For Wattpad Contests: Contest #12 - Write about someone with superpowers. | 8,933 words

Nevaeh didn't like to be the sweet, innocent child that her parents considered her. She didn't like the white clean-cut shirts she had to wear to church every Sunday, nor did she like her short brown hair and those blue eyes that just screamed, "Aren't I so precious?" She especially didn't like all the church readings, every sin cleansing she had to go through, all the communions, and every single passage that included anything about Jesus hating gay people (even though she knew it was complete bullshit).

Instead, she preferred to be a rebel. She snuck out at night, she hung out with the friends who were supposedly possessed by demons, she went to pride parades when  she was supposed to be attending club meetings or other academic things, she did everything in her power to go against the norm and all of what her parents wanted her to be.

"Noah!" her mother called from downstairs.

Nevaeh especially didn't like her birth name.

"Coming, Mother!" she shouted. She pushed herself away from her desk, where she had been working on a piece of art to practice light and shading. She covered it with a different page of Christian-related doodles so nobody would question why she used so many pinks in her drawings. With heavy steps, she trudged down the stairs to meet her mother and siblings. The aroma of spaghetti wafted through the air, making her stomach growl. She looked at the table, wondering if she should sit at her usual spot or give herself some freedom.

"Can you help me set out the plates?" her mother asked. "Your father's arriving a bit late."

"Sure," Nevaeh replied. Her mother glared at her until she corrected herself, "Yes, ma'am." Her mother gave her an approving look and handed her plates and silverware. Nevaeh grabbed them and began setting the table. Her mother wiped her hands on her apron and moved into the living room to get Nevaeh's siblings. Upon the notice that dinner was ready, Trinity and the twins ran out to the dining room, chanting about food and subsequently slipping on the wood floor.

"I told you three not to run in the house!" their mother called from the hallway leading into the bedrooms.

"Sorry, Mother!" the three shouted back. They walked calmly over to the table, looking up at Nevaeh with wide eyes.

"How comes you get to help Mother with the plates?" Emmanuel babbled, his words still coming out in that weird toddler slur.

"Because I'm older," Nevaeh replied. "Mother just trusts me more not to break them."

"But we's old too!" Eve cried. "We can help with the table!"

"You're not very tall," Nevaeh pointed out, making sure she placed the silverware just the way her mother liked it.

"I'm tall!" Trinity objected, despite being barely over four feet. She was only eleven after all, though every time her age was brought up she pointed out that she was eleven and three quarters and therefore considered twelve years old.

"Alright, alright, I'm here." Their mother returned with their youngest brother, Gabriel, tucked in her arms. She hurried to the dining room and got him settled in his high chair before returning to the kitchen to serve the spaghetti and bread. However, before she was even to the stove, Gabriel began fussing.

"Remind me to never have children after this one," their mother mused, exasperated as she continued trying to get the food. Gabriel continued his tantrum, escalating it to crying and trying to push himself out of the chair. Luckily at that moment, their father burst in through the door.

"Something smells good!" he exclaimed. "What's cooking, darling?"

"Spaghetti!" their mother replied. "You're here just in time. Can you help with Gabriel for a second, honey?"

"Of course," their father said, already striding over to give Gabriel some affection. The other children, excluding Nevaeh, crowded around him, chanting his name. The twins tried to cling to his legs like always. Their father merely laughed and shooed them away so he could care for Gabriel. At that moment, their mother came in with the food and shoveled it onto everyone's plates. She went back to get baby food for Gabriel and tore off a small piece of bread for him as well, as she was trying to get him used to more solid food.

"All right," their mother sighed. "How was your day, Claus?"

"Same as usual," their father responded, putting his coat and hat on the coat rack by the front door. He kicked off his shoes as he asked, "How were the kids, Carol?"

The thing about Nevaeh's family was that they were hardcore Christians, like most of the small town here. However, they were so hardcore that everyone in their family had some sort of Christian-related name. The neighbors thought it was a cute idea. It made Nevaeh want to barf, even though the name she had chosen for herself still correlated with the theme.

"They were very good today," their mother praised, making the little kids' eyes shine.

"I see Noah finally came out of his shell of a room," their father remarked, going over to pat Nevaeh's head.

"Only because Mom called me down," Nevaeh replied honestly, getting a laugh out of her father.

"The table is ready, everyone," their mother announced. Trinity and the twins scrambled to get a spot at the table, trying to get as close to their father as possible. Nevaeh stifled a laugh as she made herself comfortable at the far end of the table, away from mostly everyone. Her mother sat across from her, within reach of Gabriel. The twins had sandwiched their father while Trinity sat across from them, next to Gabriel.

"Who's going to do the dinner prayers?" their father asked.

Their mother looked around the table a bit. "Noah," she said, "why don't you do the prayers tonight?"

"Uh, alright." Nevaeh shrugged, trying to think of something. "Dead- I mean dear! Dear, uh...Dear Lord, we thank you for the gracious gifts of food you have, um...bestowed upon us tonight. We are very grateful for you and all the things you give to us. Thank you for this wonderful evening and great...feast."

Her mother gave Nevaeh a glance.

"Oh! Uh, amen." Nevaeh bowed her head to finish it off. Her mother smiled at her, picking up her fork to show that they were allowed to eat now. The family immediately dug in, eager to fill their stomachs with delicious food. Nevaeh especially wanted to eat as much as she could, considering a special event she was planning tonight.

