While Rose was doing her hair, curling it so she could impress some people her first day of class, Alex was the opposite. Lazily strolling out of the blankets, he stretched out his arms to the air, gazing at his appearance in the reflection. Shirtless, he looked at his muscles, tongue flicking against the top row of his teeth. Some of his muscular aptitudes were fading, especially his abs, which he'd worked hard to achieve when he was in freshman year. But, from his perspective, it'd be useless. Not like he had a reason to work out further or do more exercises, he wasn't competing in any sporting events and he didn't seek out a girlfriend. So, he just did his hair so he could look semi-presentable, affixing the curls to be on the left side of his head. Lonely strands coming from the middle to dangle in front of his vision, he leaned against the sink and noticed the glow of his ivory pupils. It didn't bother him, instead, he just closed his eyes, a silent groan exiting his mouth. Whilst everything began to levitate from their intended positions, he tried to push them down as his aura radiated brighter. Gritting his teeth, he could feel the rush of adrenaline as his heartbeat intensified, blood pouring from the biting of his bottom lip. Until a softened voice echoed in the depths of his mind, the cadence of the Lovers, Rose, lulled him back to an easy state.
A humored chuckle emerged from the part in between his lips, slipping his skull upward so he could stare at himself once more, realizing the confident smirk he'd held on his face. He was ready.
Alexander Amara was born on January 1st, 2035. As you all know, his parents were unfortunately killed by the Demiurge when he and the Detective fought in the Empire State Building. Due to his being orphaned at the age of 2, his uncle and aunt took him in. As he passed by their shared room, inside, the tanned older man hugged the blankets without his lover by his side. She was alive, just on a business trip for the company she'd worked for. That, of course, being; Rivera Manufacturing. Though his life had been filled with trauma, Alex always tried to look on the bright side, even when things seemed dark. He always remembered what his mother would say to him before she lost her life,
"You'll make us proud no matter what path you choose. There's no doubt, you'll be the greatest, one day. And no matter where we are, we'll always be watching- my beautiful baby boy,"
With one step giving pressure against the pavement, Alex had left from the past, slipping the documented slip signed by his uncle into his bag. Ready to push earbuds into the crook of his eardrums, extremities wrapped around his wrist, and these fingers were huge. From the attire this man was wearing, he could tell right away that he was fine. Thrown into the back seat of a Rolls Royce, the boy chuckled, hand against his temples as he shook his skull. Alex was wearing some pretty basic clothing, a snowy white hoodie with a grey v-neck under that one, grey v-neck, light blue jeans, and Nike sneakers. Over his wrist, he held a watch, a gift from Rose, pure gold. Nothing too fancy, just the exterior was incredibly designer-like. Finally, his bookbag. White eyes radiating with a brightened glow, the pointer finger lifted to press against the shadowed lips while the rest of the body was invisible.
"My, you look as basic as always, Al,"
Turning to face the red-headed Rose, she seemed to have on some of her usual clothing, but this time- unusually, with a skirt. He could assume she had shorts under the fabric, however, Alex was still shocked that she's deciding to wear a SKIRT to a HIGH SCHOOL full of BOYS. Eyes tracing up from that, he noticed the diagonal-like black top that revealed her shoulders. ~No doubt this crazy bitch is gonna get fucking dress-coded...~ The Justice, Alex, of course, had those thoughts echo in his mind as she picked her backpack up from between her legs. Giggling, her lids shut over her crimson pupils, showcasing the design on the rear of her bag. Roses protruding from the ground in an emerald forest, the sunlight piercing through the leaves above to reveal the abundance of flowers across the grassland.
"Did you-?"
"Make this all by myself? You bet your sweet tanned ass I did!"
Shaking his head at that comment, the engine roared as they made their way to the Academy, the time on his watch reading, 7:52 A.M. Together, they ventured to their new location as the new chapter of their lives began on May 5th, 2052.
