ELECTRIC LOVE; Sam Guthrie

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When she awoke, her heart dropped. She had just experienced the worst moment in her life, so how did she end up strapped uncomfortably to a bed inside a lab, the electricity flicking from her struggles.

Eventually she gave up, her wrists wrung red from the handcuffs. She screamed and screamed yet no answer was returned. Her voice had grown hoarse and sore by the time she had finally been noticed. A doctor had approached the door, dangling a set of keys noisily.

"Wher- Where am I?" The timid girl breathed, the doctor unlocking the glass doors, approaching her slowly. "What happened? My par- parents they." She spat, attempted to create a spark with her fingertips.

"I know you're scared Athena, but I assure you hun, you're safe." The lady spoke calmly, pulling a chair over softly to sit beside the hospital bed.

"Ho- How do you know my name? You- You can't be good, I'm still here. I never escaped. I can't feel my fingers! Why can't I feel them." Athena grew angrier, pulling at the tight restraints lifting her head up.

Athena realised after all that struggle she had no idea what state she was even in. Her clothes had been burned and tattered, electrical burn marks across her arms and legs. She focused back in to the doctor trying to recollect how she got to this facility.

"Athena my name is Dr Reyes, if you'd sit still, I'd be happy to release your hands." The doctor uttered standing up, Athena obeying begrudgingly laying back down, the doctor unlocking the hefty metal cuffs.

Athena immediately sat up shuffling away from the woman holding her hands out in front of her. "My parents... what happened?" Athena spoke collectively, Dr Reyes sitting down sorrowfully.

"What I'm about to tell you, will be harsh to hear." Dr Reyes begun, "Last night, you were found unconscious at your old facility. Everyone in the facility including your parents has been killed" Reyes expressed dolefully.

Athena paused for a moment her eyes growing wide yet not a tear threatened to fall. "Was it me?" Athena whispered barely loud enough for Dr Reyes to comprehend.

"Their experiment failed, your electrical current was too strong, took out the entire building. You're the only survivor Athena." Dr Reyes looked to the girl mournful.

"Hmm." Athena sighed quietly, straightening her back. Athena wasn't tall, quite short in fact but that didn't stop her from being intimidating.

"What am I doing here? Moreover how did I get here?" Athena continued, pulling at the shreds of her tattered suit.

"My supervisor possesses the ability to detect mutants, you've been on our radar for quite a while. Your parents however ruined our plans to track you quite often." Dr Reyes explained standing up in front the chair.

"They have a habit of ruining things. Well.. had." Athena looked away analysing the room around her. "That doesn't answer my question. Why am I here?" Athena pressed.

"This is a home for young mutants like you Athena. You're not alone. There are others like you." Dr Reyes explained, unlocking the door with her card.

"Here i'll show you to my office and we can talk more." Dr Reyes stood half way out the door, insinuating for Athena to follow her.

Hesitantly Athena, followed her step by step slowly, her eyes scanning the new building. If this so called facility was like anything her parents had put her through she wanted nothing to with it.

Dr Reyes continued to drone on, eventually losing track of Athena who had slipped behind a corner, picking up her pace as she began sprinting through the corridors not long after an alarm beginning to sound.

Athena whipped around the corners of the building as fast as she could, before running straight into a tall figure. Athena had run straight into a taller boy, his leg in a cast and a cap hung lazily on his head.

"Jeez! New girl where'd think you're going in such a hurry. There's nowhere to go, trust me." The boy lifted up his casted leg, his southern accent thick. Athena couldn't help but admire his appearance. He was quite attractive but there was no time for any distractions.

"I have to at least try." Athena picked herself up, beginning to sprint off again hearing the boy call out for her name, mentioning his own, Sam.

"Athena. Nice meeting you Sam." Athena ended the conversation sliding through another door, ending at a dead end. Pounding on the doors desperately, Athena stood back twisting her hands electricity sparking between her fingers tips, the lights flickering statically.

"Athena! Stop!" Dr Reyes demanded, Athena turning around slowly, seeing a few other teenagers stood behind Dr Reyes including Sam who was curiously eyeing her.

"Let me out right now Reyes or so help me god I will blow this joint." Athena growled, the electricity now sparking from the ground connecting to her fingers.

"Athena calm down, you're safe here I promise." Dr Reyes pleaded, raising her hands an object within her fingers catching Athena's eye, a needle.

"I never escaped." Athena breathed shakily, "I'm still at the lab, you want to hurt me. You're the same as my parents doctor." Athena scoffed electric rings beginning to circle across her arms. "Now." Athena summoned her spear, "Let me out now." She ordered.

"I can't do that Athena, now calm down or you give me no choice." Reyes furrowed her eyebrows smartly, just infuriating Athena more.

"Fine have it your way." Athena tilted her head, the lightbulbs bursting the room descending into darkness, the hushed whispering of the teenagers echoing through the room. Reyes backed away, looking forward to the sparking of electricity growing closer, Athena nowhere to be seen.

"Roberto light up." Dr Reyes whispered the other teenage boy's body suddenly lighting up, the brightness of the fire lightening the room, making Athena visible, Reyes shooting a single shock bullet striking Athena's leg dropping her to ground. Athena cursed her fingers deactivating the bullet before she attempted to stand up.

But by the time she had looked up it was too late, Reyes had injected the needle into Athena's neck causing her knees to buckle once again, the light from the alit boy barely making out the scene in front of them.

"I'll kill you..." Athena gritted through her teeth before falling back her vision faltering, as her eyes shut, the last thing she remembered being lifted off the ground.