When I woke up in the field, all I knew of myself was that I was a girl and my hair had a pinkish tint to it. That was it. I awoke from what seemed a veil of nothingness, and when I was fully aware, I realized I had no idea who I was. I didn’t know my name, my age, or who my family was, if I even had family. Nothing. My mind was blank, well, mostly blank. I still seemed to remember things that one would learn in school. I thought of George Washington and how he was the first president, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, basically everything about the guy. But I still didn’t know shit about myself.

Sitting up, I looked around only to come face to face with a rather curious horse. The horse scared me for a few moments, as I hadn’t noticed it when I woke up. But there it was, staring at me. A bit creepy. However, when I reached up to pet it on the nose, it turned away from me and ran. In only about three or four seconds, it went from being curious about me to being deeply afraid of me. Strange, but when I slowly got to my feet, I quickly noticed that around the spot that I had woken up in was a circle of death. The grass was brown and crumbling. But what really gave it away was that there were four dead cows lying next to me.

Looking around what appeared to be a farm, I could make out a house and a barn in the distance, but as to where I was, I had no idea. I couldn’t remember anything, but even if I did, it still wouldn’t help me. But as I stood there, I slowly came to the realization of just how terrified I was. I had no idea who I was or where I was, and that was deeply unsettling. It was also at that point that I realized that I was not naked. I had on some sort of body suit, with pockets to my amazement, that hugged my body in a somewhat uncomfortable way. But it was creepy because I had no idea why I would be wearing this body suit because I remembered nothing.

It was at this point that I should've realized that both my appearance and the four dead cows would have attracted some sort of attention and sure enough, three men came running up the hill. Another thing I should've realized was that the hill that I was on had a clear view of everything, but the drawback was that everybody could see me. These three men all looked to be farmers, one old man, with a gun, a middle aged man, with a gun, and a younger man, almost teenage looking, with a gun. They all had guns. Big, scary looking guns.

“What in tarnation did you do to my cattle!” the older man with a gun demanded. Like I was in a position to give him answer. So I didn’t. But the older man quickly grew very impatient. Once again, he demanded an answer, pointing his gun at me, his language not as nice as the first time, although I highly doubted he was trying to be nice the first time around. Although I raised my arms in an attempt to protect myself, I did not give him an answer. I was scared, yes, but mostly because I had no idea.

“Cool it, Dad,” the middle aged man used his hand to lower the older man’s gun. “You’re scaring her.” The man looked at me, studying me, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

“So? She killed my cattle. My cattle. Not yours, not my grandson’s, not anybody’s. My cattle. And they were my prized cattle, my best breeders,” the older man informed his son and grandson, and by the looks on their faces, it seems like this wasn’t the first time he’d reminded them. The middle aged man walked over one of the cows, which happened to be the one closest to me. I quickly backed away from him.

“This cow doesn’t have any cut marks, so it didn’t bleed out. It doesn’t have any burn marks, so it wasn’t hit by lightning, and there is no signs of any viral cause to its death.” The man glanced at all the other cows. “It's the same with all the other cows. If you ask me, the only way that these cows could have died was they were all choked to death.” All three looked at me. “Which means this girl couldn’t have done it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Dad, do you even know how much it takes to strangle a freakin’ cow, let alone four of them? Look at her. She’s tiny. I bet she is only thirteen years old.”

“And very cute,” the kid chimed in. The kid’s dad flashed him a look.

The old man narrowed his eyes. “Looks can be deceiving. This girl is dangerous. I know it. I can feel it.” Both the old man’s son and grandson gave him a you are completely insane look. “What?” the old man inquired. “Doesn’t matter. I’m calling the police.” That was enough to send me into a panic, but I didn’t remember why that would cause me to panic.

“Why?” the grandson asked, “Dad said that is was nearly impossible for this girl to kill your cows. She’s harmless.”

“Harmless? Pfft… I believe she is far from harmless. Besides, she is trespassing and if the age guess is right, there is no reason for her to be on this farm in the first place.” The old man glared at me. “Unless she is a drug addict. Perhaps that’s the reason for her being on this farm.” The old man handed his gun to his grandson, then approached me. “Come on. Let’s go have a talk with the police. Maybe you can tell them why you were really here on my farm.” When he reached to grab my arm, I swatted it away. It wasn’t much a swat because I didn’t have much strength in my arm, but I wasn’t about going to let him touch me. His face twisted. “Why you little twerp!”

When he reached for me again, I bolted. I wasn’t very strong, but I quickly found out that I was a very fast runner. The old man stumbled for moment, then gave chase. He may have been old, but he was also fast. Faster than me, and he caught up to me in a matter of seconds. When he went to do a bear hug to catch me, I turned 90 degrees without slowing down and kept on trucking. I felt like a bunny rabbit. Wild and fast.

The sudden turn jarred the old man and he fell face first into a pile of cow dung. “You fucking twerp!” he yelled at me. I laughed at that, but the old man’s son and grandson were not pleased at that. The grandson even aimed his gun at me. With an eep, I dove under the fence as fast I could and tried to disappear into the woods, with them right on my trail. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to outrun them and quick maneuvering doesn’t work so well in the woods, as I found out when I tried to turn and slid right into a tree. “Ouch,” I yelled, drawing the attention of my three pursuers. Great, the first word I say since I woke up other than a laugh is a response to my cockiness, and as a bonus, drew attention that I seriously didn’t want. So I had to hide. I dropped to the forest floor and covered myself with leaves. Being small allowed me to hide with very little, so I hoped that I would blend in and not be seen.

Sure enough, when the three caught up to where I hit the tree, they took no notice of where I was hiding. “Where did that fucking twerp go?” the old man demanded. I couldn’t really see his face, but I was sure it was twisted in rage. I would be too if I was chasing someone who was responsible for me landing in cow dung. “Calm down, Dad,” I heard the old man’s son say to him.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN? I am not going to fucking calm down. That little twerp needs to be taught a lesson. You don’t trespass on my farm, you don’t kill my cattle, and you especially don’t cause me to land in cow shit!” The old man sounded like he was steaming.

“Again, calm down. Now, we can’t chase the girl in these woods, especially with the snowstorm approaching. We get lost in that and we are all screwed. Let’s go back to the house and call the police. Let them find the girl with one of their K9s.” The old man didn’t voice a response, and I couldn’t see his face to know whether or not he agreed, but with the resumption of the sound of their footsteps, this time heading away from me, I could only assume that he did in fact agree to his son’s suggestion.

When I was sure they were back on the field and started down the hill, I shook myself free from all the leaves, stood, and started walking in the opposite direction. “Stupid…. Un… um… me. Why did I run?” I asked myself as I was walking. It was a really good question. Why the fuck did I run from them? While they had guns and seemed off, I suspected I ran because of something that I couldn’t remember. But thinking about them reminded me of something. Something that the grandfather’s son had said to him. He talked about a snowstorm. Snowstorms mostly took place in winter. I looked up at the trees. The trees… that had absolutely no leaves on them.

I don’t know how long I stared at the leafless branches before I finally decided to accept what I had learned. I didn’t remember what the season it was. I didn’t remember what day or month it was. I didn’t even fucking remember what year it. I’m so fucking screwed.

Another thing I should've remembered was to also take notice where I was stepping, although this was a result of my inability to pay attention because I tripped over a root and fell down a bank… right into a creek. A frozen creek. When I hit the ice covering the creek, I learned three things: One, it was really cold; two, I’m clumsy; and three, I’m light enough to not break the ice. But I did manag to knock myself out for a few minutes. When I came too, my memory problem was still with me and it had started to snow.

“The crazy man’s son was right, I can’t be out here. I need to find help.” I scrambled off the ice before it could change its mind and break. Following the creek was any good idea as ever. At some point I would hit a road. From that road, I could find help. Hopefully though, I could avoid the crazy old man. Anyways, the walking gave me a chance to think over what I remembered again and yet again, it was depressing as fuck. I had no idea who I was, where I was, or when I was. Perhaps the old man was right, I was a drug addict. Wait, do I even remember what a drug addict is? This whole losing memory thing sucked. But I did know enough to look for needle marks on the arm.

The creek came out of the woods and turned right, and I followed. And as I followed, I rolled up my sleeves to check for needle marks. What I found was not needle marks, but something deeply troubling. My arms were full of scratch marks and scars. Bruises on my wrists, indicating I had been tied up, my hands bloodied and bruised as well. I reached up and felt my neck underneath the color of my body suit, feeling the soreness of a bruise, most likely from me being tied down. This meant only thing. Wherever I was before I ended up on that hill was some place good people never in their lifetimes venture into.

As I continued to study my arms, I walked into something. Yet again I had failed to pay attention because the creek was no longer beside me and the thing that I had walked into was a car. A police car. “Police car?” Then it dawned me, “Police car!.” Stepping back, I looked to find four police officers looking right at me. To my shock, I also found the old man, the middle aged man, and the teenager also looking me. I had walked right up into the front yard of the farmhouse. Fuck, I walked right into the lion's den. Before anybody could notice, I rolled my sleeves back down, but I bet the officers had already taken notice.

“That’s her, officers. That’s the fucking twerp!” the crazy old man yelled. The officers looked at each other, who already seemed to be informed of the events that had transpired a few minutes ago. The looks on all their faces confirmed that they shared the son’s opinion that I was too small to strangle cows. Still, they had to be sure of everything.

“Young lady, what is your name?” one of officers asked me.

“I… don’t… know,” I stammered. The officers looked at each other again, finding my answer strange.

“Bullshit,” the crazy old man declared. “Of course she knows. She is just lying to protect her ass.”

“Cool it, Frank,” one of the officers told the old man. So, the old man’s name was Frank? Cool, but I didn’t seem to care. The officers approached me slowly. “Why don’t you come with us so we can help you.” The officers got within a few feet of me and for the second time today, for reasons unknown, I bolted, diving underneath the legs of one of the officers and away from the crazy old man. I proved to be far more agile than everybody else and was able to quickly get away. One of the officers attempted to tase me. The bastard actually managed to hit my arm with the taser, and while I felt a current, it had no physical effect on me and I was able to pull at it, snapping the wires.

The police were stunned at what just happened. No, wait, everybody, even the old man was stunned at my victory over the taser. Hell, even I was surprised. I still knew enough to know what happens to the body when it suffers the effects of a taser, but strangely, it had no effect on me. Still, regardless, I wasn’t about to wait around here. I ran as fast as I could, up onto their porch and through the door. Literally, I ran through the door. I actually shattered it. At my size, I should have bounced right off the door. Yet one moment I was outside the house, then in between, then finally inside.

It was the result of panic and fear that I ran into the house because it was a really stupid decision to do so. I ran into the house of the crazy old man. Not a very smart move on my part. Still, I was inside, so I had to decide my next move, as it wouldn’t be but a few moments before the police caught up to me. I could have decided to run out the back door or jump out a window, but no, being an idiot and having a fear induced panic, I hid underneath a kitchen table. Seconds after I did, a face popped up from the couch in the living room, which was directly across from the kitchen.

“Hello!” a little girl said. I freaked and headed for the back door. The snow had picked up, and the second I hit the porch I slipped and fell butt first onto the porch. My hips hurt, my legs hurt, just about everything in my body hurt. You ran through a door, dummy. That’s why you’re hurting, I thought to myself.

“There she is!” I looked to my right, seeing Frank just a few feet away from me. Scrambling to my feet, falling over a couple of times, I tried to run away, but I was caught by the teenager. He looked at me, smiled, and then proceeded to pick me up and body slam me into the ground. The jar of the impact stunned me enough that I couldn’t move a muscle. I was caught. All the police officers, Frank, and Frank’s son surrounded me to prevent me from bolting again. Didn’t matter, I was going nowhere after what the teenager did to me. Frank leaned down, putting his face inches away from mine. “Twerp, you are so much fucking trouble!” I could do nothing but stare at those twisted eyes.

After my body slamming experience, I was transported to a hospital. It was obvious that the police officers didn’t notice the bruises and scarring on my arms and neck moments after I walked onto the farm due to their reaction when they went to cuff me. They raised my hands to cuff them, my sleeves fell down a bit and the rest was history. Instead of a trip directly to the local jail in a cop car, I got to make a pit-stop at the hospital in an ambulance. The bad part about this was that it gave Frank a seemingly endless supply of ideas about who I could be. And it wasn’t good. During the fifteen minutes that I laid on the ground, cold, and unable to move, Frank spewed words right and left about me. Frank was the type of guy who can turn any little situation into a giant one. But, then again, I did cause him to land in a pile of cow shit, so that would make an encounter ripe for a massive outbreak of curse words.

The trip the hospital was educational for me. I learned that I had a rebellious streak, or perhaps, a revenge streak. My hair, my brown with a pinkish tint hair was very long. Down to the small of my back. Also, I was angry at the police officers for leaving me lying on the snowy ground, cold, and unable to move for a bit. So, I hit upon a plan. A stupid, idiotic plan but no less a plan. Between the time they got me out of the ambulance and got me into a room, I had pickpocketed a pair of scissors. Apparently, I was a great pickpocket. Too bad I couldn’t remember what I actually pickpocketed before I woke up on that field.

Anyways, because most of my mobility had returned by the time I arrived in the emergency room, I set my plan into motion. When the officer that was next to me turned her back for a brief moment, I took the scissors and cut most of my hair off, leaving it just right at my ears, balling it up, and when the officer turned back, I shoved the hairball in her mouth. Immediately, she spat it out… right into a doctor’s face. It was hilarious, and I immediately burst out laughing. My revenge plan worked. The officer glared daggers at me. Perhaps it worked too well. Instantly, this female officer, who I must say was a lot bigger than me, grabbed the collar of my suit and lifted me up. Yup, it worked way too well.

She grabbed the scissors and yanked it from my hands. She handed them off to the very same doctor she had spat my hair ball at. “You little bug.” At least she didn’t say twerp like Frank. “Why would you do that?” Then she lowered her voice, so no one would hear her, “To such pretty hair?” The last part was confusing. I didn’t understand the importance of hair. It was hair. Nothing more, nothing less. Her eyes calmed, and she let go of me. Thank god. But… the doctor was less forgiving. She quickly grabbed my arm and led me into a private room.

“Strip,” she demanded.

Confused, I asked “Why do I need to strip?”

“Well, one, we need to see the extent of the injuries you have sustained. Then we need to get you into a hospital gown and run some tests, including a MRI, and finally we need to get you into some dry clothing so you can be taken to the police station.”

Geez, this doctor was severely honest. An MRI? That sounded a bit extreme given that I had no injuries that would warrant an MRI. Something was going on here. So, to delay, I responded with the most reasonable answer I could think of, “No,” and to make my point, I crossed my arms and stuck out my tongue.

“STRIP!” she demanded again, this time with a much more forceful tone. I am pretty sure the doctors can’t force you to do anything; however, since it appeared that I had worn out my welcome moments after I arrived here, the doctor wasn’t taking no for an answer. Well, at least I learned yet another thing about myself. I’m terrified of doctors.

So I did as the doctor asked. Once it was all said and done, I got a real look at my body. Besides the lack of defined feminine curves, my body was covered in scars and bruises. I was in some sort of fight before ending up on Frank’s farm. A fight that drew a lot of blood. “What... happened to me?”

“Interesting question,” the doctor stated with a clear lack of sympathy.

“What?” I asked her, clearly confused at her response. I was terrified at this point because of all the injuries on me and no clear reason as to why I would have them. Yet, the doctor seemed completely uninterested.

“Nevermind, let’s just get everything done. I want to be home before the blizzard really gets going.” I have decided that I really don’t like this doctor. Anyways, they got me into a hospital gown and ran every possible test they could think of in twenty-four hours. Hell, they made me do four MRIs, two CAT scans, two physicals, one rape kit, and drew more blood that I thought to be in my body. They took countless pictures of the bruises and scarring. And the questions. So many fucking questions. Of course though, the doctor who replaced the doctor I decided I didn’t like asked every one of those many questions. Understanding that I had a deep dislike for doctors, even if they were trying to help me, I promptly refused to give an answer. Even if I decided to give her answers, what could I tell her? The only things I that I think I knew of myself was that I was agile and I had a revenge streak. That's it. No name, no family, not even a date of birth.

It really is scary though. The thought of knowing that I am someone, but not being able to remember that someone. Knowing that there are parents out there worried to death for their missing daughter, and I, their missing daughter, am prevented by my mind from quelling their fears. I still had enough common knowledge to know this. When someone goes missing and is found dead, yes, it is devastating for the family, but at least they know their loved one’s fate and have the luxury of mourning and putting the dead family member to rest. But when someone goes missing and is never found, the family would spend days, weeks, months, hell, even years, wondering where their little baby went off to. That is the ultimate torture for a family, especially for the parents who are praying everyday for answers, but unless I regained my memory, God would never answer.

The doctors were completely oblivious to my emotional state and after twenty-four hours, with another six hours waiting on the roads to be cleared, I was dressed in simple clothing and taken to the police station. I really wanted to sleep, since I was dead beat tired from all the tests and I hadn’t slept for thirty hours. Yet again, I was placed into a room and was asked the what was my name question. Annoyed, upset, afraid, hungry, and tired, I finally decided to give them an answer.

“Bug,” I said, remembering what the officer had called me after the whole hairball incident.

“Bug?”

“Yes, Bug. Try to keep up.”

The officer, not the one from before, but a very tall man smirked, “Alright, Bug. I know that in the past thirty hours, you have refused to answer any of our questions. Now, I understand if you afraid. But I need you to be honest with me. Why won’t you answer our questions?

“I don’t like the doctors and I don’t know why. And back at the farm, that crazy man’s grandson body slammed me into the ground and the police officers left me on the ground for fifteen minutes. Plus, it has been I don’t how many hours since I woke up on that field and you bastards still haven’t given me any food. I am fucking hungry. ”

The officer rolled his eyes, “Thirty hours, and watch your language, young lady, “He pulled out a piece of paper, “So, that crazy man, Frank Travis, is in the main lobby, demanding to press charges against you, plus you already have one or two charges that the police are filing. Trespassing, destruction of private property, assault, assault on a police officer. You’re in some deep trouble. Now, if you tell me who you are, we can sort this out with your parents and the Agency.”

I clenched my fists together and narrowed my eyes. “What you want to know, I can’t tell you, because I don’t know. I can’t remember anything. Not my name, not my age, not my family, hell, not even which of the four seasons it is right now. All I know is that I woke up on that field covered in scars and bruises and no recollection on how I got there.”

“And I am supposed to believe that?” The cop was completely unreal. “You run from Frank, causing him to, in his words, fall face first in cow shit, then oddly, when you wander back to the farm, you run from the police officers there, even when they do nothing to stir you into actually running. Then, when you are taken to the hospital to help find answers, you cut off most of your hair and shove it in my partner’s mouth. Sounds like you’re trying to hide something.”

This guy was impossible, “Hide something? I just told you, I don’t fucking remember anything, so I have nothing to hide. You asked me why I didn’t answer your questions and I told you, but then you turn and say you don’t believe me?”

“Let’s see, your fingerprints have been burned off..” That was surprising, but looking at my hands, there was indeed no fingerprints on the edge of my fingers, “You have traces of Midazolam in your bloodstream, which if you don’t know, is a sedative. The bruises, the scarring. To me, it sounds like you got yourself into a mess, perhaps a mess involving drugs, and are now lying to me to protect your own ass. Does that ring a bell?

“Why the fuck would you assume that? My body’s condition, it’s... look, I told you the truth. I don’t remember a single fucking thing. Why wouldn’t you believe me?” What he said made me more upset. If he continued to question me like this, it wouldn’t be long before tears started rolling. There must be a way to shut this guy up, but what did I need to say. Come on, think.

But the cop just went on rolling, “Well, because in the past thirty hours, you have failed time and time again to inform the doctors and the police that you have abilities.” I gave him a questioning look. “Geez, basically superpowers.” I gave him yet another questioning look. “Well, at the farm, one of the cops shot you with a taser. Now, 99% of humans, when shot by a taser, especially the police class taser, are paralyzed by the muscles freezing up due to the electrical current and are unable to move.. Not only were you not affected by the taser in any way, you also managed to snap the wires. Given your size, most undoubtedly you would have dropped like a bug, but instead, you resist, snap the wire, and run.”

“Well, you see..” I started to say, but the cop held up a finger.

“Not done, Bug,” he said, “Continuing, what really made the point was that you ran through a door. And not just any door. This door was solid oak frame, two inches thick. I have seen giants bounce like a ball off doors like that, and here you are, a tiny, hundred-pound, five foot two girl, shattering that door into a million pieces as she ran through it.”

He did have point, but I was not in the best of moods because of our previous conversation. “I don’t believe you.” Throwing his own words at him like the hairball.

The cop laughed at that, evidently catching on to my little throw back. “Oh, Bug, you are quite amusing. Doesn’t matter what you believe.” The cop, whose name I finally noticed was Ryan, pulled out a little piece of paper and started to read out, “Because of the evidence of superhuman abilities and having no way to learn your true identity, I must inform you that you, Claire Doe, also known as Bug, have had your rights to due process under the law suppressed and your right to a lawyer temporarily revoked...” A lawyer. How could I forgot that crucial piece of knowledge? “...as per the Superhuman Act of 1965. You shall be immediately handed over to the Agency for identification and placement.”

Revoke? Suppressed? And the Agency? What the fuck was the Agency? I became deathly afraid, the emotion rising up from deep within my mind. It was just my luck that while my memory got wiped, the emotions and muscle memory did not. And somewhere, somehow, I’d had a run-in with whoever this Agency was, or perhaps, worse, and it didn’t end well. I needed to get away. I need to get away from this cop, from this town, from where ever on planet Earth I was. I pulled away, but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Looking at what had stopped me from bolting once again, I discovered handcuffs on my right arm connecting me to one of the legs of the table. A pair of handcuffs that weren’t there before. A pair of handcuffs that appeared out of thin air.

“Oh Bug, you’re not the only one with abilities.” Ryan snapped his fingers and another pair of handcuffs formed around my left arm, forcing me to sit back down. “Look, you could have made this easy on yourself if you went along with this and remained calm.”

“You tell me that my rights have been revoked and then say I am being handed over to this Agency, whatever that is, like some criminal sociopath, without any due process. You just said a few words, I said a few words, then you ship me off. Oh, then when I try to get up, which I could have been trying to stretch my legs, you magically chain me to the table.” I lifted my arms to show the chains binding me, “So how did you come to the conclusion that I would remain calm, you fucking bastard?”

“First off, it isn’t magic. Secondary, you are now a ward of the Agency and because of the guidelines set by the Act, you are to be held until a representative can arrive and take you to a proper facility. Also, the Act states that you have no rights until you are processed, so we are allowed to use as much force as necessary to keep you contained until they arrive. This includes chaining you to the table with handcuffs.” There was a knock at the door. “Speaking of which.” The door opened and an old lady with a cane, a big bag, and a limp came strolling through the door.

“Why, hello there, Claire, or do you prefer the nickname Bug? My name Nancy Roges. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The sarcasm was practically dripping with every syllable my mouth spat out.

This old woman took a seat, while Ryan left the room, “Well, aren’t you the rude one. Please, do speak with respect when you address adults, young lady.” This old woman spoke in a tone you normally would find an old lady using. A calming, sweet tone. “You don’t need those.” Snapping her fingers, the cuffs disappeared. “Now, on to the business at hand. I want you to tell me everything you know, everything you remember, and even every emotion you feel, past or present.”

“Name me one good reason why I would tell you anything?” I inquired.

“Well…” Reaching into her bag, the old lady pulled out something that was wrapped in tinfoil. “I’ve got a sandwich for you.”

I eyed the sandwich, my mouth watering. I hadn’t eaten for nearly twenty hours and I was really hungry. Scare the shit out of me, then give me food? Well… “Even if I don’t tell you anything, can I still have the sandwich?” A stupid question. A really, really stupid question.

“Of course. You're hungry. You have a right to eat.” The old lady pushed the tinfoil-wrapped sandwich into my hands.

“I have a right to eat? You guys just said that my rights had been revoked. I thought the right to eat was included in that revoked package.” I was far from ready to begin to trust this lady.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. The whole rights thing was a bit overdone. Honestly, I’m not even sure why the police officer even told you that. It was completely unnecessary. As for placement, you are simply going to be made a ward of the government, and placed in a federal home for orphaned superhuman children or placed with a foster family.” The old lady leaned back in her chair. “I also believe you may be wary of the Agency because of the name ‘Agency’. The group I work for is called the Federal Superhuman Registry Agency. When we first formed in 1965, Congress started calling us the Agency, rather than FSRA, and it stuck.

“Okay?” This information was meaningless, as it did not make me feel any better about this.

“I am serious, Claire. It's not as bad as you think. I am here to help you, not make you feel worse. Plus, I am betting that you are feeling kind of sick, since the doctors tell me you haven’t eaten or slept in a long time.” She was right, I did feel sick. “So please, you don’t have to tell me anything, just eat.”

I hesitated on taking her gift of food, but I gave in after a few moments. The old lady was right in the end, I needed to eat. So, I unfolded the tinfoil wrapped sandwich, discovering that it was a ham and cheese sandwich and freshly made. As I took bites of it, which felt wonderful to my stomach, I wondered something. Why did this lady have a sandwich on her? Was she trying to employ some trick to get me on the path to trust? “Um… ma’am… why do you even have a sandwich on you? This isn’t some cheap trick?”

“You are very observant. But no. I was actually heading to visit my sister today, so I packed a lunch. I just happened to get the phone call from my superior right as I was pulling out of the driveway. So here I am.” Seemed like a good reason to have a sandwich on you as any, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something this old lady wasn’t telling me.

I finished the sandwich and remained in place. I didn’t get up, in fact, I was just about ready to fall over and die because of how exhausted I was. “Now…” the old lady resumed, “now that you have eaten, are you willing to say a few words about your experience, or do you need a little more time?”

Against my better judgement, I decided that a few words between us would be good. It couldn’t really get any worse for me, seeing how low I dropped in a matter of minutes. “Well… yeah. Like I told the officer, I only remember waking up on the farm and that's it. Nothing of before. I don’t remember the day or the month or even the year. I don’t even remember which season it is. I am 99% sure I’m in America, but I have no idea which state I’m in.”

The old lady nodded, but at first, she didn’t say anything. I was immediately worried that like the officer, she didn’t believe me. “Well, Claire, to fill you in, you are in the Lexington City Police Station in Lexington, Virginia. The hospital that you were taken to was Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital. You were found on a farm in Collierstown, Virginia, about eleven miles outside of Lexington. Today is November 23rd, a Monday, three days from Thanksgiving. The year is 2015.”

So it was November, still fall, and I was somewhere in Virginia. But the year. Something didn’t sound right with it being 2015. It felt wrong, it felt off and I didn’t know why. Sure, I had only learned what year it was seconds ago, but this feeling, this emotion, was alien to me and that was a problem.

“Claire, are you okay? You got tense when I mentioned the year,” the old lady asked, clearly picking up on what I’d just experienced.

“What? Oh, I’m fine. Just, it’s just strange having to be reminded of what year it is. A strange feeling.” The old lady smiled, making me wonder if she had dealt with someone like me before. “Sooo…” I start to inquire as to my fate, “Where am I going?”

The old lady became quite amused. “Six minutes into this interview and you already want to know where you’re going? How do you know you are leaving this station today? The roads may not be cleared, so you may be stuck here for a while.”

I was about to get into a steaming mess and my face clearly showed this because the old lady waved her hand to calm me and started laughing. “My lord, Claire. You take things way too seriously. I was only joking. The roads are fine and the Agency has already decided on where to place you. And they are placing you with a foster mother.”

“Oh? Who?” I ask.

“Well, considering the circumstances, the Agency decided it would be best that you be placed with me.”

Okay, that bit of news was unexpected. “With you? Why?”

“All of the government’s foster families in this region are full, and the Agency reasoned that placing you in an orphanage would be negative towards your health, so it was decided to place you with me in order to give you an environment beneficial to recovering your memory.” Made sense. “For the foreseeable future, I will be your guardian until a positive identification can be made and we can reunite you with your family.”

I could tell that this old lady no longer cared for any more details of my past. But there was something I needed to address. As the old lady slowly stood up, I asked, “What about super powers?”

The old lady face changed, no longer completely friendly and calming. “What about them?”

“Well, um… I know I have powers,” I stammered, unsure of my wording.

“What makes you sure that you even have powers? In my experience, there is a such thing as pure luck.”

“I know it wasn’t luck. I know I have abilities. Seriously, how else could I run through that solid door?” The old lady remained quiet, so I continued, “I just wish….”

“Don’t wish anything, Claire,” the old lady warned. “Now, there is another storm coming through in a few hours and I don’t want to get stuck here, so please, let us take our leave.”

-----------

An hour and a half later, I was standing in the kitchen of a small, one story house, holding a blue backpack that I was handed when they rushed me out the police station. I didn’t remember that much of the trip here; I’d slept through most of the drive in the back seat. Sure, I would be old enough, or look old enough, to sit in the front with this old lady, but no, I was instantly demoted to the back seat of her car.

I did end up taking advantage of the room provided by the backseat five minutes into the trip by stretching out and passing out from sheer exhaustion. I suspect that the old lady asked me to sit up straight and get my wet shoes off the seats. Since I didn’t wake up until the old lady pulled into her driveway, either she failed to wake me or simply never tried.

Anyways, the old lady handed me a bottle of water, let me have two more ham sandwiches, and then led me down to a room. Opening the door, I discovered a soft painted room with two beds, a bookshelf full of old-looking books with several picture frames adorning the top of bookshelf, and two nightstands, each full of stuffed animals and dolls.

“This room was once shared by my youngest boys. Once they moved out and I adopted a few daughters, this room became theirs.” The old lady paused for a moment. I glanced up at her face, noting a look of remembrance flashed through her eyes. Her face soften and she smiled. “This room is full of memories, far more than I can count.” A tear ran down her face, her eyes becoming time capsules from a better time. I understood enough to realize this old lady was suffering from loneliness and longing for the better times.

“I am hoping…” she continued… “that this room will help you recover your lost memories. I don’t know what caused your memory loss, and neither does the medical staff. I’m truly sorry if you felt you were badly treated by the medical staff. I truly am. You’re unique and the medical staff, as well as the police and the Agency were so set on figuring you out that they forgot you’re just a young lady who doesn’t remember who she is and is terrified because of it. They forgot you were human. I just hope that this room, with the memories recorded within its walls, heck, even this house, will allow you to feel at peace.”

I didn’t really have words for that. She was right. I was scared, and more important, I didn’t feel like a human being. I felt like a lab rat. I felt like I was nothing. I was nothing. Tearing up, I felt the old lady hug me. I didn’t try to back away from the embrace, I welcomed it. As my emotions rose up, the old lady was there to comfort to me.

After a good five, ten minutes, the old lady took a tissue and wiped the tears from my eyes. “Look, um… Claire…”

“Bug,” I interrupted, my voice a bit choked.

“What?”

“I want to be called Bug, because it's the only thing that's really belongs to me. The name Claire, while I like it, it's...um...”

The old lady giggled at my attempts to explain my wishes. “I get it.” She gave an approving smile. “Alright, Bug, why don’t you get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.” She quickly gave me another hug, quietly turned the light off, and left the room, slowly closing the door as she left. I set my backpack down, took my shoes off, and laid down on top of the covers. The snow had returned, denying me the chance to see the sunset.

As my eyes became heavier, I thought about how the old lady had treated me just now. While I was still unwilling to completely trust her, maybe she wasn’t a bad person. Maybe she really cared about everything. It was a nice sentiment to fall asleep over.

--------

A few hours later, Nancy checked up on Bug, relieved that the girl was fast asleep. When she returned to the kitchen, she found a small, old man sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.

“Director Galen. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“The girl you personally had the court give the name Claire to, but who wants to be called by a name normally used to either describe an insect or a computer malfunction.” Galen folded the newspaper up and set it down neatly on the table.

“Of course. I was expecting a visit from one of my colleagues from the Agency. I just wasn’t expecting that you would personally come from Washington at this hour, given that you’re are busy trying to stop a war. So, why are you here?” Nancy had a pretty good reason as to why Galen made this trip, but she needed to be absolutely sure.

“The President has been on my ass ever since the Falling Star appeared over the night skies a day ago. Then, my undercover informant agent on the ground sends word that an injured girl was found in the middle of a corn field. At the same time, a blizzard that no one was even predicting forms over Virginia and dumps three feet of snow. Since both the star and the girl appeared in the same general location and the storm dumped the most amount of snow on this area, all taking place within a five-hour period, the government believes with certainty that the girl, the Falling Star, and the blizzard are connected in some way,” Galen admitted.

“Yes, but it doesn’t take an entire government to figure that. The Lexington City Police made that connection moments after Bug’s arrival at the hospital. Since I know you are well aware of that, and even if you and the government were, I’m sure that undercover agent of yours would’ve told you long before you even pulled into my driveway. So, I suspect that the main reason for this visit is to confirm for yourself that Bug is a level four,” Nancy speculated on Galen’s reasons for leaving the capital.

“One of the tests performed without the girl’s knowledge was an ability level test. The results conclude with a 55% chance of the girl being a level four. This would fit with the girl’s appearance and show of abilities during her run from the police, thus making her extremely valuable in the eyes of the government and those nations allied with us,” Galen remarked, the wheels in his head already turning to figure out as many ways as possible to use Bug to fit the world’s needs.

“Valuable as a military weapon?” Nancy inquired. Galen’s proceeding lack of response to her question confirmed it. “You see her as a weapon and not as a person. And the ability tester has a 95% accuracy rating of identifying someone’s level. 55% means the tester doesn’t really know what Bug’s ability really is. For all we know, she could be a level two or three.”

“Nancy, you know the world’s current state. I really want to care for her wellbeing. I really do. But I have so much more to consider. The war. We have lost so much in the fourteen years since they disappeared and the war’s start. London, Seattle, the Lhasa Massacre, to name a few. The world is indebted to your son for organizing a ceasefire between the two sides. It has bought us some time to regroup and resupply our military forces. But we all know that this ceasefire isn’t a peace treaty and an end to this war. It will break down, perhaps by Christmas, and the war will resume. Now, if this girl is as powerful as I hope, as everybody hopes, she could be the key to ending the war permanently.” Galen’s voice took on a desperate tone, reminding Nancy that the Agency was running out of time.

Nancy had to disagree. “Even if Bug was a level four, the complete lack of past memories would make training her extremely difficult and make her powers violently unpredictable. It dramatically increases the chances that she would snap and if she snaps, she could devastate half the country. That is why I asked her to be placed with me. To keep the military from doing just that. To keep you from doing that. To keep her safe.”

“To keep her safe, or to have another daughter to raise? I know what happened to Jerri in Korea. I know that you seek redemption.” Galen questioned Nancy for her reasons for bringing Bug into her home. “Bug is dangerous. You said so yourself. Keeping Bug here would only bring danger to you and your neighbors. Let me take her and place her somewhere safe. Safe for her, and safe for everybody else,” Galen tried to persuade Nancy. Now it was clear. Galen came to take Bug.

“No!” Nancy yelled a bit quietly as to not wake Bug, “She is staying with me.”

Galen shook his head in frustration. “Nancy, may I remind you that because of ‘their’ disappearance fourteen years ago, and since the number of level fours are down in the single digits, we are on our own. This disadvantage makes ending this war more difficult the longer it's fought. Soon enough, we’ll be powerless to do anything, and this earth will rip itself apart.” Galen leaned in to emphasize his next choice of words. “Bug can keep us from that fate. Bug could unite the remaining level fours and end the war.”

Nancy wasn’t going to budge. “But there is a ceasefire currently in effect. And as long as it stays in effect, Bug will stay in my home until she can recover her memories.”

“And how do you plan to help her recover those precious memories?” Galen countered.

In truth, Nancy didn’t know. She hadn’t thought that far.

All Galen did was shook his head in disagreement, “I disagree with your motives. But, for now, I see no way to convince you. I will go ahead and inform the President that Bug will remain in your care until one of three things happens; Bug gets her memory back, the ceasefire ends, or your health finally catches up to you.” Galen stood up to leave, but then stopped. “A few rules though. You are not to form a motherly bond with her, you are not to help her train her abilities in any way, and you are to keep her hidden from the public. Failure to uphold these things will result in her removal by order of the President. Do you understand?” Galen asked.

“I understand,” Nancy answered.

“Good. I want a report in two weeks,” Galen requested, walking to the front door to leave. He stopped, turned and looked at Nancy. “I don’t need to remind you that if Bug finds out what you did, the Agency and your health will be the least of your worries.” With those final words, Galen took his leave.

Once Galen pulled out of her driveway, Nancy checked on Bug, finding her still asleep. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ she mentally asked herself.

The old lady made it extremely clear the following morning that I would be traveling with her to Front Royal to have Thanksgiving dinner with her extended family. It would be the first time in a very long time that her entire family would be together for something, and the old lady thought it would be a good experience for me. “I believe that Thanksgiving dinner will be both beneficial to helping you recover your memory and be a wonderful experience for you, so that is why you’re coming with me to my oldest son’s house to eat,” she insisted over breakfast on my first morning in her house.

“Huh?” I expressed my surprise with a mouth full of toast, nearly choking on it. The old lady repeated what she’d said, explaining how a Thanksgiving dinner with a ton of complete strangers would be beneficial for me. “Uh huh,” I muttered. Those sounded like good reasons and the old lady’s tone seemed to match her caring personality. The key word here was ‘seemed’. I knew better. The old lady simply didn’t trust me enough to leave me to my own devices, perhaps fearing my bad running from authority habit. So, she’d decided that leaving me in a small house on the outskirts of a city where I most likely would take a nap was worse than having me in a house with at least fifteen people I had never met before.

The old lady returned my frown when she realized I didn’t believe her. “Anyways, when you’re done with your breakfast, I want you showered and ready to go by ten. We have so much to do, yet little time to do so. I want you presentable when you meet my family, so that means we start by fixing your hair and removing what is left of that pink hair dye.”

My hair? I reached up and grabbed a few strands of my short hair. My dull brown hair. But the tint was there. You needed to truly focus on my hair to see the tint, otherwise you wouldn't notice the pinkish tint that my hair possessed. I wonder how and why I would attempt to dye my hair pink. Still, I didn’t see the importance of it. It was just hair. “Rotten luck,” I muttered under my breath.

------

As it turns out, the hair stylists that the old lady took me to couldn’t remove the hair coloring. Sure, they were able to fix the mess I made back when I first arrived at the hospital, but the stylists struggled for four hours trying to remove the fading pink hair dye. Whenever I decided to pay attention to the old lady and the stylists and not the magazine that I was reading, they seemed to be trying something new. It was a war between me and the stylists and I didn’t give a shit about it. In the end, the hair stylists admitted defeat, stuck a beanie on my head to cover my hair, and regretfully informed the old lady that whatever was in my hair was never coming out.

The stylists ended up taking the defeat much harder than I would’ve thought as they repeatedly apologized to the old lady and declared they wouldn’t be charging us a dime for anything. So, a personal victory for me and not being charged money for the victory? Sweet. Another victory for me was that we spent all of our available time, so the old lady took me home. The following morning, at 9am, we sat in a doctor’s office at a small clinic. Deja vu.

I once again took up reading a magazine, trying to pass the time. I would’ve napped, but my lack of knowledge of events that occurred in the past few years drove me to find anything that had history. The old lady didn’t allow me to read the newspapers, and so far, all I had learned was that a guy named Josh had a massive scandal, a song called Uptown Funk was at the top of the music charts, and the iPhone 6 was meeting customer expectations. And I remembered absolutely nothing about those things. I glanced down at my arms. Although I was wearing a sweatshirt that the old lady just happened to have in my size, I could still see scars and the fading bruises. My injuries meant that I was in a bad situation before I woke up on that farm. Reading this magazine and the one yesterday while I was at the stylist made me wonder something. What if I didn’t have a family? What if I was held captive somewhere, like a slave, perhaps for my entire life. Maybe the reason I couldn’t remember anything was because there was nothing to remember.

“Claire?” the nurse called out. “Dr. Silas will see you now.” Great, another round with a doctor.

“Why am I here, anyways? I thought everything was handled when I was at the hospital?” I asked the old lady as we were led into the back.

“Yes, but this is for official documents and other things. The hospital cleared you, but the Agency sealed the medical records,” the old lady explained.

“Ah,” I said, pretending to understand what she was saying. Dr. Silas was a very tall woman who had a body that said ‘Marines’ and a face that said ‘hooker’. When she talked, her voice said ‘opera singer’. Geez, this woman is full of surprises. Anyways, the first thing she did was measure my height and weigh me, a job that I thought was reserved for the nurse.

“Currently, you are five foot two…” she said, at which I gave her the nastiest look I could muster. I didn’t need to be reminded of how short I was, “And you weigh 95 pounds,” she finished, writing it down on the paper and moving on. 95 pounds? I thought the officer told me the doctors at the hospital recorded my weight at 100.

“Is this scale accurate?” I ask Dr. Silas. She eyed me and glanced down at the papers she was writing on, then back at the scale.

“Bug’s weight at the hospital was 97.6 pounds, and the police officer rounded it up to 100,” the old lady intervened, answering my question and maybe whatever the doctor was about to ask. The old lady worked for the Agency and, in her words, was my guardian, so it made sense that she would have access to the records she told me were sealed.

Dr. Silas noted the previous weight measure and moved on without a word. Not very friendly, are you, Dr. Silas? “I know what you're thinking, Bug, but I have known Dr Silas for a very long time. She is the friendliest doctor I know. She just doesn’t show her friendly side very often.” The old lady made eye contact with Dr Silas when she said that. Okay, either the old lady is really good at guessing my personal thoughts and my emotions, or she had some sort of an ability that allowed her to reach into my mind and pluck what information that wasn’t erased from it.

“That makes no sense,” I pointed out. Her ‘friendly doctor’ statement meant nothing. Dr. Silas may be friends with the old lady, but she was certainly no friend of mine.

The doctor’s appointment after that passed mostly uneventfully. The doctor checked everything, including the injuries I had when I woke up on that farm. I also had the unfortunate luck of having what Dr. Silas called a gynecological exam, something that I prayed I never would have to experience again. Surprisingly, I learned that Dr. Silas had some sort of a medical ability when she put her hand over my stomach, closed her eyes, and declared that my period was coming in five days. At least I remembered what a period was. I would be in for a rough ride if I didn’t. Such wonderful news. The only thing that wasn’t addressed during the entire appointment was my abilities. I knew I had abilities, I knew that the old lady was aware that I had abilities and I am pretty sure Dr. Silas was aware I had abilities, but there was no word spoken between us about them.

--------

November 26, 2015. Thanksgiving. At the old lady’s oldest son Eugene’s home outside a town called Front Royal. A dinner with a guest list of thirty people. We arrived early, around 9:30, because the old lady wanted to help out with making Thanksgiving dinner. I was told early on, during the car ride, that I was to be introduced to as few people as possible. That request was odd. The old lady wanted me to come with her because she didn’t trust me enough to leave me alone, but she didn’t seem to trust me enough to allow me to know all of her extended family.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I would do. Was I to remain on the side, not socializing and looking like an complete idiot? Was I help in the kitchen and learn the necessary skills needed to survive life? As it turns out, I was going to do both. The few people as possible was defined as her son Eugene and his immediate family, who were already there. The old lady handed me off to Eugene’s wife when we entered the kitchen, a heavyset woman who introduced herself as Margaret, who then asked me what my name was. “Bug,” I told her.

She became confused, her face showing her thoughts. ‘What kind of name is Bug? Why would she even have a name like that? Wait, it must be a nickname, she must have a real name…’

She was just like that police officer, questioning my reasoning for my name. “It’s a nickname, one I personally chose.”

Margaret narrowed her eyes. ‘Why did Nancy have to bring this reject into my home? Why did she even take in this reject?’

I immediately started to defend myself, “A reject? I’m not a...” Wait a second, “What’s a reject?”

Margaret’s face suddenly changed and before I could do anything, she raised her hand, and slapped me across my face. The slap had a large amount of force behind it, knocking me off balance. I would’ve gone flying straight at the floor, as I didn’t weigh much, 95 pounds as of that morning, had Margaret not grabbed my arm and yanked me back to her face. “You little bitch. How dare you invade my mind, you mindrapist!”

I felt tears beginning to form, but it wasn’t from the yelling, it was from the pain. “Why the fuck did you slap me?” Margaret’s words finally registered, “Wait, a mindrapist? What the hell is that?”

“You know very well, you little twerp! You used your telepathic abilities and invaded my mind!” Margaret drew me closer to her, her words reminding me of my unpleasant encounter with Frank.

“Telepathic? I’m not a fucking telep….” I was sudden pulled away from Margaret by none other than the old lady.

“Calm down, Margaret. See, ‘Claire’ here...” the old lady began to clarify by giving her my court-given name, “has a severe case of amnesia. I really can’t go into details about it, but Bug may very well not remember she’s a telepath, nevermind what is socially acceptable or not.”

Margaret grumbled, “And I suppose the Agency approved of her placement with you?” The old lady nodded yes. “Fine, take her to the living room. I don’t want to see her in the kitchen.”

The old lady led me out of the kitchen and into a bigger room with a sofa and two large recliners. The couch and one of the recliners were occupied, so the old lady had me sit down on the other recliner. “How’s your face?” she asked, concerned.

“It stings,” I said, rubbing it. I felt myself tearing up at the whole experience. “What did she have to do that? What did I do wrong? And what is a reject?”

The old lady sighed. “It appears that your memory loss was more severe than I originally thought. The word reject is used to describe orphaned superhuman children. As for the mind reading, Bug, tell me, do you know what rape is and how bad it is?” she inquired.

“Yes.”

“Well, at this point in time, mind reading without having permission is considered just as bad as raping someone, hence the word ‘mindrapist’ -- and that’s what you did, Bug. You read her mind.”

“How? I don’t have telepathy.” I looked at my arms, covered by the sweatshirt I was wearing, but I could still see the edges of the scars that covered my arm. “How could I have telepathy?” I asked. The abilities I had shown so far didn’t seem to fit in the same category as telepathy.

The old lady’s face had a worried look. “I don’t know, Bug. And that’s what worries me.” She looked towards a small teenager sitting on the couch, watching television. “Lacey, can you keep an eye on her for me while I help in the kitchen?”

“Sure, Grandma,” Lacey agreed. She walked over to the recliner and sat down right next me. Apparently, Lacey was small like me, because we both comfortably sat side by side on the recliner. The old lady left us to our own devices since Lacey settled in. “I’m Lacey,” she introduced herself.

I didn’t respond right away, mostly because I didn’t want to accidently ‘read’ her mind and get slapped again. Lacey picked up on my uneasiness. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you if you accidentally read my mind. I did it a couple of times when my ability first emerged.”

“You have an ability?” I asked, my curiosity rising.

Lacey smiled. “Oh yes. I’m a level 3 telepath. It's more of a curse though. The world isn’t exactly approving of my kind.”

“I’m noticed,” I said, rubbing my cheek.

“Yeah, my mother can be really harsh. My older siblings have told me that at one point, she didn’t have a mean bone her body.” So Margaret was once nice. I had a hard time believing that. A sudden thought strayed over me, ‘Fourteen years ago.’ It was a thought from Lacey. Dang it, I was still reading minds. “So, what’s your name?” Lacey asked.

“Oh, yeah. It’s Bug.”

“Bug?” Lacey thought about it for a second, then started laughing. “Bug. I really like that name.” Lacey seemed like a carefree person. “Well, I’m Lacey, as you already know. The girl over on the couch is my niece, Riley. She’s about your age, fourteen. The woman sitting next to her is my older sister, Theadora, although everybody calls her the brat.”

The ‘brat’ quickly grabbed her empty cup and threw it at Lacey, who easily swatted at it, knocking it to the floor. “Geez, someone’s in a bad mood today.” Lacey frowned, then leaned over and whispered in my ear, “She’s totally a brat.” This got Lacey another cup thrown at her, and Lacey again knocked it away. “Moving on, the lady in other chair is Riley’s mother, Natalie. We are all on a first name basis around here, by the way.”

“Hello,” Natalie said while texting on her phone.

“Yeah, Natalie works for the Inland Port, so she is always busy, even on Thanksgiving.” Lacey noted that Natalie didn’t look up from her phone to say hello. I took a glance at Natalie’s phone. All it had was a screen, nothing else. I realized that I didn’t recognize it, making me wonder how far did my memory loss go.

“Yeah, work’s a bitch,” Natalie admitted, “but it pays extremely well. So, life must go on.”

All Lacey did was shake her head. “Brat,” she whispered. “Well, let’s watch some Firefly. I don’t think my mom wants you anywhere near her.” Lacey grabbed the remote and brought up something called Netflix? What the hell was Netflix? I didn’t even recognize the show and the television was this weird flat thing. My rotten luck. Unable to remember anything. “By the way,” she stated, “I like your dress.”

------

As episodes passed, more and more of the old lady’s family arrived and Lacey introduced me to each and every one, all from the comfort of the recliner, completely going against the old lady’s wishes. Regrettably, I also kept hearing stray thoughts from everybody. Now knowing how Margaret and the world minus Lacey feel about mind reading, I focused my effort and willpower in blocking out those thoughts. But it did little to stem the flow. Regardless, it was kind of nice hanging with Lacey and her relatives. I wasn’t too fond of the old lady, and I was pissed at Margaret, but Lacey was someone that I felt close to. A friend.

“Thanksgiving dinner is ready,” the old lady said after what seemed forever. Everybody got up to head to the kitchen, including Lacey, who paused the Firefly episode. I started to follow her when the old lady stopped me. “Um, Bug, after what happened this morning, I think it's best if you remain here. I will get you some food.”

“I’ll do it. We can eat in here together, Bug,” Lacey volunteered. I smiled, knowing that I really had a friend.

“You’re making friends.” I thought the old lady was going to get mad at me, for going against what she asked of me. But she got this wide smile. “That’s wonderful, Bug. You're making progress.” The old lady was actually encouraging me? Wow.

After everybody left to get some food, I looked at all the pictures. The old lady’s family really had a thing for pictures. Everybody that I had been introduced to had their picture somewhere in this living room. Even Natalie, who wasn’t related to the Rodes family by blood, had a couple of photos of her and Riley. Lacey told me that the only person whose photo was here in the room that didn’t come was her uncle, Frederick. She had told me that he was a Ranger in the military, whatever that was, was able to work out some sort of ceasefire and that he was currently in Singapore. But, still, other than Margaret, this seemed like a nice family. I rolled the sleeves of my hoodie up and looked at the scars, then back up at the family photos. I wondered if the family I came from was like this.

I looked down at my arms again. A thought crossed my mind, one that was coming up more and more. What if I didn’t have a family? What if I never did?

I heard someone walk into the living room, so I rolled down my sleeves. It was Lacey, returning with our food and drinks. She walked over and handed me my plate, but stopped. “I gotta tell you this.”

“Tell me what?” I asked with curiosity.

Lacey leaned in and answered with a whisper, “The thing with telepaths, you can always read something. Regardless of what level or willpower, you will always see something. Emotions, fears, something. It has been proven fact. I know you have been reading minds involuntarily all day. But my curiosity got the better of me and I tried to read yours.”

It didn’t surprise me. I’d suspected that. “And what did you see? My past?”

Lacey shook her head. “Nothing. And that’s what surprises me.”

I figured that, as depressing as it was. “I know. What can you see that I can’t see? I have nothing to remember.”

“No, I saw nothing not because of your memory loss, but rather, because I couldn’t see into your mind. Your mind is completely sealed off, which, according to history and every superhuman scientist that ever was, is impossible,” Lacey said, bewildered. I really didn’t know what to make of this. Lacey handed me my drink, which I nearly dropped. “I’m not going to tell anybody for now. However, from what I understand, you’re no telepath.”

I looked down at my arms, which were covered by my hoodie’s sleeves. I set my drink down and rolled my sleeves up, exposing the injuries I woke up with to Lacey, whose eyes grew wide. At this point, I could only ask one question, “Then what the hell am I?”

A week and a half later, I was still deeply bothered by Lacey’s revelation about my mind being sealed off. While I had gotten my mind reading somewhat under control, I still hadn’t gotten my emotions under control. And being stuck in this godforsaken tiny house didn’t help me. The old lady refused to let me leave the house. She herself didn’t even leave. Her neighbors brought her everything, or so she said. I never saw anybody enter the house and when I was allowed to walk into the backyard for fresh air, I never saw any neighbors.

This damn house was my prison and the old lady wasn’t making it any better. All she did was attempt to teach me things and fail horribly. And she didn’t even attempt to teach me to use my abilities. She even ignored my pleas. So, Lacey filled in, showing, well, actually, telling me over the phone at twelve o’clock at night under the bed so I wouldn't wake the old lady. It was simple enough. However, like I mentioned before, I had not been totally successful. Strangely enough, I couldn’t make out words from the old lady. Only emotional thoughts. Maybe it had to do with what Lacey had told me, that some people have strong enough willpower to resist a mind reader.

It was all very complex, and I would be trying to figure it all out, as well as a way to tap into more of whatever power I had, if I wasn’t standing in front of a full-length mirror, trying to figure out how the hell my body worked. The bruises had faded and the scars were beginning to fade. I should have been overjoyed about this, except that, at 7am, there were two reasons why I wasn’t. First off, my hair. More importantly, the pink tint. I was beginning to think that whatever was in my hair wasn’t hair dye. I knew that because the pink tint got brighter. It used to be that you had to focus on my hair itself to barely make out the tint. Now, all you would have to do is take a glance. The tint was getting brighter by the day.

Another problem of mine was the lack of a visit from my period. Dr. Silas told me that my period would be coming in a week and the old lady later assured me that her predictions were accurate. Well, Doctor, a week was five day ago. So, why haven’t I had my period? I’m not pregnant. Considering on how many tests was run on me, they would have noticed it right away. And if I had been pregnant, the body slam would have been a death sentence for the baby. I was too embarrassed to tell the old lady about it. Perhaps Lacey would know. I should call her.

“Bug, I know you're up!” the old lady called. I cringed. The old lady was up earlier than normal. “Come and get some breakfast.” Up and already made breakfast? Geez.

“Coming, ma’am.” The old lady wanted respect at every corner. I finished freshening up, got dressed in dull clothes because I felt kind of dull today, and went to the kitchen. I took a detour through the living room and I noticed it. The school bus. I felt a pang in my chest. A longing for something. Something outside this rotten house.

Breakfast was dull. My clothes were dull. I was feeling dull. Everything was dull. Maybe this was what I was, a dull person. After I ate, I expected the old lady to launch straight into lessons, which I would again ignore. But today, the old lady had a surprise.

“I need to head out today for run some errands,” she declared. Wonderful. My spirits rose. I was finally going to be getting out of this godforsaken house. “But you are staying here.” And my spirit was thoroughly crushed. Was this old lady serious? Didn’t she know how frustrated I was being stuck this house? How sick I was? How I longed for the fresh air? Apparently not, because she immediately grabbed her purse and out the door she went, yelling that she’d be back around 4pm. The door shut with a locking noise and I was left at the table, shocked at the experience.

My shock turned into rage as I listened to the old lady pull out of the driveway, “That fucking bitch. She left me!” I said, my voice dripping with anger.

“She left me,” I repeated more slowly, my anger turning into a deep loneliness.

I broke down and started sobbing. Tears flowing, I slammed my foot down on the floor. Suddenly, one of the ceiling lights grew intensely bright, blinding me, then it exploded, sending pieces of the lightbulb flying across the room. With a shriek, I took cover underneath the table as the pieces made contact with the floor.

Just when I thought it was safe to crawl out from underneath the table, another lightbulb exploded, sending debris all over the place. Luckily, I was able to duck back under the table to avoid getting injured by flying glass. When I was sure that no more lightbulbs would explode, I peeked my head out from under the table, to find a kitchen littered with pieces of glass.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

-------

An hour later, I finished cleaning the kitchen. I had no idea where the old lady kept her spare lightbulbs. I searched the entire house and I found none. But I did clean up the mess I made. I was sure the exploding lightbulbs were my doing, even if I had no idea how I’d done it. But as I was cleaning up the mess, a thought came to me: it was 8am. The old lady was gone all day. Nobody would be coming to check up on me. Which meant I could leave the house, wander around for a while, and get back before the old lady knew I was gone.

