《Spheresong Series》


 Book One - Chapter One

    ¡°Hey, you ever get the feeling that you¡¯re being watched?¡± I asked Shelly¡ªmy sister¡ªbetween crunchy bites of buttered toast. ¡°Not really in a malicious way, but like someone¡¯s just¡­observing what you¡¯re doing? Like they¡¯re waiting for something to happen.¡±


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve had people throw me strange looks, but I¡¯ve never really felt like anyone¡¯s been watching me. Why do you ask?¡± Shelly replied from the other side of the table, a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes. ¡°Have you been doing suspicious things?¡±


    ¡°I wish. Nothing that exciting and risky,¡± I said with a grin, before turning serious again. ¡°Really, I just felt like someone¡¯s been watching me for the past couple of weeks. It¡¯s probably nothing, and I hope that I¡¯m not losing my mind. Still, let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary, please.¡±


    Shelly was absentmindedly putting on her shoes to finish getting ready for work. ¡°Yep, sure thing. Don¡¯t worry about it, Ethan, you¡¯re a good kid. No one¡¯s out to bother you. Try to stay positive. Now, go fix yourself up and get ready for school. Just a few more months left before you¡¯re finished, so tough it out for a little bit longer.¡±


    I sighed and excused myself from the table. I loved my sister and all, but there wasn¡¯t really any way to change her mind on this matter. To her, instead of fretting over boogeymen who may or may not be watching me, I needed to finish my senior year of high school to get into a good college. While that was certainly something important, my fear was also something that mattered, right?


    Once I reached the small bathroom that sat across the hall from my room, I saw my own bright blue eyes in the reflection of the mirror. A solid six feet tall with almost no muscle mass to speak of. I wasn¡¯t quite in lanky territory, but I certainly didn¡¯t have an ideal beach body. My sister inherited the darker blonde hair of our mother, but I got the bright blond mop from good ol¡¯ Dad. I felt like I could never get my wavy hair to stay where I wanted it to. I had unremarkable facial features overall, so I didn¡¯t understand how combing my hair before school would help me look any better. My hair had a mind of its own and would be sticking wherever it pleased before I got to school.


    As I ran the comb through my hair, a lock bounced and hit me in the eye. I rapidly blinked my eyes in response, and I saw the dark silhouette of a person behind me. I quickly spun around, only to be met with the normal light blue wall and a heart trying to thump right out of my chest. I took a deep breath and slapped my face with both hands before splashing it with cold water.


    ¡°You¡¯re all right, you¡¯re just tired. Just a little more on edge than normal. You¡¯ll be fine, Ethan. Just¡­just make it through the day. Make it through the day and you can relax in bed.¡± I talked to the reflection in the mirror. He didn¡¯t look any more convinced than I felt.


    As I made my way back into the living room, Shelly was just getting ready to head out the door. Her job as the secretary and personal assistant for an early bird lawyer meant that she had to be out the door early. It was a fairly small firm, and he was always exceptionally friendly to both of us, but no one liked to wake up before seven in the morning for anything.


    ¡°Heading out now. Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re going to visit the graves later today, so don¡¯t make any plans. Have a good day, love you!¡± Shelly gave a brief wave before stepping through the front door. She was in the car and backing out of the driveway nearly faster than I could wave to her.


    As messed up as it was, I totally forgot about going to see the graves. At least twice a year, my sister and I always go to visit the graves of our parents. Growing up, Shelly and I both loved brownies that our mother would bake every weekend, so we¡¯d try our best to copy that recipe. We¡¯d both try to get through the entire pan at the graves, telling them about what we¡¯d been up to in our lives. I thought it might sound strange to eat sweets that close to the deceased, but it quickly became a way for us to feel connected with our parents again. It really helped us deal with their passing when I was growing up. Even if it was only for a little while, I craved feeling close to them again. It was bittersweet, but I think we were better people for doing it.


    My problems came from exactly how they passed. When I was twelve, Shelly had just moved out to go to college. Everything was fine. Just your average family, albeit slightly lonelier now that we were minus one. After I had gone to bed one spring night, a loud crash from the living room woke me up. Opening my door carefully, I peeked around my doorframe to see a gunman holding my parents hostage, demanding things like money and jewelry. They were calmly cooperating, and it looked like it was going smoothly. It was going well until my shaking hands slipped and I fell forward. I don¡¯t know exactly what caused the gunman to do it. Before I could process what happened, he had shot each of them in the head once. I think that the sudden noise and movement made him panic. I was never certain, and I never wanted to know. Regardless, a twelve-year-old seeing that image is damaging. The gunman took all the belongings that he could and ran out of our house.


    I felt like I spent an eternity just trying to get them to wake up, helplessly crying out to them and shaking their lifeless bodies. I think that even then I knew that they weren¡¯t coming back. Part of me just held on to that glimmer of hope. Shock was probably another factor. People quickly came to assist, as the gunshot was loud enough to wake up the neighbors on both sides of our home. They made their presence known by screaming at the sight before them. They tried to shield my eyes and pull me out of the living room, but it wouldn¡¯t erase the sight of my dead parents before me. The rational part of my mind knew it was the gunman, yet I could never stop thinking about what might¡¯ve happened had I not slipped off the door frame. Would they still be with us? Would the gunman still have pulled the trigger? I tried to make sure that night didn¡¯t influence my normal life. No matter how hard I tried, there wasn¡¯t a day that went by where I didn¡¯t miss them.


    Aside from the guilt that would resurface every time we visited their graves, there were other problems. I would wake up on random nights screaming from nightmares. They weren¡¯t always related directly to the murders, but they were always bad enough to keep me awake the rest of the night. Along with those, I would occasionally see things. Things like the silhouette in the mirror were commonplace, but I think heightened stress had something to do with that. Any doctor I visited attributed it to a form of PTSD, so that¡¯s just what I told people if I absolutely needed to. Usually, though, I was able to just keep all of that inside. Shelly¡¯s the only person I could regularly talk to who knew about those issues.


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    I knelt by the picture of our family that we keep on our coffee table. Shelly was twelve in the photo, which put me at six. I only vaguely remembered getting it taken, something about being promised candy if I smiled and sat still like a good boy, and it¡¯s the best one we have of all of us together as a family. I felt my eyes water and a lump form in my throat. I wasn¡¯t a super tough and macho person. Thinking about my parents always made me want to cry. I knew I had to get out of the house before I let it get too bad. I whispered an apology to the picture, something I found myself doing frequently.


    With that, I put on my best normal face and tried to steel myself for what was sure to be a long day of school and an even longer trip to the graveyard. I was hoping school would be the easy part, at least. Winding down the senior year shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue. My grades had always been decent enough. Nothing remarkable, but never close to flunking a class. Plus, most of my teachers seemed to enjoy having me. ¡°Always reliable¡± was something I¡¯d been called by more than a few of my instructors.


    The walk to my bus stop was a short one. The apartment that my sister and I shared was located just a couple blocks away, so that was a stroke of good fortune. The brief walk to my stop was a cool and pleasant one, something I was not going to complain about, as it had been unseasonably warm through fall and winter. Shamrock, being in northeastern Oregon, had cold winters as the norm. I appreciated not having to walk around in the normal, mid-January freezing temperatures while being allowed to escape the warmth we¡¯d been dealing with. So long as I couldn¡¯t see my breath, the weather was good enough to get by. The walk was nice and quiet; a perfect way to start the morning after I got frazzled in the bathroom.


    One benefit of living in a smaller town was the amount of land surrounding everything. Houses had large yards, everyone in Shamrock loved to decorate, and I got to see it every day on my way to school. Various Christmas and New Year decorations were still up, and they all created a happy feeling throughout the area. Neighbors helping neighbors set up lights and dancing Santa inflatables. The town also set up a large Christmas tree in the busiest hub, Gable Square. Toy and food drives were up and running there every day during the holidays. Giving and holiday warmth was something that my town took very seriously.


    The nature in our town was also something we put on a pedestal. In warmer months, we had lush, green forests with plenty of trails for eager hikers. Someone could just walk for hours and be alone with the wilderness and their thoughts. Animals that I assumed you wouldn¡¯t be able to find in a city could be found in abundance here. Even the colder months had their charms. The naked trees gave a sense of eeriness if one liked that kind of thing. They allowed people to explore and really see how dense the forests around them were. Due to our high standards of maintaining our nature, people often flocked to our town in the summer, turning it into a small tourist trap.


    When I got to the stop, I saw a new person waiting there. She looked to be around my age, albeit much shorter than I was, at least a foot shorter. She had brown hair, a couple of shades lighter than her medium brown skin, cut in a stylish bob that ended in gentle waves. Chocolate brown eyes stared at me, her button nose crinkling every few seconds, forcing the light splash of freckles she had to move.


    My town was small and not experiencing any real population growth, so new faces were always a rarity and always stuck out. Although I was curious about the new girl, I didn¡¯t want to be rude and just stare, so I turned my gaze to the street, which may have been ruder in hindsight. I tried to daydream while waiting for the bus, but I kept noticing the new girl throw sideways glances at me as if I was the new person showing up to school and not her.


    The looks wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if I didn¡¯t feel like she was disgusted or pissed off every time I felt her gaze. I was hoping that it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but I just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of contempt I was getting. Still, I tried my best to not let her bother me, though it didn¡¯t take long for my paranoia to build back up. Thinking about people watching me brought an unsettling feeling to my stomach. I wasn¡¯t quite ready to get sick right there. I also didn¡¯t think I was that far from it.


    Why is this girl watching me? What does she want with me?


    I felt my panic attempt to take over my body and rational thinking. My heart started pounding and adrenaline ran through me. The girl gave more strange looks, and I was doing my best to not let my reactions show despite my body desperately wanting to give in to my fight-or-flight response.


    Before my thoughts could get any worse, my giant yellow savior on wheels pulled up. School buses were usually rowdy and gross things, and mine was no different. That didn¡¯t matter so much. Right then and there, it was seriously feeling like a safe zone. At least if something happened to me on there, there would be people around to see it, even if it was just a driver and a few uninterested students. If I was attacked by a girl a foot shorter than me, someone would have to call the cops, right?


    The second the bus opened its doors, I was inside. I could not get away from her fast enough. I quickly took a seat in the middle, closed my eyes, and sighed in relief. I took a few deep breaths filled with the bus''s stale air. Most of the other seats were empty. A low-population bus route in a low-population town would result in that. Around fifteen kids could be found on my bus, maybe thirty on heavier days, so sitting by myself was never a problem.


    My moment of peace was ruined when I felt the space next to me shift. Sure enough, the new girl was sitting next to me. In my haste to get a seat, it didn¡¯t occur to me that she could just take a spot next to me, and I mentally cursed at myself. Why didn¡¯t I just let her go first so I could sit as far away as possible? Aside from feeling like an idiot, I felt the panic begin to rise in my chest once more. I was trapped between the new girl and the window of the bus, and I could almost feel the anger rolling off her in waves. I hated feeling trapped by people on a good day. It was not one of my good days.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Loriana. I¡¯m a new student, and it¡¯s nice to know someone shares the same stop that I do. I hope that we can become friends and you can show me around the school.¡± Loriana¡¯s words were uttered practically through gritted teeth. Her greeting seemed very stiff and rehearsed, and poorly rehearsed at that.


    First impressions told me that Loriana was not a great actor. Although, to her credit, she seemed a lot more composed than I felt she really was. That didn¡¯t do a whole lot to help the feelings of uneasiness I was dealing with. Another thing that surprised me was that she stuck her hand out for a handshake. Without verbally greeting her back, and after making sure my own hand wasn¡¯t trembling, I gave her what was probably the weakest handshake I could muster with a palm that was surely gross and sweaty.


    I silently sent prayers to deities I didn¡¯t know if I believed in, and I hoped that there weren¡¯t people out there who didn¡¯t wish me harm. After my parents¡¯ murder, I was always concerned that I was a sort of loose end waiting to be tied up. This Loriana person wasn¡¯t reassuring me much. Ultimately, I tried to not judge her harshly. Everyone has their own story and reasons for how they act, after all. Sometimes teenagers are just really damn awkward and socially inept.

 Book One - Chapter Two

    The rest of the ride to school was quiet, fortunately. I¡¯d managed to calm myself down for the most part. I was still wary of Loriana. It was obvious that she was hiding something, even to someone like me who didn¡¯t pick up on body language all that well. While I still had no idea what her aim or goal exactly was, I at least didn¡¯t feel like I was in any immediate danger. That allowed me to enjoy the rest of the ride to school in some amount of peace.


    Our school wasn¡¯t anything special. Smaller than those you¡¯d find in a bigger city, naturally. A gray dull, two-story cube of a building. The thing was just as boring inside as it was outside. We did have a football field and gym, though. We weren¡¯t total hicks. Still, it didn¡¯t have many bells and whistles. Despite all that, it did its job and was still standing tall like a grey sore thumb in our city¡¯s green slice of tranquility.


    ¡°Hey, can you help show me around, please? I, uh, I¡¯m not really familiar...¡± Loriana trailed off, looking toward her feet. She awkwardly shuffled in place before trying to get a grip with her surroundings. She looked concerned viewing over her school schedule on a wrinkled piece of paper.


    I did feel bad for her. Even if she might have been rude to me while waiting for the bus, she did seem genuinely lost and confused. I did understand how that could feel, and it didn¡¯t feel good. When Mom and Dad died, I felt out of place, even in my own home. When something so familiar to you suddenly changes, a sense of wrongness can easily pop into your mind. I felt guilty for my initial reaction. While I still thought she had something she wasn¡¯t telling me, I felt like she was genuinely frustrated.


    I sighed. ¡°Sure. Let me see your schedule. Have you been to Wheeler before?¡±


    She handed me her schedule with a confused, blank look on her face. I sighed again, shoulders slumping. I pointed to the front of the school.


    ¡°Cassidy Wheeler High School. The school you¡¯re enrolled in and the one we¡¯re at right now.¡± I was more than a little exasperated by that point. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Even if you suddenly moved here from the other side of the country, you don¡¯t even know what school you¡¯re going to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything!¡± she said, glaring up at me. ¡°And you don¡¯t need to treat me like an idiot. Just help me find my classes. Please. Pretty please.¡±


    At least she said please.


    ¡°Okay, okay, sorry,¡± I said while looking over her schedule. Her first and last classes were the same ones I had. I took off walking and motioned for her to follow. ¡°All right Loriana, we have first and sixth period together, so I can walk you to those. I think I know where your other classrooms are, so I can meet you outside fifth period. Come on, I¡¯ll show you now while we have time. Oh, right! My name. I¡¯m Ethan.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your help. You can call me Lori, by the way.¡± She stopped and twirled some of her short hair around her finger. ¡°Uh, sorry for being kind of rude to you earlier. I¡¯m just in a less than favorable situation right now.¡±


    I dismissed Lori¡¯s comments with a wave. ¡°No hard feelings. Teenagers aren¡¯t known for being the nicest people or the best communicators.¡± She gave a bit of a nervous chuckle, her finger curling around her hair. We carried on toward the school without making things worse. Lori didn¡¯t seem like a bad person, at least.


    Naturally, there was a throng of students standing directly in front of the main door. I never understood why high school students felt the need to crowd by every door, especially when our school had a courtyard and students had places to be. There were always students clogging the hallways, too. It¡¯s like they go out of their way just to annoy people trying to get on with their day. I felt myself getting more frustrated as we finally got through all the people, most of them only moving a little bit.


    More kids were getting off the buses, which only compounded the problem. Our school¡¯s area for pickup and drop off was not well designed, causing a huge congestion of cars, buses, and people. I thought it was a miracle that there hadn¡¯t been a single accident, especially with how teenagers tended to think that they¡¯re immortal and nothing can harm them. That¡¯s the kind of mentality that leads to accidents, and tragically, deaths. And then those people find out that tragedy can happen to anyone.


    ¡°Are you okay, Ethan?¡± Lori asked, a little short on breath. ¡°You seem a little upset.¡± There was genuine concern in her eyes as she studied my face. I figured that I wasn¡¯t as good at hiding my emotions as I thought I was. I gave a non-confirmatory shrug while trying to smooth over my features. Annoying things like that got to me more than many others and I didn¡¯t really like to show just how annoyed that I got at them.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I said, waving at her to follow again. ¡°Let¡¯s show you around.¡±


    She smiled and nodded. I decided to show her to our first class, which was Pre-Calculus. Not a fun class to start the day with, by the way. It was located on the second floor, and like the front door, had large clumps of students blocking the way. For a small school, everyone still managed to be in the way all the time. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, feeling my frustration returning with the unwanted guest of anxiety.


    Still, Lori and I made our way through all the students who just had to stand unnecessarily far into the hallway, up the stairs, and on the less populated second floor. Feeling like I could breathe again and not be crushed, my mood picked up a bit. I pointed in the direction of the restrooms and upstairs offices in case Lori ever needed them. She¡¯d definitely need the former at some point in time. Then I took her down to the middle of the hall where our first class of the day was held.


    ¡°I always prefer to be early to class. It lets me sit, relax, and stay away from others,¡± I said, opening the door and going inside.


    ¡°Not a people person?¡± Lori asked, following me in.


    ¡°Not in large groups. I start to feel trapped and claustrophobic.¡± I turned to face Mrs. Sway, our teacher for our first period. ¡°Good morning. This is a new student, Loriana, and she has this class first. I was going to show her around the school before we started class.¡±


    Mrs. Sway was an older lady, at least sixty years old. Her age didn¡¯t stop her from being a very enjoyable teacher. She was able to explain the material she taught to everyone who needed more help, and she was rather good with technology. Every day, she had a local news stream playing on the projector, and today was no different. Most students didn¡¯t care about watching. They could usually get any news information from their phones or their parents. I thought it was useful to keep up to date on local affairs when I could, so I appreciated her efforts.


    ¡°Oh, of course, Ethan! Good morning to you and good morning to you, Ms. Davis. I was surprised to learn of your transfer this time of the school year. We don¡¯t get many new students this time of year.¡± She smiled and greeted Loriana with a gentle handshake. ¡°How kind of you, Ethan. This is why you¡¯re my favorite student. You¡¯re always willing to lend a helping hand.¡±


    I felt my cheeks get red and I looked at the floor. She always tended to overstate simple actions, and I¡¯ve always been quick to embarrass. Between the two of us, Shelly got the outgoing and cool genes.


    I tried to play it off with a small laugh after I cleared my throat. ¡°I guess, Mrs. Sway. Anyway, I should probably show Lori here around the rest of the school. We only have one other class together, so I can¡¯t show her after all of them.¡±


    At that point, I was eager to get away again. I could see Lori smirking at me, which I figured was done to increase my awkwardness. Scratch being eager to get out of there. I needed to get out of there, or else I was going to risk the awkwardness taking over entirely. It wasn¡¯t even born from anything serious either. It was just how my brain handled it.


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    ¡°Oh, yes, of course. You¡¯re a kind and responsible young man. You make sure she¡¯s prepared now, okay?¡± Mrs. Sway sounded like a doting mother. I nodded to affirm that I would take care of it. I did appreciate just how much Mrs. Sway cared about her students. There were teachers at school who were miserable, but the nice lady in front of me was not one of them.


    We were just about to leave the room when an alert for breaking news appeared on the projector screen. I was expecting something about a robbery in Gable Square. Crime wasn¡¯t all that common in Shamrock, so when it happened, it usually happened in Gable Square and it was a big deal. That guess was the most wrong I¡¯d ever been in my entire life. A simple robbery in Gable Square would have been forgotten about in a few weeks, but it wouldn¡¯t have changed the path our entire species was going down in an instant. God, how I wished it had been just a simple robbery.


    ¡°This is Ashley Mason with Channel 6 News,¡± the brunette news anchor said with an even voice. ¡°Thank you for letting me into your home this morning. We¡¯ve received numerous reports that Vancouver, Canada has been attacked by an unknown group. Details are scarce, but we will take you to our correspondents in Vancouver.¡±


    Fear was already threatening to grip at my heart. It seemed that Lori and Mrs. Sway had the same feeling, judging by their faces. Lori looked downright terrified. Did she have family in Vancouver?


    We didn¡¯t have much time to guess what was happening before Ashley Mason was replaced with a shot of downtown Vancouver. A skyscraper was on fire, black smoke billowing toward the blue sky. It was hard to make anything else out at that moment. The thing that caught everyone¡¯s attention was the burning building, and there didn¡¯t seem to be a cause visible on the screen. At least until the shouting started.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up there! What the hell? It¡¯s floating!¡± It was a random pedestrian shouting. The cameraman adjusted the shot, likely following pointing. Sure enough, five figures were floating above the city. They looked like black specks against the blue sky until the camera¡¯s shot was zoomed in, and then humanity¡¯s nightmare became clear as day.


    Mrs. Sway and I were mostly puzzled. Loriana¡¯s skin grew pale and her lips parted slightly. My mind just could not process what I was seeing. Five people, all of them floating in the middle of a city. It looked like something out of a movie. I was just unable to comprehend that what I was seeing was real. It wouldn¡¯t take long for that to change and the reality of the situation to become apparent.


    Without appearing to move any parts of their bodies, the five people slowly descended forward. They were moving like there was an invisible escalator beneath them, but this pacing was deliberate. They were building for something. Tragically, the stunned citizens didn¡¯t know what was in store for them.


    The five touched the ground and the screams began. The cameraman turned around to grace the world with a horrible sight. A blue flame engulfed the citizens of Vancouver, their screams stacking and compounding with each other. I wanted to cover my ears and shut my eyes. I couldn¡¯t make my body move. The screams were so damn horrible. I knew I would never be able to get them out of my head for good. Hearing their screams reminded me of the people walking in on the night of my parents¡¯ deaths, all horror at lost life and senseless violence. My heart ached at the thought of everyone suffering like they were. I could only hope that their deaths were swift and as painless as possible.


    As the screams died down, smoldering bodies were all that remained. At least dozens of dead innocents littered the streets. Men, women, and children; none in the vicinity were spared. People simply trying to go about their day at their stressful jobs in the new year. Parents were dropping off their kids at school, or maybe they were playing a little hooky. The charred corpses made me sick to look at. It took everything I had to not vomit at the sight. I couldn''t believe the camera feed wasn¡¯t instantly cut. Was what we had seen so monumental they wouldn¡¯t cut the feed at the sight of charred children?


    The now-shaking camera turned toward the five figures. They hadn¡¯t budged an inch. They looked aloof as they casually observed the scenery surrounding them. All of them except for one. The one in the center looked directly down the camera lens. Humanity was about to learn that he was their leader. The one that orchestrated the attack and sent so many to early deaths.


    He was a massive man, almost larger than life. He wore a red cloak with gold fur trim, the broadness of his shoulders evident under it. His height was well beyond six feet. He had long blond hair that flowed down his back, and slightly darker facial hair trimmed in a short beard. The man looked like a king. He had the look and aura of an emperor. He looked like the kind of man who could make anyone bend to his will from his sheer power.


    He threw his cloak aside, letting everyone see how muscular he was. Beyond his massive arms, the man looked incredibly solid. If a speeding truck was heading toward him, he looked like he could easily stop it. He was the immovable object, completely unaffected by the world around him with no unstoppable force that could oppose him.


    From his hip, he drew a massive sword. From my admittedly limited knowledge of bladed weaponry, I guessed it was a claymore. It was not basket-hilted, it was massive, and this man held it with one hand like a regular person would hold a stick. Without a word, the point was driven forward beneath the camera. That would at least be the final scream of this broadcast. The man pulled his blade free, and it was coated with blood that dripped onto the street below. The camera began to fall as its poor operator collapsed, but it suddenly stabilized and remained at a fixed height.


    ¡°Hello, people of Vancouver and of Earth.¡± His voice was deep and booming, completely befitting his image. He was a commander. He was to be heard and there was no one who would dare not listen. ¡°I am Jarrett McLeod, and I am here to declare a war for the liberation of my people. I will destroy the shackles humanity has put on us. No doubt, many of you are confused. Allow my brothers and sisters here to show you firsthand what we are capable of.¡±


    McLeod moved to the side to let a woman take his place. Her deeply sunken, almost black eyes stared at the world through the camera. She hardly looked alive. Her skin was deathly pale, and she appeared to be malnourished. She was tall and she couldn¡¯t have weighed more than eighty pounds. Her pitch-black hair made her look like something from a horror movie. What she proceeded to do wouldn¡¯t have been too out of place in a horror movie.


    The camera turned as the black-haired woman pointed toward a skyscraper, and it began to violently shake. Windows shattered, causing the glass to pour down in a deadly rain to the sidewalk. The sounds of it breaking were horrible. Metal bent and broke under the stress and bits of the building landed in the street, kicking up small clouds of dust. I considered it lucky that were only heard that instead of the people inside. The people that littered the streets were enough.


    A massive hole opened beneath the building, and it slowly vanished beneath it, kicking up water and dirt. In the corner of the shot, the pale hand of the woman made a fist, and the hole closed as quickly as it opened. Only bits of rubble, metal, and glass remained as proof of the building. In its place was a perfectly square plot of dirt. Then, on that dirt, beautiful flowers rose up on the graves of everyone who died in that building. They grew and bloomed faster than should have been possible. Where a building filled with people once stood, greenery took over in less than a minute. It was as beautiful and mesmerizing as it was disgusting and horrible.


    It was wrong. Not just morally, but impossible. There was nothing about this that made sense. How can an entire building just be swallowed by the ground beneath it? Even an earthquake couldn¡¯t do what the world just saw. Why was beautiful flora already growing where it just stood? How could any of that be happening?


    Jarrett McLeod stepped back in front of the camera. ¡°Understand that this is only a small fraction of what my brothers and sisters can do. Long have we existed, it is time for my brothers and sisters to usher in the era of our dominance. No longer will we live beneath inferior beings. There are others out there¡ªothers like us¡ªand this is your chance to join us. Do not live in fear of your gifts. Do not live under those who cannot understand you. You are better.¡±


    He walked toward the flowers, beckoning the camera to follow. Without the assistance of anyone holding it, the camera slowly trailed behind him. As it moved closer, the beauty of it all was truly remarkable. Flowers and plants that likely wouldn¡¯t exist together naturally, all standing tall and proud amongst each other. Reds, greens, blues, and everything else between. It was more vibrant than any nature exhibit I¡¯d ever seen. I might have remained mesmerized by the beauty that bordered on otherworldly had it not been for the way it was created.


    ¡°Listen well, as this will be your single chance,¡± McLeod¡¯s voice boomed, startling me. ¡°I will welcome any of those who are not limited by humanity, but do not misunderstand, I have no qualms cutting those down who stand against my brothers, sisters, or myself. Regardless, we will find all of you, and you will be given the choice. The path to the future goes through each and every one of you, it is just up to you how that path will be traveled. You will all be cared for, but you will swear to us your undying loyalty. Transcend and rise above, my new family.¡±


    As soon as the sirens for emergency response vehicles could be heard, the grinning McLeod vanished.

 Book One - Chapter Three

    There hadn¡¯t been a lot of things in the world that made me cry. After losing my parents, seeing people die was one of them, and McLeod¡¯s display was one of the worst things I¡¯d ever seen. I put my hand across my mouth and let the tears flow. I couldn¡¯t imagine just how many lives had been changed in the span of a few minutes. I didn¡¯t have any numbers, but I guessed at least a hundred people had perished. And for what? A display of power against those who were different? I tried to control my breathing because I felt like I was about to get sick.


    Lori didn¡¯t look much better. She was still looking pale, but her reaction was more panic. She was frantically searching for something in her pockets and backpack, but she couldn¡¯t find whatever it was. She screamed in frustration and kicked the desk. The small girl immediately winced and started favoring her foot.


    ¡°Ms. Davis, I understand what we saw was heartbreaking, but I must ask that you do not damage school property,¡± Mrs. Sway said. Through her shaking voice, she was still trying to do her job as a teacher. Her normal reaction brought me back to reality. It told me that, despite what I saw, I couldn¡¯t just focus only on that. There were things happening in front of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Sway. You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I just can¡¯t believe what we saw.¡± Lori looked ashamed for her little outburst, though I could hardly blame her myself. She turned her focus toward me. ¡°We have to go.¡±


    ¡°What? Why do we need to leave?¡± I asked, shaking my head. I knew what happened was huge, but I did still have other responsibilities.


    ¡°Look, I understand that you¡¯re upset. You¡¯re confused and maybe you¡¯re hurting, but this is something else. Something I don¡¯t fully understand, and we just really need to go, okay? I know we¡¯ve known each other for all of an hour, but can you trust me enough for this?¡± There was so much desperation and pleading in her brown eyes.


    My mind felt like it was spinning, but her desperation got to me. ¡°I¡­whatever, sure. Do you know about this? Is that what you were hiding? If you expect me to go with you, I¡¯m going to need the truth.¡±


    My feelings were a mess. Anger, sadness, confusion, and fear. I didn¡¯t know what to pin the blame on for each one, but my decision-making was suffering. It made no sense to trust a stranger I hardly knew. Under rational thinking, I doubt I would have done anything like that. Then again, my once-rational world had been flipped on its head.


    The school¡¯s PA system crackled to life. ¡°Attention all faculty and students! An attack has taken place in Vancouver. No official details have been released, but it is believed that it was a terrorist attack. Casualties have not been confirmed, but they are expected.¡± A moment of silence hung around after the announcer¡¯s last sentence. ¡°Principal Jones has deemed the attack too close in proximity to Cassidy Wheeler High School to ensure the safety of everyone here. With that, for the safety of our students and faculty, we are closing the school until further notice. Buses have yet to leave, and they will return you to your usual stops. For those who do not leave via bus, we will get in contact with your legal guardians. Please, exit the school in a calm and orderly fashion. Pay attention to local news broadcasts for further updates. Thank you.¡±


    There was a click that signaled the end of the announcement. I stared at the speaker on the wall and wondered what everyone who didn¡¯t see the broadcast was thinking. Did they think it was some sort of hoax, drill, or overreaction? Did they grasp that Vancouver was only about seven hours away? I started to fidget nervously when thinking about how others might react. The lack of details might have saved us from panic, at least initially.


    ¡°Well, children, I believe you heard the nice lady,¡± Mrs. Sway said, gathering her belongings together. ¡°The school is closed until further notice, and I¡¯m not going to go against their wishes. I know you take the bus here, Ethan. I¡¯m assuming Ms. Davis does the same, yes?¡±


    We both nodded, and she smiled at us. She casually grabbed her bag and left the classroom, hardly looking concerned about anything.


    ¡°What¡¯s happened, Lori?¡± I asked, putting my face in my hands. I rubbed my thumbs over my closed eyelids. I kept replaying the moment when the camera captured all the people burning alive in the bright, blue flame. The horrible screams echoed in my head. Tears stung my eyes when I thought about the lives that suddenly ended.


    ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll do my best to fill you in, but there are things that I don¡¯t know myself. Can we go to your house?¡± Lori placed a small hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the sudden contact, which made a guilty look appear on her face. I felt bad about it. She only meant to comfort me. After Mom and Dad died, with all the screaming and touching people did, I grew scared of contact with groups of people crowding me.


    After thinking about what she said, I had to shake my head. ¡°No. There¡¯s too much going on right now. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t trust you enough to let you into my home. If you know anything about what happened, you need to be up front with me.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I wasn¡¯t about to risk the safety of the family I had left by trusting a stranger. Really, I shouldn¡¯t have been alone in a room with her at that point. Curiosity, even mine, was a strong motivator.


    Lori grimaced and flung her head back before taking a deep breath. ¡°Fine, but this might be hard to follow, at least at first.¡± She sat down in the seat in front of me and looked me in the eyes. ¡°There are people with superhuman abilities in this world. We¡¯re not entirely sure how many, but our lowest possible estimate is six digits.


    ¡°¡¯We?¡¯ You¡¯re one of them?¡± I asked, my grip on my desk tightening. I debated running out of the room right there, but I wasn¡¯t sure how far I could make it if she was like them.


    Hurt flashed in her eyes. ¡°Yes and no. I¡¯m one with superhuman abilities, but I¡¯m not one of them.¡± She pointed toward the projector screen. ¡°Absolutely not. If you don¡¯t believe anything else I say, at least trust me that I¡¯m not like those who attacked Vancouver.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was a¡­rude way to phrase my question,¡± I said, softening my grip. ¡°But who are they?¡±


    Lori shook her head. ¡°I have no idea, but they¡¯re for real. There¡¯s a reason why with the large number of us, you haven¡¯t heard anything about superhumans. Well, anything you¡¯d think was true, anyway. There are many different groups and factions in our little world, but none have gone out of their way to reveal themselves on a scale like that. The fact that this McLeod guy did is not good. Not good at all.¡±


    Her information was easy enough to follow so far. Okay, at least one hundred thousand people that may or may not be like Jarrett McLeod, and that was at the bare minimum. Different groups, so that meant different ideologies and none of them would reveal themselves. But that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Superhumans had now made their ¡°debut¡± in the worst possible way.


    ¡°What does this have to do with why you¡¯re here? Are you here for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan, I am. You¡¯re like me.¡± She caught herself and stopped. ¡°Well, not exactly like me. I can, uh, read the emotions of other people. Your ability likely isn¡¯t the same as mine, though we¡¯re both the same, in a sense. You might have telekinesis or the power to go invisible. Are you still following?¡±


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t as surprised as I probably should have been. Maybe I was feeling a little numb from what I¡¯d just seen on the news. Lori hadn¡¯t been the best actor in the world either, and there was little reason to move to my town in the middle of winter, so I thought that added some credibility to what she was saying. I knew that there had to be some weird secret, and this unfortunate circumstance brought it out. Still, I did have some trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I had a superpower.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. I¡¯ve never done anything ¡®super¡¯, though. How are you so sure that I have anything? Are you guys, like, superheroes or something?¡± I asked.


    I peeked through the vertical window in the classroom¡¯s door. Students were trying to cram their way down the halls, so I figured we had at least a couple more minutes before anyone decided to check the room. With all the foot traffic in the building, I was in no hurry to leave the room.


    ¡°We have a guy whose ability is to detect others with an ability. He drives around the west coast frequently. He¡¯s one of our best.¡± Lori stopped to look through the window as well. Students were now starting to shout and scream at each other. Chaos was beginning to take over. Lori started to look impatient and agitated. ¡°We¡¯re not superheroes. Individuals sometimes get into fights, but we have very good ways to make sure things stay out of the public eye. Some unbelievable stories you¡¯ve read online probably have a small kernel of truth in them, yet Luna is very efficient at covering their tracks.¡±


    ¡°Luna?¡±


    ¡°The group I¡¯m part of. One of the many I mentioned.¡± Lori rubbed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Really, this situation is not great. I¡¯m going to tell you what I can right now, and we¡¯ll have to figure out something.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m ready,¡± I lied, not ready in the slightest.


    ¡°Luna was a group founded a long time ago by a woman named Elizabeth Luna. She wanted to keep people with superhuman abilities safe from others. You know things like witch hunts? Yeah, those were carried out because of the irresponsible use of abilities and general intolerance for those powers. She was so highly adored and respected by the people that she protected that they named their secret society after her.


    ¡°One of the other biggest superhuman groups in the country is Briggs-Mason, which sounds more like a law firm, I know. A half-brother and half-sister founded them. Even though we¡¯re sometimes at odds with each other, we¡¯re not all that different. They¡¯re a bit more dictatorial about how they run things, and they can be more self-serving, but they aren¡¯t inherently evil or anything. Luna and Briggs-Mason have had bloody battles in the past, don¡¯t get me wrong. Now, like most things, it¡¯s about politics and money. We¡¯re fortunate in that regard.


