The halls in the school seemed like any other they had seen before. Lockers, classrooms, and random closests that probably had cleaning supplies in them, but thneither of them had seem them before. If the layout of the school resembled anything like that, the exit should be around there somehere, but things didn’t seem to resemble anything they knew. Clarissa whipped the tears from her eyes. She could stioll faintly hear the squelching from the previous room.

They rounded the couner hoping to see antoher friendly face that could help them out. Instead, they were greeted by yet another empty hallway.

“Maybe some of these lockers might have a clue to a way we can get out?” Hector said helpfully, “You never know what kids keep in these things now and days.”

“Do you have any way we can actually get into them?” Clarissa said, eyesing him suspiciously.

He blushed, looking down at the ground. “I just thought it would be helpful.”

Clarissa moved to him, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s find, we’ll figure something out in the end.”

They both moved down the hallway, looking for open doors and possibly even an open locker or 2. Nothing was giving any success for their excape. Clarissa sat against the wall, sliding down it sighing. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

Hector slid down beside her. It had been a long day for both of them, and they still weren’t sure how to leave.

“You know, we could see if we were also affected…” HGector said after a long pause. “There’s always a possiblyity that one of us has powers as well.

Clraissa stared at her hands, seeing if anything changed. She hadn’e really considered the possibility that they could also have this weird magic that was cloating acround the school. What if she did have a power? How would they even find out if she did?!

After a moment, she stood up, determinded to find out. “What are you doing?” Hector asked, slowly rising to his feet as well.

“The only way we are going to find out is if we try, so why not? Let’s see if we do.” She said, staring at the lockers. Was she supposed to be able to feel something here? A change in her body? Maybve even some sort of tingling sensation that she didn’t’ notice before? I guess they would just have to find out.

Hector’s eyes grew large as he watched Clarissa’s face scrunch up in concentration. She began ti emit a blue glow. It began at the soles of her feet and swirled around her legs before bursting brightly at the crown of her head. Her eyes closed and her head fell back. Her arms seemed to rise in front of her as though she were unaware of the movement.

“Clarissa? You okay?” Hector’s voice shook and he cleared his throat. “Um, you’re glowing.”

Before Clarissa had a chance to answer him, her arms grew rigid, her fingers splayed, and blue sparks shot straight ahead, blasting a hole in the wall in front of them. The last fading light of sunset broke through into the hallway, causing Hector to cheer.

“You got powers girl!” he crowed. “This changes everything.”

Clarissa shook her head as her arms feel back to her sides. “What hapepend?” she asked.

“You freaking blew a hold in the wall.” Hector pointed behind him to where the sun was shining through the dust.

“how?”

“With your fingers. You turned all bue and then, BAM, wall gone.” Hector took a step closer to Clarissa and looked at her hands. They looked as pale as always, slightly chubby, as though she hadn’t quite lost all her baby fat.

“I don’t . . .”

Hector held up a hand to silence her. “We’ll worry about the how’s later. For now let’s get out of here and find somewhere safe. Do you live close?”

Clarissa shook her head and forced her mind to refocus on what he was asking her. “Yeah, pretty close. Walking distance.”

“Great.” He reached for her hand, but then thinking better of hit he grabbed onto her shoulder and propelled her out of the hole and into the fresh air outside.

People were milling about in the distance, at the front entrance of the school. People Hector and Clarissa had both agreed they should avoid. Most of them looked stunned. A few were bledding or had torn clothing. Most confusing of all was sthe total lack of adults. Where were the teachers, custodians, principal, or the school nurse? How had these people gotten out when Hector and Clairssa had been trapped for so long?

“hector,” Clarissa’s hand brushed his own and he startled. She tucked her hands in her pocket and continued. “Let’s go. I don’t know what’s happened, but we aren’t safe here.”

He nodded. “Lead the way sparkle girl, lead the way.”

