The Exiled

Chapter 1

Seattle WA, 3:45 AM.
Target: Desmond, age 19.

"Come on." I muttered under my breath.

I stood in the bathroom in my pajama bottoms, and I tried to stop my hands from glowing. They had started to tingle while lying in bed, and when I held them up to my face the were glowing red. I turned the handle on the sink and put my hands under the running water. As soon as the water hit my skin there was a loud hiss and the room was filled with steam.

"Des!" My father yelled banging on the door. "What's going on in there?"

I was about to answer when flames erupted from the palms of my hands, and traveled up my arms to the rest of my body. There was a crash and suddenly my father was standing in the bathroom. The door split and splintered from where he kicked it in.

"Your one of them!" He yelled. "Your a freak."

That was all I needed to hear, so I ran and jumped through the window, and ran into the streets not knowing where I would go, but knowing that I had to stay hidden or else...

I had only run a half a mile when I heard the sirens.

Sacramento CA, 12:00 PM
Target: Alisha, age 18.

"Give me a H!" I cheered with my team.

"H!" the crowd called back.

"Give me an A!"
"A!"
"Give me a W!"
"W!"
"Give me a K!"
"K!"
"What does that spell?!"
"Hawk!"
"Yeah Go Hawks!"

I was cheering for my schools foot ball team and we were up 16-7 and it was ten seconds to half-time. When the buzzer went off the team ran off the field and into the locker rooms. Taking my break I headed over to the snack bar.

"Two snickers and a monster." I ordered.

"That will be four dollars." Said the boy at the cash register.

I payed the four dollars, and grabbed my food. Walking around the field I saw three guys beating up a kid behind the bleachers.

"Hey stop!" I yelled at them.

"What are you? His mom?" They asked before going back to tormenting the kid.

"I said stop!" I yelled again before shoving one of the guys away from the kid who was now lying unconscious and bleeding on the ground.

The guy I shoved, twisted back around and smacked me across the face. I blacked out as my head was whipped to the side, and I fell to my hands and knees.
I lifted my hand to my face and when I pulled it away it was covered in blood.
The next thing I know I'm standing alone with the unconscious kid, and the guy who smacked me, along with his cronies have disappeared. I looked around to see what happened to them, and find them hanging by their shoelaces on the field goal.

"Who did this to you?" Someone asked them.

They point in my direction.

"Damn" I mutter as I hop the fence.

Rexburg ID, 8:00 PM
Target: Jace, age 19.

I smiled as I looked out across the valley. I had just hiked to the hop of a very high mountain and stood on the edge of a cliff. I took a deep breath of fresh winter air. The night before was rough. I kept getting caught in the sheets and blankets, and after a while I decided I'd had enough so I got dressed grabbed some gear and came out here. I looked at the sky as a storm began to roll in. Thinking it was time to head back I started down the mountain. I had only gone a little way, when a felt something hot hit me in the back. I flew 10 into the air only to crash into a tree. My vision became blurry, and something warm and wet dripped down my face. Once everything came into focus, I realized I had a deep cut across my face, that ran across my eye down to my chin. Getting up I felt a breeze across my back, and found that the shirt I was wearing was black and charred.

(Ba-ba-Boom.....)

I heard the sound of thunder and realized in that instant that I had been struck by lightning, and I was fine. Well mostly, feeling the sting of the cut.

*********

I had made it back down the mountain and now stood in my living room about to turn on the T.V. I reached for the button below the screen, but the moment my hand came near the television the screen came to life by its self.

"Freaky." I thought.

Reaching for the remote, there was a flash, and the place the remote had been was now a dark scorch mark.

"Flip! Now I'm in trouble." I thought to myself as I tried to think of what I was going to do.

Lehi UT, 7:30 AM
Target: Hannah, age 18.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror doing my hair and make up, before grabbing my purse then walking out of my dorm, to head to the mall. I was on my way to work, I worked at a comic book shop, and really enjoyed it. I always wondered what it would be like to have superpowers. To fly over buildings, or to see through walls, or to run faster than the speed of light. I walked there since I only lived five blocks away. Upon entering the store my boss put me to work organizing comics, games, and other merchandise. When I was done with that I sat down to read one of my favorite comics. DareDevil. I was coming onto a fight between him and his nemesis Bullseye, when my boss came out of the back to check my work. He looked around to room see if everything was in order, nodded, look around the room once more then went back into his office. That was odd, I thought, he always compliments me on my work. I got up and went back to see him.

"Knock Knock."

"Hannah! There you are! where'd you disappear to?" My Boss asked.

"I was behind the counter reading. You didn't see me?"

"No I looked over there, and you had vanished."

"Nonsense I was right there."

"Hmmm.....I must have just over looked you." He said.

'Or your just lying so I don't get mad at you'

"I'm not lying." I told him.

"I never said you were." He replied with a frown.

'That was weird it was like she read my mind.'

I stood there shocked.

"Hannah are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm just fine." I told him. "I'll get back to work."

It was only a few moments when my boss called me back to his office, curious I came back to see him. When I came in he shut the door behind me.

"Ok so after our talk earlier I decided to have a look at the cameras video, to see what had gone on while I was back here."

He showed my the video only I didn't see myself and was struck dumb when the comic I was reading earlier floated off the counter and opened up seemingly of its own accord.
Pausing the video my boss looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"You want to explain to me what I just saw?" He asked.

I hung my head, I didn't know how to explain because I could hardly understand what had happened either.

"I don't know what to say." I said.

He opened a drawer in his desk and began to look for something.

"Great." I though. "he's going to turn me in."

Instead he pulled out a little steel rod with little teeth going around it.

"Little do people know not everyone hates heroes for what happened thirty years ago." He said holding the steel rod in his lap. "I remember when I was young, being saved by Superman as the Toymaker tried to blow up an apartment complex that my mother and I were living in at the time. When I was safe he told me that not everyone needs to have powers to be a hero, so everyday since that day I've looked to help people as often as I can, and now I'm going to help you."

He stood up and slid open a little slot where he inserted the rod. Turning it, there was a click and the wall raised up to reveal a tunnel that went downward.

"Hannah welcome to the society of justice. This is your new home."