✔ WHEN FISH FLY (OpenNovellaContest2021)

𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

The worst part of my job is scouting.

Staring out of the bakery's window, I look at the street, my eyes scanning the sky as I try to detect anything unusual. I'm currently on Street Alta San Silvestro, the historical church called Campo di San Silvestro hundreds of meters beneath us like most of the buildings that were inhabited a hundred years ago.

Because climate change has melted the few glaciers we had left and made the oceans hotter, and therefore they occupy more volume, coastal cities have had to adapt, either by building up such as Venice, where I currently live and work, or spreading across the land less affected by these changes. Most countries tried opting for a barrier, but because the storms became so bad and the waves kept getting bigger and bigger they realised it wasn't a solution, but a way of decreasing the damage. Venice has a thick cement wall surrounding it as tall as twenty metres over the usual sea level, but it's still not enough to keep the harsh sea at bay, the giant waves splashing over the wall even when the sky is clear.

My powers actually appeared when I was visiting the barrier with my school. I always knew I would have powers because my mother had them, although I never expected them to be so unrelated to hers. Usually a child inherits powers similar to their parents, and taking into account my mother has the power to change anything she wishes into whatever colour she desires, I always thought I'd have an artistic power too. So it was a great surprise when I stopped the droplets flying through the air, making them freeze in place and fall to the ground.

Nobody knows exactly how the powers appeared, but once the world had been vaccinated for the virus that spread during the year 2019, a few people started appearing across the globe with unique abilities. A hundred years later, almost a fifth of the population has them. It's been scientifically proven that daughters always get powers, whereas a son has less than a quarter of a chance, making them rarer. It has also changed the perception of children - places like China, my homeland, used to believe, for hundreds of years that having a son was better than having a daughter, but over the last century boys are being abandoned, and girls are being put into the military at a very young age.

That's the main reason why we moved from my mother's homeland, coming to Venice for a fresh start.

From my spot next to the window I can see a young girl playing with a shifting object in her hand, the shape of the wooden toy changing as she moves it around her hands, smiling at it. The most common powers are those that can manipulate objects, solid things such as Metallum Flexuram, Plantae Flexuram, Petram Flexuram among many others. The rarer powers are those that can manipulate natural phenomena such as my own powers, Aqua Flexuram, but the most extraordinary ones are those that can manipulate other beings, Vita Flexuram.

Over the years I've learnt to harness my powers, and after countless hours of practice I've managed to perfect my abilities to the point where I can encourage water animals to do my bidding, although I can't force them, something only the most powerful Lorem can do. This would be quite useful if it weren't for the lack of fish in the water surrounding Venice, most of the animals dying due to the destruction of their habitat.

My parents always wanted the best for me, so from the moment my powers appeared I have been training at the city's gym for Lorem, the Imperium Gym. There I have been taught almost everything I know, although during the past few years I have been practising at the gym at Imperium Police Force, my workplace.

Because my dad had always worked with the law due to his position as an attorney, I have always wanted to help the city in my own way. That's why, when I turned seventeen, I applied to become part of the IPF, Imperium Police Force, its members all having their own unique abilities. Lucky for me, the judges took a great interest in my powers, and therefore accepted me straight away into the team. Due to my young age, I was placed into the undercover department, meaning I have to infiltrate groups of powered people who are going around the city using their abilities without taking the law into account.

Most of them believe they are doing it for the greater good, to better the lives of others, but there are always consequences.

During my last mission I had to infiltrate a group of teenagers who thought making their teachers ill, breaking their car and burning the school down was a good idea because they wouldn't have to attend school. Their plan backfired though, because instead of it being a small prank to get everyone out and home, two students died due to their idiocy, and another dozen were injured, some quite badly.

My job is to make sure that doesn't happen, and to bring all powered people who break the law to the IPF headquarters where they take samples of their blood to keep an eye on them in case they decide to do it again. Depending on their crimes they will stay there for a few months or be put back on the street after a couple of nights, but I've never bothered finding them afterwards, not wanting to be cornered once they learn of my involvement in their arrest.

Because my career consists of undercover work I usually wander around the streets looking out for anything unusual until I am given a new mission, which can take between a week and two months. This morning I got a message from my superior telling me to infiltrate Lilac Royalty, the newest girl band trying to save the city from other Lorem who are using their abilities for their benefit. Although I do have to admit they are helping out the IPF quite a bit, the fact that they are doing it as a vigilante group doesn't sit well with me. If they truly wanted to save the city they would show their face and act within the law, but instead they have been sneaking off, hiding away somewhere.

Getting up from my seat, I go and pay for my sandwich, the golden coins heavy in my hand as I stand in the queue. The city has changed a lot during the past few years, but the one thing that has always stayed consistent is the money. We no longer have euros - it is too much of a hassle to transport from one city to another - so we now have golden coins with a decorative V on it, the faces of those in charge during the creation of the barrier stamped on the opposite side.

Something flies past, the wooden door banging open. Peeking my head out I can see the purple cape of the flying member of Lilac Royalty, her body encased in different shades of purple clothing as she heads towards the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, her silhouette disappearing as she shoots down into the lower parts of the city.

Throwing the coin towards the counter, I run after her, pulling my hood over my head so that nobody can identify me. Jumping over the bridge, I open the water bottle I have tied to my waist and pull the water out and, freezing it into a rope strong enough to hold my weight but flexible enough for it to bend as I free fall.

WORD COUNT INTRODUCTION - 1294

I hope you are enjoying the story so far! If you liked it please leave a vote and comment your thoughts, thank you! 

This chapter is dedicated to PrayashaNanda! (I should have done it the moment I posted it, sorry it took so long!) She has been beside me, helping me out decide things, and I know that if it weren't for her beautiful comments I wouldn't have put as much effort as I am into the story. So thank you, Asha! ❤❤❤❤