《Sorry, Those Powers Won't Fix Your Problems!》


 Where the story begins

    I was shook awake with what felt like a small bomb, I looked to my left and to my surprise it was indeed a small bomb.


    Huh.


    I suppose most people in this scenario would be at least the slightest bit concerned. But me, well, I''ve kinda gotten used to it. Assassination attempts are just a part of everyday life for me, much like eating food or going to the bathroom. I''d probably be a bit more concerned if my would-be assassin was any good. But as you can she missed blowing me up with what I can only assume was a grenade while I was asleep at my desk. Where she found a grenade is beyond me. I suppose in this day in age you can practically get anything, so long as you have the money.


    That being said everybody is rich here, a nice private academy for all the kids of millionaires. The pretentious atmosphere can be a bit suffocating at times but it''s made up for when you''re hanging out with friends they end up paying for everything. As you can probably tell by now I''m not exactly cut from the same 10,000$ cashmere cloth.


    I got here on somewhat of a scholarship, I say somewhat because to be frank I don''t know why I got it. My grades aren''t anything special and I''m not a prodigy in any field. I didn''t even apply for any kind of scholarship. But sure enough when I got a letter in the mail saying I could go here tuition free I couldn''t exactly refuse. I mean, even if I don''t exactly fit in here that doesn''t matter, because having this on my record is practically a guarantee to get into any university I want. I''m pretty sure I know why i was invited here but I''ll get to that later.


    Where was I?


    Oh right! The assassination attempts!


    The girl who I was referring to was no other than Lily Freedmen, I say ¡°no other¡± like you''re supposed to know her but honestly I¡¯d be surprised if you actually did. She''s just the daughter of some semi-rich CEO of a shipping company. Semi-rich in the way that she''s nothing special amongst her peers but compared to me, heh, I could only wish.


    Now to the why.


    Why is Lily trying to kill me? Beats me.


    Ok that''s not entirely true. I have a fairly good idea why she''s doing all this, I just can''t say for sure because she always talks like she''s in an anime where everything is some vague battle of morals or whatever.


    She can keep rambling about justice and heroes for as long as she wants because I know it can only really be one thing.


    So how do I explain this without sounding like an idiot¡­


    Oh well you know what they say, ¡°honesty is the best policy¡±.


    Sometime in the summer before entering my second year of high school I gained some sort of power¡­


    Alright, whoever ¡°they¡± is needs to shut up because that sounded awful. But yeah, I''m not sure if I should call it a supernatural power or what.And don''t even get me started on why on earth me of all people would be bestowed with this power.


    Regardless, I have it and it seems some people don''t want me to have it. That''s where Lily comes in. I don''t believe she''s one of those people, it''s more like she''s being manipulated by whoever they are. I wonder if they''re the same ¡°they¡± who said the honesty thing?


    Before I could finish my thoughts a laugh was heard outside in the hallway


    ¡°Ahahaha I''ve got you this time!¡±


    This voice of course belongs to Lily


    She bombastically slammed open the door. Striking a stupid pose in an attempt to look cool.


    Her blonde hair got caught in her face but she didn''t seem to mind.


    She was wearing a bastardized version of our school uniform, fitted with various accessories and a scarf despite it being spring.


    ¡°Nope, I''m still here, also stop yelling so much. There''s still after school classes going on.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Wha-¡±


    ¡°Shhhh.¡± I put my finger to my lips.


    Striking another embarrassing pose. ¡°Oh sorry, how did you manage to escape my Authorial Explosive Magic Type 2?¡±


    ¡°Don''t call a poorly placed grenade magic!¡±


    ¡°The hero always has magic!¡±


    ¡°Your action are more in line with a terrorist then a hero¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet fiend!¡±


    Fiend?


    ¡°My heroic actions may be questionable to some, but you''re definitely the villain so that''s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell am I the villain?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Watch the language!¡±


    ¡°You just tried to blow me up with a motherfucking grenade, I think I''m allowed to use profanity.¡±


    ¡°See you are the villain, only villains curse!¡±


    ¡°You know that''s not true.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡± She pouted and turned away from me. There was a bit of an awkward silence.


    ¡°What''s the matter? Not gonna try and blow me up again?¡±


    With a quiet embarrassed voice. ¡°I''m out of grenades.¡±


    I let out a sigh.


    ¡°Then just go home.¡±


    With no response given, I began to leave myself.


    ¡°Fine then I''ll go home.¡±


    She began to spout out a bunch of nonsense about why I can''t leave. I ignored her as usual, it wasn''t worth the energy. Although I knew one day I''d actually have to confront her. Not because she''s a threat or anything but I''m slightly more concerned with the people who put her up to it. Then again if they thought using her was a good idea then maybe I don''t have to worry so much.


    I shut the door behind me, yet I was able to still hear her.


    While I''m still pondering where she gets all this military grade equipment from, I''m more concerned why the school hasn''t done anything about the small explosion that have been going off, on and around the school because of her.


    I think some of the higher ups are in on it, that''s why i was given a scholarship here. But still, I''m sure some of the teachers aren''t in on it. I mean, are you trying to tell me the goddamn janitor is also part of some conspiracy plot against me?


    Yeah right, I guess the teachers here really don''t care about explosive ordnance going off on school grounds.


    The real question is what anyone would accomplish from eliminating me?


    Something tells me Lily is just someone they tricked to scout my powers, that''s why I haven''t used them yet against her.


    I''m sure they''ll send someone formidable soon enough. That worries more than any attempts on my life from Lily.


    My powers aren''t exactly suited for direct combat. Being a target and all you''d think I''d have some super strong power, like the protagonist of an anime or video game or something.


    Alas, cold reality is never so convenient. If I could just snap my fingers and destroy everything in my wake, I certainly wouldn''t be so worried about what''s next.


    To activate my ability there needs to be a set up of sorts. When facing against someone or something I need to mentally set a condition. Through testing my power on some stray cats I found, I learned some restrictions.


