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The smell of coffee freshly brewed filled the air in the wide, pure white, open kitchen. The kitchen led right into the dining room, that way no matter who was in the kitchen cooking could always hear the action happening at the large white oak table. The only noise in the house was the sound of a spoon stirring and hitting the edges of a coffee cup. Cynthia shuffled quietly into the large living space which connected from the dining room by a step down, the floor turning from African blackwood into a light grey carpet. The entire first floor was incredibly open, Cynthia had designed it herself. She wanted to know where everyone was at all times while in her house. During meetings nobody was allowed to slip away to another room or take any private phone calls.

Cynthia sat down on her main couch that faced her 85 inch television. She sunk deep into the charcoal grey couch that appeared to be made out of almost all pillows and started to sip her coffee while turning on the TV to listen to the news.

She watched the president’s address to the city and despite the provisions and restrictions made to altered humans she felt no panic at all. In fact, with the president’s restrictions and not protecting the altered human’s rights they would be desperate for jobs and protection. And she had many plans on how to not only use altered humans and their fears but also the rich and their own fears.

Cynthia’s front door started to unlock and she reached down below the cushions for a gun. Even though anyone who could gain access to her house, which required getting past the guards at the gate and the guards on the grounds, could be trusted, one could never be too careful.

“Amor!” A voice rang out. It was Jessica, Cynthia’s secretary and acquaintance. “I got my blood test done and wanted to talk to you about some plans. I have a couple of different ideas on how you can use your powers.” Jessica was not an altered human and was one of the few people to know about Cynthia and the extent of her power.

“¿Mande?” Cynthia asked her to repeat herself and spoke very lightly to Jessica. She hadn’t finished her coffee yet and didn’t feel like dealing with Jessica’s next big idea. Jessica came in handy, she was a good secretary and could keep a secret. She kept plans in line for Cynthia and worshipped the ground she walked on but it was obvious she wanted more from Cynthia and it began to get on her nerves three months ago when she first developed her powers.

“Why don’t you have an ID that shows you are an altered human?” Jessica asked, “Wouldn’t it strike more fear into people’s hearts if you could show them, without revealing your powers, that you are altered?” 

It was true, Cynthia had a normal ID card. Cynthia had managed to use her abilities to alter the memories of the person who would have taken her test into believing what they saw was a negative, this way even in the system she would show up as a regular person. 

“Do you think I don’t strike fear in people’s hearts already?” Cynthia asked while still staring straight at the TV screen. Jessica now stood at the end of the couch looking at Cynthia.

“No, you do,” Jessica stuttered, “but I thought it would be a good idea. I actually need your help with your powers. I don’t want you to just use them but you might have to.” Jessica bit her lip as she confessed, “I kind of have told a guy about your latest operation, I thought he was one of us! But it turns out he wasn’t and I don’t think you would have to change his memory, he could be useful to us, but if you just flashed your card saying you were a bad ass woman who is altered then maybe…” So much for being a good secret keeper, Cynthia thought.

“Let me get this straight, puta, you told a random guy at a bar about my latest moves in this city? And you want me to spare him. Or wait, you want me to spare you?” Cynthia was still talking very lightly and staring at the TV. She cracked her neck to the right and tightened her grip on her coffee and the gun in the other hand.

“It actually wasn’t a random guy. I really thought he was one of us! He’s Tina’s guy, you know? So I thought he knew things and was part of it all.” Jessica was starting to panic, she knew she had fucked up but she didn’t realize how badly.

“Now you want me to go and clean up your mess? You didn’t just kill the guy yourself? And Tina is not in on most of our operations either. How could you really be that much of a gilipollas? Did the energy storm three months ago fuck you up? You aren’t the same anymore.” Cynthia’s voice rose with intensity as she asked each question to Jessica. Jessica was now visibly shaking at the end of the couch.

Something Cynthia learned from her father a long time ago was there few but important reasons to kill someone in your group. You didn’t want to just mow down and kill people who were loyal to you, that set a bad precedent. However, Jessica had crossed a line. Ever since three months ago when Cynthia revealed her powers to her she hadn’t acted the same. She was making stupid mistakes, running her mouth, trying to climb up the ladder that didn’t even exist for someone like Jessica. Now she had to decide to either use her powers to alter someone’s memory, he was sleeping with someone who ran drugs for her, or just kill him. Killing him would hurt Tina though, someone who was still part of her familia even if she was lower on the food chain. Jessica had put her in a tight spot and she could no longer deal with it.

Cynthia stood up from the couch with the hand holding the gun hanging down very loosely. She walked up the step and into the kitchen to put down her coffee, which had now grown cold. She then pulled out her phone and sent a text message to one of her guards which read,, [i]Remove Jessica, permanently. Now.[/i]

Cynthia easily could have shot her with the gun. She wasn’t the best aim but she was close enough to Jessica that she could finish her right here and now. But she had a few rules as to when she killed people. Number one, don’t kill without an audience. Number two, don’t kill inside the nice house.

Within a minute a guard appeared at the door with a gun in hand. Jessica screamed for a moment, knowing that he came here to silence Jessica. The guard knocked Jessica out though and carried her away.

“Mi amor...” Cynthia sighed and decided to make another batch of fresh coffee to restart her morning.