One hundred and ten years ago, the first mark had been found. It was a yellow band around the arm. Howard Haze was born into an average family with an ability to see the future. First, he got sporadic visions, then, as his age progressed, he could chose what and when to see. Countless people look up to Howard, and those with his mark enjoy endless glory. On and on, many other babies across the globe found they had these marks too, and they shaped the world into what it is now.
Maelyn lavished reading those words to her self every day, but today was the day they would be most important to her. She was going to be a Chosen. She heard legends and fairy tales about these super humans, but was never old enough to join. On her fifteenth birthday, Maelyn hurriedly skipped up the stairs of the Agency. Throwing open the doors, she rushed to the check in desk.
"Hi! Maelyn Jecca here," she smiled, flashing her ID in the receptionist's face. The receptionist looked bored.
"You cant just come in here unannounced and say you want to be a Chosen. I assume that is your goal, yes? You have to pass a trial first. Then, you work your way up."
Maelyn pouted. A few seconds later, a new look of hope settles on her face. "Well then I'll work my way up and become the number one Chosen!" Yeah, that's what she'd do.
The receptionist nodded halfheartedly. "Well then I'll write you in for the trials. Go right until you see the signs," he muttered.
Take a left. She could do that. Wait no-right. Shit, how could she mess this up so early? Maelyn hadn't even started yet. "Pull yourself together," she snapped at herself. Maelyn sped ahead to the training center, no more mistakes. Then, she collided with someone with a thud.
Maelyn shrieked and blabbed out apologies, hanging her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."
The person looked down at her. "Ok, yeah I'm sorry too," he spoke, "farewell." The man spoke with an air of superiority. Maelyn already disliked him.
She continued walking to the trial center, but was surprised when the guy walked with her. "Oh so are you going to the trials, too?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing, miss."
Huffing, Maelyn didn't respond and walked ahead. The only sound was their shoes on the pristine marble floors.
"Well," the guy announced, "it seems we're here."
Maelyn rushed to open the doors, and what was behind her left her speechless. Maelyn thought the Chosen's trial room was bougie before, but this was a whole new thing. The ceiling was five football fields tall, the people testing in it were using ht to their ability. Unlike the gladiator fights Maelyn expected, all the other components of the room were somewhat boring. There stood uniformed adults with clipboards testing the hopeful wannabe Chosens.
"Hello," a robotic voice warbled, next to the teenagers. "Let's get you signed in. Please state your names, age, and mark." Maelyn jumped. The guy next to her looked down at her like one would to a puppy who just wet the rug. Embarrassed, Maelyn looked down.
"Maelyn Jecca. I can conjure bubbles. The max size is probably about two yards, and they break pretty easily. But it's been my life's dream to work here, and my motivation can drive me to do my very best!" She hoped she didn't blow it. "Oh yeah-I'm exactly fifteen." Phew, she almost forgot.
Then, they bit next to her started to speak. "My name is Jeremy Forrest. 17. I can control any of a person's senses, but only one per person. I can do stuff like limit their ability to do things or add in extra things that they might've heard or seen." Maelyn's jaw dropped.
The robot nodded and walked them over to a stand. "Follow me, please," they spoke.
Before Maelyn could walk over, Jeremy stopped her. "Hey," he projected, a hand on her shoulder, "I have my doubts that you'll pass even this, but if you do," he paused for a second. "I'll look forward to rival you for the better Chosen. And win."
"Huh?! But being a Chosen isn't a competition..." Maelyn huffed. Maybe she could rethink her standing on this guy, though. Jeremy had a fiery spirit, and so did she. They could at least connect on that level, right?
Now at the stand, a woman called her over to a mat. She assumed Jeremy got called over somewhere, too.
"Welcome to the trial room," she grinned. "My name's Madison. Let's get you started!"
Maelyn smiled in return and sat down, thinking that was what she was going to get asked to do. "So today we're going to be testing your physicals," Madison told her. "I want you to try to reach the ceiling. Any way you can."
Maelyn set her jaw. This was it, her moment. She jumped, and let a string of bubbles from under her feet and hands. They kept on breaking as they impacted the ground, but she was letting out millions at once. The quantity trumped the bubbles' weakness and she blasted up quickly. Zooming to the sky, she almost got to the ceiling. She has trained for this, but she started to lose energy, and the bubbles started getting harder to make. Finally, Maelyn managed to graze the tip of the cement canopy before collapsing on the spongey mat.
"Ouch." The impact was way softer than she'd expected, but she still felt sore.
Maelyn gave Madison a weak smile, holing a thumbs up. "Was that good enough?"
"A lot of people did that way more efficient than you did." The tester clicked her tongue. "Still, you didn't fail. So, barely. I expect more from you if you really want to belong here at the Agency, Maelyn."
The bright eyed girl nodded perkily. "I'll try my best to bring glory to my mark," Maelyn declared. "What's the next test?" Madison handed Maelyn a stick looking metal object.