    For one thing, the condition needs to be somewhat specific, so something like breathing or blinking doesn''t work. Luckily for me, there is a bit of a leeway. It doesn''t have to be as specific as saying your mother''s maiden name, something like turning your head around to look behind you will work. Although, once a condition is met, it can''t be used again.


    Just my luck, I wasted the easy ones like looking behind yourself and sitting down. Now I''m stuck with weird complex ones.


    Anyways, once activated I''m sent to some other world. Perhaps dimension is a better word for it since nothing lives there and it doesn''t follow any conventional laws of science. Because if my powers weren''t difficult enough the dimension i¡¯m sent to is completely random with each one having their own unique properties. For example, one time I was in a world filled with number 2 pencils floating around in zero-g. But when a force was acted upon it, the pencil gained a velocity similar to that of a bullet. The next time was just a field full of flowers, like that''s it, just fucking flowers.


    Good thing I was testing on cats, if I had to fight an enemy there I''d be killed in an instant.


    Really my power is just inconvenient. If any of my enemy''s could just summon fire I''d be burnt to a crisp before I could even make them wink or some bullshit like that.


    Knowing my power makes me all the more confused why they''re targeting me.


    Sure if I could cause earthquakes or travel at the speed of light I¡¯d be able to understand why they might want to eliminate me as a threat, but with this power I can''t imagine being a danger to anyone except maybe Lily.


    Hell, I''ve given up on any notion of being a ¡°hero¡±. I just want to live out my life quietly and act like I don''t even have a power.


    It seems that''s impossible though.


    So for my safety and future prospects I''ve decided to search for other people with powers, in order to form a defensive pact of sorts. As I am now I couldn''t take on anybody, but if I was allied with some dude with super strength I might be ok.


    I''m sure there are others out there, whoever is trying to kill must have some power users with them. So the trouble arises not so much in finding other power users but in users who aren''t with the enemy.


    So what was my plan to find them?


    A voice bellowed from down the hall.


    ¡°Jacob Harroway! What is the meaning of this!¡±


    The student council president, Alicia Vasquez, held a flyer in her hand. Standing with rigid formality, her black hair draping down to her back. Straddling the line between beautiful and rip-out-your-jugular terrifying.


    The words on the flier brazenly spelled out. ¡°looking for fellow power users to form an alliance. (if you''re one of the people trying to kill me I''m not interested) Contact Jacob Harroway in class 1-A.¡±


    Okay so maybe it''s a bit blunt, but it might just work. Think about it, the enemy will be to flabbergasted to answer and only other power users will look at that crazy talk and view it seriously


    ¡°Well it''s exactly what it looks like.¡±


    Her furious pace positioned her right In front of me, holding the flyer in her right hand, trembling from anger.


    ¡°We do not tolerate such pranks here at this fine academy¡±


    But you tolerate hand grenades?


    ¡°Alicia you seem to have the wrong idea, this is no prank.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Then what is it exactly?¡±


    If I told her the truth she''s never believe me. Luckily, I''m not the type to miss any bases. I have an excuse primed for this.


    ¡°This is a club recruitment poster. You see I''m starting a club.¡±


    ¡°And what kind of club would that be?¡±


    ¡°A role-playing club.¡±


    ¡°Role-playing?¡±


    ¡°You know, like when you pretend to be someone else.¡±


    She let out a sigh.


    ¡°I know you''re a helpless troglodyte but can''t you make a normal poster like the rest of the clubs?¡±


    ¡°Hehe sorry just trying to keep it in the spirit of the club.¡±


    She looked out the window, only to be bathed in the rays of setting sun.


    ¡°It''s getting late, man children like yourself shouldn''t be out after bedtime.¡±


    ¡°I was just on my way¡­ Also could you stop with the snark?¡±


    With that I parted and headed to the exit. I have enough to deal with, the last thing I want is the student council getting involved. Being so close to the teachers, I can''t trust them in the slightest.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I shouldn''t have to wait any more than a day for a response to the flyer.


    I shouldn''t have to wait anymore than a day yet¡­


    I''ve been waiting for a whole goddamn week!


    I don''t get it, my plan should have been foolproof. But so far the only people to respond have been people laughing at me and Alicia making smug comments. This would be fine if I atleast got a lead out of this, but so far the closest thing i got to one is Lily and her so called ¡°explosive magic¡±


    It seems like I have no choice but to be more active in my search. It''s not exactly an easy task but I have no other options. The real question is where to begin? I suppose I could go up to everyone I see and ask but that''s no different than the poster. Plus, I''m already trying to nurse my bruised image back and that just seems counterproductive. Lily might know something but I run the risk of it being one of my enemies, or worse, some delusional kid like her. Gah, I shudder just thinking of more than one Lily.


    I don''t like the idea of it but it seems I''ll have no choice but to ask Alicia.


    The sign above reads ¡°student council room¡±. The two knocks on the door seemed to resonate through the room behind the thin layer wood in front of me.


    ¡°The door¡¯s open, come in.¡±


    My head was already down. I knew the onslaught of Alicia''s trademark snark was about to rain down like hellfire


    As soon as she saw it was me, her eyes sharpened and a smug grin ran across her face.


    ¡°Wow, good job! You managed to open the door!¡±


    I don''t even have time to breath with her.


    ¡°Shouldn''t you be saving the world from evil with your club?¡±


    Of course, I''ll try my hardest to not humor her. If I speak with deadpan sarcasm she might drop the attitude


    ¡°Ha ha ha, wow, you¡¯re so funny Alicia. How do you do it? You should be the class clown instead of the student council president!¡±


    ¡°Why thank you, but you see, being in my position only amplifies my comedy.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well things are always funnier when you don''t expect it from the person who says it. For example, if your friend comes up to you and tells you a dirty joke you might not think much of it. But if your grandma says it then it''s marginally funnier.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but a joke still needs to have some semblance of comedy for that to work.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, not bad. So why is it that you''re here?¡±


    It¡¯d be easier to just tell her the truth outright but I need to stick to my club ploy.


