I've always been a curious child. I always wanted to know how things worked, what made things tick, especially people. People are a mystery to me; they feel such pointless emotions and have such peculiar thought processes. I guess you could say I'm not exactly normal, actually, clinically speaking, I am abnormal, sometimes I think I might be a psychopath, it fits really. But that's not the point, my abnormality mostly stems from my parents. See, my parents are a bit special, now I'm sure you're thinking 'wow that's mean why would you say that about your parents?!' No, I mean they were really special, my dad was a fire elemental and my mom a water elemental. Ironic really, or fate if you believe in that shit. They met when they were young at an Academy for people like them, my dad a temperamental, cocky jock and my mom a go with the flow flower child, they were the yin to each other's yang; again, fate I guess. I grew up hearing all about the Academy, where 'people like us' can go to be safe and learn to control our powers. I was fascinated by the stories my parents told me and by their powers. "When you're 10, Alex, we'll take you to Syllent and you'll love it, just you wait" my mom would tell me all the time. I was so excited for my tenth birthday, the age in which powers manifest; all I ever wanted was to be like my parents, to be powerful. When I was 8 my dad got the raise he'd been coveting for the majority of his career, American Ambassador at the German Embassy in Munich. My parents were so excited, Syllent is in Munich and they had always wanted to be closer so that when I went to the Academy I could visit them all the time, that and they were benefactors to the Academy, always involved in the activities at the school. So we packed up and moved our entire lives to Germany. My parents were always loving and caring, they taught me all about the history of people like us and that I had to be discreet because the ordinary people wouldn't understand and would want to hurt me. On my tenth birthday my parents woke me up at midnight on the dot and looked at me with these wide, excited eyes "do you feel anything different?" they had asked me but try as I might I didn't feel any different. I shook my head and looked up to my parents in confusion, this wasn't right, I had listened to both of their manifestation stories and this wasn't anything like that. My mom had pursed her lips and my dad's eyebrows had furrowed "maybe we woke you too soon, we'll see you in the morning" my dad had said. They kissed me goodnight and left the room but I couldn't sleep, why didn't I feel any different? The thought kept me up for hours before my 10 year old self couldn't take it and passed out of sheer exhaustion. When I woke later I still felt no different and I could see the disappointment on their faces, the shock, like how could their child not be special? "We still have two years, Alexa, don't you worry. Sometimes powers are a little slow, it's been known to happen." My mother had told me. I held on to that hope like a fucking life line, but every year the hope diminished. The light in my parents' eyes faded a little on my birthday for two more years until by the time I turned 13 they didn't even acknowledge the date. They increasingly became more distant through the years but in my own disappointment, I barely noticed.
Fast forwards 3 years and I'm sitting in my history class when he walks in, Johan Strauss. Immediately I'm drawn to him and it takes me the entire class period to figure out why. At first I thought it was his looks – tall, blond hair, blue eyes, gorgeous, literally, Hitler would of jizzed his pants the kid was so perfect – but although I found him aesthetically pleasing, that wasn't it. He had above average intelligence, but again, that just didn't seem to be it. It was his power, I felt it, and it took me so long to figure out, I realized, because I had only ever felt a milder version around my parents. He was gifted, just like my parents! I followed him out of the classroom and when I managed to snake my way closer I could actually distinguish what his power was, teleportation. I fixated on him like I had never fixated on a human being before, but he was different, he was special, and I just had to know him. I eventually cornered him and told him I knew what he was, his eyes flared open in alarm and I laughed, I told him there was no need to freak out, that my parents were the same, that I might be the same and the smile he shot me was, not to be clichéd, disarming. Next thing I know, he was following me around everywhere, asking me all sorts of questions because apparently his parents were ordinary and we're wary of his abilities. I told him what I could in exchange for him showing me his powers. It was amazing; if I wanted to go to the beach in Australia, bang we were there, dinner in Paris? Boom, there. It was fascinating, he fascinated me. Next thing I know, we're in a relationship, no clue how it happened to be honest, he was a sneaky little bugger like that, got under your skin and refused to leave, it was mildly pleasant.
It took me two months to become jealous of his ability, and a month after that to realize I could have it.
I spent two more months agonizing over how to go about taking it but every plan I could come up with was too risky, until I saw her. She was a homeless girl on the streets of Munich, completely nondescript; people passed by her every day and mostly ignored her except for the very select few that would put change in her cup out of pity. She was plain, except for she wasn't. She had long blonde hair, like mine, green eyes, like mine, nearly my same height and build, if I were a famous actress she could very easily pass as my double. It was perfect. I spent another month following her, learning her habits, the places she stays, what time she'll be in which place and painstakingly made the necessary arrangements for my plan. I found a guy who, if you paid enough money, would change certain documents in a less than legal fashion without asking any questions, I periodically took money out of mine and my parents' accounts, not enough to be noticeable or suspicious in anyway, and I paid more attention to my parents' schedules; it was a perfect plan.