"Here. I want you to grip this as hard as you can. It'll give me how much pressure you're able to put on." Maelyn thought it sounded easy enough, but a lot of other people could probably go way harder. Even though, she still gripped it with all her strength. "This stuff isn't my strong suit," she warned Madison. "Just so you know." The tester didn't seem to care.
"The next one," Madison told her, "is ball throwing." She gave Maelyn a ball with a small screen on it. "I want you to throw this as far as you can. As always, powers are permitted." Maelyn took the ball and gave it a go. Using her bubbles, she created a sort of jet cannon to propel the ball forwards. Taking aim, she hurled the ball forward with all her strength. When she was finished, a number flashed on Madison's watch. "Forty five meters," she yelled as Maelyn scurried to the ball. "Not bad."
They ran five more physicals, sit ups, leg reaches, breath holding, and hurdle jumps. Maelyn did average, nothing really notable.
Madison took her hand after they were finished. "Now we do the fun part."
Maelyn hurried with her to another room. If you could even call it a room. Inside, she let out a gasp. It looked like a Roman colosseum. There were vines stretching around the walls, thorns on every one. A couple skeletons were in a pile in the corner. It was breathtaking.
"Holy shit, this is amazing."
Madison grinned, putting a hand on Maelyn's shoulder. "Glorious, right?" Removing the hand, she assumed her regular expression again. "Anyways, here, you will have to fight another trainee for the final event today. The winner will be supplied with harsh training and a Chosen as a mentor to become Apollo City's future protector."
Maelyn gulped. This was it, all or nothing. She'd been working out excessively and intense for years straight, burning with a passion. She wasn't going to lose now.
Walking into the ring, head held high, Maelyn was ready. "Give me your worst," she called to the dark figure walking towards her.
The person was fully visible now. She had spiky purple hair and sharp eyes. In her belt was a bunch of grenades. "I was about to say the same to you."
Maelyn made the first move. She darted towards the girl, dodging the bombs getting thrown at her. She could blind her with her bubbles. Yes, it'll be painful, but they had William, a major healer standing next to Madison. That's what Maelyn saw, at least. Rapidly shooting the bubbles at the girl's face, Maelyn knew she couldn't lose.
"Owwww," the victim of the bubbles grumbled. "I didn't even tell you my name yet." She rubbed her eyes and shot another bomb. This time it hit. "Call me Tori, and I'll love to watch you go down in my poison flames."
Maelyn was propelled back from the impact, but she was still standing. "Is that all you got?"
Tori propelled herself in the air and hurled more bombs. Maelyn could see that she was running out, so she took that chance while carefully evading the bombs. Since Maelyn stunted her competitor's eyesight, it was easy to dodge. Maelyn took advantage of that. Swirling up with her bubbles, she got the opening and punched Tori clean in the jaw. The purple haired girl fell back, then bounced up again. "Now you've done it," she seethed. "I'm down to my last bomb." Reaching for it, Tori's eyes widened. "You took it? When?"
Maelyn had grabbed the last bomb when Tori wasn't looking! "Looking for this?" she taunted, hurling it at her. The grenade collided with Tori's chest with a thump. This was it, Maelyn could do this.
Tori pulled herself up, grunting. "I guess I have to use this now," she muttered. Springing to her feet, Tori produced bright purple flames that spiraled towards Maelyn.
One of them went straight for her head, but she dodged just in time. Tori sent another one, but Maelyn wasn't so lucky as the last time. The fire singed her right arm, and Maelyn cried out. She had to try another tactic. Using her left arm, Maelyn produced a huge bubble and propelled it towards Tori. This happened just as another purple flame splashed against Maelyn's arm. She let out a scream of agony, and knew that bubbles weren't an option anymore. Slumping to the ground, she prayed for that bubble to do what she'd hoped. Maelyn had never tried something like this before, but it had to work. It just had to.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and pried them open when Tori let out a scream. Then, Maelyn jumped up. The bubble had worked! Tori was trapped in her bubble, and Maelyn carried it off bounds. This took all her leftover energy, and Maelyn collapsed with a smile on her face. She had won.
When Maelyn awoke, William and Madison were standing over her. "Good job," Madison smiled at her. "Come here tomorrow at nine, and you'll find someone to get you to your mentor. You'll get grouped with two to three other people and begin your training, but you won't be seeing any more of me."
Maelyn jumped up and down like a puppy. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, breathless.
"Our little girl," her father announced when she got home. "is going to become a Chosen." Maelyn fell into her dad's warm embrace and cried happy tears.
"I promise I'll make you proud, dad."
That night, Maelyn hugged her pillow. She thought about her dreams, which would all come true so soon. She thought about the people she'd save, all the smiles she'd give. Nobody would feel sad when Maelyn was around. Then, after rolling those thoughts around in her head, Maelyn decided that she'd best get rest before her big day.
The alarm clock went off just as Maelyn opened her eyes. This was a new day, and she'd make it all hers. Running down stairs, careful not to wake her mom up, she made herself an omelet. Her mother usually liked to sleep in until ten or so, so Maelyn told her about the time the night before. Nothing was in Maelyn's way.
