Archive of Our Own

It wasn’t deadly, and wasn’t exactly making front line headlines. It was like a virus, a common cold or the flu. Though far more aggressive. It had the usual symptoms; a cough, runny nose and dodgy stomach. There were of course more symptoms, though they didn’t start to surface, until weeks, even months after infection. It was after those first few incubation months when the symptoms finally started to appear; Kids with burning eyes and the ability to manipulate the human mind, ignite their hands, and move objects with a simple thought. Who would later be called; Pushers, Mover’s, Watcher’s, Bleeder’s, Burner’s and Shifter's. Pushers influenced the mind, Bleeder's had banshee like screams that shattered glass with the potential of bursting a human brain like a grape. Watcher's were able to peer into the future. Burner's could create and manipulate fire. Finally; Shifter's. They had the ability to shape-shift into any object, human or species of animal.

 The worst thing was, kids didn’t know they had these abilities- or they did, and were abusing them. So on April 5th 2018, three months after the initial ‘silent outbreak’ kids were tracked down and locked up. Because scientists didn’t know what to do with them. They were scared. Scared of what seemed like the second stage of humanity.

 Though this story isn't told from a scientist or even a professionals POV. It’s told from a girl caught in the crossfire, who had harboured suppressed abilities for weeks and never once realized she was capable of such power. Though she's in luck. She meets three kids on the same day as her world is tipped upside down, and is sent spiralling into oblivion with them by her side

 So, really- it starts with a dress more expensive than than her existence. It starts with a bright eyed girl with literally mind bending powers, and two oblivious boys who seemed innocent at first, but of course weren't nearly as normal as first perceived.

  Sixteen year old Betty Cooper stared at the pastel pink dress. Her eyes were wide, her ruby lips curling into a smile. It was the perfect prom dress. It screamed sophisticated but not slutty. It was short enough to not cause anxiety spiking in her gut, as well as being perfect for the after party at the popular kid’s house. She didn’t think she had ever seen a more beautiful dress. Her wardrobe had always been casual and colourful.

 Though she had never gone for a full and proper bright pink. But the second the dress had caught her eye, she knew it was hers. It was meant for her- possibly even made for her.

 Betty twirled a strand of honey blonde hair around her finger. She bit down on her lip. She felt under dressed in the clothes she had slung on this morning, not really putting much effort into an outfit. She wasn't even wearing make-up, and her blonde hair simply hung in her heart shaped face. She couldn't be bothered tying it into its usual ponytail. It was far too hot for LA, and she was debating wrapping the leather jacket she had slung over a baggy Star Wars shirt, around her waist. It had taken her fifteen minutes to convince herself to walk into ‘Lacey’s Threads’ a well-known go-to store her classmates were always talking about. Apparently the place was famous for celebrity appearances.

 It had been pure instinct that had landed her in the expensive dress store. She had been halfway through a chicken salad, and her dog eared copy of Harry Potter, when she'd glanced up, squinting through the sun's haze. There it was. Standing right in front of her. The dress shop she sometimes peered into, pressing her face against the glass.

 Though she had never dared walk in. There was a rumour that a guard stood at the door, only letting in the rich, famous and elite. Well, Betty had just walked in, and nobody had batted an eyelid. Even if she had practically stumbled over to the dress aisle on shaky legs. Though she stood her ground, forcing a smile at the cashier, and throwing herself into the multitude of extravagant lace and silk. Every dress she pawed, felt like liquid gold through her fingers. Though she also felt like her hands were dirty.

 And here it was- the perfect dress. The absolute perfect dress for the prom theme, which was; "A Night To Remember."

 Though there was one huge problem. Betty reached out. Her hands were shaking. She grabbed the tag hanging from the dress. Even the damn tag felt expensive. She held her breath. Maybe there was a sale? Could it be possible that this dress actually fit her price range? Which was fifty dollars, maybe seventy if her parents took pity on her. The thing was, she would have more money if she didn't have to save up for college. Her piggy bank was nearing its goal, and she wouldn't dip in, even for a stupid, dumb..goddess dress.

 The girl was wearing ripped jeans, a band shirt under a denim jacket, and bright red converse. The girl was nodding along to music, baby blue earphone wires dangling down her chest, and she was grinning, her eyes shining, as she took in the dresses, clinging onto perfectly sculpted mannequins. Betty no longer felt so outcasted. Though the girl didn't even glance her way, and she quickly turned back to her main problem.

 Ah, yes. The dress.

 Just look at the tag. She grumbled to herself mentally. Betty sighed, gritting her teeth, and peered at the price, and her breath caught in her throat. $1,550. She let go of the tag, as if she'd just grabbed a hot iron. Why so damn expensive? Betty felt humiliated. She could feel her cheeks blossoming an even brighter, more intense scarlet.

