Beverly Hills, California
"This is the fourth cell phone she's broken in the last three months!"
"Oh, don't start again. She's a teenager, and she's in the gymnastics club. Things break—it's normal."
"This isn't just breaking! Look at it—it's fried, completely blasted. And it's not just the phone. Remember the computer upstairs? Same thing. What's she doing, setting off fireworks when we're not home?"
"What's the big deal? If she were a boy, you'd say he was adventurous and wild. Why can't you just leave the poor girl alone?"
"This isn't about boy or girl. It's about responsibility. She failed math again! You think she can coast through life blowing things up?"
"You know she has a learning disability with numbers. Stop holding that over her head!"
"Hmph. It's not just that. Something's wrong with her. I told you not to adopt a teenager. Now look—trouble every day."
"It wasn't just my decision. If you didn't want to—"
Click.
A quiet sigh escaped from the hallway. Leaning against the door, a young girl pushed herself off and muttered, "Guess I'll be eating out tonight."
She was slim, dark-short hair, with an oversized yellow jacket over a pink T-shirt and blue denim shorts. Pink sunglasses rested in her hair, and oversized hoop earrings dangled at her ears. Bright. Fashionable. Cute. Anyone who saw her would think she was a carefree teen.
Her name was Jubilation Lee—Jubilee to her friends. Chinese-American, foster daughter. Her real parents had died in a car accident years ago. These people who argued over her were the ones who had taken her in. They were kind, loving, and doting… at least they had been, before the fights started. And she wasn't exactly making things easier.
"Forget it." Jubilee grabbed her bag and pulled out a pair of earbuds—then remembered. "Ah. Right. No phone."
She laughed anyway. "Who needs Spotify when the future American Idol is in the house?" She started humming, tapping her fingers in rhythm.
She wheeled her bike out of the garage and pedaled away, her yellow jacket flaring in the wind.
The gated community was rich, polished, manicured. Parks, gyms, swimming pool—everything perfect. Everything empty. As there was no one her age to talk or play with.
That's why she always ended up at the nearest mall.
It had everything Jubilee loved: a cyber café, a cinema, a food court, even a place that sold lactose-free ice cream. It was her personal paradise.
She parked her bike in the underground lot and took the stairs two at a time, still humming.
"Ah—right. I can't go to my favourite cyber café. Guess it's my second favorite's turn," she muttered with a grin, spinning on her heel and heading the other way, hands stuffed in her jacket pockets.
"Oooh, handsome dude." She slowed, eyeing the wall of TVs in the electronics store window. The sets were all tuned to some news channel showcasing Lucas Watson, announcing the Citadel Project from a week ago.
"Wouldn't mind going into space someday," she said with a smirk before ducking into the cyber café next door.
She paid in cash at the counter and slid into the corner booth. It was not a weekend so the place was nearly empty.
"I have topped up for two hours. Perfect. No distractions." She slipped on the headset and booted up her favorite shooter.
"Today I'm smashing my high score." Jubilee popped a stick of strawberry gum, chewed twice, and planted her fingers on WASD. The timer hit zero. She sprinted ahead of her team and opened fire, grinning.
"Bad luck, losers. You just spawned opposite me."
She threw a grenade which arced across the map—then, in the real world, unknown to her, bright colourful sparks burst from her fingers.
Pop!
The screen went black.
"Huh?" She blinked at the monitor. A sharp smell hit her nose. Smoke curled from the CPU and the monitor.
"Oh, for the love of—seriously? Not again." Jubilee shoved back her chair, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and made her way toward the exit, gum snapping between her teeth.
Passing the counter, she kept her eyes straight ahead, strolling out like nothing was wrong. As soon as she cleared the store's sight line, she bolted.
"Shit, why does this always happen to me? Now I can't even go to my second favorite cyber café!" She grumbled, pounding down the stairs to the basement lot.