    ¡°Uh well it''s about my club, you see I''m having trouble getting members¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I might just be able to help you out there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know one of the teachers at the elementary school down the block. I''m sure one of the 7 year olds would love to play pretend with you.¡±


    Damn, she got me when I let my guard down.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, but I''m being serious. Aren''t you supposed to help out your fellow student?¡±


    ¡°Well my job usually falls within the realm of student-teacher meditation but¡­ Have you tried Lily Freedman? She seems a good fit and if I''m correct you have regular contact with her.¡±


    ¡°Anyone but her, god¡­ wait how do you know I know Lily?¡±


    ¡°You must be mistaken, I''ve never said anything of the sort.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m sure you did.¡±


    Ignoring my conjecture she checked her phone for the time.


    ¡°As much as I''m enjoying our little banter, I must go to a meeting. The only thing I can say is look at failing clubs, maybe one is similar enough that you could merge.¡±


    With that she took off. It''s impressive how she can go from a smug bastard to a stern professional in a matter of seconds.


    ¡°Failing club¡±? What does she mean by that? And one that''s similar to a made up role playing club at that seems unlikely. Despite my doubts it was my only lead so I left the room and headed down the hall to the club bulletin board. It was located close to the entrance of the school. I passed a few students, some of who shot me glares. No doubt in response to the poster. Man it''s gonna be annoying to fix my reputation.


    The Bulletin board was covered in various posters and flyers stapled to it. One of mine included.


    I should mention that at this point I figured out what Alicia meant by a ¡°failing club¡±. You see, at our school, clubs need at least four members to become a club. But sometimes a club may lose a member or two during the year so if by the next semester they don''t have enough members to fill in the quota, they''ll be disbanded. You can usually spot these clubs by their desperate posters that haunt the board. They¡¯re like mine, but actually trying the save their clubs instead of probing the student body.


    I began to look at paper amalgamation.


    Let''s see we''ve got the ¡°rock club¡±, ¡°home ec club¡±, and ¡°chess club¡±.


    Alright, nothing special here, and no crossover appeal for my ¡°club¡±.


    ¡°Creative landscaping club¡±, ¡°mountaineering club¡±, and ¡°Classical Greek literature club¡±.


    Uh ok, a little more niche, but sorta understandable. Still nothing similar though.


    And lastly ¡°Yugoslavian war tactics club¡±, ¡°cereal appreciation club¡± , and¡­ ¡°European renaissance plumbing club¡±?


    Wha- how did these clubs even have enough members to begin with?


    This is baffling to say the least.


    Uh anything else?


    ¡°Jacob Harroway is a stupid man child club¡±


    Who in the hell?


    My eyes furiously glanced around the flyer. They were stopped in their tracks by the words ¡°Approved by the student council president, Alicia Vasquez¡±.


    I should''ve known.


    It''s honestly impressive how far she goes for the joke. For someone in her position to risk defamation charges is honorable. Although she probably only did it because she knows I''d be praising her for her conviction like I am now. Damn she''s good.


    I noticed that her poster was stapled directly on top of another club poster. I ripped off the poster leaving just the staples. Beneath Alicia''s passive aggressive, no scratch that, just plain aggressive poster there was an overly gaudy flyer.


    The flyer read ¡°magic club¡± and was covered in stock images of top hats and wands. It seems this is more about performance magic then whatever the hell my power is. Regardless, this must be the club Alicia was eluding to. Her poster placement was on purpose I''m sure.


    I read its location and headed to the room. It was on the second floor of the school.


    The front of the class was decorated with leftover string lights from Christmas. A heavy curtain was draped in front of the door.


    Pushing aside the curtains, I entered into a dark room. It was lighted by the same string lights as outside. There was three rows of four chairs in which all but two were empty. In the back of the room there was another curtain that blocked off what I can only assume a stage. The two people in the front row turned around and waved me in. I took a seat next to them.


    ¡°Did I miss the show?¡±


    The two girls turned to me in tandem, they looked like twin sisters. Both were way to happy to be sitting in this dark room.


    They would speak one after the other.


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°He never starts a show until at least three people are here.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes no one shows up and he just doesn''t do the show.¡±


    How full of himself is this guy? Also why do these girls know so much?


    ¡°You two seem to be here a lot¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°We''re here everyday!¡±


    ¡°Every...day?¡±


    How anybody could show up here everyday is a mystery to me. Even if this guy has the best amateur magic show on the planet, you''d have to get bored of it sooner or later.


    With a sudden jerk the curtains blocking the stage were pulled away revealing a brightly lit stage. In the middle stood a boy decked out in a full suit complete with a cape and top hat. Despite his cliched look, there was a certain passion in his eyes. A passion that burned brighter than the curtain that just caught on fire next to him.


    Oh shit!


    Mr magic scrambled for the nearest fire extinguisher and put it out. But not before fumbling around with for twenty seconds and then getting slapped in the face when the hose was pushed back. All the while the two girls gave off little reaction, implying this happens often.


    The stage light heated up and caused the curtain to catch fire. Seems to me like that''s a safety hazard. I guess I''m expecting too much from the school that doesn''t give a shit about explosions. There was also a noticeable lack of any fire alarms or smoke detectors going off. I should really complain to Alicia about this.


    After the whole commotion with the fire he regained his composure. He looked and smiled at the three of us.


    With a strong bravado he proclaimed.


    ¡°I am the great illusionist, sir David himself!¡±


    Both girls began to violently clap. I found myself giving a small golf clap as well. Something about him just impressed me. Perhaps his charisma or lack of shame.


    ¡°For my first trick I will pull flowers out of my hat!¡±


    He took off his hat and held it in one hand. In the other he flicked his wrist, extending out a wand. He began to say whatever it is you call it when magicians say the thing before the trick. A spell? That doesn''t seem right.


    ¡°Abracadabra, Alakazam, I summon thee into the world to aid a mere mortal man¡±


    He waved his wand over his hat and before my eyes, a bouquet of flowers appeared out of his hat. He threw them into. The audience. They were fake.