 It wasn't fair. She glared at the dress, as if she could burn a hole through it with a death stare. Though the dress didn't burst into flames. It simply hung there, taunting her. It was like the damn thing was just begging her to tear it apart.

 Betty glanced around the store. The cashiers were busy with another customer, and the girl with the baseball cap was lost in a rack of pastel blue play suits. She held her breath, her eyes still on the dress. Her first thought was her bag hanging on her shoulders, and how easy it was to snatch the dress from its hanger, and stuff it between her dog eared copy of Harry Potter and Sociology textbook. Betty took a small step back and eyed the doorway. Empty. Leading out into the busy LA commute. The bright sun scorching the side walk. All she had to do was grab it- and run. Betty could feel sweat dripping down her forehead and back. The leather jacket really had been a mistake.

 Her fingers were itching to swipe the dress. It was like an urge, slowly blossoming inside her. She had always been the 'good' girl. Betty did her homework on time, she was head of Student Council, and was tutoring five failing freshman. She was a good person, right? If she shoplifted, it didn't mean anything. It was just a stupid dress! Plus, if she got way with it- she could go to prom and finally feel like a princess for one damn evening.

 Betty didn't have a prom date. Yet. She had been so busy organizing the event- decorating the gym, hand writing invitations, and ordering around the committee. Nobody had asked her, which made sense. Betty scored a mediocre 6 on what could be considered as the social scale, the judging as hell High School Hierarchy. It wasn't like she had no friends. She did have them. Except she felt like a cling-on. There was Kevin, Toni, Josie and Fangs.

 They were what could be considered as the 'cool' freaks. They smoked weed under the bleachers and talked about saving the world. Saving the youth of the earth. Betty spent her Saturday nights camping in abandoned parking lots and lighting old trucks on fire. Last week, Toni had spent two hours trying to cup the moon in her hands for a photo. It was like hanging out with four literal embodiment of Tumblr.

 Betty could feel her heart racing. The dress was in arms reach. She pivoted on the heels of her ballet flats, scoping out an escape route. If she could whip past the bag rack, duck around the lingerie section and speed-walk past the cashier, she was home free. She chewed on her lip. Her phone vibrated in her shorts, and she breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful for the distraction. She glanced at the screen, nervously thumbing her lock-screen. It was a group photo standing in front of their latest edgy stunt.

 Kevin had spray painted DIE YOUNG under the bleachers, and begged Betty to take a photo. Since she was sick of the generic Apple background every time she switched on her phone. Plus it was a cute photo, it was perfect for a lock-screen. Betty let her thumb scathe her friends faces as she peered at her notifications. Someone had liked her latest instagram photo, a picture of her afternoon mocha and her scrappy copy of Harry Potter. Though underneath that; four messages from Kevin;

 Now: Kevin: Hey! We're meeting later. toni has fireworks. Also, I've got something to show you? Don’t freak out lmao

 Now: Kevin: LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN

 Now: Kevin: I've had too many Mountain Dew's, betts. Also, can I borrow ten dollars?

Now: Kevin: so i just saw the cutest dog-

Betty shoved her phone back into her pocket, ignoring the rest of the text. Kevin had written a damn essay.

 What were he and the other planning to do with fireworks? And what was he planning on showing her? She was used to not asking, and just seeing for herself. Betty set her attention back on the dress. She had been standing in the exact same spot for a while. Surely the cashiers were getting suspicious.

 Her chest ached. Betty let out a breath, and before she could hesitate, before she could coherently think about what she was doing, she was grabbing the dress off the silver railing, scrunching it up and stuffing it into her bag.

 She started shaking, adrenaline zipping through her, as well as terror. She zipped up her bag and shot a sickly smile at the two cashiers, nearly tripping over her flats as she headed for the door. Past the bag rack. Her heart was in her throat. She was going to throw up. Betty practically dove through the lingerie section, and her heart was ready to fly out of her chest. She could hear own ragged breathing. Damn, she'd never make it as a pro criminal. She felt like her whole body was slowly cooking alive. Though then she glimpsed it. The door. Sunlight streaming through like she was walking through heaven's gates. She could practically smell the Subway across the road, the sun cooking the concrete.

 She was going to make it! 

 Betty was inches from the door, seconds from freedom, when a shadow loomed over her, and her fantasy world of wearing the dress at the prom, shattered into pieces.

 "Excuse me, miss." The male voice sent shivers down her spine, and she spun on her heel, pasting a smile on her face. There was a man who looked around her dad's age with short scruffy red hair and bulging arms crossed over a pastel blue polo shirt. His tag clearly read: SECURITY in bold letters. The man's eyes were hard to avoid. Steely blue and scrutinising. Betty felt like she was going to collapse. Busted.