Things had changed since 2037, the statue with August Rivera and his lover, Celine Pierce, stood tall as his hand rose to the sky in bronze metal. That was one of the things that stood the same. New York City, or better yet, Manhattan, was notorious for having huge gigantic buildings that stood for corporate companies destroying the atmosphere and pretty sights with such huge structures. Trump Tower had been replaced by a botanical garden where flowers, birds, just nature in general, were being treated with kindness and love. The sights of the clouds above were beautiful, the dawn had evaporated, the mix of fiery orange with the azure had been overtaken by that sky blue. He thought back to his mother, how he used to visit Rosa with her when they were young... and stare at the stars on her lawn. Their hairs sprawled out on the grass, the sun shining on their faces, laughter entering the air belonging to two genders. Not that of a false persona, but true happiness, and kindness for humanity.
"I miss them too,"
The girl uttered under her breath, the driver tilting his head back for a split second before his eyes shot back to the road as he made a turn. Al widened his eyes, and as the vision of a hanging mother started to enter her mind, Rose looked at her hands, curled into fists on her lap. That surprised expression didn't stay for long, Al just went back to staring out the window, ears perking up as he listened to her monologue about... them,
"They were like the aunt and uncle I never had. None of us knew them for that long, but they proved to be a big part of both our lives. Just remember, Al, they wouldn't want you to mourn over their deaths, 15 years later,"
"Yeah... thanks, Rosey,"
Seeing that as her time, she unbuckled her seat belt and scooted into his seat, causing Alex to quirk a brow while she sat on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he rested his forehead against her back while she just smiled, and looked out the window as his eyes closed. Whispering to her friend like a sister comforting her brother,
"It'll be okay,"
8:01 A.M., the doors closed on each side of the vehicle, the driver tipping his cap to the pale-skinned ginger as Alex ruffled his brown hair. Raising his skull from staring at the tanned stairs, he saw the infrastructure pierce the skies, it was truly a sight to behold. Two other buildings on the left and right latched onto the main school tower in a square or rectangular shape. It was marvelous, teenagers of different ages bursting from the clouds, landing on the pavement as they walked up the stairs to the entrance. Some emerging from weird colored energy that matched their eye colors, and some sliding onto the property on slides of ice. However, there were a particular four.
This man walked past him, probably a year or two older, maybe even the same age with an older look. The same color hair dyed darker to a black-like coloration, hand tightening against his bag strapped against his chest, glancing back for his eyes to meet Alex's white orbs. The Justice could make out a specific palette, that being- pink. He couldn't make out the minute details of the pink-eyed boy's outfit. Rose also spotted one of these people, what had brought the blonde she'd seen to this location wasn't a portal or any energy. She just- appeared. The blonde green-eyed girl managed to disappear and run ahead to enter the school building.
If you remember, there were two more. The two that Rose and Alex had just seen were none other than Edward Singh and Hazel Adams. You might be wondering where maybe the yellow-eyed Lynn and the purple-eyed Myers are. Alex and Rose took their hands in one another, together, they stared at one another, with their opposite limbs gripping the straps over their shoulders. With no more fear, they moved forward onto their new life; together!
If you've ever been to an art school, you'll more than likely have to watch plays, musicals, etc., but where? On the stage, hand around the mic, the circular ball that picked up the audio close to his lips, the Emperor gazing at the multitude of students. Teachers lined on his left and right, seated, excluding the former CEO standing up straight. Five on each side, with an empty seat on the right for the Headmaster speaking out. As Alex and Rose took their seats beside one another, momentarily blocking the vision of their classmates, their annoying groans entering the teens' ears, they caught glimpses of the teacher's faces. Ben went on, now seeing that everyone had arrived together, his voice soft yet deep as it echoed through the Academy's halls,
