"You're fired!" Mr Omar almost spit the words out and Aron detected an element of hatred attached to the declaration.

He sighed. Great. He contemplated making an argument, he had already told the man that he had been robbed and almost beaten to death. Mr Omar had given him a look over and declared that he was fine. Which probably explained the hate in his voice, the bald man thought he was lying.

"You take my money and then don't come to work!" said Mr Omar. "Couldn't serve half the customers! They ran to Billards!" he shouted.

Billards was the other antique shop across the street. Aron didn't think not being able to serve had anything to do with it. Billards had an aesthetically pleasing look that attracted the desired audience.

"What about your son?" Aron asked.

Mr Omar paused for a moment. " Sick".

The door to the shop opened, the bell tolled and in walked Mr Omars son, Lamar. He wasn't as tall as Aron, with dark skin and an already fading hairline. Father and son were built familiarly. But, Lamars left shoulder was in a sling.

One plus one…

Aron caught the look that passed between father and son. His suspicions were almost confirmed. A touch of fire ignited within his chest and started to circulate around him. Calm, he needed to be calm. Aron took deep breaths, he had no evidence. Anger still boiled within him.

He stared at Lamar. " Did you try to rob me?", he blurted out.

He watched Lamar start, take a few step back. The boy tried to open his mouth but Aron could clearly see the disgust in those brown eyes. Arons fingers curled into a ball and he felt his rage grow. He take a step forward towards the boy and felt hands on his shoulders. He turned to see Mr Omar.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Out!" Mr Omar shouted, pointing at the door.

Aron shoved his hand away, forcing the man to collide against the shelf of antiques. The shelf fell along with its owner. Lamars eyes went wide. Broken pieces everywhere. Aron just stood and stared.

"Father!", Lamar cried and reached for his father.

"Sorry…", Aron mumbled, reaching down to help.

Lamars eyes were filled with venom. "LEAVE", he screamed, pushing Aron away. Aron sighed, took one last look and walked out of the store.

What was happening to him?

He had lost his temper. He shouldn't have, no, no, no.

Aron walked under the scorching sun, his thoughts a mess. Did he shove Mr Omar that hard? He couldn't tell. Was it the white light? Did it leave with him some permanent sort of strength? Of course, the carrying of goods at the store for the past few months had added strength to his arms but his mind replayed the image of the shove and how Mr Omar crashed against the shelf. He had caused significant property damage as well. What if they complained to the authorities? Probably wouldn't seeing how Aron could counter that with his own complaint and he had Grandma Jen as a witness. His anger had died down.

The thought of the white light reminded him of the university. He needed to check it out. But before that, he needed a bath.

The city of Across had a public bath which was open to all. Of course, only those who couldn't afford a proper shower visited it.

Aron kept his worn shirt and pants on the hook and let the cold water from the shower take over. He kept his fists on the wall, thinking back about how he had lost control for a moment. And he thought now of how he had no jobs. He sighed, it meant he had to take some out from the bank. He was grateful to the orphanage for instilling within him a sense of financial responsibility which was what made him seek out a job. He tried to delve into the money his parents had left him as infrequently as possible. A decent amount. He thought about his parents and wondered how they would have reacted if they had known their son had pushed an elderly man into a shelf?

Good thing he didn't know them. And, Mr Omar, wasn't that old. He smirked. He turned the shower off. He turned. And froze. The stall, it was dark. He looked up and the bulb was flickering. The stall itself was small, only a few feet across and wide. And it was cold. Not the cold of the shower but more icy. He stood rooted to the spot. His heart hammered. He felt sweat trickling down his skin. It was a feeling more than anything, the feeling of not being alone. And quiet. Why? Why was it so quiet all of a sudden? The bath wasn't empty, it was a public bath for god's sake.

A screeching sound made Aron jump back, his back hit the knob of the shower. He winced and the feeling of dread took over. He was scared and there wasn't anything in the stall. He tried to cry out for help but no words escaped his mouth. The bulb went off and he was in complete darkness. All sound was gone except for the beating of his heart.

There was a knock on the door and Aron almost fell to his knees.

"Hey", a voice called out. "How long you gonna stay in there?"

The light flicked back on and the sounds of other showers came flowing back. The paralysing fear that had gripped him was gone and he lay panting. What was that? He quickly put on his clothes and nodded at the man who had been waiting outside.

"Hope it was only a shower you took."

He heard the man say behind his back.

It was time to go the University.