.”

“Bentless?!?!”

“Do you want to die?”

“No,” I murmured.

“Oh, Anne...” She said with a sigh.“You know I love you, right?” She didn’t give Anne time to respond before startling the words out of her mind. Mother reached for her necklace. It was a heart-shaped pendant about the size of Mom’s fist, encrusted with rubies and lined with silver. Anne had never seen her take it off. Until now.

With a clink, Mother detached her necklace, and shoved it in the palm of Anne’s hand. “Mom! I can’t take this!”, She protested shrilly.

“You can, and you will.”

“Mom...”

“When you are in your most dire moment, open the locket. It will show you the way-” She retched. Anne could barely stop herself from losing her lunch. “I do not have much time left.” No. No. NO. This was not happening.

“We can get you to a healer. It’s not over!” Anne said frantically.

Mother bared her teeth. “I’m a healer. I know these things. Besides, I’d have to explain where my injuries came from. So... this is the end for me.” she ended with a wry smile that felt both right and horribly wrong. Her smile was still is place when, 15 minutes later, her heart stopped. Anne smiled thinly, put on her mother’s necklace, and walked away.