There was a private stairwell in Building C reserved for staff that led up to the roof. The door sat in the middle of a dark alcove stationed next to an unused chemistry lab currently housing unused chemistry equipment. Enid knew this place well. It was easy enough to sneak through the halls unnoticed. They were practically deserted. 

She stumbled on a few of the steps but never lost her balance. That was for later.

Climbing up the second flight, Enid caught herself counting each step. One, two, fifteen, twenty. All the way up. It distracted her. There was a hatch at the top of the stairs that opened outward, letting a breath of cool, fresh air wash over the young girl as she popped her head out. Nothing on the roof, save a broken A/C unit and an empty crate.

From her vantage point, Enid could hear the screams. Faraway, distant, but painful. She stepped closer to the edge and the scene took full fold of her. Past the line of pristine buildings and tree-lined sidewalks was a deep gouge in the earth. Streams of residual heat puffed up from the melted tarmac, as did the smell. It made her want to throw up, but she couldn't manage it. There was nothing left in her.

Enid sat on the roof of the building, her feet dangling over the edge, staring at the destruction. Her eyes then fell lower, to the ground beneath her. It looked so far away. 

'You don't have to do this, Enid.'

It came from nowhere. The girl nearly fell then, spinning around to find the source of the voice. ¨Who's there?¨

'Sorry to frighten you. This is Charles.'

¨Charles....the guy from the Pentagon? How are you--¨

'It doesn't matter. What does, however, is that you are thinking about jumping off that building.'

Enid stared at the ground more intensely, adjusting her legs beneath her. ¨I don't want to hurt anyone else.¨

'Then imagine how much you'd hurt your family if you left them behind. Your mother. Your sister. Your little brother.'

And she saw them in her mind, one by one; hollowed out, faces wet with tears, an empty room. It stung. But she knew what she had to do. ¨I'm dying anyways. I'd rather end it now, instead of risking anyone else.¨

There was silence. Enid wondered if Charles had given up, severed the line. And then the voice returned, more solemn this time:'If this is really what you want, I'm not going to stop you. But I hope you'll realize you have so many reasons to keep living. One of them is looking for you right now.'

As the words crossed her mind, she heard someone call her name. Enid saw a flash of silver below her, then heard another, ¨Enid!!¨ This one was from the other side of the courtyard. Another flash of silver.

¨Peter...¨

She watched him for a moment. His face taut with concern, each time calling her name with such ferocity it sent shivers down her spine. And she suddenly realized how high up she really was. 

¨Peter!¨

He froze, and their eyes met. And within moments, mere seconds, he was at her side. Enid didn't know when she started crying, but she did remember the feeling of Peter's arms around her, holding her close; the leather jacket against her face; the smell of sugar and burnt rubber in the air.

¨I thought you said you were done scaring me, Enid,¨ he said, lips moving against her forehead. He squeezed her tighter, and kissed her in the space just between her eyebrows. ¨You're going to be okay. I promise.¨

Enid pulled away and stared at the young man kneeling by her side. ¨Peter, I need help.¨

Peter hated seeing her like that, so terrified, and being helpless to do anything about it. ¨We'll get you help,¨ he said. And a thought crossed his mind, a memory of a card he plucked out of a jacket pocket. ¨I think I know a place.¨

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They didn't bother driving. For starters, Peter didn't have his license. Failed twice on account of his tendencies for speeding and ignoring road signs. Then came the issue of finding a car. After spending the morning calling up rental agencies, and finding none would let out cars to minors, Peter took things into his own hands. Those things, in question, were Enid's luggage and the back of her neck. To prevent whiplash, obviously. 

When they arrived at the mansion, Peter held the card up to his face and re-read the address. ¨Yup, this is the place.¨

¨Glad you didn't drag me to some random castle in the middle of the woods.¨

¨And who says I didn't?¨

The two of them continued up the driveway and through the entrance gate, which happened to be unlocked. Enid thought the building looked ominous, mostly because of its size. She'd never been in a building so large before. The walls towered above their heads, casting a shadow over the front lawn in the late morning light.

Reaching the door, Peter went to knock but Enid stopped him. ¨I'm scared.¨

He hesitantly reached for her hand and squeezed it tight. ¨You're the bravest girl I know.¨

Enid breathed in, then knocked on the door herself.

Silence.

The two of them waited, Peter still grasping Enid's hand, wondering if they should knock again, when the door groaned open. It was Charles who answered them. ¨It's good to see you,¨ the older man said, mostly to Enid. 

He led them inside, to an entryway lit by a golden chandelier and sparse rays of sunlight shining through a series of stained glass windows on the other side of the room. From the main staircase came the thundering of feet as a few school-aged children raced down the steps and peeled off into another hallway. So many hallways, it must be easy to get lost in a house like that.

¨At first it might seem a bit intimidating, but you'll get used to it.¨

Enid was still focused on the sounds of laughter and conversation echoing off the walls. It was almost overwhelming. ¨How long do I have to stay here?¨

Charles turned his chair to face her. ¨However long you choose, Enid. You could leave right now if you wanted to.¨

¨You said you could help me, right? To control my power?¨

¨I'm here to help you understand the gift you've been given.¨

¨I wouldn't consider it a gift,¨ Enid replied, rubbing hands over her arms. 

Charles wheeled closer. ¨What you can do...it's truly remarkable. I've seen mutants with explosive abilities before, but none so powerful as yours. With a little bit of training, you could channel that energy into amazing things, Enid.¨

¨You really think that?¨

¨I really do.¨

Enid released her arms, then turned to Peter. ¨Can I talk to you?¨

¨Sure, yeah,¨he replied, and followed Enid to the nearest corner. He eyed the countertops, covered with silver bowls and flowers. His fingers twitched. ¨This place is pretty fancy.¨

¨Don't get any ideas, Peter,¨ Enid narrowed her eyes in jest, but something was missing. She tried to smile. ¨You think this is a good idea.¨

¨I never said I thought this was a good idea. I mean, yes, I think it would be good. If you think it would be good--¨

¨You're really helping me out here.¨

¨I know.¨

¨I was being sarcastic.¨

¨Is something wrong?¨

Enid's gaze drifted to the hallways, the cavernous entryway, the tapestry-covered walls. ¨No,¨ she said. ¨Everything's fine. It's just....I need to do this alone.¨

His face grew taut. He eyed Enid closely, looking for anything--the twitch of a smile, the weird crease she got in her forehead when she thought too hard about something, the raised brow she always gave him when he said something off-the-cuff. But her face was blank. For a moment, they were strangers. ¨Okay,¨ he decided. ¨But if anything happens, you call me and Iĺl come running.¨

¨Okay, Peter.¨

By the end of that afternoon, Enid was watching his silvery echo fade into nothing. And when she knew he was gone, Enid cried.