Heygurl123

Now known to the world as Queen Cecelia of Telly, she was once Chinwe—a Nigerian-American girl living an ordinary life in an America that was on the verge of breaking.

It began when the world’s youth—ages five to twenty-five—started developing inexplicable powers. Some could control the elements, read minds, or see across time. Others could heal incurable diseases, invent impossible technology, and vanish into thin air. The world split in two: Crepians, powerful and feared; and Repians, gifted and relentlessly hunted.

Governments panicked. Experiments began. Freedom disappeared. No one was safe.

Cecelia never asked for power. She never asked to lead. But when she and Lucas—a fierce, brilliant Crepian who would one day become her king—escaped the government's grasp, they forged something new. Together, they built Telly: a nation for the gifted, born in rebellion, shaped by love, and standing against the world’s fear.

Now, as queen, Cecelia looks back on the journey—the rise, the loss, the power, the betrayal, and the love that changed everything.

This is her story. How a girl became a queen.
How fear became freedom.
And how love survived it all.

Crepian Flame, Repian Light

They led me into a massive gym-like space with bleachers and bright lights. At least fifty kids stood around, all in the same jumpsuit. Some were silent. Others cried. A few sat against the wall like they'd given up already.

Her red eyes were swollen from crying. I ran to her, and the second she saw me, she collapsed into my arms.

My heart dropped. Rohan. James' best friend. They were inseparable, always getting into trouble together, always racing each other home. "They took James too," I said.

We just held onto each other for a long time.

Then a voice boomed over the intercom: "One at a time, step forward. Show us what you can do. Refusal will result in force."

The first kid—a boy who looked about sixteen—gritted his teeth and walked forward. His fists lit up with fire. Just like that. He was pointed to the left side of the room.

More followed. A kid levitated. Another melted a piece of metal.

She shook her head. "I'm not doing it."

One of the guards stepped forward, some kind of taser in hand.

Her face hardened. Suddenly, we all froze. I couldn't even blink. It was like gravity vanished and my body was no longer mine. Even the guards were locked in place.

The scientists gasped. "Crepian," one said. The word didn't mean anything to me yet, but I didn't like the way he said it. They pointed her to the left side of the room.

Next was Avalie. She moved gracefully to the center. When she lifted her arms, wind rushed through the room, lifting papers, tossing hair, making the lights flicker. It was beautiful and terrifying.

I stepped forward, heart pounding like it wanted out of my chest. Nothing happened at first. Just me. Just air. Just disappointment. Then I remembered Jason's tears, James screaming, my parents' faces.

The floor trembled. Vines burst through the cracks. Flowers bloomed out of nowhere. Rocks lifted off the ground. I could feel the earth under my skin, and it responded to me like it was alive.

I stumbled back. A flower bloomed in my palm and withered as quickly as it came.

My breath caught. I knew that name. Blonde curls, piercing blue eyes, soccer legend at our school. His team traveled the country. He was always surrounded by people, always smiling.

He stepped forward in his jumpsuit and baseball cap. Nothing happened. Then—just as someone started to scoff—boom.

Blue flames erupted around him, swirling like a vortex. Lights sparked like fireworks. The air felt electric.

"Center," a scientist said. "Both of them."

They pulled Lucas and me to the middle of the room, away from the Crepians, away from everyone else. The scientists stared at us like we were puzzles they didn't know how to solve.

Pens flew across paper. Eyes narrowed.

And I didn't know if being in the center meant we were the most powerful—or the most dangerous.

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