Shooting stars, massive meteors exploding in the black skies as they ram into each other, and the strange mystical woman keep invading my dreams. I wake up before Sam’s alarm clock for work turns on. I levitate her phone into my hand to turn it off so I can wake her up myself.

“Sam,” I whisper, gently shoving my hand against her back. She groans like an angry, stubborn cat. “Get your fat ass up.” I raise my voice louder but keep it soft to not shock her out of sleep. She groans again, refusing to acknowledge me. “I will float you out of bed if you don’t wake up in the next thirty seconds.”

“Ten more minutes, Nikki,” she says in a slur. I check her phone’s timer to judge if that will be okay.

“No can do. Ten will become twenty, then thirty. Time to get up.”

“Ugh. Can you pick me up?”

“Sure,” I say, laughing in a quiet voice. First, I pull the covers off Sam’s body, down her legs, and then sit her upright using my powers. She yawns and stretches with her eyes closed while moving in the air. “What will it be today, hmm?”

“Make me a sandwich.”

“Ham cheese?” Her eyes pop open but go into a squint as she looks at me. She answers my question with nods and a tight puckered smile. “It’ll be ready in a jiffy.”

I speed out of our bedroom to the bathroom first to brush my teeth before heading to the kitchen. The air from my intense travel slams into my back. The paper towels on the counter fall towards the sink, but I catch them before they topple in. I rapidly place everything I need on the stove to begin Sam’s breakfast, then wait for the eye to heat up.

“I could just light my hands on fire and cook like that,” I whisper to myself, watching the eye turn red. “Nah, that sounds stupid.” Just to see what I can do with my powers, I ignite my finger on fire. The flame dances like an open flame on a Bunsen burner. I extinguish it when Sam steps into the kitchen, coming my way with a toothbrush in her mouth. “You got up quick.”

“Mhmm,” she hums, brushing her teeth. “How was your sleep? Did you have those dreams again?”

“Yeah, but at least they’re getting short.” She spits the toothpaste from her mouth and cleans the bubble residue off her lips in the sink.

“I think it’s time you go see someone about that.” I ignore her suggestion by lathering up the bread with butter. “Nikki, did you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Babe, it’s been a week.”

“I know, but it’s going away. It’s just short visuals now.” She stands to my right just enough that I can see her black hair over her chest.

“What if it gets worse? What if it keeps you up at night?” Her questions are making me anxious. I have to stop what I’m doing to fully take in what she’s suggesting I do.

“Then I’m forced to seek help.” My answer leaves me in a mild sour mood. I hate talking about my issues with her. The more problems we find, the greater I dislike the powers I randomly got.

“Nikki, don’t ignore your problems until it becomes a major issue. Seek some help when you can.” Her hands accidentally move near the eye of the stove, and she quickly pulls them back to her stomach. “Whoa, that’s hot!” I turn down the heat to start cooking her food. “Nikki.”

“What?” I snap. “Sorry...”

“It’s okay. Will you find some help?”

“I will.”

“Thank you, babe.” She kisses me with her fresh minty lips, then watches TV on the couch. The news station is the first thing I spot before she inputs the numbers to put up a reality show. I catch a glimpse of a news network discussing what Rayan Odom did last week.

“Hey, Sam. Go back to the news for a quick sec.” She flips back the station and turns up the volume.

“Rayan Odom,” Sam says, reading the title screen. “They found the guy responsible for attacking Redemsia?”

“So that’s his name, huh? Well, he’s royally fucked.”

“No kidding.”

The hosts of the news network mention Rayan’s violet past in activism. He hates every single gas and oil corporation on the face of the earth and is a pure natualist. He’s a terrorist and somehow he has escaped prison. Sam changes the channel before they can into further detail about the odd situation at the prison. The last image I see is a gaping hole in a wall.

“Jesus,” I say. I finish making Sam’s food, cook extra grilled ham cheese for myself, and join her on the couch.

“Do you think the authorities will find him?” Sam says. I take a bite out of my food and shrug, not knowing a good answer to say. “What about Egnimas?”

“God, I hope so. I don’t want to repeat what happened. I’ll never forgive Rayan for almost killing you with his weird thing.”

