Okay, so picture this:

You're me, walking home and feeling on cloud nine. You've got some pep in your step as you make your way down the street, feeling the wind at your back.

It's chilly, but you're not phased in the slightest. You're still hella hyped up and feeling the fire, making very awkward (and rather sluggish) boxing moves while bouncing from side to side during your trek. You still can't believe what happened over fifteen minutes ago. You're just gobsmacked, completely in awe. You actually had a fight that pushed you to your limit!

But then reality sets in.

You start to wonder if your life will ever be more eventful, because today was like the anime, manga and comic books you often indulge in. Like, you see how cool and incredible it would be to just go on random adventures, putting yourself in the cross-hairs of death and danger. More than that though, you want to meet cool people and befriend them, creating bonds that are unbreakable.

You know that would be extremely awesomatic.

But alas: you have the most boring and uneventful life in this world. That fight earlier with Mrs. Bludwart is the closest you've EVER come to anything exciting and dangerous. Hell, if it wasn't for your E-Faculties, you'd probably be dead right now.

Thankfully, you're not.

So yeah, that's what it feels like to be me at the present time. That small brawl was certainly the most fun I have had in a loooooong time. I wish I could say that it worked wonders for my depression—clinically diagnosed, for the record—but it provided not an ounce of alleviation. However, it did bestow upon me a window of time where I didn't have Sinead on my brain.

Shit. So much for that, because here I go thinking of her again.

Fuck it though.

My current priority should be getting home before my dad does and disposing of this shirt. I really wish I could change before I get there, but that's out of the question.

And so goes my life. Things being out of the question, I mean.

*🌙*

It really sucks being nerdy and unpopular.

I've been walking around lately with this huge weight on my shoulders, feeling like a fuckin' loser. My girlfriend—IF I CAN EVEN CALL HER THAT!—is most likely with me out of pity, or because the guy she wants doesn't really want her. FUCK! I don't know why I still call her my girlfriend, because she definitely hasn't been acting like it.

Sometimes, when we've been together prior to now, I would catch her looking dreamily at Shannon Newstead, the "aloof and dashing" quarterback with the long, curly hair. Well, formerly long and curly.

I seriously don't understand that guy.

He has all the popularity and the looks, plus all the chicks at school are always all over him, yet he's always stand-offish and brooding. In my opinion, he comes across like he has so many fuckin' problems, but everybody knows how privileged he is. I'm like, shiiiiiit, if you're not happy with your current lot in life, please give that muthafucka to me! Let me enjoy those fruits, you ungrateful fuckwad!

(Why. Aren't. You. HAPPY?! TELL ME! FUUUUUUUCK!)

I don't get why Sinead fawns over him so. I mean, outside of his looks, he's a horrible person. Even Shantrice is aware of that, but Sinead has chosen to ignore it all. The guy has LITERALLY disrespected her to her face! Like, you know that bullshit Bentley said to me earlier, calling her a tran-tran and alladat? Well, that was all because of a rumor started by Shannon and some of the other guys on the football team.

Due to Sinead's height, voice and sometimes boyish demeanor, as well as her "flat" body, people have assumed she's transgender. Despite evidence to the contrary, the popular fucks have often found ways to rub the rumor in and make jokes about her. Sinead has been teased a lot, to the point that not only have Shantrice and me jumped in, but also Mrs. Bludwart, Mr. Oxendine and Chadwick Grear, the latter being a member of the aforementioned (and damn near unbeatable) football team.

Chadwick isn't like the others though. He's generally quiet and reserved, but he will intervene wherever he sees what he perceives as injustice or uncouth behavior. However, he's not exactly fond of Sinead or me, but he loathes bullying, so in that regard he's come to our defense plenty of times. This is something I both love and hate. If I had control of my powers, I wouldn't need him or anybody else to defend us. I could handle them all by just throwing them into the lockers or some shit. I'd probably get in a ton of trouble, but it'd be worth it in the end.

Back to Shannon though.

I really wish I had his life. Like, my father has done pretty well for himself, what with having a pretty illustrious military background and whatnot, but his success is nowhere near the level of what the Newsteads have obtained. I mean, I guess it helps that the whole family is into sports and entertainment, but still: not everybody makes it and stays there. Shannon was born with it all in his veins though. He probably came out making plays and calling audibles and shit. Eh, I don't know if any of that was right, so pardon me. I have limited knowledge of football and honestly never gave a fuck to learn about it. Sports aren't exactly my thing, more of an arts and crafts kinda guy.