  Betty opened her mouth to speak, but the man got there first. His eyes were on her bag, and she wondered right then, if turning around and making a run for it was a smart option. The security guard cocked an eyebrow. "Are you okay, miss?" His lip curled slightly. "You're looking a little flustered. Do you mind opening up your bag?" His tone was patronizing, and Betty wanted to punch him.

 "Just in case you took something by mistake." He chuckled when she stared at him, her mouth agape. She'd been caught. It had been a stupid idea, and now she was screwed. Her parents were going to murder her.

 "Name?" The Security guard steeled himself and cleared his throat, and Betty still couldn't speak. She was too busy staring at his talkie attached to his uniform. Thankfully, for now it was just the two of them. Though there was no doubt she was going to attract more and more attention by continuing to stand there like an idiot.

 Except the security guard seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. "Alright, so you're mute," he grinned. "No matter! Just show me your bag please."

 Betty licked her dry lips. She could do this. She could totally act casual.

 "Why?" she managed to choke out. "I don't have anything in my bag." she felt pathetic tears prick at her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to strengthen her tone, her voice cracked. The security guard rolled his eyes."You were standing by that baby pink Chanel Original for a while," he said. "And now it's magically disappeared from the racks."

 Betty started to shake her head. "No. No, I-" She was interrupted when someone swung into her line of vision, stepping in front of her and it took her a few seconds to realise who it was. Satin black hair pulled into a ponytail that brushed against Betty's face, making her want to sneeze. "Hi there!" The girl said politely. She smiled brightly, and Betty took that as her cue to take a small step backwards, still clutching her backpack.

 "There's nothing in her bag," the girl lowered her voice, and Betty stared, baffled, as the girl narrowed her eyes at the man, her lips curving into a smile. Betty expected the man to start yelling, except he didn't. He simply stood and stared blankly at the girl.

 You didn't see anything, alright?" The girl said. "You came over, checked the bag section, and then spent five minutes on your phone." Betty felt shivers fly down her spine at the girls tone. Cold. Commanding. Ponytail didn't take her eyes off of the man.

 The security guard nodded, blinking rapidly, like he'd just woken up. "Right." He murmured. His voice was a sleepy mumble. He was swaying slightly.

 "Okay then!" The girl grinned. "Now, go back to the desk and delete any footage of my friend taking the dress, as well as insisting that it was simply lost in stock. Oh! and while you're at it, go and talk to that cute cashier you've been crushing on." 

 To Betty's amazement, the man nodded, turned around, and slowly made his way over to the desk. Betty stared after him. After a moment, she managed to speak. "How did you-"

 "A thanks would be nice," the girl giggled, before grabbing Betty's arm and pulling her towards the exit and back out into the hot LA sun. Betty felt her entire body relax the second she felt the sun's haze wash over her. She expected Ponytail to walk off, but to her surprise, the girl tightened her grip around Betty's arm.

 "Are you hungry?"

 "Uh..?" Betty only managed to make flailing gestures with her free hand, as the girl picked up speed down the side-walk. The afternoon commute was heavy, and she kept stumbling into people, hissing out apologies. "Hey, wait!" she managed to hiss out.

  "Hmm?" Ponytail regarded her with that same smile. Those mischievous eyes.

 Betty scowled at her. Was this all a game to her? She risked a look back at the dress store. She could feel guilt thrumming through her. She had stolen a two thousand dollar dress.

 "How can you act so calm after doing some crazy mind mojo on that security guard? Did you just.." Betty choked out a laugh. "Hypnotize him?"

  The girl only sent her a sly grin, her eyes twinkling. "Something like that!" was her only answer, and Betty found herself stumbling after Ponytail. She could hardly believe her luck. The dress was hers. She had gotten away with it. Though at what cost? What did the girl do? "But, wait, how though?" she spluttered.

 The girl turned to her. "What's your name?" she murmured, and Betty, for a single second, forgot her own damn name. "My name?" Her legs were getting tired as the two of them speed walked. "I'm, uh- I'm Betty." she said. "Betty Cooper."

 She grinned. "Veronica Lodge," she said. "Are you hungry, Betty?"

  Betty frowned. "Why do you keep asking me if I'm hungry?" she hissed. "What did you do to that security guard?"

 Veronica slowed her pace, and Betty was thankful. The two of them fell into a comfortable walk. Betty tugged her arm free. "I'm a Pusher." Veronica said, shooting Betty a smirk. "You watched me push thoughts into that guy's head."

 A what?!

 When Betty didn’t reply, Veronica shrugged. “At least I call myself that.”

 Betty stared at the girl for a few moments, waiting for Veronica to burst out laughing. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest, her lip quirking. "You don't believe me do you?"

 Betty didn't know what to say. She let out a sharp laugh, which surprised even her. "You mean that you've got magical hypnotizing powers?" she couldn't help scoffing, raising her eyebrows at the girl. "Funnily enough, I don't?"