I quickly got dressed and headed towards the side door. I reached to open the door, only to discover that it was locked. I studied it, finding that there was no way to unlock it. There was no hole, no key slot. Peering closer, I noticed a little black box off to the side. There was a red light shining. I scowled when I put the two together. I quickly went to the back door and found the same locking system, tied into a black box. That bitch! The old lady had converted her house to a prison. A prison with one inmate. Me!

Drawing a deep breath, I calmed myself. I knew that I didn’t want more exploding lightbulbs. While I wanted to confront the old lady about locking me in a house like a prisoner, I wanted to get out more than ever.

Alright, the windows then.

Wait, scratch that. A young girl crawling out a window had the possibility of drawing too much attention. I couldn’t risk the police or the old lady finding out and come back to ruin my only opportunity at a bit of freedom. So I had to get past the locking system. Since there was no obvious way to pick the handle, I turned towards the box. There was no indication that it took a physical key and I didn’t see the old lady prime it when she left, so it must activate when she closes the door. This meant I couldn’t pick it.

Maybe I could cut the power to it. I looked around for the fuse box. As luck would have it, the fuse box was nowhere to be found. It was probably in the basement, which I could get access to if I was able to get out. Suddenly, escaping out the windows didn’t seem so bad. But common sense told me if these doors were locked, so were the windows. So, the only thing left to try was my abilities.

I had no idea how to control my ability, nor was I sure about what type of ability I had. Lacey had made that clear the week before. But it was worth a shot. I placed my hand over the box, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I focused all of my will power on disabling the lock. All my concentration, all of my spirit. Every ounce of my being focused on connecting to my ability and using it to gain my freedom. After five minutes of pure concentration, I opened one of my eyes open. And to my disbelief, nothing had happened. NOTHING. I became furious at my lack of control. I had focused everything I had into this and I got nothing. Absolutely nothing! I pulled back my hand, clinched it into a fist, and proceed to punch the box as hard as I could.

To my absolute shock, the black box shattered upon my fist’s impact. Actually, more like exploded. The power went out in the house for a moment. Then everything reset, came back on, and the door popped open. Slowly opening the door, I peeked outside and took my first breath of fresh air in a week.

I glanced at my hand, seeing no injury from the explosion. “Sweet. If only I knew how I did that.” Wasting no time, I shot out the house with the same determination I’d had when escaping from Frank. I felt like doing anything and everything. First thing, go skipping around the yard. Why? I because I could. I also wanted to go running around in the snow for the enjoyment. I had done it before, back on Frank’s farm, but I didn’t enjoy it, as I was running for my life. And I got body slammed. But now I was free and overflowing with excitement.

With the widest grin I could muster, I leaped straight into the snow, landing and burying myself in it. I was met with a spine chilling feeling, but I didn’t care. I was way too excited. The cold meant nothing.

Poking my head up and shaking the snow out of my short hair, I looked at the untouched yard. My excitement overflowing, I jumped up and started skipping around the snow. I didn’t care about anything. I was acting like a little girl, carefree, and I loved it. I felt so light. I skipped around until I reached the point where the untouched yard reached the plowed road. I looked beyond the tiny house in which I was confined. The world was out there for me to explore and the old lady couldn’t do a damn thing to stop me. So, taking a deep breath, I took my first step of true freedom… and slipped on the ice.

--------

Nancy was lying her ass off when she told Bug that she was going to run errands. The morning she locked Bug in the house was the morning Nancy was to meet with Galen to update him on how Bug was doing. And Nancy wasn’t very pleased to give this report.

Nancy drove to an older building next to the court house in Harrisonburg. It was the Agency’s district office. Walking inside, she was met with salutes. The Agency maintained a military chain of command, and Nancy was the highest-ranking official in the valley. She was met by a young man named Jarvis. Jarvis was twenty, the youngest you could legally be to apply to join the Agency. All new recruits for the Agency were required to go to military boot camp before entering the Agency’s Academy in Boston. Which boot camp you went to depended on what you were going to do. In Nancy’s case, she was required to attend the Marine Corps Boot Camp. For Jarvis, the Navy’s.

“Ma’am, I was just about to head over. Your son sent a report from the embassy in Singapore about possible leads on the team’s disappearance in Vietnam and Laos to the Joint Chiefs. They have forwarded it here for you to read.” Jarvis handed Nancy a folder marked classified. Nancy eyed Jarvis when he did, “My position in the Agency deals with this specific investigation. I have been granted the clearance for this.”

Nancy looked at him with mild curiosity, “So, instead of coming home for Thanksgiving, Freddy chooses to spend it at the embassy in Singapore,” Nancy said with disapproval.

“I know, Ma’am. If it means anything, these are the first leads in years, so that has to mean something,” Jarvis said nervously, unsure if he was overstepping his bounds.

Nancy shook her head, “It does, Jarvis.” Nancy placed the folder in her bag and left Jarvis. Her meeting would be taking place in the conference room. Only two people would take part in this conference: her and the Director of the Agency, Galen.

“Hello, Nancy. I take it your health is better today,” Galen greeted her while reading over some files. He didn’t even bother looking her in the eye.

“I’m alright.” Nancy took a seat far away from Galen. He observed this, but didn’t say anything about it.

“Alright, Nancy. It’s been over two weeks and other than Thanksgiving, which was a clear defiance of my orders, I still expect a report,” Galen demanded. His tone was forceful.

“Sir, with all due respect, Bug remained hidden. While my family was informed of her nickname, what they knew about her and her background came from me. As far as they are aware, Bug is a refugee and her family was killed trying to escape. I didn’t bother saying which country she fled from, given what we believe about her ancestry.” Nancy informed Galen of what she had done, hoping that it would keep Galen calm.

Galen thought about it a second. “You took advantage of the fact that Bug is strongly suspected to be of Eurasian ancestry? Interesting. Not something I would have done.” Galen pondered over it a bit longer. “Alright, Nancy. I will let this slide. Now, what do you have to report?”

Nancy was relieved. “I suspect that you want a report on her abilities first.” Galen didn’t say anything, but it was clear from the look on his face that he did. Nancy continued, “Bug showed random abilities. However, something unprecedented happened, as I am sure you have heard, Bug’s telepathic ability emerged during Thanksgiving dinner. The event was handled and any suspicion was quelled.”

Galen didn’t seem that interested in this event, mostly because he had heard the same thing countless times. The world didn’t need any more telepaths. “Surprising, maybe, but certainly not unprecedented.”

Nancy frowned at Galen. “I’m not finished yet. My granddaughter Lacey took me aside later just as we were about to leave and told me that Bug’s mind was completely sealed. She couldn’t see anything. No emotions, no memories. Absolutely nothing.”

This got Galen’s attention. “But... but... that’s impossible. Even if Bug is a level 3, or even a level
4, her mind would still be open. People could still see into it, regardless of willpower--” he stammered. A sealed mind is impossible because nature and science say it is impossible. Leaning back, he said “I will have to look into this. Any other abilities?”

Nancy thought for a moment, “I have noticed that Bug has been losing weight, even when she is eating everything I give her and more. And the pink tint. What I thought to be hair coloring is getting brighter. I’m thinking of taking Bug back to Dr. Silas to have her checked one more time.”

Galen nodded approval. “As long as you take her to the Agency’s doctors.” Galen stood up. “It seems that Bug’s abilities are growing stronger. Her mental seal is troubling, but I feel that we can learn the cause of it in time.” Gathering his stuff, he said “I have other things to attend to, as do you. Contact me if anything happens.”

As Galen started to leave, Nancy stopped him. “Sir, I have something else to talk to about.” Galen paused, giving her a concerned look. ““Well, um… lately, it's been difficult caring for Bug.”

Galen became confused. “Difficult? You implied during our last conversation that you could easily handle Bug.”

“Well, it's hard when you threaten to remove her from my home if I don’t keep her hidden,” Nancy countered.

Galen set his things down on the table and took a deep breath. “I have a feeling that you are going to request more freedom for Bug.”

“Yes. Bug is going crazy being cooped up in my house. She needs to get out more,” Nancy explained. “I’ve already seen Bug watching a school bus with a longing look on her face.”

Galen studied Nancy for a few moments. “No,” he said flatly.

Nancy felt her heart drop. “No?” She asked in disbelieve.

“No,” Galen repeated. “Bug is to remain hidden. Now, before you say that you took her to Thanksgiving dinner without much incident, Bug was still under the supervision of three agents from the Agency. If you took her out, Bug’s abilities could manifest and I don’t have the resources to keep a damage control unit in Harrisonburg. So, no, Nancy.”

Nancy was beginning to understand Bug’s frustrations with her. Nancy was well aware of the leverage Galen held over her. But she still needed to try for Bug’s sake. “Galen, you need to remember something. Bug is a teenage girl. She may be brash, hot-tempered, and persistent. She may be emotional and sometimes hormonal. She even may be a powerful superhuman. But underneath all that, she is scared girl with no memory of who she is. She needs to be doing healthy things. She needs to be out and about. And if her memory is gone and I am unable to restore it, she needs to make new memories. Positive memories. Being locked in a house all day and night does the complete opposite.”

Galen face never changed. He’s hopeless, Nancy thought. “You have a daughter of your own. Put her in Bug’s place. What would you do?” Galen’s face softened. Clearly, he didn’t spend nearly enough time with her. It seemed that even Galen had family problems of his own.

“I haven’t spoken to Jamie in a year,” he admitted. Gathering his stuff, he started toward the door. Nancy lowered her head in defeat, but Galen stopped short of the door and turned back to her. “Look…” Galen took a deep breath. “The Academy in New Market, Providence Meadows Institute, is having a… uh… candidate test run, as they call it. You know what that is?”

“Yes,” Nancy said. The Candidate Test Run Program is a program where the school takes a certain number of candidates from other schools who possess abilities and lets them attend the academy for three days to see whether or not they meet the strict requirements needed to attend the school. Those few found to be in line are given a two-year ride at the school, tuition-free. Nancy was the president of the Providence Meadows Institute for ten years and was the one responsible for creating the Candidate Test Run program. However, there was a problem. “But, Galen, the number of candidates is limited and all the slots have already been filled. And the run starts Friday, two days from now.”

“Just fill out the paperwork, Nancy. I will make some calls.” Nancy couldn’t believe that Galen was actually going help Bug. “However, Nancy, I will personally judge Bug’s efforts. If she passes my judgment, I will see to her getting in when winter break ends.”

“And what if she doesn’t?” Nancy asked. Galen didn’t answer her, leaving Nancy to wonder.

Galen once again turned to leave. He got halfway through the door before stopping to say something. This time he didn’t turn to face her. “Nancy, I feel the need to remind you that if Bug ever finds out what happened, there will be hell to pay.” With that, he left.

-------

After the meeting with Galen, Nancy ran a few more errands, including a visit to her hematologist-oncologist. After all that was done, she headed home. It was a long drive and Nancy spent the time thinking about how she was going to tell Bug the good knews. Bug usually ignored what Nancy said, so she needed something to get her attention.

Nancy noticed a Chinese restaurant coming up on her right. It was known only as the Fortune House. It was a popular place in Harrisonburg and its food was cheap, but delicious. Chinese restaurants had been suffering because of the war, but the Fortune House managed to thrive. Bug has never had Chinese food before. Given her appetite, I can get her to listen for a little bit if I bring her Chinese.

Nancy purchased enough for her and Bug to eat for the next two days, although Bug would mostly like eat it all in fifteen minutes, and resumed driving. She also thought about one of Galen’s orders. ‘Don’t form a motherly bond.’ She wanted to. She wanted to share moments with Bug. She knew Bug wanted a cat by overhearing conversations between her and Lacey. She knew the list of movies Bug wanted to watch, and she knew the places Bug wanted to see, such as the National Zoo in Washington. It seemed that Lacey was Bug’s key to the outside world. Nancy knew she wouldn’t be able to be with Bug for much longer, but as Nancy pulled up her driveway, she was reviewing the things she could do when she noticed the front door was slightly ajar.

“Bug?” she called out. No answer. Nancy reached over into her purse and pulled out the handgun all members of the Agency were required to carry. Slowly getting out of the car, she made her way over to the door. Turning to her right, she could make out an indentation in the snow where someone had jumped into it, as well as footprints leading away from it. Turning back to the door, she cautiously eased it open and entered the house. The first thing she noticed was that straight ahead in the kitchen, two light bulbs were missing.

“Bug?” she called out again. No answer. “Bug!” she called out louder. Again, no answer. Taking a step forward, she felt her foot crush something. Looking down was a piece of black material. The locking system control box. Nancy had completely forgotten about it. She looked to where the box was only to find it destroyed. Its pieces were everywhere.

She put her gun down. She was getting a clear picture of what happened. Whether intentionally or by accident, Bug had managed to free herself from the house. Those footprints out in the snow were Bug’s. Nancy glanced at her watch and did a quick search of the house. Bug wasn’t in the house, “It’s 5pm… damnit, Bug.”

I was the happiest I had been since I first woke up on Frank’s farm. I wasn’t skipping around; rather, I was running as fast as I could. After my little fall, I made my way down the street that the old lady lived on to a secondary road that ran parallel to the main highway. The highway had a good amount of traffic on it, but the secondary road was deserted. As a bonus, the road stretched as a far as I could see, a good three or four miles. Plenty of room to fully stretch my legs.

“Ready…” I said out loud to myself, “Set…” I prepared for the run of my life, “GO!” I yelled and I bolted. Oh man, I was zooming. Flying. I was running faster than I ever had before. Granted, the only time I remembered running this fast was when I was escaping from Frank. But still, the speed that I was running was faster than I had gone before. Perhaps because I weighed less, but it still felt awesome. I’d never felt so free before. The mental bonds just slipped right off.

A car started to back out of a driveway. The driver didn’t see me yet, but I saw him and I got a wonderful idea. At the speed I was running, I was going to attempt to jump the car. I got closer and closer, and then, mere feet from the car, the driver finally saw me and stopped. He freaked, yelled at me to stop. But I didn’t. I kept on running. I reached my launch point and with all my strength, jumped over the front of the car, where the engine was. It wasn’t much, but I cleared it. The guy honked at me and yelled, “You fucking twerp.”

I gave him a look but when I recovered from my landing, I took off once again, never tiring. After a few moments, I looked back to see whether or not the guy had followed me. He hadn’t. Wonderful, so I kept running. I finally reached the point where the secondary road reached the main highway. The highway was busy, forcing me to stop and wait for an opening. While I waited to catch my breath, I looked to see what was around me.

In the near distance, I could make out what appeared to be a church. Not really a place I was interested in visiting, but still, it was something other than that damn house. I also spotted a lot more houses, as well as a sign for a ski resort. I didn’t know what a ski resort was, but it sounded fun. Moving on, there was a gas station, and looking down the highway, I saw a school. Looking at it, the longing came back. I felt a pang in my chest. My thoughts wandered back to my past. I still didn’t remember anything of my past life, but, unlike the feelings I got when Iwas near doctors or police officers, the feelings that I got when I thought about school were pleasant. Maybe the fear that I didn’t even have a life before I woke up on the farm was unfounded. Maybe I did have a life.

But this brought more troubles. If I had a life before this, it meant that I had a family. The real troubling question was who was waiting for me to come back home? Parents? Siblings? These were not comfortable questions to think about while waiting for a break in the traffic. Speaking of which, there was a break in the traffic. I shot across the highway at blazing speed. But when I reached the other side, I decided to take it slow and continue down another road by walking. I had the entire day.

First stop, the church I saw. I did want to walk to the school, but my emotions ran too high when I either looked at it or thought about it. It took me a few minutes to reach the church, because I kept having to jump out of the way so cars could pass me. The road I was walking along wasn’t very wide. Still, I managed to reach the church without dying. Goody. The church was smaller than I imagined it. But it did have a sign for a Christmas pageant. That sounded like something I…. “Holy shit!” I screamed. I happened to glance a bit farther down the road and I spotted a library.

I shot down the street, completely forgetting about the church. See, during my midnight conversations with Lacey, I had told her that I had read every book that the old lady had, which was in the single digits, and how I longed for more. She reminded me of the massive amounts of books held in a library, as well as information that could bring me up to speed on what had occurred over the last few years. And now I knew that there was a library in walking distance of the old lady’s house.

I ran up to the front door. The building was far larger than the church. It was strange that it would be way out here rather than in a city, but who cared. It was a library. I practically skipped through the front door. I was greeted by towering shelves of books I felt pure, overwhelming joy. I had never seen so many books in one place! Heaven on Earth.

My eyes quickly found computer-like devices. Quickly sneaking up on them, I discovered, to my dismay, that I didn’t recognize this device. It was sleek, smooth, and very, very thin. It lacked a keyboard and everything else that I would recognize on a computer. The name engraved on it said ‘iPad’. Rubbing my head, I was beginning to realize how deep my memory loss went. It was quite depressing that my goal to find out more about me and the world ended in failure because I had no idea how to work an ‘iPad’. BUT, there were so many books that called my name. Well, my nickname, but who cared?

Suddenly, I ran into another problem. What was I going to read? There were so many choices. How in the world was I supposed to choose just one book? Perhaps… perhaps I could read multiple books at the same time…

I felt a book get pushed into my arms. Startled, I found myself straining my neck up at the librarian. “I know that look, young lady,” she said. “I recommend you start with a pre-war classic.”

I looked at the book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?” That was strange name for a book. I gave the librarian a look.

“Yes, oh I was just a teenager when it came out. It's about magic, compared to the ‘superhumans’ our world has,” the librarian said disapprovingly. Hmm… the librarian did look young enough. I wondered how I would look all grown up. Probably ugly as fuck. “Harry Potter is actually a series. Six books total,” she continued on. Six books? Cool. “But, sadly, the series is incomplete.”

I was confused at that, mostly because I had really had no idea what she was talking about. “Incomplete?” I asked.

The librarian gave me a look that said ‘Where have you been for the last twenty years?’ I don’t know, I don’t remember jackshit. I wanted to say that to her, but I kept my mouth shut. “Well.. um… what’s your name?” she asked suddenly.

“Bug.”

“Bug? Hmm… that’s an unique name. Must be a nickname.” I frowned at that comment, but the librarian paid no attention. “Well, Bug, the series is missing its end. It would have had one, but the war came and took that away.” The librarian’s voice took on a sad, depressed tone. “This war has taken a lot.” She glanced at the book. “The author, J. K. Rowling, was killed during the Battle of London in 2006, and nearly all her manuscripts and notes were destroyed, leaving the series incomplete. Her children have been trying to piece together whatever was left to give the series a true end, but the last time I heard, the conditions in the UK weren’t making it easy.”

“Uh…” I honestly didn’t know what to say, because I didn’t know anything about this war.

The librarian actually started to cry. “During the early years of the war, many famous authors wrote books to help us deal with conflict. It gave us hope. But many of those authors have been claimed by the violence this war has created, even Stephen King. Honestly Bug, there isn’t much hope left in this world.” How is it that I knew who George Washington was, but I had no idea about this war or who Stephen King was?

Suddenly, the librarian slapped herself in the face. “Seriously, Martha, why did you have to say that?” she said to herself. “Enjoy the book, Bug.” The librarian wandered off, so I turned my attention to the book. I had to wonder something. Was coming up to random people, shoving a book in their hands, and then getting all emotional about some war something all librarians did? But a book was still a book. Finding a seat for myself at a table in the back of the library, I set the book on the table and skimmed through it. From what I could gather from my quick skim, it looked interesting enough for me. I had just gotten to reading about some family known the Dursleys when a little girl stuck her head between me and the book and cheerfully said, “Hello!”

Immediately, I jumped up out of my chair with an ‘eep’. The girl had surprised me… wait a second. “Wait, I know you.” This little girl, I’d seen her before. Where had I… “Oh shit, you’re that little girl that surprised me in… Frank’s house.” Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! If this little girl was here, the one that said hello when I hid underneath the table, that meant that Frank could be here, or that fucking asshole that body slammed me into the ground, or the father or… oh my. I nervously glanced around; seeing no one, I dove underneath the table to hide, shaking in fear.

The little girl looked at me with mild surprise, cocking her head to one side. “Why are you underneath a table?” she finally asked.

“Um.. well… uh… I’m hiding.” I stuttered.

Slowly she got down on her knees to look at me better. “Why are you hiding?”

Why couldn’t this girl just say okay and go skipping away? “Uh… because of Frank,” I told her, then immediately did a facepalm. Bug, why the fuck did you have to tell her that?

“Frank?” the little girl questioned. “My grandpappy’s name is Frank. Are you hiding from him?” she inquired. This time, I wasn’t going to answer her. Unlucky for me, the little girl didn’t wait, “Grandpappy, grandpappy, grandpappy!” she called out as she ran towards the front of the library.

When the girl ran behind the bookshelf and I lost sight of her, I freaked. “Frank’s here? Oh shit, oh shit, oh fucking SHIT!” I immediately grabbed my book and ran. But where the hell would I run to? Frank was here, and I could… holy shit I could hear his voice. I needed a hiding place and the table was not going to do it. “Um… um… um… that’ll do.” I said upon seeing a sign for the bathrooms. I quickly ran into the girls’ bathroom, locked myself in a stall and hid on top a toilet tank lid.

Breathing heavily, I had to remind myself to relax. There was no way that Frank would have followed me into a girls’ bathroom. The little girl could, but I doubt Frank would be that stupid. “Well, I did cause him to land face first into cow poop, and I was never charged for breaking his door, so that may be a good enough reason to motivate him.” Alright, I just need to wait. Yeah, wait. Wait in a bathroom for a crazy old man to leave with his ‘teleporting’ granddaughter on my only day of freedom. The old lady was probably going to lock me in a cage after this. Ironic, I wanted to escape from a house and now I’m stuck in a bathroom in a library with… a book! I’d forgotten, I’d grabbed the book when I ran. I could read it while I gave Frank enough time to get his ass out of here and I could return to the table.

So, Harry Potter it is then. Such a great way to spend my time hiding in a bathroom, crouched with my knees to my chest on top of a toilet. Wonderful, I was having such ‘awesome’ luck. I also began to feel tired, exhausted. Looking at my watch, it was only 10am. I had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, and the night before that, and all the times I fell asleep while listening to the old lady. Strange. Maybe I did push myself too much with the running. Yeah, that’s it. I will just sit in a bathroom stall and read a book while trying to hide from that crazy old man.

I started where I’d left off, with the Dursleys. After reading a page, I decided that I didn’t like the Dursleys. And who was ‘You-Know-Who’? Sounded like villain or someone. Rubbing my eyes, I continued on. It was getting harder to focus on the book. I had never felt this sleepy before, except when I was forced to stay awake at the hospital. I kept on trying to trying to read but my eyes began to feel very heavy. I felt drained, a feeling that I hadn’t felt before. Maybe if I closed my eyes for a second....

---------

At first, nothing. Then something. A feeling, a sense of something, the awareness of a place. A cold feeling came over me, and I felt myself enter a dark space, empty of all emotional thought. The ground felt mushy, but cold and devoid of all color and sense of the world. It was just an empty color, black, and without meaning. Slowly, the haze was lifted, and I became fully aware of what I was in. An empty place. A void of the darkness. I was somewhere, but at the same time, I was nowhere.

I started walking, but there was nowhere to walk. The void, the darkness, made moving pointless; there was nowhere to go. The darkness spread as far as one could see, an endless void. The ground itself, once mushy, now felt like mud. Then something reached up. A hand, flowing, and black as the void, began to force its way up from the mud, from the darkness. Taking shape, it reached and suddenly jerked, grabbed my ankle, and tried to pull me down. I tried to scream out in fright, but no words emerged into this blackish nightmare. Another hand joined the first, and grabbed my other ankle. A third, with a quiet and screeching voice, whispering something I couldn’t understand, grew from the two, and reached up for my face. In a panic, I tried to run. But where could I run to? There was nothing here.

And as a solid figure began to push its way up from the flowing darkness that was the ground, the two hands that had grabbed my ankles pulled down much harder, and I fell back, right into… the cold, hard, floor.

My eyes opening, blurry for a minute, but then clearing, the ceiling of the bathroom I was hiding in greeting me. I laid there, back on the floor, legs sticking up against the toilet, for a few minutes, before a taking a sigh of relief. “Only a dream,” I muttered. Wait a second. My first dream! “Woot!” I quietly cheered. Although, with the blood rushing to my brain, the dream seemed much more along the lines of a nightmare. The hands, the darkness. “What was that place?” I rolled up my sleeves, and looked at the scars that were still visible. “Holy fuck, was that my mind? A dark and empty place?” This was depressing.

Rolling over and standing up, I had to get my bearings right. There didn’t seem to be anybody in the bathroom, so I retrieved my book and slowly snuck out of the bathroom stall. I was anxious to go somewhere comfortable. The stall was not the ideal place to read a book and after my short nap, my body was feeling achy, on top of an exhaustion that had taken hold the moment I woke up. I hoped Frank was gone by now. Slowly making my way out of the bathroom, I was met with an unfortunate sight. The library was dark with not a soul to be seen. This made no sense. For that short of a nap? I decided to check my watch. In hindsight, I should’ve looked at my watch the moment I woke up from that nap.

“It's 7:00pm?!?! How could I have slept that long?” I had been asleep for nine hours in a bathroom? And how did anybody not notice me asleep in a bathroom stall? Well, I could look on the bright side; at least I knew that Frank was gone. So now I needed to get out of there. This time it was easy. I would just walk out the front door. I knew that they would lock it, but you could still walk out, just not in. Finally something that I could do without causing something to explode. I was still going to keep the book. I still needed something new to read. But the likelyhood the old lady would take it from her was high. She took me in, she took my freedom and she will likely take my book. I thought about the possible ways I could hide the book as I walked out the front door, this time without the need of either shattering the door or destroying the lock. I was instead met with a blast of cold air, and I knew that this was going to be a long walk back to the old lady’s house.

“It's about time you came out of there,” a sudden and very recognizable voice called out. I instantly knew who it was. Tensing up, I turned to my right to see the old lady sitting on a bench. “That was quite the nap. A day of pure freedom and you spent it sleeping in a library. How sad.”

I gulped nervously. How did she know where I was? “Um…” I started to say, but the old lady held her hand up.

“Be quiet, Bug. I’m very disappointed in you right now,” the old lady said sternly. I looked down at my feet, a bit afraid. She got up and pointed to the car. I debating on running off the opposite direction, but realized I was too tired to get very far. Grudgingly, I dragged my feet over to the back seat of the car.

Once we were on the way back to her house, I got curious about something. How did the old lady know I was at the library? Could she have put something on me to track me? I wondered. Perhaps she did. But where would she have put it. My hoodie, shirt and pants were clear. I had dug them out of an unopened box from underneath the bed I was sleeping in. What about my underwear? Scratch that. Although, the old lady could have been a sneaky bitch by hiding this tracker in my bra. I quickly did a quick check and other than the lack of anything outstanding, there was nothing out of the ordinary. This led to one last article of clothing: my boots. The boots that I had taken from another room the night before. I needed to check them, but if the old lady found out, I would be deep shit.

Luckily for me, the old lady got a phone call at that moment, taking her attention off of me. This allowed me to check over the boots. I did entertain the possibility that this tracker was too small for me to find, which meant the old lady could still be a bitch by hiding it in my bra. But a small slit on the side of the left boot revealed a small circular object. It felt warmer than body temperature, indicating that it was electronic, and thus, the tracker I was looking for. I ripped it out and hid the tracker in my hoodie. It was something else I needed to confront the old lady about, so I waited.

Once back at the old lady’s house, she motioned me to sit at the table, “I bought Chinese food for us to eat.” She opened the fridge and grabbed the food that she said she had bought. Turning to find that I had remained standing, she again motioned me to sit down. But I didn’t. “Sit down, Bug,” she asked of me. But again I remained standing. “Sit down!” she demanded much more forcibly. But I refused. I remained standing and I glared at her. The old lady gritted her teeth. “You really want to do this right now? Young lady, sit down now!” Instead of sitting down, I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out the tracker and showed it to the old lady.

“First you lock me in a house like a prisoner, then you track me like a fucking animal,” I raged, finally showing my anger.

The old lady nearly dropped the food when she saw that I had found and removed the tracker from my boot. “You f… f… found it?” she stammered.

“Yeah, I found it.” The old lady looked at me, then at the tracker, then motioned for me to hand it to her. She must be joking.

“Give it here, Bug,” she requested. Alright, she wasn’t joking. In an act of defiance, instead of giving it to her, I took my fist and crushed the tracker, letting the pieces rain down on the floor. My anger allowed my ability to manifest, giving me what I needed.

The old lady was taken aback by what happened, but she quickly recovered. “Bug, that tracker was for your own good. You irresponsibly ran away; the tracker was necessary to find you.”

“My own good?” I questioned, “My own good. How would you even know that? Not once have you bothered to even ask me. For the past two weeks, you have kept locked in this godforsaken house, so excuse me if I try to get some freedom, even if I spent the entire day sleeping.”

“I get that, Bug, but you need to realize that you don’t have control of your abilities. Anything could've happened and people could have died,” Nancy reminded me.

But I didn’t need to be reminded, “Oh, now you want to talk about my abilities. I have been begging for the past two fucking weeks for help with controlling my abilities. But what did you do? You ignored me. You fucking ignored me.”

“Bug…” the old lady tried to interrupt. But I wasn’t finished.

“I have been struggling for the past two weeks to make sense of who I am, or what I am. And do I get any help from you? NO! All you do is concern yourself with yourself.”

The old lady became irritated. “Bug, this isn’t just about you!”

“I KNOW THAT!” I screamed, causing another light bulb to explode, the old lady stepping away in fear. “I know that,” I said more quietly. I felt tears beginning to roll down my face. “I’m just scared of everything. I don’t know who or what I am. I don’t even know if I belong here. Sometimes I don’t even think I’m human. Then there’s the pinkish tint in my hair and the fact that my period is five days overdue. I’m scared that I will never know. And you locking me this godforsaken house makes me feel like nothing. All this time you, Margaret, that police man, you have all treated me like I’m some creature that needs to be studied and locked up away from everything else. That I don’t need things such as love or a family, or even to have my fears relieved. You all have treated me like I’m absolutely nothing in this world.” I wiped the tears away from my face.

“I’m going to bed,” I declared. The old lady grabbed my arm to stop me. She tried to speak, but couldn’t form the words, so I jerked my arm away. “At least Lacey cares,” I said as I headed to my room, not bothering with dinner.

---------

Nancy stood in shock at Bug’s honesty. She didn’t even get time to tell Bug about the school, but Nancy doubted that would even make a difference. Bug didn’t even bother with the dinner she’d gotten for her. Now Nancy knew that Bug was in deep pain and generally hurt by what she’d had to do to keep the teenager safe and hidden.

Overwhelmed, Nancy sat down at the table, and for the first time in a long time, started to cry. Nancy realized that Bug was right. She, and everybody else that Bug had come across, except for her granddaughter, Lacey, had treated Bug like nothing. She also failed to realize how this would affect the girl and as a result, didn’t see how much Bug was suffering because of it.

“What I have done?” Nancy finally said. A legit but horrible question. Now Nancy had to decide on something. Whether or not to go forward and soothe Bug’s fears and give her the love she so desperately needed, and in so doing, risk the life of her own daughter, Jerri.

Lacey was asked to come down to Harrisonburg to hang out with Bug for the day at 9 pm the night before by her grandmother. That request sparked a stern talk about why spending time with Bug was a very bad idea from her mother, directed at both her and her grandma. This stern talk turned into an argument between her and her mother which then led to an argument between her mom and her dad. Lacey could hear the argument, as her parents made no attempt to keep it quiet. Her father was for Lacey going to Harrisonburg to spend time with Bug, whereas her mother was completely against it. A few other things were said between the two as they moved to another room, which was confusing for Lacey, as she didn’t understand what the fuss was about. Her grandmother had told everyone that the Agency had placed Bug with her for the time being until a foster family could be found.

Her grandmother had also told them that Bug was a refugee, although she didn’t tell them which European or Asian country Bug was from, and during the attempt to flee, Bug’s family was killed and the girl herself suffered a severe head injury that rendered her amnesiac. This would lead to some awkward situations, such as the one between Lacey’s mother and Bug during Thanksgiving. Now, when Lacey could no longer hear the argument between her parents, she used her ability to spy. A while ago, Lacey had figured out a trick with her telepathic ability. She could use it to mentally hear an argument since all words said, or in this cause, yelled, are first formed within the mind. It, so far, had a limit of a twenty-five-foot radius, but in her home, that was more than enough to listen in on the argument. By that time, it was basically over. Her father won out; Lacey was going to Harrisonburg to spend time with Bug.

So, at 10 am the following morning, Lacey stood next to the bed that held a sleeping Bug, who still had a hoodie on. Her grandmother had told her that she and Bug had had a falling out the night before and she didn’t think it would be a good idea for her to wake up the teenager, so she had asked Lacey to do it. It was simple enough. What could possibly go wrong? This was Bug.

“Wake up, Bug,” she said. Bug didn’t stir. Hmm... alright, again.. “Come on Bug, time to get up.” This time Bug stirred a bit, but she didn’t get up nor wake up. “AHHH!!!” Lacey screamed while shaking Bug. Lacey now understood how much of a heavy sleeper Bug was, but no one, not even those in a coma, could sleep through the piercing scream; Lacey was sure it shattered windows a mile away.

Well, Bug didn’t get up, but she did wake up. Lacey knew this because Bug raised her fist and punched Lacey right smack in her cheek with enough force to send her crashing down on her ass.

----------

I woke to someone calling my name. I was still a bit groggy and the voice was quiet, making it difficult for me to figure out who was waking me. But I knew that it was the old lady, who I was still angry with. Who else could it be? It was just me and her in this godforsaken house. So I refused to get up. I refused to even let the old lady know I was awake. But, again, she called my name, trying to wake me. I moved a bit, but I did not get up. Sure I was hungry, but my hunger wasn’t strong enough to make me get out of this bed.

But the old lady wasn’t done. She put her hand on my back and started screaming and shaking me, hard. That’s it. I’ve had enough of this shit. When she stopped screaming and shaking me, I took my hand, clenched it into a fist, and punched the old lady in the face. I heard the thump as she hit the ground and her exclaiming “Ouch!”

Wait a second, that voice didn’t belong to the old lady. It was a young, sweet voice, kind, but frustrated about getting punched in the face. Who did it belong to… “HOLY FUCK, LACEY?” I screamed as I shot up. My eyes came to rest on Lacey flat on her ass rubbing her cheek. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

“You punched me,” Lacey said quietly.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I thought you were your grandmother,” I apologized again.

“You punched me,” Lacey said again. She seemed to be in shock. Then she started laughing. “You fucking punched me!”

This caught me by surprise. “Uh… what?”

“That was awesome, Bug. A solid punch. I mean, you’re tiny, but that had a shit ton of force behind it.” She got to her feet. “And the fact it was meant for my grandma is even better. Geez, Bug, you are going to give those boys a run for their money. The second they go against you, you can knock them dead.”

“Dead?” I asked. I didn’t want to kill anybody.

“Oh, right. It's an expression, Bug. It doesn’t mean what it says.” Lacey rubbed her cheek. “Hurry up and get dressed, we got a big day,” she said. I gave her a questioning look. “My granny gave me permission to take you into town and hang. If we hurry, we can beat the line at the Chinese stand and I get more time to stare at that hot college guy that works there.”

“Aren’t you a college student?” I asked.

“Exactly… hey, you dyed your hair again! Such a punk look, Bug. It suits you.” Again? I pulled a strand that I could still see and was dismayed to find that overnight, the pink had gotten brighter and more defined. Fucking wonderful.

--------

After a buffet-like breakfast and a nice ride in Lacey’s car to Harrisonburg, we stood in front of a high class appearing clothes store. “I get to take you to the mall, but in return, I’ve got to take you to get a uniform for this school.” Lacey had explained a bit about the school during breakfast, that it was a school for superhumans, that it was run by the Agency, and it required its students to wear uniforms. Just wonderful. The store itself was located in a small, separate building next to the mall but not connected. It was called Genesis Variety, which I found to be a very strange name. “Genesis was the name of a former superhuman team during the Cold War,” Lacey informed me as we walked in. “The owner is the daughter of a former member of that team.”

We were immediately greeted by yet another old lady. “Lacey, it’s good to see you again. How's your grandmother been?”

Lacey shrugged, but her face became uneasy and worrisome. “Oh, I see. Anyways, what brings you tiny things here today?” the new old lady inquired. I frowned. I didn’t like to reminded of my size. My weight as of this morning was 90 pounds and I was still five foot two. Lacey was slightly taller than me, but we were both tiny.

“Well,” Lacey started, putting her hand on my shoulder, “Bu… Claire is starting at Providence Meadows tomorrow as a middle school student and my grandmother, who is her guardian, would like you to get her set up with a uniform.”

“Alright then.” The new old lady smiled. “Let's get you suited up.”

It was at this point that I should've realized that my best course of action was to run out the door, because fifteen minutes later, I stood in front of a mirror in the back room with Lacey and the new old lady wearing my first skirt since I woke up and a blouse with a bow tied around my collar. I recalled Lacey telling me that the middle school students wore Catholic school-like uniforms, while the high school students wore more military-like uniforms to signify their rank, their age, experience, maturity, and power. Just wonderful.

“I don’t like it,” I said after a bit of studying. I was still wearing the beanie I’d stuck on before I left, but it didn’t change that the bow made me look silly, the blouse broadcasted to the world that I wasn’t outstanding in any way, and the skirt made me feel exposed.

“You look like a young lady. A little makeup -- perfection,” the new old lady commented. “But you could do less with one thing,” she said and came over, reached down, and yanked my beanie off, showing my now visible color-changing hair. I quickly yanked it back down on my head, covering my hair. “Uh, yeah, just a tiny bit of makeup,” she said, acknowledging my reason for wearing it.

“You look cute.” Lacey gave me a thumbs up.

“I don’t like it, especially this skirt,” I pouted. The skirt was quite long, reaching to my knees, but it still made me feel exposed.

“You’ll get used to it. I did and I enjoy them more than pants,” Lacey said as she smoothed out her own skirt to make a point.

“Maybe,” I said, doubting Lacey. But it did bring up a thought. I turned away from Lacey and rolled up my sleeves a bit. The blouse had long sleeves that covered the scars, which had yet to heal, but now it made me wonder something. What if I loved wearing skirts before this? I clenched my fists at the thought. “Can I change back into my dull clothing?” I asked, ready to put those thoughts out of my mind. I didn’t want to be reminded of how depressing my situation was on this special day.

“Go on ahead. I need to get some measurements for gym clothes, but I don’t need you in that uniform to do that,” the new old lady said as she looked through several boxes. I felt relieved when I changed back into my nice, dull clothes. I felt like me, a pinkish haired, amnesiac teenage girl who had no place in this world.

The new old lady took the measurements, and bingo, we were done. The stuff that I had to get seemed expensive, and I didn’t know how we were going to pay for it. I brought this up, but the new old lady put her hand up and told me that it was on the house.

“Why?” I asked Lacey after we were outside.

Lacey shrugged. “I don’t know and I wasn’t about to pick through Mrs. Beatrice or my grandma’s minds to find out.” Lacey actually shuddered at that. At least, though, I now knew that the new old lady was called Mrs. Beatrice. “Now that’s done, let's go have fun!” Lacey grabbed my arm and pulled me toward her car, nearly tripping me with the bags I was carrying.

The first store Lacey wanted to go once we were inside the mall was a clothes store. Go figure. As we headed to the entrance, I discovered that it was a modest clothing store, which made me believe I was the reason we were here. “Let’s get you into something more comfortable and stylish,” Lacey said. As much as I was enjoying hanging out with Lacey, I didn’t really want to style just yet.

But something caught my eye. A poster on the wall. A poster that showed a family. A mother and a father and their two kids, a boy and a girl. They were at the beach, having fun as a family. I took a deep breath and turned away, trying to shake the doubting and depressing thoughts creeping back into my mind. But I saw another poster of another family. And another and another. I stepped back, my thoughts drifting back to my situation, Lacey failing to notice. My eyes fell on actual families that were here, mothers and fathers and children. I rolled up my sleeves a bit, seeing the constant reminder of what I was. This store was a family friendly store: everything, the clothing lines, the products, posters, the families shopping here, even the employees, was all geared to family. Something that I didn’t have. Something that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t remember whether or not I had what was shown in the poster. I recalled the argument from the night before. These posters, the scars on my arm, this store: all served to remind me of my place in this world. I had no place, I had no memories of who or what I was, I had nothing. In anguish over this, I ran out of the store, away from the reminders, away from Lacey.

--------

Lacey found me a half hour later. I hadn’t made any attempt to leave the mall or hide in a bathroom. I’d just found a comfortable chair on the far end of the mall where there were very few people, curled myself up, my legs against my chest, my arms around my legs, and started crying.

“Bug, what happened back there? You just took off… hey, are you crying?” she asked when she saw the tears. I looked up at her, my eyes red and teary. Lacey’s face took on a concerned, mothering look. “Oh god, what’s wrong, Bug?”

Rubbing my eyes, I said: “That store. It… it…” I couldn’t get the words out. “It reminds me too much,” I finally said.

“Reminds you of what?” she asked, still concerned.

Instead of answering, I did something I should’ve done when I first met her. I was tired of hiding, so I pulled my sleeves up, revealing the scars that decorated my arms. Lacey became wide-eyed. I started talking, this time with a purpose, to tell the truth to Lacey. “I don’t know what the old lady told you, but all I know is that I woke up on a farm a few weeks ago. I woke with bruises and scars, and nothing else. Claire? That isn’t my real name. And Bug? I picked that name because I got annoyed at a police officer who wouldn’t shut up. Truth is, I know absolutely nothing about who or what I am. And the posters and that family in that store reminded me that I fear that I have… nothing,” I said slowly. I’d finally acknowledged it. It wasn’t a depressing thought. It was something that I was truly afraid of. That I had nothing to go back to, that I truly was never part of this world.

Lacey took in all that I said, then, to my surprise, gave me a big hug. “Bug, you have something. I’m your friend. And my grandma? Don’t worry, she may seem distant, but my conversation with her last night made me realize that she does truly care for you, regardless of how she acts.” Lacey took both my hands. “I was told that you were a refugee, but that doesn’t matter. Why you have these scars doesn’t matter either. You may think that you may have been nothing before; what matters is that you are someone now, and more importantly, you are someone to me. You are my sister, Bug.” Lacey hugged me again. “I got the message, no more clothes store for a while. But I see that I need to get you a new pair of boots.” She pointed down at my feet. Studying the boot, I discovered that the boot was nearly ready to fall apart. “After that, we can head over and grab some lunch, then off to the bookstore!” Lacey pulled me out of the chair and onto my feet, ready to move.

I felt relieved, happy. Lacey was honest, I could sense it. I was getting a lot better at controlling my mind reading ability, but I didn’t need it to know that Lacey was telling the truth. Sure, Lacey wasn’t blood-related, but certainly though, in such a short period of time, Lacey considered me part of her family. It felt good to finally belong to something.

We went into a small shoe store. I was pretty stubborn about what I wanted, which was basically what I already had, small black boots. I ended up getting boots that looked exactly like the ones I had. They were called Double Platinum Combat Boots, but Lacey called them SWAG boots, whatever that meant. They were actually very cheap and I was happy to have something to call my own, even if they were shoes.

True to her word, we got Chinese food from a vendor in the mall. “This vendor is owned by the Fortune House, a popular restaurant in this area and the same place my grandma bought food from yesterday. Problem is, that hot guy that works here isn’t here today. So I don’t get a show today and the food isn’t going to taste as good,” Lacey explained as we stood in line. I guess if I liked the food here, then I wouldn’t mind eating the leftovers tonight with the old lady, who I was considering forgiving after today. I was still angry at her, but I didn’t want to be angry. “Oh! I’ve been meaning to tell you…” Lacey suddenly declared, “Grandma told me that you spent the whole day asleep in the bathroom yesterday, and I figure you are probably wondering why.” Hmm… yeah, I was wondering why. The argument last night caused me to forget about it, but now that I was reminded of it, I really did want to know.

“Yeah, I am,” I said as we grabbed our food and sat down.

“You had an oversleep,” Lacey said as she began to dig into her food.

“An over what?”

“Your body’s tolerance of the use of your ability grows over time, as do the energy resources needed to actually use the ability. When you use your abilities past your body’s limit and deplete that reserve, you have an Overuse Sleep, oversleep, which is where your body attempts to refill that reserve and build more tolerance. I would personally have terrible migraines when my ability first emerged.” Lacey cringed.

“Must’ve been painful.”

“Oh, they were.” Lacey gave a small smile. It was nice to know why I’d fallen asleep in the bathroom of the library, but it also drove me to want to use my abilities even more. Speaking of which,

“Lacey, what can you tell me about this school?” I asked, curious as to what I would face tomorrow.

Lacey shrugged. “I have no idea. I never attended. I was sent to a private school near Northern Virginia, one that avoided the very mention of superhumans. I guess my parents wanted to avoid telling people that their daughter was a telepath.”

Now I needed to know. “Why are telepaths hated so much?” Lacey mentioned that telepaths won’t held in high regard, and reading people’s minds was basically equal to raping someone. Instead of answering me, Lacey shrugged again.

“It's really complicated,” Lacey offered, then she snapped her fingers. “You will need to know the different levels.”

I gave Lacey a look that basically translated into ‘I have no idea what you are talking about’. Lacey quickly understood this and set her food down.

“Alright, so there are four levels used to describe superhuman powers. It's really simple. There are levels one, two, three, and four. Level ones are the most common and level fours are the rarest. I’m personally a level three, and far as I’m aware of all or most of the superhumans that attend this school is between levels one and two. Most of the superhumans who still live in the United States are between those two levels. It’s not very often you find a level three like me around, and it's virtually unheard of in recent days to find a level four.”

“What level do you think I am?” I asked Lacey, curious for her opinion.

“Probably a three.” Lacey thought for a second, then give me a really wide smile. “Who knows though. You could even be a four!” I shrugged, but I was doubtful. “Keep your head down and don’t piss off anybody and you will be fine. All I really know is that my grandma signed you up for the three-day test run that the school does every year right before Christmas.” Speaking of the old lady.

“Quick question, Lacey. Where is your grandma today?” I inquired.

“She went to Washington today. Her daughter, Jerri, is in a coma. Granny wanted to see her one more time before she… um… before Christmas.” Lacey stuttered on the last part and I was beginning to get suspicious of the old lady’s health. “Speaking of Christmas, what do you want most?

“Uh… I don’t know.” And I meant it. I remembered very little about Christmas.

“I’m sorry, Bug, I didn’t mean to remind you of your situation,” she said apologetically. Out of nowhere, someone ran up, took Lacey’s purse, dumped its contents on the floor, dropped the purse onto the floor, winked at me, and then ran off, laughing. “Asshole,” Lacey yelled out, then leaned down to pick up everything.

“Who was that?” I asked as leaned down to help her pick up the stuff dropped on the floor.

“An asshole that was once my boyfriend,” Lacey grumbled, “Every time he sees me, he always does that. It's so annoying.”

As I was picking up the stuff, I came across a photo. In it was a young girl, maybe five years old, and an older boy. It took me a second to realize that the girl appeared to be a very young Lacey, and the boy looked very similar to her, indicating that he was her brother. Problem was, I had met all of Lacey’s siblings and this boy wasn’t one of them. Heck, this boy wasn’t even in any of the photos at her house. I flipped the photo over and written on the back was ‘Jared and Lacey, 2001. “Who's Jared?” I asked Lacey.

Lacey looked at the photo and froze. Her mouth tried to form words, but nothing came out. Her face became depressed and upset, and she sniffed, almost like she was trying to hold back tears. Eventually, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. “Nobody anymore,” Lacey finally said.

I didn’t press it, but then I sensed something from Lacey. She had a lot of mental warding, which made it very difficult for me to read her mind, which I was grateful for. But, now, it fell for a brief moment, and I picked up two words. ‘He’s dead’.

At least now I knew why Margaret was such a bitch to me when I accidentally read her mind, but I couldn’t help but wonder why Jared was never talked about or even mentioned in Lacey’s family. Something bad must’ve happened to him for him to be dead, but as to what happened, that was a secret that I knew Lacey wasn’t going to tell me anytime soon. At the same time, I had to wonder what secrets were locked up in my mind as well.

---------

It was dark by the time Lacey drove me back to the old lady’s house. Not surprising, the old lady beat us back. Despite the day, I was still uneasy about facing the old lady. So I glared at her when we came through the side door into the kitchen, where the old lady was sitting at the table drinking something.

“Hello, Grandma.” Lacey walked over and hugged her.

“Hello, sweetheart, did you enjoy today?”

“Yes, Granny!” Lacey hugged her again. Clearly, they had a strong relationship.

The old lady turned to face me. I turned away. “ Bug…” she started. Great, here we go again. “I’m sorry,” she finished.

“Wait, what?” I was taken aback by the apology.

“I’m sorry for everything. I understand that you are a teenager and I have been handling everything wrong when trying to care for you,” the old lady admitted. “From now on, I’ll try harder to understand, and I promise I will listen to you and quell any fears you have.” To top it off, she actually hugged me. When I looked over towards Lacey, she silently encouraged me to return the hug, and after a few moments of hesitation and consideration, I did…

Only to be joined by Lacey, who screamed, “Group hug!”

“Alright, ladies, I’ve got plenty of food left over from yesterday,” The old lady broke off the hug. “So let’s eat.” Finally, the old lady acknowledged my frustrations and my fears. But I couldn’t help but feel that the old lady was still lying about something. That there was something she was holding back, something that she wasn’t telling me.

“Remember to keep your knees together when you sit down,” the old lady reminded me while we were waiting to see the headmaster of Providence Meadows for the fourth time at 7:30 am. I wasn’t really in the mood to respond vocally, so I simply gave the old lady a look that translated into ‘yeah, I get it now, stop reminding me.’ But I still kept forgetting. My opinion of the skirt had changed a bit, a feeling I didn’t know how to describe, but I still felt exposed wearing it.

“Nancy, Headmaster Gare will see you and Claire now,” the secretary informed us. Me and the old lady both looked at each other. I could see on her face that she was having second thoughts, but I couldn’t tell why she was having them. Headmaster Gare turned out to be a very tall man dressed in some sort of camouflage clothing.

“Captain Darius Gare.” The headmaster instantly stood up the second Nancy spoke his name. Okay, so the guy was military. That explained the camouflage. “It's been a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” Gare said with no emotion. Clearly, something happened between Gare and the old lady in the past. As we took our seats, his eyes studied me. “I take it this small thing is Claire?” he asked us. I instantly glared at him. I didn’t like being called tiny. Sure, my weight was still 90 pounds, but I still had strength. Well, Gare ignored me. Gare ended up glaring at me, with his eyes coming to rest on my hair, which for once wasn’t covered by a beanie, so the pink tinted hair was out in the open for everybody to see.

“She is,” the old lady confirmed.

“Alright.” Gare flipped through the paperwork that was lying on his desk. “Now, before Claire is allowed to begin as per the Test Run, there are some things we need to address.” The old lady became confused, which signaled to me that this wasn’t supposed to happen. “First, you see, Nancy, when you signed the girl up, you put down that her ability was at a level two and she was a telepath.” That was news to me. “But, I have right in my hand the official report on this girl from Galen. Would you like me to read it out?” Gare didn’t wait for the old lady to give him an answer. “Ability Type: Unknown; Level: Unknown; Summary: Unpredictable. Now, how do you explain this?”

The old lady hesitated. “I can’t. I didn’t expect Galen to send you this, but I couldn’t explain even if I knew he was. Claire is just a special case that has everybody stumped. That is why both Galen and I got her enrolled in the test run.” Who’s this Galen they keep talking about?

“Alright, but then there is the issue with Claire’s appearance. Her hair.” I knew ever since he laid eyes on me. “The hair -- it's distracting, and it's inappropriate for a school environment. If it was dyed with some other natural hair color, I wouldn’t raise a fuss. But pink? No, that will not do in this tight ship I run.”

I was about to give him a piece of my mind when the old lady came to my defense. “Captain Gare, that ‘pink dye’ in her hair isn’t dye. I don’t know what it is, hell, not even Dr. Silas could figure out it out. It's something that we are at a loss for.”

“I see. Well, Nancy, regardless of your position and your relationship to Galen, if it was up to me, Claire wouldn’t be allowed to set foot in here, given that you lied about her ability, and that she has been classified as unpredictable, which I am witnessing first hand. But since I have orders directly from Galen, Claire can do the test run.” Nancy breathed a sigh of relief, but I still wanted to know who Galen was. “However, I will have this document sent to all the teachers here.” Turning to me, he said: “Young lady, I have many rules, but here are a few that you need to remember. One, I demand respect at all times. The goes the same for the professors. Two, you are not to bring any harm to any of your fellow students. Three, you are to not to socialize with the high school students. Socializing with them is a sign of privilege, a privilege you do not have. They can, however, talk to you and you can talk back if you are given permission. Four, failure to follow these rules will result in immediate expulsion. Now, my secretary is outside waiting. She will give you the supplies needed for the next three days and take you to the first class of the day. You're dismissed.”

I hesitated, so Gare stared at me with a glare that could kill anybody.

“Go on B… Claire. I will be back at 4 pm to get you,” Nancy said and pointed to the door. With a little smile, I left the two, still unsure of anything.

--------

Nancy watched as Bug left, waiting for the girl to be as far away as possible. Once she was sure the girl was out of earshot, Nancy turned her attention back to Captain Gare. “That was harsh.”

Gare’s face never changed. “I have to be harsh; that is what makes this school the best in the country. Claire’s amnesia is terrible. I wouldn’t wish such a fate on anybody, but her status as a refugee from Asia does not give her a free pass.”

“But you read the report, you know how unpredictable she could be,” Nancy retorted, “She needs training for own safety and for those around her.”

Gare didn’t seem fazed. “Doesn’t change a word I’ve said. Claire will be held to the same expectations as all my students. If she fails, she fails. No second chances.”

It suddenly dawned on her. “I see. The war.” Gare didn’t have to respond for Nancy to understand his reasoning. “Alright, Gare. But if something happens, call me first,” she reminded him as she stood up to leave.

His only response was, “No promises.” And as Nancy left the school to head to a doctor’s appointment, she wondered if it was a good idea to keep Bug’s origin a mystery from Gare. More importantly, she wondered if signing Bug up for this school was a good idea.

--------

So far, I had broken a door and an electric lock. Now, I wondered if I could break through a solid wall. The secretary quickly showed me where all the classrooms were, then brought me to my first class. There I stood in front of twenty-five other students, all dressed in the same uniform as me. I felt so exposed and nervous while I waited for the professor to introduce to me. I was dismayed to find that I was the smallest kid here. Everybody, including the girls, was bigger than me and despite the sillish uniform, they all looked like they wanted to kill me.

The professor also took an instant dislike towards me, judging by the glare he gave me when he read the note. I guess that the note meant babysitting to him, and he felt that babysitting someone like me was below him. Quickly, and without a word, he pointed to the only empty chair in the room, the one in the very front. I quietly took a seat, trying to avoid being the center of attention, but it didn’t matter. The students’ thoughts flowed through my mind: They are letting elementary students in here now? They’re idiots and Look at that hair, it screams I’m depressed and I want attention and the worst one, I can’t believe they would let such a snob in there. Snob? I wasn’t a snob. Wait, what was a snob?

“Before I was rudely interrupted, we were discussing the Nikola-Orestes Level System. Now, can anybody tell me what the Nikola-Orestes Level System is and what it does?” the professor asked us. One student, a boy, raised his hand but didn’t bother waiting for the professor to call on him.

“The Nikola-Orestes Level System is the system we use to categorize the different superhumans into one of the four current levels.”

The professor nodded in approval. “Very good. Now, would someone like to tell Claire here,” he said, pointing at me, “Why it’s called the Nikola-Orestes.”

Again, the same guy answered, this time with a smirk in his voice, “Well, Nikola organized it and created the testing system, basing it off the first real categorization created by Orestes, a Greek scientist who witnessed the Battle of Aegates.”

“That is a basic answer, but I’ll take it.” The professor wrote down the names of the five levels. “Now, trivia question. We learned about this last week, let's see if you can remember.” He turned to pick on a student to answer, his eyes resting me, “Claire, what is Level 5?” he asked me.

