Free Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins by Grayson Queen

who were willing to fight.
    By the end of the night, a dozen LRA soldiers lay dead.  The rest ran off.  Five of the villagers had been killed, and two children were missing.
    “You can't save them all,” Anne Marie said to herself.  It was something she had to learn to live with.  Otherwise, the failures would become overwhelming, and she wouldn't be able to protect anyone.
     
    When she arrived back at the orphanage, Anne Marie scaled the wall once again.  But as she approached the place where the rope hung from the window, she found the Mother Superior waiting for her.  A flashlight shone brightly into her face.
    “Anne G?”  The Mother Superior questioned.  “What…?  Holy Mother.”
    It was only now under the light that Anne Marie looked at herself.  Her face and clothes were covered in dirt and blood.
    “The LRA attacked,” Anne Marie said.  “I stopped them.”  She flashed her claws.
    The Mother Superior began to mumble a prayer while moving to grab something.  “Quickly,” she said.  “We must clean you off.”  And she ran to fill a bucket with water.
     
Twenty Days Later
     
    Sitting in the hard wooden chair at the Holy Mother orphanage, Anne Marie stared at the floor. Old stains told stories of days long gone.  She'd been called to the Mother Superiors office and then told to wait.  No one had explained why.  She tried not to complain.  The sisters had said nothing about her nighttime activities.  The least she could do was make things easier for them.
    The sound of footsteps approaching made her look up.  Two big men were coming down the hall.  They both looked serious and strong.  The black man wasn't from Africa; Anne Marie could tell by his clothes.  As they passed, the other man, with white hair, looked at her, and they locked eyes.  Then the two men went into the office and closed the door behind them.
    “Porter and Deacon-Slater,” the white man said.  “We’re here in regards to the girl, Anne Marie Godfrey.”
    “Oh, yes, Anne G.  You know we have a number of Annes here. There’s an Anne F, an Anne R…,” the Mother Superior was rambling.  “Anne G’s parents were murdered.  Terrible, terrible thing.  The poor girl saw it.  I can't imagine...”
    “She claims to have abilities?”  The white man interrupted her.
    “Yes, I've seen them.”
    “Them?”
    “It would be easier if you saw for yourself.”  A second later the office door opened, and all three of the adults came out.  “This is Anne G. Anne, would you please show the gentlemen your gifts.”
    Anne Marie obliged.  It was a simple matter of flexing the right muscle and then the claws would snap to, like a switch.  Neither of the men seemed startled or surprised.
    Deacon-Slater spoke in his deep bass voice, “Told you it would be worth your time.”
    Porter ignored him and said to the Mother Superior, “The One will take custody of the girl now.”
    “Yes, yes,” she replied a little too eager.  “The paperwork has already been filled out.  I just hope you can provide the care that she needs.”
    “That won’t be a problem,” Porter said.
    The Mother Superior went back into her office to find the forms.  When she was out of earshot, Porter said to Deacon-Slater, “She's a little too old.”
    “Yeah, but she hasn't been raised at The One,” Deacon-Slater replied.  “And there's the other thing.”
    Porter glanced back at Anne Marie.
    The Mother Superior returned and had Porter sign off on the papers.  Then Porter turned to Anne Marie and said, “Let’s go.”  The two men led the way out of the building, and the girl followed.  “How accurate is the intel?”  Porter asked.
    “It's my intel,” Deacon-Slater answered.  “The Board has had me out here for a couple of days now.  Granted, I didn't see anything with my own eyes.”
    The car they came in was parked in front of the orphanage.  Porter opened the back door for Anne Marie.  Then he got in and started