Shit, that probably just made me sound even more lame. Fuck. My. Life.

I'm sure that all of this shit I've said has created a whole "woe is me" perspective, but it's just how I feel. I can't help being self-deprecating and self-defeating, nor can I stop this intense loathing I feel. I mean, fuck, I have fuckin' superpowers and I'm still not happy!

Obviously, there is something truly wrong with my brain. Something worse than being diagnosed with depression. I'm always unhappy and, to keep it a buck, suicidal. I wish I had never been born sometimes. If only I had the power to time-travel and stop my conception. Of course, that would create a paradox, but it is what it is.

It'd be worth it just to unfuck my life.

*🌙*

Checking my phone again, hoping for a text from Sinead, but nothing has come through. I do see that it is now going on an hour since I left school. Not too long ago, an awful downpour swept through, leaving me drenched. I really should've been better prepared today, and grabbed my coat like my father told me to. Now I'm soaked and feel like I'm coming down with a cold.

I really hate how the weather is in Aves at times, especially on the Lower-Eastside. Very bonkers and chaotic.

For example, the day could be beautiful and sunny with light winds, but will morph into a severe storm within the blink of an eye. I bullshit you not! One time, it even snowed on the Fourth of July! I couldn't believe it! People's barbecue grills were buried under foothills of snow! Hahahahaha! It was the craziest and most hilarious thing I had ever witnessed here.

For the record, I wasn't born in Aves Bay. I was actually born on a military base when my father was stationed in Mawtinaq. We've moved around a lot, but Aves is the place I've called home for the longest. Because of all this moving, I have a strange accent to some people, which they often make note of. I sound both Southern and Northern, as well as proper and hood. It all depends on the words being said and my situation though.

Anyway, I feel that particular occurrence of snowfall might have been due to an Eclipsed running amok. There was never anything on the news about it though. Actually, the local media acted like it was normal to get snow—IN JULY, MIND YOU!—and in Aves Bay of all places. Like, fuck outta here, there is nothing normal at all about that shit!

Enough about the weather though. Let me move on to how I'm really feeling.

Since I've been making the trek to my humble abode, I have felt very uneasy. Maybe I'm just still wound-up from my fight with The Wart, combined with my worrying about Sinead, but I can't shake the sense that something's amiss. It feels like I'm being watched currently. And more than that, I feel somebody is following me. During the rainstorm, I swore that I could hear footsteps other than mine splashing water about. However, they seemed to be making sure they were staying at least ten feet behind me and walking as slow as they could.

Now, in case you were wondering how I know the exact distance they are behind me along with the speed of their steps, it's just another one of my E-Faculties activating. One that provides me with enhanced hearing, which kicked in a while back to alert me to some danger that was headed my way. That danger happened to be a semi-truck which was out-of-control and barreling down the street like a bat out of hell.

I was headed home from school at the time, like usual, and the truck might have been five miles away at the most. Due to my belief that I was experiencing some sort of auditory hallucination though, I didn't heed the warning. Before I could even react, however, the damn truck slammed into me and I went flying about four or five houses down Bendis Avenue.

I still remember the pain I was in and the mangled state of my body. The blood that was splattered on the grill of the truck, as well as on the asphalt. The vivid memories of my ears ringing and my head pounding like thirty-eight jackhammers at work, plus the brief loss of vision and all the people standing around gawking. Nobody called 911, they just stared, took pictures and recorded videos, posting them to Cawkle and the INDELV'R Clubhouse app. Thankfully, for my sake, none of the people engaging in the vanity of social media knew my face nor could they recognize it. I was too scarred up and brutalized. There were fruitcakes that looked better than me in that state.

After laying there for about ten minutes, my body began its process of healing. I had acquired an additional power on top of the enhanced hearing, which was the power of regeneration, known scientifically as Unbound Deferred Rejuvenation. It was so fuckin' cool, but also a bit painful since it took so long. Honestly, that was the first time I had ever gained two abilities in one day. As soon as I had feeling in my legs again though, I sprang from the ground and exited the scene.