    ¡°Anyway, I was sent to find you so they couldn¡¯t. My ability to read emotions could tip me off to anyone observing you since they also have people who can detect those with abilities. While no blood has been shed from either side in a long time, Luna is still not going to let a superhuman go without trying to recruit them first. Think of it as kind of a Cold War tactic. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here to try and recruit you. I need to get in contact with Luna. I was supposed to try and recruit you over the course of a couple of weeks, not hours. This was not the way I envisioned my first assignment would go.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this is your first time doing something like this?¡± I asked. That made things really start to come together in my head. ¡°Well, that explains why you were so damn bad at hiding everything. You wouldn¡¯t have lasted longer than a week before I either found something out or filed a restraining order against you.¡±


    For the first time since I met her, Lori really laughed. A deep, hearty laugh that made tears run down her cheeks, probably not helped by what she just witnessed with me. A lot of the tension that had been built from everything happening in such a short time had been lifted. Maybe it was stress that made us crack up like two loons, but it felt nice at that moment. It was something we both needed. Something we¡¯d need a lot more of, too.

 Book One - Chapter Four

    No one ended up checking out the classroom we were in, so Lori and I had decided to head to our respective homes. She started to call her Luna people to try and figure out what she had to do next while I desperately wanted to get in touch with my sister. I wasn¡¯t sure what we were going to do ourselves, and when I considered that Lori wanted to recruit me to her group¡¯s side, I was feeling a little lost with what I should do. I really had no idea what that even meant in the present context. She had said to think of it like a Cold War tactic, yet I wasn¡¯t sure how to take that.


    I selected Shelly¡¯s picture in my phonebook and waited for it to ring. I was hoping that it wasn¡¯t busy at the office. How many people needed to have lawyer things done before nine in the morning on a Wednesday? Glancing over to the small lady keeping me company, Lori didn¡¯t seem to be having much luck on her end. Probably lots of Luna members trying to sort everything out themselves. I guess that made us take a backseat to everything else happening.


    Finally, right when I was about to give up, Shelly picked up her phone ¡°Ethan? Ethan, is that you? Are you okay? I just saw the news. Do you know what happened? Vancouver is so close. Are you at school yet? Is it going to close down?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Shelly! I¡¯m totally fine, promise.¡± I was trying to stop the barrage of questions before they could get worse. ¡°It¡¯s been a bad day, but I¡¯m good. How about you? Are you holding up well?¡±


    I heard a sniffle on the other side. ¡°I¡¯m good, I think. I just¡­when I thought about losing another family member¡­¡± She trailed off. I felt a lump form in my throat. The guilt I felt about our parents came back in full force. I must¡¯ve been feeling pretty bad on account of the concerned glance that Lori threw my way. I tried to nonchalantly wave it off, though if she could truly see emotions, it wasn¡¯t going to do any good.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one¡¯s going anywhere. We need each other, you and me. We¡¯re all we have left.¡± I tried to whisper. Lori seemed involved in her own conversation, so I hoped she couldn¡¯t hear me. I wasn¡¯t comfortable sharing my family history unless it was necessary. ¡°I promise, I¡¯m okay. We¡¯re not that close to Vancouver.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right about that, but I¡¯m always going to worry. Did you see them? These guys were floating, Ethan. There was blue fire everywhere and a building fell. What the hell was that?¡± I heard something on the other side that sounded like her shaking her head. It was difficult to tell over the phone, but she sounded both amazed and horrified. I felt like most of the world had a reaction like that.


    ¡°About that...¡± I tried to find the best way to explain everything I learned to my sister, but it just wasn¡¯t coming to me. ¡°Uh, can you pick me up from school? Like, as soon as possible? They¡¯re closing it down until further notice, and I have a friend who also needs a ride.¡±


    I could practically see her skeptical look on the other end of the phone. ¡°You¡¯ve never asked me to give a friend a ride. In fact, I¡¯ve never seen nor heard you interact with another student before. Why all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long, complicated story. This is something we need to discuss in person. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s really going on. Can you pick us up?¡± I had no idea if I was giving away too much over the phone. My paranoia that someone might be listening in on me started to pick up again.


    ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll let my boss know. He saw the news, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand. I¡¯ll be there soon. Love you, stay safe.¡± Shelly hung up the phone, leaving me with a small feeling of relief. That was easier than I thought it¡¯d be.


    I put my phone away and turned to see Lori finishing up her call. She looked slightly frustrated and tired. She put her phone on a desk, sat down, and looked at the ceiling. She let out a long sigh and ran tiny fingers through her short hair.


    ¡°Know what I need? I need a nice, hot bath. My first assignment...and this has already been more than I could handle. At least you seem like a nice guy.¡± She shook her head and tapped her fingers on the desk, clearly deep in thought.


    ¡°My sister said she could pick us up. It doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re under as much of a time constraint as you thought, so why don¡¯t we all talk this over? We can go to a diner or something. Get some food and try to make some sense of what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m getting a huge headache from this.¡±


    ¡°You know what? That sounds great. I¡¯m going to see if Mrs. Carmichael wants to join us. If anyone can help make sense of this, it¡¯s her.¡± Lori¡¯s mood swiftly turned around at the mention of greasy diner food. Her sudden mood shift worried me a little, though given her powers, it made some degree of sense.


    ¡°Who now?¡± I asked. Too many names and too much information are being thrown at me without enough clarity.


    Lori glanced at me and gave a weak shrug. ¡°Sorry, forgot to mention. She¡¯s kind of like my boss, I¡¯d say. She¡¯s the head of the Luna facility where I¡¯m from and she can be a little scary. She¡¯s very strong and efficient.¡±


    She went about trying to call her boss, and I just stared out the window. The school already seemed so lonely. Most of the students took the buses normally, so they were already gone. Only a few stragglers remained. It felt strange to see a school so empty right after it had been bustling with life. Schools have often been criticized, but they were a huge part of forming bonds, some of them being lifelong. Perhaps it was because of Vancouver, but I was feeling oddly sad about seeing Wheeler High so empty.


    A hand on my shoulder nearly made me jump out of my seat. It was just Lori, and I knew that, but I was starting to learn I really couldn¡¯t handle people touching me when I wasn¡¯t expecting it. Part of me always thought it was something more sinister. I really hated that part of me, and seeing Lori¡¯s reaction of guilt and regret made me feel even worse. The overwhelming majority of people on Earth weren¡¯t out to get me.


    An awkward silence filled the space between us. I¡¯m pretty sure we were both feeling bad. Her for startling me on accident, and me for being so easily startled. I felt myself cringing as neither of us could figure out exactly what to say. Thankfully, Lori finally broke that silence for both of us.


    ¡°I, uh, Mrs. Carmichael said that she can afford two hours. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t, but since finding new recruits is somewhat rare, I think this is her way of rolling out the red carpet for you.¡± Embarrassed, Lori turned her head to the side.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I tried to calm down my heart rate by taking a couple of deep breaths. ¡°Great, that¡¯s great. This is good. I can finally get some answers and we can all talk about what to do. Good, this is progress.¡± My nerves were still a little rattled and I was a bit jumpy. Part of that was also meeting this Mrs. Carmichael person. If she was as important as Lori made her out to be, then she could clear some things up for me and my sister.


    I motioned for her to follow me. The law firm Shelly worked at wasn¡¯t too far away from the school, so I knew it wouldn¡¯t take her long to come to pick us up. The elementary, middle, and high schools were all close to each other, so my sister wanted to get a job close by after our parents died. It made sense, thinking about it. If something were to happen to my mental state, having her nearby would make everyone¡¯s lives a little bit easier. While I never had a breakdown at school, there wasn¡¯t any need to make things harder or riskier than they had to be.


    We walked in silence through the eerily quiet school. The only sound came from our shoes hitting the waxed floor. I peered into some of the windows on the classroom doors. There wasn¡¯t a soul to be found in any of them. The silence of the building was really starting to get to me. I needed to get out of there. I was getting too creeped out. I picked up my pace and got out of the school as quickly as possible.


    Once I threw open the door, I felt a little bit better. I no longer felt like I was trapped inside an abandoned prison. I put my hands on my knees, focused on a single spot on the ground, and tried to catch my breath. I hadn¡¯t realized that I¡¯d been sweating. Sweating a lot, actually. It ran down my face and dripped to the ground. I felt damp under my armpits. Had a cute girl not told me I was a superhuman, I wouldn¡¯t have cared about my sudden perspiration.


    Lori was outside soon after I was. That time, to my credit, I did not get startled by her. I did feel really embarrassed, though. I guessed that she felt as awkward as I did, considering she wasn¡¯t saying or doing anything. Things like that made it difficult for me to socialize with people. I was usually just a bit too jumpy and skittish; a little too much for most to handle being around. I tried to not let it get me down, but it really did suck to be eighteen and not have any true friends. Thankfully, I had just enough social skills to navigate conversations when I wasn¡¯t overwhelmed.


    Instead of trying to explain myself, something that would have probably gone poorly, I walked over to the bench in front of the school and slumped down. The fresh air was really starting to help. I felt like I could breathe freely and easily again. My mind was at ease seeing all the open area surrounding me. The grass gently blowing in the cool breeze put my mind at ease, reminding me that I could run if I had to. There were no walls to constrict me out here.


    ¡°Officially, we call them Anomalies,¡± Lori said, breaking the silence. She sat down on the opposite end of the bench before continuing. ¡°The powers we possess, I mean. Many people think they¡¯re something right of comic books when they first realize they possess Anomalies, and they¡¯re not that far off with that assumption. They¡¯re not just things out of a story, though. They¡¯re part of us. They¡¯re things we¡¯re born with.¡±


    ¡°Why ¡®Anomaly¡¯ in particular? You called them abilities before, right?¡± I craned my neck to look at the blue morning sky. Any clouds that might¡¯ve been there earlier were gone.


    ¡°Easier for most people to digest. A lot of people don¡¯t like to be considered an anomaly in any form, but that name¡¯s been around since Elizabeth Luna founded her society.¡± Lori was mindlessly swinging her short legs back and forth. ¡°She claimed that with their gifts, they were the ¡®anomalies¡¯ of humanity, and the name just kind of stuck. That¡¯s what Luna members referred to their gifts as, and the regular humans called them anomalies because they believed their existence to be wrong. Those with an Anomaly were often hunted if their abilities were revealed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you mentioned things like witch hunts in the classroom.¡±


    She snapped her fingers. ¡°Exactly like witch hunts. Granted, not everyone suspected of witchcraft had an Anomaly, but many did. We¡¯re able to keep ourselves hidden a bit better now, being much more organized and prepared. Anyway, I just didn¡¯t want you to be confused when someone asks you what your Anomaly is. When you discover it, I mean. That probably isn¡¯t going to be pleasant, by the way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, growing concerned. I leaned against the bench¡¯s railing away from Lori.


    ¡°Anomalies are usually first activated under extreme emotional duress. Some people activate their powers on the verge of death. Of course, there are always anomalies regarding Anomalies with some activating without any duress at all. Still, count on it not being a fun time. It can be scary, so I want you to be a little ready for it.¡±


    That made me think about how I still didn¡¯t know what my power was. Or Anomaly, whatever. When I watched my parents die, I couldn¡¯t call anything I experienced less than agonizing duress, yet I didn¡¯t have any powers then. At least, not that I could remember. I sure couldn¡¯t bring anyone back from the dead.


    I curled my fingers into a fist and relaxed them into an open palm a few times to see if anything would happen. I didn¡¯t know exactly what I was trying to make happen, I was just hoping something with my Anomaly would happen. Nothing appeared. I wasn¡¯t lifting rocks off the ground with just a thought. I just looked like some weirdo flexing his hand on a bench.


    Before I could let myself get frustrated with it, Shelly pulled up in her car and waved at us from inside. I didn¡¯t realize just how much I was dreading trying to explain everything. Where would I start? That a girl I happened to meet on the same day a superpowered terrorist attack took place informed me that I have a power like theirs, only hidden away? That she wants to recruit me to her secret group of people with powers? I winced as I made my way into the passenger seat, Lori climbing in the seat behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯m like the people that attacked Vancouver, and so is your brother!¡± Lori shouted from behind the two of us. Panicking, she took a deep breath. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not exactly like them. We¡¯re not terrorists. At least I¡¯m not, but we both have superpowers. We just don¡¯t know what Ethan¡¯s is yet.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Shelly asked, clearly baffled. ¡°Ethan, is your new friend, uh, okay? I know it¡¯s been a hell of a morning.¡±


    ¡°There are people with superpowers, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve figured out by now,¡± Lori said, sounding nervous. ¡°Those were the bad ones. Very bad ones. I can only see emotions, and I can see that anger is setting in for you. I¡¯m part of the good guys, and one of our trackers figured out that your brother is like us. I read emotions, that¡¯s why I was sent here!¡±


    I was wincing again at Lori¡¯s choice of words. ¡°Tracker¡± wasn¡¯t going to win any favors with my sister who took her family¡¯s safety extremely seriously. I could feel Shelly¡¯s gaze, so I pretended to be very interested in the button that controlled the window. Considering my information on everything wasn¡¯t exactly deep or robust, I wasn¡¯t in the best position to try and explain or clarify anything.


    ¡°And Ethan¡¯s feeling fear and anxiety!¡± Lori chimed in again, really making me regret letting her into the car.


    ¡°Ethan, what is she talking about?¡± my sister asked. I peeked out of the corner of my eye and saw her knuckles turning white from her fierce grip on the steering wheel. It had been a while since I¡¯d seen Shelly genuinely angry at something or someone, and I was not thrilled to be in an enclosed space with her now.


    ¡°I, uh, met Lori here at the bus stop earlier,¡± I said, wiping my palms on my pants. ¡°She, um, she told me that there were others out there with these superhuman abilities, some good and some bad, just like she told you. I have an ability too, I think. At least according to her tracker. Shelly, let¡¯s just be calm about this, okay?¡±


    Ignoring my wishes, Shelly put the car in drive and sped out of the school¡¯s parking lot. Trees and buildings whizzed by as I felt a knot form in my chest. I was feeling entirely out of the loop and powerless. Lori was spot on about my feelings of fear and anxiety. Who just blurts out something that sounds so ridiculous like that? And because of that, I had no idea what my sister was doing or where she was planning on taking us.

 Book One - Chapter Five

    Shelly pulled the car behind an abandoned, rundown plaza. Some windows were broken, others boarded, and none in anything resembling good shape. Normal doors hung off hinges and automatic ones were forced open. Plants had started to reclaim the cracked parking lot. This place hadn¡¯t seen any positivity in years. I didn¡¯t even know such a depressing plaza existed in my town.


    ¡°Explain yourself. Now,¡± Shelly commanded, shooting a harsh glare back at Lori. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to play some prank or tell an elaborate joke, this is your last chance to tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s n-not a joke,¡± Lori stuttered. ¡°Let me prove it to you. Try to calm yourself down. Wait! Both of you calm down. Once you do, think of memories that make you feel any sort of strong emotion. Happiness, sadness, fear, love, anything at all.¡±


    My sister continued to glare at Lori, who was getting more and more nervous. Sweat ran down her face and she was visibly shaking. For a few moments, I debated on whether to try and pull Shelly back, but she was so set on vetting Lori that I decided to let it play through. I may have been an adult and capable of making my own decisions. That didn¡¯t mean Shelly suddenly stopped being the single most important person in my life. Still, I felt bad for the tiny, trembling figure behind me.


    ¡°Fine. Ethan, do what she said.¡± Shelly¡¯s cooperation surprised me. I hadn¡¯t expected her to go along with it. ¡°You read emotions, yeah? Guess my emotions three times, followed by Ethan¡¯s three times. If you make one wrong guess, there¡¯s going to be an issue. Understand?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lori asked as my sister¡¯s words hung heavy in the air.


    Sighing, my sister reached into the glovebox, pulling out her handgun. I didn¡¯t know much about firearms, but I knew it was real and my sister could use it. I had also forgotten that Shelly even kept the thing in the car. After Mom and Dad were killed, Shelly wasn¡¯t playing around. She was a smaller woman herself, and taking on the role of protector was something she did seriously. For her to take out the gun, it was a big deal. It felt like a massive hand was tightening around my chest.


    ¡°Oh God, oh God,¡± Lori repeated, panicking. Her eyes grew wet. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to¡­I don¡¯t want to get shot. I¡¯m not like those guys on TV, I can¡¯t defend myself from that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to shoot you unless you try to hurt us,¡± Shelly replied in exasperation. ¡°Listen, you show up and say my brother has been tracked by you. You say he¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re here. I¡¯m not a bad person, and more than that, I¡¯m not a stupid person who just recklessly discharges a gun in her own car. I¡¯m showing you this gun as a promise. If you try to hurt my family, that¡¯s when I¡¯ll use it.¡±


    And the three of us sat there, the only movement came from Lori blinking away tears that were in the corners of her eyes. I knew that Shelly was a woman of her word and really would only use the firearm to defend us. That didn¡¯t mean Lori was privy to the same information. To her, she was in a car with people she didn¡¯t know, and one of them had a powerful tool in her hand. To her credit, she didn¡¯t back down or run away.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I understand,¡± Lori said as she collected herself as best as she could. ¡°I¡¯m g-going to close my eyes. I¡¯ll determine your three emotions first, before moving on to your brother¡¯s. I do have one r-request. If I get all six correct, I want you both to talk with our leader at a diner in town today, in public and in broad daylight. Are you, uh, okay with that deal? You can choose the place.¡±


    My sister took a deep breath and contemplated it for a moment. ¡°Yes, you have yourself a deal. Guess them all, and we will meet with your boss today. You have my word.¡±


    With that, Lori relaxed slightly and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and shook her arms out. I could hear her mumble some self-encouragements to try and return to some form of normalcy if normalcy was even something that could be achieved in that situation.


    One last breath left Lori¡¯s mouth and she nodded her head, signaling the beginning of the test. For a few seconds, the only sounds I could hear were the car and some undoubtedly chilly birds chirping outside. It was almost nice, in a weird way. Both women were so focused on this test that it actually created a positive kind of intensity, instead of the intensity of having a gun waved around in your face. It felt more productive and meaningful, as two wills both did their best to prove themselves.


    That brief intensity was broken when Lori suddenly gasped. I saw her face tighten up to make sure she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to break the rules that she set up. Her small hands balled into tight fists, making her knuckles go white. Lori looked like she was about to be sick. I was getting ready to look for a plastic bag in case she was about to make a mess, but she spoke up before I could.


    ¡°Anger and fear! Mostly anger. Very strong anger, but there¡¯s fear in there as well. Whatever has you angry seems to have you scared as well. Lori¡¯s eyes were shut so tight they looked painful. She was speaking through gritted teeth. She was either a better actor than I originally gave her credit for, or her power was putting some serious strain on her.


    ¡°Spot on. Take a few seconds to compose yourself and we¡¯ll begin again.¡± Shelly broke out her no-nonsense, authoritative tone. Since Shelly gave Lori a chance to compose herself, I figured that was a good sign that she was leaning toward believing what the girl said. I hoped that meant things were going to end well.


    Lori sighed in relief. Her face and hands relaxed significantly. Whatever changed in Shelly¡¯s feelings had made her much more comfortable again. A pang of guilt stabbed my heart when I looked at the tips of her relaxed fingers and saw red. Her hands were balled up so tight that her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms and drew blood. My instinct told me to get bandages on her hands, but Lori didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°Great happiness and joy. There¡¯s sadness in there too. A sense of longing and loss.¡± Lori¡¯s voice cracked and broke like she was the one experiencing the emotions herself. Tears ran down her freckled cheeks, touching the corners of her upturned mouth. It was one of the saddest smiles I¡¯d seen. The kind of smile you have when saying goodbye to someone you care about or when you reminisce about old, better times. Seeing that reaction reminded me of how I felt when I thought about my parents. I had to wonder if that was what Shelly was thinking about.


    ¡°Correct. Last one for me, and then you¡¯re on to Ethan.¡± Shelly¡¯s expression had softened a bit, though her voice was still firm. It was only for a moment, but I thought I saw my sister wince in sympathy at Lori¡¯s condition. The color drained from her skin as she continued to sweat. Whatever this required of her, it was really starting to take its toll.


    Without a word or any time to rest, Lori nodded her head for Shelly to feel her last emotion for this test. Once again, the only sounds were the car and whatever critters were outside. The focus was there, but much of the intensity and tension had died down. I was pretty sure my sister was starting to believe what Lori was saying about having superpowers.


    ¡°Anxiety, f-fear, and excitement. All a-about even.¡± Lori was stuttering, her body making small twitches occasionally. ¡°This is s-sort of how I felt when I had to come h-here, just amped up m-more, like going on a b-big rollercoaster.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯ve passed,¡± Shelly huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She never liked being proven wrong ever. It had to be harder to be proven wrong when it came to matters of family security and well-being. ¡°I guess I believe you enough, so you don¡¯t have to-¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Lori¡¯s eyes shot open, and she put her head back against the seat with a loud groan. She looked like she was at death¡¯s door. Her skin nearly looked as ghastly as the girl who made the building in Vancouver collapse. Her short hair clung to her face from how much she was sweating. Her small frame trembled as she attempted to compose herself. My sister and I could only watch, unsure of how to proceed.


    ¡°Sorry, doing that takes a lot out of me if I¡¯m focusing that hard.¡± Lori was having some trouble speaking. Every word was punctuated by a deep breath. After managing to compose herself a bit, she leaned forward and continued. ¡°I can ¡®see¡¯ emotions with no problems. I can also feel them from other people, but I gotta let their emotions connect with me and fully embrace them.


    ¡°When I do that, it kicks my butt. It might not sound like a hard thing to do, but having to take on someone¡¯s raw feelings can be a challenge, especially when I end up mixing them with my own. Your anger was the strongest emotion you felt, and when I let that in, it nearly floored me. The others were no cakewalk, don¡¯t get me wrong. Even positive emotions can feel like a sledgehammer to the chest. They were still nothing like that first go. That¡¯s why I hardly ever try to use this aspect of my Anomaly.¡±


    Lori looked down at her palms, which had mostly stopped bleeding but were no doubt still hurting. She looked around for anything to wipe them on, but there wasn¡¯t anything in the back to do so. Sighing, Lori was about to wipe them on her jeans when I remembered the first aid kit we kept in the glovebox.


    ¡°Wait, let¡¯s get your hands clean and bandaged, don¡¯t wipe them on your pants,¡± I said, rummaging around in the first aid kit. Digging through a bunch of things that I didn¡¯t know the purpose of, I finally found the few things I knew how to use. We didn¡¯t have any gloves, but we had antiseptic wipes and a couple of rolls of bandages, which was all I¡¯d need.


    Lori stuck her hands out to me, bloody palms facing up. I couldn¡¯t believe how deep she ended up driving her nails in. I took a few of the antiseptic wipes and cleaned the cuts as best I could, drawing some grimaces from Lori. Even with the discomfort, she was already looking better. Her skin had some color behind it and her breathing was steadier.


    ¡°When did you discover your Anomaly?¡± I asked as I flipped her palms upward and began to bandage them. I had to run through the steps of how to bandage a hand in my head a few times before I really started. ¡°Actually, when do most people learn that they have one?¡±


    ¡°I was fourteen when I developed mine,¡± Lori said, her eyes getting a distant look in them. ¡°I was home alone doing some chores and noticed that we needed a lightbulb changed. Simple thing, right? Well, I went into the closet where we kept them, but they were on the top shelf. If you look at me now, I¡¯m sure both of you can guess that at age fourteen, I wasn¡¯t exactly a ¡®top shelf¡¯ height girl, but it was just getting a lightbulb, right? Trained monkey could do it, yada yada.


    ¡°Anyway, I climb the stepladder we keep in there to grab the bulb, and what do you know, a spider runs along my hand. I¡¯m not the biggest fan of spiders, so it freaked me out a little. I panicked, fell back, brought the box of lightbulbs down, knocked the light fixture out, and when I caught myself on the door, I somehow hit the handle in a way that made me unable to turn it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­a spider made you discover your Anomaly?¡± I asked, trying not to laugh. The idea of a girl being so freaked out from a spider crawling on her hand that she awakened superpowers was a hilarious one to me. Funny enough that it almost made me mess up the bandages on Lori¡¯s little hands.


    Lori snorted and chuckled, so she at least found the humor in my idea. ¡°No, you dork. The lightbulbs and light fixture shattered on the ground, and I couldn¡¯t get the door open. I was stuck in a small, pitch-black room with glass all over the floor and no way out. I was too scared to move around, so I had to wait for my parents to come home.¡±


    Lori took a second to finish gathering her wits. I used the lull in conversation to make sure I wasn¡¯t messing up my bandaging work. I¡¯d never had to do it on another person before, so my confidence was hardly anything to write home about.


    Lori cleared her throat. ¡°Everything about that situation was too much for me to handle, causing me to have a bit of a breakdown. I don¡¯t even know how long I was in there. It couldn¡¯t have been that long, but that didn¡¯t matter to me. All I knew was that I fell, some glass broke, the door was stuck was one or two potential steps away from being seriously injured by that broken glass. So, yeah, that kind of did it. When my parents did come home and get the door open, I could see the fear radiating off them. To make another longer story short, it didn¡¯t take long for us to figure out that I was seeing emotions, and a tracker for Luna found me soon after. Less than a year later, my mom and dad now work for Luna, and we all live in one of the apartments there.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you have to stop talking about things like trackers,¡± Shelly interjected. I had almost forgotten she was even there, even though she had just non-so-subtly implied that there would be trouble if anyone tried to hurt us. ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re out to just kidnap people with powers and their families.¡±


    We all went quiet as Lori looked like she was contemplating what to say next and I finished bandaging her hands. I squeezed the tip of each index finger and watched the color return almost instantly. Satisfied that her circulation wasn¡¯t being cut off, I checked the ends, making sure the adhesive tape was holding it together.


    ¡°You¡¯re good at this. Have you done first aid training before?¡± Lori asked, going over the bandages and testing the mobility of her hands with a small grimace.


    ¡°Eh, I get by with it. It¡¯s the only real first-aid thing I¡¯ve learned, and I¡¯m still not great at it. I¡¯m not good enough to provide care for severe wounds. I¡¯m hoping I never have to. I can do little things like this. It should prevent your hands from getting infected for the day, at least.¡±


    Lori nodded and smiled at me before turning to face my sister, her face again serious. ¡°You¡¯re right, Shelly-¡±


    ¡°Michelle, not Shelly,¡± my sister interrupted. I¡¯d called her Shelly for as long as I could remember, but she wasn¡¯t keen on strangers using that nickname for her. To her, calling her that was something that had to be earned.


    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Lori¡¯s face went red. She averted her gaze from my sister¡¯s face, instead choosing to look out the car window. ¡°You were right about how I phrased the tracker thing. He did his best to respect your privacy, but still let us contact you. He figured out your address because he could feel the latent power within Ethan, then felt the same thing at the high school, and with that information known, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to figure out which one of you it was. I apologize for the distress I put you through, Michelle.¡±


    Shelly just stared at Lori. I wasn¡¯t an expert at reading facial expressions to get beats on people, meaning I had no idea what was running through my sister¡¯s head. It all sounded so wild and unbelievable.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­I¡¯ve never done something like this before. This was my first assignment because of my age, appearance, and Anomaly, but I didn¡¯t have any idea how to recruit someone. Without wishing to sound self-deprecating, I¡¯m a twenty-year-old girl who¡¯s spent most of her teenage life in the same living complex. Granted, there are people my age there, yes, but I haven¡¯t had the best luck making friends. The person I¡¯m closest with is seven years older than me, and he¡¯s more like an older brother kind of friend. But I thought honesty would be the best policy with you two. I guess that was how it worked out in the end.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re twenty?¡± I asked, shocked. I thought for sure she was at least my age, if not younger. ¡°You don¡¯t look it.¡±


    ¡°Is that a short comment?¡± Lori invited with fake annoyance.


    ¡°It¡¯s trying not to be, but maybe it is, just a little bit.¡± I turned my head forward and tried to nonchalantly whistle.


    Her story did make sense to me, though. She really did not seem like she was trained to fool people, so maybe being honest was the best route for her. Maybe reading emotions made it harder to dance around them and lie. I had no idea. Had she tried to lie to Shelly and she found out, that would not have been a pretty scene. With Shelly¡¯s gun still in her hand between us, I was glad it didn¡¯t work out that way.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! My leader said she could afford to meet us for about two hours. Since I, uh, passed the little test thing, can we go to a diner or something like that? Conversation is better amongst food, after all.¡± When Lori mentioned getting food, a little twinkle of hope sparkled in her dark eyes.


    Shelly sighed. ¡°Fine, fine, fine. You won my little challenge and I¡¯ll keep up my end of the bargain, but I fully expect to be let in on everything.¡±


    ¡°Of course! She can be tough, but she¡¯s always been honest with me.¡± Lori¡¯s voice was peppy to try and reassure us. ¡°That said, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the kind of woman to be scared of many people. I think this will go well, honestly.¡±


    My sister handed me the gun she had been holding and gestured toward the glovebox, indicating that she wanted me to put it away. As I did so, I noticed a small smirk on her face out of the corner of my eye. With that, she put the car in reverse, backed out of our little hiding spot, and we were off to meet this Mrs. Carmichael person Lori seemed to hold in high regard and a little fear.

 Book One - Chapter Six

    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, Mary & Larry¡¯s would be the best place to go. It has the most diverse menu, and come on, how can you say no to a name like that?¡± I was growing moderately frustrated and cranky, doing everything I could to keep the discussion friendly. We were sitting in the parking lot of a gas station. My sister needed to fill up and we needed to decide where to eat, which was the impasse that we had hit. Poor Shelly was resting her forehead against the steering wheel, probably wishing she hadn¡¯t put her gun away.


    ¡°Look, all I¡¯m trying to say is that, according to reviews I¡¯m finding online, there are pretty good restaurants that specialize in particular foods,¡± Lori retorted, looking down at her phone. ¡°Frankie¡¯s Chicken isn¡¯t far from here and it has awesome reviews! I won¡¯t lie to you guys, I want to try and impress Mrs. Carmichael a bit. Don¡¯t you have faith in the tourists that review the local restaurants?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but this is supposed to be an important discussion with how you¡¯ve talked about this woman, right?¡± I asked, rubbing my temples. ¡°Frankie¡¯s is good, but chicken isn¡¯t the cleanest food, even at its best, and you want to throw four people into that kind of greasy deathtrap? It¡¯ll probably end in a disaster.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine, you¡¯re right!¡± Lori exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically. Finally glad it was over, I sighed with relief, before Lori chimed in again, ¡°But wait, what about-¡°


    ¡°No!¡± Shelly yelled, slamming the palms of her hands on the steering wheel. ¡°You have ten seconds to choose somewhere before I flip a coin. Or we don¡¯t eat at all. Then I¡¯m leaving both of you in the forest.¡±


    ¡°I relent. You guys know the area better; I¡¯ll trust your judgment on this.¡± Lori sounded defeated. Her giving up was the better option when put up against being dumped in the forest. I was grateful because I just wanted to eat some food, though I understood why she would want to impress someone she admired so much, especially if it was really her first real task.


    With the matter of food finally settled, I rested my head back against my seat and closed my eyes. It was unreal how fast the day had gone, and it was still only lunchtime. I hadn¡¯t even been awake that long and the world had already changed forever. So many people would never be able to see their loved ones again. Too many lives were taken too early, and there I was, worrying about where to eat lunch. I balled my hands into fists because of the guilt and shame I felt, not even concerned if Lori could tell how I was feeling. Feeling guilt and shame in certain moments wasn¡¯t always a bad thing.


    I heard Shelly sigh and get ready to drive us to Mary & Larry¡¯s, which was only a couple minutes away. She was probably glad to be done hearing us argue about the food stuff too. I could tell she was stressed about the whole situation with me potentially having an Anomaly. I knew that Shelly desperately wanted to be right in the test she gave Lori, but it looked like she was convinced. Not the best day in the Harper household, I wagered.


    We rode in silence after that. No talking, radio, or anything. Just the sounds of the road and the low hum of the car, which weren¡¯t much. Not many people were out in our small town just before lunchtime, maybe due to what happened in Vancouver. Anyone who had the choice to be out was probably spending it at home watching the news for any updates. I didn¡¯t want to think about any of the knee-jerk reactions the general populace was having about this.


    I tried to push thoughts like that out of my head. Thinking about the future was important, but there was nothing I could do about it at that moment. What happened in Vancouver was done and nothing would change that. I could only hope that the future would get better, and not go down the same road that led to the attack, not that I would ever hurt innocent people.


    So, instead of dwelling on the negatives and making myself feel worse about everything, I just tried to focus on the sights as we were driving. Most of the trees were naked, and as popular as our green trees made us, I was sold on the naked ones. With night coming earlier in the winter, I always loved how they made everything look like the setting of a horror movie. I especially loved the gray and dreary days with strong winds. An old teacher of mine always called them ¡°howling gale days¡±, and that was always the coolest thing to me as a child. The weather wasn¡¯t dreary today, but the trees still reminded me of how I would be enthralled with them as a kid.


    Just a couple of minutes later, we pulled into Mary & Larry¡¯s parking lot, which they had just gotten redone in the past month. If that abandoned plaza taught me anything, it¡¯s that a nice-looking parking lot can really make a building look better. The diner was old but well-maintained, and a very popular destination for the locals with its rustic charms. Luckily for us, however, we got here before the lunch rush really took off. Including ours, there were only five cars in the parking lot.


    After getting out of the car, I stretched my legs and back, hearing a couple of pops from the latter. The cool air bit at my exposed face, surprising me a bit after the heat from the car. I scrunched my face up in response to the sudden shift in temperature, and I saw another shadow dash through the forest, running away from me, deeper into the trees.


    I gasped and instinctively took a step back, blinking and rubbing my eyes. When I opened them, there was nothing in the trees, as I expected. I shook my head a few times and looked again, just to be sure. Still nothing there. Just a few birds chirping and a few squirrels running up and down the trees. I could, however, feel the concerned looks of my sister and Lori on my back. Rubbing the back of my neck, I sheepishly turned to face the two women still standing by the car.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Shelly had a pained expression on her face. ¡°Another one, Ethan?¡±


    I gave a weak nod, feeling embarrassed. Her wording seemed impatient, as it usually did, but her tone was far from it. She¡¯d always been careful and supportive of me when the nightmares and hallucinations started. She even tried to avoid calling them hallucinations, knowing how much I didn¡¯t like that. Yeah, they technically were hallucinations, but they had never been severe or debilitating. Usually just brief glimpses of a silhouette that vanishes soon after.


    ¡°Another what? Are you okay?¡± Lori asked, looking confused and concerned.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­sort of complicated. But it¡¯s Ethan¡¯s decision on what he tells you about himself, so I¡¯ll leave that to you two.¡± Shelly¡¯s voice was firm with finality. ¡°Ethan, go ahead and get a table for four. I want to talk to your friend for a little bit.¡±


    Lori must not have seen anything that would indicate that my sister was acting in a threatening manner, because she simply nodded her head in agreement. For what it was worth, Shelly didn¡¯t look particularly threatening to me either, which I found kind of odd. Gruff and standoffish were used to describe her, and it didn¡¯t take someone with superpowers to tell when she wasn¡¯t in a talking mood.


    ¡°Right, see you guys inside. Enjoy your chat.¡±


    I made my way up the ramp that led to the empty patio that wrapped all the way around the diner. The shiny metal tables and cushy red seats were as well-maintained as ever. They were playing some blues rock over the speakers that were located both inside and outside the restaurant. An odd choice, given the bright and peppy colors and d¨¦cor that really made the diner lively, though the music wasn¡¯t unpleasant to listen to.


