-Trickster-

Prologue

"I have a surprise for you, " he whispered- his chest rising and falling fast- "you'll like it." he added and let his eyes melt in hers. Those were his last words but he uttered them smiling. It was a weak smile, almost imperceptible but one thing she was absolutely sure about : it was true.

CHAPTER 1

August 2011

"Hi! I' m Jane, I'm an astrophysicist" the girl enthusiastically said, shaking her hand with a wide smile.
"Lisa " -the other shouted- to overcome the loud voice of the speaker welcoming everyone to Culver University. "I'm here for the specialization course in Norse Mythology."
Jane frowned - a doubtful expression printed on her face- "Norse Mythology? Here at Culver?"
Lisa nodded and clarified: "I've been studying Germanic Philology and Literature for four years; so, when I graduated, I searched for something to- "she paused for a moment, trying to find the right word- "delve into this subject", she concluded.
"Oh, interesting" , Jane murmured, biting her lip, "I had no idea Culver offered such a course", she added, smiling again.
Lisa smiled back at her. "Neither did I, to be honest" she admitted. "I came across a flyer stuck under the windscreen weepers of my c-" she abruptly stopped with a sudden turn "What the hell is going on down there?"

The two girls joined the crowd packed in one corner of the lawn, making their way through the students. Some were sneering, others were talking to each other in a low voice. A guy, alone, in the middle , with his arms crossed on his chest, was pushing himself hard, not to burst out laughing. He was staring at something above his head, smirking.
"C'mon Icemann, why don' t you fly ?" He asked, "we know you are a superhero! Show us your astonishing powers", he continued. This time, mutters and laughter grew louder.
A few metres upper, a skinny boy with thin lips and sharp cheekbones partly hidden behind a pair of black square - framed glasses, was swinging from a tree branch.
"You'd better not tease me, Stanfield, he hissed , you could-
The next instant, the hem of his long- sleeved t- shirt, that was keeping him suspended, suddenly ripped.
The boy reflexively stretched his arms out and kept his palms pulled as if he wished he could catch an invisible handhold, his body cut the air like an ice splinter and with a dull thud, he smacked ruinously into the ground.
Due to the violent collision with the ground, his glasses went to pieces and his left cheekbone tore apart, spilling dark red blood all over the grass.
Jane widened his eyes in shock, her lips parted. For several seconds no one dared make a sound but soon after, mocking laughs started to rise from the crowd , getting every minute more and more thunderous.
Lisa clamped her jaws and ignoring that hideous noise, stepped towards the boy. When she was close to him, she offered him some tissues to plug the wounded cheek.

The boy cautiously raised his head and blinked. Warm blood stained the white skin of his left cheek. Lisa remained still in front of him but he seemed not to notice. He felt his heartbeat throbbing into his temples and his vision went blurred. He closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath and opened them again; then, with a grimace, he pulled himself up and finally saw the girl. She waited for him to do the first move but, after he steadied himself with some effort, he surprisingly grabbed the tissues from her hands and tore them into shreds. "I don't need any help" he stated coldly, with no trace of hesitation in his voice; his razor- sharp emerald eyes bore into her as she met his gaze , then, he turned his back to her and went away, limping slightly.

April 2013

Lisa slowly opened his eyes but the burning sunlight hurt her pupils and
the acrid smell of medicines and disinfectant flooded into her nostrils
Reflexively she raised her forearm and swiped a hand over her face but nor the forearm, nor the hand did second her silent request to move as they stayed just where they were, like they belonged to someone else. Frozen chills run through her spine and panic clawed at her lungs like a starving feline craving for fresh meat. Lisa swallowed hard petrified and kept her eyelids shut to hold back the tears ready to drop along her pale face.
Ok Lis, don't lose control she thought. Then, she focused on the rhythm of her breathing, waiting for her heart to get back to his regular beat.
When shivers lowered , Lisa turned her head to the window and lifted her eyelids up again. Beside her, her shoulders leant against the seatback of a wooden chair, Jane was typing something on her mobile. Lisa stared at her for a while but hardly could she recognise her best friend. The person sat next to her bed had nothing of the girl she used to know: the dimples that once passed through the corners of her rosy cheeks had now been replaced by a hollowed and sickly greyish face. Her eyes looked listless and tired and her lively and comforting smile was now nothing but a faded memory.
Lisa unclosed her lips in awe - how could that be possible? - all of a sudden it was like twenty years had gone by in a moment.
"Jane"- she asked in a whisper - "what have they done to us?"
Hearing her friend's voice Jane jerked and abruptly stood up. Tears of happiness started to roll down her astonished face and her skinny fingers softly caressed Lisa's forehead.
"I knew it - I knew you were stronger"- she told her, smiling and weeping for joy at the same time.
Lisa tried to reply but Jane pleaded with her not to tire .
"No Lis, please, don't speak", she begged her - "there will be time to explain and understand everything , that' s a promise. but now, just keep resting."
Then she left the room and went searching for a doctor.