This wasn't the first time. Lately, electronics just… died around her. Circuits fried, devices shorted, or sometimes outright blew up. A few weeks ago, she fried a CPU mid-game at her favorite cyber café. She blamed faulty equipment. The manager actually apologized.
Then last week it happened again—this time, the guy banned her, saying she must be messing with the PCs. Jubilee argued until he asked her to bring her parents. Yeah, no. That would have just led to another screaming match at home. So she swallowed her pride and started hitting up her second favorite café, with its outdated junkers.
"I'm cursed. Someone's jealous of my insane gaming skills and hexed me," she muttered, still chewing gum as she unlocked her bike.
Why didn't she take the elevator? Because, duh—she didn't want to risk the elevator frying mid-ride and plummeting her to death. She wasn't superstitious, but hey, why tempt fate?
"Ah crap—I forgot I came here to eat dinner! Stupid PC meltdown distracted me." She smacked her forehead, leaning over to relock the bike.
That's when the basement lights snapped off.
"Huh? Did this happen because of me?—no way. Don't tell me I'm really curs—"
Her words cut off as a gloved hand clamped over her mouth. A sharp chemical smell filled her nose. Her limbs went heavy before she could even struggle.
The world tilted. Then everything went black.
-----
"Ugh… where am I?" Jubilee groaned, eyes fluttering open as she slowly sat up. Her head pounded like she had been hit by a truck.
The room looked sterile—white walls, white bed, machines humming softly nearby. Even she was dressed in plain white scrubs, the kind that screamed boring hospital chic.
"How the hell did I end up in a hospital?" she muttered, rubbing her forehead. Her whole body felt like lead.
That's when her fingers brushed against something cold and solid around her neck. Her eyes widened.
"What the—this is a freaking collar?"
HISS
The door slid open with a mechanical sigh. A woman in a doctor's coat stepped inside, dark hair tied back in a neat bun, light brown skin pale against the sterile light. She carried herself with calm authority, her smile soft but practiced.
"How are you feeling, Jubilee?" she asked warmly, as the door shut behind her.
"Uh, who are you? And where the hell am I?" Jubilee shot back, instinctively pushing herself upright, though her limbs trembled.
"You shouldn't try to stand so soon," the woman said gently, guiding her back down with a light push. "Just rest for now."
Jubilee recoiled slightly, resisting. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm not really the 'lie down and chill' type. Who are you?"
"I'm Dr. Cecilia Reyes," the woman replied evenly. "And before I explain anything, I need you to tell me—what's the last thing you remember?"
Jubilee frowned, her mind foggy. "The last thing… I was at the mall. Then the basement, unlocking my bike… the lights went out and then…" Her hand went to her forehead, her face twisting with pain. "Argh—I don't remember. My head's killing me."
"That's enough for now. Don't strain yourself," Cecilia said, her tone kind but firm.
"What happened to me? Why am I here? Is this even a hospital? And what is this thing?" Jubilee's hand went back to the cold band around her neck, panic slipping through her bravado.
"I'll answer your questions," Cecilia said, her voice calm but carrying a quiet edge of authority. "But only if you can stay calm. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay, just tell me what happened," Jubilee said, taking deeper breaths as she looked at the doctor.
Cecilia folded her arms. "Do you know what a mutant is?"
"Mutant? No… you mean like mutation, biology stuff?" Jubilee asked, remembering something about evolution and mutation from a schoolbook.
"Hmm… then tell me if anything unusual has been happening around you… like, maybe electronic equipment blowing up?" Cecilia pressed, narrowing her eyes.
"N-no…" Jubilee muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Please don't lie, Jubilee. We have video from both cyber cafés you visited. The devices you touched either blew out or stopped working." Cecilia's tone sharpened.
"That was just faulty junk! I didn't do anything—it's not my fault!" Jubilee snapped back.
"They weren't faulty. You did cause it—though not on purpose," Cecilia replied calmly.
"Wh-what do you mean? And what does that have to do with me being here?" Jubilee asked, growing defensive.