***

After all the plates had been cleaned and everyone had been sent to bed, Nevaeh looked out her window at the moonlight. She periodically checked her phone to look at the time, counting down the minutes to her special meeting. As soon as the clock hit eight thirty-three, she quietly pushed open her window and climbed out, taking only her phone and sketchbook. She used the nearby trees and vines to make a safe trip down, used to all the ridiculous climbing. Once she reached the ground, she took off towards an address she had saved on her phone. She shivered a bit, glad she put on a sweater on this cold autumn night. Finally, she arrived at the meeting spot.

It was merely an old garage and abandoned house tucked away in an alcove in the woods, but it was perfect for this band of outcasts. A fire was burning in the middle of it all, people gathered around it. She waved to them and ran over, eager to see them again after the long wait of the summer.

"Awesome, just two more to wait on," one of them, Robert, remarked as he checked off Nevaeh's name on the checklist.

"It's so good to see you again, Bobberino," Nevaeh remarked, sitting down on a chair near him.

"Hey, what about us?" a girl named Hayley exclaimed.

Nevaeh laughed. "It's great to see you all again, too," she corrected. "How were your summers?"

"Horrid," a blonde girl known as Gracie said. "I was sent off to one of those stupid Christian conservative camps because it's so fun!" She emphasized her sarcasm with exaggerated hand movements. "All my family talked about when they called me is whether or not I'm learning to get on the path of Christ and stop liking girls. Yeah, well, Satan seems pretty nice if he accepts those who like the same gender."

Hayley nodded, cuddling up to Gracie. "My summer wasn't very eventful," she commented, pulling her hoodie closer to her. "I just hung out with the sibs and my aunt. I haven't told her about me yet, but she seems accepting. If she's anything like my siblings, then I can trust her."

"All I did was play video games," a boy named Mayhew responded. "I'm trying to get the high score on all the old machines in the arcade. I've been stealing change from my parents to get as many tokens as I can to play them. Not to mention I had to do all those claw machines for these two suckers." He gestured to the two people sitting on either side of him.

"I paid for your dinner," the girl named Roisin remarked in her thick accent. "I think the prize was well-deserved."

"I have enough prizes waiting for you," Mayhew retorted, wiggling his eyebrows. Roisin laughed in response, while the boy on Mayhew's other side, known as Verrill, gave him a light shove.

"Don't be so lewd, Mayhew," he scolded.

"But I can never be perverted around my conservative parents," Mayhew whined. "I like being carefree with you two here."

Verrill sighed. "Alright, but only because I love you."

"Thank you sweetie." Mayhew gave him a kiss on the side of the head, making him giggle.

"I went to Ireland to see my relatives," Roisin said. "They're very sweet, but they don't really understand the concept of our open relationship." She giggled before adding, "Maybe if I make a diagram with potatoes, they'll get it."

Her comment got a laugh out of everyone present.

"I went hiking up in the mountains," Verrill explained. "It's so nice to be out among nature with just the stars above you. I befriended a few squirrels there, and even went traversing in the fog to see if I could collect some mushrooms."

"We get it, you vape," Robert quipped. Again, everyone present laughed, having fun with the old memories. "Your turn, Nevaeh."

"I really didn't do much over the summer," Nevaeh admitted. "I still haven't told my family that I'm a girl, either. I just babysat my siblings, helped out around the house, went to church, all that normal Christian stuff. I worked a lot on my sketches, though."

"You're really considering art, huh?" Mayhew remarked.

Nevaeh nodded. "I know I shouldn't be thinking about colleges this young, but I definitely want to get into an art school."

"Sorry I'm late!" a voice exclaimed from around the corner. A skinny and rather pale person stepped in, wearing a sweater twice their size. They immediately found a spot to sit down and cozied up near the fire, shivering violently. They put a hand to their face instinctively, trying to hide a bruise there that was easily seen in the light of the fire. None of them questioned it, though; they all knew why it was there.

"Hey, you can't just run off without me!" another voice yelled. The person it belonged to rounded the corner and came into the garage as well, settling themselves next to Gracie.

"Ski and Harper have arrived," Robert noted, getting his clipboard and checking them off. "The official fall meeting of the Alcove Club now begins." Robert stood up and manually closed down the garage door, trapping the heat of the fire inside and making this much more private for them. The group cheered happily, clapping and letting out whoops of excitement. Robert sat back down, clearing his throat.

"Tonight is a very special night," he announced. "Not just because it's the first fall meeting of this year after summer break, but also..." He looked over to Nevaeh. "A very special event will be taking place."

"Special event?" Ski echoed, wrapping a thick blanket around themselves.

"Yes." Robert nodded. "But before we get to that, I'm getting snacks and such for everyone. Who wants to help?"

"I volunteer!" Verrill immediately jumped at the chance to get out of the musty garage.

Gracie and Hayley looked at each other, trying to remember who had helped with the snacks last time. They agreed that Hayley had done so, so Gracie got up to help Robert.

"Make sure to get those banana chips Roisin likes," Mayhew reminded Verrill as he walked past.

"I'll remember," Verrill responded, going back to plant a kiss on Mayhew's head, then Roisin's. He then continued on into the abandoned house. Mayhew and Roisin glanced at each other, laughing even despite their blushing faces.

