Ch 1: The Beginning

02:47 AM

(It's a first draft, so I know it's not very good and there are mistakes I have to fix...I just want to know if the ideas make sense. I know Leelee (MC) is a bit pathetic right now, but I'm working on her.)

(But it's not complete yet)

Chapter 1:
The Beginning

“The rescuer must be able to do thirty compressions,” I read to myself. “High-quality CPR requires a compression rate of one hundred per minute, with full chest recoil. I wonder what that means.” I plopped down in my pink bean bag chair; I had been sitting on my floor for too long. I felt my ass start to grow numb.

I yawned and picked up the black pen next to my beanbag chair. I placed it in between the pages I was reading and flipped to the book’s index in the back. A smile spread across my face, and my brown eyes grew wide with interest. Excited to learn more about CPR, I flipped through the pages of the index, looking for the word recoil.

“Lee,” a female voice shouted. “LEE!” The door flew open, accompanying the voice. I jumped. It was my mom. “Leelee, take those damn headphones off your ears!”

“Huh?” I replied. I took off my headphones. “What was that? What do you need help with?” Mom usually has me walk the dogs, take the garbage out, or do the dishes. Or she would ask me to help her see things in the dark whenever there was a blackout. And from what I could see, my bedroom lights weren’t just off; all the lights in the house were off. I didn’t even realize that my clock was blinking 12:00 until I looked at it. It was a blackout. Downstairs, I could hear Dad and my older sister, Meemee, stumbling on things downstairs. Even the dogs’ collars were jingling more than ever, and that meant they were scared. Their cries and whines echoed up the winding brown stairs. I could hear their little paws quickly tapping against the wooden dining room floor.

“Blackout, huh?” I said. “Ok.” I slapped the book shut, put it back on the brown wooden shelf, and stood up. I put my dark red hair behind my ears, closed my eyes, and focused on my power. A white light outlined my whole body, lighting up some parts of the room. I had already been glowing before, but that was just a light to read in the dark.

This is my power: light. My family and I are Pureasons, living on planet Zadar. Everyone on this planet has a superpower, whether it be a scientific power (laser vision) or an element (fire, water, wind, or earth). Pureasons with scientific powers are considered “regulars,” incapable of fighting much evil. Elemental Pureasons are called “special” or “gifted,” capable of fighting more crime and saving more lives; using their powers to benefit people more.

My power is light: the ability to glow in the dark. But that is all I can do. Pureasons are even born and raised with a power level, from one to ten. 1 was the strongest, 10 was the weakest. I’m a “regular” Pureason, age fourteen, with a power level of 10.

I followed Mom out of the room, feeling ashamed of myself. I know my family loves me, but I still feel as if I’m nothing but a big disappointment to them. The bedroom door shutting behind me snapped me out of my self-pity and back to the present.

When we reached downstairs, we saw that Dad had already lit some candles. Meemee was sitting at the dining room table. Darkness doesn’t bother her, because her power is shadows. Age sixteen, and a solid power level of 2; impressive for being a “regular.” I look up to her because she isn’t afraid of anything.

“Maybe we should ask Sara to come over?” Dad suggested. The shadow being cast from the candle made his hair look darker than usual. He used to have dark red hair like us, but it got darker as he got older. Mom has light orange, “carrot top” hair that drapes her shoulders, frames her face, and is a long, beautiful length down her back.

“Well, I don’t think we should,” Mom replied. “She’s not powerful enough for big blackouts like this. Call the electrician.” Sara Sompson is my childhood friend, who lives down the street. Fourteen years old, like me, level 10 “regular” Pureason, with the power of electricity. The energy itself, not actual lightning; which makes her lightning-wielding family disappointed in her. I’ve known Sara my whole life, and her parents have pretty damn high expectations.

“Ok.” Dad nodded and went to go get the house phone. Meemee said, “I’ll go check outside to see if the other houses got blackouts.” Mom called out to her back, “Be careful,” but Meemee just coolly waved. I watched her long dark red ponytail swing back and forth, staying close to her back with every step. I watched her back with admiration and trust. The wind shut the door for her. Or rather, slammed it.

In the darkness, my light shined on the dogs. I beckoned to them and whispered, “Come here, babies, it’s okay.” They obeyed and walked up to me. Their huge eyes looked more watery than usual. I pet their furry ears and kissed them on the heads.

