Electrum

Playing with Fire

The world is a dark shadow illuminated only by the golden light that i emit. I am bathed in a divine glow my skin a pale sheen compared to the flaring shimmer of my dress and the unearthly gold of my eyes and hair. I feel power beyond anything that anyone or anything has ever felt before,all the power of humankind at my fingertips.

Fire courses through my veins like a thousand suns. I am a living ember a bolt of lightning sent from the heavens.

I turn around my hair fanning out like rays of sunshine sending sparks into the darkness of forever.

it is then that i see her, a girl whimpering curled up in a ball her face hidden by the locks of her limp brown hair cascading down her bowed head.

I step forward my light throwing shadows against her, forcing the trembling figure to bask in my hew.

She raises her head brown strands of hair clinging to her eyelashes and cheeks pasted to the trails made by tears

But i recognize her

She is me. Not divine and mighty like i am here, but plain and colorless a wan face against the pitch black

The only thing that stands out is her eyes. They glow an unusual and unnatural eerie green almost as bright as mine but not as beautiful.

She cries a sob that racks her whole body forward, how feeble and disposable she looks , a fragile girl in a fragile world.

I raise my hand, heat sears down my arm sending humming jolts through me. A bolt of lighting escape my palm in a dazzling display of flaring heat, glowing white hot as it sizzles the air streaking towards her.

She sheds one last tear as the bolt buries itself into her chest, blood blossoms on her like a deadly flower unfurling from a bud of black to a patch of scarlet growing stronger as she grows weak.

I twist my hand feeling the bolt submerge me in its divine entity. I control its every move.

The lightning bolt explodes into a million dazzling pieces, sparks jetting off into different directions mixed with the fresh blood of her wound.

Fire rips through her body burning her life away turning her to cinders as the inferno rages on

She makes an agonizing sound, a barley human scream, a hollow intensity shattering the silence.

The noise doesn't stop even as her ashes scatter in the wind, it grows louder and louder continuing on and on and on and on......

I awake with a start my heart hammering painfully in my chest slamming against my ribs. Searing white light imprints itself on my eyelids. I try to remember the dream that tortures me every night but like always it slips away bleeding through my fingers like water down a drain. I find myself restricted by a nest of tubes sunk in to every possible inch of flesh. Electric blue, hard amber and glowing silver pump into my veins washing away the sedative that dragged me down into the world of nightmares.

While i lay unconscious the doctors claimed my blood and DNA calculating my odds of survival for tonight. Right now a computer will be organizing the data and placing a percentage from 0 to 100. 100% means it will be a definite pass,0% means my immediate slaughter.

Emotions bubble up in my chest but i force them back down just as nausea grips me placing its cold clammy hands around my throat. Nerves is the only emotion that resurfaces it sends trembles down my arms making my body shudder. I curl my hands into fists pressing so hard that my knuckles turn white and my nails dig into my palm drawing blood, this isn't the time to be nervous not now not ever, nerves are for the weak and fragile but i am strong. Strong enough to accept death strong enough to deny my own. Passing the trial tonight is my only option. I will pass. I will. I will.

Voices interrupt my chant pulling me away from my thoughts and throwing me back into the reality of beeping machines and the smell of antiseptic. I hear their hurried footsteps and frantic chocking whispers. A blur of emotions slams into me like waves on a rock, i pull them apart giving them back their individuality restoring their power over my actions. I identifiy curisoity as i sift through my sudden feelings so i lay still allowing it to lead me to the conversation of hissing tones and sober words.

I dont need to strain my ears to hear them, in fact i barely have time to close my eyes before the owners of the murmers storm in their heals clicking furiously against the polished floor. Their voices imply that they are woman, their tones indicate danger.

"Its impossible there must be something wrong with the machine i refuse to believe that a fourteen year old girl can score that"

"I thought so to mam but i ran the data six times its a definite percantage. Its not the machine its..its her"

"I saw the results i thought it was a mistake at first so i retested again and again it came out the same every time.....and it wasn't just the percentage the DNA test it was-

"I know i saw it i saw what that thing can do"

"How can anyone have that much power? no human should have that could she.....is...is she a monster?"

"I was once told there was no such thing as monsters but after seeing those results and those unholy green eyes.... i think she's the closest anyon- i mean anything will ever get"

"What do we do? what do we tell the authorities how do we tell her the power she has how do we tell her she got 152% when no one has ever gotten close to 90?"

"NO no one must now not the authorities not the girl. This girl can ruin everything we have ever worked for if people found out what damage can be done then everything we know will crumble, everything. I am not giving something of the girls kind the jurisdiction to set fire to the new world and watch it burn, that will happen if people knew if that thing knew."

"But mam the authorities are aware of what she is but not the extent of what she can do. If we tell them surly they will see the dangers"

"Use your head Jenny, What can the authorities do? The trials are sacred killing a prodigy will raise questions and i doubt they'd do it. Their probably proud of what they've done. They can't see her potential not like you and i can."

"Well then we tell her, maybe if she knew the destruction it would cause she can control herself."

"Do you think a thing like that can control itself? Do you think it will want to? Shes barely human and she barely has any concept of humanity. Her emotions are primitive at best derived from anger hate and lust. She has no understanding of love of anything, i'd go as far as to say she isn't even sentient."

"If we can't inform anyone then what do we do? If she is as prided by the authorities by the new world as you say then we can't just kill her they'd convict us of murder. So what really can we do? change her percentage to below 25% and get her killed instantly?"

"True, they don't bother with under twenty fives, but they'd bother with her, shes different far more talented then any of them have ever seen. Shes clever if shes managed to corrupt the authorities view of her kind."

"So thats just it? we let her live? Even after all the things we've seen shes capable of?"

"For now the best we can do is erase the files and give her a percentage that dosn't raise suspicion. But make no mistake i will not let that girl- that thing into the new world. She is a threat to everyone and eveyrthing around her. I guarantee, by whatever means necessary Viper Slade will be dead by morning"

They walk out of my hospital room. Their footsteps fading further and further away until i am left once again to the steady rhythmic sounds of machinary. But even then, when i know they've gone i am to numb to move. The best i can do is open my eyes, letting the lights abuse my sight and the heat suffocate me.

A lump has formed in my throat making it harder and harder to breathe as i fight to inhale and exhale air. nausea grips me in a wave thats so intense it feels as though my insides have been purified into a liquid swishing around in my hollow stomach.

I had hoped i wasn't 'she'. I had hoped they stumbled into my room by mistake and not by intention but its clear whatever they needed to say could not be done anywhere else. The were checking on me. Checking on humanities most dangerous mistake.

I am Viper Slade

I am the monster