From the Cave

I looked one last time in the bathroom mirror, adjusted my cloak, and smiled. This was it. My emergence, the first time the mindslaver would walk the Earth properly. I came in here as John, a overly busy high school student with a bitchy girlfriend and no real plan for my future, and I will leave as the eldritch mindslaver, a powerful telekinetic with the goal of subjugating females primarily and everyone ultimately, building a giant harem, and spreading my glory across the stars.

Damn did that sound good in my head. I turned to leave the bathroom when the door burst open and I was met with 2 cops and 3 EMTs staring at me. I raised my hands calmly and tried to use my words rather than my power.

"Holy shit, what are you?" Shouted one of the cops. I looked pleadingly to the first EMT. She was a cute brunette with a tight ponytail and a nice ass. I couldn't see it but I could tell it was killer.

"Relax, it's fine," I tried to calm down the cop, "A thing happened and now I look like this."

"You poor thing, come here let me look at you, its okay." The EMT girl took my hands and pulled my hood back. I smiled at her keeping my mouth closed to hide the fangs. "That must've been some 'thing' that happened, what even is... oh god!" She reached back to touch my tentacles and then recoiled. It felt kinda nice.

"I don't wanna get shot and I don't wanna go to any hospital, really," I reached out and held her hand and looked into her eyes gently. "I'm gonna be fine, I promise."

She looked sternly back at the cops. "You definitely aren't getting SHOT, but I don't think it would be smart to ignore this, what if it's contagious!" She said pointing to my head.

I looked at her again but then an idea struck. "I promise you it isn't contagious," I nodded "I will go with you to the hospital, no problem but I need a favor." He gave her a devious grin which she returned.

"Oh do you now? That's not how this works buddy until you can prove you're not contagious I can have my friends here throw you into an ambulance no problems." She crossed her arms hotly and smirked at me.

"Well, that is certainly true, but I would forever be in your debt. It's just... my girlfriend." I said looking down. "She saw me transform and I'm really worried I scarred her for life. If we can just make it look like a bigger deal than it is maybe she will snap out of it." I made it obvious to her that I was acting.

Sympathy replaced her smugness immediately and she fell for it completely. "Oh my god that is so cute, don't worry, I can help you out but you have to cooperate with us." I looked to the cops.

"I will so they won't be necessary." I pointed to them and then looked at her. She waved them away and the other EMTs brought in a stretcher.

I got on and let them put one of those neck collars around me. They set up an oxygen tank on the side of the gurney for show and it looked really bad. I kept secretly eyeing the crowd and not seeing Victoria got the EMT lady's attention.

"Call for a Victoria, try to get her to come over." The lady nodded.

"Is there a Victoria around? He really needs her!" She looked urgently around. Lacey, one of Victoria's friends came up to us. It was easy to spot her flaming red hair across the entire school. Her eyes got big as she saw me.

"Um.. yeah she's in the bathroom crying. I don't know what happened." Her look of shock softened a bit as I looked at her.

"Tell her I'm gonna be okay. I'm going to the hospital and I want to see her." I said weakly. She looked genuinely concerned and she took my hand which was nice. I always suspected Lacey had a thing for me and was a bit jealous of Victoria. This was perfect. Either Victoria nutted up and came to see me in the hospital, which was unlikely, or Lacey took her chance to steal me away. Win win.

"Okay, hang on alright? Just hang on I'll go tell her." She walked away with a bit of a tear in her voice. I would've brushed it away romantically but there would be time for that later. The EMT loaded me into the rig and we were off. I sat up relieved. "What do you think? Was that dramatic enough?" I asked the EMT who I could now see was named Julia.

"Yes, you certainly are the performer, now lay back down and tell me your name." She was very used to smart ass patients from high schools clearly.

"John Doe," I said adding, "Not A John Doe, THE John Doe." I winked at her.

"For someone who desperately needs his girlfriend you sure are lively aren't you," She wrote on her clipboard. "Do you know what the date is?"

"Thursday, May 28th, 20... AHH!" The ambulance turned and the sun appeared right in the center of the back window. The cloak covered everything but the face and I was immediately struck. I recoiled and held my face in the robes.

"What was that are you okay?" Julia asked urgently.

"The sun burns my skin," I pointed to the back window.

"Oh here." She pulled down a shade over both windows and put a hand on my shoulder. "I didn't know that you could've told me."

"I forgot, it's been a long day." I said tiredly.

Julia set the clipboard down and turned to me directly. "What is this?" She asked pointing to my face. "You definitely know what it is and you don't seem worried, you are up and making jokes and then the sun burns you. I have limited medical knowledge but even I know this isn't normal."

I smiled at her, "You wouldn't believe the answer even if I told you so why do you ask?" This was my second opportunity to talk about what really happened and this time my face wasn't going to crack open in front of her.

Julia looked frustrated. "I know it's nothing normal and I want to help so if you just..."

"It's magic." I said flatly looking right at her. She stopped in her tracks stunned at the answer. And then I saw it, a glimmer in her eye, like, she was hoping that was gonna be the answer. Like she had been waiting to hear that her whole life.

"Seriously?" She completely let her guard down. Any qualms about believing in magic were gone from her. A childlike wonder flooded her body and her soul glowed brighter than any other I had seen yet.

"Yep," I pulled closer to her in the back of the ambulance. I took her hand in mine and with my other hand I brushed a strand of hair out of her eye. "I made a deal with a God and in exchange for this appearance I have gained tremendous power." I used my mind to open the top button on her uniform. She gasped. I leaned closer to her and she pulled me in for a kiss. It was sweet and slow and I felt her tear up a little as we parted.

"I knew it." She said under her breath. "I knew it was magic from the moment I saw you, I knew it was real." I brushed the tear off her cheek. Her soul was bright and glowing. If anyone else had been able to see it, the ambulance would've driven off the road.

"Don't cry, it's okay you felt it," I said pulling her into an embrace. I cradled her head and then pulled back smiling at her.

"I have so many questions!" She almost shouted, "What powers do you have? How does it work?" I raised my hand to cut her off.

"Listen, I understand you want to know more. I need to get through this hospital visit as quickly and painlessly as possible so let's make a deal." She stopped me.

"Hey wait a minute, you said you would be in my debt for the school escape. I helped you play it up for your girlfriend now you owe me." She looked so proud of herself. "Or are you not a mage of your word."

I grinned at her, she was clever and would certainly make a delightful pet. "Oh no if that is your price for helping me out then I will pay it gladly. But you don't expect me to explain magic in the middle of the ICU do you?" She smiled.

"Here," she took my phone and texted herself. "I have your info now, you will tell me everything about magic the second you get out of the hospital." She playfully stuck her tongue out at me. She was gonna pay for this insolence, and she might even enjoy it.

We pulled up to the hospital and she gave her report to the nurse who looked like she might have been mindslaved by someone else already. Seriously if this woman had a soul I certainly couldn't see it. Julia kissed my forehead and told me she might visit me before leaving to finish her shift.

They put me in a room and I waited.