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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐓

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Like every Saturday since she was ten, the raven-haired girl was in her garage working on her latest project. It was a mini-robot that could help clean around the house so she could focus more on her inventions. Her eyes zeroed in on the different-colored wires in front of her as she carefully connected two of them. As soon as the red and blue touched, the eyes on the robot lit up. A smile instantly appeared on her lips as she watched it spin around and make little beeping noises. It wasn't long after that when the mini-robot moved around the garage, picking up dirt from the floor while using the feather duster in its right hand to clean the objects around it. The raven-haired girl watched her robot for a few more moments before using its remote to switch it off. After placing it back on her workstation and looking over it one more time, she decided to go to her father's workshop to see if he had any metal paint.

Gemma Adams had been inventing gadgets and working on machines since her first day of kindergarten. She used every spare moment she had to create different things to help herself and others in her community. Because of her interests, the raven-haired girl decided to study engineering at her local college. It didn't take long for her to become one of the top students in her major. But this wasn't a surprise to anything, especially knowing who her father was. Gerald Adams had been a scientist since he was twenty-one and taught his daughter everything he knew. They had a very close bond that no one could break, especially after Gemma's mother walked out on them when her daughter was only two. Sarah left with no way of getting in contact with her, but that never bothered Gemma. She had one parent who was always there for her and that was what was important.

The smile on Gemma's face did nothing but grow as she walked into her father's workshop. The first thing she saw was Gerald working on a much larger-scale robot for a work project. The Adams girl didn't hesitate to approach her father to get a better look at what he was working on. His hands seemed to move faster than humanly possible as he twisted bolts and connected wires. Just watching Gerald made his daughter want to work even harder at what she excelled at. She wanted to be just as good as the man who had been by her side for her entire life.

"How's it coming?" Gemma asked as she sat down on a chair near her father, causing the man to slide out from underneath the machine before his eyes landed on his daughter.

"It's coming along great! Just need to finish up a few things," her father replied with a smile on his face as he sat up on his creeper before pulling a washcloth out of his pocket and wiping the oil off his hands, "did you need something?"

"Do you have any paint? I wanna add some details to my robot," the Adams girl said as a proud grin appeared on her lips, "I just finished him a few minutes ago."

"That's amazing, Gem! And of course, I have paint. Who do you think you're talking to?" Gerald playfully scoffed, earning a small laugh from his daughter. He then got to his feet and made his way over to one of the cabinets in his workshop. Not even a second after that passed when he swung the doors open to reveal paint in every color one could imagine. The smile on the Adams man's face did nothing but grow as he turned back around to face his daughter. "What color did you need?"

"Yellow and blue," the raven-haired girl told her father as she got up from her chair to stand next to him before grabbing the desired paint, "gotta add my signature symbol."

"You and your lightning bolts," the Adams man laughed as he closed to doors to his cabinet before turning to face Gemma, "and you always wondered why I'd call you 'Sparky' when you were little."

Gerald let out a chuckle after receiving a playful eye roll from his daughter before lying back down on his creeper. While her father went back to working on his latest project, Gemma began to look around the workshop at all the different knick-knacks and other objects he had collected over the years. She was about to exit the workshop when her eyes landed on a cardboard box sitting on a table on the other side of the room. The Adams girl let her curiosity get the better of her as she walked over to the box and carefully opened the flaps. She was surprised to only find what looked like a computer made to fit on someone's wrist. But to her dismay, it was broken in many different places.

Gemma kept her eyes glued to the device as she took it out of the box. She studied it for a moment before turning to look at her father. "What's this?"

Gerald came out from under his robot to see what his daughter was talking about. But he was only visible for a second before going back to work. "It's just an old project. I put it on hold a few years ago. Honestly, I could never get it to work. It's my only invention that I couldn't complete."

"Mind if I give it a try?"