Dad put the phone down and shook his head. He said, “It’s no use, guys. The phones aren’t working, either. Nothing is.” He walked up to Mom and put an arm around her shoulders. He looked at me. “Keep that light up, Leelee,” he told me with a smile. “We need your light to keep us safe.”

“Yes…” I said, blushing. I looked down at my feet. Suddenly, the door slammed open. Meemee ran in, looking alarmed.

“Guys, get to safety,” she yelled. “There are Darkatons outside! Ten of them!”

“Did you find out if anyone else lost power?” Mom asked, worried.

“Yeah, the entire street is blacked out, but that’s not important right now,” Meemee said. She looked at me. “Leelee, make your light go out! Now!”

“I can try but…” I said. I concentrated all my energy. But it wouldn’t go down. “I can’t! I’m too scared…” When I’m scared or uncomfortable, my light doesn’t go down. The worst part is that when Darkatons come to attack our house, my light power makes my noticeable and vulnerable. It’s nearly impossible to camouflage me into darkness.

A huge Darkaton rammed through the front door, and came straight for me and Meemee! Meemee immediately reacted and unleashed a huge shield made from our shadows and the darkness in the house. As a level 2, Meemee can not only control shadows, but she can also gather darkness that surrounds her, no matter how dark. Darkatons love shadows and eat them right up, but Meemee’s shadows are conjured up from pure power, which Darkatons hate, just like any other monster.

Mom and Dad ran to the back door. Over his shoulder, Dad hollered, “We’ll take them from the back!” They ran outside and slammed the back door behind them.

Growing up on Zadar, Darkatons have always attacked Pureasons. We are the superheroes, they are the super villains. Darkatons can be anything, from a black glob to a person. They are from a 3-dimensional cube that formed in space, and only Pureasons can see it. Surprisingly, they have never attacked humans on Earth, so we usually don’t involve ourselves with them.
Meemee has always protected me from severe injury and death. I’ve gotten a couple of small injuries in the past, but I’ve never had to be hospitalized from a Darkaton attack. I can count on her for anything, and she knows it.

“Just don’t worry, buddy, I’ve got this!” Meemee yelled without looking at me. She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. There was so much strength in her brown eyes that I actually teared up a little.

The Darkaton was growing stronger, piercing through her shield. Meemee pushed back with all her strength. I felt awful for being useless, for not being able to protect her like she protects me. She was straining herself to summon all that energy. I wanted to fight alongside her, but my light is just useless! All it does is make me more vulnerable to enemies. All it does is cause others to protect me. I’m just a burden to everyone!

When the Darkaton got through and the shield shattered to black shards, my own thoughts shattered. My heart skipped a beat. The Darkaton grabbed Meemee by the shoulders and threw her to the side.

“Meemee!” I screamed. The monster grinned, showing his razor-sharp teeth. Glaring at me with his smiling red eyes, he said, “You’ve caused me enough trouble, little Pureason. What are you, a level 10? Not strong enough to fend for yourself?” He laughed in my face, and the humiliation made my light grow dimmer and dimmer. Tears stung my eyes.

“Aw, gonna cry?” the Darkaton sneered. “Just as I’d expect from a level 10 Pureason. Not strong enough to do shit!”

He picked me up by the scruff of my top. I started yelling and kicking, but my kicks went right through his black glob of a body.

“Shut up!” he screamed in my face. And, with that, he grabbed me by the back of my top and dragged me upstairs. “I’ll choke you!” he growled.

“Noooooooooo!” I screamed as I was dragged by the back of the shirt upstairs. Quickly, the collar caught up with my neck, and for a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe. I gagged, but it was like music to the monster’s ears.

He threw me into my parents’ room. I crashed onto the wooden floor. I shrieked in pain. But there wasn’t time to cry about it, because the Darkaton was getting closer!

“I would eat you and your powers, but you’re just worthless to me,” he growled. “You’re scum.” Snickering, he a small flame appeared from his finger. He snapped his fingers, and the whole room lit on fire!

“See ya, useless level 10,” he laughed, and flew out of the room. Already starting to inhale smoke, I couged, gagged, and then covered my mouth with my hand. I rushed to the door that he left open like the idiot he was…But then the door slammed shut, and he locked it! The door locks from the outside, and I don’t have the super strength to knock it down or at least create a hole in it.

