2 How it started
It all started when Oliver was four years old. His parents; Mr Samuel Logan and Mrs Beth Logan began to notice some strange things about their toddler son.
One of these strange things about him was when he read his father's mind right before his very eyes. Another time, Oliver predicted the death of a relative, whom he barely knew. He was also seen multiple times, whispering to himself awkwardly, and walking around the house in the middle of the night.
At school, Oliver was made a subject of mockery and ridicule by most of his peers. He was considered a weirdo, teased and picked on by bullies due to his quietness and distinct strange character.
Although he was more brilliant than all of his mates, most teachers at school seemed to despise and dislike him. They just felt that there was something about him that spelt vile.
It happened that there was a certain day at school when they were given a mathematics test to solve. [Oliver was already twelve by now.] Oliver was done with the test even before the expected time given to them to submit it.
After he had submitted his paper and was about to go back to his seat, one of his classmates named Roderick Lucas, who was also one of the others that taunted him, slapped him by the arm and said to him;
"Way to go brainiac, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still a weirdo."
This statement was followed by chuckles and giggles from some other students.
Oliver was infuriated so much by this, but he did nothing but stare down at Roderick with a strange face, muttering words that no one could comprehend.
The teacher came at once to where Oliver stood, still staring at Roderick.
"That's enough now," she said.
"And don't you dare do that again Roderick. Not in my class".
Meanwhile, Oliver kept on staring at Roderick.
"You can now go back to your seat Oliver," said the teacher, but Oliver refused to move on, he remained where he stood.
He seemed like he was in some kind of trance, with a million miles stare in his eyes that made it look like he was looking through Roderick.
"Did you hear me?" asked the teacher as she wondered why Oliver refused to go back.
"Go to your seat!" demanded the teacher, but Oliver still stood unmoved, staring a hole through the soul of his long-time foe.
Other students got distracted by the situation at hand, they stopped writing and transfixed their gazes at the petrifying image of Oliver.
"What are you looking at freak?" muttered Roderick, with his voice edging with fear.
The teacher didn't hear what Roderick said, she couldn't help but wonder what on earth was wrong with the child Oliver.
"Oliver... Oliver... Oliver!!!" shouted the teacher to him, until he finally loosed free from whatever he was bound to.
Oliver came back to his consciousness. He quickly walked back to his seat, feeling ashamed of himself because of the looks he saw on the faces of everyone.
After a while, everything got back to normal, everyone continued with the test with quietness. But after some time, Roderick suddenly slumped to the ground from his chair, gauging out blood, and convulsing.
The whole class was tensed up now. The teacher raised an alarm after a series of unsuccessful trials to administer first aid and even try her level 5 healing ability. Roderick was immediately put in an ambulance vehicle that would take him to the local hospital for treatment.
Classes ended earlier than usual that day, and all the students were sent home. It wasn't long before news came to the school authorities later in the day, announcing that the student passed away before the arrival of the ambulance vehicle at the hospital.
Roderick had given up the ghost.
Roderick's death brought great fear and terror to the school authorities. They have always known Oliver as a strange child. They were convinced that somehow Oliver had something to do with this mysterious death and that he was a great terror to the lives of other students. But he was just twelve years old.
The school authority soon sent reports to Oliver's parents, telling them to withdraw their ward because they can't accommodate him anymore in the school, for the safety of the students.
Oliver felt so innocent, he had no idea what they were all blabbering about. All he could remember was blacking out right after Roderick said what he said.
"Where are we going?" asked Oliver when he returned from school, only to meet his mother inside his room, stuffing some of his clothes and belongings into a brown duffel bag.
"Don't worry sweetie, you're going to be alright soon," answered his mother.
"What are you talking about mum?" asked Oliver with a look of confusion.
"I'm alright!" he cried. He was starting to get scared now.
Where were his parents trying to take him, now that they've received this terrifying report from his school, Oliver wondered.
His father bumped into the room. He appeared really hasty.
"It is time honey, we're running late," he said, tapping his wife by the side.
"Dad!!" yelled Oliver at his father, who was just about to leave the door.
"What is it big man?" he asked.
"What is going on? Do you think I'm a freak too?" asked Oliver, with tears filling his eyes.
Mr Samuel squatted down before his son. He could see the fear rising in the eyes of his son.
"My brave beautiful boy is not a freak. Oliver, you are not a freak. You are intelligent, strong, and confident, and you have a great destiny," said Mr Samuel to his son, Oliver.
He whipped his tears and hugged him tightly. Then as he stood back up, he planted a kiss on his son's head and went out.
After they were done packing, they went downstairs to the car and drove away.
They drove down the noisy and busy express road for an hour or so, then they took a quick turn through the straight dusty single lane. The arrow in the speedometer began to deflect steadily now, showing that they were speeding up. Hopefully, there were no speed limit sign holograms in this part of town.
They were the only ones on the road now, the journey was so long and silent. Oliver soon fell asleep in the back seat where he sat.
After a long while, he was woken up by whispers of a discussion in a low tone by his parents.
"Are you ready for this?" muttered Mr Samuels to his wife.
"I am, but I'm still worried. He's still a little boy, a minor," answered Beth his wife.
"You shouldn't be worried," said Mr Samuel.
"Why shouldn't I, that's my little boy back there," she said, with a sad tone.
"The earlier, the safer we are," said Mr Samuel.
"We can't wait till things get out of hand. He's becoming something else".
They never knew that Oliver was already up. They kept on saying odd things about him. Things that he wasn't meant to hear.
"WHAT?!!!" yelled Oliver, all of a sudden.
"Oh no, he has been listening," muttered Beth.
"What's the problem big man?" asked Mr Samuel, as he turned back to look at Oliver.
He was still on the steering.
"Sam, look where you're...!!!" screamed Mrs Samuels, but it was already late.
The large monster truck that was approaching, collided with their vehicle, sweeping it to the side of the road. The screen shattered, and the car was completely disfigured, like a squeezed piece of soda can.
Oliver was in the overturned car, unharmed. He looked and saw both of his parents, lying helplessly as a thick bright red fluid surged out of the injuries they sustained. His parents were bleeding uncontrollably.
His father just lay motionless, with a shred of broken glass thrust through his chest. Only his mother showed signs of life in her, by the way, she frequently moved her legs.
"Help... help us out of here!!!" cried Oliver, as his heart pounded hard within his chest.
He could hear indistinct chattering and hazy mumbles from approaching people. He also heard wailings of distant sirens.
"Somebody come quick, my dad's gonna die!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
The rescue team came near and heard his voice.
"There's a kid in there," said one of the men.
"Hurry, my dad is bleeding, and it's so much blood!" cried Oliver.
"Hang on kid, we're going to get you all out of there," assured one of the rescuers.
"Can you reach for the door lock?".
"I think so," answered Oliver as he unlocked the car doors. He tried to open it, but it was stuck.
"It's stuck," he mumbled.
Fortunately one of the rescuers was an ability user, the type that could display superhuman strength. He simply drew the door open and got him out. They took out Oliver's parents, laid them on stretchers, and took them into an ambulance vehicle which drove them to the hospital afterwards.
At the hospital, Oliver followed them behind as the nurses pushed the stretchers to the ward. He was stopped on the way and led to the reception to wait on a bench. The twelve years old looked on with tears rolling down his cheek, as his parents were taken away.
The hospital was very busy that day. Oliver watched as injured people were being rushed in on stretchers, with a manner of urgency. He hated hospitals, he saw them as miserable and sorrowful places to be.
He kept on praying in his mind that his parents wouldn't die, that all of these would just come to an end and that he would have the chance to be a normal person.
