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Defying the Storm

The sun hung high over Amaracuya as we made our way back to Isabella Town. The walk back was peaceful, and it felt good not to have my thoughts dwelling on whatever new conflict awaited us. Kyriah and I were still soaked from the pond, but we didn't mind. Her hand rested on my waist, and mine draped over her shoulder as we walked, laughing and enjoying the moment.

Our tranquility was shattered by the distant sounds of yelling, echoing from La Escollera Plaza Square. We hurried towards the commotion and saw about fifty locals surrounding someone, hurling accusations and insults. "It's all your fault!" "We don't need you or your kind!" The realization quickly hit me—they were talking about either Max or Fabian.

Without hesitation, I broke through the mob with Kyriah right behind me. In the center stood Fabian, his face flushed red, his patience visibly thinning. The crowd was relentless, shoving him and jabbing their fingers at him while shouting over one another.

I stepped into the middle of the fray, surprising Fabian and drawing the mob's attention towards me. Raising my hands, I shouted, "We're here to help you! Why are you attacking him?!" But my words were drowned out by their renewed shouting. "You're one of them!" they screamed, referring to people with powers. It stung to know they were already seeing us as different from regular humans.

My hands began to subtly crystallize with ice. I had no intention of harming anyone, but I needed to defuse the situation. The sight of my icy hands worked. The mob's hostility waned, and they slowly retreated, though a few still muttered threats. Most, however, had caution and fear etched on their faces.

What I had wanted to avoid the most had come true—they've started to fear us.

"Thanks, Ellion," Fabian said, his voice heavy with relief as he placed a hand on my shoulder. But then his expression shifted to one of concern. "But we have a problem. Max told Leo about the medicine room, and Leo, in turn, told everyone in the town. Now they're all headed to break into the hospital."

"And Max?!" I asked, anxiety rising at the thought of what he might have done.

"I don't know. All I heard is that there was a huge confrontation and that something is on fire," Fabian replied, his worry evident of what Max could've done. "Where the hell were you guys? I looked for you for hours!" He glanced between Kyriah and me, noticing our silence, and pieced it together. "I get it. Fine, but get your heads back in the game. We don't know what to expect."

Fabian grabbed both of us by the shoulders and started leading us towards the hospital. Kyriah shot me a quick smile before putting on her serious face. "Did you find anything, Fabian?" she asked.

"How could I? Every person I approached wanted to make sure I wasn't one of 'them' before even considering helping me," Fabian said, clearly irritated by the prejudice. "Then word got out that The Sunspears had discovered the hidden medicines, and that there was enough for everyone. Most of the town joined the break-in. Those who stayed behind were against the idea, against having us here to help. So instead of joining the others, they formed a mob to attack me once they found out I was one of 'them.'"

"Why are they so afraid of us?" I asked aloud, frustration and confusion in my voice.

"They're not afraid of us, they're just proud," Kyriah explained, her tone tinged with pride for her people. "Prouder than Vanitans. They've never liked outside help, and they assume any help is a way for the other person to benefit from them. They hate being used for others' achievements."

"Sometimes you have to ask for help from outside your comfort zone to help those close to you. Otherwise, you'll end up blaming each other and never progress," I said, glancing around the littered street, the broken roads, the dozens of beggars, and the run-down buildings.

But my mind was consumed with thoughts of Max and the potential fallout from his impulsive actions. I was afraid he might snap soon. The sense of urgency grew within me, and my steps quickened.

As we approached the hospital, the heat in the air became palpable, carrying the scent of smoke. A crowd surrounded the hospital, people moving in and out of the doors, seemingly oblivious to the flames flickering from various spots around the building. Scorch marks on the ground indicated controlled fires—unmistakably Max's work.

Amid the crowd, I noticed a handful of people distributing medicine to the locals. Their faces were filled with gratitude and triumph, unconcerned by the nearby flames. Behind the people handing out medicines, we spotted Max and an overly excited Leo talking animatedly.

As we pushed through the crowd, their reactions were the opposite of those in Isabella Town. Here, people greeted, thanked, and even embraced us. "I feel like they're hoovering me," Fabian remarked, seeming to enjoy the unexpected warm reception from the locals.

"Don't get used to it," I cautioned Fabian. "Depending on what happened, it might not last long."

