Tales of ‘S’ – Ordinary people; Extraordinary powers!

© 2017 Civica Pte. Ltd.

Published by Civica Pte. Ltd.

An imprint of Civica Pte. Ltd.

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First published and printed in Singapore, 2017.

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transferred in any manner, or stored in a retrieval system, without prior written consent of Civica Pte. Ltd.

ISBN: 978-981-11-4992-4

Tales of ‘S’ – Ordinary people; Extraordinary powers!

Singapore: Civica, 2017

176p.

ISBN: 978-981-11-4992-4

1. Short stories—Singapore. 2. Children’s writing—Singaporean (English). 

3. Teenager’s writing—Singaporean (English).

I. Title. II. Civica Pte. Ltd.

823 -- dc23

Foreword

Since 2011, young writers have penned their creative outputs on themes including fractured fairy tales, a night in the library, Singapore’s past and future, and modern Asian folktales - culminating in the theme for our 2017 competition - ‘Get creative with superpowers’. 

Among the forty entries chosen for inclusion in the book there are examples of more traditional, entertaining, hero-saves-the-day stories, but also a number of thought-provoking scenarios in which a character’s abilities may be seen as more of a burden than a gift. We hope that you will enjoy the wide range of stories included, and the many different superpowers described.

Jeevna Kaur suggests in her introductory piece that to all of the other species of our planet, humans must seem to possess superpowers. We alone have the ability to completely change our own environment – for better or worse. However being a super-hero may not be defined by the ability to wield your power, but perhaps by the choice made to not use it. What could you do, but decide not to? As the Marvel comic character Peter Parker/Spiderman believes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” It is clear that many of the student writers have considered these issues, and thought deeply about them, when crafting their stories. 

Civica is very proud to publish this seventh instalment of the series, Tales of ‘S’. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of not only the student authors, but also those talented and creative artists who have generously contributed their work for inclusion.

SS Chopra

Managing Director

Civica Pte. Ltd.

Introduction Story - A superpower worth having

Jeevna Kaur

TANJONG KATONG GIRLS’ SCHOOL

It would be nice to be able to fly. Legend has it that Icarus actually managed to do so, but then fell back to the earth after he flew too close to the sun. It would be such an exercise in daily fascination to hear from a very long distance away, or to be able to swim underwater like a fish, or to travel around the world in an instant! These form a wish list of mastery over the physical world we live in, and a way to break through our limitations.

To a greater or lesser extent, we puny humans have imposed ourselves on the world around us to bridge the gap between our physical abilities and where we dream to be. We have discovered how to fly, and continue to find ways to do it faster, and in more exciting ways. So also with swimming underwater, or communicating with people far away in distant places. We are discovering ways to replicate the experience of being in different places while staying right where we are. We continue building bridges with science and technology across the chasm of our smallness to the land of our dreams.

Man is magnificent as a species, and to all the creatures around us we must appear to have superpowers. All creatures around the world are bound by the physical limitations that they are born into – except us. We continue to defy them.

I think that when we use our science and technology, we must appear to other creatures like the King of a confusing jungle – one of our own creation, and that we continue to enlarge.

All the other powerful creatures that seek to dominate their surroundings seem to be content once their power is understood and acknowledged. The large animals in the jungle, like the lion, are content to be undisputed. Once the other animals understand who the dominant player in their area is, they give the lion its due respect. And so the lion continues to live its life without making the existence of the other animals harder.

We, on the other hand, continue to compete. We are undisputedly the most powerful of all the natural creatures – we have already proven we can do things better, faster, and more often than any other creature. The battle was won a long time ago. Yet we continue to prove to the other creatures how powerful we are. It is a law in the jungle that you respect the king. They do that. But we have forgotten the other law of the jungle – that once the other animals acknowledge that we’re the superpower, we are supposed to leave them alone.

If we continue as a species to use the planet like it is our personal jungle, we will continue to kill and poison all the other creatures, and to pollute the Earth. We continue to catch and kill everything we can – which literally means everything that can move. And we continue to damage the planet.

We are now at the stage where we compete only against ourselves. It’s as if we are racing to see how quickly we can make the planet unlivable for ourselves. Maybe that is the goal of Man now – to prove to ourselves how much more powerful than ourselves we are.

So my wish for a superpower would be that we learn how to be wise as a species, and how to be the king that cares for all the less powerful creatures. Now that would truly be a superpower worth having.

Ching Jaymi Mae Lim

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

The Animal King

Jack Li Murray Wigmore 

ALEXANDRA PRIMARY SCHOOL

In the rainforest of Borneo, there lived a boy named Raja. He lived in a village, next to a huge river. The busy river was the village's lifeline, used for fishing or traveling up and down to other villages.  

When Raja was younger, his parents often told him stories about his forefathers. In one tale, it was said that in every generation, a chosen one would be bestowed with a special power - the ability to communicate with animals. Raja thought it was just an old folktale. Little did he know, the story was about to come true.

One day, Raja was out exploring in the jungle. Spotting some animal tracks, he was curious to see where they went. Before he realised, Raja was in the thick of the dense overgrowth. Raja tried finding the path he had followed earlier, but there were no obvious signs of it. He peered under strewn leaves, but all he found were creepy crawlies. Feeling discouraged and hungry, he slumped against a tree. Realising that there were edible fruits hanging from the branches above, he climbed up the tree to pluck a guava. Sinking his teeth into the mouth-watering fruit, he noticed a monkey staring at him.

"I wonder if this monkey can help me find my way back?" he wondered aloud. Just as he finished speaking, the monkey turned around and replied.

"Yes. If I help you find the path, you will give me that guava," the monkey offered. Shocked, Raja nodded in agreement. The monkey climbed down to the forest floor and beckoned Raja to follow him. Weaving in and out of the thick maze of trees, the monkey led Raja back onto the path. 

Soon they reached the village. Raja gave the monkey the guava and thanked it. He still wasn't sure if it was really true or just a figment of his imagination. 

The next day, Raja went out exploring again. He came across an eagle laying on the ground. 

Eagles don't just lay in the open, he thought. "Are you hurt?"

"Yes! I have a thorn stuck in my claw," the eagle moaned.

Approaching the eagle with caution, Raja gingerly extracted the thorn. No longer in pain, the eagle flapped its wings and soared upward. Barely a minute later, the eagle flew back and dropped a fish at Raja's feet.

"Thank you for helping me," the grateful eagle said, and flew away.

"It happened again. I can talk to animals!" Raja exclaimed. 

Weeks later, while out on another exploration, Raja walked along a different path. Out of the blue, Raja was knocked off his feet by a wild boar. 

"Watch where you're going!" Raja bellowed. 

"There are illegal loggers!" the boar panted. "They are coming near, making loud noises with their machines!"

"Oh no! The loggers will cut down our trees!" Raja said. "We must stop them!"

Speeding back, Raja alerted the villagers about the loggers. Everyone rushed out of their homes. What were they going to do? Some sharpened weapons, while others made slingshots, ready to defend their village. Raja ran back into the jungle and summoned all the animals. He gave each of them roles - the monkeys to throw fruit, the jaguars and tigers to scare the loggers. 

The loggers came in jeeps and on foot. The villagers shot arrows, puncturing the tyres, which rendered the jeeps unusable. The monkeys threw rotten fruit and used vines as trip wires, sending the loggers tumbling to the ground. Baring their canines, the jaguars and the tigers terrified the loggers with their mighty roars. 

The eagles swooped down on the loggers in a formation. The loggers feared their eyes would be pecked out by the attacking birds. Some cobras wrapped themselves around the loggers, flicking their tongues at them in a threatening manner. 

The loggers jumped into the river, which was a terrible decision. A float of crocodiles snapped their jaws at them, chasing them across to the other side of the river. The villagers shouted, "Don't come back!" at the retreating loggers.

At the end of the day everyone had a great party, celebrating their victory. Leaving the festivities, Raja slipped into the jungle to thank the animals for their help.

"Without your help, the loggers would have destroyed the village and the jungle," Raja said gratefully.

"Yes, this is our home too," a monkey echoed. "They would have ruined our habitat."

The animals retreated back into the blanket of darkness. Raja made his way back towards the flickering bonfire in the village. 

"I must be responsible and use my power to protect our rainforest," he reflected.  

Jack Li Murray Wigmore

Alexandra Primary School

The Real Hero

Chan Seng (Zeng Cheng)

ALEXANDRA PRIMARY SCHOOL

He heard it again. That soft, incessant, humming sound. Jason could not focus on his studies. Irritated, Jason slammed the book shut and cursed under his breath, “That’s enough!” Listening attentively, he finally set his eyes on the school uniform that was strewn on the floor. He picked it up and gave it a few shakes. An object rolled out, making a soft clinking sound as it hit the floor. Jason’s eyes followed the rolling object until it came to a halt. “Oh, yes, the coin!” he exclaimed. 

Just that morning, as usual, Jason was dreading going to school. He knew that it would be another day of teasing and bullying by his schoolmates. Jason was a brainy nine-year-old boy with thick glasses and dishevelled hair. He was thin and scrawny and often appeared clumsy. The bullies in school called him the Stickman. Jason disliked the teasing and he wanted them to stop. Stepping out of the house, Jason heard the explosive thunder booming menacingly from afar. Rain soon pelted down. “What a nice way to start the day!” he grumbled. As he hurried towards the bus stop, he tripped and fell into a shallow drain. “Ouch! That hurts!” he cursed under his breath as he attempted to clamber out. Lifting himself up, something shiny caught his eye. What an interesting object! he thought, then shoved it into his pocket and forgot about it. 

The sudden flicker of the light shook him back to the present. Jason retrieved the now glistening coin that was hovering slightly above the floor. With trembling hands, Jason held the coin up under the light and studied the inscriptions on it. He read the inscriptions out aloud in awe. The coin glowed brighter and a beam of light shot out, illuminating the bedroom momentarily. Jason fell backward, dazed. The coin seemed to lose its energy and dropped onto the floor after the burst. The inscriptions faded and the coin appeared burnt. Jason was lost for words. He flung the coin out of the window, stumbled to bed and tried to forget all that had happened.

The next day, Jason woke up feeling more energetic than ever. He decided to make a trip to the library to return a few books. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the bus finally arrived. As Jason was boarding the bus, he realised that he had left one of the library books on the seat at the bus stop. “My book!” he cried. Instinctively, he stretched out his hand towards the book, intending to step back out of the bus to pick it up. To his surprise, the book whizzed through the air and landed neatly in his outstretched hand.  

Was he imagining it? He scurried up the bus stairs in disbelief, his pulse racing. It dawned on him that his encounter with the coin could have endowed him with this superpower to move things with his mind!

Leaping off the bus, Jason ambled towards the library. Panicked people were running out of a nearby bank, shouting, “The bank’s being robbed! Hostages are still inside!” 

Jason knew that his superpower could be put to good use. He burst forth with great speed towards the bank. “Come out here to fight me, if you dare!” bellowed Jason. Two robbers were filling empty sacks with cash. They sniggered maliciously. One of them saw Jason running towards them and aimed his gun at him. Jason raised his hand and, immediately, the gun was flung far from the robber. The robber was only momentarily stunned, before swiftly grabbing the nearest chair to hurl at Jason. Jason deflected it and flung the chair back toward him, and then across to the other robber, hitting them squarely on their heads. Both robbers fell unconscious onto the floor.

Just then Jason heard the wailing of a police siren. Not wanting to be identified, Jason sneaked away through a side door just before the police charged into the crime scene. The armed police were slack-jawed at the sight of the two unconscious robbers. The hostages were freed and taken to the hospital. The robbers were taken away by the police.

Looking on from afar, a sense of pride washed over Jason. He vowed that he would always use his power well and decided to keep it a secret. “Hey, Stickman!” the taunting voice of a school bully could be heard. Jason shrugged his shoulders, and knew that the bullies would only seek to tear down others - but a hero like him would always seek to build others up.

Averlyn Pang

Townsville Primary School

The Miracle

Lee Si Hui Claire

CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh)

Have you ever dreamt of doing something that you thought was not possible to achieve, even with the greatest miracle? Well, this is what happened to Jane.

Jane was born in a poor family, with defects in her legs since she came into this world. She was a kind-hearted but quiet girl, with hardly any friends. An introvert, as no one bothered to interact with her, even though she had a cute and cherubic face. She was known to be a dork in school. Her mother loved her dearly and cared for her alone, as she had lost her husband when Jane was two. Her mother had to take on two back-breaking jobs, which made her look older than her age, swarthy and shrivelled, to support them. Jane loved books and would bury herself in the library whenever she was free. In addition, she loved to watch sports, especially athletics, which made her fantasize about running.

It was like any other day. On her way home, Jane’s wheelchair suddenly malfunctioned and she could not brake, though she saw a slope ahead of her. A boy named Joe witnessed this dangerous situation and instantly used his super brain powers to halt the wheelchair. Joe then went forward to render assistance to the terrified Jane. They got to know each other and learnt that they were staying in the same neighbourhood.

Joe was born with a divine special ability. He had supernatural brain power that could be used to heal illnesses if he focused hard daily over a period of time. Unknown to a few terminally-ill cancer patients, who knew Joe, they had actually recuperated from their hopeless situations. All the doctors treating these patients were puzzled as to why their cancerous cells suddenly shrank and slowly died, without further treatment.

Joe was a chivalrous boy with great virtue and a kind heart. Despite having such unexplained power, he had never abused it but only used it to help others. He was certainly hard to emulate.

One fine day not long after, Jane went to the library and found a wallet at the borrowing station. Without hesitation she handed the wallet to the customer service staff at the counter. Coincidently, Joe was also in the library and was greatly touched by her honest act. They left the library together and chatted happily on their way home. Joe asked Jane about her greatest wish…to be able to walk like everyone else!

It was an uphill task to fulfil Jane’s wish. However, Joe was very determined and began to work hard each day to strengthen his brain power. Gradually, Jane was flabbergasted to feel that her legs were growing stronger and one day she tried to stand up. To her surprise, she was able to stand up for a few minutes. Jane and her mother were extremely delighted and ecstatic! Jane was very encouraged and diligently practiced her standing exercise regularly.

A few months later, Jane was able to walk a few baby steps with the aid of an umbrella. She broke the good news to Joe, her one and only friend in the neighbourhood. Joe kept it a secret and continued to use his brain power to help Jane. Sooner than expected, Jane could walk and no longer required her wheelchair. The doctor and nurses in the hospital were shocked and at a total loss of words by her recovery. It was beyond medical explanation!

Jane had always been very enthusiastic about sporting activities. “Mummy, I am so happy today, I can jog around the school field!” exclaimed the elated Jane. From that day, Jane set her goal to be a Sports girl. Jane got Joe’s assistance to time her whenever she had the opportunity to run in the stadium. Two years later, she was a proud participant in her school Sports Day. Her mother and Joe were spectators in the grandstand, cheering for her. Through her hard work, Jane won the 300-metre sprint!

The spectators in the stadium ruptured into thunderous applause. When the standing ovation died down, Jane began her emotional speech. “I am grateful to my mother for her patience in taking care of me when I could not walk, and to my friend Joe for his continuous encouragement. Without them I would not be where I am today,” said Jane.

Kindness begets kindness. Jane’s recovery was a miracle and Joe’s super brain powers remained a secret.

Freesia Tong She Ning

Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)

Superhero

Seah Shu Wei

Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)

Dear Diary,

I am Mira. I live quite happily with my family and friends in a village set in a small and peaceful moon-shaped inlet which we call Croissant Bay. We all live a perfectly ordinary life - well, actually, most of us do.

I am what you might call extra-ordinary. Why I put it that way is because I’m not really any different to anyone else, but still, not quite the same. Ever since I turned ten, I have had the ability to control liquid. That is a bit exaggerated, I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to phrase it otherwise. I am not as good as my parents and can only cast one spell, but my parents’ abilities are amazing. Take my mother’s water bomb spell for example. It’s a spell that does exactly as it says. In case you do not understand, her spell involves turning water into an explosive that she can set off at any time she wishes. She can control the damage level of the explosion, and the maximum power can destroy everything within a ten-metre radius. It only works with water, though.

My father is good at making ice. He lowers the temperature of the water so much that it freezes. He loves creating little ice sculptures from sweet drinks, and then eating them like ice popsicles. They are delicious, and I also love eating them when the weather gets hot.

As for me, I only know how to do water fingers. Water fingers is a spell that creates little worms on the surface of the water, and to me, they kind of resemble fingers. My parents have yet to agree with me. I can make huge ones, I’m sure, but have never gotten the chance to try it out. So far the biggest ones I’ve made are around the size of a 15 cm ruler.

My parents told me that there were other families who were also descendants of the Masters of Ancient Magic. “There is another family in this village that has this ability,” my father told me, but refused to reveal who they were. “The youngest should be around your age,” he hinted, and from that I knew that this mystery person was in my school (there is only one school in my village in the first place) and in either class Palm, Saga or the class I am in, Dianthus. I knew most of the people in my level, and no one seemed out of the ordinary. However, it was fun to wonder about who it could be, and what element their ability would follow.

Alright, that is quite enough side talk. Let us go to the main point of this story. I never thought my water fingers would be of any use other than to distract me while I was bored or to keep me company when I was lonely, but one fateful day in June this year proved me wrong.

It was a sweltering hot day and I felt as though I was baking in a microwave as I walked hurriedly back home after another usual day at school. I nibbled at a small piece of melting sweet ice water, all that was left of the cold snack that I had not finished in school. I was grateful for the chilly and sweet water that trickled down my throat and into my stomach and lessened the heat. I gazed out at the impossibly blue ocean that stretched on for miles with nothing obstructing the horizon, and wished that the atmosphere was not so humid. 

Perspiration dripped down my brow as I squinted to see whether a dolphin was in sight. While I was scanning the sapphire blue mass, I realised that a group of older children were gathered on the shimmering golden-white beach below the pathway. I was curious, so went down a flight of overgrown stairs. When I reached the bottom, I was huffing and puffing and chided myself for over-packing my school bag the night before. After I had caught my breath, I jogged over to the group, recognised some of my schoolmates and listened to the ongoing conversation. 

“What do we do? The life guard isn’t near, and by the time Joni reaches him and brings him back it will be too late.” 

“I don’t know! However, I know one thing for sure; we cannot try to recklessly dive in and rescue him! That will just make the situation worse.”

 “Maybe we could get a kayak and row over to him?” 

“No, the store holder is a very distrusting person and he will not believe our story. In addition, we are simply kids! What are the chances of him ever believing that our story is true and lending a kayak to us? If I were him, I wouldn’t either!” 

“Why are we even standing here and dilly-dallying? Let’s go help him!” 

“Do you think we aren’t worried about him too? But think about it! Swimming to him isn’t an option, but we have no kayaks or small boats! What do you suggest?”

As I listened to the jumbled voices of the flustered older children I started to put some pieces of the story together, and realised that the situation was possibly worse than I had imagined. I turned to ask one of the girls, “What’s going on?” She looked at me and I saw desperation in her eyes. 

“Lucan…he was too ignorant,” she said, her voice wobbly. “He was acting like a fool, and made a dare that anyone who had the courage to swim out to the yellow zone of the bay, he would treat to lunch at Turk’s Cap Lilies Restaurant. Of course no one was dumb enough to agree. After all, it is Underwater Wind Season. However, that idiotic boy saw that no one was going to accept his challenge and decided to do it himself. We tried to stop him but he was already in the water, laughing and swimming away from us.” 

“Halfway to the yellow zone he got caught in the wrath of an underwater wind and got dragged further out to sea, past the yellow zone and into the orange. We soon realised that he was caught by the under wind, and started shouting for help, but this spot we picked is deserted…,” she paused. “Wait, where did you come from?” 

I realised that the old stairs I had found could prove a faster route than the one they had taken, and took no time in explaining how I had gotten there.

One of the other girls who listened in said that she was a fast runner, and then took off. I turned my attention to the sea and searched for any sign of a human. I was worried. I had been speaking to the girl for around three minutes, and who knew how long the group had been here before I arrived? Was Lucan a good swimmer? How long could the boy survive? I couldn’t see anything in the sea, let alone a person. I glanced at the older children. They all seemed to be busy urgently discussing the situation and no one was looking at me, so I decided to take a chance. I formed a thin circular blob of water in front of my eye, barely visible to others but still not completely transparent. I closed the other eye and looked through the water and everything looked sharper all of a sudden.

What I just did was a form of basic water magic that is not counted as a spell, by the way. It is kind of like using spectacles, which enhance my vision so that I can see things from afar.

I scanned the surface of the sea and finally spotted a figure in the distance. I made a couple of hand signals and I zoomed in on it, and saw that it was a boy with black hair that was clinging onto his face. He had an expression of hopelessness, as though he had already given up. He was still trying his best to keep his head above the water but his efforts were growing weaker. He would plunge under the surface at any time. I started panicking. That girl who was a fast runner would not get back with help for at least another five minutes, and the boy called Joni was unlikely to come back within the minute either. Even if by some miracle he did turn up, the lifeguard would still not be able to do much.

I gulped. What should I do? Then an idea came into my head. What if I used water fingers to lift him out of the water? However, I tried to push the thought away. It was not possible. Firstly, I was not allowed to use my abilities in public, and secondly, how was I to know whether I would be strong enough to carry Lucan back to safety? I looked back to where he was. His head was still bobbing above the water, and then suddenly, he disappeared. I sucked in a breath. He had gone under.

With no time to think, I immediately let go of the water lens and let it fall and seep into the sand. I threw my school bag onto the ground and then raised my right hand above my head and desperately imagined a water finger the size of a surfboard. Still, what if it did not form because I did not have the skill to create a water finger of that size? Thankfully, a water finger half my height sprouted out of the sea and lay on its side. I stepped onto it lightly to see whether it would support my weight, found that it could, and then pointed in the direction of the drowning boy. As the water finger sped away from shore with me on it, I could hear shouts and screams fade behind me, and knew that what I was doing would earn me a harsh scolding when I got back home.

I bent low and braced myself against the wind. The aquamarine seawater sped past below me, with sea spray drenching my school skirt, and it felt exhilarating. Then I caught myself, and hoped that that I would be able to get to Lucan before he drowned in the churning underwater winds. In a couple of seconds I caught sight of the spot where I was sure he had gone under, and willed the water finger to go faster. However, if I were to speed it up any more, it would definitely make it more watery, and I would slide through and splash into the ocean. 

After what seemed like an eternity, but probably was just a few more seconds, I reached the area where Lucan had disappeared and formed another water lens, this time a slightly different version. This version allowed me to see through the dark water clearly, and it worked pretty well despite some murkiness. I peered through the dancing currents and frantically tried to locate Lucan, but to no avail. “Need some help?” a voice inquired, and I swirled around to find a boy, not much older than I was, practically standing on the air behind me. I was speechless. I recognised the boy as Joni Acrete from class Saga. “Oh,” I managed, “I didn’t expect you to be the other one.”

“Same goes to you!” he laughed, and then his expression turned serious. “I’ll help you separate the water for just an instant. Use that time to find this person, and then bring him out. Got it?” he asked. I nodded, although I didn’t really understand. 

What did he mean when he said ‘separate' the water? That was an impossible feat. “Alright then,” he said, grinning. “We have no time to waste. Let’s do this.”

I watched as Joni held out his arms above the water. What did he think he was doing? He must be out of his mind, I decided. “Hey, that’s not going to work, so…” my voice trailed off. “Huh?” A huge circle of wind appeared and then grew bigger, covering a lot of space around us. Then, suddenly, the sea in the circle split apart, held back by the raging wind. My mouth dropped open. “What are you doing? Stop gawking and hurry up,” Joni called over the noise, but I could hear pride in his voice. I shook my head in wonder, then dived into the cracks and almost immediately found Lucan, and used water fingers to lift him up. It took all of my energy, since I was also maintaining a finger that served as a bridge beneath my feet. Plus, Lucan was heavy, with his soggy cloths dragging him down. 

Finally, after a great effort, I got him out of the water. However, I was exhausted and felt the water finger under my feet shiver unsteadily, and I almost lost my balance. Fortunately, Joni caught me with a blanket of wind and told me, “I think you should rest. I’ll take care of things from here.” I nodded my head wearily and lay in the wind blanket that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. We went back to shore and as we were leaving the water gap, I dimly noticed the seawater sloshing back into its original form and sealing up the cracks. How could he have so much power? I wondered, but decided to leave that for later and focused on resting.

Back at shore we were greeted by a crowd of people. I recognised my father in the group, and was prepared to get told off. However, he hugged me tight while gently scolding me, telling me that I had just revealed the secret of the two families’ abilities. Nevertheless, I had also saved a life alongside Joni, and for that he was proud of me. We went back to my home and Joni followed, leaving the clamorous crowd behind us. We each had a bath before Joni flew back home, being careful not to be spotted by anyone.

