this is an original story by silver!
before you read, some backstory:
i originally wrote this when i was 11, for national novel writing month, under the working title "the powered". i wasn't able to finish it, probably because i was 11 and didn't really understand how to write good stories. i returned to it about a year ago and decided it had some potential- but a lot had to go. the version that has been up here for years was that story from when i was 11- now, i'm putting the revamped version up, which is much shorter so far and also going to be very different. it'll be a while before i get to working on it, but i just thought y'all should know! if you want to see the original, i'll probably link a doc on here at some point. hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER 1
There is a certain romance to seeing your name on a Wanted poster. There’s some childlike joy that comes with it, some excitement that follows infamy. But Delaney Browne was not joyful or excited like she had been the last time. Instead, a cold feeling of terror raced through her insides, her fingers shaking as she reached for the poster to get a better look.
WANTED DEAD: Known Anathema. Reward: 100 qk. There was a list of names, and short descriptions as well, below the header. Usually, at most half of them were real people. Delaney scanned the page again, making sure it was her they were describing, though she had no reason to. It was quite clear that they had found her. Brown, Lacey. Dangerous. Sex: Female. Hair: red. Eyes: green. Race: Irish-American. Height: 5'0". Adolescent.
At least they didn’t have her full name, she thought as she stuffed the poster into her pocket. Or her real height- she was 5'1", for Christ's sake!. But they would get both soon enough: everyone around here knew who she was. That was probably her fault.
Still, she was hardly dangerous. She could read emotions, that was all. It was a worthless skill, really. How was she to fight someone by telling them she knew they were feeling angry? Maybe those higher beings everyone rambled about wanted her to be a peacemaker. That was laughable. Delaney was anything but a peacemaker. That was what had gotten her into this trouble in the first place. She had a short fuse, and it was easier to crack a few heads than to take a deep breath and count down from ten.