MuTerra : Tamer - Story Writing - contest 1

Jade Dena was a normal girl, at least for the first 4 years of her life. Then the radiation started to increase and she began to change. Jade's parents had no idea what was happening to their perfect little girl. Her eyes turned from honey brown to unnaturally bright green. She kept sneaking out into the forest they called a backyard, climbing trees easily and moving boulders that no one thought could be moved. They had to get all sharp objects like knives out of the house because Jade would stumble upon them and, as if in a trance, swing them around, like a samurai. A year passed. Then there was the knock on their door.

"We want to keep her safe," the man had said. "Take her somewhere she won't be harmed." Jade's parents said no, but the man wasn't asking. Two seconds later men dressed in black masks ran in, grabbing a struggling Jade, taking her away. She heard her parents yell her name as some soldiers held them back. That was the last time she saw them.

The people weren't friendly. Jade knew that the moment they strapped her to the cold metal chair tying her wrists. She screamed and began to cry. "This won't hurt," the man had said. He lied. Freak. Experiment. She no longer had a name. She was kept hidden in a prison that had been abandoned years ago along with some other mutant children. They weren't even allowed to talk to each other. The last time one did, he was kept in the panic room overnight, the room where holograms showed you your fears. The boy never spoke again, not to the other kids, not to the adults, not even to himself. He never even looked at anyone, as if he did, they would be killed. Jade felt bad for the kid. She had gotten her own fair share of scars. She had been burned bad during an experiment. Most of her body healed. Except for the skin around her mouth. Ever since she kept her face hidden behind a mask. She had to cover the burns, be tough. She always had to be tough.

Jade didn't get time to herself. She was either being experimented on or training as a soldier. She became one of the greatest fighters among the kids. Her strength, her determination, those things kept her alive. Then, when she was 18 the explosion occurred.

She had been in her cell, but the radiation waves were so powerful they ripped the door right off the hinge. Jade knew she couldn't hesitate, or the adults would catch her. So she ran. Nothing in her hands but her armor and mask. Other mutants ran around her, pushing each other, hoping to get out, dreaming of the life they could maybe live out there. Jade escaped into a thick forest. after an hour of running, she climbed a tree, jumping so fast her feet barely touched the lower branches. "If your running from something in the wild, get high. You can see everything, but no one can see you." That's what her dad used to say.

Jade was lucky. On one of the tree's branches was a satchel. Probably from an old escapee who was caught, probably killed. Jade remembered a group of kids who ran off together. They were caught an hour later and never seen again. She grabbed the satchel and looked inside. Not much, just two daggers. She sighed and put her mask on.

That tree became her home. She had nothing else. Everyone thought she was dead. Not that many cared. Mutated plants and animals lived in those forests. Yet Jade survived. Not just because she fought her whole life, but because she made a strange friend. A mutated animal feared amongst many. A viper. She had no idea what it was doing in this forest, but she didn't mind much. Jade called him Buddy. It made him sound less dangerous. Well, Just being a viper made Buddy dangerous. But a mutee viper? His bite was more venomous that any creature Jade heard of. Time passed and she adapted to her new life. Then again everything changed.

Jade sat in her tree. She sniffed a plant she had found when hunting. Not poisonous. She took a tiny bite. She knew she couldn't starve herself, but she was never hungry. One effect of that stupid prison she called home. She gave the rest to her venomous friend. There was a rustle in the bushes beneath them. Jade took out her daggers. There stood a boy. He hadn't been in the base, Jade noted. She would've noticed if a boy wearing armor head to toe was there. "I can hear you," he said, looking up. Jade knew it was pointless to hide. She motioned for Buddy to stay in his spot and jumped down. "What do you want," she asked, pointing her dagger to his throat. He looked at her, as if he understood why she would be afraid. "You were kept in that prison," he said.

Jade didn't like telling people about her time there. Actually, she didn't like talking to people, period. She nodded slightly. "So you can fight. Good. Come with me." Jade almost laughed. Go with someone she didn't know? She learned her lesson the last time a man came to her door. "Why would I do that?" "I promise we are not going to hurt you. I just believe mutants should stick together," he said crossing his arms. Jade put her dagger down. You're a mutant?" He nodded. "I wouldn't be here right now if I wasn't." Jade cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?" The boy scoffed. Then his eyes widened when he realized she really had no idea what happened. "You have a lot of catching up to do. Come with me, and I'll explain." Jade hesitated. "Promise you won't try to kill me," she said. The boy nodded. "Promise." He smiled slightly as they began to walk. "Welcome to the Tamers."

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