We reached Max, and Leo rushed over to us, practically tripping over his words in his excitement. His rapid-fire explanation was a jumble of half-formed sentences. Fabian grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying him. "Ease up, Leo. Tell us what happened more clearly."

Leo took a deep breath and started again. "When Max came back to the house to tell us what you guys found, I got so furious that I went to the hospital and started shouting about it. The officers didn't like that at all and started threatening me. But then the locals backed me up. One officer pushed an old man to the ground, and that's when Max set their counters on fire, which scared all the nurses and doctors out of the hospital. Max kept setting fires randomly around the building, forcing the officers to focus on evacuating the doctors and nurses to safety. They still wouldn't back down and pointed their guns at us, but Max made these huge towers of fire around them! They were terrified! As the fire grew fiercer, the officers finally gathered the nurses and doctors and retreated, leaving the hospital completely abandoned! Then Max calmed the fire down, and we were able to get inside and grab all the medicine we needed, even Mom's! Isn't that great?!" Leo finished, panting heavily.

Fabian smiled softly. "That is great! I'm glad you could help everyone. Good job, Leo," he said, ruffling Leo's hair.

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I stared silently at Max, who hadn't looked me in the eye the whole time Leo talked. As Leo continued enthusiastically explaining things to Fabian, I walked over to Max to talk to him one-on-one.

"I had to do something," Max quickly said as I approached him. "People were suffering. I thought if I created a distraction, it would give them a chance to get what they needed."

I could see the turmoil in his eyes, the conflict between his desire to help and the reality of the situation he had created. "I know," I said, "but this wasn't the way to do it. We're walking a very thin line here. Our powers can't be used to threaten others to get what we want; it could turn public opinion against us. We can't be seen as instigators." I looked around at the chaos Max's diversion had caused—people scrambling, grabbing at the medical supplies in a frenzied panic. It was a far cry from the orderly distribution I had hoped for.

"So, what, Ellion? We just stand back and do nothing? Then what's the point of even having these powers?!" Max's voice was tinged with anger, a clear sign of his growing frustration. "If you think we can win this without using any force, you're in the wrong revolution."

"It's not about inaction, Max. It's about being responsible with our powers. We can't let our emotions drive our decisions. What about when the medicines run out? What then? The USC will impose even stricter restrictions, and the locals will definitely not get any treatments. We have to think of future problems, not just implement temporary fixes," I said, trying to make him understand.

"I lost everything by waiting and thinking about what might lie ahead. I learned that we won't have a future if we're too cowardly to act in the moment. When the next problem comes, we'll attack it together. We won't wait to let one single person decide our fate," Max retorted.

Before I could respond, the distant sound of sirens pierced the air, growing louder with each passing second. "We need to get out of here," I urged Max. "Where can we store these medicines?"

His expression remained stony as he replied, "We got this. We've already figured out where to hide the medicine and how to distribute it. Gonzalo, the old vendor we met when we arrived, offered his help. He knows everyone in Amaracuya." He then walked towards Leo, but before he left, he said, "You and the others can continue hiding and making plans while we get the real work done."

I didn't say anything; I didn't want to escalate things any further. But I couldn't shake the sense of unease. I signaled to Kyriah and Fabian that it was time to head back to Leo's house. As we made our way down the dirt road through the trees, Fabian showed me some medicine Leo had given him before we left. "This is for Mayra. Leo asked me to give it to her."

"Wouldn't he rather give it to her himself?" I asked, confused.

"The excitement must have gotten to his head. Now he's planning all sorts of things to help the people here," Fabian replied. "He idolizes Max."

"Yeah, that's what I'm most afraid of," I muttered under my breath.

When we entered Leo's house, Diego rushed out of his mother's room, his face filled with desperation. "I heard there was a fire at the hospital. Where's Leo?!" he demanded, looking at each of us anxiously.

Fabian stepped forward. "He's fine—more than fine. He managed to help everyone get their medicine, including your mother's," he said, handing Diego the medicines.

But Diego's face fell, disappointment replacing his initial relief. "And still, he sent you to give this to Mom? He's probably already off planning his next adventure, leaving us here once again." He turned and went back to his mother, who looked worse than when we had left that morning. She was pale, could barely open her eyes, and her breathing was shallow.