"Now, that everyone is gathered here today: welcome to the August Rivera Academy for the Specially Abled! 15 years ago today, my son... Augustus Benjamin Rivera sacrificed his life to prevent an authoritative figure from ruling over this planet. His name was Doctor Abaddon Kuno and intended to enslave humanity for his masters so his superior could rule. With the help of Ace Detective Azazel Karlo, who had been working for the Paris Police Department, for the time being; Azazel, August, and I with the help of my brother, daughter, and best friend, managed to defeat him. In the end, all the bets were off, with my son... my son being able to strike, giving the finishing blow to the corruption in human form. He died, and we remember him in the form of this Academy and his memorial made by Miller Construction in Columbus Circle. A year after his unfortunate demise, I announced publicly with the Detective- the existence of superhumans. An evolved sub-species of humanity that'd existed for years now- under the nose of the World's Governments. I surrendered myself to the police force and resigned from Rivera Manufacturing, Azazel quitting his job just as he was about to get promoted. We were released three months later from their custody, having proved ourselves to not have wrong intentions. We met with President Parkki, convinced of our innocence, we informed him of a written plan we had, along with evidence that Doctor Kuno was a truly a malevolent person. Records of human experimentation, genetic manipulation, and torture, authorized by this top scientist had convinced her. After that, we offered a way to aid the people who'd been suffering from these abilities, believing they were freaks or currently dying from these latent powers. Detective Karlo investigated tons of homes for children and adults, top businessmen and women, etc., knocking down corruption in the name of my son; August. Currently, there are about 590-600 teenagers in this auditorium, your parents or you experimented on by this monster of a 'person.' Detective Karlo went through this unruly experience, his own mother dying at their hands. For now, I'll let him continue with the demonstration,"
The audience was stunned by this information, Rose staring at her hands, paralyzed at the thought of everything her mother had gone through. Which, Alex thought was odd, he'd been told everything by Rose about her mother, how she hung herself and she's still tormented by that image. But, why did she kill herself? Was it because of the Government, or was it something else? Either way, it's obvious her adoptive parents, the Thomases, had no illegal experimentation done on them whatsoever. Her head resting on her ally's shoulder, his arm rubbing her own, he held her close as she stifled her sobs while the duo listened to the Detective who'd recruited most of the teens here.
Near the back, a purple-eyed teenager with dark violet streaks in his locks sat up from his slouched position, recognizing this man. For a second in time, however brief, a glimpse of respect could be seen for such a person. Whitney reassumed his slouched position while Hazel slowly slid her knees off from over her mouth, emerald eyes sparkling at the sight of this man- who'd saved her from 'Hell.'
"I am Ace Detective Azazel Karlo, I work as an Investigator for the Superhuman Investigation Division. As you all know, I've invited over 400 of the 500 to 600 teenagers to this Academy. The World around has changed ever since my... my friend died to save us all, to avenge his love. There are fewer businesses malevolently parading around in suits to take advantage of naivety, such as Trump Tower being replaced by a botanical garden founded by a partnership between Smith Industries and Rivera Manufacturing. It has over 200 floors, windows made of transparent glass so that outsiders can look in to see that the workers are treating the creatures and nature accordingly. We've introduced an android cleaning protocol to aid the dirty streets so that the five boroughs are cleaner than ever before. All are controlled specifically by our Technology Advisor, Artemis Rivera. There are multiple other examples, needless to say; we've done a lot of good work. And the magnum opus is this very building. This was commissioned by the CEO, Ben Rivera, to replace the Empire State Building in 2046. A year later, not even a quarter was done. Luckily, everyone had aided together, and in 2050; this building was finally constructed. With a pool in the rear, training rooms underneath our very floor, with some even doubling as classrooms. When training with advisors, desks will sink into the floor and you'll all be given chairs to sit on while you take notes. The walls are made of pure Konpeki, a metal discovered by the Headmaster in 2013. Everyone will now look under their chairs to see their current schedules and dorm rooms assigned to one another. The left part of the building belongs to the female dorm, and the right part of the building belongs to the males. We aren't dictators, so you can cross into other dorms, but you can't stay in another gender's dorm past the assigned of 12 A.M. Thank you, and have a good day, everyone,"
His arms rubbed her limbs, calming her down as she panted with her face in his chest, lips against her ginger locks. A gentle sigh exited his lips as he held her skull close to his center, whispering to her into her ears,
"Rosey... we need to head back,"
"What the fuck are you two doing?"