I froze. Level 5? There are five levels? Lacey only told me about four, and I don’t remember shit other than what I’ve been told and what little I still remembered and the Level 5s was not among that. “I… I… don’t know.”

The professor smirked. “Right, I forgot. Caithlin,” he called at a girl twice my size sitting next to me, “You have an excellent memory, unlike Claire here. Tell her what Level 5 is.” The professor had it out for me.

“I don’t know, professor, you didn’t go over this with our class, remember?” Caithlin informed him.

The professor thought for a second, then started laughing, seemingly agreeing with her. “Right, I told my other class, not your class. Well, then, while I’m on the subject,” the professor took a seat on the edge of his desk, “there were once superhumans who were more powerful than level 4s alive on this world. We refer to them as level 5s. Now, the Level 5s went extinct nearly two thousand years ago, so very little information is known about them, including why they went extinct, but what we do know is that these superhumans were basically gods. Their powers went far beyond our understanding of superhumans. Everything that we have achieved in terms of understanding why you are you would be undermined by these superhumans. Heck, everything we know about life, death, science, the UNIVERSE, would be shattered in the presence of the level 5s.”

A sudden bell rang over the intercom. “Is it that time already,” the professor said and checked his watch. “Hmm… guess it is. Alright, remember, test next Wednesday on the levels and we will have a review of the Ionic Measurement. Have a good weekend.” The professor seemed much nicer now. But, as he made eye contact with me, he glared. I narrowed my eyes to return the glare, and I was able to see his thoughts: ‘Why did they have to accept a reject in the test run?’

My glare disappeared, my emotions turning against me as tears began to form. I quickly left the room before I made the professor aware that I had read his mind. Normally, I would have stood up for myself, but this time, I didn’t. ‘Reject.’ He called me a reject just like Margaret did. And the students looked at me with such distaste and rejection that a feeling that I didn’t know emerged. I felt… cold. With that, I wandered into the second class.

-------

“You really should go to your hematologist-oncologist for this, Nancy.” Dr. Silas reminded her for the fourth time.

“I know, but what is he going to tell me that you won’t?” Nancy fired back at her friend. “Besides, I want to hear it from a friend.” Nancy was prepared. Prepared to know. Prepared to know how much longer she had left to live.

“Are you sure? I can send the results to Dr. Hamas,” Dr. Silas asked her friend again.

“Tell me, Laura. Please,” Nancy demanded.

Dr. Laura Silas took a deep breath. “Death is beyond my power to accurately predict, but there is an 85% chance that you won’t make it past New Years. I’m sorry.” Nancy simply sat there, quiet. “It’s time to get your affairs in order and say your goodbyes.”

“I know, Laura.” Nancy’s voice was barely above a whisper. She knew that cancer would claim her one day, but to finally know that her days were severely limited brought on new feelings. Relief, sadness, fear. “I know I need to tell them, my kids, Galen, Bug, but, right now, I feel that I should keep this... a secret.”

“A secret? Geezes, Nancy, you’re dying.”

“I’ve been dying for two years now, Laura. What makes now any different?” Nancy countered Dr. Silas’s disbelief.

“Well, for one, you have Bug to worry about. What is she going to do once you’re gone? And Galen. You two may have been separated for twelve years, but Galen is still legally your husband and you his wife. I still see it in your eyes, despite what is going on between you and him concerning Bug; you still love him and I’m willing to bet he still loves you.”

“I’ll withhold it from Bug for now until I figure out where to place her, or who to place her with, but I’ll go ahead and tell Galen,” Nancy said.

“You also need to tell your family. As soon as possible,” Dr. Silas told Nancy, knowing that she needed to allow people to help her during her last few weeks.

Nancy looked Silas right in the eyes. “My family? Now? Don’t forget. This weekend marks the twelfth year since Jared was killed at Lhasa. The family is reminded how they threw him out and rejected him, and when they finally realized their mistake and attempted to reconcile with him, they discovered that he had just been killed. If I tell them now, while they are grieving, it would destroy them.” Nancy’s voice became grieving, as she too suffered from the death of her Grandson. Dr. Silas didn’t say a word about it because she understood. “Jared and the superhuman legacy died twelve years ago tomorrow in Lhasa. For them to know that I will join them, it would more than shatter their hearts.”

Dr. Silas knew what she was talking about. Both she and Nancy were superhumans and grew up idolizing other superhumans. History sometimes glorified them, marking their legacy among the greats, alongside Beowulf and Odysseus. But now, because of the war and what had happened at Lhasa, what both Silas and Nancy believed in and fought for was now nothing more than a story told to children at bedtime. “How’s Bug been doing?” Dr. Silas decided to ask, to change the mood from death to a light conversation about the girl.

Nancy smiled. “I see that you prefer using that nickname she chooses for herself. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.” Both got a small laugh out of that. “I still don’t know what that pink coloring is, but it's getting brighter and more defined. She eats enough to feed a horse but continues to lose weight, and her period hasn’t come. I find it hard to believe that you were wrong.”

Dr. Silas frowned. “I’m not. Bug wasn’t pregnant, she should’ve had it unless…” Dr. Silas thought for a second, recalling a medical case that had occurred long before the war started. “Unless whatever ability she has is breaking down the material once the cycle is complete. So, she would have the normal cycle, but instead of having a period, her ability breaks everything down for the raw material. If she were to become pregnant, I’m certain that this would be negated.”

Nancy could only shake her head while smiling. “Lucky her. She doesn’t have to suffer.” By now, the atmosphere was light, with two friends having a nice conversation.

“How is she doing?” Dr. Silas asked, wanting to know how Bug was doing with her amnesia and her ability.

Nancy picked up on this. “Well, Bug still doesn’t remember anything, and while I hope for the best, a part of me believes that she may never recover her memory. Her powers are growing stronger every day. Galen’s belief that she is a level 4 may not be ill-founded.”

“Well… I’m sure you will find some place that will be good to her,” Dr. Silas said, finishing the conversation.

-------

“You don’t know what Project Eternity was, you barely know anything about the war, or anything involving what happened at Lhasa, but at least tell me you know how to use this?” the third professor of the day asked in bewilderment, referring to the iPad I was attempting to use.

“No,” I said quietly. The class responded with laughter, making me blush and become very embarrassed. I was always ashamed of my memory loss, but now it became unbearable.

“How do you not know how to use an iPad?” one student asked.

“Are you that dumb?” another asked. The tears that I had been holding back slipped through and the other students took immediate notice: “Oh, look guys, she’s crying.” Nearly every student was either laughing or amused, except for one. A boy with darkish skin. But he looked away, outmatched. In defeat, I looked down at this iPad. This stupid... FUCKING IPAD! I felt a quick surge of strength and energy and with a quick motion, I shattered the iPad. Unlike the lightbulbs whose pieces went flying everywhere, the iPad shattered into multiple pieces and just simply scattered over my desk. Everybody was taken back by what just happened, except for the professor, who simply just stood there, shaking her head,

“They had to stick the unpredictable in my class,” she quietly whispered. The rush of energy and strength passed, and I found myself staring at fellow students whose faces had a mix of surprise and fear on them. She’s stronger than she looks and Spoiled reject were the two most common thoughts pouring out of people’s head. The lunch bell ringing snapped everybody out. “Alright, we will resume our lesson on the Nepalese Civil War after lunch. Everybody is dismissed except Claire.” I knew I was in trouble. The professor waited until everybody left to say what she had to say: “You are a candidate and will only be here for two more days, but already on your first day, you’ve managed to break a $400 iPad. Now, I know you used your ability to break it in anger. Regardless of the unpredictability of your unknown ability, you need to get it in line or you won’t make it the remaining two days. Now, get to lunch so I can clean this up.”

Slumping in defeat, I dragged my feet out the door, heading to where the secretary had told me that everybody ate lunch. I didn’t need to worry about bringing a lunch, as they provided lunches for everybody. I was thinking about how I would face the other students when I ran into something very large and very heavy, falling on my butt. “Ow, who…” I looked up to see a guy in a military-like uniform looking down at me with a sickening grin. It was Frank’s grandson. The guy who body slammed on the farm where I first woke up.

“Well… well… well… it's the little Cutter. How about this, you attending my school,” he said matter-in-factly.

“Greg, is this the girl you body slammed?” Another student, female, and wearing the same type of uniform, came walking up to Frank’s grandson, whose name seemed to be Greg.

“Yup, this is her. I’m surprised to see her here. I was certain they would send her someplace dark and depressing, but nope, she winds up here, wearing that really cute uniform.” He leered when he spoke. I wanted to speak, to say something back to him, but he held his hand up., “Oh no, Cutter, you haven’t earned the privilege of speaking to a Cadet, so you better keep that mouth of yours shut.” I instantly became terrified. Despite how much my ability had developed, I knew what this guy could do, and the fact that he was here meant that he had an ability of his own.

“Why do you call this girl Cutter?” A third friend of Greg came up, pulling a student wearing the male version of my uniform behind him by the collar of his shirt.

Greg snapped his fingers, reached down and grabbed my shirt, and lifted me up off the ground. “You’ve gotten lighter since the farm. Are you starving yourself as well?” he mocked as he pulled my sleeves up, revealing the scars to his two friends.

“An attention beggar isn’t she,” one of the friends said, barely able to contain his laughter. In response, I started crying, my emotions running wild, but that only gave them more incentive to make fun of me. The middle school kid that they had dragged with them spoke no word in my defense. Finally, Greg simply tossed me down the hallway, towards the cafeteria. I hit the ground hard and struggled to recover. “You better get going, but don’t worry, I’m not finished with you, and neither is my dad!” he declared before leaving with his friends, dragging the middle school student with them.

Slowly standing up, pulling my sleeves down, and wiping the tears from my face, I made my way to the cafeteria. I was hurting, both inside and out. I hated the guy because of what he did to me on the day I woke up. But now I was scared of him. The way he looked at me, I saw an evil within him, a deep evil that knew no bounds.

There was nobody in line for the food when I reached the cafeteria, so I quickly grabbed my tray and looked for a place to sit. Good thing, though, because the professor who was watching over the lunchroom directed me to a table where the other Candidates were assigned to sit and eat. In total, there were six, excluding me. I only knew one; the rest weren’t in my class. As I took a seat, all of them gave me a look, but for the first time today, it wasn’t a look of disdain or annoyment or even hatred, but rather, a look of general concern.

“Rough day?” one asked.

“You can say that,” I said as I began to dig into my food, which, ironically, was a ham sandwich.

“Don’t worry, it will get better, especially since Monday we have gym class and they are going to help train our abilities,” another one said in great delight. I perked up at the mention at that. Finally, a chance to learn what exactly I could do.

Another candidate, the same boy who had refused to laugh at me in class, asked me in a strange accent, “Why don’t you know those things?” His tone seemed to be one of curiosity. The others seemed to be wondering the same thing. I honestly didn’t know what to tell them. The old lady never coached me on what to say if someone asked me about my memory problems.

“Uh, well, you see, I was in a horrible car accident a few months back. I survived, but my family wasn’t so lucky,” I told them, completely making it up. “While I’ve recovered physically, I still suffer from deep memory loss because of the accident. I’m sure I knew what the professor is talking about, but because the accident, I can no longer remember.” I saw their thoughts, and everyone thought the same thing: She’s an orphan, how sad, while their faces expressed sympathy. “There’s really nothing that I can do about it. Doctors say that I may never recover my memory.” I honestly wished that what I was telling everybody was fact rather than a lie. At least I would know my place in the world, and what happened to my family. But, in reality, it was far from the truth. I still had no idea where I came from and who or what I was.

Everybody accepted my answer, and the conversation shifted elsewhere, most discussing what they called the Falling Star; I had no idea what it was. Maybe I should sneak away to the library again and do some research. Biting into my own sandwich, I noticed that the boy from my class was still looking at me. His stare had none of the leerings that I experienced from Greg, but rather, a curious, almost knowing look. It was almost like he knew something about me that I didn’t know.

Suddenly, someone knocked my chair out, making me nearly drop my food. “Why is everybody so mean?” I asked as I sat back down.

Another kid, a girl that hadn’t spoken up yet answered, “It's the same thing at my old school. They’re broken.”

“Broken?” I asked.

“Well, in a war that has taken well over a billion lives, everybody has lost something,” she said. “I lost my father, all my uncles, two of my aunts, and two of my brothers.”

“Sorry to hear,” I responded, offering my sympathies. She gave me a smile in return.

“No, that’s not it.” The boy finally spoke up. I expected the girl to fire back, but she didn’t. Rather, she and the rest took interest and waited for him to speak. Like he possessed words of wisdom far beyond them. “They lack hope. Hope in themselves, hope in the future, hope in society, hope in life itself. It's just gone. And it's not just these students. It’s everybody.”

All I could do was ask why. “Remember the teacher referring to Project Eternity during class?” he asked me. I nodded. “Well, what I know about them is that they were a team of superhumans and that they were our protectors. But when the Battle of New York started back in 2001, they never came. They simply disappeared without a trace.” So, the world once had a superhero team. “When they disappeared, the world became fearful,” his voice became much more serious in tone, “they became afraid, worried. The war was just beginning. But they still had hope. Hope in each other. They believed that they could still set things right and fix the world, even without Project Eternity’s help.” The boy stopped for a moment, looking down at his food, then back at us. “But…” he said, hesitating to say the rest.

I looked at him, silently begging him to continue. The other students gave him a little nudge to get him to finish what he started to say. And he did, and now, I wished he didn’t, because it showed to me what kind of world I didn’t remember. “But when Lhasa perished, hope perished with it.”

Early Saturday morning, I was digging underneath the bed I slept in. I don’t know why I was, maybe I was bored, maybe I was trying to forget the unpleasant experience the day before. Honestly, the classes after lunch were just as a bad, and I got no information about Lhasa. But now, digging underneath a bed gave me time to think about it and now, I really didn’t want to know what had happened to Lhasa. I was also rethinking the whole school thing. How I was treated made me almost unwilling to go back, only the promise of ability training on Monday keeping me from asking the old lady to keep me here.

“Ooo… what’s this?” I spotted something that looked interesting. Grabbing it and climbing out from underneath the bed, banging my head along the way, I leaned back on my knees holding a teddy bear. It looked old, was missing an eye and had appeared to be sewed back together a few times, but still, it felt soft, comforting. Slowly, I drew it into a hug. As I hugged the bear, I thought over what I knew, the depressing fact that I felt unwelcomed in a world without hope. I thought over how the students and teachers treated me. I thought over everything, but now, the bear made me feel warm, comforted, and safe.

“I’m not surprised you found that.” I quickly dropped the bear and looked up. The old lady was leaning against the door, smiling.

“Do you ever knock?” I asked, embarrassed that she saw me hugging it.

“Yeah, twice, but you didn’t hear me. You were too busy being a little kid.”

I felt embarrassed. “How much did you see?” I asked sheepishly.

“All of it,” the old lady replied. She went and picked up the bear and sat down on the bed. I sat down next to her and watched her as she studied the bear. “I remember when I first got this bear for Jerri.”

“Jerri?” I asked, unsure who she was talking about.

“Oh…” The old lady realized that I didn’t know who she was talking about. “Jerri is my adopted daughter. I got her when she was just a baby and I raised her. Sadly, she was injured many years ago and remains in a coma. Anyways, she was only six, and my husband, well, late husband and I took her to a carnival. While there, I was able to win at something. I honestly don’t remember what kind of game it was, but this was my prize. The bear. So, I gave it to Jerri as a birthday present. She named it Mr. Fluffypants because, at one time, the bear had pants.” The old lady laughed silently, remembering good times. Then, she offered me the bear. “Here.”

I hesitated. From what the old lady told me, the bear belonged to someone else. But I still wanted to feel safe and comforted, feelings that I got when I hugged the bear. “Don’t worry, Bug, I don’t think Jerri will complain. Besides, I think you need it more than her right now.” Feeling reassured, I slowly took the bear and embraced it, feeling comforted. Maybe I was acting like a little kid, but I didn’t care. “I’m getting the feeling that yesterday wasn’t a good day.” The old lady was good at guessing my current state of my mind.

I didn’t answer because I didn’t feel like talking about it. Besides, if I did, what could the old lady do? I got a bad feeling when I was around Gare. I didn’t realize it at first, but now that I thought back to yesterday morning, I was getting a strange vibe from him. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I worried a bit about what would happen if the old lady confronted Gare. So, instead, I hugged the bear even tighter.

“I see. Well, when you are ready to talk, Bug, I’m here,” the old lady reassured me, and drew me into a hug. I tensed up, surprised. I’d been hugged before, by Lacey, and by the old lady, when I first arrived at this house and the other night, but this hug, it felt different. I felt that the old lady was hiding something from me and I still didn’t trust her, but the hug, it felt warm, safe. A soothing feeling came over me and I felt a strange emotion rise up, one that I didn’t recognise. It wasn’t fear, anger, hope. No, it was something else. I went to return the hug when she let go, seemingly feeling my body tense up in her embrace. “Oh, I have something for you, Bug.” She quickly left the room and came back with the Harry Potter book I took from the library, along with something small wrapped up. “In your haste, you took the book from the library without checking it out. I took the liberty of getting it checked out.” She handed me the book. “And next time you feel like sneaking out and going to that library, please use this.” She handed me a small envelope. A sudden knock at the door drew the old lady’s attention. “I’ll be right back.”

Once the old lady left the room, I looked down at the envelope. I felt that it had something small, but hard within it. Opening it, I found a card. Looking closely at it, I realized that it was a library card for the library I fell asleep in. On it was the name ‘Claire Doe’, my court given name. I still wondered why they decided on Claire. I was sure that there was some other, simpler name that the court assigned to those with amnesia, but I couldn’t remember what it was. That, or I simply never knew that bit of information. But something caught my eye; between the names, Claire and Doe was my personally chosen nickname, Bug. Claire ‘Bug’ Doe. I smiled, but my revelation was interrupted by the old lady crying out.

I dropped the card, but held onto the bear as I dashed out of my room, down the hallway, and into the kitchen. The scene I found was, well, indescribable.

--------

Nancy’s heart melted as she watched Bug act childish. Bug hugging the bear showed to Nancy that the girl still possessed an innocence of sorts and that was very hard to come by nowadays. But now, despite the girl finally starting to get her bearings and Nancy finally understanding how her balance between her personal feelings for the girl and her orders from Galen was affecting Bug, all that was about to get ripped away. Nancy knew that she didn’t have much time, so she needed to get her affairs in order. This included her family, which included Galen, and Bug. However, she decided to hold off on telling her family, minus Galen, of her impending death. Yes, it was horrible to do so, but today, and for the next week, right up to Christmas Eve, was the International Mourning Week. This was an emotional time for everybody because it was the time when people remembered the day when Lhasa perished. Lhasa caused the world as a whole to break to a point where the reasons for the war became pointless. Everybody fought because they simply could. There was no honor, there was no reason. This is because when something breaks, it can’t always be put back together.

For her own family, this time was also hard for them. It was the anniversary of Jared’s death at the Battle of Lhasa. A lot of families lost people during the battle, but for Nancy’s family, it was different. They had betrayed Jared, turned against him when he needed them the most, and for no reason. Jared had done nothing wrong, but his family turned against him and abandoned him. Nancy knew that even she had turned her back on her grandson. By the time they had all realized their mistake and attempted to contact him, they discovered that Jared had perished along with Lhasa. For them, their guilt only caused additional grief. For Nancy to tell them now, while they were all grieving for Jared, would destroy them. It was better to wait until the grieving period passed.

But the situation with Bug was different. The girl was a nobody. She had no fingerprints and her DNA did not match any in the system. The Agency had even run her picture through the missing persons database. Despite the millions in the database, Bug did not match any in the system. A quiet investigation undertaken by the state police along with the Agency turned up no results. No one in the area that Bug was found in recognized the girl. In truth, Nancy wasn’t even sure Bug even had any family. Everybody involved in the investigation into Bug’s past knew by this point that the girl had some connection to the Falling Star. Whether she was hit by it or came into contact with it after it crashed, it most likely responsible for Bug’s memory loss. Who Bug was before that memory wipe was, in Nancy’s opinion, impossible to figure out. But it also presented the truth that Bug had no current connections to this world. So, if Nancy were to tell Bug that she was dying, it wouldn’t have the same effect.

However, Nancy did need to consider something. Bug was right, she had treated her like nothing. Nancy tried so hard to balance the weight of her orders and the care Bug needed. But she’d failed, and Bug had suffered for it. Not only did Bug need a home, but someone to care for her and love her. Not to ignore her and her needs and keep her locked up away from other people, but to help the girl embrace her abilities and give her the life that she needed. A healthy life. Nancy felt though that she was the least qualified to give it to her. So were Galen and her own family, except maybe Frederick. But Frederick was busy in Singapore trying to keep the peace between the two sides. There was no way he had the time to care for a teenage girl that had no memory and level 4 abilities. So, while telling the girl that she was dying and that she would have to be placed somewhere else might not have the same effect with Bug, her news of her impending death could spark Bug to uncontrollably lash out, either in anger at being lied to or in fear of the future.

Watching Bug hug the stuffed bear when she found it, then hug it again after Nancy gave her the bear to keep showed Bug’s current mental state quite well. Simply watching the girl gave Nancy second thoughts. Instead of talking with her about the future, Nancy shook off that idea and gave Bug the library card. It was a stupid move, but Nancy simply chickened out.

The knock on the door was surprising. Nancy knew of no visitors that were supposed to be coming by today. Her son Eugene’s family was going to be visiting Jared’s empty grave in Winchester, and everybody else was out of the state. The knock was meant that there was either a neighbor stopping by, or it was Galen. Most likely it was indeed Galen, coming by to talk to Nancy about Bug’s first day. She left Bug to her own devices to go check who was at the door. To her worry, it was neither Galen nor a neighbor. Standing outside her door were two army personnel dressed in Class A uniforms. She recognized one as a chaplain. The only time that the army sent an Army Chaplain personally was in the case of someone’s death while serving in the military. She had only two family members in the armed forces. Jerri and Frederick. Jerri was lying in a coma in a military hospital in Washington. It was possible that she had finally passed away, but it was most likely Frederick had perished. The Chaplain said a few things, confirming that Nancy was indeed Nancy. It made no sense, most army officers that were still around knew who Nancy was. She was the mother of General Frederick Rodes, the man responsible for securing the first true ceasefire in years.

But now, Nancy was in deep shock. It was her time to die; no one else’s. Frederick, she was sure it was him. With Frederick being dead, the world might descend into war. Both sides respected him and now that he was surely gone, the world faced an uncertain time.

“Ma’am…” the Chaplain started, “the Secretary of the Army has asked me to express her deep regret that your daughter, Jerri, was killed in an explosion that took place at the hospital where she was receiving care.” Nancy paused. Jerri? How could it be Jerri? She was in a hospital, away from any combat. Jerri was in a coma, if anything, she would have just passed away peacefully. But to hear that she was killed? “The Secretary wishes to express her deepest sympathies to you and your family.” Nancy fell back with a sob. Jerri, killed? How could that be possible? Jerri wasn’t supposed to die, hell, she wasn’t even supposed to be anywhere near a battlefield, both when she was injured and now. Her last surviving daughter… dead.

The Chaplain cleared his throat. Nancy realized that they had an observer: Bug. Nancy’s outcry had drawn the girl into the kitchen to investigate what happened. She even was still holding the bear with one hand. Jerri’s teddy bear. “Go, Bug!” Nancy demanded, tears streaming. She wasn’t mad, she just didn’t want Bug to see her like this. But Bug didn’t move. Her face was a mix of surprise and confusion. She didn’t know what was going on. “GO, Bug!” Nancy cried out, much louder, and more forceful. Bug quivered, suddenly afraid. Nancy instantly regretted yelling at her, but there was nothing she could do because Bug slipped out of the kitchen and back to her room, leaving Nancy sobbing in front of the Army personnel.

-------

Nancy finally chased away the two officers, but it mattered little if they were gone. Jerri was dead, and there wasn’t even enough of a body to recover. The explosion, which was still being investigated, originated from the hospital wing that Jerri was in. There simply was nothing left to be recovered, meaning Nancy had nothing to bury. Regardless, she would still have to travel to Washington to handle everything, meaning she would have to leave Bug here. This might take a few days and there was good chance that Nancy couldn’t get home in time to take Bug to school. The girl needed to make it. If she succeeded in getting in, Nancy wouldn’t have to worry about placing Bug somewhere, as she could simply live at the school in the dorms. This meant that Bug had to stay here, alone. Of course Nancy was worried, but the only thing Bug did when she was out and about was read and sleep. Between that and Bug’s developing abilities, Nancy felt secure enough to leave her here.

Nancy tried to collect her belongings but found herself simply falling onto the couch, overcome with emotions that she had nearly forgotten. She just sat there, detached from everything. Nancy had mentally prepared herself for the news of Frederick’s death at the hands of something other than natural causes, but Jerri… Nancy never expected her to die. Selfish, maybe, but it came down the simple fact that one was in a combat zone and one wasn’t.

“Are you okay?” a quiet voice asked. Nancy looked up, her eyes red with tears, to see Bug standing in the doorway to the living room. She didn’t have the bear this time and her face showed concern and worry. She was rubbing her arm a bit nervously as well. Go figure, Nancy had just yelled at her.

Nancy searched for the words, but couldn’t find any. Instead, Nancy turned away from Bug, too emotional to talk to her. Bug stood in the doorway for a few moments, hesitant about what to do. To Nancy’s surprise, Bug sat down next to her and leaned her head on Nancy’s shoulder. That was how they stayed for awhile. Nancy stared off into space, still overcome with deep emotions, and Bug rested against her shoulder.

It was quiet and peaceful, reminding Nancy of beautiful memories, of her children growing up, being cared for in this house. Remembering a time before the war. Before the destruction. Of barbecue, of family gatherings on warm summer days. Evenings hanging out by the creek and river, or just having fun by the campfire. Nancy smiled as she remembered watching her children, and then later, her grandchildren run across their yard, with imaginations that even the most powerful superhuman couldn’t contain. So many memories in this house, so many memories, good memories, her family and the past, but now, they were nothing. Claimed by the war. Now, Jerri had become another victim of the war. She had become one of the forgotten.

Nancy looked down at Bug, brushing the longer strands of hair away from her face. The girl had fallen asleep while leaning against Nancy. She looked peaceful, at ease, and the pained look that often plagued her had disappeared. Just watching her sleep made it hard to believe that Bug was a teenager. Her actual age was unknown, but just looking her… she was so small. Her mind still held innocence. But Nancy knew looks could be deceiving. Beneath Bug’s angelic appearance lay vast, untapped power. More power than any student or teacher at that school, maybe except Gare, who was one of the three remaining Level 4s in the Americas.

Nancy’s watch finally beeped, alerting her that it was time to go. She needed to pick up Eugene and Charles in Front Royal before heading on to Washington. Gently waking Bug, she prepared to tell her the news, “Someone in my family just died, so I’m needed in Washington with my family. However, I can’t guarantee that I will be back by Monday morning, so you are going to have stay here over the weekend.” Bug didn’t say anything, she just remained still, listening. “The library is closed today and tomorrow, but I’m not going to lock you in this time. If you want to go out, just promise me you’ll stay out of trouble?” Bug nodded, but she still didn’t say anything. “Alright. There is food, but if you want something else, there is enough money to get it. Just don’t empty the bank. If I’m not back by Monday morning, I’ll have someone drop by to take you to school.” Nancy quickly went over everything in her head, making sure she’d said everything that needed to be said.

Feeling satisfied, she got up and gathered her stuff from where she’d dropped it. “Alright, Bug, I’ll be back hopefully on Monday. Stay safe.” Nancy was about to leave when Bug did something unexpected. She jumped off the couch and gave Nancy a hug. In all the time Bug had been living with Nancy, she had never returned a hug unless encouraged to do so by someone else. Whether the girl was simply very shy, or had trust issues, she was very particular as to who she showed affection to, and Nancy knew she wasn’t part of Bug’s very short list. But Bug hugged her, right here, right now, without being asked or anything. Maybe she sensed the despair building within Nancy, or maybe she simply decided to hug her for no other reason. But whatever the reason, Nancy quickly returned it and at that moment, she felt something. A connection. Something that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt love. Love for the girl. What Galen said, no, what he ordered, no longer mattered.

Neither Bug nor Nancy knew how long they embraced, but it came time to end the embrace. Looking down at the girl, the girl with half brown, half pink hair, the purest blue eyes, and Eurasian appearance, she wiped a tear from Bug’s face. She regretted that she would be dying soon. “Take care of yourself. I’ll be back, I promise,” was all Nancy could say by that point. Walking out the door, Nancy prepared herself for the unfortunate job of telling her sons of their adopted sister’s death.

----------

For the remainder of Saturday and well into mid-day Sunday, I didn’t do much except read and watch Firefly. I had the freedom to leave the house and go out and explore, but I stayed in the house. The quietness had given me time to think. My thoughts did stray to the old lady and her loss, but they mostly rested in my place in the world. I was given a reminder of death today, which was partly the reason why I hugged the old lady. I was wondering at one point about who thought I was dead. But I also realized that there was good chance that there was no one who thought I was dead because I had nothing before this.

However, by Sunday night, I had suppressed those feelings. I had gotten too depressed thinking about it and I was afraid I might cause more light bulbs to explode, or worse, a window. Now, I was lying on my bed after a delicious dinner of Indian chicken curry, a meal that I had bought from a convenience store down the street. I was thinking about the things that I would be able to do tomorrow. I wasn’t looking forward to classes and the interaction with the students and teachers that didn’t like me. Before, I was longing for the chance to attend school, but now, I was dreading it. I hated being singled out, and for what? Sitting up in the bed sighing, I realized that while I didn’t look forward to school, I was still hopeful for the chance to be able to learn how to use my abilities. So far, I only had very limited control of them, emerging when I was angry or upset. I did have better control of my telepathy, but I still involuntarily read minds from time to time.

Looking down at my hands, I wondered what other abilities lay dormant deep within me. A few had emerged since I woke up, but still, I could only imagine what abilities I had yet to discover. Lying back down and hugging the bear, I contemplated what to do tomorrow. I needed to make it to the class that would provide me with knowledge on how to use my abilities, but after, I really didn’t want to go back. Maybe if the old lady made me go on Tuesday, I’d go ahead and give that Greg what’s coming to him, a kick to the groin.

By now, my eyes were feeling heavy, so I got underneath the covers to get warm. Tomorrow was just going to be like Friday, a day that was unwelcoming to me.

--------

At first, nothing. Then something. A feeling, a sense of something, the awareness of a place. A cold feeling came over me, and I felt myself enter a dark space, empty of all emotional thought. Quickly snapping my eyes open, my awareness returning, I found myself in the same place that I had dreamt about in the library. The same continuous darkness, the same mushy ground. The same feeling of absolute despair. Why am I dreaming about this again? I thought as I wandered around. The last time I dreamed of this place, I was attacked by flowing, mud-like hands that emerged from the ground, but as I was walking across the dark, mud-like ground, there was nothing. This place was nothing in all directions.

“Wait a second, if I’m dreaming, then how the hell am I aware? It's almost like I’m awake,” I contemplated out loud. Unless… I began to come to a realization as I watched the ground began to shift, I’m not dreaming. The moment that thought passed through my mind, a form began to take shape from the mud. It rose, flowing and shifting awkwardly, before finally taking the shape of a girl. It started speaking with a very quiet voice, making it nearly impossible for me to hear what it was saying. As it started to make its way towards me, more figures emerged from the ground, each taking the shape of a person, but still retaining the flowing muddy appearance. They all began to speak, but I was unable to hear what they were saying.

The first female figure reached me, but before it could grab me, I stepped to the side, sticking my leg out to trip it. When its leg made contact with mine, it came apart and the figure fell forward, disappearing into the darkness. But as quickly as it disappeared, it reappeared, re-emerging from the darkness. This time, I could hear what it was saying, “Why did…” the rest I couldn’t understand. By now, the other figures began to converge on me, so I tried to run, only to fall when a hand rose up from the darkness and grabbed my ankle.

“What do you want?” I screamed while trying to get free. I need to run, but more hands grabbed me. How was I supposed…. “My ability!” I had to try it. Focusing on every ounce of will I had to get free, I felt a surge of energy rush down towards my legs and out into the murky hands holding me down. Instantly, they exploded in a rush of messy goo, but I was free. With the figures nearly on top of me, I ran as fast as I could away from there. However, there was a problem. Where the fuck was I supposed to go? The place was endless, nothing but darkness in every direction.

A sudden wall of blackness shot up right in front of me, blocking my escape. Now I needed to wake up in order to escape. With the figures not far me behind me, I needed to wake up fast. So, I did what any rational being would do. I started hitting myself. Slapping my face, saying “Wake up!” every time my hand made an impact. But all I was left with was a stinging face and a failure to wake up. Turning around, I made eye contact with the female figure that had first emerged from the ground. Just I resolved to punch myself somewhere in the gut, the figure spoke again, only this time, I heard and understood every word. “Why did you leave us?” it asked. I stopped, surprised.

“You know me?” I questioned it.

The figure asked the same question again, “Why did you leave us?” it said a more forceful tone. The figure, this murky, dark flowing figure, knew me. But how? How did it know me? “Why did you leave us?” it asked for the third time.

“Who… who are you?” I inquired. If it knew me, there was a chance that this ‘thing’ knew my name. But once again, the figure ignored my question and asked the question it had already asked three times so far.

“Why did you leave us… why did you leave us… why did you leave us?” it chanted the question over and over again. I stepped back against the wall of flowing darkness. Soon, the figure was joined by the others, asking the same thing, “Why did you leave us!” The figures didn’t say that last one like a question, more like a demand, their voices murky and full, but understandably full of pure anger. Suddenly, all the figures joined together as one big geyser of darkness, streaming up, curving, and shooting back down at me, “WHY DID YOU LEAVE US, JAMIE!” they screamed as the geyser prepared to strike me down. I quickly gathered enough strength, and just before the geyser struck me, I punched myself as hard as I could in my gut, causing me to fall back… right onto the floor of my room.

Quickly coming to my senses, I felt my stomach heave. Making a mad dash to the bathroom, I threw up what was left of my dinner into the toilet bowl. Breathing heavily, with the nausea subsiding, I flushed and leaned back on the floor, exhausted. I was a mess. I felt sick, my stomach hurt, and I was drenched in sweat.

Emotionally wrecked, I glanced around the room, double checking that it was, in fact, the old lady’s bathroom and not the Dark Place. The clock that read 2:46 am on the wall, thirty neatly folded bath towels in the closet, and a small sticker that I had placed on the mirror. Yeah, I was awake, I was back. But I was overwhelmed with my experience. Now I knew this and the time back in the library weren’t dreams. That raised the question, if I wasn’t dreaming, then what was I doing and what the hell was that place?

“That place... what was it?” I whispered to myself. Those figures, whatever they were, seemed to know me. They even called me Jamie. Jamie, was that my real name? Was that who I was? Jamie? So many questions and no answers. Curling up into a ball, I started to cry, unsure of what to do now.

There was simply too much going through my head to go back to sleep, so I stayed up. My name, my true name, was, if those figures could be trusted, Jamie. It wasn’t that bad of a name, so that was good. But still, those figures, they screamed it out in anger and pain. What happened? What did I do? Most importantly, what was the Dark Place? The last time, I assumed that I was dreaming, and that place was a representation of my mind. Now, I was sure that I wasn’t dreaming. This raised the question: if I wasn’t dreaming, then what was I doing?

I sat on the couch that morning dressed in my silly uniform, eating a grain bar, trying to comprehend what had just occurred overnight. I still didn’t feel good. I felt ‘icky’, and my stomach hurt, although I suspect that was either because my period finally decided to arrive, or because I punched myself in the stomach. Probably the latter.

I thought over everything as I waited to be picked up. The old lady hadn’t returned yet, so I wondered who would be taking me to school. I was hoping it was Lacey, because I didn’t know anybody else that knew me well enough and actually liked me. I hoped because I had some questions I wanted to ask her. Not about the Dark Place, but questions such what happened at Lhasa. I decided that before I went to class and was mocked for my lack of knowledge, I should find out what exactly happened at Lhasa. I knew enough from an old 1975 atlas that the old lady had that it was the capital city of Tibet, in China. But what exactly could happen in an isolated city such as Lhasa was beyond me.

If the old lady had any information on it, she hid it really well. I thought that maybe the television would have something about it, but I quickly realized that I had also forgotten how to work a flat screen TV. I literally stood in front of the television, completely clueless on which buttons to push, then proceeded to bang my head against the remote, giving me a headache.

In the midst of my thoughts, I heard the front door open and close. The old lady, or at least Lacey, I hoped, had arrived to take me to school. As much as I didn’t want to go back, I was looking forward to at least some sort of training to use my ability. I quickly threw my trash away and went to greet… Margaret? Oh fuck. It was Margaret, Lacey’s mother and the bitch that slapped me back during Thanksgiving dinner because I had the unfortunate luck of my telepathy emerging at that moment.

“We need to hurry, so where is your backpack,” her husband asked as he walked into the kitchen while his wife glared at me. I pointed to the bookbag that I had hidden underneath the table last night. “Do you have everything?” I nodded yes.

“Then what are you waiting for, let's go,” Margaret snapped in a demanding, rude tone. Yup, she still hated me. The husband seemed on edge from his wife’s tone, but he motioned me to hurry. I grabbed my bookbag, which had my gym clothes in it, and followed them to their car. Lacey wasn’t in the car, meaning it would just be Margaret, her husband whose name I didn’t remember, and me. To top it off, I was still feeling like crap.

Just like with the old lady, I was demoted to the backseat. For a while, we drove in silence, Margaret taking odd times to cast disapproving glances at me, making me feel uncomfortable about myself. Well, now was as good a time as any.

“Um… ma’am,” I started to say. Her husband glanced back at me from the mirror, but Margaret kept her eyes on the road, “It wasn’t really my fault…” I was hesitant to start. I didn’t really owe her an apology for anything. It wasn’t my fault that my ability decided at that moment to emerge and wreak havoc. “I had no idea that my ability would emerge at that moment, and I’m…”

“Just shut up, Bug,” Margaret finished, interrupting me. She didn’t even look back at me, she just kept her eyes straight, doing the opposite of what she had been doing the entire fucking ride! I was upset and angry. I was attempting to apologize, and she just blew me off.

“Why do you hate me?” I asked. Her husband tensed, as did Margaret. “Why…” I started to ask again but stopped. I hadn’t felt good all morning, since I fell out of bed. I felt my stomach heave and I knew I was going to throw up. The husband looked back at me and quickly realized the same thing I did.

“Crap. Find a bag. Find a bag! She’s going to puke!” Both started to panic, but did manage to find one and throw it back to me. Unfortunately for them, but sweet revenge for me against Margaret, they were a little bit too late.

----------

When we arrived at the school, it was Margaret’s husband, whose name I finally remembered to be Eugene, who took me inside. We were a half hour late because I puked what little I had left in my stomach on the backseat, and Margaret was so angry that she couldn’t even stand being in my presence.

Once we were inside, Eugene explained our reasons for being late to Gare, but he told us to shut up. “I don’t care why she was late. All that matters is that she broke the rules, so take this worthless piece of shit back home. She doesn’t belong here!” he demanded.

Eugene was taken back by this. “Excuse me?” he asked Gare.

Gare simply stared him down. “You heard me. One infraction is one too many and I do not tolerate any infractions from any student. So I deemed, because of this, that Claire does not belong here. She has failed the trial run.” Fucking asshole, Gare had wanted me gone since he first met me.

Eugene slammed his hands down on Gare’s desk. “Bullshit. There are those in here that do far worse things and you turn a blind eye. I know exactly what you are doing, you racist pig!”

Gare’s anger boiled over and he looked ready to strike Eugene, but my anger reached a snapping point first, A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT, HUH? WELL THEN, I’LL SHOW MY WORTH, YOU FUCKING ASS!” I wasn’t near any wall that I could punch, but I certainly could stomp my leg on the solid floor. Sure, it made me look like a little girl having a temper tantrum, but at that point, I’d been put through so much shit that I didn’t give a damn. I slammed my foot against the concrete floor. Immediately, the building shook as if a train had hit it going as fast as it could, and the lights flickered as dust rained down on us.

Gare took cover, fearful, but Eugene stood firm. “Now…” he started, “me and my wife have to be at my sister’s funeral in less than an hour. We do NOT have time to take Claire back to my mother’s house. She is staying here today. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with my mother, when she comes to pick up the girl later today, or Galen. You choose.” I watched as Eugene stood up for me and put Gare in his place. Gare may have been military (at least I thought that was what he was), but he was no match for my new hero.

Gare considered his options, then wrote something down on a piece of paper. “Here’s a pass to class. Now get going!” he ordered, clearly embarrassed. Once outside the office and in a hallway full of students who were trying to figure out what had caused the building to shake, I gave Eugene a hug, to thank him for helping me.

“You’re very welcome,” he said, clearly guessing why I was hugging him. “Don’t worry about Gare. He may act tough, but he’s really a pitiful coward. His true self clearly showed itself when you proved who was more powerful.” That made me feel very happy. I was finally able to prove myself here, even if I was throwing a temper tantrum. “And don’t worry about my wife,” he finished.

“Oh?” I was surprised that he brought her up.

“It just that she’s never been the same since our son was killed. It takes her a lot longer to warm up to people. Don’t worry, she will warm up to you at some point. It may just require Lacey knocking some sense into her.” He laughed at his own joke about his daughter, but his face told me that he didn’t really believe his own words. “Now, you better get to class. My mother will be here in the evening to get you.”

I took his word and headed off to my first class, waving to him as he left. Strange that he never brought up the fact that I puked in his car. But at least I knew who Lacey took after the most. Her father.

--------

Gare must've passed the word, because today my classes were worse than the last time. The professors took every opportunity to belittle me, and every mistake I made, they laughed at. They found my inability to use this ‘iPad’ to be hilarious. I flushed with shame. It wasn’t my fault I didn't have my memories. I was so sure that I’d known at one point, but my stupid amnesia robbed me of so many things. And of course, what bad day would be complete without a run in with Greg, Frank’s perverted grandson. Seriously, when I was heading to the lunchroom, he knocked me on my ass AGAIN, and spent nearly the entire time that his friends were yelling at me staring at my chest. I knew I didn’t having anything outright special, but it didn’t matter. It made me feel very uncomfortable and I wished that I had something in my stomach so I could puke on him. But I became very afraid when his eyes moved from my chest to my groin.

“I never noticed this before, but you are very pretty, Cutter. How about you and I sneak away and ‘do it’.” He began to drool, literally. This guy was obviously a sick bastard. But his friends agreed, patting him on the back, congrating him as if it was a done deal. As if I was some prize. How dare they think of me like that!?!

Suddenly, my fear turned into anger. My body was for me and me only, not for this insane kid undressing me with his eyes. “No!” I outright yelled at him. He and his friends became angry at me, but I didn’t care, I didn’t want anything to do with Greg. He’d only known me for a few hours and already he wanted to have sex with me. Sure, I had amnesia, but I wasn't stupid. I knew what Greg was. A deranged, perverted, sick, evil bastard.

“How dare you speak to us without permission!” Greg screamed at me, reminding me of Gare’s ‘rules’. How dare I? Okay, you little sicko, I’ve had enough of you.

“Watch me,” I said, and I finally did what I should have done a long time ago. This might get me kicked out, but I was so done with this sick pervert. Right then and with his friends watching, I took both of my legs and kicked as hard as I could in his groin. Immediately he fell to the ground in pain. I was disappointed that my ability didn’t emerge. I would have loved to see his balls get sent flying through the roof, but I guess I could settle for second best.

His friends set upon me as fast as I stood up, but right now, I was feeling empowered. This feeling was new, and I liked it. I was finally standing up to that asshole. “You will pay for that,” his friend yelled, and took a swing at me. Now this guy was huge, even bigger than Greg, but it didn’t matter. I took a gamble and moved my hand to meet his fist. And it worked; I stopped his punch. I didn’t even feel the impact. Then Greg recovered enough to take his own punch at me. I knew what his strength was, but it didn’t matter. I blocked his punch with my other hand. I clenched my fists down on their hands, forcing the two to fall down onto their knees.

Both the girl and Greg’s guy friend became fearful, as well as the high school onlookers as they realized along with me that I was more powerful than them. That my tiny body held great power. “How… how…” the guy tried to say. In response, I simply shrugged. Now, while this guy was afraid, Greg wasn’t. His face was full of rage, and I saw something in his eyes. An evil that despite everything, I still feared. So I let go of them and skipped to lunch, with Greg’s eyes boring into my back. Even if I’d won that fight, I was still afraid of what he would do to me. Also, I was worried about what Frank might do if he found me.

At lunch, the boy with the strange accent struck up a conversation with me, and I finally learned what his name was. It was Dhruv. “So, Claire, I see that you are still struggling with that iPad. At least you didn’t break it this time.”

“Don’t remind me…” I said as I stirred my soup, my thoughts on Greg, my abilities, but most importantly, on the Dark Place.

“Here, let’s fix that,” a girl sitting next to me said, pulling out her own iPad. “Let me re-teach you how to use it.” In that one sentence, this girl was doing more than any teacher i’d had, so I enthusiastically agreed. I learned that the girl’s name was Sybil; she taught me how to use the basic functions of the iPad. Not enough to be an absolute master of the device, but enough to keep up with my classmates.

“So, Claire, would you happen to know who was responsible for our little earthquake this morning?” Dhruv asked me while Sybil taught me the ropes to her device. I gave him a sheepish smile, pretty sure he already knew it was me. “Word travels very fast here, so I heard that you went up against Greg.”

Suddenly, every one of the test run students, including Sybil, stopped eating and stared at me in shock. “You went up against Greg, leader of the Destructors?” she asked.

“Uh… yeah?” I remembered my little fight with Greg earlier.

“Oh man, he hates being beaten at anything. He and his gang will stop at nothing to get revenge for anything,” another kid said, showing a hint of fear.

“Yeah, those Destructors dudes are messed up. Next to Gare, Greg is the most powerful guy in this school, and the runner-ups fill all the top ranks.”

Okay, I was confused. “Who are the Destructors?”

It took a second for everybody to remember that I had amnesia and it was very likely that the Destructors fell under that do-not-remember category. Sybil ended up being the one to tell me who they were. “Well, the Destructors are a superhuman gang that runs free in Harrisonburg. They terrorize non-superhuman and superhuman folk everywhere, and since Greg possesses the most powerful ability here at this school and Gare refuses to do anything to stop them, the local cops have tried without success to put a stop to them. So far, it's only making it worse.”

“What kind of ability does he have?” I asked. Sybil took a second to remember, but Dhruv spoke up before Sybil was ready.

“He has what is known as Movement Direction. His ability allows him to change the direction and speed of an object just by touch. While it is a level 3, its capabilities put it above the other level 3s here.”

Dhruv seemed to know a bit too much. “How do you know this? You have only been here for a day,” I inquired.

“Everybody knows Greg,” another girl said. “Everybody knows him because the Destructors live up to their name. Greg especially thinks he is so untouchable that he believes he can get away with anything.” That made sense. He wanted to have sex with me, and became pissed when I refused him. Or did he get pissed because I kicked him in the groin? Hard to tell.

One of the normal middle school students wandered up to our table. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.” This student glared down at me, and I felt an urge to shrink away. “You better watch your ass. He has what he calls his ‘signature move’. He pushes his ability to its limit and kicks a ball at you.” Several of us couldn’t help but giggle. “It's no laughing matter. Regardless of how silly it sounds, it has put many kids in the hospital for months at a time, the worst being a year. There are even rumors that Greg has killed someone using his ‘signature move’. Since you showed him up in a fist fight, you can bet your life that he will use it against you, Claire. You may have been one of the few who blocked his punch, but you will never be able to block that kick. No one has.”

When the kid left, no one talked. It was silent for the rest of lunch. I guess we all thought the same thing. What was going to happen when I ran into Greg again?

--------

It was finally gym class. Sure, changing into my gym clothes with a bunch of girls was a little discomforting, but my excitement couldn’t be contained. Another student did downplay what was going to happen in terms of ability training, but still, it was something. Something other than the old lady, and by now, I didn’t feel sick, so I could put my full attention into the lesson. Another good thing: Sybil was in this class, so at least I could have a friend for support.

“Sybil, I never asked. What is your ability?”

“Oh, I have a technology based ability. It's quite weak, only a level 2. What about you, Claire?”

“To be honest I do… oh, shit.” My eyes came to rest on the gym teacher, and it was none other than Frank himself. A wave of emotions overcame me and I wanted to run. Run far, far away from this school. But before I could even move a muscle, Frank caught me, and he smiled. Not a good, welcoming smile, but a devious, angry smile. To make matters worse, Greg stepped out from behind him. Grandson and grandfather, together, against me. This day was a complete setup.

“Something wrong, Claire?” Sybil asked, but then gasped when she saw who I was looking at. “Oh, shit.”

“No kidding,” I agreed with her. I was in deep shit.

“Well… well… well, look who it is.” Frank walked up to me, the other students stepping far away from him. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d had a run in with him. “It's the girl that killed my cattle, broke my door, caused me to land in cow dung, and now, deeply embarrassed my grandson.” Leaning down close to me and grabbing my shirt, pulling me close, he said: “You may have gotten away with your crimes at my farm, but you are certainly not going to get away with what you did to my grandson and his friend.” He looked down at my exposed arms, noting the fading scars on them. “Nice scars,” he said rather loudly, then threw me to the floor, walking away laughing, obvious pleased with himself.

Sybil helped me up. “What’s his problem?” She obviously hadn’t heard what Frank had first said, but she did hear about the scars, because that was what she was looking at when she helped me up. “I’m guessing those came from before the accident that took your memory?”

“Yeah.” I really did want to know how I got the injuries I had when I woke up on that farm. Everything else had healed, except for the scars on my arms. “Let’s just get started with this class,” I said while looking over at the other students, who’d all heard Frank’s final words and were giggling. Great, now everybody is going to call me ‘Cutter’.

We all did a warm up, three laps in the gym, which I obviously excelled in, before lining up. I was dismayed that this class was going to be taught by Frank and I no longer wanted to learn how to use my ability, not if Frank was the one teaching it. “Okay, students, I know that ability training is scheduled for today, but since we have a longer class today, lets play a game of kickball with the high schoolers to warm up.” Everybody cheered, everybody except me and Sybil. We knew what was going to happen. It was all a setup.

As the high schoolers filed in, I noted that Greg’s ‘girlfriend’ and the other guy who’d tried to punch me were among them. The girl caught my eye and smirked, clearly knowing what was about to unfold, but the guy, he saw me, but he couldn’t look me in eye. His face looked heavy, and he appeared nervous. Was he afraid of me?

“Alright. It will be high schoolers vs middle schoolers. Normal rules apply. Do not use your abilities.” Frank listed, but I caught it. He quickly glanced at his grandson and winked. Well, luckily for me, I had very little control over my abilities. However, I didn’t actually have a power that could stop a ball kicked by a guy who had put people in the hospital for months at a time doing the same thing. Sure, I could stop a punch, but stopping something that had put a kid in the hospital for a year? I wasn’t so sure.

To my relief, we got to kick first which meant I wouldn’t have to face Greg just yet, but my relief was soon shattered when Frank had me kick first. I was nervous and tried to back away, but one of the students pushed me into position to kick the ball. “Uh, what do I do if I kick the ball?” I quietly whispered to Sybil as I waited.

“You run to the first base over there, then to the second, then third, and so on.” She pointed to each corner of the gym. Okay, it made some sense.

“Get ready,” Frank sneered at me. He really hated me, and would do his damn best to make me miss the kick and embarrass myself in front of the students, adding to my misery. Well, not today. I was determined to not miss. Frank rolled the ball at me, in a way that would make it difficult to kick. He must’ve had an ability, but it didn’t matter. I watched the ball and calculated where it would end up. When it reached a point, I moved and with all the force I could muster, my foot made contact with the ball.

Well, my ability didn’t emerge, but it didn’t matter like before. The ball was sent flying, bouncing off the wall, while I ran for first base. Now, I’m pretty sure that when you want to get someone out in this kind of game, you have to throw the ball at someone. Well, instead of getting a ball thrown at me, I was tackled to the ground by Greg’s ‘girlfriend’. It hurt just as much as getting body slammed by Greg and I got the wind knocked out of me.

“Claire!” Sybil yelled, running over to me and throwing the girl off, “Are you okay?”

“You’re out!” Frank yelled. “Now, get back in line before I send you to Gare’s office!”

I coughed a few times, trying to get air back in my lungs. “I’m okay. Nothing is broken. Just help me up,” I asked Sybil. She didn’t hesitate. Quickly lifting me to my feet, we both slowly made our way to the back of the line of middle schools. After me, the next two people were struck out and we switched, the high schoolers now kicking. I was still feeling winded, so Sybil helped me to a spot in the gym that we could avoid the kickball.

Sybil sighed. “I swear these people have it out for you.”

I concurred. “Yeah, they do. If I’m being honest, it’s bad enough that I don’t want to come back here tomorrow.”

“You have to if you want to come here,” Sybil reminded me.

I shook my head. “Considering my past with Frank and his perverted-ass grandson, not to mention how the other students and teachers treat me, this isn’t a good place for me to be.”

Sybil was silent for a second. “Well, where else would you go? There aren’t many schools out there that are willing to take superhuman kids. We are not that well liked anymore, because, well, you know, the war.” Actually, I didn’t. “To tell you the truth, Claire, because there are so few of us left, there might not even be anything for us in the coming years. The school may soon disappear, along with the level 4s.”

Wait, what? Stepping to face her, I asked: “What about the level 4s?”

Sybil gave me a sad look. “So, you don’t even remember that, do you? Well, the level 4s are the verge of extinction. Less than ten remain worldwide…” Suddenly, she stopped talking and became very afraid. “Oh my god, he’s doing it. Claire, MOVE!” she yelled. I realized right then that I had made the stupid mistake of turning my back on Greg, who must ahve been up to kick. I turned just in time to see the ball flying full force right at my head.

--------

Greg couldn’t believe that a middle schooler had stood up to him like that. Sure, there were several that had earned his respect, but this girl, this tiny, worthless piece of shit who was no good to anybody except for sex, had the nerve to kick him in the groin and then stand up to Eddie and himself when they sought to give her the just punishment she deserved for rejecting his advances and for humiliating them.

He’d wanted to march full force into that cafeteria with his gang, but his grandfather had urged for him to wait until gym class. He too had a bone to pick with the girl, who’d managed to escape punishment for what she did to their house. This made planning it so much easier, and it would all end with the girl getting crushed by his signature move.

Gym class came fast, and he laughed when he watched his grandfather confront the girl immediately after she walked into the gym. He knew that this plan would work, that she would soon get what she deserved. But Eddie was unsure and refused to be a part of it. He would participate with the activities, but he would do nothing harmful toward the girl. “When I made contact with her, I saw something,” Eddie had told him and Kelsey after stepping into an empty classroom. However, even after he was pressured into revealing what he saw, he only told them that it was some dark place. After that, Eddie refused to be part of anything that involved the girl in any way. He was done, but he did warn Greg and Kelsey to stay away from her, as there was something strange about her abilities.

But Greg, leader of the Destructors, didn’t care. His so-called friend, Eddie, was a coward. This girl was at least a three, but it didn’t matter. His own power was unrivaled by anybody except Gare, and Gare did everything to support him in his crusade to make mankind once again respect and fear the superhumans. This girl was nothing but a bug to him and he would soon put her in her place, so once his turn to kick came up, his grandfather nodded to him, motioning to get ready. He looked around and found support from his teammates. He noted with glee that the girl had turned her back and wasn’t paying attention.

It was time. His grandfather rolled the ball and immediately ducked. Greg felt his ability charge up and direct the necessary energy into his leg. He was going to make this one of his most powerful kicks ever. The ball rolled, he kicked, the energy transferred from his leg to the ball and it was off, its trajectory putting it right at the girl’s head. This became even better when another girl yelled for the worthless cutter to move. And she did. She turned her head, her face now in the path of the ball seconds before impact, making his and his grandfather’s revenge so much sweeter.

