The very first

  thing she noticed as she awoke was repetitive synthetic beeping next to

  her. A red light display shone its artificial light into her groggy

  eyes. Then the smell of hyper sterility, like someone cleaned every inch

  with hazardous chemicals. Tubes hung over her head with long pipes

  snaking their around her limbs and into her body. It was cold and

  unnaturally quiet.

  The hospital! Yes, I got into an accident. The kids!!!

  There was pain,

  but she ignored it, she needed to get out of there. Juniper’s first

  attempt at reacting was to get up and leave wherever she was inside of.

  But her limp leg would not nudge, the other was held together in a cast.

  She tried to sit upright, hoping to unlatch it but her chest felt too

  weak to move.

  Her head started

  convulsing and spinning, she felt her eyes try to take her back into

  the darkness of sleep. Her resistance was met with a sudden jolt that

  sent pain through her whole body. It was agony. She felt like she

  couldn’t breathe for a moment, before it stopped, taking deep breaths as

  her heart rate spiked. Then she calmed down again, her pain

  disappearing mildly.

  She stared at

  the archaic analog clock in front of her face. It was around two

  ‘o'clock, past midnight, time had went on without for a while now. Her siblings!

  She needed to know. She needed to find her phone right now.

  Her weak arms

  fiddled around every machine and drawer around her... None of her

  belongings were nearby. She did however notice the Depotmart bag on

  the ground. She tried reaching for it, but it was like climbing a brick

  wall, only downwards. Her bones hurt, and her muscles were aching. She

  gave up eventually, tears welled up, not because of the pain, but the

  fear of leaving her siblings alone for so long. Anything could have

  happened. Her brother was a legal adult, but a kid to her, all the same.

  Her sister wouldn't survive at all.

  Something about

  the air changed, it became harder to breathe. The air was heavier, the

  dynamism of the moonlight itself froze, and the wind that sneaked in

  from her open window suspended itself in midair. The analog stopped its

  incessant ticking. The machine’s robotic hammering.

  A soft but soothing voice spoke out of nowhere. “Do not be afraid, Juniper.”

  Goosebumps, her

  hair stood on ends, chills went down her fragile spine. She felt the

  urge to piss herself, but the machines took care of that. She had to be

  hallucinating, there was no way. Was it a cape, perhaps it was the

  person who rode over her, coming to finish her off. Just in case, she

  saw a face or heard the inkling of something she shouldn't have. Maybe

  it was a ghost, and she was already dead.

  “Metatron!?Gabriel!?Lucifer!?Azazel!?Baal!? Wha–who is there.?”

  The voice giggled, childlike. “I’ve met them before but I’m not them, they are children, like you are to me.”

  “G-god?”

  Or death

  “Not quite, though there hasn't been one around the earth in a while…”

  “Who are you…what is this…” she said frightened. Her fingers twitch, she was scared to move even her hand.

  A spark appeared

  and a glowing orb of light manifested itself in midair, shaping like

  playdough, but if that playdough was plasma or something. A bubbly,

  squishy, marshmallow-like furry creature in the shape of a cute red fox

  appeared. However, there was something utterly alien about it. Its furs

  were acting dynamically like walking flames. Colors shaping every

  second. She didn’t know what to do, it was straight out of a piece of

  fictional media. But that otherworldly fright that shook her remained.

  “Call me, Quixis, or Dandelion, or maybe Kitbooh, or maybe Fluxreon, or maybe…”

  It kept on

  yammering, dozens of names, unending and unraveling its absurd but

  cutesy names. Quixis was all she heard, it was all she could make sense

  of at the moment.

  “...”

  “Oh, uh sorry, I

  get carried away, sometimes.” it apologized, closing its glowing eyes

  as it. “Just call me whatever you want, as to why I’m here.”

  “You’ve come to

  collect my soul.” she started, feeling the weight of her own body

  holding her down. She did feel like maybe, she could just pass away, it

  wouldn’t be that bad, all the pain would be gone, her emptiness as well.

  However, nagging irritation that her siblings would get thrown into

  supervised homes, did not sit right with her.