In the end, my parents told me about Joni and his family. They had migrated from Italy to our village five generations ago, and my mother informed me that if I met his parents, they would probably prefer to be referred to as famiglia, Italian for “family”. Joni was a rare born called an ‘ability reservoir’. He had a tremendous amount of energy in him that could be converted into powerful magic, and the spell I had seen him perform was not the best he was capable of. In fact, he still had the potential to become stronger! I was flabbergasted. I could not help but feel rather inferior compared to Joni once I realised how powerful he was.

The next day, Joni and I met at the school gate. Everyone who passed us was whispering to each other, probably about us. I was reminded about how small our village was, seeing that everyone had already heard the news. “Ready?” he chuckled. “I wonder what our classes will think of us now.” I sighed. “Yeah.” We both went up the stairs to the third level, and then went our separate ways. When I stepped into the classroom, I was immediately swarmed by my classmates. I was peppered with thousands of questions and even though I managed to wriggle my way past many of the curious students, they followed me and gathered around my desk, before bombarding me again.

The excitement did not die down for at least a week, but when it did, life went back to normal. However, now I create water fingers on a daily basis, and entertain my classmates with them. I also learnt a couple of water tricks with my powers and perform them in front of my class during free time. Joni can do many more things than me, and sometimes we team up to put on a magic show. 

Don’t you think my life is fun? See you next time when I write. Mira

Seah Shu Wei

Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)

Mr Zero’s Candy Shop

Wan Yun Huan

Fuhua Primary School

“Leo! Buy me the newspapers,” Dad requested, “…and stop fantasizing about superheroes!”  I sighed. Not when the villain and superhero were having an epic battle, I thought, but I complied.

After getting the newspapers, there was still some money for me to buy a comic book. I headed for the bookstore nearby. I caught sight of a candy shop beside it. It was not there before. The sign stated, ‘Welcome to Zero Shop!’ Below it there was a slogan: Everything comes with a price! Curious, I went in. 

“Hey there! I’m Mr Zero,” the shop owner said. “I see that you desire to acquire superpowers.” 

I was taken aback. How did he know that was what I longed for? Was he merely pulling my leg?

“I’ve just the right thing for you,” he chuckled. Rummaging through the shelves, he pulled a candy bar out. “This can give you superpowers. Eat it and make a wish. But each time you use some superpower, some of your memory will be lost. That’s the price you have to pay.” 

I didn’t pay the warning much attention. I guess it would be all right to lose some of my memory, I thought. Eagerly, I paid him and ran home.

When I sank my teeth into the candy bar I felt a tingling sensation. It was weird, but excitement cruised through my body. I finished it in a few bites. Then I wished to be invisible. Half believing what Mr Zero had said, I waited in bated breath for something earth-shattering to occur. Nothing happened. Nothing. 

Then I went the mirror to see if there was a change in my physical appearance. Surprise! There was no reflection in it! Had I really become invisible? I decided to check it out. I sneaked into the living room where my younger brother, Jim, was playing. I lifted one of his toy dinosaurs off the rug and made it ‘fly’ in the air. My brother looked up and was terrified! Dad moved over to see why Jim was screaming his head off. I put the toy down swiftly and ran away. Things worked!

I wished to be visible again, and I was. I was over the moon! I could do so many things with my superpowers, like what I had just done to my brother Jim. Or was his name Tim? Or James? I broke into a cold sweat. Why couldn’t I remember? But then I stopped worrying about it, thinking instead of all the fun that awaited me.

Following that, I had lots of adventures. I flew to the moon using my super speed, played pranks on my friends and did other exciting things. Of course I performed good deeds too. I alerted my friends before they got into trouble with teachers, helped friends who were laden with heavy schoolbags with my super strength and ‘made’ naughty classmates behave in class. 

I decided to become an official superhero and even had my own superhero costume! I travelled far and wide doing good. I saved earthquake victims trapped in rubble, helped catch robbers and thugs, and responded to people in distress. However, bit by bit, my memory was gone. I couldn’t remember who my parents were. I even forgot how I became a superhero! 

I soon got tired and wanted to be myself again. 

One day, I met my friends. “Hey, you can’t remember anything, right? Bet you don’t even know one minus one equals zero!” they guffawed. It was thanks to them that I suddenly recalled Mr Zero.

I wanted my memory back! Mr Zero appeared before me. He pulled me into a black void saying, “Too bad. You agreed to the condition at the start. Nothing can be done! You’ve got to get rid of me to lead a normal life again!”

“So be it!” I gritted my teeth. 

We fought in the void. Nobody was there to interfere. Even with my superpowers, Mr Zero was not easy to defeat. He moved like the wind, encircling me. I clenched my fist. When I found the opportune time, I dealt him a heavy punch. He shattered into pieces and vanished. 

Was that a heinous act? I sighed, closing my eyes. Then I was back at the bookstore. There was no candy shop adjacent to it. That was strange, but I didn’t care as my memories had all returned.

That Halloween we talked about our scariest experience. My little brother shared, “Once when I was playing, one of my toy dinosaurs floated in the air!” Everyone laughed but me. My eyes widened instead. 

Wan Yun Kuan

Fuhua Primary School

Hope

Lee Ren Kai Artemus

Nan Hua Primary School

I awoke with a sudden jolt, the horrors of yesterday etched in my mind as clear as day. The amount of pain and sorrow was insurmountable. I got up from my bed and headed towards the infirmary. There was deadly silence there. The floors were red with blood from just yesterday. I could almost feel the pain of the hapless soldiers. Their only desire was to save humanity. What did they do wrong? The shades were simply merciless, slaughtering us, their incorporeal bodies displaying blankness. My job as a healer was to help the wounded with whatever we could do. Every healer was born with a special mark on their arms, signifying the ability to connect with pain and draw it away, at the price of us feeling that same pain multiplied tenfold.

We never did mind the pain; whatever we could do to help humanity we would do, no matter the price. Our endless war started when our exploration efforts had awakened an angry alien civilization, determined to destroy humanity and all we hold dear. The first wave came and went, stealing loved ones and destroying lives. We were the seventh and last generation to live through the war. Snapping back to the cold reality, the infirmary was suddenly filled with wounded soldiers. I got to work, closing my eyes and connecting with the pain, taking a hold of it. I pulled abruptly, and a surge of agony jolted me. The solider got up at once, and walked out of the infirmary, eyes filled with tears of deep gratitude. 

I got to work on the other soldiers, each one more harrowing than the last. On the final one, I again pulled hard, but the pain was too much. It hit me like a car crashing into me at breakneck speed, almost incapacitating me. The aftershock came as quickly as it went, forcing out a gasp of excruciating pain.

The soldier was dead. One tear trickled down his lifeless face, his last tear. I was buffetted once again with the force of failure, of remorse and regret. If only I was stronger…I shot him one more glance, and muttered some words of apology. Just as I was covering the soldier with a blanket to honor him, a dreadful ruckus was heard. We knew what it was. I covered him quickly and drew my surgical knife.

The walls tore open with ferocity, debris flinging everywhere. A black shroud surrounded me and my fellow healers, engulfing us with sharp fragments of darkness, sorrow and nothingness, and immediately hitting Boris, my good friend. We had grown up together in this war-torn world - he born with pain touch like me. We shared everything; sorrow, weal and woe. We were inseparable. Without losing a second, I drew up a shield near Boris and connected with his pain, blasting it out with lightning speed. As he sprung to consciousness with a heave, I was hit full on with more pain. “Lawrence, we cannot win. They are invulnerable. We might as well face it..,” Jordan sighed, and laid down his pistol, awaiting death. 

I did not agree. I drew on all of my experiences of pain through my 20 years of life, and focused it into one thought - to save lives. I sent it towards the blackness, hoping for a miracle. It came. The blackness faded away, and we were in the rifts of nothingness. The Overlord was looming over us. “I pity you. I’ll make this short for you,” he sneered with murderous evil in his voice. He summoned his fragments again, taking down four of us instantly. The fragments tore my skin as they pummeled me with wave after wave of murderous pain. I wanted to give up. As I drew in my breath, memories from my past rushed over me. 

Everyone who had made a difference in my life, everyone who had helped me, whom I loved and whom I cared for, flashed past me, reigniting my smothered flames of hope. I gathered whatever strength I had left, and pushed. Pain did not deter me. I thought I had died. Nevertheless, I pushed even harder, breaking the dark grip that once shrouded me. With newfound power, I charged at the Overlord with nothing but hope, and one thought in my mind: I would never let them down. I passed through him and he vaporized. With a menacing screech, he faded to white.

Everything went dark as I drew my final breath. There was a way. With determination and hope, humanity would endure. We would prevail. 

Entity/Super Powers

Ng Giselle

NGEE ANN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Who am I? What am I? These words have resonated within me for ages. I am ancient, a thousand years have passed since my latent prowess manifested itself. My life prior to that is still a mystery to me, as with the coming of my powers the memories of my origin abandoned me. Were the powers bestowed upon me a compensation for losing my past? Or was my past the price to pay for my powers? I know not which.

I have been called many things, by many people. A Freak, Mutant, Devil, Demon, Angel and even a God, but quite simply I would regard myself as nothing more than a Doppelganger. I have the inherent ability to shape-shift into the form of any living thing; the power of metamorphosis, if you will. Many, given my powers to wield, would be swayed towards the Good or the Bad, but I myself have never allowed myself to stray to either extreme - but rather kept a neutral alignment.

Through the ages, I have lived countless different lives in endless different forms. My transformations are only limited to that of currently living sentient beings - I am not able to take the form of someone who has already passed on. I become their clone, not unlike a carbon copy, biologically similar in every way except for my own thoughts and will.

So many life forms have I taken, coupled with their endless experiences. The famous, infamous, the rich, the plentiful, the heroes or just simple folk - and that is just the homo sapiens! The last human form I took was that of Steve Jobs! I resided in Steve’s form from his early years of building up Apple, until he was diagnosed with cancer. During that period no one was the wiser, not even the real McCoy, that there were actually two Steve Jobs in existence! Quite understandably taking the form of beasts and other wildlife is trickier as I have to be comparatively more cautious since they are more prone to unforeseen demise. Taking the form of a farmyard animal destined for the slaughterhouse, or that of an ant which could easily be trampled to death, are cases in point.

However, adopting the forms of sea creatures such as whales and dolphins has allowed me to traverse the vast ocean and its abyss. I have unlocked so many of its secrets; such as the location of Atlantis, the reason behind the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, and the resting places of sunken treasures, among others. Secrets that have eluded Mankind - as the oceans remain largely unexplored by them, even now.

I am pseudo-immortal, for as long as I keep shape shifting into a new avatar before the previous one has mortally expired, my existence continues perpetually. However, when I am in that current ‘shell’, I am still susceptible to any injuries or diseases that my original would be. Any fatalities that befall the original will befall to me, the Xerox, as well.

Woe a hermit’s life I lead, as I will outlive everyone else. Thus I try not to foster deep relations with anyone, as their inevitable deaths will surely precede my own and I suffer the agony of their departures. Quite early on, many hundreds of years ago, I learnt the hard way during the witch hunt periods of the 1600’s that the knowledge of my powers should best be kept to myself alone; for mankind was not, and is still not, ready for someone like me. Often have I pondered; Is there someone with the same powers as me out there as well, and if so, how can I know?

Hopefully one day my quest to recover my lost origins will succeed, and in turn I will understand my purpose in this realm of existence. Until then, I continue onwards on my endless journey for I am someone, no one and anyone.

The Gift of Healing 

Heng Wan Yee

NGEE ANN PRIMARY SCHOOL

“Ow! That hurt!” Emily whined. I turned my head and saw her sprawled on the pavement, bleeding, and then grimaced.

“You clumsy little thing!” I teased as I helped her up. “Come on, let me take a look,” I continued, reaching for her hand as I bent to take a closer look. When I touched her hand, the wound started healing before our very eyes. I was shocked. I let go of her hand and stared at Emily, speechless, like a cat had caught hold of my tongue.

Stammering, Emily sputtered out a few words. “What just ha…happened? Look! Once you stop holding my hand, the healing stops.” She took off her glasses and nibbled the end of them. Uh-oh.

You see, Emily and I go back as far as I can remember. I know her as well as I know myself. And I know that when she nibbles the end of her glasses it means she is worried about something. Emily ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t get it,” she said. “It’s not logical.”

Then, without saying another word, I grabbed her hand and after another ten seconds, the wound was completely gone.

“Wow…I didn’t know that I could do that!” I gasped.

We sat on a park bench without speaking for…how long? Five minutes? An hour? Neither of us knew what to say.

Then, we headed home. “What do you think happened? I finally asked. 

“I don’t know. You have some kind of superpower, I guess…” Emily replied.

The awkward silence made me really uncomfortable. So, I finally asked if she could come for a sleepover. So that we could understand or explore what was happening. 

“Okay, we need a plan,” I said.

Emily was scribbling in a notebook. I read over her shoulder. “Slightly Superhero Strategy?” I queried.

Emily shrugged. “It’ll do for now.”

I took the notebook from her and scribbled some notes of my own.

Step one: Find out why this is happening. Step two: Use power for good?

“I hope this works out,” Emily said.

We decided to do step two first, to do good. So the next day I went down to the park to ‘help’ people with my super human power. To be honest, I felt great - like a superhero already, beaming with pride, nodding with a smile as everyone passed by.

Just then I heard a little boy, about five years old, sobbing with his knees brought to his chest and blood spread all around his knee. 

I ran towards him and comforted him, before asking him a question in a whispered tone. “Do you believe in magic?” “Yeah…I do believe in magic…” he answered, with a curious expression on his face. “Okay, I am going to do some magic now, but you must promise me something. To never tell anyone about me, okay?” “Okay!” he agreed.

Then I grabbed hold of his knee and after a short while the wound was completely gone - like it had never been there.

“Wow…” the boy said with a smile on his face, then happily skipped away. 

And I had done my first truly heroic deed.

Something caught my eye as it glinted in the sunlight. My necklace.

The necklace that I had been wearing every day since my birthday last Monday until today. The one and only thing I could think of that I had done differently. Could the necklace have anything to do with it? It was just a coincidence, surely. I mean, it was not possible, was it? It was just ridiculous. How could a small piece of ruby the size of a tack have anything to do with healing wounds?

I dropped by Emily’s house and filled her in about the necklace and the boy to see if she could make sense out of it.

I took off the necklace and handed it to Emily. Her eyes opened as wide as they might have done if I had handed her the crown jewels and suggested she try being the queen for the day.

She took the necklace and put it on. Then we cut a hole out of a leaf from a potted plant, but she could not manage to heal the plant.

“Whatever it is about this necklace, it only works for you,” she said as she shook her head and passed it back to me.

Why I have been given this superpower is still a mystery. I do not know how it works, or why it works, but I am still glad that I can use it to help people and do good.

Lin Zi Cheng

Townsville Primary School

Powerless

Svanika Vivekanand

NGEE ANN PRIMARY SCHOOL

I woke up, immediately jumping out of bed. At the age of fifteen, I was still quite young to have acquired superpowers, especially powerful ones like the ability to endure extreme temperatures without any pain, or the ability to control ice. I ran to the kitchen and after turning on the stove, gingerly started to lower my hand into the flames. As soon as a tendril of bright orange licked my skin I gasped in pain, pulling my hand away. I sunk to the floor, cradling my singed hand in my lap. I thought about what I might have done to result in almost a complete depletion of my powers. A few days ago, I had woken up to find my powers almost gone and I had been trying to get them back ever since. The powers of no other superhero in the city had been affected like mine, and I wondered what I might have done to cause this.

I made breakfast and sat down on the couch in front of the TV, watching the news. That’s when I heard a cry of, “Fire!” Running out the door of my house, I immediately saw the burning structure. I ran to the building, my mouth hanging open as I took in the sight before me. I looked at the people milling around the apartment block, some still in their pyjamas. Thoughts filled my head. Should I try to save the remaining people in the building? I wondered. Even a week ago, when I still had my powers, I would have rushed into the building without a second thought. Now, fear filled me at the thought of trying to rescue people from apartments engulfed in flames without my powers.

Mustering all my courage, I stepped into the foyer. Through the dense smoke, I could make out a couple of people too paralysed with shock to move. I went over to them, spoke to them in a calm tone, and guided them toward the exit. The real challenge was the floors above, which were almost engulfed in flames. I ran up the stairs, checking every apartment and landing, and herding shocked people out of the building. There was one more floor left to check for survivors. When I reached the floor, a wall of fire separated me from the passageway to the apartments. As I strained my ears, hoping to hear a sound that might tell me if there were some people trapped, I heard the faint sound of a dog whining. Channelling whatever little remaining energy that had not mysteriously disappeared, I leaped through the wall of flame.

My first thought was, I am so dead. When I made it safely onto the other side of the fire, I was genuinely surprised. My eyes searched the corridor until they came to rest upon a dog. As I was about to pick it up it began to grow larger and its fur disappeared, until I was staring at a human.

The person chuckled, “Greetings, Violet. My name is Vladimir. I did not expect you to rush into this building without your powers. After all, when I took them away, I was pretty sure it would break you.” He grinned a Cheshire Cat grin. I snarled at him, “You did what?”  As he explained what he had done to me, and was planning to do to other superheroes, I felt my powers returning to me. “…and so I shape-shifted into the form of a dog, wanting to see if you could manage to pass through the wall of flames unhurt. I see that you have done it. You are very strong to still be able to use your powers Violet, but let’s see if you are strong enough to defeat me!”

He lunged, shooting spikes of metal towards me. I ducked and returned his blow with a flurry of ice shards that pierced his leg. He then shape-shifted into a bear and swiped at my arm, drawing blood. The battle continued for minutes, though it seemed like hours. I finally gained the upper hand in the battle, driving Vladimir into a corner of the room, and froze his arms and legs. Unable to move, Vladimir plopped down in the corner, admitting defeat. As I pulled him out of the burning building, I knew that I had nothing to fear but fear itself.

Jocelyn Chng

Townsville Primary School

Invisigirl

Ng Wan Ting Chiara

OPERA ESTATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

It started like any other typical day. Well, as normal as it could be for a girl with a quirky scientist for a dad. “Excel in your Science lessons honey,” my dad said, as usual. “And the other subjects too!” he added as an afterthought.

My dad is your usual scientist, in his white lab coat, messed up hair and lopsided glasses. In fact, it is actually his fifth pair, since he happens to be the clumsiest person I know. He has cracked the last four pairs; I do hope he does not break this pair too.

“Bye Dad!” I exclaimed, grabbing the water bottle he had left out for me. While I was walking to school, I felt rather thirsty so I started drinking. It tasted unusual and I thought perhaps my dad had added some lemon to give my drink an extra punch. You never know what to expect with dad. Suddenly, my fingertips felt very tingly and the sensation was spreading through my body, from my head to my toes. I looked down and had a rude awakening. I could not see my body! I almost fainted from the shock!

Oh no! Oh no! I screamed in my mind. What was happening? I wished with all my might that I could turn back to my normal self and pretend that this had never happened. I looked down and I could see myself again. What had just happened? I swear I was invisible just two seconds ago! I focused my mind, recalling the ‘sight’ of my invisible self just moments ago, and almost immediately I experienced the tingling sensation again. It was incredible! Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined that I might be able to turn myself visible and invisible at will, with the power of thought alone.

Imagine all the cool things I could do as an invisible being! Prank all my friends, my teachers and my dad? And not having to fear being caught or facing disapproval for my sneaky deeds! But almost as quickly, I remembered what Spiderman always said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I had to keep the knowledge of my power to myself and think carefully before I acted.

When I reached school, I met up with my friends; know-it-all Samantha, shy Andrea, positive Meagan and goofy Sarah. I suddenly had a mischievous idea. “Let’s play Hide and Seek!” I announced. “Sarah can seek.”

Sarah started counting, “1...2...3...4...” I grabbed the opportunity to run to the toilet before turning myself invisible. Ha! No one could possibly find me now!

Another wicked idea sprang into my mind. Still invisible, I crept out of the toilet and started looking for my two arch enemies, Mary and Trixi. They are upper grade girls, and bullying and making fun of others appears to be their full time job. I detest that they target the younger second and third grade students like me and my friends. I have, on more than one occasion, been the unfortunate target of their anti-social behavior. Once I spotted them, I crept silently up behind them. Trixi was lounging against the lockers while messaging intently on her cellphone. Mary, her ever faithful sidekick, was admiring the nail art on her fingers while faithfully waiting for Trixi’s next instruction. I made sure they were not looking before I gave Trixi a nasty slap. “Ouch! Mary! Oh my God! What did you do? I thought you were my friend!” Trixi followed her exclamations with a swift slap against Mary’s face, knocking her violently against the lockers. A group of students gathered to witness the mayhem, and I discreetly backed away, keeping a safe distance from the commotion. Apparently Mary had returned Trixi’s abuse with a hard kick of her three inch platform shoes against Trixi’s shin. I hoped that would put a swift end to their ‘friendship’ - one that had seen each spurring the other on to taunt and jeer at the less popular members of the student community. Served them right for saying that their dog wears better clothes than I do. I could not help laughing happily to myself. Filled with exhilaration, I raced down the corridor, turning swiftly into a toilet cubicle to turn myself visible again. This day was turning into a great adventure and it had only just begun!

“Where were you? We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Sarah asked. The morning bell had sounded, and students were milling towards their respective classrooms. “I can’t give away my amazing hiding spot, can I?” I replied.

“Did you study for the science examination today?” Samantha quietly asked. I hastily nodded my head. Oh no! I had forgotten all about the examination. And dad has always expected me to excel, particularly in Science.

When the Science examination started, I flipped through the paper nervously and realized I was not going to score too well for this. I had forgotten the parts of a flower, the lists of plants that propagate via various methods and other facts. I know it wasn’t quite right, but Spiderman’s advice had receded into a far corner of my consciousness. I raised my hand, put on my best acting skills and groaned in pain while asking for permission to go to the toilet to ease my sudden tummy ache. The moment I was excused I limped out of the classroom and, throwing caution to the winds, turned myself invisible even before I reached the toilet. I made my way to the staff room where I thought the answers for the science papers may have been kept. Inside the cold, air-conditioned staff room, I could feel my heart pounding wildly even though there were only a few teachers inside. I headed towards Mrs Lake’s cubicle and ended up staring at her neat worktop without having a clue about what I should do. In the meantime, beads of perspiration were trickling down my forehead and my back. I gave up after a few feeble attempts to look through her two drawers, and retreated back to the classroom. I felt relieved just to be back in my seat.

When school was over, I ran back home as fast as my legs could carry me. Rushing into the house, I cried, “Dad! Dad! Quick, there’s something important I need to show you!”

“Wait, I’ve lost something important. Can it wait?”

“I think I have it....I drank it by accident and turned invisible, but I can control it...see…” I focused with all my might as I had done earlier in the day, but nothing happened. After a few more unsuccessful tries, I reached out to my water bottle to take another sip.

“Stop!” my dad cried. “I have a limited supply, and I haven’t found a way to duplicate this solution yet.” I passed the water bottle dutifully, albeit reluctantly, over to my dad before he shooed me off to my room.

I was disappointed, but a part of me was glad that I could no longer turn invisible. Though having a superpower and being invisible sounded great, I persuaded myself that life was better as my plain old self. I could barely keep myself from sharing the knowledge of my invisibility power from my friends today. To have to keep secrets from my best friends for a lifetime would have been really difficult. At the back of my mind, I was aware that I had also been tempted to commit unlawful acts - though they had just seemed like brilliant ideas at the time. Oh well...maybe, just maybe...who knows....I may just get my hands on that water bottle of invisible magic again someday.

The Secret Power of Percy

Prateek Garg

OPERA ESTATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

"Well, well, well, Percy. I suppose this is the fifth time you’ve forgotten to bring your textbook this week,” Mr James remarked, smiling maliciously and giving me a whiff of his foul breath. "But-I-I-put-it-inside-my-my bag,” I stammered, remembering the action distinctly. I always seemed to be forgetting to bring something one way or the other. The only other person with a bad reputation beside me was my best friend, Jack. I checked in the bag for my essay, which was also due today. It wasn't there. Looks like I would be getting detention for the sixth time in a row.

I strolled past the canteen with Jack. He was scrawny with blonde hair and was the most intelligent person I knew. He could do maths sums in the blink of an eye. People liked to pick on him as he was defenceless and would cry easily. As soon as Jack took out his cherry apple, Sam, the school bully, swiped it away with his tout, sinewy arms. Jack started to whimper. Blood rushed in my ears. I clenched my fists. Jack started bawling. Suddenly the apple vanished from Sam's grip. It then reappeared with such force that Sam toppled back. Everybody roared with laughter. I was too stunned to speak. What did I just do? I had no idea.

Over the next few days, I tried making things vanish. It worked! I had a feeling this was why things never remained in my bag. I wondered where the vanished items went. Did they go into the black hole which comes in my dream and keeps me awake for hours? It would be dangerous to investigate but curiosity got the best of me. I willed the black hole to appear and I plunged my upper body inside.