-------

I turned around, the ball seconds from my face. I couldn’t move and I watched as the ball… hit Greg right smack in the face, himself getting blown off his feet and blown into the wall by the force of the impact, before continuously sliding down onto the floor, his face bloodied and broken. It took a few moments for everybody, including me, to realize what had just happened. I had just redirected Greg power back at him. A ‘move’ that people said has never been blocked, that had put kids in the hospital for months at a time, was effortlessly redirected by me, and sent flying back at Greg.

Frank ran to his grandson’s side, but all the middle school students looked at me. They were shocked, to say the least, but most importantly, they seemed scared. Looking over at Sybil, even she was nervous. “What just happened?” she finally asked me.

“I… I… don’t… I don’t know,” I looked down at my hands. But for what reason? They had nothing to do with what happened. That ball was blocked and redirected with the same force that Greg kicked it, inches from my head, in midair. There wasn’t any physical contact.

Suddenly, a relatively small high school student came running at me with a bat screaming out, “You’ll pay for hurting Greg!” He must have been part of that gang, because no student went to block him. He reached me and swung the bat as hard as he could at me, but the same thing happened. It hit something, but that something wasn’t me, rather something a few inches from me. It hit, a sound was produced, then the kid was sent flying backwards with the force of the bat being redirected. Another kid, a large high schooler, attempted to punch me, but again, he hit something that wasn’t me but produced obviously by my ability. He stumbled as the force of his punch flowed back into his hand, then fell to the ground. He looked up at me. “That’s impossible,” he managed to squeak out.

“Oh, shit, he needs to get to hospital. Somebody call 911 NOW!” Frank suddenly yelled out. He then turned to me. “I swear you’ll pay for this, you worthless piece of SHIT!”

Everybody seemed to agree with him, all stepping away from me. Well, everybody except Sybil, but she kept her distance. Tears openly streaming down my face, I felt the urge to run away. I turned to run, only to see Gare in the doorway, with some old short guy, and none other than the Old Lady. It was apparent that they had witnessed the entire thing.

I was sitting on a bench outside Gare’s office, dressed in my uniform again. It had been an hour since the incident had occurred and I was still crying. Frank’s words stung. The class’s reaction stung. This sucked. My life sucked. Everything that I did always ended horribly. Was it ever going to get better for me? I’d only been aware of the past month, and pretty much everything I did always had something bad happen. When I went to the mall with Lacey, I broke down. When I went to the library, I overused my abilities, fell asleep on a toilet, and got to go to the dark place. When I finally cooked a tasty meal for myself, I puked it up.

“I don’t give a shit about what that asshole Frank said, I witnessed it and she had nothing to do with it.” I watched as the old lady yelled at a cop, Gare, and Frank.

“Watch your mouth. My grandson was only doing what he felt was best and it wasn’t wrong!” Frank screamed.

“Shut that filthy pie hole of yours, Frank. I know exactly what I saw,” the old lady fired back. Despite my mood, I felt happiness that the old lady was supporting me.

“It doesn’t matter what you think you saw, Nancy. That girl hurt a student…” Gare fired back. I knew by now that Gare hated me.

“And whose fault is that, Gare? Yes, it's clear that she is technically on par with a level 4, but she has no control. Why do you think she is even HERE?!?!” the old lady screamed at both Gare and Frank. A level 4? Was I a level 4?

“ENOUGH!” the smaller, older man yelled, scaring me off the bench. He glanced at me, then back at the old lady, Frank and Gare, “Enough is enough. Gare, I will talk with you alone in your office. Nancy, why don’t you talk to Bu… Claire.” Turning to the officer that had remained silent throughout this, he said, “Officer Laughlin, under Article 16 of the War Declaration Act, as well as the authority granted by the Superhuman Act of 1965, I’m placing this under Agency jurisdiction.” The police officer quickly agreed and left, clearly not wanting to get involved in whatever had happened.

“Oh, so you are going let her get off like that, Galen? You are going to let get away with it, just like before!?” Frank yelled at the old man, whose name was apparently Galen.

Galen looked at me for a bit, studying me, noting that I was still very upset at what had happened before turning his attention back to Frank, “Shut up, Frank. I know what I saw. Now, if I’m not mistaken, you have a grandson to attend to at the hospital. Get your ass out of here before I overrule Gare’s authority and fire you.”

Frank grumbled, but he left. Apparently, not even Frank wanted to tangle with Galen. Quietly, Galen motioned for Gare to follow him, which he did. Seems like Gare was afraid of Galen more than me. The old lady came up to me and said, “Come on, Bug; while they talk, we can go somewhere quieter and you can tell me what has going on here.” We ended up going to the cafeteria, only at this time of day, it was empty and dark. Taking a seat at one of the tables, she reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle. I wasn’t thirsty, but I accepted it and quietly thanked her. “My son told me about what happened this morning, how you puked in his car?” I thought she would be upset, but she was smiling, as if she found the incident amusing. “Are you okay?” I shrugged, which the old lady accepted as an answer. “Uh huh, well, why don’t you tell me what happened today?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I responded.

The old lady took my hand, “Of course it does. Please tell me.”

Fine. Taking a deep breath, I dove right in, “Every damn class I go to, I’m treated like dirt. No, worse than dirt. Every student, well, every student except the test runners, treat me like shit. I’m a reject to them. Sure I don’t have my telepathy under control, but I still heard it, every word, every fucking thought.” I suddenly cringed, having cursed, but the old lady remained quiet, wanting me to continue. “And then the teachers, they too hated me. They called me a reject. And Gare, well, fuck his ass. He tried to kick me out school just because we were late. It wasn’t my fault. But that wasn’t the worst. Gare and that fucking ASSHOLE FRANK yelled at me, calling me a worthless piece of shit.”

The old lady narrowed her eyes, her face contorting with mixed emotions, “What about gym class? I saw it happen…”

“Oh, you mean that bastard Greg? Frank’s grandson, the same asshole that body slammed me when I first woke up on that damn farm.” I stood up and started pacing. “Of all the places, why did I have to end up on that farm? Why couldn’t I have the fortunate luck of waking up in a zoo? Anyways, Greg has been the worst. On my first day here, he showed everybody my scars,” I gently rubbed my arms, “And today, well, it was set up. I showed him. I said no, I defended myself, maybe a bit too much, but he totally deserved it.” Turning to face the old lady, “It was trap set up to injure me. But I stopped it.” A sudden thought came to me. “How… how did I stop it?”

The old lady motioned me to sit. When I did, she took my hands. “Bug, I don’t know how you blocked his power. Look, the truth is, we don’t know how your abilities work. We’ve never seen such a wide variety in one person. But what we do know is your level. You are a level 4, one of very few left in world.”

That did explain a lot, but I was confused about something. “Is that why everybody is mean to me? Is that why I’m treated so badly?”

The old lady paused, closing her eyes and sighing, almost like she was going to tell me some bad news. “No, Bug. That’s not why.”

“Then why?” The old lady hesitated. “Please, ma’am, do you know why?” The look on her face, the emotions that I could read in her head told that she knew why. “Tell me. Please, I need to know.” I practically begged her. I needed to know. “Is it because of whatever happened at Lhasa?” I asked, recalling what Dhruv told me about hope dying with Lhasa.

The old lady looked me right in the eyes. “Yes, it's because of Lhasa.”

“How?”

The old lady shook her head. “It happened a while ago, and the event itself really doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me,” I told her. It did. I needed to know. Was I that worthless?

The old lady looked at me, deciding on whether or not to tell me. It must have been painful for her to remember whatever it was for her to be acting this way. Letting go of my hands, she looked away. “Thirteen years ago, something happened. Someone that the Agency had captured in the early months of the war gave us a warning. He said to us that ‘The war is still young, and we are oblivious to what is to come.’ He died after that, so we were unable to find out what he meant. Didn’t matter though.” She looked at me, “It’s too painful for me to tell exactly what happened, but the Fall of Lhasa is the reason why the level 4s are on the verge of extinction, with the other levels not far behind. You do remember what extinction means?”

Surprisingly, I did. “But what does have to do with me being bullied? I’m a superhuman, just like everybody else here.”

“It's because of what you look like. The world holds a great deal amount of hate towards those responsible for Lhasa. To be honest, Bug, you look somewhat Japanese, if you know what means, but unfortunately, you somewhat look like those responsible, and Gare seems to allow people here to take their anger out on you.”

I looked Japanese? While I had no idea who or what the Japanese were, I’d never showed much concern with what I looked like facial wise. To me, I looked like myself and that was okay. “But why would they be angry at me? Unlike whoever caused the problem at Lhasa, I didn’t do anything, at least I think I didn’t do anything.”

That last sentence caused the old lady to laugh, lightening the mood. “Oh no, Bug, you were probably way too young when it happened.” Taking a deep breath, “Bug, war doesn’t determine who’s right. It never does. It only determines who is left. With this war, all that is left is death, a lost future, and hate. While laws and regulations have been passed on both sides of the conflict to keep people from discriminating against those who look like the very few that were responsible for Lhasa, Gare has gone against those laws and allowed hate to manifest against you.”

We both heard someone clear their throat. Turning around, I saw it was that short man, whose name I was pretty sure was Galen. “Nancy,” he said, beckoning to her to come.

“Bug, I’ll be back in a minute. Um…” She reached into her purse. “Eat this chocolate bar while you wait.” Ohhh, never had chocolate before.

----------

Nancy followed Galen to Gare’s office. Once inside, she let Gare have it. “YOU ASSHOLE, what kind of school are you running?”

“A school where the strongest survive,” Gare responded without emotion.

“Oh, the strongest? Well, as it turns out, B… Claire is the strongest here.” Taking a quick glance at Galen, she said, “There is no doubt now, she is a level 4. But the students AND the teachers are treating her like shit. I know why. Galen knows why. You know why, and even EUGENE knows why. The only person in this school that doesn’t know that it’s racism plaguing this school is Claire herself!”

“Oh, shut up, Nancy. I am making sure Claire understands the values of this world. I know about that little problem of hers. That amnesia. Not that difficult to see.”

“Then why didn’t you tell the teachers that?” Nancy demanded.

“Now, why would I want to do that?” Gare said with obvious glee.

“You ASS!” Usually, Nancy got after Bug when she messed up and cursed, but today, she wasn’t holding back. “What did Claire ever do to deserve this?”

Gare looked right into her eyes, his own eyes full of rage. “She was born.” Nancy was horrified, more so than Galen. “She was born, thus, she deserves every bit of it. That is only way the world will accept her.”

Nancy was inflamed. “She’s just a child. She has nothing, and you think she deserves this? How dare you!”

“How dare I? You don’t get it, Nancy. You have never got it. You forget, like so many people, that I was there. I was there when Lhasa fell. I witnessed its destruction first hand. And now, because of people like that worthless piece of shit, I have nothing! No family, no friends… nothing.”

Nancy immediately knew what this was about. It was about Frederick. It was always Frederick. Gare was one of the few people who witnessed the destruction of Lhasa and lived to tell the tale. Frederick and his army of 20,000 American, Nepalese, and Bhutanese soldiers had been stationed in Nepal. They’d responded to a distress signal from the city, and immediately mobilized to travel to Lhasa to defend it.

But Nancy and everybody now knew that it was a hopeless mission. Frederick and his army were simply too far away. They couldn’t fly anything but small units to the city. But they made little difference. Frederick and his army were locked down in a fight for access to the city, and as they made a desperate attempt to breach the siege surrounding the city, ultimately they were forced to helplessly watch as Lhasa and its population were overrun by the invaders. By the time they were able to finally recapture the city, most of its population, including a huge amount of the world’s superhuman population, had been wiped out. They were able to hold the city long enough to count the dead, identify those they could, and attempt to bury the dead. It was during this that Frederick found what was left of Jared. Only a necklace that Lacey had given him before he was disowned remained.

Frederick was so enraged at the death of so many that he evacuated all the survivors, took what was still culturally valuable from the city in order to preserve it, and in a daring move that shocked the world, set the city ablaze as he and his army fled back to Nepal to mount a defense. Now all that remains of Lhasa today is a burned-out husk left abandoned in the mountains as a grave to all those that died because Frederick and his army desperately tried and failed at Lhasa to prevent the destruction that ultimately put the superhumans on the path to extinction.

Galen walked up to Gare, preparing to confront the broken man. “I get it, Gare. But you know as well as everybody, Frederick…” Galen looked down, his face saddened by the memories of the event, “never had a chance. As the saying goes, Frederick was the Carpathia and Lhasa was the Titanic…”

“Which doesn’t give you right to allow the students and teachers to bully Claire!” Nancy butted in. But Gare didn’t seem to care.

“Calm down, Nancy.” Galen stepped in. To him, this conversation was done. “To me, it seems that Gare has allowed his own personal ill feelings to come before education and the welfare of the students. I will conduct a further investigation, but as of now, the school will go on early winter break, starting tomorrow.” Nancy watched as Gare attempted to protest, but one look from Galen shut him down. Sure Gare was one of the last remaining level 4s in the world, but no one in their right mind, no matter how much power they had, would dare defy Galen in person.

“Um… yes, sir. I’ll assemble the students right away,” Gare stuttered. Nancy couldn’t help but smile at Gare’s submission to Galen. But she wasn’t fooled. This was because of Bug. Gare would blame her, and attempt at some point to do the same thing that Greg and Frank did. Only Gare’s revenge would be simply because of who Bug was living with. Gare blamed Frederick, but with Frederick in Singapore, he took his anger out on Bug, simply because she was Nancy’s ward.

Once Gare had left to gather the students together, Galen turned to Nancy. “While I’m cutting the test run short, I’ve witnessed what I need. She has a spot here when school resumes in January.”

“Galen… I can’t send her here,” Nancy admitted.

Galen looked at her, puzzled, “Why not? I thought this is what you wanted for her?”

“After this? Galen, even if you removed Gare, the students themselves aren’t going to change right away. If Bug comes back here, she will face the same thing for no fault of her own. She may be a level 4, but that doesn’t change what people see in her and how they feel.”

Galen seemed to agree with her, “Well… Nancy, there is the online program. Bug can remain at your house, and still learn the necessary things and I’ll try to arrange for someone from Washington to come down and train her abilities.”

“Train, so you can train her and turn her into a weapon?” Nancy retorted. She knew what Galen wanted from her and now that his theory was proven correct, all it would take was the snap of his fingers and Bug would be his and the Agency’s. Galen looked at her, giving her the answer she needed. Galen still planned to do that. “It doesn't matter anyways. I’ll be dead by New Year’s and Bug will be turned into a weapon against her will. Congratulations, Galen, you have officially ruined a poor girl’s life.”

Galen looked over at Nancy, his face suddenly full of concern and despair. “I know you have cancer. But I thought… what… ?” Galen couldn’t seem to say a full sentence. This surprised her, as she had never seen Galen stutter like that in a long time.

“Yeah, I’m finally dying. My time has finally come. Dr. Silas confirmed it.”

Galen had to take deep breaths to steady himself before he could talk again. “Does your family know? Does Bug know?”

Nancy shook her head. “I haven’t worked up to it yet. I figured that I would wait until the anniversary of Lhasa’s fall and Jared’s death pass, but then, Jerri died. So I don’t know when or even if I will tell them. And Bug, what can I tell her? ‘Oh, I’m sorry sweetie, but I’m going to die very soon and you will taken by someone who is going to turn you into a weapon.’ Yeah… trust me, that will not end well.”

“I see,” Galen said, unable to say anything more.

Nancy sat down, her legs weak. Already she could feel her body deteriorating. It wouldn’t be much longer before cancer finally killed her. But for now, sitting down on a chair mostly took care of the problem. Looking up, she realized that Gare had a picture of Rome on his wall. It was a picture that she recognized. It was taken in 2000, before Project Eternity disappeared and the war began. A better time. She took a deep breath, remembering that time. “You know, Galen, I had hoped that I would live long enough to see the end of the Third Great War.” She laughed a bit, which resulted in a coughing fit. When she recovered, she turned and looked Galen right in the eye. “But now I will die soon and the world will be the same as it has been for the last fifteen years.”

Galen nodded, “I understand. You wanted so hard back when it started to take up the mantle of Eternity. You wanted to fill in for them, so to speak, until they were found.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, we both did. And fourteen years later, Eternity is still missing, probably dead, and we have been poor substitutes,” Galen admitted.

“We failed, Galen. We failed at protecting people, we failed at stopping the war, and we failed at our marriage.” Smiling at Galen, she remembered the love she still felt for him. “However, when I look at Bug, I see a time before the Army of the Sword, before all of this death. Bug’s case is unique; she has no connection to this time. She possesses innocence, something extremely difficult to come by in this world. For how long, I don’t know.”

Galen took a seat next to his wife and held her hand. “I know where this is going. You think that if the Agency takes her, we would be destroying what little innocence remains.”

“And forever make her one of the forgotten,” Nancy added.

Galen shook his head. “I… I honestly don’t know anymore, Nancy.” Leaning forward and resting his hand on his hands, he said, “You and I aren’t the only ones who know about Bug and her mystery. The Joint Chiefs know as well, even the President knows. If I’m going to keep her away from them, what do I do?”

“Give her what she needs. A family,” Nancy said to Galen. Standing up, she said: “Now, considering that I’m a dead woman walking, I’m going to ignore your orders and allow Bug to do stuff that teenagers usually do. While my condition may prevent me from doing certain things, I know someone that can do things. If you have a problem with it, lodge a complaint after I’m dead.”

Walking away from Galen to go gather Bug and take her home, Galen had one more thing to say: “You need to tell your kids about this, but are you going to tell Bug about what you did?”

Nancy stopped, looking back at Galen before sighing, “I don’t know.” Telling Bug that she was the one responsible for all the tests and then getting the police officer to act the way he did in order for Bug to trust her -- she wasn’t true sure Bug would take it well. With the confirmed knowledged that Bug’s abilities were on par with a level 4, Nancy couldn’t really take the chance of Bug losing emotional control. But then again, she did deserve to know the truth. “I really don’t know,” Nancy finally said, hoping that Galen would accept that answer.

-----

“That movie was AWESOME!” I jumped up and down as we walked out the theater and into the lobby, overwhelmingly happy that I got to see my first movie.

“Woah, Bug. I didn’t imagine you would like the Phantom Knight so much,” Lacey said.

“Well, I wasn’t sure, but now... I loved how the knight had to start a journey of self-discovery in order to save a woman that no one else cared for. She was a slave, but he sought to find her.”

“How about that, Cara, Bug is a sucker for the love movies…” she practically purred that to the friend she brought with her, Cara. All I really knew about Cara was that she really liked the color black and was a lot taller than either me or Lacey.

Cara shrugged, looking down at me. “The book was better, and the real story behind it was far better.” The way she said that to me gave me the impression that she didn’t like me too much. Oh, that’s right, I knew one more thing about her. She went to the same school as Greg and apparently witnessed my repelling of his attack. Since it had been three days since then, either her anger has grown, or she stopped giving a fuck. Strangely, though, she hadn’t spoken a word about it to Lacey while I was in earshot of them. Whether she told Lacey when they were alone, I didn’t know; Lacey never talked to me about it.

“You always say that,” Lacey pointed out.

“Yeah, because I literally see it happen with my ability, or did you forget that, Lacey?” Cara nudged her friend.

“Nope,” Lacey nudged her friend back.

Someone’s phone rang. “Ah, that must be my brother,” Cara said, grabbing her phone. She left us, heading into the bathroom to answer her phone, leaving only me and Lacey alone in the theater.

We both sat there for a bit, not really saying anything, at least until Lacey took an empty water bottle and threw it at me. It bounced off, not actually making contact with me. It seemed that my ability worked on fast moving objects and slow moving objects, “So, it's true,” she deduced, “You really are a level 4?”

Okay, so maybe Cara did tell Lacey about what happened, “Uh… I think so. The old lady wasn’t too clear about it.”

“Clear? What is there to be clear about? You are either a level 4 or not.”

“Well, Lacey, I’m… not sure, Lacey. The old lady, she outright told me that I’m a level 4, and maybe it makes sense to you and her, and everybody else, but to me, it just seems off. Like something is not right, and maybe that’s just part of being a level 4, but something feels to me like that isn’t right.”

Lacey seemed puzzled. “That reflection ability is limited to level 4s only. So, if you think you aren’t a level 4, then what do you think you are?” In response, I simply shrugged. “Unbelievable,” she ranted. “You have one of the most powerful abilities on this planet and your first thought about that is that something is wrong and you may not be a level 4?”

“Basically.” I had given a lot of thought to it. No matter how much I tried to accept that I was a level 4, something that was a part of me seemed to tell me that it wasn’t quite right. “Lacey, I really don’t know what is going on with me. However, there is one thing that still confuses me.”

“Oh?” She seemed to calm down as quickly as she started up

“Well, if I’m really a level 4, then why, despite all those tests that the doctors did on me, did they never realize that? Surely they would have found something that screamed, ‘hey, this amnesiac girl is a level 4, how about that!’, but they didn’t. Of course, the old lady did say that they didn’t know anything about my abilities.”

Lacey smirked, “Wow, you really don’t know that much about this. Well, you see Bug, the testing and classification takes a while. It's not an exact science and it can’t be confirmed in just a few days, but rather, a few weeks, or even months. Usually though, the testing is done when you’re very young.”

“And have they ever gotten it wrong?” I asked, curious as to whether it could be possible that they were wrong about me.

“Once. Only once did they get wrong,” Lacey admitted uneasily.

“Who?” I inquired.

Lacey hesitated, her face tense, like she was recalling painful memories. “My brother, Jared,” she finally said, “They performed the tests, like they always do, and declared after a year that Jared had no abilities. Except, a few years before he was killed, the abilities that they said he didn’t have emerged and caused a bit of trouble. Well, at least that’s what everybody says. I don’t really remember that because…” Lacey started to sob, recalling the painful memories.

I realized that I caused Lacey to recall a time that she didn’t want to recall, “Its okay, Lacey. Don’t worry about it.”

“What’s going on?” Cara asked, joining us back in the lobby after having finished her phone call.

Lacey wiped her tears away and shrugged. “Nothing. Now, what did your brother want?”

“Oh, well, actually, it wasn’t my brother, it was Paige. She asked if you and I want to come over for some Christmas party at her house,” Cara informed us. But something sounded wrong. Her tone sounded devious.

Lacey didn’t seem to notice. She thought about it for a second, and then smiled, “A party? Okay, but, what about Bug?”

Cara grinned, “Oh, she can come along. The party is almost over anyways, so we won’t there for long.”

“Great, let's get going… where are we going?”

Cara frowned at her. “Come on, Lacey. Paige’s house, out on Mosby Road.”

“Ah, right.” Lacey grinned. I couldn’t help but giggle at Lacey’s poor attempt to cover up her embassament. Cara laughed it off, but took a moment to glare at me. Something wasn’t right.

Later, on the car ride, I sat by myself in the back, while Cara and Lacey talked about things. From what I could hear, Cara was a senior and was set to graduate in the spring, so they spent most of the time talking about going somewhere to celebrate. However, Cara, who wasn’t the driver, took time to look back at me. Her face become friendlier, but her eyes, they showed something else.

What was she hiding? Lacey didn’t seem worried about anything, so was it just me? Maybe, but I couldn’t help but feel that Cara had some other plan. Or maybe I was just worked up about everything. The Level 4, my resemblance to the Japanese, and most importantly, the Dark Place. Nearly four days since that ‘dream’ and I still had no idea what it was. I still hadn’t brought it up to either the old lady or Lacey either. What could they do? Nothing.

“We’re here,” Lacey suddenly said, parking her car. I looked out the window at the house that the party was at. Nothing seemed out of place, other than the couple of cars parked outside the house.

“Great, time to party,” Cara yelled in excitement, practically skipping out of the car.

“Um, Lacey, isn’t this supposed to be a ‘Christmas’ party?” I asked Lacey as we got out the car to follow Cara. To me, the term ‘Christmas party’ didn’t sound like something you would get overly excited about.

But Lacey clearly understood what I was implying, “She’s always like this. It doesn’t really matter what party we go to, she always get excited.”

“Oh… your friend is weird.” I left out the part about the strange feeling.

Lacey nudged me. “You’re weirder,” she said jokingly.

“Hey, you two, let’s go,” Cara called out to us, already at the door. She impatiently waited until we caught up to her, before we all three entered the house and were met by… a raging party. Holy shit, this wasn’t no Christmas party. Sure, I didn’t know what a Christmas party really was, nor did I actually fully understand what Christmas was, but I knew that this party wasn’t Christmas themed. It was way too wild.

“Cara, what the hell is this?” Lacey demanded.

Cara smirked, her face wild, as she grabbed a cup, “It's a Christmas party.”

But Lacey wasn’t having any of that. I watched as anger and what looked like betrayal came over her face. “The fuck it is. You know very well she can’t be here!” she screamed at Cara, pointing at me.

Cara didn’t seem to care. “Why not? Come on, let her have some fun.”

“Here? Fuck no.” Lacey and Cara started arguing about me and I found it rather nice that Lacey was trying to stand by me, even though I was unsure why I shouldn’t be here. But then I started looking around at the people who had turned their attention on us and I immediately knew something was wrong. There were a few kids here that were in Greg’s gym class, and it didn’t take me long to spot the kid who tried to hit me with a bat, hiding in a corner, watching us.

Wait a minute, they watched me reflect an attack by Greg. Sybil said that Greg was the leader of a gang. But what was that gang called… “The Destructors,” I whispered, careful not to let anybody hear me. Sybil said that they would stop at nothing for revenge. I looked around at the various kids in the room, the emotions that I could read from them, and the mixed feelings I got from Cara. “No…” I whispered again, coming to a conclusion. I wasn’t certain of it, but it seemed likely. “Lacey,” I called for her attention. She stopped arguing with Cara and looked at me, “Did you read her mind?” I asked calmly.

Lacey didn’t even bother to look back at Cara. “No. I can’t read Cara’s mind.”

Cara flashed a grin, “Lacey may be a level 3, but she’s too weak to break through my sheer willpower.” Lacey’s shoulders sagged a bit. “No matter, enough of this bullshit, let’s party.”

“No.” I affirmed. Cara intensely glared at me, as did the other kids here. They might have begun to figure out that I was pretty sure about their plan. Right now, the best option was for us to leave immediately, but if I was right, we wouldn’t be allowed to leave. “She may not be powerful enough…” I knew what I had to do, “but I AM!” Immediately, I jumped on her, knocking us both to the ground. Cara seemed stunned, giving me the time to do it. I pressed both my hands on her forehead, closed my eyes, and focused every ounce of my will into reading her mind.

Immediately, my mind was flooded with memories of Cara and I saw it. Her conversations with Greg the day the attack happened. I saw her phone conversation, with Paige, them talking about the final details on tonight, getting some crystal ready. By the time Lacey yanked me off of Cara, I had my answer. Cara was part of the Destructors and this party was a trap for me.

“Bug, what the fuck did YOU DO?!?!” Lacey screamed at me.

But I ignored her question. “Lacey, run!”

Taken back by that, “Why?”

“They are the Destructors! Now RUN!” I screamed at her. Lacey was my friend, my first friend since I woke up. She helped me, now I needed to protect her. “RUN, LACEY!”

But she didn’t run. Rather, she stumbled, as if she had become extremely dizzy, before falling to the ground. “Oh, no,” she said before she puked.

“What the…” was all I could say when a girl that I recognized walked out from another room, armed with a gun. It was the girl that always hung out with Greg at the school.

“You are right, Claire, we are the Destructors. My name is Kelsey, and I’m the second in command.” In a matter of moments, all the other kids in the room seemed to have gathered weapons. “Did you really think we would let you get away with injuring Greg?” She started laughing, with Cara joining her. Now I understood one thing, Cara and Greg’s girlfriend were sisters. Another student, the guy that hung out with Greg emerged from the room, pulling a wagon that had a large rock strapped to it. “Now, with this crystal, you will be unable to use those powers of yours, leaving you at the mercy of our leader.”

Leader? Oh no! I heard someone walk through the front door. Turning my head, I saw the bandaged and bruised face of Greg. “Hello, Bug,” he snarled at me.

“Greg? You’re… you're…” I stuttered.

Greg laughed, which then turned into a coughing fit. “I’m alive, you fucking bitch,” he said once he recovered.

“That wasn’t my fault!” I screamed at him. In responsible, he snapped his fingers and Cara punched Lacey in the face, knocking her over. Lacey couldn’t hold back her tears and started sobbing, but was so dizzy that she couldn’t seem to get back up on her knees. What was causing Lacey to be sick like this? Was it the rock? And why did Cara punch Lacey? I thought I was the target, not her.

Greg walked slowly over to Kelsey and kissed her, flinching as he did, before turning his attention back to me, “You see, Bug, the Destructors never let anybody get away with anything. Since you injured me, we have to do the same to you. And they did, or at least, they tried. Except you had more power than I realized you had.”

“A level 4, who would believe it?” Kelsey said.

Greg flashed her a look. “Yes, another level 4, bringing the grand worldwide total up to seven. Unfortunately for me, that means I can’t hurt you. Your simply too powerful for me or any of the other Destructors to do any harm to. But you did put me in the hospital, so for that, you had to pay… dearly. Cara here recommended we hurt Lacey with you watching.”

I looked over at Lacey, and I’d never seen her hurt. Cara must’ve been her friend for a long time and just to have it crumble like that must’ve been heartbreaking. “Cara, why?” she managed to wheeze out. “Why did you join them?”

Cara smirked, her eyes full of anger, “Oh, Lacey, I’ve always been a member of Destructors and I’ve always thought of you as a mere tool for this gang’s use.” Lacey collapsed again, but it was clear she was sick and heartbroken.

“I’m so sorry, Lacey,” I whispered. I didn’t want Lacey to get hurt, but now it was too late. Lacey looked at me, right in the eyes. I expected hatred to appear towards me, but no, her eyes were full of sorrow. Then she puked again. “Please, stop doing this to her.”

Greg simply smiled. “I was wondering when you going to ask that. In truth, we aren’t doing anything to her.” He pointed to the rock on the wagon. “That is.”

I looked it, watching a small spark creep up off of it. I had no idea what it was, but something about it, though... “What is that, and how is it making Lacey sick?”

“Well,” Greg started, “Had you been a good little girl and not caused the school to be shut down for the remainder of the year, you would’ve learned about it the next day.” Another coughing fit overtook Greg. It took a bit longer for him to recover this time. “As I was saying, this is a Byzantine Zunuoise. An extremely rare crystal-like rock that emits a certain type of non-lethal radiation that does two things. It completely nullifies the powers of a superhuman and it makes you feel like you want to die. The larger it is, the worse the sickness is.”

That didn’t make sense. “Well, how are you not sick?”

“Simple, we stole that rock from a government transport, and spent every day in its presence, building up tolerance for it,” one kid said.

“We are still affected by it, with the loss of our abilities, but unlike Lacey, we don’t get nearly as sick,” another continued.

Greg started coughing yet again, and I swore he coughed up some blood. “It seems that you being a level 4 has given you some resistance to the sickness, but you will fall soon enough. However, your abilities are gone while you’re in the presence of the Zunuoise, meaning you are at my mercy.”

However, there was a problem with what Greg said. I didn't have some resistance, because I didn’t feel anything. Unlike Lacey, who must’ve felt like she was going to die, I felt fine. No sickness and perhaps, regardless of what Greg said, I even still had use of my abilities. The reason why, though, I didn’t know. Just like I didn’t know my past, or why being a level 4 felt wrong to me, I couldn’t understand why. I looked over at the crystal itself; maybe it held the answers. It was huge, covering nearly the entire bed of the wagon. However, other than a larger spark that no one noticed, it yielded no answers for me.

“Now, what should we do with them?” Cara asked her sister.

“Leave Bug to Greg, but you and the rest can have Lacey,” Kelsey responded. Cara smiled, her mind made up. I needed to do something fast, otherwise they would hurt Lacey. Maybe I should’ve been worried about myself, but I wasn’t. I was terrified, not for me, but for Lacey. She was my friend; she cared for me when no one else did and I needed to help her. I wasn’t sure if my abilities still worked, but I needed to move NOW!

But Greg, Cara, and the rest picked up on my intentions, because before I could even move, Cara kicked Lacey in the ribs, knocking her over again, with Kelsey pointing a gun at her legs. “If you move, I’ll put a round in her knee.” I silently nodded, now understanding what they would do. If I did anything against them, they would punish Lacey. “Good. Now we understand each other.” Kelsey put her gun away, but Lacey didn’t move. She just laid there, the effects of the crystal too much for her to move.

Greg once again starting coughing, this time obviously coughing up blood, and nearly fell on his knees. Kelsey and another gang member moved to support him, “Sir, you can’t stay here much longer. Even under the drugs and the tolerance, the injuries you suffered are severally limiting your body’s ability to resist the sickness of the crystal,” the gang member warned.

Greg nodded agreement. “I know. But I must have revenge first. Bug must pay before I leave!” Looking at me, he pulled out a gun of his own. “Since you destroyed my face, I will destroy a part of you. Now, get her up on her feet.” Cara moved towards me, but Greg stopped her, “Actually, Eddie, you do it.” He motioned to the guy holding the handle to the wagon containing the crystal, the same guy that tried to punch me in the hallway at the school after I had kicked Greg in the groin.

But Eddie didn’t move. He just stared at me, shaking in what appeared to be fear, acting the same way he had back at the school. Was he that afraid of me? “N-no... no, Greg.” He quivered.

Greg walked over to Eddie and smacked him in the face. “I gave you an order, Eddie. Do it. She’s harmless while in the presence of --”

Eddie remained defiant and never broke eye contain with me. “I will not touch her. Not again.”

I watched as Greg simply raised his gun at Eddie, “I have more than enough ammo. You do this, Eddie, and you will be redeemed from your past refusal to help. If you don’t do what I say, well, you have an imagination…”

Eddie finally broke eye contact with me, his face stricken with fear at me and at his former friend. He seemed to be panicking. What did he see in me? But it didn’t matter, because he gave in. He walked over to me, pulling the wagon with him. I stole a glance at Lacey, but all she could do was watch, too ill from the crystal to move. I turned back to Eddie,;he took his hand and placed it on the crystal, gaining the laugher of the gang.

“Look at that, Eddie is afraid of a powerless bug,” a few of the gang members mocked.

But Eddie apparently had a good reason to fear me, as even after he put his hand on the crystal, his hand was still shaking uncontrollably. Maybe… he saw the Dark Place? I thought. It was a good enough explanation for the fear. Anybody would cower at the sight of those flowing mud creatures. Eddie reached to grab my shoulder and when he did, suddenly, everything changed. I felt a connection between Eddie and the crystal itself, a reality forming, indescribable by words and then… everything froze.

Everybody suddenly froze. Nothing moved, until the room and everybody in it collapsed and vanished, including the crystal. All that remained was me and Eddie, in some place. “Where are we?” He panicked. Looking around, there was nothing but darkness in all directions.

“The Dark Place,” I said. I was back in the same place as my dreams.

But Eddie panicked. He tried to let go my shoulder, but he found that he couldn't. For some reason, we were bonded. “I need to get out, I need to get out of here!” he freaked out.

I went to calm him down, but suddenly, a voice, one that I immediately recognized, called out, screaming, “Why did you leave us, JAMIE!” Turning, I was met by the rushing geyser of blackness, the same thing that I saw the other night. Eddie tried to run, but found it hopeless. I reached up with my hand, in an effort to defend myself from the attack. When my hand and the geyser made contact, the geyser exploded, and the blackness dissolved into land.

Now, no longer in the Dark Place, I found that we were in a large plain, with flowing grass and not a man or building in sight. It was silent until a plane flew over our heads, nearly taking them off, crashing into the hill near a large tree, exploding, knocking us back into a desert. Mere seconds later, another explosion rocked us. Looking back, we saw a stream of light shoot into the sky, the clouds blown away from the shock wave.

“What… what… what is that?” Eddie screamed, when suddenly, the beam of light collapsed in on itself and once again exploded, blinding us. While blinded briefly, I heard some voices talking. I couldn’t make it out, but when I was able to open my eyes, I was saw five figures, standing with their backs to me, bathed in white light. But then, when Eddie gasped, one of them turned their head towards us, revealing themselves to be an older female. “Judith,” I heard Eddie whisper.

“The war is young, and we are oblivious to what is to come,” a sudden, forceful voice rang out, saying the same thing that the old lady said to me the other day, and a burning tree fell in front of us. Me and Eddie jumped away, finding ourselves in a city. A city that was on fire. The huge building up on the hill in front of us was burning and gunfire could be heard from all around. We took step away, only to trip over a… body! Horrified, we looked around and found the street littered with them, all cut down by bullets. There were hundreds of thousands of them, all slaughtered without a second thought. In the distance, we could make out soldiers just mowing down people, without a care. Anger and fear weighed heavy in the air.

“No, no, no!” someone screamed. I searched for the source of the voice, then spotted it; among the thousands of bodies that laid in the street sat one boy cradling a woman. “Please, don’t die. Please, mommy. Please!!!” he begged her. Then, with a sudden explosion behind us, he glanced up at us, and me and Eddie realized who this boy was. It was Gare. I made eye contact with him and although he truly didn’t see me, I felt his eyes piercing through me. I immediately realized what this place was and what was going on. This was the Fall of Lhasa.

“A war will come,” a heavy voice pierced the air, and we found ourselves standing in yet a different city, but still on fire. Bombs rained down, the large structure in front of us burning, a cross on top burning. “Unstoppable it will be,” the Voice continued to say,

“Where are we?” I asked Eddie, but he was too terrified to even speak. It didn’t matter, as the people running away screamed ‘Oh, St. Peter,’ and ‘God, forgive us.’

Then, with a snap of stone, the building collapsed, the dust invelping everybody, including me and Eddie. “The past and present will die,” the Voice said as I tried to get out of the dust.

More and more scenes of cities and destruction continued to flash through the dust as the voice continued to speak in distance: “And all that will be left on this world is the Forgotten.” With that, the dust settled and we found ourselves in a dark room, filled with statues, four in a circle, surrounding the fifth statue in the middle. Again, more voices spoke, but not like the last two voices. ‘The last,’ and ‘it is her’ were spoken by these… spirits, ones that sounded exactly like those who tried to talk to me while I was blinded.

I quickly studied the statues, only recognizing one. The middle. It was a female and looked exactly like the one of the five figures who had looked back at us. Eddie had called her Judith. For some reason, I reached out and put my hand on the statue of Judith and I immediately heard a female voice say, ‘You are the last, our inheritor;’ I pondered over what that meant when something rose up, a voice that stabbed at me.

“Did you think you could get away from us?” A malevolent tone rose up from the shadows. Eddie and I glanced back to see where the source of the tone came from, only to find that we were no longer in that dark room, but rather, back in the school. “Come on, Jamie, did you really think you could escape?” it said again. Shadows moved along the walls to us, but I couldn’t move to defend myself. “We know you’re alive.” The shadows gathered in one area, just like the creatures of the dark place when they went to attack me. “We’re coming for you, Jamie. WE ARE COMING!” they yelled, and all emerged from the ground as people dressed in cloaks.

My fear was overtaking me, and in a last-ditch attempt to save myself and the useless Eddie, I screamed, “Stop!” In a blast of light, me and Eddie suddenly found ourselves back in the room with the Destructors. He immediately let go of both me and the crystal and collapsed to the ground, sobbing and hyperventilating. I fell back down next to Lacey, suddenly dizzy and in tears.

“What the fuck just happened?” Greg yelled. No one knew. And while everybody was focused on me and Eddie, I watched the crystal suddenly start to glow. But no one noticed the consistent rise of sparks. They were all focused Eddie. “Eddie, get up right now!” Greg demanded.

I watched Eddie get up through teary eyes, but he punched Greg in the face, causing him to fall back, clutching his face. Immediately, all the guns and weapons trained on me targeted Eddie, but he didn’t seem to notice. “I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HER! I FUCKING TOLD YOU!!!” Eddie screamed and raged.

Helped up by Cara and Kelsey, Greg seemed puzzled. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Eddie grabbed Greg’s shirt. “You don’t understand. That girl. She’s not what we thought. You have doomed us, Greg. YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!” Eddied babbled, but with all the attention on him, I moved over to Lacey, seeing if there was anything I could do help her escape. In fact, there was little. Lacey was looking even worse and she barely had the strength to look up at me.

“Eddie, you're not making sense.” Greg sighed, having somewhat recovered. “Cara, you do it. Get her up. My patience has run its course.” They didn’t even notice the sparking, slightly smoking, glowing crystal at this point, but they were so focused on getting me that they didn’t even notice.

“Yes, sir.” Cara went to grab me, but Eddie immediately grabbed her and threw her against the wall, knocking her out. Kelsey punched Eddie in response, but he shook off her punch and threw her back.

“Stay away from her! She’s not what you think she is. She’s… how is this possible? How is this possible? How is this possible…?” Eddie started to repeat over and over again, his eyes unfocused. What in that vision caused him to act like this?

But by now, the crystal’s sparking had finally gotten the attention of the gang. They looked confused and uneasy. “It doesn’t matter, Eddie. Your opinion or fear or whatever the hell is going on means nothing to me. I will do what I intended to do from the start. Kill Bug.” Greg stated his intentions. He was going to kill me?

He turned around to face down at me and raised his gun. Eddie saw this and suddenly stopped rambling. “NOO!!!!” he screamed. But Greg ignored him and I watched him pull the trigger. Closing my eyes, I waited. There wasn’t anything I could do, but strangely, I wasn’t afraid. The sound of gunfire rang out and I waited for the impact… that never came. Opening my eyes, I looked at the shocked and very fearful gang, who seemed frozen in place. I know he pulled the trigger, but when I felt myself, there was no wounds, no blood, nothing. Instead, there was a bullet sized hole in the ceiling above me.

“I… I reflected the bullet?” I muttered. It seemed impossible, considering what the crystal was and what it did. But the bullet hole in the ceiling proved it. I still had my abilities. I was still stronger than all of them. I stood up and looking up at Greg, who was too frightened to move; it was my turn. “I reflected the bullet, asshole.” Now, I held the power. I immediately swiped the gun from Greg and in one swift motion, I crushed it with one hand, letting the pieces slowly drop to the floor.

“That’s impossible! You shouldn't have your powers. They should be gone!” Greg screamed at me, but his bravado was gone.

“Well, too bad for you, I still have them,” I remarked, and like I did in the hallway at school, I kicked Greg in the groin, then punched him in the head. As he fell over, I looked over the Destructors; they still had their weapons trained on me, but they were shaking, just as Eddie did. “Drop your weapons,” I ordered, and they immediately did. They raised their hands, fearful of me. With them disarmed, I could focus on getting Lacey out of there and getting her help. However, Kelsey took her gun and pointed it at Lacey.

“We may not be able to hurt you, but we can still hurt your friend here.” Kelsey seethed.

No, no, no. I was this close to saving her. Suddenly, the crystal took care of the problem. A massive stream of lighting shot out from the crystal, striking Kelsey’s hand, causing the gun to explode. Another stream shot up at the lights, and a third blew out two of the windows. The crystal started to become more unstable. I was running out of time, as it seemed it would only be a matter of minutes before the crystal did something… worse. The Destructors were already ahead of me, some trying to get out, others trying to come up with a plan, and others just plain crying, but regardless, order was breaking down.

I moved to help Lacey, but was suddenly blocked by Greg. Man, this asshole doesn’t know when to quit. I moved to punch him again, but Eddie beat me to the punch, literally. He tackled him to the ground and started to punch him. “I didn’t sign up for this! I told all of you to stay away from her, that something wasn’t right with her, but you didn’t listen. YOU DIDN’T LISTEN. And now you will pay for it,” he yelled before joining several others running out the door, away from the crystal, leaving Greg sprawled on the ground and leaving my path clear to Lacey.

Reaching her, I tried helping Lacey up so we could leave, but she immediately fell. “Bug, the crystal has made me too weak.” She struggled to say, “Go. Leave me.” By now, I felt a strange feeling, one that I had not felt since the library. I immediately knew what it was and I knew that I was running out of time.

I quickly glanced at the crystal, which had become more unstable. The trails of energy were shooting out everywhere, and it started to violently shake. Whatever was going to happen, it was going to happen extremely soon. I knew I didn’t have the strength to carry her out in time, but I had to do something. “Bullshit. I’m not leaving you, Lacey. You’re my friend and I’m not abandoning you.” I started to drag her away from the crystal. The Destructors were already trying to escape, Kelsey helping her sister out with her good hand, others just jumping out windows, none of them offering to help me.

Abruptly, a calm came over me. Time slowed down, and I turned back the crystal. There was something about it that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. However, what I now knew was that it was going to explode in mere seconds. If I had to guess, this explosion was going to be big. The lightning from it was engulfing the living room, the light emitted from it nearly blinding, and it started to crack. I looked at Greg, now being helped into another room by another Destructor. Lacey herself was too weak from the crystal’s effects to flee, and I knew that while there was a high chance that my abilities could protect me from the explosion, Lacey would be caught in the blast and be killed. So, I did the first thing I could think of. Just as the crystal finally snapped and released the energy it had been building up, I jumped on top of Lacey, praying that my ability could shield us both from the blast.

----------

Officers Crawford and Doone had been dispatched to a home on Mosby Road. Someone had called in asking them to shut down a very loud party. In fact, this was the fourth time they had been called to this particular address this month alone. So, to them, it was just another annoying day. Arriving at the house, they found multiple cars parked in front of it, but a silent party.

“Curious. No sounds of a party?” Officer Crawford noted.

“Yeah, it’s quiet,” Doone added, looking at his partner. “Too quiet.” Getting out of their car, they readied themselves. They were not going in unprepared, as something didn’t seem right. Then again, nothing seemed right anymore.

“Unit 54 to Dispatch, we are going to approach the house. Stand by for backup,” Crawford radioed. “Alright, let's move.” They didn’t get far when they heard a gunshot from the house. Coming into view of the window, they saw a large group of kids holding a girl hostage. “Dispatch, 10-31b. Repeat, 10-31b.”

As Crawford radioed for back up, Doone caught sight of something on the side of one of the cars. A symbol that he recognized immediately. “Mike, look at this!”

Mike Crawford flashed his light to get a better look in the darkness, and he immediately felt his stomach drop. Painted on the side of the car was a sword breaking a shield, the symbol of the Destructors. This meant that the kids in the house were the Destructors. “Oh fuck!” Crawford yelled, “Fall back to the car!” he ordered his partner. “All units, we have a 10-220. Repeat, we have armed Destructors. Requesting all available units!” This was bad, this was very bad. Both Crawford and Doone knew that they were very much outgunned.

Suddenly, bolts of electricity shattered the windows and began to overtake the front part of the house. Both Crawford and Doone readied their weapons, preparing for the unknown. Immediately, gang members started bolting out the door, throwing their weapons away, running as fast as they could. They didn’t bother jumping in cars, they just ran, away from the house. They spied a girl helping what appeared to be her sister out of the house, both injured in some way. Rushing towards them, the gang offering no resistance; they grabbed them and pulled them back to the car. “What happened?” Doone demanded.

The one girl, whose hand was severely injured, spoke with barely a whisper. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know,” this girl ramabled. Doone looked over at his partner, who shrugged, then back to the girl. A loud noise emerged and the officers only had moments to take cover, as well as protect the two girls, as whatever was in that house finally exploded, creating a bluish energy wave that ripped the house to shreds. The explosion’s shockwave hit them first, knocking kids over who hadn’t yet taken cover, passing over them, followed by the main wave of energy passing over them. Having taken cover behind the cop car, the two officers and anybody else who dove with them were semi-protected. But this explosion was massive and the energy wave knew no bounds. It overran them, throwing debris everywhere, threatening to throw the car on top of them.

What seemed like an eternity passed, and Crawford and Doone slowly got to their feet and surveyed the damage. Where there was once a house was now only a crater filled with debris. Several cars that were near the house were now piles of twisted steel. Crawford attempted to radio dispatch, but the radios weren't working. Looking at the car, he discovered that the engine was smoking. Whatever this explosion was, it had fried both his radio equipment and the car’s electronics. Now though, they had to worry about something else. There were less fortunate people that were unable to take cover and got caught in the blast. With the all electronics fried, Crawford and Doone had no choice but to provide what care they could until the backup they had originally called for arrived.

--------

Nancy had decided that this was as good time as any to tell Eugene about her impending death. She had asked for him, his wife, and their children, Sean, Theodora, David, and Lacey, to make the trip down. They had agreed, but something prevented everybody but Lacey from leaving on time. Nancy wasn’t sure about that was, but taking advantage of the delay, she had Lacey take Bug to the movies. Lacey happened to bring along her friend Cara, who went to the same school that Bug was at for those two days. Forunatelly, Nancy had checked the school’s records and learned that Cara was sick during those few days that Bug was attending.

It was a few hours later that Eugene and his family finally arrived. Timing had put all the family members in the same town for a few weeks, giving Nancy the opportunity to tell them what would happen to her. However, she had to wait to until Lacey returned to tell them. How she was going to tell them with Bug present was a different matter, one that she would have solved when that time came.

But instead, a phone call from Galen, who had remained in Harrisonburg to investigate the corruption at the school, sent everybody to the hospital. There had been an explosion at a house affiliated with the Destructors gang, and there were a lot of people caught in that explosion, including Lacey and Bug. Galen did not provide information as whether or not they had survived; Nancy’s gut feeling was that Bug had survived it, but she was deeply worried about Lacey, who lacked the sheer power that Bug possessed.

Once at the hospital, they were greeted by a full but organized emergency room, full of members of the Destructors unlucky enough to get caught in the explosion. But at least they had survived. Galen was already there, and so was Dr. Silas.

“Doctor, where’s Lacey?” Margaret demanded. Eugene urged her to calm down, but she refused. “Calm down!?!? How the hell am I going to calm down? My daughter may be dead and you want me to calm down?”

“Ma’am!” Dr. Silas called from a room on the far side of the emergency room. The entire family rushed to the room, finding Lacey lying on the bed, barely conscious, with the only visible injury a bandaged foot. Margaret, Eugene, and Lacey’s siblings raced to her side, overjoyed to find her alive. They looked to Dr. Silas for answers. “It’s Byzantine Zunuoise poisoning.”

“Zunuoise? How… why?” Margaret asked.

“Apparently, the Destructors got ahold of a rather large quantity of Zunuoise and used it in a trap for Bug. Unfortunately, while the Destructors were using the drug Biotracin to negate the sickness it causes, Lacey did not and experienced the full effects of the crystal. The blast from the explosion also caused some injury to her foot. She will be unable to put much weight on it for the next week. While it will take some time, I’m absolutely certain that she will recover,” Dr. Silas answered.

Nancy watched as the entire family took in the news. But it was the fact that the entire thing was a trap for Bug and Lacey had gotten caught in the middle of it that enraged all but Eugene. “That bitch. I KNEW SHE WAS BAD NEWS. This is all your fault, Nancy!” Margaret got up and prepared to slap Nancy, but Dr. Silas intervened.

“Before you do anything rash, do know that it was Bug who saved her.”

Margaret instantly relaxed, her face instantly transforming from rage-filled to calm and sorrowful. “She… she saved her?”

Dr. Silas nodded. “Yes. Before Lacey lost consciousness, she told me that Bug had continuously tried to get her away from them, and when the explosion happened, Bug jumped on top of her and shielded her from the blast, saving her life. I have no doubt that Bug could have survived that explosion on her own, but she choose to save Lacey as well. Margaret, your daughter is alive because of Bug.”

Nancy watched as Margaret struggled to take this all in. In fact, the entire family tried to figure this out. The girl that Margaret despised had saved Lacey’s life. “Is… is… the girl okay?” Margaret struggled to say.

“Saving Lacey caused Bug to have an oversleep, but otherwise, she’s fine. She’s resting in another room.” Dr. Silas eyed Nancy, silently telling her that there was far more to this story than she was letting on.

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll check on her,” Nancy said. She knew that something was wrong. If there really was a Zunuoise, then Bug’s powers wouldn’t have worked either. If Bug had managed to shield Lacey from an explosion, then something was up. “Uh, I need to talk with the doctor for a moment,” she informed her family. As much as she wanted to hug Bug to thank her, something else needed to be solved. Following Dr. Silas out of the room, they joined Galen in a quiet part of the emergency room. “What was the cause of the explosion?” she asked Galen.

Galen looked over the notes that he taken., “I don’t know the cause, but the source of the explosion was the Zunuoise. Somehow, it exploded, and now we have two people missing. Frank’s son Greg and a college student named Paige.”

Nancy was deeply shocked at this. “But that’s impossible.”

“I concur. That’s impossible. Sure, Zunuoise is unique, but it's not all that different from other rocks, and rocks don’t just explode on their own,” Dr. Silas claimed.

Galen shook his head. “I know it sounds impossible, but everyone here confirms it. Somehow, it destabilized and exploded. I’m having the samples that were recovered sent to Washington for study.” He looked around, making sure no one could hear what he was about to say. “But that’s not the strangest part. Before the crystal exploded, Greg attempted to shoot Bug and according to every Destructor here, it bounced off her just like that kickball. She still had her abilities, even in the presence of the crystal.”

Nancy was taken aback by the revelation, but Dr. Silas simply took it in, puzzling over some thoughts. “Galen, we all know that it doesn’t matter if you are a level 1 or a level 4, you are rendered powerless by the crystal’s radiation.”

Galen simply shrugged. “And yet, she still had them. That’s how she was able to save herself from the bullet and how she saved Lacey from the explosion.”

“Well, then. It seems that my suspicions are confirmed,” Dr. Silas admitted, “You know, never in my life have I seen this. I have had over 10,000 patients over my lifetime, and Bug’s case is the first one where I’m pretty much clueless. Her past, who she is… but I am certain about one thing. Bug isn’t a level 4, or any other of the levels.”

Nancy was confused, but sudden thought emerged. “If she isn’t those, is it possible that she is…”

Dr. Silas quickly realized what Nancy was asking and interjected, “No. Even superhumans must follow the laws of nature. Once something is extinct, that’s it. There is no coming back.” Looking at Galen, he said: “Even you know that. However, I can say that Bug is a mystery. What she is, I don’t know. Hell, I’m willing to bet she isn’t even a superhuman. She’s something we have never seen before. I’m afraid that the Agency has ultimately failed to figure out the mystery.”

Galen sighed. “I didn’t really want to say this, but now it seems obvious. There is something going on, something that we aren’t seeing. The Falling Star, Bug showing up, all the random powers, and now this. The mystery behind Bug is growing larger, and we are left with far more questions than answers. Whatever she is, she’s right in the middle of something that we can’t see.” As much as Nancy wanted to disagree, she knew that Galen was right and was certain Dr. Silas knew it as well. Something was going on and Bug was playing a role in it, even if she wasn’t aware of it. “Anyways, I have been recalled to Washington. Don’t get your hopes up, Nancy. This may well have been the final straw.”

“Alright,” Nancy said, and to her surprise, Galen gave her a quick peck on the cheek, something he hadn’t done in so many years. After Galen left, Dr. Silas also left to deal with her patients, leaving Nancy to check on Bug. Walking into the room, she discovered that Bug was awake and sitting upright on the bed.

“Is Lacey alright?” she asked, concerned for her friend. Instead of immediately telling Bug that her actions had saved Lacey’s life, Nancy grabbed Bug, lifting her off the bed and hugging her. Bug let out a small eep, but otherwise didn’t react. After setting her down, Nancy did the same thing Galen had done, gave Bug a small peck on the forehead.

“She’ll be fine, Bug. You saved her. You saved my granddaughter.” Grabbing a chair and pulling it up, she said, “Bug, you have continued to surprise me. Everything that we thought you were, you have proved us wrong.” Bug slightly frowned at that, but her face had softened a bit. “Bug, I really don’t know how to thank you. Heck, the woman that hated you suddenly doesn’t know how to thank you. In my mind, you have a family now. My family. Lacey’s family. You’re one of us.”

Bug raised her hands to her mouth in shock. Her eyes started to form tears. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. Nancy smiled, knowing that Bug may have found a bit of happiness. But Nancy knew. Underneath Bug lay a mystery that was only getting deeper. Everyday, she, and those who knew about Bug were getting further from the question. Who or what was Bug?

“Galen, your report on the Destructors Incident?” Albert Coleman, the Secretary of Defense, asked Galen.

This was first meeting between Galen and the National Security Council, plus the Joint Chiefs, since the explosion of the crystal three days ago... but this wasn’t the first meeting between himself and the Council about Bug, whom this meeting was no doubt going to be about.