  It let out a

  deviously cute laugh. “I haven’t done a soul-hunt in 800 years, and only

  then that person and his horse riding caused so much chaos. I only

  found him after he was dead and his corpse was hidden somewhere, can you

  believe it? ” it approached, every time its paw moved, she felt her

  heart stammer like the earth itself was shaking.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Genghis khan!?

  “Regardless, I

  come from a realm outside of your universe, the planes of Elysium, and

  you Juniper Pinewell, you have been…” it pondered, tapping its little

  paw as it stormed its mind. “Awakened yes, not chosen.”

  “I-I don’t

  understand…” she said overwhelmed by the theatrics, was this her brain

  playing a trick on her. A dream. If it was one, it was very vivid

  indeed.

  “Powers, or

  magic in some variations of time and space, you come to possess one,

  maybe two. But your powers are not of this world’s making.”

  “A cape, me?” she said, confused. But the possibilities of what she could do marauded her head. What powers?

  “Every once in a

  while, we caretakers are tasked with planting life seeds that often

  grow in something, whether it be a place, a person, or an animal. You,

  Jun, are one of those seeds…your birth while not planned was always

  going to result in… well you.”

  What the hell was it speaking about, she was some kind of talking seed.

  “I…don’t believe

  you, this is some kind of trick, some kind of sick ploy, it can’t be

  real, it can’t be.” she yammered, panic mode activating. The room was

  dead silent, she could hear her heartbeat drumming under her chest.

  It held out its

  paw like a wizard did its staff, waving it in a circular motion and her

  nerves settled. Easing, her breathing came to a calm still, and she felt

  at peace again. The creature then stared at the midnight ball of light.

  “It appears

  things have changed and I won’t have the time needed to explain

  everything tonight, let me run the basics with you real quick.”

  She listened

  attentively but was skeptical of what she was seeing, The chances were

  very good of being brainwashed by some creep. Lulled into thinking she

  was safe, and then slowly murdered in her sleep.

  “Seven years

  from now, Alien invaders will plummet this planet into nothing but a

  ball of resources, and the human race will be wiped out. That’s why

  people like you are born Juniper, to counter threats like this.”

  “Capes!”

  “No, you’re a byproduct of something else. But you'll fit right in, I'm sure.”

  "I’m…special.”

  she stammered. She felt giddy all of a sudden, it was rare for her to be

  complimented. But this wasn’t a human she was dealing with.

  “Well…in the

  grand scheme of the cosmos, no.” her eyes dropped down, and looked at

  her broken leg.”But here on earth, I’d say yeah. SO…here’s the thing.”

  It became bipedal, standing on its cute hind legs, fur floating like water in space.

  “In most of the

  realities, I foresaw. Planet Earth has a survival rating of point

  twenty-one (0.21), however, when you awakened it bumped up to three

  (3%).

  “Huh?” she deadpanned. It had to have made some mistake, there was no reason she was of any importance to anyone or anything.

  “You mean everyone I know will be dead in seven years?”

  It nodded, smiling like it didn’t just tell her the worst possible thing.

  “Yes, everyone, including your family.”

  She winced,

  sweating. 7 years wouldn’t be so bad, she’d get to see her sister grow

  up, maybe see her brother getting the treatment he observed with the

  money from his career plan. Perhaps laws will be lifted and she could

  see her mother again. Maybe she could turn her life around.

  “That 3% of yours can go to a 5 if you’re extra super duper prepared.”

  It stared at the moon again expressionless.

  “That's not very reassuring.”

  “Don’t worry others like you exist elsewhere, if you all work together it could go to 45%.”

  Its head turned

  and it frowned. “I need to leave urgent matters elsewhere, I will see

  you again. Juniper. on some other quiet night.”’

  “Wait, these powers of mine, how do I use them!”

  The creature

  shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m not all-knowing, I merely sensed you

  waking. And came to inform you, use your imagination.”

  The creature

  balled up again, liquidating into a field of plasma, before zapping out

  of existence. Leaving her with more questions than answers.

  She felt overwhelmed.

  “What the fuck was that.”

  Time resumed again. The machine started beeping, the wind started flowing again, prickling her skin.

