The X-Men meets Stranger Things in this coming-of-age tale.
I, Nadine Jackson, believe in science and opportunities, not stories out of a comic book.
So as part of a school project, my friends Imogen 'Aria' Zhang, Marco Martinez, James Ryder and I...
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Hearing the doorbell ring, Aria and I rushed downstairs, peeked through the door hole, and noticed James and Marco standing on my front doorstep.
Taking a closer look, I notice Marco's black Public Enemy #1 t-shirt and jeans are ridden with bullet holes.
Black gunpowder sprayed on his face, chest, and legs, but there aren't any entrance or exit wounds.
"Whoa, " Aria gasped. "James is right-Marco is bulletproof."
I couldn't agree with her more.
Inviting the boys inside, I wanted to test Aria's hypothesis. So I went over to Marco and pinched his right shoulder.
But instead of loosening flesh, Marco's skin seems to be made out of some kind of impenetrable metal.
I tried pinching Marco's shoulder once more, but my fingers couldn't gather or scratch his skin.
"So, how are you Nadine?" asked Marco, studying me closely.
Staring at his worn face, I notice he didn't wince at my pinches or scratches.
Speechless, I asked Marco: "You can't feel it?"
Marco casually shakes his head no. "Not really."
"How?"
"I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just can't feel any pain."
I stare at him in awe.
"What?" asked Marco, feeling creeped out.
"You survived a hailstorm of bullets!" I squeaked.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, how the fuck are you not surprised?"
Marco threw up his hands in annoyance.
"Well, what do you expect?" he cried. "It's not like I have experience. Anyways, I am going to crash in your living room."
My eyes followed my tired friend, who lazily kicked off his sneakers, and nestled himself one of the white couches.
James, who politely locked the door behind him, gave me a tired expression.
It seems like he replaced Dad's tank top and shorts with a denim jacket, a black t-shirt with the words Deus Ex Machina in bold white letters, dark blue jeans, and brown loafers.
As if he is reading my own thoughts, James says to me: "Look, Marco hasn't been himself since those cops showed up. It's better if we let him rest."
"Oh, " I said quietly. "Makes sense."
Nodding some more, James turns his head to find Aria when he spots her peeking through the front door.
Confused, he asked her if she was alright, to which Aria replied: "No."