Spinning his head so his eyes could meet with the older teenager, Alex stared at his classmate, the purple streams in his darkened straight locks noticeable to the Justice. About to give a response to this guy, Rose recognized his face, to which Whitney snarled at her face and looked to the side. Shoving his hands into his hoodie, he gifted two papers to the duo of friends, so they could receive their schedule and dorm assignments. About to thank him, Rose pulled back, releasing herself from Alex's arms,
"Whi-"
And he was gone- vanished into thin air, the thumping of feet against the wooden ground causing Rose to be pinned against the wall by an invisible force. A blonde girl started to unpack her books and all as she stood up from her seat, teens still exiting the auditorium, she left last. The horde of kids stopped, leaving Alex and Rose to be free of the crowd, shaking their heads together. Taking her hand in his own, he walked with her to her dorm so she could feel better, looking over their schedules, whoever had designed them was an evil mastermind! They were identical, needless to say, except for the final class. Alex had Mr. Johnson for Ice Manipulation and Rose had the Headmaster, Mr. Rivera for teleportation. So, they were all good. Skipping through the halls with covers clouding her vision, Rose heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet as they bounced against the marbled floor. Turning around, she yelled out to Alex so he'd react swiftly,
"Look out-!"
Her temples collided with his rear, skull bouncing off so she'd collapse onto the floor, documents and paper soaring into the air as students behind gasped at the sight. A pink-eyed Edward caught this sight as a brown-haired girl with a sun necklace pushed past him, shoulder checking him in the process, likely by accident. Lids sliding upward to reveal her optics, the green-eyed blonde see everything neatly tuck itself into her folder. Hands in his pockets while he stood there, Alexander glowing as he kneeled, picking up hearing aids that shared Rose's signature ruby palette.
-Are you okay? These fell out your ears when you... fell too-
Whipping his fingers and hands around so they could make out words for her to understand, a brow quirked above her eyelid. Understanding what information he was attempting to gift her, she sent a quick nod; clearly in a rush. Extending out her hand to swiftly take back what had flown out of her sockets, her vision blurred and all she could see was his face. But not the Justice's, of her own father's, with her blood staining his face as she laid there, limp. Curled up as he readied to whip her again, the blonde scratched the back of her neck and locked contact with the floor. Unable to stare the boy in the face, all she did was disappear after the hearing aids were returned to their owner, the white-eyed boy and the ginger girl quizzically looking around in confusion,
"That's so fucking cool..."
Rose uttered in an amazed tone, but Al was different. There was nothing else except for worry, he couldn't even focus on her abilities, instead, that image was stuck in his brains. The second she saw his eyes, there was nothing but fear and hatred for what she'd seen. So, he pondered what had occurred to that poor deaf girl as he walked with his best friend, her arm locked in his own. And unbeknownst to the duo of tied comrades, she held her face and cried into her arms, no sound reached her. Not even the girls in that same restroom noticed the cries for help that echoed from her throat. All that did and ever would exist for Hazel Adams- was silence.
"All classes, in some way, shape, or form, are related to your given specific abilities. For instance, sonic abilities, while also discharging blasts from your palms, can also be a way to heat up the temperature from the amount of power you put into your powers. For instance-"
Professor Karlo walked over to the dummy placed to his right, desk diving into the floorboard, papers, and folders strapped onto the wood of the table. With a simple push forward from his flat palm, a bolt of sonic waves had touched the chest of this demonstration body, then causing it to spontaneously combust in an array of cotton. Halting the movement of the balls before they could reach his face, Alex sat up to catch the strays. Having realized the boy had caught it, Azazel chuckled, hands behind his back, Rose slid her folder from over her face- gazing at her best friend,
"Go on. Have a taste,"
Instructed the Detective to his student, Alex, being the ballsy kid he was, decided to just shrug it off and take a bite. To his amazement, it was edible! It was cotton candy, disguised in the sound around the world, and its true colors were finally revealed to be a bright azure that stuck to his fingertips. Eyes sparkling with anticipation for the next taste, Al did a comedic turn to his red-headed companion, who just shook her head and took a bite of the same piece of candy he'd taken. Yes, like a cheater. The pieces of cotton candy revealed their true forms, dropping from their previous position, stopped in mid-air, landing in the students' hands. The pink-eyed Ed stared quizzically at the man above him chewing on his cotton candy with Rosalyn Thomas...
Turning his head some time had passed since the events of his staring at the Justice. Confused by the sudden ticking of the clock, the snapping of the Detective's index fingers with his thumbs had transported him back to the present,
"Mr. Singh- are you going to demonstrate for the class?"