“Gentleman… ladies, the incident has been successfully covered up. As far as the media knows, the Destructors were attempting to construct a bomb when it went off. So far, the witnesses have cooperated with us in exchange for leniency for the charges to ensure that this story remains the official story.”

Coleman didn’t look impressed. “And the unofficial story?”

“According to all witnesses, once they brought the crystal into the room, it started to spark before destabilizing and, in their words, ‘cracking’ before finally exploding. I’ve sent the fragments recovered from the blast zone and had testing done on them as quickly as possible. But so far, the cause of the explosion is not known,” Galen replied.

Another member of the council leaned forward, asking, “Were there any deaths?”

Galen looked down at his notes, “Originally, two were missing. Paige Laris, whose house was destroyed, and Greg Weissberg, grandson of Frank Weissberg, an employee at Providence Meadows. A search team found Paige four miles alway, alone, with Greg still missing. When we questioned her, she stated that they were separated during the initial blast and she could not find him afterwards. We can safely assume that Greg was killed in the explosion, but we are not ruling out the possibility that he survived. Since then, the unit in Harrisonburg has discovered that there is a third member of the Destructors who is missing that needs to be found.”

Coleman raised an eyebrow. “And who may that be?”

Galen flipped on the projector to show a picture of the missing gang member. “His name is Edward Watt, known to his friends as Eddie. Apparently, he was ordered to pick up the girl from the ground. When he made contact, they had what witnesses could only describe as a vision. Whether or not it was a vision has yet to be 100% confirmed, but it’s the best thing we have so far, given that afterwards, he freaked, claiming that girl, Bug as she likes to be called, is not what they thought. I think Eddie is our best bet to know what exactly happened in that vision, or finding out exactly what they saw.”

“And the reason why you can’t get the details of this ‘vision’ from the girl is?” Coleman mocked.

Galen ignored Coleman’s mocking attitude. “Because I already know that if I ask her directly, she’ll freeze up. Also, because of your orders, Coleman, Bug does not trust Nancy enough to speak about it.”

“I highly doubt it was because of MY orders that this girl has trust issues,” Coleman said, denying Galen’s claims.

“Oh, really,” Galen said, “Let’s review, shall we. The moment she shows up, you immediately take a disliking to her, even before meeting her. Once Nancy claimed guardianship over the girl, you immediately gave unfair orders, one of them being to keep the girl from receiving any sort of training for her abilities. Now, I admit, I have been working against that by implying what could happen if she doesn’t receive training; unfortunately, though, it didn’t take.”

Coleman did not look pleased. “Galen, we can contain this superhuman, but only if she receives no training. This measure has worked every time in the past.

“Except for Jared.” Looking right into Coleman’s eyes, but addressing the council, he continued: “I don’t think you have all forgotten about Jared. Remember how we used the testing system to mark him as a level 0, which removes any possibility of training. But whatever happened, for whatever reason, Jared’s previously unknown abilities emerged and did a significant amount of damage, creating the Ability Paradox. What happened with Jared is happening again, only with Bug this time.”

“He does have a point,” someone said.

“How can we be sure?” someone else added.

Everybody looked towards Coleman, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “In my defense, it’s impossible to determine when an Ability Paradox would be the cause, but point acknowledged.”

Galen actually didn’t know why Coleman reacted the way he did; it was possible that he was paranoid or jealous. Regardless, his actions with this incident made no sense. In fact, nothing made sense with Coleman. Galen could have chalked it up to the fact that war might have weakened the government so much that this was all they were capable of. However, somehow he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Galen…” a voice of authority silenced everybody in the room, “What is your theory about this girl?”

“Madam President, it appears that we are clueless as to what she is. I do not know the means by which she ended up on that farm, how she got those injuries, or the nature of her memory loss or her powers. Her value as a weapon is quickly disappearing under the light of these mysteries.”

“I asked for a theory, Director,” President Kadi requested.

“Madam, I don’t have one.” He wasn’t about to explain to the president what he theorized about Bug. In all his years, he had always seemed to know when there was more going on than people saw, but the last thing anybody needed was the government running around on what could be a wild goose chase.

“A guess then.”

Galen sighed. “My best guess is that Bug could possibly be a survivor of the Icarus Project.”

“But it was reported that the commission responsible for the Project killed all the test subjects,” Coleman pointed out.

Galen shrugged. “It was never confirmed. There were a few bodies missing; it could be possible that one or two survived, and given Bug’s condition and her immunity to the effects of the crystal, it could be theorized that Bug is one of those survivors, as the records that were recovered did show that the Commission was attempting to create such a superhuman. However, even that is still a guess. Many things do not add up, which is why I’m advising caution. We can keep the girl contained by leaving her with Nancy’s family. She can be supervised in this controlled environment and give us the chance to study her and confirm whether or not she is in fact a survivor of Icarus or perhaps something else, something new.”

Coleman gripped his pencil and said, “Galen, why? Why the hell are you resisting this?” Standing up in anger, he exclaimed: “Do you not even remember the odds that we are facing right now? Do you even remember how many superhumans are even left in the world? Just this morning, we got word from France that Abelin Ancel died, lowering the total amount of level 4s worldwide to five, not counting Bug. GALEN, we are running out of time! Soon, there won’t be any superhumans left in the world.”

Galen knew the odds, but he also knew that the reason for continuing the war was pointless. What started it was no longer important. They were fighting just to fight. “What I’m saying to this council is what I believe: I no longer see the reason nor the point to keep fighting.”

There were gasps in the room, even from the President, “Why do you say that, Director?” Kadi asked.

Galen sighed, “When the war began, after the Battle of New York, we told ourselves it was to fight against the Army of the Sword, to make the world safer. Then, after Lhasa, we and our allies told ourselves that the fight became a fight to avenge all those lost in the Massacre. That became our mission. But after the Army of the Sword came Elias, and our drive to avenge cost us all but one member of Providence.” Galen clicked his tongue, holding back the emotions of remembering all the friends and family he had lost, “Over the years, nothing but fighting. What has it gained us? A billion lives lost, all because we are telling ourselves that we are fighting to avenge the superhumans lost and preserve what remains. Now, we stand here, debating about a girl who everybody believes will aid in the fight to preserve what I think just wants to die.” Right after saying that, Galen immediately regretted it.

The looks everybody gave him probably would have killed him, except, strangely, for one member. If Galen recalled correctly, his name was Terence Carver, former director of military training for the Agency, now the Director of the CIA. His face said one thing, but his eyes said another, almost like he agreed with Galen. But both of them were outnumbered when it came to this, so Galen launched into an explanation before anybody had a chance to recover. “Look, we are saying that we are trying to preserve the superhumans by winning the war, but their numbers have been severely depleted since the war started, meaning we are doing the opposite of what we set out to do in 2003.”

Coleman gritted his teeth. “I can’t believe you, Galen. Yes, things have been counterproductive, but it wasn’t our fault that so many superhumans have died. What’s important is that we preserve the future for everybody.”

Galen had to laugh at that. Yes, it was disrespectful, but he had to, “Oh, Coleman, are we forgetting the most important fact? Is everybody on this council forgetting what has been happening? We say we are fighting for to protect the future of the superhumans, but there haven’t been any superhumans born since 2003, specifically after the Fall of Lhasa. Doctors have tried for years to figure out why, but absolutely no progress has been made. Unless a miracle happens, it doesn’t matter what the fuck we do, the superhumans will permanently join the ranks of the Forgotten.”

Everybody on the council was overcome by that simple fact. They all knew that the future was grim, but many on the council refused to accept it. They weren’t giving up with the doctors on restoring the superhumans, but Galen had already accepted that they were fighting on borrowed time and that there really was no point. However, the main reason why he didn’t want the government taking the girl away from the family that was beginning to accept her was he was tired of seeing the war separate families. If the superhumans were to become extinct, it was natural to let them spend as much time as possible with those who loved them. Bug saving Lacey had begun a thaw of the relationship between the girl and Nancy’s family.

Essentially, all the problems emerge because of people’s unwillingness to let go off the past. Galen was also aware of the superstition and mystery that surrounded the girl, including what was the relationship between the girl, the Falling Star, and the Rome Shard, but all of that, while it made the mystery of the century, did not restore hope that Galen had lost.

By now, the Council had calmed down. “Galen, this meeting has gone around in circles. I understand everything, but I really don’t care,” Coleman vented. “Even with the superhumans dying, this girl’s power may hold the key to overcoming the infertility that is preventing the birth of superhumans.

“Galen, I understand your point, but we need this girl. We are running out of time,” President Kadi added. “Once Nancy is dead, you will send Gare and Dhruv to retrieve her, as well as Colonial Wulfe’s Navy SEAL unit. That is more than enough firepower to handle the situation. At the same time, you are to use every available resource in the valley to find Eddie. It seems his reaction to whatever vision he had with the girl seems to indicate he has a good idea of who or what she is.”

Galen wanted to protest. He seriously did, but he finally admitted defeat. What was the point though? Was there ever any point to begin with?

-----------

I felt myself floating through air. But at the same time, it wasn’t air. It was something… oh shit. My eyes snapped opened to darkness. Oh not again! Not the Dark Place. This would be the fourth time coming back here, and I really didn’t feel like dealing with the mud creatures today. I was actually enjoying a good night's rest.

Suddenly, the darkness burned away and I found myself falling face first into… grass? Looking up, I realized, yes, I had landed in grass. Wet grass, in a forest. Sitting up, I looked around. It wasn’t the dark place for sure, but I’m not sure where I was other than a deep forest. I suddenly realized that all I had one was a shirt, my shorts, and my underwear, which I was using as sleepwear and wasn’t exactly the best clothing for winter. Bracing for the shivers and the piercing cold, it took a moment for me to notice that the trees still had leaves on them, and despite it being somewhat dark and drippy, as if it had just rained, the air felt warm.

Is this what summer feels like? It was disheartening, because I didn’t remember what summer felt like. But I could focus on that later; right now, I needed to figure where the hell I was. Standing up, I looked around, trying to get an idea of where I was. When I couldn’t, I started walking for a bit. Where else was I going to go? I walked and walked, and walked a bit more, until I took a wrong step and slipped in the mud.

“Ouch…” I started to say before realizing what was in in front me. A statue. An old, crumbling statue. Strange that it would be out in this forest, in the middle of nowhere. However, the statue’s face did look similar to something that I had seen before, which was saying a lot, given that I didn’t know much about anything. Resolved, I needed a better look. I got up, and climbed up the statue to get a better look at its face.

“Let’s see who you are,” I quietly muttered as I scraped away the vines that had grown over it. To my dismay, the face was worn down, leaving me unable to make out who it was. I had gotten nowhere with this, until I looked over and noticed another statue. Then another, and another. All total, four. Looking at the placement of these statues, I finally remembered. These statues, crumbling, and breaking apart, sat in a circle. The same way the statues stood in my vision when I touched the crystal. However, I only counted four here, while there was one more in the vision. In the center.

I followed the paths of the statues to the center of the circle. There stood a bush a tall bush. “I wonder…” I muttered as I formed an idea. I reached to pull the branches way and the moment my hand made touched the bush, it immediately burned away, revealing the fifth statue, the one I recognized immediately. It was a statue of a female, just like the one in my vision. Eddie had called her Judith. The one that spoke to me. I don’t know long I stood there, but I realize there was a stark difference between the statue of Judith and the others. The other four were crumbling, while Judith’s statue was in perfect condition. Not a crack anywhere. Despite the forest being in a state of dusk, the statue glowed in radiance. I reached out to touch it, to feel its radiance, and once I did, the same voice from the vision spoke, once again saying, “You are the last, our inheritor.”

Suddenly and without warning, I was blown from the front the statue, through the forest and right smack onto… the floor of my room. What’s more, I landed on my face again! Why did I always land on my face? Could I land on my feet for once, or maybe even not fall out of bed? I looked up at the clock, surprised to read that it was 10:30 a.m. The old lady usually woke me up between 6 and 7 a.m. But for the past few days, namely, since we got home from the hospital after the fight with the Destructors, the old lady had been letting me sleep in. Very strange.

Sighing, knowing so little about the dream and about the old lady, I started to get up when I glanced down at my foot. It was covered by something. I took a closer look at it and I immediately realized what it was. It was dirt. My feet were covered with a little of dirt, as if I had been walking in mud. I felt my heart drop, and I was overcome with worry. Was I having a vision, dream, or something else?

I quickly got up and headed to the bathroom. After splashing some water on my face, I looked in the mirror, seeing the same face that had stared back at me for the last few weeks. It was getting easier everyday to look at my face and accept who I was, but now, with this vision or dream or whatever, I wasn’t sure about myself anymore. And speaking of the vision, what did Judith mean by saying I was the last? The last of what? And a better question, who the hell was Judith?

Finding no answers in the mirror, I quickly freshened up, washed the mud off my feet, and then joined the old lady and Lacey. “Morning, Bug,” the old lady greeted me with a cup of orange juice.

“Morning,” I replied, taking a seat at the table with my cup. I looked over at Lacey. Other than the bandages on her ankle, she had improved greatly since the hospital, “You are looking a lot better, Lacey.” Lacey looked at me, smiled, then looked back down at the book she was reading. Sigh. Lacey had barely spoken in the time she’d spent here, which was three days, and it was all remarks to the old lady. Lacey hadn’t spoken a word to me. I was sure that she hated me for what happened back at that house, the trap, and what happened to her best friend. When I brought this up to the old lady, she reassured me that Lacey didn’t hate me, she just didn’t know what to say to me. Despite that, I still felt that Lacey held some resentment towards me.

“Dr. Silas cleared her. She’s going home today,” the old lady interrupted my thought process.

“Congratulations, Lacey!’ I said gleefully. Lacey looked up at me, but didn’t say anything. Again, the idea that she resented me came roaring back up.

The old lady handed me a plate of toast, “So Bug, what was that thump I heard in your room?” she questioned.

I froze for a brief second, but the old lady noticed it. “Um, well, I fell out of bed again,” I admitted.

The old lady picked up her cup and leaned back against the counter, her face mixed with curiosity and concern. “Do you know why?”

This was the moment. Did I tell her about the dream itself, or make some shit up? Pros and cons… okay, I didn’t know any pros and cons of my decision quite yet. However, I remembered what she had told me back at the hospital and the kindness that she showed me. I guess the best decision was to tell her. What possibly could wrong? Quickly taking a sip of my orange juice, I said: “Well, I’m not completely sure why I keep ending up on the floor, but I had a dream.”

The old lady perked up and smiled. “A dream? Well, that’s great. What was the dream about?”

I quickly glanced over to Lacey, who had just donned glasses and resumed her book. She wasn’t paying that much attention. “Um,” I started, distracted. Too late to stop now. “Well, I was in forest somewhere. I don’t know where the forest was, all I know is it was warm and I think it was summer.” I briefly stopped to take a slip of my juice. “So, anyways, I was walking down some path until came across some statues.”

The old lady raised an eyebrow. “Statues?”

I nodded, “I counted five. The four that made a circle were crumbling and old, but the fifth one, the one in the middle, it was like it was brand new. It even spoke to me.”

The old lady stood up, a bit surprised. “The statue spoke? What did it say?”

This was tricky. This wasn’t the first time that I was told that I was the last of something, and that I was some sort of ‘inheritor’, whatever that meant, so it clearly meant something. But did I want to reveal that to the old lady and Lacey? “It said…” Giving it a brief pause, I decided to tell her about the last of something, but leave out the inheritor part. “It said that I was the last.”

The old lady’s face briefly flashed with worry. “The last of what?”

I was sooo surprised that she asked me that. “She never told me. It was just ‘you are the last’ and that was it.” I still withheld the inheritor part.

“She? Who’s she? Did you recognize the statue?” Nancy questioned. Oh fuck. I slipped.

I quickly tried to think of some bullshit to tell her. “Uh, well, yeah, the statue looked like a female, so naturally I guessed that it showed a girl.” Best bullshitted answer I could think of.

The old lady nearly choked on whatever she was drinking. “Oh, Bug, sometimes you are an excellent liar. Other times, not so much.” She couldn’t help smiling. “Come on Bug, I can see it in your eyes.”

I looked down at my feet, rubbing my head in frustration. “Fine. It was Judith, whoever that may be.” Immediately after I said her name, I heard the old lady’s cup shatter on the floor. I looked at Nancy, who was trembling with terror and shock.

“Ju-Ju-Judith?” she whimpered.

I looked over at Lacey, who was just as shocked as the old lady. “Uh, yeah? The statue was Judith. Um, who is Judith?” I asked, now very concerned about my visions due to the reaction of both the old lady and Lacey.

The old lady shook off the shock. “Uh, no one, Bug. Judith…Judith is no one. Just someone your mind made up.” The old lady barely managed to say those words. It was clearly obvious that Judith was someone very important, but what I didn’t know was why the old lady, after having such a reaction, would suddenly attempt to just shrug it off.

“Ma’am, who is Judith?” I questioned.

But the old lady simply shook her head, as if trying to shake away the events that just happened. “Just finish your breakfast,” she replied as she and Lacey left the room, leaving me completely unsettled by what just happened.

---------

Later that night, after the old lady left to do something with her family, I sat on the couch alone in the house, looking through the books the old lady had. In my time here, I had read every one of them, but the first time around, none of them mentioned Judith. In fact, no one in any of the books had the name Judith. They had all but that name. Still, I had to check. I needed to know what this all meant.

But, just my luck, despite checking every history book the old lady had, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. That did raise the question, though -- I knew that despite what the old lady told me, Judith was significant. Whether to the world, or history, or something, she held significance to a point that even mentioning her name was enough to freak the crap out of the old lady. But at the same time, I had the thought that maybe Judith was in fact evil. History would have looked down on her with such a glare. However, if Judith was like someone like the guy Hitler detailed in one of these books, then wouldn’t a history book talk a great deal about her? This did raise the question, if in fact, regardless of which side of history Judith was on, why didn’t the old lady have any books that even mentioned her?

All this questioning was starting to give me a headache, so I decided to get some air. The old lady had a very small porch in the front of the house, and after the whole event with the tracker when my restriction to the house was lifted, I’d spent a good deal of my time sitting on the porch, doing whatever suited me at that moment. Reading, writing, staring out at the mountains trying to remember anything of my past life, really, anything. It was dark and cold, but the night sky was clear. Sitting down on the porch, I stared out, not really looking for anything in particular. I just had so many thoughts about everything they were starting to overload my brain.

I rubbed my head in frustration. My memory, my abilities, Lacey, the old lady, the Destructors, my visions, those guys that screamed they were coming to get me… just, “AHHHH!” I screamed. I didn’t care if there the neighbors heard me. I was overwhelmed and I was just done. “What does this all mean?” I screamed again, this time at the night sky, as if something up there could hear me. “Anything. Just, something. I need something, a sign, a memory, ANYTHING!” I yelled at the stars. But stars never answered. I leaned back against the door, brought my knees up to my chest and started sobbing.

I stayed like that for some time, at least until something rubbed up against my legs to make itself known. I looked up, rubbing the tears from my eyes, and found that a stray cat had wandered up onto the porch. “Hey there.” My voice choked with tears. The cat responded by wandering up to my hand and rubbing it with its face. “Well, aren’t you a sweetie.” I reached over and rubbed its head. Strange that a cat would just walk right up to me at night and let me pet it, but hey, it was good fortune. I had another friend. “So, where do you come from?” I asked the cat.

The cat meowed in response.

“Oh, well, that’s cool. I don’t where I came from. I wish I did, but I don’t. Maybe there is a part of me that doesn’t want to know.” I looked at my arms where my injuries that I woke up with were beginning to completely fade. “Obviously I wasn’t at a good place before all this, but I still want to know. I mean, the vision I had at that house showed me a tiny bit of whoever held me, and clearly, they want me back. Why? Was I an experiment that got loose? Was I nothing? I just don’t know.” I vented my feelings to the cat, who just listened as I scratched its neck. “Maybe what that part of me is saying is right. Maybe I don’t want to know.”

I sighed, feeling a bit overwhelmed at this. I wasn’t sure the old lady could even begin to help me solve this puzzle. However, rubbing this cat made me feel a bit better about everything, “Hmm. You came from the woods, so I’m going to call you Woodsy. Yes, Woodsy the cat.”

The cat looked at me like I was insane, as if cats could give you looks. It stood up, stretched, rubbed its head on my hand, and then wandered towards the road, on its way to something else. I never even got the chance to see if it was a boy or girl. Oh, well. It was nice petting a cat for the first time since I woke up. Getting up to head back inside, I heard a car screech and what could be imagined as a death scream. From… from… “WOODSY!” I whipped around in time to see a car zipping away, and in the moonlight, a cat lying on the road. I immediately took off, running across the old lady’s front yard as quickly as I could.

On the road, I found Woodsy, dead, having been hit by the car. I furiously glanced down the road, seeing the car that did this horrible thing disappear. I turned my attention back to Woodsy, who was lying on road. Dead. Woodsy, the cat that befriended me on a moment’s notice, was dead. If only I hadn’t gone outside, the cat wouldn’t had wandered up to me, and if it hadn’t wandered up to me, then it wouldn’t have been in the position to cross the road when it did. It would’ve lived.

I cradled the cat, holding it, wishing that this hadn’t happened. I wanted to change what had occurred, to save the cat, but I couldn’t. Despite my powers, saving a cat was not among them. Rubbing the cat, I suddenly felt something shock my hand. I jerked it away in pain, looking for the source of the shock, but finding nothing. A moment later, Woodsy jumped out of my hands, looked back me for a brief moment, then took off, disappearing into the darkness of night.

I sat there, confounded by what had just occurred. I’d thought for sure that the cat was dead. Getting hit by that car should’ve killed it, but the cat just got up and ran off. Maybe it was just stunned? Yeah, it was just stunned. Getting up, I slowly made my way back to the house, debating on whether or not it was stunned. I either woke Woodsy by shocking it, which would explain why I shocked myself, or something else. But what could I have done other than that? Maybe it did die, and I brought… no, that couldn’t have happened. That definitely couldn’t have happened. But could it? I knew I was powerful, and different, but to be powerful enough to bring even simple creatures back to life? That seemed way to much for even me. But then again, I completely resisted the crystal and its effects. I pressed my hand up against my head, feeling so frustrated yet again. Either I shocked it out of shock, I resurrected it, or maybe.... “Healed it. Yes, perfect. I either shocked it or I healed it.” Healing seemed like something I could do, given how much power people believed that I had.

Just as I reached the porch, I heard the old lady pull up into the driveway. I do recall her wanting to talk to me about something when she got back, so I hurried inside and slipped into a kitchen chair just as she stumbled into the door. Literally. The old lady looked awful, her eyes half dead, her skin white. I’d never seen her this bad, even with her coughing. It took a few minutes for her to catch her breath before pouring herself a glass of water and sitting down in a chair beside me. “Bug, there is something I have to tell you,” she finally said.

“Oh?”

The old lady opened her mouth to speak, but she was overcome with another bout of coughing. It was obvious that she was sick, but what was she sick with? “Very soon,” she finally said, “I’m going away. And, well, I need to tell you something before I leave. It’s about how you ended up in my care.”

I thought back to that day. Worst day of what little my life was. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Remember when the cop that talked to you used an ability to handcuff you to the table, and then I used an ability to remove those cuffs?” she asked.

“Yes?” I answered. I remembered every detail of that day and I recall the old lady snapping her fingers, making the handcuff disappear. Why would she bring this up?

The old lady was overcome with a coughing fit yet again before continuing. “Well, actually, it wasn’t me. It was the cop who did it.”

I was confused at this. “So, the thing you wanted to tell me…” I stopped, because I began to realize what this implied. If the old lady snapped her fingers to remove the cuff, but the cop did it, that meant it was planned. Come to think it about, that cop acting the way he did, then the old lady coming in and acting all nice and sweet. This means that they did one thing. “You manipulated me?” The look on the old lady’s face answered the question immediately, but I needed her to say it. “Did you manipulate me into trusting you?” I demanded.

She didn’t answer, just looked down with sadness in her eyes. But I felt not sadness, but rage beginning to creep in. “DID YOU!?” I demanded once more. But the old lady said nothing. I needed answers, so I decided to get them myself. I immediately pressed my hand on her face, and a with a little bit of effort, overrode her mental defenses. What I saw was everything. The treatment at the hospital, the countless tests, the way the police treated me, everything, was because of the old lady! I released my grip, “How could you do this to me? HOW COULD YOU TRICK ME LIKE THIS?” I screamed, holding nothing back.

The old lady looked up at me, rubbing her head, in pain because of my actions. “I had to,” she sobbed. “It was the way to keep you from them.”

“Who are them?” I inquired, now very curious about the reason why she put me through such an ordeal.

But the old lady turned away from me, unable to look me in the eye. “Bug, there is so much about this world that you don’t know. People aren’t what they seem. People that seem like they are your enemy are actually trying to help you and there are those who despite what they say are lying and are trying to use you for something bigger.”

“Isn’t that what the Agency wants? Oh wait, it does, because it’s supposed to protect people like me,” I sadistically countered.

“Bug, I was trying to protect you from the Agency. The Agency isn’t what it seems, okay. It isn't all good. There are dark forces at work in this world, even within the Agency. Even if Galen was on your side all along, there are those within it that seeks to use you in ways that are horrible. I had no choice!”

Fuck that. “Yeah, you had a choice. You could've chosen a different way to tell me. A better way, a way that I wouldn’t be so scared about everything. Do you know what’s it like to wake up with nothing? Do you know what it’s like for the world to make NO sense to you? You made it much more worse for me, and what, all because you had some stupid plan to keep me safe from who knows. There were better plans, there were better ideas. You could’ve just told me, you… ahh.” I shrieked, punching the wall. My fist went right through it and the house shook like a train. I glared at the old lady, but instead of continuing, I grabbed my jacket and walked right past her heading for the door.

“Bug, please,” she called out at me, but I didn’t response. I walked right out that door and I didn’t look back.

Galen was sitting in his office, going over preparations to take Bug into custody. He felt like a wannabe inventor trying to become an actual inventor. It was one idea after another. He just couldn’t figure out a way militarily that would even work out successfully for them. It was getting to the point that he would be forced to enlist the help of military strategists and historians to aid in this endeavor. But Bug might simply be too powerful for Galen, the Agency, and the best the military had to offer. Galen was still no closer to solving the mystery behind the girl, but it was extremely obvious that Bug was no weakling. In fact, she might as well be one of the most powerful superhumans on the planet, perhaps even the most powerful. This meant that taking her down militarily like everybody wanted could be practically impossible.

A sudden knock at his door alerted him to the arrival of none other than Secretary Coleman. He came waltzing in as if this was still his office. Dropping a bunch of papers on Galen’s desk, Coleman treated himself to a drink before getting down to business. “The Virginia State Police have found Edward Watt down in Marion, Virginia.”

“That far?”

Coleman took a slip of his drink. “Yeah, that little bugger can travel. The State Troopers said that the kid was practically insane when they found him. They are taking him to the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke for evaluation. I want you to take a small team and head down to assist in gathering information about the girl.”

“Sir, I’m already planning the operation to retrieve her,” Galen countered.

Coleman just laughed at that idea. “No, Galen. You have been ordered to Roanoke, and I will oversee the retrieval personally by order of the President. She thinks that your ‘demonstration’ has compromised your ability to act rationally in this mission.” Immediately, Coleman pulled out another paper hidden in his jacket pocket. It was the orders for Coleman to take direct command, signed by the president.

Galen gripped his pencil so hard it snapped in two. “I’m going to remind you once again. It’s going to fail. She has completely immunity to the crystal.”

Coleman laughed again, which surprised Galen. “Oh Galen, you may be the director of the Agency, but you have barely any knowledge of the research. See, we have come up with a device that will nullify her powers far better than any crystal. This device can take down the powers of any superhuman, regardless of origin.” Coleman eyes flashed with an insidious desire. “The world is entering a new age, Galen. I will see to it personally, and this girl’s power will be at the forefront of the dawn of this new world.” With that, Coleman finished his drink and left, leaving Galen to comprehend everything.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Galen’s position as the Director of the Agency was purely ceremonial. He was talk, but in the end, Coleman still held the power.
Now he needed to warn Bug that they were coming. Not for her sake, but for Coleman and his men’s sake. No doubt they would have Nancy’s phone wiretapped. If he attempted to make direct contact to warn her, the connection would be cut. But if Galen couldn’t reach Nancy, there was someone who could. Her son, General Frederick E. Rodes.

-------

I walked and walked and walked. I didn't have any destination in mind. Hell, I didn’t even know where I was, but I didn’t care. I was too angry, too upset, too anything to stop and head back. Why would I even go back? That woman had tricked me. They’d all tricked me. I bet they only wanted me for my power. Such lousy assholes. Such… I don’t know. I was just so mad at everybody.

Looking at what I could see around me, I discovered that I had wandered onto an empty road. A small road in the middle of really nowhere. Trees and a few houses lined the road. It was better than nothing, so I started down it. Again, I didn’t have much of a destination in mind. I had no plan other than putting as much distance I could between the old lady and me. Maybe I would head back to Lexington, the town near where they found me. Or maybe I would walk to the beach. Who knew. I just didn’t want to go back.

“Oh, Bug, you got yourself in so much trouble.” Talking to myself was something I did often for no real reason, but now it helped. My only companionship was myself in the dark time, literally. I stopped to rest, but instead decided to verge back off the road into a field to avoid drawing attention to myself. I was certain that a girl walking on a small country road in the middle of the night would certainly attract a lot of unwanted attention, and I most definitely didn’t need that. Eventually, my wandering brought me to a large tree in the field. It provided me enough coverage that I wouldn’t be noticed. Despite my decision to put as much distance as I could between me and that lady, I did realize at that moment that I really did need to put my thoughts in order before I got going again. The last thing I needed was to make a wrong turn and end up with a one-way ticket to a police station.

So what did I know that could help me? Well, when I’d first woken up, not much. The only two abilities I knew about were snapping taser wires and running through doors. But now I had grown and learned a lot about what I could do. Granted, that led to even more mysteries, such as why I was immune to the crystal when everybody else wasn’t, or why I had such a wide range of powers, and I wasn’t sure where to even start to trying to figure it all out. So that was pretty much a bust.

“Wait a second!” I could not believe that I hadn’t thought about doing this. What if I used my ability to regain some of my memories? If I was powerful enough, I should be able to break through whatever was preventing me from regaining my memories. I immediately pressed my hands against my forehand in preparation. I wasn’t completely sure at this point how to activate my powers. Usually, they came when I was extremely angry, upset, or scared, and when I wasn’t any of those, it was subconsciously, as if my abilities were acting on their own accord to protect me…

Mental facepalm. I was such an idiot. Of course I was angry. I was furious at what the old lady had done to me. If I used that anger to fuel my ability, I could even find out who my family was, my real family. If that happened, I then had a destination. While a few things might be hard to explain to them, I assumed they would be happy to see me. Excitement emerged as I pressed my hands against my head and closed my eyes to focus. I willed myself to remember; I focused every ounce of my will, every ounce of anger towards the old lady and what she’d done, and just because, every ounce of that excitement that I was beginning to experience.

I felt my ability react, but I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel any memories suddenly stream into my head; I didn’t feel any change to my emotional state. Nothing. When I opened my eyes, though, something had changed. I was no longer in the field, and it was no longer dark. I found myself sitting in the same forest as my dream. Wonderful, just wonderful. How the hell did I manage to zap my mind here?

Standing up, I looked for the same statues that I’d seen the last time I was here. But this apparently wasn’t the same part of the forest. I recognized it as the same forest from my dream because the air felt the same way, and the sky was overcast, somewhat dark, but bright at the same time; it wasn’t the same part of it. In my dream, trees were everywhere. Here, it was rather open, and beside me was the bank of a fast-moving river. However, when I looked down the bank of the creek, I found that I wasn’t alone. Someone or something was sitting on a rock not too far away from me, looking up towards the mountains, opposite where I was. I quickly scrambled to my feet as quietly as possible, and slowly made my way to where she was sitting. As I got closer, I realized that it was a girl, based on the white dress she wore. However, she wore no shoes and the dress seemed to be school-type clothes, not the sort of thing you would wear outdoors. So already she was off-balance in this place.

I inched closer and closer as quietly as I could while trying to figure her out, when she suddenly turned around, her eyes locking with mine. I honestly don’t know who was more shocked, me or her. I found myself staring at someone who looked like me. Not 100%, but hell, it was damn close. And her, she looked… well, I don’t know. I was too busy freaking the hell out at staring at my twin… sister? I had a sister?

“Jamie?” And now I was snapped back into reality by the uttering of my supposed name. “How… how… how are you still alive?”

I took a major step back at that question. Still alive? “Wha…” Before I could complete the word, I was shot back out of the vision, hitting my head on the tree that I was leaning on. “Ouch!” I immediately yelled, rubbing the back of my head. I needed to think this out. This was getting more mysterious, and maybe even more dangerous. I’d possibly just met my sister in some unknown place that was either a dream world or something else and she was surprised that I was still alive. How was that? Why was that? Was she even alive or there in the real place? If she wasn’t real, then who or what was trying to contact me? If she was real regardless, what did she mean? That I’d been ‘killed’?

“Calm down, Bug. Calm down,” Panicking wasn’t going to solve this. It didn’t seem that my abilities were going to help me right now, and really, it was all apparent that I was wrong about how much control I had over them. I’d known that it wasn’t much, but now I realized that my control was pathetic. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to figure out what to do next. This vision scared me, more so than the others that I’d had. It brought me no closer to figuring out who or what I was, but I needed help. And I’d run away from the person who was my best chance at figuring it out. But it led back to the problems at hand. She’d tricked me, she’d manipulated me. I’d trusted her by the time this happened, only for it to be shattered. It was so stupid of her to do what she’d done, but the old lady seemed to generally think that it was worth it. She had seemed to care; well, not at first, but as time went on. She’d seemed generally worried about me. My mind wandered back to that night in the hospital after the fight with the Destructors. After what she’d told me that night, I’d felt like she really cared for me. I’d felt like I was part of a real family. Maybe what she told me early today that hurt me so much was a necessary part of being in a family. Honesty. Maybe the old lady had decided to come clean.

All of this was giving me a headache, but I did realize that walking out on her may not have been the best idea. Still, though, I was unsure if I could go back and fix everything. How could I still trust her after this? “Oh, what do I do?” I muttered, leaning back on the tree.

“Perhaps I can help you,” someone replied. I recognized the voice instantly. It wasn’t something that you forget, especially after they try to personally kill you. I shot up, bolting around the tree, coming face to face with Greg. He was sporting some sort of weapon this time around. Man, does this guy ever quit?

I clenched my fists; the memory of the attack burned into my head. I stood mere feet away from the guy who’d tried to kill me and Lacey, just because I showed him up. “What is your PROBLEM!?”

“Everything,” Greg replied.

This was unbelievable. Was this how people kept grudges? Going after them over and over and over again? This was insane. Greg was insane. Everything about this was insane, “Okay, Greg, you need to back off. Right now.”
Greg didn’t back off. Instead, he brought his weapon up and pointed it at me. I readied myself as well. I didn’t know what that weapon was, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I had beaten him several times before; I probably could do it again. Although I didn’t understand why Greg was so interested in attacking me over and over again, even though I had won most of our fights. Maybe he wanted a beatdown, but it was likely that it had to do with Lhasa. Everything that happened to me in that school and at that party was because of Lhasa.

As so I brought my hand up to block it. I was going beat this guy to next week and then put as much distance between me and this asshole as possible. Greg pulled the trigger as I readied. The weapon charged for a brief moment before firing a powerful beam of energy at me, something that I was not prepared for. Bullets were one thing, but this was completely different. As if time slowed down at that brief moment, I scrambled out of the way, tripping and falling flat on my butt as the beam shot past me and struck the tree, blowing it to nothing, “What the hell is that?” I yelled as I jumped to my feet. Could my abilities even protect me from something like that?

Greg aimed at me again, smiling. “You like it? Its name isn’t important. All you need to know is that it’s a level 4 killer and it’s the very same weapon that killed Lhasa. Nothing to date has ever stopped it.” He pulled the trigger again, and once again time slowed down. I was facing death. This thing had blown a massive tree to dust, so what could it do to me? I just had to trust in myself and my abilities. I held my hands up together as a shield just as the beam reached me. I felt its heat, I felt its energy, and I felt my ability holding it back. I twisted my hand just a bit, reflecting the beam away from me, causing it to safely strike a fence post. A moment of pure excitement filled me. I had done something awesome. Quickly checking my hands, finding no sign of injury, I stuck out my tongue at Greg. I was feeling petty, but right now I didn’t care. I was happy.

Greg, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch. He reloaded the gun with a large black canister, and fired again. I raised one hand and reflected it away. I was on a roll. “Give it up Greg. The same thing is going to happen every time.”

Greg’s smile never left him, which was beginning to creep me out, “Is that so? Aren’t you forgetting something. Like what happens if you overuse your powers?” He hinted. Oh crap, I’ll fall asleep, I immediately remembered. The excitement, the joy of beating Greg, all that disappeared and Greg knew it. “With all this energy I’m firing at you, your powers are going to give out soon; then you will be at my mercy.”

Greg was right. If I used my abilities too long, I would wear down my energy reserves, sending me into an oversleep. Shit. I needed to get out of here. So I did the best thing I could think of. I gave Greg a nervous smile and waved, then ran for my life in the opposite direction. Greg ran after me. God this guy never gave up. But this was also a problem. If I used too much energy just running away from him, I would burn through it all, leaving me defenseless. I needed to hide from him, just like I did at the farm.

The woods I was running towards offered me the best chance at this. I hated when people made fun or pointed out my small size, but now, my tininess would work to my advantage. I just needed to get far enough away from Greg to bury myself under snow and leaves. But before I could do anything, I heard the click. The weapon fired, hitting me in the back. My ability absorbed it, but that didn’t stop it from knocking me off my feet. “No matter what you do, you will always fall, Bug. And when you fall for the last time, you will join the Forgotten.”

Greg raised his weapon to fire at me one more time when someone jumped out from the bushes and held a gun up at his head. “Put down your weapon and surrender,” the person ordered. Immediately several others came out of the bushes, all with weapons raised at Greg, who slowly put down the weapon and raised his hands. Once he was secured, the guy who I assumed was the leader turned towards me and helped me up on my feet. “It’s so good to see you again, Jamie,” he said.

The world came crashing down at that moment. He knew my name. How did he know my name?! “Ho… ho…” I stuttered.

“How do I know that is your name?” he finished. Taking off his mask, I came face to face with the third person that had confronted me on that farm. It was Frank’s son and Greg’s father. “I know your name because I helped create you.”

Well, that was the surprise of the century. “You helped create me? You know who I am?”

“Well, yes. But more on that later. My name is Cane. I’m with the Agency, and I’m so sorry about my son here. He will be dealt with soon enough.” There was so much that I wanted to ask, about myself, about Greg, about everything, but it was too soon and I didn’t know if I could even begin to trust him. Cane smiled at my uneasiness. “I see you have trust issues. I would be the same way if I was in your position. That Nancy had no idea how to care for you.” He reached into a pocket, pulled something out and handed it to me, “Here, something for you.”

It was a picture. I studied it and quickly realized that it was me in the photo. Except it was me with long hair and normal girl clothes. I was smiling. It was me before everything. It was another life, one that I still didn’t remember. “This is me?” I had ask, even though I knew the answer.

Cane gave me a sad smile. “Yes. Taken days before you disappeared.”

I hugged the photograph, now a prized possession. “Who am I?” I asked, truly desperate to know.

Cane sighed, “It’s not who you are. It’s what you are. I’m sorry if you thought… you know…” I shrugged, having expected something like this. “You know what, let’s talk as we walk. If you haven’t noticed, it’s quite cold out here and walking is a good way to stay warm.” Seemed simple enough. I gathered myself, still holding the picture, and followed Cane. Greg and the other soldiers were behind me. “It’s actually kind of complicated to describe what you are. The short answer is, you are the result of Project Savior, the child of decades of work to save the world.”

“To save the world?” I asked.

Cane rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah… that’s the long answer. You see, Jamie, the world before the war was an era of superheroes. It was referred to as the Great Golden Era, except there was a dark secret unknown to everybody but a select few. Those select few resolved to stop the secret from emerging from the shadows. In that resolve, Project Savior was born. Those behind it, including me, worked behind the scenes; not even the Agency knew of our project to create a new superhuman. One powerful enough to stop the Secret.” Cane briefly stopped to look at me, then resumed walking. “However, we were plagued with failure after failure. Every child died… until… well, you, Jamie.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You were our success. You were supposed to be the Savior. Everything was going great for us, at least until it happened.” Cane grew silent, seemingly recalling something.

I knew immediately that something bad had happened, most likely the reason that I was on that farm. “What happened?” I inquired.

Cane stopped and looked down at me. “Everything was going according to plan, until something went wrong. We don’t know what happened, but the resulting blast destroyed the facility and you were presumed dead.”

That seemed depressing, but I immediately thought back to the vision I’d had back in the house. A part of it was of an explosion. I wonder if that was the explosion Cane was referring to. “Ah… I guess you recognized me on the farm?” I asked sheepishly, recalling what I had done to their door.

Cane shook his head. “Not at first. But when I heard that you weren’t affected by the crystal in a trap my son laid for you, I immediately knew that you had returned, after all this time. You have no idea how much I was overcome with relief when I realized it was you.”

Taking in all this information about what I was, I too felt a great relief wash over me. The secrets of my mind were finally being revealed to me. Not in the way I was expecting, but hey, it worked. I was less than thrilled to find out that I was some experiment cooked up in some lab, but at least I finally knew. “What will happen to me now?” A question that still remained on my mind.

“Well, since your current guardian is dying and will be dead very soon, I’m planning on taking you straight to one of the facilities the Agency operates, just to make sure your abilities are working correctly.” I stopped in my tracks at the realization that the old lady was dying. “Oh, you didn’t know, did you?” Cane said, noting my sudden stop, “It’s a shame. The cancer has been eating at her for years. The survival mechanism of an ability is the only thing that has allowed her to survive this long. Too bad it’s completely burned out. Nancy only has maybe a few hours, a day at most to live.”

I felt sick to my stomach hearing this. The old lady, who’d taken me in, had probably only told me what she did because she wasn’t going to survive another day and felt that I deserved to know. And I’d responded by walking out on her. What have I done? I walked out, ignored someone who… “loved me,” I whispered, realizing finally, after all this time, that the old lady had grown to love me. She truly was my family, even if she’d made mistakes. I needed to get back somehow.

Cane put his hand on my shoulder, “It’s nothing to worry about. She held you back and I’m going to make sure that you will reach your greatest potential.” Cane started walking once again. It was strange that we were heading deeper into the woods. I figured that he must have had a car waiting on the other side, as his team had appeared out of nowhere, but sudden thought made me question. How did Cane and his team know where Greg would be? And speaking of Greg, why did he choose to confront me alone? “Oh, Jamie, I’m sorry about my son. I wasn’t the best dad for him and you suffered for it.”

Dad… dad.... DAD! My mind raced back to my first day at Providence Meadows, my memory flashing with my first encounter with Greg that morning. After he showed the scars that were on my arms to his friends, he said that he wasn’t done with me and neither was his dad. I always thought that he meant Frank, but what if he didn’t? It was clear that Frank wasn’t Greg’s father, so why did Greg say that? If Cane was sooo relieved at my appearance, then why did Greg even bother to mention his dad? I’d thought Frank was the bad guy. I also remembered what Greg did that day, showing the scars that littered my arm. If I was such a creation, then why did I have so many scars and bruises when I first woke up at that farm? Looking down at the photo that Cane had given me, I realized something was very much off about the photo. I recalled the girl in the river and realized I was mistaken about her appearance. The girl’s hair was pure black, not brown, and I distinctly remembered before the pinkness took over most of my hair, the color of it was very much brown. The face, while very similar to my own, wasn’t exact. The girl in this photo wasn’t me. It was the girl that I’d seen in the forest in my vision. Cane was lying to me.

This explained everything. Greg and Cane were working together, Greg attacking me so Cane could come in and ‘rescue’ me in order to gain my trust. Frank was never my enemy. He was just an asshole. It was Cane that was the mastermind behind the events the school and at the party. He was the true villain. Stopping, I took a defensive stance. “Who are you really?” I demanded, prepared to fight once again.

Cane stopped, turned to face me, his face overcome with insanity and started laughing. “Well… well… well… nothing can escape from your sight. You are just as stubborn as the day we captured you.” By that one sentence, I knew immediately that Cane was lying about everything. Cane snapped his fingers; the guards who had been following close behind us and who were holding Greg down let go of him, and they all stood with their weapons pointed at me. “Some of it was true. You were there when it happened, we both were. For years, we looked for you, and imagine my surprise when you turn up at my farm. But I had to be sure. That’s why I arranged for the Destructors to set that little trap. What I didn’t expect was your immunity to the crystal and you inadvertently causing the vast majority of the gang to be captured.”

I pointed to the others that had come with him. “Then what are these guys? Some asshats you picked out of the trash can?” All the others removed their masks, revealing themselves to be teenagers, just like Greg. I recognized them from Providence Meadows. Immediately, I knew they were Destructors, even if they were never at the party. It was trap from the beginning. Cane must’ve kept these Destructors away from the party to ensure that whatever outcome I caused, he would still have enough to draw me away from everybody and trap me when my powers gave out. All he had to do was wait and my anger at the old lady allowed me to walk right to him.

“I’m judging by the look on your face, you have figured it out. Kumiko must be so proud.” Kumiko? “It doesn’t matter, though,” Cane continued; “they want their weapon back, so I’m taking you back.” So many questions, like who was Kumiko and who were they, but they are for later. Right now, I needed to get away as quickly as I could. Before I could move, Greg took aim at me with his weapon and fired, barely giving me any time to move my hand to block.

When the energy hit my hand, something strange happened. The energy, instead of being reflected like before, was absorbed into my body through my hands. I could feel the surge of power, my energy reserves being restored by the power, buying me even more time to fight off Cane and his Destructors. All the Destructors took a step back, except Cane. It was all I could do to give them a petty smile in return, knowing exactly what to do. Concentrating, I let a good chunk of the energy I’d absorbed flow back into my hands and with the biggest “fuck you” smile I could muster, I slammed my hands together as hard as I could. It stung like hell, but the energy blasted out of my hands, knocking everybody but me on their butts, stunning them, giving me the opportunity to run away.

I didn’t have an exact goal in mind, but I couldn’t lead them back to the old lady. I needed to get rid of them in such a way that they couldn’t follow me back to the old lady’s house. But that did make me think. What would I even do when I got back? I knew the old lady was sick, but I didn’t realize that she was that sick. Strange that I knew what cancer was, but regardless, what exactly could I do to help her? I mean, sure I was powerful, but curing cancer seemed a little beyond my abilities.

Running as I thought over this, I came to a screeching halt when a sudden memory flooded my mind. The cat, Woodsy. I thought I’d shocked it back into consciousness, but if I didn’t? Was I really that powerful that I could heal or even bring the cat back to life?

A hand over my mouth brought me to full attention and I started to fight whoever it was. “Quiet, I’m on your side, Bug.” I immediately recognized the voice. I quickly broke free and turned around to come face to face with Frank and two others. All three were carrying military rifles and were dressed in all black, explaining why I hadn’t noticed them sneaking up on me.

“Like hell you are, Frank.” I spat, albeit quietly to keep Cane from hearing me, who by now had no doubt recovered from my attack.

Frank raised his hands up in defense. “Look, I know, but right now, we have bigger problems. I only found out about Cane’s plan hours ago and we need to hurry if we are to save Wren and take down the Destructors once and for all.”

“Take down the Destructors? Dude, you practically helped them back at the gym,” I countered.

“Yes, but we can discuss this later. Right now, I need your help to rescue Wren and stop my son and grandson,” Frank replied.

I crossed my arms and stayed back away from him. “What makes you think after all you have done, after all that you have said, hell, after what happened in the gym that I would trust anything that you would say?”

Frank sighed. “Nancy Rodes is your guardian. Her youngest son is General Frederick E. Rodes, Commanding Officer of the Third United States Army. I served directly under him for sixteen years, fighting every battle. Frederick trusted me with his life.”

I had heard only small bits from conversations I overheard, but it seemed like Frederick was a legend in the world. If Nancy’s son trusted this asshole… “Sooo?”

“So now I need your help to save my granddaughter, Wren. Cane brought her along as a backup and I need to get her to safety. Bug, I can’t do it without you.” I steamed. I sooo wanted to ditch this guy. “Bug, look, what happened at the gym, the ball, the things I said, it wasn’t an attack against you, at least not on my end. I had to play along, to keep Cane and the Agency from growing suspicious. I just didn’t realize how deep it went. Look, I will explain everything later. I promise, but right now I need your help. Once we save Wren and stop Cane and Greg, you can get back and help Nancy. Please, Bug. I know you don’t want to trust me, but Wren needs your help and plus, if we stop Cane and Greg, you can get back to Nancy and help her.”

I so wanted not to believe him. I so wanted to hate his ass and punch him all the way to next Thursday. It took every ounce of being not to do that right now. But I did have a thought. Cane had clearly set the trap for me. I didn’t want to believe Frank, but my gut told me that Frank was telling the truth, meaning he wasn’t a part of the plans to capture me. And Wren, she didn’t deserve this. “UGH… fine!”

The sounds of voices and footsteps suddenly grew louder. Cane and his team had recovered from my attack. Frank looked over his shoulder, then jogged up, grabbing my hand and running in the opposite direction. “Soooo, while we are running for our lives, can you explain something? Why now chose to turn against the Destructors? Why not before so you could’ve avoided putting Wren in danger?”

“Actually, I never was part of that gang. The long story I’ll explain later, but the short answer is I only got back to the States a few days before you showed up on the farm, the first time in sixteen years. I’ve been in East and Southern Asia fighting a war, spending my leaves in Singapore, planning military operations to for Chinese Liberation Army,” Frank briefly explained.

“Uh… what?” I was confused now.

“See, the government always wanted to stop the Destructors. The story I heard from Singapore was that the police in the Valley was a bit underpowered. The Destructors provided a sense of order in the areas that the local police don’t have the manpower to patrol, at least until you inadvertently caused their downfall. As for my grandson, I knew he was a member of the gang; I didn’t approve of it, but there was nothing I could do. I was more concerned with helping in the Asian Theater than being a grandfather to my grandson. However, I had no idea that he was the leader of it, nor did I know that my son Cane was deeply involved in it,” Frank explained.

Oh man, this was giving me a headache and Frank said this was the short version. “This is just so nuts.” I rubbed my forehead as I ran. “Okay… what do I need to do?”

“You need to get Wren away from Cane and take her far away, maybe even to Nancy’s house,” Frank replied.

Uh… there was a big problem with that. “And leave you and your buddies to face Cane and his Destructors alone? Wouldn’t it be better that I face Cane while you took Wren away?”

“Don’t worry about Cane, Bug. This is technically my fault anyways. I wasn’t home when I should’ve been,” Frank said, his eyes now full of sorrow. Perhaps Frank wasn’t the monster that I’d thought. His actions seemed to have caused his granddaughter to get caught in the crossfire.

Resolved, I skidded to a halt. “Alright, look, you owe me an explanation after this, especially after all that you did. But for now, I… I can’t leave you three alone to face Cane, Greg, and the Destructors. Greg alone has a weapon that I barely blocked. It would kill all of you in one shot.”

The three looked at each other, then laughed at each other, “Oh Bug,” Frank started, shaking his head in amusement, “There is a lot that you don’t know yet. You may have indirectly taken down the core of the Destructors, but before you showed up, there was a group that arose a few years ago to fight and overthrow the Destructors. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of them yet.”

“Uh… seeing that you didn’t know about your grandson and son being part of the Destructors, I’m surprised you’ve heard of them.” I pointed out.

Frank smirked, but his eyes had changed. Something wasn’t right. “Of course I’ve heard of them. The whole world has. You see, before the war, there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of superhero teams out there all across the world. Now, fourteen years after the war started, there are only six teams remaining. It so happens that one is based in this area due to Providence Meadows, and I have called them for backup.”

Two Destructors appeared from behind two trees, aiming their weapons at us. “Put your hands up,” one of them demanded. Somehow they’d managed to sneak up on us, but Frank didn’t flinch. He didn’t move, he didn’t even blink. Neither did his two companions. They just stood there. “Do you want to die? Put you damn hands up!” the Destructor demanded again.

Suddenly and without warning, something dropped down from the trees above right behind the two Destructors. It grabbed their heads and slammed them together, knocking them out cold. Taking the weapons the two Destructors had, it balled them like paper before throwing them away.

More figures appeared, riding on... what’s their name?... horses! In total, ten people had gathered next to Frank and his two buddies, all looking at me. One of them got down from the horse and took off their hoodie. “Sybil?” I found myself staring at my friend from the school.

She smiled and gave me a thumbs up. “Hey Claire, how’s it hanging?”

Frank held up his hands, introducing the group, “Bug, let me introduce you to one of the six superhero teams left in the world. The team that will help me take the Destructors down once and for all. The Creators.”

Galen stood alone in the hospital in Roanoke. He’d had the opportunity to travel with a team of experts to aid in figuring out what Edward Watt knew about Bug, but he’d chosen to travel alone to meet Edward and his family. According to eyewitnesses, at the party trap that the Destructors had set for the girl, Edward had been ordered to pick Bug up off the ground. Immediately, for a few brief moments, they’d entered what witnesses described as some sort of vision. When the trance was broken, Edward had immediately turned against the Destructors, apparently defecting to whatever side Bug was on, attacking a few, including the leader, Greg, before fleeing. Now that Edward had been captured and brought to a mental hospital, Galen could attempt to figure out what Edward had seen when he was in that trance. Could the nature of the trance be a clue to Bug’s identity? It was a long shot, but he had hardly any other leads. There was so much at stake. The government wanted Bug, Nancy wanted Bug, everybody wanted her.

Galen sighed at the thought of everything that had to be solved within the next two days. Once Nancy died, the only thing keeping Coleman and his allies from taking the girl’s power for themselves would be Nancy’s son, Frederick. Few dared to challenge him. He was the war hero, the one who’d become Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific and Indian theater of the war and the one who’d been able to broker a true, lasting cease-fire between all nations mere days before Bug showed up. Now Coleman’s actions threatened to break down the ceasefire. Plus, who knew what could happen if Bug lost control. If she became a supervillain through the actions of Coleman, the world would be fucked. There was no Project Eternity or Providence to keep them in check. In fact, Galen knew that they were living on borrowed time with Elias and Bug had the potential to be five times as dangerous.

Everything was so messed up, so this mission was essential. His phone beeped, Dr. Silas informing him that Edward’s family had arrived. Galen left the room and headed down to the main lobby, greeting Edward’s father, mother, and two older brothers, all non-superhuman. He knew that they did not like authority and silently supported the Destructors, but they also deeply cared for one another. Galen was hoping that the latter would influence their decision to let him speak to Edward. Unlike Bug, who was technically a ward of the Federal government due to her memory loss and the government’s inability to locate her biological family, Edward Watt had a family and his family had a lawyer highly versed in Agency policy and laws concerning superhumans, and they had immediately lawyered up. Galen couldn’t talk to Edward without his parents’ permission due to an annoying article in the Code of the Laws of the United States concerning superhuman minors.

Galen had come alone, but Dr. Silas had slipped away from Harrisonburg and made it down to Roanoke. She was just as curious about Bug has everybody else. So Dr. Silas joined him with the Watt Family, “Thank you for being here.” Galen said to Mr. and Mrs. Watt.

“Don’t bother with the pleasantries, Galen. We want our son released immediately on bail and we don’t want him talking to you,” Mr. Watt demanded.

Galen shook his head, “I’m afraid we can’t release him. While I cannot speak to him after he has lawyered up due to Article 51 of the Superhuman Protection Act, I can hold him as long as I need to under the emergency war powers and I will hold him until I get the answers I need.”

Mr. Watt grew angrier and spat at Galen, “No. I will not let my son be held like this. He is innocent.” Galen knew that Mr. Watt was more concerned about the charges that Edward faced than anything. As the only superhuman left in the family, should Edward get charged in connection with the Destructors, his future looked bleak. Good thing Galen had a backup plan for this.