    Ok that was a pretty good trick I''ll give him that. He seems to know his stuff but is he really the person I''m looking for? I''m only here because Alicia mentioned it. There never was any solid lead that he had powers like me. But maybe there''s something more to his power¡­


    ¡°I''ll now take a request from the audience.¡±


    As if following a script, the girls jumped up and began raising their hands saying things like ¡°Oh pick me!¡±.


    He looked at them with apathy and quickly shifted is attention to me. He let out a smile and asked.


    ¡°How about you? Have any requests?¡±


    Hmmm. I was feeling a bit assholeish so I decided to ask for the impossible.


    ¡°How about a picture of me?¡±


    Flowers were so cliched, I''m sure if I asked for something expected like a rabbit or one of those infinite scarfs he''d be able to do it. But a picture of myself? There is no way he could''ve prepared ahead of time for that. I felt a bit bad for trying to embarrass him, especially since he''s pretty decent.


    He was pushed back in slight astonishment for a moment but quickly regained his confidence. He smirked like he was thinking ¡°interesting, a challenge¡±. However, he didn''t say a thing and simply readied himself for the trick.


    He began to stare at me, it made me a bit uncomfortable. The girls fell back into silence as the intensely watched the performance in front of them.


    ¡°Abracadabra, Alakazam, I summon thee into the world to aid a mere mortal man!¡±


    A poof of smoke came out of his hat. He slowly lifted a small piece of paper out of his hat and then flung it at me.


    Wha-what? H-how?


    The small paper that was thrown at me was in fact a Polaroid picture. On the picture there was an image of a person. Despite the blurriness of the figure it was undeniably me in the picture.


    I looked up to him with a mix of shock and confusion.


    He looked so self-satisfied, normally that kind of attitude would piss me off but in this case I couldn''t help but feel he deserved to be. It''s the sort of feeling you get when you lose in a video game after your friend did something amazing. Like sure you''re upset you lost but it was so impressive how you lost you just kind of accept it.


    ¡°Another awed audience member! But of course, all are in awe after the Great Illusionist, Sir David does a performance! With that ladies and gentlemen, I bid you a goodnight.¡±


    And with that the charred curtains closed on the stage and the room lights went on. The two girls were clapping so hard their hands were turning red.


    I got up and headed for backstage. I don''t know how Alicia knew, but there is no doubt about it after that ¡°trick¡±. This ¡°Sir David¡± is, no doubt, in possession of a power like mine.


    I don''t know the specifics but it seems he is able to conjure things into existence.


    I stepped behind backstage to try and talk to him


    ¡°Hey uh-¡±


    ¡°Before you even ask I''m not telling you the secret to my trick.¡±


    He cut me off before I could say anything. I''m sure he gets that question a lot so I don''t blame him for taking the precaution.


    ¡°Well it''s not that exactly¡­. How do I say this?¡±


    It''s truly a hard decision to make. I no longer believe ¡°honesty is the best policy¡± after how awful it sounded last time I tried that. If possible, I''d like to let him be the one to admit to the powers. I guess I''ll try and drop some subtle hints and see if he picks up on it.


    ¡°So¡­ That''s a pretty good trick. It''s almost like you had some sort of magic power bestowed upon you that allows you to conjure things into existence so long as you meet the requirement of an arbitrary rule beforehand.¡±


    I think that was good. Nice and subtle, I''m sure he''ll be able to pick up what I''m trying to say if he has powers as well.


    ¡°You¡­.¡±


    ¡°Hey bro! Great show as usual!¡±


    He was cut off my the two girls entering in behind me. I guess they''re his sisters.


    It''s obvious he was affected by my subtle hint. He gave his sisters little attention and clearly wanted to answer me.


    ¡°Thanks you two, but I''m actually in the middle of an important conversation so can it wait till after?¡±


    He came up close to me and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Let''s finish this conversation somewhere more private.¡±


    He pulled me out of the room. His sisters looked disappointed but slightly intrigued. Possibly getting the wrong idea about us.


    I kept following him as he walked down the hall and up the stairs.


    I was confused on where he was taking me but I soon realized once we reached the top floor.


    The door to the roof were pushed open revealing the Sun''s downward fall.


    David walked ahead a bit then turned to me.


    ¡°I love you¡­.¡±


    ¡°WHA-¡±


    ¡°I''m just messing with you! You should see your face, it''s completely red.¡±


    This bastard, playing with the heart of a fair maiden like myself.


    David was holding back tears of laughter.


    ¡°Sorry, it''s a little strategy I do. Plus it was the perfect setting. I mean the roof at sunset, that right out of a trashy romance novel!¡±


    ¡°A strategy for what?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh I can''t say what it is, if I gave away the meaning It''d be useless.¡±


    Strategy? Does he think of me as an enemy? Or at the very least a potential enemy?


    Now that I think about it, I just assumed David is unaffiliated with any group. There''s nothing to say he''s not working with the people who are trying to kill me, like Lilly.


    You don''t think¡­ The real reason he took me to this isolated roof is to kill me?


    But as my mind was wracked with speculation and paranoia, David slowly stopped laughing from his teasing and became more casual in posture.


    ¡°So, you have powers too?¡±


    ¡°Ah I see my subtle hint worked.¡±


    See! I knew ¡°they¡± were wrong. Fuck honesty, hints are where it''s at!


    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn''t call that subtle, in fact I''d say it''s the exact opposite.¡±


    ¡°What? It was totally subtle. No one would know what I was talking about unless they had a power themselves.¡±


    ¡°People not knowing the true intention of your words because they sound like the ramblings of a crazy person isn''t subtle.¡±


    ¡°Well it worked so who cares.¡±


    My fears of David being one of my enemies had complete dissipated. It''s clear by our conversation that he means me no harm.


    ¡°Then does that mean you do have powers? You never really answered my question.¡±


    ¡°Yes I do have a power, although it''s different then yours.¡±


    David walked over to the railing and began to look at the sunset


    ¡°I''m not alone huh?¡±


    An earnest smile streaked across his face.


