SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST | original

one

JEROME, ARIZONA

1 2 Y E A R S L A T E R

"NO!" SCREAMED TALA, grabbing one of the men's arms in desperation. "No, you can't take her!"

It was a painfully hot July, the sort of July that only comes around every so often and when it does it's like living in the pits of hell, and fittingly it was one full of anger and desolation for the Green family. Tala's brother had been conscripted not three days ago while in Phoenix, and now the government was trying to take her mother away from her.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Jessica Green said over her shoulder as Tala was shoved aside by the officer. She fell hard against the wall. The seventeen year old yelled in frustration, furious at these men for ordering her mum to pack a bag and remove herself from the house, and from their lives. Even through the sound of blood pumping in her ears she heard her mum reprimand the deportation officers in sudden outrage for pushing her daughter. She got tunnel vision and in an instant, Tala could feel her pulse picking up and the beginnings of energy, strength, power, coursing through her arteries and veins. What they didn't know (or even guess at) was that her brother wasn't the only one to be afraid of. There was such a low percentage of people who even survived that they didn't stop to think, or wonder...

A hand gripped her arm just above the elbow, shaking her mind back into gear and back into control.

"Kiddo," murmured her dad, squeezing gently. The warning reminded her where she was and how important it was to stay calm. Tala closed her eyes, breathing heavily as she tried to force back the tingling of power building up in her very bones, attempting to reign in her crazy emotions before she exploded and made everything worse. Tears welled up in frustration and rage and she couldn't do a thing about it. Still not looking, she could hear her dad say through clearly gritted teeth, "My wife has a green card, she's allowed to be here and she's done nothing wrong." Tala stayed with her back against the wall, but looked over with helplessness etched all across her face. She was absolutely powerless to save her mother, who she knew for a fact had nowhere to go once she got to Scotland.

"Barry, I haven't got a choice," her mum replied, looking between her husband and her daughter with eyes void of the hope of rescue.

"She's right," one of the men standing between them said, not the guy that had hurt her, "this is court-ordered-"

"Shut up," Tala snapped, but she got a pointed look from her mum and muttered a curt, "sorry," through her teeth. She bit down hard on her lip just in case she took it back and started throwing punches.

"I love you both so much, and I'll call once I get there," her mother said, mouth set in a grim determination as the officers placed hands on her shoulders and began to march her to the front door.

"We'll find a way to bring you back, Jess," her dad called. "We will."

"Wait, wait," Jessica looked over her shoulder, straining to see them one last time. "If you can get a message to Fionn, tell him it's not his fault." The door shut sharply. And all of a sudden, Tala knew exactly whose fault it was. She'd been racking her brains for the past three days, trying to figure out how they knew that Fionn had the anomaly. No one knew about him except the four members of their family. But then she remembered. There was one other person. One more.

A small, thankfully inconspicuous pulse of energy escaped her control and flew outwards, causing her dad to stagger back and the side table in their hall to tip. The glass frame of the family photo sitting on top of it shattered against the ground, scattering across the floorboards. Tala screamed in frustration, trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall, sadness and rage both.

"They took Mum. They took her," she said, turning to stare at her dad in desperation. "First Fionn, now Mum. For absolutely no reason at all this time." Her father seemed lost for words, and she studied his face intently. Tan skin, lined and sharp, so strong and brave and so, so vulnerable. It scared her. If her dad, an ex army-officer, with a tour in Afghanistan and one in the midst of the trade wars in India under his belt, was scared, she should be fearing for her life.

Without a word, the blonde seventeen year old left the house, ignoring his pleading, weak calls after her. She wasn't going after her Mum, she wasn't stupid enough to do that, but she had another route for revenge in her mind. Thinking about it, or more accurately, him, made her blood boil and her skin blaze and her stomach churn.

She marched down the hill, passing antique shops and dusty museums and finally the fire station until she reached the parking lot that that little weasel and his buddies liked to hang out and smoke in. Sometimes she'd spend time there herself to get away from things and life in general, so she knew the crowd and she knew that he would be there. True to her instincts, John Lord was leaning against an abandoned car in the back of the lot, surrounded by a couple of stoned guys kicking a ball to each other and falling over. He looked ridiculous wearing spandex shorts and a fishing hat, which was probably why no one would call him 'Big Man' like he wanted, alongside the fact that he was nineteen and got held back a year in school to redo his finals.

None of the stupid stuff mattered to Tala though. She walked right up to him, grabbed him by the t-shirt and punched him in the face. John collapsed to the floor with a grunt, dazed and disgruntled, too confused and high to figure out what was going on. Some of his friends paid attention, but most just giggled and went back to what they were doing. No one tried to defend him.

"It was you. You told them," she spat at his form on the ground, barely able to restrain herself from exploding. John's gaze finally focused on her and he raised his eyebrows in a vague surprise. "How much money did they offer you?" she pressed, kicking him in the ribs. He exhaled loudly and took in a wheezy breath, breaking into oblivious laughter.

"A shit ton, man." His carefree attitude frustrated and angered Tala. She wanted him to be scared of her, to feel remorse and regret for turning her brother in to the government, who trusted him with one of the most dangerous, volatile secrets in modern times. The blonde hauled John up and slammed him against the car, fists gripping his shirt in fury.

"Why? Why would you do that?" she screamed, rage and desperation filling her voice and her mind. All she could think of was the phone call she got from her brother before he was conscripted; his warning and the messages for their parents. He knew it was happening, and he knew how it had happened. This waste of space. Staring at the dark eyes of his betrayer, she knew that her brother or her mum would not be returning any time soon.

"I needed it, T, simple as that." Tala released his shirt and walked away. Her hands trembled, her pulse hammered and the power built in her veins. But she wasn't going to use it, not yet. Not until she'd figured out a way to get her family back.