By the time the clock read 8:15, Maelyn was ready to bolt. The Agency was extremely far away, so it took a long time to reach. Since she also couldn't drive, Maelyn had to catch a bus. They were considerably fast, at least. Maelyn knew that someday she'd be able to reach this destination on her bubbles alone, and that was a day she greatly looked forward to.
At the Agency, she burst open the double doors and was greeted with the same receptionist that she'd met before. Maelyn was relived, in a way. This guy had doubted her before, and she was here to rub it in that he was wrong. "I'm Maelyn," she greeted, reaching out her hand. The receptionist didn't take it. "I was supposed to get with a mentor?"
"Oh yeah. I'll ring her down."
Not a minute had passed and Maelyn heard a rumble of footsteps. The excitement got to her. Who was this girl? "Hey," the receptionist called to her. "Can you stop jumping up and down like that? She's coming, yeesh. You're giving me a headache." Maelyn forced herself to stop. Just then, she found herself face to face with Cherry Cheery, the number five Chosen, not to mention a member of the Council. Those people are the whole government.
"Hey, Maelyn! I've heard a lot about you."
Maelyn was speechless. When she finally found words, she spoke to Cherry. "I am deeply looking forward to working with you, miss. I hope I can prove myself worthy of your guidance."
Maelyn felt the smack of Cherry's manicured hands on her back. "Why are you so formal and wacky now, Mae Mae?" she joked. Maelyn already had a nickname? "Come on, my main rule is to always be casual with me. From now on, just call me Cherry." Maelyn beamed. "Now follow me, your new life awaits!"
Maelyn followed Cherry outside to a field in the back. She wondered what the rest of the Council would do without her. Cherry wasn't that integral, but still part of the Council. Maybe they had someone to fill in for her?
Maelyn snapped out of her wandering thoughts when she saw who was waiting with Cherry.
"Maelyn," Jeremy Forrest patronized, "what a wonderful surprise."
"Jeremy! You made it in, too," Maelyn marveled. "Well, of course you made it. Your mark is amazing." She was happy that someone she knew already was in her group, even if Jeremy wasn't her favorite.
Cherry grinned. "I see you already met."
"Yes Cherry! Jeremy's probably going to catch up to your ranks someday, maybe even take your place." Maelyn let her words sank in, immediately regretting them. "No wait, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be looking down on you, just I'm trying to say that Jeremy is really powerful." Maelyn's eyes were wide in panic.
Cherry raised a hand to stop her. "I know what you mean. It's ok, I honestly am kind of hoping he will. My power is pretty great, just saying, so if he does manage to replace me, I'll be glad." She tiled her head upwards, her expression changing. "It's not a competition, either."
Maelyn nodded, contemplating what Cherry had said. She was going to love working with this woman.
Then, Maelyn heard the sound of someone running towards them. Turning to look, she noticed a girl with a stylish hairdo, her ears holding gold rings. What struck Maelyn off guard, though, was her pale blue skin. The girl was waving at them. "Sorry I'm late," she hollered. "I'm Sorphine." Sorphine was wildly blushing, her face a violent cerulean. "You might know me as, uh, Cherry's cousin."
Cherry beamed at Sorphine. "Our last member is here," she sang. Maelyn and Jeremy were silent.
"Why is her skin blue? Is that her mark?" Jeremy broke the silence. "Also, she's your cousin?"
Sorphine blushed even harder and stared down at her pressed skirt. "Her power is to turn into water, and the blue skin is just a side effect," Cherry spoke for Sorphine. "And yes, she is my cousin. But I swear, there's no nepotism here. She had to try out on her own."
Maelyn rushed toward Sorphine, arms out. "That's so cool!" Maelyn cheered, nuzzling her with her cheek.
Jeremy slowly clapped. "I still bet you can't beat me. Water or not. Anyways, nice to have you."
Sorphine crumped even more and asked her cousin a question. "Can I go now?"
"Not yet," declared Cherry. "We still have work to do. So, can you guys tell me why you three are in a group?"
"Is it because our powers are good with each other's?" Maelyn guessed, pulling off of Sorphine.
Cherry shook her head. "It's to challenge you. Each one of you can learn something from the other. Maelyn, you need to boost your abilities, and these two showed that they need more social skills and talent outside of magic," she explained.
"I can really teach them something?" Maelyn marveled. Jeremy crossed his arms and huffed.
Nodding, Cherry went on to explain the next part. "Now, we already know your names and powers. I went over them with Sorphine on the way here. But I feel like there's something that's still missing," Cherry stated. "What about your motivation? I want to hear those juicy backstories, starting," she pointed at Jeremy, "with Forrest over here."
Maelyn was surprised when he shook his head. "I'd rather not say, it's pretty personal. Why not you go, bubble girl?"
