Lilli straggled behind her siblings and parents. She didn't like nature, or camping, or socializing at all. She'd rather be at home with her friends, playing volleyball and soccer, then hiking in a bug infested forest. Of course, they were warned not to stray off of the path, as the forest was incredibly dangerous, and territorial animals could want them gone. But that didn't stop Lilli from seeing something off in the trees. It was a glow, luminescent, almost... rainbow. She steals a quick glance at her family, slightly up ahead of her, chatting away. This was her chance to explore, have a little more excitement. She made her way through the ferns and leaves covering the ground. As she grew closer to the source of the light, she began hearing commotion.
"Vadren, our orders were to destroy it. Yondu's 'associate' was very clear that the stone must be destroyed. If it gets into the wrong hands-" A small female voice spoke, clearly talking about the source of light. As Lilli came in view of the clearing, she saw who the voice was coming from, and who it was directed to.
"Ixxa, think about it, it's highly dangerous, if we were to take it, and get it to the Collector, it'd be a lot safer. This place is a Terran tourist location, or something. Heard one of them refer to it as a 'camp ground.' Whatever that is. We should bring it back." Terran? Lilli was highly confused. Terra meant 'Earth' in other languages, but she didn't understand. The two figures looked, and sounded human. She took a step closer, now about 100 feet from the stone, and the two Xandarians. The female one turned the device towards the stone, and blasted it. She'd clearly ignored Vadren. The stone exploded, causing a burst of force to travel throughout the forest. Lilli was hit by the most of it, the radiation of the stone entering her body, causing her to black out.
Four days later, Lilli woke up, shaking. What had just happened? She looked at her looked normal enough. She was suddenly hugged by a small pair of arms.
"Lilli, you're okay! We were so worried." Lilli saw the blonde hair of her eight-year-old brother, Hunter. He buried his face in her hospital gown, crying. She looked up, only to see her two sisters, Cadance and Kaylea, and her mother and father. How long had she been out? They looked stressed, scared, even.
"I feel fine, Hunter." Lilli responded, her voice soft.
"Lilli, sweetheart, you were literally exposed to a blast that burned half of the forest down. You're saying you are fine?" Lilli's dad stepped forward, smiling at his middle child. Tears were visible in his eyes as she nodded. Her family spent the next thirty minutes fussing over her.
That Monday, Lilli was allowed to go back to school. She figured she would have quite the story to tell her friends.
"Lilli! We heard you were at Allegany when it was set on fire. Then we were told you were admitted to the hospital. But you look... fine." Chelsea Price, Lilli's best friend, asked as soon as she walked into homeroom. Kids were crowded around her, waiting for her answer.
"I... actually have no idea. Hunter came up with the bizarre idea that I have superpowers. Pppft, like that would ever frickin' happen." The kids around Lilli all nodded or muttered words in agreement. It was a crazy thought coming from an eight-year-old boy who was obsessed with the Avengers.
"Alright class, line up in the hall, starting at the drinking fountain and going back." Lilli had completely forgotten there was a con that day. Mr. White was always early. Not just two or three minutes early, ten. Ten minutes early. Not that Lilli could complain. She didn't like school. She was ahead in all of her classes, and she was absolutely bored. Standing up, and pushing her chair is, she stands behind one of her other friends, Dallas, and leaned against the wall.
"Lil, ya got any idea what this one's about?" Dallas turns to the brunette, her blonde hair falling just below her shoulders. Lilli just shrugged. She honestly had no idea, and she truly didn't care. Most of the cons were about how history has affected America, whatnot, just in play form. They were learning this in class, did they really have to learn it in a different way? The class begins walking towards the gym, and Lilli pulls her phone out, texting her mom, who was still babying her after the incident on Tuesday. She felt a weird spark in her fingertips, and accidentally dropped it, listening to the crack as it hit the floor. She knelt down to pick it up, and the device suddenly sparked. Lilli looked at her hands in confusion, the tips of her fingers were crackling, little blue sparks came from her fingertips. She began getting panicked, and looked around. No one had seen her, yet, and she runs into the bathroom, entering the middle stall and locking the door. Her breathing was heavy, and she was beginning to freak out. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she hears a loud bursting sound. Without even opening her eyes, she could tell the toilet's pipes had burst. She didn't understand what was happening, and that was what was causing this.
"Lil? Lilli, you in here?" Dallas's voice could be heard from the door, it sounded filled with worry. She stepped further into the bathroom, the water now at her feet.
"Go away..." Lilli mumbled, still crying and shaking. Dallas took a few steps into the bathroom, before she was hit with a sudden chill, and her world went dark.