I was awed, mouth agape as I looked around the hole. Wind howled in my ears. The place seemed to be bathed in a green, blue and purple aurora. I marvelled at the gems scattered around. I turned and saw years of lost things piled up into a mountain. I wondered, Did I sent them here in my dreams or subconsciously? My textbook and essay were seen at the top. Suddenly the ground started to rumble. The pile collapsed like a house of cards towards me. I did the natural thing: I ran.

I escaped by a whisker. Everything poured into my room. I lay on my bed in shock. I now had a lot of homework to hand in. I closed my eyes and passed out.

The next morning, as I strolled toward my classroom, I saw a flyer for a school talent show. I could make something disappear and I'd win the show for sure, I thought. The students would assume it was just a trick. I grinned from ear to ear thinking about being the next school hero.

After a few successful tries, I was convinced I could do it perfectly. I was wrong. The big day finally came. Jack had made a robot which responded to his every command. There were also some students who performed magic tricks, but none of them was going to be better than mine. At the back of my mind I was thinking that using my abilities for show wasn't right, but I did not pay it any attention.

Finally, it was my turn. I placed a pen on the table. I then walked back a few meters to perform the trick. I flexed my hand back like magicians do and I flicked it, trying to make pen disappear. Nothing happened. I panicked. I spun around three times, hoping everybody would think this was just part of the act. I put my full will into making the pen vanish. Same result. At last I slumped off the stage, hoping my face was not as red as it felt. Everybody erupted in laughter.

I trudged back home from school and sulked into my pillow, feeling sorry for myself. Soon I was fast asleep. My dream was weird. A stern yet friendly voice spoke. "This great power must not be abused. It should be used for good, or else you shall lose the ability".

From then on I only use my power to help students in trouble. I found out that bullies stop hurting people if I vanish them from sight for a while. I have vowed not to use it for my own advantage, though occasionally I make things disappear randomly to spice lessons up at school. I can't wait to grow up to help the world. Till then the secret of the black hole remains with me.

Multi-face Man and the Mission of Cure

Yuna Caliana Plank

OPERA ESTATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Have you ever heard of a guy called Multi-face Man? He was not just an ordinary guy who wakes up in the morning, goes to work, and comes back home and sleeps. He was also not like a traditional “super hero” who sees danger and saves the world every day. Multi-face Man was a very complicated guy. One minute he would be an evil man tearing the world apart. But after that awkward moment, he would become a generous guy, helping the community and the world. Multi-face Man had many faces. He had so many it was very hard to count them all. Every face had an emotion and a superpower, and they were all different. The difficulty for Multi-face Man was that there was no rhyme or reason as to why he changed faces: it could be as simple as a sneeze, or a yawn, or a cough that could cause his face to change. Not even Multi-face Man himself knew what his face was going to change to.

You might be thinking, “Why was he born like that?” I cannot really tell you why, but this characteristic had been passed down to him through his genes by his fore fathers. Trust me, Multi-face Man did not enjoy his life having the Multi-face illness.

After a few years, Multi-face Man and his sister realised the Multi-face illness was getting out of hand. He kept on changing faces non-stop. His sister knew she must try to find a cure.

As the characteristics were passed down, she had some ideas for finding clues. She went down the stairs of their home, and opened a door with a rusty doorknob. Their house was very old, but it had been renovated a couple of times - all except the room which the door with the rusty doorknob led into. That door had not been opened since Multi-face Man’s great-grandparents were born.

As Multi-face Man’s sister opened the door and entered the room, dust flew around. She could see pictures, diaries and spider webs! She picked up one of the diaries off a spider web-covered bookshelf and opened the pages. The first diary she picked up was written by a female relative in 1942. She was unable to find any good information from that diary. She searched the second dust covered bookshelf where there were older dairies. One of them was really dusty! As she opened the book she could see it had been written using a dip pen and ink. Multi-face Man’s sister saw a piece of paper sticking out of it. She grabbed it with wonder and excitement, and started reading it. It said: Read this diary and you will find the cure you seek. 

Knowing that she had no time to spare, she started reading. By the time she finished it was already night time. The information she found was this: a relative who was born in 1889 was the first to be inflicted with the Multi-face illness. He was a scientist who tried to make ordinary people into superheroes. But the potion he made was a disaster, and he accidentally drank it instead of his cup of tea! In order to cure the Multi-face illness, she would have to make a cure potion that would reverse the effect of the poison Multi-face Man’s great, great grandfather had drunk. Multi-face Man’s sister thought it would be a piece of cake. But when she looked at the ingredients I am sure she was not happy! The ingredients were some blood from Multi-face Man, chewed bubble gum, smelly socks and hair.  

She started by chewing the bubble gum while cutting some of her hair, then she went to the laundry basket to get some smelly socks. She used a needle to collect a sample of Multi-face Man’s blood, before putting all of the ingredients into a container and heating it in the microwave. She drew some of the mixture into a syringe, then woke Multi-face Man up. She told him, “This is going to change your life!” as she injected him with the cure potion.

Bloodlines

Nicolle Yeo Minh

ST. HILDA’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

I stood in the metal chamber, beside the wrecked machine. Toying with the metal buttons on my eCuff, I waited for Him. I waited for Death. 

Vytor…how did you get yourself into this mess? I berated myself. I recalled the string of events leading to this disastrous predicament…

AllFather sent me to recover a Special from the village of Sefgrad, a girl with permanent Bloodpowers, like Him. Trained from young as one of AllFather’s trusted elite force, a Bloodshare, I would undoubtedly be mobbed by the villagers had they realised that I possessed superhuman powers too, albeit temporarily through the blood of AllFather. They are jealous, AllFather cautioned me, because they are lesser beings. I had to be vigilant.

I had been searching for less than an hour when I encountered the beast. I was told it was a mutant species. Of what I had no clue, as it resembled no earthly creature, though its eyes looked strangely human. We called it a Juggernaut for its size and strength. 

It had cornered a boy. Without a moment’s hesitation, I stepped forward to defend the child. This caught me off guard as I was not accustomed to feeling empathy. With hindsight, this was something I was proud of. 

I pressed a button on my eCuff and winced. A metallic needle pierced my skin, injecting a vial of AMM (Adaptive-Muscle-Memory) Bloodpower into my human veins. AllFather’s blood flowed through me. His powers in my grasp, accessed only through his ‘generous sacrifice’. 

Immediately my muscles flew into action, swirling, punching and kicking in an elaborate dance of death. However, I could only annoy the Juggernaut which lumbered towards me. My eyes widened and I frantically fumbled for another Bloodpower.

NIcolle Yeo Minh

St. Hilda's Primary School

Suddenly, a girl appeared in the corner of my eye, ran toward the Juggernaut and together, they vanished. A moment later she teleported back, Juggernaut gone. I could barely believe that this scrawny girl was a Special. Nevertheless, I boldly asked for her name. Instantaneously, the villagers swarmed around me, telling me to leave. I should have listened.

At that time, I found it strange that the villagers protected her and she them. Why would she, with such prodigious powers, not want to live in comfort and safety? Before I could ask, my body instinctively executed a flawless attack on the villagers, incapacitating them in one fell swoop. 

Afraid I would damage the girl, I released a vial of sleeping gas, catching the girl off guard. Her eyes fluttered and she murmured before she fell into a deep slumber, “Don’t take me away from my people! They will die without me…”

By the time I reached AllFather’s Palace, my mind was brimming with unanswered questions. Then, I actually believed AllFather would tell me everything. However, when he sent me away, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Decisively, I injected myself with a teleportation serum and thought of the mysterious girl. 

I stood in front of her, sickened by the sight before me. The Special was not comfortably settled in the Palace. I found her strapped to the most inhumane device imaginable. Attached to her jugular was a long tube that was draining the lifeblood out of her! I froze, my heart thudding in palpable fear. I felt something wet on my cheek. Tears. 

Grabbing her hand, I commanded her, “Tell me the truth!” 

Eyes closed, she sobbed out her story.

“Your ‘AllFather’ accidentally created this virus in his selfish quest for immortality. The infected could die or live. Some survivors could have Bloodpowers or become mutated beasts. I was eleven when the virus killed my entire family. Open your eyes! You think he SAVED humanity? Why do you think he’s hunting people like me? To save us? You…I pity you. Brainwashed and equipped with the Devil’s gifts to hunt people.” 

My mouth dry, I whispered, “So how are you still…” 

“Alive? Regeneration and Teleportation. AllFather does not possess all powers!” she answered.

Numb, I pressed a button on my eCuff, releasing the Strength Bloodpower. A moment later, the grotesque device lay shattered, the girl staring at me in bewilderment. 

“Go,” I quietly instructed her as I stood in the chamber, waiting for AllFather's wrath. 

The sound of boots clicking on metal startled me from my reverie. It was time to face my mistakes and erase them.

The Mimicry Boy

Emmanuel Justus Tan Yee Kiat

ST. JOSEPH’S INSTITUTION JUNIOR

Timmy was a nerd who preferred going to the library during recess rather than playing with his classmates on the school field. At home, he would be fiddling with the programmes on his phone or computer. He wanted to be a computer game programmer when he grew up. His favourite game was called “Monster-mon Go”, where he had to capture different types of monsters and use them to either train or battle at “Monster Gyms”.

In school, Timmy was always picked on by a bully, Jeff. While Timmy was scrawny and small for a twelve year old, Jeff was a big muscular kid who looked like he was fifteen years old! Jeff loved picking on smaller kids because they could never fight back. 

One day after school, Timmy decided to have his lunch in the canteen. As he sat down with his bowl of noodles, Jeff suddenly appeared with his friends. “Get lost wimp! This is our table!” Jeff then flipped the bowl of noodles. It landed on Timmy’s head. “You are such a clumsy nerd!” Jeff guffawed at the sight of the noodles dripping down Timmy’s face.

Timmy’s eyes started to water. His face turned as red as beetroot. Without looking around, he bolted off. He could hear laughter behind him. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him until he reached a quiet alley. To take his mind off the humiliating incident, he decided to log into his favourite game, “Monster-mon Go”, on his phone. He felt strong and brave whenever he played the game as he had all his monsters with him.

As Timmy was battling in a “Monster Gym” with his monster called Mitto, a streak of lightning suddenly hit his phone. Timmy felt his phone shaking violently. His monster, Mitto, who could take the form of any other monster around it, mysteriously came to life. When it saw Timmy, it bit him. The pain was so excruciating that Timmy blacked out. 

When Timmy woke up, he found himself lying on the ground with his phone beside him. He thought to himself, I must have fallen asleep. That was a weird dream. How could my monster come alive? It’s not possible.

On the way home, Timmy saw a gecko on the pavement. He picked it up and wondered what it would be like to be a gecko, as they would not need to put up with bullies in school. All of a sudden, he felt something strange happening to his body. He dropped the gecko and fell to the ground. He looked at his hands which were now scaly. When he stuck out his tongue, it was long and sticky. What’s happening to me? wondered Timmy. He started to panic and tried to get the attention of a passer-by. Almost immediately, he changed back to his human form.  

As he walked home, every time he looked at an animal, his body changed and took its form. “This is impossible. I feel like I am Mitto, constantly changing. This only happens in the virtual world, not in the real world,” Timmy whispered in disbelief.

When Timmy got home, he went into his bedroom and turned on his “Monster-mon Go”. He thought that if he could take on any form, he would need to train at the “Monster Gym” to get control of his powers. Sure enough, he managed to get pulled into the virtual game, as he now had some of Mitto’s DNA from when he was bitten earlier in the day. 

Every day after school, Timmy would rush home to train at the “Monster Gym”. He wanted to be able to stand up and fight the bully, Jeff, who continued to make his life miserable in school. Each day, Timmy got better and better at mimicking those around him. He even practised in the real world, becoming all sorts of creatures and even objects!

Finally, after weeks of training, Timmy felt ready to face Jeff, the bully. That day after school, Timmy confronted the bully. When Jeff tried to punch him, Timmy transformed into “Mohamed Ali”, the famous boxer. He blocked the punch by Jeff and grabbed him by the collar. Timmy told Jeff that if he ever bullied anyone again, he would squash him like a mosquito. Jeff never told anyone what he had encountered. He thought he was going crazy and was imagining things. However Jeff never bullied anyone after that, and Timmy continued to use his powers of mimicry to help those who needed it.

Emmanuel Justus Tan Yee Kiat

St. Joseph's Institution Junior

Super Bugs 

Nicholas Siow Jen Wei 

ST. JOSEPH’S INSTITUTION JUNIOR

*For Greedy, my pet darkling beetle and all the other beetles I have kept who have crossed over the rainbow bridge.

“All clear?” Nick asked Oscar, the army’s dog. “Roger that, Area 51 is all clear. No humans sighted,” came a gruff reply. Then, emerging from a big bush in a corner of Area 51, came a rustle, followed by the sound of many legs marching. Out came the most secret super bugs on earth. The time had come when humans could no longer save themselves.

We are the beetles from long ago, given powers to use when the need arose. I am one of the few darkling beetles chosen to perform this special task: Protect the world. We have the power to levitate things; the rhino beetles have the power to super-size themselves. Oscar the dog can talk to beetles and can even speak and understand English! The assassin bugs can shoot acid from their backsides and the ladybugs can start any engine and keep it running. They are also medics that can heal any living soul. 

“MARCH! LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT!” bellowed our group commander. Darkling beetles, assassin bugs, rhino beetles and ladybugs marched and flew in perfect formation - with our trusted dog, Oscar, close behind. When the yards became miles through the desert, the beetles rested by hitching a ride on Oscar’s broad back. And when our furry friend tired, Nick, our beetle leader, decided we had to get some wheels of our own.

A quick aerial scan of the surrounding area found an idle military jeep. “Perfect! Ladies, this one is yours,” grinned Nick. A few minutes later, a big four-wheel drive pulled up alongside us and out flew one of the ladybugs – mission accomplished.

Soon we were cruising on the highway, the stronger beetles and Oscar working on the pedals, while the remaining beetles, including Nick, steered. Thankfully, the heavily-tinted windows shielded us from the eyes of other passing drivers. Who would have believed their eyes if they caught sight of an army jeep being driven by a dog and some beetle? The look on their faces would be priceless! 

We continued our journey towards the city. I managed to steal a glance at Nick and saw that his chest swelled with pride, his antennae high in the wind, his eyes gleaming. He definitely did not regret creating this army. “We take no prisoners ALIVE,” was one of his favourite sayings. 

Once in the city, traffic was horrendous, with lots of traffic lights and pedestrians swarming off the pavements. Nick decided it was best to stop and plan our next course of action. It was decided that we tune in the vehicle radio unit to listen out for alerts. With a few deft flicks of the buttons and dials, the radio crackled to life.

“Attention all available units, we have an armed suspect in a black SUV headed east towards East Junction. All units respond - code 3 emergency,” squawked the radio. “Did you hear that?” I asked. There were a number of energetic nods. “Oscar, tell headquarters that we are taking the call,” Nick said. The hint of excitement in his voice made it very clear that he was looking forward to the action! While Oscar spoke over the radio, Nick crawled across the dashboard and flicked on the sirens. The engine screamed as the beetles floored the accelerator in hot pursuit of the suspect. 

Not long after we spotted the fleeing suspect in the distance, swerving left and right through the heavy traffic. The jeep’s engine roared like an angry giant and we picked up speed, approaching the SUV. CRASH! The front of the jeep smashed into the back of the SUV, causing it to swerve wildly for a moment. Fighting to regain control, it carried on swinging left and right through the traffic. 

Without warning, our windscreen shattered into millions of glass fragments. The back window of the SUV was also shattered and now I found us staring down the horrifying view of a gun’s black barrel. A quick-acting rhino beetle found a rifle, grew as big as the back seat of the jeep allowed him, steadied the gun and asked us smaller individuals to him help shoot it. I was one of the first to pull the trigger. We took aim and shot rapidly at the gunman, while Nick barked out an order for Oscar to call for backup. “Say it’s a code 99 emergency. Shots fired!” shouted Nick over the howling wind, as there was no more windscreen. “Roger that. Code 99 emergency. Shots fired,” Oscar spoke urgently into the radio. In the chaos, we somehow managed to score a hit on a tire. The tire burst, causing sparks to fly out from the wheel. 

The SUV swerved out of control and started to drive on the opposite side of the road, against the flow of traffic, trying to avoid the oncoming cars. That was when I used my powers. I lifted the car high in the air and made it do somersaults so that the driver could not get out without being injured. We then drove back to the police station with the SUV still somersaulting in the air and our backup racing past us, unaware that the suspect was in custody in the air! When we neared the police station, Oscar radioed headquarters that the suspect had been caught and asked them to have an officer waiting at the front door. We drove straight to the front door, steadied our car and delivered the SUV right to the door step, nearly dropping it on the waiting officer - which gave him quite a shock. We quickly drove off, not wanting the policeman to find out who we were. That was better than any coffee to keep you awake, I thought as I watched the policeman blink slowly and open and close his mouth a few times, though no words came out.

It had been an eventful first day. Nick was very pleased with what we had managed to do. We found a quiet spot in a back alley and soon we were off to a much needed sleep.

The next day started off peacefully. The morning passed slowly and the radio offered no excitement other than a cat stuck in a tree, and someone who had locked himself out of his apartment. When it was nearing afternoon, I started to give up hope of having something exciting happen that day. As though my prayers had been answered, the radio started squawking. “All available units, we have a officer down at Ademine High School. There are gunmen in the school. I repeat, gunmen are in the school premises. Shots fired. All units respond, code 99. Proceed with caution!” I leapt up in anticipation. Oh boy! A school shootout! “Roger that. We are headed over there now,” replied Oscar as we shot off towards the doomed school, sirens blaring. “Tell them to dispatch some ambulances,” Nick quickly told Oscar. As we neared the school I could hear exchanges of gunfire.

Immediately, I felt worried for the people who were inside the school, as it was a school day and midway through school hours! Soon we arrived outside the school gate. There were already security personnel surrounding all exits. Amidst the chaos, no one noticed the army of beetles scurrying past the gate and into the school compound. 

As we got even closer to the school building, I could hear shouting from the two gunmen and the terrified screams of teachers and students. Nick instructed the ladybugs to explore the air-conditioning vent as a potential entry point. Oscar had to stay in the car and call for air support and a few other units. Oscar was a bit disappointed, but followed his instructions. We climbed the building wall and entered the vent at roof level. We slid down the big pipe one by one, and as fast as we possibly could. After a minute or so, everyone was down. We came to a stop at the bottom of the vent, from where we were going to be transported down to the ground by the ladybugs. 

When we all reached the floor, we saw teenage kids hiding under chairs and tables. Some were crying quietly, while others were just too shocked or terrified to do anything. We crawled underneath the door and into the corridor. People were screaming and running. Without warning, a shot rang out. A fleeing teenager tumbled to the ground. Nick waited for the shooters to pass by before sending out a handful of ladybugs to heal the injured student. 

The rest of us followed Nick through the corridors. Soon, we found the two shooters laughing and firing blindly into the air. In front of them stood a small girl, who was shaking from head to toe. “Are you cold?” one of the shooters asked sarcastically. He cocked his AK-47 (gun) and held it in front of the girl’s head and smiled. Then he threw back his head and laughed, with his partner joining in. Plain crazy, I thought. There was no time to waste. I made my move: one by one, I lifted the guns into the air and made them hover over to us. The teenage gunmen and the young girl were so shocked that they stood rooted to the ground. 

Immediately, the beetle army knew what was happening and grabbed hold of one of the guns before starting to fire it toward the shooters. Luckily, the little girl ran away screaming and crying. ‘Ratatatatata!’ Bullets repeatedly flew towards the gunmen, but most only grazed their legs as they tried to run. The two gunmen were still on the loose and some beetles were struggling to cock a shotgun. The whole army came to help, and with that we managed to knock one teenager to the ground. He was hit in the ankle and was flung forward, going head first into the ground, and knocking him out. Now there was only one shooter who was still running. The ladybugs stayed behind to make sure the injured shooter did not die, but would remain immobilized. The rest of the army intercepted the fleeing gunman. The assassin bugs sprayed their acid at his face, blinding him for a moment, while the rhino beetles supersized themselves and started stabbing at the teenager. Seeing the monstrous sized rhino beetles, the teenager let out a blood-curdling scream. Terrified, he sprinted away only to find his legs cycling uselessly as the darkling beetles lifted him into the air. Half blinded and helpless, he soon passed out from sheer terror and exhaustion. We left him outside the Principal’s office. After a final check around the school, we made our getaway through the same vent we had used to enter.

Soon we were in a warm café and sat watching the latest news on the television. The reporter said that no one had been killed during the shooting, and Nick was over the moon. The boy that we had saved was interviewed. “I don’t know what happened to me but I felt myself get hit by something very hard. I think I passed out and then I woke up. I did not feel any pain, but my shirt was somehow stained with blood,” said the student in a shocked voice. Next came a scene of the police running into the school to find only the immobilized gunmen.  

We strolled out of the café and climbed back into the jeep, which groaned as we all piled in. It had been a rewarding day.  For the four-legged mutt and his six-legged super-friends the adventures have only just begun. Who knows what our future holds…

Nicholas Siow Jen Wei

St. Joseph's Institution Junior

Chronicles of the Big Sneeze

Nathaniel Cheng Le Shan 

ST. JOSEPH’S INSTITUTION JUNIOR

The moment I was born, I was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The doctors thought something was amiss with my lungs and I had to be monitored. That afternoon, my first sneeze shook the nursery. The monitors hooked to me jumped into life and beeped fanatically. “His lungs are strong,” the doctors said, “but he may have allergies.” As it turns out, I am allergic to peanuts, milk, dust, ice-cream, cinnamon, pollen, cigarette smoke, cat hair and (in my opinion), homework. And my allergic reaction? I sneeze.

Things happen when I sneeze. A mild sneeze stuns people. A moderate sneeze blows my homework away (though I must admit this sometimes comes in quite handy!). A hard sneeze - well, you will find out about it soon enough.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One beautiful day at the beach, I was frolicking in the water with Dad, Mum, and my sister, Gabrielle. We had drifted rather far out into the water on our ridiculously huge float. Gabrielle had insisted on taking an ice-cream cone with her on the float and melted ice-cream was now dribbling down her chin. 

I frowned. “Is ice-cream really so importan-”

“HEL…P!” an urgent scream cut through the air before I could finish my rant. 

We scanned the water around us but saw no damsel in distress. Suddenly, I spotted a girl’s head bobbing up and down in the water between us and the shore. Oh no! As my mind turned cartwheels trying to figure out what to do, Gabrielle’s ice-cream cone came into my view. An idea struck me. I took a huge bite of her ice-cream (I must admit it tasted scrumptious). 

I suddenly felt a tingling sensation in my nose. Then the tingling spread to my entire face. Before I knew it, I felt a sudden pressure build-up in my lungs and my face. I could not control myself. I felt myself going, “Ah…Ah…AHHH-CHOOOO!” 

Propelled by the enormous jet of air from my lungs, the water in front of me surged forward, forming a wave that was as tall as I was. The huge wave pushed forward, barrelling towards the drowning girl. As it reached her, it pushed her swiftly to shore. 

While we had fallen off our float from the force of the sneeze, we could see that the girl landed spread-eagled on the beach before she stood up and staggered away from the water. We cheered. My superpowered sneeze had saved someone. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One Sunday afternoon, Dad and I were walking the short distance to the neighbourhood library. We came to a junction and waited for the green man. On the pavement opposite us, a teenager was swaggering towards the junction. He was bobbing his head along to music coming from huge headphones over his ears. 

“Tsk. Young people nowadays need to pay more attention to their surroundings,” Dad said disapprovingly.

The green man soon came on. Just as Dad and I were about to step off the curb, I spotted a car hurtling down the road. It did not seem to be stopping for the red light and Dad and I froze in our tracks. To my horror, the teenager did not notice the speeding car and was about to swagger across the road. He was going to get knocked down! No amount of shouting would help while he had his headphones on! 

Suddenly, I caught a whiff of cigarette smoke – somebody must have been smoking nearby. Just what I needed! I took a deep breath and immediately felt a tingling sensation in my nose. The pressure built up in my lungs and my face and I went, “Ah…Ah…AHHH-CHOOOO!”

In the nick of time, the rush of air from my sneeze thrust the teenager away. He fell back onto the pavement just as the car sped by at break-neck speed. With the green man still flickering away, Dad and I rushed over to the teenager and were pleased to find that he was unscathed except for a sore bottom. Yet again, my superpowered sneeze had saved someone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Allergies are no fun. However, my allergies have given me special powers. With super allergies – I mean powers – come super responsibilities, and I will always use my superpowered sneezes to help others. 

