Three years later…
NYKOLAI
Fighting used to be hard. I remember when Alira first found me. I couldn’t throw a proper punch and the most I could do in a fight was hold onto the younger kids to Amplify. At least now I can actually cause some damage. With an Ability like mine, the most I could do is support. Right punch. Dodge. Reverse side kick. Guard head. Roundhouse kick. Hook kick to pull the neck down. Straddle. And PUNCH.
“Ok, calm down. I swear if you rip another muscle, I am NOT fixing it,” Aarav yelled over. It happened once and he still won’t let me forget it.
“You don’t have to,” I snapped back. “I’ll heal it myself.”
“You’re not as accurate as me,” the boy shot at me with a smirk.
“I’m accurate enough.” I rolled my eyes as I righted the training dummy, sweat running down my torso. I shake my hand, knowing it won’t do anything to help the sting, doing it purely out of habit.
“Suuuure,” he drawled. “Either way, ‘lira’s calling us. Says that she might have found the last one.”
I shot up. When that comet passed three years ago, eleven people’s greatest, deepest desires came true in the form of Abilities. Take the twins for example. Andi and Molli were from Texas, and less than a week before the Ghost Comet, a hurricane struck and the twins were too scared to leave the remnants of the house. I found them a few months after the comet, living off of some snacks they found around the house.
I still remember when Andi told me she knew I was coming. When I asked her how she knew, she said the comet made her see flashes of the future. When asked what they wished for, Andi had wished to see what would happen to them, and Molli wished to know what had happened to her parents. Due to Molli’s wish, she could see the past and knew that their parents had died, but even after three years, she still kept the secret of her parents’ death, not wanting her happy sister to feel the pain.
During these three years, we’ve guessed that there are eleven of us, and the theory is well supported. The comet passed at 11:11 p.m. on 11/11/22, with eleven wishes coming true. Alira, the one who is helping us hone our Abilities and use them for good, has the Abilities separated into three categories.
There’s Manipulators, Seers, and Changers. The Manipulators are the biggest group, with Noah, Junni, Rowen, and Candy. Andi, Molli, and Zarin make up the Seers, and Janna and Aarav are Changers. One person isn’t enough to make a different category, so even though I was the first to be found and trained, my Ability hasn’t been categorized. Not that it should be. All I can do is hold someone’s hand to amplify their Ability. If I hold on long enough, I can sometimes use a fraction of their Ability, but nothing big. But with another person? I could finally have a group.
“Alright, I’ll be down in a minute,” I say, slipping on a clean black shirt.
“Oh crap. We need to go quick,” Aarav says, panicking, when I cut him off.
“Swear jar. You’ve got one more year before you can curse.” I interrupted him, grabbing my phone from the charger and slipping it into my pocket.
“Once we get back. And Andi kinda said the new girl’s in a fight. Like, right now.” Aarav grinned sheepishly.
“Aarav,” I groaned, making my way to the staircase leading up to the abandoned building our base was built under. “Give me a rundown.” I wince as the sunlight hits my eyes, pushing the cover up.