CHILDREN OF MAN

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| Lucy Bruden. Quirk: Solar Aurora, Affiliation: K.I Academy |

"Have you seen her yet?" I ask as I pace the length of Kay's room for the hundredth time now.

"No, I waited outside her room for an hour, and I can't find her anywhere else." Kay answers from the top of her bed, in her pajamas.

It's the morning after. After Perci spotted Shirke and I, when she did she ran off and now we can't find her.

I pace in faster, "She could be right in front of us and we wouldn't be able to tell."

"Yeah, that definitely doesn't help—Would you stop moving about so much, you're making me dizzy."

I stop pacing the floor and sit on the edge of the bed, burying my head in my hands, my stomach in knots.
"I feel awful."

"She was going to find out eventually." Mandy says from Kay's desk.

"Yeah, but she didn't have to find out like that!" I cover my eyes to try and keep the image from playing in my mind, "you should have seen the look on her face, it was like she had just been stabbed in the heart."

"It probably felt that way." Mandy says.

My head sinks even lower, "Oh god."

"You're not helping." I hear Kay direct toward Mandy in a hushed voice

"….Are we supposed to be?" Mandy replies.

"Someone kill me."

"Okay, Lucy stop." Kay gets on her feet and pulls me upright by my shoulders.
"Listen to me, yes you hurt Perci's feelings and that sucks, but you do not have the time to throw yourself a pity party. You're still ranked 16th in class, meaning you're going to drop down to the B class if you don't get your act together."

Damn it, that's true. The semester is almost over. "But Perci—"

"You can apologize to Perci as soon as you find her, but until then you have to get your head in the game. You are running out of time, understand!"

She's right, I have to focus. I have to start acting like I belong here, cause all I've done is make a mockery of the Bruden name.

Just stop playing it safe and be more aggressive. Go after what you want with everything you have.

Shrike's advice rings in my mind, and I think I'm ready to give it a go.
"Okay. Yeah, I got this."

| Morales Dotti. Quirk: Hydrogen Collider (H-Bomb). Affiliation: K.I Academy. |

"Morales, we need a plan." One of my teammates, Jack, complains from a step behind me as we walk through a replica of an empty college campus.

"The plan is the same—"

"'as it's always been let the king work', yeah yeah." Another one of teammates, the bone quirk guy, Oak.
"We've all heard it, and news flash it's not working anymore."

"Everyone knows that flank maneuver in the last evaluation was Jasper's idea." The long girl with pitch-black hair also chimes in, Taiya.

I spin in place to look back at them, "I'm still number one aren't I! Or did all of you forget?"

Why is everyone harping? In the beginning they all wanted to be on my team.

"Technically you and Shrike are tied."

"Jack is in 17th place, Morales, we have to do well on this one," Taiya waves her arms.

"What the hell are of you guys worried about, it's the 4 versus 1, and besides we're up against Lucy, I already beat her once, remember! Quit worrying, already."

I turn to keep walking and I hear mumbled voices, hushed and low, "we're going to lose aren't we" / "so much for baddest of class-1a." / "shrike would've had plan." / "I even wish I was on Darama's team."

I grit my teeth, I'll show them. I'll show them all.

The game is Lone Survivor, 1 hero has to get past 4 villains, being us. There's enough room for improvisation, stealth, direct combat, a little of everything. This is a game meant to let an individual student's strength shine.

If Lucy is smart she'll try and pick us off one by one, target the weaker members of the team, then use her speed to make a mad dash to the goal on the other side of the replica campus, back the direction we came from.

The campus isn't massive we could probably split it between us but that just be a great way to get picked off, we need to stay together.

We stop in the middle of the street between a clinic and security building when we all hear something.

The buzzing sound is a beam of rainbow light that comes from somewhere in front of us, "Cover!" The ground tears apart right in front of us, digging a trench into the asphalt and knocking everybody down. I get up to my feet and rise to see her flying low to the ground, Lucy Bruden. Heading straight at me. At top speed.

Crap! I steady my palm by my side but there isn't time and I see her fist rear back and—

The first punch collides in my gut carrying me into the air, sending my body flying backward, almost coughing out my own tongue. The second punch connects with my jaw while I'm still airborne and sparks fly in my vision.

I'm out before I hit the ground.

II./..l

II.\..l

| Micheal Darama. Quirk: Midas Control, Affiliation: K.I. Academy |

"YAH LUCY!" / "Way to kick butt!" Kay and Mandy cheer at the big screen as we watch Lucy take down Morales, and geez, it's about time.

What would it say about the whole of the Upper South if a prodigy from one of the greatest hero dynasties got expelled in one year.