Nathaniel Cheng Le Shan

St. Joseph's Institution Junior

The E-Peeps

Rachel Wong Yern Mun

TOWNSVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

The E-Peeps were a group of special people who had superpowers. They lived back in the 12th century and were led by Edward Cameron, their founder. These were the names and powers of all the members:

Edward Cameron’s powers: Invisibility, Power Mimicry

Carina Joanne’s powers: Invulnerability

Bethany Lee’s powers: Telepathy

Martin Marlow’s powers: Flying

These were all amazing powers but however cool they seem, the E-Peeps themselves always faced one little problem – teamwork.

When using powers, you need to work together to fight the baddies. The E-Peeps just couldn’t do it. Edward tried to get the group to improve their teamwork, but it was hopeless.

“Carina shows off with her powers all the time, just because she’s invincible!”

“Martin thinks he’s the coolest just because he flies. He said that if he can find someone to send a tsunami, he’ll ask them to drown the rest of us while he stays up in the clouds, watching!”

“Bethany’s such a showboat - so what if she reads minds! I bet she’d get an awful headache if a million people were talking or thinking around her!”

One day, the E-Peeps received news that the King of Baddies, Badgremoe, had come to steal their powers for himself.

Unprepared, the E-Peeps stood before him confidently. Everyone except Edward did not seem to understand that ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. They believed that Badgremoe could be beaten using their individual powers, and there was no need for teamwork. Edward knew it was impossible.

They fought a hard battle and Edward’s prediction came true. They lost badly and Edward had to ask Martin to whisk them all away with his flying ability to escape. They hid in a magical fox den.

Luckily, nobody’s powers had been taken by Badgremoe’s magic ‘power-absorber’ wand. But they were all injured, except Carina, who smiled smugly.

“What did I tell you? Heh, you two just wouldn’t listen! I’m invincible!” she bragged.

“Enough, Carina. We all have serious injuries. It’ll take us days to recover, and I don’t want to listen to any more bragging from you,” Edward said sharply, while the rest giggled.

“Yes, Edward,” she muttered, shooting daggers at the others using her eyes.

They stayed quiet for an hour. Suddenly, Bethany spoke up.

“Listen..,” she cleared her throat. “I think w-we do need some t-team…teamwork.” 

“And a plan,” Martin added, winking.

Carina nodded with a determined smile. “I’m in, Beth. Martin?”

“Martin too,” he grinned.

Edward smiled, “Let’s do it!”

For the next few days, they worked out a marvellous plan while recovering. Then they went out together, and faced Badgremoe confidently, with Edward leading them.

“The only way to become truly awesome is to take all of your powers. I have already mastered the others,” Badgremoe cackled menacingly.

“I have to get close enough to destroy his wand and prevent him from taking any powers from me. You need to distract him,” Edward explained. 

They would each have to use their own powers to engage Badgremoe. Bethany read his thoughts and told the others, “He wants to absorb our powers with his wand. He says…hold on, he says he is going to strike at Edward first. So we need to protect him, and also distract Badgremoe while Edward tries to get close.”

Badgremoe suddenly shot out a fireball at them and they had no time to duck. Fortunately, Carina acted swiftly and shielded the group easily, using her invincible body. 

Chloe Ho

Townsville Primary School

Badgremoe was properly taken aback. He aimed an ice ball at Edward, who quickly turned invisible and slipped quietly towards the surprised Badgremoe.

Where has he gone? Never mind, I’ll deal with the other three first, Badgremoe thought. Bethany warned the others quickly. 

He then pointed his wand at Martin, who immediately flew away before the wand absorbed his power.

“Fly up and take his wand while we distract him,” Carina whispered. 

Martin hovered above Badgremoe’s head and waited while Carina and Bethany worked to distract him. They danced around him playfully, easily dodging the fireballs that he shot by following Bethany’s instructions. 

When he raised his wand up high to cast a spell on the girls, Martin cleverly snatched it from his hand and flew quickly around to look for invisible Edward. 

Edward took the wand and smashed it to pieces. The powers went to him. He shot out his hand and also absorbed Badgremoe’s powers. 

Defeated and powerless, Badgremoe fled to the mountains, full of angry embarrassment.

“The E-Peeps have finally done it! We make the best team!” Carina squealed happily while the rest laughed and hugged.

Rosalie's visions 

Rahul Rajavel 

WEST GROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL

A storm is coming. Rosalie stared out of the window and up at the sky, deep in thought. The sky appeared crystal clear with the sun shining radiantly, but visions of an impending storm flashed in her mind. 

Rosalie. She was a beautiful girl who was gifted with an extraordinary power. The power to see what had yet to come: Precognition, the ability to predict the future. She had a lovely appearance and a pure, innocent heart. She had sparkling blue eyes and gorgeous blonde hair that draped down to her shoulder. Her face was lit with a perfect smile and dimples. She was clad in a cute little dress and her voice was sweet as honey. She was perfect and radiated happiness. She was truly a gift from God, and a blessing to all. She lived in the countryside with her parents, Emily and Jones, in a nice cottage. 

Soon, ominous dark clouds loomed in the sky. Raindrops started to pelt against the window and on the rooftop. Emily smiled at her delightedly but was not a single bit surprised. Rosalie smiled back, once again pleased with herself. Her father, Jones, stared at her disapprovingly. However, in the eyes of society, many saw Rosalie as a devil in disguise. 

She draped a scarf around her neck, skipping out into the rain and promising Emily she would be back soon. Mrs. Thomson, the lady who ran the bakery in the neighbourhood, was wading in the water, rushing to get home. 

“Oh Mrs. Thomson, I was just looking for you!” Rosalie exclaimed in her velvety voice. 

“Yes, darling, what is it?” Mrs. Thomson stopped and asked politely.  

“I have something really important to tell you. It’s Mr. Thomson. Could you please ask him to be careful on the road? If he isn’t, he might just get into a car accident,” she said with concern. 

Mrs. Thomson was first taken aback by shock, finding it odd that Rosalie, a twelve-year-old girl, was advising her on how to take care of her husband, but then feeling angered and offended by her remark. 

“My dear, I am very sure my husband knows how to take care of himself. I think you should go home now,” she said, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. She walked away hastily, thinking that Rosalie was just a foolish young girl and not taking her warning seriously. 

A few days later news came that Mr. Thomson had been involved in an accident while driving to work, just as Rosalie had warned. He was badly injured and many of his bones were broken. From then on Mrs. Thomson, who was a foolish woman, avoided Rosalie, believing that she was the one who had cursed her husband. Rumours spread that Rosalie was a devil disguised as an angel. Even her father failed to understand her. 

“Emily, I think we need to consult a doctor. This is not normal. I have a feeling that Rosalie has some sort of mental problem. She is always staring off into space, thinking about something distant. She says she sees visions and they are about the future. We need to do something about this,” Jones said to Emily. 

Another breezy night, Rosalie lay deep asleep in her room, undisturbed by the noise. It was cold and chilly outside and she was curled up into a ball under her blanket. Suddenly, flashing images and very disturbing visions appeared in her mind. She saw bloodshed and tears and heard the sound of sirens and ambulances. She saw her mother lying on a stretcher, severely wounded. There was destruction everywhere. This was definitely not a dream, it was a vision of the future and she knew the difference. There were so many vivid images in her mind. 

Rosalie saw herself walking into the kitchen to grab a cloth to clean up after dinner when she felt the ground under her feet start to shake violently. The plates and cutlery inside the cupboard started to fall out and Rosalie moved away just in time. All the crockery crashed to the ground and shattered to pieces. Emily and Jones rushed to the kitchen. By then, the earthquake had caused their whole cottage to shake and many items could be heard clattering and falling out of place. Just then part of the roof crashed to the ground where Emily was standing. It fell on her leg and she lay moaning in excruciating pain. Rosalie saw many others in the village getting injured, and she could clearly see the houses being turned into rubble. There was destruction and chaos everywhere. 

Rosalie screamed and jerked awake. Emily and Jones awoke and rushed to see what had happened. She explained everything she saw to Emily, for she knew her mother was the only one who believed and understood her. 

“Oh dear. I will inform everyone tomorrow. Go to sleep now,” Emily said. 

Rosalie knew she had to do something before it was too late. The future was not set in stone and there was still time to save everyone from the disaster that was going to hit. 

The next day, the whole village gathered and Emily explained what Rosalie had seen. 

“We need to leave the village before the earthquake hits. The visions may not be one hundred percent accurate, but it is better not to take risks. After all, most of Rosalie’s visions have turned out to be true. Those who are coming, take your valuables and we will head to another village temporarily,” Emily explained.   

Many people thought it was extremely foolish to believe Rosalie’s visions. However, there were still others who did not want to take the risk, and so supported her. To convince the others, there was only one way. To those who did not trust her ability, Rosalie said she would predict what would happen in their life the next day. To their surprise, what Rosalie had predicted happened the very next day. Thus, everyone in the village trusted her and agreed to move to the nearby villages. 

They embarked on the journey and within two days they had reached a nearby village. A week later, news spread like wildfire that an earthquake had hit the village Rosalie lived in and the whole area was in chaos. However, no lives were lost. Everyone was in deep trauma when they reached their village again to find that many of their homes were severely damaged. However, everyone thanked Rosalie profusely for saving all their lives. From that day onwards, everyone cherished Rosalie for her extraordinary ability and hailed her as their hero. 

Duan Yuxin

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

The Flower

Nina Tetlak

WESTWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

There was once a girl, who always thought that she was just an ordinary person. Her name was Nina. She lived in a very beautiful country that she loved with all her heart. This country was very clean and had many colourful flowers and green trees.

Unfortunately, every year something horrible would happen. Over the period of a couple of months, thick, choking smoke would regularly fill the air for hours, or even days at a time. Each year the effect was getting worse, and everybody was forced to wear masks or stay indoors. One evening when the haze had struck again, Nina was alone in her room thinking about what was causing it, and where it came from. She was very upset. When she closed her eyes and started to think about it, the strangest thing happened. She felt a bit dizzy and when she opened her eyes again, she was not in her room anymore! She had somehow been teleported to a very strange place, a place she did not recognize. 

Nina was standing at the edge of what once was a beautiful rain forest. Now it was not pretty at all. It was on fire! The clouds had turned black and everyone, human and animal alike, was running away. The air was filled with ashes and smoke so dense that she could not breathe. She became frightened because she did not understand what was going on. 

Suddenly she spotted a baby orang-utan wandering aimlessly amongst the burnt trees. “Who are you, little monkey?” she asked. To her total surprise, the baby orang-utan responded: “My name is Mako. I’m lost. Can you help me to find my mummy?” Still shocked that she could understand an animal, Nina picked the baby up and gently hugged it. “What has happened here?” she asked. “The villagers set the forest on fire to make room for new plantations,” the orang-utan said. 

Nina felt very sorry for all the animals that had lived there and had now lost their homes. She was very furious with the humans who had caused this disaster. She really wished that the rain would come. “Rain, rain! Where are you when we need you?” she shouted with anger. 

Nina Tetlak

Westwood Primary School

Then, to her astonishment, it started to rain! She was completely taken aback. Is it just a coincidence or can I really control the weather? she thought. Soon the rain put down the fire, but the air was still filled with smoke. She wondered: Maybe some wind could help out? She called for the wind and the wind really came! Soon the whole area was free of fire and smoke! She could hear the people cheering in the distance. 

Thanks to the rain and the wind, the little baby orang-utan was finally able to spot his mother, who had also been looking for him. “Mummy, Mummy! I’m here!” he called, and the girl let him go. The orang-utan started running toward his mother, but suddenly turned back and gave Nina a beautiful flower. “This is a flower from our home. I want you to have it. Thank you for everything” he said. Nina watched the happily reunited couple for a moment. Then she realized that she missed her family too. She closed her eyes and thought about her room. A second later, she had teleported back home! She slowly opened her eyes and thought: What a strange dream that was. Teleportation, speaking to animals, weather control…But when she looked down, she saw the beautiful white flower in her hand…

Superpowers

Koh Yi Ying

ZHANGDE PRIMARY SCHOOL

“Go and clean the storeroom now!” barked my mother. Reluctantly, I dragged my feet toward the storeroom. As I opened the door, an old, dusty book fell to the ground. Bending down to pick it up, memories of that unforgettable day came rushing back into my mind. The fear. The bewilderment. All those memories were now fresh in my mind. Sitting down, I started to remember every detail of the events on that fateful day.

The sun elongated the shadows on the ground. It had been raining for many days and the sun had finally come out so I could go to the bookstore. Being an avid reader, I wanted to buy a book to study for my upcoming history examinations.

The cool breeze from the air conditioner caressed my cheeks as I stepped into the bookshop. Whoa! There must be millions of books here! “Um…Where is the history section?” I asked a man at the counter. “There…” he said in a hoarse voice. I followed his gaze and saw the history section. I muttered a quick ‘thank you’, and ran into the history section like a bolt of lightning. “Ahh! It’s here!” I exclaimed excitedly. I flipped open the book.

Suddenly, I felt the world around me begin to spin, and a blanket of darkness enveloped me as I sank into oblivion. After what seemed like an eternity, I came to myself and stretched before standing up.

Bewildered, I looked around me. Wait a minute, where am I? I thought. Thud…thud…Turning around, I saw a frail old woman walking towards me. Her eyebrows were knitted together and her face was fraught with worry.

“Who are you?” we asked each other at the same time. Confused, she beckoned me to follow her. 

She took me to her hut. A little boy looked at me and smiled. 

“This is my grandson,” she told me as she beamed at the boy.

“Where is everyone?"  I asked, pointing at the deserted huts surrounding us.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Sadly, she began to tell me about how her country - Singapore - was at war. The Japanese were likely to win, and it appeared that the end would come sometime soon.

“Wait, isn’t that World War II?” I asked her.

She looked at me strangely, and as she continued to talk I realised that she was indeed describing events from World War II.

“Then…I must be from the future!” I blurted out.

I began to tell her what would happen during the war and that the Japanese would surrender. Her eyes widened.

“Are you really from the future?” she turned to me and held my hands. I nodded. “If you are, please take my grandson away - away from the war, where he has a chance to live!” The old woman ran to the little boy and thrust him toward me.

Even though I was stunned, I promised her that I would protect her grandson. She looked at me, hugged her grandson and told him to go with me.

Hey!” a shout rang out.

Turning around in horror, I saw Japanese soldiers running towards the huts. I flipped open the book. Nothing. Nothing happened. Fear tied a knot in my stomach. I held the boy’s hands tightly, closed the book and flipped it open again. The world begin to spin. Relief flooded me as I knew we were going back to the present.

The moment I arrived back in the present, I paid for the book and ran all the way home. I had a lot of explaining to do and even showed my mother the book. She flipped it open but nothing happened. Looks like it only works for me! I thought to myself.

I did not know why but somehow, I felt they came to believe me. A few months later, that little boy became my adopted brother.

“Jack! Are you done?” my mother’s voice shook me out of my reverie. Putting the book carefully back onto the shelf, I smiled to myself. That book had made me realise my superpower - to turn back time. It had also brought me great fortune - it had brought me a brother.

The Life of a Supernatural

Ong Cui Yi

COMPASSVALE SECONDARY SCHOOL

When people are asked if they wish to have super powers, most would think of them as something amazing that can help their daily life become easier and more comfortable, and say yes straight away. However, little do they know that they have greatly underestimated the burden and responsibility that super powers can bring to the person who has them. I am Andrew Taylor, a seemingly normal high school student who is actually the victim of my so-called 'awesome' super powers.

My super powers allow me to do all kinds of things, such as read people's minds, teleport, fly, turn back time, run with impossible speed, have enormous strength and become invisible. Basically, I can do anything, even conquer the whole world if I wanted to. I have had these abilities since I was born and thus even when I was still an infant, I was able to walk on air, run an errand by teleporting to the supermarket, speak an unknown language and drive a car, making me completely different from other kids. Normally, parents would take their children with these kinds of symptoms to see a doctor, but my laid-back parents did not find it weird at all, and made use of my powers as they liked. Despite this, they were very kind parents and it was because of them that I did not use my powers for evil things.

However, even though my powers were indeed helpful, they were a burden at the same time as they were very hard to control. If I'm not focusing when using them, I could easily destroy a building or level a mountain accidently. In addition, because of my ability to read people's minds, I can always hear the voices of various people wherever I go. In order to not be captured by the government for an examination of my powers, or end up on the news, I am not allowed to show my powers to anyone except my family. As someone who hates attracting attention, I try my best to act like a normal person - doing things such as purposely getting an average score on a school test even though I could get higher, or running at an average speed in a marathon even though I could be faster.

Jewel Woon

Compassvale Secondary School

As I reached school one morning, my classmate Matt Bronson acted like my close friend and came to greet me as usual. Despite my obvious attempt to avoid him, he still treated me as his friend and spoke normally. The reason why I did not wish to become friends with him is because I cannot read his mind at all. My guess is that either he has super powers as well, or he is just an idiot who does not use his mind to think about anything. From my observations of him, the real reason is definitely the latter. Even though I hate hearing the inner voices of other people, not being able to hear them also makes me uneasy, hence my attitude towards Matt, even though I know he means no harm.

On my way home from school, I saw Matt bump into a group of thugs. Even though he apologised, they acted as if they had been seriously hurt and then threatened him, demanding he pay compensation.

"Why should I, when you are obviously faking your injuries? Anyway, I did apologise, didn't I?" 

God, I can't believe what I just heard, I thought. Did he seriously think that apologising would get him out of trouble with these thugs? But then I remembered that he was not likely to have used his brain to think things through. Thus, I had no choice but to secretly use my powers to turn back time to before Matt bumped into those thugs. Next, I teleported a banana skin from the rubbish bin to the ground, causing one of the thugs to slip, and so watched Matt peacefully pass by them. When I thought that my job had finally ended, Matt turned his head for some reason and noticed me standing behind him. Without a second thought, he came over and started to fool around again.

However, that's when it occurred to me that having a friend to look out for may not be as bad as I had thought after all. Hanging out with Matt may be tiring, but interesting as well, as it is not easy to find someone whose inner thoughts I cannot hear. I’m now looking forward to the things that are to come in my life as a supernatural in this world.

Partner

Tasha Khor Pei Xin 

COMPASSVALE SECONDARY SCHOOL

"My name is Kat and I have the power to control cans."

At the end of my statement, the room fell silent as many dumbfounded expressions turned towards me simultaneously. All obviously had the question, ‘Is that a legit superpower?’ floating in their sea of thoughts. To say I was surprised by this reaction would be a lie, as having 'real' nEutrals question my own status as a nEutral was a common event.

After what seemed like forever, time finally ran out signalling people to gradually empty the auditorium, and cutting short the number of demeaning looks I would have received. 

As I was leaving a high pitched voice called out to me, followed by a breeze. Most likely someone with super speed.

"Kat! Excuse me!" 

Swinging my head around I saw a familiar little boy with hopeful emerald eyes and scruffy blood red hair. Clifford - the nEutral with countless superpowers. No older than eight years old, this kid had already saved thousands of lives from the petty fights super heroes and villains would engage in, often endangering people for their little games. A prodigy who had the universe's eyes on him.

"Could I be your partner?" he continued on, voice drenched with excitement.

What? The prodigy wants to partner up with me - the nEutral that no one takes seriously?

"Sorry kid, I don't think we would suit as partners. Maybe find someone closer to your own age?" I rejected him plainly.

"I'll just follow you around! I promise I won't be a bother!" he yelped, pressing his palms together.

Honestly, I knew he wouldn't be a bother. I was just worried that seeing him in action would pull my self-esteem all the way to the center of the earth. I mean he was pretty much surpassing me in all aspects already, despite being ten years my junior.

After contemplating for a while I replied to him unwillingly, "Follow me for today. If you're good enough, I'll let you be my partner."

"Alright!" His jump of joy carried him all the way to the auditorium's ceiling. Just how many powers does he have? I wondered.

Villains, superheroes and even nEtruals were being flung around at every corner. It was a normal day. Then, I felt a tug on my shirt from Clifford who was silently following behind me, and halted in my tracks to address him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Er... why haven't we helped with any of the fights?" he inquired, ever so confused.

"Look kid, my power is subjective. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. For example, let's say I ran into Magnecto Boy. My paramagnetic tin cans would instantly be attracted to him, making it hard for me to control my only source of weapons, and pretty much deciding my fate." I vaguely explained my (to put it bluntly) useless power.

"What's subjective?" A curious gaze faced me.

Oh, I forgot, he's eight.

"To put it simply, my power doesn't always work." I tried to simplify it as much as I could.

He made an 'O' with his mouth and nodded slowly, obviously not fully understanding what I said.

Just then the ground started to shake and dark figures emerged from the buildings, followed by a robotic voice announcing, "Now starting the purge."

My heart rate shot up and I grabbed onto Clifford before making a beeline for the nearest alleyway I could find. "Don't ask questions, just follow my lead and do what you usually do," I ordered him before turning back to the action.

Foo Han Ya

Compassvale Secondary School

Dashing out, I pulled some tin cans out of my bag and formed a series of rising platforms with them. As I stepped off each can in the ‘staircase’ they plummeted down towards the dark figures, pushing them against the road for Clifford to finish off.

As I ascended my heart raced in anticipation. When I reached the 'top' there he was, as expected, sitting on his faux throne. Baby pink eyes taunting me and gaudy brown hair flowing in the breeze. Castor; he was once the top nEutral and my partner. 

That was until he joined the most influential villain group, known for their gruesome method of getting rid of people they did not like. The Purge.

"Castor." For some reason I was gasping for air as I called his name.

"Kat, your cans haven't rusted yet?" he mocked me as usual…

Before the conversation could continue, I threw multitudes of attacks towards him, though all the cans were easily halted by his black goop. I cursed my useless power as a giant hand pushed me down towards the road. I desperately sliced it to oblivion with the lid of a tin can, trying my best to avoid getting squashed.

Regaining my composure I glanced up at Castor as spherical balls of black substance rained down. I desperately summoned all the tin scraps scattered around, hoping they would be enough to protect me from my impending doom.

"Don't worry Kat, I'll protect you!" Clifford sprinted to stand in front of me and created a large force-field covering the two of us.

"Oh, you have super boy as a new partner? Seems like I'll have to get rid of yet another person - what a shame." My eyes dilated at his words, and my heart went wild.

"Don't get too excited, today's not the day." Castor gave me a Cheshire grin and proceeded to vanish into the black goop before I could get even a single hit on him.

I looked down at the innocent boy next to me and guilt piled up. I had just accidentally given him a death sentence, and worst still it was from The Purge.

I needed to protect him.

Hesitantly, I asked a question I never thought I would ever ask again in my life. 

"Hey, would you like to be my partner?"

Synesthesia

Lim Jade

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

"I hate you! Just! Die! Already!"

Each exclamation was punctuated by a swipe of his clawed hands, which glanced off the invisible barrier between us. The sheer amount of loathing in his tone was almost palpable. His chapped lips were pulled back into a snarl, exposing unnaturally sharp teeth.

It took everything I had to keep from flinching.

I fixed my gaze on his chin and stood up straighter, discreetly pressing the panic button on my tablet. The orderlies would reach us in about ten minutes' time. Until then, however, it was just me and an intern with a convenient shielding power against a physically-enhanced man with power-induced anger management issues. Sometimes, working in a parahuman asylum was like playing Russian roulette. One never knew what aces the patients had up their sleeves, and when it came to powers, a lack of information could be fatal. Such as how the patient standing before me was apparently triggered by the sight of brunettes, and immune to regular sedatives. If I survived, I was going to tear whoever handled his case notes a new one.

"Charles, I know you're angry right now, but could we talk this out, please?" I made my tone as mild as possible and motioned for the intern to hide behind me, hoping to not aggravate the patient further. Bracing myself, I looked up, and the sight stole my breath away.

A pair of carmine orbs burned fiercely, an intense film of red eclipsing the sclerae and bleeding into his purple-tinted irises. A web of glowing red threads burst from his sockets, etching themselves into the skin around his eyes. They pulsed every time he blinked, resembling a cluster of worms.

I catalogued the manifestations, swiftly assembling a diagnosis.

‘High level of artificial rage, power-induced. Power’s influence is temporary, open to external interference. Some natural anger and fear. Trace amounts of sadness, despair and attraction. Trigger was fear. Old trauma. Ex-lover?’

Glancing at the trembling girl behind me, I saw two purple eyes, the irises ringed by bands of neon yellow. There were tinges of pale pink coalescing in the pupil.

‘High level of fear, stems from survival instinct. Initially large panic, lowered to moderate levels. Small amount of comfort. Assured by presence of authority.’

I returned my attention to Charles, who growled, “I’m not talking to you. I know your type. You’re just a filthy liar! Just like every single shrink I’ve ever seen! Not a single one had the guts to tell me what I really am: a freak!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Charles. I don’t think that’s true at all. Your power might’ve changed you, but it doesn’t make you.”

"Stop lying!"

