their name is number thirteen. this is the only name theyâve ever known, that theyâve ever been given. it is permanently etched into them, the small 00.13 inked onto their forearm a reminder of what they are. or rather, who they belong to. but the organisation is gone now. forcibly disbanded by the government for unethical experiments against children, or at least thatâs what the suited men told them when they were let go onto the street with $3000 shoved into their hand. they told them that they were free now, and that they would be contacted when the investigation was fully complete so that they could be reunited with their family. family, a strange concept, they thought. they had been freed from a cage like a wild animal, but this city was full of people trapped within the confines of its skyscrapers and asphault roads. what then was family, but a cage by a different name?
     their power thrummed within them like its own set of veins, a second heartbeat in time with their own. it made them antsy as they walked, flexing and unflexing their fingers. they hadnât been allowed to use their powers while the investigation was on after they allegedly âlost controlâ and attacked one of the guards. in their defense, they were just doing what they had been told. what they had always been told. tests are not to be interrupted. but now they were free, and the blood called to them, whispering, waiting to be invited in. and when a group of drunkards decided that the scrappy looking kid with baggy clothes would be a good mark, they only smiled at the chance of a fight.
     they stumbled into the diner, underestimating just how light the door was. it was completely empty, which was a very good thing considering the entire front of their shirt and hoodie were soaked through with slowly drying blood. they did go gently on the drunkards though, the fight would have been over too fast if they didnât. they shoved their hands in their pockets and strolled up to the counter, trying to mimic people they had seen walking along the street. taking a seat silently, they slowly removed the wad of money from inside their hoodie and added some of the notes they had nabbed during the fight. it wasnât much, but they guessed that it would be helpful to collect more with the importance the suited men had placed on them making sure the money stretched out for as long as possible.