Maelyn figured she'd let him keep his business and eagerly explained herself. "My mom was a guard for the Banished. We had to move close to the Junkyard, for more time and efficiency. As you know, the area around that place is poverty ridden. Everyone around me was depressed, the whole area was hopeless. There wasn't any sugar or toys, nothing to make kids happy. Then, to make matters worse, my mom got killed by a Banished. So, I decided to change things and make it so everybody around me would be happy and safe." She took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. Jeremy gaped at her. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but and then closed it again. Sorphine sank deeper.
Cherry cleared her throat. "I see. How about you?"
Sorphine picked her head up. "As you guys know, I'm pretty powerful. And uh, I really look up to my cousin. Some day, my wish is to work with her in the Council. I know it's not that much of a backstory but it kept me going for fifteen years." She flinched and started to curl up again.
"No, no, that was a great one!" Maelyn assured, hurrying over to Sorphine. Cherry chucked and pulled her hand up to her mouth.
"You'll start your training on Monday," she announced. "You can go home after I see you do one hundred pushups."
After Maelyn could finally leave, she sweatily walked over to the pathway back but was stopped by Cherry.
"Maelyn," Cherry announced, "I went over this with Jeremy and Sorphine, but I still need to get to you." Maelyn wilted. "You probably already knew this, but everyone officially training here has to live in a dorm if they're not less than five minutes away." Maelyn had guessed that something like that would happen, but having it heard officially made her jitter. It would be cool living in the Agency, sure, but what about her dad? Ever since her mom passed, she worried about him.
"Is there a way I can still communicate with my parents?" Maelyn asked.
Cherry nodded vigorously. "Yes! I was just about to give you a pocket mirror."
Maelyn had heard about these things, but they were always too expensive for her to afford. They were like walkie talkies, but much better. You could actually see the person you were talking to through the mirror.
Cherry kept on explaining as Maelyn eagerly took the device. "You're permitted to bring a box of things to the dorm to decorate and stuff, everything else will be provided there. Make sure to have this by the end of the week, and that's all." She did her famous double peace signs. "See you then!"
"Hey, dad," Maelyn professed, "I will officially live in the Agency by Saturday." She gently gave him a mirror.
Her father beamed, surprising Maelyn. "This is great! Every day, you'll be closer to your dream." He grabbed his daughter's arms and swung her around. "I'll miss you, though."
Maelyn grimaced. "I'll miss you too." She hugged him tight, and they sat there for a couple minutes.
The next day, Maelyn awoke bright and early, stretching her arms. There, she noticed her box. Maelyn had put some photos, a necklace her mom gave her, and her some weights. Maelyn doubted she'd need them, since they'd probably be supplied, but they felt special to her. A memento of a sort.
Maelyn woke slept in a bit, exhausted from her first day, so she grabbed a protein bar and headed out.
When she arrived, Maelyn noticed Jeremy was there before Cherry. He was staring at the door with a distant expression. She decided to try and do something about it.
"Hey," Maelyn asked Jeremy. "You seem sad. Is everything okay?"
Jeremy nodded briskly. "There's nothing you need to hear about."
Maelyn leaned in for a bear hug. "Jeremy," she groaned, "if we're going to be working together, then we shouldn't keep secrets."
Jeremy turned away, pushing Maelyn off of him. "No. Do I need to use my Mark on you?" He lifted a seventy pound dumbbell and curled it.
Maelyn slumped. "Okay," she muttered, "but you can talk to me whenever."
She was about to walk away, and just as she turned, Maelyn felt a tug on her overalls.
"Maybe I can tell you some of it."
She turned around and listened. "I had a friend. I loved her, and because of the policies here," he turned away, "never mind, this is stupid. Hey, Sorphine."
Maelyn frowned. She guessed that this wasn't even half of it. A friend, huh? She'd have to check it out later. Maybe ask Cherry. Speaking of the devil, Sorphine was timidly waving at them.
"Hey Jeremy. Maelyn," she muttered. Jeremy still looked sullen, but on top of that expression, Maelyn noticed a plastered smile.
"Hey, Sorphine," she spoke. "Cherry's late again, huh?"
Behind them, the pink haired hero showed herself. "I was actually here before Jeremy," she pointed out. "Stealth is a trademark of a good Chosen." Maelyn smiled. "Anyways, today, we're going to be taking a little field trip. You guys are going to study the Banished for the day. This will improve your courage and observations if you do it right."
Sorphine looked absolutely petrified. "They could kill us," she trembled. "This isn't safe."
Maelyn took this as an opportunity to share what she knew. "If they try to use their mark, even once, a guard or Cherry will tase them."
Cherry clapped. "Right-ie-o my friend," she beamed. "But I won't be the one with you today. You're going with Randy Peters." Sorphine perked up and Jeremy actually smiled.
"Randy Peters!" exclaimed Maelyn. "She's one of the top Chosens."
Cherry nodded. "Speaking of the top Chosens, I have to go fill in my required Council time." On the way out, Cherry hollered one last time. "Randy'll be here soon, so bye!" And with that, she was gone.
Maelyn still couldn't believe it as she walked down the stone stairwell, leading to the Junkyard. Randy was calm about it, careful not to spike anyone's anxiety about the coming adventure. Jeremy, at least, seemed like his usual self. "Don't worry," he boasted, "no dirty Banished is any match for me."
