Tiring the Mind

By The Meepy Freak

Looking in the mirror, Chase tried to flatten his hair to the way it used to be. However, the effort was useless. His hair was too short. Chase groaned wishing he hadn't gotten his hair cut. It had done nothing to benefit him. Obviously, he thought it would divert the bullying away from his appearance, yet Chase quickly discovered that was untrue.

Now, Chase was a 'lady golfer' among other things. He only got teased more, and bullies began to beat him up more. Chase always came home a little later than his siblings, but nobody noticed. Chase was invisible, dispensable, and selfish. He was obnoxious, and everybody made fun of him. Chase tried to convince himself that it was because he was smarter than the others, yet that attempt was futile. He was a terrible person, hungry for power. He was a monster, just like Douglas.

Douglas Davenport made Chase feel special, as if he was actually worth something. However, Chase knew that his actions and intentions were wrong. He wanted the bionics to be weapons. Douglas never acknowledged the three as humans. The Triton App was a perfect example of that. Yet, despite all logic, the youngest bionic still trusted him.

Chase felt connected to him. They had the same fears and insecurities. Douglas just wanted attention, just like Chase. He wanted to feel special, appreciated for his work. Chase felt the same way about his extensive brain. The two even looked the same. They had the same spiky hair, the same face structure, and the exact same stance.

The thought unsettled the bionic. He did not want to end up like his demented 'father'. Still, Chase understood. After all, Chase was the flash glue on the team that just disappears once completing its mission. People only noticed Adam and Bree. Leo also barely noticed Chase, following Adam and Bree like a dog. Even Mr. Davenport simply ignored him, slowly replacing Chase with Leo. Nobody realized how difficult mind abilities were and how painful they could be. Nobody knew how much he struggled. Chase was relieved of this, yet once in a while, he wanted a shoulder to lean on. However, whenever Chase tried to make an effort for attention from his siblings, he was only bullied with short jokes or pushed away to the side alone.

Therefore, to avoid the pain, Chase pretended to do homework. Honestly, studying was the only time he felt happy, even if the happiness was momentary. He could finally show off his intelligence. He could finally stand out, even if it was only to himself. Still, it didn't help that it only took him a few minutes to complete what would normally be an hours' worth of homework. Also, Chase already knew everything he studied. He sighed. There were disadvantages to having a mind like a computer's.

Chase's gaze went to the mirror again as Chase saw blood drip down his face. He blinked his eyes, and the red fluid disappeared. He shut his eyes again. He wouldn't think of hurting himself. His life was better than most. Suicide was not an answer. Still, no matter how many times he tried, the statements felt meaningless to him. Instead, Chase directed his attention to his eyes, his puffy, red eyes.

Obviously, the bionic had been crying silently. Chase knew that if he made noise, his siblings would notice and most likely tease him for being a crybaby as they did when he was younger. Also, Chase couldn't let Leo see him. Chase was the elder of the two, even if it was by a few months. Still, it wasn't Leo's fault that he was one of the eldest in his grade while Chase was one of the youngest in his. Chase was supposed to be a role model for Leo, even if Leo never noticed him. Chase still had to be the more mature member of the family. He had to fit in with society.

"Chase," he heard his sister knock frustrated as he sunk down to the floor of the bathroom, one hand over his eyes and the other over his mouth. "Come out. You are taking more time than I do, and I am a girl."

Chase only bit his lip in response as he heard Adam in the background say, "That is because he is a girl."

More tears crawled out of Chase's eyes as he thought of Adam's comment. He knew by 'girl', Adam really meant weak. Yet, Chase could not blame Adam. Chase was weak. He was delicate. It bothered him that he needed his brother and sister to protect him on missions. Just once, Chase would like to prove himself. That was why he got stuck in the avalanche anyway.

Nevertheless, Adam and Bree gave up on him. Douglas was the one to scout him out and dig him up. Douglas saved Chase's life. That was the reason for Chase saving Douglas's life when Krane attacked. He was only returning back a favor. Still, no matter how many times Chase said it in his head, he knew that wasn't completely true either.

The youngest bionic was a traitor. The look on Mr. Davenport's face when he banished Douglas replayed in Chase's head. A part of him wanted to speak up, to argue in Douglas's favor. However, Chase stopped himself. He did not want to turn against his siblings or Mr. Davenport. His thoughts could not replace his family. Yet, Chase's thoughts were all he had.

How was it so hard to hate somebody he must? Adam and Bree knew Douglas saved their lives, yet they did not seem to have trouble hating the man. Instead, they just avoid the topic. Chase cannot. It is not in his nature. Instead, the memory replays in his mind over and over again.

Chase wiped the tears from his eyes, washing his face to get rid of any trace that he was crying. He did not want to be like Douglas, but he looked so much like him. Sometimes Douglas felt more like a father to Chase rather than Mr. Davenport. However, Chase would never say that out loud.

The boy just wanted his life to be black and white. He did not like crossing the line in good and evil. It confused Chase, and it made the world less predictable. Chase needed the world to be predictable, especially with his super smarts. Possibilities play through his head every second of the day, and he just has to learn from them. He has seen his siblings die countless times, yet he never told. He tried to once, but they just made fun of him.

Even though Chase was the youngest, he acted like the eldest constantly. Adam was too immature, and Bree had that spoiled brat attitude. It was only natural for Chase to be the one to comfort the others. Yet, he needed to cry too. He was not immune to the world. If anything, the world seemed to affect him more than his siblings. Still, they never cared. The only person who cared was Douglas. The man Chase is trying desperately to hate.

Sighing, Chase realized that was why he saved Douglas. Douglas seemed to care about him while the rest of his family did not. Douglas made him feel better, as if Chase was actually worth something. That filled Chase with happiness, yet in the back of his mind, he could not stop comparing himself to Douglas as he opened the bathroom door, and his sister zoomed inside.

Chase was a conceited monster selfishly yearning attention, just like Douglas. He was constantly fighting with himself; he could never choose between instinct and thought. However, no matter how Chase acted, no matter how many times he cried, Chase would still just be himself. Chase just was not sure if he was proud of himself or not yet.