Charles Alblice has always led an ordinary life in Birchtowne. He enjoyed the company of his cousin, Quinn, and their best friend, Michael. The three lived their lives as carefree as any other teenager would.
But life in Birchtowne gets messy when...
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Quinn stood from his chair at lightning speed. "You know where he is?"
"I might," corrected Mikaela. She pushed herself from the bed, beginning to pace the length of the room. "That place, those people... they do experiments on kids."
Experiments. The word was a sinking weight in Charles's stomach. The image of Michael strapped to a chair with tubes sticking to him, men in lab coats rushing in and out taking blood, ran through his mind. From the expression Quinn wore, he had the same thought.
"What kind of experiments?" he asked warily, fearing the answer.
"I was a normal kid before that place took me. They experiment to give us these incredible powers." She let out a short breath before continuing. "I know I'm extraordinary, but my abilities make me feel less than human. The day they made me invincible was the last day I felt like myself." Shaking her head, she looked back to the boys. "Even though I was invincible, they didn't spare me of the pain. Any gunshot, knife wound, explosion... I survived it all. The evidence is littered all over my body."
"That's horrible," Charles said, voice breaking. Quinn frowned deeply but didn't add anything to the conversation.
Quinn's phone buzzed on the bed, breaking the silence in the room. As Quinn read the notification, a grim expression overtook his face.
"Three more missing."
Breath catching in his throat, Charles looked back to Quinn. "Who? When?"
"It's a girl from our calculus class and her two younger brothers. They went to the store last night and never came back."
The count had gone from seven to ten in just a day. How many more would go missing before they were found?
"Fresh meat," Mikaela whispered. Seeing the boys' shocked expressions, she added, "They've never collected so many kids all at once. And before a months ago, I hadn't seen a new face in almost two years."
"They're making an army of heroes," Quinn said. "Why?"
"I don't know." Mikaela sighed. "Years and years ago was the first successful experiment. The leader gave a woman powers, but she went rogue. Tried to take down the place before she died. They want complacency. It's why they give the powers to kids and teens. Younger, more impressionable minds."
"How did you get away?"
She closed her eyes, remaining silent for a long while before she grimly shook her head. "That's enough about me."
Charles nodded. He wanted to hear more but knew pushing her too far wouldn't be a good idea. "What do they call themselves?" he asked, figuring the question wouldn't harm Mikaela too much. He needed a name for the place anyway.
"Order of the New Age. Abbreviated to ONA."
New Age. How widescale was this change they wanted to deliver, and what did they even want to do? Mikaela likely wouldn't know much beyond what she'd already shared. Kidnappers don't tell the kids they stole what their grand scheme was.
