Chapter 6: Trial of Zo

What started off as a short-term arrangement for Mason to hone his new abilities eventually turned into a permanent affair. Three years had passed since Mason’s parents admitted him into the asylum, and soon enough, his life completely revolved around Monstrosity Haven. Every day, he had to endure tests, alternative educational methods, having to wear the same bright jumpsuit, brutal experiments, the controlling nature of his guardians, and the torment from his peers.

Over time, a sense of abandonment and isolation took over his spirit as he constantly felt like a freak of nature compared to those around him. Despite being surrounded by other supernatural humans, Mason felt alone amongst them. Ever since he was placed into Monstrosity Haven, he was bullied, harassed, beaten, and haunted by his cell mates. He was seen as the main target of every patient looking to unleash their inner rage, particularly by Owen Prince, Keith Bourn, and Piper Lee. Not a day went by when one of these individuals did not steal food from him, spit on him, beat him up when the guards were not looking, embarrass him in front of the other patients, or further his traumatizing experience at the Haven.

Warden Grim also did not make Mason’s new living arrangement easy. His cruel, no-nonsense nature inflicted fear into the hearts of every single Monstrosity placed under his custody. He always demanded the silence of his patience when he was present, subjected the youth to their own personal experiments against their will, and severely disciplined anyone who opposed him. Word would spread around the asylum that those who displeased the Warden would be permanently moved to the asylum’s underground dungeon for the more unstable patients. It was a known fact to never go against anything Grim says or does, otherwise you’ll be sure to pay the consequences! One time, within Mason’s first 6 months as a patient, he witnessed a young man the same age as him with the ability to turn to stone talk back to him after Grim requested for the boy to undergo an experiment involving a flamethrower. After he was dragged away by several doctors, Mason never saw that particular patient again. He knew from that point on to always remain on Grim’s good side.

The worst part about his stay at Monstrosity Haven was the fact that his parents never came to visit him or contact him a single time since placing him under the custody of the institution. Every night for three years straight, he prayed for them to finally show up one day and take him away from the madness he had to put up with. But, as time went on, he began to lose hope that his parents were ever coming back. Recently, he became convinced that he would be stuck at the Haven for the rest of his life.

However, things at the asylum were not all bad for him. Slowly, but surely, his ability to understand and control his Chlorokinesis progressed over time. Through his own self-determination, he learned many different skills and tricks, including being able to control mud, use plants to his own comfort, sliding across grass, and so much more! He was considered one of the more progressive patients at Monstrosity Haven, much to the jealousy of the other Monstrosities. Well, except one…

“So, like, you can make cactuses now without even trying? That’s actually pretty cool,” Olivia Manson, Mason’s only friend in the asylum, said as the two sat outside in the courtyard for lunch. “You should make one in the toilet before Owen has to sit down on it so that he’ll get a needle up his a*s,” she suggested.

“I would’ve done that already if I knew I could get away with it,” Mason said as he ate his mashed potatoes. “They’d probably track it back to me, though,” he continued.

“How?” asked Olivia. “It’s not like you’re the only one here who can summon an a*s stabbing cactus,” she said. Mason took a sip of his water and shook his head at her. “Literally, I’m the only person on Earth who can probably do that,” he said. “Well, that’ll be something cool for you to put on your resume when we get out of here,” she claimed as the two shared a laugh.

Compared to everyone else he met at Monstrosity Haven, Olivia was probably the only person he grew to love there. They first met during a mandatory obstacle course Grim had set up for all the patients. He immediately noticed her because she was the first person he had ever seen trip over their own feet and scrape their knee after only taking five steps. Nobody else bothered to help her up to her feet except for him. He’ll never forget the first words she ever spoke to him;

‘Christ on a cross, I’m bleeding here! Bro, can you make me an aloe vera plant?!’

She was his favorite person in the whole world, and the bond they shared through their dark humor, distaste for others, and constant desire to leave the asylum together could never be matched by any of the other patients!

As the sun beat down on his face, Mason looked across the table at his pale skinned, thick bestie with long black hair and dark green eyes and noticed that she did not have a tray of food in front of her. “You’re not eating again?” he asked.

“H*ll no. I’d rather get thrown in the dungeon than eat the slop here,” she claimed. “Besides, I didn’t really work up an appetite today with my tests,” she informed him. “Oh yeah, so what did the doctors have you do today?” Mason asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she recalled the new skill she had to learn earlier. “It was so stupid, but check it out,” she said. Mason sat and watched Olivia begin to twirl her finger around above the table. Soon enough, all the dust that was on the table was under Olivia’s control, and she managed to create a circle using the grime!

Mason looked at the circle in amazement. “Wow, so you can make shapes with your dust manipulation now?” he asked. Olivia nodded her head. “Yeah. It’s not as a cool as creating an a*s cactus, but it’s something, I guess,” she said. “Maybe I can learn to make a tornado that’ll sweep us off to Oz,” she jokingly suggested.

Mason laughed for a bit and then sighed at the thought of being anywhere else beyond the asylum. “Do you think we’ll ever get out of here?” he asked. “Fat chance,” she immediately replied. “I still don’t understand how my dust is a danger to society. I don’t even know why my parents put me here,” she concluded. Mason looked at her in confusion. “Liv, didn’t you create a dust storm that caused an entire city block to get shut down for three weeks?” he asked. Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, that elementary school had enough vacuum cleaners to clean up my mess!” she said as they both began laughing.

As Mason found himself actually having a delightful time, reality struck him in the form of a fist. Olivia gasped as she watched Owen, Keith, and Piper all grab Mason by the back of his jumpsuit and drag him to the ground. They punched him, stomped on him, spat on him, and poured milk on his face. He didn’t even have the chance to fight back. Olivia screamed for help as the other Monstrosities watched from the other tables.

As Keith and Piper continued stomping on Mason, Owen put him in a chin lock and started to squeeze the air out of his lungs. “It’s gonna be like this every day, Plant Boy! If you’re smart, you’d do us all a favor and swallow some weed killer already!” he teased a bloody, dazed, and wounded Mason.

“Get off him!” Olivia shouted.

“Shut up, b*tch,” Piper said to her as the guards finally came outside and made their way over to them. Owen, Piper, and Keith immediately got off Mason as the guards separated them all. Olivia immediately ran around the table and kneeled next to Mason. “Oh my God, bro, are you OK?” she asked as she held his head in her hands.

With blood gushing from his mouth and nose, cuts all over his face, and bruises all over his body, Mason struggled to get air back into his lungs. He laid on the ground flat on his back staring up at the gray sky with a blank expression on his face. He was used to this sort of treatment, but he was sick of having to put up with it. It was times such as this where he wished that the other patients would just kill him already to free him from his miserable existence. His family didn’t want him, he had no hope of returning to a normal life, and he was despised by almost every person that came across him. So, what was the point in trying?