Of course, the partial healing I went through was recorded and uploaded to the interwebs, but ironically, the video didn't go viral. Seeing a person heal after being smashed by a semi-truck apparently wasn't that interesting. Another Eclipsed most likely had beaten me to being the cool one.

Fuckin' sucks…

*🌙*

To explain my Primary E-Faculty again: my body reacts to whatever the imminent threat is and compensates for what I'm lacking at the current time by suitably adjusting itself with a new ability. This is the main reason I call it Responsive Accommodation. These E-Faculties remain with me even after I am out of harm's way though, which brings me back to the point I've been beating you all over the head with: I don't know how to call them forth on my own!

These E-Faculties are very randomized and downright volatile at times. I truly wish I had control over them, then I could go out and fight crime like UpShift, Groundwork and the rest of the Safeguards. I pray I make it onto that team one day. I just have to.

Of course, if they aren't even aware I exist, I highly doubt I'll even get to try out or whatever it is I have to do to make the cut. I swear though, I dream every day about going on missions with them. That goal stays on my mind more than Sinead's shoeplay, which I also think about constantly. Actually, I feel I may be more aroused by the chance of becoming a government-sanctioned superhero.

Anyway, the more I think about it, I don't think I'm paranoid for feeling I'm being followed. Somebody is on my trail, but they're being careful. I can smell them, but I don't recognize the scent. Again, another one of my abilities kicking in on its own.

This overwhelming unease has sweat beading across my forehead and cascading down the back of my neck, while my hair is standing on edge. My hands are shaking like a bowl of jawbreakers in an earthquake, plus I'm out of breath as I feverishly try pacing myself. I have decided to stop and collect my thoughts, hoping to calm myself down.

I can see now that taking this respite was a bad idea, because I can now hear a phrase being repeated in a deep and low voice some great distance behind me.

"Capture the powered boy…," it drones hypnotically.

They're stepping into my vicinity now, with movements that are careful, but also robotic. Like, I can literally hear what sounds like the stock sound used in movies for robots moving their arms, legs and head. It's kinda like a sped-up drill.

"Capture the powered boy…,"

This time they're a bit louder, which means they're growing closer.

"Capture the powered boy…,"

As the phrase is repeated a third time, I can feel minute vocalized vibrations. They have now closed in.

"CAPTURE DEXTER SEAGRAVE!" they yell, their voice booming like a mighty lion's roar.

Whoever it is, is now directly behind me, and I have remained where I am, unable to run, for my legs are frozen with fear. And my hands… well, my hands are feeling their own variety of anxiety, trembling like I have advanced Parkinson's.

I spy the shadow of the stalker looming over me, almost gargantuan. They quickly reach out with their massive hand and grab my left shoulder then whisper, "Target acquired."

*🌙*

The stranger quickly turns me around, where I finally see what I'm up against: a man who's at the most seven-feet-tall, wearing what I can only describe as high-tech armor made to resemble a football player's outfit. His helmet, in particular, looks like a mash-up of one for football, Magneto's helmet and that of a Centurion. It completely obscures his face. His arms, on the other hand, are visible and show him to be Black like me. Maybe I can exploit this.

"Yo, my brother, can I talk to you?" I ask, nervously chuckling while backing up inch by inch as he advances in my direction. At this point, he's still just as close to me as he was when he grabbed my shoulder. I move one step back, he moves one step forward. It's like learning how to dance. "Like, I see you, man! Big, Black and on yo' shit! I can respect that!"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

He only manages a grunt in response. I can tell he's not amused by my corny attempt at appealing to him. I don't know why I thought that would work anyway.

"Aren't we supposed to be about love in these crazy times? We don't have to fight! This country already has its boot on our neck!" I continue, still trying to get through to him. Appealing to him is futile though, as he proceeds to press forward, unbothered and unwilling to respond to anything pertaining to our shared complexion.

BRRRZZZIPPPP!

Uh-oh, another one of my powers is kicking in.

KRRRRZZZAKASH! KAZOOOOOM!

I have now found myself moving at lightspeed away from my would-be kidnapper, but not of my own volition. My legs just decided it was best to escape by running me away… backwards.

