CHAPTER 27

"…it's a little strange to be asking about this now, but let me think. Hmmm. I remember Older Brother, Younger Brother was one of your favorites. And you always wanted to read The Princess and the Beggar. And of course there was…"

"Halmi," Sumin interrupted. "I know all those ones. But I was wondering more about the myths rather than the folk tales."

"The myths?" their grandmother questioned. "Why are you so curious about this all of sudden anyway?"

"School project," Sumin replied smoothly, having already crafted a lie. "It is on our cultural background and stories."

"Well, I don't see why you can't go with those two. They are great stories with timeless messages about right and wrong as well as feminism which still translates to…"

"Yes, Halmi, I know. But…there is just one story that I almost remember that I wish to focus on," Sumin explained. They had hoped this would be easier but their grandmother was one of the smartest and keenest people they knew.

"Almost remember? Jubang, you have the best memory in anyone I have ever met. How could you have forgotten something?"

Sumin winced. That might have been a mistake. "Well, you told me many stories when I was young and it may have gotten lost among all the others."

"Hmmm. Oh very well. What do you remember of this so great story?"

She was also a bit on the sarcastic side.

"Spiritual energy," Sumin said. "I remember a story where this…being had the ability to create objects out of light itself. It stuck with me and I was wondering if you could help me remember."

Of course, Sumin didn't really know if there was such a story. They hoped so as that might provide some sort of clue, or maybe just the beginnings of a clue, as to what was happening to them. And given their inability to locate Travis today, they had to try something.

So, as soon as school had ended, they had called their grandmother to ask her. Unfortunately, she had gone out for the day so they'd had to wait a little while which, given the immense time difference, meant the next day for them and later in the day for her. She lived in the city of Pohang in South Korea alongside Sumin's cousins ever since her husband, Sumin's grandfather, died.

It was only after a few seconds that they noticed how quiet the line had gone. If there was one thing any of their family could say about their grandmother, it was that she was never quiet.

"Jubang," it finally came, as little more than a whisper. "Where did this come from?"

Sumin was confused by her response. If there was no such story, then she would just say so. But she was acting…like Sumin had said something dangerous. Did she know…?

"Halmi, I saw it in a dream," they told her, hoping she wouldn't see through their lie. "But I remember it so vividly that I thought it must have come from one of your stories. So many of them have leaked into my dreams over the years."

"There are many legends and tales of spiritual beings possessing great power," their grandmother said after another thirty seconds of silence. "But none quite like you've described."

Sumin sighed in disappointment. It seemed this was a dead end after all. "Very well. Thank you, Halmi. Tell my cousins I miss them."

"Wait, Jubang."

Sumin blinked, not ready for the somber tone in their grandmother's voice. "Yes?"

"Is everything…ok?"

Sumin blinked again, finding themself more and more confused. "Yes. Why?"

"Did…anything happen recently? Because, you can tell me anything."

Sumin froze. Did she know? Was that why she was asking? Why she was acting so strangely? Was it something that existed in their family? If so, why hadn't they known about it?

"I know, Halmi. It's…" They paused, wondering if they should tell her. They didn't really know if she knew. It might seem like it, but maybe she was just concerned. And if they told her what was really going on, she might just grow more concerned. They couldn't risk it right now.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," they assured her.

There was another pause before, "ok. Well, I'll try to dig up what I can for your project."

"Oh, thank you," Sumin replied. They were certain now that that wouldn't help, but they didn't think it would hurt either. Plus, one never knew what might come in handy. Perhaps they would find something in those stories.

"And how is Althea doing?"

Sumin sighed, the pain hitting just as fresh as always. "The same, I'm afraid. She has made no signs of recovery."

"Well, as long as she shows no signs of deterioration, then I'll take it. My granddaughter is a strong soul. She'll pull through this, just as we all will."

Sumin smiled. Somehow, their grandmother, always managed to make them feel better, even in the darkest of situations. She had stayed with them for a while after the accident, helping around the house and cooking the food while Sumin's parents worked extra to afford the medical bills. Her aid had been invaluable. Sumin knew their parents sorely missed her presence but they also knew their cousins needed her just as much. They didn't fully know why, they didn't talk to their cousins too much. All they knew was that there was something going on with them that was never really talked about.

