Tee sped past Jack's house without a second glance. Of course she wasn't going to visit him—she had only told Tetra that lie to keep things simple. Tetra still believed they were close, but the truth was different. Ever since Jack discovered what she was, his warmth had vanished. So had their friendship.
At the store, she brushed past the MG official at the door, treating him like nothing more than an obstruction. Just the sight of their uniforms made her skin crawl. How she had survived over a year inside the MG still amazed her. That place was crawling with them. Maybe she was stronger than she gave herself credit for.
Her lips watered the instant she saw it. Hidden low on the bottom shelf, overlooked by most: plastic containers of frozen iced-coffee. It wasn't cheap, and there was never enough stock. Few people liked its sharp, bitter edge—but Tee craved it.
She tossed a couple into her basket, along with snacks for her planned movie night with Tetra. They were supposed to stay up late watching rom-coms, a genre Tee had missed out on during her time in the MG.
After leaving the store, she cut through the park, claiming her favorite swing. She rocked gently back and forth, savoring the iced-coffee between bites. The breeze brushed her skin, light and fleeting, but not nearly strong enough to sweep away her worries.
Her mind wandered to the future. When her time in the MG was done, she wanted to become a scientist—partly for herself, but mostly for Tetra. She had the scores, the drive, and once she set her mind to something, nothing could stop her.
Then Jack's face intruded, unbidden. When they were younger, they had sworn their lives to each other. Forever, they promised. No force in the world was supposed to come between them. She missed the way he used to look at her, like she was the center of his universe. But the truth was inescapable: no one could love an X-victim. Still, her own feelings for him had never wavered.
On her way home, the blare of sirens grated on her nerves. Emergency vehicles kept cutting through traffic, forcing her to stop and pull aside again and again. The closer she got to the clinic, the heavier her chest grew.
Then she saw the crowd. A mass of people swarmed the complex outside the clinic, buzzing with panic. Tee jumped off her bike, letting it fall, and felt an unseen pull drag her toward the commotion. A sudden spike of pain shot through her heart. Gritting her teeth, she focused, letting her eye ability pierce ahead.
Above the many heads, the top of the building was caved in like a crushed can. It was as if a large cargo jet had malfunctioned during flight and crashed down onto it. But there was no sight of whatever it was that caused it.
The thick fence that once surrounded their house was also missing, adding to the eerie scene. Her other eye finally opened and she ignored the pain. She was in disbelief and she moved closer blinking nonstop hoping to see something else.
Amidst the confusion, Tee noticed the Priman Full-Guard soldiers in their white armored suits scanning the vicinity. But what caught her attention were the Mid-Guard officials. Her upper left lip twitched with disgust.
There were lots of MG offs and not the Academy-designated ones either. They were real District MG offs, some with more badges than she could make out. They stood with their imposing presence, adorned with multiple badges and long metal swords on their backs.
Her scrambled mind began to make out words from the crowd as she forced herself to go closer.
"Was this a Xenosapian attack?" someone asked. "Why are Priman soldiers here? Don't they only show up for serious stuff?"
Another person replied in an intentionally whiny tone. "Surprised they came down from their flying HQ in the sky. The world is ending today."
There were also talks about a giant canine Xenosapian on the loose. She knew it was some sick joke created by the MG officials there themselves. Those tools couldn't make their presence useful.
Everyone knew the Xenogene only affected humans. Tee began to wonder why those MG offs created such an unbelievable story when several MG offs gave her a back glance. Tee had a feeling they were wondering about the white blur moving too close in the background of their eyes.
She froze and raised one hand to block the sun from her eyes as though deep in thought. With them hidden she opened them wide like before. Using her ability, her field of vision moved away from her so she could see jagged pieces of concrete and twisted metal jutted out at odd angles.
She couldn't fathom how a single Xenosapian could have caused so much destruction. The clinic was not close to any sewer holes so it couldn't have been from several that crawled out desperate for meat.
Suddenly, Tee's attention was drawn to the ground, where she noticed a set of footprints that were shockingly large and misshapen. Her heart raced as she realized that that was no Xenosapian attack.
And then she saw it: a hand protruding from under a black sheet, being lifted into an ambulance. Tee recognized the white patch on the skin and knew instantly that it was Tetra's hand. Her mind reeled in disbelief, and she struggled to process the fact that her only family was gone.
No. It must be a mistake. That wasn't her! She blinked her eyes and tears streamed down her face. Determined to get a closer look, Tee pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the sounds around her until they faded to nothing.
She ducked under the yellow tape and raced towards the ambulance. Suddenly something strapped around her legs and before she knew it she fell onto the ground. Tears streamed down her face. Desperate to reach Tetra, Tee crawled towards the ambulance, but was stopped by a pair of thick boots that stamped down in front of her. They belonged to an MG official.
The man stared down at her in confusion as she cried out in anguish, "Please, I need to see her." But her plea fell on deaf ears, and before she knew it, she was writhing on the ground, wracked with pain as the official electrocuted her with a taser.
Time passed.
Tee's fingers grazed over the tender spot on her arm where she had been tased. The sensation still felt foreign, as if her skin were somehow detached from her body. It had been hours since she had awakened, groggy and disoriented, in the back of a transport vehicle.
The MG officials discovered that she was connected to one of the persons who died and that she also lived at the living complex that was also destroyed.
They had ultimately allowed her to stay with someone she knew in the area, and the only person she could think of was her best friend Jack. Two of the MG officials still spoke with his mother at the door.
As she sat on the couch, she watched the hologram emitter replay a live broadcast of the destruction of her home and the growing crowd of onlookers. The sound of sirens outside blared in the background, a constant reminder that the chaos and destruction were all too real.
Despite the repeated reports confirming Tetra's death, Tee couldn't shake the feeling that it was all just a terrible nightmare. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest and turned away from the hologram screen, unable to bear the sight of Tetra's face. The weight of loss settled heavily on her shoulders, threatening to suffocate her.
The dent in the couch from someone sitting down too close frightened her. She looked up to see Jack's mother who had left from speaking with the officials at the door. Her small dark brown eyes almost matched her skin from the dimness in the room.
Tee put her feet down and quickly wiped away her tears, feeling guilty for causing any trouble. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to tell them," Tee said, her voice trembling slightly.
Jack's mother placed a comforting hand on her back. "That's alright, dear. You can stay here as long as you need to," she said gently.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, making both women jump. Heavy footsteps pounded through the kitchen, and Jack appeared in the archway with wild eyes. He dropped his bag, causing it to crash to the floor.
"What the freck happened? The clinic—is she alright?" he blurted out, his eyes wide with shock from under the archway on the other side of the room.
"Watch your language, young man," his mother chided him as she stood up.
Jack's eyes darted from his mother to Tee, who sat beside her. He took a step back in disbelief, his blue eyes growing even wider.
"Please, give her some space. She's going through a difficult time right now," she told him before looking back down at Tee. "Don't you worry my dear. I'll fix up somewhere for you to stay for the night. Maybe I can give Richard's old storeroom a serious face-lift."
Jack's mother headed towards the stairs and gave Jack a stern look as she passed him. When her figure vanished, Jack crossed the room and lowered himself onto the couch beside Tee—though he left a wide stretch of space between them.
They both sat in silence, listening to the broadcast's incessant hum, and Tee felt her world crumbling down around her. "She's dead," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why did this happen?" A deep sense of sadness overtook her, and tears streamed down her face. She covered her face with her hands, unable to hold back the pain any longer.