“Mr. Watt, I know you are more interested in protecting your son due to his status as your family’s only superhuman than anything else. Now, before I tell you this, I need your two other sons to leave us. Trust me, I have good news, but I can only tell you and your wife,” Galen informed them. Mr and Mrs. Watt looked at each other, uncertain.

Finally, Mrs. Watt turned to her sons, saying: “There is a McDonalds up on Route 11, where we got off. Take the car and go get some food. Now, please.” The two sons seemed confused, but obeyed. Once they left, Mr. Watt motioned for Galen to continue.

“I’m certain you’ve heard what happened to the Destructors. About the bomb?” Mr. and Mrs. Watt nodded. Galen continued, “However, the government covered it up. What actually happened was that the Destructor’s leader attempt to get revenge against a certain girl. Somehow, someway, this girl defeated the Destructors and indirectly caused the explosion. Your son, Edward, was present and took part, albeit partly unwillingly, in this revenge scheme.” Mr. Watt seemed to be surprised at such a revelation, but did not say or do anything. “Now, with the Feds charging the Destructors for this and the Creators taking the opportunity to strike back against what remains, Edward remains in danger, both from the Creators and the charges the FBI and the Virginia State Police may press.”

“Wait, I thought you had good news?” Mr. Watt interrupted.

“I do. I can’t go into exact details, but the girl responsible for the Destructor’s downfall is at the center of a Federal investigation. She is a mystery beyond anything we know and your son just happens to know something. According to witnesses, when he grabbed hold of the girl, they experienced some sort of trace or vision. Moments later, when the connection was broken, your son turned against the Destructors and attacked them. That defection is enough to allow a deal to be made. Under this deal, your son’s future looks a lot better. In fact, compared to all the other Destructors there that night, he far better off. However, there are two conditions to this deal.”

“What are they?” Mrs. Watt asked.

“One, you are not repeat anything of what I just said about that night and about the girl. If anything about that night is leaked to anybody, including to your other sons, the deal will be dropped and Edward will face the same punishment the other Destructors are receiving now. The second condition is that I be allowed to speak to Edward alone about that night and what he saw. He may hold crucial information about the girl.”

Mrs. Watt squeezed her husband’s hand. They were both uneasy, “What do you know about the girl?” she asked.

Galen sighed. “Let’s just say the little that we do know about her makes everything that we don’t know about her much more terrifying.”

Mr. and Mrs. Watt both were taken back by Galen’s words. Both knew that Galen was telling the truth. “Holy shit,” Mr Watt quietly muttered. Looking to his wife, who nodded, he sighed in resignation. “Alright, Galen. It’s a deal.”

Galen shook their hands, solidifying the deal. “It’s done then. Once I’m done questioning him, he will be checked over by Dr. Silas, then released into your custody.” With the deal squared away, Galen left them and headed into the upper levels of the hospital, to where Edward was being held. “How is he doing?” he asked Dr. Silas as he walked into the observation room.

“Not sure. Whatever he saw didn’t end up shattering his mental state, but he’s on the edge. While I am certain he will recover, I don’t know how long it will take and anything can cause everything to come crashing down. He may not be able to answer your questions,” Dr. Silas replied.

Galen studied Edward, noting the similarities between what he was seeing through the glass and a time when he’d seen a former Navy SEAL mentally reduced to nothing. Only this time, he wouldn’t have Dr. Robert Sykes to help out. “I’ll take my chances.” Entering the holding room, Galen took a seat across from Edward Watt. “Hello, Edward. My name is Galen. I would like to ask you a few questions about that night involving Claire and the Destructors.” Edward looked up at Galen, but didn’t say anything. It looked like he had been sobbing. “Edward, please.” Galen tried to be calm and sensible. He didn’t need him to freak out.

“Why?” Edward asked so quietly that Galen barely heard it.

“Why what?” Galen continued in an attempt to get more words out of Edward.

“Why do you want to know about the girl?” Edward demanded with a sudden forcefulness to his voice. “Do you realize the trouble she has caused?”

Galen nodded. “I do. Everybody does.”

Edward wiped the tears away from his eyes, staring off past Galen, as if he was looking at a figure that no one but him could see. “No… no you don’t.”

Galen quickly realized what Edward just implied. “What do you mean?”

Edward just kind of sat and stared, his face and eyes silent, as if he was reflecting on something deep. “When Greg wanted to gain revenge against her, everybody agreed, except me. I touched her once and saw beyond. I saw a dark place, full of emotions, anger. But when I touched her the second time, I saw and fully realized what Bug was. To think we had any chance at winning against her. We were fools… we were all fools.”

Well, Galen had succeeded in getting Edward to talk, but it had taken a lot less than he or Dr. Silas had expected. “Edward, I need you to tell me what you saw or what you know that would make you think like that.” Galen had gotten a taste, now he needed more.

Edward turned and looked Galen straight in the eyes, tears beginning to form. “You really want to know that badly? Are you prepared to know the truth? Are you prepared to have your world get torn apart?”

Galen immediately nodded, telling Edward that he was, in order to learn more about Bug. Edward then motioned for something to draw with. Standing up, Galen walked to the door, opening it just enough for Dr. Silas to hand him a pen and a piece of paper. Handing it to Eddie, he motioned for him to draw whatever he wanted to draw to get his point across about who Bug was.

Edward took the pen, but motioned for Galen to turn away. He clearly wanted some privacy to draw what he needed. Galen knew he needed the answers, so he obliged. But as he turned his chair away from Edward, facing the mirror, he found himself second guessing his drive to learn more about Bug. The kid’s words had given him pause. To him, the mystery behind Bug was a war mystery. Perhaps Bug was created as a weapon, or an experiment gone wrong. Edward’s description on the other hand seemed to describe something… else. He remembered how Dr. Silas had theorized that Bug could be something new, and at the time, it had seemed to be the most logical explanation. Now, though, that didn’t seem right. Edward knew exactly what Bug was and from his words it seemed like Bug wasn’t something new.

“Done.” Edward finished up, drawing Galen out of his thought process. .

Turning around, Galen looked closely at what the boy had drawn. Immediately, Galen felt his heart literally jump out of his chest when he realized that he recognized what Edward had drawn. A circle with four triangles attached with a star in the middle of the circle. The symbol of the ages and most importantly, what had brought down the superhero team Providence. Galen’s thoughts strayed to the team’s last surviving member, Susy. He was so taken back that he never noticed Edward move until it was too late. He grabbed Galen’s shirt and yanked him out of his chair to within mere inches to Edward’s face. It was so quick, Galen didn’t have any time to react.

Edward was standing at his full height, lifting Galen off the ground, his eyes blazing into his soul. “You really want to know what I saw, you damn ass fool? You really want to know?! I. SAW. JUDITH!”

With that, Edward let go of Galen, dropping into the seat and covering his head with his hand, sobbing.

Galen, on the other hand, couldn’t quite catch his breath. He felt panic beginning to rise up, fear breaking through the cracks. For the first time, Galen was truly afraid, and for good reason. Looking back at Dr. Silas, who had run into the room to stop Edward, he saw that she was the same way. Both were ready to have a heart attack. Out of all the things that Edward could have seen, he’d just happened to see Judith. Freaking Judith. Galen’s panicked eyes fell onto the drawing Edward had done. The drawing and Judith, two vastly important things in history and for the superhumans. At that moment, it clicked.

“Oh my God!” In the mists of his panic attack, Galen finally understood. He made the connection. After all this time trying to figure out what Bug was, he finally knew. It made everything far worse. But now, he had a clear picture of what was going to happen in the next few hours. All the firepower Coleman was going to bring to retrieve Bug, it wasn’t going to be enough. It would never be enough.

Galen immediately rushed out of the room, heading to the exit. He tried calling anybody on his way out, ignoring Eddie’s parents and leaving them to Dr. Silas, but no one picked up. It figured that Coleman would have blocked any attempts to stop his mission. But Galen still had the Creators. Dialing their leader as he reached his car, he had only mere seconds to jump out of the way when he saw a dump truck with a snow plow barreling down on him.

Landing hard on his side, Galen watched as the dump truck slammed into his car, completely totaling it and pinning it against a concrete barrier. A figure walked up behind Galen and crushed his phone with their boot.

Another figure stepped out of the dump truck and laughed, “I don’t know what that kid told you, but we can’t have you stopping the mission.” Galen recognized the voice immediately. It was Bobby, a level two and Coleman’s personal lapdog. That would mean that the other figure was Hannah, another super-strength level two and also another of Coleman’s lapdogs.

Hannah grabbed Galen’s arms and lifted him to his feet, keeping him from escaping or grabbing his gun. “Sorry, Director, but we have orders.”

Bobby walked up and removed Galen’s gun, disarming him, “Yeah, we do,” he said, then seconds later, punched Galen, knocking him out cold.

-----------

So I started this dark evening out by saying hello to a cat, getting pissed off at the old lady and walking out the house, into the woods, then getting attacked by Greg, tricked by Cole, then attacked once again by Geg. To make matters worse, I was ‘rescued’ by my worst enemy, Frank, who says that he has been trying to help, not to mention he brought along a superhero team called the Creators and they were lead by Sybil. What a night.

“You seem like you have some questions for us, uh… Claire… Bug,” Sybil said.

I frowned at Sybil. “No shit. I have no idea what’s going on, so it would be nice to know pretty much everything right now.”

“I would love to tell you, but frankly, we don’t have the time. The Destructors are going to be here any moment and there is a problem.” Sybil turned to Frank, “Your son has brought along a Siphon Destructor.”

Frank took that revelation hard, as did his two buddies. Even for the Creators, nervousness had taken hold and left me wondering what was a Siphon Destructor? I started to ask, but Frank noticed and motioned to Sybil.

“Oh, sorry, Bug. I forgot about your memory problem. I’m certain that you are aware of Lhasa. See, when the war started, and even before then, violence was geared at the superhumans. So they did what they’d done during World War II. Millions of them just packed up their families and headed to Tibet and Eastern China, becoming home to nearly 65 million superhumans in the decades before the war, although for the longest time, very few went to Lhasa.”

“Why?” I asked, curious as to why superhumans would choose to go there of all places.

Sybil shook her head. “Why? It doesn’t matter anymore. It doesn’t matter to millions of superhumans who are now dead because they left their countries and homes, and headed to Tibet and Western China for safety and neutrality in some brewing war. The Siphon Destructor? The enemy, the ones responsible for the genocide, built it, a weapon capable of cutting down level 4s and 3s like paper. The strongest superhumans, reduced to nothing. When the attack started, the enemy cut communication, then used the weapon to kill those living in Western China and the borders. After that, once word got out, the other superhumans, in absolute fear, fled in the only direction they could go, Lhasa. Imagine that, Bug, 60 million people, crowded in one city. All that chaos, all that hunger, death, confusion, terror.” Sybil’s eyes glistened with tears. “In a matter of hours, these… monsters sent 60 million people rushing into a city that could barely handle a million. Then the monsters came for the city and the Siphon Destructor did the same thing it did to those along the border. Out of 60 million people, only 5000 survived Lhasa’s destruction. And then, to add insult to injury, they framed the Chinese for the attack. I doubt the world will ever be able to make up for believing that horrible lie ”

I turned away to comprehend what I was just told. I’d never realized that Lhasa was that bad. Plus, learning that Lhasa wasn’t some refuge for millions of superhumans. I understood now, it was simply a city that monsters used for a trap. “And the weapon that Greg used to shoot me?”

“A mockup version of the Siphon Destructor,” Sybil replied.

There will be time to really think about this later. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand. While I didn’t feel like it was true, everybody seemed to think I was a level 4 superhuman and the Destructors had brought along a weapon designed specifically to kill people like me. However, I thought back to Cane’s words about me. I knew he was he was lying about me being the product of some project, but he claimed to know who I was and where I came from. If I was so important to him, he wouldn’t attempt to kill me. He said that someone wanted their weapon back, which was me. This meant that Cane had brought the weapon to kill the Creators. He wouldn’t dare fire on me. I was safe, which meant I had the advantage. “Cane told me he worked for the Agency, but he also said some things that were lies. So who is he really working for?” I asked, taking the conversation away from the genocide weapon.

“To the best of my knowledge, he is working for Coleman,” Frank replied.

Uhh…. “Who is that?”

“Albert Coleman, Secretary of Defense,” the girl who’d lost her uncles and brother said without making eye contact.

Hmm… I recalled learning about this position in one of the unimportant classes at Providence Meadows. But it did lead to more questions. Questions about my past, who I really was, who Cane was working with… “This is giving me a headache,” I muttered, rubbing my head in frustration.

Sybil shrugged. “In today’s world, politics gives everybody a headache.”

I eyed her, but didn’t correct her. I really didn’t think Sybil would understand what I was really dealing with. Sighing, I rubbed my arms to warm them up. Despite all the issues at hand, I knew a few things. I knew from Cane that someone horrible wanted me or something. But this also meant that he wouldn’t use the superhuman killing weapon on me or any weapon that could break whatever shielding I had. This meant I could protect everybody here long enough to get Wren and not have to use any of my power and risk an Oversleep. “Alright, what do you need me to do,” I asked Sybil.

“Stay right here,” she replied instantly.

“What?” Even Frank was surprised at this.

Sybil walked up to me, making me finally realize that I was a bit shorter than her. “Look, Bug…” It is curious that she knows about my nickname. “Here’s the deal. Everybody here knows that you are the most powerful person in this forest, probably even this country. But Frank has also told us that you don’t have much endurance and we witnessed the hits you took from Greg. Plus, there is the nature of your memory loss and the fact that you aren’t trained. This weapon channels the energy of multiple abilities into one blast and we’ve been trained to avoid this weapon’s destructive blast, but you haven’t. You would be in danger and one blast from that thing and that’s it, you’re dead.”

I looked around to the other members of the Creators. Their faces all said the same thing. They didn’t seem to know that Cane wouldn’t shoot at me with this weapon and that I could protect them. They saw me as someone who needed to be protected. Even Frank seemed to agree with them, despite his previous need for me, making it clear that he also didn’t know about the advantage I had. “But I can help.”

Sybil simply shook her head. “Once we rescue Wren, you can help by taking her back to your caregiver so she can be safe. Can you do this?” I really did want to protest, but before I could, Sybil walked away, giving orders to the other members of the Creators. She really wasn’t concerned if I didn’t want to stay put. To her, the decision was made and the rest of the Creators and Frank’s group agreed with that decision. I was a liability to them, despite my power. “Selena, stay with the horses and Bug,” she ordered the girl who’d lost her brothers and uncles in the war. But I was still curious as to how she knew my nickname.

The Creators and Frank’s group readied themselves, leaving without another word to me. Only the guy I hated, Frank, glanced back at me before heading in the direction of the Destructors and probably certain death because I wasn’t there to keep Cane from killing them. I’d really misunderstood Frank when I first woke up. I’d thought he was an asshole and maybe he was a bit of an asshole, but he did seem to really love his granddaughter and was very concerned about her safety. What little I knew of Wren, she seemed very sweet and probably had no idea what her older brother and father were doing. But with the Siphon Destructor, did anybody actually stand a chance against them? Would Cane and Greg not even give enough of a damn to keep Wren from getting caught in the crossfire?

So much could go wrong and I couldn’t do a thing... Or could I…? I’d never liked to listen to the old lady, or to anybody for that matter. I smiled, immediately hitting on a plan. I knew Sybil, but we had only known each other for two days, so it’s not like she was my best friend who knew everything that I could do. Also, it seemed like she was the leader of the Creators, but I wasn’t part of the Creators. If I wasn’t part of her little gang, that meant I didn’t have to take orders from her. Frank wanted my help and he’d certainly gone through a lot to get it. Treating me like he did, then coming crawling to me for my aid seemed to make everything he said legit. Sybil, on the other hand, had refused my help, overruling Frank, and grounding me. This futhered my belief that I didn’t owe Sybil jackshit. Well, guess what, Sybil, two can play at this game. But still, I waited for around fifteen to twenty minutes, working out the probability of our survival. I’m not completely sure why, but perhaps I thought Frank would come back to me or Cane would pop up behind a tree, having used a distraction to get around to me.

But that never happened during the time I waited, so I hit on my awesome plan; I grabbed a tiny stick from the snow and turned to Selena, who was looking away from me at the moment. I prepared to knock her out… with a tiny stick. But then as I really thought about it, it became clear that this was an incredibly stupid idea. I had no real control over how much force I used when hitting. If I did this wrong, and I was prone to doing things wrong, it could seriously hurt Selena or worse, but before I could drop the twig and come up with a better idea on how to get away and help everybody, Selena turned around and crossed her arms, “Really, Bug? A twig? That’s the best you got?” I hesitated, giving her a nervous look. She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, Bug…”

“Uh… hi,” I sputtered, immediately dropping the twig and bolting in the opposite direction. Of course she would notice the stick before I had a chance to drop it and figure out something else. How could I hoped otherwise? Running and running, I came to a stop a bit later, the sound of gunfire off in the distance jarring me. It seemed that the Creators and Frank’s group had attacked what was left of the Destructors. If everything they said was correct, Frank and the Creators wouldn’t last long against them, so I needed to get to them quickly. I still had enough energy in me to more than deal with Cane, Greg, and the Destructors.

Checking, and realizing that I had put considerable distance between me and Selena in such a brief time, I started to head off in the direction the Creators and Frank went, but stopped when I heard something. It was very faint, almost undetectable. I looked around for its source, walking in the direction I thought it was coming from. Arriving at a fallen tree, I found the source. It was a cat, one that I recognized. “Woodsy?” I stared in disbelief; that black-furred cat had not only found me, but had followed me from the old lady’s house, “Woodsy, what do you want?” I reached over, but Woodsy jumped off the fallen tree stump and wandered a bit up a somewhat broken path. After a bit, it stopped and turned around to face me, as if it was beckoning me to follow it.

The gunshots in the distance died down some, but Woodsy paid no attention to them. The cat just wanted me to see like it wanted to show me something. I really wanted to go help Frank and the others, but Woodsy, despite the cat’s silence, seemed to stand on the higher ground, as if what it had was more important. “Fine… Woodsy.” I gave up, following it, for a few moments anyways. It walked down a path for a bit, coming up on some rock formation, then stopping. “Wood…” I choked on my own words as something grabbed my jacket and lifted me up to nearly the top of the tree.

“You really don’t like listening to people,” a voice whispered in my ear as I gasped for air. I looked as I was rubbing my throat and discovered that the voice belonged to the same guy that had dropped down from the trees and had knocked out the two Destructors. I started to reply, but he held up a finger to my lips, telling me to shut up. So he gets to talk and I don’t? I gave him a look and raised my fist to punch him. Instead of defending himself, he pointed at something.

To my surprise, this guy was pointing at Greg, another Destructor, and a little girl that could only be Wren. The Destructor and Greg were talking, ignoring Wren, who appeared to be crying. They were too far away to for me to hear was they were saying, but against all odds, me and this boy had found where Cane was keeping the Destructors. A place in the opposite direction from where Frank and the Creators had gone. And speaking of this boy, I guess the reason he’d done what he did, suddenly grabbing me and lifting me into the tree, was solely to keep me from tipping off Greg. Sighing, I lowered my fist, then gave him a look, as if asking him how he found them.

He understood and pointed to Woodsy, who just happened to have climbed the tree and joined us watching Greg, the random Destructor, and Wren. Not only had Woodsy led me to them, the cat had done the same for this guy.

A sudden loud booming sound and a gust of warm wind came over from the direction I’d walked from. The sudden explosion caused me to lose balance on the tree. The boy attempted to grab me, but a sudden blast of energy caused us both to fall out of the tree. He was lucky; he landed on his feet, while I hit every single possible branch and then fell flat on my face in snow. “The Destructor…” I heard the boy whisperer while I sat up and made sure I wasn’t bleeding or otherwise bruised. “We must hurry.”

I silently agreed, getting up to leave quickly, but the boy grabbed my arm. “What… we need to help them?” I quietly whispered so he wouldn’t shush me again. But he shook his head and pointed at Wren.

“Cat led us here, we do this first,” he replied, albeit very quietly. I glanced at Wren, seeing that she appeared to be crying harder, then sighed and nodded okay. “Good. Name’s Ryu. You distract them, I hit them in back with bo staff.” He reached down and pulled out a long staff from the snow. He gave me a thumbs up, then snuck around behind the trees and into the snow covered bushes. Just great, I have to distract the guy who wants to kill me. Unbelievable.

Getting up and brushing the snow off my pants and jacket, I did the stupid thing. I wanted to get back to the others, considering that there was a massive explosion, but I guess Ryu wanted to rescue Wren first, since getting her was what Frank had originally wanted me to help with. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I skipped up to Greg, the other Destructors, and Wren, and giving him the biggest smile I could muster, I waved and said, “Hello, jerkface.”

To say Greg jumped like a monkey is an understatement. Wren on the other hand, immediately perked up, smiling, “You!” she cheered between sobs.

“Me!” I gave her a thumbs up, just like Ryu had done to me, at which she clapped in response.

“Cutter? What the hell? How did you find us?” he demanded. A meow from a cat wandering up to me and sitting at my feet answered that question. “A cat? A fucking cat?” This was amazing. Greg finding out that he had been outsmarted and found by a cat of all things. What was even better was Ryu popping out the snow like a daisy and whacking the one Destructor in the head with his stick, immediately knocking him out cold. Ryu then turned his attention to Greg, staff at the ready.

Greg glanced around a bit, then pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. He didn’t seem to have the weapon that he’d been using before, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t here. “You really think it’s just me and Matt guarding Wren? Ha, we Destructors always come prepared.” I heard something move behind me, while Wren became terrified, her previous perked-up attitude disappearing. Someone else in front of me emerged and put a gun to Ryu’s head.

“Drop the staff,” the figure demanded, a guy obviously with the Destructors. Ryu turned his head to face the him, glaring daggers at him, but he refused to drop his staff.

“Heya, you little bitch. Time to die,” I heard someone say behind me. Now it was my turn to face the trap that had been sprung. Holding the mockup version of the Siphon Destructor to my head was a rather large and tall girl with piercings covering her face. “What, no words? Oh, well.”

Greg pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it at me. “You see… Bug, and yes, I know about your little nickname as well, things in this world have a way of working out to one’s benefit. And I surely believe that this will work out for the benefit of the Destructors. I know my father said what he said, about someone wanting you back. But for you and me, it’s personal. So I’m just going to have that fine gal over there overload that weapon and blast your head off. Problem solved.” I took a quick glance at Wren, who was so terrified she couldn’t move, sob, or barely breathe. She was just watching me with terrified eyes. I couldn’t help but feel they reminded me of something. “Blair, Damien, you know what to do.”

My eyes wandered back to the girl who appeared to be Blair. I heard her charge the weapon, but before she could pull the trigger, a massive snowball just shot out of nowhere and hit Blair with enough force to pin her against a tree, immediately knocking her out and breaking the weapon in two. This sudden distraction allowed Ryu to twirl the staff, hitting Damien square in the forehead, who was out before he hit the ground. Ryu then brought the staff down hard on the gun Damien had dropped, shattering it. Now my turn. Moving at incredible speed, I grabbed his gun and forced Greg down to my eye level, forcing him to look me in the eyes. I held nothing but rage and hatred towards him, for doing what he’d done to me at the farm, for putting me and others through hell at the school, and for doing something unforgivable to his sister. “I believe things will work out to my benefit,” I mocked. He let out a cry as I shattered the gun like a piece
of glass, then kneed him in the groin. Ryu finished the job by smacking him on the back the head with the end of the staff. I stepped back and let the unconscious Greg fall hard onto the ground.

“Well, that was unexpected,” said a voice I immediately recognized. Turning my head, I saw Selena walk up the path, following, not surprisingly, Woodsy. The cat must’ve snuck away when Greg had sprung his trap and led Selena, who no doubt followed after me after I took off, right where we were, allowing her to knock Blair out of the game.

“You have snow powers?” The question was meaningless, I already knew. Who else was around who could’ve done that.

“Yeah… and you apparently…” Selena watched as Woodsy wandered up and rubbed my leg with its body, “have a very loyal cat.”

I reached down and gave the cat a rub on its chin. “It seems so.” A single cry reminded me that it wasn’t just Ryu, Selena, and me here. Wren had finally had time to catch her breath, after which she started sobbing, tears flowing uncontrollably. It was at this point that I finally noticed a horrible truth of her capture: Wren had her hands bound together by rope. Ryu pulled out a knife and freed Wren, who immediately jumped up and hugged me.

Ryu showed the rope to Selena. “What kind of people do this to someone, especially a child?”

“People like Greg and his stupid insane father,” I muttered, still hugging Wren. For such a small and young girl, she was strong. Her hug was literally choking me, but really, I didn’t mind. Right now, she felt safe and that’s all that mattered at that moment. We had done it, we had saved Wren. But now, my thoughts drifted to what had happened a few moments earlier. “That explosion.” I shuddered, thinking of what condition Frank and the Creators were in.

Ryu and Selena glanced at each other. “That was the Siphon Destructor.”

I sighed in resignation. “So, that is what they are capable of.”

“Bug…” Selena started, but I held my hand up to stop her.

“There are many questions I have about tonight, including how you all know about my nickname. But right now, your teammates are in serious danger and it’s because of me. This is my problem; I started this when I woke up on that farm. So I will finish this; whether you agree or disagree, I’m helping and that’s final,” I demanded with an authoritative tone, all the while giving them a look of daggers.

Selena smirked. “This is coming from the girl who earlier tried to knock me out with a tiny twig…” she muttered to herself. Glancing over to Ryu, who simply shrugged, apparently not having an opinion on this at all, Selena relented. “Alright. First though, we need to get Wren to safe…” She stopped mid-word, her eyes focusing on something behind me.

I immediately felt the presence, right behind me, one threatening and ready to attack. I knew at that moment that it was Greg. Fucking hell, this guy doesn’t know when to stop. He had recovered from Ryu’s hit to the head and was about to try something again. Wren didn’t seem to notice, having her face buried in my shoulder. Moving at quick speed like before, I jerked my arm around and intercepted the crashing arm with a knife in the hand.

Immediately, when I made contact with his arm, I was no longer in the woods, nor was Wren hugging me. Instead, I was somewhere else. At first, I thought I was in the Dark Place, but when the light pierced the darkness, I was overcome by the sheer strength of the emotions in this place. Pure rage, anger at everything. I heard a voice from the emotions, Greg’s voice. It was Earth-shattering and garblish. The walls, or at least the structure I was in, was black and red static, reaching out to grab me. I could barely concentrate here and had to cover my ears for any attempt to think straight. It was overbearing. A sudden figure appearing shook me to my core and snapped me away. I don’t know if it was my ability or something else, but the room suddenly went silent and I could think clearly. The figure itself twisted as it crawled its way to me, but I was not having it.

I’d had it. I reached out my hand, as if to order it to stop. “ENOUGH!” I screamed. Without warning, a blast of light erupted, the creature screeching painfully as it disintegrated. The light spread out, breaking and destroying the static. The colors shifted, from the dark and corrupted red and black to a more peaceful white color. As quickly as it had emerged, it disappeared and everything fell away and I found myself some place I recognized immediately.

I was in the same farmhouse that I had run into to hide when I first woke up. In front of me was a small boy that I recognized to be a much younger Greg, hugging someone who was wearing a flowering dress and had a suitcase next to her. This was obviously his mother. “Why must you leave, Mommy? I want you to stay and read to me,” little boy Greg asked his mother. It was clear as day that Greg had been sobbing. He didn’t want his mother to leave.

His mother broke the hug and wiped the tears from his eyes with a tissue. “Greggy, I’m sorry. But Mommy has to go. The people of Lhasa, they need my help. So… it’s time for Mommy to go be a hero them, just like you will be.”

“Just like me?” Greg repeated, seemingly wanting approval.

His mother gave him a warm smile. “Just like you.” They hugged again, not breaking for some time. I felt a pain in my heart. For a long time, I’d wondered what real family looked like. I guess I had my answer. After the hug ended, Greg’s mother and her suitcase vanished and the door, previously opened, slammed shut on its own, leaving Greg alone.

He sobbed a bit, then transformed into the fucker I knew today, “That was the last time I ever saw her. She died at the Battle of Lhasa, murdered by people long forgotten.” He looked at me, tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

I was disgusted. “So fucking what? You do all that shit to all those people. You try to murder me and Lacey a bunch of times. You put your sister through absolute hell and what, suddenly, you’re sorry?” I flailed my arms up, showing Greg how unbelievable I thought the situation, despite having just moments earlier vaporized some mind creature.

Greg lowered his head. “What you know wasn't me. My father, Cane, his ability is mental corruption. He corrupted me into what you know. He locked my good heart away, the one my mother believed in. Bug, he himself is insane. All those years, he abused me beyond belief. He turned me into something else. He created that creature you destroyed by warping my anger and my grief over the loss of my mother. And you set me free from that, from the pain and hate. Thank you.”

I was very much unsure of myself and my opinions of this guy at that moment. The Greg in front of me was certainly not the Greg I knew. I could feel it; the anger and rage once radiating off of him was completely gone, apparently destroy by me. How though? Where did that power come from? “Alright, but you do know about everything you have done?”

Greg looked at his hands, tears falling into the palm. “I am aware of all it. I am beyond redemption, I am beyond forgiveness. It is far too late for me.” Greg looked at me with determination. “But not for my grandfather and sister. I can never face her again, but with your help, she can have a life with my grandfather. She loves him and cares for him, and Frank, despite his issues, will love her back and give her the life she deserves.”

Oh great, another person asking for my help involving Wren. Still, the way Wren is around me makes me feel happy and calm. “Fine…. What has to happen?”

“In order for Wren, my grandfather, and you to be free, you must kill my father. He is an evil beyond anything. He will destroy everything to get to you and he will use Wren and anybody to succeed at that. And before you say anything, nothing he said about you can be trusted. From what I can understand, he doesn’t actually know who you are. You’re not the person he remembers. It’s because his ability is a double-edged sword. While he has been corrupting my mind for the last ten years, his own mind has met a fate worse than death. While you may have freed me, there is nothing that can be done for him.”

“Okay, but I can’t kill him,” I protested.

Greg walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, his touch reassuring like a sibling rather than revoting. The old Greg was truly gone by my hand. “Bug. I know you have a good heart and I know there is much you do not understand. But my father needs to die and the answers you seek, you won’t find with him. I know some, but there is no time. Right now, Cane has captured my grandfather and the Creators and will soon kill them. Get Wren to safety, then you and your two friends need to go and rescue them. My grandfather will do what must be done. You just have to free him and others.”

He stepped back, allowing me to process what he wanted of me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I’m slightly sorry for kicking you in the groin.”

Greg smiled. “Don’t be. You may have destroyed the old me, but I deserved all of it and much more.” He raised his hand up. “I know you have the power do this. I wish you good luck, Bug.” Then he snapped his fingers and we ended right back in the forest mere seconds after he’d attacked me, with me holding Greg’s hand that held the knife. He jerked back, tossing the knife as far away as he could, then giving me a quick nod of approval, his face changed, released, he sprinted away.

Both Ryu and Selena, completely unaware what had happened, moved to go after him, but I held out my arm to stop them. “Don’t. I know you won’t understand, but he is no longer a threat to us at this time. Trust me. We have more important things to deal with.” I lifted Wren off me and stood up. “Cane and the remaining Destructors have captured the Creators and Frank and his team. If we don’t rescue them soon, Cane will kill them without a second thought and then will come after us and maybe even kill Wren.” Ryu and Selena glanced down at Wren, who was rubbing her eyes to clear away tears, “I know this is crazy, but it’s come to this. Cane must die for Wren to be safe and I know that Frank will handle it, but we have to free him. Look, I understand we are going into this very short handed and outgunned, facing the Destructors and the Siphon Destructor alone, but I also understand, despite not knowing how or why, that I’m capable of things that are beyond belief. They tell me that I’m a level 4, but I know that not to be the case. I’m something else. But because that, I’m damn certain we can defeat Cane and the Destructors once and for all.”

Ryu and Selena stood motionless for a few seconds, taking it all in. “Alright, Bug. If you say we have a chance to win and finally defeat the Destructors, then I’m in. Let’s do it,” Selena finally answered.

Ryu laughed a bit. “This is crazy as the monkey king. I’m in too. Let’s go beat their asses into the next world.” Both Selena and Ryu held up their fists to give a fist bump. Lucky for me, I had seen this on TV, so for once, I knew exactly what to do. I returned it.

We all turned to where the explosion had occurred. For the first time since I woke up, I was fully determined to see this through. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Galen slowly came to, his head aching from being punched by a gun. At first, it was just lights and movement. Over time, though, everything became clearer, the voices piercing. Finally, Galen fully came to, headache and all, but otherwise alive. He tested his ears and eyes, just making sure that they didn’t cause a concussion. Everything checked out, so then he focused on where he was. He was in some office room. It looked abandoned, the paper scattered around and the shattered computer monitors on the cracked and water-damaged desks. The ceiling tiles were crumbling and the windows were shattered. The air reeked of mold and there were bugs everywhere. Overall, this room was part of a building that had been abandoned during the middle stages of the war. And this was obviously, the minds of those two assholes, the perfect place to hide him.

“I see you’ve rejoined the living. It’s about time. You have been out for a while.” Bobby walked into the room, gun in hand, Hannah following.

“Bobby… Hannah. To what reason I owe the pleasure in being kidnapped by two of Coleman’s assholes?” It wasn’t a necessary question, as they had told him right before they’d knocked him out, but it would serve to piss them off.

Hannah did a facepalm. “We already told you. Coleman doesn’t want you anywhere near the girl when this goes down.”

That got Galen to laugh, despite the situation he was in. “Seriously? He not only outranks me, but he and the president are the best of friends. He’s got connections everywhere. He’s the freaking Secretary of Defense, there are far easier ways to keep me away from Harrisonburg.”

“Oh, Galen, always with the assumptions. I know what you have been up to, playing the double agent, acting on the orders in public, but making everybody’s lives horrible when faced with the Council. You have been interfering with Coleman’s plans for far too long.” Bobby apparently found this to be wildly entertaining.

Galen was a bit dumbfounded “Seriously? I’m interfering with his plans? He’s been Secretary of Defense for the last three months and it’s only temporary. He has no grand plan… wait a second. You two are so low on the totem pole, there are bugs higher than you. There is no way that someone like Coleman would begin to share anything with you two. That means the boss talk, that’s all for show just to make you look stronger and more respected than you actually are.”

The anger that erupted from Bobby and Hannah confirmed Galen’s guess. “You know,” Hannah started, “Coleman never said anything about keeping you alive.”

Both of them raised their guns at Galen, but were immediately interrupted by someone popping up from behind the desk. They were wearing black tactical gear, a head mask and goggles to hide their identity and had an M-16 swung around their back. In their left hand, they held what appeared to be a syringe. “We can't have that, now can we,” a feminine voice said. Bobby and Hannah turned to face her, but she immediately stabbed Bobby in the neck, and he immediately dropped to the ground. Hannah had more time, but the person used an expandable police baton to smack the gun out of Hannah’s hand, immediately shooting her with a tranq gun they pulled from her belt right after. Within seconds of this person appearing from behind the table, both Bobby and Hannah were down, snoring away.

It took a few moments, but Galen finally recognized who this person was, and if he was being honest, the fact that he, Bobby, and Hannah were still alive by this point was a goddamn miracle. After she cut the bindings holding Galen on the chair, and placed the M-16 on the desk, she removed her mask and goggles, revealing herself to be Suspect 42, codenamed Person, also known as Holly Linda, one of the two most deadliest assassins in history. Her partner, Hikaro, was the other assassin. “I would say it’s good to see you, Person, but I would be lying.”

Person gave him a frown. “Please, Galen, just use Holly. I’m not on the job. Plus, is that any way to greet an old friend?”

“We are certainly not friends. Allies maybe, but not friends, Holly,” Galen replied. “Plus, I had no idea you were in the area. One second, I’m in extreme danger and the next, you pop up like a weasel.

Holly glanced down at Bobby and Hannah. “Well, I just saved your ass by stabbing one and shooting the other with moose tranquilizer. Plus, and this is very important, if anybody and I mean anybody knew that I was coming in any way, it would defeat the purpose of what I’ve been doing all my life.The key is for someone to know that I’m here long after they’re dead.”

“And you wonder why I have never mentioned you or Hikaro in any way in the few years.” Last thing Galen wanted to make small talk with someone whose kill count resided near the thousands, but besides the point. “It would have been easy for someone like you to find me, but I want to know: why did you bother coming down here and saving me like that?”

Holly shrugged. “You called Frederick. He was busy, so he called us and told us everything. We put two and two together, and since we owe Frederick a few times over, I elected to come out and save your ass. Plus, I figured I’d get the chance to stab some assholes while I’m at it. I’ve been out of the loop ”

Galen thought about that for a second. He knew that Frederick was a very busy man, but he was hoping that he could spare a few days and return to Washington and help him. However, instead, Frederick had called in a favor and had Person, otherwise known as Holly Linda, come out instead. To make matters worse, unlike Frederick, Holly wasn’t a superhuman, yet she was extremely dangerous. Why Frederick would think sending Holly was a good idea was beyond him. “Well, thank you for the save, but I best get going.” Galen started to walk out the door, but a gunshot to the ceiling above him and the crashing down of ceiling tiles stopped him.

He glanced back at Holly, who was pointing a pistol at him. “Yeah, you’re not leaving just yet. I had to leave Hikaro to care for Susy alone for a few days, so because of that, we get to talk about the huge mess you’re in. And for your information, we know about Bug. We know that she’s in the care of Nancy, we know she attended Providence Meadows, we know about the Destructors, and we even know about her little nickname. We’ve known about her for as long as you have, Galen.”

Galen rubbed his forehead. “Of course. I should be surprised, but knowing you two, if you weren’t looking after Susy, you would’ve beaten Frank, Cane, and Greg to Bug. But now, I’m guessing you want to know something.”

“You know me all too well. What did the kid see?” Holly asked, gun still trained on Galen.

He knew that there was no arguing with Holly. If she wanted something, it didn’t matter if you were the President of the United States, she was going to get it. She and Hikaro had gotten information classified above top secret out of people before, so she certainly could get information out of him. “What is in it for me? What do I get out of this?”

“My help, of course.”

“Help? I don’t need your help.”

Holly held out a set of keys. “I’m pretty sure these keys belonged to the car that is currently on its way to the city scrap yard after getting crushed by a dump truck. That, plus Coleman’s inadequate determination to silence you, means that no one is coming to help you. And before you ask, I do have bad news. Dr. Silas is dead.”

Galen’s body immediately tensed up at that news. “How do you know?” He had to ask.

“She called me after I got past Lexington. Someone had attacked her just after she released the kid. Not the two I just injected moose tranquilizer into, but someone else. She was able to escape Roanoke and was trying to plan where to link up with me when her phone went dead. I had Hikaro track it, and unfortunately, I found what was left of her and her car on a remote back road outside Fincastle, Virginia. It looked like the work of a Javelin missile. I’m sorry, Galen, but your friend didn’t stand a chance of surviving. She’s gone.” Holly lowered the pistol she was holding, then put it away after a moment of hesitation, a rare thing for her. “How about this, you tell me what the kid saw and in exchange, I’ll both help you with Coleman and convince Hikaro to give the girl Susy’s journal. We don’t have a need for it and considering what I have seen so far, it would do the girl some good.”

Galen snorted. “What good would the journal do for her? 95% of it is written in a completely unknown language.” But on the other hand, the remaining five percent that was readable could serve to help her. Plus, Galen was now alone and need all the help he could get. There was no way Frederick could get back here in time. “Alright,” Galen agreed, “I’ll tell you. Edward saw Judith, the creator of the Tomb and the slayer of Priomnatoris.”

Holly didn’t even bat an eye. Her time with Providence had opened her eyes to many things that seemed far beyond the science of abilities. “That means Bug is a…”

“Yeah,” Galen confirmed before Holly finished the sentence.

“That is not good. Hikaro and I read over the reports you filed about the situations Bug has gotten herself into, and if you what you say is true, Bug is only scratching the surface of her true potential that her abilities allow her. Her powers very likely have surpassed that of the level 4s and they will probably continue to grow.”

“That about sums it up. Currently, how much power she can use appears to be limited to how much tolerance her body has. I don’t know how far along her limiter extends, but her body’s limits keep her powers to a level 3 or 4. But, the more she uses them, the more that tolerance grows. And since I have no idea about the limiter and really can’t begin to understand anything about her, there is a real possible chance that if her tolerance grows strong enough, Bug could destroy the Earth with the snap of her fingers, perhaps more.” Galen trembled, showing how much he feared that possibility.

Holly, on the other hand, found it hilarious. “Wow. You have such a shit storm on your hands.”

“No kidding,” Galen retorted.

It took a few moments for Holly to stop laughing. “Still…” her tone changed, becoming reserved, “with Dr. Silas now dead, the road ahead will be much more difficult. Plus, I have no idea who took the kill shot against Dr. Silas, given just how many enemies she had acquired over her many years of service.”

“What?” Galen asked.

“Come with me,” Holly requested, shouldering her rifle and leaving the room. “Dr. Silas was a revered medical profession worldwide, aiding in cases such as Operation Wolf Howl, the Mermaid Incident, which involved Providence, the Plagues of the War, Operation Shadow Knight, and the long term ramifications of the Genetic War. But as you are aware, these made Dr. Silas a lot of enemies, especially those who had a personal stake in the Genetic War. Neo-nazis, terrorist groups, radical sympathizers, fringe medical researchers, and a few others, all caught up in the Genetic War’s ramifications, even if the war took place between World War I and II. Dr. Silas’s involvement at the center of these incidents made her a target. I guess one of those groups finally made a move. The worst I can think of is Terremoto.”

Galen thought of the possibility that the infamous Terremoto, real name Adalia Diaz, one of the last level 4s in the world, was behind Dr. Silas’s death. “It’s entirely possible, as the last I heard, Diaz had headed out to one of the nations along the Caspian Sea, but that was three years ago. But still, we are living on borrowed time with Elias as well.

Holly stopped, her eyes studying him. “I’ve found that to be a curious quality of yours. I’ve read your report of the Battle of Houston that ended in Elias’s defeat and death, but despite saying Elias was killed by Susy, you keep saying that we are living on borrowed time with anything involving Elias. Why?”

“Of course I know he’s dead. His return isn’t actually what I’m referring to. His arm and both legs were found in the rubble fifty feet down. It’s the remnants of the Oracle Soldiers, his army, that has me saying that. We were able to capture a vast majority of them mostly due to Dr. Silas, but some got away, including Diaz. She is especially dangerous and has sunk entire cities, yet since that day, she has been silent, no movement. With Elias dead, Diaz will take over as the number one villain across the world. Elias was the most powerful level 4 in the world, followed extremely closely by Susy. With one dead and the other in a seemingly permanent coma, there is no one around strong enough to defeat the third-ranked level 4.”

Holly shifted uneasily as they resumed walking towards her motorcycle, thinking about Susy. “We have sought out the best treatments, the best doctors. Susy’s body and ability will heal in time and she will wake up, ready to fight Diaz when she returns,” Holly muttered, but it sounded like she didn’t even believe her own words.

Despite Holly and Hikaro’s kill record and skills involving taking down the most powerful of superhumans, there were two superhumans that they simply couldn’t match in any way, Elias and Diaz. “Holly, I never mentioned this to anybody, not even to Coleman or Nancy. I’ve been resisting Coleman’s orders because I know they won’t work. The only reason Susy was able to master the Sword and kill Elias was because she had you and Hikaro backing her. Her family. She had a reason to fight and protect and that’s what I want for her. Bug needs a family and the war is pointless, but Diaz is still out there and it doesn’t matter if the war is over or not. If she if comes to care for a family, Bug will have a reason to fight and give it all. That way, when the time comes, I can ask her to fight Diaz and finally bring an end to the Oracle Soldiers.”

Holly nodded, understanding the real reason why Galen wanted to keep Bug with Nancy. If she was taken by Coleman, she wouldn’t have a reason to fight and might even end up taking Diaz’s side. But if she had a family, she could, when the time came, do what must be done. It was a chilling thought to think about as Galen and Holly drove away on Holly’s motorcycle. On the way out of Roanoke, Holly chose to take Galen on Route 220 and past the wreckage that was once Dr. Silas and her car. Emergency Personnel had already arrived by that point and were examining the destruction. A white sheet on the ground reminded Galen on what was coming. A war that they might not be able to win.

---------

“You want me to care for this little girl?” a random old lady in her pajamas and slippers asked us for the fourth time.

Selena did a facepalm, “Again, just for a little bit. We have… things that we need to do that aren’t suited for a child like Wren.”

The older woman looked at Selena, then at me. Ryu had decided to remain back, to make sure we weren’t being followed after we’d decided to turn around and drop off Wren at one of the houses near the woods, to ensure that she couldn’t get caught in the crossfire. After we’d woken up the woman at this early hour and tried to convince her to take care of Wren for a moment, all the while trying to convince her to not call the police, in fear that Cane would kill the cops before we could free the others and bring down Cane, I realized the real reason why Ryu stayed away. The woman had been casting glances of disgust at me and only me and the reason why only dawned on me when she muttered the word ‘chink’ under her breath at me.

Back when I was in the mall with Lacey, some of the older folks in it called me ‘chink’, but I didn’t think anything of it and shrugged it off. However, after experiencing the racism at the school, I got curious and asked the Old Lady the other day what it meant, since the older folks had used the word with a disgusted tone in their voice. She told me that the word was an ethnic slur used against Chinese that became popular after the Fall of Lhasa and the second Chinese Civil War. The old lady said that people didn't take the time to distinguish between the different Asian ethnic groups, nor did they really care. A mixture of hate and fear, they simply threw it out to whoever looked like those responsible. The old lady then hugged me and apologized, saying it was a product of the war and it never should have happened nor should I or anybody have the horrible luck of experiencing it. Just another bit of love from the Old Lady that I’d completely forgotten about when I stormed out of the house.

Either way, we didn’t have a choice. Selena regretted asking this woman to help immediately after her first glance at me, but what was done was done. “Look, Ms…” Selena asked, waiting for a name we had neglected to ask when we first greeted at the door.

The older woman gave her a disapproving look. “Not respecting your elders, children,” she scolded, “Y’all address as Mrs. Lewis and you will immediately tell me what you are doing, children.”

I clenched my fists, but Selena put her hand up to calm me down. “Look, Miss Lewis, we are in a bind and we are about to do something that does not warrant the presence of children. Now, Wren here has been through enough trauma to last a lifetime, so here is what you will do. Miss Lewis. You are going to take her in, you are going to give her chocolate milk, let her watch cartoons, and don’t you dare open this door until we return!” Selena gave a little push to Wren. She understood and walked in and stood behind the older woman. She gave me a little wave with a smile, which I returned. “Now, good day, miss.”

Selena tried to walk away, waving bye to Wren as well, but the old woman stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to turn back around. “Now, wait just a minute, young lady…”

“She said good day,” Ryu muttered, walking past Selena and the older woman, using his staff to slam the screen door shut. “Let’s go. If we’re lucky, the police will take twenty minutes to get here.”

We all slipped away, leaving Miss Lewis fuming with Wren at her side. I don’t like that we’d left her with such a person, but we didn’t have much of a choice. All the other houses were much farther down the street and we needed to get back into the forest. As we passed a sign saying ‘Witchleaf Forest Trail’, Selena brought up the question that was on all of our minds. “I know we said we were going to do this, but how exactly are we going to do this? It’s just the three of us and I know you said that you were different, Bug, but may I remind you, they have a Siphon Destructor. That thing doesn’t just kill Level 4s, it vaporizes them to dust.”

In truth, I really didn’t know either. I had my mind set on avenging Wren and stopping Cane and bringing Destructors down. Then I could get back to the Old Lady and maybe start to have some sort of life. But in order to do that, I needed to free Frederick so he could take Cane down. “Any ideas?”

Ryu did a quick facepalm. “No idea here.”

I turned to Selena, who shook her head no. Great, just great. We were determined, yet we had no idea what to do and were possibly walking into a certain death trap. But we didn’t stop walking, as we were still determined to see this through. “The Siphon Destructor… do you know how it works?”

“It can fire in one of two ways; it will drain the power of someone’s ability, damaging and corrupting it, and using that power combined with an energy core, it will create a beam of power so powerful it can turn fifty level 4 superhumans to dust. The second way is through the energy core only, which is what that explosion was,” Selena rambled. It was clear that she knew a great deal about this weapon, but it was also clear to me that she had no idea how to stop it.

We kept walking in silence for a bit after that. Despite the huge explosion earlier, there was no sound from anything. There was nothing but quiet, peaceful forest. No anger, no pain, just peace and calm. I’d never felt this way before and for the first time, I took in the beauty of the snowy forest with awe. It was just so… well, I couldn’t describe it. The emotions were all new to me and I was really a loss for words.

I stopped and closed my eyes, truly taking in the air and the calm, feeling tears stream down my face. “I never fully understood how far your amnesia went,” Selena muttered. “Not being able to remember something like this. The peace and calm of the woods. The safety, the feeling of being one with yourself.”

Quickly coming to my senses, feeling a bit embarrassed, I wiped the tears away. “Oh… don’t worry about this, it’s just me…”

“Getting a chance to take in the beauty of this place and overcome with awe because you don’t remember it due to your amnesia?” Selena finished, guessing correctly.

I rubbed the back of my head, a bit uncomfortable about being reminded about my amnesia. “I guess…” Ryu and Selena glanced at each other, then both started laughing. “My amnesia is not funny!?” I snapped at them.

Selena held up her hand in defense. “No, it’s not that. It’s just me and Ryu were born into a world of war. We don’t know anything else. Hell, even being in such an environment like this forest, or being on Old Rag or even Mount Istas, isn’t near enough to forgot about the shitty world we live in, even for just a moment. But you… you don’t know a world with war, only a world without it. If the ceasefire remains, you won’t know the pain and suffering.”

Ryu placed his hand on Selena, understanding, “Bug…” Selena continued, “I’m going to tell you the truth. We were forced to grow up when we were very young. We may have formed the Creators as a successor group to fight the Destructors a year ago, but that doesn’t really take away the fact that we are nothing but child soldiers being raised to fight a war. Don’t let what is coming make you forget that this world doesn’t have to be only war. Remember that it can always be something.”

Usually, this type of conversation would leave me confused because it had nothing to do with the situation at hand. However, I actually understood what Selena meant. Resolve. The Destructors were a part of that past with that war everybody talked about and by defeating them permanently, I could actually live in a world free of them and so could Wren.

Selena walked ahead, leaving me and Ryu behind. “Mental emotional conditioning,” he whispered in my ear.

“Wha… what?” I stammered.

“Mental emotional conditioning. Something you would have learned that third day. Abilities are linked to both you mental and emotional state. You are happy, positive, or at least in control of your emotions, your powers will work far better. Even using anger is a valid source of control. But if you are not in control of your emotions or you are severely conflicted mentally, your powers won’t work property or even not at all. It’s probably why you have only been mostly able to use defensive powers and minor ones like superstrength. I know that isn’t all you are limited to. Take what Selena said in stride and you’ll do okay.”

“Oh…” I replied, a bit uncertain of myself. Ever since I’d woken up, my abilities only really worked when they wanted to, rather than when I needed them. My anger did allow my powers to emerge in certain times, but I had no real conscious control over them. They were random uses. Aside from what had happened that Thanksgiving day and my moments of anger, my abilities had solely protected me, without me actually doing anything to activate them. “Hey, wait a minute. How long between charges can the weapon be fired?” I asked Ryu.

Both of them turned around. “A couple of minutes,” Ryu answered.

A plan was forming, “Cane is so mentally damaged that he is going to focus all on me. The other Destructors are likely loyal to him, but if I get him riled up, he’ll open fire with the Siphon Destructor. That kind of weapon, it would have a tremous amount of energy flowing through it, but it’s still something that was built. Enough damage to it would cause it to destabilize and maybe malfunction, removing the weapon from the equation. The only reason why the Creators would be captured is solely because of that, so if we take it out, the fight immediately turns in our favor.”

Selena shook her head. “No one has ever been able to do that. The Siphon Destructor has never been defeated nor damaged. Plus, shockingly, no one has ever been able to capture one. If the Destructors have one now, someone with deep pockets in the black market supplied them one. ”

“Bug is right though. While the weapon has never been damaged, it is still a man-made weapon. It can break and once it breaks, it stops working,' Ryu countered.

“Sure, but even so, don’t you think someone in Tibet would’ve followed that reasoning. Everybody died, remember?” Selena pointed out.

Ryu didn’t counter that. I mulled over it for a second. “True, however, it’s reasonable for me to believe that there was more than just one in those days and I would also run away if those people who I considered invincible suddenly get blasted to dust in a matter of seconds. Anybody would run in fear. But this time, we… you know what it can do, so the psychological effect of it is nullified.”

Selena seems dumbfounded at what I’d just said, but Ryu quietly listened on. “That sort of weapon, if it exploded, would level the entire forest. If we did this, we need to damage the Siphon Destructor before Cane fires it,” Selena added.

Ryu looked to me for an answer. I gave it some thought. “No, it has to be damaged when Cane began to fire it. The Siphon Destructor must make a lot of noise when it charges and fires. This noise would mask any movement, making it easier for someone to take it out. Ryu, when that weapon charges, can you take it out?”

Ryu didn’t hesitate in answering. “I can. But do you have a way to keep it from leveling the forest?”

“Yeah. The energy being used is basically heat. You sap the heat, you sap its energy. Selena, right after Ryu damages it, bury it in as much snow as you can. The more, the better. And while that is handled, I’ll focus on freeing the Creators and crushing those Destructors. I’m smaller, quicker and probably smarter than those boneheads.” Both Selena and Ryu giggled at me calling them boneheads. “Alright then, we have a plan. A solid plan. Let’s just hope for the best.”

---------

In hindsight, considering all I’d been told, this was an incredibly stupid plan. There were so many risks I was taking. I was certain that Cane would fire on me, but I wasn’t ascertain if I could avoid the beam of energy. My shield could protect me from Greg’s weapon, but it would shatter like those lightbulbs if it got hit directly by the Siphon Destructor, killing me. More importantly, if I failed, then Cane would no doubt kill everybody else. I just had to take what Selena said in stride and hope for the best.

That best involved me crawling my way through snow and leaves, hiding behind tree stumps, and burying myself in the snow in order to make my way to where the Destructors had the Creators and Frank. I needed to get to a place where I could walk in and distract Cane long enough for Ryu to get into position. When I reached the Destructors, I was both horrified and relieved. Relieved that most everybody was on their knees, hands on their heads, but otherwise nothing restraining them, making it far easier to free them. I was horrified to see next to where the Creators were being held a massive crater with surrounding trees still on fire; Frank’s two partners were missing, and Sybil was nowhere to be seen.

I could only guess what had happened. Frank, his partners, and the Creators had planned an ambush but ambushing the Destructors, the Siphon Destructor ambushed them. Cane must’ve opened fire and, judging by their absence among the captured Creators, killed Frank’s two buddies and Sybil. How ruthless…

Speaking of the Siphon Destructor, it didn’t take long at all to spot it. It stood out like a sore thumb, with all the Destructors surrounding it. It looked like a much bigger version of the gun Greg had, just this one was stationary. It was also painted a very ugly brown. Overall, it gave me the vibe of a prop used in a play instead of a weapon that had murdered millions of people. But in order to go through with this, I needed to face it to give Ryu the opening. And to be absolutely honest, I was terrified. I was powerful, sure, but not powerful enough to reflect or absorb that beam. I had a real chance of dying here. It had to be done though, for me and Wren to be free.

With a strong resolve, I stepped out of my hiding spot and into the clearing. Frank and the Creators spotted me immediately but didn’t say anything to alert the Destructors. I, however, needed them alert, so I raised my hands. “Here I am, Cane.”

One the Destructors turned around and aimed at me the same kind of weapon Greg had and pulled the trigger. I didn’t have any time to react. The beam hit me, my shield absorbing the power, but the impact knocked me off my feet and I hit the ground hard. “Well, well, well… the weapon returns. You were always so bright, yet, so predictable,” Cane rambled, his voice like spiked ice.

