Genesis had always felt left out since she was a child. Being a Seraph born made her an oddity, and she never could've been prepared for the life she would be thrust into. Her father was a scientist who specialized in human genetics and a big part of his work involved anti aging. Mostly, they lived a quiet life, and with her father's job made it so they could live comfortably, until recently at least.
Times were changing, and money was running dry. It was no secret that the collapsing of society was extremely close, especially with crime and poverty rates being at an all time high. Genesis felt an anxiety over school, since security had increased in the recent weeks and because her father had been working extremely late nights for the past two weeks.
She tried to focus on her english literature homework, but she found herself zoning out to the sound of the television, which was broadcasting national news. She usually preferred the background noise, but this time the reporter was only amping up her anxiety even more.
"A recent spike in crime has caused government elected officials to push for more military presence due to the growing threat of supernaturally gifted humanoids, otherwise known as Seraphs. The military and the police are now reported to be working together to investigate mass murders in congruence with the possible danger of unstable or rogue seraphs," the reporter stated.
Genesis shifted in her seat, recollecting her focus, and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table to turn down the volume of the TV.
She returned her gaze from the reporter back down to her homework. After forty minutes of working on her essay she completed the assignment and took in a breath before letting out a sigh. When she checked her phone she noted the three missed texts from her father stating tonight would be his last night working so late. Genesis rolled her eyes at that, and scrolled to read the next two messages; one stated that dinner would have to be leftovers, and the other was her father discouraging her from watching any news.
Genesis decided to call friend Cassie, who picked up within two rings. "Hey," Genesis started. "Have you seen the news at all today?"
"Oh come on, you're not worried about all of that Seraph stuff are you? You have nothing to worry about, in my opinion," Cassie said in an attempt to reassure her.
"You think so?" Genesis asked, biting her lip a bit.
"Totally, I mean you don't have any extra dangerous abilities like the others do. You're practically a human," Cassie said with a light laugh. "Seriously. Yeah, my dad saw the news too, and he's been pretty irritated about work. He's technically deployed, but now he's being stationed here in the city. He's happy to be closer to us, working from home and all that, but he's pissed that he doesn't get to use any of his special training," Cassie giggled.
"Right, or any of his fancy guns," Genesis laughed too. "I don't know," Genesis said with some uncertainty. "A part of me is relieved I don't have to worry about it, but having wings on your head with supernatural power is one kind of freak. A powerless freak though?"
"Keep your head up. The school year is finally over, and we'll be graduated before you know it. Then you can start focusing on finding yourself a boyfriend instead of hyperfixating over getting points deducted on any given school assignment," Cassie said. "What are you doing tonight?"
"I don't know. I need some air though, I'll call you back later," Genesis said.
They exchanged goodbyes and Genesis slipped on both her tennis shoes, clutching her cellphone, and she pressed play on her current music playlist before heading out the door. As she walked, she adjusted her headphones, and she decided she would make her way to the library. Nature was shedding its winter sadness, and Spring brought a warmth to the evening air as Genesis took in the bright orange sunset.
Genesis found herself a seat on the bench at the front of the library, and decided to sit for a while and breathe. Darkness came fast and before she knew it, Genesis was beneath a sky full of stars. She considered herself a people watcher, and more of a homebody so much so that when she did get out of the house she was on edge most of the time.
She made the decision to use the library's bathroom. When she went to wash her hands, she stared back at herself. Her long white hair fell past her chest, and her bright pink eyes peered back at her, the wings on her head settled after a few flutters, and she sucked in another breath before going to turn on her heel, when suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and in walked a mother and her daughter.
The little girl stopped in her tracks and stared up at Genesis, who was at a loss for words as the mother scanned her carefully before hurrying her daughter into one of the stalls. With one last glance, albeit a judgemental one, from the mother, Genesis walked out of the bathroom and turned the corner to walk out of the library.
She set off to walk home, a cool night air was setting in, and as she turned a corner down another street, she found herself glimpsing into a back alley. She stopped at the sound of a group of people laughing. Genesis backed up before anyone saw her, and she peered from around the brick wall into the alleyway where four taller guys her age all stood. A voice came from deep inside her mind. It was humming at first, like an innocent child, but then it spoke.
I can show you how to fit in.
Genesis looked around, confused, until she realized that the voice was herself. She entertained it, listening, waiting to hear it again. It was her own voice, but it was sinister and warped with a sickly sweet tone.
Show them how you like to play. You're going to have to. I sense it.
What was that supposed to mean? Genesis pondered on the voice's words. What did she mean, sense what? This voice, her voice, was too cryptic. She decided she'd ignore it.
She could tell that they were all Seraphs, each having unique traits. One of the tallest stood next to a dumpster, and he had bright red eyes and dark black hair and was busy smoking a cigarette, his back leaned cooly against the metal of the dumpster. The boy next to him had green hair and yellow eyes and was scrolling through his cellphone, while two other guys, seemingly twins, stood side by side one another, their purple eyes glowed an ultraviolet light in the dusky alley space. Nightfall definitely exaggerated their features, but it only took one glance to identify them as Seraphs.
