O.N.Y.X

Θ Wait For Life Θ

On a normal day, I would go to school, maybe go to Wendy's or something, and be at my house, procrastinating.

I hoped anyday would not be normal and some spectacular shit happened to me or whatever.

Lucky for me, today is that day.

♦

"I love my parents, Rudy. I really do. But sometimes they get on my last nerve and I just wanna get away for about a year and come back like nothing has happened, ya know. Like a break where you go away and come back and the world was paused until you came back. I feel like that all the time."

"And I don't even like school. Like, don't even lie, half of the stuff we learning really isn't gonna benefit any of us in the future. Who is gonna need to know how to write a essay about symbolism when you wanna be a doctor? Who is gonna need to know how to solve quadratic functions when you wanna be a lawyer? Who?! Not I, that's who, the fuck."

"Exactly. Like, bitch, you know it's the end of the year and finals are over, so, why you still trynna teach? Stop, ok, we're good. AND, wait shut up, and what is the purpose of summer reading, like?? Did I not write a two three page essays for the next teachers I'm gonna have and now I have to take up my break from school to do your dusty ass summer reading? Umm? No, the fuck, coño. Back it up with that."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'm almost getting home anyways. Alright, yeah. Bye."

Walking down the sidewalk was that peaceful moment before entering my house. Walking down the sidewalk was depressing sometimes 'cause I live in that part of town that no one wants to be in. And whoever is in here, the outsiders know that they'll never get anywhere in life. Like, yeah people out here could be doctors, lawyers, extremely smart mathematicians but never that level that the outsiders get to be. We seem to always do twice the work to get half of what they get.

Walking down the sidewalk helped me feel better about myself a lot. I could see some people sleeping against the trees by the park on the left of me and other people scrounging for cans or edible food in the trash cans. That reminded me that I am not the most miserable person in the world and I need to stop thinking like that because it's selfish. But I think people in situations worse than mine are more humble than most. One day, an old man asked me for money so he could buy lunch and I gave him five dollars and he was willing to share it with me, even though he was hungry. Those people are way more humble than most of us.

But some of us ignore those people. Most of us.

♦

Ten minutes after I got home and had settled down, the doorbell had rung once. I stood up and looked at the door, waiting for it to ring twice because that's what everyone who has ever came to my house has done.

It didn't.

I walked to the door and looked through the peephole, which revealed two men, one with a black suit and one with a dark blue one, who looked a bit wiser than the one in black.; wiser not older.

They look so....SHIELD.

I opened the door quickly, realizing what I was wearing ( which was a white tank top & grey joggers ) but not really caring.

The men were taller than I had expected. The wise one was shorter though, looked about 5'11" but the other one was a head taller. I contemplated whether or not I could get away with pretending not being able to speak english.

"Can I help you?", I said, coming to a decision.

"Hello. Are you," He looked at his folder and then at me, "Mina Cortés?"

"Yeah?"

"Are your parents home?"

"Uhm, my dad is upstairs."

I opened the door wider, signaling for them to come in. They went into the living room and I went racing upstairs, where my dad was standing by his and my moms bedroom door. He scrunched up his nose and mouthed 'who is it?'

I went up to him and whispered,

"I think they're from the government. They have suits on and everything. With the sunglasses, like the Matrix."

"Immigration?"

I shook my head,"No, too formal."

"Oh, ok."

My dad went past me and down the stairs and I followed him.

What do they want me for? I don't get that good grades and I'm not a model either; not with this fat and acne. Why?

I stayed in the hallway listening to what the government had to say about me to my dad.

Did I commit a crime? Shit, I knew I shouldn't have downloaded Harry Potter illegally.

I leaned closer to the wall to hear better.

"...has been chosen." The fuck?

"For what? Excuse me but, are you from the government?", said my dad, with a spanish accent and all.

"Yes. We are. I am agent Alec Price and this is agent Murray. We are here because your daughter has been chosen."

"For what?"My dad said again, exasperated.

"Mr. Cortés, are you familiar with Captain America and the Black Widow?"

"Yes, aren't they superhero characters from the movies?"

"Yes. They have existed for over 40 years. Since their introduction, scientists have been trying to make people just like them."

"But I don't have any diseases in me." I came out from behind the wall. "So why have I been picked?"

The agents and my dad turned their heads towards me. My dads' eyes got big, in panic, but the wiser agent smiled at me. Like he knew a secret. My secret; whatever it was, I wouldn't know.

"There was a test that you had to take a few weeks ago, yes?"

I remembered back to three weeks ago, before school had ended, after finals, everyone in the country had to take a test that the government said was 'necessary to our physiological state.' It was basically a test asking us where our loyalty stood.

"Yeah?"

"What did you think about it?"

"I thought it was a waste of time." The agent raised his eyebrows at me and I continued, "We had just finished finals and had to take another test? 'Course I thought it was a waste of time. And the test was stupid. Thirty questions asking how I was doing? Stupid."

"You are the only kid who got lower than 20% on it"

"There was a grade on it?"

"Yes."

We all looked at each other for a minute and I looked over everyone. My dad was looking at the ground and had his eyebrows furrowed together. He was confused about all of this, not understanding. I never even told him about the test, because I thought it was dumb. I came home that day, tired and my mom asked me, like she did everyday, how was my day. I said we had our last test today and that I was tired. She said ok. That's it and I forgot about it and now my dad is confused as fuck as to what is going on and what the agent is talking about.

"Well.... if I got lower, isn't that a bad thing?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No. Actually, the lower the better and you got the best."

"So what?"

"So... you've been chosen."

"But for WHAT??!!?" I was getting impatient with the wise man.

"Miss Cortés, you have been chosen to participate in the Onyx Initiative."

What the hell is that?

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