This is an example Origin chapter. Within are the explanations of what the Station is, how Aurora and her half-brother came to live there, and why she started letting others live there, too. This also involves a sort-of-minor character that will appear occasionally in the story. This character is not a permanent resident of the Station, though.
One technical thing: Aurora's last name is Cambridge, but her brother's and father's is Parnell. This is because Lillian Cambridge, Aurora's mother, divorced her husband before Aurora was born.
Also, Aurora and her brother are nine years apart. This takes place four years before the actual story.
"Are you sure that this is the place?" Aurora asked. The old blue pickup truck that she "acquired" from her parents chugged idly as they sat across the street.
"Yes, Rory! Gosh, why don't you believe me?" Sebastian, Aurora's half-brother, complained good-naturedly from the passenger seat. He flipped his black bangs out of his eyes. "This is the place Dad told me about."
It looked like a train station, one of the ones that were built right before the Blight. Those were the days when trains and cars were the only way to get around. Of course, then the Blight happened, wiping out millions and destroying the landscape. Nowadays, the only way to travel was by automobile, if you were lucky.
Aurora thanked her lucky stars for the ancient truck that bumped along beneath her.
"It doesn't look that safe…" Aurora said warily.
"Dad said it's the safest place around. This is where he ran the Pharmacy, 'back in the day'."
Aurora couldn't help but cringe at how her 8-year-old brother so easily discussed their supervillain father's old drug cartel. Known publically as "The Pharmacist", Roger Parnell would engineer new enhancement drugs and sell them. She didn't like knowing that they would be living in what used to be a criminal hotspot. However, if it really was where their father ran his business, she could rest assured that it was the most secure building in the area.
Finally, she sighed. "It's now or never, I guess." She stepped out of the truck and into the cold November air. Sebastian scrambled out of the truck and ran beside her as she approached the back of the truck.
"Huck! Down!" A brown and white Saint Bernard jumped out of the truck bed. The three made their way out of the alley where the truck was parked.
As soon as they reached the street, Aurora felt her hair whip against her face. She pulled her coat tighter around her, dreading every step that brought them closer to their new home.
Finally, Aurora found herself standing in front of the cargo door. This was the only door that was usable, since all other doorways were either blocked by bricks or covered by metal plating. While it looked like a normal cargo door with a passcode pad on the side, she knew it was anything but.
Aurora pulled a piece of notebook paper from her pocket. The paper was worn from all of the times that she had folded and unfolded it, re-reading the contents. At the bottom, after a lengthy apology from her parents for leaving Sebastian and her, was a set of instructions on how to bypass security measures safely.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and began the long process of re-activating and disabling of different security standards. By the time the screen on the pad glowed green, Aurora was sure that she couldn't feel her hands anymore. Finally, the door creaked and shuddered, slowly rising. Aurora gazed into the dark, dusty building where she was supposed to live.
"Home, sweet home," she muttered.
It took her a few days to realize there's something wrong. Mostly, she took note of little things, like items not being where she left them and food missing from the pantry. The first few times, she blamed Seb. However, it soon became clear that that was not the case. Aurora began to fear the worst; somebody else may be here with them.
She started checking the unused rooms. Storage, offices, and closets would be easy to hide in.
Storage room 7 was full of old crates. Keeping the lights off, Aurora peered in, Huck at her side. Suddenly, the Saint Bernard started sniffing loudly, and then trotted inside the room. Aurora whistled for him to return, but he didn't follow orders, and she started to walk away.
A low growl stopped her in her tracks.
From what she could see with the minimal light, it looked like Huck was growling at one of the crates. She watched as Huck hunched over, his growl escalating in volume. Aurora narrowed her eyes. What caught his attention? If it was a raccoon or other rodent, like she had found before in the old building, he wouldn't have paid this much attention.
Suddenly, another noise joined Huck. "Shhh."
Aurora ran into the storage room, hands spread wide as she drew light from the doorway to herself. By the time she reached her dog, he already had the culprit caught; part of his or her pant leg was grasped firmly in his jaws.
She angled the beam of light from her hands into the space between crates, and gasped at what she saw. It was a girl, that was for sure, but she wasn't human. Her eyes were gold, and her skin was a pale blue, almost white. Most interesting, though, were the two black-feathered wings sprouting from her back, the same raven color of her long hair. She looked terrified, her arms drawn around her and gripping tightly to her severely oversized pink t-shirt.
Her hopeless demeanor caused Aurora to take pity on her. As much as she wanted to lend the strange girl a hand, though, doing so would disrupt the beam of light that emerged from her hands like a flashlight. Aurora wasn't sure how much she trusted the girl.
"Huck!" she barked. "Let go."
Huck whimpered once before releasing the hem of the girl's pants.
Aurora backed up a few steps and said, "Stand up."
Shaking, the girl complied. She apparently understood English. Only when she was standing in the light from the doorway did Aurora drop her hands, shutting off the light beam. She noticed why the T-shirt seemed so large; half of the back portion had been cut out to release the girl's wings. She didn't move forward, instead cast a frightened glance to Huck. Aurora knelt to the dog.
"Huck, Seb. Go." The dog took off down the hallway.
"Come on," Aurora said, but her tone was soft.
The girl didn't budge. "Where we go?" she whispered.
"To the main hall. I'm Aurora," she said, pointing to herself as she coaxed the girl forward. The girl took a few wary steps, making sure to stay right next to Aurora. "Who are you?"
"Bliiz," the girl said, "Earth similar is Bliss?"
Aurora nodded. "Okay, Bliss. Where are you from? How did you get here?"
"Havania is homeworld," she said, "But I came to earth because kidnapped."
Aurora faltered. "I'm sorry."
Bliss smiled slightly, taken aback by Aurora's comment. "It is no fault of yours. I get home somehow."
"But," Aurora said, "How did you get here?" She indicated the building.
"Live here time of long. Brought here before it closed. Stayed."
Aurora let out a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a security breach.
The two walked in silence, until Bliss spoke up again.
"Wh-what happen to me?"
Aurora didn't answer. She wasn't quite sure what to do with Bliss. Granted, she'd lived there for a long time, but technically, this building was now Aurora's and Sebastian's.
"Hey, Rory, Huck returned, and I was wondering…" Sebastian came around the corner and skidded to a halt. "Who's that?"
"Seb," Aurora said, "This is Bliss, and she's the one who-"
"Oh, my gosh, are those wings? Are you blue? Are you an alien? Oh my gosh, dad's told me about you guys, but I've never actually met one. You know, for real." Sebastian reached out for one of the wings. Aurora slapped his hand away.
"Seb, don't be rude."
"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "Who is she, anyway?"
"She's the culprit behind the missing food fiasco. And," Aurora said, making up her mind, "she's our housemate."
Submissions are still open! I haven't firmly decided who's on the team. Also, I forgot to specify this, but please write "Hero" or "Villain" on your application.
