Afterschoolers: Glory

Chapter 1: First Impressions

It was a new day. The sun shone through the window, but Maya was already up and at her usual morning routine. She ran her brush through the short black hair before putting it into a ponytail. She brushed her teeth and did a little dance in the bathroom as she changed into a fresh pair of white clothes. When Maya stepped out of the bathroom, she let the sun's rays bask her lightly tan skin. The alarm for 8 o'clock rang, only to be shut down by Maya. Before she left her small room, she put on the metal necklace she was told to keep on her for the rest of her days. The beaded chain was cold around her neck when she put it on, but the weight wasn't so bad. Dangling from the chain was a thin metal box.

As expected, the white halls of the facility were busy with adults in lab coats going about their business. The adults didn't give Maya any attention, so she went about her routine without much question or resistance.

After a brisk walk across the facility, she walked through a pair of double doors with a massive garden. The grass and trees were well maintained and stayed a light emerald shade. Maya could feel the warmth of the sun on her face as she walked around.

"Hello, Maya." The man who named her stepped forward, wearing jeans and a light blue polo shirt.

"Hi, Mr. Cain. Are you gonna teach me some new moves today?"

"Yes, but first you must try and awaken your power"

"But we do this all the time and nothing happens!" Maya whined.

"Maybe something will happen this time. Try and knock an apple out of this tree."

"I'll try, as I always do." Maya focused her sights on the apple, recognizing its size and bright red color. With all the force she could muster in her hands, Maya swung a fist forward at the apple. Sadly, nothing happened. This went on for a few more punches until she grew tired of looking like a fool.

"You can stop now," said Cain. "I've seen enough."

"So what now?"

"Now we wait."

"Wait? For what?"

"Not for what, but rather who."

"What do you mean?" asked Maya.

The ground shakes for a moment. What follows is an explosion at one of the doors that sends a young man flying into the garden. Maya ducks for cover while Cain watches intently. The young man thrown in the garden got up and dusted himself off, his white clothes slightly black from the explosion. His hair was a dark shade of brown that was gelled back. His skinny physique made Maya sure that he would have been knocked out from such an explosion.

"That all you got?" he asked, yelling into the smoke. Stepping from the black gas came a young woman with a confident smile.

"Geoff. Natalia. Make this quick. We have to talk later," Cain said casually.

"I'll finish this in a heartbeat," the girl says, pulling back a strand of her light brown hair so that she could look Geoff in the eye more clearly.

"Bring it!" the charred boy exclaimed.

Slowly, Natalia entered the garden, her hands glowing a bright red. Geoff stood his ground, ready to deliver what looked like a punch. Maya watched as Natalia swung her open palm forward, causing a small explosion in the air. Geoff dodged swiftly, forming a red glow in both of his hands. When Natalia went in for another explosion, two small portals appeared. One hand went into a portal and out the other, causing Natalia to hit herself in the face with her own explosion.

"Ha! How do you like that?" Geoff asked triumphantly.

Unamused, Natalia retaliated with a spin kick to Geoff's gut that brought him down to his knees.

"I say that one goes to Natalia," Cain said. "Well done."

"That was so cool!" Maya cheered. "Your powers are awesome!"

"Thanks," Natalia replied. "I was lucky to have something so powerful."

"Natalia is 16 like you, Maya. You two should get along quite well. As for you, Geoff. You need to work on your defense. Not everyone you face will have an Aura Crystal."

"Yes, sir." Geoff groaned and had his arms wrapped around his gut.

"You all will need to get acquainted soon. An important day is among us. Follow me."

The three test subjects followed Cain out of the garden and back inside. Maya was surprised to find a small group of the staff was already working on repairing the damage from Natalia's explosions.

"Where are we going? What's going on?" Geoff asked. "All you told me this morning was that I had to spar with some girl."

"Well you didn't put up much of a fight," Natalia commented.

"I'm putting together a team of Aura Crystal users," said Cain. "You three will be a part of it."

In no time at all, the test subjects found themselves escorted into a room with one large table and big chairs. Cain took a seat at one of the ends of the table while his subordinates sat themselves down nearby.

"So this is an actual mission, right?" Geoff asked. "A chance to fully use our powers?"

"That's correct, Geoff. You all are leaving this place, to bring back something that was stolen."

"What was stolen?" Maya asked.

"Aura Crystals. One of our own fled this facility and took with her a number of Aura Crystals. Those crystals are dangerous in hands that are not our own."

Geoff reached for his necklace and opened the metal tin, revealing a red gemstone locked in. Natalia did a similar action, looking down at an orange crystal. Maya, however, did not bother to open her tin and look at hers.

"Do we know who took the crystals?" Geoff asked.

"Her name is Alana. She was aided by a man named Cord. He is a master thief that broke into another facility, freed her, and made off with a small collection of Aura Crystals."

"When do we go? I'm ready to go save the day." Geoff spoke with confidence in his voice, but made it obvious that he was exaggerating.

"It's not going to be so simple. You all will be going undercover. Cord is the headmaster at a private school a couple miles away from here. East Coast Academy. You'll go undercover as students. Find the crystals. Find Alana. Bring them all home without making too much of a scene. Any questions?"

"How will we find them?" Natalia asked.

"I already sent two ahead of schedule. Aura Crystal users like you three. They've been working undercover for a few weeks and will help on the mission. Any other questions?"

"Yeah," said Maya. "Why me?"

"What do you mean?" Cain asked.

"My Aura Crystal hasn't given me a power. Why send me?"

"You're strong and capable. You'll be fine and a nice addition to the team. Now all of you get to your rooms and pack up. You all will be leaving tomorrow morning."