CHAPPIE CHIMODZI:
SUNSHINE, ONLY WHEN SHE'S GONE
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He's ten feet tall and whatever many pounds, you'd think he'd hold back a little with his strikes. I push out an energy shield in front of me to keep him back but it barely pushes him an inch before it disappears. I haven't been out in the sun yet so I only have so much power.
I rise off the floor. I still can't fly much higher than seven feet off the ground so I can't even get any real aerial advantage. I charge forward, hovering off the ground to meet him at eye level, trying to rely on quickness and speed. Except his footwork makes it look like I couldn't hit him with a ten foot pole.
"Extend on every punch, Lucy. It's not enough to go through the motions." He says, barely breathing heavy.
Right, extend. I extend on my punches and he grabs me by the elbow and tosses me into the padded wall like I weigh nothing, which to him, I probably do. I right myself and hover above the ground, ready to counter any oncoming barrage, except he hasn't moved.
Oh no, I see what's happening. I'm not ready yet.
"Come on, Lucy. You can do it." He says waving me on.
He's kept his distance to create the perfect opportunity for me to fire a blast, except I still don't know how. A nervous swallow goes down my throat, I can tell he really thinks I'm going to do it this time.
Okay, let's give this another go. Taking a deep breath. I bring my hands together, condensing a small amount of energy. I can feel the pressure building in my hands, and I concentrate on releasing it through a single point in front of me.
I try letting it go but the force instead releases in every direction and sends me flying right back into the wall. My long blonde hair curtains my face when I lift it off the floor.
A failure, again.
A big scarred hand is above me, offering me help off the ground. I take it, unable to fill it with my own. "I'm sorry Daddy. I thought I'd do it this time."
"Don't worry, Lucy. A little more training and I'm sure you'll get it." I'm average height for a girl but he's so tall he has to squat down so I'm at eye level with him. His short golden blond hair now being invaded by an army of grey.
"You're a Bruden and that means something, ours is a name with many echoes. I know you'll do us proud."
A Bruden. How could I forget.
We collect our gear and climb the stairs from the house's basement training room. As soon as we're on the ground floor one of Daddy's assistants bombard him with a list of interviews and appearances he needs to make in the next few days.
He gives me a sad smile and waves a little goodbye, knowing he now has to go to work. I smile and wave back, and just like that the day has to begin. The time is six in the morning.
After a shower I get dressed in my school uniform and look myself over in the mirror. I lift and stretch my narrow jaw, thankful to find no bruises this time and flex the skin around my blue eyes to try and get them to look more awake. After a quick brush of the teeth I then try to navigate the army of Daddy's personal chefs to make my own breakfast.
I wander into the lounge with my bowl of cereal to eat before going to school.
"Her hair has grown longer, it's at the top of her back now." / "The family could probably double our net worth if we harvested it."
Two voices enter the lounge and when I see who they belong to my day is instantly made."Oh my gosh!" I crash the cereal on the table and leap in to hug them both.
I haven't seen my brothers Tristan and Xander since they left to work in one of Daddy's hero agencies.
Pendela—the Great Statedom, is divided into three sections, the Upper South Side Districts where most people of money and fortune live. The Lower South Side Districts where less wealthy people live. And the Border towns, which don't lie between the two South Sides but are instead a sliver of land on the east that stretches along the coast line. The west is nothing but tall mountains. Calling the regions 'South' is a bit of irony, considering we're in the most Northerly reaches of the world, and the only thing beyond the Northern border, demarcated by a massive lake, is barren lands that can't sustain life.
Tristan and Xander now live and work up in one of the furthest district in the Upper South Side, where only the wealthiest and most powerful people live. They've been working there for two years since breaking the top ten hero list. Just four years out of high school, as expected from your typical Bruden prodigies.
"What are you guys doing here?" I ask as I'm set back down.
"Well I don't know if you know the new police chief here, but he called our branch last month concerning a string of Lower South Side gangs that we're-" / "Work stuff. We're in the city for work stuff."
I stifle a laugh as Xander cuts in on Tristan, it's like they never left. Their dynamic is completely symbiotic at this point. Tristan, the blond, blue eyed intellectual who breaks hearts, and Alexander, the blond, blue eyed extrovert, except his hair is braided into cornrows. So he breaks twice as many hearts. The soon to be legendary, Bruden Twins.
"Right, work stuff, so unfortunately we can't stay long." / "How's your training with Dad going, can you fire blasts yet?"
I feel slightly ashamed, everyone expects me to be able to by now. "No, I think I'm getting close though." To something, probably, hopefully.
"You'll get it, Dad's the best. Literally." / "You're gonna need it for the entrance exam."
K.I. Academy's infamous entrance exam. "How hard was it when you guys took it."
"Well actually..." / "It wasn't, we were first and second. I'll let you guess." Xander finishes with a wink.
