Colin fidgeted with the paper in his shaking hands, trying to calm himself. Hold yourself together, Collie. You can do this, you can do this, you can do this-

"Anthony Davenport. Please explain the distant past of this world."

The boy in question stood up, clearing his throat before speaking. "Long ago, in the year 1960, a comet struck the Earth. Millions of lives were lost in the catastrophe, and many who remained turned on each other. But just when all seemed lost, the Federation gathered a group of survivors hoping to restore society to its former glory. They lead us to this day, ensuring our safety and prosperity."

The other students clapped, with the exception of Colin. It's okay. You just have to read from a paper in front of all your classmates that hate your guts. And the teacher might give you an F for poor presentation. And you might make your sisters look stupid and let down your parents-

"Colin Campbell. Please enlighten us on the topic of Aberrations."

Colin's feet shook as he rose from his seat, his hands still trembling. "Shortly after the comet struck…erm, a mysterious substance it had b-brought t-to the p-planet began affecting humans from the ages of 13 to 18. These m-mutated humans were capable of f-feats only possible in fiction. They became known as Aberrations, and several ravaged the land, spreading chaos and destruction wherever they went."

As he began to look around, he noticed many of his classmates rolling their eyes. Some were even whispering to each other and snickering. Colin pressed a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Due to the danger these beings posed to themselves and others, it was decided that they needed to be locked away before they could pose a threat to society. To accomplish this goal, the Federation ordered that all Aberrations be taken by the government when discovered. They also harshly punished anyone sympathetic to Aberrations."

Almost done…

"Despite initial protests, this practices lives on, ensuring that these mutants cannot endanger the p-p-public…" Colin trailed off, trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes.

"Mr. Campbell. Please continue," said the teacher.

"Many see the treatment of Aberrations as inhumane, especially since they are usually very young when their powers manifest. C-Countless p-people have also d-died trying to protect their transformed loved ones in spite of the law."

At this point, the other students were looking at Colin with suspicion. Even the teacher seemed to be wary of him. Shit! I shouldn't have mentioned that in my notes…

"However, we must keep in mind that Aberrations b-become prone t-to violence after a certain period. By t-taking them into c-custody, we c-can ensure that they won't be as deadly as they were in the p-past," Colin abruptly finished.

"Thank you for the presentation, Mr. Campbell. You may sit down."

Colin slunk back into his seat, trying to ignore the disparaging eyes on him and the twisting feeling in his gut.

This is gonna be a horrible day.


"Next!"

Colin patiently stood behind a freshman, waiting for the lunch lady to give him his bowl of soup before sending him on his way. Even if the broth was watery and thin and there were hardly any vegetables or chunks of meat, it was preferable to dying of starvation.

Once it was his turn, the lunch lady placed the bowl on his tray, handed him a metal spoon and shooed him away. "Next!"

"Hey, Collie! Over here!" The voice belonged to Hazel, one of his two sisters.

Colin smiled and made his way to his sisters. "Hi, guys. How was your day?"

"Same old, same old. Say, d'you think they're gonna be able to add more to this soup?" Tracey asked.

"Highly doubt it. It's damn near impossible to grow anything since the comet," Hazel sighed.

"But hey, at least it's something. We could be starving to death," Colin added.

"I know, but you gotta wonder how the big shots in the Federation live. They could be feasting like kings as we speak," Tracey blurted out, catching the attention of several other students.

Colin put a finger to his lips and shushed his sister. "Don't say things like that out here!"

"Y'know, you've got a lotta nerve to be sayin' that about the people who bust their asses to keep us alive," a voice snapped. It was a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes, and he was glaring at Tracey.

"And you've got a lot of nerve to be insulting my sister," Colin growled, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Well, not everyone is lucky enough to get an education and a bowl of soup every day! Some of us have to live on the streets!" The brunet shouted, hands balling into fists.

"She wasn't trying to insult the Federation or act ungrateful! And honestly, she's right! Why should they get the best food while we need to live off of scraps?" Colin retorted. By this point, the entire cafeteria was staring at the two boys, and some students were chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The brunet gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, "Of course Zafeiriou's lapdog would disrespect the Federation."

