Episode 2
Ruby's bedroom felt like a pressure cooker, the air thick with that purple glow from her hands casting freaky shadows on her posters and cluttered desk. The door rattled again bang, bang, like someone was pounding from the other side, but no one was there. Her heart jackhammered as the voice hit her ears, not just in her head this time, but echoing softly in the room: "Yo, Ruby, you're a freakin' powerhouse. Let's blow the lid off this city!"* It was sassy, real, and way too close.
She jumped back, her glowing hands flaring brighter. "Who's there? This isn't funny!" The rattling stopped, but a low chuckle filled the space, sending chills down her spine. Ruby scanned the room her bed, the window cracked open to the Brooklyn night, her backpack dumped in the corner. Nothing. But she felt eyes on her, like she wasn't alone.
"Show yourself!" she whispered-yelled, trying not to wake her parents. Gladys and Nicholas were pros at sniffing out her "spark" episodes; they'd burst in any second.
The chuckle turned into a full laugh, and then poof a figure shimmered into view by her closet, like a hologram flickering on. It was a girl from school, Lena, that quiet kid with short, spiky hair and a nose ring who sat in the back of Ms. Gloria's class. Lena's eyes glowed the same purple as Ruby's hands, a smirk on her face. "Chill, Ruby. I'm not here to ghost you. Just... testing the waters."
Ruby's jaw dropped. "Lena? What the, how are you in my room? And that voice... that was you?"
Lena leaned against the wall, crossing her arms, her form still a bit translucent like she could vanish any second. "Yeah, me. Telepathy's my thing projecting voices, hiding in plain sight. Saw what went down at lunch today. Joyce 'accidentally' dumps coffee on your jacket, and bam, the table shakes like an earthquake? Girl, that wasn't the cafeteria settling. That was you. I've been watching for a while, but today? Had to know for sure. So I followed you home, cloaked myself, and... well, here we are."
Ruby's mind reeled. The spill Joyce's smug grin as hot coffee soaked her favourite jacket, the anger bubbling up, and yeah, the table had vibrated just enough to spill everyone's drinks. She'd blamed it on a passing truck. "You... spied on me? To terrify me? That's messed up!"
Lena shrugged, her glow fading a bit. "Curiosity, dude. Not every day you spot someone like us. We're rare Gazels, they call us. Powers from some old lab screw-up. My mom was there too, pregnant with me when it blew. Figured you might be one. And hey, you didn't disappoint. That door? My bad amped up the scare to see if you'd spark out."
Before Ruby could fire back, a knock echoed from the hall. "Ruby? Everything okay in there?" Gladys's voice, sharp and worried.
Lena's eyes widened. "Parents incoming. We'll talk tomorrow meet me behind the gym after school. You're not alone in this." She shimmered out, gone like smoke.
Ruby dimmed her hands just in time as Gladys cracked the door. "Heard noises. You good?"
"Yeah, Mom. Just... dropped my phone." Ruby forced a smile, her mind exploding with questions. Lena? Gazels? And what else was out there?
The next day at school dragged, but Ruby's eyes kept darting to Lena, who shot her a knowing wink during class. Joyce strutted by in the hall, smirking. "Nice stain on that jacket, Thompson." Ruby felt the spark tingle, but she held it barely.
After the bell, behind the gym, Lena was waiting, no glow this time, just leaning on a chain-link fence. "Ready to hear the real deal? That lab explosion Professor Bernard's immortality fail hit a bunch of pregnant women, including our moms. We got the powers. But there's trouble brewing. Some dude called Dominator's after people like us, wants to control or wipe us out."
Ruby's stomach twisted. "Why me? And my parents they know something, don't they?"
Lena nodded. "Probably. But we can't hide forever. Join up with the others Gazels like us. Or keep suppressing and let Dominator win."
As the city skyline loomed in the distance, Ruby felt her hands buzz again. This wasn't just her spark anymore. It was a surge and it was calling her to fight.
To be continued...