The X-Men meets Stranger Things in this coming-of-age tale.
I, Nadine Jackson, believe in science and opportunities, not stories out of a comic book.
So as part of a school project, my friends Imogen 'Aria' Zhang, Marco Martinez, James Ryder and I...
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"This guy wants me to kill the old man?" I wonder.
Inspecting Mr. Jefferies' face, I saw no glimmer of humor in his eyes. His hands clenched to his sides as the scientist's blue eyes stared at the back of my head.
Studying the old man behind the glass, I tuck my hands inside my pockets then take a careful step back.
"I am not going to kill him, " I say quietly.
Mr. Jefferies's face deteriorates. "He knows everything about my organization—"
"I don't care, " I snap. "I am not a murderer!"
Annoyed, the scientist grunted, "so you're a hero, huh?"
"No!" I bellowed. "I am not a hero—"
"Then what are you?" Mr. Jefferies asks frowning.
I open my mouth to answer, but I do not know what to say.
What am I? I wonder, staring at my hands.
To most people, I am a fifteen-year-old girl with an African-American father and a Guatemalan mother.
I am good at AP Chemistry, I have friends who care about me, and sometimes I dream about spending the rest of my life with James Ryder.
But now that I have superpowers, I do not know who or what I am.
I am just... .me.
Noting my silence, Mr. Jefferies snort: "Just what I thought. You are just as weak as you think."
Looking up from my hands, I made a face.
"Why is abducting innocent civilians important to you?"
Mr. Jefferies slicks his hair back with his right hand.
"Well, " he sighs. "I used to respect the Avengers."
My left eyebrow rose. "What?"
The scientist slowly approached the glass window then leaned his back against it.
"Yeah, " he chuckled.
"Growing up, I wanted to be like Captain America: save people, shoot some bad guys, hell, I even joined S.H.I.E.L.D. so I can get involved in the action."
All of a sudden, Mr. Jefferies stopped smiling.
"However, shit started when three aliens came inside my apartment," he says quietly.
My eyes squint at his terrified face.
Jesus, is Mr. Jefferies talking about 'The Incident'?
I don't remember all the details, but I do know a lot of establishments were destroyed in the process.
Innocent civilians were killed; streets were taken over by robots—but thankfully, the Avengers saved the world from turning into a chaotic wasteland.