    ¡°Does that mean you haven''t meet any other power users?¡±


    ¡°There are more?¡±


    I guess David is the first power user I''ve meet too besides Lilly, but I''m reluctant to call throwing small explosives a power. I''d call it a felony or domestic terrorism, but not a power. I suppose I don''t know for certain that whoever is trying to kill has powers of their own, I just assume that they must.


    It''s strange that they haven''t targeted David at all. I''m sure he''s not lying, you can''t fake that kind of earnesty. Then if he''s telling the truth that must mean my power is something special or at the very least a threat to them.


    But really I can''t imagine my power being any better than David''s. He can summon things into reality! That a thousand times better then my bullshit power.


    It''s true I don''t know his requirements, but the fact that he was able to use it on stage without me noticing means it can''t be that bad.


    There must be something more to my power, I might have to do some more testing.


    ¡°Well I''m being targeted by someone, and while I can''t confirm that they have power, it makes sense that they would. Do you know Lily Freedman?¡±


    He shook his head no.


    ¡°Blonde, crazy, thinks she''s in an anime¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah I know her!¡±


    ¡°Yeah well she''s trying to kill me and someone put her up to it.¡±


    He became shocked by that revelation.


    ¡°Kill you? Because of your power? Am I in danger too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I''m pretty sure. You''re probably fine for now since they haven''t tried anything yet. Eventually though they''re gonna realize Lily is incompetent and they''ll send someone more skilled. I don''t know what¡¯ll happen then.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So why is it that you reached out to me?


    ¡°For the sake of mutual security I suggest we make a collation of sorts. In case either one of us is attacked, we can back each other up. I figured we can merge my made up club and your club.¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds good to me.¡±


    He put his hand out to shake. I reached out and grasped it.


    ¡°Nice to work with you. I never properly introduced myself. I''m David Lawrence, hope we get along.¡±


    ¡°I''m Jacob Harroway, same to you.¡±


    With that hand shake, a pact was formed between David and myself. I feel a lot safer with him on my side.


    ¡°You know my power but what''s yours?¡±


    ¡°You might want to find a place to sit down, it''s a bit convoluted.¡±


    Seems like things are going as planned.


    I slowly closed the door.


    I suppose I worried for nothing. Of course those two would hit it off. They were bound to meet and form some sort of alliance even without my help. I guess I''m just impatient. I''m sure Jacob will come to me asking something like ¡°How did you know?¡± Completely forgetting his role-playing club farce.


    My phone began to ring loudly.


    Shit.


    I quickly answered the phone and checked to see if Jacob or David heard me.


    They didn''t.


    ¡°Hello sir¡­ A meeting now? Right, of course. I''ll be right there.¡±


    I hung up and put the phone back into my bag.


    It seems I need to hurry up this process after all.


    I began to walk down the stairs, back into the darkness of the halls.

 Grenades, Flails, and Whatnot

    Suspicious, Alicia is very suspicious.


    I don''t like the excuse of ¡°coincidence¡±, that''s not realistic.


    She knows something, about me, about David, and about these powers. The question is, how much does she know? She might know more than me. Granted, that isn''t very hard since I know shit about all this.


    Is she an enemy? If she was she wouldn''t have let me meet David. Unless that''s all part of her plan¡­


    Argh, that the problem with smart scheming types. You can never tell what is part of their plans and what isn''t. I''d like to think we''re all just humans who make mistakes but given my situation, I''m not sure that''s a fair assessment.


    Well there''s only one way way to find out. My speciality, full frontal assault.


    ¡°Alicia, what do you know about my powers?¡±


    She was sitting down at her desk, reading a novella. Her book was put to the table and her attention was drawn to me. She pushed her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°Forgive me for asking such a personal question but, do you have mental narcosis?¡±


    ¡°Don''t think you can get out of this by being a smartass! I know something is up with you and I won''t stop until I figure out what.¡±


    She turned away from me and looked out the window. Her face said she was deep in thought.


    ¡°You claim I know something about this ¡°power¡± of yours, but what''s your reasoning? What has lead you to jump to such a conclusion? Actually speaking of jumping, have you gained weight? You should start jumping rope or something.¡±


    There she goes again, spouting nonsense to distract me. It won''t work this time!


    ¡°Quit trying to change the subject.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t trying to change the subject, I was merely showing concern to one of my dear friends health¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m your ¡°dear friend¡± now?¡±


    ¡°Did I say ¡°dear friend¡±? I meant to say loathsome parasite. An easy mistake.¡±


    ¡°How is that an easy mistake¡­ Hey wait a minute!¡±


    Damn it, she''s too good at pushing my buttons


    ¡°Listen, you knew exactly who I was looking for!¡±


    ¡°Of course, you asked me to help with your make believe club. David seemed like the perfect candidate, besides Lily of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but¡­¡±


    ¡°If you''re done, I''d like to get back to my book. You do know what a book is, don''t you?¡±


    Without giving a response, I began to leave the room.


    I know there''s something more to this. Her defense Is too strong. I need to find some sort of blind spot that she won''t be able to explain away.


    Could David help me?


    No, he doesn''t know her well enough to see any weakness.


    He might not be able to help in that way but he can still be useful.


    ¡°So , what we''re gonna do is track Alicia!¡±


    David looked at me with doubt.


    ¡°That''s just stalking.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, you don''t get it. We''re gonna follow her until she does something that we can use against her!¡±


    ¡°Then that''s stalking and blackmail!¡±


    ¡°Well if you keep labeling things like that, of course it''s gonna sound illegal.¡±


    ¡°That''s because it is illegal!¡±


    We both sighed. It seems I''ve come to an impass. Alicia may hold the secret to these powers. Do laws really matter in this school? As far as their track records go, I''m not convinced.


    I looked around the magic club room for some inspiration. It looks a lot different with the blinds open. The various magic trinkets and decorations left me at a dead end.


    My aimless stare lead me to look at the window. I saw a small black sphere in the sky. It was getting closer!


