Juniper McClain had always known that she was different—she wasn't like the other kids. She didn't grow up like any other kid she knew. Ever since she was little, she had always had gifts, well, at least that's what her mom likes to call it. It was unreal.
She could hear things a thousand miles away, control fire, control electricity and now, she seemed to be able to control ice. Her mom had her believe it was because she was unique, but after a while, Juniper realized that her mom was just buttering it up. She wasn't unique, she...was weird!
For a while, she made herself believe that she was an alien, left behind and forgotten by her people. But the older she got, the more ridiculous that theory seemed. As the time passed, her mom taught her how to control these abilities…and then she made her swear never to use them, or tell anyone about them.
She never planned on telling anyone in her life! She didn't want to be labeled a freak. But, sometimes, she would sit in her room, wishing there were people like her out there, and wishing that she would one day encounter them. Someone with powers like hers.
Scarlet High buzzed like a kicked beehive.
The morning sun bounced off its shiny red-and-white walls. The three-story building stood proud like a fortress of glass and concrete. Students spilled across the wide front courtyard in waves of color—yelling, laughing, sprinting, skateboarding, or just being dramatic for attention. It wasn't just a school. It was a circus of hormones and energy drinks, and the ringmasters wore sneakers.
Juniper, Lisa, and Reggie were in the center of it all—three best friends, walking into school like anime protagonists arriving for Season 2 of their lives.
Juniper's whitish-violet hair shimmered under the sunlight. She bounced along the walkway, her steps light and energetic, like music played only for her. A half-eaten granola bar poked out of her pocket, and her eyes sparkled with an excitement she couldn't fake even if she tried.
"I am SO ready for this year!" she squealed, spinning in a slow circle as her backpack bounced on her shoulders. "Senior year, baby!"
Lisa strutted beside her, hips swaying in a short flare skirt, white, her smile giving 'dangerous diva'. She held onto a lollipop and licked strawberry lip gloss off her lips with calculated nonchalance.
"If I don't kiss at least three cute boys and get one 'What are we?' text before the end of the semester," she said, flipping her hair, "then this year is a total flop."
Reggie, on the other side of Juniper, wore his usual smug grin. He had earbuds in, but they weren't connected to anything. Just a prop to make him look cooler.
"Y'all are thinking way too small," he said, adjusting his varsity-style jacket. "I plan to catch footage of alien activities in Bestford before graduation. Or at least find a cryptic government file on one."
"Reggie," Juniper giggled, "you need help."
"Yeah," he replied with a smirk. "Help catching an alien."
They stopped at Juniper's locker. The hallway was a mess of shouting, slamming lockers, and dramatic retellings of summer flings. Juniper opened her locker and grabbed her books, humming to herself.
"You still writing that essay about aliens for college?" Lisa asked, leaning against the lockers.
"Already sent it," Reggie replied proudly. "I titled it: 'Human History Is a Lie and It's Time We Stop Pretending.'"
Lisa snorted. "Bold title. I give it three rejection letters and one suspicious knock from the FBI."
"That would only prove my point."
Suddenly, a ripple ran through the hallway. The chattering of the students followed one flow as though it was planned. A wave of murmurs. The unmistakable tension of someone coming.
Juniper felt it first. Not just from her super-hearing—but from her skin. Her senses buzzed. She turned before anyone else did. It was the basketball team walking into the locker hall.
Jeremy Zerionson led the pack—Scarlet High's golden boy. He had blonde hair that was perfectly tousled. Green eyes that could make you confess your deepest secrets. Everyone knew him as the captain of the basketball team and future prom king, but what everyone, or almost everyone did not know was that he was Juniper's not-so-secret crush since ninth grade.
Juniper's heart did backflips. Her eyes sparked faintly, electricity coursed subtly on top of her cornea like a flash of lightning.
She quickly turned to her locker mirror, fixing her hair, checking her breath, then checking her breath again.
Lisa noticed immediately. "Girl, calm down, your crush is showing."
"Oh hush," Juniper muttered.