"Okay! This is not what I had in mind! Hoooooooly shiiiiiiiiiit!"

I can't make out a damn thing around me. Every house and street sign that I pass by is a blur. I can tell that it's raining again though, but it feels like I'm ripping through every droplet falling from the sky. They explode before my eyes, dissipating as fast as they appear. I can't seem to get control of my own legs, but I guess it's kind of cool that I can run backwards without looking. My body is legit dodging everything on its own.

KWATHOOOOOOM!

Except for that.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The Armored Football-Guy (as I've chosen to call him) just came out of nowhere and struck me hard in the side of my head. Disoriented doesn't even begin to describe the pain I'm feeling. A regular person would've lost their brain and, actually, their entire head after that punch. I'm gonna feel that for at least five years.

"Ah, fuck me! You hit like seventy-two freight trains, nigga! What is the meaning of this?!"

"MUST! CAPTURE! DEXTER!" he screams, stomping the road and putting over three dozen cracks in it. "ACQUIRE THE POWERED BOY!"

He stomps the ground once more, creating a vivid, crimson shockwave that sends me tumbling about the wet and burnt rubber-smelling asphalt, narrowly avoiding a Mustang that was speeding through.

"Yo, dude, I don't know who put you up to this, but I'm certain they don't want you damn near killing me," I remark, coughing and groaning. I clutch my sides in pain, hoping my healing kicks in soon. This shit is pretty unbearable. "Like, *cough* I don't think your orders were to beat me half to death."

"SILENCE!" he propels himself towards me in one giant leap, snatching me up from the ground, then slamming me back into it. "YOU! TALK! TOO MUCH!"

"Okay, *cough* yeah, I'll own up to that. *labored breathing* I'm a motor-mouth, but the fuck is up with your speech pattern? *cough* Are your parents Cro-Magnons or some shit, bruh?"

"OOOUUUUHRRRRAAAAARRRRR!"

Yeah, that remark was a huge mistake. He's now stomping mudholes—more like sinkholes!—in my chest. This feels weird, because my regeneration has now kicked in, but it can't keep up. Every literal hole he stomps in me gets healed, then is immediately opened back up. It would seem that my healing has upgraded from Deferred to Unbound Immediate Rejuvenation. Or, it may just be in this situation that I'm recovering much quicker than I'm used to.

Well, whatever the reason is, I'm learning my limits today, so I got that going for me, which is nice. Eat your heart out, Bill Murray!

*🌙*

It's been a minute since my encounter with the Armored Football-Guy, where I was stomped out until I lost consciousness and eventually kidnapped. I don't know how long I've been out for, but I have awakened and my olfactory receptors are being assaulted by a fuckin' horrendous stench.

What the hell is that putrid odor, I say to myself as I observe my surroundings, taking note of the thick carbon cage that I have been placed in. It has weird unfamiliar glyphs lining it and is jutting out from a rust-colored concrete wall, alight with a pulsating, bluish-purple glow. In my immediate vicinity are similar cages, each housing single occupants who appear to be the same age as me. Why are we all here? I don't know, but I'm determined to find out.

"Hey! Where the fuck am I?!" I scream at the top of my lungs, shaking the bars of the cage. My furious rousting apparently activated something, as the weird symbols began to light up with a fiery orange lambency. Choosing to disregard it, I continue my vigorous assault on the bars, until I'm suddenly jolted by a wave of electricity the same color as the aforementioned glow.

"EEEYYAAAUUUGGHHHHH!!!" The shock forces me backwards and I get violently thrown against the wall of the cage. "What the… fu— SHIT!!"

As I writhe in pain, I hear the snickering of a girl in the cage a foot away on my left.

"I hope that was real amusing for you."

"Oh yeah, it was HA-larious, my nigga," she cackles. "You're a regular Kevin Hart."

"You know what? Fuck you. Just fuckin' blow me."

"If you weren't all the way over there…" she retorts in a sing-song tone while motioning with a closed fist, repeatedly poking her tongue into her jaw. That action is all I can see, as her face is mostly obscured by the shadows of the cage's bars.

"Don't do that," I grunt, still wincing in distress.

"Or what? You'll beat up the bars again?" she laughs even louder.

"………"

"Awww, no angry retort this time?"