 Veronica stopped walking, and Betty skidded to a stop, nearly tripping. "Fair enough," Veronica shrugged. "Are you hungry?"

 Betty had pretty much had it with the girl. She clenched her fists. "Are you messing with my head? Why do you keep asking-"

 Veronica didn't look fazed by her tone. The girl held her gaze. "Just say yes, dude."

 Betty ducked her head stubbornly. She was kinda hungry now she thought about it. "Sure." she muttered, and Veronica's features lit up. "Sweet!" She grabbed Betty's arm, and started to drag her further down the sidewalk. Betty tried to wrench out of the girls hold, though Veronica had a wicked grip. "Okay, so you don't believe me right?"

 Veronica smirked, and Betty only rolled her eyes. She let her gaze wander down the side walk, and she spotted two guys, a brunette and a redhead walking together, chatting animatedly.

 She couldn't seem to tear her gaze from the brunette. The first thing that attracted her to him was the camera hanging around his neck. He was tall, wearing shorts and t-shirt with light olive skin and tousled chocolate brown hair hanging in bright eyes. He was laughing at something his friend, a good looking redhead, with pale skin. Betty could practically see the curve of his abs through his thin cotton white shirt. Though even if the redhead was cute, Betty found herself staring one again, at the boy with the camera.

 Veronica grinned mischievously, her eyes on the boys. "So you wouldn't mind if I spoke to them?" The girl's voice snapped Betty out of it, and she only had time to sputter, "Wait, what?" before the girl was rushing off down the walk, towards them. Betty had no choice but to run after her. This girl was strange, endearing, fucking weird as hell- but Betty had never had this much fun and excitement in her life. Even if it was also freakin' terrifying.

 "What are you doing?!" she hissed, joining Veronica's side. Who had positioned herself in front of the boys, blocking their way past. The redhead looked confused, and his friend cocked an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

 "Can we help you?" He murmured, and his gaze slid to her. Betty ducked her head, swallowing hard. The redhead chuckled. "Are you guys alright?"

 Betty couldn't help lifting her gaze. Australian? The boy's accent was unmistakable. She found herself staring into his eyes, a warm brown. Though the redhead was staring at Veronica. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course. She had known the girl for about half an hour, and she was like a beacon. Attracting gazes from every angle.

 "Actually, yes!" Veronica smiled brightly, and Betty went cold all over, despite the sweltering weather. Was Veronica about to mess with the boys heads, like she had done with the security guard?

 Betty didn't hesitate. "We should go." she murmured, and grabbed Veronica's arm.

 Though the girl only turned to her, and her eyes were blazing a colour Betty couldn't place.

 Definitely not normal. She let out a breath, and felt her grip slip from the girl's elbow. Betty felt sick. She could only shoot the boys a helpless look. The boy with the camera looked impatient.

 "Uh, can this like, wait?" He frowned. "We actually have somewhere we need to be." He smiled politely, though Betty could detect the wariness in his eyes.

 Veronica giggled. "It'll only take a second," she shot Betty a bright smile, before focusing her attention on the redhead. She seemed to be concentrating. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows crinkled, her lips pouting. "Can you give me twenty dollars?"

 Betty held her breath. The boy with the camera let out a laugh. "Wait, what? Dude, you can't just go to people and ask for money!" he spluttered.

 Betty kept her gaze trained on Veronica, and bit down hard on her lip when the girl's eyes blazed that same colour- an eerie shade of Blue, like she had painted her iris herself. But the colour was terrifying. It had a sense of dominance. Power. It was like the girl’s very eyes were on fire. Prickling Cerulean. Almost too bright to look at.

 No way. Betty thought. No way was she seeing this.

  "I said," Veronica smiled sweetly, and switched her focus to the boy with the camera, whose hard expression relaxed the second he caught her eye. Betty saw the exact second the fight went from his green eyes. Veronica's tone darkened. "Reach into your jeans and give me twenty dollars."

 The boy with the camera was frozen, as well as the redhead. There was a loose curl of his hair dangling in his eyes, and he didn't blow it away. Though he didn't make a move to dig around for money.

 "Strange." Veronica murmured. "I've never had anyone resist before." she sighed, and reached out clicking her fingers in front of the boy's face. He didn't blink.

 The redhead was already under. His arms had dropped to his sides, and he stared blankly at Veronica His eyes were blank. Both of them had adapted that same empty look as the security guard. Betty could feel bile at the back of her throat. "This- this isn't funny," she whispered. Veronica wasn't smiling any more. With the boys under her control, she turned to Betty. "Do you believe me now? she murmured. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but cool right?!" The girl giggled. "I can influence memories and push thoughts into any unprotected minds."

 Unprotected minds?!

