A SHOCKING Ability

Chapter 1: A SHOCKING Ability

September 1st, 2024

(Edited February 12th, 2025)

Beep… beep… BEEP!

I glance out my window.

“Ah. Another incident this week. Gotta love Al Qantara.”

From my bedroom, I get a full view of the streets of Ismailia, Al Qantara, Egypt. Cars honk, vendors shout, and—yep—someone’s already cussing someone else out at 4 a.m.

“Seriously… how is this city alive 24/7? Do people sleep with one eye open or something?”

Just then, I hear something that stabs me deeper than any insult from the street:

“GAME OVER.”

“DAMN!”

I shout it before I can stop myself.

“Oh sh—”

Click.

The doorknob turns. I freeze.

And there she is. My mom. The final boss of this house.

I toss the controller, dive onto the bed, and fake-sleep harder than anyone in history.

“…I know you’re awake. I’m not stupid,” she says, deadpan.

I groan. “Aw, man…”

“Exactly. Now go to sleep before I make you.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am…”

She leaves, and I sit up, exhaling like I just survived a boss fight.

“Ugh… first day of school tomorrow. The cycle starts again.”

I look back at my TV. It’s an old, boxy relic—not exactly a modern marvel. But something’s off.

Even though I definitely turned it off, the screen is now static.

“Huh… weird. Guess I’ll just unplug it.”

I walk over and reach behind the TV.

“And—OW!”

A jolt hits me—no, buzzes through me. But it’s not blue. It’s green and purple.

I yank my hand back, eyes wide. “What the…? Since when is electricity purple and green?”

“That’s like… a video game glitch.”

I pause. Shrug.

“Eh. Probably nothing.”

It’s 4 a.m. anyway.

“Two hours of sleep on a school night? Sounds healthy.”

I drop into bed—and pass out instantly.

⸻

Beep beep! Beep beep!

“Not this crap again…”

Without thinking, I smash the alarm clock with my fist.

BOOM.

Electricity sparks from my hand—glitchy, purple and green bolts crackling in midair.

“…Huh?”

I blink, then look at my fist.

It’s literally surging with electricity. It even glitches as it moves.

“YO! I’LL ABUSE THIS POWER.”

I raise my arms in triumph—only for them to drop like noodles.

“…Coffee boost wore off.”

(But still… where the hell did these powers come from? That zap from the TV? Is that really it? And… am I even worthy of having something this insane?)

I nearly doze off again, sitting upright. My hand slumps onto my thigh—

ZAP!

“SHIT!”

That wakes me.

I stand. Then notice something.

“…Wait. My phone?”

I slowly lift my other hand off the nightstand—revealing what used to be my phone.

Just shattered remains now.

“Great.”

A full minute of intense staring later…

“Well. That’s one way to start the day.”

⸻

I glance at my dead phone, then out the window.

“Hmmm… guess I’ll have to navigate like the ancient Egyptians. Follow the stars and hope for the best.”

I dash out of my room to check the living room clock.

“7:30. Not surprised. First-day-of-school curse.”

I start moving faster—way too fast.

Behind me, dark blue electricity crackles in the air.

“Maybe I still got time—”

“7:45.”

“…CLASS STARTS AT EIGHT.”

I smirk.

“There’s this anime I really love… taught me a lil’ something.”

I glance toward an imaginary camera.

Cue heroic music.

“MAKE A RUN FOR IT!”

⸻

Five minutes of exaggerated anime sprinting later…

Panting.

“I… did it!”

The school gates slam shut in my face.

Deadpan.

“Well, no problem.”

I grin.

“Wouldn’t be a real Egyptian if I didn’t know the other way in.”

I scale the gate like it’s second nature and drop down inside.

Immediately, two ancient-looking guards spot me.

Guards: “OI, KID!”

They yell in Arabic, cussing me out like it’s a ritual.

I bolt.

“Why are Egyptian adults so good at cussing?!”

I move so fast, I vanish from their sight.

They stop running.

“Nope. Not paid enough for this.”

They go back to sleep.

“Now that’s what I call—”

WHAM.

I collide into someone and fall backward.

I look up.

Long, flowing blue hair. Cold stare.

“…Let me guess. You’re Syrian?”

She glares. “What if I am?”

“Oh, nothing. Just explains the blue hair.”

“AND WHAT ARE YOU? Egyptian?”

“…We’re literally in Egypt.”

“YEAH, AND YOU SOUND LIKE A FALLAH—probably grabs salt and pepper thinking that’s spice.”

