Thunder and Storm

Humanity's Last Hope

SALLY.


The sun was bright today. It’s warmth shone down on me and I soaked it up. It had been so long since I had felt the sun on my face. A week ago, I had thought it would never happen again. The snow was starting to melt off the trees, the first sign of spring. I dipped my hand in my pocket and focused on Cameron amid the crowd.

After telling us of his plan to break into the military base again and get the cure, he had assembled us in the meadow where he was to test our abilities and strength. Each of them was given tasks fitting to their abilities. Humanity's last hope, he called us. The fate of the world depended on our success, he'd said.

I made sure to stay at the back, far away from view. I was not sure he would want a loose cannon such as me to help save the world. I'd probably destroy it while trying to save it.

I wasn't alone in my quest to stay hidden from view, Gail also seemed to be doing the same. Our gazes met and she gave me a small smile. She moved closer.

"What are you doing back here?" she asked and I shrugged.

"Same thing you're doing, hiding."

Her cheeks reddened and she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Is it that obvious?"

I smiled. "Only because I'm doing the same thing."

She nodded and sighed. "Not that I'm a weirdo who likes hiding in the dark or something. I'm definitely not a weirdo or a nerd.” She chuckled nervously and I tried not to frown. I kept my face blank.

She sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped. "I guess I am a bit of a nerd. Maybe a lot. That must be why I never get to go on missions like these with them. I mostly just stay in my tent while they go out and have fun."

Out of curiosity, I asked. "What is your power?"

She shrugged. "Nothing fancy, really. I just..." She looked out at the crowd, "I can just control technology.” She looked at me, "There's not much to work on when a virus is ravaging the country and you're stuck in a cave with no computer or WiFi."

Oh!

"What's your power?" she asked.

I shrugged. "It's nothing. I'm just like you, I can just become invisible and make things invisible too."

"Wow!" She nodded in surprise, "That's pretty cool."

I let out a light chuckle. "It only works when I'm hiding from danger."

She gave me a small smile. "I still think it's cool."

You're a big, fat liar, Sally and you'll go to hell for it. My conscience warned.

"You know I never thought you'd be this cool. You were always by yourself, I just thought you were hiding from the rest of the world.” She moved a few tendrils of her green hair to the back of her ears. "I always could tell how people are upon meeting them but with you... It's refreshing being surprised for once."

"Is that another power of yours?"

"Oh! No.” She chuckled. "It's just a thing I do."

I looked out at the crowd as they started displaying their abilities one by one. They spread out in the field, taking my cover with them. I stared at Cameron as he watched a boy trying to mold the snow into a snowman with his mind. His face was just as serious as it was the first time I met him here, he looked older. I felt a chill and clasped my hands together. Now that I wasn't in the shadow of so many people, I felt exposed, vulnerable. Maybe she was right about her deduction on my personality, maybe I was hiding from the rest of the world. I had always been good at that, running away and hiding. I looked down at my hands and sighed. I couldn't run away from this.

I looked back up and my gaze caught Cameron's. He stared at me for a moment before looking away but that moment had held me spellbound. His blue eyes had sparkled with something I couldn't decipher and my heart had skipped a beat. What was it about him that always made me jittery?

Gail moved away and joined Ryan who leaned on a pine tree. She motioned for me to follow and I moved to join her but then I saw Grayson coming out of the cave unaided and rushed to help him.

He chuckled at my effort to help and slapped my hands away. "I'm fine, Sally. You don't have to fuss over me like a mother hen. I can walk perfectly well on my own."

My cheeks tainted pink and I moved aside. Was I really fussing over him? Since when did I become my mom.

"Sorry, I just thought you needed some help."

He smiled. "Thanks but I really don't, I'm a big man.” He winked.

He was muscular enough to pass off as a man in his early twenties but I was willing to bet he was the same age as me. 

"These are some powerful people," he commented as he watched a boy replicate himself.

"Yeah, they are."

Another boy stepped out to show his ability. This one I recognized, he always sat two seats away from mine with his friends in the cafeteria back at the Underground. I think his name was Sam.

"You might wanna step away from there," he said to Cameron.

"Alright.” Cameron moved a few inches away.