"So if it's anything like what we took, you'll walk through it easily." Tristan says.
Right, of course.
"Hey we gotta get going." Tristan says to Xander, pointing to his watch.
"Right, Lucy I can't wait till you can come intern with us." Xander says wrapping me in another hug.
"Neither can I. I hope I do well enough to get there."
"Of course you will, just do your best." / "You're a Bruden after all, so it should be more than enough. Even without the best quirk in the family!"
No pressure. "Thanks guys. I'm going to miss you."
"You're going to be a fantastic hero, Lucy." Tristan says in his own hug. "The next story is yours."
.
"I don't think I can, The K.I. entrance exam is coming up soon and I need to do more training. I should be able to fire off blasts but I can only create shields and push them out a couple feet."
Alistair rolls her eyes where she leans against her locker, "Come on Lucy, you're always training."
"I know and I'm sorry, but-"
"But when you're living in K.I. we aren't ever going to see you."
"I'm flattered that you think it's a given, but K.I. is a really tough school to get into."
"Hmm, oh yeah that's right, because it's not like you come from a hero dynasty or have an amazing quirk, or are an A plus student." Alistair says in a playfully dramatic tone. "Oh my dear Lucy, how ever will you manage. Gag me."
I can't keep myself from laughing. "Stop it! Anyway wouldn't you rather be alone with Mikey. I thought you really liked him."
"I do not like Michael Darama, Lucy. I am in with love him." Ali corrects sternly. "I am his future trophy wife and will spawn his children."
"…'Spawn'?"
"Come on Lucy, it's one party, at Jasper's house." She pleads, bouncing on her toes, her short curly hair bouncing along with her.
"Well..." It is just one party, and I probably won't have many of those in the near future. "Okay."
"'Okay'..." Ali prods.
Rolling my eyes, "Okay, I'll come to the party."
"AAH! Lucy Bruden you're my hero!" She screams, way too loud for a middle school hallway.
"Alistair, keep it down." She throws her arms around me and we stumble along the hall laughing.
.
The night isn't that late, but it's already pretty dark. Alistair and I sit in the back seat of Mikey's car, a massive rolling mansion of an SUV. Mikey is in the driver's seat with his friend, whose name I've forgotten and am now too embarrassed to ask for again.
The plush interior is as soft and smooth as silk. Mikey is part of the Darama family clan, so he is probably the wealthiest kid in our district right behind Jasper Sekai, whose mother owns Cape Industries. Mikey and his friend dress pretty much how all cool high school kids with money dress.
"How much did this car cost, Mikey?" I ask him.
"How should I know, I just asked my Dad to get me one." Mikey replies.
Alistair elbows my side and grimaces, she is all dressed up as cute as she can be in a skirt and top, her brown curly hair done up. "I can't wait to see Jasper's place, I heard his swimming pool has an underwater sound system." Ali says.
"Wow, that actually does sound pretty cool." I agree, "It's too bad we didn't bring any swimsuits." I came dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt.
"We're not going to Jasper's place." Mikey says from the driver's seat. "Not yet anyway."
Alistair and I share a puzzled look. "Okay? Then where are we going." I ask.
Mikey and his friend glance to each other and smile menacingly. "Lower South Side."
"What!" He can't be serious. "We can't go to the Lower South, it isn't safe there."
"Lucy, chill out. I'm sure Mikey knows what he's doing." Ali says.
"Yeah, chill out. What are you afraid of?" Mikey asks from the front seat.
Getting mugged. Getting violently beaten. Getting killed. All the above.
"Can we please just go to Jasper's party? What's in the Lower South anyway besides trouble?"
"Wow Ali, didn't know your friend hated Lower Siders so much." Mikey's friend laughs out. "Haven't you ever wanted to see how the other half lives?"
"I don't hate-"
"Look we're just going to go to have a couple drinks, and then we'll go straight to Jasper's party, yeah." Mikey promises. "It won't take ten minutes. And besides if we run into trouble, we all have quirks."
"We aren't allowed to-"
"Come on Lucy, just be cool." Ali says to me and I look at her in shock. Seriously Ali? She has a pleading look across her face and nods towards Mikey.
I sigh, this is just what I get. "Fine, but no more than ten minutes."
.
We arrive in what has to be the scariest place I've ever been too. Mikey has brought us to seems to be some bar that looks more like a tricked out shed a mile off the highway. There are people gathered around the entrance who all stare at the car as it slowly rolls by.
"Check it out, it's almost all anthros around here." Mikey's friend observes.
"Shh! You're not allowed to call them that" Alistair scolds him. "They have mutant quirks, you aren't allowed to call them anthropomorphic."
"Well why not?" Mikey's friend asks her.
"Because anthropomorphism is the other way."
Mikey's friend looks even more confused. "Other way?"