"All my love, Jubang." Jubang, meaning kitten. After Sumin had come out, their grandmother had changed their nickname to that as Sumin had always loved playing with her cats that she had one day said they were just another one of her kittens.

"All my love, Halmi," Sumin replied before ending the call.

Well, that hadn't gone the way they had wanted. But at least they could cross something off their list. They didn't really think it would pan out anyway. They firmly believed that whatever was happening to them was rooted in a scientific explanation, as everything was. They just needed to make sure of it first. Still, they weren't completely lying about the story. While they knew for a fact that their grandmother had never shared any stories about this strange power of theirs, as they had talked, they had felt a strange feeling in the depths of their memory. Like, this power was brushing against something there. They just had no clue what. It was a strange feeling as their memory had always been immaculate.

Perhaps it was their grandfather. They didn't know much about him, he had died when they were very young. They had some memories of him but that was the time when their memories were only beginning to take root so they didn't have too many of them. So, it was possible that he might have told them stories. Possibly.

But still, it didn't seem likely that this power came from a story or something like that. No, this came from something else. And they would find out by following their next clue.

It was time to learn all that Gabriela Fuentes knew about this.

"And…now."

Gabriela pushed the strange energy into her hands and they lit up, an ethereal glow permeating the room. It was hard to tell what kind of color the glow was. It seemed almost white but on closer inspection, it was like all the colors of the rainbow fused into one. However, Gabriela couldn't help but notice that the edge of the light seemed a bit more orange.

"And…stop."

The light slowly faded as she pulled back. It was a little easier now as before she really had to force herself to pull back. Which was good because she seriously could not have another incident like yesterday's. One destroyed bathroom was enough for her, thanks.

While the situation had not gone as badly as she thought, that didn't mean it wasn't terrible. She knew the faculty was in a bit of an uproar, trying to find out how it had happened. Thankfully, they currently did not think it was a student seeing as the hole looked like something a ray gun would make. But she was still sure that suspicions were raised and she could definitely not have any sort of attention on her. And if she started glowing again, well she was done for.

As much as she wanted to control her emotions, she was aware she was a teenage girl at the peak of hormone craziness. Trying to control her emotions now would be next to impossible. So, the next best thing she could do was control this new power of hers enough so that she didn't create another tunnel to the center of the earth.

Her analytic brain was going into overdrive, trying to figure out how it worked. She had first thought that it was a strange form of photosynthesis, that her body was converting sunlight into this new energy. But that hadn't panned out after she spent an hour in the sun and felt no change.

She was worried she'd somehow turned into a nuclear reactor but it was impossible to tell without a Geiger counter. In all essence, she didn't feel that way but at this point it was hard to tell anything anymore. She had tried an experiment of seeing if she could charge a lamp without plugging it in. The answer came in the form of a blown-up lamp.

She kept experimenting with her powers, seeing how it affected her moods, her appetite, her strength and stamina. So far, it seemed to have a connection with her emotions, reacting to the strong ones. And it definitely made her hungrier as she found herself eating a lot more than normal. As for her strength and stamina, that was hard to tell. She was planning on hitting the gym later to see. But based on a brief test of jumping jacks, she'd say there was definitely a connection there too.

The most important question still eluded her though. How had she gotten these powers in the first place. This was swiftly followed by another question: did anyone else have these powers or similar ones? If so, where were they?

Those ones would be tough to find out but Gabriela hadn't made it to the top of her class for nothing. She would find out, somehow.

It had been a full day since she got these powers now. She had been hoping they would disappear as fast they appeared but no such luck. When she woke up this morning, her hands glowed just as bright as before. Actually, she thought they might be glowing even brighter.

"Well, if my career to be next president fails, at least I can fall back as a nightlight."

"Gabriela?"

Gabriela jumped a little at her father's voice. She felt like she needed to hide something but there was nothing to hide. Still, she stood up and hid her hands in her jacket pockets, just in case they started glowing again.

"Come in," she said.

Her dad opened her bedroom door, walking inside. "Hi there. Just wanted to let you know I'll be busy all day today so I probably won't see you when you get home."

"Really? What time do you get home?"

He let out a soft sigh. "Late. No telling how much but there's a lot of work to be done. My project…isn't turning out the way I wanted it to be."