He moved to attack, and I activated my own power, siphoning away his fear and anger in an instant. The lines on his face peeled off and flowed towards me in a stream of red and purple. A familiar prickling sensation erupted on my chest, spreading to my limbs and back. With emotions of this magnitude, the feedback would be considerable. Vivid maroon vines surfaced on my skin, weaving down my forearms in intricate patterns. Sharp thorns grew from each vine, a remnant of his current mentality. I knew similar designs would be decorating the rest of my body, and sighed. It would be two days at least, before I could wear short-sleeved shirts again.

Drained of its emotional source, Charles' power returned to its dormant state. His animalistic features began to recede, and his digitigrade feet began to shrink. I winced at the sound of his bones snapping and reforming. I had encountered multiple shifter powers before, but a part of me would always be unnerved by them. Without the boost his power provided, Charles’ body could not withstand the exertion of shapeshifting, and he collapsed onto the floor.

I patted the intern's shoulder. "Mel, was it? You can rest now."

She sagged visibly, and the barrier flickered out of existence. I caught her, watching the yellow and purple fade away, with splashes of pink blossoming in her eyes.

The thumping of boots heralded the arrival of the orderlies, and they loaded Charles onto a stretcher, dosing him with an enhanced sedative to keep him down. I caught a glimpse of peach and indigo as the vice-head of security approached me, asking, "Doctor Larsen, are you alright?" 

"I'm fine," I answered while gesturing to the intern. "But she needs some rest. Could you take her to the sick bay?" The vice-head called two men over, who whisked her away on a stretcher.

As Charles was carried past me, his eyes cracked open. "Doc...you weren't lying...when you said that… Were you?"

This time, I readily met his gaze. His sclerae were black, while white and grey mingled in his irises. Two grey lines ran down his cheeks, resembling tear tracks.

'Tired, emotional capability decreasing, side effect of power and sudden emotional drain. Despair present. Small amount of hope present.'

That hope was directed at me, and I knew what I had to do.

"No, Charles. I meant everything I said. We’re here to help, and I will do all I can for you."

He remained silent for a few seconds, before sighing. “...thanks, Doc.”

I watched his hope grow, tentatively pushing back the despair. Despite that, I knew he would be here for two years at least, given the emotional sway his power held over him. And he was one of the ‘lucky’ ones. Some of those admitted to St. Dymphna’s were registered as indefinite inpatients, their powers either deemed too unstable for them to safely live as a part of normal society, or their cognitive functions severely hampered as a side effect. 

Sometimes, powers were not the blessings they appeared to be - and as one of the few certified parahuman psychologists in the country, I often dealt with the fallout.

A shake of my head dispersed the grim thoughts, along with the wisps of grey and blue blurring my vision. Adjusting my coat, I headed back to my office. I had work to do.

Radiator: The rise of Radiator

Chong Wei Yi Lucas

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

“How’s the progress of the X-54?” 

“Urm…going quite well sir.”

“I want it completed in four days’ time! Do you hear me? If you fail to do so, I will have you executed.” 

***

Newspaper report: War rages on between Finlane and Degore. Four cities destroyed by X-53 fission bombs with devastating effects in Finlane…

***

“Adam, Mr. V wants to see you.” 

“Thanks.”

I walked past the laboratory, where about a hundred scientists were working hard to invent a shield that could defend Finlane from the destructive X-53 bombs, and made my way to Mr. V’s office.

Mr. V’s office was located at the other end of the building. I knocked.

“Come in.” 

I entered. “Oh, hello Adam!” Mr. V exclaimed, “I was-”

Someone else knocked.

“Come in.” 

“Mr. V, sorry to interrupt, but I think we’ve found a solution,” reported the senior researcher who had just entered the room.

“Adam, could you wait here for a minute?”

I nodded my head and remained seated as the door closed.

***

I heard screams. Then everything unfolded in slow-motion.

First, I heard the sound of wood splintering. It was followed by a loud boom. The walls seemed to shred and the dark oak door splintered ─ all this right before my very eyes. Then, the door was knocked off its hinges and through the doorway, I saw a rapidly growing fireball rushing towards me. I felt something knock into me, squeezing the breath out of my lungs.  

The force threw me backwards and I crashed head-first into the wall, crumpling to the floor. Wisps of gas enveloped me. There was a throbbing pain in my head and crimson red blood gushed out of the wound, covering the floor. My vision clouded and I drifted into unconsciousness.

***

“Hello? How do you feel?” 

“Better, thank you.” I replied. “Where am I?” 

“Jeterson Private Hospital.”

“How long was I unconscious?”

“About four days.” 

I shut my eyes tightly and gave my disoriented head a good shaking. I tried to remember what had happened. 

“Did anyone else survive?” I asked. 

“No one. You were the only survivor.” 

“Okay…” 

It was hard to come to terms with the deaths of all my fellow scientists. I just couldn’t!

***

“Sir, the X-54 is completed.” 

“Good. Have you conducted the simulations?”

“Yes.”

“And the blast radius?”

“Two hundred kilometres, sir.”

“Very good.”

“Where do you wish to have the X-54 targeted at?” 

“Jeterson.” 

***

The sonic boom came before the shockwave. 

I was awoken from my sleep by the deafening boom. Suddenly, everything around me was decimated - the nurses and all the other people vaporised, the walls and all the other non-living matter annihilated. The immense force hit me and the pain was overwhelming. The intense heat made me feel as if I was melting in lava. I was thrown into a world of darkness.

***

I woke again to find myself lying on the floor in a desolate place. My head was still groggy and my eyes could not focus. I continued to lay quietly for a while before slowly getting up and taking in my surroundings. I tried to recall what had taken place to cause this destruction. I remembered the sonic boom, the intense heat, the sight of the walls turning to dust, and the gruelling sight of the nurses vaporising; that sight would be etched in my mind forever. How was I able to survive while everyone else had not? I examined myself and found that there were no scars or wounds present on me. 

Then, I heard some footsteps ahead. A man wearing a protective suit with the insignia of the Degore National Army was walking towards my location. Across his shoulder slung a rifle, with extra magazines attached to a belt he was wearing. A few more soldiers followed behind him. They scanned the godforsaken waste-land and reported back to the first gunman, who maybe was their leader. I could lip read: “Any survivors?” “No one sir…” 

They had not seen me! I let out a sigh of relief. These men were bad. There was only death in their eyes. I hoped to kill them in revenge for my country. Suddenly, one of the gunmen swung round and looked in my direction. I stayed as still as I could, hoping he would not see me. Then the gunmen started walking towards me. 

I panicked; I did not know what I could do to avoid detection. They were now only a few feet away from me. Suddenly I felt energy course through my hands. Instinctively, I raised my right hand up towards the gunmen and immediately they were blown off their feet. Through the smoke, I saw an incredible sight; the gunmen were clutching at themselves in agony and their skin was rotting. One of them managed to take out a walkie-talkie and called for help. I raised my right hand towards them again. The gunman was hit by the wave of radiation and he was knocked further back. This time he was motionless. 

I heard a roar behind me, and I turned, only to see a heavy armoured vehicle rumbling towards me. A gunman on the vehicle opened fire and bullets started spraying in my direction. One caught me in the middle of my chest and a surge of pain shot through me. I thrust my hand in the direction of the moving vehicle, and the emitted wave of radiation knocked it over. The vehicle began to melt into a silvery-green goop, staining the ground with a mercurial puddle. All the passengers were dead. I looked back at the gunmen who had been conducting the check for survivors, and noticed that they all lay sprawled on the ground, lifeless. I felt my chest with my hand and found that my earlier wound had already healed. I decided that I would now try to only use this newfound power to help, and not harm people. 

Then I walked out of that land of the dead.

The Vessel

Hu Min Shi

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

I jolted awake with a gasp, feeling as though a pressure had just been released within me. I brought a trembling hand up to my face, noting how the oily, gelatine-like substance surrounding me conformed to allow freedom of movement.

“He’s awake. Drain the suspensory fluid. Unlatch the pod.” A cool, detached voice pierced through the haze. There was a muffled pop as the gooey blue film was washed down a large pipe that had just opened by the corner. 

The loud clicking of latches being flipped caused me to jerk my head up in panic. 

The man standing before the pod was completely foreign to me. The woman with a cold, calculating gaze, who stood some distance away, was even more of a puzzle that I had no answer to.

Her face was etched with lines of tension, her hand rubbing gingerly against her temple. Curiously enough, I could feel a subtle pounding emanating from her; and the more I focused, the more it seemed as though the tension and pain were my own. 

I winced and turned away, looking back at the man before me.

The man brought his hand up between us, and I eyed it warily, before looking up in confusion at his beaming face. 

“Welcome to the world, Vessel,” he said. Was that my name? Vessel? I reached a tentative hand out to grasp his, allowing him to lead me out of the pod. It immediately felt as though the intensity of the pounding had increased, and I resisted the urge to clutch my head.

I was led over to the woman, who threw me a gaze filled with contempt. I shied away and tugged on the man’s hand to get him to stop. I did not want to go any nearer. The tension had suddenly increased tenfold. 

He turned back to me and smiled reassuringly. “Come now, Vessel. We must meet the Chancellor. She’s been eagerly awaiting your completion, since the moment of your creation.”

I did not like the sound of that. But the woman before me had begun tapping her foot impatiently and I did not want to further aggravate the situation, so I shuffled forward slowly. 

“Look up,” she ordered.

I glanced up, but quickly looked back down upon meeting her fierce grey eyes.

She huffed irritably. It seemed this was a woman used to getting her way. 

Cold fingers grasped my chin and my face was yanked upwards to meet the scowl of the Chancellor. 

I could feel the rapid pounding of my heart in my chest, and my hands clenched and unclenched helplessly by my sides. I struggled to breathe through the pounding in my head.

The Chancellor’s grey eyes bore into mine. “Now,” she whispered softly, “you will rid me of this wretched migraine that has been plaguing me for the past week.”  

My eyes widened at her ridiculous request and darted to the side to look at the man, who was now standing with his arms crossed.

To my relief, he acknowledged the silent plea for help.

Striding over, he spoke. “Come now, Ma’am. Vessel is but a few minutes old. Let me teach him how to properly treat you.”

The woman before me all but growled, before releasing her hold on me roughly. 

Stumbling back, I put some distance between us, which greatly alleviated the pain in my head. 

Dazed and disoriented, I began numbly following directives given by the man. 

“Lift your hands up and spread your fingers,” he instructed. I did as told.

“Good.” The man appeared pleased. “Now, approach the patient and place your palms over the point of pain. I’m sure you are capable of sensing the pain points, Vessel.”

I hesitated, before making my way to the woman, feeling as though every step closer put another 10 pounds upon my head. Hands shaking, I reached up and clasped my palms on both sides of her head, fingers spread wide. 

“Wonderful.” The man spoke in even tones. “Now, Vessel, take a deep breath. Imagine you are pulling the pain from your patient, through your hands, and into your own body.”

In a state of limbo, I breathed in deep and focused on the region running along the back of the Chancellor’s skull, where the pain seemed to originate.

In an instant, white-hot pain shot through my head, running along the back of my skull, just as it had with the Chancellor. What had initially been an intense pounding now morphed into unbearable agony. 

I cried out and released my hold on the Chancellor’s skull, crumpling to the ground. At the same moment, the woman released a long, relieved sigh. Colour was fast returning to her cheeks, and she looked radiant. 

Pressed against the cold marble floor, I heard the sound of her heeled boots as she stepped over me and approached the man. 

“Marvellous, Doctor Fletcher. You’ve truly outdone yourself this time around. How long before he is in operation again?” Her voice was chipper.

“I’d give it a week or so before he dispels the effects of your migraine, Ma’am. The time he takes to recover is in relation to that of the patient from whom he receives the pain or wound,” he replied, and I heard him shift some papers before continuing. “But in all honesty, he’s more than ready to go at any time. We can have him absorb a severe wound from one of our soldiers now if you’d like, as a demonstration.”

I trembled against the floor. It was clear that whatever I absorbed would become an infliction upon myself. Panicked wheezing ensued. 

The Chancellor hummed thoughtfully. “A very high-level of Suffering Absorption you’ve developed here, Fletcher. A human turned Pain Manipulator. This opens many doors for us.”

There was a moment of silence. All I could hear was the loud gasps I was making and the gentle whir of machinery. 

Then, Fletcher spoke. 

“Indeed. A vessel for all the pain and suffering.”

Serendipity

Chu Shuai Wu 

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

In the morning I turned on the TV. 

“The Invisible Thief was finally caught yesterday by the legendary Aqua! The proclaimed superhero managed to corner him, and flushed him out of the bank with a massive wave!”

My roommate sauntered in. Pale green eyes glancing at the toast I was munching on, he let out a derisive snort. “You’ve been eating that for days.”

“Shush, Cookie.”

“Eleven-year-old genius Nathaniel Grey has come first in the Tournament of Heroes! This is the first time in history someone so young has emerged as champion!”

“So, how’d yesterday go?”

The pleasant morning came to a screeching halt as I remembered the interview at the Hero Association. Disappointment burned in my chest, weighing me down like an anchor in a cold, bottomless sea. 

“They said my talent would be more…useful elsewhere.”

Cookie would’ve shrugged if he could. “That’s not unreasonable.”

“I want to be a hero, Cookie, not a vet! Nor start my own TV channel, where I go around telling people what their pets think of them!”

He opened and closed his mouth, eyes round with pretend incredulity. “How’d you know what I was thinking?”

“Did you even hear what I said?”

“You’ve gotta admit, you’d be rich. I mean, people nowadays lavish so much on their pets, they could buy a house. That’s what I call a lucrative business.”

Sometimes your own cat could drive you insane when your superpower was like mine. 

In society we’re divided into two classes: the Espers and the Normals. I was fortunate enough to be born an Esper, just not fortunate enough to have a cool power like freezing or mind reading. All I could do was talk to animals. Even so, I still wanted to be a hero.

I dressed and left home. It was early and there were few people in the streets. I was first to arrive at the bakery where I worked; Mrs Hopkins came in later. I was mixing a batter when her scream cut through the floury air. She rushed from the back, wringing her hands. “There’s a rat! Go get rid of it!”

The furry grey creature flinched in its trap when I walked near. I sighed. I knew it should be killed, or it would return; certainly, if Mr Hopkins were here, he’d throw it into the river without a second thought. But when you could hear animals talk in human voices, it was hard to even crush an ant.

I lifted the cage carefully and spoke to the rat. It jerked, listening carefully with its small ears. After issuing a warning, I released it. I was still smiling at its dark form when Mr Hopkins’ angry voice boomed: “And what do you think you’re doing, young lady?”

He gave me a good scolding there and then. “If I catch you saving those vermin a second time, you’re fired! You wanna be a hero? What a joke! You should learn how to work properly first!”

I went to the counter, feeling my eyes prickling. An old customer smiled at me encouragingly. I was just going to fetch him his usual when another customer entered.

I had never seen him before; he was clad in black, had a mop of explosive brown hair, and his face was covered by a mask. His sharp eyes darted around the shop like a cornered animal. They sent chills running down my spine.

I was about to call out to him when he raised a gun and pointed it straight at me. “NOBODY MOVE!” 

People screamed and ducked. Platters of buns and bread dropped to the floor. Mr and Mrs Hopkins exited the kitchen, saw him, and froze. 

The robber shoved me away, keeping his gun pointed at us. One hand sucked up the money like a vacuum cleaner. “I’ll shoot you if you move!” he warned.

Once he was done, he retreated carefully through the back door. We called the police afterwards, but by then he’d escaped. The store was closed for the rest of the day. Still shivering from the shock, I went to the back miserably, knowing I had been useless. I should’ve stopped him. I’m not fit to be a hero. 

A small squeaking roused me.

Two rats peered from the drain. I heard a faint but audible “thank you” and recognized the rodent from earlier. An idea suddenly grabbed hold of me; I started telling them what had happened in a gush. “Could you find that man?” They scurried off at my request.

Then, feeling inspired, I ran home and told Cookie to spread the word to all the neighbourhood cats. He grudgingly slunk off, muttering under his breath. Then, flushing from embarrassment, I had screamed to the sky about an “egg-breaking, nest-burning, feather-plucking” man with the robber’s description. A few birds who heard me squawked in outrage. I then took to the streets, also asking any stray dog that crossed my path to help spread the word. 

My job done, I returned home and waited.

The rest of the day passed, and Cookie didn’t come back. A news reporter mentioned the robbery, but the man was nowhere to be found. I went to bed alone, fatigued and disappointed.

Early next morning I turned on the TV, still feeling dejected from yesterday’s failure. Then, I saw it.

“Breaking news! Police were astonished last night to find a man in front of the police station, being attacked by a number of animals!”

A policeman recounted the incident. “There were rats crawling all over his body. Some stray cats and dogs were biting and clawing him. Even the birds had gone mad; they were pecking at his face and head.”

“We were even more surprised to discover that this man was the robber from yesterday’s bakery attack! The owner of the bakery arrived and confirmed his identity. The man is currently under police custody, and we’re looking deeper into this odd phenomenon!”

I stared. Cookie came in then, tail sagging from fatigue. He sniffed at the TV, settled on my lap and went straight to sleep.

That’s when I started laughing.

Nightingale

Liu Liyuan

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

The dusk faded into the dreary and melancholic night as a blanket of sleep fell upon the city. Round the corner stood the petite silhouette; Nightingale. Her deep and cold eyes were darting around, as if looking for something.

She turned onto the street to face the caliginous district, sensing a source of deep pain. Her observant eyes scrutinized the area carefully, looking for the one she was to save.

A girl came into view. Her eyes were sallow, ridden with dark circles, and her lips were drawn in a tight line. The girl stepped onto the road and sat down quietly. Her thin and sickly figure blended into the pitch-black darkness, which seemed to have hidden her presence.

Nightingale wordlessly approached the girl on the road, who was weeping in silence. Just then, a car appeared in a distance, heading straight towards the girl who was sitting on the road. Nightingale, in one quick swoop, grabbed the girl and jumped out of the car’s trajectory, landing the both of them onto the cold, hard pavement.

“Why? What are you doing? I don’t even know who you are!” The girl stammered uncontrollably, as pearls of teardrops trickled down her cheeks. 

In an even tone, Nightingale replied, “You may not know who I am, but I do know who you are. You have been the image of perfection in your schoolmates’ eyes, but they don’t know the silent battles and wounds you face alone. Isn’t that right, Daphne?”

Nightingale was an extraordinary individual; she had the power of retrocognition. She could see the stories of those who had no voice to share their past; she could look beyond their masks of blithe and see all the anguish beneath. 

Thus, Nightingale made it her mission to save those who lost themselves or had given up on their lives. Despite the stressful burden of being able to experience the traumatic memories of others, Nightingale readily embraced her special powers. She never had any qualms about taking on the job that she was born to do.

The previously derelict girl, Daphne, turned her head towards Nightingale, her mixed feelings written clearly on her face: shocked by how Nightingale knew about her, yet relieved that someone could finally sympathize with her.

Tired of keeping all the agony within herself, Daphne poured out all her troubles and woes to Nightingale, who listened attentively to each and every word. That night, Nightingale gave Daphne a conciliating talk. That night, Daphne was at peace - she was finally able to let her mask slip and truly be free. That night, the sorrowful streets where Daphne had cried became so much more calm and restful.

Daphne had been on a cliff. Every word that stung her and every problem that she faced had made her take step after step towards the edge. She was only one step away from falling off, from drowning in her ocean of desolation and pain. 

But, Nightingale came. Nightingale gave Daphne hope and life. Nightingale had put a hand on Daphne’s shoulder. They jumped into the ocean together, saving Daphne from all her mental agony and affliction.

The next day, Nightingale took Daphne to a tranquil and secluded lake within a park, so that Daphne could calm her mind and find peace. The park was an idyllic site, far away from the hustle and bustle of modern urban life. The picturesque park seemed like a splendour of nature at its finest, as if it came straight out of a fairy tale.

Lau Jing Tong

Dunman High School

“Daphne, look at the beautiful view! After a storm, comes a rainbow! Your future can be just as enchanting, so don’t give up! Life will always have its ups and down, but it is your choice how to react to it. Do you want to let it consume you? Or take it into your own hands and conquer it yourself? There is still hope! You will make it out of this pain,” Nightingale chirped, confidence gleaming brightly within her eyes.

Nightingale shared her own story as well, of how others could not accept her for her extraordinary talents. Nightingale was cast aside by her friends and family, because she was seen as a “freak”, a “monster”, a “witch”. Despite her setbacks, Nightingale did not fall into the depths of despair – she still kept on going, using her talents to help others in need. Daphne listened intently as another story, bearing much similarity to her own, began to unravel before her. She stared in amazement at how strong and brave Nightingale had become.

Before Daphne had voiced her past, Nightingale had already recognized what Daphne was going through. She understood how Daphne felt, and could empathise with why she fell into such a deep depression. Nightingale understood how Daphne had to bottle up her emotions, never being able to truly express herself, as she dealt with the taunts, hatred, and misery of being ostracized by her peers. All Daphne could do was swallow the agonizing pain, pretending to be unfazed and nonchalant about the hurtful comments directed at her, even though each and every one of them hurt her like stabs from sharp knives. A mask of mirth became Daphne’s chainmail against anguish, protecting her from the daily verbal assaults which threatened to rip her to shreds.

Recognising this fact, Nightingale took Daphne in. She cared for the young girl unconditionally, like a hero, always saving Daphne from losing hope and life. Nightingale would read Daphne’s life story, page after page, day after day, and transform something sorrowful into something meaningful.

Nightingale could see Daphne grow happier and more jovial day after day. She was glad to bring some happiness into a despairing life; she was heartened to give the wonderful gift of joy. Nightingale saw the glow of happiness within Daphne and the spark in Daphne’s eyes. Nightingale knew, at that moment, that any effort is worth it when one realises the miracles one can perform in someone else’s life.

Thus, this was Nightingale’s life mission: to sing the songs that would save the denizens of despair.

Run

Xue Jia Min

GEYLANG METHODIST SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

....

OH NO.

OHNONONO.

OHNONONONOOOO!

ARGHHH!

Gottahurrygottahurry

THUMP

                        THUMP

                                                     THUMP

                                                                                     THUMP

                                                                                                                       THUMP

Thebathroom!Quickgetundressed!Onwiththeshirt!Nowthepants!Shoveyourfeetintothosesocks!NOWRUNRUNURUN

Whereismybag?Ah,thereitis!Underthetable(nowwhat'sitdoingthere?)!

OK!Goteverythingready?NOWRUNRUNRUN

Butfirst.

"Bye, Ma, I love you!"

AndoffIgo!

STOMP

STOMP

STOMP

STOMP

STOMP

Myrightfootshootsforwardwithpompandfirmlyplantsitselfahead,withmyleftfollowingjustamillisecondbehind.Rightfootagain,leftfoot

next.Rightfirst,leftsecond.Right,left.Right,left.Right,left.Theyarelikelittlechildrenhavingarace,bothunwillingtolettheothertakethelead.

Theconstantandregulatedpoundingofmysolesonthecrackedcementbelowproducesathumping,rhythmicbeatsimilartodrums.

Theworldwhizzespastmeinablur.Asmorgasboardofcolours,veryfaintandverybrief,beingtoofastformyeyestocatchandmybrainto

register.Everythingshapeless,blurredandbleedingintoeachother.Fornow,tome,mysurroundingshadthesameappealofaChinese

brushpainting-delicate,light,airy,dreamy.However,despitetheunfathomablepathways,Iamstillabletorunwithoutcollidinginto

anything.Itallcomesdowntoinstinct,Isuppose.

ThensuddenlyIhearsomething.ThesoundsIcatcharesodulledthatifIweretojuststand afew stepsfurther away, I wouldn'tbe abletogetanything. ButI hear it, alright, andI think that it's coming from my left. Heavy andbreathy, they are the sort ofstrained cries a person would make in a moment ofagony. This intrigues meso

I stop - the momentum jerks me forward - and look there. Just a quick glance to see what is going on. 

As the blurry images around me begin to settle down and become solid, block colours, I see an ice-cream man, and a long line of children snaking away from his motorcycle, across the void deck, and around the corner of an HDB block. As my vision clears even further, I manage to make out the crying girl that stands in front. The ice-cream man opens his mouth.

“No, cannot free!” It’s an intimidating bark.

“But I lost my money! Pwease, sir? I’m vewy hungwy.”

A vigorous shaking of his head. “Go away!”

I feel a tinge of pity. But when I look ahead of me, I realise that there is a long way to go if I am to make my way there in time. If I were to stop now and help the girl out, what good would it do me? Nothing. I am already tired out; no use stopping.

So I continue onwards. Right,  left. Right,  left. Right,  left. Rigghhht... left.

No. This isn't right.

Turn back.

Right, left, right, left. Everything in me screams at me to stop. Right, left, right, left.

The man and the girl are still there, moving so slowly they appear frozen to me. I reach into my pocket, fish out a one-dollar coin, and slip it into the girl’s tiny hand. There’ll be no extra snack for me today – yet I feel a warm, glowing sensation in my heart when I picture the girl’s reaction in my head. Possibly confused, but mainly overjoyed to have something to eat.