As Jeremy passed by, he turned his head slightly. His eyes met Juniper's. He smiled. A smile that lasted only a half-second. There were no words. Just a look.
And Juniper melted.
She slid down her locker like butter left in the sun, her knees folding as she grinned like a fool.
Lisa gasped, giving a soft smile. "You okay down there?"
"Did you see that?" Juniper whispered dramatically. "He smiled at me."
"Yeah, for like 0.7 seconds."
"Oh it felt longer than that."
Reggie rolled his eyes. "As far as I like seeing you simping over a boy like the next guy, why don't you just ask him out?"
"Like it's that easy," the girls replied with a glare.
"IT IS, that easy," he replied.
"Huh, well if it is that easy, why don't you ask Sarafina out," Juniper shot back.
"I…Tch," Reggie scoffed, blushing a little. "Anyway, I've got geography. See you guys at lunch, peace."
He vanished down the hall, just as the first bell rang. Juniper stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her knees.
"You good?" Lisa asked.
"Are you kidding? Jeremy smiled at me," Juniper replied, grinning. "Come on. We've got Literature."
The morning dragged in the usual blur of classrooms and chaos. Miss Veronica's literature class was a circus of half-attentive students and overconfident flirting. She was stylish with her dressing, loved wearing red heels that clacked like judgment, and had a wild theory that The Art of War was written by Mark Twain.
Juniper doodled in her notebook, half-listening, half-daydreaming. Her mind kept drifting to Jeremy's smile. Prom wasn't far off…maybe she should ask him out to prom, she thought. Going to the prom with him would be the highlight of her life, and nothing would compare, not even her cool and hidden powers.
As the morning classes ended, the cafeteria burst to life. It was one of the coolest cafeterias in the whole state. It had long glass walls overlooking a grassy courtyard, sunlight bouncing off trays, music playing low on someone's phone. Juniper, Lisa, and Reggie grabbed a table by the window.
"Okay," Lisa said, dramatically sipping from her mango smoothie. "Let's talk about important things."
"Like aliens?" Reggie asked, pulling out a long straw.
"No!" she snapped. "Like prom, and fashion, and college and stuff."
Juniper laughed. "College and stuff, when did you become a Stellar student?"
"You sure this is our Lisa?" Reggie smirked.
Lisa rolled her eyes, biting into her sandwich. Juniper leaned back…she felt good, happy as always. But then everything shifted, and the atmosphere changed.
At the other end of the cafeteria, Sabrina Asterus had made her entrance. Blonde long curly hair, blue eyes and an aura that carried importance. She was the cheer captain of the cheerleaders. The queen Bee of the school. A rich, ruthless, and radiant beauty. Her posse of perfectly dressed cheerleader clones followed behind like ducklings.
But Juniper's attention wasn't on Sabrina. It was on the table beside the one Sabrina chose. The table where the Zargos twins sat. Esmeralda and Sarafina Zargos—the powerhouses of cool. Sarafina had her long envious green-streaked hair tied in a ponytail, each sway carrying the eyes of the boys watching her. She leaned so far back on her chair like she owned gravity. Meanwhile Esmeralda, her sister, flipped her fork like a wand as she talked with excitement, blue streaks running through her flowing black hair, bouncing as she moved.
Their eyes were mismatched, heterochromic in nature, and mesmerizing. They also had tattoos, a black serpent design that curled round their arms and stopped on their clavicles. It was very cool. They didn't need to try to be cool. They didn't care who liked them. They just were, and everyone else just tried to keep up.
They locked eyes with Juniper and gave short smiles, as though they were listening to her thoughts or something. Juniper grinned, waving back.
"Okay but," Lisa whispered, "can we talk about how hot the twins are?"
"They're literally goddessess," Reggie muttered.
Lisa nodded. "And somehow always know what's going on."
"They're alright," Juniper replied, her eyes gushing over Jeremy who was vividly describing a story for his friends at another table.