Once Morales lies knocked out cold, the rest of his team promptly get dispatched by Lucy one by one.

Watching her is weird, she usually fights at a distance, cautiously, but it doesn't look like she's willing to play it safe today. I don't have the time to analyze it today though, especially when this is yet another god damn team evaluation.

While we wait for the next group of people to start their evaluation I walk over to her and tap her on her shoulder.

"Mandy."

"What!" Mandy reacts, startled, "I wasn't staring at him—you can't prove that I was!"

"Would you calm down." Damn sexual predator, "I need to ask you a question."

"Oh, sure, you came to the right place. What is it?"

"The entrance exam, specifically the practical. It doesn't seem logical that K.I would make it so only a hand full of people could pass."

"Cause there's a possibility that a few elite students could have hoarded all the points." Mandy says concluding my thought, "I've thought about it too."

"125 villains, worth 2 points each, equaling 250 available points. Each section made of 20 examinees meant that at most 9 examinees could pass right?."

"If they chose to work alone, yes."

And that's the rub, "The bunch us together before it started in groups of five, if those five people decided to work together from the beginning of the exam, how many points do they get."

"Accounting for assist points… it would depend, but I see where you're headed and I suppose, yes, potentially the five at the start could all achieve perfects scores."

Yeah, that's what I figured. "Mandy, what have you noticed from the evaluations we've had to do this semester."

"Well, the majority of them have been team-oriented." She answers, "which is necessary for a hero out in the field. You never know who you might have to partner with."

"And… What more than that?" I ask.

Mandy hesitates, but doesn't look away, "I don't know what you mean—"

"Yes you do, if I figured it out, then so did you. I know I'm not being paranoid." All the evaluations have followed a particular and… concerning theme.

Defend the leader, capture the flag, open field combat, search and rescue. "It's hasn't exactly been a subtle pattern."

Mandy sighs heavily, "They're war games."

They are, which means only one thing, if it's war, it could only be coming from one place. The Lower South.

II./..l

II.\..l

| Lucy Bruden. Quirk: Solar Aurora, Affiliation: K.I Academy |

"You were incredible!" / "That blast at the beginning to scatter them was genius!" / "Looks like we got a Bruden in the class after all."

As the scores are tallied from today's evaluation, others from class are still congratulating me. A perfect score, I finally got one. It didn't get me out of the bottom five but it did close the distance.

Although the real story of the day is that Shrike manages to score better than Morales, and thereby claims what everyone agrees is his rightful seat as the new number one and the tittle of 'baddest of Class 1-A'.

Kay pulls me in with an arm around my shoulders, "I'm so proud you, girl! Where did that kind of aggression come from?"

"Thanks, someone just gave me some really good advice." I reply.

Just stop playing it safe and be more aggressive. Go after what you want with everything you have.

Just like Shrike said, and it worked. I look over at where he his friends are huddle together and his eyes are already on me, I small smile on his face, and I see him mouth the words, Good job.

I'm hoping I'm not blushing when I mouth back, Thank you.

I look over at Perci, standing a little away from the class, she's been, and I can't believe I'd ever say this about her, but she's been... quiet. Sam is the closest to her with a hand on Perci's shoulder but otherwise it looks like Shrike and them are giving her space.

"Alright, we've almost come to the end of the semester. For those of you still in the bottom five don't lose heart, the final of evaluation has been specifically design to give you one last chance to save yourselves. Until then, you have the one week off to prepare and study for your end-of-semester exams. Take this time to get your heads right, train hard and come back ready for a fight."

After training is over we head to the changing room and change back into uniform, as the other girls trickle out I finally work up the nerve to walk of to her, "Perci can we please talk."

She huffs and turns away from me, slamming her locker shut in anger..

"Perci.." I stop short when I turn and notice Mandy and Sam are still in the locker room with us blatantly watching. "Could you guys give some space."

"Oh," / "yeah right." Sam then Mandy says, "right, sure, Samantha would like to go outside the locker room with me?" Mandy says awkwardly.

"Yeah, totally, lets totally go outside the locker room."

They meander out and I'm convinced that they're still in earshot but whatever.

"Perci, I'm really sorry. Could you ever forgive me?"

Silence.

"Perci I know what I did was wrong, and I am so sorry I hurt you. You're my best friend and I would never dream of hurting you, I swear."

She sighs, her shoulders losing some of their anger.

"Why did you do it, Lucy" She asks without turning, her voice neutral and without its usual cheer, "you knew how I felt about him."

"It… It just happened, I didn't mean for it, but… It did and... I'm so sorry Perci."

More silence, but this her body eases and she slightly turns in my direction.

