reAwakening

(this scene happened in Spanish but is in English due to reasons, please enjoy)

In Argentina, after lunch.

“José! Go outside!”

José flinched and tightened his grip on his controller, “Later, ma!”

The door to the basement flew open and José hissed from the sudden light entering the room. His mom was a small woman but she had large facial features, a curved beak-like nose, wide angry eyes, and a big mouth good for yelling. José only inherited the wide angry eyes and mouth. He had his father's nose. 

“Ma,” he whined, body chilled. “Please, I don’t wanna!”

She cursed him lowly, spitting out insult after insult. José stiffened against the verbal abuse but didn’t budge from his position on the couch. 

Rosa, seeing this, fumed. She stalked to her son and pulled him to his feet, then led him outside- how? By twisting his ear and having the boy follow her. She got him all the way past the kitchen before the horror of being outside outweighed the hot pain of his ear being twisted. 

José snapped his head away, causing his mother to lose her balance and fall to her side. Worried, he kneels to help her back up. Apologizing profusely. When he reaches his mother's eye level, he finds that she is crying.  

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “do you want ice? I didn’t mean to. Ma-”

“Go outside,” his mother sobbed. “I don’t like it when you sit around on that stupid screen all day, it scares me.”

It scares me.

José started to creep away, retreating back to the basement when he saw the angry red mark on his mother's elbow. From falling.

Swallowing, José nods. Trembling. “3 minutes.”

Rosa seizes the chance, bargaining when the stove was hot. “30 minutes.”

“5 minutes.”

“20 minutes.”

“Ten minutes.” There was a final note of hilarity in his voice, a crack that showed he wouldn't be pushed further. 

His mother’s eyes widened even more, “Fine. Just ten. But please.” 

..

José darted outside, his skin already tingling from the persistent weight of the sun. He searched for shade, somewhere to seek refuge until he was let back inside. He found it under a tree, the sun still peeked through, however. It was still scary.

What he knew.

Which was that he wasn’t hungry anymore. That he couldn’t find his own heartbeat.  That he didn’t need to sleep. That his body never hurt. That when he was hungry all he had to do was suck on some raw steak or any bloody piece of meat. 

He’s seen the articles online, the blogs. Of kids claiming the same symptoms. José posted his own findings, about how he healed quickly and retained the strength he should have lost while playing video games. 

How the sun drained his energy. How it hurt him. 

The first five minutes it was like his body fell asleep.

The first ten minutes was how the blood under his skin boiled.

After that it’s stillness- always when things become too calm does Jose scramble back in the shade. After-effects of sun exposure being headaches, nausea, third-degree burns, and temporary blindness.

It was seven minutes in when his body began to boil. José gasped, not liking how quickly the pain was entering his system. He rushed to the door to the house, twisting the knob but it was locked. 

“Mami!” he screamed, “open! Open up!”

The inside was silent. There was no shade where he was standing and it was an obnoxiously sunny day. The strangers were staring at him weirdly but like hell did he care! It burned!

The stillness began to come, easing the pain and heightening his fear. José tried to use his super strength but it was failing him. Sobbing, he sagged against the door, his pounding fist turning to light thumps. Everything is going slippery and soft, and scarily quiet. Abruptly, the door swings open and he falls inside, half in the shade half exposed. 

“MIJO!” 

Using the last of his strength he flops further into the shade, screwing his eyes shut against the light. 

-.-.-

In America, throwing out the trash

Afia actually never liked the sun much, not when she was little and not when she was older either. It was always too bright, it had her squinting her eyes to be able to look at anything comfortably. Not to mention it beat into her skin quick, warming her up quickly. 

As she got older and more interested in technology and engineering she needed the sunshine less and less. She preferred the dimmer softer tones of lights of a garage. It was her co-workers who worked under the sun, sucking it in with their browning skin. Not her. Never her.

Luckily, Afia had very dark skin. A shade away from pure black. No one ever told her she needed ’color’ and ‘vitamin d’. The melanin in her skin gave her an excuse to stay indoors. 

That’s why Afia always liked rainy days best. The crisp cleanness after a shower, the mild intoxicating zing right before… it was glorious. Afia would walk then, walk and get the much-needed fresh air. 

But even with her dislike of the sun, she never reacted as violently against the sun as she did that day. It was one of those days where the sun was blindingly bright and it was scorchingly hot. So hot that not even the neighborhood kids dared step foot outside. But she had to. The trash bag needed to go out. It was stinky and frankly, she couldn’t relax until it was out. 