“Thank god for you.” I scoff yet blush at the praising comment. “Oh, stop it, Nikki.” My phone suddenly blares from an incoming call in the bedroom. I ignore it and continue eating my breakfast. It goes off again five seconds later.

“Who the hell is calling me at this time?” I walk to it with half of my food sticking out of my mouth. My mother is calling. I answer it but put it on speaker, so I can continue eating. “Yes, mom?”

“Honey, I hope I didn’t wake you or anything.”

“No, you’re good.”

“I need you to pick up some migraine medication for your father. I’m busy at the hospital. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, sure,” I say, with a mouth full of food.

“Thank you.” She hangs up. I return to Sam to tell her what I need to do. “I gotta get my dad some pain meds for his migraine.”

“Ouch,” Sam says, scrunching up her face with teeth exposed.

“I’ll skip the shower, but I need the car.”

“That’s fine. I can call a ride to pick me up if you don’t come back in time.”

“I’ll try to come back quickly.”

----------------------------------------

I pull down my sunglasses to check all the medication without looking through tinted vision. Knowing my dad, he will want something that’ll last longer or help him sleep. I grab two different variations of the same brand, then head home. Dad comes out through the front door to reach me halfway up the walkway. He’s wearing black sunglasses with his old football team cap.

“I got you two. Long-lasting and one that’ll help you sleep,” I say.

“Thank you,” he says, walking back to the house. I head back towards the city but take a detour to a nearby ATM to grab some money for a caramel frappe. When I roll my window down, a man in a breathing mask comes up to me armed with a rifle on the right side of my window.

“Drive off, and I’ll shoot you,” he says. A squad of masked people jump out of a white van parked in the parking lot and enter the bank armed to the teeth with rifles.

“Shit.” I put my hands up. He unlocks my passenger door and points his rife square at my face.

“Get the fuck out!”

“Okay. Calm down,” I say in a calm voice, crawling over the center console. He tries to yank me by my arm, but I barely get pulled.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“What the fuck?” To make it less obvious I have powers, I act weak to each pull he does on me. He forces me into the bank, where customers and employees are held up at gunpoint. I stubble on my knees from being manhandled by the guy. The fall doesn’t hurt. Plus, I feel the hard floor crack under me. Good thing there’s carpet to hide it. “Crawl over to them!” A female employee in a slick navel blue suit brings me to a corner where the armed people are gathering them.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers.

“Shut your fucking mouth, or I’ll tape it shut. And you!” He points at me with the barrel of his rifle. “Take off your sunglasses.”

“I can’t,” I stutter to say.

“Take off your glasses, now!” I try to think of a lie to say so I won’t reveal my glowing eyes.

“I have light sensitivity.”

“Bitch!” He backs hands the right side of my face, slapping my sunglasses off. The bones in his hands crackle like someone squishing chips in their hands. “Ah, fuck! Did I slap a fucking wall?” My face doesn’t budge from the hit. I keep my eyes squinted to see. The woman next to me hands my sunglasses back.

“Thanks,” I whisper, hanging it down my collar.

“We got five minutes. Shadow Ghost, you’re up!” A man yells near the entrance. The lights shut off suddenly. It’s dark even though there’s some sunlight coming in through. A woman with bleach blonde hair warps in a black mist. Her lower face is covered with a mask. Around her right shoulder is a duffle back and in her hands is a metal device.

“Keep these people quiet while I work. If the cops come early, try to negotiate with them,” Shadow Ghost says, flipping a switch on the device. She leaps over the counter and disappears in a bloom of black mist.

What the fuck did I just see?

I want to peek around the counter to see what Shadow Ghost is doing. These armed assholes are puppy-guarding us with such intimidation, I’m scared to make a move. I have never been shot at yet, nor want to see if I can stop a bullet. The best move I can do is sit quietly and hope this robbery will end peacefully.

Sorry, Sam. I guess you’ll be taking the bus.

One of the guys comes into the building holding his phone up to his face, saying, “They’re coming.” Maybe about one or two minutes later, I hear the blaring sounds of sirens. Shadow Ghost poofs back in the main lobby with a pistol in her left hand.

“I’m almost done here,” Shadow Ghost says.

