Andrea entered the lab. She brought me a sandwich and various vitamins. I felt sorry to be always keeping her awake and concerned, yet I found I could never stop working for long. Especially now, when they are after her. I had to think about a way of finding that girl and bringing her here. The fact that I couldn’t access her mind and thoughts is both curious and frustrating, in equal parts. She was using, perhaps unconsciously, the electricity as a shield of sorts, keeping me out. My best guess is that the latent electricity her power was generating interfered somehow with the way her synapses fired. In any case, I’ll have to find out.

“Alex, it’s 2 am. Please, take a break.”

“Not now, Andrea.”

“Not now, not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow…” She sighted.

“But I will eat that sandwich.”

“How generous of you.”

I grabbed the sandwich and took a bite out of it. It was actually tasty.

“Thanks.” I said, biting into it with relish. “Delicious.”

“I’m glad. So, did you find her?”

“Not yet, unfortunately. But I will, given time.”

“Do you really believe you will find this girl? …you don’t even know if she really exists.”

“She exists. And I will find her, no matter what.”

“Alex, if this is true… then this is beyond premonitions and coincidences.”

“And what do you mean by that? Please don’t say faith, you know I don’t… AH!!”

I dropped the half-eaten sandwich and brought my hands to my temples. This usually happens when I leave my mind wide open for too long, reading other people’s minds. It’s exhausting. Suddenly, too many thoughts invaded my head, sending a big amount of information. Bigger than I was comfortable handling.

“Alex! What’s happening?”

“Be quiet, please.”

Five men were searching the forest, with another eight searching the houses in the area she was living in.

I did a quick search for her mind, hoping that I could access it easier, this time. A fast overview of the situation told me she was running out of time.

I will not allow them to have her, under any circumstances.

Surprisingly, I managed to find her faster than before. Her mind was in a deep state of relaxation, making it both vulnerable and visible. She was… meditating. And for the first time, I clearly felt her feelings. I was tempted to take the time to feel and understand them better. But there is never enough time, isn’t it? Not when it matters.

Pity.

*Don’t be scared, please. You need to run away from the forest. Now! *

Nothing happened. Her mind was in the same, deep state of relaxation, as before.

*You need to run. Can you hear me? *

Interesting. And annoying. Her power was protecting her mind at all times, regardless of her condition. It seems I had to approach the situation, using the same method as before. I shut out all other minds, concentrating only on her and her alone. It was… a peculiar mind. Powerful and complex, sparkling among the others. I was getting the feeling that she wasn’t the kind of person I could easily approach. Not to mention, influence. Waiting for the perfect moment, I sent a strong impulse towards her mind, strong enough to break through. I hoped.

*RUN! *

The evidence of my attempt at contact working soon became visible, as she suddenly released small tendrils of electricity all around her, blocking her mind entirely and increasing her visibility.

I knew I would lose her again, so I focused on the others’ thoughts to see what was going to happen. They searched for her, for another twenty minutes or so, before returning to their colleagues. None of them found any relevant information about her or her location, from the tidbits of information I picked up. Good. I sat back in my chair, exhausted and breathing heavily, realizing that I internalized the anxiety and fear, throughout the process of saving her. It depleted most of my energy.

That girl.

“Alex, are you ok? What happened?”

Andreas entered the lab. When he saw us, he rushed over.

“They’ve almost found her.” I said.

I looked over at Andreas and we both knew it was time to act. If no other method is sufficient, I will bring her here by force. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I felt that this would be harder than facing an entire platoon of well-trained soldiers.

I sighted.

“Listen, you two. Don’t keep me out of it. I want to help, alright?” Andrea said.

“For now, please gather the team. I have a plan.”

After about fifteen minutes, we were all standing together in the lab, discussing strategies.