Rubbing his temples with his gloved extremities, the Star pushed through the past to remain in the present, reaching out with his fleshy fingers. Abruptly, just as the now-Professor had done some time ago, it burst in a ball of fire, waves of sound bursting out from the explosion. Blood squirting out from the ears of most of the students, Rose covered Alex's eyes, to which Al pushed her palms away. The blonde girl's hearing aids levitated into his palms, holding the devices close to his chest as the brown girl with the sun necklace shielded her ears with metal clamps from the wall. Whitney just disappeared into the shadow cast by the explosion for a moment to his rear so his ears wouldn't be affected. From the smoke of that explosion, hunched over, Edward Singh stood, panting heavily as he held his hand while Azazel Karlo watched. No sense of hatred or anything was visible on his features- there was only admiration for such impressive destructive capabilities.
"Well done, Edward,"
Sonic Ability class had ended, the star pupil of the instructing was none other than Eddie, who'd managed to erupt such a disruptive sound that people's ears bled. Wiping the blood off his gloves, the Professor watched as the learners ran through the entrance, likely heading to the nurse's office. Groaning in pain, he rubbed his head from the sharp painful experience he'd experienced in those tight quarters, Alex getting met with a slap to the back of the head. Courtesy of none other than Rose, who shook her head as he spun to face her, causing him to pull her hair up... the girl whining and pleading,
"Ah! Please, please, it was just a joke!! Put me doownnn!"
Begged the ginger for mercy, but as she was commencing that pleading, Alexander had noticed a person in the corner of his eyes. A man with his head hunched down, placing Rosey onto the floor so she'd be safe, tapped the guy on the shoulder. Instinctively, Ed readied to fight, jumping back while sticking up his fists- then being relieved to see that this wasn't the case. Thankfully, the oddest thing had happened, or well- odd to Edward, at least. While his ears had indeed been burst in the explosion caused by this guy, that meant nothing to him, the only thing that did was the cause. And that was the pink Star,
"You okay, man? You looked kinda down just a second ago,"
To his knowledge, no one had ever done this before, optics tilting to the left, he could make out the image of that ginger girl. Instead of making direct eye contact, he remembered the time before this day, all those faces they made at him. Those words they called him, all the exclusion he'd experienced over the years as this 'freak,'
"Yeah... you're Alexander Amara, right? {Alex: Yeah- something wrong?} Not much, my name is Edward Singh, I'm your roommate. I'll talk to you at the dorm, see you,"
Though he'd moved away from Rose, who tried to protect him, his ears were safe from an invisible barrier of sound that absorbed the waves that touched the shield. Those who were also safe from the ear-bursting sound waves were Eddie, of course, Sunni Lynn, Whitney Myers, Arabella Nova, Jordyn Radcliffe, Markus Marquez, Rosalyn, Alex, and Hazel Adams. Some of those had used their powers to protect themselves, but Hazel- she was different, her hearing aids were removed not to her knowledge. And now, with Rose heading to her final class at 1:45 P.M., he intended to give her these devices that aided her eardrums. With only five minutes to spare, holding the information of her dorm in his brain, his knuckles hit against the metal gently.
DUN DUN DUN! Holding up his student ID to the scanner that'd revealed itself, he was cleared and able to enter after typing in his pure intentions. Sliding to the left, the opening was hidden into the metal wall, and Alex had entered the chilly chamber. While his mission was to find Haze, he couldn't help but gaze at the posters and memorabilia relating to the girl attached to the walls. Some holograms, some made of real paper. Mostly of books and manga, her bed was on the left while her roommate was on the right. Over the headboard, there was a poster for the anime movie 'A Silent Voice' about a deaf girl and her bully attempting to redeem himself. Then to the right, on a clear wall- was just the cover for her favorite book, 'All The Lovely Bad Ones,' by Downing Han. The carpet was coloration similar to her Adams' pupils, a light green, it seemed her roommate was glad to agree with her. At the feet of her bed, a few inches away, there were just random sticky notes on a desk with a school-gifted computer manufactured by the school.