I     leave    her   and   go   on   running, but   my   speed   has   dramatically   slowed.   I   am still   going   faster   than   an   average   human   being,   but   the   world's   composition seems   to   now   consist   of   bright,   loud   smears,   tangible,   solid   stuff.   From   the hazy  acrylic   painting   before me,   I   can   roughly   make       out     big,     in-your-face elements        like         white       buildings         and       grey       roads.         I       feel               FIRE                       inside                    my                   lungs,                   licking                    the                            flesh                                        off                                         my                                    

   ribcage                                 and                                                                                                                                     

BURNING                                                   everything                                    DRY.                                            

My                                                                      breathing,                                           too,

sounds                                           LOUD  and TORTURED.

I'm not sure if I'm

*gasp*

going to ever make it.

Maybe I shouldn't

*gasp*

have went

*gasp* off-course.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I

*gasp*

solw

*gasp*

dwon*.

T-t-aht's

*gasp*

it! I

*gasp*

can't

eevn

*gasp*

thnik sriatght!

Wait - 

*gasp*

ISN’T THAT THE PLACE?

I     see     it.    Just    a    distance    across    from    me.    Shining    in    all    of    its glory    and    standing   out    as   particularly    striking    due    to    its    bold    primary    colours. Suddenly,   I   feel    a    shot    of    hope    surge   through   me.

I                pick             myself               up.

Right…           left….              right…               left.

Right… left… right,  left.

Right,     left,       right, left.

Right, left, right left.

Rightleftrightleft.

RIGHTLEFTRIGHTLEFT

IamgoingasfastasIhaveeverbeenrightnow.Icanfeelmybodybuzzingwithelectricity,morepureandpotentthanwhatIhadfeltwhenIfirst

startedout.Themusclesinmylegsaretenseandtaut,butIignoretheirstrainedpleasformercy.Theworldwhizzespastatadizzyingrate;its

coloursaresowashedoutandpalethatthey'reclosetonothingness.Ifeelastrangefeelingbrewupinmystomach,tastethesouracidthatrises

upinmythroatandthreatenstospill.Yet,Ikeepgoingwithrawspiritandhighhopes.

Icrossa trafficlight,am justa fewsteps away from the entrance. My vision clears. I can see the gates.

Right.... left.

You can do it!

Right.... left.

You're at the gates!

Right...left.

YOU'RE THROUGH THE GATES!

The bell rings, and I have never felt so happy in my life. My head is whirring and I feel sick to the bone, but I am over the moon. A lady passes, and I look at her in triumph. She raises her eyebrow. I guess she found my smile intimidating?

"What’re you here at school for? Marking Day today; students needn't come."

Oh.

Cutlery Chronicles

Ang Sin Nee

GEYLANG METHODIST SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

Perhaps this was how it felt to sink, the clenching of my chest, the suffocation enveloping my throat and the weight of my sluggish movements tying me down like an anchor waiting to plummet into the endless abyss. Perhaps it was jealousy, maybe even prejudice against those who have their happiness handed to them on a silver platter. Maybe it was just my unwillingness to accept the truth and harsh reality of the situation.

“Levi Arlot assigned to Kitchen League.” I read the simple words again, trying to find a hidden meaning in them that would help me understand my current predicament.

I wanted to serve in the Hero Division of the Academia to fight crime and catch criminals, actually become someone useful in the world rather than spend the rest of my mundane life cooped up in a dirty kitchen. Yet when I sought administrative help, I was instead directed to the kitchen without further negotiation.

“Ah, you’re the fresh meat?” a man said to me, dressed in typical chef attire matched with a flowing white cape decorated with a cross, formed by a fork and spoon, the Kitchen League’s emblem.

“So this is the baby chick who’s going to join us. He’s cute.” A youth with a child-like appearance smirked, his curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes made him look younger than he probably was.

“Don’t scare him away! I apologize for these idiots. I’m Kae. That wannabe prince charming is Wren, and our fierce leader, the head chef, is Captain Balthasar. You’ll get to know the others later.” A perky girl with bright pink hair smiled at me.

“Arlot.” My reply was laced with disinterest and boredom. I must have struck a nerve with them as the atmosphere stilled to silence. I was expecting tumbleweeds to appear at any moment.

“What’s with that tone…Arlot?” Kae asked slowly, all cheeriness dissipating from her voice.

“I don’t care much for making friends, and I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I wanted to be part of the Division, not some mediocre cooking class.” I wasn’t one to hide my true feelings, especially when I saw no point in doing so.

“Tsk, what ruffled your feathers?” Wren clicked his tongue.

“Why you…know your place, Arlot!” Kae growled.

“Hmph. Big words for such small prey.” 

They didn’t speak to me for weeks after that, except to admonish or chastise me.

Chan Ger Hui

Dunman High School

I was in the alley behind the kitchen block, taking scraps out to the dumpster in the back as per my usual routine. Something was different this time round. There were whispers and the sound of clinking coins. The flash of a red cape made my stomach churn. It couldn’t be…there was only one person in the entire Academia - no, the world - with a red cape.

“Maximus Dart.” The leader of the vigilante associations in Hero Academia. Maximus Dart was the first member of the Council of Supers, the governing group of Hero Academia, and the founding group of Superheroes. What was the ‘Red King’ doing here?

“Isn’t the hero of heroes supposed to be good?” A man sniggered at Maximus Dart’s smirk.

“Just being a hero doesn’t pay well. You of all people should know that, Alvon.”

Alvon? It couldn’t be. The only ‘Alvon’ that was associated with Maximus Dart was the king of villains. Alvon Von Wright was infamously known to be the king black-market dealer of the Underworld.

In my confusion, I must’ve kicked a lone can, causing a rattle. I backed against the wall and held my breath as the approaching footsteps got louder, like the thumping of a drum amplified by my heart.

“Say, Alvon. Looks like we’ve got a spy. Shall we play? For old times’ sake?” Maximus Dart was beside me, his hot breath tickling my ear as I staggered away.

“We shall.” Alvon cracked his knuckles as I huddled against the wall, trapped in the tight alley. What was I doing? Where was all my bravado about being a Hero fighter?

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing to our fresh meat?” Captain Balthasar appeared from behind me, flanked by Kae and Wren, who wore ferocious looks on their faces.

“Huh. Balthasar. Pity you’re not lying five feet underground yet. No matter, you will be once I’m done with you.”

Alvon’s threat made Balthasar push me roughly towards Kae and Wren.

“I’ll take care of them!” Captain Balthasar roared as he brandished three pairs of silverware which glistened under the sun; they looked puny against Maximus Dart’s wall of muscles.

Maximus Dart and Captain Balthasar took the form of predatory animals, prowling around each other as they bared their weapons. Maximus Dart struck first, summoning the power of fire and throwing flaming balls towards Captain Balthasar, who dodged them easily.

I had assumed that the knives and such were brought by accident, but when Captain Balthasar threw his silverware, I swore that I could hear the whiz of the missiles before they jabbed themselves into Maximus Dart’s arm.

I was astounded to say the least. Rumour had it that Maximus Dart’s skin was as tough as iron and he had reflexes of lightning. The idea that mere cutlery could penetrate his tough hide was unthinkable.

“Run!” While Maximus Dart was distracted, Captain Balthasar grabbed my arm and dragged me along as we fled the scene.

“Who…who are you?” I coughed out the words once we were back in the safety of the kitchen. Captain Balthasar and the others shared a look.

“Some things can’t be forgotten. Are you sure you want to hear the real facts?” they asked solemnly. They had a point, the heroes I had always admired were apparently working with the corrupted king of the black market. Did I really want to know the truth?

“Yes. I do.”

Watching the Stars

Khu Wei Xi

NANYANG GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

There's someone else here. 

Her voice didn't travel through the air, no. It resonated in Ray’s head, directly from the core of her thoughts. 

Ray squeezed Riannon’s hand. “Want me to cast Flame?” he whispered. 

She stared straight ahead, but held on to his hand as though she never wanted to let go. Are you crazy? A hint of amusement. In a forest as big as this, you might as well be shining a beacon for whoever is waiting to ambush us. 

“Good point.” Ray laughed, but the forced puff of air barely allayed his fears. 

He turned to look at the shorter girl beside him as they walked through the forest, illuminated by nothing but moonlight peeking between the foliage. 

Her hair darker than the night, her gray-blue eyes betraying the emotions she tried to conceal. 

Riannon, one day, I want to just sit down and watch the stars with you. 

~

“Hi, I’m Ray.” 

The small girl shook his hand, but didn’t make eye contact with him nor speak. 

“So, your name’s Riannon?” An almost imperceptible nod.

“Nice. Ray, Riannon...we could almost be siblings, right?” He tried making his sentences into questions. 

Now she looked him full in the face. 

A few awkward seconds passed. Then Riannon opened her mouth-letting out a puff of air, like a sigh, before she turned away again. She seemed to be saying something with her eyes, but of the three abilities Ray had obtained, mind reading was not one of them.

~

Ray! 

Her voice was an exploding star in his head. A small supernova, a meteorite with its flaming tail cresting in a wave.

“I know.”  

The sound of running footsteps broke the silence, then the swoop of something delicate yet sinister: like wings…

Ray’s mouth began shaping words on instinct, a command in a foreign language that was second nature to him. A hand still wrapped around Riannon’s, Ray spread his other palm. Bright yellow orbs released themselves, and Ray just had to flick his wrist before they were moulded like clay into arrows, and the whistling, swooping wings were instantly silenced. 

“What was that?” 

~

He knew Riannon wasn’t in a good mood. They were sitting on the bench, Ray finishing his lunch with relish, Riannon taking little bites, before slowly putting down her plate, poking at her food. 

“No appetite?” 

Riannon didn't answer, as usual. She hadn’t spoken to him...or anyone, in the past few months he’d known her. They might have established a friendship-of-sorts, but she still didn’t speak. 

“So you wouldn’t mind if I…?” He spread his palm, and a piece of chicken floated upwards from Riannon’s plate. He’d meant it as a joke, but the small girl’s eyes flashed in anger: the first time she had expressed any open emotion but indifference. Her hand went for her fork, and at the same time a voice, feminine yet clear and strong, echoed in the recesses of his mind. 

You give that back! 

The piece of chicken that Ray had successfully stolen fell ungracefully to the floor. 

“W-W-What?” he spluttered. “What did you just...say?” 

Riannon blinked. Can you hear me? 

“Well, yes...” 

That’s interesting. Nobody but my parents ever heard me. 

“Okay. Wait. Just what is going on?” 

~ 

“What’s going on? They can see us, but we can’t see them. This is so annoying,” Ray muttered under his breath. 

There’s someone behind that tree. 

Riannon pointed to the right, where an oak tree stood with its branches gnarled in a horror-movie way. They wouldn’t be here if a distress call hadn’t been discovered by Riannon.... 

The aura’s gone. I must have been mistaken -

She paused, even ceasing her footsteps. 

No, it’s at that burnt heap of wood. Before the Waterfall. 

“How’d you sense things?”

I can see their auras in my head. 

“Because that’s totally not scary at this moment.” Ray couldn’t help but think. 

~

It wasn’t that scary in the plan, but this is somehow amusing. 

“What do you mean?” 

Suddenly Riannon looked sheepish. Her big eyes met his for a second before darting away. 

You weren’t supposed to hear that. 

Ray narrowed his eyes. “Something tells me you know what’s going on.” 

Ray. 

“Yeah?”  

Promise me you won’t get mad. 

“Okay, I promise. So what -” 

He didn’t finish his sentence, because just then Riannon pulled her hand from his grip - none too gently - and took off in a direct run to the Waterfall. 

“RIANNON, WAIT!” he bellowed, but after seeing that she showed no sign of slowing down he dashed after her.

Two advantages he had: Riannon was a slow runner, and he had Superspeed. He felt the ability kicking in as soon as he willed it to, and he caught up with Riannon almost without trying. 

Ow! 

Even after crashing through the forest and emerging on to a green plain, Riannon’s cry as she tripped was louder than the sound of the Waterfall. 

Ray bent down, pulling her upright as gently as possible. “A-Are you okay?” Remembering where he was, he summoned more explosive arrows, where they gleamed silver against the midnight sky. 

It’s okay, there’s no one. 

“Huh?” Ray was thrown temporarily. “But the auras you saw…” 

Birds. She pointed into the sky.

Almost right on cue, a raven, camouflaged in the dark, soared past with a derisive caw. 

“Right.” Ray should have felt angry at being led on by the small girl, but curiosity seemed to win over. “So where’s the person that sent the call?” 

Here. Riannon looked up into his eyes. 

“What?” Ray couldn’t be any further confused. “You mean…”

It struck twelve. From far back in the school, the chimes echoed their angelic melody across the forest, the plain.

Come sit down. 

So they did, two teenagers sprawled on the grass under the cloudless midnight sky, Ray’s hand in Riannon’s, listening to the roaring Waterfall. 

“You planned this?” Ray couldn’t keep the happiness out of his voice. 

Riannon smiled. 

Happy birthday, Ray. 

The sky was full of stars. 

Faerie: A New Life

Ariel Wee Xiang Ting

TANJONG KATONG GIRLS’ SCHOOL

I sat on the small wooden chair outside the head master’s office with my entire mind in a state of confusion. My eyes were fixated on my hands, hands that I had seen as normal only an hour ago, but now? I didn’t even know if they were mine. I recalled what had happened earlier, when the slightest touch of my hand had caused the plant in my classroom to suddenly grow to ten times its size. I remembered the shock on my classmate’s face, which mirrored my own. I remembered how frightened I was, but most of all how intrigued I was with myself. 

Then I remembered glancing at my teacher, who looked completely calm and collected, almost as if she knew what was happening to me. She was the one that called me over and said these exact words to me, “Sylvia, don’t be scared. You are a special person and one day, you’ll come to embrace it.” She then instructed me to go see the head master, saying he would be able to explain everything.

I looked around me, and noticed that wherever my fingers touched, a little plant would appear…but wilt away swiftly. I decided it was time I understood what was happening to me, and so I stood up and took tentative steps towards the giant oak door, unsure of what truth awaited me on the other side.

“Sylvia? I know you’re out there. Please do come in.”

I stopped moving, shocked. But after what happened earlier, I had the inkling that this might be only the beginning of a new reality. I pushed open the oak door and entered the room, noticing that I left small green imprints on the oak wood. I turned around and I was met with smiling, hazel eyes. 

The headmaster was a friendly, elderly man, with endearing crinkles at the corners of his eyes. He had a deep, resonating voice, which seemed to catch everyone’s attention with just one word. “Sylvia, come take a seat,” he said, still smiling. I did as told, and braced myself for what was to come.

“I see you’ve discovered something special about yourself, something almost extinct among mankind.”

Now I was captivated.

“You possess one of the Faerie powers, my dear, because you are one of them.”

“Of who?” I asked, internally cursing myself.

“The Faeries. You see, we live among humans, and we behave exactly like them, except we have powers. Our powers are passed on from our parents, through the inheritance of faerie blood. This means that your parents are faeries themselves, and magic courses through your veins.”

I was stunned, frozen with shock over the truth of my existence.

“Then why is it that I am only hearing about this now? How is it that my…powers only show up now?” I asked.

“There is a set of laws, called the Faerie Lore, passed down through generations of faeries. These state that no faerie is to tell another that he or she is a faerie, until that person’s power has shown. This leads us to your other question. You see, when a faerie is of age, usually in their teens, the magic that flows through their blood increases, and at a certain point this magic is able to escape - which often causes mishaps,” the headmaster explained, laughter in his eyes.

The headmaster then got up, and trudged over to my seat before rolling up his sleeve to reveal…a tattoo? It was a tattoo of a huge tree, with its thick roots sprawling, and luscious green leaves grew atop its branches. But one thing that separated this tattoo from all others I’d seen was how vivid the colours were, with small bursts of colour seeming to emanate outwards. “This tattoo reveals the nature of my powers. Each faerie’s powers belong to an element of the earth, and mine is nature. All faeries have this tattoo on their upper arm, and only other faeries that have come of age can see this tattoo.”

“Take a look at your own my dear,” he said softly.

All this information was still sinking in, but I looked anyway, seeing the exact same tattoo on my own arm, the arm that was bare only an hour ago. “I’m a nature faerie?”

The headmaster nodded, and gave me a warm smile. “You have the ability to manipulate and create nature, interact with different aspects of it and more…but I digress. There’s one more thing I must tell you. Sylvia, reach behind your back.”

There’s more? I slowly reached behind, my curiosity peaked. I could not hide my shock when my fingertips brushed over something firm, but delicate. I ran my fingers over the tips of them, and my eyes shot open with excitement. 

“Wings?” I whispered, breathless from the adrenaline rush.

“Every faerie has wings that vary in shape and size depending on your power, and the interesting thing about our wings, we can bend and hide them effortlessly. Furthermore…,” the headmaster paused and gave me a sly smile. “It seems to me that I’m speaking too much…I want you to discover things you don’t know about by yourself. Now come, I’m going to summon a portal to a parallel dimension, a replica of this school, but a place only faeries attend. It’s bounded by all the faeries’ magic and the classes you will attend there are…engrossing to say the least.”

The headmaster then snapped his fingers, and with an explosion of green dust, a portal appeared. It was clear, transparent, and I could see many different faeries through it. The portal was encapsulated by a thick tree root, and it illuminated the room. 

“Go on, enter dear,” the headmaster encouraged. Countless thoughts were running through my mind, and I was close to being overwhelmed. I was intimidated by the prospect of a new life, but with a deep breath I pushed everything aside and stepped forward. The moment my entire body was through, the portal vanished in another explosion of dust. What the headmaster had said was true - the school looked exactly the same as the school for the humans, but I could feel the imposing presence of magic in the air. No one seemed fazed by my bizarre arrival, which I was frankly thankful for. I spun around, and observed the many colours of wings and tattoos that the faeries wore with pride. And…all the faeries wings had different patterns, something I was immensely curious about.

“Sylvia? Are you Sylvia?” came a feminine voice from behind me. I spun around, startled. I came face to face with a ginger haired female faerie, whose freckles dotted both her nose and her cheeks. I saw that her wings were red, unlike my green ones, and they were decorated with swirls that depicted fire. 

“Well, I’m guessing that you are, from that blatantly lost look on your face,” the ginger-haired girl concluded. “I’m Deanne, a fire faerie, who was sent to mentor you by…headmaster Williams.”

Deanne quickly turned to reveal her tattoo, a fire that was flaming red with orange tails, almost as if it was really burning on her skin, and in turn I showed her mine. “Okay, since you already know what a faerie is and all that jazz, I’m going to teach you a few spells. Actually I’ll just show you how it’s done, since I can’t do nature moves that well,” Deanne mused, pointing to her tattoo. 

Deanne then pointed her finger at the ground, seemingly full of concentration and swiftly flicked it upwards, causing a trail of flames to appear and follow her finger. “Usually, beginners start off with speaking the spells. When you get more experienced, all you have to do is recite it mentally and-ta da!” she finished with a wave off her arm, which made a ring of fire appear around her. She then snapped her fingers, causing a thick, shiny book to materialize beside her.

“All students can do that by the way…just snap your fingers and The Book Of Spells will appear,” she informed monotonously, whilst sifting through the pages. “Ah, here’s a simple nature spell, I think…”

Deanne handed the book over to me, and I almost toppled over from the weight of it. ‘Natuanis Treelivus’ the spell read, and below, ‘summons a forest of trees that can be destroyed with a wave of the hand’. I took a deep breath, praying that I wouldn’t kill anyone, and read the spell out. The moment those words left my mouth, at least a dozen trees sprouted out of nowhere, invading the halls and knocking people aside. 

“Watch it!” someone screamed from across the room.

“Oops,” I mumbled, before quickly waving my hand.

I flipped the book to another green tagged page, with the words, ‘Leafus Frilio’. I decided to also give it a try, despite the tree spell having gone a little out of control. This time I whispered the words, and closed my eyes while holding my palms out. 

“Sylvia! Open your eyes!” Deanne burst out.

I slowly cracked open my eyelids, and gently waved my hands around. Wherever I moved my hand, a trail of green, brown and yellow leaves followed it, and I was in absolute control of the trail. I couldn’t help but beam proudly at my accomplishment, and I was fully absorbed watching how the leaves formed with the movement of my hand, and slowly faded away a second later. 

Not more than a few moments later, I noticed a bright light emanate from behind me. I whipped my head back and what I saw was something amazing. A line of bright light was slowly snaking around my wings and a swirly design of leaves that lined the corners of my wings was left in its wake. 

“Now that’s magical,” Deanne said, intrigued by the light, even though her own wings were decorated far more heavily than mine.

I became fuelled by my success and jumped into the air, attempting my first flight. I assumed it was going to be difficult, but instead my wings acted just like any other limb - and did whatever I wanted them to do. I decided to fly forwards. The air around me caressed my cheek, and blew into my eyes, but I didn’t care, I felt free. Deanne caught up with me a moment later, giggling. “Your enthusiasm scares me!” she wheezed, gasping for breath. Her laughter was completely infectious and we both ended up laughing and doing cartwheels in the air.

I guess I could say I was getting used to my new life, filled with magic and spells, all of which were foreign to me. But a little part of me already felt like I belonged here, and I knew that many more things would occur in my faerie life. I just had to wait.

Ariel Wee Xinag Ting

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

My Life as a Superhero

Lisa Chong Hernn 

TANJONG KATONG GIRLS’ SCHOOL

“It’s a beautiful day to be alive, isn’t it, Angelica?” I asked my eight-year-old sister. She nodded in agreement as we took a leisurely stroll through the park near our house. The sun shone brightly, its radiant light warming us and illuminating the natural beauty surrounding the visitors of the park. We heard birds chirping their merry melody. It was almost as if they were sending their greetings, “Good morning! Good morning!” I watched as pet-owners walked their dogs, Angelica and her friends ran around freely and people stopped to chat with each other. I loved going to the park as there it felt as though the world was calm and quiet, and offered a shelter from the stresses of my life. As for Angelica, it meant that she could play at the playground to her heart’s content. We had no idea that what came next would be one of the biggest events in our lives...

As we started to make our way back home, my initially relaxed feeling slowly changed to one that warned something was about to go wrong. As if on cue, a rubbish bin beside a nearby bench suddenly tipped over, causing us to turn around. Its contents spilled all over the pavement, the metal of the bin making a loud ‘clang’ as it fell. People looked at the mess, some in disgust at how dirty the pavement was, some because they were confused, looking around to check their surroundings, and some out of fear. There was one question on everyone’s mind: Who had just done that? 

Fittingly, the wind then blew its way into the park, no longer cool and refreshing, but cold and eerie. The clouds in the sky turned grey as an evil laugh cackled throughout the park and the culprit revealed himself. He was a sinister-looking figure, dressed in a grey suit with an emblem of a rubbish bin on his chest, his black cape flowing behind him. In one hand, he held a ray-gun with a few buttons and a dial-switch. Angelica looked at me, her brown eyes wide with fear. I was scared too, and with good reason: this was the infamous Pollution Man! Our parents had told us stories about him, but we had never thought he would appear right here!

Right now you’re probably wondering who we are. Well, I’ll tell you: My name is Philip, I’m thirteen years old and I live in a family of superheroes. On GXP-79, the planet that we come from, superheroes are commonplace. Angelica and I have the power to make plants grow at will and change the weather respectively. A year ago Dad and Mum were assigned to protect a country on Earth, called Singapore, from environmental crimes. So, before I knew it, we were on our way to our new life in the Little Red Dot. And a year after that was where you, the reader, came in.

“Hello there, kind civilians!” The evil mastermind greeted the people of the park with a voice that seemed to drip with a contradictory mix of condescending rottenness and gentlemanly airs. “What a fine day it is today! The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. Isn’t it beautiful?” We nodded, not knowing what to expect from him next. “It’s such a pity you’ll never get to see it again!” He turned the dial on his ray-gun and aimed it at another rubbish bin. Zap! The bin disappeared into thin air, leaving its contents behind. The pile of rubbish started to glow a radioactive shade of neon green and formed into a large, terrifying monster that looked just like a T-Rex. It started ripping out trees and gobbling them up. Each step it took shook the ground and poisoned the grass and flowers. Some people stood frozen, rooted to the ground in horror, while others ran straight for the exit of the park. 

“Once I’m done with this place,” the villain continued, “I’ll pollute every park on this planet! I won’t stop until they plead to make me become their ruler and I’ll have the entire world at my beck and call!” Angelica and I knew we had to take action. We ran behind a tree that hadn’t yet been ripped out and came back in our costumes. 

Lisa Chong Hernn

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

“Stop right there, you fiend!” I hollered. He turned around, looking at us cunningly. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t Weather Boy and Green Girl! Where are your parents?” he mocked. 

“Leave the people of this planet alone!” Angelica shouted. “You’re not going to pollute it with your rubbish monsters!” Pollution Man laughed, as though what she had just said was absolute nonsense.

