As Selena, Jessie, Tiffany, and Olivia leave the mall, Selena notices a woman slowly walking toward them, her expression unnervingly blank. While the others laugh at one of Tiffany's jokes, Selena's eyes narrow as the woman lifts her hand, palm glowing with energy.
"Get down!" Selena shouts, shoving the girls to the ground just as a beam of energy shoots past her, striking a nearby car. The car erupts in a fiery explosion, and the girls scream as Selena turns to face the attacker, her heart pounding.
The woman raises her hand again, aiming directly at Selena. In a surge of adrenaline, Selena responds instinctively, thrusting her palm forward as a bolt of lightning erupts from her hand, crashing into the woman and sending her flying into another car.
"What the hell just happened?" Jessie gasps, scrambling to her feet.
"Get to the car," Selena orders, her voice sharp. "Now. Take Tiffany and Olivia. Go!"
"But—" Jessie stammers, panic in her voice.
"Just go!" Selena snaps, her eyes never leaving the woman. Jessie grabs Tiffany and Olivia, and the three rush toward Jessie's car. But instead of driving off, they hesitate, watching Selena from the safety of the vehicle.
The woman stands up, cracking her neck with a cold smirk. She sprints toward Selena, who braces herself, electricity crackling around her fists. When the woman gets close, Selena punches her with a lightning-charged fist, sending her flying upward. As she hangs in the air, Selena leaps after her, releasing another powerful lightning blast that slams the woman back into the ground with a thunderous impact.
In the car, Olivia panics. "Why are we still here?! Selena said to go!"
"I'm with Olivia. We need to leave. Now!" Tiffany says, her voice trembling.
Jessie hesitates, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I'm not leaving her," she mutters, her mind made up. Ignoring the others' protests, she throws open the car door and runs back toward Selena.
"She's going to get herself killed," Olivia mutters, shaking her head.
"Yep," Tiffany agrees, both of them watching helplessly.
Meanwhile, the woman slams Selena to the ground, wrapping her hand around Selena's throat. "It's over. You're going to die," she growls, tightening her grip.
Selena struggles, gasping for air. "Who... are you?" she chokes out, her voice strained.
"Your death," the woman replies coldly.
Desperate, Selena puts her hands on the woman's torso and blasts her off of her sending her flying back to the ground.
Not wasting a second, Selena shoots a bolt of lightning from her hand, but the woman deflects it with an energy shield. Before Selena can react, the woman drops her shield and blasts her to the ground again.
Hidden behind a car, Jessie watches the chaos unfold, her eyes locking onto a long piece of metal lying nearby. Gritting her teeth, she grabs it and sprints toward the fight just as the woman pounces on Selena, pinning her down again.
"I'll kill you and then move on to the others," the woman sneers as Selena begins to lose consciousness.
But before she can finish, Jessie stabs her in the back with the metal rod, driving it in deeper with all her strength. The woman screams and collapses, releasing Selena, who gasps for breath as Jessie helps her up.
People from inside the mall are watching through the windows, frozen in shock.
"We need to get out of here," Jessie says urgently. She supports Selena as they stumble back toward the car. Tiffany and Olivia gape as they climb in.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" Olivia asks, wide-eyed.
"I'll be fine," Selena mutters, leaning her head against the window. "I just need to rest."
"What the hell was that back there? And since when can you fly and shoot lightning?" Tiffany blurts out.
"Tiffany, stop," Jessie says sharply, shooting her a glare. "She'll explain when she's ready. Just give her a break."
Tiffany crosses her arms with a pout but stays silent. Jessie starts the car and drives off, glancing at Selena in the rearview mirror.
Back at the mall, paramedics arrive and load the unconscious woman into an ambulance, leaving the twisted metal rod sticking out of her back as they rush her to the hospital.
When Jessie pulls up to Selena's house, the girls help her inside. Olivia locks the door behind them, and Tiffany hands everyone a bottle of water. Selena gulps hers down in silence, still shaken.
Finally, she breaks the quiet. "I was given these powers," she says softly.
The others exchange confused looks. "What do you mean?" Jessie asks.
Selena takes a deep breath. "Remember last year when I disappeared for a week? I wasn't just missing. I was taken to a lab. They injected me, Sabrina, and Megan with something... a drug. It gave us powers. Powers we never wanted."
The girls listen in stunned silence as Selena continues, her voice trembling. "They kept us there, experimenting on us, hurting us. We couldn't take it anymore, so we used our powers to escape. But... during the escape, we lost Sabrina. She... she didn't make it out."
Tears well up in Selena's eyes, and her voice breaks. Jessie, Olivia, and Tiffany quickly move to her side, comforting her.
"I'm so sorry, Selena," Jessie says gently. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't want you to think I was a freak," Selena admits, wiping her tears.
"Are you kidding me?" Olivia says, her voice light but serious. "You just took down that psycho back there with lightning! You're the most badass person I know!"
Selena laughs through her tears, a weak chuckle that makes the others smile.
"Selena," Tiffany says, taking her hand. "You're our best friend. Powers or no powers, that doesn't change anything. If anything, it just makes you even more amazing. We'll always be here for you."
Selena wipes the last of her tears, feeling a weight lift from her chest. "Thank you. Really. I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
Jessie smiles, pulling her into a tight hug. "You'll never have to find out."
YOU ARE READING
Powers
FantasyThree sisters' road trip is turned upside down when they get into a car accident and taken to a unfamiliar place where they are given superhuman abilities.