Randy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, kid."
Sorphine was getting more and more damp as they walked, leaving puddles in her wake. This must be terrifying for her, but everyone's head was held high. Maelyn noticed that they stopped at the house marked Jawson; En. "Jawson?" she wondered aloud. "As in Pierce, Jawson?"
It was when Randy opened the door that Maelyn got confirmed right.
"You know who this is, right?" Randy asked her group.
Maelyn took this as a chance to explain. "She's Pierce Jawson! Her father is famous for starting the line of purple marks."
"Correct, Maelyn," Randy praised.
Maelyn's first impression of the hut's residents was chilling. The girl next to Pierce was tall with black hair that kind of burned into fire at the tips. "You still haven't explained why you're in our home," the flaming red demon known as Pierce spat at them.
"Yeah," fire hair hissed. "Do you think we're your little lab rats or something?"
Randy stared at them. "Maybe I do." She looked at Maelyn and her friends. "You guys are going to be spending the day with these guys. They'll teach you about their everyday lives. See if you can spot the differences between theirs and ours."
The first thing Maelyn did was go over to Pierce. The demon bared her teeth and turned away coldly. Maelyn's lips pinched down, sullenly.
Maelyn felt Sorphine duck behind her, probably scared of Pierce.
"Hey," Pierce sneered, holding out a clawed hand to her. "Let's get to know each other. I'm Pierce, what's your name?"
Sorphine paled and started vaporizing. This was the first time Maelyn had actually seen her use her mark. The demon girl's eyes widened and Pierce shrunk back.
The other girl with the fire hair went up and put a hand on Peirce's shoulder. "Let's get to the point and cut the crap. We hate each other, not just dislike, hate, so I don't know what you want to get out of this," she spat.
Maelyn shivered. "It's not like we hate each other," she quivered. "We're just, uh, different."
"Fenley," Pierce called to her friend. "Remember, this'll be over soon."
Randy angrily heated a wall up. When she realized what she was doing, Randy cooled it off again. "We're actually doing this tomorrow, too. So don't get your hopes up."
Would two days be enough to look through a century of evil?
Maelyn noticed that Jeremy was unusually silent and kept on stealing glances at Pierce. "Hey, Pierce," he mumbled. "Do you remember a girl with white curly hair? With, like, a fancy suit jacket?"
Pierce walked towards him, a new expression on her face. "What do you know about her?"
Jeremy looked eager. "Come with me," he motioned her away. Then, they were gone.
Maelyn was curious, but didn't press. So that meant that she and Sorphine-who had reshaped-were stuck with Fenley.
"Great," the fiery girl hissed.
Sorphine's lip trembled. Maelyn just stared at her. "You don't scare me."
The girl let out a cold, hollow laugh. "Oh, is that what you really think?" She paced closer to Maelyn. "I'll let you believe that. I'll have fun seeing you when you come back."
Sorphine jolted up, her hands balled in her skirt. "Please, don't play around with us," she warned, glaring. "Randy could end you, right here and now." Then, she snapped back into her messy posture and trembling lip, but still kept a cool look in her eyes.
The fire girl took a deep breath but didn't say anything. They stood like that until Randy signaled for them to leave.
"Bye, guys," Randy told the Banished as they left.
Maelyn waved and left without a word.
When the Chosens in training got back to the Agency, Randy disappeared before they got in.
"Welcome back," Candy greeted warmly. "How was it?"
Sorphine violently shook her head. "Fine," Jeremy spoke to the ground.
Maelyn shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just glad that tomorrow's the last day."
"Yes!" Candy nodded. "After that, you'll start interviewing the top Chosens to see how they fight. But for now, you can go home or to the dorms. Good job today, my friends!"
Maelyn looked towards when she could train with more Chosens with a smile on her face.
She had moved some of her things into the dorm at the beginning of the day, so now Maelyn stood in the doorway of her new home.
"Cozy," she muttered to herself.
Putting her hands on her hips, Maelyn got ready to do the rest of her room.
When she finished putting up the last poster, Maelyn plopped down on her bed. The way she sank in so easily startled her. Her head propped against the pillow as she made efforts to sleep.
"Rise and shine!" Maelyn heard her alarm clock trill. It was built in and set to six in the morning. She groggily punched the button to turn it off.
Getting out of bed, Maelyn half heartedly threw on her Agency uniform until she remembered something. She was actually living at the foundation of the Chosen Council. The Agency. Maelyn jumped up to grab another protein bar to get ready for the day.
She decided to stop outside Jeremy's room to greet him. He'd been sad the day before, so she wanted to do her best to cheer him up.
"Hey, hey Forrest!" Maelyn greeted, swinging open the door. "How are you doing?"
Jeremy cocked his head in a smirk. "Çava bien, et toi, my miss?"
Surprised by his sudden use of French, Maelyn told him she was good. "How do you know that?" she asked in wonder.
