Protect the Universe

Chapter Four: The Necromancer

A young woman sat on a stool in front of the cash register, opening and closing it as she twirled a lollipop around in her mouth. On days like these the store rarely had customers so it was quite boring for the young woman.
She stood up and looked at her watch and sighed as she turned her sign around from open to closed and locked the door.
Her phone rang and she grabbed it and answered.
"Michael have you closed up shop."
"I told you my name is Maria now. Please dad..."
"Michael I'm not giving into your ridiculous fantasy now did you close the shop."
"Yeah..."
With that Maria hung up and hunched her shoulders. She pulled her hair out of the pony tail and raked through it with her hands to make sure it wasn't tangled and then made her way to the back of the shop. She opened a door in the back of the shop and it had a staircase and she climbed up it to her house. As she walked in she saw her father, hands on his hips as he waited for her.
"Slow day?"
"Uhh...yeah, yeah it was."
She said as she went into the fridge and grabbed a soda. Her father came up behind her and grabbed some of her hair, not roughly but not gently either.
"You should really cut your hair, boys don't usually have it this long."
"I'm not a boy dad."
Maria jumped as her father let go of her hair and slammed his fists down on the counter.
"Stop it with this nonsense Michael. You are not and never will be a girl. What would your mother think?"
"I don't know!! She was killed when I was three!"
Maria yelled at her father, tears glazed over her eyes but she didn't let them fall. Her father's composure softened slightly as they both turned to the large portrait by the door. The portrait was of a woman with wavy brown hair and gorgeous violet colored eyes.
"Your mother was the best necromancer in all of Cataclysm. You have her power now Michael."
"I don't want this power! I don't want to be different!!"
Maria pushed her father away as he went to touch her face.
"Anyone who touches me dies. Don't say this is a blessing or some stupid shit like that because it isn't."
With that Maria walked off into her room, slamming the door and then locking it. She breathed deeply as she sat on her bed. No matter how much she tried the tears fell down her cheeks. She cupped her face in her hands and sobbed for a long while before wiping her eyes and breathing deeply to calm herself down.
"Why was I born like this?"
She whispered as she hugged herself. Suddenly she heard the words in her head that haven't escaped her mind since that day.
Intelligent and cool-headed
Maria furrowed her brows as she thought of the strange woman. What did she mean by that? Was what happened some weird test? It couldn't of been a coincidence that she was robbed and then that woman touched her. And what did her chest glowing mean? Did a new power awaken in her? A new more dangerous power than she already possessed? Goddess she hoped not. She didn't want to hurt anymore people, she just wants to live a normal life like a normal girl. Even if she didn't have this power she still wouldn't be a normal girl. How she hated that, why had she been cursed like this? What did she do to deserve this life?
"Is this really all I'm ever going to be?"
Her TV flashed on, causing Maria to jump and backwards so far she fell of her bed and hit the floor with a thud. She winced as she listened to the voice that filled up the room.
To save the universe.
Maria touched her chest as she got to her knees and sat in her now dark room. She sat there for a while in disbelief, this woman wanted her to save the universe. A small smile curved on Maria's lips as she sniffled and got to her feet. She ran out of her room and went to her father, grabbing his shoulders with her gloved hands.
"Could you take over the store for the day exactly a month from now? Please? There's somewhere I really need to be."
Her father stared at her quizzically before nodding.
"Sure. I don't mind, just be safe."
She smiled and hugged her father.
"Thank you."
And then scrambled back to her room with the biggest smile on her face. She wasn't destined to just rot in a hole for the rest of her life. She was going to be part of a team that was gonna save the universe. How? She though as she rose a hand to her chin.
"Maybe I did get some weird power? But then how do I make it work?"
Maria pursed her lips and sighed as she sat down on her bed again. And what power would that be? Maybe she could shoot fireballs out of her hands or breath underwater now.
"Guess I'll have to wait until next month."
With that Maria turned off her light and laid down in her bed, pulling the covers over her body completely before finally her fantasies caused her to drift off to sleep.