Children of the Atom: Chapter Three

Cold pierced into my bones. Pale hands laid lifelessly in mine, unmoving. I tapped her pale face, hopping for the tiniest signs of of life. Instead her brown eyes stared hollowly into space. I weeped. No, no, no. She couldn’t be dead. Scarlet pooled on the jagged ground. Blood. Hers. I sobbed and pressed my hands onto her chest.'' Come on, breathe. Breathe. Mommy, breathe. ''

Nothing. I screamed, shaking her limp body, begging her not to leave me. But she remained as still as she was before. I dropped to my knees and looked at my surroundings. Balls of grey smoke rising from the rubbles, dead bodies, twisted and broken. No, no, no. The layer of gold hummed, flickering with electricity. What remained of the shelter were nothing more than debris and ashes. I was hungry. Thirsty. Exhausted. Just then, I heard a loud ''clank. ''



I woke up screaming. A blond-haired girl slammed the door open, tensely gripping a sword. I grimaced. She let out a breath of relief and smiled, dropping ti from her grip.

“It’s okay,” she said, slowly making her way towards my bed, “nobody’s gonna hurt you.”

I pointed at the scrap on the desk. She sighed, “do you really need to fidget with those stuff?”

I nodded, certain I looked wild but not caring nonetheless. I twirled it between my fingers, whimpering a little before smiling. She caressed my hair, looking at me with concern. Fidgeting provided a sense of security. Comfort. And then, when it’s done, a helicopter floated mid-air. The blond haired girl-whatever her name was, looked slightly stunned.

“Kyra, isn’t it?” She smiled with excitement, “I think I know who your parent is.”

<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: IN">

<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: IN">“Hephaestus? Are you sure?” The black-haired boy murmured, “she looks a bit small...”

<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: IN">“But look!” The blond girl argued, swinging the heli high in the air, “look at this!”

<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: IN">“Guys, guys,” a golden-haired boy interrupted, “just, we can’t really decide. Some demigods have abilities outside of their parent’s domain.”

<p style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: IN">“But as good as this?” The blond argued, turning towards me, “where did you learn to make this, Kyra?”

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">I simply stared. She rolled her eyes, “you gotta trust me!”

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">“We can’t-“

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">“Stop arguing, for the Gods’ sake!” A blond boy shouted. The entire crowd went into an abrupt silence.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">“Look, if we’re going to argue about a stupid matter, don’t do it while we’re in a freaking war zone. Understood?” He yelled again.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">“Geez Evan,” the blond rolled her eyes, “this is someone’s parentage.”

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">“Hey-“

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">A howling echoed in the empty road, followed by the breaking of glass.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">Another mutation.