INCAPABLE - BOOK I: THE FALLEN

C H A P T E R 2

3   Y E A R S   L A T E R

I PULL my white jacket over my bare arms and button it up. Grabbing my hat from the hook, I pull it over my hair careful not to ruin the bun I had fixed in the back. For a brief second I saw my mom knelt beside me, and I a few years younger as I got dressed. She was smiling at me and I was smiling back. I blinked a few times and she was gone. I let out a long breath I didn't know I had been holding in and nodded at myself. It's been three years since my mom died. I reminded myself that I'm doing this for her. I reminded myself that everything I do is for her. I patted the patch on my blazer's chest and nodded again. This time it was more in assurance that I could do this. I can do this. I grabbed my shoes from my left closet and pulled them on my feet. I motioned for it to close and it did so on command. My bedroom door opened for me to walk out of.

"Have a good day Valerie" the computerized greeter called to me, and I left the room.

As I did I passed a framed picture of mom on the wall. She was smiling her usual smile. But something was different about this one. It was bigger and brighter and full of so much life. I'm not sure if I will ever have such happiness and optimism as she did.

It's been over three years since she died. She died on my thirteenth birthday at a play she thought would be nice to see. I still remember the face of the Special who killed her. I remember every aspect of that day. And I remember all of the hate I gathered when I finally woke up. I remember my pact to avenge her. And I remember how I vowed that once I was old enough I would join the Officials and kill of the Specials until they are nothing more. They are horrible beings who will kill those normal and perfect. Normal and perfect like my mother. They killed my mother!

I walked past her picture and out of the door. "Lock" I called behind me, and I heard the locks twist behind me and made my way to my father's truck. He brought it down low enough for me to climb in the passenger's seat and brought it back in the air. He started the ignition and within seconds we found ourselves in the morning's usual traffic. I stared out the window at the birds passing and wished to be like them. I wished to be able to fly so I could fly passed all of the traffic and make it to my first day early. Specials can fly, my subconscious reminded me. I pushed her back down and forced myself to forget I even had such a thought.

I turned to my father.

"Are you ready for your first day, Valerie?" he questioned, at the same time I'd been asking myself the same thing.

"Yes" I answered more confidently than I really was.

"Now remember" dad reminded me, "You don't have to stop school in order to do this. You can still take college courses while you..."

I stopped him. "No I want to do this full time. Now. I'm sixteen and that is the age the start allowing minors to sign up for the Officials. This is all I want to do for the rest of my life, so I don't see any point in going to school just to learn about something I will never use."

My dad took this in, and shut down. He usually says something back but it was like this time it finally got through to him. This is all I want to do.

The rest of the ride was silent, with the exception of honking horns. My dad didn't even turn the radio on. He was scared; I could feel it. He didn't want me doing such a dangerous job.

"Valerie" he called, as I opened the car's door once will pulled into the parking lot. "Yeah dad?" I inquired.

"Be careful." I gave him my most professional nod and closed the door. I nodded again to myself in assurance. I can do this.