Second Skin

[In the hospital]

"You really dont remember..?" He looked abit distressed as he whisperd something to himself.

I looked at him confused "What is it that i should remember?" I asked with curiosity and sat abit more upright.

"The attack a few days ago" he sat down on the chair next to the bed "the attack that ended with your parents..." he looked down and took a deep breath.

"My parents what?" I asked with fear

"Your parents Death" the answer shocked me

I briefly paused before i felt my chest getting tighter "Oh that... so it wasn't a dream after all" i said with grief, feeling my nose clog up and tears welling up.

I sniffed as i wiped my tears with my arm

"While i was *sniff* asleep i ha- *sniff* a dream" as i hugged my knees and laid my chin against them.

"What kind of dream?" He asked softly

"I saw a monster *sniff* destroy the city" i took a breath "and saw *sniff* it kill them"

I buried my head in my lap as i saw my tears falling down.

"I see... im sorry for your loss" the stranger said spoke to no avail.

"But theres something i need to ask you" he asked softly but firmly.

As i looked up at him and saw his stern face "what?"

"Was it you that killed it?" He stared at me with intense eyes "the m-monster?" I answerd shakily.

"Yes" he stated

Remembering punching the monster and seeing how it ended with blood and innards all over, i wiped my tears and stated.

"I did"

His look softened and seemed abit relieved

Almost hopefull.

"Good... but for a child to have this kind of power, I'm sorry"as he spoke those words i looked abit confused "why?" I asked teary eyed.

"You see since the attack in New York three days ago, there has popped up alot more monsters" he took a deep breath "All over the world" he stated without a single stutter.

"the monster you killed wasn't the only monster that just suddenly popped up, at the same time as the one in New York, 7 others popped up across America, aswell as 23 across the world" he spoke calmly.

"And what does that have to do with me?" I Asked unsure what he was getting at.

"You see I've been tasked to recruit you"

He said bluntly

"What..?!" I paused and tried to process what he was saying "look i dont even know if i can do what i did again, plus i barely knew what i was doing" i shared my concerns

"And im not exactly strong" i added as i tried to flex my bicep.

"I see" he seemed to understand

The man seemed to be thinking before he opened his mouth again "from my report you had a driffrent shape"

"Huh? A diffrent shape?"

"Yes" he plainly answerd

"How did i look?" I asked with curiosity

He took out a sheet of paper "Says here you were alot bigger and had a flaming head" he said as he read from the paper.

"Woah cool" i answered in awe

"So would you like to try and transform?"

"Huh? How?" I gave him a dumbfounded face while mustering up the strength to sit more upright.

" what do you mean how?" He asked a little frustrated while waving his hands and finaly crossing them.

"How should i know how to that stuff, and why are you getting angry?" i remarked at his frustration.

"Oh... i thought you could do it on like... instinct or maybe command... sorry" he seemed dumbfounded that he would think a child could figure this out in an instant

"It's just that theres alot at stake here" he said as he calmed down.

"Apologies accepted, but i still dont know how to do it"

He started rubbing his chin and went in deep thought, until it went up for him like a lightbulb.

"What did you feel before your transformed?" He asked wondering if his idea could bear fruits.

"fear"

"Hmm... can you try and imagine yourself when you felt the most fear?"

"Sure"

I did as he said and imagined myself when i stared into the monsters eyes, the moment i felt the most fear... and nothing.

"Nothing happends" i told him

"what about.... right before you transformed, do you remember anything of that?" He asked trying to be optimistic

"Yea i remeber laying down seeing my skin burn off.."

"Ohh.." seeming abit horrified but he tried to still be optimistic.

"There was a girl" remembring the girl crying for her mother.

"She must've felt so scared" i continued on

"And all i wanted was to help her" i said as i closed my eyes,remembering

her eyes when i saved her... so full of hope.

"Woah" i heard a voice as i opened my eyes and didnt see the stranger but alot of smoke and a figure waving arourn trying to clear the smoke.

'Whats going on?' I thought as the smoke cleared and saw that i was alot taller.

I looked down and saw a awestruck stranger, who stared at me with big eyes and an open mouth.

"You did it..." i heard him say

"i did it" a deep and loud voice came booming out as i tried to stand up "whoa hold on there big guy" the stanger waved his hands "can't have you destroying the hospital by accident can we now" hearing that i sat back down

"This is weird" as said looking at my arms and hands seeing they were pitch black, i clasped my hands together to see if i could feel but all that was there was a numbness, like touching through a cloth "so this isnt really my skin huh, just clothes?" I looked down on my legs and saw them clad in some baggy pants of sorts and further down my feet in some simple boots, all black but with a purple hue.

Slowly standing up i went for the bathroom and while i was walking i relized just how light i felt, with each step it felt like i could just fly away.

Opening the door to the bathroom i quickly relized that i was too big for the door, so i had to crunch myself together and squeezed through.

"This is so weird" i chuckled to myself as went for the mirror as saw only a purple flame.

"Is this really how i look?" I tried touching my head but there qas nothing to touch, only a flame surrounded my hand.

'Such a pretty flame' i thought as i stared into the deep purple flame.

"Hey are you su- " i was disrupted by a sudden darkness.

[A few moments later]

"Uhrg uhhh what happend?" I asked groggily seeing the light in the ceiling.

"You passed out" said a voice

I musterd all my strength and rose up to see who it was, wich was the same stranger as before.

"Oh you're still here" i said viping my eyes

"Yes i am, and it seems like you figured out how to transform" looking at him "yea still passed out tho" i said trying to stand up but feeling my knees giving out i feel down, but before hitting the hard ground he caught me.

"Whoa easy there" as he helped me up to the bed.

"Are you okay" he asked looking worried

"Yea just hungry" as i felt my stomach rumble.

"Okay.. but theres something more i need to tell you" he spoke getting serious

"What?" I asked weakly

"The monsters i was talking about earlier"

"Yeah?"

"For the last 3 days the military have thrown everything they have on these monsters.. but bullets, missiles and bombs have barely any effects on them" as i listened intently "all we could do was wound them... and even then they would just heal in minnutes"

"...."

"The only other option is nukes... and thats a sort of last resort, you see if you can't kill them then it might just be the end" with worry in his words the more he explained the more i relized what he was gonna ask of me.

"I hate to ask this but please, would you help us?" He asked with the same hope in his eyes as i saw in that girl.

"In turn we will provide anything you need"

He said with outmost sincerity.

"So what do you say.... Deal?"

"Hmm" i gave it a deep thought

'Kill a few monsters and get whatever i want?' I thought to myself as i weighted the options.

"Deal"