“Right. We’ll keep em busy till—”

Out of nowhere, Wonderous slams down in front of the entrance. She’s wearing a white hoodie and yellow shorts, and she’s barefooted. The closest guy tries to aim his rifle at her, but she quickly breaks it into pieces. She wags her finger at him and then knocks him unconscious with a chop to the head.

“I would say give up, but I kinda want you, idiots, to shoot at me,” Wonderous says.

“Gladly,” Shadow Ghost says, aiming her pistol at her. She fires her gun. The bullet sends Wonderous out into the streets. The woman next to me shrieks. She scares me more than seeing Wonderous shot. “Go! Keep her busy!” Shadow Ghost vanishes again. Three of the henchmen run out, but Wonderous bolts into the building at high speed. The wind from her travel knocks everyone down but me.

“What on Jupiter’s green earth was that?!” Her chest is bruised red and bleeding. I stop squinting to fully see my surroundings. She scans the room with rapid eye movement. The man on the ground in front of me sits up, about to fire his weapon. I sit up and punch him in the back of his head, knocking him out.

“Oh,” I say in shock. Wonderous looks down at me with furrowed brows and wide-open eyes.

“Hey, I know you.” One of the henchmen stands up to their feet with the gun raised at her. I bolt into the air, tackling the person through the window by accident. The other henchmen inside the bank start shooting. Some bullets fly out the window, nearly hitting me.

“Jesus!” I say.

The cops finally roll on the scene. I’m stuck on wanting to leave or see this through, but I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I jump back in and back-suplex a guy out the room through the window. Wonderous knockout the last guy with a roundhouse to the face.

“Everyone out!” All the employees run out of the bank. “You,” she says, pointing at me. “You could’ve prevented this.”

“I was scared.”

“Scared of what? Are you a pussy?” I’m speechless from the insult. “You could’ve easily fixed this.”

“I didn’t want to get shot, and judging by that mark on your chest, my decision was right.”

“Whatever. Where is that bitch?” Shadow Ghost comes out the back, firing at us with that strange pistol. We’re fast enough to evade every single shot.

“Shit,” Shadow Ghost says, throwing her pistol at me. I deflect it away from my face using my telekinetic power. She disappears, leaving her dust-like particles moving towards the exit. Wonderous, and I bolt in that direction. She rips the door off its hinges and sends it flying through a fence.

“Come here!” Wonderous yells, leaping into the air. She lands right in front of Shadow Ghost. I stand behind her as she backs up away from Wonderous. “You’re not going anywhere.” Shadow Ghost bumps her back into my boobs, so I shove her forward to give me some space. “Give up, now.” She raises her hands but remains silent. “Good choice.” Right as Wonderous goes to grab her arm, she grabs a green bottle out of her duffle bag and breaks it on the ground. Green liquid slashes on my legs. It starts burning through my jeans. I quickly coat it in ice to prevent it from reaching my skin.

“What the hell is this?” I say. For a moment, my vision goes black. When I look ahead of me, I find only Wonderous standing. “Huh? Where did she go?” Wonderous looks all over the place, searching for Shadow Ghost.

“What the fuck? How did she do that?” Out of the acid liquid, something green starts growing.

“What is that?”

“Something not good. Stand back!” She says, putting her finger against her ear. “Polaris, beam to me now!” She stands back, and then a beam of light comes down from the sky. A woman pops out of it, taking a step to me with the palms of her hands aimed at me. They glow white like a lightbulb.

“Hands up!” Polaris says.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say, with my hands up. “I’m a good guy!”

“Polaris, the thing on the ground!” Wonderous says.

“Oh! What’s this?” Polaris says, squatting over the growing plant. Her glow fades quickly, revealing a normal-looking woman. She’s giving me a nerdy vibe. Her hair is pulled into a tight ponytail. Her glasses are big and oval, and she’s wearing some sort of electronic harness around her body. It’s secured around her shoulders and legs.

“Don’t touch it. The damn juices burned through my pants,” I say, melting the ice off my legs.

“Interesting.” She takes off a capsule from her belt and cuts the plant in half with a beam of concentrated light with a laser. “Hey. Fire powers, right?”

“Yeah...”

