Connor fell into the routine quickly.
The usual wake up protocol was, if you woke up first, you got to pick a way to wake everyone else up. Since they all slept in the same, large, bunker type room with beds in the wall, closed off with a plexiglass door.
His least favorite was when Marin was up first and took away their energy. And in a rush, she has sent it all back. The watered down feeling of it was like having your insides sucked out and then slammed back inside with a sledgehammer.
After waking up, they would all grumpily make their way to grab breakfast in the Meal Hall and retreated to the control room where they begrudgingly did homeschooling. Around lunch time they took a break and ate. School ended at around two o'clock, when they trained in the FTR for about two hours. Free time from there until dinner, which is usually when they took showers, caught up on work. After supper, their parents usually came over, drilling them about their day. Finally, when it was time for bed once again, everyone made sure their gloves were safely strapped on and turned out the lights.
When Connor's parents visited the day before, his mom had been tearful, his dad still in a bit of shock.
"Oh, Connie!" His mom swept him into a hug.
Connor refrained from wincing at the nickname. "Hi Mom."
His mother set him down. "I knew there was something special about you. I mean, you couldn't have gotten your good looks from your father."
Connor's dad looked offended at first, but nodded in agreement.
The two pelted Connor with questions about what he did all day, and if he felt safe in the KempsQuarters. The meeting ended quickly though, the O7 Agency didn't want possible spies to get suspicious.
Back in the FTR, Connor continued to work on his Flaw. He knew it had something to do with fire, but hadn't gotten to the full extent of it. He wanted something a little more than fiery under arms.
He sprinted across the throwing range, to avoid being smashed by a dumbbell that weighed more than he did, and made it to the pile of wood boards that he was trying to set on fire. Normally, he ended up failing and sending random things around the room into flames.
But today was different.
Connor removed his first glove and felt his body fill with heat. Thinking nothing of it, he pulled off the other and picked up a two-by-four.
There was a flash of heat, blinding Connor to the point where he dropped the board.
As soon as it was out of his hands, the fire stopped, smoking rising. Blinking, Connor saw deep, black, hand shaped indents burned into the wood.
"Holy shit,"
Connor looked up to see a girl around his age standing at the door. Light pink cat ear headphones adorned her head over her dead straight, shoulder length, honey blonde hair. Her green eyes were filled with surprise. "Um..."
In her arms she held a large grey thing, it took a moment for him to realize it but it looked like...
"Ru!" Ollie exclaimed, turning and running to the girl. "You're back!"
"Hey sis!" Ru said, setting down the grey thing.
"You brought back Albert!" Felix said, acting happier than Connor had ever seen her.
Glancing back at the grey thing, Connor saw that it was a baby rhino. Now it was his turn to be surprised. "Um..."
Darci, Felix, Zane, Remy and Marin all surrounded Ru and Albert exchanging hugs, hand shakes and belly rubs (for Albert).
Connor started to put the puzzle pieces together in his head. Ru was a beautiful young woman and the way the other BWF's talked to her, she was obviously a friend. And Ru has called Ollie 'sis', which only confirmed Connor's hypothesis. Ru was a BWF.
He walked over them, giving Albert a scratch behind the ears. "Hi."
"Hi!" Ru said with a wave. "Are you the new BWF?"
He nodded, holding a hand out for her to shake. "Yeah, I'm Connor."
They shook, and Connor couldn't help but ask, "What's your Flaw?"
Ru bit her bottom lip, glancing at her sister. "Gloves or no gloves?"
Ollie thought for a moment, her eyes the same emerald green as Ru's. "Hm, try one glove."
Ru did so, and turned to Connor. Connor was bracing himself to be punched in the face, maybe crippled under her gaze, but nothing happened, not until she started to sing.
Too focused on wondering what would happen to him, Connor didn't see the other BWF's clamp their hands over their ears and step back, getting away from Ru.
Ru's voice filled the FTR, crisp and clear, yet the melancholy that gave the music an edge didn't quite match the lyrics.
Always got the cops Coming after me
Custom built bike doing 103
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart
Oh, are you ready girls?
Oh, are you ready now?
Ooh, yeah
Kickstart my heart Give it a start
Ooh, yeah, baby Ooh, yeah
Kickstart my heart Hope it never stops
Ooh, yeah, baby
BAM. BAM. BAM.
That was the sound of Connor's heart as it pounded hard and fast inside his chest. He couldn't breathe, and the sound of Ru's voice made him lightheaded, intoxicating him.
Say I got trouble, trouble in my eyes,
I'm just looking for another good time,
My heart, my heart
Kickstart my heart,
He struggled to stay on his feet as his heart rate rose over 200 bpm, it felt like his brain had short circuited, as he collapsed to the floor.
Kickstart my heart hope it never stops,
Ooh yeah, baby.
Then the world went black.
YOU ARE READING
Flawed
Actiona bunch of teenagers with superpowers are on the run from scientists, their powers are ruining their lives and everything is falling apart, but that's normal, right?
