This world is made of paper.
And this story is of how the paper tears.
But for now, the only paper that mattered was the tissue Thea wrapped around her hot cup of coffee.
She walked out of the vintage coffee house, which she visited every day. Both of her palms rested and took in the warmth of the vessel.
The cold January winds messed her black hair, and her brown eyes never blinked.
They did not blink even when the sight outside was of a sphere as large as a football, with eyes and mouths randomly placed all over its body. And wings, wings larger than its own body.
They were still like an untouched pond. They, because there were a lot that were scattered all around.
And then people screamed, the moon consumed the sun—an eclipse, and total darkness that made Thea shiver, and she blinked.
When she opened her eyes, the tissue in her hand was covered in words, and the sphere-like things were biting some man's leg.
She walked back inside the coffee house. Placed the paper cup on a table. Unfolded the tissue. A glance.
She looked around and saw the customers sitting beneath the tables.
She hummed and threw the tissue into the waste bin.
A kid let go of his mother's hand and ran. A sphere broke the glass. Shiny, microscopic pieces fell on the tables and chairs, and Thea.
The light from the coffee house walked outside, and Thea ran and carried the child away from the sphere.
It followed her. She sprinted outside and then ducked. A bat was swung at the sphere's body, throwing it far.
A girl with bright blue hair and softer brown eyes ran after it, a grin tight on her face.
She beat it again, and again and again till it was crying.
Cries that could be mistaken for a little child's.
After a minute or two, Thea tapped on the strange girl's shoulders, "Miss blue hair, stop."
"Aw, but it's fun." The blue-haired girl whined and turned towards Thea. Pouting like she were a five-year-old.
"Maybe, but it cries annoyingly," Thea sighed, her arms crossed.
"True." Then the girl leaned on Thea, her arms covered in black liquid from the spheres, "You are Thea Jude, right?"
Thea's eyes crinkle, "Yes."
"Jude is a pretty name, reminds me of Judas, though." The girl removed her hands from Thea's body.
"I don't particularly like it." Thea stretched her shirt to look at the stains.
"Boring lady." The girl pouted again.
"A bit, how do you know my name?" Thea smiled.
"I read it in a book." The girl grinned brightly, so big like the sun's unforgiving heat.
"Is that so?" Thea closed her eyes and asked, "What about yours?"
"It is artemisia!"
"Nice name." Thea smiled, then looked around to find everyone staring at her and Artemisia. She scratched her face, nodded to everyone a little, and walked out.
Artemisia followed her like a dog bound by its collar.
Thea looked around to find a lot of dead spheres and just as many dead humans. Thea looked at Artemisia, who just smiled.
She sighed and went over to a dead body and prayed.
"Why are you praying?" Artemisia asked.
"Because they are dead? Wanna pray with me?" Thea answered.
Artemisia stared at Thea, then she walked closer, "I killed 'em, so praying may be hypocrisy."
Thea looked at Artemisia's radiant face and smiled.
"That's fine, ask for forgiveness." Thea's soft smile was never replaced. And the street lights illuminated it well enough to show it to the other girl.
"I don't want to be forgiven?" Artemisia tilted her head, with her finger on her lips.
"Then shut up." Thea turned back.
And Artemisia stared at Thea's back, who prayed near the dozens of dead bodies surrounding the street and road.
Artemisia looked around. She licked her lips and raised her arms to stretch her body.
She walked into the cafè, yawning and tears in her eyes. She stepped by the counter, the shop worker shivering at her presence.
"Can I get a mocha?" Artemisia asked, smiling widely.
"Uh, um, sure?" The worker nodded and ran to the kitchen.
She sat at one table, tapping her fingers all over.
All of the people in the room stared at her.
But none met her eyes.
She turned to look at the sphere. It was bleeding black blood, like blood that had rotted. She hummed and then walked towards the dead sphere.
She stared at it, like a child looking at its new toy.
Rubbing her hands on it, she could feel the rough, rocky surface. She took an eye that had fallen apart of the body. Breaking into two pieces, she put one in her mouth.
The eye melted like wax, and burnt a bit, she swallowed it.
"Tastes like—something." She mumbled and licked the black blood on her fingers.
Standing up, she walked back to her table.
And a mocha was placed on her table. At the exact moment, Thea walked in.
"Done praying?" Artemisia asked.
Thea nodded and walked towards the television and turned it on.
A news reporter with dirty blonde hair spoke– "We are witnessing the attack of an alien species that kill without mercy by eating humans. Please stay inside your premises——"
Thea changes the channel, an old man with hair only on the side of his head said, "We have no count of how many people died, and there is news of chosen ones——"
Next channel, "the chosen ones got a letter with their powers on it, it can appear on your nearest piece of paper, even a tissue——"
Thea changes back to the blonde woman, "The US government will be gathering the chosen ones and other volunteers to attack."
"Did you get yours?" Artemisia asked, sipping on her mocha.
"Yeah, in the dustbin," Thea answered walking towards Artemisia.
"What did it say?" Artemisia asked again.
"That I got a power?" As soon as Thea said these words, Artemisia's eyes brightened.
"What power?" She asked in a soft breath.
"I can turn dead things into weapons," she replied, her head on her palm.
"How?" A whisper of a kid waiting to receive her present.
"By eating them." Thea smiled.