Nova • Chase Stein

1.

Not just A Migraine

A LIFE OF a teenager is a struggle; School, drama, and the lectures from strict parents. Nova Ramirez is your typical teenaged girl, but with a little more edge.

Her parents are very strict with her, when they are not working in the lab, they are lecturing her about school. Since Nova is from a wealthy and successful family, she has to be the best of the best.

Her mother and father are scientists, they discovered cures for multiple illnesses. The parents are practically geniuses, so they expect their daughter to be the same.

"Nova!" Venessa yelled as she entered her daughters room. The girl was laying on her chest in her bed while on her computer listening to music through earphones.

Her lips moved with the lyrics and her eyes scanned a article about the mysterious yet famous mural artist in LA.

Nova adored art, and music. The girl has a lot of talent with music and art, but her parents didn't care about anything except for work and PRIDE.

"Nova Xiomara Ramirez!" The mother yelled at her child. Nova let out a deep sigh and took out the earphones before looking at her mother who stood in the door way.

"Yes, Mama?" Nova said as she closed her computer.

"I hope you are studying," Venessa raised a brow, "your grades are not impressive at the moment."

"Ma, I have one B, it's one point from an A," Nova exclaimed.

"It's still not an A," Venessa said back, "anyways, your father is home and dinner is ready."

"I'll be down in a minute," The girl said in a low tone.

"Now!" Venessa demanded and left the room, leaving the door wide open.

Nova rolled her eyes and stood up from her bed, making her way down stairs, in her modern house that her mother and father built right by the beach.

She entered the kitchen to see her mother and father sitting at the table waiting for her. Gabriel smiled, "Hola, Mija."

"Hola, papa," Nova replied, "¿Cómo Estás?"

"Muy benos," Gabriel said to his daughter as she sat down next to him, "¿Et tú?"

"Mas o menos," Nova shrugged.

"So, you made an A on your Algebra II test, congratulations," Venessa said with a blank face.

"Ah, good job, mija," Gabriel added.

"Gracias," The daughter chuckled.

The Ramirez family continued their dinner in silence. It was normal for the family, they don't have family conversations, when they do it's only about PRIDE, work or school.

Nova finished her dinner first and got up from the table, "I'm going to bed, buenos noches."

Her parents nodded and she went back up stairs, and into her room.

The severe pains in her head grew, she has these migraines quite often. As she walked pass her desk, she grew dizzy. Her hands held onto the chair and she groaned in pain.

Nova felt like her head was getting hit with a brick multiple times. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes glowed a crimson red.

She scrunched her eyebrows until a loud ring filled her ears. Her hands flew to the sides of her head, trying not to scream in pain.

Nova fell to the floor, her legs kicked, until a flow of red light came from her finger tips. Objects in her room start to float in the air, along with herself.

When the ringing stoped and her head went at ease, her body fell to the floor, making an 'oof' sound.

Nova sat up and looked around the room to see some of her things on the floor. She lifted her hands and stared at them, still confused of what just happened.

"What the hell?" She said to herself. Nova started to hyperventilate, until her father came in her room with a worried expression.

"Mija, I heard a thump, are you ok?" Gabriel asked as he kneeled down by her.

Nova nodded as her face was still in shock, "Yeah, I just lost my balance."

Gabriel looked around her room to see some of her belongings on the floor, "it looks like an earthquake just happened."

"I hit the floor hard, some things must have fallen," Nova shrugged, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, just pick your room up before your Madre comes in," Her father said before kissing her on the top of her head and exiting her room.

The girl looked at her hands again, looking at both sides.

2007

It was a stormy night after the funeral of The Hernandez's. Gabriel and Venessa stayed stressed out as they were in the lab along with their young daughter.

"They knew the consequences of what would happen if PRIDE got involved with that...whatever it is," Gabriel sighed.

"Whatever it is, we have a weapon," Venessa said as she looked at the crimson red liquid that was sitting on a steel table.

Venessa then looked at her daughter who was sleeping on a blanket that laid on the floor, "whoever started the explosion, knew what the Hernandez's found out about it, they can come for us too."

"As long as we don't say anything, we will be fine, Mi Amor," Gabriel said and hugged his wife.

The two walked out of the lab for a few short minutes. Nova's eyes slowly opened and she sat up, looking around the lab.

"Mama, papa?" The little girl called but no answer. Nova stood up, looking at the glowing red liquid that sat in a glass beaker.

Her hand reached out and grasped the beaker, pulling it closer for her to see. The red grew brighter, suddenly, the beaker exploded, making the red liquid splash on the girl's face.

The liquid absorbed into the girl's skin. Her eyes glowed a bright red, until the noise of a opening door startled the little girl.

"Nova, What are you doing?" Venessa asked sternly.

Nova looked at her mother then to the broken glass, "n-nothing."

"Where is the serum?" Venessa asked in panic.

"I don't know," Nova said slightly above whisper.