Left for Dead (book 1 in the Super Nova series)

Chapter 2

Six days passed by, still no power. Everyone got really nervous. Tomorrow is my fourteenth birthday. If I don't get my powers today, I'm going to die.

Finn, Blaire, and Ace had all refused to tell me what they planned on doing for my birthday tonight, so I had two things making me nervous.

Thankfully, Finn assured me there were no alcohol or drugs involved in the plan. That calmed me down a lot.

I was still afraid about if I was a Normal. The thought never left my mind.

My younger sister, Simone, came and sat with me on the couch in the morning.

So, now I'm gonna explain Simone. She's only eight. She has six years to develop her power. But, my parents think she'll have it by the time she's ten. The signs are already beginning to show. That's basically all there is to say about her. Other than the fact that she's my only sibling.

She asks me "so, I can't go out with you and your friends tonight?"

She always wanted to hang out with me and my friends. It was that annoying sibling thing.

I sigh and say "no. Sim, no. Sorry."

She says "are you going to be here in the morning?"

I look down at the ground and say "I don't know."

She says "where are you gonna go?"

Oh my god, I thought. I thought my parents were going to tell her.

I take a deep breath and say "Sim, we need to have a talk about that."

She nods and stares up at me.

I say "you've learned about the term Impota, right?"

She nods and says "the people who have no supernatural power whatsoever. The dangerous ones."

I nod and say "yeah, those people."

She says "what about them? Oh my god, is one of your friends an Impota? Did they get sent to the Government?"

I shake my head and say "no. No, not one of my friends."

She says "then who?"

I say "you know what happens to Impota, right?"

She nods and says "since they're normal and not like us, the Government uses something they used to do to people that used to have supernatural powers, before it became normal."

I nod and say "you know what that is, right?"

She says "burning them at the stake."

I nod again and say "you know that if you don't develop powers by the time you're fourteen then you get burned at the stake, right?"

She nods and says "you already got your power, right?"

I shake my head and say "that was Finn. And then Blaire. Then Ace."

She says "so you... don't have powers?"

I say "no, Sim. I don't. It looks like I might be an Impota. Unless I get my powers within the next fourteen hours. The Government will send people, they'll be here at midnight. If I don't have powers by then, I'm considered an Impota unless mom and dad pay for me to be tested. But that's a lot of money. Money we don't have."

She says "how can you get your powers?"

I say "I don't think I can. I've got to face the facts and admit that I'm probably an Impota. And if I don't have powers by midnight, then they'll take me and burn me alive."

She says "oh my god."

I nod and say "and there's no way to avoid this fate." I wipe tears out of my eyes and say "I need to get really lucky if I'm gonna live."

She says "I'm so sorry."

I whisper "it's not your fault, Sim. It's not your fault. If the Government would just give me a little more time, I could possibly make it. But it's the law. Tonight, it's live or die."

She says "I don't think mom and dad will let you go out tonight if you need to be back for midnight."

I sigh and say "I should get to have one last day with my friends."

The three of them were my only friends. We weren't cool, but we weren't losers. We were those kids in between. We had each other, that's all we really needed. My parents should let me have one last day with them.

We sit in silence for a while, then Simone gets up to go watch TV. I just stay and sit by myself. After a few minutes, I find myself crying.

I don't even know why Impota are so dangerous, I thought. They're just normal people.

I thought about it for a minute, then I realized why. If we let Impota live, then they'll keep reproducing, making more people without powers. And eventually, there's gonna be more people without powers than people with powers, just like there used to be. There'd be so many innocent young lives lost just for having powers. Innocent people like Simone, or Blaire, or Ace. Or Finn.

I took a deep breath. I have to let this happen, I thought. If Impota don't die, then eventually there will be more regular people than supernatural. They'll be burned at the stake, again. Innocent people. If I had to die to secure the future of the supernaturals, then so be it. I'd do it for my friends, for my family, for the people of the world. I had to do it if I wanted them all to survive.

I got up and wiped my eyes again. I will not be afraid, I tell myself. What happens will happen, what doesn't happen doesn't happen. I will not be afraid.

Why couldn't I even listen to myself?

-Later that day-

I walked out of my room, towards the door. I was waiting for Finn, Blaire, and Ace to show up.

My mom walks into the room and says "curfew's 11:30."

I nod and say "yes mom."

She says "and if your powers develop you come home right away."

I nod and say "yeah, I got it."

She says "I mean it."

I say "I get that."

She nods and says "have a good time." She walks out of the room.

I sit down and wait for my friends. They are all waiting outside five minutes later. I go outside and Finn immediately says "happy early birthday!"

I laugh and say "thanks, Finn."

He nods and says "alright, so we've got some places to be. Let's get going."