Without thinking, Colin lunged at the boy and gripped his neck, slamming him against the floor. "Keep Leo's name out of your fucking mouth!" The cafeteria cheered, and the chanting grew louder.

But before the fight could truly start, the lunch lady pried Colin off of the brunet and began dragging both of them by the arms. "Come with me! Let's see what the principal has to say about your behavior!"

The last thing Colin heard was groans of disappointment from the students, who quickly sat back down to finish their food.

Now I've done it! Mom and Dad are gonna lose their minds!

"Thanks a lot, jackass! Because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself, now I'm grounded for a week!" The brunet spat, still glaring at Colin.

"You're the one who insulted my best friend and sister!" Colin retorted.

Before the other boy could clap back, the lunch lady snarled, "Be quiet! Both of you!"

When they made it to the principal's office, the lunch lady knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man opened it. "Good afternoon, Miss Jones."

"These two got into a fight at lunch. Colin Campbell grabbed Warren Eagleton by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Started when Eagleton got mad at Campbell's sister."

"Actually, it's because he insulted my-"

"Can it, Campbell," Warren snapped.

"In that case, have a seat. You can leave, Miss Jones."

"Look, sir. I can explain! My sister was just talking about the food, and then she mentioned the higher-ups at the Federation. Then Warren decided to yell at her, and I defended her. The fight started when he mentioned my best friend," Colin explained, praying that the principal would at least reprimand Warren.

"I see. And who does your best friend happen to be?"

"Leonidas Zafeiriou. Y'know, the guy who was always rambling about how Aberrations deserve better and turned into one himself?" Warren interrupted. Colin glared at him.

"Yes, I am familiar with Leo. And I understand that you may have wanted to defend our leaders. However, there was no need to bring Leo up, and you shouldn't have accosted Colin's sister. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in detention after school. Please apologize to Colin," said the principal.

Warren sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Campbell." Then he stormed off.

"Now, Colin. I understand that you wanted to stand up for your sister. That being said, physical violence will not be tolerated on school grounds. You are suspended until Friday."

Before he could protest, Colin was led out of school by the vice principal and escorted to a car.


Colin pulled out his homework, pencil and eraser and began to work. If I'm gonna be suspended, I might as well get my homework out of the way.

"We're here!"

Placing his homework and supplies back in his bag, Colin nervously walked up to the door of the apartment and said, "C-Colin C-Campbell. Room 205."

The security guard raised an eyebrow and asked, "Say, kid. What're you doin' back from school so early?"

Colin rushed into the elevator and pressed 2. Mom and Dad should be at work right now. Thank God I have the keys.

201, 202, 203, 204. He stopped in front of the door labeled 205 and opened it.

The central room of the apartment had a kitchen, dinner table, sofa and television. There was a hallway with three doors: a bathroom, the parents' bedroom and the triplets' bedroom.

Colin sat at his desk, gazing wistfully at the picture of him, Leo and their friends. Pulling out his homework, pencil and eraser, he took his time with his assignments.

Before he knew it, he was done with his homework. If no one's coming home, might as well watch TV.

Colin slumped onto the couch and turned on the TV. Static and crackling sounds emitted from the TV before Rose Roberts appeared on screen. Instead of her usual grin, she was frowning and gazing at the paper in her hands.

"Last night, chaos erupted in Northpass as parents resisted the Federation Guard's efforts to seize their Aberration children. Four people died and several more were arrested. Federation News Network would like to remind the public that Aberrations must be taken into custody for your safety, and that trying to defend them may result in death. Now, onto the weather forecast…"

Colin quickly changed the channel, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Up next on Salvation Channel: Against All Odds: The True Story of a Federation Soldier Fighting Against Savage Aberrations. But first, a word from our sponsors!"

A blonde, brown-eyed woman stood next to a surgical table, grinning ear to ear. "Visually impaired or hard of hearing? Not a problem! With just a simple operation, we can fix you up and your issues will vanish overnight! Expecting a baby? Get genetic testing to see if your child may have any issues before it's born!"


Leo gritted his teeth and glared at the screen. "Leo? You alright?" Colin asked.

