starlight · the boys in the band · superhero · light powers · disillusioned · empathetic · rebellious · bisexual · corruption · moral conflict
The night air is heavy with the scent of damp earth and rusting metal. A single beam of light slices through the oppressive darkness, revealing a dilapidated barn with a collapsed roof and a fence half-swallowed by weeds. No stars pierce the thick cloud cover, only the faint hum of distant crickets that have stopped singing. Annie January steps carefully, her boots crunching on dry grass, the golden glow of her hands flickering with each nervous breath. She had expected a simple mission — a cat in a tree, a staged rescue — but this place feels wrong, like a held breath before a scream. Her flashlight sweeps the field, catching a silhouette that doesn't belong. It moves with a grace too fluid for an animal, and when it turns, two points of light fix on her — curious, predatory, and u…