"I picked it up from my friend Yatari. There's a lot you'd be surprised about with me." Maelyn decided she'd like to meet this Yatari.
"So what are we doing today?" Madelyn heard Sorphine ask as she bounced down the stairs. "I mean other than the Junkyard thing."
"Well," Cherry told her, "we're planning on doing that for an hour and then some extensive training. You're obviously expected to do this on your own, but more could never hurt, right?" Cherry pointed to her eye and twisted her finger, all cute like. "Teehee."
"I could get behind that," Jeremy told himself. "Obviously."
"If that's all you need, then I'll be off now. Randy's already here, so she'll take you to the Junkyard."
As if on cue, the temperature changing Chosen herself walked outside to their area.
As they walked down to the Banished's home, Jeremy signaled her over to him.
"Maelyn," he alerted her, "I have something to tell you. About my backstory." Maelyn gasped, willing him on. And so Jeremy continued. "That Yatari girl, well," he glanced around, then back at Maelyn, "please don't tell anyone."
"I won't."
"We'll, she thought that the Banished were treated poorly. She tried to help an, uh, specific Banished out and got shot. Fatally." Maelyn felt faint. A guard would do that? "So, I don't know, she passed that idea on to me. Maybe, if I become an admirable Chosen or Councilmember, I can change the rules a bit. Maybe make it a bit more easier for those living in the Junkyard." Madelyn didn't know how to respond at first, then she felt the laughs. They were quiet at first, but then bubbled up. A minute later, she was barreled over.
Maelyn felt Jeremy's cold stare, but she didn't care. "The Banished are evil, dude," she chucked. "I think the laws should be more harsh."
Jeremy didn't speak to her until the Junkyard. And that was where hell broke loose.
When they got to Pierce's hut, they still had to wait a bit. When the devil finally arrived with her friend, Randy said the first word. "You're late," she reprimanded.
Pierce looked calm. "We were meeting up with a friend. You Chosens can hang out with people too, right?" she asked sarcastically.
Randy pressed her lips. "Alright, fine," she continued, "I'll let you have your idiotic little play-dates." That other "The Council is only making us do this one more thing, so let's get this over with. I want to spend as little time as possible with these criminals." Wait, was Randy smiling? Randy opened her mouth again. "I don't really see why they couldn't have just killed you, but hey, nobody listens to me." Pierce's eyes turned into slits. Scary. But Randy kept talking. "If that whore of a mother you had had just done her job and killed Raegan when she was supposed to, none of this would've happened." Maelyn gasped. She fought back telling Randy off for what she'd said.
Maelyn sensed that Pierce was fuming. Maelyn noticed as she jabbed something into the vessel on her wrist. Her friend with the hair did the same. When Randy felt what was happening, she tried to grab the fire girl, Fenley? That was her power, after all, temperature change heavily relied on touch. Fenley winced and tore away her arm, but not in time. Maelyn could see the skin heat up.
Fenley screamed and unleashed a blaze of fire from her unharmed hand. "Die, you heathen."
Maelyn knew the protocol, she had to run outside and alert the Council. But she couldn't, she couldn't sit by and watch all this happen-not with her power. She had grown her bubbles only a little, but she could do this. It was now or never.
"Go, now Sorphine! Get the council while you can!" Randy yelled before getting swallowed up in Fenley's flames. The pale blue girl, alert, evaporated into the wind. Maelyn was still kind of confused about Sorphine's mark, but if all that matters was that it worked for the person using it. Meanwhile, Maelyn struggled to produce a bubble that would withstrain Fenley.
"Not today, bitch," Fenley screamed as she dodged the bubble. Meanwhile, Pierce went straight for Randy. Maelyn decided to focus on the demon for now.
"Come on!" She screamed as her bubble fizzled away as it impacted Pierce's leather skin. Pierce stared at the bubble for a second, disgust in her eyes. Then, Jeremy dived for her.
He screamed as he grabbed her arm. "One touch is all I need to affect your senses. This is a special move I've been working on."
Not a second later and Pierce crumpled onto the ground, producing a small cry. Her friend, Fenley rushed over to her, creating the perfect gap for Randy.
When the Chosen pressed her finger pads onto Fenley's arms, she let out a cry as her power surged through Fenley's left arm.
"Shit," Pierce's friend yelped. "Pierce, do you think you can handle her?"
"I got it," Pierce replied, bringing herself up. Again, though, she fell down in pain. Maelyn looked over to Jeremy and smiled, really regretting what she'd said earlier. She wasn't going to apologize, but maybe she should have worded it a little bit better?
With Fenley's unhurt arm, she held out a hand to Randy's face. "I'm going..," she drawled, "to kill...you."
Randy huffed, and yanked Fenley's hand, pressing her palm to hers. "I thought this would be a challenge," she sighed. "Guess not." Fenley yelped one last time before collapsing onto the ground.
Pierce growled, but she still didn't get up. "I gave Pierce the illusion of a broken leg," Jeremy hollered to them. Maelyn was so grateful.