    I opened the door and was welcomed by the familiar sound of an entry chime. Looking around, I saw only two other people in the diner, and they were both looking bored at the counter with cooling coffee mugs in front of them. That was good. The fewer people around made it more likely that we could get a nice, quiet corner booth. Useful for keeping conversations private and large amounts of food, if someone wanted to order that much.


    A head of red hair popped up from behind the counter, scaring me half to death. I recognized her as one of my classmates from math, one whose name I couldn¡¯t remember. I hadn¡¯t known she worked there. Then again, I hadn¡¯t even eaten at Mary & Larry¡¯s in a good while. Employees would likely come and go frequently, especially with the seasonal shifts changing the number of customers they got.


    ¡°Hi! Sorry about the scare, I¡¯ll be with you in just one moment, Ethan.¡± She smiled warmly before ducking beneath the counter. I felt my heart rate pick up a bit when she said my name, but I mentally admonished myself for being silly. Of course she would probably know my name. She was a classmate, not anyone out to get me. ¡°Table or booth, inside or outside, and how many do you have with you?¡±


    ¡°Uh, inside booth for a party of four, please. Can you make it a quiet one? Got a bit of a headache today.¡± I massaged my temples to sell it. She didn¡¯t even look up at me to see. Embarrassed, I put my hands at my sides and stood there awkwardly. I looked around at the same sports memorabilia that they had hung up for ages. Lots of black and white, autographed pictures of people I didn¡¯t recognize or know the names of.


    ¡°Gotcha. Inside, booth, and quiet for four. Good choice after earlier.¡± She popped up from behind the counter this time with four menus. ¡°Follow me right this way, Ethan!¡±


    She led the way with a chipper little walk, and I was upset that she turned so quickly that I couldn¡¯t see her nametag. I just awkwardly shuffled behind her, still pretending to be very interested in all the sports memorabilia around me. I really couldn¡¯t have cared less about what I was seeing. Some of the retro pictures depicting the stereotypical fifties lifestyle were pretty cool, so I kept an eye out for those.


    Soon enough, we got to the booth, and I got settled in. Not knowing what anyone else wanted, I asked for just a pitcher of water that the entire table could share. I saw that her name was Andrea, and I made a mental note of that in case it ever came up. She brought the water to the booth and when she was leaving, I noticed that the TV was playing news about the attack, albeit with no sound.


    I struggled to read the captions from so far away, so I had to settle for the large text that the channel occasionally rolled by. From what I could tell, at least two hundred were confirmed dead, a figure that made a pit open in my stomach. At least two hundred people that would never get to go home again. All their loved ones were left grieving for them. And, as expected, they had no information about the attackers beyond what we saw on television. No idea what they could do or why they could do it. Everyone involved in the newscast looked scared, something I¡¯d never really seen from people in that field. Even during the biggest tragedies, they always seemed to maintain their composure and professionalism. Then again, I guess what happened to Vancouver wasn¡¯t just a ¡°normal¡± tragedy.


    Why do they keep showing these things? There aren¡¯t any updates, you¡¯re just putting more fear into everyone.


    My thoughts were interrupted by a hand in my face and a female¡¯s voice that I didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Harper. I¡¯m Abigail Carmichael, but I insist that you call me Mrs. Carmichael in the future.¡±


    I was so focused on the TV that her sudden appearance made me jump in my seat a little. If she was surprised, happy, or angry at my reaction, Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s face didn¡¯t betray anything. She was as calm and collected as McLeod was when he was talking to the world. Her posture and confidence looked unshakeable, and I could understand why Lori wanted to impress her. Being the teacher¡¯s pet that I was, I would have wanted to impress her even if I didn¡¯t get those vibes from her.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Ethan, but you knew that. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mrs. Carmichael.¡± I managed to get everything out with minimal stuttering, sticking my hand out to return her handshake. Her hands were smaller than mine, but her grip was firm. She really did not show any kind of weakness.


    She gave a brief nod before sliding into the opposite side of the booth from myself, Lori taking her spot next to her. ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure to meet a new superhuman, even if you don¡¯t know what your Anomaly is yet. Now, I¡¯m sure Loriana has informed you of this, but my goal is to get you to join us at Luna, and I will do as much as I can to make that goal a reality.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Seven

    We started with simple, but proper, introductions. Lori reintroduced herself to me before reluctantly doing the same with my sister. Mrs. Carmichael then shook hands with my sister just like she did with me. Shelly looked a lot less intimidated by Mrs. Carmichael than Lori and I did. Looking at their relaxed shoulders and looks, it seemed that both women had at least some surface-level respect for each other. At the least, it didn¡¯t look like they were trying to butt heads.


    ¡°Ms. Harper, I would like to begin by informing you that you will be welcome to stay at our main Luna base should Ethan decide to join us,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said, pulling some items out of a bag slung over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve brought with me some pictures and videos of what life there is like.¡±


    She laid out what appeared to be paper-thin screens in front of my sister and I. She tapped each one of them and the screens came to life, each with a different title on the top and a bunch of thumbnails displayed. As an example, she tapped the one titled ¡°Food Court¡± and it started to play a silent video of people eating and interacting in a brightly lit room.


    ¡°I apologize, these videos have yet to have any voiceover work added to them, but I believe that they will still convey what life is like at Luna,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said, her gaze wandering to the menu that now occupied her hands. ¡°I understand this is an impossibly stressful time. If any of my actions or mannerisms might make you uncomfortable here, please don¡¯t hesitate to speak up.¡±


    Lori looked up from her own menu, her mouth hanging slightly open. ¡°What? You never do that for us back home, Mrs. Carmichael.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lived with us for many years, Ms. Davis,¡± Mrs. Carmichael retorted, eyes still not leaving her menu. ¡°This can be a difficult period for someone in Mr. Harper¡¯s position. Being forced to embrace the unknown can be exceptionally challenging.¡±


    Even though I was still feeling anxious about everything, I felt strange being addressed so formally. I was just a regular guy. ¡°Um, I¡¯d appreciate it if you just called me by my first name. I¡¯m not used to being called anything but Ethan. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Ethan,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said. ¡°How about you, Ms. Harper? Is there anything I can do for you that might help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll save those questions for after this video,¡± Shelly replied, keeping her focus on the screen in front of her, which brought my attention back to it.


    Honestly, for two people claiming to be a part of a hidden community for people with superpowers, it wasn¡¯t the most impressive display. Maybe it was the silence in the video that made the whole thing feel underwhelming. Lots of kids and young adults are eating food together, like something you¡¯d find in nearly every school, but with a wider age gap. The people serving the food looked happier than your normal school cafeteria workers, though. If they really had superpowers, they probably should have been happier than people who had to serve ungrateful, loud high school students all day.


    It wasn¡¯t until a girl cupped some tater tots in her hands and her palms started to glow red that things got interesting. With a smirk on her face, she let the food drop to her plate and the steam rose off them. I guessed that she had waited too long to eat them and wanted to heat them up again, only instead of an oven or microwave, her hands could just do the job for her. She looked so triumphant about her lunchtime victory that I almost questioned if it was faked, but then I saw Lori in the background. Alone at her own table, she was shaking her head at the group with a big smile stretched across her face.


    The girl held up her still-red hands and everyone watched as they cooled, and the skin went back to normal. She placed both hands on the arm of the boy sitting next to her, something that barely registered with him. It was probably a way to show how quickly she could stop her Anomaly, though I wasn¡¯t entirely sure without the benefit of sound.


    ¡°Everyone there has an Anomaly?¡± I asked once the video ended, trying to remember how many people I saw in the video. ¡°Who was that girl?¡±


    ¡°That was¡­¡± Mrs. Carmichael tailed off with a pause before letting out a sigh. ¡°That was Oven Mitts, as she insists on being called now. I¡¯m sure you can piece it together, but her Anomaly allows her to heat things with the surfaces of her hands. Her control over that ability is very impressive, to the surprise of most. She can get nearly the exact temperature she wants every time she uses her powers, and she can rapidly increase or decrease the temperature without consequences to her body.


    ¡°To answer your other question: no, they don¡¯t all have Anomalies. Most do, but we do not exclude people from our group if their family members have an Anomaly. In the same way that your sister would be welcomed with open arms if you joined, theirs are too. A more relevant example would be Ms. Davis¡¯s parents. They agreed to live with us after Luna learned that she had an Anomaly, and the rest is history.¡±


    ¡°That takes care of one thing I wanted to talk about, actually,¡± Shelly said. ¡°More importantly, what connections does your group have with today¡¯s attack in Vancouver?¡±


    ¡°It was a tragedy, but Luna had nothing to do with it if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± Mrs. Carmichael replied calmly. If she found an accusation in Shelly¡¯s words or tone, she didn¡¯t let it get her riled up. ¡°We¡­are looking to combat them in some way. We aren¡¯t a group that¡¯s been built around violence and combat, so it¡¯ll be limited to volunteers. As the years of gone on, I¡¯ll admit we¡¯ve grown complacent hiding away in our little corner of the world.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a formal way of training people with Anomalies, so we would never make anyone go into combat without their consent. We¡¯ve wanted to stay hidden away from the world to hide the fear and prejudice that this McLeod character seems intent on instilling in the general population. That said, there are some who have already agreed to stop the evil that attacked Vancouver.¡±


    That got my heart and mind racing. There were others who planned on fighting back? Just how many were there? Thinking about it, I still didn¡¯t even know how many people were part of the group that did the attack. There were five of them on TV, and only two of them did anything that I could see. Something in my gut told me that there were more than just five in that group. I hoped not, but I trusted my gut a lot, maybe more than I should have.


    Before the next rounds of questions and answers could get started, Andrea came back and took everyone¡¯s order. She seemed slightly tense at the atmosphere we had at the booth. I tried to give a reassuring smile, which I was never good at. I probably looked like some random weirdo being held against his will, grimacing in discomfort. Instead of risking my depressing social status even more, I just confirmed to Andrea that I wanted a BLT and hoped she¡¯d forget who I was.


    ¡°What¡¯d you order, Mrs. Carmichael?¡± I asked, trying my best to make some sort of casual conversation. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear your order.¡±


    ¡°Their bacon double cheeseburger,¡± she said to my surprise. She seemed mildly annoyed at that reaction. ¡°What? I haven¡¯t had one in a while, and I haven¡¯t had the chance to leave the base to eat in ages. I understand my appearance and behavior can cause people to have certain perceptions of me. Please don¡¯t let that take away the fact that I am still a person with food cravings, and sometimes a greasy burger hits the spot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you were able to leave, Mrs. Carmichael,¡± I said. I was starting to feel a little more comfortable in the booth with everyone. ¡°Lori made it seem like you were really busy. How¡¯d you get here so quickly, by the way?¡±


    ¡°I am very busy, but I made this a special case. Given Ms. Davis¡¯s inexperience in dealing with this, along with your possible confusion, I decided to help personally.¡± Mrs. Carmichael carefully placed a thick napkin on her lap to prepare for a burger disaster. ¡°We have a young man whose Anomaly allows for teleportation. With his aid, I was able to make it here when Ms. Davis gave me the address.¡±


    My sister seemed frustrated by the small talk and other details she didn¡¯t care about. ¡°What can you do, Mrs. Carmichael? Lori blurted out to us that she had her superpower and hyped you up as her boss. She was able to prove herself, but you¡¯ll have to forgive me if I seem skeptical and more than a little annoyed in dealing with this entire scenario. In a few short hours, the entire world has changed, and now people are wanting to take my brother away with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair question, Ms. Harper. If you¡¯ll allow me a moment to prepare, I¡¯ll show you. In the meantime, I¡¯ll try to settle your fears about this situation to the best of my ability.¡± Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s reply was gentle. She began pulling out some more objects before continuing. ¡°As unfortunate and unforeseen as this attack was, the world has only been awoken to what dwells on it. People like Ms. Davis, your brother, and myself have existed for at least hundreds of years, likely thousands. We¡¯ve grown very adept at making our existence remain secret by cover ups, bribes, memory wipes, and discrediting those who wish to spread our secret.¡±


    ¡°Wait, bribes, cover-ups, and discrediting? You do those things?¡± Maybe stupidly, I felt stunned being presented with the knowledge that they would do things like that.


    ¡°We have, yes,¡± she replied, growing serious again. ¡°I want both of you to understand that we are not perfect people, least of all me. As far as I am aware, under my watch, no one has harmed another person for threatening to expose us. However, we have children and families whose lives would be worse if their abilities were used by the wrong people, or they grew out of control because of a lack of knowledge and control. The people who revealed their Anomalies in the past were not welcomed by the public, a fear that remains to this day, and it¡¯s a fear that will likely be amplified. We decided that our primary interest at Luna was self-preservation and avoiding confrontation, but Jarrett McLeod¡¯s declaration of war was exactly that, and he will likely get the war he desires. I imagine that war will come from both his fellow superhumans and the normal humans he seems to despise.¡±


    Hearing Mrs. Carmichael say it like that did put it into perspective. If everyone in that food court had a family, trying to get by in life without knowing why you have superhuman abilities would be a nightmare. I thought about how that girl called Oven Mitts would survive if she didn¡¯t have Luna and couldn¡¯t control her power. People could get severely injured, or worse, from simple things like handshakes and hugs. If she was a good person, she¡¯d be afraid to leave the house. If she was a bad person...well, it was easier to avoid thinking about what she might have done.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Given your position, that makes a lot of sense. I bet it kept a lot of people safe.¡± I started to feel ashamed. I didn¡¯t want to assume everything tied to Mrs. Carmichael had to be shady or evil.


    ¡°Not at all, Ethan. Skepticism and questioning are important traits to develop.¡± She nodded, putting the last object on the table. In front of me were a small red container, a few sanitary wipes, and what looked to be a retractable knife. ¡°Now, allow me to show you what I can do.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael looked around the diner and, when she was certain no one was watching, picked up the retractable knife and pushed the blade out. Quickly, she ran the blade across the back of her hand, creating a wicked gash that immediately started to bleed. My instinct was to yell out, demand to know what the hell she was doing, and ask if she was okay. Something in my head told me to keep quiet and just watch. That one was probably the right call.


    Without any sign of pain on her face, she calmly grabbed a sanitary wipe and ran it across the wound, drawing a significant amount of blood in it. Now that my sister and I had a clear view of the wound, we saw it completely seal in about two seconds. Not even a hint of a scar remained. The skin looked as good as new, with no scarring or deformities. The only proof that she had cut herself was the faint color of red that remained on her hand from her blood.


    ¡°Healing?¡± I asked. I felt like I should have been more surprised, but it seemed like these Anomalies were part of the world, for better and worse.


    ¡°Not quite, Ethan. If it was a faster version of natural healing, I¡¯d have scar tissue left behind, which is inferior to normal skin.¡± Mrs. Carmichael pulled her sleeve up to show an old scar on her forearm. ¡°My Anomaly is complete regeneration. Anything that isn¡¯t my brain can be regenerated, provided I¡¯m alive and conscious to activate my ability.¡±


    I began to think about how useful and powerful that Anomaly would be, but I saw my sister put her head in her hands and groan. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some form of comfort. She wasn¡¯t that much older than me, and despite how in control she always appeared, I knew that this whole thing was confusing and frustrating Shelly. Even though I was technically an adult now, she was still very protective of everything involving me. She wasn¡¯t taking the whole idea of people with superpowers trying to recruit me very well.


    ¡°There really is no putting this genie back in the bottle is there?¡± Shelly asked, head still in her hands. ¡°And you¡¯re positive Ethan has one of these Anomalies? There¡¯s no way it could have been a mistake?¡¯


    To my surprise, Mrs. Carmichael looked extremely sympathetic toward my sister. ¡°We can never discount the possibility, but our Reader, or tracker as he¡¯s often called, is very good. He¡¯s yet to be wrong on any person he¡¯s scouted so far. I¡¯d bet my spot as head of the Catskills Luna facility that he¡¯s right about Ethan too.¡±


    ¡°If he were to make a mistake, what would turn up a false positive?¡± I asked.


    Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s eyes narrowed while her mouth turned down in a frown. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say for certain without any proof, so don¡¯t take my words as read. If there was a remnant trace of someone else¡¯s Anomaly, that could do it. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t mean Ethan couldn¡¯t have an Anomaly of his own still. Those kinds of powers are rare. Most powers require someone to actively keep them going, like my healing.¡±


    ¡°How would I know if I was affected by a power?¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael put her chin between her thumb and curled index finger. ¡°Have you noticed anything weird in your life? Weird beyond what a high schooler already deals with, I mean. Something that sticks out as exceedingly abnormal?¡±


    I felt my face get hot. ¡°I, um, see shadows a lot. Only for a few seconds. They¡¯re always running or shifting around. Doctors always said it was a form of PTSD.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed again. ¡°While the human body does a lot of things when that kind of trauma is involved, I¡¯ve only heard of auditory hallucinations being linked to posttraumatic stress disorder. This isn¡¯t a subject I¡¯m familiar with, though I wouldn¡¯t rule out your hallucinations being from someone¡¯s power.¡±


    I turned to Shelly. ¡°What if it was from then? What if he had some kind of power that could mess with my brain?¡±


    ¡°He is still alive,¡± she added. When I frowned and furrowed my brows, she shrugged. ¡°I sometimes check to see if that guy¡¯s kicked the bucket.¡±


    I shifted uncomfortably in the seat, suddenly feeling a little crowded by the three women. I¡¯d never bothered to ask any of the doctors if visual hallucinations were normal after a traumatic event. At the very least, I should have tried to dig deeper into the shadow ones. The look Shelly was giving me was saying she felt guilty about not digging further herself.


    ¡°I understand that today has been fast and difficult for both of you,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said, bringing us both back to reality. ¡°It has been for us as well, but we want to help your family, and I have a good feeling about you two. Is it possible for me to speak to your parents as well?¡±


    An awkward silence fell upon the table as my sister sighed and shook her head. She gave me a sideways glance and I could only respond with a shrug. Mrs. Carmichael didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person to joke around, especially about a topic like that, but neither of us understood why she would ask something like that.


    ¡°Our parents, uh, passed away, Mrs. Carmichael,¡± I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, but also trying to not get worked up about it. The guilt I felt over it might have gotten easier to handle over time, but it still wasn¡¯t a subject I enjoyed talking about. ¡°Shelly was referencing the gunman in prison.


    ¡°I sincerely apologize, I was not aware of their passing,¡± she replied, her face slightly red from embarrassment. That was another thing I hadn¡¯t expected to see on her. ¡°We try to let recruits keep as much privacy as possible, so this was information Luna was not privy to. I don¡¯t go hunting for information unless I feel like I must.¡±


    It felt hard to believe that she didn¡¯t know, but maybe I had been watching too many conspiracy videos on the internet, and now I thought that every secret organization knew everything about the world. Ultimately, I didn¡¯t see enough reason to doubt Mrs. Carmichael.


    ¡°Yeah, they were killed in a home invasion six years back,¡± Shelly told them, making the painful memories come back. ¡°Ethan was only twelve at the time and I had just set off for college. So, when they passed, I made damn sure nothing was happening to my brother. Something I still plan on seeing through, even though it might still be haunting him in more ways than one.¡±


    After that, Andrea brought our food over and we mostly ate in silence, processing everything we had seen and just gone over. Everyone was pretty hungry, so there wasn¡¯t much time for words, only the delicious food on our plates. And let me tell you, Mary & Larry¡¯s earned all those great reviews they got. If there was any place that could make you forget life¡¯s troubles, it was this one. Seriously, their BLT was absolutely stacked with bacon and was held together with a buttery garlic bun. I might have been wrong, but this was always the sort of thing that envisioned as ¡°comfort food¡±. If a sandwich could feel like a greasy, unhealthy hug, this bad boy had taken the cake.


    Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their meals too. Mrs. Carmichael seemed especially glad to temporarily forget about her stress and just enjoy some good food. I got a feeling that not many people got to see her relax and cut loose a bit. Then again, just eating at a diner wasn¡¯t really cutting loose for most people. Most people also couldn¡¯t regenerate everything that wasn¡¯t their brain, either. Regenerating limbs and organs was not the best thing to start thinking about when trying to eat food.


    ¡°Ethan, you were right, this place is pretty kickass,¡± Lori said between mouthfuls of hot chicken bites. She really was set on getting some chicken no matter where we went. ¡°Nice atmosphere and even better food. These kinds of places make me sad that I don¡¯t live in a normal area.¡±


    ¡°I must agree, Ethan,¡± Mrs. Carmichael agreed, somehow looking dignified eating a massive burger. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had something this delicious. Well done.¡±


    My sister nodded in agreement, making me feel a small amount of pride mixed with embarrassment. I was glad that I was able to choose a place where everyone could eat comfortably and relax. Even if it was a momentary escape, it made me feel nice to have brought some happiness to others. I found myself grinning, despite the messed-up reasons we were all here in the first place.


    We continued eating in silence until we all finished our meals, the mood much better and lighter with filled and heavy bellies. Many immediate problems can be alleviated with a good meal, I¡¯d learned. Lori started to say something before being cut off by an unexpected burp, making her face go scarlet. Shelly and I couldn¡¯t help ourselves and we ended up laughing while Mrs. Carmichael shook her head, the world¡¯s faintest smile tugging at her lips. Poor Lori just covered her face and mumbled a bunch of things I couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Well, I believe that is a good cue to wrap things up for today,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said. She clapped her hands together which made me flinch. Luckily, no one paid me any attention. Claps and high-fives made me do that sometimes, which typically weirded out other people around me. Better to not bring down the mood with something like that.


    Andrea came by and placed a single check holder which Mrs. Carmichael immediately took, placed a credit card in, and handed back to our waitress before anyone could say anything. I knew my sister wasn¡¯t huge on the idea of other people paying for her meals, so I was a little bit worried that she might get offended. Her pride and stubbornness were generally good things for both of us, but sometimes they could be a real pain in the butt.


    ¡°Ms. Harper, judging by the look on your face, I¡¯d wager that you¡¯re upset I paid the bill,¡± Mrs. Carmichael correctly deduced. ¡°I ask that you allow me to pay for today. It was an enjoyable experience that I hope I can do again soon.¡±


    ¡°Can I at least reimburse you for it later?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°I must insist that you do not reimburse me, or attempt to reimburse me, for the bill,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said as we all walked out of the diner, stretching our legs. ¡°This situation has been difficult for everyone, and it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t pay for someone¡¯s meal. Today, it is my job and pleasure to treat both of you.¡±


    My sister sighed and shook her head but didn¡¯t put up a fight about it. ¡°Well, you already paid, and I don¡¯t have any cash on me anyway, so there¡¯s not much I can do about it, I guess. Thank you, it¡¯s appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Before I go, allow me to give both of you my personal cellphone number.¡± Mrs. Carmichael pulled out a little notepad and took a pen out of her shirt pocket, scribbling her number on the top page. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d have required an immediate decision, but since secrecy isn¡¯t really the top priority anymore, I¡¯d like you both to think about Luna and direct any questions you may have to either myself or Loriana. We¡¯d both be happy to answer them. Even if Ethan here doesn¡¯t have any powers, you¡¯re both still welcome at Luna. An invitation isn¡¯t rescinded over something like that.¡±


    My sister and I nodded as we watched her tap her phone a few times. Within a few seconds, a man suddenly appeared. He had shaggy black hair and bright green eyes. He was a little shorter than I was. The man gave us a brief wave and smile, then vanished with Mrs. Carmichael. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, making sure I hadn¡¯t just seen something again. The faint smell of her perfume still hung in the air, so I was positive that I wasn¡¯t seeing things.


    Lori giggled and walked to the spot where Mrs. Carmichael had just stood. ¡°That gets nearly everyone on the first time. That was Fink, our best Teleporter. He¡¯s only a little older than us, but he¡¯s damn good at what he does. Very precise and quick teleportation.¡±


    ¡°That might take a couple of times before I¡¯m really used to it,¡± I said with my sister nodding in agreement. ¡°Oh, Lori, do you have a way home? Actually, where are you staying?¡±


    Now instead of giggling, she blushed and shuffled her feet awkwardly. ¡°Kind of a funny story about that. Remember that apartment that was up for rent next door to your own? Would you mind giving your new neighbor a ride home today?¡±

 Book One - Chapter Eight

    I was standing in the middle of the street with what felt like hundreds of screaming people running away from the direction I was looking. They were running away from the flames that bathed the street in a horrific blue light. I saw some being tripped and trampled by others who were only interested in saving themselves. I understood the need for self-preservation, but this just seemed cruel, and I couldn¡¯t unhear those horrible screams of those on the ground. Begging and pleading for help, only for it to never come to them.


    When I saw Jarrett McLeod walking forward, his sword shining brilliantly with his flames dancing around him, I understood their fear. It felt like a cold knife pressed against my throat. His massive presence totally dominated the space around him. A wicked grin broke out across his face as he admired his work of ruined buildings and burned bodies. Finally, his gaze settled right on me. He marched closer, his flames parting around his path, not daring to harm their master.


    ¡°Ethan, won¡¯t you join me?¡± he asked, his voice as deep and booming as it was on TV. He pointed the tip of his blade at me. ¡°You¡¯re not meant for this life. You can do so much more than these people. These are animals who will grovel at our feet and beg for our mercy. Isn¡¯t that right, brothers and sisters? Should my campaign end here and now?¡±


    From behind him, shadowy figures emerged, before the deathly pale girl from the attack appeared. She was the only one I could recognize, the others remaining hidden in shadow. From a chunk of rock she was controlling, she dropped a small body in front of McLeod. She gave him a small nod and backed away, joining her allies in the shadows once more.


    By that point, the rational part of my brain knew it was a nightmare. I couldn¡¯t feel any heat from the fires that raged around me, and my breathing was unhindered despite the smoke that swirled around me. I couldn¡¯t even smell anything burning. Still, that didn¡¯t help my situation any. The fear of looking the man who could destroy lives so effortlessly drowned out that rational part of my brain that was screaming it was all fake.


    That fear was only amplified when he grabbed the shirt collar of the body on the ground and lifted it up, revealing Shelly¡¯s slightly burned face to me.


    You know how you can never really run or move that well in your nightmares and you always kick yourself in the morning for it? Like, you¡¯re running away from a masked killer who¡¯s just walking at you slowly when you manage to trip over your own two feet? I was in that position. The fear had left my body completely frozen. I couldn¡¯t even manage to twitch one of my fingers. I could only watch as he lifted my screaming and coughing sister higher in the air, her arms and legs flailing uselessly.


    God, even knowing it was a dream, hearing her screams tore my heart to pieces. I wanted to slam my hands over my ears and drown them out, but I just couldn¡¯t do it. I could only stand there and watch her try and fight back. Even if I didn¡¯t factor in his Anomaly, Shelly was still a small lady. She never would have stood a chance against someone of that size and strength.


    I saw her turn her head weakly at me, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes. I had never seen her cry, not even after Mom and Dad died. Not once during the funeral, not once when visiting their graves, not a single time when she had to step in to be a sibling and two parents to me. And there she was, unable to hold back her fear in the face of this evil. I screamed at McLeod, but I don¡¯t even think I said anything coherent. Just a yell of fear and anger.


    ¡°I will remove the last link of the chain that binds you to their world, Ethan,¡± McLeod said, pointing his sword at my sister. ¡°You have untapped greatness in you, and it is my job to deliver you to your potential. You will transcend, Ethan.¡±


    With that, he stabbed his sword through my sister¡¯s chest, the now-red metal pushing through her back. I heard one sharp gasp from her before her arms and legs went limp. He slowly pulled his blade out from her body and tossed it to the ground. With a snap of his fingers, blue flames engulfed her corpse.


    When I cried out for her, my eyes snapped open to reality, where I still couldn¡¯t make myself move. Unfortunately, I screamed in real life and not just the dream, so my sister immediately busted into my room with a panicked expression. I knew it was just a nightmare, especially when I woke up to my boring bedroom, but when I saw her safe and sound, I began to cry. It had been years since I ended up crying from a nightmare, but I¡¯d never had one like that before. They¡¯d always been about my parents, never having to watch my sister die.


    Upon seeing my reaction, she calmed down a bit. Since I was still in bed under my covers, she reached down and rapped her arms around me in an awkward hug. I was only in my underwear, and I had been sweating buckets, making me grateful for my blanket. She hugged me until I calmed down. A lot of people wouldn¡¯t like being held like that at eighteen, but not many people were put in the same position that Shelly and I had been at such a young age. Our reliance on each other was one of the things that built our relationship. And it wasn¡¯t like I struggled with my sister touching me.


    Once I managed to calm down a little bit and controlled my breathing, she pulled back slightly. Concern was plastered all over her face. Her ability to support me without words was a skill I hoped to master in the future. It was something so important, but something so undervalued. There are times when words just aren¡¯t what a person needs. She knew that better than anyone else who¡¯d tried to help me with my grief.


    I grimaced for a second when I noticed that it was only five minutes before my alarm went off. A little bit of relief did wash over me because I remembered that they cancelled school until further notice, and there hadn¡¯t been any notifications about the school reopening. In the face of this unknown threat, the school district was not playing any games with its faculty or students.


    ¡°I know the answer already, but I¡¯m still going to ask you if you¡¯re okay. That was horrible screaming from you. Screaming I haven¡¯t heard in a long time.¡± Shelly adjusted herself so she could sit on the end of my bed more comfortably.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± I replied, knowing I did not sound okay in the slightest. ¡°Awful nightmare. McLeod had destroyed a section of city, lots of people were screaming, and in the end he¡­he killed you and I was powerless to do anything. It was like Mom and Dad all over again. You only died because I was there and I couldn¡¯t do anything to stop it. Told me that you were the last thing binding me to this kind of life.¡±


    I wiped my eyes on my forearm and saw Shelly looking at the floor, her hands balled into fists. ¡°Ethan, I know we haven¡¯t had many emotional, heart-to-heart conversations before. Those were more Mom¡¯s specialty. I need you to know I¡¯m always here for you, okay? I don¡¯t know what I can really do for you, but I want to be as supportive as I can. If there¡¯s anything you need, I¡¯ll do my best to give it you. You¡¯ve had to go through things that I can¡¯t even imagine. It¡¯s unfair for you to suffer alone.¡±


    Shelly obviously knew about the nightmares I¡¯d had and the shadows I¡¯d seen. Waking up screaming in the middle of the night or jumping because I saw something move out of the corner of my eye weren¡¯t things I could easily hide. I¡¯d never told her the full extent of how much I blamed myself for everything that happened. A little part of me always worried that she resented and hated me for what happened to our parents, even though nothing she said would indicate that was the case. Our relationship had always been good, and that had managed to ease some of the guilt had felt. Not all of it, though.


    I figured that it was as good a time as any to tell her how I felt. ¡°I blame myself for what happened. When I slipped off that doorframe and he killed them, that¡¯s what¡¯s always stuck with me. What if I hadn¡¯t slipped off, or even been there at all? Would he still have shot them, or would he have just taken the things and left? There¡¯s no way for me to know for sure, but that possibility has made me feel sick every time I¡¯ve thought about it for the past six years.


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    ¡°And I¡¯ve always hated what that ended up doing to you. You were only eighteen and had just left the house, then you had to come back and try to finish raising a kid? Those should have been some of your best years! You finally had independence and a chance to pursue what you loved, but you couldn¡¯t do that, and I blamed myself for it. An eighteen-year-old shouldn¡¯t be forced to become a mother like that. It¡¯s not fair and you deserved better than having to come back to raise me. I feel like I¡¯ve taken your life away too.¡±


    Shelly sniffled and rubbed her eyes a bit. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ethan. I didn¡¯t know you had been feeling this way. I¡­I admit that I didn¡¯t think it would be easy at first, but I don¡¯t regret the choice to come back home, and I damn sure don¡¯t regret our relationship now. You were such a good kid. You never gave anyone any problems. God, I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t notice how much this hurt you. If anyone lost time, you were the one that lost out on the happiness of your teenage years. I never had the money to let you go do the fun things I got to do growing up. I...God, you deserved better than this. You were always such a sweet kid.¡±


    ¡°So, it looks like we both had guilt about it, huh?¡± I asked after a brief silence. I think we knew that we would never blame each other, even if it meant blaming ourselves to unreasonable levels. ¡°You always did a good job. We had a roof over our head. We had food on the table. I don¡¯t think you could have done a better job without winning the lottery, Shelly.¡±


    She gave me one of the biggest smiles I¡¯d seen her give. ¡°You really don¡¯t know how happy that makes me. Every day I worried about whether you were getting enough and there was never a complaint from you, even if you would have been justified in doing it. You helped make it so much easier than it could have been, Ethan. I can¡¯t even remember a single day where you gave me a hard time. You had every damn right to be angry at life.¡±


    We were still a bit misty-eyed, but I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Once I started, my sister did too. We had both been so worried about how we made the other¡¯s life worse, that we never thought about how it might not have been the end of the world. Of course, having Mom and Dad here would have been ideal, but maybe Shelly and I would have never gotten along the way we did if things hadn¡¯t worked out the way they did. We weren¡¯t nearly as close before she left for college. Finding the silver lining in every negative made accepting those negatives a little bit easier.


    Shelly and I were both startled by a knock on the door. Not expecting anyone that early, we were a little weary. The nerves from the day before hadn¡¯t quite settled yet, even with a night¡¯s rest. We looked at each other and shrugged, neither one of us really knowing who it might be. A little voice in the back of my mind kept telling me that it could be McLeod here to force me to his side, but that was absurd thinking. Unless he had a tracker here, he would have no idea who I was, and I had serious doubts about him having a tracker in rural Oregon.


    I asked Shelly to turn around so I could throw on a shirt and some shorts. Quietly, we both exited my room and approached the front door. Still a little sleepy and out of it from crying, I took care to make sure I didn¡¯t slam my shins into the table or couch. Impressively, I managed to avoid tripping over my own two feet and made it to the door next to my sister. I wasn¡¯t sure what to do if it was someone here to do harm, though. I didn¡¯t know what my Anomaly was yet, and I had nothing to use as a weapon.


    ¡°Ethan? Michelle? Are you guys okay in there?¡± Lori asked, slightly muffled from the door between us. My sister and I both let out long breaths, remembering that she was now our neighbor. We brought her home after our lunch and we all did our own things. With the start the morning had, it didn¡¯t surprise me that we both forgot about that little detail.


    Shelly opened the door right as Lori was about to knock again. She didn¡¯t look much better than I felt. She still had her messy bedhead and hadn¡¯t changed out of her pajamas, which consisted of a tank top and some soft, comfy looking pants. Despite her disheveled appearance, Lori did look alert and ready.


    ¡°Hey guys, I opened myself to emotions a little while ago to make sure everything was fine after yesterday,¡± she began, ¡°and I noticed a lot of fluctuating feelings in here. Are you both okay?¡±


    My sister gestured for her to come in and she cautiously took a few steps forward, as if she was unsure how to enter someone else¡¯s home. Lori placed her hands around her back and glanced around, but not appearing like she was looking at much. Must¡¯ve been some kind of nervous habit, like shaking your leg or tapping your desk. The poor girl just looked so awkward and out of place that it was hard to remember that she was older than me. I would have bet even I didn¡¯t look that awkward.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good. Just some confessions that have been stirring for too long. It was nice, though.¡± Shelly waved toward our couch. It was old and worn, but clean and wouldn¡¯t collapse under my butt. ¡°Come on in, Lori. I was just about to make some breakfast. This is the first time Ethan¡¯s had a friend over. Please, join us.¡±


    I sighed, and Lori giggled a bit. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I haven¡¯t either. Not many people back home are interested in coming over for a nice breakfast with the quiet girl when you can shoot fire from your hands.¡±


    Right as we went to sit down on the couch, Mrs. Carmichael appeared in the living room with Fink, the Teleporter, looking tired and stressed with dark circles under his eyes. Just as quickly as he appeared, Fink was gone, leaving the well-dressed woman in my home. Considering how long it must¡¯ve taken her to get dressed in that suit, Mrs. Carmichael had probably been up for a while. She looked like the kind of person that would be up at the crack of dawn to tackle the day.


