Super Incarcerated(Sophia H.) Noura was a regular girl in Watsonville, CA. She loved fried artichokes with mayonnaise, and went biking every Thursday. She had a snake named Boba, and two annoying little brothers named Carlos and Theo. Noura had big dreams of being an activist, so she could fight for the imprisoned supers...

“NORY!” called Theo, a little monster of a three year old, “COME HERE, I WANNA PLAY!” Noura reluctantly removed herself from her window, walking over to him.

'Looking at hills is so much better than this,' Noura thought, before she felt a tug at her jeans.

“Come on, Nory, faster, faster!” Theo whined.

Noura had a twisted ankle, and walking was a little difficult these days. Carlos smirked, and Noura scowled back. Carlos didn’t have to do anything at all, since he was 10 and Noura was 12. She had to babysit both of them until her dad came home from work at 5. This time, things would be very different when her dad came home from work. Very different.

Noura was watching the news with her snake about superhero imprisonment. She thought that keeping supers in cages was inhumane and wrong. Then Carlos started acting annoying. He kept pulling on Boba’s tail and she got even more irritated than she was already.

“Cut it out Carlos!” Noura snapped.

Carlos only got worse. He started pulling Noura’s hair and she got mad. Noura turned around and pushed Carlos. Boba flung onto the couch, and Carlos fell onto the carpet. He got back up quickly and lunged at Noura.

“Hey!” Noura shouted.

Carlos and Noura were fighting with each other. One push to the right, another kick to the left, then she got fed up. Noura pushed Carlos into the wall. Only this time it made a bigger impact. She wasn’t even aware of what she had done. Noura walked off to her room, her ankle hurting worse than ever. She picked up Boba and placed her in her aquarium tank.

She took out a mouse and was about to feed it to Boba when Theo shrieked, “Nory! Come over here, something bad happened!” Noura hobbled over and saw what Theo was talking about. There was a massive dent in the wall, the size of Carlos. It looked like it was about to fall through. Carlos looked angry, shocked, and scared at the same time.

“Well, what is it?” asked Noura.

“You did it, Noura.” Carlos answered.

“Wait, WHAT?” Noura was very, very, confused. Did she have superpowers, or something? Maybe. But that’s absurd. Superheros were in the government’s holding chambers, not out on the streets.

“Do I have, powers?” Noura blurted.

“What do you think?” Carlos replied sarcastically.

“NORY IS A SUPERHERO!” Theo said enthusiastically. Noura turned back to the wall. What would her dad do when he saw that? Would he report her? Who knows. The kids spent the next hour cleaning up a broken vase and sopping up the water on the carpet.

Crrreeaak. The door opened and Noura’s dad, Manny, came in. He walked over to their living room and he saw the big dent.
He asked Noura what had happened and she said, “Well, I kinda maybe have powers...or something, I mean honestly I don’t know bu-“

“Noura, calm down.” Manny then let the kids explain everything and he was bamboozled.

“No one can know, ok?” Manny asked.

“Ok.” Noura replied. She ate dinner and went outside. First of all, why did she have these powers? She didn’t get bit by a spider, and she wasn’t an alien or mutant. Second, what was her power? She had super strength, well she thought she did.

'I guess I’ll test different powers to see if I have them. Better do that, so I can know my limits and not get arrested,' she thought
Noura lived behind a big field, so she went far into the field so no one would see her. She tried flying. Nothing. She tried elements. Nothing. Then she tried reading minds, teleporting, floating. Nothing. She finally tried moving things with her mind. She wanted a weed to pull itself out of the ground. It started. The weed was pulling up more and more until it was finally uprooted.

“I hope that’s all.” she said to herself, “Better check what time it is.” Noura checked her watch. It was 8:30. She ran over to her house and Carlos let her in. She got into bed and went to sleep, scared out of her mind.

Noura was in third period, P.E. The class had to take their monthly test and everyone had been dreading up. Noura partnered up with Janice, one of her friends, and went over to do the exercises. While Noura was walking, she thought, 'Maybe I can use this to my advantage. They won’t notice.' The girls did pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, and more. Noura excelled at every exercise. Janice, on the other hand, wasn’t doing so well. P.E ended and they had a break.