Genesis was an anomaly, both among humans and Seraphs. She was born with no power, but her DNA was confirmed to be Seraphic. Not only that, but she was born with those damn wings on her head. She was weird, even for her kind. An insecurity her father often treated with scientific or medical efforts.
They had tried everything. Therapy, medication, both from an early age. She still took the medication, in fact, she'd taken it since she could ever remember. It helped for the most part in easing her anxiety and disruptive moods, but beyond that, she would have to learn to live with being a natural oddity among her peers.
"Stop," the guy smoking the cigarette said, holding a pointer finger to his lips, shushing the other boys.
"What?" the green haired boy asked, perking his head up from his phone. "Soren, quit."
"He's trying to freak us out," said one of the twins.
Genesis pulled back from the brick wall and took her phone from her pocket where it was settled, its glow bright and the music was still playing from her headphones. She felt her heartbeat speed up, and as she turned to continue her walk, she found herself walking straight into another person.
"Who the hell are you?" The boy, apparently named Soren, was standing in front of her.
Genesis struggled to reply, before rushing out, "I was just walking, I mean. Hi. Sorry, I was walking so I'm gonna just go," She blurted. "Sorry," she reiterated, before attempting to walk around him, where she was met with the twin boys and the green haired one standing in her way.
"You go to Crest High, I know you," one of the twins said.
The other piped up, "Yeah," the twin said, his purple eyes studying her in the darkness. "What are you doing eavesdropping on us?"
"Isn't she a Seraph?" The green haired guy asked from behind the twins.
"Yeah, no doubt," Soren said. "And I'm about two seconds away from having a problem with her."
"What? No, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, I was just walking by and people make me nervous," Genesis clarified. "Now, if you'll just excuse me," she said, ripping her gaze from them all and averting her attention to a possible exit.
"A problem?" Said another voice from a few feet away in the darkness. "Really Soren?"
"What the hell is he doing here?" Soren questioned from behind Genesis. Soren gripped Genesis' wrist in a swift motion, and pulled her towards him. Suddenly Genesis could feel a burning sensation growing around her wrist in Soren's grip. She struggled away from him, and then the same voice came back, as he pulled her towards him again.
Let me show him who we really are, the voice said, seething in anger.
"Ow, let me go," Genesis said, fighting against Soren as the feeling of the temperature rose. Soren waited, his grip tightening, and before long, Genesis was screaming in pain "Please, stop!"
I will awaken. I can protect us better than you.
Genesis screamed out in pain again at Soren's refusal to let go. "What do you mean?!" She screamed out in agony, unable not to respond to the voice aloud.
"What the hell? Who is she talking to?" Soren asked. releasing Genesis from his grasp. "She didn't fight back," he said in confusion, stepping away from her.
"Hasn't anybody taught you to pick on people your own size?" The unknown voice came again from the distant darkness.
Genesis could feel the strange presence and voice fade away, but she desperately wanted to know what the voice was, where it came from and why she was hearing it. She was too preoccupied with the scene playing out before her to ask it anything. She returned her attention to the situation.
"Show yourself, smart ass, or the girl you clearly care so much about is fried," Soren said.
"Don't mind if I do," said the voice. In the darkness quite a ways away, a pair of gray glowing eyes lit up, before disappearing quickly as a deep fog started to set in.
"The fog," said one of the purple eyed twins. "That's gotta be-"
"Dryden," Soren said in irritation. "You really wanna do this again?!"
"I would be more than happy to," a voice said in Genesis' ear before a cloud of smoke entangled itself around her, and she next found herself standing in a strange smoke that seemed to have its own luminescence, looking up at a gray haired guy with those same gray eyes from the darkness peering down at her. He waved at her with a soft smile, and the thick fog was swept away. "Sorry, I'll handle them and be right back," he said to her.
She was now across the street from the alleyway, and was the only observer to the fight that was now ensuing. Soren's eyes were a bright red, and so was the light that now poured out from his hands. He faced the other boy proudly, the guy named Dryden, Genesis assumed, who was also in a fighting stance, his hands glowing a deep, ethereal type of gray.
Soren swung first, Dryden dodged and threw a punch in the darkness. It was a mess of glowing light and violence at the end of the dark street. Sirens sounded off in the distance, and Genesis tore her eyes away from the fight to look around frantically, catching the glimpse of a woman glaring from inside her house out the window, phone in hand, before she decided to shut the curtains.
"Someone called!" Soren said from across the street, and Genesis heard it with her advanced Seraph hearing.
"Let's go, Soren!" One of the boys called. They each took off, making a turn to go back from the direction Genesis had come from, and Genesis felt a rush of adrenaline as she identified the issue. Someone called the police on them for being Seraph, and she just so happened to be one. Even though she wasn't really involved in the fight, she was there, and that meant that she needed to get very, very far away. She felt her feet collide with the concrete beneath her, her body pushing itself to new limits, as she ran for her life to get away from the situation.
All she wanted now was to get away from those Seraphs and get home as soon as possible. She even wanted to forget tonight had happened at all.
Because Soren was right.
She didn't defend herself. Because she couldn't.
Genesis had never felt so weak.
Finally, one last stretch put her a few feet away from her front door, and she ran as fast as she could up the driveway and to the front door, turning to shut and lock the door behind her, she was relieved to be home.