“Somebody, help!” I screamed. I was surrounded by hot fire that was making me damp with sweat. “Somebody help me!” I coughed from the smoke. My eyes were watery; it was nauseating to breath.

I ran over to the windows. I tried to unjam them, but the bastard had locked them, too! It would be impossible for me to crash them open and jump out. Again, I was useless. I can’t even save myself.

“I knew this power was useless,” I whispered. “I should just die here…” But despite me saying that, I didn’t want to give up. So I hurried over to the closet. But when I hid in it and slammed the doors shut, the smoke quickly entered inside it, too. I coughed and hacked.

Meanwhile, Meemee was running up the stairs. Three Darkatons spotted her and threw her down the stairs. She hit her head hard against the wall and lay still. Dad ran inside to check on his daughters.

“Meemee?” he exclaimed. “Meemee!” He ran over to her and crouched before her. “Meemee, can you hear me?!” Meemee slowly opened her eyes and tried to lift her head.

“Dad, it hurts…” she whispered, and she lay her head back down again. Dad gasped when he noticed blood on the spot where Meemee had hit her head.

“All right, don’t move,” he said. “It’s going to be ok, Meemee. Just hang in there.” He carefully held her head as he turned her body onto her back. He carefully lifted her up into his arms. “Darkatons did this to you, didn’t they?” Meemee nodded, but it was hard to.

“Yes,” she rasped. Dad glared up at the stairwell’s top and looked back into his daughter’s eyes; life fading out of them.

“Just hang in here,” he said. “Ambulances and the fire department have already been called. Hey, wait…” He sniffed the air. “Do you smell smoke?”

“Dad…” Meemee rasped. “Have you seen Leelee?” Dad shook his head.

“I’ll go look outside,” he said. “She must’ve escaped. She probably ran out the front door and went to Sara’s house because she was scared. But for now, we have to get you to the hospital.”

“Ok…” Meemee closed her eyes and leaned against her father’s shoulder. He rushed her outside. Two minutes later, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics assessed Meemee, strapped her to a stretcher, loaded her into the ambulance, and drove away. Mom and Dad grabbed the dogs, got into their car, and followed.

In the ambulance, Meemee slowly opened her eyes. The paramedic smiled down at her. Meemee asked, “Where am I?” The female paramedic responded, “You’re in an ambulance, hon.”

“Oh,” Meemee said. “Please don’t call me ‘hon.’” Then she jerked her head up, shrieked, and slammed it down into the pillow. “Ow!”

“Hey, calm down!” the male paramedic admonished. “Be careful; don’t move your head! We just applied heavy gauze to your injury…Wait, what’s wrong?” Meemee’s eyes were wide. Her vitals on the EKG monitor rose a little.

“Leelee is…” she whispered.

“What was that?” the male paramedic asked. “Who’s Leelee?”

“My little sister…” Meemee whispered. “MY YOUNGER SISTER IS STILL IN THE HOUSE!” Her vitals rose more.

“Lower her vitals!” the male paramedic ordered. “Hey, calm yourself!”

“NO! I smelled smoke in the house before…Smoke…Fire…I can feel it…SHE’S IN THE HOUSE UPSTAIRS, AND THE ROOM SHE’S IN IS ON FIRE! I HAVE TO HELP HER!”

“You’re not going anywhere with that injury!” the female paramedic yelled. “The fire department has been called. They’re on their way right now. They’ll save your sister, don’t worry. You need medical attention ASAP.”

Ten minutes later, the fire department arrived. Six firefighters, male and female, ran out of the fire truck. They assembled their hoses, fire extinguishers, first aid kids, and everything else.

The fire chief was giving out orders. One lone female firefighter jumped out with an axe and a fire extinguisher. Her face and hair were covered by her helmet and facemask. She rushed to the house before her comrades.

“Walker, halt!” the chief yelled. “You can’t do this alone!”

“Just watch me,” she yelled back. “I’ve got this! The rest of you, stay behind, so you don’t get burnt to death! I’m going in solo!”

A rush of adrenaline filled the firefighter’s body as she ran busted open the front door with her axe. Her comrades yelled at her to come back, but she just waved it off and ran inside. Her heart was racing; the hugest smile was on her face. Nothing made her happier than saving a life.