Afterschoolers: Glory

Chapter 3: Cold Opening

Although slightly sore, Rebecca and Sasha woke in their beds as peaceful as can be. Beams of sunlight streamed into the room through a crack in their curtains.

"So last night could have gone better," Sasha said as she floated out of her bed.

"They're untrained," Rebecca said. "I feel that Natalia's explosions were what provoked Emily to use her power."

"Maybe. Yet it was Maya that saved us. Emily somehow gave up and we got to walk away with minimal injuries."

"We need to look into Maya and call Mr. Cain. The power we saw last night was unlike anything we've seen before."

Before Sasha had a chance to comment, the dormitory shook to the sound of a BOOM. Sasha and Rebecca looked to each other before running out of their rooms in their pajamas. As they ran down the stairs, the explosions became more recurring.

"Don't be scared!" Maya said. "Actually hit me with one!"

"What if it doesn't work?" Natalia asked. "If that happens, your face is gonna get burnt!"

"We need to find out what that arm thing was. Besides, my Aura Crystal works now, so your attacks won't hurt me all that much."

"Okay... Here goes."

"What are you guys doing?!" Sasha yelled upon bursting into the room.

"Oh thank goodness," Natalia sighed.

"What do you two think you're doing?!" Rebecca asked.

"I'm trying to summon back that arm we all saw last night. If I can learn to control it, it'll be beneficial to the team."

"So you're having Natalia hit you with explosions?!" Sasha asked.

"Mr. Cain said that Aura Crystals awaken with adrenaline. When Emily attacked, it awakened to save me. This is what I've been waiting for. A power to call my own!"

"We get it, you're excited to use your power, but you gotta keep in mind we are still undercover," Rebecca said. "Now get dressed and meet us in the library."

"What's with all the yelling?" Emily asked upon walking down the hallway.

"E-Emily! Umm, it's nothing!" Sasha said. "How are you? Did you sleep well?"

"I slept well. I was so tired, I don't even remember leaving the library last night."

"That's... Interesting," Rebecca said. "Well, we'll leave you to your business. Let's go, Sasha."

Maya and Natalia quickly shut the door to their room as soon as their superiors left. Emily was left standing in the hallway, confused by what transpired.

"That was weird," Emily said to herself.

"Yeah. Yeah it was," Liz said from her doorway down the hall.

After a quick change of clothes and some breakfast, the girls met up in front of the library. The day was still young, but the sun's heat was not too kind. The shade of the four-story library helped keep the girls a bit cooler. However, their late-night actions had not gone unnoticed. Mr. Cord and a small group of police officers were standing around a small crater in the concrete. Knowing they were responsible, they chose not to make any interactions with the crime scene.

"What are we doing here?" Maya asked.

"This is our hideout of sorts," Rebecca stated. "From here we could meet and talk in private, as well as keep an eye on Mr. Cord."

"Okay cool. By the way, where's Geoff?" Natalia asked.

"I texted him to meet us here," Sasha said. "If he's not here in the next few minutes, I'm gonna drop him out of the sky."