Sobs of a saddened girl entered his ears, turning his head, he rose his palm, knuckles cracking as blood started to stream from his nostrils. Groaning in anguish as he used his gifted powers, Alex stared into the eyes of his attacker; it was none other than her. Hazel, deciding to use a frying pan as a weapon, had emerged from wherever she was hiding. As he slapped his hand to the side, the pan hit the wall and crashed onto the floor in front of the open walk-in closet. Stepping back, her fight or flight took control of her decision-making, and instead of trying to attack, she curled up into a ball as Alex stomped closer. Hyperventilating, her heart rate continued to skyrocket, feeling her pulse quicken and her consciousness start to fade with blurred sight.
~It's... happening... again...!~
However, this was different from what happened to her father. There were no beatings that could occur, no hand that would fly across her face and curses her a red mark on whatever cheek. Instead, there was a kind hand, fingers making sure to be kind as they gently removed her limbs shielding the beauty of her face. A kind gesture like giving her back something she needed was all it took, she threw herself onto him and held the boy as if he was going to abandon her. That wasn't the case, instead, he embraced her back- arms around her anatomy with hers around his neck. Though invisible to her, as she sobbed into his nape, he smiled for her safety and happiness. Thus began the freedom of Hazel Adams.
On his way back to the boys' dorm area, he caught a glimpse of a brunette in the corner of his eye glaring at him, noticing that he'd originated from Hazel's room. He paid her no mind and didn't recognize her, as he continued to arrive at his room, soles skidding against the welcome mat placed. ~Odd~ Though the boy, as he wiped his bare feet, shedding himself of his shoes, following that- his socks, and entered the chamber,
"What the hell, why're you bleeding?"
Inquired of the Star, Eddie, who'd been seated on his bed on the right side of the room, fiddling with a coin as his gloves stood over his fists. That memory came crashing into his brain, remembering what had happened mere minutes ago, he wiped the tips of his index and middle fingers with his gore. The fluid infecting his flesh, he stared at it and chuckled at the answer he'd imagined,
"On my period,"
The duo let out unison bursts of laughter, Alexander now faces to face with his roommate, able to hear his tale of sorrow. It was a compassionate one that not many would've been able to pass, so Ed went on,
"Ever since I was a kid, I had this power. There was no controlling it, I guess, no matter how hard I tried throughout the years. This whole thing, this ability, is the worst. My family can't even go 10 centimeters near me, even when I wear gloves… it doesn't help if I accidentally touch them without the gloves. Time rewinds, and I have to live with the guilt of having killed someone I love so dear to me. Over hundreds of alternate timelines have I lived through, having murdered hundreds of my family by accident. Then, he came, and I got this invite. Heh, not like it helped much- I'm cursed with such a power, can't even go anywhere without hurting someone. And this time, I couldn't go back,"
Al remembered the past, his past, before Rose, before love. How he stood alone half the time, how he would always be cast out from others, and thought of as a freak. Was his past in the form of Eddie here? Or was he going crazy at the thought of such a similarity? He knew this decision to be right, he had to aid Ed so he could control his powers. While he did believe this to be for his parents, he couldn't let them just motivate every single choice he made for the remainder of his time here. He had to do this for himself. Alexander saw himself in this guy, if he had the chance to help, then why wouldn't he? That's what friends are for,
"Well, if it counts for anything, Ed, I think your power's pretty fuckin' cool,"
"It does count for something. I thought it was cool too, but other people-"
Interrupting his new friend, Alex's hands locked onto the Star's shoulders, locking their eyes together. Now making direct eye contact, Edward raised a brow as Al spoke loudly and informed his companion with a rough way of thinking. Something he'd learned from the past, it was clear from the way he spoke,
"FUCK EVERYONE ELSE! What matters if what you think, don't let anyone else change your line of thinking, bro... heh, if you do- I'll punch you in the head,"
The old threatening way of violence that men use to further their friendship, who doesn't like fighting a little bit? This was the beginning of their journey. Alex reached out his hand, a star in the darkness for Ed to latch onto, a twinkle of light reminding the boy previously cast out that he wasn't alone. That he wasn't a monster. That he wasn't any kind of freak. He was human, and that's- what mattered.
So, they slept in their twin beds in the room, the duo staring at the ceiling as their lids concealed their eyes- unknowing to the Hellish landscape that laid beneath them. Wielding his ax, the Superior had a wide smirk curve upwards- thus began the freedom of Edward Singh.
To Be Continued.