    Lori screamed and jumped nearly a foot in the air before realizing that it was just Mrs. Carmichael and not someone more sinister. Leaning forward, she put a hand on her chest and tried to catch her breath. ¡°God, I¡¯m going to need to carry a change of underwear if you¡¯re going to teleport in on me every time I¡¯m away from Luna.¡±


    ¡°Save that for your house and not my floor, please,¡± Shelly said, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°Apologies, but we¡¯ve gotten word that McLeod has appeared in Seattle,¡± Mrs. Carmichael interrupted, her voice hard. My heart started pounding in my chest. ¡°Ethan¡¯s the only potential recruit for me, and I understand how stressful this can be, so I wanted to be here and assist if I could. A problem shared is a problem halved, or something along those lines. If you would please turn on the television, Ms. Harper.¡±


    Shelly picked up the remote and turned on our TV, which had been left on our local news station. By the time the screen came to life, they had already switched to their correspondents in Seattle. People on the ground were looking up at the sky, most clearly in awe. The anchor¡¯s view switched from the camera and the sky, fear evident on his face. He gestured for the camera¡¯s operator to look up, which they did, giving us a view almost identical to the first attack.


    Five figures floated in the sky with McLeod front and center. That pale girl was there again, but farther back this time. Getting more focus were the three other individuals that I couldn¡¯t make out from the first broadcast. One was almost as tall as McLeod, wearing pitch black armor with a sword on his hip. That one was easily the most remarkable of the four that stood behind McLeod. A tall, stoic knight whose Stygian armor took hope away from everyone who looked at him.


    The one that stood behind the knight was a slim, bald man who reminded me of a scientist. He had a thin goatee and small glasses. Getting a better look at him, he also put the image of a struggling author working tirelessly to overcome his writer¡¯s block in a dimly lit coffee shop in my mind. He stuck out just enough that I would be able to remember him. He had no real defining features like McLeod¡¯s sinister eyes or the knight¡¯s armor.


    On the opposite side of the scientist and knight, between McLeod and the pale girl, stood a tired looking woman, arms crossed over her chest. All the others looked forward or at the city around them. She did her best to just look down and keep her face hidden with her long, brown hair. Maybe she had been ashamed of what she was helping with. Considering the camera was angled beneath them, however, we were given a good view of her face.


    Mrs. Carmichael had started a phone call once she saw the five on TV. ¡°Flynn, whatever you do, you are not to send anyone in. We do not have anyone prepared to handle this unknown threat, and they could exacerbate the problem, leading to more casualties. This is not a problem we¡¯re equipped enough to handle yet.¡±


    I listened to her conversation in the background while keeping my eyes glued to the television. Sweat formed on my palms and I could hear Lori¡¯s breathing pick up. They hadn¡¯t even done anything yet. They just stood on the air somehow, only watching the world around them. It was like they were just teasing everyone about what they were going to do. Like their goal was to just build anticipation for a grand finale. The only thing it was giving me was miserable anxiety.


    I already knew it was going to be terrible. I was powerless to stop it.

 Book One - Chapter Nine

    McLeod took a few more looks at all the people below before nodding his head. At his signal, the pale girl lifted her hands and blocked off both ends of the streets, along with the alleyways that separated the tall buildings. Considering how long and how much effort it took Lori to use her Anomaly sometimes, the pale girl¡¯s speed, precision, and control with her earth-moving power was incredible. It wasn¡¯t just able to level buildings. She could have done a lot of good with her power.


    Slowly, almost painfully so, they descended to the people below. The poor people had already started screaming, clawing desperately at the walls of rock that wouldn¡¯t break. The most desperate ones were bleeding from how hard they dug at the wall. Many of them began to cry and beg their captors, while others made frantic phone calls to the police and miserable ones to their loved ones. What could the police even do to free them from the rock walls? They were all trapped like lab rats.


    ¡°Silence!¡± McLeod¡¯s voice boomed, echoing off the new walls. ¡°It would appear that Vancouver was not enough for your kind to recognize my declaration of war. Allow me to formally introduce ourselves to the world. We are Dii Consentes. We are the next step forward for life on Earth. You will see us as a collection of gods in time.


    ¡°This will be the final warning to the world that we have arrived. We will no longer hide in the shadows. We are prepared to fight for our spot on this planet. History has been written by humans abusing, hunting, and brutally murdering my kind for centuries. Lies, deceptions, and coverups have been done to avoid suspicion. But that time is over. You will know that we have been here for centuries. We will not be the hunted any longer. Instead, we will take our rightful place as kings of this world. This evolution will be bloody, but necessary.¡±


    Looking at the news reporter, he made a small hand waving gesture his way, and the man burst into blue flames. The camera operator screamed as her partner burned, his own pained cries joining her startled and horrified ones. In her fear, the woman dropped the camera she¡¯d been holding. Before it could crash into the ground, it stopped midair. The burning man only screamed for a few more seconds before the flames finally put him out of his agony.


    The scientist-looking man walked forward and gently turned the floating camera toward the woman originally operating it. She was on the ground, dirt covering her pencil skirt. Her makeup ran down her face as she begged for mercy, holding up her hands in a useless attempt at defending herself. I wanted the poor, trembling woman to run and hide. Her body seemed to be totally paralyzed by fear.


    ¡°Thank you for helping us broadcast our message today, ma¡¯am,¡± the scientist-looking man said, his voice much softer than McLeod¡¯s. ¡°You have helped us reach billions of people, and for that, we are grateful to you. You have brought us such magnificent equipment with great audio pickup, ma¡¯am. However, you are now obsolete. Nothing personal, ma¡¯am, but Dii Consentes will display its power. Heather, ma¡¯am, would you be so kind?¡±


    The pale girl, who must¡¯ve been Heather, huffed but nodded her head. She carefully walked up to the cowering camerawoman, each step precise and controlled, like she had rehearsed how to walk for this very moment. With the angle, we could only see Heather¡¯s back, but the camerawoman continued to look horrified, matching how I felt about that girl¡¯s unnerving appearance.


    Heather stretched her arms out to her sides and two chunks of rock came out of the ground, each in the shape of a hand. Heather flexed her long, slender fingers a little bit and the hands mirrored her movements. Even with the horrible events I was witnessing, her control and precision still would not cease to amaze me. The rock hands were formed so quickly and reacted so naturally like they were truly second hands.


    With a single clap, that awe and amazement turned to disgust and horror. The rock hands came together and crushed the camerawoman with a sickening crunch and splatter of blood on the street. The poor woman managed to let out one final, haunting scream the instant her life was ended for the world to see. Before the aftermath could be shown, I closed my eyes and turned my head, my stomach beginning to churn. Lori screamed, and Mrs. Carmichael shouted more things into her phone.


    If Shelly reacted in any way, I didn¡¯t know. I was trying to drown it out. I just wanted it all to stop and to go away. I knew if the news people there were killed, the rest of the trapped civilians wouldn¡¯t be far behind. I didn¡¯t want to see anymore civilians be killed like that. No more destroyed families or cruel deaths. I didn¡¯t want to see any of it anymore. I didn¡¯t want to hear those sounds anymore. It was all too much for me. It all needed to just go away.


    There was an unmistakable crash of glass breaking, then the living room went totally quiet. I opened my eyes to see our TV lying in two pieces on the carpet. Small shards of the screen littered the ground and I already dreaded trying to clean all of those up. The spot where it was mounted on the wall had cracks spiderwebbing out from a small hole in the center. The mount itself looked like it was just a nudge away from falling too.


    ¡°What happened to the TV?¡± I asked with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°I believe you happened to the TV, Ethan,¡± Mrs. Carmichael replied, no longer on her phone call, but still frantically tapping away on the device. She didn¡¯t even look up from the device to say it. ¡°Given how many times I¡¯ve seen it happen before, I¡¯ll throw out a guess that was your Anomaly. Unfortunately, I do not know what it is just yet.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s an offensive one, Mrs. Carmichael?¡± Lori asked. She still looked sick from the display in Seattle, but she seemed excited about my apparent Anomaly. Shame that excitement came at the cost of our TV, even if we did buy it secondhand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain, though if it can do that to the TV, it likely has some offensive capabilities,¡± she replied as she set her phone down on the table, using its stand to have it face us. ¡°I understand that what you saw was unpleasant, but if we can get any insight to what they can do, that information will prove beyond valuable.¡±


    There was a livestream on the same news broadcast that we were just watching on the TV. It didn¡¯t look like much else had happened in the few moments that we couldn¡¯t watch. Mercifully, the camera wasn¡¯t on the remains of the two people who were just murdered, returning the world back to McLeod and everyone behind him. Oddly enough, it seemed completely silent, even though there were numerous people in view.


    ¡°I will repeat my offer to those who have transcended,¡± McLeod said, looking hard into the camera. ¡°You will all be given a single opportunity to join us. You will be taken care of in our family with luxuries you¡¯ve likely never enjoyed before. You deserve better than the lives you¡¯ve all been forced to live. Do not hide who you are any longer from those who would rather see you imprisoned or worse. Stand and battle for your place!


    ¡°With these attacks on two of the world¡¯s most significant nations, I expect our declaration of war to be taken seriously. Form your armies and watch as we crush your dreams of peace and survival. No guardians you muster will stop this crusade. Meet us in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in two weeks from this day. See how well you can protect your civilians with your best planning and the grace of my forewarning.¡±


    Curiously, McLeod¡¯s head tilted slightly to the side, a small amount of surprise overcoming his expression. It was the first time I¡¯d seen something other than smug confidence from the man. I was sure he wouldn¡¯t take kindly to having his confusion broadcast on live TV, but it was too late for that, and he managed to recover that smug look quickly anyway. That confidence was not something that would be so easy to quell.


    ¡°Finally, a challenger!¡± McLeod yelled out, sounding genuinely happy. ¡°I hope you can make this more of a test than I am expecting from the United States and Canadian governments.¡±


    The camera was slowly rotated to a lone man who was pointing at one of the rock walls. With a small look of concentration, a blue beam flew from his finger and hit the wall. A large chunk of ice appeared from the point of impact, stretching about ten feet in total height, based on the heights of the people around it.


    ¡°No! Mrs. Carmichael, what is he doing there?¡± Lori rose from the couch, turning to her leader. The fear in her voice was unmistakable. ¡°I thought Flynn wasn¡¯t supposed to send anyone in!¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t, and I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t,¡± she replied, her usual confidence gone, now replaced by concern. ¡°We still have people who will act on their own wishes, despite any orders we give them. In some, the desire to try and help others will trump any order given by a superior.¡±


    Their conversation was interrupted when the man closed his hand and a chunk of the frozen rock shattered to bits. The people closest to the wall all ran through the newly formed hole. It being the first glimmer of hope they¡¯d seen since the attack started, there was lots of screaming and shoving. It wasn¡¯t long before people ran to the opening from the other end of the closed off street, McLeod and his group doing nothing to stop them. They were all focused on the man in front of them.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re a hero type. I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t the battle for me, as impressive as your ice may be.¡± McLeod shook his head, all his excitement replaced with boredom and disappointment. He placed a hand on the knight¡¯s shoulder and nodded. ¡°This will be your duel. I look forward to seeing your progress.¡±


    The knight nodded his head as well and walked forward, drawing the sword from his hip. The bright metal contrasted his armor so much that it made it impossible to look away. The knight¡¯s presence was almost as powerful as McLeod¡¯s. His silence compared to McLeod was the most jarring thing about him. McLeod had never been shy about boasting, but the knight¡¯s eerie silence added to his feeling of dread and hopelessness, as if he was just a machine under his armor.


    ¡°Oh God, Rory no¡­¡± Lori whispered, covering her mouth with one hand. ¡°Please, is there anything we can do to help him?¡±


    ¡°As much this pains me, I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s tone was laced with sadness. ¡°He¡¯s made his choice to try and save those people. A choice that I would not have been able to talk him out of, no matter how hard I tried. It is now my job to trust in my husband to keep home safe, and for myself to keep you all as informed as possible.¡±


    I wanted to feel angry at her almost businesslike approach to the matter. That was a human being standing up to all five of them! She clearly cared about the man who was standing outnumbered and was actively risking his life to save others. I wanted to be angry that she wouldn¡¯t help, yet it was that same care I detected from her that stomped out that fire. It was probably hurting her more than she let on, but as a leader, she had others to worry about as well. She had been right about being unable to talk some people out of their choices if they were truly set on seeing them through.


    ¡°I¡¯m askin¡¯ you as one of you, won¡¯t you please just leave these people alone?¡± Rory asked, still standing his ground. I was having trouble placing his accent. I thought it might have been Irish. ¡°This has no happy endin¡¯ for anyone.¡±


    ¡°Your words ring hollow to us,¡± McLeod replied. ¡°Your choice was made when you sided with them. Now you will face the consequences for your actions.¡±


    With that final word on the matter, the knight floated about ten feet into the air, before charging at Rory at a downward angle. His speed was extraordinary; faster than any human I¡¯d seen sprint before. He was a black and silver streak racing through the beautiful morning sun. While horrifying, it was still awe inspiring, if only because it was almost so absurd a situation. People had watched superhero battles on TV and in movies for years, but this was a real battle between superhumans, with very real stakes.


    Rory created a wall of ice in front of him, ready for the collision. Unfortunately, any plan he had was swiftly dashed when the knight cut the ice in half with a single swing of his sword, seemingly defying all reason. Rory had just enough time to react to hop back, but a fine line of blood appeared ran across his chest. Had he been any slower, he might¡¯ve been cut in two, if that ice acted as an indicator.


    ¡°Of course you have two Anomalies, you freak among freaks. Because this just can¡¯t get any worse for me, can it?¡± Rory¡¯s voice was thick with sarcasm. As expected, the knight offered no verbal response, just a slow and cautious temporary retreat. I considered it a blessing that he was still uncertain of Rory¡¯s full capabilities.


    The knight¡¯s foot touched the asphalt, and the moment it did, Rory focused his powers on his ankle. Ice soon bound the knight¡¯s foot to the ground. It was impossible to see his expression under the helmet, so I imagined it was one of shock. With a bit of effort, he broke his leg free from its prison and looked up just in time to see a massive, pointed chunk of ice heading his way. It slammed into his chest and sent him flying back a good distance.


    ¡°None of you goons plannin¡¯ on steppin¡¯ in?¡± Rory asked McLeod and his allies.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± McLeod quickly replied. ¡°I, and the rest of Dii Consentes, pride ourselves on never outnumbering an opponent. Your battle is between you two, no matter the results.¡±


    ¡°Even if that stupid pride means you get killed?¡± Rory questioned.


    ¡°Especially if it gets us killed. We cannot assert ourselves as those who have transcended if we cannot win difficult battles alone.¡±


    Rory shook his head and returned his focus to the knight. By that point, most of the people had cleared out, so their battlefield on the street was largely void of human life. The knight appeared to be shaking off some cobwebs, something I couldn¡¯t blame him for. That shard of ice was formed so quickly and traveled like it was a few pounds. The torso of his armor had a dent in it, but I was just surprised it wasn¡¯t destroyed entirely.


    Again, somehow faster this time, the knight flew through the air toward Rory, but he was expecting it this time. He formed a stronger wall of ice in front of him, and the knight was unable to completely cut through it. His blade made it about halfway through, and it wasn¡¯t an insignificant amount of ice put up, showing just how strong he truly was. I would have needed a chainsaw and a few hours to make that kind of cut in ice that thick. The knight managed to do it in a single, seemingly effortless swing.


    ¡°So, someone can have two Anomalies?¡± I asked, assuming his were strength and flight.


    It was Mrs. Carmichael who spoke up about it, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s exceptionally rare. We estimate that less than three percent of the entirety of superhumans have more than a single Anomaly, and neither Anomaly will be weaker than the other. There¡¯s no catch or tradeoff to it. Some people just have two.¡±


    I turned my attention back to the livestream with a newfound feeling of dread. The knight had an Anomaly that let him go airborne. His arial maneuvers were too quick and calculated for him to not have control over his flight powers. I also didn¡¯t know if the other Anomaly was just limited to superior strength. Even if I did know, it wasn¡¯t like I could help Rory. The only thing I could do was stay on this couch, observe, and hope for the best outcome.


    Rory seemed to be doing well for himself, at least from my observations. He was efficiently dodging the knight¡¯s attacks and keeping a good distance between them, occasionally forming ice in the air and launching them at his opponent. They weren¡¯t as menacing as that first shard, but they were putting scratches and small dents into the black armor. The knight suddenly stopped and slowly floated backward, staying about three feet off the ground and far enough away that he could see an ice attack coming.


    ¡°What? You done already, bud?¡± Rory asked. It wasn¡¯t a taunt. There was no malice in his words. ¡°You gotta have more tricks than that in your impressive armor there.¡±


    I could see the knight¡¯s shoulders rise and fall as he took a deep breath, raising his sword slightly with both hands, preparing to attack or defend. There were no sounds surrounding them, not even emergency vehicles. If anyone was there, they were also trying to keep their distance. Maybe they were busy handling the civilians who escaped through that hole in the rock, but there had to still be a lot in the buildings that hugged the street.


    The knight then decided that the feeling out process was over. He crouched slightly, touched the ground, and flew forward, faster than both times before, racing through the air like a meteor toward Rory. The only reason I knew he didn¡¯t was because I heard him pressing off the asphalt and moving through the air and it sounded like a small explosion. The spot where he briefly stood had two holes with cracks expanding from them, much like what I did to the wall behind the TV.


    Rory barely managed to get ice up in front of him, but it wasn¡¯t enough this time. The knight slashed through it and cut deeply into his forearm, spilling blood on the street beneath him. He started to yell in pain, but the knight flew behind him and delivered a hard kick to his back, producing the sickening crunch of broken bones. He flew forward and slammed into the ground, his breathing ragged and coarse.


    ¡°No, please stop!¡± Lori shouted, tears forming in her eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t let it be him. Don¡¯t take him away from us.¡±


    Rory coughed and turned over to face his opponent with great difficulty, spitting out some blood as he did so. His eyes narrowed and, from a finger that was hidden from the view of the camera, another blue beam flew from his finger. He was aiming for the knight¡¯s chest, but he dodged it just enough so that his left forearm took the attack. Much like the rock wall, the armor quickly froze over, extending from hand to elbow.


    The knight looked down at the ice and raised his right hand, probably preparing to try and shatter the ice entirely. He wasn¡¯t fast enough. Rory closed his fist, and the ice shattered, taking the armor along with it. The attack removed the armor, leaving behind a surprisingly lean, pale arm that was a gross shade of red from the ice burn.


    ¡°Dammit, thought that¡¯d get your entire arm there. That¡¯s some special armor you got.¡± Rory went through another round of wet coughs. ¡°But I showed them that you can be hurt. You aren¡¯t immortal over there, no matter how much you¡¯re wantin¡¯ us to believe you are. If you can get hurt, you can lose, and it won¡¯t just stop with me.¡±


    The knight¡¯s left arm hung limply at his side as he pointed his blade at Rory. The man smiled, knowing his time was running out. The smile was replaced with a grimace when the blade went through his chest. Blood ran down the man¡¯s chin as he coughed and gasped. Next to me, Lori shrieked and cried, begging for it to stop.


    ¡°I might fall here today, but this will be turnnin¡¯ into their victory, McLeod,¡± Rory said, barely loud enough for the audio equipment to pick up. His smile returned, albeit weaker. ¡°You might have some strong lapdogs here, but every bit we¡¯re learnin¡¯ about you means we¡¯re getting¡¯ closer to beating you.¡±


    The knight pulled the blade free from Rory¡¯s chest. Blood slowly dripped from its tip to the street below. A few more coughs and gasps escaped Rory¡¯s mouth before he passed away; that mouth still turned upward in a grin that seemed to indicate he won the battle. Despite the violent way he went, Rory looked oddly at peace. Perhaps he truly knew he wouldn¡¯t return home, his only goals being to save those lives and give us the slightest bit of hope. That hope would have to be enough. People would need to study the footage to get any kind of information on possible weaknesses Dii Consentes may have had.


    The camera once again rotated back to McLeod, who now looked much angrier than he had before the battle began. ¡°Remember my generous warning. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in two weeks from this day. With this, my grace and kindness to your kind is no more, so make it worthwhile. Transcend and rise above, my brothers and sisters.¡±


    And the camera feed went to black.

 Book One - Chapter Ten

    Lori let out horrible, heartbroken sobs for what seemed like an eternity. Seeing what happened in Vancouver and Seattle certainly got my own waterworks going, but I hadn¡¯t just watched someone I care about die on national television. It was obvious Rory meant a lot to her. Yes, I lost my parents and that was something that would always stick with me. I didn¡¯t have to watch them get painfully murdered with the rest of the world. Rory went into a situation where he knew he¡¯d likely lose his life, and that had to weigh on Lori¡¯s mind heavily.


    In a poor attempt to comfort the hurting girl, I put my hand on her back. My apprehension to being touched making it an awkward gesture. She didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood for conversation, so I thought maybe a physical sign that she wasn¡¯t alone might be able to help. My sister would often make small amounts of contact with me right after our parents died, and it did help me a little bit.


    She looked at me with surprise in her tear-filled eyes, but she didn¡¯t shrug away from the contact. I thought she might¡¯ve tried giving me a weak smile before covering her face again. It was hard for me to tell. She was hurting so much that I wanted to try giving the small girl a hug. I decided against doing that since we¡¯d only known each other for a day. Still, I did consider her a friend, and I wanted to do what I could while keeping our boundaries respected.


    I glanced over at Mrs. Carmichael, who had found her way into one of our chairs. She was resting her forehead against her folded hands. She wasn¡¯t crying, though she was absolutely upset about the loss. I wasn¡¯t going to pretend to know the woman after a single lunch together. She had to have a million different things going through her head at one moment. She seemed to want to have every situation under control, and while this wasn¡¯t the best start to our specific one, I had no doubt that she would be hard at work trying to get the ball rolling.


    Suddenly, she lifted her head and gave me a hard stare. ¡°Ethan, it pains me to demand this of you, but I will need your decision today. I was hoping I¡¯d be able to ease you into everything more than this. With the continued attacks, my time will be needed back at Luna. We don¡¯t have the infrastructure setup to start proper training, but I will not tolerate anyone else dying like Rory did today. Will you join us, Ethan?¡±


    Honestly, I think I had already made up my mind well before she asked me that question. McLeod and his goons¡ªDii Consentes, or whatever they wanted to be called¡ªscared me to death. The way they treated human life as if it was nothing horrified me to my core. They only played by their own sick, twisted rules, and no one had been able to stop them yet. Hell, he was confident enough to announce an attack to see if normal humans could do anything to him.


    He seemed so strong that it made sense to take him up on his offer and join him. But then I would remember all those families tragically torn apart, and I knew I couldn¡¯t side with them. Not after what I¡¯d gone through with my own parents.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± I said. My voice betrayed how unconfident I felt. ¡°If I try to hide and run from them, what will happen? Will they try to take me by force? Even if I were to develop my Anomaly alone, I don¡¯t think I could protect myself and my sister for very long. Going with you and Lori gives my family the best chance to live, I think. I can¡¯t take what they¡¯ve done to all those innocent people either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going with them, Ethan? Even if it means putting a target on your back?¡± Shelly asked. Her voice didn¡¯t waver. She looked like she also knew this decision was coming.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the best decision. People are dying, Shelly. Maybe I can¡¯t stop that, but I can at least try to keep us safe.¡±


    Shelly sighed and shook her head. ¡°I know they are. I just don¡¯t want you to be one of them. You know I¡¯m going with you, right?¡±


    I nodded, never even considering the possibility she would have stayed behind. ¡°Of course, but what are you going to do about work?¡±


    ¡°Shane was trying to get me to work from home anyway. He wanted me to spend more time with you before you went off to college, something he didn¡¯t get a chance to do with his own kids. I can still schedule meetings and the like for him with a computer and a headset, so that won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    The confirmation that we¡¯d both join Luna seemed to make Mrs. Carmichael a bit happier. Lori, still crying, looked up to both of us and nodded. With the decision made, Mrs. Carmichael sent out some text messages before making sure each person in the room had shared their phone numbers with everyone else. We all sent a few test text messages and phone calls to make sure we didn¡¯t have any issues getting in touch with each other.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°One week should be adequate for you to pack your belongings,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said with some regained confidence. ¡°Any and all furniture that you need will be given to you, but you won¡¯t have to wait for it. You¡¯ll be moving into a fully furnished unit at our complex. Ms. Davis, you will stay here for the remaining week to make sure nothing happens to them.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Lori yelled, getting angry. ¡°Rory just died without me getting a chance to say goodbye, and I can¡¯t even go home to grieve? He was the only one who really made me feel at home there!¡±


    ¡°Yes, because this was an assignment you were given, and it is valuable and needed experience for you,¡± Mrs. Carmichael replied, not giving up an inch. ¡°We will all have time to grieve for Rory, but he did not sacrifice himself so we could sit around and feel depressed about it. He died saving innocent lives and proving they¡¯re not invincible. This may still be a confusing and difficult situation for Ethan, so you need to see through the assignment you were given.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael tapped her phone once and Fink appeared, not looking much better than Lori. They both gave small waves and teleported out of the room, leaving Shelly, Lori, and myself in a very tense atmosphere. Angry and sad with grief are not a helpful blend of emotions. Trust me, I knew that one from experience.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I began, reaching out to small woman on the couch. ¡°I¡¯m here if there¡¯s something you need. We both are, right Shelly?¡±


    My sister nodded her head, but Lori shook hers. ¡°Thanks guys, but I just want to be alone for the rest of the day. You know where I live if you need anything.¡±


    She stood up and didn¡¯t waste any time exiting our apartment, wiping her eyes and sniffling as she left. In our apartment¡¯s silence, I could hear her close her door. The poor girl had to feel so damn alone.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be okay?¡± I wondered aloud, grabbing the broom to clean up the shattered bits of TV.


    ¡°In time, probably,¡± Shelly replied as she got ready to help with the cleanup. ¡°It was especially hard on you for the first month when Mom and Dad died. You would hardly do anything.¡±


    I tried to think back to how I got out of that period of my life. All of it was sort of a blur, like my brain didn¡¯t want to revisit any of those memories. I did remember many meals left out that I didn¡¯t eat. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t feel hungry or didn¡¯t like it. I just couldn¡¯t muster the energy to eat any food. It took every bit of effort I had to shower, and I only did that because I knew it would be rude to Shelly to live together and not bathe. Looking back on it, not eating her food was also rude, but fourteen-year-old me didn¡¯t think that far.


    ¡°Sorry about the TV, by the way. I don¡¯t know how I did it, and I¡¯m kind of too scared to try it again. If I can¡¯t control it, I¡¯d hate to create a new door for us to Lori¡¯s apartment.¡± If it was possible to sweep guiltily, I was doing it.


    ¡°Eh, it was a cheap thing anyway. You realizing your Anomaly thing is probably worth an old secondhand TV. What do you think it is?¡± Shelly grabbed a second broom she kept in her closet to join me in sweeping.


    I shrugged and frowned. Anyone¡¯s guess would have been as good as mine. ¡°I just kept wishing that what I was seeing and hearing would stop, and bam, no more television. It was focused on a point, judging from the wall, but I¡¯m not really sure what it might be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can put some easily breakable objects in a metal container and maybe you can practice a bit.¡± She stopped before adding, ¡°Carefully practice, I mean.¡±


    After that, we cleaned up quietly, and let me tell you, there¡¯s not a lot of fun in cleaning up glass and small bits of plastic from a carpet with brooms. Even though I swept and vacuumed the area what felt like hundreds of times, I knew that I¡¯d be paranoid about stepping on a shard for the last week I¡¯d be in that apartment.


    The last week in the only town that I¡¯d known as home for all my life.


    That thought hit me harder than it had when I initially agreed to go with Lori and Mrs. Carmichael. My family had only left home to go on a few trips for vacation, and that wasn¡¯t often. I didn¡¯t really know about many other parts of the country, either. I knew the east and west coasts had a huge amount of people. I knew they had beaches. That was about it. I was kicking myself for not paying more attention when we did learn about cities on the coasts.


    There were a few questions I wished I had asked Mrs. Carmichael when she was in the apartment with us. I accepted there would be time in my future to ask them. Getting to a place where I could learn how to best use my Anomaly was my current goal. McLeod was attacking closer to home, even if Seattle wasn¡¯t that far away from Vancouver. What if Portland wasn¡¯t too far off? What about the smaller cities behind it, like Salem, Eugene, or Gresham? What if he just marched along the west coast and attacked every city that had more than one hundred thousand people living in them? When would it stop?


    No, learning and developing was the best plan I could stick to. If I couldn¡¯t control whatever I did to that TV, it could be a student at school, someone in a store, or Shelly next time. A TV, table, or wall were all things that could be replaced easily enough. I wasn¡¯t sure I could live with myself if I hurt someone because of my lack of control. I¡¯d make sure to get better and ensure the survival of my family. The first step to that was cleaning up the mess I made.

 Book One - Chapter Eleven

    It had been forty-eight rainy hours since the attack on Seattle, and there were some pleasant and less pleasant things going on. The good was that, true to his word, McLeod hadn¡¯t popped up to attack a new city after his work in Seattle was done. Pittsburgh was still on the table, so we couldn¡¯t breathe too easy. I was still going to take everything I could get. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my chest. I didn¡¯t have to dread turning on the metaphorical TV we had, and that was a nice after what had happened. I didn¡¯t even have a nightmare when I slept!


    The bad news outweighed the positive of my lack of nightmares, though. Lori hadn¡¯t contacted us at all, and we didn¡¯t think she¡¯d left her apartment since the day of the attack. She¡¯d only been in Shamrock for a few days without a car, so there was no way she had many groceries, if any at all. Our cheap apartment units meant we could usually hear it when our neighbors came and went from their units, so it created a bit of inadvertent spying. That was part of the reason why Lori¡¯s apartment had been vacant when she got there. Our old neighbors couldn¡¯t stand constantly hearing people come in and out.


    That had the two of us worried sick about our new neighbor. We knew that she had been through something difficult, but she didn¡¯t have anyone to help. She was in an unfamiliar area, away from any friends and family, and she wasn¡¯t allowed to go back and be with them just yet. At least Shelly and I had each other to lean on for six years. If Lori was anything like she had been two days prior, she¡¯d probably be suffering, and all alone on top of it.


    So, I was making some potato pancakes for all three of us. I wasn¡¯t going to do something like invite Lori over when she was still grieving. If she had some comfort in her own place, I was going to let her have it. That didn¡¯t change the fact she needed to eat regularly. Shelly normally preferred to cook, but I insisted on doing it that time. Lori was technically here because of me, so I felt at least partially responsible for her not being able to grieve at home. I was hoping a nice meal would help her a little bit.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the entire apartment smelled like garlic and potatoes. I hadn¡¯t eaten yet, so I felt my mouth watering as I stood right above the delicious scent as it rose up to my nose. I tried to remain patient and just let them finish. I needed to make they all turned out as well as I could make them, so I couldn¡¯t get too eager and dig in right after they cooled. In protest to my excellent patience, my stomach growled, trying to convince me to only look out for myself, just one time.


    I was able to push those thoughts out of my head and focus on making sure nothing got burned or went wrong. Nothing did, thankfully, but that left me feeling bored over the stove, so I lazily observed our soon-to-be old home. Our living and dining room area was as unexciting as always, now minus a few pictures that Shelly had put away for packing. We wouldn¡¯t soon forget the TV I shattered either, may its soul find eternal rest. I¡¯d gotten so used to the white noise the TV created when on that I started to feel weird without it. Too weird, almost. How did people get by without some sort of noise in the background?


    ¡°Smells great, Ethan!¡± Shelly yelled from her bedroom, no doubt packing away her essentials in there. She was much better at getting that done than I had been. ¡°Make sure you save me a few.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, but I¡¯m making Lori¡¯s first!¡± I yelled back, turning my head down the hall to make sure she heard me. ¡°I¡¯ll take these over to her and then I¡¯ll make ours, then I¡¯ll come home and start packing. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± she confirmed, leaving me to face those pleasant smells that still taunted me.


    They wouldn¡¯t be doing that for much longer. Finally, they were done, and like a perfect gentleman, I refrained from eating all the food I made for Lori. I carefully removed them from the skillet one at a time. Since I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to make her anything else, I made her four, hopefully that would be enough to last her the entire day. She was a small lady, and I hadn¡¯t seen her eat a lot at the diner, so four seemed to be an appropriate amount. I was also worried about making too many and wasting perfectly good food.


    I grabbed a small bit of saran wrap, preparing for the event that she didn¡¯t want to eat or left without us noticing. I also thought to grab a small sticky note and pen in case I needed to leave her a message. Using a fork, I did my best to arrange the potato pancakes on the plate in a way that they wouldn¡¯t accidentally fall off. I shouted back to Shelly that I was leaving and that I¡¯d be back soon. I was really hoping that Lori would be doing better.


    I left my apartment and took the few steps needed to get to her front door. I knocked a couple of times to no response. Not exactly a surprise there. I¡¯d hardly want to answer the door in her position. I gently knocked some more, not wanting to wake her up if she was sleeping in. Still no response, and I felt myself starting to get nervous. What if something bad happened to her and we hadn¡¯t noticed?


    I shook my head and rubbed my eyes with my free hand. She was fine. Physically, at least. I was sure of it and it was my job as a friend to check up on her, even if there was nothing else I could do beyond that. Those were the thoughts I kept running through my mind when I fished out the spare key Lori had given me when we dropped her off after the diner trip. She told me it was in case of emergencies, and her not answering was an emergency, right? It seemed pretty close to one to me.


    Like an experienced and seasoned waiter, I was able to keep the potato pancakes balanced on the plate when I unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. A wave of guilt briefly washed over me, causing me to hesitate in front of the cracked door. Was going into her home, temporary as it was, really an okay thing to do uninvited? I know that my intentions were good, but I couldn¡¯t quite shake the feeling that I was doing something immoral.


    Well, I decided that feeling was useless since I was already standing in front of a partially opened door with food in one hand. Turning back at that point would have probably just made things more awkward and weird. Might as well just dive headfirst into the possible mess, right? What could go wrong?


    ¡°Lori, are you home?¡± I asked, poking my head inside.


    The only light in her living room came from the doorway and an uncovered window in the back of her living room. Her place was mostly unfurnished, only having a couch, dining table, and a couple of chairs. God, it looked so lifeless and lonely. I knew it was just a temporary housing arrangement for her, but it was just a place to sleep, really. There was nothing about the apartment that looked like someone lived there.


    I didn¡¯t hear a response, so I walked a little further in. The silence was kind of eerie. It didn¡¯t look like a place a person should live in, so I genuinely wondered if she was still there at all. I turned to check the kitchen, since her apartment was identical to mine, only mirrored. As I expected, she wasn¡¯t in there either


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I sighed and went to write her a note telling her where the food came from, but I heard a slight shifting sound from the couch. I assumed it was Lori, but I didn¡¯t want to ignore the possibility it might¡¯ve been someone else. I wasn¡¯t sure if any home invaders would take a nap on someone¡¯s couch in their barely furnished apartment. Still, I crept over slowly, not wanting to take any chances.