“How did you get so fit?” Janice asked a little enviously.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just really determined today,” Noura replied.

“Sure, sure.” The girls split ways, with Noura heading to science and Janice to English.
Advanced Science class with Mr. Fernandez was usually very difficult, and today was no different. Noura went with Ryan, a fellow classmate, and started to work on their essay. They had to write a report on photosynthesis and how it worked. Noura was instantly irritated. Class was hard, and Ryan was annoying . He was noisy and annoying and she despised it. Noura was researching the stages of photosynthesis when Ryan started to act weird...weirder than usual. He made his noises but then he started to put his hands on Noura’s keyboard and made his way to her hands. She tried to swat his hands off but they remained still. She looked at his face. It was blank. His mouth was hanging halfway open. Noura looked around and she saw another boy staring dead at Ryan, almost like he was, controlling him. She started to feel faint.

'Wait, what?' Noura thought, 'There’s more of them, or us?'
Her eyes started to close and she felt weaker than earlier. Then, she had a last, glimmering idea.
'I've got to get him off of me. That boy will be staring too, so they could think it was him. If I get mad maybe I can…'
Noura felt really weak now. She pulled through, though. She thought of all the times her siblings made her want to strangle them, when her dog Paco died, when Boba got stomatitis. She felt she was going to burst, then slammed Ryan in the wall and fell to her knees in exhaustion. All eyes were on her. The boy controlling Ryan looked crestfallen, then smiled maliciously. He would be fine, and Noura would not. The whole classroom looked shocked and disgusted.

Mr. Fernandez called the NSPA, or the National Supers Prevention Association. Noura was dragged out by the strongest teachers, and thrown into the “diseased” cage. It hadn’t been used since 1981, when little Jaime Thompson turned out to be a super. Tears ran down her cheeks. Noura would like to scream, but it would be of no use. When she was three, she saw breaking news on a super, or a diseased mutant, as the newscasters called the person. The super, Lelani Foley, had been caught floating in Ohio, and had been pulled down by emagnets. She screamed and wailed and called for her son, Ernesto. She got shot on the spot. The workers loaded, rather threw Noura into their truck. A worker pulled up her shirt sleeve and injected a fluorescent blue liquid into her. They walked over to the front of the truck and hopped in. Noura could feel the bumpiness of the road and her cage shook lightly. She started to became drowsy, and didn’t try to fight it. She was unconscious in 3 minutes.

Noura woke up on a flimsy mattress. She thought she had woken up from a dream, then looked around. She saw another person about 6 feet away from her, sleeping. Noura checked her watch. It was 4:00pm. She got up, half asleep, and went over to the other person. She tapped on their shoulder lightly and they woke up with ferocity. They tried to punch Noura, but she jumped away just in time. She sat down on her bed and started humming.
“Shut up,” the person snapped.
Noura hummed even louder.
“Shut up!” they yelled.
“If you want me to shut up, could you at least look at me while you’re doing it?” Noura retorted. She crossed her arms and started humming again. The person rolled out of bed and looked her in the eyes angrily.
“SHUT UP!” they screamed.
“Quit it, you greasy little mutant!” a man’s voice yelled.
“Just stop it, ok? They’ll experiment on you more if you don’t behave,” the person whispered. Noura got a better look at the person, she guessed a he. He had brown hair, brown eyes, about her age, and looked worn out.
“So, I’m Noura,” she whispered nervously, “And you are?”
“I’m Alex,” he responded.
“So, where are we. And, what day is it?” Noura already knew where she was, but she wanted to make sure.
“Testing facility. Close to the White House. Jameson Testing Facility for The Diseased. It's the 7th.”
It took a moment for Noura to register. It had been 3 days since she had been taken away. THREE DAYS.
She sneezed, “Did they give us tranquilizer?”
“Yeah. It was green, right?”
“No. It was bright blue.”
His eyes went wide. “You’re a special one.”
“What?”
Alex cleared his throat. “You’re the most dangerous type—or whatever. You’re special to them. Not in a good way,”
“I could have guessed that,” Noura’s heart rate went up a little, “So, what happens?”
“I don’t know. It's time for dinner anyway.”