  She was skeptical, no way that was true. How was she even supposed to guess what she could do?

  A faint memory

  of her bleeding out got stuck in her head. Before she passed out, she

  saw words, highlighted like that of a video game.

  Was that her brain coping? It was the only thing she loved as much as her family.

  She held her hands out. “Uhhh… main menu!”

  Nothing happened. Just silence.

  “Inventory.”

  Still nothing,

  what was she supposed to do? If there was a chance of her actually

  having it, it could change their lives, Effy could go to a safer school,

  and she could get her brother the treatment he deserved. Panic arose

  again, what if that really was a dream? She was just hallucinating to

  make her feel happy, a trick.

  It cast a spell

  on her and made her calm. Sorcery, witchcraft even. But what if it was

  real, then where were these powers, Quixis promised?

  Her mind shifted

  from her surreal experiences. She remembered the more important matter,

  she was attempting to find her phone. There was a large button on the

  machine next to her, labeled ‘Call nurse.’ She started tapping, the

  button chiming every time she tapped it. Then her machine beeped like a

  dysfunctional alarm. An older lady came rushing inside, a nurse with

  long black hair.

  “You’re awake!?” the lady exclaimed. “I’ll get a doctor immediately.”

  She lifted

  herself up, ignoring heavy aching pain, holding her hand up to the

  nurse, working the courage up to ask. “Wait, I need to make a call. I

  need my phone.”

  The nurse came

  to her side panicking and attempted to push her back to lie on the bed..

  “Please…don’t move, you need rest. We can sort everything out in the

  morning darling.”

  She tugged at the older woman’s arms, clinging to her like a baby to a doll.

  “Please, I-I need to call my brother, it's urgent.”

  She felt a sharp

  tingle travel from her arms, which sparked something in her brain

  making her chest jump. The nurse looked at her in horror. Unable to

  discern what was happening.

  [Mimicry skill activated. ]

  [Mimicry Analysis ]

  [Super Audition Level 1 - Heightens your ability to perceive sounds severely]

  [Auditory enchantment limited to a 1-mile radius, control impossible]

  What was this?

  At first, she

  heard something fall behind her, with a heavy drop she spun around

  staring at the wall. Frightening the nurse. Then the flow of water

  spilled into someone’s throat, gurgling it down as it went down their

  esophagus. Then came the cats with their unending wailing, all at once.

  She stared at

  the nurse wide-eyed, who was still investigating the cause. Looking up,

  she heard the squeaking of footsteps as someone passed a room, the

  snoring of a patient two floors up, two people’s bodies slamming against

  a wooden desk. The droning of electrical circuits below them whirring

  and buzzing. Beeping of server machines.

  Blood leaked from her nose. “Make it stop," she begged the nurse shaking her body. “Make it stop.”

  “Make what stop dear!?” The lady asked in fright.

  “The noise, it’s getting louder.”

  It got sharper

  too, more persistent. A hundred voices coming in all at once. The

  cutting of knives, dogs barking down the street, honking, turning, and

  spinning of every car near the road. A door hammered open and shut, she

  heard the sound of flesh being cut at a molecular level.

  She started

  suffocating, her breathing intensifying. She could barely hear her own

  thoughts Memories came flooding in, the day of the calamity. When her

  parents were separated from them, and thrown into an armored truck, the three of them were pulled back into the depths of the city.

  Tears welled up,

  she can't hold it in. She wants to kick something but she can’t. Her

  muscles feel they are turning from the inside out. She starts shaking.

  Screaming it’s all she could do. She yelled her lungs out. Her body

  convulses.

  The frightened nurse scrambles to get out of the room.

  She couldn’t think, she couldn't hear herself. She wanted her mother. She was alone, she didn’t want to be alone.

  Heavy running

  footsteps came inside her room. Strong arms, hold her down tightly, she

  feels a needle jabbed into her arms. It made it worse, her legs woke,

  and she started throwing herself around. Adrenalin kicked in. She

  slapped the man away as she snaked her out of his arms. Another needle pierces. Then it slowed, her eyes resisted and she felt the world grow dark once again.