“I still can’t get it right, Lucas.”

A petite but healthy-looking girl stood in the middle of a forest clearing; hands placed firmly on her hips with a determined pose. Beams of sunlight glistened on the mossy ground and the occasional crispy leaf would flutter by on a journey through a cold current of air. The girl sighed loudly and blew strands of mousey-brown hair from her eyes before turning around abruptly to look at her friend who was scribbling in an area dirt with a battered stick.

“I’m sure you’re doing great, Alex,” her friend said, barely making eye contact.

“You’re not even watching me,” the girl said with a sarcastic tone. She skipped over to her friend and stared at the dirt in front of him, “What are you drawing?”

“It’s us, I guess,” the boy said uncomfortably, ruffling his light blond hair with his free hand.

Alex stared at the masterpiece in the dirt. Two crudely drawn stick people were stood holding hands with large singular-line smiles on their faces. One had long hair and a bushy fringe and the other had large circles on its arms and legs, obviously trying to imitate muscles. It was incredibly inaccurate, but flattering nonetheless.

“I mean, I’m the muscly one but okay,” Alex dismissed the drawing after an awkward pause and returned to her original position. Lucas scowled like a child and scribbled out his work before throwing the stick down and rising up to approach his friend.

“Are we done yet?” he moaned.

“I told you, it’s still not right,” Alex crouched down and eyed a clear space a little way in front of her. After a beat, she let out a deep growl and catapulted forwards into the air, feeling the crisp breeze around her. Quickly but painlessly, it enveloped her body and she began to grow bigger and stronger. Hands and feet turned into paws, nails turned into claws and her skin became a beautiful golden coat. This was something that Alex was all too familiar with. Moments later, a cheetah stood proudly where her body should have landed. Its fur was soft and shiny and it shared the same piercing blue eyes as the human it had just emerged from. It dug up mounds of dirt with its paws and turned to face Lucas.

“Five more minutes,” it grunted.

Lucas wandered away from the action, striking trunk after trunk with yet another stick. Round and round he wandered, slowly leaving the original clearing they were in. As the forest grew a little thicker, his nerves began to kick in and he had the strangest feeling he was being watched. Leaves rustled in the canopy above his head making his eyes flicker all over as he tried to focus on the movement. Just for a second, he thought he saw a black figure darting from branch to branch. It looked almost animal like but was quicker than anything he’d ever seen before.

“Alex,” he attempted to say, a concerned crescendo in his voice. He tried to head back to his friend but it was too late. Before he could even take a step, he found himself pinned firmly to the ground with a heavy weight on his back, face squished in dirt and nose full of an earthy smell.

“Hey!” He heard Alex’s voice in the distance. From the corner of his eye, he could just make out the cheetah running towards him and then pouncing furiously. After his next heartbeat, the weight then dissipated from his back as, presumably, Alex had pushed off whatever it was that was holding him to the ground. Lucas quickly spun over so he could see what was happening and then shuffled away on his hands in a panic. He watched Alex’s cheetah form growl angrily before it pounced towards the thing that had been holding him down. The Thing, however, was far too quick and leapt just out of the way of Alex before finally speaking.

“Wait,” it said in a deep, male voice, “You’re a Variant too?”

Alex stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide, and slowly transformed back into her human form. She felt both shock and confusion in being recognised. A Variant was a rare thing to come across these days, not many have existed since the end of the war. When it was over, Alex was born. This was sixteen years ago and she’d never seen another Variant in all of her lifetime.

“Yes,” she said hesitantly. Lucas joined her where she stood, sticking his shoulder to hers.

“I haven’t seen another one in years,” the figure spoke again and then stepped forwards into a beam of sunlight. Alex could see he was a tall, well-built boy, maybe a little older than she was. He was dressed in black, dirty clothes and a large hood shrouded his face making it impossible to see any facial features.

“Who are you?” Lucas stuttered, feeling unsure.

“I am also a Variant,” the boy said with a velvety tone, flexing his clawed fingers.

“I thought they were all killed in the war?” Alex asked with a mesmerised tone.

“Clearly not,” the boy smirked.

“Well it was very nice to meet you but we best go now,” Lucas, hooked his arm around Alex’s and tried to pull her away from the conversation, “I have a bad feeling about this Al’.”

Alex yanked her arm away from her friend and swatted him away like a fly. Lucas quickly shielded his face and cowered away behind her. Alex gingerly approached the new boy and tried to get a peek under his hood.

“What’s your name?” Alex enquired.

