Seven: The Awakening

Wanna Feel A Spark?

Thai bopped her head to “Be Humble” silently grateful for ol’ school music as she headed inside the Department of Motor Vehicles building. She walked up to the front desk where a handsome but extremely young security guard sat.

“Hi, can I help you?” he asked with extra enthusiasm.

Thai side smirk as she took an ear-pod out and flashed her badge, “Hey! I’m Thaiena. Someone called for an electrician? Something about a short in your circuit breaker?”

She paused her music as the security guard scans through a black binder for the work order.

“Ahh yes. The AC isn’t working properly in some parts of the building and the higher ups think its something wrong with the breaker.”

He taps the open binder in front of her, “Sign in and then follow me to the back.” He stood up while waiting for her to finish signing then led the way with Thai following behind.

“I’m going to escort you half way and then I’ll pass you off to another security guard who will take you the rest of the way.” He looks her up and down seductively, “And if you need me for ANYTHING just let me know.”

The security guard whose badge read “Shawn” gave her a flirtatious smile as he turned forward with a confident bounce in his step.

Thai rolled her eyes because she had to deal with men letting her know they were “available if she needed them” every time she comes to a job. As if the two decades of experience she has never happened.

Most men couldn’t phantom her choice in becoming an electrician. In their minds she was “too pretty and delicate” to do the job. Yes, her job was extremely dangerous but she was a licensed pro and she loved it. It still wasn’t enough to keep men from offering to “save her from the big scary wires.”

On the flip side from the unwanted attention, something about dealing with electricity and being an attractive woman also made men go insane for her. It gave her a certain allure of mystery she never understood.

Even in her dark blue drab of a jumpsuit you could clearly outline her toned figure 8 shape. Her Afro perfectly picked out and sitting on top of her head like a crown. To add some flavor to her boring uniform, she always made up her eyes.

Today was a sharp blue, silver and purple eye-shadow blend. Her lips a clear gloss to let her eyes have all the glory.

She made it to other security guard a woman with a less than friendly demeanor. Thai smiled small and waved off at Shawn and continued to the restrictive area of the DMV with the other guard.

The back area was desolate with old chairs, desks and random boxes of files. They turn a corner and the guard points to the wall at a circuit breaker that looked like it hasn’t been upgraded since the building was built.

“If you need anything just ask one of the motor vehicle representatives and they will get one of us.” She said dryly as she walks away without waiting for an answer.

Thai shrugs, puts the earbud back in her ear and turns her music back on. Normally she wouldn’t listen to music while she worked but being in the strange mist yesterday freaked her out and she needed a distraction from her loud thoughts.

Yesterday, she was tasked to run tests on an utility pole near Silver Phoenix Medical. Even though she was prepared and completely masked up, she still felt funny afterwards.

That same night, she had weird dreams of people she didn’t know but somehow in the dream she knew them. The dreams still leaving her with a chill. She shook the chill from her body and got back to working on the ancient circuit breaker.

The circuit breaker was under a bunch of boxes piled high and filled with files too heavy to move which left her with no choice but to work around them.

“Reminder to tell them before I leave the dangers of keeping this blocked.”

For the last 20 years, Thai has been the top electrician at Spark & Cable. She cherished the stability of her job but enjoy her freelance gigs on the side more.

She had a natural knack for wires and cables, often comparing them to solving puzzles. But even with her years of expertise, this circuit breaker was going to require Thai to use everything she’s learned to fix it.

Thai shuffled through her bag for her circuit breaker finder and electrical gloves. As she slipped her gloves on one by one, she tried ignoring the faint headache she was having off and on all day.

Since last night, her head has been throbbing and she was worried if it had something to do with the weird air she was in.

“Let me hurry up and get this done and tell my boss I’m going to take the rest of the day off.”

Thai reached for the circuit breaker finder and felt a spark from her fingers which was strange to feel because rubber gloves were suppose to prevent that. She shrugged it off and began her search for the short.

She tested the first circuit and felt the spark again but this time she saw a small flicker of light that looked like a mini bolt.

“What the hell?!”

She snatched the gloves off to examine her hands. She spread her fingers in front of her and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Thai closed her eyes briefly and reopened them because to her this had to be an hallucination from her headache.

Her veins illuminated as if her blood turned into an electrical current. The sensation in her fingers feeling stronger than before as if she was charging up. She snapped her fingers and produces a current she held temporarily.

“What the hell is happening?!” What am I?! A fucking battery?!” she yelled to no one.

Thai spun around, searching her surroundings if anyone was around or lurking but it was still eerily vacant.

She continued examining her hands and arms, flipping them back and forth while questioning to herself why she wasn’t scared.

She knew this wasn’t normal but instead, felt at peace as the electricity coursed all over her body. She was alive but this was the first time she felt free.

Like a moth to a flame, curiosity drew her back to the circuit breaker. She reached towards the panel to find the short with her new powers. Not knowing her strength, instead she created a powerful surge so strong that it blew her backwards into a wall, knocking her unconscious.

The circuit breaker shorting further spitting out sparks that landed in the box of flies under it creating a small fire.

Thai couldn’t hear the screams or alarms at first going off as panic ensued in the DMV. Security guards ushering everyone out with urgency forgetting that quick Thai was in back.

The flames started to spread around her, but luckily not touching her. The smoke abruptly waking her and alerting her to the fucked up situation she was in.

Thai was scared as covered her mouth and nose in jumper, looking around for a way out.

She tried to look past the smoke, “How am I going to get out of here? I don’t want to die.” she thought to herself as she hoped someone would hear her prayers somehow.

“Help! Help me!”

She covered her face again, “Where’s Shawn when I need him now?”