7 & 7
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Rules: list snippets from 7 different scenes of your story and tag 7 people!
Snippets from Ch. 8-14 of my queer superhero story.
1.
“What you are?” she repeats. Before I can figure out the right word, Nia picks one for me. “Powerful. That’s all you are right now. The rest is up to you.” She glances at Manuela. “But you’ll never be safe here.” Manuela goes still. “The people after you.” Nia nods. “And others. Power is never an easy thing to hide.” Wide-eyed, Manuela searches my face. Maybe she’s looking for answers. Maybe she’s just looking for someone to blame. She doesn’t seem satisfied with either. She brushes a hand over Anny’s hair. “Can you keep her safe?”
2.
Roldan manages to flip her over his head and onto her back just as I run and grab him round the middle, just enough weight to topple him out of the driver’s seat with a *crack*. I don’t try to pretend I don’t like seeing a bit of fear in him now. “Are you trying to get us killed?” “No.” We go crashing onto the ground and atop his chest, I feel new power in my limbs. “I’m trying to save us.”
3.
He searches my expression and I mentally dare him to say anything that threatens her well-being. “Anny,” he repeats. “Surely the Embassy would help you with that.” I liked him better when he was angry. “Would you please just leave me alone? You won, okay? You’re already stealing Nia to the United States. Forgive me if I don’t want you to drag me and Anny along, too. We just want to go home.”
4.
“This isn’t a trap, is it?” Roldan glances back at me and, there, just a hint of that first smile. “What would it be a trap for? It’s not like you’ve been sneaking into countries or anything.” I let out a huff of a laugh and his eyes light up to match. “What?” I ask. “Nothing. C’mon.”
5.
“Maybe they’re just scared. Scared of the unknown. The different.” I didn’t get to see an emotional side of Delian very often. Even around just me, he kept on his professional mask of calm. “You haven’t seen the villages they’ve burned to the ground, Kuxtal. Or the children they’ve kidnapped. No matter how scared you are of the powers, no amount of faith can make up for things like that.” I just nodded, but I couldn’t help but wonder if you could make up for things you couldn’t remember. And if so, if I had anything so bad it wouldn’t even matter.
6.
Someone sits down beside me at the bar. I know immediately who it is. I tell myself it’s just because there’s only a few people who would directly at my side when every seat is open-- and I know where the other three are-- but it’s a feeble facade. Delian and I spoke a different language for three years. It’s not something easy to unlearn. “I don’t want to talk.” He hums, adding sugar to his coffee in tiny spoonfuls. “Asking a translator not to talk. That’s like asking a healer not to help.” My head whips up to find him already looking at me, eyes begging for the challenge behind his glasses. “You would know.”
7.
“You never mentioned anything about being an Extraordinaire.” Immediately, a knot burns through my ribcage, like that’s going to do anything. What would I do? Heal my enemies? I just… I *hate* that word. I’ve hated it since realizing it was in fact what I was, apparently declaring me something magical and other. And I knew he knew, but to know… “I’m…” “It’s always made sense. Ordinary people don’t just show up and change your life, do they?” *Yes*, I want to tell him. *They do*. But then I look at him and Delian seems anything about ordinary.