Suddenly, her attention, and almost everyone else's attention got drawn by the loud clang sound nearby. A lunch tray had clattered to the floor and everyone gasped the moment they heard it. Their eyes fell on Danny—skinny, quiet, hoodie-wearing Danny. He was on the ground, scrambling for his spilled food.
Towering over him was Justin. The school's muscle-headed linebacker. Built like a fridge and just as cold.
"Watch where you're going, dumbass," Justin sneered. Justin had always been a jerk, a brainless bully…but this time it was just too much. "Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!" He exclaimed, kicking the tray aside…and in the process, ticking Juniper off.
She stood up before she even realized what she was doing.
"Hey," she said, walking straight toward them. "That's enough."
The cafeteria went silent, filled with a second gasp from people who thought that was a stupid move.
Lisa's mouth dropped. "Juniper! Have you lost your mind?!"
Reggie slammed his head into the table. "Oh we're so dead."
Justin turned, glaring at Juniper. He was a six foot blob and she was a five feet and eleven inches Barbie doll. Not your typical David and Goliath scenario but it was close. Juniper folded her arms, raising a brow as she stared at him.
"This ain't your business, freak," he growled in reply.
"Maybe not," she replied, her voice steady, void of fright. "But I'm making it mine. Back off!"
"You wanna take his place? Huh?!" Justin grabbed hold of her arm, squeezing it. But immediately he did that, the atmosphere changed.
A sudden pressure fell on Justin, one that struck morbid fear into the boy's chest. His eyes laid on Juniper's face…her face was emotionless. She looked at him like a predator who was ready to take the life of the prey that had fallen into its trap.
And right at that moment Sabrina and the Zargos twins turned their heads towards Juniper, eyes looking out the windows and then at each other, before falling back on Juniper. A sudden storm was brewing outside.
They briskly stood up, about to advance to Juniper, when…a voice echoed.
"I think that's enough of that."
And right at that moment, as if appearing from thin air, two boys stood next to Juniper and Justin, taking them apart. It was Rafa and Amron.
Both were over six feet tall. Slightly muscular, very attractive, and eerily identical—except that Rafa had bright green eyes and Amron's were ocean blue. Their hair was well cut, long, and orange-red like fire.
Rafa held onto Juniper gently, watching as the predatory look on her face disappeared, and as she came back to her senses.
"What, who…what happened?" She gasped.
"Nothing," Rafa replied with a calm smile. He let go of her, and then turned his gaze at Justin who seemed to be trembling in Amron's hand.
"What were you gonna do to her?" he asked quietly, looking at him with a nasty stare.
Justin looked at his face, then his trembling stopped immediately, and he yanked himself off Amron and sneered. "None of your damn business."
Amron cracked his knuckles, chuckling a little. "Funny. Looked like you were gonna pee your pants."
Tension built like a bomb about to go off as they stared at each other, waiting for who'd throw the first punch. But right at that moment, something happened, something that pulled not just the attention of Juniper, but that of Amron and Rafa too.
Gunshots.
It was far away and faint. But Juniper could hear it as though it was as close as the next cafeteria table.
She turned her head sharply toward the cafeteria doors. Raising a brow as she listened in more, but all she could hear was the gunshots growing louder and louder, people screaming and crying.
Sabrina and the Zargos twins stood up, walking over to where Rafa, Amron and Juniper stood, drawing the attention of everyone present in the cafeteria, whose ears haven't yet picked up the sound.
Juniper looked at them, wondering why they were looking at each other, and then at her. It was as though they were hearing the same thing she was hearing. That would be impossible. That would mean they were like her, that they had—nah, it couldn't be. Could it?
Before she could think anymore, her mind was pulled away by the loudest gunshot. The shooters were close to the cafeteria door, making unease fill the cafeteria…the kids started getting off their chairs, looking around.
"Yo, were those gunshots?!" Someone yelled.
Lisa and Reggie stood up.
"Of course those were gunshots you nitwit!" Sabrina replied. Then she stood on a chair and screamed. "EVERYONE RUN!"