“Make me, you silly little girl.” He zapped a bench, a lamppost and a tree. They all turned into near-identical, glowing monsters, each just as scary as the first one had been. “Yes, my precious monsters! Keep polluting this park! World domination, here I come!” 

I flew up above the chaos and made a nearby cloud zap out a bolt of lightning, hitting a mutant dinosaur right between its eyes. At the same time, Angelica triggered her powers, causing plants and vines to grow. Using the vines as a lasso, she quickly ran over and tangled the monster up. Pollution Man’s plan was at risk of being foiled – but he wasn’t going to let us off so easily!

“Attack!” he ordered the other rubbish monsters. At his command, they made their way towards us. Angelica kept growing plants to tie them down while I kept on making clouds shoot rain and lightning, hoping to disarm them, but our efforts were in vain. Pollution Man continued to tip over rubbish bins, spilling garbage all over the pavements and turning other objects in the park into more rubbish monsters. The situation was looking dire. I turned and, to my surprise, saw Mum flying beside me. Dad was already beside Angelica and both were now trying to stop the rubbish monsters from destroying more of the park.

“We saw you guys fighting the monsters from over there,” Mum explained. “So, we thought you might need some help.” Encouraged by the reinforcement, I flew over to another cloud and aimed a bolt of lightning at Pollution Man: it missed him by a hair. We knew we had to act fast with a flawless plan. Fortunately for us, Dad had one.

“Hey, Pollution Man!” he shouted. “Come and get me! With one superhero down, it’ll mean you have one less obstacle in your path to worry about!” He dived down towards the ground and the villain, eager to catch him, followed. As he came closer, Angelica tied the lasso of vines she had made earlier to a lamppost. The moment Pollution Man flew near, she flung the lasso round his legs. The lasso immediately grew tighter around him, eventually confining him to the ground. I took the ray-gun and aimed it at the rest of the monsters. The gun’s effects were reversed and soon all the monsters vanished and the pavements were clean again. Pollution Man had been defeated and the day had been saved. What a job well done!

The park is tranquil and quiet once more, and the environment is back to normal. Pollution Man had been right about one thing: it is indeed beautiful. But we know there will be other villains set on creating chaos and destruction anywhere crime can lurk. We’re sure Pollution Man will also come back - stronger, fiercer and more bent on ruling the world than ever. Being a superhero is more than what you see in comic books. It’s a tough job, saving the world every day. But as long as the Earth is safe, it’s worth it. After all, we’re superheroes. It’s what we do! 

Author’s Note: If only Philip, Angelica and their powers were real! It would make the world a much better place if they were. No matter how hard you try, you won’t see Pollution Man around, wreaking havoc in your neighbourhood park. Neither will you see Weather Boy, Green Girl and their parents patrolling the city, defeating villains. It’s our responsibility as one people to keep our Earth unpolluted, clean and healthy. As long as you’re doing your part to save the environment – whether you’re picking up litter or saving water – we can all be superheroes, like Weather Boy and Green Girl.

Invisa Away!

Zara Almira Binte Mohamed Khairul Anil 

TANJONG KATONG GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Looking at myself in the mirror, I sighed loudly. Why must I look so different from everyone else? Frizzy, black, shoulder-length hair, which of course didn’t make my appearance any less of a dishevelled mess. I adjusted the pair of round spectacles that rested on the bridge of my nose. Bag perched on my fragile back like an enormous tortoise shell—I was the laughing stock of the school. Try as I might, I could not change my physical appearance or my studious personality. It was just who I was.

Just as I thought I was going to be successful in slipping quietly out of the bathroom and have a peaceful day where I remained blessedly invisible, a familiar jeer filled the previously still air.

“Hey, science geek! Admiring your pretty face?” Zianna taunted in that awful, plummy voice of hers.

She swaggered up to me while her twin, Cora, cackled like a witch. My heart shattered into smithereens upon hearing those nasty words. How could one be so cruel? I thought. 

“Just go away, okay?” I muttered, misty-eyed.

“Make me,” Zianna boomed, causing me to tremble like a leaf.

Everything after that was a blur for I was apparently knocked out for two hours and left in the girls’ washroom. When I finally regained consciousness, I blinked owlishly as I found myself lying on the cold floor, my right leg uncomfortably wedged between the door and its jamb.

What a way to start the morning, I groaned inwardly. 

*****

“Winnie, I’m telling you; I felt like a private investigator on a crime scene! You looked like an actual corpse!” my sister, Onyx, effused.

Though we were only a few months apart in age, Onyx was definitely the daughter who was blessed with our parents’ looks - just not the brains. Her cascading, chestnut-brown hair complemented her auburn eyes—it seemed quite ironic, considering her name was a shade of black. She was a lanky fourteen-year-old with a remarkable complexion and spoke in a mellifluous voice. Onyx was just all-round stunning. 

Eyes narrowing to crinkled slits, I asked, “And you didn’t bother to…oh, I don’t know…tell the teacher?”

“But you looked so peaceful, like Sleeping Beauty,” Onyx gently intoned.

Making a beeline for the power outlet to charge my mobile phone, I rolled my eyes.

“Hey! You just washed your hands! Don’t you remember what Mama said about electric shocks when your hands are wet?” Onyx hollered.

My brows knitted together in a scowl and I spat, “Pfth! What would you know?”

Almost instantaneously, sparks from the socket threatened to leap from the plug’s opening. There and then, an excruciating pain shot up my arm and then through my entire body. My skin fried. Squeezing my eyes shut, I screeched. Even my toes were sore. The little hairs on my hands were singed up to my wrist. I felt as if I was set on fire for a solid ten seconds. Falling to the floor, I quivered as my life flashed before my eyes. I spend way too much time in the library.

Onyx’s hand flew to her mouth as she watched the scene unfold before her. She then kneeled, embracing me in a tight hug.

“I’m…so…sorry,” I cried out, my words broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths.

I sobbed into my sister’s chest unceasingly while she rocked me gently, my salty tears soaking her flannel shirt. 

At times like this, I felt grateful for a sister like Onyx.

“There, there…I’m here, Win, I’m here” Onyx comforted.

*****

Once the pain had subsided, Onyx led me to the dining table and Papa served his famous spaghetti.

“You okay, buddy? We heard some wails from your room,” Papa queried as he arched a brow. 

“I’m fine. We were um…watching a romantic comedy,” I lied.

Mama nodded slowly, yet suspiciously, as if seeing through my white lie. She glanced at the burn marks that were visible on my forearm. I pulled my sleeve down and tittered. Thank goodness she did not mention a word about it afterwards! Smacking my lips, I tucked into my meal with relish. Without warning, a striking pain stung in my stomach. I did not think much of it and carried on munching, thinking that it was just a pang of hunger. 

As soon as I was done with my pasta, I walked to the kitchen and tugged at my sister’s sleeve along the way to follow suit. She nodded, treading upon my heels.

“What? What is i—OH! What on Earth is that?” Onyx asked in an undertone at the sight of the scar on my stomach as I lifted my shirt. The throbbing scar was a dark purple colour and was almost the size of my hand. Can you imagine such a gruesome sight? It looked as though some funny-looking mutant had attached itself onto my belly.

“Shush! This stays between you and me,” I muttered, elbowing my sister.

*****

“You’re saying…that the electric shock had something to do with that?” Onyx asked.

“It’s possible, you know.”

I sighed, feeling absolutely lethargic and sore all over. I felt as though all of my energy had been drained out of my body in a matter of minutes. Shutting my eyes, I let out a deep breath.

“Hey!” Onyx started. “Where’d you go?” she continued, puzzled.

“What do you mean? Silly you, how could I just turn invisible?” I tee-heed and smacked my sister’s arm playfully. Onyx yelped.

“Hold on a minute, maybe you did turn invisible! Oh, this must be your reaction to the electric shock! Win, you’ve gained a superpower!” Onyx chirped as she lifted her arms while squinting, hoping to touch some part of my body to confirm I was definitely still there.

My sister resembled a short-sighted person who was frantically rummaging through their drawer in hope of finding their missing glasses - which was how I probably looked in the morning rush.

“You’re right, O! I can use this whenever I’m faced with a bully!” I gushed, snapping my fingers to turn visible again.

Nodding in agreement, Onyx enthused, “Don’t stop there, you can be the next Invisible Girl! Fighting crime, defeating villains—doesn’t that sound amazing? You’ll be the talk of the town, Win. For once, you can prove everyone wrong. Winnie Tansy’s not just another bookworm from Drusaville, she’s the one and only…Invisa!”

“That’s right, Onyx!” I exclaimed, flashing the widest smile I could.  

From that moment, neither of us left each other’s side, for every second of discussion about my newfound ability and costume was crucial. Since my sister was the fashion-forward one, I let her spearhead the costume design process.

“Come in, Win!  The costume’s ready!” Onyx yelled from across the hall. She proudly held up a vomit green, leotard-looking costume which was embossed with the letter ‘I’, sewn in yellow felt. I tried my best to put on the most sincere smile I could, but of course failed miserably, leading to my sister asking what was wrong.  

“Nothing, nothing!” I answered.  

Onyx raised an eyebrow and said, “Come on, Win. Don’t be so mealy-mouthed. Just tell me.”  

There was an awkward silence that filled the room. Finally, I relented.

“Fine…Um… No disrespect intended, but O, it’s hideous,” I uttered before pursing my lips.  

Offended, Onyx placed her free hand on her chest. “Hurtful! You try putting something together using only Mama’s material scraps in two days!” my sister retorted sharply before sashaying away.

*****

Once I took a nap in the school library and had no idea I was invisible for an hour until Mrs. Fields locked me in when it was closing time, thinking that it was empty. Let’s just say, wiggling your way out of a one-by-one-foot window is not easy!

However, over time I was able to control my invisibility ‘prowess’ - as my sister put it - with ease. I could now manipulate my power by either snapping my fingers or shutting my eyes. No more fumbles, no more messes.

Unfortunately, there were no criminals on the loose, so I had little opportunity to do much with my power other than sneaking a taste of Onyx’s lunch.

“I wish someone would just do something bad in Drusaville right now! Invisa needs her big break soon!” I admitted, dropping onto the sofa and laying spread-eagled.

Onyx twiddled her thumbs while she looked out the nearby window, clearly still holding a grudge after I put down her costume design. She then got up from her seat suddenly, like a Jack-in-the-box in a child’s playroom.

“It’s alright, we’ll think of something. Right now, we have to leave for school. Let’s go!” my sister chorused, pulling me in the direction of the door.

I groaned. I wiggled my wrist out of her grasp and unwillingly slunk towards the shoe rack before heading out the door.

“I thought you like school,” Onyx probed, tying her shoelaces. “Look happy, at least,” she added.

“I’m not looking forward to seeing those horrid twins again. Why can’t I just stay home?” I complained, storming out of the house.

When we reached the school gate, I shuffled unenthusiastically into the building, prompting Onyx to give me a shove before walking away to her classroom.

Approaching my own classroom, I decided to put my bag down before taking a short trip to the girls’ washroom.

*****

I was about to leave after drying my hands when a grating voice broke the silence.

“Winnie! What a pleasant surprise to meet you here!” Cora stated sarcastically.

She stood by the doorway, blocking my path. Her eyes glinted with malice, making me shudder. I tried to back away, but to no avail - Zianna was standing directly behind me, her arms folded menacingly. She snorted.

“Oh, we ran into your sister earlier on. That good-for-nothing dummy. She’s proof evolution can go in reverse!” Cora chortled at her own joke.

That was the last straw. Nobody calls my sister stupid. Those scourges thought that Winnie Tansy did not have a temper. Boy, were they wrong! I snapped my fingers. Immediately, I could no longer be seen. 

"What the hell‽” Zianna spluttered.

Enraged, I grabbed the front of Cora’s shirt in a vice-like grip while pinning Zianna to the wall, causing them both to squawk in fright.

“If either of you have the gall to call my sister stupid one more time, I will NOT be afraid to take action. Understand?” I roared.

The twins nodded vigorously, blood drained from their faces.

I had no idea what came over me, but I definitely liked the feeling. Nobody likes having their buttons pushed. Remaining silent in this kind of predicament is not going to help anyone. We have to have the courage to stick up for ourselves and whoever else they are hurting. However, I do regret being harsh with Zianna and Cora. I have come to the realisation that it is, indeed, important to stick up for yourself, but hurting others in the process is not going to make you any less of a bully in turn. 

Anybody can be a superhero. Prove yourself to those who have put you down in the past, just do not forget what makes a superhero. All it takes is the bravery of a lion, the eye of the tiger and a heart of steel.

Invisa away! 

Zara Almira Binte Mohamed Khairul Anil

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

In the right? In the wrong?

Ran Lian Okochi McClean 

UNITED WORLD COLLEGE SOUTH EAST ASIA

The door gleams scarlet behind me as I walk into the room. Take off my shoes. 

For a while, I bask in the warm familiarity of it, before closing my eyes, locating the correct molecules, distinguished from the air, and the mug flies into my waiting hands. When I open my eyes, I notice that its surface texture is rippled and warped, like in a storm. I must have pulled the particles unevenly. That realisation has to sink in a little before my eyes widen in a little bit of fear. But… but it won’t happen. No. You’re relaxed right now. It won’t happen during missions, on people’s brains. You’ll be too careful. 

I begin to fill the twisted cup. 

But you do do this to people, tinker around with the atoms inside them. And you don’t care, do you? You let Li and the others tell you that they deserve to be … eliminated, wiped off the board before the others know why they’re there. And that it’s alright, because we do it before they do those monstrous things to other people. 

The twisting of the molecules, the firing of neurons, the disappearances - we justify it all that way. 

I detect Ellen’s aura a second before she comes into view, bringing a flurry of cold with her. My mind isn’t quick enough to stop her visions of untouched snow, bratty school children and red dresses from rippling inside my head. But they are pretty, shining things, so it’s not that uncomfortable. 

“Hi Humphrey, didn’t you know I was here?” 

My furrowed brow eases as I look up to her, all sharp green eyes and lank hair leaning against the worn-down door frame. She isn’t smiling like usual, though. 

“What’s wrong with you? You look very concerned about something,” she asks. 

“It’s nothing, my dear. You don’t have to worry.” I lean in to give her a small hug. 

Backing out of my embrace, she pushes herself in through the door. After slowing the molecules down a little to cool them, I take a sip of my steaming coffee. 

“I don’t believe you. You’re usually so bouncy and joyful, and now you’re so quiet and solemn. So what’s happened?” 

I sigh. I’m not sure how she’ll react to this. It’s not occurred to her yet. Maybe she’ll be relieved, or maybe she’ll see me as crazy for abandoning my duty, but of all people to confide in, it’ll have to be her. 

“I was considering leaving S.H.A.E.D.” 

My eyes drop down to my fingers, my wedding ring. I don’t even remember what my hand looked like without it. After a long silence, I chance a glance at her, and her brow is furrowed towards the oak floor. 

“I expected you to say something like ‘you should finish what you begin’.” 

She rubs her neck. Her brain fizzes and crackles in the thick air. 

“But you, are you just…going to let all our people down?” she finally responds.

“What do you mean? I’m quitting to save people.” 

Ellen cocks her head, an eyebrow raised. 

“What they’re telling me to do is wrong, Ellen!” 

“But those monsters don’t deserve a place in this world. They’ve done terrible things that only one price can pay!”

“So you’re telling me that I should commit evil to rid the world of it?” 

“Well, yes…but you only do that to people who did evil things themselves, to those people who hurt the innocent.”

I cross my arms across my chest, bite my lip.

“But Ellen, from some perspectives, those people…they’re innocent too.”

“Are you telling me that you’re sympathizing with terrorists?”

She’s suddenly backing away from me, hiding behind the doorframe, into herself. 

“N-no, it’s just-” 

Humphrey, what is wrong with you? I can hear her mind loud and clear. I thought you were a hero. Not a monster. 

I sputter and the silence gapes. On and on. Like a cold hand is curling around my neck, heavy on my shoulders, leaving the hideous word tattooed on my skin- 

Ellen refuses to look at me. I walk towards her, my hand reaching out to comfort her but-

“I just need some time alone right now, Humphrey.”

“Ellen, no, you’re misunderstanding, just let me explain.” 

“I think you’ve explained well enough.” 

No I haven’t. 

My hand darts away as she scurries back into the room, slamming the door in my face. 

“Ellen, come out of there. I know it’s hard to understand, but please, just let me explain!”

My hands tremble and my jaw is growing tight. Maybe I can hear sobbing from the other side of the door, but I can’t really be sure. Maybe it’s from this side. 

I thought you were a hero. 

“Ellen, please!”

I thought I was a hero too.

Vanessa Quek Jinghui

Dunman High School

Siren

Tan Wei Ting 

WESTWOOD SECONDARY SCHOOL

I've always hated the rain. It took you away from me. My sanity splinters every time it rains, just like the pieces of glass that were strewn around you. I'm beginning to hear your voice every time it rains. Even in death, you remain the only person to be able to break me. 

I'd always believed that a piece of my heart was missing. But no, you tore the whole thing away that day. It lies with you, deep underground, slowly drowning as the waves of emptiness crash into the cage. 

*** 

The first time I heard your voice again, that sweet, enchanting melody of a Siren, was when I slept at your grave. Maybe I was in danger of being attacked by wayward thief, or catching my death of cold. But I knew I was in danger of not caring anymore. 

I had laughed at myself. I was craving for your touch, your warmth, your scent so much that I was hallucinating about you. Mud had stuck on me like parasites, etching itself into the host. It had been raining, too, but I didn't care. 

I heard your whine. You always liked to complain and comment on every single little detail about me. I loved you for that as well. A strong gust of wind pushed me. The rain had let up a bit. Shuddering so hard that my ribs ached, I returned home. 

The rain stopped. 

*** 

The second time I heard your voice, was when I was going to my appointment with the therapist (I didn't know why I bothered).

She always makes me talk and asks about you, but there's nothing to say. I force myself to act normal. Be average. Smile for a second. Make it look like I'm trying to cope. Look into her eyes for a second. Just a second. No more. No blood. No broken skull. No dead eyes. 

Stop. 

Don't. 

Sometimes all I hear is my own breathing (I don't know why I even bother to take them). 

It was raining that day too. I grabbed my coat, uncaring that the collar was turned under, and headed out. I heard your giggle. I was sure I was losing it. 

I was at the bus stop. It was raining heavily. The bus came. There was a fight between elemental forces in the sky. As I was about to step onto the bus, I heard your song. 

"Please don't get onto the bus."

My breath hitched. I thought, I really am losing it. 

"Please, there will be an accident." 

I planted my foot on the ground instead. The sky was getting even darker. Was that even possible? Or were you crying? I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I messaged my therapist to say that I wouldn't be going. 

An hour later, the tube broadcast about a bus that had swerved and toppled. Everyone on board was dead. 

*** 

The third time, I was sure that you're still living with me. As usual, it was raining. I was walking to my workplace, surprisingly normally, not like a zombie. It was raining, that's why. 

I heard you humming the tune of my favourite song. How thoughtful, how like you. At the traffic lights, however, you stopped. 

"Hurry! Grab that girl, don't let her cross! Please!" 

I acted out your order mechanically, without thinking. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" she screamed at me. I couldn't answer. I didn't know the answer myself. She wrenched back her arm harshly and glared at me. I stared forward. A nearby car that had been rear-ended slid, seemingly in slow motion, towards the spot she had occupied only moments before. It slammed into a tree which tumbled down, on the same death spot. Ah, would she have looked like you? Skull caved in? Blood splattered everywhere? Lifeless eyes staring at nothingness? Glass shards impaled everywhere? 

The girl gawked at me. "T-t-thank you so much! I-I'm sorry for screaming a-at you! Y-you saved my life!" I smiled weakly at her. You were the one who saved her. 

I felt a breeze clamping onto my shoulder in approval. I imagined that was your hand. The sky cleared up. There was a rainbow. You were happy. I'm glad. 

*** 

I'm always looking out for signs of you when it rains. Apparently, I'm in the news. They're crediting me for saving people. They should be crediting you. I would tell them about you. I want to. Dearly. But would they believe me? Probably they will label me as a freak. I probably already am. 

I'm also known as the 'Rain Man' now. Thanks, I guess. I'm just surprised the streets haven't flooded yet with the amount of rain you can cause. It'll be ironic if the flood drowns someone. A light drizzle hits the window. I snicker. You’re pouting at me.

*** 

I've always hated the rain. It did take you away from me. But you stayed. You resisted the currents. You're strong, stronger than I could ever be. 

Every time it rains, I hear your melody instead. Your beautiful song that washes away any depressing thoughts, the soothing voice that drowns away any pain, flooding my empty approximation of a heart with your warmth, the knowledge that you're with me. 

I've always loved the warm kindness that you show. You have always been the physical embodiment of empathy. You chose to save even the person who helped the rain take you away. He recognized me and broke down. He apologized like a broken record. He said that he swore off drinking after the accident. I’m sure you would smile at him. Probably never ever blamed him. You never were the type to hold a grudge. I’m sure I would, and would have just let the car hit him, if not for you.

Ah, it's going to rain. The clouds are starting to gather. You're going to arrive soon. I can't wait. 

I wish it would rain every day. 

The Game

Bethany Lyn Curtis 

YUAN CHING SECONDARY SCHOOL

Some say video games are bad for you – that such is the bane of our modern societal existence, the prime cause of the rotten brains and futile carcasses of today's world – a curse upon our millennials. I'm here to say that I take offense to that.

I live and breathe video games. I don't have a choice. You see, I was born with a gift – a power I will spend the rest of my life harnessing carefully, one strengthened and stretched to unfathomable extents, beyond all boundaries you could ever think of. Anyone can pick up a controller, feel that itch in your heart, that unmistakable desire to win – to play. But you see, that's the difference between you and me...

“And making a return for our 2017 World Championship this year – Annie Quinn!”

The massive room shook with cheers of excitement as I made my way onstage. A colossal sized desk – one seemingly resembling a dinner table for the gods – was placed right in the centre, carefully aligned with the sun and the moon. It was copiously decked with extravagant computer rigs and other expensive paraphernalia, all prepared just for this moment. I was playing for the red team this fine day, and I wasn't planning on losing.

My adrenaline was pumping – I could feel it in my bones, coursing through my veins. I was so ready for this moment. I took my seat on the lavish computer chair as the commentators continued introducing every player, each of them ambling ostentatiously towards their places at the desk. I nodded to my teammates, our faces serious and seemingly ready for business, while offering cursory glances to the blue-jacketed enemy team.

Minutes passed. The noise of the crowd died down as we began preparing for the upcoming match. My eye twitched once in disgust as the teammate next to me began cracking his knuckles to expel all pre-game doubts and anxiety. But I wasn't one to judge – I took a deep breath and wiped my own palms on my jeans. This was it – the game was starting.

Two minutes into the game, a dooming phrase shuddered through my headset, seemingly condemning our whole team to a fate of hopelessness and loss - “Enemy team double kill.”

This was going to be a hard one to win.

Things picked up rapidly and much quicker than anticipated. Soon, objectives were being captured left and right by both teams, the scores wavering indecisively like a rocky scale – one of pivotal importance – with the gap between each number getting narrower, then widening once more. My teammate cursed under his breath as he was taken out by our stealthy enemies yet again. I was the only one left to guard our last remaining objective, my teammates tormented by the numbers on their screens – 60 seconds left to respawn.

The crowd cheered on for the enemy team as they marched toward their victory. There was no chance of turning this around anymore, the commentators announced loudly above the roar of the audience, our enemies were inching closer to their win with each passing second.

I took a deep breath and shut my eyes for just one second; one second was all I needed, but I couldn't be too obvious about it. My world went quiet as I blocked out the cries of the audience, the voices of the commentators – then it was just me and the game.

I opened my eyes and looked around.

The digital world is indeed a peaceful place, even with the banging of shields and clanking of armour. I see everything there – a whole world put on hold for a girl's viewing pleasure, paused by the hands of a clock which held no time. I began my calculations and racked my brain for a way out of this mess – a way to claw past our seal of fate and change the game.

That was it... Change the game!

In the blink of an eye, the game was filled with hidden gems – traps made to shock our enemies just when they thought that everything was over. Slight tweaks contrived throughout the map, much to the enemies' confusion. They had so much in store for them, it almost made me weep with excitement. Some would call it cheating, or playing dirty, but this was the way things worked for me. This was my gift – my power.

Cheers erupted yet again.

I was back in reality. I clicked furiously, wasting no time to speculate on the decisions I made. My movements in the game were quick and resolute as I used the adjustments to my advantage, striking down my bewildered and disorientated enemies, one by one, seemingly unaffected by the sheer confusion of the moment.

“Oh my God – Annie isn't giving up just yet, Steve!”

