Super Teens | Book 2: The Deity

Chapter 1: Not Moved On

It had been a month since the incident.

For each of us, memories of Micah's death, Bryson turning into a monster, and the climatic final battle haunted our dreams. We were all trying to move on, but the scars were still fresh.

Mary, however, couldn't move on. She could never move on. Micah was gone—killed, and mercilessly so. A photo of him sat on her dresser, always in view. It had been a gift from his parents. Mary was grieving, yes, but even she couldn't fathom the depth of a parent's grief over the loss of their child. Micah had been young, full of potential, only to be snatched away by forces beyond our understanding.

In the month following what we called "The Jealousy Episode," Mary had noticeably withdrawn. She no longer radiated the positive energy she once had. She stopped going to sports games, leaving the stands eerily quiet without her enthusiastic cheers. She no longer hung out with us after school. We noticed her change in behavior, and it worried us. So, we met at my house to discuss it.

"Alright, guys," I began, "thank you for coming. I'm sure we all know why we're here, right?"

Will, trying to lighten the mood, said, "I came for the snacks." But our disapproving looks made him sink into his chair with an apologetic mumble.

Connor was the first to speak seriously. "Yes, we do. Something's obviously wrong with Mary."

Ellis nodded. "We know what's wrong with her. She misses Micah."

"I don't blame her," Alexia added softly.

"Yeah, it's not like none of us miss him. I think about him every day," Anne admitted, and we all silently agreed.

"So, what do we do?" I asked, feeling the weight of the situation.

Alexia sighed. "I don't know. She lost her aunt and best friend in a month. That's a lot for anyone to handle."

"That’s tough," Will said, his usual lightheartedness replaced by sincerity. "It would be hard for anyone to get through that."

Connor looked around at us. "Should we take her somewhere? Maybe stage an intervention?"

Ellis shook his head. "No, it's not like an addiction. But I agree, we should do something as a group to get our minds off it."

"I feel like we need to do something," Alexia insisted. "She’s clearly depressed!"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Without Mary, there's like, a void in our lives. She's always been the positive voice, the leader of our group. Without her, we lose our identity." Everyone nodded.

Will leaned forward. "So, should we all participate? Or should it be a girls' night out?"

Anne and Alexia exchanged a look and nodded.

"It would be better if it’s just us girls," Anne said gently. "I think she’d be more comfortable with fewer people. Sorry, boys."

Ellis shrugged. "I don’t care. You gotta do what you gotta do." Alexia smiled at his understanding.

"Thank you, guys," she said, clearly relieved.

"Alright," I said, holding out my hand. "Operation Cheer Up Mary on three!" Everyone put their hands in.

"One, two, three!" We raised our hands in unity, a sense of purpose solidifying among us. We all felt confident that the plan would work and that Mary might start returning to her old self.

Alexia and Anne took charge of planning a fun-packed day. They decided on a trip to the theme park, followed by shopping at the mall, and ending with a nice dinner. It seemed foolproof, but the hardest part remained: convincing Mary to go. Alexia decided to approach her during lunch.

The next day, the two were sitting at their usual table. The tension was palpable as Alexia prepared to ask the question.

"Hey, Mary?" Alexia began.

"Yeah?" Mary replied, not looking up from her lunch.

"Would you like to have some fun this Sunday?" Alexia asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"Not really," Mary said flatly.

"Why not? You always love hanging out with us," Alexia pressed.

Mary sighed. "I know, I just… I really don't feel like it."

"Come on, Mary," Alexia urged. "It'll be just you, me, and Anne. Only the girls. No loud, annoying boys." She tried to joke, but Mary looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Who was that meant to be a shot at, exactly?" Mary asked, her tone dry.

"Umm, no one in particular. Why?" Alexia stammered, realizing her mistake.

"It felt like you were alluding to a certain someone," Mary said pointedly.

Alexia quickly backtracked. "Oh, no! I wasn't referring to Bryson, I was just joking."

Mary sighed again at the mention of Bryson's name. "You okay?" Alexia asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah, it's just… Bryson keeps annoying me," Mary admitted.

"How so?"

"He keeps trying to buy me stuff, take me places, when all I really want is to be left alone."

"You think he's trying to win back your love?" Alexia asked, and Mary nodded. "Heh, boys—always so down bad for women."

"Yeah," Mary said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "It makes me question our relationship even more. Were we ever meant to be? Or was it just a high school fling that went nowhere?"

"I hear you," Alexia said gently. "But Mary, will you please join us? You haven't been out of the house in ages." Mary sighed deeply, thinking it over.

"Fine, I'll go," she finally agreed. "You're probably right. My perfect tan is starting to fade."

"YES!" Alexia practically shouted. "Oh my gosh, yes! You have no idea how long I've waited for you to hang out with us!" Mary smiled faintly, happy to see her friend so excited. After lunch, Alexia texted me with the update.

Me: Did you ask her? 
Alexia: Yep. 
Me: What did she say? 
Alexia: She'll go. 
Me: LES GOOO!!! 
Alexia: Ikr! 
Me: Good luck for Sunday. 
Alexia: Thank you! Probably gonna need it. 
Me: LMAO

Alexia left school that afternoon, excited about what was to come on Sunday. She quickly informed Anne of the good news, and they were both elated. Maybe, just maybe, Mary was starting to come out of her shell. Perhaps this marked the end of her loneliness and depression. Or maybe… would it be the event that would amplify it?