"It's all yours, Gem. Good luck," he told her with a proud smile on his face as he continued to screw in the final bolts on his robot, "and try not to shock yourself like last time. We don't want you to have another bad hair day."

Gemma couldn't help but roll her eyes at her father again before placing everything she needed into the box. She picked up the box and walked out of her father's workshop. As soon as she got back to the garage, the Adams girl set the box down on her workbench. She pulled the paint out first to finish her project, wanting to complete it before starting something new. The second she was finished with the paint job, she placed the small robot on an empty shelf. A wave of excitement washed over her as she pulled out the pieces of the wrist computer. Gemma couldn't remember the last time she was this enthusiastic about a new project. It probably was when she was still in elementary school. She loved the eager feeling, but it didn't last very long.

Just as she was about to unscrew the bolts on the back of the device, a blood-chilling scream cut through the air. The computer instantly slipped out of her hand as Gemma looked in the direction of her father's workshop. Not even a second after that passed when she sprinted out of the garage and toward the last place she saw Gerald.

It didn't take long for Gemma to reach her father's workshop before she swung the door open. Her eyes instantly landed on the sparks that flew from the wires on the robot Gerald was working on. But what caught her attention even more was her father lying unconscious on the floor beside it. The Adams girl quickly snapped out of her thoughts and jumped into action. She sprinted toward her father without thinking twice and attempted to pull him away from the danger but hopelessly failed. It wasn't long after that when another wire snapped off the robot and came flying at them. Gemma didn't hesitate to place herself on top of Gerald to shield him and tightly shut her eyes as the wire came closer and closer to them. She braced herself for the pain after feeling the wire hit her back, but it never came. Instead, she was greeted by a strange sensation flowing through her entire body. What felt like an eternity passed before the Adams girl finally reopened her eyes, only to find her body absorbing the electricity.

Gemma slowly got to her feet without taking her eyes off the now powerless robot. Despite trying her best to understand what happened, she was having a hard time comprehending anything. Every part of her knew she shouldn't have survived being hit by a wire with that much power. It was one of the strongest her father had ever worked with. And yet there she was, alive and well standing in the middle of Gerald's workshop.

"Gemma Adams?"

The Adams girl's entire body froze at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. A shaky breath soon passed over her lips as she slowly turned around to find a woman with hair as white as snow standing in front of her. The stranger's eyes seemed to look into Gemma's soul as the former stared at her with no emotion in her eyes. Her instincts took over as she grabbed a nearby wrench before another full thought could go through her head. It wasn't long after that when Gemma pointed the tool at the white-haired woman. Her breathing quickened as her grip around the wrench became so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"Who are you? How did you get back here?" Gemma asked with a threatening tone as she placed herself in between the woman and her father, who was still passed out on the floor.

"I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Umi Zerrin," the stranger explained, who for the girl in front of her to keep the wrench aimed at her. Umi couldn't help but let out a long sigh before continuing to speak. "I am the Seer and Protector of the Chosen Ones. I have come to inform you that the Spirits have chosen you to obtain the ability to control electricity."

The Adams girl continued staring at the woman in front of her with no emotion. She tried to comprehend what Umi had just told her, but nothing was adding up. Gemma desperately wanted to believe this woman was crazy, yet something was telling her that wasn't completely true. So instead she asked the simplest question she could come up with. "What are you talking about?"

"You have been chosen to have the power of electricity," the Zerrin woman repeated as she rubbed a hand over her face, clearly irritated with the situation she was in, "which means you can absorb, create, and redirect any form of electromagnetic current, including lighting from a storm."

"Great hallucinations. Just what I needed at a time like this," Gemma sighed before taking a step towards the white-haired woman as the Adams girl continued to point the wrench at her chest, "if you were real, you would know that when someone gets electrocuted, you should probably call for help. Which is what I should be doing for my dad instead of talking to you."