Just when Maelyn was going to apprehend them, she felt something hard and sharp hit her head. Then, she was out.
When Maelyn awoke, she noticed the number three Councilmember tied up next to her, unconscious. Maelyn grit her teeth. A lot of time had passed, she guessed. Too much. And if they'd apprehended Bolt, then what was stopping Pierce from killing every Chosen? She could see a tall figure in a lab coat. She had broad shoulders and auburn hair pulled into a bun.
"Don't think of getting away," the woman sneered. "I was told to kill you whenever I wanted."
Maelyn gulped back. Biting down, she thought about her friends. Where were Jeremy and Sorphine? Cherry's cousin had definitely done her job, but it was too late. Everything was too late. For the first time in Maleyn's life, she felt hopeless.
She tried to blink away then, but the tears came eventually. They tasted salty as they moved their way to Maelyn's mouth.
"Ah, yes," the guard smirked, "it didn't take that long for you to break. I knew you were a hopeless child. Now you know how everyone in this wretched city treated us. Not even given a chance, just left to rot." The guard stared into the distance. "Just left to rot."
Maelyn sort of knew what she was talking about-but it was reasons like this that the Banishment rule was put into place. She had a new deep hatred for this guard, and all the Banished.
"You'll die here," the guard informed Maelyn, "most likely. Either that, or put in captivity."
Maelyn hung her head, because that was all she could do. Maelyn was so confident, just a day ago, that she'd be so great. And now she was completely powerless in the face of danger. She was just a hopeless child, after all.
Just as Maelyn was drowning in her self pity, Bolt huffed awake. "That's just low," were the first words that came out of his mouth. "Capturing a child like that."
"Oh I'm sorry," the guard spat, "was I supposed to just kill her? What would you rather me do?" She pressed her gun to Bolt's chin. "Or maybe I should just kill you?"
Bolt laughed. "Go ahead, I'm sure the Council will slaughter you. Parse can be pretty scary when she wants."
"I can kill you," the guard cocked her head. "Do you want to die, boy?" She shoved the gun she was holding under his chin.
Bolt grinned. "Like I said, go ahead."
Maelyn was confident that the guard wouldn't actually pull the trigger. She was just talk.
A minute later, she was silenced by a sharp gunshot. Maelyn gaped at Bolt's stump of a neck. Buckets of blood gushed all over the dry grass.
Maelyn froze, too afraid to look back at the guard. She would be quiet and good. Somebody would save her. Somebody fucking had to.
Minutes turned into hours as time blew by, and the guard still lingered. Nobody would save Maelyn. With a deep breath, she realized that she could stay here and possibly starve to death, or attempt to save herself. The latter reminded her of Maelyn's aspirations, her dreams. She could be the Chosen she had dreamed of and change this to be good. Maelyn could use her bubbles to trap the guard and shoot her.
"Such a shame, little girl," the guard sighed, "I kinda feel bad for you."
Her guard was down.
Maelyn said nothing as a giant bubble floater towards the guard. Maelyn prayed it would work, please, god.
The guard had her back turned, and when she noticed the bubble, pulled out her gun.
Just in time, the bubble didn't evaporate but actually held.
"Yes!" Maelyn cheered. She could do this. Better yet, the guard had dropped her gun while getting picked up. Grabbing it, Maelyn evaporated the bubble and without hesitation, shot the guard.
A shadow fell over Maelyn's face, but she couldn't stop now. She ran ahead, for Bolt, for Randy, and for everyone else who lost their lives in this battle. She could see the corpses around her as Maelyn breezed ahead to ten Agency. Just keep running, she told herself.
"Wait," she heard a faint cry from behind her. Turning around, she saw a familiar pale blue girl.
"Sorphine!"
Her friend was scratched and dirty, but she was holding up a child who looked far worse off than her. "I tried, but he doesn't have much time left." A tear fell down Sorphine's cheek.
"We can save him," Maelyn reassured. "We just have to get to the Agency."
Continuing Maelyn's streak of luck, the building was in sight.
"Ten minutes," Sorphine calculated, "we can get there in ten minutes, if we really hurry."
"Thank you," Maelyn grinned through the smoke.
Seven minutes into their little run, Maelyn caught sight of Cherry's familiar pink hair.
Sorphine's eyes brimmed with tears for her cousin. "Cherry!"
Cherry Cheery rushed towards her students, arms outstretched. "I'm so glad you're alive," she sobbed. Maelyn leaned into her warm embrace.
The hug ended just as quick as it began as Maelyn spoke. "We have work to do. We already lost Bolt and Randy, and that's all we'll lose today."
The brightness vanished from Cherry's face, but she started to dash to the Agency nonetheless. No more time could be wasted.
Finally there, Maelyn stopped to catch her breath in the doorway. The once shiny floors were stained with blood. Maelyn couldn't comprehend that just that morning, she walked those very stairs without even a thought about how bad the world could be.
Halfway up to the next floor, Cherry stopped with a gasp. "Vincent..," she mourned. Sorphine started to cry, Maelyn heard.