“That's right, Richard, there's a change in her eyes! She's rushing headlong towards her enemies - I'm not sure if this is going to work out for the red team-”

Every scream, cheer and cry in the room was suddenly amplified as the enemy team fell one after the other, caught in a vicious chain reaction; a total wipe out. Everyone was on their feet, eyes widened in disbelief as I stalked towards my final objective.

“I don't believe it! She's done it! She's secured her team a place in the quarter finals!”

“Unbelievable, Steve.”

My teammates looked at me in awe as the game ended, the most promising of words booming through my headset, sealing the fate of our team and saving us for the preliminary rounds - “Victory.”

I smiled contentedly, pushing away the familiar ache in my heart and all feelings of guilt. This was my power, one that I was meant to use in my favour. Taking off my headset, I stood up and beamed at the crowd. You see, that's the difference between you and me.

You merely play the game. I live it.

Sun Jiaxin

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

With Light, Comes Strength

Ong Tsi Ying Amelia 

ZHONGHUA SECONDARY SCHOOL

At birth, he was blessed with the most extraordinary of gifts; one coveted by many a man – the Gift of flight. His Gift was a most peculiar one – flight was not the main attraction, for his true ability was gravity manipulation. Flight itself was rare, but gravity manipulation was unheard of. The potency of his power was unparalleled by any other in human history. 

However, nature favoured no man, subjecting him to a lifetime bereft of sight in the name of maintaining equipoise. As a consequence his inhuman ability morphed into a debilitating curse, an anathema to his existence. 

Without his sight, he found it impossible to subdue his power, leaving him impuissant against its sporadic tantrums. Hence since young, he resorted to clawing blindly at his surroundings in an effort to remain grounded. Only, doing so seemed to exacerbate the situation – whatever he touched, too, became exempt from the laws of nature. 

In a bid to leash the Gift that hounded him, his parents enrolled him in a specialised school. However, his power was all too potent, too mercurial for them to tame. Disheartened, he sought solace in his own solitude, a hermit retreating into the dimensions of an impregnable fortress – his own mind. But there was a light that drew him out of his despair. Her name was Chiara.

He first encountered her when he returned to school for the start of his second year, a single feminine voice strangely salient amidst the incessant chatter. Dormant for the better part of the day, his Gift had roused from its slumber, determined to exert its authority over him. As his legs began to leave the earth, he panicked, writhing and squirming as he clung to his table. The table, wisely bolted to the floor, should have sufficed in keeping him grounded. However, it did not.

Perhaps it was his grip strength that betrayed him, for he found himself inching towards the pirouetting blades. With every second his Gift ran amok, he drew closer and closer, the breeze from the fan serving only to intensify his blind panic. 

Just as the blades grazed the tips of his hair, his Gift released him from its stranglehold. He lay panting on the floor, aching all over from the impact of his fall. The pain was excruciating; however, it was made light by the frightening notion that he could have fallen victim to a ceiling fan.

It was then, as he lay writhing on the floor, that he heard her voice distinctly. It was a foreign voice, a most mellifluous one. 

“Are you alright?” the voice exclaimed. “That is some Gift you have there! You’re so lucky! I would love to fly if I could…” Masked by a veil of wistfulness, there was a subtle and fleeting bitterness in her voice, revealed only to the most discerning of ears. “By the way, my name’s Chiara. I’m new here.” 

His lips arched into the bitter smile of one resigned to his fate. “I’d rather have been born without it, thank you very much,” he replied wryly as he struggled to get to his feet. 

“And why is that?” came the innocuous reply.

Scowling, he turned to face the direction of her voice. “As you can see Chiara, I’m blind. I can’t control my power. I’m pathetic and useless…” He paused in his outburst, listening intently for a response but was met only with silence. 

“Chiara?” he probed hesitantly. 

“I don’t think so,” replied Chiara.

“What?”

“I don’t think your Gift is useless. I’ll prove it to you.” She spoke with a fervour that surprised him. “Give me three weeks to master my own Gift, and I promise you, you’ll never look at yourself like that again. What’s your name?” 

“Arthur.” 

“Promise me, Arthur, that you’ll let me help you.” As she spoke, he felt a pair of soft, supple hands cupping his own. “My Gift may just be able to help you.” 

The next time he felt the warmth of her dainty hands was when she came to fulfil her end of the promise. The mingling scents of the garden flowers in spring put them at ease. 

“Alright Arthur, here’s my gift to you. What do you think?” 

With that, the sight before him inundated his senses. It was a world translated from blind tactile touch to a world of colour, depth and beauty. For once he could marvel at the capaciousness of the roseate sky, how the clouds resembled fish scales, iridescent in the rays of the sun. For once, he could admire the trees with their branches outstretched, as though pining for their lover.

For once, he could see.

To his right sat a wheelchair-bound girl with her hands curled around his – Chiara.

With trembling hands and glistening eyes, Arthur tried to convey the overwhelming gratitude and confusion consuming him. “Chiara…How?” he managed. 

“Well,” Chiara began, “my Gift allows me to project thoughts and create mindscapes of sorts. It’s like painting. Your mind is my canvas and I’m your artist.”

Her voice saturated with fervour and intensity, Chiara continued. 

“Arthur, I can’t restore your sight, but I don’t want you to feel insecure just because you’re blind. We all have weaknesses…just like how I can’t walk. But in this world, we’re never alone. We have each other to overcome them, you know, and become stronger together. We make up for each other’s weaknesses… Arthur? Are you listening?” 

Arthur paused. With the uncertainty shrouding his life suddenly rendered clear, his confidence in himself grew. Perhaps, he could help her too. Just like she did for him.

Looking to Chiara, he held out his hand expectantly. 

“Do you trust me?”

“Huh?”

“Come on…” He grasped her hands in his own, guiding her gingerly. Finally domesticated, his Gift obeyed his will, lifting their feet gently off the ground. Speechless, Chiara stared at Arthur with incredulous, teary eyes. Her petite frame trembled with emotion, her most desperate wish finally fulfilled. 

For the first time, the blind boy could see and the wheelchair-bound girl could fly. 

Christy Sim

Zhonghua Secondary School

Level 9

Tiffany Tee Jie Lin 

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (JUNIOR COLLEGE)

A ceramic bowl, an antique clock, a display plate. I skimmed the tips of my fingers along each of the fragile items on the mildly-decaying shelf, trying to discern which one I should start with. 

I’ve come into this second-hand store so often to do this that the perpetually-disgruntled harridan at the front counter no longer looks up from her book to glare at me. 

Settling on the ceramic bowl, which my instincts told me would be the most interesting, I took a deep breath of the musty air, closed my eyes and picked it up. Scenes of every human encounter with this bowl began to play in my mind - in reverse, from the most recent back to its very making. Amidst the sea of typical family meals, I searched for an anomaly: a candlelit dinner, a Halloween party, a Thanksgiving reunion.

“Seriously, Rhea?” An all-too-familiar voice jolted me out of my escapade. Thankfully, my grip on the bowl remained steady.

I sighed and returned the bowl to its place on the shelf. “What do you want?”

“Today’s the big day, don’t you remember? We’re supposed to be at the town hall to assay our powers!”

I turned to face my older twin sister. “We? No, no. You.” I couldn’t help the bitterness seeping into my voice. “Between the two of us, you’re the only one with actual power. They couldn’t care less if I showed up or not.”

I mean honestly, having the ability to read into the history of static, lifeless objects? Compare that to Rheannon’s mind reading skills plus her even rarer talent of projecting images into minds. How is my ‘power’ even remotely useful? It’s no wonder that our parents named me just a fraction of Rheannon – Rhea – my power is a mere residue of hers. 

“Come on,” Rheannon whined. “There’s going to be eclairs there.”

Inside, I knew there was no escaping the ceremony today. Without it, using my power from here on out would be illegal, and no matter how worthless my ability was, sometimes it was all I had.

“Fine,” I relented, “but only for the eclairs.”

An hour later I found myself dressed in a smart, cream-coloured pantsuit which, frankly, could only be described as boring. But, because both Rheannon and I were wearing them, became downright outrageous. 

Our parents waited in the auditorium of the town hall while Rheannon and I were shuffled into one of the tiny meeting rooms to meet our assessor, Madame Meda.

Madame Meda was old, almost withered, her back hunched at an angle so impossible it was a miracle she could still look us in the eye – which I wished she was unable to, because her single working yellowed eyeball was magnified a hundred times by her monocle, and stared unblinkingly at us the entire time. Even though sunlight was streaming in merrily through the gaps in the curtains, her presence still gave me the creeps. In that moment, I was exceedingly grateful for having a twin; I couldn’t imagine facing her alone. 

“Sit,” she ordered in a wispy yet commanding tone. Rheannon and I hurried over to the two chairs placed side by side in the centre of the room while she tottered around us with her walking stick. I stared adamantly at my folded palms in my lap, both afraid and unwilling to look up. 

“So,” Madame Meda drawled. “What can you do?” Her every word was drawn out and condescending.

Rheannon cleared her throat. “Madame, I have been granted the powers of telepathy and mental projection, and my sister here can read into the history of objects.” 

“Interesting,” Madame Meda nodded. “And together?”

Both Rheannon and I stopped short. “What do you mean?” Rheannon asked for the both of us, her voice quivering ever so slightly. She’s not used to not knowing, I thought to myself. 

More wrinkles appeared on Madame Meda’s already crinkle-filled face. “Twins? Both with mental abilities? And you’ve never tried to combine your powers?” She said it as if it was our fault for never trying to use our powers together, when in actual fact no one had ever suggested we do that. 

To be fair, I did learn how to block Rheannon out of my head when I was ten, and I’ve never let my guard down since then. You wouldn’t want someone else in your thoughts 24/7 either. 

“Try it, right now,” Madame Meda urged. She was suddenly glowing with excitement, which just added to her creepiness. 

“You,” she pointed to Rheannon. “Read my mind.”

Rheannon closed her eyes to concentrate. “Grab the memory at the front of my mind and show it to your sister,” Madame Meda instructed. 

I reluctantly allowed Rheannon to intrude into my mind for the first time in almost a decade. In seconds, a scene began to play in front of my eyes. A chill ran down my spine; opening up the mind always felt odd. 

It was clearly a scene from earlier today, during one of her other assessments. The room was the exact one we were in at that very moment, except that everything seemed much taller and larger because it was seen from Madame Meda’s perspective. I was not used to this difference, because objects had a standard ‘field of vision’ that always conformed to my own perspective. 

There was a boy in the room, standing in the middle, facing away from us, his blindingly white wings out on full display in stark contrast to his tan skin.

“Pick an object,” I hear. The words sounded like they came from within the memory but I knew they didn’t. I was getting a little woozy from trying to discern memory from reality. 

The Madame Meda in the memory had now hobbled around to stand in front of the boy, and I felt myself being inexplicably drawn to the ring resting against his chest. Both the silver chain and the inscribed ring glinted in the sunlight, tempting, yet somehow sinister. 

I wondered how I was going to read the ring’s history. I’ve always had to touch an object before I could fully utilise my ability. 

Madame Meda must have sensed my quandary because she immediately advised, “Picture it in your mind, feel it in your hand - you’ll get there.”

I did as I was told, focusing on feeling the swirled grooves of the ring on my fingertips, blowing up the image of it in my mind. I traced the outside of the ring with the pad of my index finger, starting from the blood-red gem, passing over a few ancient runes etched into the silver band and a word in a language I did not recognise.

I made contact with the gem again, and instantly a series of human encounters began flying through my head at an unbelievable speed. They went by so quickly that they seemed to all meld into one, and I was unable to catch anything from the blurry mess of colours. Overwhelmed, I slumped and shut Rheannon out. I was exhausted. 

“Truly remarkable,” Madame Meda was singing repeatedly. My brain was still ringing, but I felt the sensation in my limbs coming back to me. 

“Off you go, my dears,” she announced. “Go home and practice your abilities. I can’t wait to see what the both of you can achieve together. You two would be a splendid fit for the security council.”

Both Rheannon and I left the room with purple sashes on, indicating level 9 abilities – the highest level attainable. We entered the auditorium to see our parents sitting in the audience and walked down the aisle to be embellished with a purple gem on the right temple to mark the beginning of our adulthood.

Amidst the shock of my parents at my equal standing with Rheannon, and the awe and congratulations of the other families present, a single nagging thought refused to leave my mind.

That boy, his ring, the gem. There was so much behind it, and I was going to find it all out. 

The Invisible Girl

Baey Zo-Er

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (JUNIOR COLLEGE)

Friendship. It was a word I knew in the English dictionary, but I would never have the joy of experiencing it.

The teacher droned on about quantum physics, but my attention was focused on the buzz of conversation around me. Focused on the whispering and giggling around me.

Focused on how I was not a part of it.

I glanced at the clock. The seconds ticked away. 

“This property is seen in the energy levels of atoms–” The bell rang, cutting the teacher off. The buzz of conversation grew louder, as classmates packed away their textbooks while chatting to their friends. Everyone headed towards the canteen, leaving me to soak in my solitude. 

Recess. It was a love-hate relationship for me. You might wonder why. 

Every day, my stomach grumbled before recess. The only time in school when we could eat our fill, before sitting through more draining lessons. Everyone’s favourite period was recess. The perfect time to chat with friends, complain about teachers and arrange outings on the weekends. 

But I had no friends. No one to walk to the canteen with, no one to eat with, no one to… accompany me. 

I trudged towards the canteen, not looking forward to the crowd there. Laughter filled the atmosphere, growing louder as I approached. I pursed my lips.

After buying beef noodles, I made my way slowly through the canteen, conscious of my every move. Everyone was definitely watching me, gloating at the fact that I was alone. I settled for a seat behind a pillar, strategically hidden from view. 

I placed my noodles on the table, closed my eyes, took a deep breath – and willed myself to turn invisible. 

Opening my eyes, I was pleased to see that it had worked. Of course, I was still visible to myself – just invisible to everyone else around me. It always worked, but I was still relieved every time I accomplished it.

With this layer of invisibility on me, I was free to do whatever I wanted, without worrying about being judged. The corners of my lips twitched upwards into a smile. I finally had the freedom to be myself. 

This power of invisibility was tremendously helpful for someone like me. Whenever I felt uncomfortable in front of others, I simply had to concentrate to turn myself invisible – and it was done. It had saved me countless moments of embarrassment and discomfort. 

The noodles looked tastier now. I relished the noodles, and the fact that no one could see me. I was unnoticed, not ignored. 

Others might see this as a lonely existence. But it was not, as no one even had the opportunity to approach me. No, I was not lonely – I was simply alone. 

The bell rang. In a vacant corridor, I turned visible and arrived at the classroom, now noticeable by everyone. I smiled to myself. It felt nice having a secret no one knew about. 

After school, I sat at a see-saw in the playground. Since nobody was sitting on the other side, the see-saw was always down on my side – it never went up. But I was perfectly fine with that. If it never went up, I would never have to worry about falling onto the ground. 

There was a sudden squeal of laughter, and I heard footsteps coming in my direction. “Mummy, I want to try the see-saw!” 

I sucked in a breath sharply. The boy and his mother would see me anytime now! I scrunched my eyes shut and turned invisible, before looking down at myself and heaving a sigh of relief. Seconds later, the boy came running into my playground, followed closely by his mother. I had been so close to being subjected to social interaction. 

I quietly rose from the see-saw, not making any noise to alert them of my presence. Slowly, I sat down on a nearby slide. Neither the boy nor the mother looked in my direction. My invisibility was working. 

“There’s nobody at the see-saw now!” the boy yelled as he hopped onto the see-saw. “That’s sad. Mummy, play with me!”

His mother laughed, sitting down on the other side. The see-saw went up on the boy’s side and down on the mother’s side, before going up on her side and down on his side. 

I followed their movements. Sometimes I was unable to decide whether I liked it up or down more. 

Being invisible allowed me to observe the mother and child in peace. I saw the boy’s radiant expression, his mother’s affection for him, and the bond they shared. I smiled consolingly to myself, glad that I had turned invisible in time. 

My special power had become my talisman, my ability to blend into the wall behind me, my refuge from the social situations I faced daily.

Low Hoy Kay Nadya

Dunman High School

Weeks passed, and I grew more and more accustomed to my existence – invisible when alone in front of everyone. Every morning, I sat upright after I heard the alarm clock ring, looking forward to school. Even quantum physics had become interesting. 

Imagine me finally appreciating how particles can be in two states at once! Amazing, right?

The canteen seemed as noisy as ever – but not as intimidating. I allowed myself a small smile, before queuing at the most popular stall. 

“Duck rice, please,” I said warmly. 

Casually, I sat at a table in the middle of the canteen, and began eating. When the buzz of conversation grew too loud for my liking, I simply closed my eyes and turned invisible, before continuing to eat. 

A boy was walking in my direction. His familiar face caught my attention, and I looked closely at him – he was someone from my class. James?

James sat down at my table. Well, the invisibility must be working. I finished the rice on my plate.

“Hey there.”

I paused midway through lifting the spoon to my mouth. I glanced up and looked around, but could not spot anyone else. 

“Hi Jenna.”

My spoon clattered onto the table. How did he know my name? And, more importantly, why could he see me?

He laughed. “Why so shocked? You act like you’re invisible or something.”

My lips parted slightly, and I hurriedly composed myself before blurting out, “So you mean I’m not invisible?”

The question sounded silly after I said it out loud. I mentally smacked myself.

James raised his eyebrows. “No...? If not I would be talking to air? Unless you mean I’m going crazy, which I think is your case…”

In spite of myself, I laughed. 

Then I stopped, unfamiliar with this feeling. Laughter was such a foreign concept to me, something I certainly did not do at school. 

But I loved the sensation.

I laughed once more, slightly at first, before clutching my sides and laughing out loud. 

Seeing that James was still patiently waiting, albeit looking amused, I calmed myself down and said, “Just joking. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Just dropped by to see how you’re doing. You’re always so quiet, but you seem a lot happier recently. That’s a good thing, right?”

A warmth flowed through my whole body. I looked at James, seeing him clearly for the first time. So this was how it felt to be recognised by someone?

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I just felt down last time, but now I’m feeling better, thanks for asking. I guess it never feels better than when you’re being yourself.”

I flashed a smile at him. 

He cocked his head to the side. “I have to go, talk again sometime?”

Just before he turned away, I asked, “So…I really wasn’t invisible just now?”

He grinned. “The joke’s still on, then? Is that like your secret wish or something?” 

I laughed. “No, no it isn’t.”

Leaning closer, he whispered, “Yes, you were invisible. I’m invisible too, that’s why we can see each other. See you around, Invisible Girl.”

Injustice

Teo Zi Lin

DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL (JUNIOR COLLEGE)

The year is 1984.

A baby boy is born.

The year is 1989.

The boy is five years old. His parents take him to a doctor. The doctor shakes his head sadly, and tells the boy’s parents, “I’m sorry.”

The boy’s parents cry.

The year is 1989. 

You are that boy. You don’t understand what’s going on.

The year is 1990.

You are in school. Everyone introduces themselves. 

“Hello,” you say. “I have no power.”

The year is 1991.

You are teased mercilessly. Your hair is pulled, your chair and desk are broken and all your belongings are damaged beyond repair.

“Someone who doesn’t even have a power shouldn’t deserve to live.” The bully, an older boy with the ability to set things alight, sneers.

You sit there quietly.

Incensed by the lack of reply, the boy sets you on fire.

You scream, and he laughs.

The year is 1991.

You lie on the hospital bed. People give you looks like one would give a mangy mutt, some of pity, others of disgust.

Your chest twinges with the pain of a scar that couldn’t quite be healed right.

You wonder if the healer had left it there because she was tired - everyone else she healed seems to be perfectly fine.

The year is 1993. 

You sit by yourself in your room. For a moment, you contemplate jumping.

Then, you shake your head. There was no point.

Even if you died, there wouldn’t be anyone around to care.

The year is 1998. 

The world you live in is full of people with powers, otherwise known as ‘powereds’. You live in a small town where everyone but you are powereds.

Your parents are disappointed and disgraced. 

You try not to care - you make your way through life, trying so hard to succeed in a society where the valued are people who have abilities that are simply extraordinary.

You get pushed around. And you think, Why is the world so unfair?

The year is 2003.

You are now in college.

You have gotten this far through hard work, sheer tenacity and spite.

Your roommate gives you dirty looks. Lucky for you, he does not bully you. Instead, he ignores you and pretends that you don’t exist.

You lie on your bed and look up at the cracked ceiling, wondering, What kind of world is this?

The world around you doesn’t care. 

You don’t have a power - to them you are useless, not even good enough to be cannon fodder.

You hate it.

The year is 2005.

You graduated from college, and you are trying to find some work. But who in their right minds would hire someone who doesn’t have a power?

You end up serving tables at a dingy little diner, and get pushed around by the patrons.

The year is 2005.

You are tired of this meaningless existence in a world so unfair.

You wonder if the reason why everyone seems to have a power is because those that didn’t develop one never had a chance to grow before they took their own lives, like you almost had before. 

You look at yourself in the mirror and touch a particularly painful-looking bruise on your cheek.

You press a hand to the reflection and sigh.

“I’m so tired of this life,” you say to yourself.

The scar on your chest is still there. It hasn’t grown at all.

The year is 2006.

“Why do we let these ‘powereds’ push us around? They are freaks of nature! They don’t deserve to live!” The man seems to scream at you from the television.

You stare hard, reach for the remote, and switch it off.

But a glimmer of hope and doubt shines through.

The year is 2007. 

The anti-powereds are quickly gaining popularity. You never knew that there were so many people just like you.

“We’re all humans!” A powered teenager protests, playing the victim alarmingly well.

“If we’re all humans, then why didn’t you stick up for us while we were being pummelled into the ground by one of your fellow powereds?” someone in the crowd hollers.

There is a loud shout of agreement.

“We were discriminated against! The landlord kicked me out when I paid for everything legally! I had to live in the slums! And you know why? Because I was normal! And the police tried to arrest me when I went to them!” a man with a rough voice shouts.

You stare at the mob and you think that you might be wrong, that maybe all those people without powers were just people not spoken about.

The year is 2008.

Riots have taken place.

They are taken care of quickly. Powereds in the military have been sent to disperse them. Roughly three hundred non-powered have died. 

You take a look on the internet. Everyone seems to be wilfully ignorant of the massacre taking place right under their noses.

They don’t care, you think. 

You don’t even feel surprised anymore.

The year is 2009.

You don’t go out anymore, settling for making and selling computer designs online. They don’t sell well, but it is enough for you to survive, if barely.

You stare out the window and at the seemingly peaceful street.

There is a dark stain on the pavement.

You close the curtains.

A child recently died there.

No one had cared, because that child didn’t have powers.

You clench your fist and curse the injustice of the world.

The year is 2010.

You stand alone in an abandoned research lab. You glance around you thoughtfully.

Everything is in ruins.

The soft sound of bare feet on concrete snaps you out of your thoughts.

A little girl with hair as white as snow, and eyes dark as the night, looks at you.

“What is your wish?”

“…my wish?” you ask, confused.

The girl nods once, her expression serious.

You feel lost. Then, you remember once seeing on the news that people had been found experimenting on powereds.

You purse your lips. Those powereds experimented on their own people as well?

You look at the girl, a horrifying thought coming to you. What if…?

You kneel down, putting yourself at eye-level. 

The girl is visibly startled.

You understand - because if someone had done the same to you before, you would have thought they had something malevolent in mind.

“Would you like to be free?” you ask softly.

The girl stares at you, wide-eyed.

You hold out a hand.

She stares at your hand, disbelievingly, but doesn’t take it.

The year is 2010.

“What is your wish?” she asks.

“You don’t have to grant me a wish.” 

“…”

“…”

“…”

“But…if I were to make a wish…I would wish that...” You lower your voice into a whisper that only she hears.

The look she gives you is full of shock, surprise and something like delight.

The year is 2010.

The world is thrown into pandemonium. 

People worldwide have lost their abilities.

You stare at the girl in front of you and cry.

She wraps her arms around your neck and cries too.

“Thank you,” she whispers, her eyes just a bit brighter.

The world is 2011.

The term ‘powereds’ has been scrapped.

People now have to learn how to function without their powers.

Those who failed to adapt end up being kicked down from the pedestal they once stood on.

You are now the head of a far-reaching company.

You live with your adopted daughter, the same girl who had been experimented on and had been given the ability to grant wishes. No one knew. She had been deemed a failure.

You have never been prouder.

The year is 2012.

You walk into a room to conduct a job interview.

The boy that once had the ability to control fire, now a man, looks at you with false confidence. His gaze harbours no sense of familiarity, merely treating you as a potential employer.

Your subordinate turns to you, asking for your opinion.

“Do whatever you think is best,” you say.

Your employee nods.

The boy, now a man, is given a job.

You don’t say that you remember him.

After all, he is just a fragment of the past.

The year is 2012.

The burn scar that had once taken up the entirety of your chest now feels so small in comparison.

You smile, throw your head back, and laugh.

You aren’t a failure.