Before the woman in front of her could let say another word, Gemma placed the wrench back on the table next to her before pulling her phone out of her pocket. Just as she was about to call for help for her father, the raven-haired girl felt a pair of hands on her temples before a bright light appeared in her vision, making everything else around her disappear.

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When the blinding light vanished, Gemma found herself in the middle of a dark clearing with four other people in a line beside her while standing in front of a raven-haired man floating above a squadron of silhouettes. Before a complete thought could pass through her head, the brown-eyed girl's arms moved in front of her before lightning was being formed into what looked like whips in her hands. Shock filled every inch of Gemma's body as she watched herself hit the shadows that came at her, making them vanish before her very eyes. Another moment passed of watching herself take out every shadowy figure coming at her before the familiar bright light appeared, dazzling the Adams girl once again.

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As soon as the dreamlike state ended, Gemma's eyes snapped open before a gasp escaped her lips. Once she was fully aware of her surroundings, her eyes landed on Umi as the white-haired woman stared down at her with a small smirk on her face. The raven-haired girl stared at the woman for a moment before sitting up and taking in the familiar surroundings of her father's workshop.

"Do you believe me now, Ms. Adams? Or do you need more proof?" the woman asked with a somewhat amused look on her face, "because you could also take in the fact that you're not the one unconscious on the floor after a live wire hit you."

"I must be as insane as you are because I'm actually believing what you're saying," Gemma unenthusiastically replied as she got to her feet before looking down at her father, "after we get my dad the help he needs, I'll go with you to wherever you wanna take me. But I'm bringing my wrench."

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The day after calling an ambulance to take her father to the hospital, Gemma met up with Umi before the two of them got into the raven-haired girl's silver Honda. Gemma followed the directions given before arriving at what looked like an ordinary mountain. After parking her car in between a red Jeep and a blue Toyota, she followed Umi through the unnatural mountain until the sound of the ocean mixed with the smell of flowers.

"Lauren, Kayleah. Come meet your new teammate."

As soon as Umi finished speaking, the sounds and smells vanished before approaching footsteps could be heard. A moment passed with nothing but the sounds of footsteps before two girls walked around a corner and made their way toward Gemma and Umi.

"This is Lauren," Umi told Gemma while pointing to the blonde girl before her hand landed on the shoulder of the curly-haired girl, "and this is Kayleah."

"Who's this?" Lauren asked with curiosity in her eyes as she studied Gemma closely.

"What can she do?" Kayleah questioned with just as much wonder in her tone.

"I'm Gemma," the raven-haired girl greeted with a confident smile on her face, "and I can control power."

"She controls electricity," Umi corrected while sending the girl a pointed look.

"Same thing."

After seeing Umi roll her eyes while Lauren and Kayleah exchanged glances, Gemma became uncomfortable at their reactions before looking to the floor beneath her feet. Knowing she's not the person to make good first impressions, she decided to remain silent for the moment and only speak when she is spoken to, not wanting to make this encounter any more awkward.

"Lauren is going to be the leader of the Chosen Ones," Umi explained, derailing the raven-haired girl's train of thought, "so you must listen to her during a battle and when I'm not here to train you."

After Gemma sent Umi a nod in response to her explanation, the white-haired woman gestured for the three girls to follow her into the room that Lauren and Kayleah had just come out of. As soon as they entered, the raven-haired girl's eyes widened in absolute shock when she saw the enormous training room in front of her. When she came out of her starstruck moment, she watched as Umi pressed three buttons before the room separated into three sections: a pool of water, a small forest, and an open area with walls covered in outlets.

"This is where you're going to master your abilities," she explained to Gemma while Lauren and Kayleah casually walked to their designated areas.

A smile formed on Gemma's before she sent Umi another nod then quickly walked over to her area. After letting out a shaky breath, she attempted to make the whips of electricity like she saw in the dream Umi gave her. When she saw the bolts of lightning coming from her hands, a confident smile formed on her face, knowing that this was exactly where she was meant to be.

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