 Betty felt a wave of nausea hit her. Veronica sighed. "I'm not going to go digging in your head, moron," she rolled her eyes. "The truth is-" she seemed to catch herself, and bit back whatever she was about to say before shrugging. "You seemed like you needed help, you know, with the dress, and I figured I’d play around with the guy’s thoughts."

 Betty managed a nod. As sweet as Veronica was, the girl was clearly bat shit crazy. And belonged housed in Hogwarts. She needed to get as far away from this girl as possible. "Good." Veronica winked at her, and cleared her throat. "You. Twenty dollars. Now." she ordered the redhead. Betty watched as he seemed to flicker to life, his expression, and then his body. He nodded, still not looking away from her eyes, and fumbled in his jeans, pulling out a twenty dollar note. Veronica took it and handed it to Betty who took it shakily, and with slick palms, she shoved it in the pocket of her shorts.

 Betty wondered if any passer-by had noticed the two immobile boys looking like store mannequins.

 "Can you let them go now?" She hissed desperately. The dead look in the boy's eyes was making her stomach twist, a dull pain throbbed at the back of her skull. Veronica nodded. "Of course!" Though her gaze was straying on the boy with the camera. Betty wanted to know his name. Because right now, as well as not having a name, he didn't have much of anything else either. His expression was blank, his eyes void of life.

 Veronica seemed to be scrutinising the boy. Betty managed to hiss out an impatient breath and the girl finally nodded. "Alright, boys. Keep on walking and don't look back."

 Betty squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the boys to stay frozen. Except when she felt a body brush past her shoulder, her eyes flew open and she stared as the boy with the camera walked straight past her, continuing his chat with the redhead. Neither of them looked back, and Betty let out a breath of relief. Veronica watched them go with a smile.

  "So, are you still up for food?" the girl's expression brightened, and once again she was the perky Ponytail girl who had rescued her from the security guard. Though Betty couldn't help glance around. Something was nagging at her, telling her to find the two boys in the crowd. They had stopped walking. Betty realized. At the corner of her eye, the two boys had simply stopped, and no matter how hard Betty tried to convince herself they weren't staring at her - it was obvious. They were.

 Veronica was still talking. Though Betty felt like her voice was faded, like they were both suspended underwater.

  "There's a cute little cafe down the road, and the barista's do this wicked ice cold tea with a slice of cake, and-"

  Veronica's words were whipped away when a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked the two of them off of their feet. Betty managed to stay upright. Though the wind didn't last. She squinted at the cornflour coloured sky, the bright sun smack bang in the middle. There was no sign of a storm brewing, which was even more weird. Veronica didn't seem fazed. In fact the girl was more excited about the afternoon special's in the cafe she was dragging them to. "Oh my god, there are these adorable little Easter cake that are perfect-"

  The girl's voice continued to be drowned out by the incessant pounding in Betty ears.

 Her stomach was doing flip flops. She walked a little faster, her heart starting to pound against her chest. As terrifying as Veronica was, with her freaky affliction, Betty kept close to the girl as they waded through the New York late afternoon commute. Betty had to distract herself. She had to stop herself from twisting around and scanning for the boys.

  "So, how did this all..start?" She asked, her voice higher than normal. Veronica turned and smiled, shrugging. "No idea." she replied. "One morning I woke up, and my mom was yelling at me to get dressed," the girl rolled her eyes. "She yells a lot. Mostly at me, because I'm the youngest." Betty nodded in understanding, forcing herself to keep eye contact with the girl. Veronica's eyes weren't currently ignited Blue. They looked like their natural deep brown. Though it could happen any second. "I told her to shut up, and...she did?" Veronica scoffed. "At first I thought she was messing around, but she literally couldn't speak until I told her she could."

 Betty felt a shiver fly down her spine. "So, you can force people to do things?"

 "Yeah, it's like- I can't explain it." Veronica looked like she was thinking about it. "Okay, so imagine everyone around you had this sort of aura...like a vivid colour surrounding them? That's their mind. I can..I mean, I can sort of manipulate it."

 Betty frowned. "Wait, do I have..what was it? An aura?"

 Veronica didn't answer for a moment. Instead, she was was staring ahead. Betty followed her gaze and stiffened. "Stalkers much?" Veronica muttered, narrowing her eyes. The boys from earlier, the redhead and the boy with the camera were halfway down the street in front of them. Though what had sent Betty's heartbeat into a frenzy, was the fact that they weren't moving. They were just- standing there. Watching them. Betty stared at the boy with the camera still strung over his neck. He stared back, cocking an eyebrow. His lips curved into a smirk, and he nudged his red-headed friend and the boys started forwards.

 Okay, something was wrong. She could feel it. Her stomach had been dancing all day, and she'd pegged it as her period. Though this was something else.

