《Powered and not》


 Chapter 1 - the power

    The day I found out that I had a power was ironically the same day my family decided to join the antipower group. I will never forget that day I lost my right arm but started the greatest adventure that I would ever have or anyone will ever have again. Possibly. I was a mere 11 at the time.


    I discovered my powers at 10pm at night. We had officially joined the antipower group at 5 o''clock the same day. I was reading at the time when my little brother ran in and shoved me right into the story. Just like our parents and grandparents before them he did not have a power. It was as simple as that. No, it was my own powers that sent me into the story.


    Fortunately, it was a book I was rereading so I knew what will happen next. Unfortunately, that means I knew this is one of the worst parts of the book to get stuck in.


    I immediately got my bearings and ran towards the huge pile of genetic modification syringes in the middle of the room. I had to survive no matter the cost and this was the only way. I grabbed as many of the needles as I could hold and started injecting them into my left arm. Then scrambled away from the angry mutant assassins in training that were trying to kill me for trespassing I was cornered and one of them stabbed a knife-like hand through my right shoulder shouting questions at me before screaming in rage and tarring my arm from my body. I never heard anything besides my own screams then I fell through the wall and into my bed room.


    "This is it." I thought with disturbing certainty as I lay there screaming in pain. Suddenly my mind cleared for an instant. I had a plan but it would only work if I had the power to enter books not my brother which was fortunately true but at the time when I reached out towards the closest book, that had he medical potential to save me, the idea was ludicrous. I entered the book and was left staring straight into a portal of truth that promptly removed my leg and causing me to pass out. It was the worst day I ever had including the day I died if only by a little bit.


    "He''s awake. I''ll get al." The voice was coming from one of my favourite comic book characters. That was awesome. I slowly sat up in the fold up bed I had been placed on. I felt my throat which was dry and was surprised when I felt cold metal rather than flesh but then remembered about the day before. I tried to ask for water but I could not speak.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "I''m not surprised you''re thirsty." The voice came from a pretty blond girl building something on a desk in the corner of the room. "There''s water on the table next to you." I quickly grabbed the jug of water and drank it straight out of the jug without breathing. The moment I put it down I noticed there was two more people in the room a huge armour and a young boy. The young boy walked up to me and asked who I was. "I''m Montinje. I cannot however say any more than that." Was my reply. "but I did not come from the other side of the portal... and find the philosopher''s stone before trying to find out more." With that I calmly placed the palm of my hand on the wall and to my surprise fell through it ending up yet again in my bedroom. At that moment, I would be buzzing with excitement and entering all my best books, had I not decided to avoid losing more limbs and if I didn''t feel like I had just passed through a meat grinder.


    So, that was how I discovered my power but the adventure I had started the next day later just as I had gotten used to the fact that I was technically a cyborg. After that first day inside the books I had avoided them so instead I started to watch anime series on my computer which since it was being borrowed by my mother was substituted with my fathers I pad that was my first mistake. My second mistake was to assume that I could only enter books because the moment I tapped the screen to pause the film I shot straight in to the story fortunately I was watching legend of kora so it was not at all dangerous and I decided to take advantage of the situation to test something. A few minutes later I was standing in front of a giant lion-turtle "please grant me the ability to air bend." I shouted to the lion-turtle before slipping calmly through the closest wall and into a small balcony I did not recognise. That was my third mistake. "You''ve come to end it haven''t you" the voice came from a small stocky woman wearing a set of leathers and wielding a knife that she immediately tried to plunge it into my chest. I quickly dodged out the way moving faster than I thought I could. She struck again and I used an ability I recognised from the comic to create a wall between us using the balcony but noticed that I had weakened the balcony too much so removed the barrier to find the woman was charging head-first towards me. I dodged but I shouldn¡¯t have because it sent her flying through the banister straight onto the spiked fence four floors below. The fact that I kept powers I had gained in books was the last thing on my mind. "I''m going to kill you." screamed another voice back inside the building. I noticed that it belonged to a girl only a little older than me standing in front of a younger girl who was only smiling serenely at him. The next thing that happened was that the door behind them was kicked in...

 Chapter 2 - saving lives

    Three teenagers, clad in black with hoodies, stepped through the splintered remains of the door followed by a big man covered in gold. Everything about him screamed gangster. But what he said was the scary part. "Time for payback." After that the men began tearing the house apart pouring a liquid, I guessed was flammable, all over the floor. Every time the girls tried to stop them or even failed to move out of the way they were beaten. I was so shocked that by what had happened that I only managed to move after the men were sniggering off down the hall and leaving the apartment to burn with both surviving inhabitants lying covered in bruises and unconscious with fire close to consuming them.


    At that moment, I knew I wouldn''t let them die. I ran forward with the inhuman speed that I had discovered earlier and grabbed them both pulling them away from the fire that burned through my clothes revealing my metal arm.


    Due to the fire, exiting via the door was not an option and I knew after a quick peak at the ruined body of the woman that had attacked me that jumping was a bad idea.


    I didn''t have to jump.


    The fire had finally eaten away at the weakened balcony causing it to fall. With us on it!


    At that moment, I felt calmer than I had ever been before. I was staring death in the face and I was calm. The air wound itself around us and left us in a nearby ally. now we were safe it finally dawned on me...


    I had powers from the books that I found myself in.


    Stolen story; please report.


    I was a god.


    * * *


    As it turns out being a future god does not help when you are running from a place surrounded by police and fire engines with two unconscious girls. I got lost more than a few times in the maze of back streets that I ran through and both people I met gave me bad looks but didn''t comment. very soon I began to think over everything that had happened.


    I soon discovered that everyone I had met so far had an American accent and that if I went into a hospital I would probably regret it so, by putting my hand in my pocket, I found a twenty-pound note. That should be enough for a hotel. I then transferred it into dollars at a dodgy looking backroad money exchange shop. After that I tried to find a hotel and by the time it was dark I had found a small hotel that only charged 18 dollars for the stay for the night and the day after. It was a bad smelling and mouldy old room with only one bed in it. better than I would expect for the cost. I carefully removed the girls tattered clothes and laid them on the bed revealing even more injuries. After that I collapsed from exhaustion. And slept.


    I woke early the next morning due to cold and hunger. out the window I saw three people on the other end of the street. One was selling miniature sowing kits; the second was selling buttons and miniatures of the empire estate buildings and the third was selling dumplings. I was far more desperate for food then I thought I should be so I grabbed the remaining two dollars and walked quickly towards the men carrying the boxes. I bought five dumplings and used the change to get a sowing box, noticing the state of our clothes.


    I ate three of the dumplings on the way back to the room but forced myself not to eat the last two. Everyone had to eat. In the room the older of the two girls was asleep but the younger one had awoken and was staring at me with the same calm expression as before. "I understand. I''ll eat it now" she said in a voice as calm as her face. I threw her both dumplings and she ate one leaving the other out of view. I was still hungry but I had eaten enough to do something else. I knew it would be a bad idea to wake the older of the two sisters as she had been ready to kill me when she was awake so to occupy myself I began sowing my cloths up as best I could. After a few hours had past, I had sown up all of our clothes. The stitching was uneven and the colouring was wrong but it looked terrible but it held so it was acceptable. It was early afternoon when the eldest sister finally woke up.


    "You villain!" She screamed her hands bursting into flame and striking my face.


    " Sister. Stop!" The younger of the two shouted. ¡°He is on our side."


    The fire stopped and the girl stepped back. "So he didn''t..." She whimpered


    "No" responded the youngest. "He saved both our lives."