(emotion manipulation ability user, [James Smith], hired by the MC's mother, [Renae Creed], POV)...
"thank you for coming, I'm afraid I can't do much in regard to offering hospitality, but you'll see why in a moment." a tall, elegant, young-looking, middle-aged woman, with dark brown, slightly silver streaked, long wavy hair, dignified feminine features, and a black dress tailor made to her figure, adorned top to bottom with undeniable proof of wealth, sighed as she led me from the front door of a mansion halfway through the process of complete and total destruction, its many halls filled with bruised, battered, and partially conscious servants, guards, and ability users.
"I would have called for you sooner, but, I was occupied." she let out as she winced with every step, and gingerly rubbed at a very badly bruised, maybe even broken, part of her arm, that, to my utter impression, she didn't seem all that effected by.
"all the same, thank you." she sounded....absolutely relieved? as we continued past rubble, more harmed staff of the grounds, and more vandalized wealth than I'd ever seen in my ENTIRE life.
I couldn't help but marvel as we finally arrived at wherever I was being led, at a massive, stupidly thick, metal door, that, had no window, no hinges visible, and to my eyes anyway, no way to open it from the outside.
I was about to point out, at least, that was until the woman spoke aloud a phrase under her breath that I wasn't quite able to catch, and instantly afterwards, a loud struggling groan began to echo through the mansion, a sound no doubt that of a motor being pushed to its absolute limit, but too stubborn to give up and die.
all while this thick metal door, that, as it opened, revealed itself to be FEET thick, yes, FEET, maybe even six feet in depth if I were to guess, slowly inched upwards into the ceiling and out of sight.
quickly showing the woman and I an expansive room, made of the same metal as the door, with absolutely nothing inside except for thick metal chains, shackles, and a girl my age dangling suspended by her arms dead center in the room.
a look of absolute fury on her shockingly model perfect face, as her arms, that were being pulled as far outwards in the direction of the walls as human biology would allow, strained against her restraints, veins bulging.
I gulped, already afraid at the sheer presence of the girl, despite the fact that my ability wasn't active yet, and I didn't know the true extent of her inner self.
I momentarily panicked, collected myself, and then cleared my throat.
"hi." I offered the girl with a polite smile as I stepped slightly closer to where she hung.
"I'm James, your mom tells me you need help." I tried, and instantly knew I failed as she growled, narrowed her glowing red eyes, and spat, "help?...HELP?!.....you think I, need help? " practically in my face.
"no. what I need, is out. " she seethed, her glare locked not on me, but on the woman behind me, the woman who looked shockingly similar to her.
the woman who, if nothing else, HAD to be her mother.
I realized as the girl continued speaking.
"what I need, is an actual mother. " she let out, barely a whisper by the end.
"not like you would know anything about that." she was nearly in tears at this point, probably only holding them back on pure stubbornness alone.
but, before I could step in and activate my ability, her mother, stepped next to me, and with a look of pain, addressed her daughter in a warm, and apologetic voice.
"I don't, you're right, all my life the only thing I'd known was cold efficiency, but I'm trying, I really am, I'm sorry I haven't been able to help you, but I've never stopped trying." she plead, her tone genuine.
"but you need to realize, you are dangerous, I'm sorry, but you are, I HAVE to think about other people, you give me no choice, do you think I WANT to see you like this, do you think I don't stay awake late at night wondering about when they're gonna execute you when you lose control and I'm not there to protect you?" she herself was now almost crying.
"so that's why I brought him..." she corrected, and collected herself back to being calm, and dignified, devoid of outward emotion.
a habit, no doubt, formed just as she said, from everything she'd experienced throughout her life before her daughter.
"he has the ability to sense, manipulate, and seal emotions." she introduced with a wave in my direction, a wave the chained girl largely ignored.
"we've been down this road before." she said.
"and we're still here." she sighed, tired.
which, I have to admit made me really curious, more curious than I'd been since walking into this crumbling mansion, this impenetrable room, and so, stupidly, without telling anyone, I activated my ability and instantly crumpled to my knees vomiting and hyperventilating, my gaze unable to move from the floor, my entire body overwhelmed with primal fear, with fight or flight, with instincts screaming at me to survive.
because the moment I looked at her, instead of a girl being chained in midair, I saw a horrific, unfeeling, lethal monster, a demon, an incomprehensible unnatural disaster just barely able to wait for its chance to wipe humanity from the face of the planet.
we didn't need to help her, we needed to kill her.
I realized with sheer terror as I fled from the room.