Fabian and I hesitated to enter the room, seeing Mayra in such a state, but Kyriah quickly grabbed a glass of water and went in to help Diego with Mayra. Fabian and I left our bags in the living room and then sat outside on what was left of the wooden porch, the old boards creaking under our weight.

"What do we do now?" Fabian asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Instinctively, I was about to say that we wouldn't intervene anymore and instead plan to do something better. But that was exactly what Max said we would do. Am I wrong in how I'm choosing to handle the situation here?

"We'll go help," I replied to Fabian, who looked at me with surprise. I was surprised too.

"Really? I didn't know you were going to cave to Max's ways," Fabian taunted, but I could see he was waiting for my reasoning. The truth was simple—I needed to keep an eye on Max—but I couldn't tell him that.

"What's done is done. This is our only road ahead, for now. We can try to help them the right way and deal with whatever repercussions come, together. And avoid getting burned," I said with a smirk, which made Fabian chuckle at the pun.

"Good," Fabian said softly, as he got comfortable leaning against the wooden banister.

Then Diego came out through the screen door, his face much more relaxed than before. It was a look we hadn't seen on him in a long time. "Everything okay with your mom, Diego?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you. Kyriah told me to get some fresh air for a few minutes while she took care of her. Said I needed it," he said softly, his voice gentler than ever before.

"You do," I replied. "You're always taking care of your mom. You don't get a minute to yourself. You deserve a break."

Fabian patted the wooden floor next to him, signaling Diego to sit down. "Relax and tell us how you got that huge responsibility, Diego."

Diego gave a soft smile, then settled beside Fabian. He took a deep breath and began, "We've always been poor. I mean, everyone born on this island is, but like everyone else, it didn't bother us. Mom, Mayra, started working when she was just 15. She had Leo at 16 and me at 19, both of us from different fathers. My dad was an alcoholic who beat us and Mom. It got so bad that a few of the locals gathered one night and kicked him off the island. Things got better without him, but life started to weigh heavily on us."

Diego's voice softened. "Mom did everything she could to keep us afloat. She juggled more than three jobs at a time, desperately trying to make ends meet while taking care of us. Leo, always the adventurous one, talked about finding his father and rescuing us from poverty. But his ventures often led to trouble, always costing Mom money to fix his messes."

He sighed deeply. "When the USC started tightening their grip on the island, they introduced new healthcare laws and government controls. Medicines became unaffordable. As Mom got sicker, Leo grew more distant. He was always out, looking for scraps and ways to help us, but it meant leaving me alone to deal with her worsening condition."

Diego glanced at Fabian. "Eventually, Mom couldn't work anymore. She was bedridden, and it fell to me to take care of her. And Leo's mission to bring home anything useful became his obsession.

Diego continued, his eyes reflecting sorrow. "Despite everything, Mom never gave up hope. She always believed we would find a way out. And Leo... he was determined to prove her right. But reality is harsh. Every day we struggle. I learned to be resourceful and to make do with what we had. But I am getting tired of dealing with this alone."

Fabian put his arm around him. "I'm sorry for what's happening, but we're here and we aren't going anywhere until we help you and this island. And Leo is caught up in the fight, trying to help all of you, for a better future," he said with a wide smile and full confidence in his voice.

But Fabian's words did not soothe Diego in any way. "A better future? Look around you. This revolution is tearing us apart. The island's more divided than ever, and for what? Leo's out there, risking everything, and for what change? We're worse off now than before."

"He believes he's doing the right thing," I said, trying to offer some understanding. "Sometimes, when you're fighting for something bigger, it's hard to see the immediate impact of your actions."

Diego shook his head, his eyes distant. "I don't care about the revolution or The Sunspears or any of it. All I care about is my family, and right now, we're falling apart because of these protests."

The screen door creaked open once again, and this time it was Kyriah. "Guys, Mayra is finally resting. Hopefully, the medicine will kick in soon. While she rests, can you come and help me cook?" she said with a soft smile, but her tone left no room for refusal—it was more of a command than a question.

Fabian and Diego got up and headed inside to help. I stayed outside for a few minutes, lost in thought, pondering what might happen in the coming days. We needed to prepare for something big. Half the island hated us, the USC was hunting us, and we were trapped here. Once the medicine runs out, this island will turn to hell.