"Uh, have you spoken with Shrike yet?"

"No, not yet." She sighs, "I should have just told him ages ago, but… I'm scared he won't…" Perci's body finally relaxes. "but I guess now I have no choice. Which kinda helps actually, haha."

She finishes with a laugh and I join her, the tension thankfully easing.

"Awww." We both turn a see Mandy and Sam's head peeking in from the doorway before ducking back out.

"Go away!" Perci yells at them, but luckily still cheerfully.

"Sorry." / "You guys are doing great!"

We both laugh.

"Perci, do you think you could ever forgive me."

She finally looks at me, her lips pursed, but then she nods, "Yeah, I can."

"Oh thank goodness. Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah, it wasn't all your fault and I mean it's not like you're going to keep seeing him, so."

Wait. "What?"

Perci's face scrunches in confusion, "You're not going to see Shrike again, right?"

But… "Why not?"

"That's what you said," Perci says obviously, "that's why you're apologizing."

"Perci, I'm apologizing for not telling you. I didn't say I'm going to stop sending time with Shrike."

"You said it just happened, you don't actually like him. Do you?" "It did just happen?"

Uhm… "Well, we did kiss before that too."

"What! And you weren't going to tell me!"

"I was, I just—"

"I thought you were my friend!"

"I am it's just—"

"Then promise that you won't see him again!"

"Perci..."

"Promise me, Lucy!"

She's staring at me, there's a plea and a threat buried in her green eyes. I like spending time with Shrike, but Perci would never forgive me, so even though I know I'd miss him... maybe… maybe it would be for the best if—'Go after what you want with everything you have.'

"No."

Perci recoils when the word leaves my mouth, "What?"

"I'm sorry Perci but you're not being fair, if you tell Shrike how you feel and he decides he doesn't want to see me again then fine, but you can't force me not to see him just because you don't want me to."

"But you can't! Not when I'm going to tell him—"

"But you haven't Perci, you've been Shrike's friend for years and you haven't once told him how you feel. You can't ask me to never to see again until you find the courage."

I chill runs through the room. "Lucy, if you were ever really my friend..."
I know, I know but… I'm not holding back. I take a deep breath. "Perci, I really like Shrike, and I think he might like me too. I still want us to be friends but I'm not going to stop spending time with him just because you're jealous."

"Oooo," I hear Sam and Mandy's whistle poking their heads from the doorway. "Oh no she did not!" / "Oh yes she did did!"

Perci looks at me with scorn in written across her, then stomps angrily out of the room while I stand haplessly.

Sigh, that went well.

I'm almost certain this time pretty much everybody goes home this study break. This has been a long semester. The first day home, I spend mostly resting, the next I check the mail and find a free movie ticket to a nearby movie theater for that day. I don't question it, thinking a movie is the perfect way I can not think about the wreck of a turn my life is taking.

Walking down the street I find a lot more people seem to recognise me these days, waving and saying hello. I guess that museum incident was a real defining moment for me.

I get to the movie theater hoping it'll be quiet but alas, it's kind of busy.

Inside, I settle down into a seat in the middle row and try to relax, watch people filter in, there about thirty or so other people inside before it seem like that's about all that are coming. Strangely there's a lot more grown men coming to see a romcom than I'd expect.

"Hey," the couple, a young man and woman, behind me say over my shoulder, "you're Lucy Bruden right."

I sigh quietly, I just want to watch a movie. "Yes I am." I reply before quickly turning the front to try and signal that I don't want to talk.

"That's so cool." / "Can I have your autograph? I'm a huge fan." They say one after the other.

Seriously, "Uh, maybe after the movie."

"Awesome, we're huge fans." / "Yeah, you helped rescue my cousin. He was taken from the Sekai museum to that underground place."

"That's wonderful, I'm happy he's okay."

"I couldn't believe they didn't even give you credit for that, and tried to say that a bunch of crummy lowers actually pulled it off. Doesn't that piss you off?" The man asks.

I internally groan. I just came to watch a movie. Thankfully an usher walks in front of the screen and looks in our direction hopefully trying to tell us to be quiet.

"Uhm, I actually think the movie is about to start, so."

The usher raises his hands in the air, "ladies and gentlemen we'd like to kindly ask that you specifically turn off all your mobile devices now, so as not to disturb your fellow movie goers. Please do not just put them on silent. Turn them off."

"Phone off?" I tall man with brown skin and long dreadlocks asks as he takes the seat directly next to me. He's pretty tall and well built and just fits into the seat.

"Yeah, just turned it off now." I answer, I wonder if I tell him that seat is taken he'll move because I kind of feel uncomfortable.