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    I pushed David to the ground as glass shattered above us.


    In unison, we looked at the object that just smashed through the window. It was a baseball with something tied to it.


    I slowly reached out for the ball. It was a small piece of paper. The message was in red pen but the handwriting was so bad it was illegible.


    ¡°Let me see.¡±


    I looked below me to realize I was still on top David.


    ¡°Oh sorry.¡±


    I got off of him and handed him the baseball and paper.


    I looked out the window for the perp. Nobody was in sight. Any possibility of it being an accident is gone. This must''ve been deliberate.


    He began to stare at the message.


    ¡°It says ¡°You¡¯re luck just ran out -The Hunter¡±


    ¡°What''s with that edgy name? But more importantly, how could you read that?¡±


    ¡°As a person with bad handwriting as well, you learn to decipher things.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    They sent out a better person than Lily already. It was only a matter of time but I thought we had at least another week. Good thing I made the alliance. Unless, this early action is because of the alliance¡­


    ¡°Ok David, we need to call an emergency meeting.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that what we''re doing right now?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, but the urgency level has just increased! We need room that''s free from aerial bombardment.¡±


    We both began to think.


    Where could we possibly go? Every room in this school has windows... Except the bathroom!


    I looked at David to share my idea but he was already staring at me.


    ¡°You better not say the bathroom.¡±


    I receded back into thought.


    Outside the school? He might not act if there''s people nearby. We can''t confirm that for sure. All we know is he¡¯ll strike again at some point. It could be today, tomorrow, or a week from now.


    ¡°Hey I got a great idea!¡±


    I turned to David to see an accomplished look on his face.


    ¡°Ok so hear me out. We go to the student council room where Alicia is. We can test if she is working with the enemy. If they don''t attack us in there then it''s because she''s their ally. If they do then she might get scared and be more inclined to tell us what she knows. We kill two birds with stones! It''s a pretty good plan if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°That''s¡­ That''s genius! I knew it was a good idea to team up with you!


    We slowly crept out of the room. I have no idea if our assailant is still there. I didn''t see him but were probably dealing with powers here. You can''t be too safe.


    We were crawling on all fours. If we''re beneath the windows then he won''t be able to see us. Given that he can''t see us then he can''t hit us.


    It was a good strategy, and it worked the entire way until we made it to the A-wing.


    The A-wing was a bit troublesome. Unlike the rest of the school, these windows go from the floor to ceiling. It made up almost the entire length of the forty meter hall. Ducking down would be pointless. The worst part about this is the fact that at the end of this hall is the student council room. It''s also the only way to get to the room.


    The school¡¯s unfortunate U-shape means looping around to try and avoid the hall of potential death was impossible.


    Our only choice is to make a run for it. If we can make it to Alicia we can test our strategy. If whoever is still there watching then this would be the place for him to strike.


    I turned to David with wavering resolve in my eyes.


    ¡°We''re gonna have to dash for the student council room.¡±


    He looked full of disbelief.


    In an attempt to quell his concerns, I said ¡°what''s the worst that could happen? We''re hit by a baseball and get a concussion or possible minor brain damage¡­¡±


    I can''t help but feel like that did the exact opposite for him.


    ¡°That is assuming he''s still using baseballs¡­¡±


    Oh...


    David is right, this could be a lot more dangerous if he switched ammunition. If he has access to Lily¡¯s grenades we might be screwed.


    No use in fretting now, we''ve already made up our minds.


    I nodded my head at David. He understood that it was time.


    We both got into sprinting position. We''d have a few seconds of peace. He''d need to spot us then throw the object at us. If we can cover a lot of distance in that time we might make it unscathed.


    I counted to three on my fingers and when I made it to three we both began a high speed sprint.


    Despite our speed the hall seemed to go on forever and before we knew it a few seconds had passed.


    The sound of breaking glass sent shivers down my spine. The sound came from behind us. I guess we caught him off guar-


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.A deafening sound pierced my ears and an Intense force pushed David and I down to our knees.


    ¡°Ah fuck!¡±


    Damn it I knew it! That was one of Lily¡¯s grenades.


    ¡°Hey David, you alright?¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah somehow, what the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh that, don''t worry about it, it''s just a hand grenade. We have to keep moving, let''s go!¡±


    We both got up and started running again.


    It was a miracle that we both avoided the shrapnel, especially with all this broken glass.


    Another grenade was lobbed in, this time in front of us.


    We stopped in our tracks and turned away from the blast. The force knocked me to the ground again,


    ¡°Shit, we''re almost there! Keep your head down and keep running!¡±


    We kept running, praying we didn''t hear the dreaded sound of another grenade.


    Luckily for us we didn''t. I wasn''t sure if it was because he ran out of grenades or we made it to the student council room before he could throw the next one.


    I flung the door open and both David and I fell into the room. Our exhausted heaves took our ability to speak.


    ¡°My, how rude. You slam open my door without knocking or even saying hello.¡±


    ¡°You- didn''t you hear those goddamn explosions?¡±


    ¡°Explosion? What explosion? It was very peaceful until you two came in.¡±


    In a fit of anger i went back to the door and threw it open. I looked back at all the destruction those grenades caused and pointed at it.


    ¡°Then how do you explain that shit?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have time to look at your fake explosions. Go play make-believe with someone less busy.¡±


    ¡°Busy? All you''re doing is reading a goddamn book!¡±


    She simply shrugged off my words and proceeded to sit back down. Picking up her paperback novella, it seems she completely forgot our existence.


    David tapped my shoulder. We went into a huddle.


    ¡°Forget what she says¡± He looked back at the contempt president. ¡°Haven''t you noticed? Since we''ve been in here nothing''s been thrown at us. No grenades, no baseballs, no nothing.¡±


    He''s right, i guess the risk was worth it. Now we can be on the offencive with her.


    ¡°Hey Alicia! We know you''re working with the enemy! So tell us all you know.¡±


    ¡°This again? My response will be the same as last time, so just give it up.¡±


    She won''t weasel her way out of this one!