"I wish I could help out sometime," Ski lamented.

"I think it's best if you stay here by the fire for the cold months," Harper advised, moving over to sit by them.

"Ski gets cold really easily, huh?" Nevaeh mused.

Ski nodded. "You haven't known me for very long, so I guess you didn't know I have anemia," they replied. "It's like...my body doesn't produce enough red blood cells, and then I don't have essential nutrients because of it. It's what makes me so pale and skinny and frail and all that..."

"But you've been watching your diet, right?" Harper asked.

Ski hesitated, making Harper sigh in annoyance.

"You should be taking better care of yourself," Harper told them. "I know you don't like all the foods that are good for you, but you're just gonna get worse if you don't eat them. If you really need it, I could buy you some of those iron supplements or vitamins."

"That'd be nice, but I don't know if my parents would be very accepting of the idea," Ski said. "They already hate me because of how I was born, and they're too stubborn to accept help from anyone. They also think that just because they don't need help, that I don't need it either, so they never get me the stuff I do need..." They ran a hand through their hair.

Harper sighed, "I wish all of our parents could be more accepting."

Just then, Robert, Verrill, and Gracie returned with snacks and drinks. They handed them out to their respective owners, then settled down with their own. Ski had a bit of trouble trying to open their drink. Harper noticed and opened it for them, then went ahead and opened their bag of chips as well.

"I think you're the only person here who actually likes those kettle-cooked chips or whatever," Hayley remarked.

Ski giggled. "They just taste better. I like freeze-dried fruits too."

Everyone made mock faces of disgust to make Ski laugh harder.

"Alright, now that we've got our food, I have to announce this special event," Robert began. "The Alcove Club has gone through quite a bit in the past several months, and it has been almost two years since it has started. Now, I'm sure you all know I'm a tattoo artist over at The Ink Blot. Because of this, a certain girl has come to me with a request..."

He looked over at Nevaeh and winked.

"As a part of a new initiation process, Nevaeh is going to get a tattoo," Robert finished.

Everyone whooped and cheered, with surprise or joy spreading across their faces. Hayley looked at Nevaeh in disbelief.

"Won't your parents kill you if they knew you ever did that?" she asked.

"I'm gonna get it on my shoulder so they can never see it," Nevaeh explained.

"I never thought you'd have the balls to do that!" Verrill exclaimed. He suddenly realized what his words could be interpreted as and his face grew red. He shrunk back in his seat as he mumbled explanations and apologies.

"It's fine." Nevaeh shrugged it off. She was used to those comments, and she knew Verrill didn't mean it in any harmful way.

"So, what will this tattoo be?" Roisin inquired.

"Well, I had two ideas." Nevaeh opened her sketchbook, getting to the page that she had been drawing in earlier. She picked it up to show her doodles to everyone. "This one is a bunch of shooting stars - pink to represent me a little better - while this one is a bluish comet with a bunch of glitter on it. I feel like I'm as far out as space, and the color choices are kinda obvious." She handed her sketchbook to Robert so he could get an idea of what he should make for the tattoo.

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment. "Okay, I've got a few things in mind." He stood up and got his own supplies from his desk, scribbling down his ideas. He returned with a few sketches, giving them to Nevaeh. She looked them over, mulling over her decisions carefully. Finally, she pointed to the bottom one, depicting a comet sailing across space with a few shooting stars trailing behind it. The colors were taken directly from the transgender pride flag, and there was glitter scattered around to make it seem even more like a galaxy.

"I want this one," she said. Robert nodded and went over to the wall, grabbing a fold-out table. Nevaeh stood up, unsure of what to do.

"Where on your shoulder do you want it?" Robert asked, folding out the table.

"About right here." Nevaeh pointed to her left shoulder, at the area where her chest met her arm.

"I can work with that, but you're gonna need to take your shirt off."

Nevaeh looked awkwardly at the other people present, who were still munching on their snacks. A chill ran down her spine, and not from the cold. "In front of all of them?" she questioned quietly.

"I know you hate being shirtless even in front of yourself, but I kinda need you to be shirtless if I'm gonna give you this tattoo," Robert explained. "You're gonna be behind all of them, if that makes you feel any better. They're not gonna stare at you the whole time."

Nevaeh relaxed slightly. She strode over to the table where Robert was waiting, then hesitantly took off her sweater. She wrapped it around her waist, grateful that there was a fire here to keep her warm. Robert patted the table, gesturing for Nevaeh to lay on it. She did so, waiting for Robert to get all his tools.

"I didn't know this club has been here for so long," Ski remarked.

"You and Harper came in rather late," Roisin commented. "It was...around winter last school year, correct?"

Hayley nodded. "Yep. We started the club back near the end of winter in middle school," she explained. "It was just me and Robert then. During Christmas break, I met Gracie, and after finding out she went to our school, we made pretty good friends. Once I found out she was a lesbian too, I invited her to the club, and we've been together pretty much ever since."

"And then I came around in February or March," Nevaeh continued. "Granted, I still wasn't sure what my identity was, but- Gah!" She squeaked as Robert started the tattoo. "You could've warned me!"

"Sorry," Robert muttered. "I forgot you're not a regular client. It won't be too bad after this, I promise."