Alex put on his sneakers and Noura found hers on the side of her bed.
They were handcuffed and escorted to the mess hall. There were at least another hundred kids in there, looking just as sickly as Alex. For dinner, they got mystery meat and some indistinguishable green mush. It tasted horrible. Noura had to force hers down, since she was afraid the guards would do something to her if she didn’t.
“They don’t care if you eat, you know. They’ll let you starve and die. It's like prison with daily abuse. Want water?”
“Sure, thanks.” The water was sour tasting in Noura’s mouth.

The guards took Noura to another room after dinner. It looked like a futuristic observing cell, complete with a glass cage and lots of bright, almost blinding light. The guards threw her in the cage and Noura felt tears coming down. She felt homesick. She missed her family and her friends, even if they were xenophobic. She looked around some more and saw nothing beyond the glass. Slowly, men and women alike in suits and lab coats trickled into the room. They had clipboards and various types of equipment. Once they had all come in, they started doing things to her.
First, they checked her pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and drew her blood. It came out wine colored, almost purple. Next, they injected her with a variety of different needles, and Noura felt drowsy again. It went away after a few minutes, but there was something different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, so she stopped thinking about it. Then the vomiting began. It was horrid. It came out blue for some reason, but it was definitely there. It stank up the glass cage and the officials left her alone. She was escorted back to her cell, and she got into bed, feeling sick. Alex was already asleep. She checked her watch. It was 9:00. She’d been gone longer than she thought. She went to sleep and had nightmares about her family dying.

The next few weeks were, to say the least, strange. While other kids were getting the treatment she had got in the beginning, Noura was being tested on different things. Her strength, smarts, athletic ability. Occasionally, she’d get a couple needles, but nothing strange resulted from them. She and Alex were becoming more like friends, and she smiled once when he had told her about his family.

The 25 of May changed it all.
Noura had just woken up. Alex was already dressed and humming a tune Noura had taught him. She got dressed quickly and tied her shoelaces. Alex and her were playing a makeshift UNO game when the loudspeakers went on.
“Attention all diseasees, we have an important message. The great president of the United States is arriving today. All special diseasees, you will be presented today. We expect top-notch behavior, as the president himself and his heads of research will be here to view you. Any falter in behavior or failure to cooperate will result in death. Thank you.” the speaker blared.

“That’s great. The almighty president! Last time he came four kids were killed! This is marvelous!” Alex cheered half heartedly.

“I know, sooo great. At least you don’t have to do it.” Noura said enviously.

Alex became serious. “Please, don’t die. For me, and also those supposedly annoying brothers you always talk about. And your dad.”

“I promise I’ll be alive,” Noura’s eyes got teary at the mention of her family, “And every kid in here will be alive and free. I have a plan.”

Alex and Noura made jokes to distract themselves from the sheer terror they felt. About 20 minutes later Noura was escorted to the glass cage room. When she got there, there were already quite a few people there. Noura saw the president and someone else familiar. She tried to remember where that face had come from, and it hit her. It was the boy who controlled Ryan! What was he doing here? Could he have been a plant? Noura was desperate to find out. A couple of officials started speaking to Noura.

“Hello, Noura.” one official cooed.

“Hello.” Noura replied coldly.

“Now, we're going to conduct some...tests. Please remain calm.” The official said while scribbling onto her clipboard.
Noura paced around her cage mindlessly, while officials scribbled and whispered to each other.

“Noura, can you move that bed for me, into the air?” the president asked sweetly.

“Not until I find out why that boy is here. What is he, a plant?” Noura said a little louder than intended.

“That’s Guillermo. He’s our catcher. He caught you in the act, little girl. That’s why you’re here now.”

“Why isn’t he locked up? Why can he have freedom when I have to rot in a cell?” Noura started crying angrily.

