~bloom~

Raging fire, heat rolling off in waves, smoke billowing from them. And beams of light, a white out kind of blue coming from every direction. Screams, he could hear screaming. His eyes are still sensitive, he's new to this. The power inside of him is at rage, building and building until he feels ready to explode. He clenches his fists, taking deep breaths.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

He shuts his eyes from the brightness. The screaming louder than ever, as his body starts to shake.

Stop.

He thinks, he wills. Stop.

Stop!

...

Blinking his eyes open hurriedly, the images dissipate just as fast as they once came. He breathes in a deep breath through his nose, then out through his nose. Straightening up from where his head had fallen against the window of the car. Sweat beads across his forehead, the cold glass of the window missed as he wipes a hand through his messy hair. The car still hums quietly beneath him, as if nothing had gone wrong. Soft music filtering in through the speakers. His head throbs and he groans slightly rubbing at his temples with his fingers. He then lowers his hands to fix his trench coat, which had tangled itself under him while he slept.

He ignores the constant throbbing in his head, and let's his eyes travel outside the tinted window. His lips in a thin line as he scans the warm day outside.

It's so green, he thinks. Trees, long grass, mountains. A small sense of calm washes over him, as it always has around nature. Something about being alone, the fresh air and the sound of birds, it surrounds him in happiness like nothing else ever could. Maybe this won't be as bad as he thought.

That is until he sees houses, upon houses, come into view. Trees thinning as buildings take over the space. He watches as they pass an older slightly crooked wooden sign. A large sunflower is painted across it's front, the paint washed out from the sunshine and years of rain and wind. In large block letters reads 'Welcome to Lawrence'.

Lawrence, Kansas.

They pass more houses, mostly old but some new. Then as time wears on they emerge out onto what he assumes is main street, littered with people and cars. His heart sinks further. The cluster of trees and 'freedom' left behind. Too far for him to feel comfortable.

The pocket of his coat starts to vibrate, and he digs into it just to pull out his phone. The screen lights up with 'mom' when he looks at it. He clenches his jaw and slides the camera button with a sigh. Seconds later his mom, Naomi's face comes onto the screen. Her eyes are hard, and her brown hair is pinned up tight as she fixes him with a stare through the device.

"Castiel." She speaks firmly.

"Mother." He answers, staring back through the phone.

"Are you at the house yet?" She asks, voices filtering in from the background. She must be at work, in her office. The white walls behind her faintly familiar. He recalls the room of glass from when he was small. Glimpses of a large fancy desk, it's surface completely clear and clean from anything personal. A large leather chair he remembers sitting in, kicking his feet and twirling himself around while his mothers hard voice filtered in from outside. He always hated that place.

He glances out the window, a frown pulling at his face. "No." He answers, turning his eyes back to the phone in his hand.

The driver up front glances back at him as he speaks, one eyebrow raised. Castiel catches his eye, and he turns away when he realizes that he isn't being spoken to, turning the car down another street.