"Anyways..." Nevaeh rolled her eyes. "I was still struggling with who I was, so I didn't officially join the club until June, when I was certain that I was a girl and picked out a name and everything."

"And then we graduated to high school," Mayhew continued, "and I met you guys."

"Yeah, because you spilled your milk all over me," Hayley reminded.

"Hey, it's not my fault Peter was trying to show off his tackling skills while I happened to be trying to throw my trash away and you were also there," Mayhew objected. "I said sorry like a thousand times and even offered to buy you a new shirt."

"Is that what you do to get all the girls?" Roisin teased.

Mayhew stuck his tongue out at her. Roisin merely pulled him down to give him a peck on the cheek. He blushed, touching his face.

"A-Anyways," he stuttered, "I joined the Alcove Club soon after, and then Gracie introduced me to Verrill."

"I hate using clichés, but I'm certain that it was love at first sight," Verrill remarked. "Your eyes were so wide and I could see the blush on your face from a mile away."

"You're embarrassing me," Mayhew whined.

"I think what's more embarrassing is what happened with you two later," Roisin commented.

"You don't need to blurt out the story to everyone," Mayhew mumbled.

"But it's beautiful," Verrill argued. "And none of them know how you actually confessed."

"How is slamming into your locker, screaming that I love you, then running away a beautiful thing?" Mayhew exclaimed.

"Because you made up for it later in the cutest way possible," Verrill told him.

"All I did was trade you a Luvdisc named after you," Mayhew said.

"But it showed your adoration and care for me," Verrill retorted. "Even the smallest things can have big impacts."

"Yep," Hayley agreed. "After all, I saw you two kiss at the bus stop and then you joined the club right after. If it weren't for all that, I don't know if this club would have had so many members, or you two would've found accepting friends and love."

"And I would have never came into the picture," Roisin added. "I transferred around October and met all of you soon after."

"I remember Mayhew's eyes were bulging out of his head at your beauty," Verrill said.

"Hey, as I recall," Mayhew chimed in, "you were the first one to talk about her physique and all the possible things it could mean."

"I was excited because I thought I could have a new hiking buddy," Verrill explained.

"You're still an outdoor nerd." Mayhew pushed his finger into Verrill's nose, pushing him away slightly. Verrill shook his head, then shifted his position so he could lay into Mayhew as much as he could. Roisin laughed, also getting a bit closer to Mayhew.

"I found it very entertaining how much you two tried to impress me," Roisin remarked. "You wanted to know everything about me and in turn show off every good aspect of yourselves. I will admit I was impressed, but it was very obvious that you two had a thing for me so I had to just laugh it off. I thought you were in some sort of contest to figure out who could get the girl faster."

"Little did you know we were actually a couple," Verrill added, "and it was extremely difficult for us to try and figure out our feelings and how to work it out."

"That was when we questioned the idea of open relationships in theology," Mayhew continued. "And when that topic came up, Verrill and I looked at each other from across the class and it immediately clicked as to how we could solve this."

"We helped you two bring it up to Roisin," Robert said. "After all, you needed some people who were a bit more experienced and could explain the club well."

"I was a bit doubtful of the idea at first," Roisin admitted. "It was new to me, so I needed time to think it out. But after mulling it over, I decided that it could be a nice experience. I think it's one of the best decisions I've ever made." She cuddled up closer to Mayhew, making him blush profusely.

"It was a bit awkward for you, though," Verrill pointed out. "You were the only straight person in the club."

Roisin nodded. "And if I'm not mistaken, I still am."

Nevaeh raised her arm, waving it around. "Hey, just because I was born a boy doesn't disqualify me from the straight club."

"So we have two heterosexual women here," Gracie remarked. "Seems the only girls here are gay or straight, no in between."

She received a few chuckles from her comment. Nevaeh propped up her head on her arm, still keeping the other still while Robert worked on it.

"Hey, question," she said. "Verrill, Mayhew, and Roisin - who's your favorite?"

"What do you mean?" Roisin asked.

"Like, out of the other two who are in your relationship, who do you prefer?" Nevaeh explained.

"You're gonna make me choose?" Mayhew was in disbelief. Verrill and Roisin looked up at him with awe, then melted from affection.

"I swear, I fall more and more in love with you every day," Verrill whispered.

"Pre~dictable!" Nevaeh sang as poor Mayhew slunk down in his seat while he was being suffocated in affection by his partners.

"So you were all just in the club doing whatever until we came along?" Ski inquired.

Hayley nodded. "We were doing our regular meetings, getting by in school, all that stuff. I was already kinda familiar with Harper since we had a class together, but they came to me after a while and asked what extracurriculars I had. I just started listing off all the stuff I did, when I accidentally talked about the alcove club. I tried to pass it off as nothing, but Harper asked more about it so I couldn't not explain it."

"You don't know how relieved I was to have a group of people who could understand me and my identity," Harper remarked. "My parents were so pressured on me when I came out, explaining that I had to some sort of mental condition that made me believe I was nonbinary. It was even worse when they told me that they'd force me into having a child if I didn't give up the "act" of being asexual. They're still threatening me with arranged marriages."

"I didn't think it would get that bad," Verrill commented.

"Well, it did." Harper sighed. "Anyway, I joined the club immediately, and then I happened to mention Ski."