Clarissa stood, fists clenched trying to will something, anything to happen. Her eyes narrowed looking at the lockers in fornt of her. AbruptlyHector burstt out laughing. The sudden sound when everything had been so silent, coupled with her intense focus made her jump wildly. Her heartbeat was in her throat and she looked down at Hector, who hadn’t stopped laughing, with a glare.

“What’s your problem?” Her face was red and indignant.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You looked constipated!” He was practically rolling on the ground.

She huffed angrily and stormed off around a corner. He probably needed a good laugh. Hell, they both did. She was just riled the hilarity had come at her expense. She walked until his laughter echoed in the seemingly empty school, trying to cool her emotions. That’s when she saw the head.

She froze, unsure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. On the floor was a pallid, decapitiated head with long black hair; the eyes were looking at her lifelessly. Clarissa’s mind was, at once, racked with horrifying thoughts and the possibility of death in this mysterious cage of a school. She heard a scream hit the air and realized that it was coming from her own mouth. She stumbled to the floor, her feet unnwilling to work properly. Stll, her eyes were locked on the head that seemed to be smiling sinisterly at her with anemic looking lips. She crawled madly backwards, but the head didn’t seeme to be getting any further away.

“Clarissa!” Hector called running around the corner “What happened? Are you-”

When he saw the head he halted, whispering a curse and staring wide-eyed. Clarissa bumped into his legs and pulled herself up using his body. The head was as close as ever and she clung to Hector like a cat trying to escape water. Hector was stunned into silence, his body stiff as the head stopped a yard or two from them.

“Uh… Hi. I’m Draven.” The head spoke after a long, tense silence.

A pale hand came out of the floor and waved at them. Clarissa flinched, brow furrowd with confusion. Hector relaxed.

“Man, I know you! You’re that goth kid from my Art class.” he snapped his fingers trying to remember. “Aha! David Smith.”

“It’s Draven.” The head insisted, frowning.

“What happened to you? Why are you a head on the floor?” Clarissa asked, disgusted.

“In the chaos of everything I realized that I could ghost through stuff.” He brought his white hands up through the floor again, demonstrating his power. “Only problem was I can’t ghost anything else, so my clothes diidn’t come with me.”

“What? Ew!” Clarissa shireked. “Go away you thing.” She punctuated with a finger point that punctuated iself with a firy explosion. Draven was no more.His hand fell limp and the gorund where his previously incorporeal body had lain bulged with its no physical occupent.

Clarissa, I think you just killed him,” Hector said, backing away from her. “I think we found your power.”

Clariisa hedl up her finger. “Ypu’re right! I must use this power for good!” She pointed her finger tothe air and it blasted a whole in the ceiling, knocking loose a lighting that fell and squashed Hector who had turned to rubn away. “Or not. Villainy it is I guess.”

Clariss pointed sharply at hector again and vaporized his body, or tried to. It was mure like destroying a squash with a hyot poker. She kept pointing and blowing up and burning small chunks of him that were making the hall a much bigger mess.

“Bet you wish you hadn’t made fun of me now huh Hector. Take that and that and that!” She moved on to Draven, feeling a little guity about busting up the wall way. Clarissa figured she could at least blow up the protruding bits to smooth out the floor.

“Clarissa, what are you doing?” Mr. Jennings, the art teaher, burst out of the art studio, horrified.

“Clarissa is, is no more,” Clarissa declared waving her new weapon at him. “I am noe that Fully terrifying supervillain. I am The Finger!” She punctuated this by stabbing her finger upward. Unfortunately, that blasted the ceiling, ruining the effect by showering her in dust.

“Oh my, clarissa has a weapon!” Mr. Jennings screamed. “Call the Police! Clarissa is a school shooter!”

He slammed the door shut. The students inside the classrom also began screaming and jumping out the windows, or tryig to. Most of them just bounced off the glass and fell to the floor dazed.