    ¡°Oh no you don''t! I''ve got mountains of evidence! Let''s start from the beginning shall we?¡±


    She put her book down for the third time today and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°First! When i went looking for someone for my club you sent me to david, who just happened to have powers!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you mean by ¡°powers¡±, but i sent you to david because of the whole magician getup.¡±


    ¡°Second! Your adamant denial of all the explosions. At first i figured you were just doing it to mess with me, but now i can see there is something more to it!¡±


    She averted her gaze and remind silent.


    ¡°And lastly! On our entire way here, we we under a constant bombardment, but as soon as we got in here it stopped.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps who ever was assaulting you ran out of things too throw or they didn''t want to involve other people into your fight.¡±


    ¡°If it was only that then maybe, but with everything else it''s impossible. I don''t believe in coincidences.¡±


    Just as before she said nothing. Heh, like a mouse in a trap. We got her.


    ¡°So since we caught you, tell us what you know.¡±


    ¡°Caught me? Oh please. I¡¯m not telling you anything, your tiny brain couldn''t comprehend it.¡±


    Ugh, why does she have to be so difficult. It''d be so much easier if she spit it out.


    ¡°Hey come on, just say what you know.¡±


    She resumed her book reading.


    I don''t want to do this. I wish i didn''t have to, but the way things are going i don''t have a choice.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you one more chance, tell us or else.¡±


    Nothing


    Ugh alright fine, she asked for it.


    I''ll set the condition to her flipping a page in that book.


    I followed her eyes, she''s halfway through the page.


    I whispered into david''s ear ¡°listen i''m about to use my power on her, make sure mr throwy things doesn''t toss a grenade in here¡­ also i don''t know what happens to us when i use the power so find out. It could be useful information.¡±


    He nodded his head in confirmation.


    Alicia was almost done with the page.


    ¡°See you on the other side.¡±


    As soon as she turned the page, a jolt went through my body and i blacked out for a second. When i regained consciousness i was no longer in the classroom.


    It''s some sort of mist world. Imagine Silent Hill without any buildings and the only monster being Alicia¡­ Terrifying.


    Shit, I can''t see anything.


    I''m Hoping my power scares her enough to tell me the truth. If not I''d have to use some heavy handed persuasion, but in this world I''m not sure that''ll be possible.


    I guess I''ll call out to her, I can''t do anything unless I find her.


    ¡°Hey are you there?¡±


    The words I spoke materialized like a comic in front of my mouth.


    Whoa.


    The newly formed text bubble fell to floor, making a noise similar to wood.


    I picked it up. Strangely it had a similar weight and feel of a wooden bat.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Another round bubble formed and fell.


    Well, this certainly is a strange world. I don''t really know what to think. It''s just so¡­ Abstract? Is that the right word? I guess it doesn''t really matter.


    What does matter is finding Alicia. Honestly, I''m a bit scared. Our banter is fine in the real world but with an actual physical weight to our words it could get ugly.


    I kicked the ¡°huh¡± word bubble and to my surprise it was lighter than the other one. The bean shaped object rolled on its long side away from me.


    With Alicia nowhere in sight I began to wander.


    Every short shout of ¡°hey¡± or ¡°hello¡± lead to another small bean bubble on the floor. They all weighed about the same as the ¡°huh¡± bubble.


    So from what I can gather the size is dependent on the size of the word or words. The weight would seem dependent on the size, but while they are similar in weight, they still vary to much for that to be the case. Whatever determines weight is yet to be determined.


    I kept walking for a couple of minutes until I noticed a figure in the distance.


    Finally, took me long enough.


    Alicia appeared through the mist, but something was off.


    Oh, I know what it is. She is super fucking pissed.


    She was wielding a spiky word bubble that said ¡°I''m going to kill him¡± like a flail.


    Well shit.


    She began sprinting at me full speed swinging the flail.


    I dodged to the left just in time. The wind blew my hair into my eye. That was too close for comfort.


    I barely managed to get out ¡°Hey watch it, words hurt ok?¡±


    I picked up the newly formed bubble and threw it at her. It bounced off her like a soft cushion...


    I guess it''s true what they say, don''t bring a pillow to a mace fight.


    She charged at me again, swinging left.


    I quickly ducked underneath it. The spiked bubble caught a bit of my uniform and tore it.


    Argh, just my luck. Uniforms are expensive you know?


    She swung again, this time downward. I jumped back but fell off balance when her flail smashed into the ground.


    How heavy is that thing?


    After the dust cleared I saw that the spikes were stuck in the ground. An opening!


    I ran in and tackled her to the ground, pinning her to the floor.


    ¡°My my aren''t we being dominate? How''d you know I like bad boy?¡±


    Her lines were of typical teasing fashion but her voice was filled with malice and anger.


    ¡°Cut the shit Alicia, would you just calm down and tell me what i want to know?¡±


    ¡°What? You''re the one pinning down an innocent girl with no one around.¡±


    ¡°Innocent my ass, your were trying to kill me. Like actually murder.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes I can!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The awkward silence grew and Alicia''s comments about pinning her down became more and more concerning to me. I began to blush a bit.


    ¡°If I let you go you promise you won''t go around swinging that hate-mace of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ve calmed down now.¡±


    I didn''t fully believe her, but I was confident that I could tackle her again if she made a move for the flail.


    I stopped pinning her down and caught my breath. I leaned up against the pile of bubbles that to had accumulated over our conversation.


    She also get up and started leaning on the opposite side of the bubble pile.


    ¡°Why the hell was your bubble so heavy?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t realize? The weight is determined by the intensity of how the word is spoken.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So you really wanted to kill me then?¡±


    ¡°At the time, yes. I was at my book''s climax and then you sent me here.¡±


    What? That''s why she''s pissed? Because of her stupid book? Some people get a little too into their literature.


    ¡°I''m normally very calm and calculating but I have some minor anger issues.¡±


    Minor?


    ¡°Yeah I can see that¡­¡±


    From now on I need to keep that in mind. If I have to deal with that unrestrained rage again I might just piss my pants.