"I got really interested, because I love having more people in this place of acceptance," Hayley said. "So you talked about how Ski was genderqueer, and they had trouble in school because of their anemia, which would hinder their physical ability and reduce their eating stuff and I was just so determined to get this little nonbinary pal into the group."

Ski giggled. "I remember Harper introduced you to me at lunch. You looked kinda scared at how pale and skinny I was."

"I did feel a bit afraid," Hayley admitted. "You looked like you were trying to recover from anorexia, or like you had gotten bit by a vampire. Either way, you looked so frail and nervous and I wanted to do everything to help."

"You've helped me a lot just by accepting me," Ski confessed.

"Aww, shucks." Hayley smiled, waving her hand as if it wasn't important.

"Hey, Ski, I wanted to ask you something if it's not too personal," Nevaeh said. After getting an approving nod from Ski, she continued, "So what's your sexuality? I mean, we kinda know who everyone here likes..."

"Yeah," Gracie agreed. "Hayley and I are huge lesbians, Nevaeh and Roisin are straight as rulers, Bobbert is so gay that he can't even see straight, both Mayhew and Verrill are bi babes, and Harper is the detective ace on the case. But we know practically nothing about you."

"How the hell did you come up with all that on the spot?" Verrill asked, awed.

Gracie shrugged. "I'm just good with literature, I guess. But that's beside the point. Do you know who you like, Ski?"

"Well..." They picked at the hem of their sweater. "I-I don't really know? I've never had my eyes set on anyone, I'm more worried about myself, really..." They averted their gaze.

"Sounds to me like you're ace," Harper commented. "Or at least somewhere on that spectrum."

"I guess." Ski shrugged their shoulders. "But it's not that I'm not interested in sex, it's more like...I don't think I could ever do it."

"I understand that," Harper said. "Your anemia would probably make you pass out before you could even get going."

Ski's face turned red. "Well, y-yeah, but there's more reasons..." They scratched their neck nervously. "I'll tell you about it sometime when there's not the sound of that tattoo machine drowning out everything we say..."

"Don't worry," Robert dismissed. "I'm just about done...and there!" He shut off the tattoo pen and looked proudly at his work. "I think this is the best one I've done yet."

"Can I see it?" Nevaeh sat up as Robert went to find a mirror.

"I will warn you, it's gonna sting for a few days," Robert warned, getting out said mirror. "Your shoulder's gonna feel pretty sore, and the skin there will be kinda red." He held up the large mirror in front of Nevaeh. "What do you think?"

"Whoa." Nevaeh turned this way and that, trying to see the tattoo from every angle. "It looks so good! I'm so excited about this."

Robert smiled, putting the mirror away. "Do you mind if the others come look at it?"

"Not at all!" Nevaeh waved them over. They gathered around, looking at the tattoo in awe. It looked like the comet and shooting stars were gliding across her body, from her shoulder to her chest. The pastel colors made it look soft and less visible, but that aspect made it even better, since it appeared she was born with the galaxy on her skin.

"It looks like something you'd see on a god from a mythology book," Harper remarked.

Verrill coughed, "Like the Bible." Everyone burst into laughter, even those among the group who were actually Christians.

"But seriously, that thing looks like it'd give you space-bending powers or whatever," Gracie said.

"If I get into game design, I'm definitely making a game about that," Mayhew commented, almost to himself. "Tattoos that give you magical powers. Could you imagine?"

The group members nodded in agreement. They all thought it would be a ridiculous idea, but awesome if it could actually happen. Robert checked his phone for the time.

"It's getting late, everyone," he announced. "We should get home and get some sleep. After all, we want to have a lot of meetings to catch up on everything before school starts."

Everyone booed in disappointment, but knew they had to go home. Gracie and Hayley shared a tender kiss before parting ways to get home. Ski and Harper walked together, since their houses were close. Mayhew, Verrill, and Roisin hugged each other, sharing a long and comforting goodbye as if they would never see each other again before leaving. Nevaeh gave Robert a hug and wave goodbye as she ran off through the woods and got back home. She climbed up to her window from the tree in the yard and quickly removed all evidence that she had ever snuck out. Afterwards, she settled in her bed with her sketchbook, doodling by the light of the lamp next to her.

The tattoo on her shoulder was starting to bother her now. She was constantly aware of its presence by its stinging and itching. She wanted to pick at it or do something to make it act like skin, but she knew that would ruin it, so she refrained. She kept shifting her position, trying to find something that would make her shoulder as relaxed as possible. Eventually she gave up on trying to draw what with all the pain, groaning as she put her sketchbook away and turned off her lamp. She cuddled her pillow, ready to fall asleep.

However, when Nevaeh closed her eyes, she noticed that the colors dancing across her eyelids were in star shapes. She frowned, wondering what that was all about. She opened her eyes, noticing nothing strange in her room that could be doing that.

Until she saw a few sparks fly from her lamp.

She jolted up in bed, wondering if that was just her imagination. She looked closer, noticing a few more sparks dance along in the air. No, that was definitely not her seeing things. This was real. She shook her head, hoping it wasn't a serious problem, especially because she liked that lamp. Instead of worrying about it, she laid back down in bed, turning her back to the lamp. But she was still faintly aware of the sparks' presence, hearing them buzz and seeing their faint light through her thin eyelids - as if the sparks were nearly-invisible fireflies.