    I got to the back of the couch and peered over, seeing Lori staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression. Her lights were on, but no one was anywhere close to home. I gave a small wave to her which did seem to get her attention. Considering she hadn¡¯t known I was there, she wasn¡¯t surprised to see me, or at least she didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°Oh, hey Ethan,¡± she began, sounding uninterested. She slowly sat up and I got a good look at how dark the circles around her eyes were. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Hey, sorry if I woke you up,¡± I answered. She looked so tired and defeated. I wasn¡¯t sure if a good meal would be of much help. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you had eaten since the diner, so I brought you some food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you, but I¡¯m not feeling very hungry,¡± Lori said, rubbing her eyes and glancing around the room, looking a little confused at her surroundings. Had she spent most of her time lying on the couch?


    Getting a closer look at her, she really did not look well. She had at least changed clothes since the last time I saw her. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. Her hair looked a little greasy and messy. While someone¡¯s grooming habits were none of my business, and I didn¡¯t care to make them my business, there was some stubble on her legs and her underarms. She hadn¡¯t showered since she watched Rory die.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not hungry, but you need to try and eat something, okay?¡± I hoped she¡¯d be willing to at least get a little something on her stomach. I showed her the plate and her eyes did seem to get some life back into them. ¡°They¡¯re potato pancakes and I think they¡¯re pretty good.¡±


    I took the saran wrap and carefully put it on to cover the food. I walked around set the plate on the carpet, confident that the wrapping would it keep it safe. I was hoping that if I left it that close to her and in her field of view, she¡¯d eat a few of them. They didn¡¯t need to be immediately refrigerated either.


    ¡°Our door¡¯s always open if you want to come by, Lori,¡± I said, putting a hand on her little shoulder. I didn¡¯t want to sound like I was trying to force her to come over, but man, I just couldn¡¯t imagine having to be alone here. Suffering alone when grieving was truly agonizing. I pulled my hand back and turned away to leave before she started speaking.


    ¡°He was the first person who really welcomed me at Luna,¡± she began, her voice unsteady. She patted the couch a few times, which I took as an invitation to sit. ¡°When I first got there, everyone could do all these cool things, and I could just see how people were feeling. Compared to them, I felt completely worthless.


    ¡°I was sitting alone and crying in one of our exercise rooms about a week after I got there. Rory comes in to do some workouts and sees me like that. A teenage girl in a crying fit is not something most people want to get involved with, so I thought he¡¯d just go about his day. He didn¡¯t hesitate to strike up a conversation with me.¡±


    Lori adjusted her position and sat cross-legged. She started to sniffle, and her eyes got wet. I looked around for any tissues, but Lori hadn¡¯t had the chance to get any of those either. She sighed and just wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. I tried to mentally prepare myself for the possibility that she broke down and how I would try to handle it. Ever the social master, I was drawing blanks.


    ¡°And he started talking to me, asked me my name and all that. When I told him it was Loriana, he asked, ¡®So we got a Rory and now a Lori, eh?¡¯ I loved it. It was the first time someone gave me a nickname, and I¡¯ve made sure it¡¯s stuck since then. He was really the only person who felt like a friend to me. Our age difference didn¡¯t give us a lot in common for a few years, so he sort of became an older brother figure to me. He helped me adjust to a brand-new life there. I¡­I didn¡¯t even say bye to him before he left on his last assignment. And it wasn¡¯t even over something stupid like a fight or another thing you¡¯d see in a movie. Nope, we just missed each other.¡±


    That really helped me understand just how much he meant to her. I was in bad shape after I had a nightmare about losing Shelly, and I knew that wasn¡¯t real. If I lost her for real, I don¡¯t think that I would be able to do much of anything. I couldn¡¯t see how I¡¯d be able to get out of that dark tunnel. Perhaps it was strange to do all those mental comparisons for someone I didn¡¯t know that well, but come on, someone¡¯s locked themselves in their home and I¡¯m supposed to not try and understand?


    ¡°I feel so alone right now, and I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± Lori said, breaking the brief silence. ¡°I¡¯m glad your sister made me food, really, I am. It¡¯s a sweet gesture, but I just want to be back home right now.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t about to point out that Shelly didn¡¯t make the food. Lori probably wouldn¡¯t care for being told she was wrong in such a delicate state, especially since she had really started crying hard. Instead, I squeezed her shoulder and said, ¡°I know you do, Lori. You¡¯ll be back there before you know it. Just try and stay strong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to stay strong anymore!¡± she yelled, anger taking over. ¡°I can¡¯t be home to even see if they¡¯re having a funeral for my friend, I can¡¯t be with my parents, and I have to wait for an attack in Pittsburgh. And the best part is that I get to do it while sitting in this nameless, miserable little town!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ll be out in just a few more days,¡± I said, attempting to calm her down. I tried to not get offended about the insult directed toward my town. ¡°Just manage until Thursday, Lori. I know you can do it.¡±


    ¡°No, Ethan, you don¡¯t know anything about me,¡± she said, standing up. ¡°You¡¯ve always had Michelle to be a shoulder to lean on when you needed it. You had your family there when you needed them, and I have to be stuck here babysitting!¡±


    ¡°Lori, that¡¯s not fair and you know it,¡± I said. I took a deep breath to control my anger and my temper. ¡°I lost my parents and you¡¯ve lost someone special to you. We¡¯ve both lost people important to us.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! You don¡¯t know anything about this. You don¡¯t understand me! You don¡¯t understand what Rory meant to me!¡± Lori¡¯s tiny body was trembling with anger.


    When she finished, a huge spike of pure rage hit me. The sudden change nearly made me fall off the couch, but it only lasted for an instant. I was able to get it under control enough for it to just be manageable. It was still the angriest I had been in a while, though. I had enough sense to know I needed to get out of there as quickly as I could.


    ¡°I think I should leave now,¡± I said, struggling to keep my voice level. I stood up on shaky legs and looked toward the door.


    ¡°Yeah, I think you should too,¡± Lori said, tears still running down her face. She placed both her hands on my chest and shoved me back. ¡°Just get out and leave me alone!¡±


    Really struggling to keep my anger in check at that point, I swiftly made my exit. I closed the door behind me and stood in the rain, still able to hear Lori¡¯s sobs. My mind struggled with anger and sadness, the former still feeling misplaced. I knew that I should have been angry at her comments, but I didn¡¯t think I should have been as angry as I was. I couldn¡¯t remember a time I¡¯d ever been that enraged before in my life, at least not in a single moment.


    Pinching the bridge of my nose, I went back into my place shaking my head. I could feel a headache coming on, and I still had to start packing my things. If I procrastinated on that, Shelly was going to have my head. I think I just needed something to do. It¡¯d help me clear my mind a little bit. Lori¡¯s mood swing was a little jarring and I just wanted to get past it as soon as possible.


    I opened my door and saw Shelly cleaning some dishes with a concerned look on her face. I had been hoping that she would stay in her room packing the entire time. No good fortune for me on that front. Maybe she didn¡¯t end up hearing anything and her look of concern was for something unrelated.


    ¡°Sounded¡­lively over there,¡± she said, quickly dashing that hope.


    ¡°Lori was not, uh, in a talking mood today,¡± I explained, rubbing my temples.


    ¡°I could tell. That was definitely not talking over there.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t, but she¡¯s not had the easiest time the past couple of days,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep leaving her food, even if she¡¯s upset. She needs to eat. But for now, I¡¯m going to start getting things packed away.¡±


    And with that, I went into my room to slowly pack away and prepare for the next huge chapter in my life.

 Book One - Chapter Twelve

    Thursday finally arrived without any fanfare. It was the day that Shelly and I would say goodbye to our old, normal lives. You know that giddy but nervous feeling you got as a kid when you were going somewhere special? That feeling where you have fun butterflies in your stomach that are accompanied by the miserable feeling that you¡¯re going to throw up? Yeah, I was running through cycles of that big time. I was fidgeting and couldn¡¯t sit still.


    It also marked the one week point before Dii Consentes¡¯ planned attack on Pittsburgh. They hadn¡¯t shown themselves since Seattle, something that had the entire country relieved. Many news outlets had taken to calling them ¡°Transcendents¡± on account of what McLeod ended both broadcasts with. Mrs. Carmichael hated that name for them. She felt like it legitimized them as gods in the eyes of the public, something she specifically did not want for her people in Luna. She wanted their existence to be known, but slowly and gradually, leading to a good life for them where they could integrate into normal society without having to hide their powers. She didn¡¯t want a war.


    Then there was the matter of Lori. I kept making food and taking it over for her, but she never said a word to me. She was always on the couch when I was there. I was seriously worried that she was neglecting her personal hygiene, though I never went over to her to start a conversation. I would leave a note on the saran wrap of the food telling her what it was exactly, if it needed to be refrigerated soon, or how long to heat it up for, and I¡¯d just leave after that. Some days I¡¯d come back and there would be plates with small amounts of foot left, and on other days there would still be entire meals left over. I did take some small comfort knowing she ate a little bit. It was better than nothing.


    ¡°Pretty early in the morning for you to look so deep in thought,¡± Shelly said coming out of her room, dragging a suitcase behind her. We had three suitcases each, all of them containing personal items, valuables, or clothes. They fit just about all we owned. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±


    I shrugged and sighed. I really didn¡¯t know if I was going to be okay. Even after everything slowed down a bit, with the world having its eyes ripped open to the concept of real life superpowers, everything still felt insane. Ultimately, Lori and Mrs. Carmichael had no problems getting inside our home, so they could have done us harm if they meant to. When I let everything settle and I started to think about it, I was beginning to second guess my decision to join them. I wanted to protect my family, yes, but was going with them really the best way to go about doing it?


    ¡°Mrs. Carmichael told you everything here would be taken care of, right?¡± I asked, trying to change the subject.


    Shelly didn¡¯t press the matter. ¡°Yep. She said everything regarding our rent and lease would be taken care of, every belonging we¡¯ve decided to sell will be sold and the money given directly to us, and you can take advantage of our school district¡¯s online classroom program to finish up your degree. After that, it¡¯ll be up to you whether you do college or not. Luna has certain programs for college students, and you can worry about that after you graduate high school. They¡¯ll probably talk to you about it when that time gets closer.¡±


    Thinking about the future, I looked around at the room and tried to imagine what it might hold for this place. We had to live cheaper after Mom and Dad died, so we moved to the apartment after Shelly begged the landlord for help with rent to get a roof over our heads. To repay him, we kept the place in outstanding shape. Even though we hadn¡¯t lived there that long, it was so familiar to me. It was at the top of the very short list of places I felt safe in the world. In a moment of nostalgia and sadness, I was hoping that its next residents treated it with care I felt it deserved.


    ¡°Did I make the right decision?¡± I asked Shelly as I looked at a framed picture of our parents. What the hell would they have thought about their son having superpowers? ¡°Part of this is stupid, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely is,¡± Shelly replied, sitting down next to me. ¡°We¡¯re going with people that we don¡¯t know much of anything about, and at the same time, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a better alternative. At least they didn¡¯t attack us. I think I¡¯m a good judge of character. They seem like decent folk.¡±


    That much was true. There were some good and bad aspects to the choice I made, so I really appreciated having Shelly¡¯s support. Mrs. Carmichael was, unless it was a bluff, practically immortal anyway. If she wanted to take us by force, there was no way we would have really been able to stop it, even with Shelly¡¯s gun. Then her Teleporter let her travel to my place with ease. Then she gave me a choice of whether I wanted to stay or go. If she was trying to fool me, I was either way too stupid to see it, or she was good at pulling the wool over my eyes.


    ¡°Think they¡¯ll be nicer than moving to a new high school?¡± I asked, the nervous feeling returning in full force. ¡°Is that even that bad? It¡¯s almost always bad on TV shows. The new kid always gets bullied during their entire stay, except for the time where he ends up being friends with the bully and getting the attractive girl. I hope I get something closer to the latter.¡±


    ¡°First, neither of us have moved to a different high school, so I couldn¡¯t tell you if it¡¯ll be nicer,¡± Shelly replied, taking the picture of Mom and Dad so she could look at it, her gaze thoughtful. ¡°Second, you¡¯ve managed very well so far, all things considered. You¡¯re a good kid, I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of people who want to be your friend. Just make sure you remember it¡¯s up to you to let them be your friend.¡±


    ¡°What about you? What¡¯re you going to do?¡±


    Shelly shrugged and sighed. ¡°Do my job on my laptop. I don¡¯t know how exactly they pay for everything there, so I¡¯m not going to be caught off guard by a sudden unemployment scare. If I meet some people there, that¡¯d be nice too. It¡¯s been a while since either of us have really had friends.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to look for a boyfriend?¡± I asked, giving my sister a playful nudge with my shoulder.


    ¡°You know, I think that wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea,¡± she responded, sounding slightly embarrassed, her face going a little pink. I was waiting for her to tell me she was kidding, but she just went on. ¡°You¡¯re an adult now, so I don¡¯t have to worry about splitting my time between two people as much. I haven¡¯t had a boyfriend in years, so maybe it¡¯s just about time I do get back out there and try my luck.¡±


    ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually say yes,¡± I admitted. ¡°Bet you¡¯ll get a boyfriend before I get a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Give yourself more credit, little brother. You¡¯re much less abrasive than I am. You do have to learn to step out of your shell, though. Remember, whole new world we¡¯re going to. Bunch of new people and potential friends to make.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Giving me the big sister pep talk now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re due one every now and again. Can¡¯t have you telling anyone I didn¡¯t at least try to give you some good advice every now and then, can I?¡± Shelly capped off her gentle teasing by bumping me with her elbow. ¡°Now come on, make sure you take care of any last goodbyes you might have. Who knows if we¡¯ll end up seeing this place again.¡±


    Shelly smiled sadly and patted my back before getting up to double check that she packed everything. She¡¯d spent most of the past week going over her packing job over and over again. I was pretty sure that she was having a difficult time saying goodbye, and that was her way of trying to deal with it. My way of dealing with it had been to try and not think about it, which absolutely wasn¡¯t the healthiest thing to do.


    I thought more about how she said we might not get another chance to go back to the apartment. Honestly, with Fink around, we probably could get back with no issues, but how long would it be until someone else moved in? Even if we could go back, we certainly weren¡¯t going to be allowed to just waltz right back in like we owned the place. With how hard low-income housing was to come by in the area, there was no chance our place would stay vacant for long.


    I wasn¡¯t as sentimental about the apartment as Shelly, yet I found myself in my soon-to-be-old room. All the furniture would stay unless the next residents didn¡¯t want it, in which case it would be removed free of charge. Still, seeing all the furnishings around made me feel as if I was just going away for a little while, not permanently moving to the other side of the country. It was like my bed still being there meant it would be home for as long as I wanted it to. That just wasn¡¯t reality.


    Maybe that was why it was easier for me than Shelly. Maybe I just hadn¡¯t quite come to grips with the fact that I was leaving and that I was going to some place new and unfamiliar. And it was all pretty much because I broke a TV with something that I hadn¡¯t been able to replicate in the week since it happened. So yeah, perhaps it felt a bit on the surreal side for me for good reason.


    I sat down on my bed and looked up at the crack in my ceiling that had been there for years. I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t cause that one, though I wasn¡¯t about to make any guarantees. When I was younger and first dealing with my parents¡¯ death, I thought that crack would end up leading monsters into my room to attack me. I was way too old to believe in monsters, but to the younger Ethan back then, the entire world was some kind of large monster. Nothing made sense to me back then, and I always thought that darkness would spill through that small bit in my ceiling. Considering I regularly saw shadows move about, it was clear those thoughts hadn¡¯t ever left me.


    I began to consider if that was another reason why I wasn¡¯t torn up about leaving. Sure, it had been my home and was the safest place I knew, but so many negative parts of my life were spent here. Waking up in the early morning hours with nightmares for years? Not something that would endear a place to me, even if it was stupid to blame an apartment on that. Aside from the night of the murder, the apartment held most of my worst experiences.


    It took me a little bit more thinking to reach a conclusion for why I wasn¡¯t feeling as down as I could be. Optimism for the future. Negativity hurt me where I was, but Shelly was right. It would be a fresh start with Luna. It gave me something new to focus on, with people that would be, presumably, like me. That same optimism and focus had helped curb some of the paranoia I¡¯d felt, too. I hadn¡¯t seen any shadows since our lunch at the diner, despite how much dread McLeod filled me with. Maybe leaving was something I personally needed.


    I just wished that my minor bit of soul-searching didn¡¯t reveal that only a little bit before I was supposed to go. Having more time to sit on my thoughts would have been nice. Disappointingly, that wasn¡¯t meant to be when I heard my sister yell from the kitchen.


    ¡°Ethan, they¡¯re ready for us! Hurry up, it¡¯s time for us to go!¡±


    My heart thumped hard in my chest as adrenaline and nerves coursed through my body. Any sadness about leaving was gone, replaced with excitement and anxiety. I did one more quick sweep of my room to make sure I didn¡¯t miss anything. When I got to the door to leave, I mouthed a silent goodbye to the little corner of the world that always belonged to me.


    ¡°Keep the next person safe too, okay?¡± I asked in a whisper as I left the room, not dwelling on the fact that I just asked a room to do me a favor. I truly did hope the entire place could help make some other family happy, though.


    I closed the door for what I expected to be the last time, heading back into our living room. Shelly was there, arms crossed and tapping her foot, seeming as riddled with anxiety as I was. Fink was also there, looking exhausted and tense. Poor guy had massive circles under his eyes and his hair was much shaggier than it was at the diner. He took a couple of weary and clumsy steps toward Shelly, doing his best to smile and look happy.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Harper and Ethan,¡± he said. His voice was a little higher than I was expecting. ¡°Are you guys good? Have everything together? I hope you do, because I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have enough in me to bring you back here to get anything you¡¯ve left behind. Oh, I¡¯ll be able to teleport your car to our garage in the coming weeks.¡±


    ¡°We sure do,¡± Shelly assured him. ¡°You have everything, Ethan?¡±


    I nodded, something that made Fink loosen up a bit. Earlier in the week, we were instructed by Mrs. Carmichael to have our belongings touching each other, and ourselves touching our belongings. According to her, Fink could teleport multiple people and things at the same time if they had a shared chain of contact. I wondered if that meant he could teleport one hundred people as long as they were all holding hands.


    Shelly nudged me, breaking me away from my thought. ¡°Make sure your suitcases are touching and get ready.¡±


    I followed her instruction and waited for Fink. He walked between us and placed a hand on each of our shoulders. I stiffened under the contact, forcing myself to stay still for him.


    ¡°Now, the sudden change in location may be a bit disorienting,¡± Fink began, ¡°but I¡¯ve never had anyone complain to me about a negative side-effect before. Which is good, because any complaint is going to be overruled by free teleportation that exhausts me, so make sure you guys keep up my good record. Now then, buckle up and hold on tight, gang.¡±


    I remained stiff as a board waiting for something, anything at all, to happen. I expected us to just suddenly be somewhere else, but there we remained in my living room. I felt Fink¡¯s grip on my shoulder tighten and he let out a few labored breaths. I looked over and saw his brow furrowed in concentration.


    ¡°Does our new place in Luna happen to look exactly like our apartment?¡± I asked, trying to break the uncomfortably tense silence.


    ¡°Very funny,¡± Fink said, shaking his head. ¡°I must be more beat than I thought. Can¡¯t seem to get the teleportation going. You guys have a snack or something? Maybe that¡¯ll get some energy running through me again.¡±


    ¡°I swear, if you¡¯re doing this just to make this dramatic or get free food out of me, I¡¯m going to be pretty pissed,¡± Shelly said, clearly annoyed. She dug through her bag, before finally fishing out a breakfast bar and handing it over to Fink. ¡°Here. At least it¡¯ll be someone¡¯s breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Great, thanks!¡± Fink eagerly took the breakfast bar, tore off the wrapper like, and ate it in three massive bites, barely even taking time to chew the thing. When was the last time he ate something? ¡°Ah, that hits the spot. Okay, Ms. Harper and Ethan, are you ready for me to try again? I¡¯m feeling more energized now.¡±


    Without waiting for us to reply, he placed his hands on our shoulders one more time and shut his eyes. Shelly and I had to quickly place our hands back on our luggage, with myself nearly falling over in the scramble to do so. Luckily, I kept my balance and got my hand on my suitcase just before the scenery suddenly shifted. I heard Shelly muttering a few swears as she battled to make sure her luggage was secure as well.


    ¡°Welcome, Ms. Harper and Ethan, to Luna Catskills,¡± the familiar voice of Mrs. Carmichael welcomed us. ¡°I sincerely hope you enjoy your new home with us.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirteen

    I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes, trying to process seeing Mrs. Carmichael in front of me. Teleporting wasn¡¯t as disorienting as I was expecting, though I did feel a touch off-kilter after the sudden shift. It wasn¡¯t helped by the gorgeous large room we found ourselves standing in. A quick glance around the room told me it was nicer than anything we ever had in Shamrock, even when we had a reasonable household income from Mom and Dad.


    ¡°Are you two feeling unwell after the trip? Would you like me to get a medic to check on both of you?¡± Mrs. Carmichael cautiously took a step back like we were going to hurl all over her nice suit. She¡¯d probably had to deal with that more than she¡¯d care to remember.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right, thank you for asking,¡± Shelly responded. I thought she looked completely fine. ¡°How about you, Ethan? You okay?¡±


    I nodded my head and really began to look around. We were standing in a living room. The thing was at least twice the size of our old one back in Oregon. It had a really expensive looking leather sofa that sat facing a massive TV that was housed in the wall itself. Oh yeah, and there was a fireplace under the television. Even though I¡¯d spent my entire life in a cold climate, I had never had a fireplace before, so that was the coolest thing about the nice living room set up. Or maybe it was the warmest thing.


    ¡°This is¡­really something,¡± Shelly said, trying to sound less impressed than she really was. ¡°This is all ours? Doesn¡¯t it seem like it¡¯s a bit much for just two people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the standard for every two-person living arrangement here,¡± Mrs. Carmichael assured us. ¡°Of course, there are other options available for people living alone, or those with larger families. It makes them look a tad cookie cutter, but it¡¯s easier than having people complain about a neighbor having nicer living conditions.¡±


    ¡°Right, that makes sense if you¡­¡± I began, before noticing something small and circular moving around on the carpet. ¡°Oh my God¡­is that one of those robot vacuums? I¡¯ve always wanted one of these!¡±


    I walked up to it carefully, not wanting to accidentally hit it. Ever since I saw these on commercials, I was set on getting one. They¡¯re just so tiny, cute, and helpful. It took every single bit of will power I could muster to not pick it up, look at it, and cradle it. I felt like a child in a pet store who got let loose with a bunch of puppies and kittens.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re so obsessed with these things,¡± Shelly said, walking up next to me with a frown on her face. ¡°They¡¯re just tiny, unmanned vacuum cleaners. Why are they so special?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I asked, offended at her poor taste. ¡°Look at how cute it is! It helps maintain carpets too. How can you not love this little guy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a machine! It¡¯s built for a purpose. It does that purpose. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a part of the family.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael interrupted us by clapping her hands together. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to see that the two of you haven¡¯t suffered any negative side-effects from the sudden teleportation. How about I give you a tour of your new home while Fink brings Loriana back here? Do you think you have enough in you for two more teleports?¡±


    ¡°For you? Always. Sometimes others may have to persuade me, though.¡± Fink winked and gestured toward Shelly with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and get her before Ms. Harper tears me to shreds. I don¡¯t think I want to get on this lady¡¯s bad side. See everyone in just a bit!¡±


    Fink vanished with a wave and smile, leaving a frowning Shelly glaring at the location he once was, her arms crossed. I couldn¡¯t focus on how upset she was at his antics. I was still too thrilled about my little vacuum friend. Plus, I thought that Fink was kind of fun, so I couldn¡¯t bring myself to get worked up about him. Turning my attention back to our little robot friend, I continued to carefully step around it, just watching it do its job of keeping the floor clean. He was just such a perfect and useful little guy!


    ¡°I apologize for Fink¡¯s behavior,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said, unamused with the Teleporter¡¯s actions. ¡°He can be a bit strange and abrasive at times, but he is generally a good man. He¡¯s been worn down with all the teleporting he¡¯s had to do recently. I think that has him being a little...weirder than usual. I hope that you¡¯ll forgive him.¡±


    ¡°I will, but he owes me a breakfast bar,¡± Shelly said, relenting a bit. She wanted to change the subject. ¡°This place is really nice, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m comfortable accepting it.¡±


    I looked up to see Mrs. Carmichael smile and shake her head. ¡°Nonsense. This place was built for and is funded to give people with Anomalies homes. Everyone here has the same living space, but they¡¯re free to decorate it however they want.


    ¡°Jobs are available here or you can apply for one locally. I¡¯m sure I informed you about it before, but we do have a garage here to store everyone¡¯s car if they have one. Even if someone is unemployed, no one will ever go hungry, but we still encourage everyone to work like they would in the normal world. We want to emphasize a tight, caring, and loving community here.¡±


    ¡°Right, Fink mentioned something about getting my car later,¡± Shelly informed Mrs. Carmichael. ¡°I plan on working from here though. Boss let me do some of the old secretary work from my laptop, so as long as this place is quiet, everything should work out fine.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, Ms. Harper. I¡¯m glad you came so prepared, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find the level of noise acceptable for your work.¡± Mrs. Carmichael looked genuinely relieved. Shelly always tried her best to be as prepared as one could be. ¡°Now, would you two like a tour of your new home? As you can tell, this is your living room. You are permitted to host events in your living quarters freely, so I encourage you both to mingle and socialize. One never knows when or where they might find a lifelong friend or romantic partner.¡±


    Walking forward, Mrs. Carmichael turned our attention to the dining space we had. It was connected to the living room area, but instead of the carpet extending, it had lovely, dark hard flooring. There was an impressive bar that partially obscured the kitchen and its appliances, with five comfy looking chairs in front of it. It would absolutely work well for anyone hosting a party. The top was so clean and shiny that I was afraid to touch it and dirty the surface with my fingers. Finishing it off was a white arch that connected the ends of the bar to the ceiling of the room.


    ¡°The bar has a long refrigerator built into it. Of course, you have to buy your own drinks for it.¡± Mrs. Carmichael turned to face me. ¡°While we do obey the laws of underage drinking, we consider what stays behind closed doors to be none of our business. You won¡¯t be able to buy any alcohol here, however, so that¡¯ll fall upon your sister. We¡¯ve managed to avoid messy incidents so far, and I¡¯d like to keep it that way, so I trust you two will do your part to keep everything civil and reasonable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not much of the party type, so you won¡¯t have much to worry about,¡± I said, feeling a little embarrassed. No alcohol had ever touched my lips before, so I took what Mrs. Carmichael said as a bit of an accusation. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my best behavior, promise.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. I doubt you¡¯ll need much of a tour of the kitchen, so how about I just show you your rooms and let you get accustomed on your own?¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°Trying to get rid of us already?¡± Shelly asked. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I think we¡¯ll be able to figure it out. Unless you guys have some weird high-tech stuff in here that the common folk might not know about, that is. You don¡¯t have any weird high-tech stuff, right?¡±


    Laughing, Mrs. Carmichael sat in one of the chairs in front of the bar. ¡°No, we don¡¯t have anything like that. At least, not in the normal residences. We have some people here with tech-based Anomalies, so if you spend time with them, who knows just what you might find.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of creepy,¡± Shelly said, already checking out the kitchen¡¯s amenities. Our living room was an improvement, our kitchen was an improvement, and I was starting to sense a theme for the other areas we hadn¡¯t seen yet. ¡°What kind of secrets are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be very good secrets if I just told you, now would they?¡± Mrs. Carmichael waited for a reaction, and when none came, she just sighed. ¡°I said that in jest. There are no secrets like that here, you have my word. Please don¡¯t heckle any others because of that.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t, I promise,¡± I said, trying to ignore the awkward situation. ¡°We can take it from here, Mrs. Carmichael. If there¡¯s anything we can¡¯t figure out, I¡¯ll make sure to let you know.¡±


    She nodded curtly and made a hasty exit through our front door. I caught a glimpse of a hallway, which was an off-white wall with no discernable features. It was only a quick look, but I couldn¡¯t see a single blemish or imperfection. The lack of decorations was a little disappointing. Would it really have been too much to ask for a painting or a picture to be put up out there?


    ¡°All right, think us country bumpkins can figure out how to unpack and get set up in this fancy new home?¡± I asked in my worst Southern accent, getting a small chuckle from Shelly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯re smart enough to do this one, Shelly.¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡± She pointed toward the hallway that fed into the living room. ¡°You take that one. If it¡¯s the master bedroom, then that¡¯s great. If it¡¯s not, are you going to be heartbroken over it?¡±


    Eager to just get into my new room, I shook my head. I didn¡¯t need the master bedroom. I hardly had enough stuff to fill a small bedroom as it was, and since we had to decorate all this space, the less room the better. It was a good thing no one ever needed me to be their interior decorator. Everything would be drab and featureless. There might be a painting or picture here and there. Too much clutter made me worry I¡¯d forget where I¡¯d set something, so I kept everything as neat as I could manage.


    I took my luggage and went down the hallway that Shelly told me to go down. I checked the first door I saw, which was just an empty storage room with a few shelves. It was spacious, which was going to be a good thing if we ever got more stuff, but it wasn¡¯t my bedroom, so I made my way to the only other door in the hallway. Excited, I opened the door into a wide-open room containing a massive bed, soft carpet, large TV, and my own personal bathroom.


    ¡°Oh man, this is way too much,¡± I said, scanning the room. My eyes fell upon a sliding door that ran the length of the wall adjacent to the room¡¯s entrance. ¡°Is this a closet? I¡¯ve never had a closet this big before.¡±


    Sliding the door open, I was convinced the closet was bigger than my old bedroom. It was bigger than Mom and Dad¡¯s when we still had our house in Oregon. It was so big I was sure I would never be able to fill entirely, even if I tried. I spent a few moments just sliding the door open and closed, still amazed at the size of it.


    After my fun with the closet, I dragged my few suitcases into the room and began to unpack. Shelly taught me how to pack clothes efficiently, so I was able to bring plenty of outfits without giving up too much space. Unfortunately, getting clothes hangers slipped my mind, so I sighed and placed all the folded clothes onto some low-lying shelves in the closet. The rest of my stuff was little things like a few pictures and some sentimental belongings from home. I was really disappointed with how little unpacking I actually had to do. It made the move feel a little less special, and it reminded me just how little I owned.


    After putting the freshly empited suitcases in the closet, I climbed onto the massive bed, and it was the most comfortable thing I¡¯d ever rested on. I sank into it slightly, but it was firm enough to give a restful night of sleep. It lent the room a wonderful cozy feeling. The only thing that kind of broke that cozy feeling was the lack of a window. To help with that, there was a window-sized screen that was operated by a remote. I could cycle it through morning, afternoon, dusk, and evening displays to make it feel more like a proper bedroom.


    The walls needed a bit of personal touch. I didn¡¯t have much on my walls back in Shamrock, but adding something me in the new place would make it feel like home. Thinking about all that home decorating stuff, however, was a tomorrow problem for tomorrow Ethan. Today Ethan wanted to rest in the comfy bed for a little bit longer, so I closed my eyes and felt myself begin to doze off.


    I heard a couple gentle knocks before Shelly appeared in the doorway. ¡°Dang, you got a nice room too. Looks like both of ours have a bathroom as well.¡± She gestured toward the back corner of the room to a small door that I hadn¡¯t noticed when I entered.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± I exclaimed, springing to a sitting position. ¡°I mean, I guess the guest bathroom back in Oregon was pretty much mine anyway, but it¡¯s nice to have one in my own room.¡±


    ¡°Yep, it sure is,¡± Shelly agreed, ¡°but now you get to learn how to clean a bathroom. Have fun with that one, little brother.¡±


    I was going to respond to her bathroom comment by reminding her I was the one who cleaned it, but I noticed that Shelly had changed into a tank top and shorts, an outfit she usually wore when she was going to do something physical. ¡°What¡¯re you about to do?¡±


    ¡°Going to start unpacking and putting stuff away,¡± she responded with a confused look on her face. ¡°Something I recommend you do too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and meet anyone here?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Why would I?¡± I couldn¡¯t read her mind, so I just shrugged. ¡°Look, unless they¡¯re going to help us unpack and get everything put up, I¡¯m not worrying about them. I¡¯m also not about to let strangers near my personal belongings, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Do you care if I go explore a bit?¡±


    She shrugged and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re eighteen now, you can pretty much do what you want within reason. You¡¯ll learn best by doing, anyway. If you make a mistake, it¡¯s best to experience it firsthand.


    ¡°I think this should be a place for you to learn and grow. I did all I could with helping to raise you, and I think I did a good job at it, but now it¡¯s time for you to experience the world a bit. You¡¯re here because of what you can do, so it¡¯s up to you to find your place.¡±


    ¡°Not to sound mean,¡± I said , a little nervously, ¡°but why did you end up coming with me then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± she began before stopping herself with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ready to live alone. I can¡¯t quite imagine myself in a home by myself yet.¡±


    Before I could question her about that, she shook her head. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time for me to get to work and for you to decide what¡¯s your next step. I am still here for you, obviously, but the reigns are mostly off now. Go out, explore, have fun, bring get a bunch of girls together to start a harem. Enjoy being an adult.¡± She gave a small wave and gently closed my door, leaving me with a few thoughts.


    I thought about what kind of world might be waiting outside of this little space and whether I should go face it. I knew that I had to eventually, but the bed was so comfortable, and my stuff needed to be unpacked. Meeting new people was something that could wait a few more hours or until the next day.


    I quickly shook my head and tried to push those thoughts aside. I was always content with not being especially social. Coasting by without making any real friends never bothered me any, yet that didn¡¯t mean it had to stay that way forever. It¡¯s not like I was incapable of making friends or was fundamentally unlikeable. At least, I didn¡¯t think that I was.


    Sighing, I hopped off the bed, deciding that I wasn¡¯t really helping myself by getting in my own head. Nothing in the room was getting done, and I wasn¡¯t working toward meeting anyone new. I knew that the more I thought about it, the less I¡¯d want to do anything at all, so I made the choice to out and explore a bit.


    I walked down the hall and back into the living room where I heard Shelly moving stuff around in her new room. I noticed a pen and small notepad on the countertop in the kitchen, and not wanting to bother her while she worked, I wrote her a note telling her that I was going to walk around a bit. I put it down in a spot I thought she¡¯d see it and quickly made my way to the front door before I could talk myself out of leaving.


    With a shaky hand, I turned the handle and stuck my head out. To my left, there was just a wall a little way down, so it looked like we didn¡¯t have any neighbors that way. To my right, the hallway went down for a while. There were about half a dozen doors spaced evenly along the sides, before forking into two more hallways at the end. I wondered if Lori was living in any of the housing units near ours. I made a mental note to try and find out where she lived. And where I lived, actually, since I still didn¡¯t know where I was.


    Suddenly feeling a little excited and adventurous, I took a deep breath, closed my door, and started to wander about the Luna complex.

 Book One - Chapter Fourteen

    It did not take long for me to get lost. I already wasn¡¯t a great navigator to begin with. When I¡¯d made the third turn down a hallway that looked exactly the same as the others, I knew I was lost. I didn¡¯t expect every hallway to look exactly the same. The same evenly spaced doors, the same paint, and the same lighting. Only the lengths of some halls were different, and if I got lucky, there was a door with some kind of decoration on it. The repetition in the scenery and my own lack of direction made me get frustrated fast.


    After a bit more walking, I came up to an intersection that led to three other hallways. Right as I was about to give up in frustration, I noticed a little blue sign showing a person swimming. On that same sign was an arrow pointing forward. Excited, I started to run down the hallway, following the arrow.


