The Vision

They say when you die, you see your whole life pass by before your eyes, but that did not happen. While I was recovering from the blackout, I had strange visions about me and five other teenagers I have never met. Each of us had peculiar powers. One dude in sunglasses was blasting three robots that looked like they came out of a sci-fi movie with two dark laser beams from his hands. Another bald man sliced five other robots in half using only his arms. But both arms glowed purple.   

The visions got more puzzling. I envisioned a young Hispanic girl

with gorgeous black hair, wearing a red jacket. She created a force field

resembling ruby quartz. The force field protected a small group of people from

a massive cloud of debris caused by the actions of a giant robot. 

An Asian girl with a long ponytail appeared out of nowhere,

brandishing a black, glowing sword. It reminded me of a scene from a Viking

movie. 

She ran toward the same gigantic robot that was about to punch

her. But for some reason, it seemed everything around her became frozen in

time. She climbed up to the robot’s head slicing it into several pieces. I saw

a buff Native American teen lift a military tank with his bare hands and chuck

it toward another giant robot. 

I know; what is with the glowing, right? But this crazy energy

surged around me and kept getting bigger until it formed a ball of energy and

exploded. 

I imagined watching a cheesy alien movie until the last image was

me flying in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by eerie green energy. 

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the hospital in a

medical room full of flowers and get-well cards. Thin tubes with needles

pierced my wrist while bandages covered my head. 

“Maddie,” Marcy said from the doorway. “You’re awake!” Her face

paled, as if she had seen a ghost. 

She hurried toward me, dropping the flowers she carried. Marcy

hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. 

“Maddie, I thought you were dead. Do you remember me or your

name?” 

“Yeah Marcy,” I said giggling, hoping to lighten the serious mood.

“I’m Maddie North. Your best non-cheerleader friend in the whole world.” 

I never saw her this upset. “What’s the last thing you remember?” 

The mood became somber. Like I was in a trailer for a bad

poltergeist movie. 

“I remember us talking about Chad a few hours ago before I blacked

out.” 

I asked cautiously, “How long ago was it?”

She took a deep breath and sat on my bed. “Because… Please do not

freak out, but… You were in a coma for six months.” 

The atmosphere in the room quieted. Was this really happening to me? I struggled to leave my hospital bed while removing the IVs from my wrist. To my surprise, I was physically unaffected by the chemicals and was able to climb off my bed without feeling wobbly.             

“Maddie, I know this is a lot to absorb. But you need to calm down.”

I turned my head to the right, closed my eyes shut, and prayed to God this was all a dream. 

You do not appreciate nightmares until a devastating event happens in your life. 

Marcy placed her hand on my face. I seized her hand, pulling it away. 

“I don’t know what happened, but we’ll get through this together,” she said.

“Together? Before I lapsed into a coma, you made a secret agreement. How can I trust you now? 

“What are you talking about?” Marcy said. “I’ve been dropping by every week praying you’d come back to us.” 

I slammed my fist on the nightstand.  

“I don’t believe it,” 

Marcy said in a tense voice, “Oh yeah? If you do not believe me, look in that mirror next to the door.” 

I turned toward the mirror and saw my reflection. I noticed two devastating things every teenage girl would freak out over. First, my best makeup was gone. I had looked at a dozen stores before I found the perfect powder and mascara for my complexion. 

The most shocking thing I noticed in the mirror was that I grew three inches while I slept. 

A mysterious voice that sounded like Marcy’s entered my head. 

This is bad. I cannot let the others know she is awake. It is too early to use her for…

I turned to her with a suspicious look on my face. “Use me for what?” 

I took two steps back and thought to myself, am I going crazy? 

“Madelyn!” My mom ran into the room with tears streaming down her face. She kissed me all over my face like I was a ten-year-old, which was embarrassing because it was right in front of my best friend. 

“Mom, I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“Are you kidding? My baby girl wakes up from a six-month coma and you expect me to believe it’s no big deal?” 