"Oh no. What's wrong?"

Her had seemed to muse on it. "Well, for what we're trying to accomplish, the energy input isn't measuring up to our requirements. I've got the higher-ups practically breathing down my neck to sort it out and there are some management issues I need to work out as well. But don't worry, I'll get it handled like I always do."

That's what he always said and Gabriela didn't really have a reason to doubt him. She didn't even know what his work was, all of it secret. She didn't even think her mom ever really knew.

"So how are you doing? Anything new going on?"

Gabriela felt a jolt of panic but did her best to hide. "Uh…what makes you think that?"

He frowned. "Just idle curiosity though now you have me thinking there is something going on? So what is it?"

Curses! Gabriela thought. He was working so much that she'd forgotten what a keen intellect he had. "Nothing much," she said, trying to stave him off as she tried to think of something. Then it hit her. "Just…Dredden being his usual horrible self."

"Oh god," her dad cringed. "What he do this time?"

"Um…don't worry about it. I've got it under control."

"Hmmm. Alright, but you let me know the second you need me. I'm not afraid of showing that little punk what happens when you mess with my daughter." He raised his fist for emphasis.

"Please stop," Gabriela begged.

"Ok. But seriously, you're ok?"

For a second there, Gabriela considered telling him. He was her father, she trusted him with everything. But…something held her back. She knew what would happen if she told the truth. After her mom died, he had gone full Marlin from Finding Nemo and been so overprotective about every little thing. It had taken a while before he had trusted her enough to face the world on her own. Now, she had a feeling all that would fade the second she spilled the beans. She could just picture herself, locked in a very comfortable room where he would keep her safe and make sure nothing could hurt her. Of course, he would never do that but her imagination did kind of jump to the worst possible scenario first.

She knew though that he would still freak out and overreact and do everything he could to protect her. And she couldn't let that happen now. She was entering her golden year of school, the year where she became class president and won the debate club and so many other things that would lead her down the path of greatness all the way to the country's presidency.

She refused to let that be derailed. Certainly not by her powers and certainly not by her father's reaction to her powers. No, these were just obstacles she would overcome.

"I'm ok," she told him. "Good luck with your project."

"Thanks, though I hope I don't need it."

His phone buzzed and he instantly picked it up. "Hey, what's the word?" he asked. Gabriela could only make out some garbled words but they seemed urgent and rushed. She watched as her father's expression turned to confusion and then shock and then anger. Then it became a deadly calm, one she knew all too well.

He was furious.

"When did this happen?" he asked quietly in a tone she dreaded. He nodded once at the reply before stating, "I'll be there shortly," and hanging up the phone. Without another word, he spun around and left her room.

"Dad?" she called after him. "What's going on?"

"There was an incident last night at one of the facilities. Nothing you need to be concerned about. I'm going to go take care of it now. Be good and make sure all your work is done. Oh, and I want you home right after school. I'll have Elliot drive you to and from there, ok?"

Gabriela wanted to argue, saying she didn't need his private chauffeur to drive her to school. But that tone he was using brooked no arguments. She'd heard it only a handful of times in her life and only once at her when she had snuck into his lab. It was not something she ever wanted to be on the receiving end again.

"Ok."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning probably. Love you."

As soon as he was gone, Gabriela whipped out her phone and typed in her father's company's facilities, looking up the most recent news.

She gasped almost instantly, nearly falling to the ground. Right in front of her was a picture of a facility that both worked on and taught a variety of subjects including science programs as well as arts and crafts ranging from sculpting to metalwork, mainly geared to young prodigies.

Emphasis on was.

Gabriela stared at the rubble of the building. It had been completely torn apart. She would have thought by a wrecking ball but the tall gashes and the way the debris was scattered, it almost appeared as if something had taken it apart from the inside out. But, that couldn't be possible. At least, she didn't think so.

She looked down at her hand and through almost no effort, it started glowing again. Was it possible after all?

No, she told herself firmly. Just because she had superpowers now did not mean they were popping up everywhere. She was sure there was a logical explanation for that.

But as she walked back to her room, getting ready for school, her heart started beating faster, imagining her father in the center of that wreckage. Imagining him facing off against whatever had done it.

Be safe, dad, she thought. Please.