Sam raised his hands and clapped. The sight that followed was both startling and bizarre to me. A shock wave ejected from his hands and hit the trees, destroying four pine trees in a row.

"Wow!" Grayson exclaimed.

A resounding round of applause echoed through the fields as everyone cheered him.

"Great work there." Cameron shook his hand and gave him a pat on the back. The boy smiled proudly before stepping away and joining the rest on the side.

"Your powers are all extraordinary and unique and truthfully I am amazed by the strength you all possess. I'll be selecting a team to work with later in the week but for now, I have something else to request of you.” He cleared his throat before proceeding. "Due to the increase in our number, our food supply has gotten low. We still have enough to sustain us for a few days or so but most of the fresh produce has rot and all we have left are snack–"

"We still haven't seen what one person can do,” someone cut him off and all our attention turned on the person. Petra.

"What?" Cameron asked.

She turned her gaze on me, a smirk dancing on her lips. "We haven't seen someone's ability. Sally, would you mind showing us your power?"

My stomach churned and I licked my lips. "Uhm, no thanks."

"Why? We all showed everyone what we could do, what we've spent the past year training to do in that hellhole. Why were you exempted?"

My heartbeat accelerated. My palms became sweaty as I stared at their faces. Cameron had a bewildered frown on his face, Gail and Ash looked uncomfortable, Rayne gave me a pitiful look, Hiro had on a poker face and the rest of them looked at me with curiosity. There was so much attention on me all at once. It was overwhelming. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and tried to take in deep breaths and not choke up. I could feel a panic attack coming on.

"I already know what her abilities are. She can teleport," Cameron said.

"Teleport uhn? Was that what she told you?" Petra had a nasty smile on her face. "She's a liar. Wanna tell them the truth or should I?" She cocked her head to the side.

No, please don't.

I shook my head and tried to speak but I couldn't, I was frozen to the spot. All that left my mouth was a slight whimper as I tried to form words. Cameron looked at me in confusion. I caught Gail’s gaze and she looked a cross between confused and disappointed.

"You know what, I think you should let him finish making his announcement. It's obvious it was something important and he already knows what abilities she has anyway," Grayson spoke up.

"Right," Cameron cleared his throat, "Like I said all we have left are snacks so we'll be going on a food raid soon. Anyone interested in coming along can inform me but I must warn you that the roads are crawling with hunters and it will be a dangerous journey but we should survive if we stick together."

"Wow! What a way to boost the morale," Grayson grumbled beside me.

I was still a little bit shaken from the near escape I just had. I didn’t know what would've happened if I had been forced to use my power in front of everyone.

"Thanks, Grayson," I said.

"It's nothing.” He grabbed my right hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll always be here for you."

I could see in his eyes that he meant it.

Everyone went back into the cave and I went back to my tent. Ash wasn't in but there was someone else in the shadows.

"Grayson?" I frowned. I had only left him just now.

"Sorry to disappoint but it's not your knight in shining armor.”

The lamp switched on and Petra's face was illuminated. I gulped. She had a look in her eyes that didn't bode well for me.

"W-What are you doing in my tent?" I faltered.

She tutted and shook her index finger at me from side to side. "Poor Sally, always so fearful. I always knew you were lily-livered and a bit daft but a liar? Wow! You're really upping your less than admirable qualities."

She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Why? What would Principal Cullen say if he found out his best student is nothing but a liar and a fraud?"

I swallowed. "We're not in high school anymore, Petra."

"True, we're stuck in a cave because you just had to be a freak on social media.” She tapped her chin, "Ironically enough, you were so willing to display your ability in front of the whole world yet today you've developed cold feet. Why is that?"

"I have had this power for a long time now and no one ever knew about it but you just had to ruin my life just like you ruin everything, don't you? You just had to be in the spotlight," she growled at me.

Her hands lashed out and I flinched and moved backward. She took a deep breath and dropped her hands.
"I don't need to stain my hands with your disappointing self. I just wonder what your knight in shining armor would think of you when he finds out what you really are. I just wonder what Cameron would think, what they would all think if they knew the kind of monster they live with."

She bent her head close to my face to whisper. "The kind that gets her best friend killed. I bet they would throw you to the hunters faster than you can say Jenkins."