Nevaeh sighed through her nose, opening her eyes to watch all the little bolts of electricity fly around in the air. It was entertaining, to say the least. She reached out her hand from under the blankets and used a single finger to touch one.

As soon as she did so, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, and light appeared behind her. She immediately turned and gasped.

Her lamp was on.

She stared at the switch, angry that it was a press switch with no indication as to whether it should be off or not. She pressed the switch to turn it off, then scooted to the other end of her bed to get as far away from the lamp as she could. She laid down, shutting her eyes tightly and holding onto her pillow as if it would protect her.

***

Throughout the course of the following day, Nevaeh continued to find strange happenings. She could see little sparks emitting from every lightbulb in the house. She even tested their flashlights. All of them had those strange bolts of electricity. Every time she touched a little spark, the lightbulb would turn on or off depending on its previous state. She also noticed that her family was acting strange.

Sometime during the afternoon, Nevaeh was sat by a lamp with her nose deep in a book. Her mother, carrying little Gabriel, looked weary as she tried to soothe him. She settled herself on the couch near the lamp, trying to relax. Gabriel, who was crying, suddenly started calming down. Her mother smiled, getting up to put him to bed. However, as soon as she got up, Gabriel started fussing again. She frowned, flopping back on the couch. Gabriel immediately calmed down, smiling as his mother bounced him around.

"I love when my children are happy," Nevaeh's mother mused. "This is such a nice lamp, don't you think?"

Nevaeh blinked a few times, dumbfounded at her mother's sudden interest towards the lamp. "Yeah, I guess it fits with the room pretty well."

"I think it really completes the house," her mother continued. "We made a great decision getting it."

Right then, Eve ran into the living room with her twin on her tail, holding one of Emmanuel's stuffed toys. She ran around the table, making her brother chase after her to try and get his toy back.

"Give Mister Fluffington back!" Emmanuel shouted.

"No!" Eve yelled. She jumped onto the couch, cradling the stuffed animal in her arms. Emmanuel climbed up next to her, looking somehow entranced. They stared at the stuffed bunny for a few more seconds, before Eve gave it back to Emmanuel. Nevaeh stared at them having fun with the toy.

She knew this was not a normal circumstance. Her mother was hardly ever happy, not even caring if Gabriel had calmed down since she knew he would fuss again sometime. The twins were always fighting, and her mother never cared enough to try and stop them. How could this change as soon as they sat on that couch?

Nevaeh, weirded out by the situation, mumbled that she was going to read upstairs. She got up and headed towards her room. However, as she did so, she was faintly aware of the sounds of Gabriel crying again and the twins bickering over the toy.

By the time evening had come, Nevaeh had tried out her weird electricity powers more. She played around with the sparks, making her lamp turn on and off and on again. She discovered that she could even turn on her phone with the sparks. Checking the time, she decided she should get going to the meeting. She made sure her door was locked and grabbed her phone and sketchbook, then opened her window. However, she looked back up at the light on her ceiling. Electricity was buzzing around it. She felt drawn to it, and she headed back to the middle of the room.

Nevaeh looked up at the all the sparks surrounding her ceiling fan. They danced along in the slight breeze, dropping down towards her and streaking across her room like shooting stars. Her shoulder started giving her a hard time, as it always did when she was around these sparks. However, the discomfort was stronger than normal. She used her hand to massage it a bit, looking down at her arm. Her eyes widened as she noticed her veins showing strongly against her skin, making weird patterns as if she had been struck by lightning. She stared back up at the sparks.

Entranced by all of the electricity and too bothered by her shoulder, Nevaeh reached up her arm. She opened her hand, then closed it around a handful of sparks. Electricity shot through her, sending relief to her shoulder but tensing every other muscle in her body. The house shook and the light went out. Judging by the darkness throughout the rest of the house and the screaming of her family members, all of the lights had gone out. She opened her hand, watching the sparks fly, though they still stayed in that area of her hand. They lit her up, making her hand and, as she noticed now, veins and tattoo glow. Anxiety running through her, she ran over to the window and climbed out, running to the abandoned house as quickly as she could.

When she arrived at the house, Nevaeh noticed smoke billowing from the side. As she calmly walked over, she hugged herself out of anxiety and the cold seeping into her skin. Once she got closer, she was able to see Verrill in the smoke, blowing water vapor from his mouth. He gave her a blank look, but raised his hand in a greeting anyway. She forced a smile, closing her fists tighter to make sure she wasn't still glowing. However, Verrill was able to notice something was off.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, concern touching his voice.

"I just...I'm...I don't know!" Nevaeh suddenly shouted, all of the frustration from today finally catching up to her. Verrill flinched, his eyes widening. He put away his vape pen and patted her shoulder comfortingly, leading her into the garage where the others waited. They all looked just as surprised.

"What took you so long?" Harper questioned.

"Are you alright?" Robert inquired, getting up to check on her. Verrill sidled away, sitting between Mayhew and Roisin.

"I don't know what's going on," Nevaeh's voice cracked, "and I'm so scared. What the hell did you put in that damn tattoo?"

"It was all just ink," Robert said. "Same as I do with the rest of them. Is it hurting you too badly? I told you it would-"

"That's not what's going on." Nevaeh shook her head. "It's like...there's these things and I...hold on." She ran over and shut down the garage, closing everything off. "Put out the fire, and I'll turn off the lights."

