Super Teens | Book 2: The Deity

Chapter 6: Not Our Mary...

"Mary?" I called out, my voice trembling with hope. But there was no reply, no warmth in her stance. She stood motionless, fists clenched tightly at her sides, as if holding in a storm.

"Mary, come home with us!" Connor’s voice cracked with desperation.

Finally, Mary turned around, and we gasped. Her eyes glowed with a bright, unnatural golden-yellow hue. Her fists shimmered with the same radiant energy, and she began walking toward us, her movements deliberate and unnerving.

"Mary? Wha—what happened to you?" Alexia stammered, her voice barely audible over the wind.

Mary's expression was cold, void of any emotion. "I ran out of tears," she replied flatly.

We exchanged glances, confused by her words. What did she mean?

"Mary, what do you mean?" Ellis asked cautiously, taking a tentative step forward.

Mary’s voice was hollow, as though she were no longer fully present. "I’ve had a revelation."

Nervously, Anne pressed, "And that is...?"

Her next words sent chills down our spines. "I want to bring Micah back. But since that’s not possible, I’m going to do the next best thing."

I felt a pit form in my stomach. We were all dreading her next words.

Connor, his voice thick with unease, asked, "And that is...?"

Mary’s lips curled into a smile—one that sent a ripple of fear through the group. "I’ll take the life of the one who took his."

The realization hit us all at once. She was planning to kill Bryson. As the weight of her intent sank in, horror swept across our faces. Mary’s grin only widened, feeding off our fear.

"Why are you so horrified?" she asked, her tone mockingly sweet. "It makes logical sense, doesn’t it?"

None of us could bring ourselves to answer. We were frozen, grappling with the reality that our friend had been consumed by her grief, transformed into something unrecognizable. Ellis finally found his voice, though it wavered with fear.

"Mary, you know you can’t do that, right?" he said, timidly.

Her eyes flashed with irritation. "And why not?"

Connor stepped forward, fists clenched. "Because it’s illegal. And because... we’re going to stop you."

Mary’s laughter echoed across the mountainside, sharp and bitter. "You? Stop me?!" she spat. "You’re just mortals. I am a god. A deity to be worshipped!"

We glanced at Connor, who met her gaze with steely resolve. None of us wanted to fight her—she was still our friend. But we couldn’t let her commit murder, even if it was Bryson’s life at stake.

One by one, we stepped forward, silently taking our positions. Mary’s grin faded, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.

"Now, I love you all," she said, her voice deceptively gentle. "And it would be a shame if I had to kill you. So I’ll give you one chance. Step aside, and I won’t."

We held our ground. No one moved. Our resolve was clear—we weren’t going to let her get to Bryson.

Mary’s eyes narrowed, her expression hardening. "So be it."

With a flick of her wrists, energy beams shot from her fists, forcing us to scatter in every direction. We formed a loose circle around her, each of us poised to strike. Mary glanced at each of us in turn, then, with a swift motion, unleashed a wave of energy, sending us all flying backward.

She moved toward the cliff, readying herself to take off. Her hands crackled with power, and she was moments away from taking flight. Connor, quick on his feet, fired a rocket from his launcher, aiming directly at her. The explosion engulfed her, temporarily blinding her with smoke and debris.

When the dust cleared, she was still standing, barely fazed by the blast. She looked directly at Connor, her eyes burning with anger. She marched toward him, energy gauntlets forming around her fists. Connor stood firm, summoning his talismans, their glow intensifying as he prepared for battle.

They clashed in a flurry of blows, the sound of their fists meeting ringing through the air. Connor held his ground surprisingly well, but Mary was too powerful. She blasted him back with a surge of energy, sending him tumbling across the snow.

As Connor hit the ground, the rest of us launched ourselves at Mary, attacking from all sides. But with a clenched fist, she froze us in place, her grip tightening before she thrust her hand forward, throwing us back with ease.

She turned again, preparing to take flight. Suddenly, Ellis leaped onto her back, his weight pulling her off balance just as she lifted off the ground.

"Get off!" she yelled, shaking him off with a flick of her wrist and sending him flying.

We lay sprawled in the snow, struggling to recover as Mary floated above us, her smile returning. "Bye now!" she called mockingly, before rocketing into the sky.

Panic set in as we scrambled to our feet. She was heading straight for Bryson. We sprinted toward the ship, pushing our exhausted bodies to the limit. Once inside, Connor frantically started the engine, and we took off in hot pursuit.

The silence on the ship was suffocating. We were all processing what had just happened, our minds racing with what we’d seen.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?!" Ellis finally broke the silence.

"I... I don’t know," I admitted, still reeling.

"Was that Mary?" Anne asked, her voice trembling. "I couldn’t even tell..."

"It seemed like she was being possessed," Will muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh, don’t bring that supernatural stuff into this," Alexia snapped. "You know Connor doesn’t believe in that."

Connor, his eyes glued to the navigation system, spoke up. "After what we just saw, I’m not so sure what I believe anymore."

We exchanged uneasy glances, uncertainty settling in our hearts.

"Be honest," Connor said quietly. "Were any of us giving our all back there?"

We shook our heads. None of us had fought her with everything we had.

Anne sighed. "How could we? She’s our friend. I couldn’t hurt her."

Alexia nodded. "I agreed."

Ellis’s voice was firm, though tinged with sorrow. "We’re going to have to. If we don’t stop her, she’ll kill Bryson. No matter how much we dislike him, we can’t let her take a life."

We all nodded in reluctant agreement. The truth was undeniable.

Connor’s face was grim as he locked the ship’s coordinates on Bryson’s house. "Get ready. Earth is just ahead. Let’s hope we get there in time."