    After a couple more turns pointed out by the friendly swimming signs, I nearly slammed into a pair of clear doors that lead to a massive pool area. The signs didn¡¯t lie about the swimming, but they didn¡¯t tell me that the place was practically a waterpark! There were slides, a lazy river, and a massive funnel looking ride that I could hear joyful screams from. I was so taken aback by everything the facility had that I didn¡¯t hear the two sets of footsteps behind me.


    ¡°Howdy there!¡± It was a female Southern accent, much better than the one I attempted with Shelly, that greeted me. ¡°Those doors there are automatic, so you can just walk right up to ¡®em and they¡¯ll open. No dirtyin¡¯ your hands or nothin¡¯!¡±


    I was startled by the voices more than the implication I didn¡¯t know how automatic doors worked, but I contained my reaction to my face, not letting my body jump or jerk. I felt my eyes widen in surprise, but I wasn¡¯t facing the source of the voice, so I hoped she couldn¡¯t see me. I slowly turned around and saw two girls in swimsuits, one eagerly waving at me, and the other smiling brightly at me. Both had towels slung over one shoulder and bags over the other.


    The one who was waving excitedly was on the shorter side, being only a little taller than Lori with darker, black skin. Her frizzy hair was pulled back into a ponytail, something it obviously wanted to be free of as strands came free and framed the sides of her pretty face. Her dark brown eyes matched her skin color and were full of joy and excitement. I couldn¡¯t recall a time I¡¯d ever met someone whose eyes could convey such positive feelings on their own.


    ¡°Oh!¡± she exclaimed, surprise temporarily taking over her happiness. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you ¡®round here before. Are you new? No one told me we were getting someone new.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sorry about that, I think,¡± I said, sticking my hand out. I forced myself to stand upright and not slump my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan, nice to meet you. I moved here with my sister just today.¡±


    The Southern girl wrapped her rough, callused hands around mine and gave an enthusiastic handshake, one that bounced my arm up and down. ¡°That¡¯s great! Y¡¯all just go there today, huh? You look a bit lost. This place is a whole mess, ain¡¯t it?


    If it was that obvious I was lost, maybe she¡¯d be able to help me get back to my apartment. Hardly the coolest way to meet a pretty girl. Then again, I wasn¡¯t going to be the coolest guy in any room.


    ¡°Oh, where are my manners? I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m Rosie. It¡¯s an absolute pleasure to meet you, Ethan. This here is¡­actually, she¡¯s a big girl, I¡¯d better let her do her own introductions.¡±


    I directed my full attention to the other girl standing next to Rosie, and I quickly found it hard to focus. She was exceptionally beautiful. Like, the most beautiful lady I¡¯d ever seen on my short eighteen years on Earth. Her long, black hair was tied up to her head in a bun, and it contrasted well against her light skin that was gently kissed by a tan. She was tall, fit, and had perfectly done makeup. I¡¯m not ashamed to admit that her bikini swimsuit made me look for something interesting on the ceiling.


    Just from the glance I got at her, I guessed she had to be a model or something. The only real ¡°blemish¡± that stuck out was a long scar that ran across the bridge of her nose and tapered off on her cheeks. That wasn¡¯t even something that I found unattractive, though it wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d seen on many girls who looked pretty enough to pose for a magazine cover.


    Struggling to meet her deep, blue eyes, I stuck a shaky hand out, sort of hoping she wouldn¡¯t take it. That hope was dashed when I felt a hand, much softer than Rosie¡¯s, slip into the grip of my palm that I just knew was covered in gross sweat. I cringed and tried to look away, but her free hand stopped me. She slipped her other one free from my grip and placed it on my cheek to turn my face toward her.


    ¡°You have such nice hair!¡± She ran her hands through it, carefully feeling it between her fingers. She took my chin between two fingers and turned my head side-to-side, scanning my features. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a long time I¡¯ve met a boy with such beautiful blond hair. Some better products and it would be perfect. Would you let me do your hair, Ethan? Oh, you have a pretty face, too.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond. I couldn¡¯t make myself respond. I was so uncomfortable with her touching my face and hair that I completely froze up, not even able to protest. I felt my cheeks flush, but the girl paid no mind to my sudden and furious blushing. She was focused entirely on playing with my hair and looking at the skin on my face.


    ¡°Lizzy, you gotta stop touching all the new boys you meet, even if they¡¯re cute, okay? Look at how uncomfortable he is!¡± Rosie, my new guardian angel, had come to my defense. This seemed to snap the stunning girl¡ªLizzy¡ªout of her weird fixation with my hair.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± She stumbled backward, spilling the contents of her beach bag everywhere. ¡°I¡¯ve been told I¡¯m very touchy with people, and not everyone appreciates that. I¡¯m trying to get a handle on it. Oh gosh, I feel so bad. I¡¯d been doing so well, too. I just get so excited when I see such nice hair.¡±


    Still a bit stunned, I just stood there and watched Lizzy put the contents of her bag back in place. With the benefit of hindsight, it was rude to not lend a hand. With even more hindsight, it was rude to stare at her, especially since it had to have looked like I was staring right at her chest. That had to have looked especially bad since calling her ¡°well-endowed¡± would have been a huge understatement. That was what being surprised and uncomfortable did to me. I just froze up like an idiot deer in the headlights.


    ¡°If it makes you feel better, she gets touchy-feely with the girls a lot too. I just like to yank her leg a little. You know how these one-track mind people can get.¡± Rosie giggled and Lizzy huffed in frustration.


    ¡°Yes, I do like contact. I don¡¯t have a ¡®love language¡¯, but touch would be the closest thing to it. I don¡¯t mean to make people feel uncomfortable.¡± Lizzy double-checked her bag to make sure nothing else had fallen out. She did a little spin to make sure nothing was left on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s just a bad habit I picked up from home since everyone there is a hugger.¡±


    ¡°Aw, my little Lizzy is a hugger! Ain¡¯t that just precious?¡± Rosie embraced Lizzy, their height difference nearly causing both of them to fall over. They managed to regain their footing without any more bag spillages or anyone busting their ass. ¡°And she might be in the hospital if I¡¯m not careful with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take care to not add any extra scars to my face,¡± Lizzy said as she idly ran her fingers over her scar. ¡°I already have to lie about where I got this one. ¡®Turning face-first into an opening door¡¯ really isn¡¯t as cool as a fight against a bunch of bullies at school, so let¡¯s not make ¡®falling at the pool¡¯ another awkward conversation.¡±


    ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t have to do all that now,¡± Rosie chastised, shaking her head. ¡°Just tell people what happened honestly, honey.¡±


    ¡°Calling me sweet names won¡¯t help you,¡± Lizzy said as she wagged her finger back and forth. ¡°The flattery is appreciated, however. But anyway, who doesn¡¯t want a little embellishment to make a story better?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re terrible. Absolutely terrible, Lizzy Quick.¡± Rosie¡¯s tone was nothing but pleasant and playful. ¡°Well, Ethan, it was such a pleasure to meet you, but Lizzy and I have a weekly girls¡¯ get together at the pool. One of the only things that¡¯s kept us sane lately.¡±


    Still unsure of how to tackle that subject around here, I tried to focus on something different and more immediate to my needs. ¡°Before you two head to the pool, do you have any idea of how to get¡­well, anywhere really? My sister and I were teleported here, and I¡¯m not sure how to find my around just yet.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t have anyone show you around?¡± Lizzy asked. When I shook my head, a puzzled look crossed her face. ¡°And you just decided to wander about? These halls can be like a maze, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do know now, trust me. I got turned around, and I¡¯m not sure where the only other person I know is.¡±


    ¡°Who do you know?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°Maybe we can give ¡®em a call and get y¡¯all together here.¡±


    ¡°Loriana Davis,¡± I replied. ¡°She was staying in my old town to make sure everything was okay after¡­everything that happened recently, but we haven¡¯t really talked since then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re her assignment! That¡¯s wonderful; we were all waiting for her to finally get something to do.¡± Rosie lit up as she fished her phone out of her bag, before switching to a more somber tone. ¡°I hope she¡¯s doing okay. We were all heartbroken by Rory¡¯s passing, but I know they could be joined at the hip. He wasn¡¯t here to say goodbye to Lori before she left to meet you.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t in a great place for the past week,¡± I said, debating what was safe to share. I decided that being honest about my side would be good, but I didn¡¯t want to paint Lori in a bad light. ¡°We talked for a bit before she got upset about what happened. I decided to head out so she could be alone after that. I made some meals for her throughout the week, and some were eaten, so I doubt she hates me or anything like that.


    ¡°Oh dear, that poor thing. If she got sour with you, she probably feels horrible about that too.¡± Rosie¡¯s smile was warm and sympathetic. ¡°She¡¯s a quiet girl, but she¡¯s usually sweet as sugar when she does talk. Her Anomaly makes it hard for her, I think. It can¡¯t be fun to see how everyone around her feels all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was upset with her at the time, but I knew where she was coming from. With the move to Luna on the horizon, I just didn¡¯t have the energy to stay angry with her even if I wanted to.¡± I paused. ¡°Which I didn¡¯t, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Lori, can you come to the swimming pool? There¡¯s a lost boy here looking for a guide, and Rosie and I are going to be busy.¡± Rosie and I turned to see Lizzy with her phone to her ear. She shifted it slightly to face us, placing her hand over the bottom. ¡°You guys were chatting, and I want to get my pool day in. You look like a nice guy, Ethan, but not that nice.¡±


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    Before either one of us could say anything, Lizzy returned to her phone call. ¡°Great! I still owe you that free haircut, you know. We¡¯ll make our own girls¡¯ day of it. Sound good?¡± Judging by the smile and satisfied look on Lizzy¡¯s face, Lori likely agreed to her plan. Lizzy said a quick goodbye and put her phone back into her bag.


    ¡°Well, I guess that handles that, doesn¡¯t it? When you get your bearings better, we¡¯ll set up a proper lunch to get to know each other.¡± Rosie shook my hand one more time. ¡°Good luck with Lori. She¡¯s a good gal, she just needed some time to grieve properly.¡±


    I understood that, and I figured it was better to not say anything more about it, so I just waved goodbye to them and watched them walk into the pool area. They didn¡¯t know about my parents¡¯ passing and telling them about it would only delay them and maybe put a damper on their mood. Although those girls seemed pretty chipper. It was hard for me to imagine them being anything close to upset, especially Rosie.


    Once they were out of sight, I leaned my head and body against the wall and let out a sigh. That hadn¡¯t been nearly as bad as I thought. I had managed to forget that those girls might¡¯ve had some powers that could cause millions in damage. They just seemed like normal girls around my age. Well, outside of Rosie¡¯s heavily calloused hands and Lizzy looking like a model. Those weren¡¯t features I encountered in my day-to-day life back in Oregon.


    Unsure of how long it would take Lori to reach me, I poked my head inside the pool area. Rosie and Lizzy were resting and laughing on some lounge chairs that were laid out a few feet away from the massive pool¡¯s edge. People of all different ages were relaxing and playing in the water, and luckily, none of them were using an Anomaly as far as I could tell. It was just a fun place for people to come and relax. A place I was determined to visit so I could enjoy myself. After all, if I was a resident there, I would be allowed to, right?


    Without warning, I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stand straight and jump high enough to hit my head on the top of the automatic door¡¯s frame, which wasn¡¯t built for the tallest people in the world. The first thing I did was check to make sure I wasn¡¯t bleeding. It wasn¡¯t a particularly hard hit, so I wasn¡¯t, but I could feel the beginning of a migraine coming on. I groaned and turned around to see Lori looking guilty.


    ¡°I¡­Ethan, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she stammered out. ¡°I thought it¡¯d be funny to surprise you, I didn¡¯t mean to get you hurt. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Great to see you too,¡± I said, trying to rub the pain out of my head. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen the next time we see each other? Are you just going to stab me?¡±


    ¡°It was an accident!¡±


    ¡°You just said you did it to surprise me,¡± I responded, switching to rubbing my temples to try and keep the headache at bay. ¡°You wanted a reaction, Lori. You just didn¡¯t get the reaction you expected. Maybe don¡¯t deliberately do something you know bothers me, okay?¡±


    For a second, she looked like she wanted to protest, but then her face tightened up and she looked down. I could tell she was carrying a heavy sadness, something beyond just a simple prank. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right, I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I was still a little upset about how things happened in Oregon, and I don¡¯t know, I just wasn¡¯t really thinking things through properly.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really that upset to begin with. She looked genuinely remorseful about it, so I couldn¡¯t get too worked up. Once my vision cleared a bit, I noticed that she was wearing a black hoodie and dark pants, perhaps adding to feeling of sadness I got from her. ¡°Apology accepted. Look, I know this is going to be uncomfortable for you, but we need to talk about what happened if you¡¯re still hung up on it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said running her hands through her short bob. It didn¡¯t look greasy anymore. It was good to know she¡¯d managed to hop in the shower. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I am right now. I feel a little better about Rory, I feel awful about you, and I feel creeped out by how everyone here is just going on with their lives.


    ¡°My parents were there to welcome me, but they don¡¯t really know how to handle what happened, and I don¡¯t either. I don¡¯t even know if there¡¯s any sort of memorial for Rory here. Everyone who¡¯s got some power here is too scrambled trying to figure out the Pittsburgh thing to worry about me, and everyone else is just¡­carrying on with life. It¡¯s weird and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    I thought back to just a few minutes before when Rosie made the comment about staying sane. ¡°I don¡¯t know, everyone has different ways of handling grief and fear. Mine was a lot like how you were in Oregon. I just sort of¡­existed for a while. Angry and sad, but I didn¡¯t do anything about it. Maybe the people here are just trying to regain some sense of normalcy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really look at it that way,¡± Lori admitted before looking behind me at all the people enjoying the pool. ¡°Honestly, I could see myself doing the same thing if I hadn¡¯t been so attached to Rory.¡± Her body seemed to relax as she considered that idea. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m hungry. Let me take you to our food court. Remind me to get something for your sister since she made me all that food. I need to get her something as thanks.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked before I remembered that I never told Lori I was the one who made her all the food. ¡°Oh, right. Sure, we¡¯ll get something for her. Shelly will appreciate that.¡±


    Lori gave me a funny look. I was worried she would pursue my slip up when she shook her head. "Well, the food court is on this floor, so why don¡¯t-¡°


    ¡°Wait, how many floors does this place have?¡± I asked, wanting to create a visual in my mind. Since there weren¡¯t any windows in our place, I was assuming we were underground in some capacity.


    Lori scrunched her face a bit and counted the tips of her fingers. ¡°Six, I think. Two floors above ground for office-related things, two residential floors below ground, the car garage below those, and two floors built for Anomaly usage. Oh, hold on, that¡¯s seven. I always forget about the garage unless I¡¯m imagining the building. There are always talks of adding on more, though.¡±


    ¡°Just how big is this place?¡± I asked, mostly to myself, not expecting to get an answer.


    ¡°Pretty big,¡± Lori replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s bigger than skyscrapers in total size, but there is enough room here to do what you want, do what you need, and then some left over. I¡¯ll tell you more over lunch. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    She waved for me to follow, and we made our way back through the maze of halls. Unlike me, Lori had no issues navigating the place. She occasionally looked at the end of a hall at a sign that a letter and number on it, though she never dwelled for too long. Everything still looked the same except for some minor, personal decorations on a few doors, most used to identify the families that lived there. Each door also had a number, a detail that I didn¡¯t really pay much attention to on my first walk through. I couldn¡¯t imagine how people could adjust to walking down all those hallways.


    We didn¡¯t run into any people during our walk, which made it less crowded, but also lent the entire place a sense of eeriness.


    ¡°Hey, why isn¡¯t anyone out here right now?¡± I asked, speeding up to walk next to Lori.


    ¡°Lunch time and people are working,¡± Lori said. ¡°There are jobs that people do here or they can commute to the surrounding area. They can be a bit of a drive, but people do live here, and we get a good number of tourists up here. Some also work from home. There are usually more people out and about during the weekends.¡±


    I was about to ask how it was already lunch time so early in the morning. Then I remembered the time zone change. It might still be the morning in Oregon, but it was lunchtime in New York. I grimaced at the realization that I would have to adjust to the new times, meaning that I¡¯d likely have plenty of late nights in the coming weeks. I would have been thrilled had it been the other way around. Early nights in bed and more time to sleep in.


    ¡°Worried about something?¡± Lori asked as she guided us down another turn. The letters and numbers were getting higher, so I hoped that meant we were getting closer to the beginning of this nightmarish maze.


    ¡°Just adjusting. Nothing too bad, but I am worried about how long it¡¯ll take me to get used to all of this.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, you had girls in swimsuits clinging to you,¡± Lori teased with a chuckle and wink. It may have been at my expense, but it was good to hear her laugh again. ¡°Who knows? You may end up being Mr. Popularity in a couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re hilarious. I get the feeling they¡¯re like that with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much. Let me guess, Rosie was almost overwhelmingly sweet, and Lizzy was trying to grab every part of you that wouldn¡¯t get her arrested.¡±


    ¡°Lizzy touched my hair and face, but backed off pretty quickly,¡± I corrected. ¡°You¡¯re spot on with Rosie though. I¡¯ve never met someone that I could call ¡®aggressively nice¡¯ before.¡±


    We walked in silence for a couple more seconds before coming into a large, beautiful lobby, and my mouth hit the floor. A massive and ornate chandelier hung down, washing the room in a warm light. There was a front counter with a bunch of keys hung on the wall behind it, but no one there to man it. There were soft, red chairs and loveseats scattered about the lobby, most of them accompanied by fake plants. I let out an impressed whistle and continued to look around at the scenery. It was such a massive departure from the drab hallways that formed a maze.


    ¡°Yeah, this is a favorite spot among residents,¡± Lori commented. ¡°The plants used to be real, but too many people had allergy attacks. One girl who lives here has a weak control over flowers, but it was enough to send everyone with allergies to an unpleasant few hours filled with plenty of sneezing and watery eyes. Needless to say, Mrs. Carmichael just decided to remove the plants we kept inside the building for safe measure.¡±


    She guided me out of the lobby and into a, thankfully, much shorter hallway. We came to a set of four doors, two of them needed to be pushed and the other two with handicap buttons. Beyond those doors was the lively food court. Like the pool, all sorts of different people were here. Some had earbuds in and were reading, others brought some laptops and were playing games, but most of the people were eating and conversing.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Lori asked, noticing the anxiety that began to fill me. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go in, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just all these new faces together in such a small place. Being around groups of people stresses me out sometimes. They make me squirm a little bit.¡±


    My growling stomach won out against any apprehension I was feeling, however. There may have been more people than I was comfortable with, but there was also food in there. I could see racks of pre-made food waiting for easy pickup, but there were also people scrambling in the back to cook things up fresh. It reminded me of a cross between a normal restaurant and a school cafeteria.


    With a bit of courage, I opened the door and walked inside with Lori following close behind me. The space seemed bigger now that I was inside, resembling a restaurant more than a disorganized eating space. To my surprise, waiters and waitresses carefully maneuvered around each other and between tables. Most of the waiters looked to be about my age, which was good to know if I needed to apply for a job.


    I turned to ask Lori a question about the restaurant before I was greeted with a bump by hostess who was also turning around, albeit because she was walking backwards. When we collided, she spilled her glass of water all over the front of my shirt. Since it was just water, I wasn¡¯t at all upset, but this poor girl seemed distraught about it.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡¯m so sorry, sir,¡± she said, barely managing her words through a minefield of stammering and stuttering. ¡°Here let me get that right out for you,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± I replied, noticing some heads turning my way. ¡°Do you have a towel I can use? It¡¯ll dry right up after.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! This will be much faster.¡± Before I could ask what she meant, she closed her eyes and placed the palms of her hands a couple inches away from the spill on my shirt. She took in a long breath and exhaled slowly, and the water started to get pulled from my shirt. It took about ten seconds before all of it was out and floating in the air in front of me in a little ball. ¡°Your shirt should be completely dry now, sir. Let me dump this water and I¡¯ll be right back to seat you.¡±


    She walked quickly back into the kitchen and left me dumbfounded. I patted the spot on my shirt where the water was, and the hostess was right, it was all gone. My shirt was completely dry again. I looked at Lori and was met with a shrug.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know her or what she can do,¡± she told me. ¡°I¡¯d wager it has something to do with water though.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks. Not sure how I would have figured that one out.¡±


    ¡°Glad to help!¡± Lori exclaimed in a disgustingly chipper tone, playing along with my sarcasm. In a stroke of remarkably good fortune, our hostess was walking back toward us, saving us from an exchange that probably would have made us both look stupid.


    ¡°Hey, guys!¡± She seemed very peppy and excited about greeting us, but I couldn¡¯t tell if that was just because it was part of her job. ¡°Sorry about that little mishap. I¡¯m positive your shirt is just as good as it was when you came in. Without wishing to sound arrogant, I am very confident in my ability to control water. Anyway, just a party of two?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Lori answered. ¡°A booth if possible, please.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Right this way, please.¡±


    She guided us through and around tables before finally bringing us to a booth that was in a quieter part of the restaurant. Lori and I sat across from each other and took the menus that the hostess handed to us. Before departing, she gave us some silverware wrapped in cloth and a couple of straws.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re probably talked out, Ethan,¡± Lori began, ¡°but I need to apologize to you and I would like to tell you about this place. So, look over the menu, order up, and let¡¯s try to really get you situated here.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°Wait, which order are we doing this all in?¡± I asked. I could tell that deflated Lori a bit, but she still laughed. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I¡¯m hungry!¡±


    ¡°Here I am, worried about you being upset with me, how you might be adjusting here, and any questions you may have, but you¡¯re just worried about food.¡±


    ¡°Well, we came here for food, didn¡¯t we?¡± I asked, not sure what she was expecting. ¡°We¡¯re hungry, so let¡¯s eat. We¡¯re humans, we can talk and eat at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Today¡¯s meal is on me, by the way.¡±


    I thanked her and started to work my way through the menu. It looked like a pretty standard affair for an American restaurant, which helped. Going out for dinner had become a rarity back in Oregon, so I tried to stick with what I knew I liked and wouldn¡¯t have trouble finishing to make sure our money didn¡¯t go to waste. They did have some more expensive steaks and seafood on here, both of which I would not be putting Lori¡¯s bill. Instead, I saw some kind of barbecue macaroni mix which looked good and was reasonably priced. I set my heart on getting that.


    A very well-built man of what I thought was Chinese descent walked up to the table. He looked a few years older than me and disinterested in the two of us. With his height, muscles, and handsome face, he was getting more than a few looks from most of the women in the restaurant. The food on their plates didn¡¯t appear to be the only meal they were enjoying.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Alex and I¡¯ll be your server today. What can I start you off with?¡± Alex¡¯s words were the standard for waiters, but he lacked the kindness and approachability of the ones I was used to. He didn¡¯t seem intentionally cold, just like it was his normal way of acting. Throw on his tall and muscular appearance, and he was more than a little intimidating.


    I waited for Lori to start ordering since she said she was paying, but her face was buried in her menu while she mumbled to herself. I sat there for a few more seconds, watching as she occasionally threw up some quick glances toward Alex. I had no idea what had gotten into her, so I just proceeded with my order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the barbecue and macaroni meal with whatever clear soda you have, thank you,¡± I finally said.


    ¡°Great,¡± Alex said, jotting my order down on his pad. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°M-me?¡± Lori stuttered, slamming the menu down on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, have the, um, bacon cheese fries. And a Coke. I think. Thank you¡±


    ¡°Right, so barbecue macaroni with a Sprite and bacon cheese fries with a Coke.¡± If Alex was at all bothered by Lori¡¯s behavior, he wasn¡¯t showing it. ¡°Will that be all for you two?¡±


    We both nodded and he went on his way. Along with plenty of the women around us, I watched him until he returned to the kitchen and was out of earshot. Well, I assumed he was out of earshot anyway. Never knew what kind Anomalies these people might have had that could have given them super senses.


    ¡°You okay there?¡± I asked Lori, not entirely sure how delicately to approach it. ¡°You kinda broke down there a bit.¡±


    ¡°I, ugh, okay fine, but you have to promise to not tell anyone, okay?¡± Once I nodded in agreement, Lori continued. ¡°That guy, Alex, I have a big crush on him.¡±


    ¡°Lori, if that¡¯s how you act around your crush, you have more to worry about than me telling someone.¡±


    ¡°Look, I know, okay? I just didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be working here today and- oh crap, here he comes! Act normal.¡± Lori did her best to act normal, which was the least natural looking thing, obviously. It took everything I had to hold in my laughter when Alex gave us our sodas and told us our food would be out shortly, which somehow made Lori blush furiously. Once again, we thanked him and he went back to the kitchen.


    ¡°Well, since you can read emotions, and he seems like a pretty stable guy, I can understand the attraction,¡± I said, trying to put the pieces together for her crush.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah sure, but have you seen his biceps?¡± She had a dreamy look in her eyes that said she wasn¡¯t just hungry for some loaded fries.


    ¡°Or his biceps, those work too,¡± I said, failing to suppress a chuckle.


    ¡°Sure, laugh it up now, but I bet you were drooling over the site of Lizzy in a bikini,¡± she replied before taking a sip of her soda. ¡°She¡¯s always surrounded by guys. I can¡¯t blame them either. I mean, look at her. No need to be ashamed of it. She¡¯s absolutely gorgeous. I mean, shit, have you seen how big her-¡±


    ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t say things like that so loud,¡± I whispered, cutting her off while my cheeks went red. ¡°Sure, she¡¯s pretty, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m about to drop everything for a chance to date her. I talked to her for maybe a couple minutes, and most of those were spent with me unable to make eye contact.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk about what you can do here,¡± Lori said, sensing my desire to change subjects. ¡°As you¡¯re aware, this is the food court, which is more like a restaurant, but you get the idea.


    ¡°We have our residential area which has, and this may surprise you, residences in them. There are also a couple of small shops on the residential floors, including a grocery store. Besides those, things like the pool are located on those floors. We also have a bunch of indoor sports rooms. We have basketball courts, football fields, soccer fields, hockey rinks, and other things I¡¯ve never even checked out. You name it, we probably have it. They get especially popular when that sport is being played, and we even stream playoff games and World Cup games at the appropriate place of play.¡±


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    ¡°Okay, so athletics and exercise aren¡¯t going to be things I have an issue with here then. Do I have to sign up or anything to use them?¡±


    ¡°Not to use them, no,¡± Lori said, looking up and around the restaurant, likely for her food or Alex. ¡°We have some small leagues that people put together, and you have to sign up to be in those, but I get the feeling you¡¯re not interested in those.¡±


    ¡°Nope, not really,¡± I agreed. ¡°What else is here?¡±


    ¡°We have two small movie theaters on the residential floors. I think that does it for those, but there could be something else hidden away that I¡¯ve never seen before. The car garage is just that, nothing really special about it, but people are talking about doing some car shows from time to time.


    ¡°Anyway, beneath that is where you¡¯ll find people practicing with their Anomalies. Luna bases are largely funded privately by individuals who have Anomalies as well, so to keep getting their money, we sort of need to play by their rules. That meant no formal teaching to use our Anomalies. If we had a bunch of training and someone went evil, all our donors and residents might get put in some hot water.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, getting lost in my head trying to put everything together. ¡°Sorry, still trying to get used to everything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine, don¡¯t worry about it. But our donors specifically said that we cannot have proper classes on how to use our powers, and they check in on us a few times a year to make sure everything is up to their standard. If that happened and it got out, it could tie back to them and that¡¯d just be a nightmare for everyone involved. So, now that people with Anomalies are attacking, we have no proper way to defend ourselves. In fact, if the Luna base locations end up being discovered, many of us are sitting ducks. What¡¯s a girl who can read emotions going to do against someone who can move the earth beneath her feet? Not much.


    ¡°They never banned us from practicing on our own, though. We can try to evolve our powers on our own. The dedicated ones have found success with their powers that way. A lot of people struggle to grow their Anomalies in meaningful ways. Still, now that the cat is sort of out of the bag, that¡¯s given us a bit more freedom. Starting tomorrow, we can work on drawing out your Anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Really? We can?¡± In truth, that was what I really wanted to be talking about. I had still only broken a TV, and I didn¡¯t even know how I did that. The entire point of Shelly and I moving here was to learn about what I could do so I could protect us. ¡°How do we do that? Some special method of training?¡±


    ¡°Sure, something like that,¡± she said, biting her lip nervously. ¡°If you consider potentially making you cry special.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing what now?¡± I was, understandably, not thrilled with that idea. Horrible visions of things that might make me cry came to mind, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I would really be able to use superpowers under those conditions.


    ¡°For a little while, most people can only activate their Anomaly under similar circumstances to their first usage,¡± Lori explained, and it started to make sense to me, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt her. ¡°So, we¡¯ll try to make you feel like you did when you broke your TV. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to use your Anomaly whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°And that worked for you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yep, sure did. Since my reaction was largely fear based, they had to make me intentionally scared. Guess which girl doesn¡¯t like heights and had to go skydiving, all while trying to focus on her power and calm herself down. Yours seemed stress-based, so it should be a bit easier to get your Anomaly out. Stress is easier to create than true fear.¡±


    After that, we just sat in silence and sipped on our drinks. Lori looked sad and lost in thought, which I had expected. Thoughts of Rory were no doubt in her mind, and she still hadn¡¯t been afforded proper time to grieve. I felt guilty because she was still taking time out to help me out even though she had her own issues to battle through.


    We were both brought back to reality when two plates loudly hit the surface of the table. We looked up to see a bored¡ªor maybe that was normal for him¡ªlooking Alex. He muttered something about enjoying our food before walking off. The guy didn¡¯t even offer us refills on our empty glasses. I was going to ask Lori if that was normal, but I noticed her eyes following him all the way back and decided to just leave it be.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I told her as I grabbed a fork and jabbed it into my food. It smelled delicious and my mouth started watering. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to do all this.¡±


    ¡°I really did. What I said to you in Oregon was¡­not cool, to put it nicely. You¡¯ve been through more than any person should go through, and I wasn¡¯t thinking about that clearly when I snapped at you. That doesn¡¯t excuse what I said.¡±


    I¡¯d never had someone be so upfront and honest with an apology before. Shelly had come close in Oregon, but she didn¡¯t really do anything wrong, and even though I wasn¡¯t mad at her anymore, I did know that what Lori told me was wrong. I wanted to tell her that everything was fine now, but she looked at me with so much determination in her eyes that I kept my mouth shut.


    ¡°There are issues that I have,¡± she said, taking a shaky breath. ¡°They aren¡¯t horrible, but my power has led me to have mood swings in the past, often on very short notice, usually beyond what most normal people would consider just being moody. For someone so used to seeing emotions, I can have trouble processing my own. It happened when I first met you and later when Rory died, even if the latter was more justified.


    ¡°Those kinds of outbursts are part of the reason why I¡¯ve been scared to try and meet new people. When I was alone in that apartment for that week, I decided that I¡¯m going to try and put those feelings behind me. They might be a part of who I am as a person, but I can do my best to make myself better. My first step was apologizing to you about what happened¡­which is something I should have started with, and not waited this long to do, but here we are now.¡±


    I tried to think about how I should reply. I could have just given her a casual show of forgiveness and understanding, though what she said didn¡¯t really deserve such a nonchalant answer. Admittedly, I didn¡¯t know what to say to her. I knew where she was coming from when she said those horrible things, and once she apologized, I was perfectly fine. All water under the bridge at that point. The hatchet was totally buried.


    ¡°Need help doing it?¡± I managed after a few seconds. ¡°I accept your apology and forgive you, no problems there. I want to be a better person here myself. I¡¯m aimless and I know it. While I¡¯m here, I want to gain some direction in my life. I need to gain direction. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just not satisfied with the me I am right now. I can be better, and if I¡¯m going to protect Shelly, I¡¯m going to have to be better.¡±


    ¡°God, I¡¯m so glad you asked,¡± she said, putting her head on the table. ¡°We both suck at social interaction, don¡¯t we? Is this how most people become friends?¡±


    I took a little bit to think about that, but I wouldn¡¯t deny that we were both pretty bad at being social. ¡°Beats me. Could be better, could be worse, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. Now how about we shut up and finally eat?¡± She asked, not even waiting for me before she dug into her bacon cheese fries. That was a sentiment I could get behind entirely. I took my fork and started to wolf down the macaroni, and it was one of the best things I¡¯d ever tasted. At least for a little while, it felt good to just relax and eat food, even if we did look like starved animals doing it.

 Book One - Chapter Sixteen

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you paid for that without melting in front of Alex, Lori,¡± I teased as we walked out of the restaurant, Shelly¡¯s pre-packaged meal in hand. Lori had assured me that they were just as good as the food we ordered, and I didn¡¯t have any reason to doubt her, so I grabbed one for my sister.


    ¡°Dude, I¡¯m not that much of a wreck, give me some credit,¡± she responded, trying to sound offended. ¡°He¡¯s my crush, sure, but I was just surprised that he worked here. I¡¯m normally fine around him. Usually.¡±


    I noticed Alex walking our way from inside the restaurant. ¡°Well, speak of the devil. Want to talk to him?¡±


    ¡°¡®Want¡¯ and ¡®will¡¯ are different things,¡± Lori said, already fidgeting slightly. She was right, though, she was mostly fine. I¡¯d seen people act worse around their crushes before. At least Lori wasn¡¯t humiliating herself.


    He walked out, and it hit me just how scary he might appear to others. He was taller than me by a couple inches and looked as solid as a rock. His black hair was cut into a military cut style, making his stern face look more serious. Of course, none of those took away from his handsome face, square jaw, or chiseled cheekbones. It wasn¡¯t hard to see why Lori, or any of the ladies in the restaurant, had the hots for the guy.


    ¡°Hey, Alex,¡± I greeted, sticking my hand out to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lori jolt her gaze toward me. She could have taped a huge neon sign to her forehead detailing the gruesome ways she wanted to kill me. ¡°Nice to meet you. Thanks for the service in there. I¡¯m Ethan Harper. I just moved her today, and Lori was showing me around.¡±


    His eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he took my hand. It was stupid of me not to be ready, but I wasn¡¯t expecting his handshake to be so firm. Given his muscles and demeanor, I should have prepared myself for that one. It took me a moment to recover enough to return his handshake with a solid one of my own. I did my best to match his impressive strength.


    ¡°Glad to have you on board here,¡± he said, his voice deep and matching his appearance. ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± I asked, not sure specifically what he meant.


    He sighed with obvious frustration. ¡°Your Anomaly. Your ability to fight. Your ability to lead. Anything to keep people safe. What can you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± I told him, already knowing my answer was far from satisfactory. ¡°I broke a TV without touching it a week ago. Does that count as something I can do?¡±


    ¡°The world knows about us now with its first impression was a street of Vancouver being attacked and a building destroyed,¡± he began, his expression hardening, and I knew I had inadvertently stepped on a landmine. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a place to hang out now. These people are in danger, and they¡¯re in danger from both sides. They¡¯ll be hunted and recruited by McLeod. They will be killed if they don¡¯t comply.