I couldn’t feel it back when I’d first met him, but now I looked straight at it. His inner mind. I couldn’t read his mind because there was nothing coherent there. It was a maze of corrupted, mangled thoughts and memories. I mentally reached out and felt the beast within his mind. What I saw was not a beast, but a creature of extreme nightmares. Its darkness, chaos, and fear wrapped around Cane’s mind like vines, its grip made solid from thorns of insanity. What I felt in that mind was no human nor beast. Cane himself was gone, killed by the thing that could be called a monster that now resided, twisted and mangled.

I jerked back and Cane clenched his head, aware that I had invaded his mind. He looked at me with death in his eyes. What I saw was no human. This guy, he truly was a monster. How had Wren even survived this? Hell, how did anybody ever stand up to this? Me? I was shaking, absolutely terrified. I could feel my body freezing up from fear, but I couldn’t let this stop me. I had to stand strong, no matter how terrified I was. At the end of this, assuming I survived, I would go back to the Old Lady, work things out, then crawl into bed for weeks, hiding and trying to deal with the mental ramifications of this battle.

“Coming here so brave, now reduced to absolute fear. Hardly the person I used to know,” Cane mocked.

There he went again, dropping vague clues to my past. But I was done listening to him. I wanted my memories back. I wanted to know my past, but I’d take my chances with the Old Lady. “Yeah, I’m terrified, but I will stand against you, no matter what!” I stood firm, ready.

Cane just smirked. He raised his hand and the Destructors back away. One of the Creators, an older looking girl, looked at me with eyes frozen deep with fear. “Bug, get out of here. He’s going to kill you, just like he killed Frank’s two partners and… and…” She couldn’t get the words out as she started to sob.

“I know. But this must be done,” I reassured her. It truly dawned on me just how old the Creators were and that took me back to what Selena had said about the Creators and me as well being nothing but child soldiers. I had gone from someone who was angry at the old lady to being a soldier fighting in a battle.

Cane started laughing, interrupting my quick thoughts. It was a maniacal laugh, dipped in hate and anger. “This must be done? HAHAHA… what a load of bullshit. You didn’t care back then and you certainly don’t care now. If you did, why do you look like that?”

That took by surprise, that last comment. But I couldn’t focus on that. If I did, Cane could catch me by surprise. I needed to be alert. There would be time to deal with it later. “Okay, come on now. Hit me.” I held my hands out wide, making myself a target. “Do it!” I yelled.

Cane simply smiled. “As you wish.”

Cane had no reason to do this. But that smile that grew as he started up the weapon made me wonder why Cane hadn’t done this before. All that time I’d spent at the Old Lady’s house, wandering around with Lacey, he could have targeted me then. He could’ve just overruled Greg and simply gone after me when I’d first woken up on that farm. Why didn’t he?

The weapon charging took only moments, the sound of it deafening. But during the brief charging period, Frank caught my eye. He didn’t say anything, just silently asking a question with his eyes. I knew what he wanted to know. Was Wren safe? I nodded yes and he nodded slightly in reply and despite the situation at hand, he seemed greatly relieved. Honestly, that made me smile a bit.

“Bye-bye, little Buggy,” Cane spat. Here it came, the moment everything rested on. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths, focusing on what Selena had said. I felt time slow down, my powers reacting to my command. Opening my eyes, I felt a surge of energy flow through my body. Cane moved slowly, as did everybody else. The air shifted, the energy around me drove back, opening a path between me and the Siphon Destructor. It was charged. I heard the click.

“RYU, NOW!” I screamed, moving at a lightning fast speed at the same moment the weapon fired. I felt the beam of energy fly past me, barely missing my face by a mere inch. I felt the beam’s energy, overflowing like a flash flood that could not be stopped. The moment it made an impact somewhere, a figure emerged in the trees. Despite being a little late, he took everybody by surprise. Ryu was prepared. Holding the staff high, he yelled out a sound more animal-like than human and took aim straight down at the Siphon Destructor. Selena followed behind, ready to negate any overloading the weapon might do and crush those remaining Destructors, leaving Cane alone.

I moved as fast I could towards Cane himself, with Ryu mere moments away from smashing down. Cane looked at me, his eyes barely keeping up with my movements. I knew that a monster like Cane wouldn’t show any emotion in this, but he did something I wasn’t expecting. He smiled. Ryu came down on the weapon, the staff making contact. I watched as it hit something mere inches away, and then the earth exploded. I was blinded, blasted back against yet another tree. A brief second later, it stopped. I looked around. Ryu had hit something that caused an explosion that had blasted everybody away, creating a fog of smoke, but I could make mostly where everybody was. The Creators and Frank were scattered right and left, obviously in pain from the explosion. Ryu was lying unconscious on top of Selena, his staff impaled completely through a tree.

But did it work? The main objective was to damage the weapon. With such a huge explosion, no doubt the weapon had been destroyed. I painfully got to my feet, looking through the fog. It cleared and I was met by a still standing Cane and the Destructors, surrounding a completely intact Siphon Destructor. “No?!?!”

“You know, Bug, I really have to give you credit for this one. Distracting me with you, allowing your partners to sneak up and destroy the Destructor, right as you used superspeed to move. I’m absolutely certain that was your plan too. Bravo, Bug, bravo.” Cane clapped, as did the other Destructors. “But it was never going to work. The main reason why it never has been defeated is because of the shield surrounding it. Nothing can break through it. No military, no bomb, no superhuman, and especially, not you, Jamie!”

“Sooo… that’s how they did it,” Selena muttered, waking and groaning in pain. I immediately realized it as well. The reason why nearly 65 million people died in the span of a few days. There was simply never a way for them to fight back. There was no way for us to fight back as well, and now I was going to die. Already, Cane was recharging the weapon.

“Destructors, join me. Let’s make this the most powerful blast yet,” Cane ordered the remaining Destructors. They all joined him, pulling out attachments to the Siphon Destructor, their ability’s energy flowing into the weapon. Kids, high school kids, about to kill me. I heard different Creators and even Frank tells me to run, but I found I couldn’t move. My legs simply refused to take a step in any direction. I was still terrified, but at this point, I think my body just gave up. It knew that it was game over.

The same feeling washed over me; the weapon was charged in mere moments. This was it. It was over. I’d done all I could. I wished I could have done more, but that plan was all we had. With no way to damage the Siphon Destructor, I couldn’t reach Cane fast enough. There was no hope. With the sound of the click, Cane pulling the trigger, I whispered what I believed to be my final words. “I’m sorry, Nancy.”

The trigger clicked, the weapon fired. Instinctively, I held out my hands to defend myself and closed my eyes. Not that it would have mattered in the end. After what seemed like an eternity, I felt the beam hit me. Immediately, I was slammed back against the tree, but I wasn’t dead. Instead, I felt the intense heat and energy radiating. It felt like the sun was right next to me, throwing everything it had at me. But I also felt the pain. An intense pain erupting from my hands and spreading down my arms. My eyes snapped open and I was face to face with the blueish tint of the beam. Despite the amount of energy Cane was putting into this attack, my shield was holding, no cracks to be seen. No doubt everybody was shocked at what I was doing, but I couldn’t focus on them. I heard Cane yell to turn the weapon up to its highest setting, and I immediately felt the energy and heat increase tenfold. Everything around me began to burst into flames, but my shield held.

It was so intense and powerful, I felt like I was being crushed as I was pushed back against the tree. Then, suddenly, one hand grabbed one shoulder and another hand my other shoulder; both pushed. I moved against the beam slightly. “We’re with you, Bug,” Ryu declared, taking the heat and punishment of the Siphon Destructor.

“This is our chance,” Selena said. “You just hold that beam back. We’ll do the rest.”

Selena and Ryu didn't help much, considering what I was holding back, but quickly, the other Creators joined in, giving their support. Even Frank joined in. With their help, we pushed the beam back, inching ever closer to the Cane. I could see his face now and he showed only pure anger at me, but the other Destructors seemed absolutely terrified, just like me. I had no idea how I was doing this, but it was working.

“Almost there!” one Creator screamed.

“We need a bit more strength! Keep pushing!” another yelled out.

We were almost there, but by pushing the beam back, it increased the amount of energy hitting me, preventing us from moving any closer. My shield still held, but the pain was immense, nearly making me blackout. “We’re…. soooo… close”

“Then let me give you a hand.” A voice I immediately recognized expressed from the woods behind us. “It’s about time I used my ability for good, rather than evil.” It was from Greg. He came to support us, to help us, and by him pushing us with his ability, we had the strength.

“Let’s finish this!” With all the strength of the Creators, Frank, and Greg, I pushed the energy back, right up to the Siphon Destructor itself, breaking through its own shield. Cane stood his ground, but the Destructors scattered. I was there, and now, I had to destroy the weapon.

“Finish it, Bug!” Everybody cheered. The pain indescribable, I held both my hands out, pushing the beam back into the focuser. With what little strength I had left, I gripped the edge tightly and shattered it. After a few sparks and a brief pause, blue energy shot from the destroyed focuser and the Siphon Destructor exploded. We were all blasted back at the sudden eruption of force. I was thrown through the snow and back into the tree, blinded for the moment. The blast was so loud and powerful, it would be impossible for the people of Harrisonburg, and probably even farther to not know about it. Hell, it likely knocked the power out for miles.

But, as quickly as it had exploded, everything came to a calm and my vision returned. I sat up, feeling the pain in my hands shoot all over my body. I felt extremely tired and I knew that my energy reserves for using my ability were virtually burned out. Any more use of them and I would have an oversleep. Aside from that, though, I felt like shit. I looked around and saw that the entire area was unrecognizable, some trees burned to a crisp, some completely missing and pretty much everything else was on fire. It was very much possible that the entire forest was the same way. However, I was overly relieved that despite the massive explosion, all the Creators, Frank, and Greg were alright, albeit taking their time to get moving again. It seemed that even weakened, my ability had shielded them from the vast majority of the heat and debris. After that, I glanced over to where the Siphon Destructor was. All that was left of it was a mangled mess of hot metal, the weapon completely unrecognizable.

Selena, who landed right next to me, also looked towards what remained of the weapon, gasping at the sight. “Bug, I don’t believe it. You destroyed it. No one has ever done that before. You did it.”

Despite the pain, I shook my hand. “No. It was a group effort. I would never have gotten that close if you all hadn’t all pushed me to it. We all did it.”

Selena smiled and held my hand, at which I immediately jerked back from the pain. “Oh, my bad,” Selena said apologetically.

“Inconceivable!” That voice stuck fear in all our hearts. Cane survived and he wasn’t done with us. We all turned to watch him emerge from underneath a large tree that had fallen during the explosion. “How? HOW?” Cane tried to walk towards us but immediately fell, clutching his side. His arms and face were burned and his clothes were shredded, revealing blood everywhere. My ability had shielded the Creators, Frank, and Greg of its own accord, but refused to shield Cane. Despite that, he’d somehow managed to survive. “You destroyed it! That is impossible.” I tried to get up, to face him, but I didn’t have the strength to stand. “No matter. You’re out of energy. You cannot power that shield of yours any longer.” Cane snatched something from the snow. The mockup. It was damaged but seemed functional.

Ryu and Selena moved to stop him, but Cane was too quick. He pulled the trigger and the mockup fired a small beam at me. It would’ve hit me had Greg not stepped in the path. It struck him, and while he held it for a second by using his ability, he was too weak and his ability failed him, blowing him back behind me. “What a lousy excuse for a son. I made you into a warrior and this is what you do, sacrifice yourself for a pitiful girl?” Cane mocked his son.

Greg had taken the entire hit of the mockup, but he stood back up, struggling as he walked back to where he’d been standing. “You are a monster. You turned me into a monster, forcing me to do all those horrible things. I hurt so many people, sometimes doing even worse things. Hell, I tied up and traumatized my little sister. MY SISTER! There was a part of me that loved Wren, but you never gave a damn about your daughter and you forced me to never give her anything…” Greg struggled to speak, coughing up blood. He pointed at me after recovering a bit, “That ‘pitiful’ girl, her name is Bug and she is the best thing about this world. She’s only met Wren twice, and yet showed her more love than any of us. Bug saved her from me and now I'm returning the favor.” Cane rolled his eyes and tried to pull the trigger again, not giving a damn about anybody, not his son and certainly not his daughter. But Greg pulled out a concealed gun and fired off one round straight at Cane’s head. First, the mockup dropped, then a brief moment later, Cane dropped, dead before he hit the ground. “It is over.”

“Holy shit,” Ryu muttered, bewildered.

I witnessed a single tear roll down Greg’s face. He had done it, he had killed Cane, his own father, ending the threat permanently. He tossed the gun away, an act signifying him throwing away that part of his life. He turned around to face all of us, the Creators, the people he had fought against. His face showed absolutely sorrow, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he fell to his knees, collapsing. “Greg!” Frank yelled, running to his side, realizing what had happened when Greg took the full blast from the mockup. He had been mortally wounded. “Please hold on. We’ll get you help. Just hang on! Help me move him!” Frank tried to get help from us, but Greg held his hand up.

“No, Grandpa. It’s okay. It’s fine... I’m fine,” Greg reassured his grandpa.

I could see the tears rolling down Frank’s face. “No… no… I can save you. We can save you! Uh… Bug can save you”

Greg grabbed his grandpa’s hand and held it tight, trying to reassure him. “Bug already saved me. She set me free, and now Wren is also free. Let me go, Grandpa. It’s okay.” Greg’s breathing got more labored, a sign that it was coming to an end and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Please… I just got you back. Please son, let me save you,” Frank sobbed.

Greg struggled to reach up and wipe away Frank’s tears. At this point, we all felt sorrow and sadness for them, including me, despite the history between us. We were all watching someone who had terrorized so many people over the years finally get the chance to think for himself and use his final moments on this Earth to make peace with his grandfather as himself. Watching him smile at his grandfather, knowing he was in his last moments with him. “We can’t always save everybody, can we? Grandpa, face it, my time is up. But I can rest knowing that Wren is finally safe.” Greg’s coughing interrupted him, but it was more than obvious that Greg was growing weaker and weaker. “Grandpa, it’s time to let me go. I’ll be okay, I promise. I just need you to promise me something.”

Frank gripped Greg’s hand tightly with both of his. “Anything.”

Greg started coughing as he struggled to keep breathing. “Promise me… that you’ll give… Wren a loving home. Give… her the family she… deserves. Give her love… comfort her… when she is sad. Fill every one of her days with happiness… joy and… hope. Be there… for her… Give to her… what I never… could. Promise… me… that?” Greg struggled to say.

Frank could only sob in his reply. “I swear on my life I will be that to her and much more. I promise you that, Greg. I love you, son. I always will.”

Greg only smiled in response, and as the first light of a new day streaked across the sky, Greg’s head slowly fell back, his eyes closing and his hand slipping from Frank’s grasp, falling limp on the ground, finally dying in peace knowing his little sister would be cared for. The kid I had hated, who had done horrible things to other people, who had tried to kill me more than once, was dead. And I cried for him. We all did.

The sun was fully up by the time we got ourselves together and made our way out of the forest, heading back to where me, Selena, and Ryu had left Wren. But the trip back was antagonizing. We had lost Frank’s partners and Sybil was missing, but most importantly, Greg’s death. But I was too worked up to really think about my relationship with Greg. Plus, there was the small matter of being in severe pain. My leg hurt, so I could only badly limp. Ryu and Selena helped me walk, the rest shuffling about, and then there was Frank. He was still teary-eyed, carrying his grandson’s body wrapped in a couple of jackets. We’d stayed at the battle site for awhile after Greg died, mourning, before finally getting up and moving, leaving Cane and the remains of the Siphon Destructor behind.

We were all dreading leaving the forest. As it turned out, the explosion I’d caused when I destroyed the focuser had pretty much burned the forest to a crisp. It was a wonder that we survived the explosion with the injuries we had. But this no doubt alerted authorities, and since we were carrying Greg’s body with us, there would be trouble. Hell, Selena informed us that the vast majority of the Creators here, including her and Ryu, had snuck out, something I’m told teenagers like to do. So their families didn’t even know that we had all nearly died tonight. However, I was told that Sybil didn’t have any parents, as they had been missing for years. She was staying in a dorm room at JMU.

But they couldn’t tell me whether or not Frank’s buddies had families. This, plus Sybil being missing, and Greg dying, made me feel even worse. “I’m sorry,” I finally muttered, my head down.

“What?” Selena replied, not catching what I’d said.

“I said I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“What for?” she asked, perplexed.

“Everything that happened here. It’s all my fault,” I admitted, my voice choked with sobs.

“Your fault? Hardly. Bug, we weren’t even here for you. We had no idea that you would be here… well, we had no idea that the Destructors being here was a trap just for you, although Orion was sure that there was an important reason.”

“Orion?” I questioned. I had never heard of someone by that name before. I don’t even think I’d heard such a word before.

“Someone who knows stuff and gives us information about other stuff. He’s the one that told us about your nickname,” Ryu explained.

“Yeah,” Selena said. “At first, we wanted to leave you be, figuring that you only came out here to figure out things. But once Cane got involved and Frank intercepted you, Sybil felt that it was best to keep you away, out of harm, despite the obvious fact that you are different than the rest. That much was clear, especially after what happened with the Destructor. And believe me, we all have questions about what you are, more now than ever, but none of this was your fault. In fact, if it wasn’t for you, we would all be dead now, including Wren. You saved us.”

“Damn right,” one Creator quietly said.

I guess what she said made sense, but it didn’t really change my mind. I still believed that it was my fault. And I remained silent as we walked out of the forest and onto the road that led right to the lady’s house. We were immediately greeted by Miss Lewis, dressed in snow clothes, but as we were expecting, we were greeted by police officers, EMTs, firefighters, and armed soldiers who aimed guns at us. It was apparent that the explosion had attracted more attention than we’d previously thought. An older, much larger guy in camo emerged from behind some camo-colored vehicles. “Remain where you are, Creators.” He walked up next to Miss Lewis. “Where are the three that brought you the little girl?”.

Miss Lewis scanned through the group, then spotted us. “Those three, Major General Gray.” She pointed to me, Ryu, and Selena. I half expected her to look at me with racist disdain, but there was none of that on her face. She was concerned.

Gray studied our group, looking over each and every one of us, although his eyes lingered on my face. Recognition dawned on him; my guess was he knew me from what happened at Paige’s house. Then his eyes wandered towards Frank and what he was holding. “Frank? What… what are you doing here?” he asked, surprised. I guess they knew each other. Frank didn’t answer. He just looked down, away from Gray. Gray held up his hand and the soldiers lowered their weapons. He then approached us, noting just how banged up and hurt we were. That was when he caught sight of what Frank was carrying and what it signified. He was overcome with horror at the sight. “Frank, my friend, what happened?”

-------------

Frank didn’t end up answering, but the Creators told the police and soldiers, including Gray, what had happened. All the while, as an EMT looked over my wounds and wrapped my hands and ankle in gauze and bandaged my cuts, I watched Frank put Greg’s body in an ambulance, close the door, and promptly be reunited with Wren, confused as to why her grandfather was so upset. It was a sad reunion and I don’t think Wren could possibly understand what happened. Hell, I didn’t even really understand what was going on. Cane had said so many things about me, yet he was so mentally corrupted that he probably didn’t even know right from left, leaving me unsure that anything he said held truth or not.

“I’m going to be honest with you all,” Gray said to the other Creators receiving treatment. “None of you had any permission to do this, plus, by your account, four people are dead and one Reject is missing. There is also the matter of that explosion that wiped out the forest. There is the issue of destroying Park Service property, but there is also the major problem of the explosion, although briefly, knocking the power out to the entire Eastern seaboard. People are talking and right now, they are thinking that it was the start of an attack. And I bet you all can imagine what happens after that.”

I couldn’t, but the other Creators apparently could and it seemed to scare them. “Alright, you have made your point. The Destructors had gotten hold of a Siphon Destructor and used it against us,” Selena admitted.

Gray appeared to accept that. “And can you tell me what led to Cane self-destructing it?”

All the Creators glanced at one another uneasily. Selena swallowed hard, nervous about answering. “The Siphon Destructor… uh… did not self-destruct. We… um… well…”

Gray grew impatient. “Spit it out already!”

“We… eh... destroyed it,” Selena stuttered.

That drew everybody's attention and the area was overcome by a hushed silence. Cops, firefighters, EMTs, soldiers -- everybody was now quiet and focused on Selena. “Who destroyed it?” Gray asked, a bit shaken.

“We did,” Selena reiterated.

Gray shook his head in frustration. “Again, enough of the bullshit. I don’t believe for a second that a group of cut-rate teenage superhero wannabes was able to take down something that not even level 4s could touch. Now, I’m going to ask again, WHO destroyed it!?!?”

The Creators nervously glanced at each other, their shoulders sagging in defeat. “She did,” a Creator admitted, pointing at me.

All eyes were immediately on me, but Gray kept his focus on the Creators, even if he was shaking. “How?” he quietly asked.

Selena sighed. She didn’t want to answer the question, so I decided at that moment that I would do it for her. “I took the full force of the weapon and with the help of everybody, I was able to push it back into the focuser, crushing it. It sparked, then exploded.”

Gray finally broke his focus and turned to face me. The silence of the Creators seemed to confirm to him and everybody else here that I was telling the truth. Once they realized that, they all took a few steps away from me, including the EMTs looking over my injuries. They all fear me...

Gray staggered and would have fallen had not for two of his men catching and helping him to the ground. The whispers were impossible to ignore, but I was more focused on how Gray would respond to that. He seemed to be the leader of everybody, which meant for me that the only way I would get home is if he allowed it. I was too weak to do anything. I needed Gray to get me home.

At first, he started mumbling. I couldn’t make out what was saying at first, but in time, the mumbling got louder and words became clearer. I thought he would be like everybody else, afraid. But he wasn’t. A smile was forming on his face. I couldn’t remember someone reacting like that. “You did it. You actually did it,” he said happily, the shaking gone. “You stopped it.” Then Gray started to do something that kinda creeped me out. He started laughing and kept on laughing.

“Uh… du… sir, are you okay?” one of the Creators asked Gray.

Gray’s laugher settled down for a bit. “Am I okay? I’m better than okay.” He pointed to me. “What is your name, young lady?”

I could tell him that it was Claire, or it was Jamie. Although, since the Creators were aware of my nickname, there wasn’t really any point in hiding it. “Bug,” I replied.

“Bug. You did it. The Creators, they may, as they say, have helped you, but I know you’re telling the truth. You destroyed the Siphon Destructor. A weapon that has caused so much pain and was thought to be unbeatable was finally defeated by you. There is finally an endgame.” I couldn’t find the words. I was so shocked by his reaction to what I did. He raised his hands. “It’s a new world,” he yelled out. Standing up, he looked over to one of the police officers. “Officer Crawford. Can you escort this young lady home? I’m sure her family is worried sick.”

Officer Crawford looked as if he didn’t want to do such a thing, but he didn’t argue. “What about the others?”

“Their families are on their way. Now get her home safe. It’s the least we can all do for her.”

After that, everything settled down. Everybody except me seemed to understand Gray’s sudden change of behavior. They all stopped being afraid of me and the whispers ceased. They didn’t say anything like Gray, but they didn’t say anything bad about me either, so I guess that was good.

I said goodbye to the Creators, gave one last hug to Wren, and then I was helped into the front of a police car. It was the very first time I got to ride up front in a car, a change from when I would be riding with Nancy. I told them where I lived and they told me that I still needed to visit a hospital later on to get everything checked out. I nodded, showing that I understood those instructions, then we left. I watched the burned out forest and all the rescue workers disappear in the mirror as the cop turned onto the main road.

“Do you have a phone number that I could call, to tell your family I’m bringing you home?” Officer Crawford asked me.

I gulped. I didn’t know. Nancy had never told me and I never asked. “The phone broke. We haven’t replaced it yet,” I lied.

“A cell phone then?”

Didn’t know that either. “I accidentally stepped on it yesterday.” Technically, though, I did break something by stepping on it last night, only it wasn’t a cellphone, but the TV remote.

Officer Crawford gave me a look. I gave him a look right back, then resumed looking out the window, trying to sort out my thoughts. Honest to god, it really bothered me the way everything had defused. We were sure we would all be arrested, or at least be reprimanded. Except that didn’t happen. The moment I’d told Gray what happened, he changed. The military personality he had when we arrived had shattered when I told what happened.

Another thing hit while I was pondering what happened. I was tired. It really dawned on me that I had stayed up all night, and now the exhaustion was catching up to me. I tried to fight it so I could go back to trying to make sense of everybody, but it was a losing battle. Within seconds, I was out cold.

Only to be woken up what felt like mere seconds later by the cop. He had parked next to the road, as the driveway was full of cars. I recognized one of them as Eugene and Margaret’s car; the other two I didn’t know. Nancy must have called them after I had left. “Let’s go,” he ordered. I got out of the police car and limped up the driveway. The officer offered to help me walk, but I refused.

Eugene came running out the door, panicking when he saw the cop. “What happened?” he demanded.

“Sir, are you her parent or guardian?” the cop asked Eugene, ignoring his question.

This question caught Eugene off guard, but he was quick to recover. “Uh no. But her guardian is my mother and she cannot be here at the moment. She has dictated that I and my wife would become her guardians in her absence.” He pulled out a piece of paper and handled it to the cop. From what I could see, it looked official.

The cop looked over the paper, then handed it back to Eugene. “Very well. I release her into your custody.” The cop gave me a glance, then he left, ignoring Eugene’s attempts to ask any questions.

“Damnit,” Eugene muttered. “Alright, Bug, what happened? What did you get yourself into?” I weighed my options, deciding not to say anything. “Bug, what happened!?!?” he demanded again. I turned my head away, refusing to answer. “Young lady, answer me. What did you do?” His anger was rising, but again, I refused. He gritted his teeth in frustration. “You storm out this house in anger and come back all banged up, hands bandaged, and limping. You got yourself in trouble with the law and more. Young lady, tell me what happened NOW!”

“NO!” I screamed at him, a blast of wind pushing him off his feet and into the snow. For a split second, he recoiled from me, holding up his arms in fear, before getting a grip on himself. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I muttered. Rubbing my arm despite the pain in my hands, I limped to the porch, but I hesitated when I heard the voices coming from inside. Did I really want to face them? I didn’t have much choice.

Taking a deep breath, I walked inside, taking off my ruined jacket in the enclosed porch before limping into the kitchen. A great deal of Nancy’s family was there, but Nancy was not. I saw Margaret, her sons and daughter, Lacey, Riley, Eugene’s brother Charles, his wife, his kids, and the woman I knew as Nancy’s daughter and her own kids. And they all stopped talking and stared at me. I heard Eugene come up behind, blocking off any attempt to escape. It didn’t matter, I was far too weak.

“Do you have any idea the trouble you have caused, Bug?” Charles started off. Even he knows my nickname? Who doesn’t?

Magaret walked up and pulled me up by my shirt. “Do you have any idea what you have done!?!? You better have a damn good excuse for what you did and where you have been.”

Eugene pulled me and his wife apart. “Bug does not want to talk about it right now, so we will not ask her what she has been up to for the last nine hours for now, although we still need an answer at some point in the future.”

Charles walked up to his brother's side. “That doesn’t change the fact that this girl walked out on our mom when she was sick.” He glared at me and I stepped back. “You left. You took off, and our mother, their grandmother, got too sick. She collapsed and you weren’t there. You choose to concern yourself with yourself and now, our mom is in the hospital, dying.”

That news hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d known that Nancy was sick, but I hadn’t known it was that bad. I realized something important -- last night, this was what Nancy was going to tell me. “Yeah, you little screwup, why did you leave her?” one of Charles’ kids asked me.

“Yeah, why?” another piped up. More and more people here accused me of leaving her. I didn’t mean to, I really… Oh my god, it was my fault. I overreacted and left. But if I hadn’t walked out, there was no way that the Creators could have saved Wren and stopped Cane. On the one had, I had the perfect reason why I didn’t come back, on the other, because I didn’t come back, Nancy ended up in the hospital and I wasn’t there for her.

But my thoughts were overshadowed by everybody and my train of thought drowned in the voices of everybody except Lacey and Eugene accusing me of abandoning Nancy, and I couldn’t take it. I was so overwhelmed by the events that had already occurred. In tears, I screamed. “Stop it!” A gust of wind blew through the kitchen. Everybody went silent from my sudden burst of power. “Stop it, please,” I sobbed. “I can’t take any more. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here, but she told me how she’d manipulated me to get my trust. I was angry, upset, betrayed. I needed time to figure out what to think about everything. If I had known that she was dying, I don’t know, maybe I would've stayed...”

Charles glared down at me. “That’s no excuse,” he barked. He walked past me, his kids going ahead of him. “I never want to see you again, Bug.”

“Neither do I,” Margaret declared. “Let’s go, everybody.” Everybody started shuffling out of the kitchen, passing me glances of anger and distrust. Lacey put her hand on my shoulder for support, but I shrugged it off. She looked at me apologetically, gave a tiny nod, and left the room. Once everybody was gone, I collapsed on the kitchen chair and started to cry, everything finally catching up to me.

After an hour or two crying my eyes out, I heard the porch door open and close. I looked up at the door between the kitchen and porch and saw that Eugene was standing there with a bag in one hand and a water bottle in another. I looked up at what he had, then up at him in confusion. He seemed embarrassed. “Yeah… I sorta owe you a big apology.” I tilted my head, not knowing what he meant. “I sorta called in a few favors with some big shots in the military. They filled me in on what you were up to all night. I must say, taking down the Destructors, defeating a Siphon Destructor -- I’m impressed. I’m sorry that I overreacted. It wasn’t right for me to do so. And now it’s extremely obvious why you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh…” I said quietly, wiping the tears from my face.

Eugene set the bag down. “And how the family reacted, we had no right to do that at all. I know my mother is dying, but we all knew this was coming for a long time. Her days were numbered, everybody knew that, but there was no way of knowing that last night was the night. It isn’t your fault, Bug. It never was. And Charles, he’s just under a lot of pressure and he’s quite upset. We haven’t been able to contact our youngest brother to tell him the news. As for my wife, she’s been like that since Jared died.”

I recalled back when I saw him in that picture Lacey had. “No has ever talked about him to me.”

Eugene pulled up a seat and sat down. “Yeah, I know. It’s a pretty painful memory. My oldest son. A difficult kid, always wanting to do his own thing, much like you. He always looked after people, even if they didn’t want him to. He helped out at the church, at the park, everywhere that could use his help. In fact, he organized the Christmas caroling for all the nursing homes in the county. He was a good person, we just never realized it.”

“Wh-what happened?” I asked tentatively.

“Well, there was an incident that occurred. People died because of it. No charges were ever filed, but we all blamed him. I guess he felt similar to how you felt last night and he left. Only he didn’t come back. When we found out later on that Jared had nothing to do with it, we tried to reach out and find him. But it was too late. He was dead. He was killed in action at Lhasa doing what he did best, helping people.” That was a sad story. “I’m not going to make the same mistake that got Jared killed. Neither is the rest of my family. I meant what I said; we will take you.” I was shocked at that. I didn’t know what to think about it.

“Okay… I guess. I don't know what to think about this,” I admited “Can I go see her?” I nervously asked.

Eugene shrugged. “I don’t know, but we can try. I figured you were hungry, so I got you some food. Eat up, rest up, and I’ll be back to get you in a few hours. We’ve been unable to reach Dr. Silas, but what we know is that it's likely that she will last the night, but not much longer after that. You’ll get your chance to say goodbye. After that, we will figure it out. Okay?” I nodded and reached into the bag for food.

--------

I did end up doing just that. I cleaned myself up and fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from everything. When I awoke, it was 4pm and the sun was beginning to set. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Even an eight-hour nap hadn’t refreshed me, but considering that everything that had happened, it was a small miracle that I was still moving. Leaning back against the couch, I really thought about the situation I was in. Nancy was dying, she always had been, and everything that I knew was ending. I only remembered the last month or so, and all that was this house.

What would happen to me afterwards? Was I going to go to a regular school or back to that hellhole, was I going to be homeschooled, was I going to be anything? Would I lose that stuffed bear? I’d finally just accepted Nancy and forgave her, and now she was dying. There was nothing I could do about… or was there?

I looked down at my hands, still bandaged. Even after my nap, they still hurt. Everything still hurt, probably limiting what I could do. I thought back to the early morning, to what Ryu and Selena had told me about having positive thoughts in order for my powers to work on the offensive. Despite being told that, I was still limited, using defensive powers to destroy the Siphon Destructor. Still, actually being able to destroy something that no one, not even the greatest of the level 4s, could even touch, wasn’t surprising. My thoughts drifted back to the night before, when I’d done something that helped Woodsy. I knew I was powerful, but I didn’t think I was that powerful, nor did I think I was a level 4. But now I was developing a clear picture of what I was, though it only added more questions. There was a chance that I could help Nancy, save her, or at least give her more time.

True to his word, Eugene arrived to get me. “Is it okay for me to go?” I asked tentatively when he walked into the living room.

My mother did wake up and ask for you but the others don’t want you there. Doesn’t matter though, I’m gonna take you and whatever their reaction is, we’ll deal with it, alright?” he replied with a smile.

“Alright.” Eugene helped me to my feet. I realized that my old jacket was ruined and that I needed another one. Eugene said he would wait outside while I retrieved one. I quickly limped down to my room and grabbed another hoodie off my bed, my eye catching the bear, Mr. Fluffypants, laying on my pillow. I had put him on my dresser yesterday evening, meaning Nancy must have moved it. Come to think of it, my room was mysteriously neater than when I’d last left it and the only person that would have cleaned it up was Nancy. Despite me walking out on her in anger, she still held onto hope that I would come back. She did care, just like Lacey.

I quickly hugged the bear, placing it back on the pillow, before running out the door, feeling the pain in my legs with every step, to get into the car. I got outside, but there was no sign of Eugene. “Eugene?” I called out. No answer. “Eugene?” I yelled a bit louder. Still no answer. Where could he be?

For some reason, I felt the need to look up. And to my horror, I found him floating in the air; a piece of tape keeping him from speaking. What the FUCK!?!?

“Hello, Claire. Good to see you again.” My blood ran cold when I recognized that voice. A figure walked up from the side of the house where he had hid. “You have been quite the busy bug, haven’t you?” Dhruv retorted.

I held my breath, trying to figure out any way of dealing with this with the injuries I had. “Don’t try anything,” another voice I immediately recognized warned. Gare came out from behind the shed with Margaret. “You move and I fry her. Got it?”

“Y-y-yeah, I got it,” I stammered. Terrified, I looked for a solution, but there wasn’t any that I could see. Gare had lightning running over his fingers, reading to snap at a moment’s notice.

Gare smiled. “Good. Dhruv, please place the Mental Nullifier on the girl.” Dhruv floated a small watch-looking thing over to my arm, which immediately snapped onto my wrist. A high-pitched piercing sound filled my ears, forcing me to my knees in pain. “That little contraption is the result of years of study from the smartest people on this planet. It cuts off your mental control of your ability, rendering it inactive. You are defenseless, little girl.” Now that I was incaptacitated, Gare left Margaret go and Dhruv dropped Eugene.

“To think Galen thought it would have been impossible to bring you in. Look at you now, a little weak girl who is brought to her knees just like anybody.” Literal giants, more than I could count, made their way onto the driveway, as well as large vehicle with a gun on the roof blocking any car from getting in or out of the driveway. Everybody looked military and were sporting some rather nasty looking weaponry.

“Secretary Coleman,” Eugene growled at the man who appeared from behind the largest of the giants.

Coleman gave Eugene a devilish smile, “Director Eugene Rodes of the CDC, how are you doing today?”

“You have no right to do this…” Eugene snapped.

Coleman looked around at the situation. “Do what? Oh… do this? You are mistaken, Director Rodes, I have every right to do this. The girl is coming with us.”

“The girl is in our care! You can’t take her!” Eugene screamed at Coleman as he tried to stand up, but Dhruv pushed him back down with his ability.

“Eugene… Eugene… Eugene, the placement was never official. The only reason why none of us could touch her is because General Rodes still loves his mother and would do anything to keep harm from coming to her. But if I remember correctly, General Rodes only gives a shit about his mother. He hates you, your brother, and pretty everybody else for what you did all those years ago. You haven’t spoken to him for twelve years. Simply put, once Nancy is dead, he stops giving a fuck about everything involving this fucked up family. That includes this girl.” Coleman turned to the largest giant. “Colonial Wulfe, have your SEALs secure Claire here for transport to West Point.”

“Don’t, Coleman, don’t take her. Please don’t take her away and turn her into some weapon,” Eugene begged.

Despite the pain in my ears, I could focus on Coleman’s reaction to Eugene begging him not to take me. He seemed annoyed. “And why not?” he asked.

“Because you don’t know what you are getting yourself into. None of you do.”

“Oh, I think we do,” Coleman retorted, turning around, dismissing Eugene’s warning. My mind flashed back to what Eugene had told me: that he knew that I had defeated a Siphon Destructor. He knew that I was different. And Eugene was about to spill the secrets.

“No, you don’t. She isn’t anything like we thought. Claire… no… Bug here isn’t like anything we have ever seen for a very long time…”

Coleman stopped, sighing in exasperation. “Eugene, this isn’t a matter of morality or anything you may be implying. The girl will come with us because we need her. We are desperate. Where there were once millions of superhumans, only a few thousand remain. We are dying out. If we train her right, we can end the war before it kills everybody.”

Eugene was up on his feet. “I’m not talking about that. I’m referring to your illusion of control. You think that the Nullifier will stop her, you think that this Navy SEAL team is enough? It’s far from it. Bug here, she is far too powerful for you to control.”

Coleman turned his head so he could study me. The pain in my ears kept me from moving, but that didn’t limit my ability to glare at him. “If you haven’t noticed, she is down, depowered. I have all the control.”

I couldn’t see Eugene’s face, but I knew that he was about to reveal something important. “No, you don’t. She cannot be controlled. That’s because she is…”

“A Level 5?” Some random voice finished Eugene’s sentence. Someone came walking up on the roof of the house. And I recognized him from the mall trip Lacey took me on. It was Lacey’s old boyfriend, the one who’d dumped everything out of Lacey’s purse. “To think, after two thousand years of extinction, the Level 5s have returned.”

A stunned silence followed.

“She’s a what?” Coleman sputtered.

Lacey’s ex-boyfriend did a facepalm. “Did you not hear what I just said?” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “I SAID SHE IS A LEVEL 5! God, you guys are spending too much time around guns.”

There was muttering around me, each of the giants trying to decide whether or not to believe him. What could have been the biggest shocks to my, I didn’t know what to think. Everything that had happened put my mind into overdrive and this was just one big revelation on top a huge pile of revelations.

“Now that I have caused a massive mental breakdown for some of you and caused the rest to deeply question what is truly impossible or not and pretty much everything you knew about the universe, it’s time for introductions.” He pointed at Eugene and Margaret. “Those two know me as Zane, Bug. You know me as the crazy ex-boyfriend who dumped all the things in his ex-girlfriend’s purse on the floor of a mall. However, you may also know me by another name…” He gave a goofy smile and struck a pose. “For it is I, Orion!”

Orion… the guy who’d told Creators about my nickname. This crazy asshole is in league with the Creators?

I looked at Coleman for his reaction. He seemed… unimpressed, despite what Zane had just revealed. “Bravo… bravo. A dramatic entrance and the need to strike a pose. How quaint. However, you are interfering with official government business. Leave or you will be arrested.”

“Do you like peanuts?” Zane asked, that goofy smile never leaving his face. “I like peanuts. I think they are great. I think they are the very best!” He gave a small hop for extra measure.

“I…” Coleman tried to answer, but Zane kept on a roll.

“Have you ever ridden a cow through the maze of death in the valley of empty tears?” Uh…. “How about riding a lion into battle… oh, I got one better, imagine a kitten riding a lion into the heat of battle during the fourth Dog-Cat War screaming death to all dogs. Do it… do it… do it…” This guy was crazy. Complete and utter crazy.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Coleman demanded, apparently running out of patience.

Zane in response started dancing. “I’m stalling, you dickweed,” he laughed.

The SEALs raised their weapons, looking around for anybody. “For what?” Coleman asked, his eyes darting around.

Zane pointed to something behind me. “For him!” A white furball with a reddish face, paws, and tail walked up and sat down right next to me.

“Woodsy?” I should’ve been surprised, but that cat always seemed to show up whenever there was trouble.

“A cat? Really?” Coleman spat in a deeply annoyed tone.

“Of course,” replied Zane “But more than that, I’m waiting for Bug to get her act together and realize that the little toy on her wrist is merely that, a toy.”

“A toy? That device is the result of thirty years of scientific research. It the most powerful nullifier ever created by mankind, a hundred years ahead of its time. Not even this girl can overcome it!” Coleman retorted, but his confidence was wavering. I could tell that he didn’t fully believe his words and he was worried due to that.

Zane snorted. “Ignore them, Bug. That little toy cannot contain what resides within you. The Level 5s have returned with you and it’s time to show them that you exist. Reach deep within yourself and connect. Overcome and persevere. Nancy needs you!”

My ability reacted to Zane’s call. The piercing sound vanished from my ears, allowing me to think clearly. I felt energy flow throughout my body. What was once limited to a shield or to my arm or leg was now through me. It was me. Although I wasn’t commanding my abilities to do it, I felt one with them. Sparks of pinkish lightning sparked throughout, giving me the energy to stand without pain. They said I was a level 5. I believed them. It gave me what I needed, the reassurance that I could do what I wanted instead of what others wanted from me. What I wanted more than anything in the world was just to have a life of my choice, and one that involved just being a kid living here with Nancy seemed alright with me.

Determined, I grabbed the device and ripped it from my wrist. A massive surge of power exploded throughout my body, more than I had ever felt before. For a split second, I was actually glowing before the power faded and I was left standing in the cold snow; I had done it.

“Holy shit, God help us!” Wulfe prayed, his gun shaking.

“It doesn’t matter… she is still nearly out of power. She can’t fight us. She used too much of it defeating the Siphon Destructor…” Coleman stuttered.

“Oh.. how foolish for you to think you were fighting her. Bug’s leaving, it’s us you have to fight.” Zane’s tone of voice had changed.

Coleman laughed despite everything that had happened. “You and that cat versus me and an entire unit of Navy SEALs? You are joking, right?”

I looked at Zane, waiting for his response on how he would do it. His eyes narrowed and his goofy smile was replaced with one much more sinister as he started laughing. This was not a goofy laugh, but a deep, nefarious laugh. “You think that cat came alone?”

A deafening roar of a lion pierced the air. I watched as a figure jumped up from behind the house and came crashing down on the driveway with a staff, blasting Gare and Dhruv away with a shockwave. “Hey, Bug, already in trouble, I see. Good thing the cat you call Woodsy led us right to you!” Ryu gave me a thumbs up.

“You see, Coleman, while you may have brought a Navy SEAL unit, Woodsy brought an army!” Zane declared triumphantly.

“Wha-what… how?” Coleman stuttered as more Creators appeared. All of them that were in the forest popped out of holes and from behind cars and houses, prepared to fight.

“Need some help, girlfriend.” I recognized that voice. I looked up to see Selena sliding down snow from the house next door with two other girls. Landing on the driveway, she gave me a quick hug. I returned the hug, tearing up a bit. “You helped us save that little girl and end the Destructors. Now it is our turn to help you.”

“Thanks,” I said, wiping away tears.

Selena nodded, then focused on Coleman, the SEALs, and Dhruv and Gare. “Listen up, we came here for two things. Kitty playtime and beating the shit out of you, ya bastards!”

The Creators had completely surrounded and trapped everybody. They were ready for battle in order to help me, led by Zane. “It’s quite simple, Coleman. Control is an illusion. Just because we are dying out doesn’t change the fact the superhumans are dangerous.” Jumping down off the roof, Zane took point in front of Ryu, seemingly taking command of the army that Woodsy had assembled for him. “WE ARE THE CREATORS AND YOU’RE GONNA LEARN JUST HOW DANGEROUS WE CAN BE!” Woodsy got up, stretched, and then let a sudden roar that blasted the SEALs away and knocked the large vehicle off the road like toy. Woodsy… has powers? “Animals with abilities -- rare, but not unheard of!” Zane guessed what I was thinking.

“Of course Bug would make friends with a cat that has a powerful ability. Totally saw that one coming,” Eugene exclaimed.

Zane turned away from the stunned enemy and pointed to two of the Creators. They were both somewhat tall and muscular. One had long hair and the other had a buzz cut. “While they are stunned, Dante, James, take Bug, Eugene and… whoever that crazy lady is and get to 33. Galen and Holly have commandeered a vehicle. Bug, you don’t have much time. Nancy may not make the hour. Once she dies, that’s it, game over, but if you can heal her before that, you’ll have a life,” Zane encouraged me. The SEALs had recovered by this point and Gare and Dhruv were back on their feet.

“Uh… are you sure you don’t need my help,” I asked out concern of who they were facing.

Zane’s goofy smile returned. “Nah… don’t you worry, we got this. Now go!”

I gave him a quick nod, hugged Selena one more time, and we bolted just as the Creators dove into battle. The SEALs, Dhruv and Gare, and even Coleman never stood a chance. We headed around back and down through other people’s yards, heading for the highway. We could hear the sounds of a battle erupt as we ran. Who knew how long it would take for police to arrive, but the Creators were buying time. “We’ve already taken care of the SEALs who had taken positions away from the house. We’ll be okay between here and Route 33,” Dante told me as we ran. Sure enough, we reached the road without any trouble and found a truck with the short man named Galen sitting in the bed and a woman who I guessed was Holly at the wheel.

“Nancy’s condition has taken a turn for the worse. She only has a few minutes,” Galen informed all us as Dante and James helped me into the bed of the truck and Eugene and Margaret jumped in the front with Holly.

“Got it. The Creators and that cat are holding off Coleman and his unit, along with Dhruv and Gare. We should be fine as long as there are no surprises,” Dante filled Galen in as the truck took off onto the highway, nearly hitting a car and knocking me off the truck. “We’re damn lucky that cat intercepted you two.”

“Alright, Bug, tell me, how exactly are you going to save my wife?” Galen asked me, having to shout for me to hear him.

“You two are married?”

Galen flashed a disapproving look at me. “Not the point at the moment. We are putting everything into you healing her and regaining Frederick’s support. Now, I know you have the power to do so, but can you do actually command your powers to do the deed?”

I gave a brief thought about that. I did help Woodsy, but I wasn’t sure how I managed to heal him. “Maybe?” I replied honestly.

Galened sighed in frustration. “All this effort from me, Holly, the Creators, and that strange cat, and the best you can do is ‘maybe’? Nancy’s life rests on a ‘maybe’?”

It was my turn to glare at him. “What do you expect? I’m just a kid who barely knows how to control my own powers. And Nancy kept refusing to help me train my ability. A ‘maybe’ is the best you are going to get!”

Two other trucks sped up next to us, one each side, interrupting our argument. They had more military personnel in them and their guns were pointed at the truck. “Pull over by the order of Secretary Coleman!”

Dante groaned. “And then there’s that.” He crouched, looking like he was going to jump. “James, you take the one of the right, I’ll take the one on the left. Bug, shield the truck from any stray bullets.” I watched as Dante jumped on the hood of the large vehicle. “Hi!” he yelled as he punched through the hood and pulled out engine parts. “Bye!” he finished, jumping off the hood and back onto the truck as the engine exploded and the vehicle came to a screeching halt. James engulfed his hand in fire and threw a fireball at the other vehicle, blasting its tire clean off, sending it careening into a ditch.

“That was…” I tried to express just how awesome they were, but a low flyby by a very fast moving object deterred that.

“Fucking hell, it’s a drone!” Galen yelled as he grabbed a gun Holly handed him through the window and starting shooting at it. The drone circled around and returned fire. I jumped up and held out my hands in an effort to shield us. It worked, bullets bouncing harmless off an invisible shield. But the downside was I still felt every hit, and the more energy I used to shield us, the less I had to help Nancy.

“Bring it down!” Galen shouted at James and Dante. Galen tried shooting at it and James threw fireballs at it, but it was too fast. It fired something at us after realizing bullets weren’t doing the trick, which blew up the moment it struck my shield. It had termous amount of force when it hit and I would have fallen out of the truck had James not caught me. “Son of a bitch… Coleman knows Bug can survive getting blown up, but not us. He’s gonna blow the rest of us up and pull Bug from the debris.”

“I’m so not dying today, especially when there is a new episode of Parallel Quests tonight,” Dante affirmed. He watched as the drone circled around and came in for another pass. “James, make sure no one gets into that hospital that isn’t supposed to be there.” James gave him a thumbs up. “Nice meeting ya, Bug, but I gotta go.” It was clear what Dante was going to do. he was going to bring it down personally. When the drone came back into alignment with the truck, Dante jumped out of the bed of the truck onto the highway for a brief second, flashes of lightning spreading across his body, before pouncing with amazing speed towards the drone, creating a small crater in the road in the process. I watched as the drone attempted to dodge Dante’s attack, but he hit it in the left wing, ripping it from the rest of the drone. Now spinning out of control, I watched the drone go down, crashing in a field.

“Think Dante is okay?” I asked James when I didn’t see Dante anywhere. James replied with a shrug, apparently a dude of very few words. “I’m gonna choose to believe he’s okay.”

“Same,” Galen gasped, siding down on the bed in exhaustion.

---------

We reached the hospital with no other interference. Galen led me, Margaret and Eugene into the hospital while Holly and James remained outside to keep any unwelcome guests from entering the hospital. Eugene told me as we entered the building that Nancy had been moved from the ICU to a hospital room on the third floor to allow enough room for her extended family to visit her in her final moments, so anything that I would do wouldn’t be seen by the entire ICU staff.

When we got out of the elevator, we were greeted by a nurse. She had a defeated look on her face. “I’m sorry…” she started.

“No… no... please, no…” Eugene begged.

“I’m sorry, your mother held on for as long as could. She’s gone,” the nurse informed us. I knew what she was talking about, but I didn’t want to believe it. All that effort to get here and… no… it couldn’t be.

I bolted from the elevator, running down the hallways. Her room wasn’t hard to find; Riley and Lacey were standing outside in the hallway. “Bug… what are you doing here?” Lacey asked when she saw me. She was sobbing, as was Riley. The room itself was filled with sobs. She couldn’t be dead, not after all I’d gone through to get here. I tried to force myself into the hospital room, refusing to believe that she was gone, but Lacey grabbed my shoulder. “Bug, stop, she’s gone.”

“I can help her… I can help save her.” I shuddered, trying to deny what was obvious.

Lacey pulled me into hug. “Bug, there’s nothing more anyone can do. She’s gone.”

I pushed Lacey away and forced my way into the room. Charles, his kids, no one stopped me from making my way to Nancy’s bed. When my eyes laid upon on her, I could no longer deny it. Her face lacked color and her chest didn’t move. There were no thoughts and no emotions. There was nothing. I was too late; she was dead.

Tears filled my eyes and my heart ached. I had came close and failed. Dropping to my knees and grasping her cold hand, I started to cry. I realized too late that Nancy was family, despite what she’d done. She’d wanted to make up for that and I’d refused to allow her that. “I’m sorry.”

“I bet you are,” Charles grumbled. I looked to him and he just glared back, as did his kids. To them, I was just the freak child that ruined everything. I guessed he was right.

I lowered my head in shame, closing my eyes to avoid making any eye contact, trying to get my powers to do anything. But they did nothing. Nancy was dead. It was game over.

I felt useless… but something happened. Everything changed. A blast of wind and I no longer felt Nancy’s hand in my fingers. My feet no longer felt the hardness of the cold floor of a hospital room. Instead, I felt warm dirt. No longer did I smell the aseptic smell of a hospital; instead, the air gave off a distinct pinewood smell, something I remembered from the forest. My eyes snapped over and I found myself no longer in the hospital, but on a mountain summit. The leaves were still on the trees and there was no snow. A warm breeze made me very aware that I was no longer wearing pants. Instead, I was now wearing a flowing white dress.

The sky, the mixture of day, night, sunset, and sunrise, made it clear that I was in the forest realm, but I didn’t know why. There was no reason for me to be here; I wasn’t asleep, nor had I tried to use my ability to reach into my mind. Why the hell was I here?

“Anybody here?” I called out.

“Yeah, just around the boulders,” someone replied.

What the hell?

“Come on over. I don’t bite,” the someone urged. Tentatively, I walked up the trail, careful to avoid stepping on any rocks with my bare feet. Standing at the edge was a tall, thin man, facing away from me. He had a man bun and from what I could see, had a rather bushy beard. He was wearing some hiking clothes and a pair of hiking boots. Compared to the last person I’d met in this place, he was prepared for the environment around him. “Do you know what this place is?” he asked me.

“Uh… can’t say that I do,” I responded.

“Heh… it’s Old Rag Mountain. I always loved to hike to the top of this thing. You can see for miles on end from up here.”

I took notice of the view. He was right, one could see everything from this mountain peak. “Who are you?” I finally asked, curious of who he was.

He ignored that question. “Tell me, why do you want to save Nancy?” I gasped when I heard the question. How did he know? “You are probably shocked and are thinking how I know about it. It’s not a matter of how I know about it, it’s a matter of why I know about it. Let me ask you again, why do you want to save her? You must have a reason.”

“Well… I mean, her family hates the fact that I ran away in anger and left her alone to collapse. Maybe if I healed her, they would forgive me. But I did good afterwards, I saved Wren, and stopped the Destructors from killing the Creators,” I admitted, withholding my other reasons.

The man lowered his head and sighed. “So they haven’t changed. After all these years, they are still the same. But that’s besides the point. You told me why you wanted to save Nancy for reasons involving the family. What I want to know is why you want to save her.” He put emphasis on ‘you’, correctly deducing that I’d withheld information. “Don’t worry, you can trust me.” His words were sincere; he was telling the truth.

“Because I want to be loved and have my fears relieved. She was far from perfect in the beginning, when I had nothing, not even memories, but over time, she warmed to me. I’m a long way away from calling her mom, but still, for someone with no memories, she came around. She gave me something when I had nothing and I realized too late that despite her misgivings at first, she really did give a damn about me and considered me part of her family, something that I really want, a chance to be someone in a family rather than being nothing.” That was the honest truth.

The man gave a hearty laugh. “Well, what it sounds like to me is that you have grown to love and care for a parent who loves and cares for you in return. You have found something beautiful, a place in the world, people who love you. Oh, child, don’t you worry, everything is going to be okay…” The man finally turned to face me, his smile reaching wide, his eyes calm and caring, but I was taken aback by the man who stood in front of me. I had seen him only once before. “It’s going to be okay, Jamie.”

I could only say one thing in reply… “Jared?”

The ground shook, the boulders shattered, Jared vanished in a puff of smoke, and the sky fell. The ground beneath me collapsed and I fell into utter darkness. Time slipped away and I was nowhere; floating or standing, I couldn’t tell. The place felt familiar, but I knew that it wasn’t the Dark Place. It was too calm, too peaceful.

I looked around. I knew it would be hopeless, it was too dark. But despite that, I saw in perfect clarity, sitting some ways away from me, a wolf. It was just watching me with a seemingly mild curiosity. “Hey!” I called out to it. The wolf turned around and started walking away from me.

“Hey!” I yelled at the wolf, going after it, my feet touching solid ground in spite of the lightless void. The wolf sped up its pace, so I did the same. The faster I ran, the faster it ran. I pushed myself, trying to keep up with the wolf. I focused willpower into my ability, hoping to get an extra boost of speed to catch up with it. The moment I did, the solid void gave way and I fell through the darkness. I was careening through nothingness at unimaginable speed. Strangely, I was not scared or terrified at my predicament. I felt relaxed and my mind was at peace. I calmly closed my eyes, waiting for whatever waited for me at the bottom of this void of darkness to reach me.

A wolf howled and I stopped falling. I could feel solid ground and a warm breeze washed over me once again. I opened my eyes, finding myself lying face down in some grass. I was no longer in the void, as I could once again feel time move.

I sat up on my knees and looked straight out. A flowing meadow of grass and wheat stretched outwards for miles, ending at a river. On the other side of the river was the beginnings of a forest, growing along a snow-capped mountain range.