 Betty couldn't help it. She let out a breath, grabbing Veronica's arm. "We need to go!" she hissed, pulling the girl backwards. Veronica didn't argue and the girl's twisted around, falling into a stumbled run, nearly tripping over each other. Betty was panting for breath. "I thought you wiped their minds, or memories, or whatever the hell you do!" She hissed, risking a look back, and- yep. The boys were still following the

 Though unlike the girl's, the two boy's were taking their time. Their steps were slow and teasing, as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse.

 "I did wipe them!" Veronica retorted. Then she scoffed. "Don't act like the perfect princess! You have a Chanel Original 2018 stuffed in your backpack, honey."

 Betty felt her cheeks redden. She didn't reply.

 So neither of them were perfect.

  "Hey!" The yell startled her, and Betty twisted around. The boy with the camera still around his neck and chocolate brown curls, the boy she had somehow developed a crush on, had quickened his pace. There was a grin on his lips. Though it looked anything but friendly. More of a grimace. "Did you really think you could steal money and get away with it?"

 At first Betty thought the boy was waving, as he lifted his hand. Which seemed ridiculous. But instead, he made a jerking sweeping motion with his palm.

 Like he was coaxing the air. More like coaxing her. Playing with her, like she was a puppet.

 Any words, a cry or a desperate tell for help that she tried to coax through her lips were choked at the back of her throat when she felt herself slowly lift from the ground, before slamming hard into the wall. The presence didn't last. It was like somebody had wrapped their ghostly hands around her waist and tugged her into the air. Betty didn't have time to scream, because before she could think straight, she was crumpling to the ground, hitting the sidewalk hard, grazing her back on the rough wall. Veronica was in front of her, the girl's eyes wide with terror and confusion as she grabbed Betty's arms and yanked her to her feet. “Are you okay?!” The girl tried to run. Betty watched, her heart in her throat, as Veronica reached for her. Except instead, the raven haired girl was thrown to the side, by the same thing that had attacked her. Betty glimpsed the redhead stalking towards them. He too held his palm up, his eyes blazing. And then she lost her breath. Blue. The boy's eyes were Blue. Though not the natural shade of Azul circling his iris. Though this was deep, deep blazing Sapphire. Betty lost her breath. She'd seen it before. Veronica.

 Veronica glared at the boy, and Betty watched her eyes morph from natural chocolate, to terrifying Sapphire. And the boy actually let out a hiss of breath, his eyes widening.

 Betty didn't have time to think. Because while Veronica and the redhead seemed to be locked into an intense supernatural stare-off, the nameless boy with the camera was suddenly inches away from her, his breath in her face.

 "I asked you a question." The boy's voice was low, gravelly, even. As if he could speak only in a growl and nothing more. Even with Betty and Veronica now standing, he seemed to tower over them as he stalked closer. Silently. Of course, he physically only had a few inches on them, but with the aura of intimidation that surrounded him, he seemed to pompously stand miles above them. His red-headed friend seemed entranced by Veronica, as the raven haired girl backed against the wall, her lips curled into a snarl.

  Betty flinched when the boy with the camera seemed to focus his attention on her. His fingers drummed erratically against the plastic material of his camera, a manic glint in his jade eyes that seemed to blend with the erratic tapping.

 "I know all about you. Maybe not you specifically, but.." He chuckled to himself, smirking at the girls. "That can be changed. I know everything about your people." The words were stabbed like daggers at Veronica. "Thinking you can run everything, because you suddenly have the ability to ruin everything, yeah? I'll have you know, love, you're not the only one with an ability to ruin lives. I can cause so much destruction... You won't be able to know what hit you."

 "So what was it, huh?" The boy murmured. "You woke up one morning, mommy's perfect little princess, and then bam," He mimed an explosion with his hands. "You had these abilities you couldn't explain."

 The way he spoke, the way his voice dropped down to a whispered hiss... It was as if he were trying to convince himself rather than the two girls. Now an inch away from Betty, he waved Veronica away from her as he stared the blonde down, his gaze intense. Once again it was like a gust of wind, or invisible tendrils, had whisked Veronica away.

 "There are so many ways I could kill you. Alas, I'm not a murderer. I'm not like her." The word 'her' was directed towards Veronica and dripped with venom. "But I have other ways of getting back what's mine."

 "Me?!" Veronica struck back. "What are you talking about?"

  This time, the redhead chuckled, his eyes on the dark haired girl. "You're a Pusher, right?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Like me. we take what we want and don't ask questions."

 Veronica scoffed. "It was twenty dollars! I don't command people to commit suicide!"

 The redhead's lip curled. "But doesn't it thrill you? The power to control others?"

 Veronica didn't answer, and Betty felt sick.

  She tried to break away from the dark haired boy's hold on her. It wasn't an invisible chain on her this time, however. She found herself lost in his emerald eyes, unable to look away. Why weren't his eyes changing colour?