    ¡°And if you think normal people are going to just leave this be, thinking it¡¯s only a few bad apples, you¡¯re horribly mistaken. Maybe in twenty years, if we aren¡¯t all gone, there will be some acceptance, but not right now. They do not care. They do not care about us, they do not care about one of our own sacrificing himself to save lives, they just do not care. What needs to be understood is that this is not playtime, it¡¯s time for all of us to stand up and answer a crucial question: are we going to risk our lives for people that want us gone just because it¡¯s the right thing to do?¡±


    ¡°Okay, back it up a bit. What is your deal with me?¡± I asked, taking a step closer to him. ¡°Why are you making it sound like this is somehow my fault?¡±


    Alex took a step closer and bent his neck down ever so slightly to look me in the eyes. ¡°There¡¯s only an issue with you depending on how you spend your time here. You broke a TV without touching it, right? Learn to use it. Learn to protect people. Too many of the people here aren¡¯t grasping the scenario they¡¯re in, and it¡¯ll take strong people to keep them safe. Enjoy your time here, by all means, but when push comes to shove, I hope you make the right choice.¡±


    He walked past me, pushing me with his shoulder as he did so. I watched him walk off down the hall and couldn¡¯t decide whether I was angry or not. Alex jumped down my throat without much of a provocation, yet I found myself mostly agreeing with what he said. If I was going to live here and take advantage of everything, I¡¯d need to pay it back to everyone here, even if that meant risking my life for them. He just didn¡¯t have to come at me like that.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he just so cool?¡± Lori asked, dreamily looking at his back as he continued to walk away from us.


    ¡°If you call him chewing out your friend cool, then sure,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that!¡± Lori insisted. ¡°He just wants to protect people. He¡¯s a good guy, but he takes that role of protector very seriously. His Anomaly is focused heavily on combat. He¡¯s so¡­intense about what he thinks his job is.¡±


    ¡°I want to see what he can do,¡± I said to no one in particular.


    ¡°Oh, you should.¡± Lori had a dreamy look in her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s so awesome.¡±


    ¡°Moving on now.¡± I shook my head. If Alex thought it was his duty to protect people and wanted to enforce that belief, I wanted to see how his power worked. ¡°He trains right? He has to work out, if nothing else. I want to see his Anomaly in action.¡±


    Lori seemed to come out of her infatuated state for a few moments. ¡°He probably does. Mrs. Carmichael told me that since the attacks in Vancouver and Seattle, we¡¯ve started having a few friendly sparring sessions, so it¡¯s a safe bet he¡¯d take advantage of those. She only told me that people have started, though, not the names of anyone who¡¯s sparring, so I can¡¯t be entirely sure that he will be there.¡±


    ¡°Still, it sounds like a safe guess, right?¡± I asked, trying to be optimistic about the whole thing. I needed to ask Mrs. Carmichael if there was a schedule for who was using the training rooms, or better yet, if there was a way to sign up to use one. ¡°I have nothing better to do. Want to go see if he¡¯s down there?¡±


    Excitement flashed in Lori¡¯s eyes and she stood a little bit straighter before catching herself. She cleared her throat and tried her best to be nonchalant about the whole thing. ¡°Sure, that sounds like fun, I guess. Follow me.¡±


    I listened to her and after going back through the beautiful lobby, we were back in the maze of hallways. This time, however, we went a different way and we got to the shops. Instead of the repeated apartment doors, these looked like the small and cozy shops you would find on an old town¡¯s main street. Most of them even had awnings, despite the fact that they were all inside and underground. I loved the contrast they created against the rest of the sleek and new look of the other areas of Luna.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a few minutes to kill, so let me swing into this craft shop and pick something up for my mom,¡± Lori said, stopping in front of a shop that was painted a light blue color. ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to come in if you want. The shop owner is nice.¡±


    She opened the door to the shop and was met with a gentle entry chime. The front window was filled with all sorts of fabrics, tapestries, and what I guessed were sewing machines. Shelly and I had never done anything with fabrics before, so I had no real interest in the goods inside, but it looked like a nice place to be.


    ¡°Do you ever get anything for yourself here, or is it just for your mom?¡± I asked Lori, trying to avoid hitting anything in the small walkways. All sorts of different colors surrounded me, and they weren¡¯t all fabrics. There were puzzles, paints, clothes, and old-looking knickknacks everywhere. It was more like a cross between a crafts store and an antique shop, so I took great care not to break anything.


    ¡°I sometimes try to make my own stuff, but I¡¯m not very good,¡± Lori mumbled sheepishly. ¡°My mom is better at it. She¡¯s making a yarn doll right now.¡±


    ¡°You should practice more and make things that mean something to you,¡± I told her, not wanting to see a potential interest fade away because she wasn¡¯t good at it yet. ¡°It¡¯s good to have something to escape with.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that for you?¡± Lori asked, looking through different colors of yarn.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d sometimes volunteer for charities around Christmas time, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really a hobby.¡± I thought back to some of the cold winters I¡¯d spent helping with toy drives. They were crowded and kids didn¡¯t always have the best concept of personal space, which put me on edge. More importantly, they made me feel like I was doing something good in the world, and that helped outweigh my nervousness.


    ¡°Practice what you preach,¡± Lori said, not in a nasty or confrontational way. ¡°Find a hobby here. We have plenty of things to do in the building itself and lots of nature on the property. Let¡¯s not just have our talk in the food court be just that. Let¡¯s actually make something happen. Anyway, I think I got what I needed, so let me pay for this and we¡¯ll get going.¡±


    I followed Lori to the register and thought about what she told me. I¡¯d never really thought about picking up any hobbies before. I¡¯d come home from school, do homework, and watch TV with my sister. I didn¡¯t have too many skills that I could proudly display. The best thing I could really do was cook a decent meal when needed, and I wasn¡¯t going to pursue cooking enough to make it a true hobby. That did get me thinking about baking, though. After all, who didn¡¯t like sweets?


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Will that be all today, honey?¡± The kind voice of the old lady at the cash register brought me back from my thoughts. ¡°Oh, lots of colors today. Is your mother making something especially colorful this time?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s making a yarn doll of someone,¡± Lori replied, digging some money out of her wallet. ¡°All I know is she wants the wings to be woven from a bunch of different colored yarns, so I just picked out the few that I thought looked the nicest. She says all the colors represent different things to her, and you always have the best selection of colors, Ms. Anne.¡±


    ¡°What a good daughter you are!¡± Ms. Anne cooed, giving Lori a brief hug over the counter. Poor Lori had to strain on her toes to make the hug work. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone, but this one will be on me today.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Anne, my mother would never allow such a thing,¡± Lori said.


    ¡°Nonsense. What she doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt her. She¡¯s been a great customer for ages now. She¡¯s earned a bit of a freebie. Now you and your boyfriend run along and get this back to your mother, you hear?¡± Miss Anne looked behind Lori and smiled right me. I was embarrassed about being called her boyfriend. Lori seemed nice, and she was cute, but I didn¡¯t see her that way. Good thing my small friend came to the rescue.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not my boyfriend,¡± she said casually. ¡°He just joined Luna and I was showing him around a bit. He was my first assignment. He can be a little lost sometimes, but he¡¯s a good guy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, everyone still needs a good friend in this world,¡± Ms. Anne said, sounding slightly disappointed. ¡°Anyhow, you two get along now. Enjoy your time here, young man!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to!¡± I yelled back to her, following Lori out of the shop. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±


    ¡°She can be a bit of a talker, but she¡¯s a nice lady,¡± Lori told me as she checked to make sure she had all the yarn. ¡°I¡¯ll take this to my mom later. It¡¯s not on the way and I¡¯m sure we¡¯re both tired of walking back and forth through here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just too dumb to figure out this maze. This spot¡¯s cozy, though.¡± I took another look around and examined some other places. I was impressed with how much they managed to fit in a decently narrow passage. ¡°I¡¯ll have to come back here and check everything out once I get a better grip on everything.¡±


    Lori nodded and took off down the hall again. I followed, but kept my eyes on the shops around me, trying to see if there were any that appealed to me. There were a few coffee shops that had the pleasant smell of pastries coming out of them. I didn¡¯t drink coffee, but pastries? Those were something else. A good apple or cherry turnover was a personal weakness of mine. It was hard to go wrong with baked goods. There was even a small inn, something which seemed strange in a place where people lived year-round.


    We walked on for a few dozen feet before reaching a large elevator. Knowing that the halls didn¡¯t continue this way helped give the shops a feeling of isolation, something that I appreciated. It reminded me of walking back in Shamrock.


    ¡°Most of the facilities aren¡¯t being heavily used yet, so I think Alex will be on the floor beneath us,¡± Lori said, pressing the button to head down. ¡°If he¡¯s not, we can always just let the elevator bring us down another floor. Don¡¯t worry, these floors aren¡¯t quite as hellish to deal with. Much more straightforward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I need,¡± I said, stepping into the elevator as soon as its doors opened. ¡°Please, feel free to get me out of here any time. I¡¯ve had enough of those apartment doors for a while. I¡¯m already dreading trying to find my way back home.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me to get you back. This place was a nightmare for me when I first started, and they¡¯ve only expanded on it since. That¡¯s part of the reason why everything is so maze-like. Just weird additions. Granted, it could be worse.¡± Lori shrugged and hit the button for the floor beneath us. The elevator made a brief descent down before opening its doors back up.


    Well, the new floor was certainly less of a maze. To replace that, it was almost unbearably dull. I felt like I walked into a crappy high school in a movie about an unpopular kid. You know, the kind of movie where everything has to be drab to set up visual storytelling. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of steel, making them a very boring sight. Dim lighting ran across the ceilings, giving just enough light to see, but not enough to heavily reflect and be a nuisance to anyone who may be walking.


    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lori said. Sniffling, she ran a finger under her eye, wiping away an imaginary tear. ¡°It¡¯s the most stimulating thing I¡¯ve ever laid my eyes on. Every time I come back down here, I¡¯m fascinated by every new scratch on the wall and scuff on the floor.¡±


    ¡°Really the life of the party down here.¡± My voice echoed off the walls and I cringed at hearing it back. ¡°Am I always that nasally?¡±


    ¡°Only when insulting the walls,¡± Lori said. She stepped out and looked to the right, waving for me to follow her. ¡°The person who built them had an Anomaly that let his creations feel emotions. Maybe they¡¯re trying to make you sound worse for you being sarcastic.¡±


    I nearly stopped in my tracks. ¡°Wait, what? No way, that can¡¯t be real. They¡¯re walls, they can¡¯t have feelings. Can they?¡±


    Lori smiled and shrugged. ¡°Who knows? Strange people have walked these floors in the past, and I am the girl who can sense feelings. Perhaps these walls contain some secrets. Or maybe they¡¯re just boring walls and I¡¯m messing with you.¡±


    Wary, I followed in silence, not wanting to test what she said. No. No way, they couldn¡¯t actually feel things. They were just walls made of steel, and no matter who built them, they couldn¡¯t have any properties like that, right? I spent most of the short walk trying to convince myself that I wasn¡¯t going to lose my damn mind, occasionally throwing looks at the featureless steel surrounding me.


    I was so deep in thinking about that ridiculousness that I nearly slammed into Lori when she stopped in front of a door that had a green light next to it. Given our height and weight difference, that would have likely been a messy spill. Carefully stepping around her, I went to see what she was looking at.


    ¡°Yep, this paper says Alex is registered to use it until someone else wants it, which I don¡¯t think will be an issue.¡± Lori ran her finger over to the right and let out a small gasp when she saw the name. She quickly covered it up when I tried to get a look for myself. ¡°No, this one should be a good one, even if it¡¯s just sparring. I want this to stay a surprise. The green light means that people can still enter, and spectators are always welcome.¡±


    She kept the paper covered while urging me inside the door. Conceding that she wasn¡¯t going to let me see the other name, I sighed and slid the door open. It was heavy and seemed reinforced from both sides, which made me a little worried about being in there. Something that reinforced was meant to stay standing after a hefty punch, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to be between that punch and this steel door. I heard the door lock with a thud and Lori was standing right behind me.


    ¡°This is a spectating area. It¡¯s also heavily reinforced, so you¡¯re safe here, but let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± Lori pointed toward a staircase in the corner of the room. ¡°Much better view from up there, and if this looks as good as it does on paper, I¡¯ll want some good seats. And maybe some popcorn. Shame they don¡¯t have a vendor down here. They¡¯d make a killing.¡±


    We made our way up the stairs, Lori taking them two at a time, something that impressed me given her short stride. She really was eager to see her crush in action. Part of me was a bit angry at how he talked to me earlier, but another part of me wanted him to win so Lori could be happy. It was nice to see her be able to let loose a little bit and not have to hide secrets or deal with the loss of a loved one.


    Lori was already sitting in one of the empty seats, patting the one next to her so I could join her. I slowly sank into the cushy seat and was startled by how its softness contrasted the overall dullness and sharpness of the training room. I noticed that the spectator booth was tilted just slightly forward, perhaps in a way to make it easier to see what was going on below. I wondered just how many people would even come to see someone train with their Anomaly, since sparring was a new thing that was allowed.


    ¡°Approaching first, from Baltimore, Maryland, Alexander Snow!¡± a female voice boomed throughout the training room. It was slightly different sounding owing to the loudness, but I recognized it as Lizzy¡¯s voice. ¡°And his opponent, from Victoria, Texas, my best friend ever, Rosie Foles! I love you! Kick his ass, Rosie!¡±


    I looked down through the protective glass that shielded the spectator area from anything that might go wrong, and sure enough, Rosie stood smiling and waving around the room, thankfully not wearing a swimsuit anymore. She didn¡¯t seem to be looking at either one of us, so I wasn¡¯t sure she could see through the glass from her position.


    ¡°So, if you two don¡¯t accidentally kill each other, this¡¯ll be a single match,¡± Lizzy said, with both Alex and Rosie nodding their heads in understanding. ¡°Aaaaaand begin!¡±


    Neither one of them moved at all. For a second, I thought that they didn¡¯t hear Lizzy give the okay to begin, but then Rosie took something out of her back pocket. With the distance, it was difficult to tell what it was exactly. From where I sat, the thing looked like a silver potato that fit neatly in the palm of her hand. I was about to ask Lori what that was about, but Rosie tapped it with her fingers a couple times, and it turned into a silver trumpet. That just raised more questions than it answered.


    A door that I must have missed when walking up the stairs burst open, startling me, and Lizzy came walking in. Her hair and makeup were still perfectly undisturbed, and luckily for me, she wasn¡¯t in her swimsuit either. Instead, she wore a blood-red mermaid dress that hugged her body very tightly. It looked nice, yes, but it really wasn¡¯t much better than her swimsuit. I turned my attention back to the sparring session and tried to focus on that, but fear gripped me when I heard the clack-clack of Lizzy¡¯s high heels on the ground, getting closer to the two of us.


    ¡°Hi guys! I didn¡¯t know you two were coming by.¡± Lizzy plopped her butt down in the empty seat next to mine. ¡°This sparring stuff is awesome, I¡¯m so glad they started it. These two could tear the house down if they got serious.¡± She leaned forward and looked over to Lori, who was having trouble making eye contact. ¡°Hey there, been a bit, short stuff.¡±


    ¡°N-nice to see you too, Lizzy,¡± Lori mumbled, reaching her hand out in front of me. ¡°Glad to be b-back home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the most you¡¯ve ever said to me at one time!¡± Lizzy nearly threw herself over me to meet Lori¡¯s hand. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, feeling the stress of being crowded. ¡°Looks like Ethan here doesn¡¯t like being sandwiched between two beautiful ladies, does he? Well, that¡¯s a shame, because I haven¡¯t had a chance to talk to Lori in forever.¡±


    I was going to protest, but when Lori broke out laughing, I saw what Lizzy was trying to do. It was clear that Lori at least knew a few people on a small level, yet she only had a relationship with a guy who wasn¡¯t with us anymore. She didn¡¯t have many other deep relationships with her peers, so this was probably Lizzy¡¯s way of breaking the ice. At least that once, I could take the loss and suck it up.


    ¡°This is so mean to him,¡± Lori managed between giggles.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll live. This¡¯ll make a good story for him to tell later. Now come give me a hug!¡±


    Lizzy wrapped her arms around Lori¡¯s small shoulders and held her in an embrace a few inches away from me. Lizzy looked at me out of the corner of her eye and smirked. Their hug seemed to last forever before Lizzy finally pulled away, adjusting a loose strand of hair that came free. Through a huge grin, Lori mouthed an apology to me.


    ¡°You should come with Rosie and I to the pool one day,¡± Lizzy said to Lori. ¡°We would love to have you on our girls¡¯ day. Oh, crap, I forgot about those two down there. We¡¯ll make those plans later, ¡®kay? Let¡¯s just chill out and enjoy the show.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Seventeen

    Since I didn¡¯t know much about Alex¡¯s Anomaly or anything about Rosie¡¯s, I wasn¡¯t sure what I should have been expecting. The only information I had to assess the situation was that Alex was combat-oriented and Rosie had something that looked like a steel potato that could turn into a trumpet. Not exactly a classified document¡¯s worth of valuable intelligence there. I would have been a liar if I said I didn¡¯t want to see Rosie swing her trumpet around as a weapon, though.


    Their mouths moved for a little bit while both continued to stand still. If there were any microphones in the training room, they weren¡¯t on for our usage, and unless Lori or Lizzy were lipreaders, I was pretty sure we were all out of luck on knowing what they were saying.


    Rosie visibly laughed and nodded her head before putting her trumpet up to her lips. Alex braced his body as a burst of sound sped from the trumpet to him. He put his arms up in front of his face to absorb most of the impact; an impact which pushed him back along the floor a few inches. When he put his hands back to his side, I noticed his forearms were glowing with a dim yellow light. It seemed to be pulsating under his skin.


    ¡°Any guesses about Rosie¡¯s power, Ethan?¡± Lizzy asked me, nudging me with her elbow, causing me to flinch. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s gotta be more to you than just a handsome face, right? It should be pretty obvious.¡±


    ¡°Sound.¡± I answered, hoping I didn¡¯t give a stupid answer to some sort of trick question. ¡°Can she enhance the sound she creates? That¡¯s why she has the trumpet thing, right?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong, but there¡¯s more to it than that,¡± Lizzy began to explain, scooting closer to the edge of her seat. ¡°She can manipulate sound to a ridiculous degree. Drop a glass plate in the kitchen? She can completely silence it when it shatters. Won¡¯t help with the cleanup after, but still. Oh, and she¡¯s perfect for microwaving a bag of popcorn past midnight. No horrible beeping from the microwave.¡±


    ¡°Not even I knew it was to that extent,¡± Lori said, reminding us of her presence. ¡°I thought it was just powerful sound amplification from what I¡¯d heard. I¡¯m glad one of the examples you gave of her Anomaly is devious midnight snacking. If what you said is true, she could move an entire group of people around silently or something along those lines.¡±


    ¡°She can do that, but she also has a wicked singing voice. Her church loves having her perform almost as much as I do.¡± Lizzy didn¡¯t care that she was clearly gushing over Rosie¡¯s power. ¡°She insists that her singing isn¡¯t great, though. Complete nonsense, don¡¯t let that sweet girl fool you. Insist that she sings to you at least once. Don¡¯t let that chance pass by.¡±


    Our room fell silent when we saw Alex crouch down, the yellow glow in his forearms disappearing. Rosie readied her trumpet by bringing to her lips, her eyes not leaving Alex¡¯s crouched figure. My heartbeat picked up just watching them standoff with each other, still not knowing the full extent of what either could do. I was worried about their safety, and my own. I disregarded those worries entirely to watch the show.


    Alex shifted for the briefest of moments before he took off in a full sprint, pounding his feet on the hard flooring. He went left and started to come back in toward Rosie. He was running faster than I¡¯d seen any human run before, yet not so fast I couldn¡¯t follow him. My knowledge of comics was slim, but Alex was nowhere near the speed of some of the guys and gals in those stories, and that was probably a good thing. People who could go that fast would be extraordinarily dangerous, even in a sparring session.


    He crossed the distance between them¡ªwhich I guessed was about forty or fifty feet¡ªin the blink of an eye. He would have put aspiring NFL players to shame with his forty-yard dash time. Rosie never lost her focus. She turned to aim her trumpet at Alex, and another sound blast flew toward him. But that blast didn¡¯t meet its mark. Alex managed to just duck beneath it before it could make contact with him.


    The shock on Rosie¡¯s face when Alex crouched beneath her was clear. The weird glow appeared under his right fist, brighter than the last time, and he delivered a punch to the small girl¡¯s stomach. Time seemed to freeze for an instant before Rosie was sent flying backward. Tumbling and rolling along the ground in a mess of limbs and hair, she finally came to a rest in a kneeling position. To her credit, she managed to hold onto her trumpet, which hadn¡¯t suffered any damage from the spill she took. I had no idea how she managed to take a shot like that and not lose that along the way.


    ¡°Crap, come on Rosie,¡± Lizzy said, chewing a perfect nail and nervously bouncing her leg. ¡°I know that was rough. You gotta get up and show him what you can do, girl. You¡¯re better than this.¡±


    Rosie wrapped her right arm around her stomach and used her left for support, her trumpet resting under hand. Her body twitched, and her breathing was ragged. Each breath she took made my chest and stomach hurt. She didn¡¯t appear to be critically injured, thank goodness. I don¡¯t know if Alex held back at all, but I hoped he didn¡¯t. If that punch was the result of him showing restraint, I was terrified of what he could do when he was actually trying to hurt someone, like a someone who might¡¯ve accidentally pissed him off after his work shift.


    On unsteady legs, Rosie managed to stand up, still favoring her midsection. She closed her eyes and concentrated, something that Alex saw as an opening. He ran toward her, slower this time. Visibly slowing down still would have NFL coaches drooling over his speed. It was wild. She hadn¡¯t been knocked that far back either, so it wouldn¡¯t take him long to reach her again. In just a couple of steps, he was a few feet away from her.


    And that¡¯s when all the sound vanished. The nervous bouncing of Lizzy¡¯s leg, my heartbeat, my breathing, all of it was just gone. Lori, Lizzy, and I shared surprised looks. Lizzy mouthed something at us, and she had another look of shock before snapping her gaze back to Alex and Rosie.


    The former was now the one on unsteady legs, his hands cupping around his ears. Rosie¡¯s face was scrunched in concentration and sweat had begun to run down her forehead. Whatever she was doing, it didn¡¯t look like it was easy on her, at least not in her injured state. It wasn¡¯t easy on her larger opponent either. Rosie wanted to try and level the playing field while she still could.


    Rosie¡¯s eyes opened, nearly exploding out of her head. The sound returned to us, and I could hear my heartbeat again. I didn¡¯t realize how much I needed to hear that until it was gone. Perhaps it was because I had spent my entire life being able to hear, or it could have been the jarring change, but that brief time without any sound left me with a feeling of wrongness. Something like that just went against the rules of the world, and it creeped me out.


    Alex had since removed his hands from his ears, but he hadn¡¯t stood up yet. Seeing her own window of opportunity, Rosie readied her trumpet, took a deep breath, and blasted Alex with an attack that we could hear in the protected spectator room. It was like someone took their trumpet, put everything they had into just making as much noise as possible, and that noise went through every amplification system the world had to offer. Even in the protected room, I could feel the sound, just like those people who listen to their radios with the bass turned up too high.


    That¡¯s when it hit me why we couldn¡¯t hear anything. If microphones were on to hear conversation, something of that volume would probably be severely damaging to hear, if there was recording equipment that could have even successfully recorded the sound. Alex was dealing with that nightmare firsthand. The poor guy wasn¡¯t just dealing with the hearing end of it; he had been sent back by the force of the sound blast as well. I didn¡¯t even think sound could do that, but Anomalies didn¡¯t seem to play by any conventional knowledge I possessed.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The fight hadn¡¯t really gone like I¡¯d expected either. I¡¯d seen some superhero movies and shows in the past, and everyone always seemed to be able to dish out and take punishment really well. It was a dumb way to think, considering we were still just normal people with something different about us, but that¡¯s the kind of mindset I had going into the match. I had thought it would be a slugfest between two superhumans, but they both looked out of it after a couple attacks.


    Alex managed to make it to both feet, though he didn¡¯t look so good. His clothes were partially torn from being blasted along the ground and blood trickled down from the ear that I could see. Assuming it was happening on the other side too, Alex was not in a good spot. He probably needed medical attention, something that Rosie noticed as well.


    She turned to our window and frantically waved both hands over her head, trying to get someone¡¯s attention. Looking more nervous than I thought she could, Lizzy stood up and started to move toward the door she originally emerged from. It wasn¡¯t until Rosie flinched down in the training room that she stopped and looked at Alex, something we all did. He was shaking his head with his familiar glow under his fists again, albeit they were losing their brightness.


    It was hard to be certain from my distance, but to me, it looked like he said ¡°one more¡± to Rosie. The poor girl was clearly distressed about the situation, but she nodded and prepared for one last attack. She tapped a few spots on her trumpet, and it turned into one of those large drums that the kids in my school¡¯s marching band wore. I wish I¡¯d known the proper name for them. She slipped on the straps that were attached to the drum and nodded toward Alex, a motion he returned.


    Mustering as much as he could, he took off in a straight-line sprint directly for Rosie for an all-or-nothing attack. She hadn¡¯t been fully expecting that and struggled to get in a position where she could see him better, but it was already too late by that point. Instead of trying to dodge left, right, or down, Alex jumped into the air, something I wasn¡¯t expecting him to do. It seemed like his power was something that would work better with a solid base on the ground, but he seemed confident enough to put his body on the line like that.


    Or maybe it was just the first time I saw his quick thinking; his way to try and fake out an opponent.


    Rosie put both her arms out to the side and brought them in toward the drum just as quickly. It was sad, but victory might have been hers had her hands not met her drum right as Alex¡¯s glowing fist connected with her mouth. Instead, there was a loud thud that shook our room like a vicious clap of thunder, and both combatants were sent to the ground in different directions, each ending up in a motionless heap.


    ¡°Shit, that did not go as I planned,¡± Lizzy whispered, making her way to the door again. ¡°I¡¯m going to call some healers. You two go down there and make sure that there isn¡¯t anything horribly wrong with them. Don¡¯t mess with them too much in case someone is actually severely hurt.¡± She paused for a second and looked back toward us. ¡°Just make sure they¡¯re not dead. Yeah, do that.¡± Her brow furrowed and bit her lip making her way back into the room she came from.


    ¡°We have good healers, don¡¯t worry. They can help regenerate serious injuries.¡± Lori must have sensed my feelings were matching Lizzy¡¯s. ¡°She¡¯s just worried about her friend, which to be fair, she did take a wicked hit. Let¡¯s get down there to double check anyway. Better safe than sorry.¡±


    We did a sort of fast walk down the stairs and stood in front of the door that led to the training room. With a grunt and some effort, Lori slowly slid the door open, granting us access to the prone bodies. I decided to check on Rosie since I think she liked me more than Alex did. Plus, that let Lori get the chance to dote on her wounded hunk of a guy. I had no idea how to wingman for someone. I just knew I wanted to support her in her love life.


    I jogged over to Rosie and knelt beside her, trying to check for any obvious damage. She was already starting to stir and sit up, so whatever happened, it didn¡¯t kill her. Besides that, I was just impressed she was already starting to get up after taking a punch like that. Maybe it was because I was a massive weakling that I was so impressed. There was no shot I could have taken that and been stirring moments later. That would have kept me down for the whole ten count and then some.


    ¡°How¡¯re you feeling down there, champ?¡± I asked. I reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to go through with it and give her some support. She tapped what I noticed were buttons on her drum, and it returned to its small shape. ¡°We felt your attacks from the spectator area. They were awesome, Rosie.¡±


    She blinked at me a couple times, glanced at Lori and Alex, then shook her head, probably trying to get rid of the cobwebs. ¡°Well, now I didn¡¯t know y¡¯all were coming to watch us. Oh goodness, I hope I didn¡¯t embarrass myself too bad in front of everyone.¡± She moved her mouth a bit before grimacing. She looked to the side and spit out a small amount of blood and a tooth.


    ¡°Damn, he got you good with that last one, didn¡¯t he?¡± I matched her grimace at the mess on the floor. ¡°Your smile is going to make a hockey player proud though.¡±


    I remembered all the pictures of old hockey players in a restaurant Shelly would take me to on the rare occasions when money was right. In response, she gave me a toothy grin, and sure enough, there was a space where one of her top front teeth should have been. There was also blood leaking out of her mouth.


    ¡°Our healers can fix this, I think,¡± she said, running a finger through her mouth to make sure everything else was stable and secure. ¡°They¡¯re a good bunch over there. The only thing that really gives them trouble are limbs and organ removal. Even then, they¡¯ve worked some real magic! They can handle just about anything that they get.¡±


    ¡°Think you got any of Alex¡¯s teeth out?¡± I knew she did some good damage to his ears, but I couldn¡¯t see anything else from where I was sitting. Like me, Lori was helping Alex to sit up, albeit she looked much happier about the chance to touch him than I did Rosie. ¡°I think that one was a draw.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I put a bit too much on his ears, poor thing.¡± Rosie attempted to stand, but grabbed her stomach and wobbled a bit, needing to place a hand on my shoulder for support. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯m just gonna sit my happy butt down and wait for the medics that I am sure Lizzy called.¡±


    ¡°You know her pretty well,¡± I said, confirming her guess. ¡°She was worried to bits about how your fight went. You two that close?¡±


    ¡°Sure are! She¡¯s my best friend in the world.¡± Rosie beamed and flashed another gap-filled grin. ¡°I gotta try to meet everyone I can when they¡¯re new, and she was part of that. Lizzy had some issues with bullyin¡¯ because of her looks and her kindness, but we clicked since the second I said something to her.¡±


    ¡°She was bullied before?¡± I asked, having trouble imagining that.


    ¡°It¡¯s sad, but it¡¯s true.¡± Rosie shook her head and looked down. ¡°Some girls would get jealous of how she looks, and boys would try flirt with her, but get upset at her strange responses. She hardly has a mean bone in her body, so she¡¯d never be rude to them. Though she¡¯d say plenty of weird things. Her attitude didn¡¯t give her a spot in the meaner social circles. Everyone who thought they weren¡¯t as good as her were too shy to say anything, so she ended up a bit of loner. She was sorta popular, but only from a distance, sort of how you¡¯d might admire a piece at a museum. Eventually, her classmates only started carin¡¯ about her looks.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here seems like a bit of a loner, don¡¯t they?¡± I asked, mostly thinking out loud. ¡°Lori, Lizzy, and I. Alex is a bit prickly, so I¡¯m not sure how many friends he has either.¡±


    ¡°Hm, you may be right about that, Ethan.¡± Rosie stopped to think for a second, tapping a finger on her forearm. ¡°Most of us have a sense of comradery here, but old issues are hard to beat. There are still bullies and everythin¡¯ ain¡¯t perfect yet, no matter how hard we try. Still, Lori might have been a loner, but she had Lizzy¡¯s number, didn¡¯t she? She might not be friends with many folks, but we should all be allies joined by the same reason here, and I think that¡¯s a pretty good alternative if everyone isn¡¯t pals.


    ¡°I reckon Lizzy already considers you and Lori her friends anyway. You and Lori have each other, Lori and Alex seem to be getting along well, and I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along great too. So, don¡¯t worry too much about who is or isn¡¯t a loner or none of that. It¡¯ll all happen naturally.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even been here a day, Rosie,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Most friendships start that way. They all start by people talkin¡¯ one day, and then bam, y¡¯all are friends before you know it.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to lose a tooth for it to happen?¡± I asked, trying to inject some humor into the discussion.


    ¡°Naw, but that¡¯s how you know you¡¯re dealin¡¯ with the right people,¡± Rosie said. I noticed that her southern accent came out more when she was excited about something. ¡°You get whacked that good in a friendly spar, and you know you got a good person right there. And it¡¯s somethin¡¯ you better get used to, because I wanna spar with you soon enough too.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Eighteen

    The alarm I set on my phone went off and blasted my tired ass like a bomb. It was set for seven in the morning, the time that Lori and Lizzy insisted I wake up. Because of the stupid time zone change and the adjustments I had been making to the new place, I didn¡¯t end up getting to sleep until about two in the morning. I fumbled with my phone, dropping it once before finally getting the alarm shut off, letting the details from the previous day slowly trickle back into my groggy mind.


    Rosie and Alex were given a quick healing session outside of the training room. Alex¡¯s ears needed some work, and they ended up having to wheel him out on a gurney despite his insistence that he was fine. Or maybe it was because he was insisting that he was fine and thrashing about, trying to get free that they felt the need to strap him down to a gurney in the first place. Because of the calm demeanor he showed before, I wasn¡¯t expecting him to put up that much of a fit about being healed.


    Rosie was much more cooperative about her healing. Her tooth was regenerated, the bruise on her stomach gone, and they had to heal a small fracture in her jaw. When they finished with her, she walked back with them and did not have to be wheeled out like her opponent did because she was much more cooperative about the whole healing business, something the healer made sure to say loud enough that Alex heard.


    After that, Lori took me back through the horrible maze of halls and sadness to get me back to my place, and I¡¯d really started to hate the entire concept of architecture. I didn¡¯t even bother trying to learn the ways around, knowing I¡¯d need a map or something for that. She did insist that there was an app I could download to my phone that would show my position and the surrounding area, and while a bit on the creepy side, would solve my issues of wandering around aimlessly until I died of dehydration. Still, her help was undoubtedly appreciated, because it would have taken me hours to find my way back home.


    When Lori and I showed up back at my place, Shelly insisted she come in too, and even welcomed her with a hug. Given their initial meeting, Lori was understandably hesitant to accept both the invitation and the embrace. With a little gentle prodding and insistence from Shelly, Lori accepted both in the end. My sister wasn¡¯t the kind of person to hold a grudge for long. Since Lori was part of the reason Shelly got to use a beautiful new kitchen, that probably made my friend okay in my sister¡¯s book. We ate an early dinner with Lori joining us. After she left, I spent the rest of the day unpacking and helping my sister set things up around the place.


    ¡°Crap, why did I agree to wake up so early?¡± I asked out loud, trying to comb through my scrambled memory. I tried to think back, starting with lunch. There was that, the arts and crafts store, and the sparring. That was when it hit me. ¡°Oh man, I have to meet Lizzy at her place soon.¡±


    After the dust settled from the sparring session, Lizzy pulled the two of us aside. She insisted that I come by her home no later than eight in the morning because she had some kind of present to help me with my own training that was on the schedule. Neither she nor Lori would tell me what that meant. When I pressed for more info, they just shared a knowing look with each other. They didn¡¯t want to tell me just what training would consist of either.


    I threw off my covers and stumbled my way to the door, uselessly flailing my arms around in my dark room. In my old room, I would have easily been able to find the walls around me, but this room was just too big. Everything was too spacious, and I didn¡¯t have enough furniture put down to help guide me in my temporary blindness. It took me too long to remember that I could just use my phone as a light, so when I turned on the screen, the light burned my eyes. My first full day at Luna was not off to a great start.


    Blinking the sleep away, and with the assistance of my phone, I found my door. I was finally out of the room where my clumsy self could manage to hurt himself on nothing. Unsurprisingly, Shelly was already awake, sitting at the kitchen bar. She tapped away at her laptop and sipped on a hot cup of coffee. Next to the laptop sat a small headset in case she needed to take a call.


    ¡°Morning,¡± I greeted her with a yawn.


    ¡°And a good morning to you,¡± she replied, not looking up from her screen. She took a small sip of her drink before continuing. ¡°Lori said she¡¯d be here at around seven thirty, so make sure you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I said, walking over to our fridge. I wasn¡¯t expecting anything in there except the food I brought home yesterday for Shelly, but there were actually a couple of things ready to make some breakfast. Still, I didn¡¯t feel like taking the time out to make a proper breakfast, so I opted to go for the easy route. I grabbed the meal I nabbed for Shelly from the restaurant. ¡°Hey, do you care if I have this wrap I brought back yesterday? It was for you, but since we ate so early, it was just sitting in here all night.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Shelly turned around and saw that I was holding the plastic container. ¡°Yeah, of course. You don¡¯t really have that much time anyway. Is this going to be an everyday thing?¡±


    I shrugged and sat down next to her, grabbing a couple of paper towels. ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing today.¡± I took a few bites of the wrap and was glad that it was one that was meant to be eaten cold. I didn¡¯t pay that much attention to what I grabbed since Shelly wasn¡¯t as picky an eater as I was.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m glad that you already made plans with people, but make sure you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Shelly said. She closed the laptop and gave me a hard look. ¡°Don¡¯t let people push you around and make you do things you¡¯re not comfortable doing.¡±


    I swallowed another bite of the wrap and set the rest of it back into the container. ¡°I promise, I won¡¯t. If something like this happens again, I¡¯ll put my foot down.¡±


    My sister narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not satisfied with my answer, but gave up and just nodded. She opened her laptop back up and resumed her work. I stared at it, wondering why she even bothered to close it for those few seconds if she was just going to continue working. Instead, I focused on what any good citizen should, and that is eating their breakfast. I killed off the wrap and threw all the trash in the garbage can.