“Guys, I apologize for the late meeting, but it’s urgent. The Ministry of Defense is searching the area in which she lives and it is now only a matter of hours until they find her and kidnap her. We need to get to her first. Failure is not an option. We may have to bring her in by force. Whatever it takes, to bring her here. Understood?”

“Why are you so obsessed with this girl, Alex?” Selena asked.

“I’ve already told you, Selena. Let’s not restart the subject.”

“Yes, yes, I know. You’ve had several nightmares, in which a girl with white hair and strong powers was searching for you. Followed by a weird and all-powerful voice telling you that she was the one to destroy the world. But these are just… nightmares, Alex. Dreams.”

“Are you doubting me?”

“Uhm… no, of course not. It just doesn’t seem real or …normal.”

“Because reading minds, seeing the memories of others, manipulating lava and so on is ‘normal’, is that it?”

“Having the same dream, every night, for two weeks straight, before Day Zero, it containing the same girl, who I’ve never met, is also normal, I suppose. I would have doubted myself, if I’d have heard this before. I have even dreamt the building in which she was working, which gave me a way to approach her.”

“…”

“I faked an interest into a project she was handling, only to get the chance of meeting her. Her hair was brown, before. After the disaster happened, she kept appearing in my dreams, almost every night. Yet in my dreams, her hair was white. I’ve found out in time that this change was likely because of her power. But it is the same exact girl. Now tell me, if you were me, would you have ignored all these signs?”

“I… didn’t know about the last part.”

“Regardless. I need to find her. Do you all understand the importance of the situation we find ourselves in?”

“Yes. Ok, I understand. What happens after we bring her here?” She asked.

“First things first. Let’s focus on the plan. It will be hard and as I said, failing is not an option, now that you all know why I want her here, with us.”

“Count on us, Alex. What’s the plan?” Matt asked.

“Good. Now, listen. Her power is quite strong, for all she is untrained and she next to no control over it. This makes her even more dangerous, as she will most likely be unpredictable. I believe that tonight they will find and attack her. She’s living with five other people. When the attack happens, they will run into the forest, next to their house and that is where we have to be.”

“Can we hurt the attackers?” Matt asked with an innocent smile, that fooled no one.

“I don’t believe you will have a choice not to. I trust you, so if needed, do whatever you want to them, just as long as you don’t hurt her friends. That will get her mad and trust me, you do not want a confrontation with her. Not when she doesn’t know how to control either her power or herself.”

“How will you approach her? It will be chaos and you shouldn’t be able to control the timing, even if you’ve created ten more back-up plans for this.” Andrea said.

“Simple. We will split. Selena, Matt and Brian will form a team. I will team up with Andreas and Claude.”

“I’ll go with Lauren.” Andrea said.

“No. You two will stay here.” Andreas replied.

“What? Why?! You need us there.”

“They are searching for you too, Andrea. We can’t take that risk. Lauren will stay with you, and Turtle.”

“No one is hunting for me. It was a long time ago and we don’t even know if anyone even saw me using my power. Lauren can stay with Turtle.”

“This is not a negotiation, Andrea. You will stay here, until it’s safe for you to leave the house. Please don’t complicate matters. We don’t have time for this.” Andreas said.

“Alex, this is insane! I want to come with you.”

“I agree with Andreas. You will stay home.”

“Ugh!! You two are so annoying! Why do you two always get to decide how we do things? We are a team! We should have the same rights.”

“Andrea, we are a team, but there can be no discussion of us having the same rights. Not when the better part of the reason we are together, safe and have a place we can call our own is Alexander.”

“…I know. That’s not what I meant… It came out wrong, sorry. But I just want to be by your side and protect you all. I’ll be out of my mind, until you come back.”

I stepped closer to her and gave her a hug.

“Don’t apologize. I know perfectly well what you meant. Please understand that it’s hard for me to take any risk when it comes to you. This is why I let Andreas take care of this and I trust him. Do you trust us?”

“Always.” She said, laying her head on my shoulder. “Please, come back in one piece. Which goes for all of you!” she said, her eyes scanning the room.