"Lemme tell you something, Collie. You take those tests and your kid has something they see as a problem, they'll abort it whether you like it or not, " Leo spat.

"H-How do you know that?" Colin gasped.

"Remember how my mom was gonna have a kid a few years ago?" Leo whispered. When Colin nodded, he murmured, "She said it was a miscarriage, but I found the papers confirming the baby had Down syndrome. She didn't want to abort it, but she had no choice."

By this point, Leo's hands were shaking and tears were streaming down his face. "If she wanted to get rid of it, that should have been her choice. She didn't have a choice…"

Colin wrapped his arms around Leo, who returned the hug and buried his face in Colin's shoulder. "It's okay, Leo. I'm here for you."

Leo took a deep breath and wiped a tear from his eye. "One day, we could change this country for the better. Let people love who they want and be who they want. Give everyone a say in their own body. We could even help Aberrations."

Colin grabbed Leo by the shoulders and put a finger to his lips. "Don't say things like that! There could be cameras out here!"

"All the cameras here are broken. We should be safe for now," Leo assured him.

Colin let out a sigh. "I just don't want you to get in trouble. You know how the Federation feels about people who don't agree with them."

Leo cupped Colin's face in his hands. "Then I want you to promise me one thing. If anything happens to me, do not forget about the Federation's crimes. The arrests and executions of gay and trans people. The forced abortions. What they do to Aberrations and their loved ones if they resist."

Colin nodded. "I promise."


"Colin? Colin!"

Tracey was standing over her brother, who was slumped on the couch. What happened? Did I fall asleep?

"What time is it, Tracey?"

"17:30. I just came back from detention."

"Wait. Why did you get detention? You didn't do anything wrong!"

"They thought I was insulting the Federation's higher-ups at lunch. I had to sit through an hour-long lecture about how wonderful and noble the Federation is, and how we should be grateful for everything they do for us," Tracey sighed.

Of course they'd do that. If there's one thing they can't stand, it's the slightest criticism.

"It could be worse. I could have gotten suspended for a week. Kinda like what happened to Leo all the time," Tracey added with a shrug. Yeah. Before he became an Aberration.

"Are Mom and Dad home yet?" Colin whispered.

"I think they're coming in ten minutes. Brace yourself. They're gonna lose it when they find out what happened at school," Tracey warned him.

"I bet they already know," Colin muttered.

Sure enough, the door swung open and the triplets' parents stormed inside. Their father shouted, "Theresa Lillian Davenport and Colin Peter Davenport! You are in so much trouble!"

Tracey and Colin steeled themselves for their parents' furious diatribe. "Honestly, Theresa! I can't believe you would let yourself get detention over a bowl of soup!" Their mother hollered, causing Tracey to wince.

"She didn't say anything that bad! If you want to blame someone, blame the teachers for being so goddamn sensitive!" Colin snapped.

Their father turned his head to glare at Colin. "Do not interrupt your mother!"

Their mother continued to shout at Tracey. "You are going to apologize to the lunch lady tomorrow! Do you understand?" Tracey nodded and rushed to her room.

"And don't think we've forgotten about the stunt you pulled at lunch, Colin! You are grounded for a week!" Their father snapped.

"Why did you have to yell at Tracey? She did nothing wrong!" Colin retorted.

"She got herself sent to detention! And you got yourself suspended! Go to your room now!" Their mother clapped back.

Colin gritted his teeth and stomped down the hallway. Hazel was comforting Tracey, who had tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay, sis. You didn't deserve that," Colin assured his sister, who embraced him tightly.

"I'm sure they'll calm down tomorrow. We should probably go to sleep," Hazel said, crawling into bed.

"Okay. Goodnight," Tracey yawned, closing her eyes.

"Honestly, Maya. Letting Colin anywhere near Leonidas Zafeiriou was a mistake. Our boy used to be so respectful, and now look at him!"

"Don't worry, Peter. He will come around eventually. It hasn't been a year since Leo became an Aberration. Give him some time, and he should be back to his old self."

"If anything happens to me, do not forget about the Federation's crimes."

Colin sat up, clenching his fist. I haven't forgotten, Leo. I'll make sure everyone sees them for who they are. Even if it kills me.