"Micha's a good speaker, that's an invaluable skill." The dreadlocks guy says, referring I guess to the usher. "You know when I was your age Pendela had mandatory classes on rhetoric, while other skills were mostly optional, that was how highly the subject was regarded."

As he speaks, I notice that there are a few men who have all chosen to sit at the edges of the theater, like they were boxing us in.

"Because how could society be fair, if not everyone could represent themselves and in both speech and mind." The man continues.

Something is going, on, I look over my shoulder, the couple behind me seem non-the-wiser, but try to take a mental note of the people who look like civilians and who don't. I'd say there about five people who aren't just civilians, all seated and the end of the rows, all of them dressed in what could pass as tactical attire.

"This movie theater for example, an entire construction company was deemed redundant when two men with quirks that shift earthly matter were given work permits to use the abilities."

A couple of men on the edges of the seats get up and leave, one through the normal exit and the other through the emergency exit. After which both doors look like they gain a little tension. Like they were just barred from the other side.

"The punchline, these two men, they didn't build this place at the same price as the construction company, nor did they even ask for half amount, oh no, you want to know how much they did it for?"

"Uhm…" I suddenly feel paralyzed with fear. My eyes lay straight ahead, the usher, puts one finger to his ear and nods. Oh no.

"Double," the man next to me says, his voice having taken an angrier and ominous tone, "because according to them, building using their quirks meant the structure would be vastly superior to all others, and their power meant that the building would last forever. Hm, what would you call that, arrogance?."

"Please." I finally say to the dreadlocks guy seated next to me, "whatever this is, you don't have to do this."

"Injustice. That's what I'd call it." The man responds.

I turn my head when I hear his voice change, sounding like deeper and fuzzy. I gasp when I see that he is now wearing a large gas mask.

"And yes, Lucy. I do have to do this."

The usher walks to the closest seat in front of him and pulls out a large canister. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid this entire theater is going to explode in the next fifteen minutes. I highly suggest if you do not want to die that you vacant the premises as quickly as you can."

Damn it!

He pulls open the lid of the canister and a yellow smoke carries out, thick and fast-moving causing everyone to scream and start scrambling to the exits.

I get up to my feet and fire a blast at the dreadlocks guy next to me and send if flying to the wall at the end of the aisle.

"Everyone, please remain calm and get to the top of the theater, not the exits!" If the gas is poisonous, that's first priority. Hopefully stopping them here means stopping the building from going down.

"Don't worry everyone, the hero Lucy Bruden is here," it's the couple from earlier yelling at everyone, thankfully people listen and start climbing to the highest row of seats.

"Well!" / "Do something already!" / "Save us, the place is going to blow."

The other men working with the dreadlocked guy come the row of seats that I'm on and begin closing in. They all look normal, with no anthropomorphic quirks and no hints at what other kinds of quirks that could have.

As they move closer I activate my quirk, my skin glows and my aurora lights paint the walls and ceiling. I rise off the ground and fly to towards the usher standing near the movie screen holding the canister of yellow smoke.

I hold my breath and aim my palm at him, I'm almost on him and then—

"AH!"

I'm shot down midair. And tumble down to the floor. There's a burning at my side where I was hit, I gasp in and out after the wind is knocked out of my lungs. My quirk likely softened the blow of whatever hit me.

The guy with the dreadlocks from earlier is closing in on me, walking slowly through a cloud of yellow smoke, holding a shotgun in his two hands.

"You're a smart one, Lucy." The dreadlocks guy says, "I'm sorry it had to be you."

"Don't worry," I reply, "I won't be."

I get up to one knee, I point my palm straight at his chest then activ—What the?

I clinch again and again but... nothing

I… I… "I can't activate my quirk?" I whisper in terror.

No… No no no. I try again and again. I can't activate my quirk! I can't activate my quirk!"What's going on!"

Am I… Am I… quirkless. "AH!"

The shotgun fires and I am sent flying back against the locked exit door. My chest is on fire and the impact of colliding against the hard ground knocks the wind right out of my body.

I gasp, again and again, groaning in pain. Tears burn in my eyes, running down my face. I can't breathe, and my vision is getting spotty.

Oh god, what do I do? What do I do?

The building is going to explode, civilians are still trapped inside, who knows how many more of these men are in somewhere in cinema, all of that but all I can think about is my quirk. What's happened to my quirk?

It hurts to breathe, I hurts, and it feels like… I'm… falling...

"Not so easy, is it?" the dreadlocks guy says through his mask, in a deep and raspy voice as he comes to stand over my body. "When you're in a fair fight."

"...who..."

The shotgun barrel is aimed at my head. "Children on Man."

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