I roll over to face the wall and lay in silence, attempting to ignore her immature quips. Eventually her mocking becomes too much for me to withstand and I take the bait, rolling over to face her again.

"You know… you remind me of this chick I go to school with. Her name's Shantrice and she can be ve—"

"SHANTRICE?!" she explodes, cutting me off mid-sentence. She moves closer to the bars, allowing me to see her face better. What little light is available exposes her plump and pouty lips, as well as her large, beautiful eyes, which are two different colors—gray and blue. However, her pupils are constricted and she's frowning so hard that it looks like her face will break. "You know my fuckin' cousin, nigga?!"

"Wait, your cousin? Holy Geehosophat on a tricycle…"

It's always my luck that my day becomes impacted by Shantrice in one form or another. Whether it's when I'm trying to spend time with Sinead or take a piss in the bathroom at school, she's always popping the fuck up. Now… now I'm caged up in an unfamiliar place with a demon spawn next to me claiming to be her cousin. Man… I tell you… if this ain't some ol' bullshit…

*🌙*

I gather that it's been over an hour since that startling revelation and I have learned—to my surprise—that Shantrice's cousin doesn't like her very much. A bit ironic given how they have similar personality traits, like being loud, obnoxious, immature and nosy from what I've gathered so far. I guess all that shit runs in their blood, but it's also probably why they can't get along. They both think they're smarter than the other and like to compete with damn near everything. At least, that's how Zuri puts it. That's her name by the way.

Zuri Renée Farrese… fuck, they even share the same middle name. This can't be life…

"Hey! You! Boy!" Zuri yells as she motions my way, snapping her fingers.

"For the love of all things holy, can you stop calling me 'boy'?! This isn't God of War!"

"Well I couldn't remember yo' fuckin' name, dude! Shit, don't bite my head off!"

She slumps down, leaning against the cage and I can see a bit more of her face and body. She bears a striking resemblance to Shantrice, but something about her stands out more. Maybe it's the different colored eyes, or the bluish-black partially shaved hairstyle she has, but something is giving me a certain feeling which I really don't need right now.

Despite all of her horrible personality traits displayed so far, she's really fuckin' attractive. And looking further down, I can see that she's barefoot and has really pretty feet. Another thing I didn't need to see right now, because my mind is going wild.

(Bad, Dexter! Bad!)

Shaking off the thoughts of the things I want to do with her, I sigh and reply, "We've been chatting for quite sometime, Zuri, you should know my fuckin' name."

"Bruh, my memory ain't that good. Well, not with names anyway. Just tell me, please."

"My name is Dexter…," I gently pinch the bridge of my nose because I am greatly exasperated and reluctant to repeat this information. "Dexter Bartholomew James Seagrave. Please remember it from now on, because your cousin damn sure never forgets it."

Zuri rolls her eyes so hard, I thought they'd find a new home inside of her brain.

"Don't ever mention her name again in my presence. I'm sick of that bitch and sick of how everybody fuckin' worships her, especially in our family."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice," I chuckle. "I'll gladly refrain from doing so. I can't stand her ass either."

"Good. At least we agree on that."

"Abso-posi-lutely. For the record though, Shan isn't worshipped by everyone. Not from what I can tell. That little blog of hers has made her a target around school. She's even gained the ire of the principal and our Algebra teacher."

"I'm not exactly surprised. Shantrice is one invasive-ass motormouth. If she isn't sticking her nose in somebody's business, she's telling all of it. It's part of why we don't get along. Actually, it's the MAIN REASON we don't get along."

Ironic that she'd call Shan an "invasive-ass motormouth", like, does she not see the hypocrisy? She's been extremely nosy, chatty and rude this entire time!

"She must've let something slip about you?"

"Not about me, but about my immediate family. Specifically my brother. However, our other relatives act like she ain't did nothing wrong. Our granny, in particular, upholds her in everything. I'm just fuckin' over it, man."

"Damn, so I see. That's crazy," I try to stifle my yawn as I move closer to the left side of my cage to lean my head against the bars. I did this to try and find some comfort, but also to gaze at Zuri. Trying my best not to expose myself ogling her feet as she keeps rubbing them together and popping her toes, which I can hear very loudly for some reason. "You know, our initial interaction had me convinced that you were a bitch."

