"Felix!"
His mother was angry with him again. He didn't know why she was so angry, but it didn't matter. Eyes like a spider's fell upon him, pinning him in place like an insect to a board. Cold fury washed over him as her eyes almost seemed to burn his skin. She towered over him, as he was only a child. Felix had done something horrible. He had failed her, failed to bring her something she needed. The child's toy fell out of his hand, a memento of the task she had given him. The bells that were sewn into it jingled as it hit the floor. His mother shrieked at him, madness and fury burning in her eyes.
"Why didn't you do as I asked? Why did you fail me?"
Felix didn't know what to say. Nothing would appease her in this state, and the true answer would surely worsen things. He had been tasked with taking something from a nearby house, a child sleeping in its crib. He stared at the peaceful child, envy blooming in his chest. He wanted to take its place, to not have to worry about his mother or anything she might do to him. Felix had been so caught up in his envy that he hadn't noticed the child's parents approaching the room. Candlelight fell upon him, and he heard a startled cry behind him. He fled before anything else could happen, but he wished he had. Maybe they would have understood.
When he didn't respond to her question, Felix's mother grabbed the underside of his chin, forcing him to look her in her many eyes. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he tried to look away, but he couldn't. He felt a presence in his mind, whispering things he couldn't understand. The presence grew, forcing any thoughts and memories from his mind except for the child from earlier. The memory grew, filling his entire mind. The presence pulled at it, threatening to tear him apart in the process. Suddenly, something
(shattered)
broke in his mind, and a scream fled from his lips. Felix thought he could see something from the corner of his eye, watching him. It called out to him, drawing his attention from his mother...
"Felix! Wake up! We need to get out of here!"
Felix opened his eyes. His entire body felt... nothing. He felt an enormous weight all over his body, as if an elephant or two were sitting on top of him. He almost forgot where he was. He remembered seeing something, although the memory slipped out of his grasp like a stubborn eel. Something happened to the ship he was on. He remembered the wood giving way under his feet, then a blinding flash of white as something collided with his head.
Now... he was here.
Felix looked at the wreckage around him, the black sand making every piece stand out. A figure stood above him, snapping its fingers in his face. It looked similar to himself, but it had another set of eyes on its cheekbones and it had a shadowy cast to it.
"Felix! Come on!"
He tried to sit up, but he found that he couldn't. He felt his shattered ribs scrping together, but there was no pain, only that looming pressure that was slowly starting to become familiar. A thought rushed into his mind, causing panic to bloom in his chest.
I shouldn't be alive.
His heart should have been pounding, but he didn't feel it beating in his chest. The familiar feeling of adrenaline coarsed through him, but his heart wasn't thudding against his ribs like when he normally did. His lack of pain was surely from the adrenaline. Not... anything else. He was alive, wasn't he?
Felix's flesh roiled underneath his skin, shifting, trying to become something else. His ability could change how he looked, but it couldn't heal major injuries. Still, he willed himself to try to stand, forcing his body to change to support his weight. His bones were broken, but he could shape other parts to serve their purpose for a short time.
He tried to cry out for help, but only a weak moan escaped his lips. He sounded pathetic.
Felix waited for the pain to come, to hit him like a tidal wave. Only it didn't. None of his injuries hurt. The overwhelming feeling of wrongness swept over him again. Something wasn't right. Any one thing by itself could be ignored, but it was tied together somehow. He didn't have time to figure out what was happening, though. He tried to sit up once more and looked around, noticing a woman who also looked to be alive.
"H-hello?" he called out weakly. Felix wasn't confident she heard him, but he tried to get her attention anyway. The figure looked at him with a mixture of panic and impatience.
"We don't have time for a meet-and-greet! Get out of here!"