{SHORTLIST OpenNovellaContest 2021}
{ONC 2021 Round One Ambassador Picks}
Aithne Pan, a Chinese-Irish girl living in the futuristic city of Venice has to decide between what her heart tells her is correct, and what she has always been taught is righ...
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Landing between two old buildings, I stand up and peer behind the stone walls. Looking towards the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari I catch a glimpse of the purple flying girl, her feet softly landing on the floor as she walks confidently towards her friends.
Lilac Royalty didn't start appearing on the news until a few months ago, after the four original girls saved a group of children from drowning when they went to look at the walls surrounding our city and accidentally fell into the angry waters beyond the protective barrier. Their numbers have now grown - although one of the original members has left, three new girls have appeared.
Pulling the water back into my water bottle, I strap it back to my waist, tightening the strap of my belt before leaving my hiding spot and running towards the girls.
The group of vigilantes are currently trying to take down two hooded Lorem, both of them having the ability to wield fire, moving it around them as they will it. Flamma Flexuram is of the more ordinary natural abilities powered people seem to possess, but having two of them standing next to each other is not a normal sight.
Slowing down to a walk, I make sure my hood is covering my face as I step onto the creaking bridge. The old stones that used to make up the bridges are now submerged due to the rising sea level, and so the people who didn't have the resources to build up and climb to a higher level in the city had stayed down here, building make-shift bridges over the old roads that were no longer usable unless you had a boat.
The Basilica is now a few dozen meters away. From here I can just about make out the detailing created over the course of a century it took for it to be built glinting under the glowing balls hanging from the houses around it. It used to be magnificent, a sight that could make old women cry - but now, under the shadow of a growing city, it looks deserted, broken. Water has entered its doors, the bricks that once adorned the walls now slowly crumbling away under the licks of the sea that has entered its heart.
In the beginning, when vertical construction had only just begun, the mayor at the time had said that nobody would ever be allowed to build above it, but as the need for new habitat increased, construction was ultimately allowed. Now the area above the Basilica is the highest point of the city, having over a dozen streets above it, all named after the once cherished place.
Ahead, I can now make out four purple figures, all of them moving almost in sync as they surround the fire Lorem.
I know from past experience that if I appear to be too powerful, to know too much about how to control my abilities, people will see through my lies and see me for what I truly am; a member of the most effective police force in Europe.
Waving my arms around sloppily, I pick up some water from the drowning roads, trying my hardest to seem as unpracticed as possible. I'm not paying attention to anything around me, instead I am focusing on the two powered people standing between the four caped girls.
"Aaaaaah!" I scream, sprinting towards the girls from behind and throwing my whole body into the movement, the force making me stumble as the water falls on all six people who are now staring at me, just as I had intended.
The member of Lilac Royalty who can control stone seems to be the first to snap back into reality, her hands quickly moving towards the two Lorem as her power, Petram Flexuram, clasps the two hooded figures between stone. She must be powerful - and must have practiced a lot - to have such control over her power, enough to keep them in a tight hold without hurting them.
Stumbling into a walk, I stop a mere few meters away from the purple girls. From here I can almost make out what their faces look like under their hoods, although from the photos I've seen in the report I was given, they wear masks underneath, covering their whole face except for their eyes. Actually, they don't even show any skin, their whole body wrapped with clothing giving nothing away on what they might look like.
"Sorry," I pant. I'm not entirely faking it, not really. Making myself seem more sloppy, less trained than I actually am, does take a toll on me. "I was trying to help. I really admire you and want to he-".
Petram Flexuram girl walks towards me, her lean body moving in a way that reminds me of a snake lazily nearing its innocent prey, unaware of what is to come. Based on how she seems to assume leadership, she must be one of the original members - one of the initial girls who has powers that can control the rocks around her. If what was reported the first time their group of vigilantes is right, there were two to begin with, but a week later, when they emerged again, only one remained.
"I know it might seem like we..." She pauses for a second, coming to a halt a step away from me, crossing her arms over her chest, "take in strays, but if you want to become a member, learn to control yourself,".
Frowning, I weigh up my options. I had purposefully made myself seem clumsy, out of control - but I hadn't thought they would deny me before even seeing what I could do in an entrance exam.
On one hand, I could show them my cards and admit I have been trained, but then they would question my reasons for making myself sloppy on purpose. On the other hand, the most reasonable option really, I could wait it out, give it a few days, maybe a week, and then reappear in their lives claiming I have trained every day and I have become better at controlling myself. It is the long route, but it might also be the best way to earn their trust.
Pursing my lips, "But I can train! I'm sure with a few days I ca-".
"We." The girl in front of me says, leaning over my petite frame. For a nineteen-year-old, I do seem to have the stature of someone much younger. "Don't. Take. In. Strays.". She punctuates each word, deliberately speaking slowly to make it clear.
It was worth a try, I sigh. Nodding, my voice small, "And if I become better? If I can control myself?".
One of the caped girls - the one I'd seen flying earlier - steps forward, "Once you can control yourself, then we might consider you,".
It is going to take longer than expected, but I finally have a way into their inner circle. And once I'm in, I'm going to make sure they each pay for the crimes they have committed against the law.
Before I can reply, the four girls appear to float for a few milliseconds before flying off together, up, up into the buzzing city. The Caeli Flexuram might be even more powerful than the stone girl.
CHAPTER ONE WORD COUNT = 1216
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