We park in an empty lot nearby under a flickering lamp. "An anthropomorphous is an animal with human qualities. A mutant is a human with animal qualities." Mikey explains to his friend. "But if you ask me, it's all the same thing."
Looking around, I notice Michael's friend is right though. I never paid it much thought before but I realise that almost everyone in the Upper South has some kind of emitter or transformation quirks. Down here though, everyone has some kind of mutation quirk.
"This place really doesn't look safe." I think out loud.
"Relax, would you. Lower Siders aren't real fighters, all they know how to do is talk." Mikey says.
Mikey and his friend make long strides toward the entrance, not wanting to be left behind Alistair and I follow quickly. When we reach the entrance the bouncer at the door sticks his hand up, he's a huge guy with piercing all over his face and two powerful looking horns protruding from his forehead.
"How old are you kids?" The bouncer's deep voice booms our way.
Mikey doesn't flinch. "A hundred." He says holding up a roll of cash between his fingers.
"You look a lot younger." The big guy takes the money from Mikey's grip. "Go right ahead."
We enter the bar and it's a semi big crowd clustered all over the place. It has stained hardwood floors, low music and dense air. We make a beeline for the counter, standing out like a flare in a snowstorm, with every pair of eyes tracking us as we move.
We pass people with quirks that I've never seen before. There's a guy who watches us as we enter and flashes Ali and I a toothy grin, revealing stained and gold teeth .
"What can I get you kids?" The guy behind the bar asks, when we make it to the counter and Mikey begins to order us drinks.
"I'll have water." I tell him before he gets something I know I won't want.
Mikey rolls his eyes at me.
"Lucy…" Alistair pleads. I shake my head at her, I made it here. I'm not going to do more than that.
"So you Upper kids slumming it for the night, huh." The barkeep says.
"That a problem?" Mikey asks as he finishes paying.
The bartender collects his money off the counter. "Not for me."
The whole place looks like they have a grudge with us personally, and somewhere at the back I make out narrow eyes glaring right at me, like that of a snake.
"We got our drinks, can we please go now."
"What are you afraid of? You're a Bruden, you could take out any one of these anthro losers." Mikey says.
"What you say, kid!" Oh no, this can't be good. A big, heavy looking guy with spiking skin, wearing plenty of chains around his neck, steps closer to Mikey. "What you just say you little Upper Side punk!"
Alistair and I shrink away and even Mikey's friend looks nervous. Mikey leans against the counter, I hope he'd be smart enough to apologise but his body language looks anything but sorry.
"I said, if she or any of us decided to, we could take care of all you losers." Mikey says proudly.
The spiky guy looks over to his friends in amused disbelief. "Can you believe this kid." He directs his attention back to Mickey who is now sporting an entitled looking grin beneath his expensive side part haircut. "I'm gonna smash your teeth in you little Upper Side punk."
Mikey takes a sip of his drink, before replying. "It's only fear stopping you." Mikey turns his gold watch into a short blade to further his point.
Spiky guy actually seems stunned for a second. "Yeah that's what I thought." Mikey tells him, taking another swallow of his drink. "Now why don't you do my eyes a favour and-"
Mikey's spit drenches us when his head whips to the side after the punch connects.
Alistair screams and Mikey's friend looks horrified, frozen with fear. The spiky guy lands another punch into Mikey's ribs, he raises his fist to land another blow and for a second, I don't remember anything.
When I snap back to attention, the spiky guy is lying on the ground over a broken table, all eyes in the bar are on me with terrified and awed expressions. I realise that I am hovering above the ground, the lights shining off my body dancing against every surface, my steady release of the sunlight that I stock piled in the day holding me aloft.
I must have stepped in and thrown the spiky guy off Mikey, maybe a little too strong. I come back down to the floor and deactivate.
"I think we should go now." I tell the others.
"You ain't going anywhere." The voice comes from the eyes in the corner that tracked us in, still cloaked in shadow. "Bruden." He says my name like a curse, with a thick Lower Side accent, causing smaller pockets of chatter to rise up.
Bruden is a name with many echoes.
As soon as my name is voiced all heads turn to get another look at me, with a little more menace in everyone's eyes.
Mikey is only now coming up to his feet and the others are wide eyed and scared. "We don't want any trouble." I tell the voice.
"Then why did you come looking for it?" The eyes rise and rise till they stand almost ten feet off the ground. "Your father put me away for five years, then your brother put my boy away."
The voice stalks towards us, into the light, the voice comes out of a massive crocodile man with a hard looking rounded skull, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else, his scales look scary enough to bludgeon if you stare at them too long.
He towers over us and I feel fear thickening in my throat.
"Only seems fair, that I get to put one of you away too."
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EDIT:
The content itself has not been edited, however, the last section of this chapter has been moved forward, partly for better distribution but mainly because statistics show most people stop reading after chapter one. My hope is that maybe leaving a small cliffhanger would help me keep readers around.
Apologies for any confusion caused.