"Why?" Ski questioned, shivering a bit.

"This is the only way I can show you what's happening," Nevaeh explained. "Please."

Robert nodded, grabbing a tin of water to put out the fire. Nevaeh walked over to the light switch, putting her finger on it and waiting impatiently. Once the fire was gone and Robert had sat down again, she turned off the lights, plunging the garage into complete darkness. She stumbled around the chairs, finding a position near the middle so she could stand directly under the light.

"I can't see anything," Mayhew stated. "How is this supposed to show us what's going on?"

"Just watch," Nevaeh said. She took a deep breath and unclenched her fist, releasing the sparks. Everyone's eyes widened as they noticed her veins glowing, all leading to where her tattoo was covered by her shirt. The sparks flew into the air, eventually reaching the light. Nevaeh felt a slight shock as the sparks turned the light back on. Everyone looked up in shock as light filled the garage again as if by magic.

"How did you...?" Verrill wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"I don't know." Nevaeh shook her head. "I didn't have these weird powers until I got this tattoo and I don't know what's going on and it's making everything difficult and- and..." Nevaeh burst into tears, rubbing at her eyes to try and make them go away. She continued trying to explain her feelings, but failed miserably. Robert stood up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Robert soothed. "I don't know what's going on either, but it surely can't be bad. We're going to work through this, okay?"

Nevaeh sniffed. "O-Okay," she sobbed.

Robert patted her shoulder. "Let's try to explain what's going on. Maybe we can figure out what this is all about and why it's happening. Heck, it may even take a few days to work things through. But no matter what, we'll find out."

Nevaeh nodded. Robert led her over to a seat, letting her settle down so she could be in a state to tell the story.

"So it all started last night, when I got home," Nevaeh began. "My shoulder was really hurting me, so I laid down to try and make it better. But when I closed my eyes, I noticed these weird star shapes, so I looked over and saw sparks coming from my lamp. I didn't really think anything of it until I touched one. This shock ran through me, and suddenly my lamp was on and my shoulder felt better. I was really scared, so I just turned the lamp back off and went to bed.

"Today, as I went about the house, I noticed I could do this with every light source. It got even weirder when I was sitting near this lamp, and suddenly it gave everyone a positive energy. Like my baby brother Gabe started laughing near it, my mom kept talking about how the lamp was a good fit for the house, and my twin siblings stopped fighting over a toy when they got near that lamp. But once I went upstairs, everything turned to chaos again. Gabe was crying, the twins were fighting, and I'm sure my mother was pulling her hair out.

"Once it was about time for me to leave for the meeting, I was suddenly drawn towards the light in my room. I saw all those sparks again, and my veins were a lot more noticeable against my skin and making these weird patterns. I reached out and grabbed a handful of those sparks, and the house shook and suddenly every single light was out. But because I had those sparks, my veins and the tattoo were glowing. I kept all those sparks in my hand and used them to turn this light back on. I bet with enough force, I could light the fire back up."

"Try it," Hayley challenged.

Nevaeh stared at the still-smoldering wood. She opened her fist again, letting the sparks fly wild. However, no matter how close she got to the logs, she couldn't make them alight with fire.

"Guess it's only for electricity and positive vibes," Gracie remarked.

"It'll be good for power outages," Roisin joked.

"And Mayhew's fever dreams of creating video games," Verrill chimed in.

Meanwhile, Mayhew was only proving his point by jotting down notes of what Nevaeh had described and what he had seen. He looked up at the sound of his name, grumbling about how his future career was not a fever dream. Verrill patted his arm, assuring that he was just joking.

"So we've figured out what it's doing to you," Robert stated, "and the cause is that tattoo. But why would it happen? And how?"

"Who knows, maybe I'll get answers from that God everyone in this neighborhood believes in," Nevaeh responded.

"I'd say that experience would be a fever dream," Gracie said. As per usual, her comment got a laugh out of everyone present.

The meeting continued on as usual, nobody really wanting to talk about the strange powers anymore. They talked about nothing and everything, mostly about their futures, worries for school, family problems, and even the deeper questions of reality. It was second nature to them to discuss everything they could think about. It was fun to them. However, the fun couldn't last forever, and they had to leave for the night. They began their regular ritual of saying goodbye until the next meeting; Ski and Harper left first before their families noticed their absence, Gracie and Hayley spent several minutes trying to decide who should say goodbye first, and the others hugged before leaving.

Tonight, though, Verrill quickly pulled Nevaeh aside.

"Be careful out there, okay?" Verrill sounded concerned. "I don't know why, but I just have weird feelings about this whole random superpowers thing. It might be me and I'm worrying you for no reason, but I figured you would want to know."

"Oh, Verrill, always so honest." Nevaeh mocked a swoon.

Verrill laughed. "I mean it, though. You never know what's lurking in wait for you."

"Trying to find other girls you can kiss behind my back, hmm?" Roisin stepped up, resting her elbow on Verrill's shoulder. Looking at them now, the two were nearly the same height.

"Of course not, dearie," Verrill giggled, planting a kiss on Roisin's cheek. Nevaeh laughed, knowing this was a regular joke between the two of them. Mayhew walked up to them at that moment, looking amused.