Zuri glowers at me with a face as stale as bread left out in the sun. If looks could kill, I'd be turned to barely visible cloud of dust. "Bruh, if that's your idea of flirting, you need to quit while you're ahead."

I drop my head, chuckling under my breath. "You have me mistaken, I'm not trying to flirt. Actually, I'm trying to apologize. I'm not the best at doing that shit. Actually, I hate ever having to admit I was wrong, so pardon me."

"Pardon you?" Zuri giggles. "You talk so proper, but you got a accent. It's kinda cute."

"Really?" I really hope she can't tell I'm blushing. She just made me excited though. I haven't been complimented in so long, especially about my voice. As I stated before, people remark on my accent often. Never said they were positive though. "I'm not really from around here to be honest."

"And where doth thou originate?" she asks mockingly.

"Hardy fuckin' har, I don't talk THAT proper."

"Ugh! Geez, my nigga. Can you relax a bit? It was just a little joke. Ye'en gotta be so uptight. Goodness."

"Meh… I don't take kindly to jokes like that. I get picked on about my diction and voice enough as it is. I def don't want it from someone I barely know."

Zuri grumbles. "Ah'ight then. I was just tryna lighten the mood. Guess we back to square uno now."

"I guess we are."

At that exact moment, my cage begins to move, shaking itself loose of its moorings and ejecting from its space in the wall. I look around to the best of my abilities and notice that it's floating in midair. I also notice Zuri's cage is doing the same. Nobody else's cages are moving though, just ours. Why us?

"What the fuck is going on now?!" I grouse. I'm highly agitated, but also very fearful since I don't know what's in store.

I have always feared the unknown. Whatever occurs which I can't immediately understand, take control of and bring to heel becomes a source of vexation, pushing me into a more morbid mindstate. Experiencing such excruciating discomposure makes me talk different, especially as questions about life and the universe overtake my brain. I can definitely see me heading in that direction right now. While I loathe taking the risperidone prescribed to me, I could certainly use them right now. Only for the ataractic effect though.

"Um, I reckon it's our turn to go where they done took e'rybody else, pardner," Zuri answers, talking slackjawed for some strange reason. Guess she's determined to still fuck with me.

Yep, she's definitely Shan's cousin.

"And where exactly is that?!" I'm panicking and my underarms are pouring liters of warm sweat into my shirt.

"Eye-dee-kay, Dexy." Zuri says dryly, shrugging like Kanye. "Eye-dee-kay…"

*🌙*

It's been about five or seven minutes (give or take thirty seconds) since we dislodged from the wall. Both cages are descending at a steady pace, moving closer to each other as we approach the ground below. Right before they touch the jungle-like floor, they forcefully interlock, causing us to knock our heads against the sides of the cage we were respectfully laying against as they abruptly land, flattening the undergrowth beneath. The whole process is jarring and disorienting. The doors swing open and we're snatched out then thrown to the ground before either of us can compose ourselves.

I attempt to stand and I feel my Fuego-Fists trying to activate, but the flames quickly die as I collapse due to overwhelming dizziness. I seem to have been hit with a bout of vertigo. Zuri has been overtaken with the same, but it's having an even worse effect on her. Although the room keeps teetering, I can see her foaming from the mouth and seizing up. I attempt to scream for help, but I'm barely able to form a word, let alone a sentence. Everything is distorted, especially the various voices I hear around me. I can barely make out what they're discussing, but I did hear one sentence, albeit slowed down. "She's not like him," they said, angry but also concerned.

I am more aware of the circumstances enthralling us…

I see it all so clearly…

Realization has never been so lucid…

We've been drugged…

Hold on, Zuri… just… hold on…

Everything… blurry… we go… sleep…

*🌙*

In the midst of my dizzying affliction, I passed out. Whatever drug they pumped me with weakened my Eclipsed physiology and I was unable to fight it off. This is insane. Unprecedented actually. There's something out there that I'm not resistant to?! I would've never thought such was possible. I've recovered from so many things since my abilities manifested, but now I'm faced with the reality something can possibly fuckin' kill me and I don't know what it is.

This has to be how Superman felt when he first discovered kryptonite is his weakness. Of course, he eventually learned what it is and where it originated, but still, having the knowledge that something so dangerous exists must be bone-chilling. At least, that's what it is for me.

