The Empty Swing

Mariza kicked a pebble down the dusty path, watching it bounce toward the old oak tree where she and Max always met. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the abandoned playground, making everything look strange and quiet.

She checked her phone again. Still no message from Max.

"Where are you?" she whispered, tugging at the frayed patch on her navy jacket.

Max never missed their daily meetings. Not once in three years of friendship. He'd show up with his goofy grin, making tiny flames dance between his fingers just to make her laugh. Then they'd swap stories about their weird powers and complain about how nobody understood them.

But today, only the empty swing moved back and forth in the breeze.

Mariza's stomach twisted into knots. Yesterday, Max had seemed scared about something. He'd mentioned his parents arguing with people on the phone. Something about "taking him somewhere safe."

The swing creaked again, and Mariza felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind.

Unwelcome News

Mariza's phone buzzed. A text from her mom: "Come home NOW. Emergency."

Her heart hammered as she ran through the neighborhood streets. Mom never texted in all caps. Ever.

She burst through the front door to find her mother pacing the kitchen, talking rapidly into her phone. A woman with short silver hair sat at their table, wearing a crisp white lab coat over dark pants.

"Mariza, this is Dr. Chen from the Research Institute," Mom said, hanging up. "She has news about Max."

Dr. Chen's brown eyes were serious behind wire-rimmed glasses. "Your friend was taken to our facility three hours ago. His parents signed the papers."

"What papers?" Mariza's voice cracked.

"For the Enhanced Abilities Study Program. Max's fire powers make him... valuable for research."

The word 'research' made Mariza's stomach drop. "Where is he?"

"The Blackstone Facility, twenty miles north. High security. His parents thought he'd be safer there, but..." Dr. Chen glanced at Mom. "The experiments start tomorrow."

Mariza grabbed the table edge. Max wasn't just missing. He was trapped.