The Many Faces of Tully

They’re standing around me in a wide circle. There are eleven of them. I stare at them, feeling my powers evaluating the situation, analyzing their moods, and forming a plan. I need to take out their key players. The twins are the least of my worries. Damon can’t control me when I’m surging with power like this, and Edmunds shield doesn’t hurt me.

Toshi, Mirage, and Haides can’t do anything either. I’d sense Haides coming near me, I’ll see through Mirage’s mirage, and who cares if Toshi changes his appearance. I’m not too worried about Elsu either. I’d see his aerial attack coming from a mile away.

I might take out Rozen. He can’t hurt me but he bands them together. Maybe when he’s gone they’ll stop trying to kill me, if they can. No, I need to take out Gunther, Hutsi, and Zazu. They’re the ones that can hurt me physically, so I focus on them.

We’ve been training for a year, so I know all of their weaknesses, and they would know mine, if I had any. I get a strange clarity of understanding then. Of course I’m the most important part to the mission. I’m the whole reason for it. Without me, they wouldn’t need to band together.

They seem to be analyzing me too. They want me to strike first. I focus on Gunther. He can strike the fastest. He notices me staring at him, so he reaches for his gun. I feel the power within me surge. I’m just about to thrust it at him when I realize I don’t want him dead. I don’t want to kill him.

I send enough force at him to knock him out. He goes flying through the air and lands in a heap on the ground. I have no idea how I’m doing this direct attack instead of an explosion. My powers are in full control right now. I feel the earth rumble at my feet and I know Hutsi is attacking.

The world bumps up beneath me and I use the force to help me jump into the air. I send a wall of energy towards Hutsi and Zazu who are standing next to each other. Hutsi tries to block it with a wall of earth, but my energy knocks the wall into them. They are knocked out too.

I land gracefully on the ground and await the next attack. I look at all of them to gauge where it might be coming from. They’re staring at me with astonishment again. I never cease to amaze them, do I?

I see Nash then, and I feel my powers flicker at the emotion rising in me. He’s staring at me, clearly torn. I’m his friend, I’m like his older sister, but I’m also his enemy. I don’t want to hurt him, but he might have to be the one to kill me. My heart aches for him.

I’m glad Calchas and Kato aren’t here, I think in another random moment of clarity. They can't even try to defend themselves from me. It would be a cold blooded attack. Someone else is missing, but I can’t think about that right now, I’m finally being attacked.

The world shifts around me to a crowded mall. I see through it though, like I’m staring through a transparent picture. I notice three men are missing from the eight that are left. I find Toshi immediately. He looks like a random person and he would have blended in perfectly, if it wasn’t for the fact that everyone in the mirage was transparent looking and he is very much solid.

I wave my hand towards him and he goes flying. It was a good effort, and it would have worked on anyone else. It would have worked on me if I wasn’t seeing through Mirage’s power. I feel the malicious intent and know I'm being attacked again.

Someone grabs my shoulders, and I’m betting its Haides. Anger flashes through me and I hear him scream with pain. I look at him and he’s cradling his hands that are blistering. My power protects me. He glares at me, tears shining in his pain filled eyes. I thrust my palm into his sternum and he goes flying.

There is one more person now, and I realize that it’s Elsu that is missing from the circle. An aerial attack. I feel the power surge inside of me again and I send the force upwards. He falls to the ground ten feet from me, out cold the like rest of them.

I send a force towards Mirage to stop the image of the mall, but it doesn’t hit him. I see Edmund holding out his hands, shielding him. His shields have gotten stronger, but I’m not using as much force as I usually do. I’m about to attack again when I sense someone else. Someone has joined my attackers and is demanding my attention.

I turn to face the threat that's at the edge of the field, preparing my attack. It is the polar opposite of me and I don’t like it on the playing field. It is the brightest day while I'm the darkest night. The calm ocean to my erupting volcano. It needs to go before anyone else. I’m about to send the force at him when his face finally registers in my mind.

I soften, my powers faltering. It’s Jace. I can’t hurt Jace. What’s he doing here? Why wasn’t he here in the first place? What took him so long. He’s staring at me with unfathomable eyes. I wonder what he must be thinking. I want to run to him, to reach out to him, to hug him. To hold him. But my moment of clarity is over because I feel malicious intent coming at me.

I focus on the threat and see Rozen is running towards me with Edmund at his side. He brought Edmund to shield him. It won’t work. He blocked me once, but that was it. I let them run towards me and I brace myself. Rozen lifts up a gun and aims it at me. My powers react immediately and rip it out of his hands. The gun flies to me and I catch it deftly.

Without hesitation, I raise it up and shoot Rozen in the chest. The red seeping into his shirt stuns me for a second. I thought I didn’t want to kill anyone? What happened to that? Rozen has a mask of shock looking down at his own chest and then stumbles and falls to the ground. I can feel his heart beat for the last time.