“That’s of no importance,” the boy replied gruffly, “But you can call me Hunter.”

“Okay then, Hunter,” Lucas said sarcastically, “What is it you want with us?”

“Is this human bothering you?” Hunter pointed at Lucas rudely.

“What did you just say?” Lucas yelled, stepping towards Hunter and trying to make himself look taller.

“No, no, no,” Alex quickly intervened, “This is Lucas, he’s my best friend. And I’m Alex.” She thrusted her hand out swiftly for Hunter to shake but he grunted and turned away.

The three of them stood there is silence for a moment, thinking of what to say next. A slight breeze curled its way through the trees and picked up a few dead leaves in its path. Hunter quickly snatched one out of the air and crushed it into a fine power in his fist before turning to stare at the two teens. He noticed they were dressed in similar teal-blue clothing, meaning they were both from the same village. It was frayed and dirty in some areas but nowhere near as much as the tight black garments he was wearing. He unfolded his hand and let the leaf dust fall out of it before pulling his hood a little tighter over his face and then speaking.

“I’ve been waiting to meet another Variant,” he began, “I want to form a team to rise up against those who are wiping us out. Do you want in?”

Alex and Lucas stared at each other for a split-second before turning back to Hunter and yelling out their conflicting answers in unison, turning a simple reply into a jumble of inaudible sounds. Immediately, Lucas turned to leave but Alex stepped towards their new comrade with an excited feeling in her heart.

“Alex, what are you doing?” Lucas asked with a pain in his voice.

“We should do this, Lucas,” she began, “This is what I’ve been training for.”

“But you said it yourself, you’re not ready yet,” Lucas’ voice waivered as panic filled his body, “This is so dangerous.”

Alex stood and thought for a moment. She often had a bad habit of jumping head first into situations she knew nothing about. Confidence and bravery were two traits that are often admired in a person but they could also find you in danger, something Alex is all too familiar with. Her head darted between Lucas and Hunter, mind racing and heart beating. Then, like a spark igniting a fire, a proposition snapped into her head.

“Okay, Hunter,” she began, facing the towering boy once more, “I’ll agree to be part of your team, if you promise to train me.”

“Excuse me?” Hunter replied, his mind stumbling over what he had just heard.

“You heard me,” Alex tried to assert her authority over the situation but, because of how short she was compared to the boys, it looked cute rather than intimidating.

“And why would I agree to that?”

“Because I’m the only Variant you’re going to find around here,” Alex paused to compose her next sentence, “And I know you need me.”

Stubbornly, Hunter folded his arms and began walking around Alex, taking large strides as he did so. He looked her up and down a few times, taking in everything about the way she looked. She was a good-ways shorter than he was and a little skinnier too but nonetheless was very active. He noticed how she would twiddle one of the plaits in front of her ears when she was nervous and how she would chew slightly on her petal-pink lips. Her eyes stared at him in anticipation and sparkled with a hint of innocence.

Without hesitation, Hunter stepped right up to Alex, nearly nose-to-nose, and glared down at her. Alex blushed a little and stumbled backwards an inch before straightening herself up to compete with Hunter’s gigantic height.

“Deal,” Hunter’s voice pierced the silence.

Alex couldn’t contain herself any longer, she leapt in the air like a kangaroo and squealed with happiness. Her smile spread from ear to ear and the sparkle in her eyes grew. She only just managed to stop herself throwing her arms around Hunter. Finally, it seemed like her boring life was about to change, she felt like she was finally going to do something for the better of her species.

“Meet me back here at sunrise,” Hunter grunted, “Then, we’re on our way.” And with that, the shadowy figure disappeared back into the trees above their heads, leaving no trace that he had even touched the ground.

After he had gone, Alex spun round to face Lucas, almost forgetting that he had been there the whole time. Unfortunately, the look on his face stopped her from saying anything. He scowled down at her with dark aqua eyes and folded his arms tightly. His foot tapped in irritation as he waited for what amazing excuse she was going to conjure up.

“Look, I know you think this is stupid-”

“No shit,” Lucas interrupted, “You don’t even know this guy.”

“I know, I know,” Alex repeated, “But we have been given the opportunity to do something different. To help the world.”

“No, you’ve been given the opportunity,” Lucas sighed.

“You’re not coming?”

“You’re insane if you think I am,” he turned toward the direction of their village and marched off, kicking up dust as he did so.

