Throughout the world, Power Uppers are the hottest drug on the market. A single pill allows any Normie to obtain the power of a Super. The drawback? They're also highly addicting and the cause of most financial ruin.
Tayla wants nothing to do with s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Tayla brushed a hand against her head. It still stung a little, but most of the pain was gone. She opened her eyes to a darkened tent above her. Light was faint, barely enough to make out the high rising fabric arching above her. Her hand brushed against the smooth surface of a sleeping bag around her. Tayla sat up, careful to take it slow. Sleeping bags, both empty and full, lay scattered around her. Kids played in one corner of the enormous tent, their laughter barely audible despite the silence filling the tent. Tayla had never seen a tent as big as this one. She rubbed her eyes to ensure she wasn't seeing things. Three of her houses could fit inside the massive fabric.
"Your fella's outside."
Tayla looked to her left. A woman sat on the floor, an infant resting in her arms suckled on one of her breasts. She hummed softly, her head bouncing back and forth to the tune of her hum. The rest of her seemed intent on not disturbing the hungry baby.
"Where am?"
"You're in a biker commune about a days ride from Tradekur. Your fella bartered passage for you guys and I insisted you stay in the family tent even though he couldn't barter a bed. No way was I gunna let you sleep in the dead lands. No way! You were as ripe as a tomato." She nodded to her baby. "You coulda been my own babe. How could I let you not have shelter? I traded some of my milk to ensure at least you have a bed for the night. Your fella is on his own, but you're in here with us tonight."
"Thank you. What's your babies name?"
"Not sure yet. My lover wants to name her after his ma, but no way am I shackling my babe with a name like Merryweather Dastine."
"You could compromise and call her Mary."
The woman smiled. "Hmm I like that." She looked at her baby. "Mary Dastine. Yeah, I like that. See. The world brought you to us for a reason. I'm a big believer in fate, technology be damned, if it's meant to be fate shall provide. My babe is almost six months and still had no name. You should go see your fella. He seemed worried you hadn't woken up yet."
"How long have I been out?"
"Near as I could tell, since my lover Chino picked you up at the outer food stations. Been about a day now I think."
Tayla stood up carefully. Her head swirled with every movement. An entire day. She'd slept an entire day. There had only been one other time she could remember sleeping near that long, the day of the worst electrical storm Eden City had ever seen. It wiped out power to both the city and all the suburbs for four days, and wiped Tayla out for a week. Danika hadn't seemed the slightest bit concerned. In hindsight, Tayla wondered if it was because she knew of Tayla's latent power.
She stepped out of the massive tent to cool air licking against her skin. It was a stark contrast to the blazing heat of the daytime. The sky was a mixture of deep purples and blue, the moonlight caressed the biker commune with its soft glow. There were more tents scattered throughout, none as large as the family tent. Most seem suited for single occupancy. Tayla jammed her hands into her jeans pocket, following the sound of loud and terrible off-key singing.