"Alright, you two, let's get out of here," he said, wrapping his arms around the both of them.

"But I like staying with you," Verrill whined, cuddling up to him.

"I know, I know." Mayhew hushed him as they exited the garage to head home. They waved to Robert and Nevaeh, who waved back.

"So, uh..." Robert scratched the back of his neck. "Good luck out there."

Nevaeh nodded. "You too." With that, she left the garage and went back home. When she climbed back through the window, she noticed her lights were still off. She assumed that her family had gone back to bed without any worry; after all it was already bedtime, a power outage would fix itself by the morning. She sighed through her nose and got into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

However, when Nevaeh opened her eyes, she knew something was amiss.

Nevaeh found herself in a completely bluish white world, devoid of anything but herself. She stood up, looking around for some sort of answer or anything that could possibly exist there.

"Hello?" she called to the emptiness.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the world split open, and a figure walked towards her. She flinched, looking up in awe at the person. They had a feminine figure, with a dress that trailed across the ground. She had the galaxy on her skin and black holes for eyes. Her clothes were strung together by the fabric of time and space. Her hair was composed of nebulas, an explosion of stardust and smattering of galactic bodies. Around her head was a halo of the solar system, and she wore the rings of Saturn on her fingers and neck. Nevaeh could only blink, taken aback by this figure's beauty. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

The person chuckled. "You must be Nevaeh."

"H-How do you know my name?" Nevaeh stammered.

"You are familiar with me," the person answered, "though I am not familiar with you. I was called to you by the stars on your skin."

"You mean my tattoo?" Nevaeh pulled down her shirt collar a little to reveal some of it.

The figure nodded. "Why did you choose to receive this tattoo?"

"Well..." Nevaeh thought for a moment. "I wanted to do something special for our club, since I've known Bobby for a long time and I knew he was a tattoo artist. I wanted these nightly sneak outs to mean more than just a place to talk about...y'know, things and stuff and stuff and things. I wanted a little piece of it with me all the time, since it means so much to me."

The figure nodded thoughtfully. "Why did you choose that design?"

"What I've always thought is that existence is made of the universe," Nevaeh began. "After all, we sorta popped out of nowhere from stars, right? That means we're all made of celestial objects. We talk about our existence and acceptance a lot in the club, and since a piece of that is the galaxy, I thought it would be fitting for me. Plus, I like space, and the colors are a perfect aesthetic for the LGBT alliance."

"That's a very beautiful explanation," the figure complimented. "Acceptance must mean very much to you."

Nevaeh nodded, a goofy smile on her face. "Of course it does! Who doesn't want to be accepted by their family and friends?"

"Everyone wants a chance to be accepted," the person agreed. "But you are forgetting that not everyone who you believe is accepted actually is."

Nevaeh tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Do you believe anyone who is not of the LGBT+ community is accepted?" the person asked.

"Well, obviously," Nevaeh scoffed. "They have all the rights and we're getting ours taken away."

"What about a cis, straight, black man?" the person questioned. "Are they not oppressed?"

"Well...I guess?" Nevaeh shrugged. "I don't think I'm really one to judge their oppression considering I'm white."

"That is exactly the problem," the figure explained. "People such as you like to believe that anyone outside of their range is not their business to help, listen to, or even consider a part of humanity. Is that not what you are fighting against?"

Nevaeh blinked a few times. "I never thought of it that way."

The figure straightened. "That is why I am here to help. There are other people outside of your range that are not accepted in their own homes, or fighting for their lives. You cannot save them all, but you can save a few. Helping one person creates a chain of all this right in the world. You can do so."

"How?" Nevaeh asked.

"With your new powers." The figure raised a hand to gesture to Nevaeh's tattoo. "You own the light. You can give these people hope, when they find themselves hopeless. You can show the unacceptable the path of acceptance. When you start your new school year, you will see old and new faces. Many of them will need your help. But you will not be alone."

"I get the help of the rest of the club?" Nevaeh finished.

The person smiled, nodding. "You must convince them to get tattoos as well, as that is what gives them their powers. And the people you help must get them as well. With these powers, you are able to astral project - going into their dreams and defeating the demons that plague them each day and night. You will shine away the darkness."

Nevaeh's eyes widened, sparkling. "I get to use all these powers to help people, whether they're like me or not! I'm so ready!"

"Wait just a moment." The figure placed their hand out. "There will be more challenges than you think. You are still human, and there are still dangers to this task. Some you will need to defeat with the powers of others. Some demons are the same as you. Those who are akin to you can sometimes be your greatest enemy, and you will find your greatest ally in someone unexpected. Never let appearances fool you. You must use your own reason to figure out who is trustworthy and who is not. You must be careful, or you will lose your entire existence."

"What?" Nevaeh's eyes widened, this time from shock. "Wait, explain a little bit more, please."

"You need your rest for the coming weeks," the figure explained. "I must leave you."

"Wait, no, can I have a tutorial or something?" Nevaeh pleaded. "How am I supposed to begin all this?"

"You will have a test coming soon," the person said, backing up and fading away. "Now sleep, my child. Your worries will ignore you."

Nevaeh's mind descended into blackness, and she was once again fully asleep. However, her subconscious remembered everything. She knew why she had these powers. She knew what she had to do with them. She knew her fate.

This was her destiny.