“Always.”

I turned back to them and continued explaining my strategy.

“We’ll split up, in the forest. I’ll show you what she looks like. Selena, if you would be so kind.”

“Oh… yes, of course.”

“It’s alright. We’ll do it the same way we have practiced before.”

“Ok. Let’s give it a try.”

I approached her and she put her hand on my forehead. I closed my eyes and thought about her. Grey eyes and creole skin. A fragile body, covered in a shield of lightning, while her white long hair was floating behind her, moving in short pulses, influenced by her power.

Selena picked up the memory and projected it across the room, for the others. I looked at it and found it was identical to the one from my mind. She was getting better at controlling her power. I felt pride.

“Oh my God! That’s Mia!” Andrea screamed in shock.

I didn’t react. I felt a heavy dose of shock myself, even though my body’s response was virtually the opposite of my sisters’.

“Babe, wait. You… know that girl?” Andreas asked.

“Of course, I know her! She’s my best friend, I told you about her.”

Andreas stared at me, as petrified as I was. My sister started to jump in place, tears in her eyes, while screaming two words, “Mia” and “God”, among other incomprehensible words.

“Alex, I can’t believe it. You’re looking for Mia. My Mia!”

“Mia, as in, the girl you’ve asked me to find, a month ago?” I finally asked.

“Yes, the very same. The one and only.” She said smiling, through her tears.

“Dear Lord, this is scarier than Day Zero itself.” Claude said.

“Dear Lord, indeed!” Andreas murmured thoughtfully.

“Alex, let me join you. She will listen to me. It’ll be much easier than you thought it could be. Trust me.” My sister said.

Andreas looked at me and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was, regarding Andrea.

“No. It doesn’t change the fact that you are still in danger.”

“It changes everything, Alex. Can’t you see? You need me, out there. If Mia is scared and angry, like you’ve said, she needs to see a friendly face.”

“She’s right about that, Alex.” Andreas said, though I could see he was torn up inside.

“The answer is still no. We’ll stick with the plan.”

“You’re making a mistake, Alex. And unfortunately, it will cost you.” She said, leaving the room.

She was right. I knew that. The repercussions of my decision will hunt me for a long time, but I couldn’t risk Andrea’s life. She always came first, no matter what.

“Claude, you’ll absorb her powers, in the event she spirals out of control. I’ll do both talking and fighting. Andreas will protect Claude, using his shield. Selena, you’ll go with Brian and Matt, in case the plan doesn’t work as we thought it should.”

“When will we leave?” Brian asked, impatiently.

“I’ll let you know. I expect us to leave this night, if my calculations are correct. Please be ready, no matter when the exact moment comes.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Brian said, sharing a laugh with Matt.

They were so excited, for their first mission, while all I felt was worry. Despite the intense training we’ve put them through, a real fight was not on the level as a simulated one and it seemed that they didn’t bother to take that into consideration for even a second.

Foolish.

They were kids, after all. Was the plan good? Should I have listened to Andrea? Will I be able to keep them alive? I sighted.

Andreas came closer and put his hand on my shoulder.

“The plan is well thought out, Alex. Stop putting yourself down.”

“I’m not so sure, Andreas. They feel invincible, even as they are about to go headfirst into a fight that could get them killed or seriously harmed.”

“You’re going too far with the imagination. We will both be there to take care of them. Don’t worry. They’re smart and strong kids. Give them a chance.”

“I will. You’re right. I have to trust them.”

“There’s another thing that upsets you, though. Am I right?”

I didn’t answer.

“Mia.” He said.

“I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Alright. I’ll go check on Andrea, then. Try to relax, even if it’s only for five minutes.”

“I’ll try. Thank you!”

***

It was 3 am and I couldn’t sleep. I thought about my plan and its weak spots. I thought about changing it, thinking of so many ways of completing this mission in a different way. After one too many many changes, I gave up and took a shower. In there, I thought about her and the nightmares I had and kept on having.