Maelyn rushed up, still a bit slow since on the way there, she had volunteered to carry the boy in her bubble. But once she got there, Maelyn gaped, breathless for the millionth time that day. Vincent was a colt lump on the floor, and when Maelyn got closer, she could see the gash in his stomach. Cherry bent over to check his pulse and her face dropped even more. "He's already dead."
Maelyn didn't admit it, but she expected that. A couple of arachnids were huddled in the bloody laceration. A bit ironic, considering his mark.
Maelyn forced herself to bring herself up, and continue onward. For Cherry and Sorphine. For the child they had to save. As she got to the second floor, it was Maelyn's turn to go pale. Jeremy Forrest was splayed out, barely recognizable. He was a crisp brown, almost completely turned to ash. The only thing really left of him was his face, his messy hair still in its small ponytail. His marked arm had been severed and placed in his mouth in a vulgar manner. The wall next to Jeremy had also been destroyed.
"Jeremy," Sorphine trailed off.
Cherry put a hand on her cousin and Maelyn's shoulder. "It'll be okay," she started to cry. "It'll be fine, kids." Cherry's face took a new expression-an angrier one. "I'll make them regret this." Cherry grabbed Maelyn and Sorohine's wrists and sped up the stairs.
On the third floor, they were greeted by another limp body, but this time, it wasn't a Chosen's
"Fuck," Fenley cursed. "Rascal needs to hurry his ass up. It'll be fine."
She was hovering over Pierce Jawson's unconscious body, still oblivious of the bodies in the doorway.
Maelyn was fuming. These were the heathens that started all of this, that killed Jeremy. Cherry, Maelyn guessed, was thinking the same thing, as the Chosen charged forward.
Fenley whirled back, surprised. "Filthy pig."
Cherry was livid, more than Maelyn had ever seen. "Those were real fucking people you just killed," she spat as she delivered a drop kick to the unsuspecting child.
Fenley sucked in through her teeth, giving Cherry the perfect headway to pin her. She charged up, and delivered an energy blast to Fenley's face. Oddly, this was one of the first times Maelyn actually witnessed Cherry's mark. Ignoring the circumstances, it was actually pretty cool to her.
After the burst, Cherry delivered punch after punch to Fenley's face. "Shit, Pierce," Fenley managed to call to her friend. "Can you please wake up? I can't even get any fire in." Cherry smiled as another brutal burst got charged up and blasted into Fenkey's face. The Banished fell unconscious, limp on the ground.
"That," Cherry clasped her hands together, "is how you do it."
Sorphine started to tremble. "A bit excessive, isn't it?"
Cherry responded by looking over at Fenley again. "Oh no...what have I done?" She waved Maelyn and Sorphine ahead. "Parse is at the top. She's probably rushing down, since we're here. You guys meet her and finish this up." Cherry wiped her wettened eyes. "I have to think about what I just did."
"I guess anger just got to her," Maelyn mumbled, trudging up the stairs, still with the kid. She felt her eyes hollowing.
Sorphine said nothing, but followed her.
As promised, soon enough, Maelyn heard Parse speeding to them. "Parse!" she wept. "Please, Cherry said that you can fix this. Please."
Sorphine stared up. "Please."
Parse's lip trembled and she took the kid. "William is no longer with us," she looked away. "But I can give this boy some of my energy, at the very least." She tightened her grip, closed her eyes, and the kid started to glow.
The boy slowly blinked open his eyes, and then closed them again. Parse looked to Maleyn and Sorphine. "Maelyn, get this boy to a cot. I still need to save most of my energy, but I gave just enough to keep him alive." Maelyn nodded and hurried down into the infirmary.
When she got there, she stared out the window. If Maleyn fell, she'd probably die. She could end all of this. Maelyn shook away the thought, placing the boy down. She tried her best, but what else could she do to fix this?
"Please," she heard the kid from the cot. His voice was weak, barely able to be heard. "Please, go."
Maelyn rubbed her eyes. Could she? What would happen when she got back? Would everything really be fixed, just like that? She'd shot a person. She saw someone get shot right in front of her.
Lost in thought, Maelyn noticed someone enter the room out of the corner of her eyes. The boy had hair made of crystal ore. "Where are Pierce and Fenley?" he asked.
"Who are you?"
The boy shrugged. "I'm not even sure I know the answer to that. But I need to find my friends."
He wasn't a Chosen, not someone like her either. He was another enemy.
Thoughts trickled into Maleyn's mind. She remembered hearing about this guy. His name was Randall or something. The purple crystals on his hair were poisoned. With whatever power amplifier the Banished concocted, they were probably lethal.
Without noticing what she was doing, Maelyn wandered over to his head and grabbed one. "Thank you," she mumbled to Randall before eating one.
Oh yeah, his name was Rascal.
YOU ARE READING
Chosen
ActionOne hundred ten years ago, the first mark had been found. It was a yellow band around the arm. Howard Haze was born into an average family with an ability to see the future. First, he got sporadic visions, then, as his age progressed, he could chose...