"Because those devices reacted to you. They exploded because of you. It's not coincidence, Jubilee—you're a mutant," Cecilia said firmly.
"A… mutant? What does that even mean?" Jubilee asked, the word sitting heavy in her head, as if it carried more weight than it should.
"Mutation is a rare sickness," Cecilia explained, her voice steady and certain. "It usually erupts during adolescence. It can affect everyone differently—sometimes it twists the body, makes people look like monsters. Other times, like in your case, it manifests as… unnatural powers."
"So… I'm sick? I really made those things explode? From phones to PCs?" Jubilee shook her head. "That sounds more like a curse—or a superpower—than a disease, doesn't it?"
"No, Jubilee," Cecilia said authoritatively, the words sliding in with quiet finality. "Mutation is a sickness, not a superpower. Left unchecked, it will only hurt the people around you."
"So… does that mean I'm here because of this so-called mutant disease? How did I even get here? Did my parents bring me? Where even is this?" Jubilee asked, glancing around the sterile, closed-off room.
"This is a government-funded facility," Cecilia explained patiently. "Here, adolescents like you receive treatment. Once you complete the course we provide, you'll be able to live in the outside world as a normal person—even with your mutation. And yes, your foster parents gave us their consent for you to be here."
Jubilee frowned. None of this felt right. Shady, even. How had she gone from the mall's basement to this place? Why wasn't she wearing her own clothes, only these plain white pajamas?
And this new "mutation" thing this doctor spoke of? That sounded a lot less like a disease and a lot more like the superpowers Aeon or the Fantastic Four had.
"What's this thing on my neck then?" she asked, touching the cold metal as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"That's a device to help control your mutation," Cecilia said smoothly. "Without it, there's a risk you could hurt yourself—or others. It's for your own wellbeing."
The doctors words were calm, but the longer Jubilee listened, the more it sounded like she wasn't wearing a device at all—she was wearing a collar. This wasn't treatment. It was a cage. A prison. And she was most likely kidnapped here!
"Wh-where are my parents? I want to talk to them!" Jubilee blurted, standing up. Her body didn't feel as lethargic now.
"You'll be able to see them once your treatment is complete. You have to understand, right now you're a danger to everyone around you. But soon… soon, you'll be able to see them again. Don't worry." Cecilia smiled.
"Bullshit! You're lying!" Jubilee snapped, rushing at the door. "Open this door! I won't believe you until I see them myself!" She grabbed at the door, clawing for a handle—but there was none.
"Calm down, Jubilee, don't make a ruckus," Cecilia said, her voice calm but edged with authority.
"Shut up, you fake doctor! I know my rights—you can't keep me locked up here without my consent!" Jubilee shouted, pounding on the metal door. "Let me out! Help! Hel—"
ZZZZAAAPP!
Her cry broke off as her body convulsed, a violent shock ripping through her nerves and dropping her to the floor, limp and trembling.
Cecilia exhaled, slipping a small remote back into her coat pocket. "Why is it always the same? Children never want to listen to those who know better."
Jubilee's eyes fluttered, her mind swimming, muscles refusing to obey her. Through the haze, she managed to turn her head toward the approaching figure.
Cecilia crouched beside her, smiling sweetly as if she were soothing a frightened child. "You must be scared, and confused, but that's only natural. Soon, we'll begin your treatment… and then you'll see. All of this is for your own good."
Swish
The door slid open.
"Alpha Red," Cecilia said, her tone crisp now. "Take our new patient to her room."
"Yes." The reply came in a low, gruff rumble.
Jubilee felt her arms hoisted up like she weighed nothing. Forcing her eyes upward, she caught the sight of a broad red jacket, stretched across a torso built like a wall. A shiver ran through her as she forced her head back far enough to glimpse his face—cold, hollow, almost corpse-like.
Her breath hitched. She shut her eyes, clinging to the desperate hope that when she opened them again, this would all be just another nightmare!
***
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Michael Sorensen
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