 "Get- Get the hell off of me!"

 "You-" Betty stammered, her face flushing with confusion. "You bastard!" Time seemed to slow down for Betty as she broke out of the almost hypnotic lock the boy had on her. She brought her fists up from her sides and pummelled them into the boy's toned chest.

 Almost immediately after the first contact, the boy was shot backwards, his legs flying out from underneath him. But not just that. Betty felt a jolt of energy thrum through her, striking every nerve, like her body had ignited. A shout was ripped from his throat as he was launched at least twenty feet away from Betty, landing face down on the asphalt with a smacking sound that made Betty wince. Veronica to her surprise let out a choked laugh.

 "Since when have you been able to do that?!"

 Since...five seconds ago. Betty felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and gritted her teeth. Her vision seemed to swim with vivid colours, before she realised what she was staring at. Bright Orange and Red. Yellow and Green. What Veronica had said. She stared down at her hands. She was staring at Aura's. The boy with the camera was a bright, intense red, while his friend blazed fiery Orange. Betty blinked rapidly. This was what Veronica meant. She felt like she could reach forward and wrap her mind around anyone, throwing them into the air.

  It only took a few seconds for the boy to regain his bearings, and he effortlessly picked himself up off the ground. And oh, if looks could kill, Betty would be six feet under in a nanosecond flat. If the boy looked pissed off before, that expression would have to be downgraded to a mere annoyance to put into perspective how outraged he appeared.

 He held his shattered camera in his hands, shards of broken glass pricking his skin. But the real damage was done to his face. Betty hated herself for thinking this, but to her, he still looked beautifully intimidating. In a rugged, beat up sort of way. There was an angry red mark on the side of his forehead that the curl of his hair didn't fall across, and his nose appeared to be crooked. Broken, definitely. His nose dripped blood, the viscous substance mixing with the blood that dripped from his mouth as a result of his lips being cut in numerous places.

  The boy lifted his hand once again, this time turned towards himself. In the blink of an eye, the structure of his nose returned to its original form, bones fully mended. He then grimaced at Betty, clenching his fist and slamming it downwards, his eyes seeming to glow as Betty was pulled to right in front of him. Their foreheads and noses were touching, and the boy couldn't care less if his blood dripped all over Betty.

 Spitting out the excess metallic fluid, he hissed, "Hold the fuck up, you’re like me?”

  Betty didn't move. Didn't dare breathe. Somehow- she too was like Veronica, like the boys. She could- she could what?

 The boy cocked his head, as if reading her mind. He lost the murderous look, settling with a quizzical smile. "So here's the thing," he took a step back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We figured Baseball cap over there," he gestured to Veronica. "Had the gift, since she managed to con us out of twenty dollars." He shrugged and smiled, shaking his head a little. "Though how wrong we were, right?" He leaned forward. "How long's it been blondie?"

 Betty could only glare at him. She didn't know what she could do, she had no idea how to work it, but if he came any close- she'd damn well use it. Through the disorienting fog, she finally saw his eyes turn the same shade as his aura. Burning

 Red.

 Betty might have replied, though a loud siren cut through her thought process, and the boy's eyes widened. "Shit." he muttered, stumbling back. The first thing that came into Betty's head, was the fact that she still had the stolen dress. Which seemed the least of her problems right now. The boy looked wary. He blinked, and his eyes were back to normal. "Jug, they're coming." The redhead muttered. "The fuckers are hunting us down."

 Somehow, the boy’s Ozzie accent still made him sound attractive. Even if his expression was fierce, his eyes still blazing Sapphire.

  The boy- or Jug- nodded, before turning to Betty. "You do realize they're locking us up like animals, right?" he said. "It's all being done under the radar so there's no panic, though kids are going missing." He screwed his face up. "Taken in and dissected."

 "Jug-" the redhead hissed. He had pressed his back against the wall, and was peeking back out onto the street. Veronica stood hugging herself. "This is all new to me," she whispered. "So, what, you guys are like me?"

 The camera boy, Jug, curled his lip. "Please. We're practically the the opposite." He grumbled. The sirens were getting louder, and Betty found herself stumbling back. She had to get away. She had to get away from these crazies. She glimpsed flashing Red and Blue lights at the corner of her eye, and her heart sank. They were so close. She had no chance.

 Betty twisted to Veronica. "Can you-" She drifted off when the girl only stared back at her, her eyes wide. "I can't Push multiple people." She whispered. Veronica seemed so fragile, so small. The redhead nodded, as if in understanding. "Me neither."

Veronica smiled softly. "Veronica." she murmured, her eyes glued to the boy. 

The redhead ran a hand through his hair, his expression softening. "Archie."

 Betty couldn't take it any more. She was taking her chance. “I'm- I'm not like you,” She managed to choke out. “I'm not like any of you.”