It was beautiful, but it didn’t compare to the sky. On that mountain, there was a mixture of day, night, sunset, and sunrise. But there was no sky. It was bright as day in the meadow, but where the sun should’ve been, there was an enormous galaxy. Its spiral arms stretched forever across the sky and the yellow/orange/blue light of the arms and central bar illuminated the clouds floating about. Beyond the galaxy, there were more stars than I had ever seen in the brightest night sky ever. It was breathtaking. It was more than obvious that this place was part of the realm that contained the forest and the mountain top. This was beautiful, peaceful, calming. I felt more at peace with myself than ever before.

As I was absorbed in the sheer beauty of the sight in front of me, it was natural that I was oblivious to other things. It took a few moments for me to notice that a figure had wandered up from the river. It was a little kid with short brown hair, and had on a thick coat and snow pants. The kid looked like a boy, but there was something else. The brown hair, the facial features, the eyes: he looked like me. Could he be my brother? He stopped when he reached the top of the hill, looking around. His eyes fell on me, but looked away, not noticing me, making it clear that he wasn’t actually here. If he wasn’t here, then what I was seeing… did this have something to do with the nature of this place?

Another kid with long black hair and a pink coat came jogged up the hill after him. She looked behind her and motioned for someone. Four other kids came running up the hill. Once together, they started towards me, stopping when they realized that he hadn’t followed. Instead, he was looking up at the stars.

“Rápida, Jammy, estaríamos tarde a la cena,” the second girl told him. I recognized the language, but I didn’t know what she had said to him. He seemed to understand her, though, ending his stargazing and catching up to the girl. She gave him a hug, which he returned, before they resumed their running. I watched as they ran, fading as they got closer to me, before fading completely as they ran behind… a wolf that was sitting six inches from the side of my head.

I knew immediately that this was the wolf I’d seen in the lightless void. How it got here was beyond me, but I knew that it had gotten here at the same time I did and had simply waited for me to notice it. “H-hey.” Saying hi to a wolf was probably the last thing a sane person would do. Given the fact that it had done nothing but wait, I had the impression that it didn’t want to harm me. “Who are you?” I asked the wolf. The wolf did not reply. It just continued to stare at me with bright blue eyes. Okay, another question then. “What did I just see?” Again, the wolf did not answer. “Of course you don’t answer my questions, you’re a wolf. You can’t speak. God, I’m such an idiot.”

The wolf just continued to sit and stare, not moving to harm me. But I knew the look it was giving me. It wanted me to figure out what I’d just seen on my own. I didn’t even know where to begin. It wasn’t like meeting that girl in the forest, nor was it like meeting Jared. Even this place was different. Had this place shown me… “No… it couldn’t be…” I got up close to the wolf, “Was that one of my memories?” The wolf narrowed its eyes and subtly nodded yes. “Oh… oh… my god, that was a memory? A memory? MY MEMORY!” After months with nothing, this place had finally given me a memory and to my delight, one of my brother. “I have a brother!”

The wolf replied by shaking its head no.

My eyes widen in shock. “What do you mean no? I don’t have a brother? Then what the fuck did I see?” The wolf did not reply. “Oh great, so why are you even here?” The wolf responded by focusing on something behind me. I followed its gaze and saw a person walking away from me and towards a huge tree that was growing on the top of a small hill near a lake, arced by the spiral arm of another galaxy. I felt something familiar and stood up to get a better look. It was a woman and I could see that she was wearing some ugly yellow dress. But there was more, a feeling, a connection. A snap of recognition in my heart; I knew who she was. “Nancy!” Nancy didn’t hear me and continued to walk towards the tree. “Did… did… I come here to find Nancy?” I turned back around to ask the wolf, but to my shock, it had vanished.

I guessed I had. “Nancy!” I called out to her again. She still didn’t hear me. I needed to be closer to her, so I started running towards her. “Nancy!” She didn’t go faster as I got closer, she just kept walking. “Nancy… it’s me… it’s me, Bug! Please… turn around… it’s me.” The closer I got, the louder I yelled and the more tears formed. “Nancy!”

I ran up and hugged her back. “It’s me, Nancy. Please turn around.” She stopped walking walking but did not turn around. “It’s me, Bug. I’m sorry. Please turn around.”

She patted my head and turned around, allowing me to get a good look at her. Her dress was ugly, but she looked much younger. Brown hair rather white, no wrinkles, no sickness. She looked like a slightly older Lacey. “What did you say?” she smiled.

I wiped the tears away. “I said… I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… to leave… to leave you alone.”

She got on her knees and took my hands, still smiling. “Oh, Bug, you don’t have to be sorry. It was my fault. I kept forgetting that you are just a kid and you act like a kid. And that is the most normal thing you can ever do.” She reached up and rubbed my cheek. “Bug… I am truly sorry for everything, and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize how important you are to me. Related or not, you are my daughter.”

Everything that I had just seen with the wolf and the memory vanished and Jared’s words ‘everything was going to be okay’ echoed through my mind as Nancy brought me into a hug. Yeah… it was going to be okay. That much I was certain of.

-----------

Nancy’s whole family had gathered. By this point, Galen, Nancy’s estranged husband, and Eugene and his wife had made into the room. They were all looking at Nancy’s body with Bug kneeling down next to her, holding her hand, sobbing. Galen, Eugene, and Margaret had all learned the truth about Bug’s powers, although that created even more questions. Eugene had learned what Bug was up during the night and Margaret herself could only assume what she did. While Eugene’s opinion of her had deeply changed immediately upon learning the heroism shown by Bug while she was with the Creators, Margaret had only just now learned about what had occurred and her opinion was finally beginning to change.

As for the rest of the family, aside from Lacey, their opinions remained the same. They couldn’t understand why Nancy would take in a reject like Bug. They had low opinions of her, and then Bug running away had only solidified their belief. None of them agreed about Bug joining the family, despite the fate that awaited her once Nancy died and Frederick’s protection ended.

“She doesn’t belong here. Let’s move her,” Charles declared. He moved to grab her and pull her away from his mother’s body, but Eugene and Galen blocked him.

“No. Too much went into this to have her dragged away. Let her mourn,” Galen chastised Charles, pushing him away. Charles didn’t get the message, trying to move around him, but everybody’s surprise, Margaret grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

“Everything I’ve been through very recently has proven to me that despite this girl being something extraordinary, she is also a child that loves the person who took the role of a mother to her. Would you be so cruel to think about refusing to let a mere child mourn her mother?” Margaret rebuked Charles attempts. He seemed to get the message and backed away.

At that moment, Bug raised her head, although her eyes were closed. She seemed dazed, like she was in a trance.

“Bug, are you okay?” Galen asked.

“Jared?” she whispered.

There were small gasps and whispers among the family. Margaret was the first to say anything. “Did she just say…” Margaret was unable to finish when Bug’s eyes snapped open, glowing in a light shade of pink, with light exploding outwardly from her body. The entire family dove for cover, but the light engulfed them, overtaking everything in the room and beyond.

Outside, where James and Holly were standing guard, the light blasted out from the window of the room and overtook both of them before they could react. It moved and covered the entire hospital, its power overwhelming everything. Gravity became nonexistent miles from the epicenter; cars, people, anything not bolted to the ground arose off the ground. When the light did dissipate, everything crashed back down on the ground. In the hospital room mere moments later, everybody recovered immediately, shocked that the light hadn’t harmed them in any way.

Charles got to his feet, totally freaking out. “What the hell was that?”

Everybody watched as Bug got to her feet and grabbed her head in pain before finally collapsing to the floor. The moment Bug hit the floor, Nancy gasped, life returning to her. “Holy SHIT,” Charles screamed. In a mix of panic and fear, everybody tried to rush to her side, causing a bit of a pile-up. Nancy kept gasping for air, moving on to coughing her lungs out. “Mom… Mom… breathe… please breathe,” Charles and Eugene pleaded. “NURSE! WE NEED HELP RIGHT NOW!”

Nancy’s breathing finally return to normal and her coughing stopped. She looked at Eugene, then at Charles. Eyes rolling back, she fell back on the bed, unconscious but alive. No one could believe what had just happened; half of them had already fainted in shock. “That girl… just brought Nancy BACK TO LIFE! HOW IS THE FUCK IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?!?!” Charles screamed at the top of his lungs, demanding answers.

“Uh, guys, you may want to look outside,” one of Charles’ kids, Matthias, exclaimed. Everybody glanced outside. It was obvious as hell. In the sky was the Aurora Borealis, bright as ever. Mere seconds after Bug’s powers had brought Nancy back to life, they had also brought the Aurora.

Charles was panicking. “This… this… this is impossible. All of this is impossible.”

Galen reached down and picked an unconscious Bug off the floor where she had fallen. “Quite the opposite.”

The members of the family that had not fainted looked to Galen for explanation. “What are you saying?” Charles asked, scared to death of the answer.

Galen glanced down at Bug, then at Eugene, seemingly considering the consequences of his words. “The impossible is now possible. Simply put, Bug is… well… she’s a level 5.”

A heavy silence filled the room. They all wanted to deny that in some form, but couldn’t. The evidence was too great. They now knew in absolute certainty that the very girl that they had considered a reject, had treated like crap because of something she’d done in anger, had overall refused to accept her into their family, was the most powerful superhuman in existence. They all knew that superhumans that could undermine everything achieved by mankind, hell, even shatter everything humanity knew about life, death, science, even the universe itself, were extinct and never coming back. Now those same superhumans had shattered even that principle, for that superhuman was lying unconscious in Galen’s arms, an amnesiac teenager who called herself Bug.

“And now, breaking news. Police in Anchorage, Alaska are searching for a girl who escaped from the hospital last night. Police have set up a hotline for anybody who has…”

Charles and Eugene frowned at the news report. “It’s been three days and nothing. The whole city losing gravity for a brief moment should have been front page news all over the world, but it’s been barely mentioned. How the hell is that possible?” Charles muttered to himself, sitting in the hospital’s waiting room with his and Eugene’s families.

“Government with a massive dose of luck,” replied Eugene. “I know that multiple agencies were involved in silencing the events that occurred. Quite an embarrassment, a bunch of Navy SEALs getting disarmed by a bunch of middle schoolers.”

“And the drone that one Creator took down, any idea where that came from?”

Eugene shook his head, “No, unfortunately. Everything checks out; Coleman never authorized the use of the drone and every drone in the Armed Forces is still accounted for. Plus, the wreckage of the drone has no indication of who was operating it. Due to the apparent custom design of the drone, there is no way to track down who built it.”

“Nothing? God damn it to hell.”

Eugene lowered his head, deep in thought for a brief moment. “The fact that there isn’t any way to track it isn’t the problem. The problem is that the drone was clearly aiming at Bug. Someone, somewhere, knows who that girl is. Eyewitness accounts from the Creators indicate Cane was fully aware of who the girl was, but his mental state at the time was chaotic. Scans of the body revealed a severely damaged brain. It was a miracle the guy was even functioning.”

Charles sighed, “Yeah, that’s true. But if he knew who she was, that means that others might know as well. And seeing how he went about the attempted kidnapping, they probably don’t have her best interests in mind.”

“Neither did anybody else in our family,” retorted Eugene, remembering what had happened the last few times Bug had been with the family. “We haven’t exactly treated her well and we should have been better towards her regardless.”

Charles eyed his brother. “Why? Because she’s a level 5?”

“Because she’s a child,” Eugene shot back.

Charles looked away, seemingly agreeing with that. It was true no matter which way you put it. The girl was a child, scared and alone in the world. No matter what was going on in the outside world, that was no way to treat a child, level 5 or not.

“Despite that, I still don’t trust her.” Eugene and Charles turned around, perplexed, looking at Margaret.

“Even after everything she has done?”

“Even after that, she still has no memories of her past life. We have no idea what her real personality is like. That’s a bad sign right off the bat. Not to mention the attack. Coleman may have brought Wolfe and his Navy SEALs, but the reason why the Creators won that battle is because none of the SEALs were carrying live ammunition. They were rubber bullets, meant to stun but not kill. And then the attack from the drone -- whoever was manning it was shooting to kill. And when there is one, there is always another. Whoever was responsible, they’ll try it again.”

Eugene pondered about this. It was true that keeping her around posed a danger to the rest of the family. “Yes, they will. However, we cannot hold any of this against her.”

Margaret glared at him. “Really? We can’t hold this against her? Everything that has happened in the last month is because of her. The Destructors, our daughter getting hurt, Dr. Silas dying… hell, the entire political turmoil that has resulted in this is because of her. If Galen hadn’t locked down information, the ramifications of that battle between the Creators and the Destructors would have caused enough panic that it would have burned away the ceasefire and war would have resumed. One girl, plunging the entire world into war.” Eugene wanted to say something in Bug’s defense, but Margaret raised her hand to stop him. “Before you say ‘If we all had been honest with her from the beginning, she wouldn’t have run away that night’, you all have said that Cane and the Destructors were coming after her from the beginning. If Bug hadn’t run away that night, the Destructors would have simply attacked the house after making quick work of the Creators with the Siphon Destructor. If Nancy hadn’t taken her in, if Frederick and Galen hadn’t conspired to keep Bug with Nancy out of guilt, if she had just been placed in a damn home, none of this chaos would have happened. Don’t forget, people are dead because of this.”

Eugene looked away, taken back by his wife’s arguments. As much as he wanted to deny it all, she had a point. Everything that had happened was centered around the girl, even if she wasn’t aware of it. However, while Eugene acknowledged his wife had a point, he knew that it came with an obvious issue, it put whoever had taken Bug in danger. Those people were going to find out sooner or later and chaos would have still reigned. Yeah, the chaos that has plagued their family wouldn’t have happened, but it would have happened to someone else regardless.

“Are we not going to talk about the fact that when Bug brought Grandma back to life, she whispered Jared’s name?” Sean, Eugene and Margaret’s oldest living son, asked. “We all heard it.”

Eugene shook his head, dismissing the thought. “Jared has been dead for thirteen years. Bug doesn’t know him. No one does. He’s gone.”

“Unless she’s his daughter…” Sean mumbled. Everybody looked at him, causing Sean to raise his arms in defense. “Hey, we all know that even though Jared saw himself as a guy, he was still biologically female and thus, might have had kids..”

“She isn’t. We all know that Jared could never have kids, not after what happened. Plus, there are probably thousands of people with the name Jared. She could be talking about anybody.” Eugene wanted to shut down this conversation about Jared before it got emotional. It wasn’t the time.

Sean turned his attention to Lacey, who had been sitting quietly throughout this entire thing. “She trusts you. What do you know?”

“Haven’t you been paying attention? She has complete amnesia. So how can she tell me things that she herself doesn’t even remember?” Lacey snapped back.

Sean glared at his little sister, but the doctor coming into the waiting room ended any argument between Lacey and her brother. “Good, you’re all together. That saves me the trouble.”

“How is our mother, Doc?” Charles asked worriedly.

“She’s fine. She is asleep and should wake up soon,” the doctor informed everybody. “However, we ran a bunch of tests. As it turns out, whatever…” The doctor stopped and looked at his chart sheet, apparently trying to figure out which name to use.

“Uh.. Bug,” Lacey informed the doctor.

“Ah, yes, well, whatever Bug did to Nancy to… bring her back… well, it fixed her body. Nancy is 100% cancer free.” The tone of the doctor’s voice made it clear that he couldn’t believe what he was saying or even seeing. People just don’t come back to life. “You know, I’ve been a doctor for twenty years. I worked under Dr. Silas herself, God rest her soul, and with every strange thing that I have seen and heard of, I never thought I would actually see something like this. A level 5? Everything I know tells me that this is impossible, but here we are.”

Eugene chuckled. “How do you think I feel about all of this, being the director of the CDC?”

The doctor himself chuckled at that and shook his head, agreeing to the impossibility of the situation. “Well, Nancy is fine. Don’t worry about her. However, the girl… she’s a different story. For one, she is far from fine. It seems that level 5s also operate under the same rules as normal superhumans. What she did, while it seems impossible, works by the same power rules as regular abilities. Simply put, the amount of power she used to resurrect Nancy was far beyond any tolerance level she may have built up and as a result, has damaged her body. She’s lying in a coma.”

Lacey approached the doctor, her face showing fear for the life of Bug. “Is she dying?”

The doctor lowered his eyes. “Unless we can treat her, in a few days, she will.”

“What do you mean ‘unless we can treat her’? Isn’t that what you are supposed to be doing?” Lacey asked in confusion over the obvious medical solution, despite the fact that of course, they have never seen this before.

“Yes. But there is a problem. Her powers are actively preventing us from doing anything to help her heal. And it isn’t random reactions. It’s calculated, as if her powers are applying mathematical calculations to their reactions. We’ve only theorized this before, but it seems that the girl’s abilities have developed some sort of independent will and thus are capable of acting on their own accord. And what they want right now is to protect her from everything, including doctors,” the doctor admitted to the present problem.

Eugene didn’t know what to think. The doctor was right, they had only theorized the idea of self-willed powers. There were so many experiments conducted worldwide in hopes of achieving anything close to this and they’d always ended in failure. Now, not only had they learned that the level 5s had returned through Bug, but that Bug’s powers could do as they pleased. While this did explain a lot when it came to Bug’s seemingly random power emergencies, it also brought forth a lot of questions. “What are they doing to keep you from helping her?”

The doctor rubbed the back of his head. “Everything they possibly can. We cannot give her food, keep her hydrated, or anything. They even shock the nurses everytime we try to hook her to a heart monitor. Hell, they shock us every time we even try listening to her heart. Basically, they will not allow us to touch her.” Nobody knew what to say to this. But the doctor wasn’t finished. “I took a look at the records from when Bug was first admitted to the hospital in Lexington. The doctors there detail numerous scars and bruises, as well as apparent internal injuries. I believe that what we are seeing is a defensive response due to severe physical and physiological trauma. My best guess is that it was due to her being tortured, likely under threat.”

Lacey gasped in shock. Eugene felt his legs grow weak. He heard Margaret whisper ‘Oh my god.’ All around, the full weight of this revelation crashed down on the family. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

The doctor sighed. “That’s not all. There was a screw-up at the lab, so Galen had her DNA retested. It was originally believed that the girl was thirteen or fourteen years of age. Now, we know that to be wrong.” The doctor stopped, hestating on revealing the real age. His hands fumbled with the clipboard he was carrying. It wasn’t good.

“How old is she?” Eugene questioned, certainly not wanting an answer after finding out that she was likely tortured.

The doctor looked away, seemingly not wanting to answer the question. He even had to wipe a tear away. “She’s only twelve years old,” the doctor finally said. Those words were a stab to the heart to everybody. Yeah, it was true that the majority of the family did not like or trust the girl, but Eugene felt his heart cry out upon hearing that someone could subjectage a mere child to such torture. Honestly, this advanced DNA testing that developed for identifying the dead during the war had produced far more… terrible results than good. The doctor cleared his throat, bringing Eugene’s attention back to him. After everything he had revealed, it seems he still wasn’t done. “There is one more thing. We know who her family is.”

Lacey breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, some good news.”

Although, the look on the doctor’s face suggested otherwise. “Take this as you will. The DNA results cannot tell us who her father or mother is. But we know with absolute certainty that she is closely related to your family, Eugene.”

Mind shattered, hearts dropped. Time came to a standstill and the entire family muttered in shock… “What?”

------------

Sitting in the empty hospital cafeteria, Galen was wrapping up a phone call with Frederick. “Take care, Frederick.” Galen hung up after discussing events that had taken place over the last few days. The General had taken the news of his mother’s death, resurrection, and Bug being a level 5 surprisingly well. But then again, he’d witnessed firsthand the death and destruction of Lhasa and led the war in the Asian Theater for thirteen years, so it was likely nothing really surprised him anymore.

Galen sighed and dialed up another number, but he was interrupted by Eugene plopping down in a seat across from and taking out one of the sandwiches he had bought, clearly trying to stress eat. “I can’t believe it. She’s related to us? How? How? HOW? We all know how many children we all have. We know about all our relatives. None of us has any missing child and we both know that Jared physically couldn’t have kids and nothing in the world could change that. It’s possible that someone took our DNA, but why? None of us has any power of worth. The strongest one in the family is Lacey. And even if someone in the family had a child from a one night stand, there is no way we have the DNA necessary to give an offspring powers of a level 5! Level 5s are extinct, well, they were extinct, and extinct things do not come back naturally…”

Galen amused himself with Eugene’s rambling until he stopped. “So I see the doctor told you about Bug being related to you.” Eugene nodded as he chewed. “Well, trust me, your reaction is better than Coleman and the President’s. She had a shit storm when I told her Bug was a level 5 and then fainted when I revealed that she was related to you. Funny as hell and I’m working on custodial rights due to her closest living family being found. Right now, once Nancy is released from the hospital, she will become the legal guardian of Bug.”

“If she recovers…” Eugene muttered, setting what little was left on the sandwich back on the table. For a bit, neither said anything. Then Eugene looked Galen straight in the eye, seemingly trying to read his mind. “Tell me, why did you act the way you did, always telling my mother, your wife, that if she failed, you would take Bug away, but at the same time, always tried to convince the government that keeping her with Nancy was the right answer. What game were you playing?”

Galen stared at Eugene for a minute or so, mulling over how he would go about answering that question. “In my defense, it was Frederick and Dr. Silas’ idea.”

Eugene glared at Galen. “Why were you, Dr. Silas, and my baby brother conspiring together to make the girl’s life horrible?”

“We didn’t want to hurt the girl but we had no choice,” Galen admitted.

“You always have a choice,” retorted Eugene.

“Not this time,” he admitted. “There were too many coincidences, too many things happening at once. You know of one, the Falling Star. If you recall, the color was pure blue, not a color of something in atmospheric reentry. And it came down in the same general location that Bug was found. I’m willing to bet that the Falling Star was Bug.”

Eugene narrowed his eyes. “That’s a stretch.”

“Is it? Let me remind you, that week that she was found, they were calling for a sunny fall week, perhaps the best weather we have had in awhile. And then, the second the Falling Star, or should I say, Bug, crashes in the farmlands of Rockbridge County, a massive blizzard forms over the east coast with no warning and drops three feet of snow. And not just here. Worldwide reports of weather anomalies took place over a three-day period, starting the second Bug hit the ground. Eugene… there was a massive thunderstorm… at the South Pole. It rained for six hours… in -32 degree weather. Even if Bug was not aware of it, it’s clear now that her powers caused a massive shift in global weather. That kind of power? No doubt it attracted unwanted attention. And if she used her powers any more than she had to, it could lead those who were responsible for the drone attack right to her.”

Eugene’s face softened. “And that’s why you ordered Nancy to keep Bug from using her abilities. You had no idea who or what was after her.”

Galen nodded. “Exactly. My behavior was a play to rout out anybody who may have been more familiar with her than the rest of us and to see who I could trust. Once I could trust someone, I dropped the act. I just didn’t expect Bug being a level 5 or the Creators getting involved or even Dr. Silas being killed.”

“Yeah…” Eugene took another bite of the sandwich. “Still, you could have allowed her to play around with her powers with adult supervision. Anywho, my mother will wake up soon. I want you to be there to answer any question she has. You clearly took this better than the rest of us. As for me, I’m going to see about using Lacey’s mental abilities to communicate with Bug’s abilities. The doc says that they have developed a will of their own, and if that’s the case, then theoretically, we can communicate with them, see if we can get them to allow the doctors to help her.”

Galen nodded. “Such a simple plan. However, I feel the need to mention the fact that I believe her when she says her memory is gone. So that means, for all her power, there exists something that can overcome even her power, perhaps another level 5 that’s even stronger than her. For what it seems that she went through, what makes you think that her powers would even take the time to even listen to Lacey? They clearly don’t trust doctors.”

Eugene pondered for a bit, considering this. “That’s jumping to conclusions about the nature of Level 5s and how their powers work and what age they fully manifest. However, despite these unknowns, we must try.”

----------------

Lacey, too deep in thought on her way back from the bathroom, didn’t notice the doctor until they knocked heads with each other. Lacey caught herself, snapping her out of her train of thought, but the doctor was knocked off her feet, dumping all the files she was carrying. The stain on the rug made Lacey realize that she had also knocked the doctor’s coffee on the floor. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

The doctor put her glasses back on and looked around at the mess. “It’s alright. These things happen.” The doctor started cleaning up the mess and Lacey got down to help her, getting a good look at the doctor in the process. She was apparently Japanese or Chinese, maybe even Korean, but something more. Her face was marked by scars, signs of trauma, a common sight on doctors who’d served on the frontlines, but her eyes… they were something else, familiar-looking. Lacey did not recognize the face, but those eyes struck a chord. They weren’t pure blue like Bug’s, but dark brown. But Lacey knew that she had seen them before.

The doctor caught her staring at her face, causing Lacey to turn around, embarrassed. The doctor, whose ID read Dr. Elizabeth Hara, finished gathering her files up and stood up, a bit taller than Lacey, studying her. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to General Frederick Rodes?”

“Uh… yeah, he’s my uncle.”

Recognition flashed across the doctor’s face. “You must be Dr. Eugene Rodes’ kid, Larissa Kira Rodes.”

Lacey felt uneasy with this doctor knowing her full name. Eyes aside, Lacey had never met this doctor before. “It’s just Lacey,” she corrected.

“Lacey then. A level 4, right?” Dr. Hara asked.

“Uh… I’m a level 3 telepath. Trust me, if I was a level 4, everybody in the world would know.”

“Are you sure?”

Lacey rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. Now, please excuse me, I need to get back to my family.”

“Of course.” The doctor stepped aside and let Lacey pass. But as Lacey walked down the hallway, she could still feel the doctor’s eyes boring into her back. A feeling of dread overcame her, a desire to get as far away as she possibly could from that doctor. Lacey knew that reading minds was a social taboo and considered to be a huge violation of privacy, but she didn’t need to read that doctor’s mind to know that something wasn’t right with her.

----------

Later on, Lacey was being prepped for a mind jump. In a world that despised telepaths, there was one area that they were welcomed in. The medical field, with telepaths specifically specializing in coma patients, using their powers to enter their minds and wake them up. Since they couldn’t get a trained medical telepath, Lacey was automatically volunteered.

“I told you, Dad, her mind is sealed off. I can’t access it,” Lacey reminded her father yet again.

“I know, honey, but with any luck, the Will of Bug’s powers can be accessed and reasoned with. There is something that they are protecting from, but if we can convince them that we will do her no harm and have her best interests in mind, they may allow us to care for her. Otherwise, she's as good as dead,” said Eugene, inputting calculations into the device that would allow her powers to flow into Bug. “Now, remember, this device is only meant to help you lock onto the mind you want to enter. After that, you’re on your own, but this device does serve as an alert system.” Eugene placed the device, which looked like a pair of futuristic headphones, on his daughter’s head and connected it to a watch. “This watch has a mental link to your powers and will be with you while you’re in the dreamscape. Just press on and it will alert us here to bring you out. Alright, Lacey?”

Lacey gave a thumbs up. “I’m good, Dad. Send me in.”

“Alright then. Good luck, sweetheart.” Eugene gave a signal to the assistant, who gave her a shot to put her under. Lacey had been told that while this drug was designed to put her body to sleep, it hypercharged the area of the brain that controlled the ability. Plus, it was supposed to be very effective, despite noting being administered by IV, being an invention of the war. No doubt, Lacey was already feeling its effects, having the start of a migraine while feeling extremely drowsy.

But just before she zonked out, something happened. Time slowed, the drowsiness vanished and the migraine went away, replaced with a low growl. She heard it immediately, the sound of claws scraping against the tile floor, growing louder and louder as whoever approached. Everybody was frozen in time, except for her and the creature approaching. With every step, Lacey felt her dread grow.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creature emerged through the doorway. Rising up on its hind legs, a clawed paw scraping over the wall, Lacey came face to face with a very large brown bear. For a moment, it just studied her, but that was short lived. The bear slammed down on the floor, shattering the very room as it roared. The room gave way to nothingness, and soon Lacey found herself in a dark void with just the bear. It raised a humongous paw with claws as sharp as obsidian to strike her down. Lacey screamed, holding her hands up in a fruitless attempt to defend herself. What this was, it was extremely clear to Lacey that this was no bear. She had no idea what to do against this creature and in a void of absolute darkness, there was nothing to do, not even run.

Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut in fear, waiting for this bear-like creature to strike her down. But it never came. Instead, she felt a breeze and the warmth of the sun shining down on her. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself not in the hospital nor the black void, but a large forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, with snow-capped mountains cresting the sky beyond the forest itself. In the small clearing that she now stood, the bear was gone, replaced by a small animal sitting on a tree stump. The meow made it clear that it was a cat, but not only that; this cat, who was white with a rust colored face, paws, and tail, along with blue eyes, was familiar. “I’ve seen you before,” Lacey muttered as she slowly approached it.

“I bet you have, Cuddlefish,” said a voice that emerged from the trees like a galloping wind. “He’s been hanging out with you guys.” Although it was deeper than she last remembered it, she recognized the voice. Lacey turned around to where the path led deeper into a valley, finding her brother, Jared, materializing from behind a tree, standing tall against the pine trees that filled this forest. “Or did you not see him hanging around Paige’s house that night?” Lacey briefly thought back to that night. She had seen a cat, but it was dark and she’d paid the cat little attention. Now she could see the cat clearly in her head. It was white, with a rust-colored face, paws, and tail, and even though it was night time, the blue eyes shone clearly as day; just like the cat that was sitting here. Her mind wandered to the fact that all this cat had done at that house was watch them.

Lacey shook those memories out of her head almost as soon as they flow through her mind because the more shocking revelation stood ten feet away, calling Lacey by her old nickname, Cuddlefish. She ran without thinking right into his arms and embraced her long-dead brother. “Jared… how… why are you here? I thought you were dead.”

Jared broke the embrace. “How have you been, Cuddlefish? Has the family been treating you okay?”

Lacey shrugged, “I’ve been fine, although as of late, my life has been quite the roller coaster. And Dad and our brothers and sister are treating me fairly, despite the fact that I’m the only one in our family to be a telepath. But mom… she’s still the same.” Jared nodded as he pondered it all. “You should know, Jared, after they kicked you out, they did try to make up for it.”

Jared smiled as he leaned down to her height and put his hand on her shoulder in a brotherly way. “I know. But Cuddlefish, you should know, they didn’t mean well when they tried.” Jared ruffled her hair as he got up and walked over to the cat, rubbing its chin. “So I suspect that you have many questions, possibly ranging from ‘Am I dead?’ to ‘What is this place?’, probably with ‘What heck is this cat?’ thrown in.”

Lacy nodded. “Yes. I have so many questions.”

Jared’s smile grew better. “That’s the Cuddlefish I remember, always curious, always asking way too many questions. Unfortunately, there are more pressing matters at hand. Bug.” Lacey tried to tell him what was going on, but Jared raised his hand to stop her. “I know what’s going on and I know why you are here. You want to talk to Bug’s powers because Dad finally figured out why Bug’s powers are so inconsistent, and due to her powers automatically preventing any of you from accessing her mind, this is the next best option.”

Lacey grew wide eyed, astonished that Jared knew. “How…”

Her brother laughed. “Oh, Cuddlefish, don’t look surprised. Abrax filled me in before you arrived.”

“Uh… who’s Abrax?” Lacey asked, confused.

Jared nodded to the cat, who was now licking his paws in an effort to clean his face. “Abrax is his real name. But don’t worry, he doesn’t mind Jamie calling him Woodsy.” Lacey had to giggle at that. Of course Jamie… Wait? It clicked in her mind that Jared hadn’t called her Bug, but Jamie. “So, Cuddlefish, now you know her real name.”

Lacey could only smile. “Jamie… it fits her.”

Jared nodded in agreement. “It’s a beautiful name for her,” he said in an almost fatherly way. “Now, as I was saying, what you planned to do, it won’t work. They won’t listen. She’s been through way too much, so they are long past listening. Still though, there is a chance. If you and Grandma promise her, no, swear to her that no harm will ever come to her, her abilities may back off and allow the doctors to treat her.”

“Then she’ll be okay!?!?” Lacey asked, full of hope that Jamie would pull through.

Jared gave her a sad, pitying look. “Unfortunately no. She has a long road ahead of her. She caused a considerable amount of damage to her body when she used her powers to bring Grandma back to life and may very well die.” Jared choked up on his words when he said that she could die. “But we must not falter.”

“There is one problem; Grandma is still in a coma and the doctors have judged it too much of a risk to use my telepathy to try to wake her,” Lacey pointed out, but Jared waved that off.

“Don’t worry about Grandma. Abrax and I will handle it,” Jared said, giving Lacey an assuring thumbs up. “However, I sense that you still want to try to talk to Bug’s powers.” It was true, Lacey still wanted to try. She owed her that much and her resolve seemed to convince him. “Very well. However, what you will find will not be in a talking mood.” Jared motioned to the cat, who got up, stretched, sat back down and raised his front left paw.

“Wait, Jared,” Lacey begged.

Both Abrax and Jared paused, with the latter giving her a small smile. “I know, Cuddlefish. There will come a time that we can talk. Just have patience.” Abrax brought his paw down against the tree stump, causing it to glow. Ancient-looking runes appeared engraved in the earth and in the trees. The lightshow was spectacular -- that is, until the ground gave way and Lacey fell into a void of nothingness.

The abyss seemed endless, but Lacey hit whatever amounted to the ground mere moments after falling into the void. Despite feeling solid blackness under her, she felt no pain from the impact. In fact, she felt nothing here. She felt no air enter her lungs everytime she took a breath and she could feel nothing against the skin of her hand. Yet, despite the darkness, Lacey could make out something sprawled out in the distance. Lacey instinctively called out upon realizing that it was a person and despite the fact that whatever this place was had no air, her voice was crystal clear in the void.

Slowly getting to her feet, Lacey slowly approached the figure. The closer she got, the more she could make out. It was a girl, wearing a flowing white dress, sprawled out on the ground unconscious. Lacey got even closer, noticing that the girl’s hair color was mostly pink, with spots of brown splashed about, and finally realized that this girl was Bug. “Bug? BUG!” Lacey yelled, trying to wake her. Bug did not stir, so Lacey picked up her pace.

But as Lacey grew closer to the unconscious Bug, something began to materialize around her. At first, Lacey thought it was some sort of snake, as she could see the body come into focus, wrapped around Bug in a coil. Then, as the body grew more solid and Bug disappeared behind the coiled creature, Lacey came face to face with not a large snake, but a huge Chinese dragon, wrapped around Bug, protecting her. Scars lined the side of its skull, the eyes burned, and a quiet but malicious growl could be heard, making it clear that it didn’t see her as a friend, but as an enemy. To Lacey, no doubt, this was a manifestation of Bug’s powers and it was most clearly not in a talking mood.

It was clear that this was a hopeless endeavor. Bug’s powers were manifesting in the form of a dragon. How was Lacey even supposed to talk to this… thing? Unfortunately, she never had a chance. Without provocation, the dragon roared and lunged at her, Lacey waking up mere seconds before it had a chance to slam its huge jaws and teeth down on her body.

Clutching her chest, her heart pounding, Lacey attempted to catch her breath as she fell off the bed, the fear hitting her like a brick wall. Her father raced to her side, grabbing the device off her head. “Breathe, honey, just breathe.” It took a bit, but Lacey got her breathing under control and the fear subsided.

“How… long was… I in there?” Lacey asked between breaths.

Her father gave her an odd look. “What do you mean? Lacey, honey, the device fried the moment we turned it on. You’ve been under for only a minute. Somehow, the drug didn’t take effect.” It took a second for her dad to realize the implication of what she asked. “What did you see, Lacey?”

Instead of answering, her eyes fell on the wall behind them, her fear returning. It had just occurred to her that what she’d experienced could be written off as a fool’s message, something she’d hallucinated. But it seemed Jared and Abrax had planned accordingly. They’d made certain that whatever story she told her father and her family, they would believe her, simply by leaving a message for them all to see. Her father noticed it, walking slowly towards it, afraid that it would lash out. He held his hand out, but he never touched it. “We need Grandma,” Lacey finally answered, staring at the bear claw marks that lined the walls..

----------

Nancy Rodes was preparing the hotdogs and burgers for the Fourth of July barbecue. Her husband, Gale, was on the grill and her sons, Eugene and Charles, were trying to teach little Freddy how to play baseball, with Freddy paying little attention. Her family’s friends had yet to arrive at the Fourth of July barbecue, but Nancy had everything else lined up, snacks, soda, and a bit of beer.

“Honey, are the hamburgers ready?” Gale asked, putting the lid of the grill back down to preserve heat.

“Just let me throw the last bit of spices on it and they will be all yours.” Gale walked up and gave Nancy a kiss on the cheek.

“What a beautiful day,” Gale observed, taking it all in, the cooler temperatures, the light breeze, a clear sky, and no humidity, it was the best weather she had ever seen on a Fourth of July.

“Yes it is,” Nancy replied, smiling, giving her husband a kiss on the lips. After that, the guests began to trickle in and soon enough, the Rodes household was home to a raging barbecue. The adults ate and drank beer, talking about really anything, while the kids kept themselves entertained by playing with sparklers, with adult supervision of course, and showing each other their abilities. Nancy got up to grab another beer and check on her kids, when she heard an unknown, yet very familiar voice.

“Hello, Grandma.” Nancy turned around and came face to face with a tall skinny kid, wearing a variation of the Project Genesis uniform. His hair was long, tied back in a bun, and although he had a thick beard, there was an almost feminine feel to his presence. Not to mention, he wore a big, crooked smile and his eyes -- oh, his eyes were a gateway into something that could not be trusted. “Oh, don’t tell me you have forgotten about me. It’s only been, what, twelve… fifteen years?” He cocked his head, waiting.

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave, right now,” Nancy demanded, feeling very uneasy about this guy. Instead, this kid opened a beer and sat down in an empty chair, stretching out, with a white cat jumping up from behind him onto the table. “Gale…” Nancy called to her husband, but to her bewilderment, he didn’t even bat an eye, his face showing no sign that he heard her. In fact, no one seemed to hear or notice the stranger drinking beer. Nancy reached and grabbed Gale’s arm to get his attention, but her hand passed through as if she was a ghost.

The stranger laughed at her horror. “Don’t look so horrified. This is merely a dream. It cannot hurt you.”

“Wha… what did you do?” Nancy demanded, beginning to panic. She tried to reach out with her ability, to feel the emotional forms of her family and friends that only moments before she’d felt in full force. But the only form she could feel was herself. Even though the kid and the cat were physical entities, she could not feel their emotional forms. It was almost as if they didn’t exist.

The kid frowned, pulling out a pocket watch and flipping it open. “We are a bit short of time, so we’re going to take the easy, but quite painful way.” Nancy didn’t even have time to spit out one symbol when the kid used a telekinetic ability to fling her down into a chair. Standing up, he flung his arms out with a whoosh, the wind blowing everybody alway as if they were mere illusions. The cat jumped from one table to the next, bringing itself to eye level with Nancy. It clearly looked like a flame point Siamese, but the eyes were of an entirely different beast. “Now, this is going to hurt.”

The cat reached up and bopped Nancy on the head with one of its paws. Nothing happened at first, but then Nancy was overtaken by the worst headache she had ever had. The pain was indescribable. Memories of her life flooded her mind, but the pain caused them to blur and distort. The memory of her death though hit with full force and she fell off the chair, clutching her head, yelling for it to stop. Eventually, it did as her memories were painfully restored. “Jamie… Jared, what’s… going… on?” Nancy gasped, finally recognizing who this kid was. “Wait… Bug, where’s Bug!?!?”

Jared crushed the can he was drinking and tossed it off to the side. “Right after regaining your memories, you are worried about Bug. Excellent. I don’t have to do the whole ‘questions for another time’ routine.” Jared moved to help her get back on the chair; the pain of the memory restoration had greatly weakened her. “Although... I assume that you do have many questions.”

Nancy rested a cold beer against her head, noticing that a bit of pain remained. “You wouldn’t believe how many, starting with ’Are you really dead?’”

Jared chuckled. “That is a very good question… for another time. Right now, we need to focus on Bug. What is the last thing you remember, Grandma?”

Nancy pondered through her memories, revisiting her death. “I remember… dying, seeing Bug in that field, and then nothing.”

“Well, better than nothing. To recap, you died. My condolences. Then Bug used her powers to restore you to life. Congratulations.” Jared gave Nancy a thumbs up and a small smile. Nancy prided herself on giving everything the benefit of the doubt, even the unbelievable, but this was something she couldn’t quite believe. She knew Bug was incredibly powerful, but restoring her to life? Not even the most powerful level 4s could do anything close to that. For all their great power, they couldn’t cure death, not even in the smallest of creatures. Jared waving his hand got her to focus her attention back on him. “I know what you are thinking. Trust me, there will come time for answers. But now is not the time. Right now, that girl needs you. When she restored you to life, she pushed her powers far beyond her body's limits and we both know what that means. Now her powers are preventing all doctors from doing anything to save her.”

“Why?” Nancy attempted to ask, but Jared waved it off.

“That’s not important right now. What’s important is that because of the love Bug feels for both you and Lacey, there is a chance that if you two can reassure her enough, her abilities will let their guard down and the doctors could work on saving her. However, I must warn you that even if you are successful, Bug is far from being out of the woods. The damage was catastrophic and she has a very long road ahead of her, provided she even survives.”

Nancy leaned back in her chair, mulling over everything Jared just told her. “I’ll do anything for her. I remember what I told her back in that… place, blood related or not, I love her as a daughter.”

Jared smiled, the warmth of it reminding her how much she had missed her grandson. “That’s good to hear. I’m going to send you back now. Good luck.”

Jared raised his hand, seemingly preparing to do exactly as he said, but Nancy stopped. “Wait, Jared. Before you send me back, tell me, do you know who she really is and where she comes from?”

Jared took a second to contemplate before sighing. “Yes, I know everything about her. But I’m gonna make this clear. It is within everybody’s best interests, including Bug, that her past remains lost.” Jared’s voice had lost its warming touch and had now taken on an acidic tone. “I’m going to warn you only once. Do not look into her past. If you do, the consequences will be catastrophe worldwide and you and everybody you hold dear will perish.” The cat hissed, Jared snapped his fingers, and Nancy found herself awake in a hospital room, gasping for air, deeply shaken by Jared’s warning.

-------

It didn’t take long for everybody to rush to Grandma Nancy’s side after news reached them that she had finally awakened, three days after being restored to life by Bug. Lacey watched as Galen finally told Nancy what they had learned. Bug’s younger age, her believed past torture, her abilities having a will of their own, her being related to their family, and finally, Bug being a level 5 superhuman, the first in over two thousand years. And through all of this, Lacey couldn’t help but notice that there was a hint of fear in her grandma’s eyes. It was obvious that once Jared had sent her on her way, he and Abrax had done as he said he would; he’d woken her up.

It was reasonable to assume Jared had not shown Grandma the true form of Bug’s powers, nor were there any signs of the bear-like entity that had sent her to that… place anywhere in the room. So it was likely that whatever Grandma Nancy feared, it was Jared’s doing. But now wasn’t the time to ponder on what Jared might have done to her, as there was Bug to deal with. The doctors had just informed her father that Bug’s condition had gotten worse and if something wasn’t done very soon, she wouldn’t make the hour. As quickly as they could, Lacey and Nancy told everybody what they needed to do while they waited for the doctor to clear them for entry due to wartime protocols.

“How is it that you have come across this information? The doctors have tried everything and nothing has worked, yet you two seem to think that just talking to her while she’s in a coma will solve all our problems,” Galen doubted.

Lacey sighed. This part she hadn’t told her father… or anybody for that matter. “Jared told me.”

A sense of shock filled the room. “Jared?” her mother asked in disbelief.

Lacey glanced at her grandma, who nodded for her to continue. “Yeah, Jared.”

“How?” Riley asked.

“Where?” another family member questioned.

“Is he dead or alive?” one of her cousins inquired.

“Woah… woah… woah. I get we all have a lot of questions. I do too, but there literally isn’t time. You were right, Dad. Bug’s powers do possess a will of their own. And they have a bit of a trust issue. But Jared believes that if Grandma and I just talk to Bug, just reassure her that she’ll be safe, her powers will back off,” Lacey explained.

However, she could tell that everybody had varying opinions about this. “Why are we supposed to believe you?” Charles’ oldest son, Gabriel, asked, eyeing her, seemingly skeptical of everything she had said.

“Gabe, not now,” Charles muttered under his breath.

Gabe ignored his father. “You said Jared gave you this information? For what? Let’s just say for a moment that Jared isn’t dead and he gave you that information. After thirteen years, he clearly wants nothing to do with us and we all have mixed feelings about him. Hell, the only reason why we even call him as he desired is because he’s a war hero. So why help save this girl?”

“Maybe because he gives a damn, unlike you? Did it ever occur to you that maybe he and Bug knew each other and Jared is reaching out because he cares for her?” Lacey snapped.

“But why make it so mysterious? Why visit in the dreams? If he cared so much about her, why isn’t he here?” Gabriel countered.

Lacey gripped the chair in an effort to remain calm. “After the way you treated him, the way you all rejected him?”

“Ahh, but no email, no letter, no courier? Even Uncle Frederick at least sends emails. You would expect Jared, someone who apparently cares for an amnesic Level 5 girl that showed up and has caused such chaos in the family, to give enough of a damn to at least bother checking in on her. Yet he isn't here. Why do you think that is? Hmm…. tell me, Larissa. Why should we give a damn about anything your beloved brother says?”

Lacey glared at Gabe, ready to attack him for attacking her brother, but Galen stepped between them. “Enough,” he started. “I understand there is a cause for concern. While it's true that the circumstances make the quality of information questionable at best, despite this, it’s also the only option we have left, plus, it costs nothing and it can’t hurt. So right now, Gabe, shut your mouth and let's get this over with.”

Lacey watched Uncle Galen and her father helped her Grandma into a wheelchair, before pushing her out the room. Lacey, naturally, followed, but when the rest of the family attempted to follow, Galen stopped them. “I was dutifully informed on how your last interaction with Bug went and I have to say that all those abusive things you said to a scared, confused twelve-year old girl does such wonders for trust, don’t you think?” Lacey glanced at her grandma, whose reaction was not quite what she expected. Instead of shock or anger, she just lowered her head in disappointment. Everybody else seemed to understand what Galen meant, as they all backed off. “Excellent. Let’s go.”

Lacey, her father, Galen, and her grandma left everybody to stew in their consequences of their treatment of Bug. During the walk to the intensive care unit, Lacey couldn’t help but feel nervous. This would be the first time since Bug had brought her grandma back to life that she would see her. According to the doctors, she was on the verge of death, which meant she probably looked like absolute shit.

The doctors quickly ushered them through by her father’s authorization right to the room Bug had been placed in. And to say that her heart dropped was an understatement. “Oh my God,” her grandma gasped. On the bed was a girl that they knew was Bug, but who looked nothing like her. She was deathly pale, her body nearly skin and bones. Even though she was unconscious, her face showed pain, severe pain and her body struggled to breath. It was a miracle that she was still alive at this point. “Alright, Lacey, let’s give it a shot,” her grandma finally said, struggling to keep her composure.

“Remember, every doctor, even me, that has tried to get anywhere near her has received a nasty shock,” her father warned.

“I understand, Dad.” Lacey slowly reached down and clasped her hand, fully expecting Bug’s powers to defend her. But the shock never came.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” her father muttered, surprised at the turn of events. It was heartwarming to know that despite what had happened, Bug still trusted her. Her grandma was next, Galen pushing her wheelchair up so she could clasp Bug’s other hand. Once again, her powers did nothing. Her grandma couldn’t help but smile, tears starting to form.

“Bug,” her grandma started to say. “I don’t even know where to begin. I just… I…”

“What Grandma is trying to say, Bug...” Lacey interrupted her grandma when she couldn’t find the words, “is that there is a lot we need to apologize for as a family. You gave me my grandmother back. So let us give something back to you.” Lacey nodded to her grandma to continue.

“Bug, you will be able to return home, safe and sound from all those may have hurt you in the past, because I swear on my life that no harm will come to you here. You will be safe,” Nancy reassured Bug while gently stroking her hand.

“I told you that you were my sister. Nothing has changed and as my little sister, I will do everything in my power to protect you, just like you protected me from the Destructors,” Lacey promised.

Jared had told Lacey that it would only work, if it even did, with Lacey and Nany, something Lacey had passed on to them. However, that did not stop her father from joining in. “I know I have little standing. I’ve tried my best to support you, but now I realize that it wasn’t enough. There was so much we could have given had we just looked a little deeper. So you have my word as well that as long as I live, I will do anything in my power to ensure that you are safe from whoever hurt you in the past. And I can speak for Galen here that he will do the same.” Galen nudged her father, but the small smile on his face showed that he would indeed do anything in his power to protect her. In fact, he already had.

That gave Lacey an idea. “I’m more than certain that the Creators wouldn’t mind taking turns here as guards. You did save them, after all.”

Her grandma’s smile grew from resolve. It was a miracle, after all; in the beginning, Bug had had nothing. But now, she had everybody willing to stand up to protect her so she could have a chance to survive. It was a true shock to Lacey to discover that Bug was in some way related to them. But now, when she looked back on everything that Bug had done for her, for her grandmother, even for the Creators, Lacey couldn’t help but feel that Bug finding her way into their family was no accident.

It was at this moment that it dawned on Lacey that Jared had not specified how long it would take for this to work. Plus, even he wasn’t sure this was going to work. For a few moments, nothing happened and Lacey could see her grandma’s smile waver in fear that this wasn’t working. Lacey herself feared that it would take too long to work. But then, out of nowhere, pink lines began to crisscross Bug’s body, forming what appeared to be runes and artistic figures, glowing brighter by the second. A brief moment, the symbols grew so bright that Lacey could feel her skin begin to burn. But then they vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving everybody a bit confused as to what had just happened.

Tentatively, Galen reached down and put his hand on her forehead, on guard for the backlash. But it never came. Bug’s powers didn’t react. “Well, I’ll be damned. It freaking worked.”

Nancy sighed with relief. “Oh, thank God. Thank you, God and thank you, Jared.”

“Yeah, thank you, Jared…” Galen agreed. “Also, she’s burning up. She needs help right now!”

Lacey and everybody got out the way as doctors and nurses swarmed Bug, prepared to do everything in their power to save her. They all knew she had a very long road ahead and that there was still a good chance that she could still die. But now Lacey took solace that everything that could be done to save her would be done. There was a chance.

-------------

Secretary Coleman sat in a booth at a reclusive bar in Washington, one that was usually visited by people whose best interest was to keep a low profile. After the massive fuck-up in his attempt to take that girl into custody and the humalitation of him and his SEAL team being defeated by that wannabe kid superhero team, it was a damn miracle that he hadn’t been fired… yet. Besides, it was in his best interest to lay low for a few hours while the rest of the government acclimated to the idea that the Level 5s were no longer extinct and that the best that science had to offer was absolutely no match for their kind of power.

Hee pondered his next plan, as well as ordering another drink, he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to see who wanted to bother him and felt his heart drop. It was a woman, with her hair cut very short, and a few scars lining her face. Coleman immediately recognized her. “Jerri Rodes?” he sputtered, shocked that Nancy Rodes’ dead adopted daughter was standing right next to him.

She smirked and took a seat at the booth. “Well, I may have once been Jerri Rodes,” she said with a voice that he knew all too well. “But she isn’t home right now. Call me Vani.”

“What… no… how are you alive? You died in that explosion at the hospital. How is this even possible?” Coleman stuttered, still in shock.

‘Jerri’ simply smiled and snatched the drink the waiter brought, taking a deep, long drink. “I may be Jerri, but I am not her. I’m Vani.” She downed her drink and ordered another one. “Let's get right to the point, shall we? We know about your little attempt to take the girl. Trust me, it was never going to work. Even if the Creators hadn’t shown up, the girl would have crushed every single one of you. Now, fortunately, my superiors and I desire to see you succeed. That is why we are going to help you.”

“Why would I ever accept help from you? One phone call and you’re dead.” Coleman reached for the gun hidden under the booth, but found it missing.

“Looking for this?” Vani asked, holding up the gun that he was looking for. “Please, it was the first thing I disarmed when I sat down. Now, as for why, well, Terremoto… you remember her, right? Elias’s second in command who escaped your grasp? She has already killed Dr. Silas… your sister. Plus, the fact that no one in your government is even aware that Terremoto is stateside again means she can strike at any point, including taking out that boarding school you sent your son to. Eastern River Military Academy in Blackburn, Virginia. Dorm 23 B, window bed, if I’m not mistaken.”

Coleman grabbed the knife he kept in his jacket, but then smiled, he set the knife down on the table and let the masquerade crumble away. “Impressive, if I do say so myself. However, my bastard son was transferred to West Point last week. But other than that, the remnants of the Oracle Soldiers are certainly proving themselves under new leadership.”

Vani raised her glass in agreement. “Well, your son is a loyal agent to the cause. No need to keep tabs on him all the time. Besides, Terremoto is strict, but fair and benevolent, taking after her master… our leader.”

Coleman felt a sense of pride speaking of his old leader. “Elias was a good man, undeserving of the death inflicted upon him by Susy and the Remnants of Providence. If only I could have done something to spare him from that fate, he would still be around, winning the war and leading all of humanity into a new era of absolute peace.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Even as his loyal and trustworthy spy, there was no way for you to know what Susy and those fuckups Frederick and Galen were planning. His blood is not on your hands,” Vani consoled Coleman.

“I still feel responsible…” Coleman muttered, filled with the guilt of letting his true leader down.

“We all do,” Vani reassured.

“Well, I must say, wearing Jerri’s body out in the open is a considerable risk,” Coleman warned, but Vani waved it off.

“Our operative at the hospital assures us that the entire family, including Galen, are busy fu.”

Coleman finished his drink, ready to talk business. “Killing my sister. That was too close. She was on verge of discovering my true loyalties and informing Galen. I tried to permanently silence Galen, but Holly got to him first.”

“That’s understandable. We’ve been trying to eliminate Person and Hikaro for years, but they’ve always managed to slip away. Now what about Cane?” Vani asked.

Coleman reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a dog tag, dropping it on the table. “Mission was successful. We were able to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that the girl is a level 5 and I was able to use them to eliminate a highly unstable operative. That fact that he told a bunch of bullshit to the girl was an added bonus.”

“And the status of the Creators and the Destructors?” Kani inquired as to the status of the pawns they used in this plot.

Coleman snapped his fingers and the waiter that had been bringing them drinks brought a file over. Coleman noticed Vani’s confusion about the waiter. “What? You don’t possibly think that I spent these years since Elias’s unfortunate death on my ass? I built up a base for the return of the Oracles and Terremoto. Everybody in this bar are new soldiers of the Army of the Sword, loyal only to its commandment, the Oracles and the Oracle Soldiers.”

Vani was deeply impressed. “Elias was right to trust you with this role in our fight to better the world and that trust has been rewarded.”

“Damn right,” Coleman agreed, opening the file. “Now, I’m pleased to inform you and Terremoto that the Destructors were wiped out. And with the added benefit of killing their leader, Sybil, without needing to use any resources for infiltration. You can tell Terremoto that my alterations to the design of the Siphon Destructor are fully tested and ready to be used to modify all of the 5600 Siphon Destructors in our inventory.”

Vani eyed the reports. “Excellent. Now, the plan. I heard you and a unit of the best Navy SEALS the United States Military had to offer were soundly defeated by the Creators.”

Coleman simply shrugged. “Unfortunately. Those SEALs weren't loyal soldiers of the Army of the Sword and held back. But sometimes these things can’t be avoided. It’s just how life rolls sometimes. However, the fact that the device failed to work on her does shock me. Yeah, she’s a level 5 and it was obvious as hell that our devices would be far less effective, but I figured that hundreds of years of research poured into these devices would be enough to weaken her. No such luck.”

“The fact that the crystals explode in her presence does not help things,” Vani pointed out.

“No, it does not,” Coleman agreed.

“Well, this is why Terremoto has a new plan. One that will benefit everybody involved.”

“Oh?” Coleman exclaimed. “Do tell.”

Vani leaned in, excitement growing. “A much more long-term plan. We are going to kill Nancy Rodes and ensure that there will be no more resurrections.”

Coleman could only smile at the thought of eliminating someone who had been such a nuisance and was the mother of General Rodes, the man who’d helped kill Elias. “Excellent. Once she is dead, not even Galen can stand in our way in avenging Elias, killing Susy, and completing his life’s work.” Vani could only chuckle in agreement. It was only a matter of time before the world knew its true masters.