The world was in danger. In my dreams, she destroyed the planet. I was told to find her. Do I have to stop her? To save her from the attackers? Or perhaps I should better let them have her? Which option will stop her from destroying us?

Was I meant to kill her?

Honestly, I didn’t know why I bothered with these questions. I have already made my decision a long time ago. It was strange, that among all the things I was worried about, all the hardships, even thought it was the most important decision to make, it was equally the easiest. I knew that this was the right decision, in the end.

I had to stop thinking so much. It was already excruciatingly hard, due to the fact that I left my mind open, to know if she’s safe. I needed a few minutes of quiet, so I went for a walk in Andrea’s garden. She worked so hard to make it look beautiful. It would have been a pity not to enjoy it.

I put on some clothes and left my room. I stopped in front of the door next to mine. It was empty. Where should she stay? I opened the door and turned on the light. I looked around and decided.

Here. She will stay here. To keep an eye on her, in the likely event she’d try to escape.

I felt, out of a sudden, my mind being invaded by loud thoughts, my head violently pounding in response. They’ve found her. More than fifteen men were planning to invade their house. Someone told them about a girl with white hair who stood in front of a green house, after she used her power.

It’s time.

*Everyone, wake up. They found her. Meet me in living room, in five minutes. Andreas will be carrying you on his shield and I will be leading the way. *

***

We were flying fast, above the sleeping world. I tried to calm down and focus on finding her, hoping against hope that I was not too late. Another ten minutes before we reached our destination. I used that time to check on her, in order to be constantly aware of her condition. She was scared and her pulse was increasing rapidly. Her mind was like a time bomb, a jumbled mix of powerful feelings. It was just a matter of time before she’d release all the power she had charged in her body.

This was bad. Really bad.

“I’ll go faster. You can see the forest in front of us. When you land, please split and be careful, alright? She and her friends are already running, followed by fifteen men. Three of those men have already been killed. Her group seems to be strong as well.”

“Good. We’ll take it from here. Be careful.”

I was preparing to land in the direction of the lightning, when a force from nowhere hit me so hard, it threw me a great distance to the left. My power activated on pure instinct, creating a layered shield, all around me. I hit a number of trees, breaking through them, one by one. I felt my power eventually being able to break my momentum.

I was standing on the ground, looking for the one who attacked me. Pretty sure I had bruises on more than half of my body. I scanned almost all the minds from the forest before I found him. His mind was a void, that couldn’t be pierced.

I tried to stand up and realized that my arm was broken. My chest was scratched and covered in blood. It seems my shield was not so infallible. Someone suddenly stopped behind me and lifted me by the back of my neck, then punched me squarely in the middle of my back. I gasped, running out of air. He threw me away, as I managed to take a look at him.

If it could be called a ‘him’.

He was extraordinarily fast and his skin was purple. I couldn’t keep up with him, so I tried talking.

“Who are you?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, just smiled.

I decided to create a diversion, by attacking him with hastily created knives, which he easily avoided. I then followed by attacking him with swords, while creating other sharps object to poke from underground, hoping it would hurt his feet.

While he dodged the swords, as expected, I pulled the objects out of the ground, directly at his feet. I thought it worked, but in a split second, he was standing in front of me and hit me in the stomach hard enough for me to lose my breath a second time, that night. I fell down wheezing. I knew, in that moment, that he would kill me. I failed.

He drew back his arm for the final blow and it was all I could do to stare. I couldn’t fight back.

“You’re weak.” He said.

I didn’t notice what caught his attention, when he suddenly turned his head to the left. Something powerful hit him and the surroundings were suddenly bright enough, that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Someone was screaming. When the light faded, I managed to open my eyes enough to see him standing, motionless and charred.

No time like the present. I created a sword and decapitated him, where he stood.

Mia.