I'm beside myself with obsessive, overlapping thoughts as I lay in this large room, with its partially covered carbon walls and ceiling. I say partially covered because those walls are full of dense vegetation and thick vines sprawling all over them, with orange and red snakes slithering up and down the vines.

A weird creature resembling a feathered pterodactyl soars around, casting shadows from above as it flies under the beaming fixtures of light, finally gliding downward to nest atop a cabinet in a far corner. It stares at me from there with a menacing hunger in its eyes.

I had assumed I was hallucinating, but it's all real. I know this because I'm coming to my senses more as the drugs wear off. I attempt to move, only to realize I'm strapped to a cold, titanium-like hospital bed, surrounded by miscellaneous devices and surgical tools I don't recognize. My shirt has been removed and I have pads similar to those used with a EKG stuck to my arms and on my chest. I feel a sharp pain in my neck, so I probably have some kind of IV in it. There's also a heavy device on my head. Wish I could see what it looks like.

I peer slightly to my left and see that Zuri's in a bed only a few inches away from me. I'm surprised they kept us in the same order we were in the cages. The tube connected to the IV in my neck is connected to the one in hers. A glowing substance is flowing through it and being pumped in, which means they're draining this substance from me. I guess when they discovered she's not an Eclipsed, they came up with a way to make her one.

While this is startling, I'm just glad she's alright. I felt a pain in my heart when I thought she was going to die earlier. Although we've mostly bickered the whole time, she's grown on me. And for the first time I didn't dwell at all on Sinead. Like, even with bringing her up now, I don't feel anything. Well, I feel something. I know that I am still very much in love with Sinead, but I don't feel as dejected as I normally do. Actually, I feel warm inside with these thoughts of Zuri. Enraptured to say the least.

Admittedly, I've slipped a bit into the same territory I do with Sinead, focusing on Zuri's feet. I don't know why I do that, but it just happens. I become fixated on that part and that part alone. Still, I can't deny that there's something more endearing about her. Yeah, she annoyed me some, but she actually tried to cheer me up. Probably was an attempt to cheer herself up more than me, but it counts. In such a short amount of time though, I've become infatuated. Crushing like I'm back in the third grade.

(Goddammit, get a hold of yourself, Dexter!)

Yeah, I have to snap out of what I'm feeling at the moment. Now is not the time for my heart to go skipping beats. Lord knows I could use the joy in my life, but priorities are priorities, and my main focus should be finding a way out of here. Of course, I can't do that until I free myself from my confines. So, I ensue with my struggle, but it's to no avail as I can't access my super-strength. And I know, I'm beating a dead horse, but I really hate not having mastery over my abilities. I know that the power is in me, I just can't bring it out. I'm as weak as Steve Rogers before the Super-Serum.

Fuck my life…

*🌙*

I continue to struggle in vain until the double-doors to the room swing open and what appears to be a large man in a turquoise lab coat waltzes in. He bears every resemblance to The Wart when she transformed, so I'm assuming he's of the same species.

(How many of these muthafuckas are living among us exactly!?)

As he slowly marches my way, I glimpse another figure— a diminutive, voluptuous woman who's also feline in appearance— trailing behind his large and imposing frame. She's carrying a clipboard, wearing a form-fitting yellow dress and tortoiseshell glasses with a very snobbish look on her face. I can already tell she doesn't like me and Zuri from the scowl cast in our direction. Her amber eyes are alight, glowing intensely in the bright lights of the room. She probably feels we're below her as she waddles around, her long and bushy tail waving like billowing smoke.

The large cat-man has finally reached my bedside and I notice that he also wears glasses, but with round gray lenses inside of steel frames. He lowers them to reveal his droopy, gigantic, pearly eyes devoid of irises, sitting deep in a face full of striped, smokey fur. Grinning with teeth larger than those of Shere Khan, he leans in and places a oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. A smokey substance is funneled through it and I soon find myself getting drowsy again.

As I begin to lose consciousness, I notice him turn to the woman and say, "Prep the girl and wheel her up to Stratum 4 for the Conditioning course. I have a feeling we've successfully created our first Penumbra."

>>> TO BE CONTINUED <<<

🌙🌙🌙