Without thinking, I sock her right in the face.

She drops.

“…Calling me a Fallah was already too far. But insulting me with it?”

I snap back to reality.

“Wait, was my class D1?”

Cartoon sprint ensues.

⸻

She lies motionless. But then—

Eyes open.

“I’ll get him… I swear I will…”

⸻

I return just as fast as I left.

“Oh! It’s right there. Gotta pay attention more.”

Just as I reach for the classroom door—

Cold.

Something icy creeps up behind me.

I spin, elbow out—smashing her already broken nose.

THUD.

“…Huh. Must’ve dropped my backpack. That breeze was weird.”

⸻

DING DING.

“The bell. Let’s see… I bet the class is gonna look at me like I robbed a bank.”

I crack open the door, trying to sneak in.

Nope.

Teacher: “Mr. Kharaba. Care to explain?”

“Uh… my mom called to tell me she’s pregnant. And I’m adopted.”

The class erupts in laughter.

The teacher just sighs.

“Take a seat. Minus ten marks for lying and being late.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

I plop down and scan the classroom.

Short brown hair. Freckles.

“Amina?!”

“YO—”

Teacher: “Shhh! One more word and it’s minus twenty!”

(Man… this guy definitely doesn’t get paid enough.)

I stay quiet. The girl waves at me.

“…That’s not Amina.”

I lean slightly. The real Amina is sitting behind her.

“There we go.”

Then—

“…Is it just me, or is the room muffled?”

I turn to the guy beside me.

“Yeah. Also, uh… what’s that blue orb next to you?”

I glance to my side.

A floating, icy-blue orb.

“…What happens if I eat it?”

I tap it.

WHOOM.

It levitates—then explodes.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Sharp, freezing needles rain down like shrapnel.

“THE HELL?!”

I duck under the desk.

The guy next to me isn’t so lucky. He gets impaled—frostbite spreads instantly.

Several students… just die.

I glance at Amina. She summons a spectral, glowing blue shield.

“…She’ll be fine.”

I focus on the orb. Still active.

“…Damn. Thing’s relentless.”

I spot a plastic water bottle on the ground.

“…Perfect.”

I grab it, twist it, pressurizing the air inside.

Then, I charge it with electricity.

“Time to show off my lil’ trick.”

I flick the cap halfway loose—

ZING!

The electric shot hits the orb dead center. It shatters into shards.

“Good deed done.”

I scan the room.

“…Not really. These people got knitted pretty bad.”

I call out.

“Amina! You good?”

She walks over—and slaps me.

“WHY didn’t you save the guy next to you?! He was a good friend!”

“HUH?! You made a friend in the first hour of school?! And did you see that sphere?! It was like death’s snow globe!”

“…Yeah, you’re right. I just wanted to slap you.”

I stare at her, speechless.

“…Anyway. Where did that thing even come from?”

She frowns.

“…I think it was Sayria Nada.”

“Yooo! Love that guy.”

“That’s a girl, dude.”

“Yeah, well—I don’t memorize names here.”

“She’s the blue-haired girl.”

“Oh, her? I knocked her ou—”

I point to the door.

She’s gone.

“…What?”

Amina rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, sure. Like you could beat a rat in a fight.”

Just then, a familiar figure approaches.

“…Yo. Isn’t that her?”

Amina nods.

“…Yeah.”

I charge toward her—

But she doesn’t flinch. She walks forward like… a machine.

Sayria doesn’t run away. Instead, she slowly approaches him, her movements stiff and mechanical, as though she’s nothing more than a puppet on strings.

Harith watches her, narrowing his eyes. Something’s not right.

Then, without warning, her body explodes into sharp ice shards, shooting in every direction with lethal precision.

“Oh shi—!” Harith barely has time to react before—

Amina swiftly raises a shield around both of them.

Amina’s voice cuts through the chaos. “Careful.”

Harith’s heart is still racing, his breath shallow as he smirks, trying to regain his composure. “Yeah, sure. Next time, I’ll be sure to check if the person I’m dealing with is a clone or not.”

The fragments of ice disappear into the air, and Sayria’s voice echoes faintly, her words carrying a chilling menace.

“Fool… I’d never approach you like that. That was only an illusion, a mere shadow of my true self.”

Harith’s eyes widen as he glances around, searching for the real Sayria. He spots her, staggering away, her nose broken and blood dripping down her forehead. Her eyes, cold and full of hate, meet his for a fleeting moment before she vanishes into the shadows, leaving nothing but silence in her wake.