I heard another voice in my head. This one sounded like my mom’s. 

I bet her friends forced her to go to some wild party. I should never have put her in that terrible school.

“There’s nothing wrong with my school, Mom,” I told her.

“What are you talking about, sweetie?” Mom said. “Who said anything about your school?” 

“Maddie, calm down,” Marcy said. “We needed to make sure you got the help you needed and…” 

“What do you mean by help? What type of help do I…”? 

My question was cut off when I glanced at the sign located in the hallway pointing to my room that said psychiatric care.

My mouth dropped open. “Psychiatric care? Is that the type of help you think I need?” 

“Sweetie, listen to me,” my mom said lovingly. 

“I don’t need psychiatric care, Mom,” I said, clenching my fist.

Marcy said, “We’ll call in the guards if necessary and transfer you to the intensive care room.” 

The room felt eerie with the tremendous aura of fear. My mom and best friend stared at me as if I was a two-headed monster. 

“You’re not taking me anywhere,” I told Marcy in an aggravated tone as I hurried toward the hallway leading out of psychiatric care. “I’m getting the hell out of this place.” 

Marcy pulled out a two-way radio and alerted the guards. “Madelyn North is trying to escape. Stop her!”

Marcy and my mom chased me down the walkthrough of the hospital. 

As I moved toward the exit, two guards blocked the door. Before I attempted to turn into the hall, Chad appeared, wearing an armored uniform. 

“Chad? What are you doing here?” I asked. 

“Maddie, get back to your room. You should lie down.” 

“I’m not going back there,” I said as the room felt like it was spinning around. “This place is freaking me out. Wait, why are you dressed like the SWAT team?” 

“Maddie, I don’t want to hurt you.” Chad pulled out a Taser.

My jaw dropped. 

“Chad, wait,” Marcy shouted when she and my mom caught up with me. “She’s not like the rest of the hybrids. We’re here to help her.” 

“What’s a hybrid?” I asked.

“Marcy, stay out of this!” Chad barked to Marcy, ignoring me. “The last thing I’d want to do is hurt her, but you know what we must do to keep the rest of us safe.” 

“Safe from what?” I spoke. 

Then I heard a voice in my head that sounded like Chad’s

These half aliens are too dangerous to keep around unchecked. The best thing I can do is put her to sleep until we figure out what made her powers activate this soon.

“Half what?! What powers?” I demanded.

Then I put it together. The voices in my head were not from my head. They were from other people’s heads. I was not schizophrenic. I could read minds. 

“We can’t take any more chances. Grab her,” Chad ordered. 

The two guards along with my mom and Marcy all reached for me, pinning my arms while Chad adjusted the charge on his Taser. 

I tried to pull away, but they were too strong. Mom and Marcy put me in a headlock. I would rather be shocked into another coma. 

“Let me go!” I said with tears welling in my eyes. 

“Maddie, we love you,” Marcy said, her own eyes filling with tears.

“Let me go!” I shouted. 

“Madelyn, please forgive me,” Mom cried. 

“It’s survival, Maddie. Nothing personal,” Chad insisted as he approached me, ready to shock me into next July. 

“Let me go!” I screamed. 

My mind began to release a psionic scream that paralyzed everyone around me. The synapses following through my head felt more and more aggressive.

Once I calmed down, the people around me slumped. Chad dropped the Taser he intended to use on me. 

“Chad? Marcy? Mom?” Luckily, I felt a pulse from their wrists. But when I checked my Mom’s breathing, I noticed a strange envelope addressed to me in her coat. Was she hiding it from me? I tore the envelope open and read it.

Dear Madelyn North, 

This letter will appear blank to regular humans. Only individuals such as you can read this letter. 

We here at Zen Academy have become aware of your rare talents and wish to invite you to enroll in our curriculum to help you master your full potential. 

This letter will be your guide to finding us. 

Come alone and tell no one if you wish to know the truth of what you are. 

Sincerely, 

Chancellor Emola Thorne