  “That’s a bold statement coming from someone who went full Carrie White,” Jug muttered. “Are you kidding? You think you’re nothing like us? Have you seen your eyes lately, Blondie?”

 Betty didn’t reply.

 Were her eyes burning vivid Red too?

 She didn’t hang around to find out. Betty turned on her heel, and only heard Veronica's whisper-shout; "Wait!" Before she made a break for it, pushing herself to run.

 “Hey, Blondie!” The boy, or Jug, yelled after her. “That’s not smart, y’know!”

 Though she was already running, her converse slapping the side walk as she ran back out onto the street, looking both ways, before shooting left, not stopping or faltering. Betty felt bad for leaving Veronica with the boys, though they seemed more scared than her. She’s okay. Betty thought desperately. Veronica's okay. But the more she thought it, tried to convince herself, the lesser she believed it. Betty risked a glance back. Men and women in a uniform she had never seen before were stalking down the street, towards the alley where and the others were.

 She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled Kevin's number, slamming the device to her ear. “This device has been switched off.” The automatic robot voice droned. Though Betty didn’t believe that. Kevin never turned his phone off.

 “There you are.” Betty let out a squeak when she ran straight into the broad arms of a cop, who automatically restrained her, pinning her arms behind her back. Betty felt tears burn at her eyes, and she struggled. “Get off me!” She shrieked. Except the cop only tightened his grip. “We've got a category five,” He murmured into his talkie. “Yep, I scanned her when she was trying to make a run for it.” He laughed.

 Category five? The words fluttered around in her mind, and yet they wouldn't register. “Alright, this is how it’s gonna go,” the cop said, his tone hard, as he dragged her down the street. Nobody batted an eyelid. He hissed in her ear a bunch of words that didn’t make any sense to her.

 “You've officially lost any rights you previously had as an American citizen; as well as your name and any ties to family. Your family will be notified of your arrest, and will be asked to remove any trace of you from their lives.”

 Nightmare. Betty thought desperately. This was a nightmare, surely. Though the man continued hissing in her ear, tightening his steely grip around her waist. Every word slammed into her, choking the breath from her lungs. Her chest ached relentlessly.

 “Under code 457GH-TX you are a danger to yourself and others, and will your ability will be judged before a governing body, before you are sentenced. Depending on the severity of your affliction, it could mean rehabilitation or execution.

 Betty couldn't speak, even if she wanted to. She felt like she was going to throw up. All she could do was stare at the cracked concrete as she was dragged, her feet unsteady as she tried to keep up with the cop. Her bag was still heavy on her shoulders with the dress. Unbelievably, She was getting arrested for something she didn’t even know she had, and the most expensive dress she had ever seen was still safely situated in her pack.

 The cop stopped at a Cop van parked at an awkward angle on the street. Betty didn’t dare lift her gaze, her cheeks burning, tears in her eyes. The cop yanked open the doors to her new prison, and she looked up, her breath catching in her throat when she caught a familiar face.

 Not just one familiar face. She recognised every face. Kids from her school, kids from her neighbourhood- her eyes settled on Jug, Veronica and the redhead, sitting on their knees. They too were restrained. Jug frowned at her. His camera was gone, probably lost in the midst of capture “Blondie?” He scoffed. “Why didn’t you run?”

 Veronica stared at her, her eyes wide and childlike. But she didn't say anything. The redhead-Archie only looked sympathetic. He tipped his head back, scarlet strands of his hair falling in his eyes. “You should have ran,” he muttered, his voice soft. Betty could barely recognise the kid from earlier, who had yanked Veronica back with a simple jerk of his head.

 “Quiet!” The cop barked, shoving Betty inside the van. He lifted her by her waist and let her topple inside, face planting the sleek metal flooring. Kids flinched aside, and Betty didn’t move. She simply lay there, her arms aching, forcing herself not to break. She waited for the cop to taunt the bunch of kids, but he only let out a snort, slamming the doors shut with a loud metallic bang, which went right through her. She felt it bounce against her skull, thrumming through her whole body.

 There was only silence then, every shaky breath in sync. Betty flinched when the van roared to life, and she felt herself fly forwards. With no use of her arms, there was no way of stabilising herself. She felt pathetic, like a fish out of water. Only hours ago she had been panicking over a prom dress, and now? Now she was being driven to an uncertain fate with a bunch of kids, two of which had attacked her.

 “Blondie..” Jug's voice startled her. “Are you going to get up, or do you prefer inhaling the floor?” His voice was teasing, but he couldn't hide the break in his tone.

 Betty clenched her fists around her restraints. It was rough wire, stabbing into the flesh of her wrists. She didn’t reply, her lungs constricting as she finally let herself break. There was no way she was crying in front of him, in front of any of them.

 So she stayed quiet, and let herself slowly break apart silently.