Finally, in mid-January, my plan came to fruition. Johan and I had been dating for 6 months at that point; both his and my parents were accustomed to us being together, sometimes at his, other times at mine. This time I made sure we'd be at mine, 2 hours before my mother was due back from work. It was like every other time we'd hung out together, we watched movies up in my room, did some homework, everything was normal. At 6pm on the dot I looked over at Johan to see him laying back on my bed, arms behind his head and eyes closed, I tilted my head and looked at him closely "you know, you've always fascinated me" I said and a small smile spread across his lips "yeah?" he asked. "Yeah, I've always wondered how your brain works, what makes. You. Tick." he chuckled "Ah, I'm afraid I can't help you there, Lex, it's a secret" he jokes. I grin "It's a pity really, I quite liked you" he opens his eyes and furrows his brows, his lips open as if to respond before his entire body goes rigid. I grin wider "well look at that, it works" my left hand is up, palm towards him as I am literally pinning him to my bed, paralyzed. His eyes are wide in shock and fear and I can't help but feel elated, it is working! I tilt my head to the side and my right hand comes up, my index finger pointing at his head "don't worry, I'll make it quick" I swipe my finger in a line through the air across his forehead and watch in morbid fascination as blood begins to drop from the cut that's forming. He looks like he would be screaming if he could and part of me realizes that he must be in a lot of pain and for some reason that same part of me doesn't want that. As much as I would love to draw it out, it's my first kill, I want to savor it, Johan doesn't deserve that – ugh, sentiment – so I make it quick, I slice the rest of the way through and watch the light leave his eyes before I peel back the top half of his skull and examine my prize, his brain. The moment my fingers touch it I can feel the last vestiges of power trying to find a new home, I poke and prod until I finally find the source and I gasp and almost jolt back when it transfers into me. I blink down at my hands to see them covered in blood and laugh, it worked, it actually fucking worked. I quickly stand up, the body of my boyfriend already forgotten, and continue with my carefully laid out plan. Not bothering to clean the blood off my hands I teleport – holy fuck I actually teleported – to the place I knew homeless girl would be at 6:30pm, she only manages to gasp in surprise before I grab her forearm and teleport us back to my room where I quickly paralyze her - unfortunately I have to change her because her street urchin clothes are not fitting my wardrobe - and cut her head open as well. I don't examine it, there's no point, she's not special, she's not anything, just a small piece of the big picture. I leave their bodies there and make my way down to my living room; I sit down on my dad's seat, the perfect vantage point to the front door, and lie in wait.
An hour and 15 minutes later my mother walks through the door, she stops short when she sees me, bloody hands steepled under my chin "Hello mother" I say calmly. "Lexi, what are you doing?" she asks warily. I snort "My name is Alexa, mother, you gave it to me the least you could do is say it right." I gracefully stand up "actually, don't, I've always hated that name; it doesn't fit me in the least." Her brows are furrowed at this point, hands coming up in a defensive stance "what is on your hands?" she asks me in a suspicious tone. I laugh and bring my left hand up, using it to paralyze her "blood" I say simply. Hmm, it seems the default expression when in fear is to bug one's eyes out, Johan did it, the homeless girl did it and now my mother, it's quite comical, I laugh. "Am I powerful enough now, mom?" I ask rhetorically as I begin to cut my finger through the air. This time I savor it, I take my time and cut through inch by agonizing inch, I look at the expression in her eyes, the fear, the pain, the knowledge in the inevitability of one's demise, it's beautiful and part of me never wants it to end, but alas it does. Her eyes lose focus as I pry her skull apart and repeat the process I did with Johan, absorbing the power my mother lorded over me for my entire life. I feel nothing but satisfaction. I drag her body away from the immediate line of sight with the front door and wait for my father. When he arrives it's a lot less dramatic, he sees my mother's body and immediately goes on the offensive, I don't get to taunt him before I paralyze and strip him off his life and powers, but it's equally as enjoyable and satisfying.
I stand up straight and look around at the lifeless bodies of my parents and smirk before heading upstairs to grab the bag I had carefully prepared for this, it holds my essentials and the passport, id and birth certificate my less than legal friend managed to procure for me. My DNA records had been swapped with the DNA from the homeless girl beforehand and now all that was left to do was destroy the evidence. I take a deep breath and hold my hands out like I had seen my dad do countless times, I concentrate on making flames, feeling flames, picturing them in my mind like my dad used to tell me, it takes only a minute before flames shoot out of my palms, I laugh in delight. I set fire to my room covering every inch in an inferno before doing the same to the rest of my house. I stand in the middle of the living room watching it all go up in flames before I teleport to the little park I had found a couple weeks ago for this specific purpose.
Alexa LeFay is dead; she died in that fire, from the ashes I arise, Alexandria Ellis - catchy right? – With three newly procured powers. I use one of them, my mom's water, to wash off the blood from my hands and forearms; I dispose of the homeless girls dirty street urchin clothes and go to the closest pharmacy to buy some black hair dye. Hair black as night to help shed the Alexa image, I teleport to the entrance to Syllent Academy at long last.
I had always imagined I would feel at home the moment I stepped through the doors of the Academy, like I would find a place I could finally fit in, but it's not like that, it's so much better. The moment I step through the doors I can feel all the power. Every single person here has some sort of ability, of every kind imaginable and the potential in all of that is staggering, I want it all. I look around at all the smiling faces of all the kids and professors and only one thought crosses my mind: who do I kill first?