Failure

Drowning In Memories

She stood, staring at the flames that slowly ate away at the wooden house before her. The smell of smoke filled the air and clouded the sky, but she didn't want this. She wasn't evil, it wasn't in her heart to be this way, and she knew that for a fact. So then why was she acting this way? The answer to that question was rather simple, really. She was being forced.

She was invisible to most everyone. The high school had always been a struggle for every teenager, but this was different. This girl had a special gift, but, of course, she could never tell anyone. She had no one to tell. She just carried on with her life, living as if she were invisible.

It started one day when she had gone to a school dance. She was alone in the corner, like usual, leaning against a wall. No one noticed her, nor paid her any attention. Except for one girl.

"Hey," said the girl. She seemed as if she appeared out of nowhere, "I'm new here. My name's Crystal."

She looked over at the new student in shock, "I'm Neon." Her voice was shaky from nervousness at the sudden appearance of this Crystal girl. No one in this school usually noticed her, nor did anyone in her everyday life. Did she feel... happy?

"Nice to meet you, Neon!" Crystal chirped.

"Nice to meet you as well, Crystal." Came the quiet voice of Neon.

Crystal chuckled a bit, "You aren't much of a talker, are you?" Neon shook her head at the question, sheepishly smiling at the girl beside her. Crystal only grinned, looking back at all the people dancing in the middle of the room. Then sparked the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Neon sighed, backing away from the clouds of smoke the engulfed the area. She couldn't help feeling terrible. So, she stayed invisible, her suit helping keep every part of her hidden from the eyes of others.

The suit... she thought, drifting into another flashback.

Crystal wrote down a few notes on a piece a paper that was stuck to a clipboard. "Is this going to hurt?" Neon asked, standing in a skin tight, light gray suit.

Crystal chuckled, "No, it won't. It's just going to look into your past, read your mind, basically." The scientist shrugged, while Neon looked horrified.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this-" She warned.

Crystal only shook her head, "Nonsense. It'll be fine." Neon sighed, she knew there would be no winning a fight with Crystal, so she followed the young woman, walking over to an empty tube. "Just step inside and put this on over your head. The tube will fill up with water, and this will help you breathe, but it'll also search through your mind. You just need to stay relaxed." Crystal said as she handed Neon a device that looked like a diving helmet with wires attached to the top. Neon nodded, turning to walk up a small set of stairs that lead to an area that was over the now empty tube. Crystal followed after tapping a few buttons on the main computer that powered the entire lab. The tube began to fill up with water, and Neon watched as Crystal attached the wire from the helmet to a few on the ceiling. She felt terrified, how did Crystal expect her to remain calm in a time like this? She had no idea what the machine could do to her if anything went wrong. She could die for all she knew! "Neon!" Crystal called out, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face.

"O-Oh, huh?" Neon replied, had she gotten carried away in her own thoughts again?

The blonde rolled her eyes, "It's time to start, dumb dumb."

"Right! Yes, okay." Neon hesitantly nodded, grabbing the helmet back from Crystal and placing it over her head. She inhaled, then exhaled, and glanced back at Crystal with A nervous expression. But the scientist shot her a reassuring smile. Neon smiled back, nodding and jumping in. The last thing the Neon remembered from that day was Crystal screaming her name, telling her to wake up. Ever since then, she's had the power of invisibility. She looked at the burning house one more time, a tear slipping down her cheek from all the memories. She hated being forced to hurt others, but it was for her own good and the good of her family.

***

Crystal stared at the large empty tube that once held a dear friend. Ever since that day, Neon had become scared of the blonde, refusing to be near her. It saddened Crystal, knowing that the friend who she survived high school with was now gone, off doing who knows what with those powers she had gained from the accident. Crystal shuddered, then turned to face Kailey, who was looking around at the lab in awe.

"Kailey," she began, "do you understand why you're here?" Kailey shook her head, finally focusing on the scientist in front of her instead of turning her head and looking at anything and everything that looked even the slightest bit cool. Crystal sighed, "You're here because the Earth is in, pardon my language, deep shit."

Kailey tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean by 'deep shit'?"

"I mean the Earth is in danger. We don't know what's coming or when, but we need all the people we can get to help save it. And we want you to help us." Crystal concluded. Kailey's jaw hung open, too shocked and confused to say anything.

She finally gathered herself, standing up straight (*cough cough* gay) and speaking, "So, let me get this straight. You want me, an untrained teenage shapeshifter, to help save the world with you, and we don't know what's going to happen or when?" Crystal nodded, her face remaining expressionless. Kailey narrowed her eyes for a moment, then shrugged.

"Sure. I don't see why not." Crystal grinned, holding out her hand for the girl to shake. Kailey stared at it, before taking a small step forward and grabbing the scientist's hand firmly, giving it a light shake.