Aria Johnston woke up that morning with a strange kind of happiness bubbling inside her.
For the first time in her life, she felt… different. Special. Powerful.
She sat up slowly on her bed, her chocolate-toned skin glowing softly in the morning light.
"Yesterday stunt was amazing but was all that …" she whispered, a small smile forming on her lips.
She didn't fully understand them yet, didn't even know what she could really do — but the feeling alone was enough to excite her.
Curious, she stood up and walked toward the mirror.
As she stared at her reflection, something caught her attention.
Her eyes.
They flickered.
Brown… then suddenly—
A faint, dim blue glow flashed within them.
Then it disappeared, returning to normal.
Aria blinked, leaning closer.
"…okay, that was strange," she muttered. "I really feel like that should be one of the attributes of this new… thing happening to me."
She exhaled, shaking her head slightly before turning away.
"Guess I'll figure it out later."
She grabbed her school uniform from the wardrobe, heading to the bathroom. The sound of running water soon filled the air as she took a quick bath, brushed her teeth, and got ready for school like any normal teenager.
Downstairs, the house was already alive.
Mrs. Johnston moved quickly around the kitchen, preparing breakfast while packing Dylan's lunch.
Mr. Johnston sat at the table, newspaper in hand, his brows furrowed.
"The rate at which crime is increasing in Chicago is getting worse every day," he said, shaking his head. "And the government isn't doing anything about it."
Mrs. Johnston scoffed. "I know, right? It's funny hearing them talk about 'progress' when criminals are literally overpowering the police. Like, what exactly is the government doing?"And when incidents happen they only pay attention to whites then leave the blacks to sort things out themselves
Mr. Johnston sighed. "Instead of actually fixing things, they keep making empty promises. And let's be honest… racism is still everywhere."
Aria walked in, adjusting her bag. "Well… I guess that's just how the country is," she said. "But I'm sure… one day, we'll have a savior."
Dylan's eyes lit up instantly. "Yeah! Like a superhero, right?!"
Their parents laughed.
"There's no such thing," Mrs. Johnston said, smiling. "Those are just fantasies from comics."
Dylan frowned slightly. "Are you sure, Mom?"
The family laughed again, the conversation continuing casually as they ate.
But outside their little world, reality was far darker.
On a quiet street, an old woman clutched her purse tightly as a group of robbers surrounded her.
"Please… that's all I have…" she begged.
They shoved her to the ground and took everything.
Across the street, a police car sat parked.
The officers inside didn't move.
Didn't intervene.
Did nothing.
Later that day, Aria sat with her friends in the girls' dorm at school.
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Okay… I need to tell you guys something."
Ella raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Aria hesitated for a second. "…I have powers."
Silence.
Then—
Ella burst out laughing. "That's not possible 😂. Aria, you're human. Humans don't have powers."
Mira crossed her arms, smirking. "Unless you're hiding something from us…"
"I'm serious," Aria insisted. "Come with me. I'll prove it."
They snuck into an abandoned building near the school — quiet, empty, perfect.
Aria stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
"Watch this."
She bent down and lifted a huge stone from the ground.
Effortlessly.
Ella's smile faded. "Wait… what?"
Aria dropped it and then crouched slightly before jumping—
She soared higher than any normal human could.
Mira's eyes widened. "Nah… that's not normal."
Aria landed smoothly, then sprinted across the room in a blur.
Silence filled the building.
Ella covered her mouth. "Okay… that's actually crazy."
Mira stepped forward slowly. "One more test."
She picked up an iron cube lying nearby.
"Hold still."
"Wait—"
Too late.
Mira hit her lightly on the back with it.
Aria flinched.
It hurt… but barely.
She turned around, surprised. "That should've hurt way more."
Mira dropped the cube, stunned. "Your endurance… it's insane."
Ella shook her head. "Aria… you're not normal anymore."
Aria smiled slightly, excitement building.
"I know."
She paused, then said,
"I want to be of help to the city to help reduce the crime rate "
They both stared at her.
"Let me guess like a hero?" Ella repeated.
"Yeah," Aria said. "I've watched a lot of Wonder Woman movies. I mean… if I have these powers, why not use them to help people?"
Mira sighed, rubbing her head. "Aria… this isn't a movie. Being a hero isn't just jumping around and saving people. It's dangerous."
Ella nodded. "You could get hurt… or worse."
Aria's expression softened, but her eyes remained determined.
"Maybe. But if I don't do something… then what's the point of having these powers?"
They went quiet.
For the first time, this didn't feel like a joke anymore.
That night, far across the city, chaos unfolded.
A masked figure moved swiftly through a secured facility, holding a glowing container — radioactive genome material.
Alarms blared.
Police surrounded the area.
"Drop it! Hands where we can see them!" one officer shouted.
The figure didn't respond.
He moved.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
Within seconds he moves with quick feets towards the police men then
Chaos occurs .
Gunshots echoed by the policemen trying to cause a damage to him
Screams filled the air as he slices off two police men hands off from the guns as their blood splashes everywhere gushing off .
A perfect scence changes to bloody ones
He cut through them like they were nothing.
One after another.
Until silence remained.
Thirteen officers… gone.
The masked man stood still for a moment with his armour covered with the blood of innocent lives of the policemen, then disappeared into the darkness.
The next morning, the news exploded across every screen.
"Breaking news: thirteen police officers killed in a brutal attack last night…"
"…suspect still unidentified…"
"…extremely dangerous…"
And somewhere in the shadows, a man in a white coat watched quietly.
His face still hidden.
But his interest… growing.