The president beckoned Guillermo over to him. “He has shown us we can trust him. And, he did have to pay a price,” Guillermo opened his mouth. There was no tongue, “Now he can’t speak to anyone anymore. Our secret will be safe forever,” the president laughed evilly.

Noura started moving the bed on president’s orders, but she was too distracted to really do much. She was thinking of that poor boy. Getting his tongue chopped off, it was horrifying to even think about.

“Shall we dispose of her, if she is no use?” One female official questioned.

“Sure. There’s more like her anyway. One less slimy little mutant won’t hurt anyone,” the president sat down and started going over officials’ reports. Her ruby red nails made Noura want to puke and cry. Why should we be trapped here, when these privileged people are free and taking us prisoner? It's absurd! Noura started getting angrier and angrier, and it turned to rage quickly. Her mind was on getting out and getting revenge, and she started to lift the bed. It went higher and higher, until it was in midair. With a crash, she slammed it into the cage and it broke. A shower of glass rained on Noura as she ran out of that room, and one piece punctured her in the arm. She ran and ran, until she got to the Cell Block A. She searched for the keys, and found them after she had taken a door off its hinges. She started unlocking cages as fast as she could, and other children started taking other keys and running over to B and C.
Noura started her journey to the exit. She had only seen it once, when she had been on a tranquilizer. There were big metal doors, but Noura was doped on tranquilizer, so she couldn’t totally rely on what she had seen. She took the stairs and looked for signs of an exit. She had to be silent as a mouse if she wanted to get away with this. She found an exit sign, and started to follow the path. When she got there, she met a few angry guards. She took care of them easily and snapped the metal doors off their hinges. Sunlight came into the room, and hurt Noura’s eyes, but she was happy.

She tiptoed up and told other kids where the exit was. She paired newer kids with ones who had been on treatment for months, so there was someone to defend the powerless kids. After, Noura searched for Alex, and couldn’t find him. Little did Noura know, he had already gone outside and was safe, but she was worried. She searched some more, but decided she needed to get the majority of the kids out before she could search for her friend. She defended a boy named Sergio Ortiz, a girl named Janelle Richardson, and a few 5 year olds. She showed them to the exit, then went with a teenager named Basil D’Angelo and their buddies. Noura defended a few more groups, then looked for Alex in the building. She heard footsteps behind her, and voices. Noura decided she better get out. She sprinted to the exit, and ran out. She saw Alex and was so thankful he was safe. News crews started arriving, and Noura decided to speak up before anyone could say anything.

“I, Noura Tinajero, am a super. You might know our kind as an alien, or a diseased person, or a slimy little mutant, but I think otherwise. I think that supers are fine people, as I am one myself, and have gotten to know many of them. You think we’re dangerous and should be locked up, but why? We have caused no harm. Years of this terrible practice is what is causing us harm. You wouldn’t lock up your own children, so why lock up us? We want to be the supers of the 60s, not today where they get treated and their powers are sucked up by chemicals. We only want to be accepted by the world for who we are. So please, let us be free to live a life. This inhumane practice must end. I believe people like me should be free. Who’s with me?!”

Alex shouted, “I am!”
Slowly more people started saying ‘Me’, and a chant rose from all the children, “Free our superheros, please, so we can live a life in peace!’ The chant got louder as adults started joining in, and eventually everyone was chanting.

Noura was finally free.
Noura was reunited with her family and pets, and Watsonville held an early Artichoke Festival just for Noura. She kept in touch with Alex, and their friendship would blossom into something more in the years to come. Noura became the town’s superhero, and assisted the police on many occasions. She taught her friends how to love supers, and her and Janice became very good friends. The imprisonment of supers had ended, and those who participated were arrested and prosecuted.

“All hail our Artichoke Queen!” Manny shouted happily.
Noura had a crown made of artichoke leaves, and had an olive green dress on. She looked beautiful and she ate all the fried artichokes she wanted, and had the best time with her still annoying brothers, and went on the Fireball with Janice for the first time. It was the happiest day of her life.

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