    ¡°So¡­ can you finally tell me what you know?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Why must she be like this?


    ¡°You know, I can''t let you out until you tell me.¡±


    ¡°I may be quick to anger, but I have a surprising amount of patience.¡±


    ¡°No, no, you''re misunderstanding me. That''s not a threat. I literally can''t let you out until you tell me what you know.¡±


    I guess I forgot to mention this part of my powers. I can''t freely stop using this power and leave this world, not usually anyways. When I set the mental condition for the power to start I also subconsciously set a condition to end the power. Since my intention of testing with the he cats was simply for researched I could end it whenever I wanted. This time is a little different, I have a goal.


    ¡°So until I tell you we can''t leave? Why didn''t i know that? I can see why the Boss wants you gone, your overpowered.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha! I knew there was some secret organization trying to kill me. But I don''t see the whole ¡°overpowered¡± thing.¡±


    ¡°You really don''t see it yet? Well I''m sure you''ll figure it out eventually.¡±


    ¡°You''re not gonna tell me?¡±


    ¡°That''s not what you came here for, is it?¡±


    Damn, she''s right. This is new information that doesn''t have anything to do with what I''m looking for.


    ¡°Alright, fine, then tell me who''s trying to kill me.¡±


    ¡°It''s an organization, they don''t have name¡­ It''s really inconvenient. Anyways, everybody goes by a code name so I don''t know the real names of anyone. The leader is just known as ¡°The Boss¡±, he¡¯s somehow involved in the school on a higher level but it''s hard to tell who he is. He always wears a mask. The agents who he sends out vary. The one throwing shit at you guys is known as ¡°The Hunter¡±


    Wow, that''s lame. But now that I think about it, that the name that was on the baseball.


    ¡°I know, I know, stupid name right? Well get used to it they''re all kind of like that¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Lily?¡±


    ¡°Her? Well I guess she acts more like a mercenary. She isn''t part of the organization but they saw they could use her and her explosives so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah I figured as much. So they all have powers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, excluding The Boss and Lily there are four members. The Hunter¡¯s power is pretty easy to guess. She can hit any target from a range of 2500 yards. I don''t know her requirement. Actually, I don''t know any of their requirements, besides David and you.¡±


    ¡°So all the powers have a requirement?¡±


    I figured that was the case, but knowing for sure is important. The requirement is a bit of a handicap for the power users.


    ¡°Yes, are you starting to understand your strength?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ No¡±


    ¡°As expected for someone as dense as you.¡±


    Hey, there''s a lot on my mind!


    ¡°There''s also ¡°Penumbra¡±.¡±


    Man, what''s with these names?


    ¡°He can teleport into your blind spot, he''s pretty strong so watch out.¡±


    That sounds like a real bitch to fight against.


    ¡°I don''t know anything about the third member except her name¡­¡±


    ¡°Well what is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s ¡°Dark Owl¡±... God they''re all so cringey.¡±


    You can say that again. Are they all twelve or something?


    ¡°Well who''s the last member?¡±


    ¡°...Me.¡±


    I knew it!


    This knowledge doesn''t really change my dynamic with Alicia. I''ve always been cautious about her and if her power was dangerous she would''ve already used it.


    ¡°So what''s your power then?¡±


    ¡°Information. I can find other power users and see their requirements and whatnot. The downside is that I can only use it when instructed by others. It''s really quite annoying to be so dependent on other people. Since The Boss is the only one allowed to order the use of my power, he''s kept me in the dark about the other members. Talk about trust issues huh? He''s not wrong to worry though¡­¡±


    And I thought my power was inconvenient.


    ¡°What do you mean by that that last part?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well let''s just say I''m not your enemy.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ Vague.¡±


    She seems only slightly hostile¡­ Well I can work that I suppose.


    ¡°A girl can''t give away all her secrets can she?¡±


    Hmm, I''m pretty sure they can. In fact, I''d be a lot better if she did.


    ¡°While I''m enjoying our first date, I''d really like to back and finish my book.¡±


    I looked around the barren mist filled world.


    ¡°It''s not quite the most romantic place, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well we can change that next time, come find me when you''re not being blown up.¡±


    Wait¡­ Is she serious? Did I¡­ Did I just get a date?


    Her trademark smirk confused me. Was she messing with me? Or is she just being playful and she''s serious? To be frank, after her murder attempts I''m not sure I want to go on a date with her...


    Whatever I''ll deal with it later.


    Standing up, the small mound of word bubbles I was leaning against was now a small mountain. They cascaded down where I was sitting, refilling the lost mass.I cracked my knuckles and ended the world.


    God, I hope they come back soon. This is too creepy for me.


    Their eyes looked like that of dead fish. They were perfectly still like statues. Although, dolls would be more apt as they not only have the still life aspect but the creepy aspect as well.


    It¡¯s been fifteen minutes since Jacob activated his power, fifteen minutes of making sure no one lobs a grenade into this room full of comatose teens.


    I hope all this is worth it¡­


    Just then, their eyes began to blink and their bodies began to move.


    Oh, finally.


    Alicia directly went back to reading her book as if nothing happened.


    David turned around and looked in much worse shape. He seemed¡­ Out of it.


    ¡°Hey are you okay? Did you get the info?¡±


    He sluggishly walked over to me.


    ¡°I got the info, PTSD, and a date¡­¡±


    Huh? What? A date?


    ¡°What the hell happened in there?¡±


    ¡°It''s a whole thing, I''ll text it to you later. I''m really tired so I think I''m gonna go home¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you''re alright dude? You look like you¡¯ll fall over dead at any minute.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, I''m fine. I just get really tired after I use my power.¡±


    He was standing in the doorway, well more like leaning in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh and don''t forget to tell me what happens when I use my power.¡±


    I''m not sure you want to know¡­


    With Jacob gone I turned back to Alicia. She was so into her book I doubt she''d acknowledge my presence.


    Uh¡­ Well I guess I''ll go home now¡­