Limitless

Chapter 3

"I love you more than life itself!"

"Who says I want to be alive?"

My best friend grabs the left side of her chest in mock hurt, "Ouch, I thought I'd be great motivation for you to live."

"Isla, I barely have enough motivation to get out of bed in the morning."

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't just hear that," she grabs a piece of bacon off my plate and I gape at her in horror.

I decide to be petty and ignore her, all because she took my bacon. Instead of listening to her babble on about how that's the perfect catchphrase we could use or whatnot, I observe the cafeteria this morning.

There's a lot more of us than there usually is this morning, making the cafeteria a buzz of energy. A spirit of excitement and anxiety envelops the air. Its talons extending and grasping onto those who wouldn't be caught dead smiling in the morning, making even them look alive. Albeit most people are catching onto the latter emotion.

Everyone sits in their respective groups according to their powers. I don't have to guess the topic of what they're all talking about. It's only a matter of time before Isla hops on it as well.

Today is the day.

Today is the day we finally get to prove that the training they put us through for the past year was worth it.

Today is the day we prove that we can defend ourselves, defend our people.

Ever since the humans waged war on us the world dissolved into chaos. False ideologies, stories and propaganda spread so far and wide that the world feared what they didn't know without giving us the opportunity to defend ourselves.

With our voices stripped away from us and more of us being herded like cattle and killed, we ran. With the addition of a new creation of technology that could detect people with the meta gene, we hid.

We would never pass up the chance to avenge our fallen. Earth appearing yesterday was the perfect opportunity to do just that. She wanted the academy to have a point towards all its endless training but its not hard to guess the the real reason is because our numbers are dwindling pathetically. People on our front lines are dying.

Ironic, is it?

How mere humans were winning the war over people who were genetically stronger, faster and gifted. If the situation wasn't so sordid, I would've laughed.

Just because I'm not in the front lines doesn't mean I'm not exposed to the after effects of the war. When the injured are unable to fight anymore, the teleporters bring them back in the blink of an eye.

Which says a lot because teleporters are strictly forbidden from using their powers with another individual. Whenever they appear, the other person is always on the brink of the death: missing limbs, poisoned, severely wounded, riddled with gunshot wounds. I've seen it all.

So nothing is funny. War isn't a laughing matter.

I look to my right and stare at Isla as she continues talking. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun at the bottom of her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she speaks, her hands flail widely in dramatic gestures in proving her point. She's dressed in her favourite black tights and nike crop trop. Fashionable but appropriate for any occasion.

Isla is a healer. Healers and teleporters are highly valued in our world. She knows that she'll never be picked for this mission because of two reasons.

1. Healers don't go out on missions. It's too risky to have us all wiped out. Without healers the death toll would be a lot higher than it is now.

2. The healers who do go out on missions are only those who are exceptionally skilled.