Differences

Chapter 1: The Destruction

I open my eyes to a bright sky shining above me. I hear the delicate tweets of nearby birds and the constant bubbling of a petite waterfall.I sit up, seeing that I'm on a patch of wild flowers.

I never knew I was capable of dreaming. I'm guessing it's a simulation from one of my classes.I have a terrible feeling in my gut as I see the flowers in my hands start to wither. I wake up with a jolt to find myself lying on the floor.

I take a glance at the dark room and spot my fellow classmates sound asleep in their beds. 'I guess I was actually dreaming' I thought. But what a strange dream that was. I never dreamt at least once in my life, let alone one that seemed more like a nightmare than an actual dream filled with sweetness and what not. The only thing that a have close to a dream is my many simulations. Teachers have us go through them in order to prepare ourselves when we grow old enough to blend in with normals.

 My teachers aren't great either way. Even though they teach us how to control our powers(which may be cool to other teenagers), we eventually get bored of them. In my particular school, Rogers Boarding School, all of us have a certain power. For me, I can manipulate ice and snow. After training my whole, I have been able to become more powerful than some of my other classmates.

 I was abandoned when I was just a baby, like the majority of us. My parents decided to leave me here, knowing they couldn't raise me and keep me hidden at the same time. The only thing they gave me was my name, Alisson. All these years, I have never gotten a glimpse of them. Throughout that time, my main goal was to be able to control my powers. I have been able to improve sufficiently. I have gone from only being able to create a few snowflakes to stirring up a snow storm. Which means I sometimes have to keep my emotions in check unless I want to start a commotion.

Speaking of commotion, the bell rang signally the start of another slow day. Girls all around start stretching and getting up. I quickly stand up from the floor, dusting myself off. I don't want anyone to think I'm weird since I was on the floor. Sounds are heard from the bathroom: the flushing of the toilets, the water flowing from the faucets and the constant chatter of girls. I quickly get dressed in our uniform and head towards the dining room.

We get in line, awaiting the variety of breakfasts that the chefs have on display for us.I decide to go with a simple chocolate muffin and a cooling glass of milk. I look around finding my assigned spot. Since we have different powers, the staff makes sure we sit next to someone that won't cause any trouble.

I walk towards my table, sitting in-between my two best friends: Cassie and Rachel. I've bonded with them as soon as they came in.They came to this boarding school at an older age. Cassie coming in when she was four and Rachel at six, which meant that they actually knew who their parents were unlike me.Cassie can walk through things, sort of like a ghost in a way. Rachel is capable of shape shifting into anything she pleases.

"Hey, what's up?"I ask.

"Nothing interesting so far," Cassie informs.

She looked bored like most of us but today, her chocolate brown eyes didn't show the glint of curiosity which she usually held. Her shoulders were slumped forward and instead of her normal neat hair, she had it in a tangled mess.

I turn towards Rachel on my other side. "What's up with her?" I ask her quietly in order for Cassie not to hear.

Rachel swallows down a bite of her sandwich and explains that Cassie had gone to Ms.Persephone's office{our headmistress) to discuss about the reasons why they should start letting boys get admitted into the school.

"Are you serious?" I laugh out.

"Obviously, I am," Rachel tells me.

"Oh, shut the f*ck up, will you?!" Cassie cries out angrily at both of us.

She glares angrily at Rachel for telling me her personal reasons. Rachel looks back nonchalantly and shrugs. She turn around and goes back to eating. Cassie get up from the table and swiftly walks back to the dorms. I look back at Rachel, confused. She didn't seem to mind that Cassie was angry at her or that she even left the room. Although she is absent-minded sometimes, this time it feels different.

"Rachel, are you..."

BANG!!!!

A large explosion is heard, followed by a large canon breaking through the ceiling and falling right on top of the kitchen. Screams are heard and we try to make a run towards the nearest exit. I see girls panicking, try to get out of the way of the falling canons that appeared. A bomb is set, covering the room with smoke and flying debris. A  giant fire soon starts up right after which makes it harder for me and Rachel to escape.I grab her arm and run straight towards the dormitories.

"Where the fucking hell are we going?" Rachel screams over the chaos.

"To go find Cassie!"I turn back to look at her.

As soon as I turn back, a large piece of plywood comes crashing down in front of us. The smoke and dust it has lifted makes us cough.

"Tanya, are you crazy! If we go in there we could die.!" Rachel says outraged.

"Cassie's in there and we can't just leave her behind. And besides, I may not be strong enough to put out a fire this big, but at least I can slow it down."

"Okay then, fine. We'll go in but if at first glance, we don't see her, then we're leaving. Anyways, I'm pretty sure she already ran through a wall by know." She reassured me.

I wasn't convinced at all and continued walking towards the bedrooms. How can Rachel be so sure of this? Even if Cassie can walk through things, something could have gone terribly wrong.

We crossed the hallway towards the dorm and looked inside. The majority of the bunkbeds were toppled over signifying that the impact of the explosions reached all the way here. Smoke covered our view, only allowing us to see the shapes of furniture now completely ruined. I hesitantly take a step inside, hoping to get a better view. Rachel grabs my arm, signaling that I shouldn't get any closer. 

"If anyone were in hear, we would have already noticed," she says confidently.

"Let me just try to clear some of the smoke."

She nods, slowly letting go of my arm. I turn around, allowing my to concentrate on the task that needs to be done. I raise my hands, feeling cool air pass through them as it slowly travels towards the smoke blocking my view. I open my eyes still seeing nothing. I look back at Rachel, now convinced that Cassie must have already escaped. We start our way towards the doors quickly, not wanting more wood from the ceiling to fall and block our path.

"Is someone there? Please... Help me," someone moans out in agony. 

I look at Rachel knowing that she would go back with me. She doesn't look back at me, and I notice at that moment that she doesn't want to go back at all.

"Rachel?" I ask, afraid of what she'll answer.

She finally looks at me, nodding her head sadly. I head towards the voice, now knowing that Cassie is stuck. We find her on the ground, lying on her stomach. She has a few burns on her body and bleeding from her forehead. 'She look awful.' We pick her up by her shoulders, knowing we wouldn't be able to carry her completely. We ran through the door this time, with even more urgency of not wanting to get trapped. As soon as we're from a good distance from the school, we watch as the last canon come crashing down onto of the school, destroying what was left of the school.

Panicked girls are freaking out and panicking. No one knows what to do, some clutching each other as they look to what we considered our only home that could accept us. Staff look around for the injured while one of them calls the ambulance as well as the police. They soon take Cassie with them to the hospital, taking me and Rachel with them too. With everything that has just happened, I guess I entered into shock for I fainted on our way.