Shari is sleeping. I'm bored. John has told me about the journal she's keeping. We're close like that, I guess. Even if he is a smart alec, and I am a hot head, we've been friends since we met when I was is third grade and he was in high school.
I creep over to Shari's pack, carefully taking out the little book. I think it's my turn to tell the story.
Besides, I'm bored.
My name is Sam. I can't tell you my last name or I would have to kill you. (I've always wanted to say that.)
I'm a Hero, just like everyone else in the group. My power is a bit more unique than theirs; I can control fire. I'm writing by the light of one of my floating fire balls. I can light and put out fires at will. I can blind people or, coolest of all, make myself catch on fire without feeling anything.
We all have weaknesses, like John said. Mine is that I can't be submerged in water. As long as I'm not covered, I'm okay, but if I were to, say, jump in a lake, I would die.
I didn't notice the exchange between Shari and John that one day because I was working on my test. My grades are nowhere near as good as Johns, so I had to pay closer attention whenever a quiz came up.
As usual, after school Abby met me at the dock. It looked run down, and it had a few holes in it. Perfect cover for a super get away vehicle.
By now you might be wondering why we ever leave the bottom of the ocean. The answer is (drum roll please...)
It gets boring down there.
Really, that's the only reason. There are only 500 people in the air bubble (what, John didn't tell you about the design of the town? That's weird, he could go on for hours about the natural vent and air purifier alone!)
and only 120 of those are kids. Only 47 of those are our age. We aren't allowed into most of the farms and forests in the sanctuary, but then again, we shouldn't be going on land, either.
As he said earlier, John was the one who piloted the sub. We couldn't go home without him. So of course, when he didn't show up until three hours after school, we were worried.
We were scared when he said he couldn't take us back.
When he explained why, we just about wet our pants. Never had any of us heard of someone actually losing their power.
It was Abby who suggested that Shari could give the power back. All the way to Shari's house, John muttered about how if it weren't for Shari, then HE would have thought of that. I think we would have come up with a better plan if John had just gotten over it. Then again, when it happened to me, I didn't get over it...
As it was, we were so confused that we did the only thing we could think of.
We knocked.
All this time, I had felt like my life was in fast forward. I was so weirded out, I wasn't thinking straight. John had lost his power. It had been taken. What were we doing? We were walking right into the lair of the beast. She had taken his power, why not ours?
What would I be without my fire?
Somehow, it didn't quite click that the monster that had stolen the smarts of my best friend was just a middle school student, that she had been sitting right there, five desks away from me.
If I had followed that thought further, I might have figured it out, determined that it had been an accident, maybe she didn't know about her power. She was just as scared as we were.
I think Shari might get angry if I write the next part. She was obviously exited when this happened. I set the small book back where she had left it. I dim the lights then start to drift off...
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