Hefting the bag over her shoulder, she moved hurriedly across the street to where the trash bin was. The heat was so stifling and she was too disgruntled to notice that her skin was numb. That her skin was already irritated and tender.  

The first thought was- weird. 

She didn’t know much except for the feeling that she had to get inside, out of the sun, immediately because it was the sun that was doing this to her. 

(Was she… having an allergic reaction?!)

Her theory was proven true when she dashed across the street and into the sweet dark refuge of her apartment. Gradually, her skin calmed down, and… she pressed her hand to her chest. 

Afia was never athletic, she was on the short and not-so-thin side. She was always fine with that. But she wasn’t even winded or out of breath from full-on sprinting to her apartment, and the bag wasn’t even heavy when she lifted it. Only big and stinky.

Was she...an athletic prodigy?! Was she...superpowered?! Was the sun her kryptonite? Was she… the only one?

Afia never had much of an opinion on the supernatural...WAIT!

Was she...just...dreaming?

Nodding Afia turned around and slapped herself hard, but she neglected to take off her ring and it struck a cut. Her head whipped up to see warbling reflection, she must be dizzy. She stared at the cut, beads of blood appearing before the sting of her cheek stops. Afia brings the back of her hand to her cheek and wipes the blood away. Her skin was clear and uncut.

Nodding, she stares at her reflection. 

Blinks.

And when she opened her eyes again, her reflection was gone.

She screams then.    

-.-.-.-

Online:

Guys, is anyone else allergic to the sun? And side effects are lack of hunger, odd strength, and… no heartbeat?

-anonymous121278

Comments:

zzooru: bruh, ur high lol. can i get a hit of whatever you're smoking?

jewgyr: uhm- I think you might need to make an appointment with your doctor, hun.

SavageB*tch: get out attention seeking skank

CRustyHeadphones: - pm me. (no mirror reflection, either. right)

Online Interactive Forum- Supernatural

(ihatesunshinebutloverainbows joined the chat)

CRustyHeadphones: Guys, we got a new member. Please welcome ihatesunshinebutloverainbows to the chat. ihatesunshinebutloverainbows, I am CRusty Headphones from Hong Kong. I have a wolf named Aziel in my head, I (he/him) shift into him every full moon or at will. What is your deal? 

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: is this chat the real deal? bc i’ve been reacting weird to the sun, and I don’t get hungry anymore and i’m way more athletic than I should be and I can’t see my own reflection anymore.

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: i’m from the America’s. she/her

southern-charmer: reacting stranger to the sun how? (they/them)

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: first its’ numb, then after a bit my blood boils and then, I dunno. I go back to the shade by then. It’s only in direct and intense sunshine though. I’m also really weak, I don’t know what i’m supposed to do bc eating isn’t helping.  

southern-charmer: she’s the real deal guys. 

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: wtf..

CRustyHeadphones: then i’m showing similarities to a werewolf, from the stories. 

southern-charmer: i’m a ‘vampire’, if you're feeling weak then you have to feed. Do you have any raw meat in your fridge? Suck on that. Unless you have a pack of pig blood or a friend who like really trusts you. I’m from Wales, by the way. 

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: i did it, hell. (steak,) 

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: it worked… shoot, this si real

ihatesunshinebutloverainbows: this sucks

Literalblobfish: at leats you can still stay above land, 

Literalblobfish: guess who’s stuck underwater? mE! 

Literalblobfish: i’m gabe by the way, a chubby yet attractive merman from New JErsye.

harrietpotter: at least you guys have consistent shit, i’m like- glowy hands and knowing which planst taste best in good days and others day whipping up  ramen and accidentally conjuring some storm in my kitchen. 

harrietpotter: , bet i’m a witch or wizard or warlock 9r whatever. Or maybe an elf- sans sexy ears. I’m Australian btw. (nonbinary)

ALiteralFurry: hi! I’m a were too like headphone dude, my wolfs name is Emerald, and i’m a girl. Uh, did you guys see teh article yet? About DeprivedGamer?!

CRustyHeadphones: no? Why?!

ALiteralFurry: he’s all over the news in South America- i’ll send the link. 

ALiteralFurry: {Teen Covered in Swelters and Missing a Heartbeat after Ten Minutes in the Sun! Still Alive! He is Being Held by the Government and Under Investigation! Mother In Hysterics!)

Literalblobfish: fuck shit.