My own heart is cold from the shock. I look up at Edmund, who commendably didn't stop when his leader was shot and is getting closer now. The coldness I'm feeling expels out of me and my powers freeze him into place when his foot hits the earth again. His body is covered in a thin, but unbreakable sheet of ice. He stares at me with wide eyes, unable to move.

My attention is demanded again by that wholly other presence. I spin and lift up the gun in my hand. It’s pointed right at Jace’s forehead who is now standing, panting, right in front of me. I don’t shoot. I can’t shoot. I’m clear again for a second.

“Tully?” His voice is low, filled with insurmountable emotion.

He must be hurt. I was the person he waited for to help with the mission. I was his hope. If only he knew I was the reason all of this happened. The reason he was taken from his mom. The reason he was stuck with Calchas for thirteen years. He would have hated me from the start. I lower the gun, and then drop it.

I am about to say something to him but I felt someone running towards me. I don’t know who it is. I don’t know how they plan on attacking me. The force blows out from behind me and I hear the thud of their body. I see the shock on Jace’s face.

I’m too powerful. I can’t control it. I’m going to end up killing them all. I’m going to end up killing everyone. They can’t stop me. I have another moment of clarity. Someone can stop me. I look at Jace in a different way now. He is my hope.

I open my mouth again but someone is attacking me again. I scream in frustration as the force blows out from me again. “Stop attacking me!” I scream. I put my fists on either side of my head to try and stop the pounding in it.

“Are you the Great Evil?” I hear Jace ask, grabbing my wrists and pulling my fists from my head. I stare up at him in shame.

“I didn’t know,” I say. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Listen to me Jace,” I demand his attention. “I think there is only one way to stop me. I can’t control my powers. They have a mind of their own.” I talk quickly. I don’t know how long my control will last. “You have to do it, Jace.”

He looks up at me in shock. “Do what, Tully?” he asks, but I know he knows the answer.

“I can’t hurt you. I have that much control over my powers. I won’t let them hurt you,” I tell him. He’s just staring at me. “If anyone else attacks me, my powers will act on their own. It has to be you.”

“But, Tully… I can’t…” he struggles, looking everywhere but me. I can see the panic behind his eyes. He's gasping for air, and I know he is searching for another option. Anything else, but I know there isn't. This is the only way.

“You have to. It’s the mission,” I practically yell at him, trying to get him to see my side. I feel my control fading. “Please Jace. I don’t want to hurt anyone else,” I plead, desperate.

I see his resolve waver. He looks up at me and stares at me for what seems like forever. I struggle to keep control. His eyebrows pull together even more, his frown deepening. I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head. He takes a deep breath.

He steps towards me and I feel my powers brace for an attack. He grabs my face and kisses me fiercely. That stuns my powers enough for me to regain completely control so I start to kiss him back. His hands and lips turn freezing against my face, and I can see the red glow behind my eyelids.

His kisses always make me feel alive, but this time I also feel my power draining. My powers realize too late what is going on. I feel it rear up inside of me feebly, trying to get this offender away from me, but Jace's powers miraculous drained it first.

We are kissing each other in desperation. I have fistfuls of his shirt, holding him to me. I try to kiss him back as strongly as he’s kissing me, but I’m getting weaker. He wraps his arms around my waist now, pulling my hips into his. The heat of his kiss is chasing away the coldness of his kiss. My face is wet with his tears. This must be so hard for him.

My knees buckle beneath my weight and he drops to his knees with me, never letting his lips leave mine. I can’t hold up my head anymore. I’m too weak. My head flops backwards and he quickly catches it. He cradles my torso and I look up at him.

He’s still glowing faintly red and staring sadly down at me. Tears are streaking down his face and his lower lip is wobbling. It breaks my heart seeing him in this much pain, but I am so grateful.

My breathing is labored and my heart is beating irregularly. It’s not beating enough to keep me going. He did it. He stopped me. He stopped the Great Evil. The red glow fades finally leaving just Jace, my savior.

“Thank you,” I mumble at him. My lips are clumsy. I’m too weak.

“I’m so sorry.” He chokes back a sob. His tears are falling on my face and I taste salt. My heart is beating so weakly now and my vision is blackening around the edges. My breaths are so shallow.

“I. Love. You,” I say between my short breaths. It’s the first time I ever said that to a man. And it was going to be my last, but he had to know.

“I love you too, Tully.” He smiles weakly through his tears. He touches my face, but I barely feel it. I close my eyes.

I hope he doesn’t hurt too much. This is worse than killing someone I think. Leaving someone behind is worse. I did that so many times. I killed so many people and made them leave someone behind. But now I can finally atone for my sins. I hope Jace can heal from this.

Heal

~The End~