“Come burn this thing.” I do as she asks. The radiant heat from my hand burns it. I leave nothing but a black spot in the asphalt. “Ooo! You’re fascinating. Where did you come from?”

“What are you going to do with that thing?” I say to keep the attention off of me. The cops come to where we are. She doesn’t seem bothered by their presence.

“Is everything okay, ladies?” A cop says.

“Yes, yes. Go away. We’re conducting the investigation,” Wonderous says. All the cops keep their distance.

“Hey, are you going to answer my question or ghost me?” I say.

“This looks like the work of Rayan. I’m going to take it back to my lab to study it,” Polaris says. “I wonder where he’s getting this stuff?”

“What are you? The brains of your team?” Wonderous gives me a squinting glare while Polaris smiles.

“I am.” She turns around to face Wonderous then points at her chest. “What did that, Nemetoria?”

Nemetoria? What kind of name is that?

“This bitch that can disappear and reappear in a poof of black smoke,” Nemetoria says. “She threw the gun at her. It’s inside.”

“Grab it and then head back to HQ for treatment,” Polaris says, then vanishes up into the sky in a beam of light. Nemetoria grabs the gun and takes to the skies. Her sonic booms make the cops jump.

“Umm, okay?” I say. When I look back down at the charred remains of what I burned, my forehead surges with sharp pain, followed by a woman’s echoing voice. “What the fuck?”

“He’s.... here..... You... Nik..ki,” a woman says. I recognize her voice from my dreams.

“What is going on with me?”

“Nikki,” she says in a bigger echo. “Flora... Elagabalus...”

“Leve me alone! Get out of my head!” Suddenly, everything goes dark, and I can’t hear or feel anything.

“Nikki!” Her voice becomes clear. Out from the dark, she appears clear as day in the darkness. “Nikki, my name is Asteria.”

“Asteria?” She slowly nods her head. “Will you get out of my head?!”

“I’m sorry for my mind intrusions.”

“Who the fuck are you? No, what are you? Are you a super?”

“No, I’m nothing like your people.”

“Your people?” I say, tilting my head. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m a goddess.” I laugh out loud. “It’s true, Nikki.”

“Sure, okay.”

“Nikki, listen to me!” Her voice deepens. I instantly shut my mouth to stop laughing. “I need your help. I’m losing a battle here.” She starts whimpering but takes big breaths to calm herself.

“What’s going on?”

“Armageddon is coming to your world. We must act now to stop it.”

“We?” I step back away from her. “Keep me out of whatever shit you’re talking about.”

“You’re a part of this now.” She slips her right shoulder out of her dress to show me her tit. Her nipple is covered in a scar. It starts glowing pink, then my right tit glows the same color.

“Huh? What the... hell?” I pull my shirt forward to see what’s going on, but my bra is in the way.

“Nikki, I am the one who gave you powers.” She displays every single power I know using her hands.

“You did this to me?” I’m in so much shock, I start panicking. “Take these powers away.”

“I... can’t. They’re a part of you now. Also, you seem to like them. You even have your own suit to wear, just like the heroes of your world.” She puts her strap back on her shoulder, then stands in front of me with her hands on my shoulder. “I need your help.”

“Get me the hell out of here.”

“Nikki...”

“Get me out!” The darkness I’m trapped in shatters back to my reality, yet she remains present. I hover away from her and give a straight, stern pointed finger. “You stay the hell away from me. Your problems are not my concern.”

I carefully fly back to Sam’s car. Once I reach the passenger door, the police try to stop me so they can ask me some questions, but I manage to drive off without them pursuing me back to the apartments. To make sure no one is following me, I watch from a stairwell that overlooks the entrance. I wait five minutes before walking to the top floor.

“What a day,” I say, unlocking the door. To my surprise, Sam is here, watching TV while drinking a can of beer. “Sam? I thought you went to work?”

“They called me off today. I go in tomorrow. Is your dad okay?”

“Yeah... he’s good,” I say, snuggling on her plump body like a pillow.

“How did this happen?” She stings her finger inside the hole of my jeans. “Your leg is damp and warm.”

“I had a hectic day.”

“Really? What happened, honey?”

“I was a victim in an armed robbery.”

There’s a moment of silence, then she says lightly, “What?”