Alex went after him like a puppy-dog but could barely keep up to his pace. She tried to persuade him as best she could but Lucas wasn’t taking in any of it. His fists were clenched, his shoulders were broad and he swung his arms wide in irritation. He swatted low hanging branches out of his face with the palm of his hand and continued to ignore Alex’s barks for attention.

Before long, the sandy stone wall of their village came into view and the familiar sounds of the town filled their ears. Its entire edge bordered onto a large forest area that Alex and Lucas used to explore as kids. Its purpose was very different for them now and they never expected to find another Variant in there.

As they reached the border of the forest, Alex managed to grab Lucas by the arm and speak, “Lucas, listen to me.”

Lucas pulled away and scowled at his friend once more, “The last time I listened to you, I almost broke my leg by trying to get on the roof from my sister’s bedroom window.”

“But I want you to come,” Alex wined like a young child.

“And I want to go home,” Lucas mocked, “Plus, how would I tell my Mother and Father? Oh, by the way, I’m just off on an adventure around the world. Somehow, I don’t think that would sit very well.”

“Just say you’re coming to stay over at mine, then we’ll sneak out in the morning,” Alex tried to sound convincing.

“You’re joking, right?”

But she wasn’t joking at all.

By the evening, Lucas had been convinced to changed his mind and was making his way over to Alex’s house. No matter what it was, Lucas always had to be with her. He felt as if he had to look out for her, even though he knew she was stronger than he was. But that didn’t matter to him, if there was even a chance something bad could happen to her and he wasn’t there to help, he would never forgive himself.

“Evening, Ms Bennett,” Lucas said, trying not to sound suspicious as he entered the front door of Alex’s house. Alex’s mother looked up at him from the kitchen table and smiled sweetly. Her dark hair was tied up loosely in a bun and her brown eyes glinted in the candle light. The creases in her face aged her slightly but her pink-toned cheeks brought back an element of youth. Alex didn’t really share many familiarities with her mother, from what Lucas had been told, she was much more like her father. Lucas imitated the same expression he had received from Ms Bennett and headed up the stairs to meet Alex in her bedroom.

Once he had entered the room, he pushed the wooden door carefully to close it and it clicked shut as quiet as a whisper. He then threw this bag down on the floor a little less carefully and sighed. He turned slowly to face his friend, trying to think of something to say, but was encased in a tight hug before he could even utter a word.

“I didn’t think you were going to come,” Alex’s muffled voice came from his shoulder.

Lucas slipped his arms slowly around her waist and hugged her back. Her hair was soft and tickly against the backs of his hands and her sweet, floral aroma filled his senses making his surroundings disappear just for a split second.

Then Alex let go and reality popped back into view.

“I couldn’t let you go by yourself,” Lucas gave a caring smile.

Alex squeezed his hand a little as she walked away from him, sharing the same facial expression as he was. She had Lucas like a puppet on a string and he knew it. They were the best of friends of course, they had been for as long as they could remember, but Alex had a particular way of making him do what she wanted and she played on it constantly. But then again, Lucas was a sucker for falling for it every time. His feelings for her always got in the way of thinking clearly but Alex could be dangerous when she wanted to be, she had a way of twisting people around her little finger until they snapped.

Alex sighed in anticipation and perched on the end of her bed, face and teeth gleaming. Lucas slumped down on the floor and leant his head again the bedpost. Both his hand combed through his thick, yellow locks making small strands of gold disperse into the surroundings. He looked up at Alex from next to the bed and admired her for a moment before breaking the silence.

“We best get some rest,” he said, “I’m sure we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“I still can’t believe we’re going to do this,” Alex looked down at her friend, stomach churning with butterflies.

“And I still can’t believe you’re mad enough to do it,” Lucas laughed apprehensively.

“Goodnight Lucas,” she said softly before turning to the candle that was sat on her bedside table. She gave a long, delicate puff, which extinguished the flame, and watched the sweet-smelling smoke dance up to the ceiling. Her eyes then caught the trickles of moonlight making their way in through her window. The night was calm and clear and the stars twinkled like city lights in the night sky.

Alex turned over and snuggled down into her bed. Head buried deeply into her feather pillow. She pulled the duvet over her shoulders and breathed peacefully. She was desperately trying to do all she could to make herself fall asleep but had a feeling her excitement was going to stop that from happening. She could hear Lucas’ faint snores from the side of her bed, he never had any trouble getting to sleep, and could feel a slight breeze on her cheeks as the night air snuck its way in through the opening of her window. Slowly, she closed her eyes and let her body relax. Perhaps this was the last peaceful moment they were going to have for a long while.