Alive Again: Awakening (Book 1)

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I was somehow breathing and underwater again, and this time I heard Sting's voice in my mind, saying You okay?

Mutants, missiles, why not mind communication?

Fine, I thought back to him.

You're wondering what's happening, he replied. I would have nodded if I could. I was mutated with a sting ray, and one of my abilities allows me to shrink myself and others down to molecular form and travel through ground water.

So, that's what this is, I said.

I couldn't feel my body, but I felt a strong grip on my heart. The sound of running water filled my ears once again, and I felt my body moving forward, yet I could hear Sting's voice over everything. The sound was a bit muffled, but clear nonetheless.

I take it back, I thought a second later. I'm not fine. People could have died today because of me. People probably did die and it's my fault. I just don't understand why this is happening. Delilah said Evergreen or whatever his name is has been after me my whole life. Why? And why does he want me now?

Dunno. Why did he want any of us? We were quiet a moment.

What happens when we get back to Headquarters? I asked.

Not sure. If I had to guess, G will most likely throw Brandon out a window, and then he'll—

Because he came here without you all? I guessed.

Sting paused. Yeah. G was still debating which team to assign your case to, but Brandon didn't want to wait for his decision, so he snuck off campus by himself to come get you.

And everyone's really upset over it.

Yeah, Sting replied. Sorry you're sort of in the middle things. Because of Brandon's Superman-complex, we all have to suffer. Sting sounded like he was venting more for himself than explaining the situation to me.

It seems like he had good intentions, I commented. At least...I'm thankful he did what he did. I probably wouldn't be here if he hadn't.

When Everest's henchmen mutated Brandon, they also killed his mom. Brandon can't stand it when people don't take life seriously, Sting explained. But that's also the excuse he uses to go off by himself and play hero even if it means abandoning his team and leaving us in the dark. If he can save someone, he takes the chance, no matter what.

Because he couldn't save his mom? I offered.

Probably. He's really driven, if you hadn't noticed. Sting chuckled. If he ever stops being such a pain in the ass, I might tell him I admire that about him one day. In the meantime, he's bossy and full of himself and refuses to back down. It doesn't matter if no one's on his side. He fights to the end, Sting relaxed. It was cool that you stood up to him like that.

I had some back-up there at the end.

Weren't you afraid he'd shock you? Sting asked.

No, I said. Should I have been?

You're brave, he laughed.

He's not scary...Just driven, like you said. I mused. Have you guys ever had a heart-to-heart about all of this?

What's a heart-to-heart? Sting asked honestly. On any other occasion, I might have laughed really hard at that.

You know, when you all sit down and hash out your true feelings—without screaming and biting each other's heads off, I specified.

No. Every time the subject comes up, Delilah and Brandon end up fighting. Nothing ever gets done. Delilah gets homicidal when he pulls stunts like this. Maple and Beetle hate all the fighting, so they try to stay out of it.

Well, what about you? I asked.

Things get ugly when Brandon and I get into it.

Right, I sighed. Sounds like a guy thing.

Brandon takes his "leader" responsibilities a bit too seriously sometimes. It's all part of our training at Headquarters. We're paired up with other Specials based on our skills to form our combat squads. Each squad is made up of six parts: Leader, fighter, healer, transporter, shelterer, and reinforcer, Sting explained. Delilah is the—

Healer, I took it. And you're the transporter.

Yep. Maple was mutated with a tree, so her abilities allow her to create just about anything from nature.

So she's probably the...shelterer, maybe? If Maple's mutation allowed her to manipulate nature, she could make some sort of earthy crunchy hut for everyone to sleep in.

How'd you know? Sting's tone was impressed.

Lucky guess. Brandon's definitely the fighter, but you said he was the leader, so he's both? I concluded. Unless there are six of you?

Not anymore. Back when we were in training, Brandon passed both the leadership and fighting exams with flying colors. G made him the fighter, but since Lexus disappeared, he's had to be the leader too. G thought it would be fine if he wore both hats on our team during the interim, but—

That's not working out so hot right now?

Yeah.

And who's Lexus?

No one, he said.

Sting, about your mutation... I started slowly. Can I ask you how it happened?

I was on a cruise ship my parents commissioned for their wedding anniversary. Everything was suddenly on fire, he told me, sparking memories of my most recent nightmare. Everyone was screaming and I couldn't find my parents. As I was running, a man plucked me out of the crowd and jumped overboard. He had a small motor boat waiting at the foot of the ship. As soon as soon as we landed in the boat, he took off. While I was screaming and crying for my parents, he injected me with a reactant Everest created. As soon as it mixed with my blood, my cellular structure rearranged itself. When I woke up, I was washed up on a beach. I had gills and a tail. A team found me, and I've been training at Headquarters ever since. All of our stories end like that—We all end up at Headquarters, I mean. But the others will probably want to tell you their stories themselves.

Will I get a chance to ask them about theirs? Something inside me compelled my desire to understand them better. Even if I opened my eyes and everything was magically back to the way it had been, no Suits, no guns, no mutants, I knew I'd remember their faces all my life.

Don't worry, Sting said. You'll have plenty of time to ask. And if it makes you feel any better, you're taking this situation really well, all things considered.

I am?

Yeah. Most targets are in a state of shock from the time we save them to the time they meet G. Some of them even try to escape us, during the mission. I could hear nostalgia in Sting's voice.

Now there's an idea, I thought more to myself, but Sting heard it and laughed.

You're different somehow, he said. Like you were expecting this.

Trust me. I was not expecting this, I assured him. Sting, one more thing. Who is G?