“No, I am not a school shooter,” Clarissa cried in dismay. “I am just a super villain, not some horrible, psycho. I don’t even own a gun. I’m a democrat!”

“Democrats, my arch enemies!” a voice shouted from behind her. Clarissa whirled around to see a dumpy looking freshman with acne and a bowl cut standing with hus underwear pulled over his pants.

“Camerom? What are you wearing?” Clarissa asked stunned. “We’re partners in econ. Not enemies.”

“I am not Camerom. I am inside out man. That is why my underwear is outside of my pants,” Camerom announces imperiously. “And we were partners once. That is what makes our enmity so great. Die liberal fiend!”

Camerom waves a hand and all of the lockers in the hallway burst open otherwise doing nothing else. Luckily for Camerom, Clarissa was standing close enough to one to get smacked in the face and fall over.

“Ah!” she shouts clutching her face. “Alright, we’re enemies now! Take that!”

Clarissa aimed her dangerous finger straight at Cameron's head. From her vantage point on the floor, amid the chaos of the panicked students , she couldn't quite be sure of her aim. She hesitated. It was long enough for someone to reach her wrist and yank her around and sharply up. Her flinger let out a spark in her surprise. But it fizzled out harmlessly.

"Scott," she breathed.

"Rissa, what has gotten into you?" The tall, brooding teen took in the scene around him. Draven and Hector lay in bloody heaps on the floor. Rubble littered the hallway, and all the lockers were blown open.

Clarissa shook her head as if waking from a drream. Scott had the oh-so-helpful ability to deflect people's powers. She could feel her own power, only just discovered, fading to a dull thrum inside of her. She could see his power's affect on the faces around her as the chaos quieted. Cameron looked down, shocked to see himself wearing his very embarrassing briefs on the outside of his pants.

"Did I just...?" He started. "But I AM a Democrat." He scratched his head.

All around them, the students who hadn't yet made it very far from the desctruction began shaking their heads too.

"Meagan," Scott said in an angry breath. He whirled around just in time to catch the girl before she could run, her face full of guilt.

"It's not my fault!" She said, shaking her black curls.

But the look on Scott's face told Clarissa that that was exactly what he thought.

Clarissa looked back at the destructikn she had wrought, the death she had caused. Her hands began to shake.

"What just happened?" She asked. The question came out on a squeak.

Mr. Jennings poked his head out of the art classroom, sensing that the danger was passed.

Clarissa and Scott might have ignored their cowardly teacher, except that Meagan's expression darkened upon his appearance, and the pair followed her firey glare.

Suddenly feeling like the adult he was, with Scott nearby to protect him, Mr. Jennings began to take control of the situation. He urged the kids huddled under the art desks to leave. Class was cancelled for the day. Obviously.

"And Cameron," he addressed the confused freshman. "Go take care of your... Outfit."

When it was just the four of them, Scott turned back to Meagan. Anger still roiled underneath her skin like steam. But as soon as she looked back to Scott, trying to return his glare, she withered on the spot.

"You shouldn't be here," said Scott. "Why did you leave the house?"

Meagan shrugged non-committally. She had a motive, but she wasn't sayinv.

"I'm confused..." Clarissa started when the awkward silence threatened to linger.

Meagan snickered. "Exactly."

Scott glanced back and Clarissa. "Her power IS confusion. That's why she's been staying HOME." He emphasized the last word, glaring at the girl. Eyes still on Meagan, he spoke to Clarissa again. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. As soon as this all happened, it was too risky for me to come toschool."

"Why? Clarissa asked. "I think you could have helped a lot with your power..."

"I didn't stay home for myself," he said, cutting her off. "I had to babysit my dangerous little sister."

Clarissa gaped. Meagan was responsible for the carnage, the murder of two students... And she was related to Scott?

"I think you have a lot to account for, young lady," said Mr. Jennings. He too looked like he was slowly connecting the dots. "And, uh, Clarissa. Maybe keep that finger pointed down. Just in case."