    ¡°You really should have eaten that, Shelly,¡± I told her, licking my fingers. ¡°It was pretty good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get one eventually, don¡¯t worry,¡± she assured me. ¡°Oh, by the way, you¡¯ll be getting your laptop today, so you can finish out high school. Only half the year left. Don¡¯t think you can start slacking now.¡±


    It took some recalling, but I did remember Shelly telling me that I¡¯d be provided with a laptop to work online. That was handy because I wasn¡¯t sure we had the money to buy a new computer for me to use. In time, sure, since there weren¡¯t really any bills for Shelly to pay at Luna, but we didn¡¯t have the spare cash lying around to buy a laptop at that moment.


    ¡°Awesome, I can¡¯t wait to wrap things up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my scholarly brother. Make sure to do well in school, or none of those nice girls you¡¯re hanging out with will want to date you.¡±


    I groaned and hung my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be like a grandma on some TV show telling me about ¡®all the nice girls¡¯ out there who might want to date me. It¡¯s a big enough step that I¡¯m talking to people at all.¡±


    ¡°Is it though?¡± Shelly asked, once again looking up from her screen. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have too many problems with it. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m happy to see it happen, but maybe you¡¯re better at being social than you give yourself credit for. You never really tried to make friends before. That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean you were bad at it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± I said, shrugging. ¡°They¡¯re pretty good about taking the lead here. I¡¯ve hardly gotten a word in edgewise before something else happens. It makes it a bit easier to converse with people who make it like that. Anyhow, I should get dressed and ready to go.¡±


    I went back to my room and did my usual morning routine. Showering, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, putting on deodorant, shaving, and making sure I looked enough like a presentable human being that I could show my face in public. Doing all that took me about thirty minutes, so my appointment with Lizzy wasn¡¯t too far off. I went back out to the living room to wait for Lori to come and get me.


    The next fifteen minutes were spent mostly in silence while waiting. The only noise came from Shelly typing away and the robot vacuum that protected us from the harmful debris that may be on the floor, like the helpful family friend I knew he was. I still couldn¡¯t quite grasp just how much more we had at Luna. It still made it feel like it wasn¡¯t quite home, so I knew I needed to work on adjusting more. Still, for everything nice we had here, not having a real window in my room was bugging me more than I had been expecting it to.


    Right as I was about to ask Shelly about hanging up some soft lights on a string, there was a gentle knock on our door. I got up and checked through the door¡¯s peephole, and as I had expected, saw Lori on the other side. She was wearing a yellow dress that contrasted well with her darker skin, and just made her look a little bit brighter and happier than she did the day before. I opened the door and welcomed her with a wave, Shelly greeting her the same way, still barely looking up from her laptop.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but I slept through my alarm,¡± Lori informed us, still not sounding like she was in a hurry. ¡°Lizzy¡¯s place isn¡¯t too far away, but she is very punctual about her appointments, so let¡¯s not make her angry.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, don¡¯t do that one, little brother,¡± Shelly chimed in. ¡°Do not be late for an appointment with a girl. I¡¯ve had a boyfriend figure that one out the hard way.¡±


    ¡°Right, great idea, let¡¯s get going,¡± I said, ushering Lori out the door. I wasn¡¯t in the business of trying to make a superpowered girl angry with me when I was still effectively a clueless beanpole.


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    One night of sleep was truly not enough to free me of my eternal hallway nightmare. I could already feel my spirits getting depleted as I was once again guided through the stupid, hellish maze. I needed to get that app that Lori told me about that had the layout of the complex. I also needed to get over my disdain for the design of this place and just figure it out.


    A few more minutes of walking later had us standing in front of a door that was painted a light shade of pink, making it one of the only doors that really stood out. I was hoping that it was Lizzy¡¯s place because I really appreciated how she broke up the monotony of everyone having the same style door. Even her doorknob was different, being one of those nice glass ones instead of the normal ones that everyone else had.


    Lori looked at her phone and then up at the number plate on the door. She gently rapped her knuckles on the wood. ¡°Yep, this should be her place. The number of her place matches the number she sent me in her text. Lizzy was one of the kids who came over here alone, so she turned her place into a salon.¡±


    ¡°Kids were allowed to come here alone?¡± I asked, skeptical of how that would fly with both parents and the law.


    ¡°Yeah, it can be thought of as a sort of boarding school,¡± Lori said, taking a step back from Lizzy¡¯s door. ¡°You¡¯ve seen how things are run. People are taken care of here, kids especially. Parents are allowed to visit throughout the year, as long as they notify Luna, so they can make preparations. Kids are provided the means to video chat with home and do their schooling, all while being in a safe place to learn how to control their Anomalies. Many parents are worried though, so they¡¯re allowed to spend some time here before they go back to their homes.¡±


    Before I could think about that information, the door flung open to reveal a smiling Lizzy. She wasn¡¯t quite as fancy as she had been during the sparring match. There was no dress that hugged her curves or two-piece swimsuit that made me want to look down at the floor. Her hair was down and more disheveled, she had no makeup on, and instead of a dress with heels, she was in a tank top and shorts. It was nice to see her in a more relaxed state.


    ¡°You¡¯re early! I like that. Sorry, you still caught me in my pajamas.¡± Lizzy wrapped her arms around Lori. When she broke that embrace, I saw her turn to me with her arms extended, and I found myself also caught in a hug. I froze and stood there awkwardly for a second before Lizzy quickly broke the contact. ¡°Crap, I¡¯m sorry, you don¡¯t like touching.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± I said, taking a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve never been good with people touching me when I¡¯m not expecting it. I¡¯ll get over it eventually. Really, I want to. It¡¯d be nice to get hugged without freaking out.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want her to feel bad for it either. There wasn¡¯t really anything wrong with what she was doing, and she was trying to keep it in check, so I didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it. No need to make something out of nothing, especially when it was a gesture done out of kindness.


    After one small and awkward pause, Lizzy invited us into her home, which looked how I anticipated after seeing her pink door. Lots of makeup¡­things that I didn¡¯t know the names of. There were a few seats facing small tables that were housing tall mirrors. Bright lights bordered the edges of the mirrors. Lots of combs, brushes, and hair dryers were strewn about on top of the tables. A muted, medium-sized TV hung above the center mirror, with some morning talk show on.


    ¡°Sorry, you caught me in the middle of reorganizing,¡± Lizzy said, clearing off one of the seats. ¡°Business has been pretty down since all the attacks started. I don¡¯t get it, it doesn¡¯t look like people are really acting any different here, but no one¡¯s come in lately.¡±


    ¡°What is it you do exactly?¡± I asked, looking around her place. It seemed to have the same layout as my own, so I wagered that most of the housing units here were similarly modeled.


    ¡°Beautification! Can¡¯t you tell by all my wonderful tools here? Wait, didn¡¯t I tell you I wanted to cut your hair yesterday?¡± Lizzy wiped her hands on her tiny shorts, done organizing everything she needed for one seat and table. ¡°Now, sit your butt down so I can get to work.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what is it you¡¯ll be doing to me?¡± I took a couple of steps back from Lizzy, who was just shaking her head. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t really want a face full of makeup.¡±


    ¡°Men, right? Can¡¯t live with them, can¡¯t live without them.¡± Lizzy turned to Lori and kept shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to doll you up, but this is part of my Anomaly, so be a good boy and cooperate with me. I promise it won¡¯t be bad, you have my word, but it¡¯s kind of hard to explain what my power can do.¡±


    With a dejected sigh, I sat down in the seat that she cleared. I could hear Lizzy praising my good decision-making, but all I could think about was how I was just letting someone else guide me along and not really putting my foot down when I needed to, right after I told Shelly I wouldn¡¯t let people push me around. The only thing that I could use to justify this instance was that Lizzy and Lori both insisted to me that it would be helpful. I didn¡¯t even focus on what they were saying anymore. I just hoped that this wouldn¡¯t end up with my face exploding or something.


    ¡°These are very special cosmetics that I get from someone else who makes them with their own Anomaly,¡± Lizzy said, grabbing what looked like a stencil and a tiny pallet with a bunch of bright colors. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he does it, but they¡¯re entirely safe on skin, wash off only with a special solution or two weeks¡¯ time normally, and are really just fantastic. He makes paints and other artsy stuff, which I guess is kind of similar, so he must make a killing off that.¡±


    She got some yellow and started to move the stencil thing around on my cheek. I jolted and got goosebumps from how it tickled my cheek, and Lizzy chastised me for moving around already. I tried to focus on the captions that were running along the bottom of the TV in an attempt to make myself not fidget. It wasn¡¯t doing me a whole lot of good. Morning talk shows weren¡¯t really my thing.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lizzy grab a second stencil, put blue on the end, and then got back to work on my face. I tried my best to sit still, and I thought that I was doing a pretty good job until Lizzy scolded me again.


    ¡°Dammit, Ethan, I need you to be still.¡± I could tell Lizzy¡¯s concentration and focus were increasing. ¡°This is generally something I have to do well for it to work.¡±


    I really wanted to apologize. I wanted to sink into the seat. If she needed me completely still, no need to open my big mouth or move to mess it up more. I just kept my eyes glued to the TV show, where they really weren¡¯t talking about much. Some celebrity and their ¡°sure hit¡± coming out in the summer were the main focus, and it did make for a good enough distraction.


    ¡°Done!¡± Lizzy exclaimed, putting her tools down. ¡°That should help you out.¡±


    ¡°That was faster than I thought it¡¯d be,¡± I said, standing up. I turned my face and looked at her mirror out of the corner of my eye. On my cheek appeared to be a yellow gift box with a blue ribbon going around it. It was cute. ¡°What¡­is it? What does it do?¡±


    ¡°My Anomaly lets me put makeup on someone¡¯s face and give them powers depending on what I make.¡± Lizzy puffed out her chest and a proud look came over her face. ¡°For you, I created a present on your face to ¡®help you find your gift¡¯, so to speak. The effects usually get more potent if I put more effort into them. Luckily, I¡¯ve been doing makeup for years now, so getting something decent doesn¡¯t take too long.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little abstract, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s almost some kind of reality or luck manipulation. How does my power know what to do? Why does it only work with makeup? It¡¯s so weird. I have no idea how any of what I do works. It just makes sense and feels right, like using an arm or a leg.¡±


    I took a closer look at the little present that was on my face. Like she said, it looked decent, but she probably could have really made it look special if she dedicated more time to it. Her explanation of her power got me thinking, though. ¡°Wait, I thought you said your power was hard to explain? You seemed to do it pretty well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re no fun,¡± Lizzy said, sitting down and starting her own makeup. ¡°It was to build drama and suspense. Really get that adrenaline going. Who knew just what I was doing? That was supposed to be part of the mystery.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the one who told me all about it right after. You blew your own secret.¡±


    ¡°Shush, I¡¯m busy now,¡± Lizzy said, ignoring my statement entirely. ¡°I¡¯m going to be watching you train today, so you can wait for me to finish if you want. It¡¯s been a while since I had friends over.¡±


    Lori checked the time on her phone and nodded at me, so we both took seats at Lizzy¡¯s dining room table. I was still tired and not really in the mood for more conversation, so I focused on the morning talk show again, unmuting the TV. Whatever celebrity they had on there was gone and they¡¯d moved on to someone else; a younger man who had a frizzy, eccentric haircut.


    The plastic-looking cohosts welcomed him in that generic, celebrity way people always did on TV. The male host gave him a brief handshake and the female gave him a light hug, all three of them wearing forced smiles. It all looked so strange, like none of them wanted to be there at all. They all looked so robotic doing such mundane actions, like sitting or drinking out of mugs, that I was starting to think that it was staged.


    ¡°Welcome back to Rise and Shine America!¡± the female host exclaimed, her smile toward the camera looking a touch more natural than it had before. ¡°As always, we¡¯re your hosts Lily and Jacob Howe, no relation.¡± She paused to look at the papers she had laid out in front of her and let the studio audience applaud and whistle. I knew that those kinds of talk shows were pretty fabricated, but man, it really did just feel like a forced laugh track in a bad sitcom.


    ¡°We¡¯re so thrilled to have you, Mr. King!¡± Lily¡¯s robotic cover broke for a moment to reveal genuine excitement. It looked like Jacob had a similar shine in his eye about this fellow. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how dull the entire thing got for the two hosts. ¡°You¡¯re an expert on these freaks that have been popping up, right?¡±


    ¡°Whoa there, let¡¯s not call them freaks, okay?¡± Mr. King adjusted his tie and coughed awkwardly. The mood seemed to drop a bit when Lori and Lizzy overheard the comment from Lily. ¡°They¡¯re people, just like you, just like Mr. Jacob, and just like me. Any occurrences that we do not yet understand doesn¡¯t strip them of their humanity.¡±


    ¡°What ¡®humanity¡¯ are you talking about, Mr. King?¡± Jacob asked, his excitement quickly replaced with outright contempt. ¡°The only ¡®humanity¡¯ around them appears to end up crushed or maimed.¡±


    ¡°Well, regardless of your very professional demeanor here, I firmly believe that these individuals are blessed with gifts.¡± Mr. King shook his head, clearly disappointed at the whole event. ¡°There was a very brave gentleman who gave his life to let others¡ªothers like us¡ªescape in Seattle. But, to answer your first question, I would not consider myself an expert, merely an observer and thinker. One that you still invited to this show, I¡¯m happy to remind everyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then how do you propose you have anything to contribute here?¡± Lily impatiently tapped the tips of her fingers on her long desk.


    ¡°Are you always this hostile to guests, Ms. Lily? I understand that times are impossibly difficult right now, but these are our friends and family. Who¡¯s to say that you don¡¯t have a man or a woman in your life that can fly?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve had enough of this now,¡± Lily said, any fa?ade of interest or acceptance gone. ¡°Security will escort you out. The notion that these animals who¡¯ve done nothing but ruthlessly slaughter our nation¡¯s innocents aren¡¯t abominations is not one that¡¯s welcome here, so please leave in a calm and orderly fashion.¡±


    ¡°Please, save your manpower for those that you cower in fear from. I¡¯m more than capable of leaving myself.¡± Mr. King stood up to leave, tense security walking up behind him. He waved them off and made his way out of the camera¡¯s view without offering any further words.


    Unnerved, I went to shut the TV off. I quickly scanned the faces of both ladies near me. Lori looked sad and dejected and Lizzy almost looked like she¡¯d seen a ghost. When she saw me glance her way, her facial expression changed to match Lori¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t sure why she tried to play tough. I was terrified too. The entire unprofessional act and seemingly inviting a random guy on their show seemed done to create fear about people with powers.


    And as much as I hated the near-choreographed response from the crowd, it¡¯d have been nice to hear at least a couple boos when they asserted that we were less than human.

 Book One - Chapter Nineteen

    Lizzy did her own makeup in what I was sure was a world record pace. That still didn¡¯t stop her from saying it was a slow morning for her. She offered to do Lori¡¯s face too, making the small girl shyly decline. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t a fan of getting her makeup done. When I told Lizzy I thought her makeup looked nice, she beamed with so much pride I thought she was going to give me a lecture on everything she knew. I made a quick mental note that complimenting her skills was a great way to get on her good side.


    After we made sure Lizzy was good and ready, we made our way back to the training area where we watched Alex and Rosie duke it out in their match. This time, I couldn¡¯t make myself focus on the trip. Just like when I moved to Luna, a sudden wave of anxiety and excitement hit me. With butterflies in my stomach, it took all my focus to put one foot in front of the other and not topple over. My terrible night of sleep didn¡¯t help with my body feeling like it was filled with lead.


    ¡°Earth to Ethan!¡± Lizzy¡¯s voice snapped me out of my fog. I rubbed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to come back to reality completely. ¡°You know you can¡¯t zone out like that if you actually have to fight someone, right? These cats don¡¯t play around when sparring, so you have to take care in our brave new world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here, I¡¯m good.¡± I rubbed my eyes harder, hoping that it might get me back in the right mindset and clear my brain a bit. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that. I didn¡¯t sleep too well with the sudden time change and the move.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Ethan.¡± Lori brushed some of her short hair out of her eyes when she chimed in. ¡°You¡¯re not sparring against anyone today, but you really gotta keep focused.¡±


    Itching to change the subject, I directed my attention to the paper that was by the door, noticing that no one else had put their name on it yet. ¡°So just us three today? No trial-by-fire like in a movie?¡±


    ¡°Ha! If you went up against someone like Alex today, you¡¯d stand no chance.¡± Lizzy patted me on the shoulder and my body tensed up. At least she didn¡¯t mean any harm with what she said. I knew she was right anyhow. That guy would have mopped the floor with me.


    Lori jotted all our names down on the paper. Since no one else was around, I wasn¡¯t sure what the point of it was. I figured more people would start using the rooms if the attacks got worse, though that was something we hadn¡¯t seen yet. With just us three, it didn¡¯t seem to make a lot of sense. I began to wonder if there was even anyone who took care of the rooms down here beyond the bare minimum upkeep.


    Before I could get lost in my thoughts again, I followed both girls beyond the first door and into the large space. From the spectator area, it looked a lot smaller. The only feature the room contained was a small podium-like structure in the middle. Being inside of it then made that feeling of anxiety come back and my hands started shaking. I gripped my left wrist to try and stop the trembling to little avail. Lizzy already noticed.


    ¡°I read once that more people have phobias related to open spaces than they do confined ones,¡± Lizzy said, a concerned half-smile appearing on her face. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I replied, answering quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I am. If I¡¯m not okay now, I won¡¯t be okay in two months when those monsters might have destroyed the planet.¡±


    ¡°Good answer! Let¡¯s get started!¡± Lizzy slipped a bag that I hadn¡¯t noticed off her shoulder, dumping the contents on the ground. There were about two dozen ice hockey pucks at her feet. She quickly began stacking them into a pyramid on the podium. ¡°Lori told me about your old TV, so I want to try this exercise first. Do what you did to the TV to these pucks. Let me tell you now that any progress is good, even if you can only move one a couple millimeters.¡±


    Both Lizzy and Lori stood behind me, waiting and watching. I grew self-conscious after feeling their stares drill into my back after a few seconds. Since I didn¡¯t even know what I could do, I just sort of stared at the pyramid and focused really hard. I imagined things like lasers coming out of my eyes, my muscles strengthening to unnatural levels, and I even tried to exhale to see if I had any ice or fire breath. Nothing happened. The only thing all my focus and straining gave me was the start of a small headache.


    ¡°Is there a trick to this?¡± I asked, giving up for the moment. I stretched a bit and faced the ladies, Lizzy looking deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t know how long I can just stare at a pile of rubber before I lose it.¡±


    Lori responded with a small shrug before Lizzy stepped in. ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone told you, but a lot of the Anomalies are discovered when intense emotions flare up. Not always, but that might be your best bet.¡±


    ¡°Lori did mention something like that,¡± I said, pulling the conversation up from my memory.


    ¡°Then you need to use that as a start. Go back to the time where you broke your TV and try to replicate those feelings.¡± Lizzy cleared her throat. ¡°Since your Anomaly should have immediate, tangible results, we should know when you use it. It won¡¯t be like mine. I have no idea when I first unlocked it.¡±


    I nodded and resumed focusing on the pucks. I tried to recapture the same feeling of helplessness and despair I felt when all those people were killed in the attacks. There was an uneasy feeling forming in my stomach while my heart thumped hard in my chest. There was still no change in the pucks. I tried to throw on the feelings of losing my parents, failing an exam, and how much it hurt to be scolded by Shelly. Anything that might¡¯ve roused a negative emotion, I tried to use it.


    ¡°Jesus, Ethan.¡± It was Lori¡¯s voice I heard, but I kept my focus on the pucks. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re really not even one of us. You think you can protect yourself¡ªlet alone your sister¡ªfrom McLeod when you can¡¯t even knock over hockey pucks? I guess that I was just sent to get you as a test for myself, because you¡¯re not anything special. You and your family are just going to be ants under that man¡¯s boot.¡±


    As she spoke, I envisioned situations where McLeod was free to murder Shelly and I couldn¡¯t do anything to stop him. Panic and fear seized my heart just imagining losing my only family left. A lump rose up in my throat and I began to shake again. Closing my eyes, I grabbed my wrist in another failed attempt to stop the involuntary response. With all the mental strength I could muster, I pushed the thoughts of being weak and helpless out of my head, and a dull thud jolted me out of my thoughts. In front of me, all but four pucks had been knocked off the podium.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lori shouted, clapping her hands behind me. I felt her tiny frame wrap around me in an embrace. I was so fixated on the pucks that were scattered everywhere that knowing I was being touched only occupied a small space in my mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I said those things, but I didn¡¯t know what else would have helped. You were just...becoming so sad that I couldn¡¯t stand it. I think panic and fear might be your keys to trigger your Anomaly at this stage.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    She let go of me and I heard her sniffle behind me. Not having the guts to face her, I made my way to the podium and examined the pucks on it. The ones that remained there had all shifted too, and while that didn¡¯t really tell me a whole lot, it did beat destroying a piece of my house. Idly, I picked one of the chunks of rubber up and checked it for damage. I didn¡¯t see any visible chips or scratches, so whatever I hit them with, it wasn¡¯t terribly strong. It¡¯s not like it would have taken me much effort to just knock them over by hand. What broke my TV was far beyond what I¡¯d managed against the pucks.


    ¡°Do I have to feel that bad every time I want to break something?¡± I asked, tossing up and catching the puck with my right hand. ¡°Because if I have to be yelled at every time, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be very useful.¡±


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Lizzy grabbed the one I¡¯d been playing with out of the air and got to work restacking all of them. ¡°It¡¯s usually easier that way to use your powers from the start. Once you get the hang of it, drawing on your power becomes second nature. You have to learn to walk before you can run. This time, try imagining the ¡®gift¡¯ I gave you and see if that helps out.¡±


    I took up the same position for a third time and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I thought about some of the gifts I¡¯d opened in my life. I started small with some candies that I was given from kids who had leftovers from Valentine¡¯s Day at school. I started working my way up to some bigger gifts given to me by Shelly for my birthday or Christmas. Like before, I tried to force a feeling, this time aiming for excitement. I ran through every memorable and sentimental gift opening that I could recall. When I opened my eyes again, there hadn¡¯t been any change to the pucks.


    I started to tap my foot, thinking about what might help me best utilize Lizzy¡¯s power to awaken my own. Since I only had two successful uses, and only one of them done somewhat consciously, I was struggling to find even a simple starting point. I was about to give up and just try to fill my heart with panic and fear again when an idea struck.


    When I had knocked the pucks over, I had tried to push my fearful thoughts out of my head, and the result had been something like a physical push in the real world. Instead of trying to use memories I already had, I tried with thoughts. I pictured myself opening a huge giftbox that even matched the colors of the one Lizzy put on my face. But instead of opening it with my hand, I had flung the lid of the box off with just a casual thought.


    The impact against the pucks was much louder that time. When I opened my eyes back up, every puck was off the podium. Most had harmlessly fallen to the ground, though I noticed more than a handful had made it a few feet from the podium. Unable to contain it, I cracked a grin at the lesson I managed to teach those dastardly pieces of vulcanized rubber. I tried to look cool about it. I was feeling thrilled that I¡¯d finally used my ability by my own decision, so that didn¡¯t work out too well. I turned around to a big grin from Lizzy and enthusiastic applause from Lori.


    ¡°How¡¯d you do it?¡± Lizzy asked, resting her hands on her hips. Before I could reply, she shook her head and carried on. ¡°Actually, first, what is it?¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know yet,¡± I admitted, suddenly embarrassed again. ¡°I think it¡¯s a ¡®push¡¯ of some kind, if that makes sense. When Lori prodded me, I had pushed the thoughts out of my head, and that time I imagined myself pushing open a giftbox with only my mind.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s telekinesis!¡± Lizzy yelled, barely letting me finish.


    ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± Lori asked, looking up at the taller girl with wide eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is,¡± I said. They both looked at me and I shrugged. ¡°I could be wrong. My gut is just saying it¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°Hm, maybe you¡¯re right. I¡¯m usually confident in my guesses, but hey, it¡¯s your power.¡± Lizzy once again started to pick up the pucks. This time I joined her in grabbing ones farther away from her. ¡°Regardless, you¡¯re doing great. You said it was like a push, right? It¡¯s no different than if you pushed something with his arm. You just did it only with your noggin.¡±


    Hearing her praise and seeing her excitement made me feel good. Her and Lori did well to come up with ideas that would work for me, and the results showed almost immediately. I already felt like I had a solid handle on being able to pull out whatever my power was.


    ¡°You know, I think the two of you could make good instructors,¡± I said, tossing a puck up and down through the air a few times.


    Lizzy¡¯s face flushed, and for the first time in the short stretch we¡¯d known each other, she looked completely off guard. She mumbled something of a thanks herself and went back to picking up the hockey pucks. I tried to ignore the few that she dropped. I was about to apologize and ask if she was okay when I heard Lori giggle. Lizzy shot her a glare, but since Lori was laughing good-naturedly about it, I figured that everything was just fine.


    ¡°So, what next?¡± I asked once Lizzy and I had collected all the pucks and restacked them. ¡°Is there something I should be aiming for now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, doing your push thing,¡± Lizzy said. When she saw my dejected face, she gave me a light chop on the head. She caught the puck I tossed out of the air. ¡°Remember, walking before running. Try knocking all these over three times. This time, I want you to use different thoughts. Whether I¡¯m right or wrong about the telekinesis, you need to be able to do your push on a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    Knowing she was right, I sighed. After that, the next two times I got the pucks knocked over much easier. I used both happy and sad thoughts, both accompanied by an imaginary me pushing out with my mind. In a way, it was almost therapeutic, like my power was helping to expel some of the negative thoughts and feelings I¡¯d clung to for so long. For the third time in the exercise, I just gritted my teeth, focused, and simply thought about the idea of pushing things over. To my surprise, it worked, and even the ladies noticed how quickly they were knocked over that time.


    ¡°Huh...you picked that up faster than I was expecting, even with the little present I gave you.¡± Lizzy grabbed all the pucks and returned them to her bag. She walked past me, Lori joined her, and she waved for me to follow suit. ¡°We¡¯re done for the day. If you had knocked down just one stack on purpose, that would have been a win for me.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I shouldn¡¯t be practicing this more?¡± I asked. Reluctantly, I followed her out of the room. ¡°If I grabbed it quickly, I would hate for all this time to go to waste.¡±


    Lizzy stopped in her tracks and turned to me with a hard look in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll get other chances to practice, trust me. Right now, you need to let your body¡ªand your mind¡ªget rest. Let me put it another way for you.


    ¡°If you wanted to hit the gym to start lifting weights, you wouldn¡¯t deadlift two-fifty on the first day. I¡¯ve always thought of these Anomalies as a well that I visit. At first, my control of drawing from that well was poor and erratic, on top of the well was small to boot. Like muscles that you work out at the gym, that well can grow and you can draw more from it with better control.¡±


    ¡°What if my well is huge right now and I¡¯m some sort of prodigy?¡± I was hoping to defuse some of the tension in the air, and Lizzy did seem to relax her shoulders a bit.


    ¡°Anything¡¯s possible, granted. You still need to be careful. I¡¯ll be honest with you, okay? That present I gave you was a test of sorts for me. To relate it back to what I just said, I used about a quarter of what was in my well in that, and my focus was to jumpstart your Anomaly more than just helping you discover it.¡± She grimaced and hung her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being totally honest about it.¡±


    Feeling on the spot, I rubbed the back of my neck and looked toward the suddenly interesting lights in the ceiling. ¡°Eh, no harm, no foul. When you put it like that, though, I do think I will take it easy for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the right call, believe me.¡± Lizzy went to pat my shoulder, only stopping herself an inch away. ¡°You might feel great now. You¡¯re probably hopped up on adrenaline and excitement. Shit, you just confirmed you have superpowers, so you better be a little happy. You¡¯ll be feeling that fatigue later. This is something entirely new for your body. It needs to be paced out carefully.¡±


    This time, it was Lori who made her presence known again. ¡°I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re all on the same page, and since both of you used your Anomalies so well today, I vote we get some food already.¡±


    As if controlled by Lori¡¯s own hunger, both mine and Lizzy¡¯s stomachs growled loudly. With no way for the tension to stay after that, we all shared a laugh and agreed that food would be the next most important part of our improvement.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty

    The rest of the day went by without issue for the most part. I ate with the girls and had a good time. Lizzy and Lori being pretty girls got my awkward ass more than a few curious and jealous looks from some of the younger guys. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t looking appreciative enough of eating with two cute ladies. That¡¯s what Lori told me when she read the room, anyway. Lizzy being completely uninterested in any of the guys who were very obviously checking her out did nothing to endear me to any of them either.


    And, shocker, it turned out she was totally right about taking it easy the rest of the day. After we ate and I was guided back home, the fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that it wasn¡¯t helped at all by the poor night of sleep I¡¯d gotten. My mind and body felt like they were jelly. Everything was just sluggish and unresponsive. I ate dinner in a fog, and while I had originally planned to sneak in some light practice in my room, I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow.


    That¡¯s why when I woke up the next day and saw that I had three texts from between eight and nine in the evening, I realized how well I¡¯d actually slept. One was from Shelly telling me goodnight, another was from Lori asking if I wanted to do more training, and the third was from Lizzy insisting that I¡¯d be doing more training. I felt a bit guilty at not having seen their messages until I woke up before deciding that the good night of sleep was well worth it. Lori must¡¯ve given her my number sometime after we split ways. Or maybe Lizzy just forced it out of her, since she was hard to say no to.


    Regardless of how she got it, I replied back to the both of them confirming my interest and asked for some more help getting there. Lori agreed quickly and gave me a time to be ready by, thankfully not being nearly as early. That gave me a bit of time to shower and make sure I wasn¡¯t gonna suddenly collapse from my prior day¡¯s practice. Right when I figured out that I¡¯d be fine, both Lori and Lizzy showed up. Naturally, when Shelly saw Lizzy, she glanced at me and gave me a sly grin. After that, I shoved them out of our home, giving Lizzy and Shelly just enough time to shout introductions. Never had I wanted to be out of my own living space so much, so I just quickly asked them what was on the training regimen for the day.


    ¡°Well, if someone hadn¡¯t left me on read last night, they might know what the plan was.¡± Lizzy poked my ribs with a perfectly manicured nail. I grimaced a little bit, mostly from her bony finger. Having Lizzy and Lori touch me wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world. ¡°So, it looks like it¡¯ll have to be a surprise!¡±


    ¡°If it means anything, I went to bed, so you weren¡¯t really left on read. I just didn¡¯t read it all.¡±


    ¡°Objection overruled. Still going to be a surprise, bud.¡±


    This time when we made our way down, I made sure to pay more attention to where we were going. I¡¯d only been there a bit, but everything was already starting to feel a little more familiar, and I¡¯d begun to recognize some faces in some of the little cafes that we passed. It felt nice to have that sense of familiarity and it gave me some hope that I¡¯d really be able to make this place my home.


    When we ended up passing the same room that we used yesterday, I was curious if maybe someone else had claimed that room for the time. ¡°We¡¯re not using the same one as yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Lizzy said, coming to a stop a couple rooms down. She signed all our names on the paper and hesitated before entering. ¡°Um, I asked Alex to help out. Since you still have your present, I thought about what we did yesterday, and I think it might help you advance quicker.¡±


    Lori, as expected, perked up almost instantly. She began to run her fingers through her hair, seemingly subconsciously. I wasn¡¯t thrilled at the prospect of training with him, but since my friend had the hots for him, I was determined to make the most out of it. Bite the bullet for the both of us. She took a deep breath and I knew she was working to beat down her stutter. ¡°You said Alex?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think this can be good for both him and Ethan,¡± Lizzy continued. If she knew about Lori¡¯s crush at all, she didn¡¯t point it out or embarrass Lori. With what I knew about her intuition, I¡¯d have been surprised if she didn¡¯t at least have any idea. ¡°If Ethan can¡¯t do what I¡¯m hoping he can, this might be a complete waste of time.¡±


    ¡°What is it exactly that you¡¯re hoping Ethan can do?¡± I asked. I followed her into the room and saw Alex standing there. I felt some anxiety and apprehension fill me, but I did my best to give a friendly wave.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you asked me here to babysit,¡± Alex said, crossing his arms. ¡°I have better things to do with my time.¡±


    ¡°What is your problem with me?¡± I asked, taking a shaky step forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Lizzy wants us to do, but-¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you can do!¡± Alex yelled back, himself taking a much more confident step forward. ¡°I have been busting my ass for Pittsburgh and I need to be at my best.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Lizzy snapped, placing a hand on both of our arms. I held back an instinctual flinch. I wasn¡¯t going to lose any more ground. Plus, I could feel the restraint that Lizzy was exerting. It was taking basically everything she had to not dig her nails into both of our forearms at that point. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who needs practice, Alex. Help me out this one time to see if it works, okay? I¡¯ll pay you back.¡±


    Alex took a few seconds to ponder the request, his muscular frame finally relaxing. Even if he had some strange beef with me, he did seem to at least respect Lizzy and her request. I tried to calm my body to bring the tension down too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lori visibly wincing at the entire thing, so I had to make her my rock to keep me down and prevent me from losing my cool at the guy she liked. Her face gradually softened, so I think that the overall emotion in the room had settled somewhat.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help,¡± Alex said, turning to me, looking much less antagonistic. ¡°Do you know what you can do yet?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not entirely sure. It might be telekinesis or something like it.¡± I appreciated Lizzy answering in my stead. ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress still. I¡¯m sure you can tell that I gave him that little present on his face. It helped yesterday, and I think that there¡¯s something that can benefit both of you today. For Ethan, this is going to be a completely defensive test, and for you, I want you to go all out.¡±


    ¡°What defensive lesson did you have in mind?¡± Alex asked, seemingly curious now that an idea of my actual power had been laid out.


    ¡°The way he described using it...didn¡¯t seem exactly like telekinesis in the way that someone might think. It was more of a physical act of pushing something with his mind, not moving or grabbing something.¡±


    ¡°Meaning...?¡± Alex didn¡¯t seem to follow Lizzy¡¯s train of thought, and really, I wasn¡¯t either.


    Not hiding her disappointment, she sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have a better name for it right now. I think he can do more than simply move things with his mind. You¡¯re going to help him with a barrier. He brings one up with his brain, you try to break it down. Ideally, the barrier gets stronger, and you get to use more force in destroying it. Both of you get to try and outmuscle each other, so to speak.¡±


    For the first time, I saw Alex smile at something. That made me a bit nervous. My only exposure to the dude hadn¡¯t exactly given me the warm fuzzies, and he seemed to have a pretty good grasp on his own Anomaly. Plus, Lizzy seemed to be asking a lot of a first timer with creating a barrier just because she had a hunch. The idea did hold some kind of appeal to me, and I would have been lying if I said I didn¡¯t want to create a barrier that he couldn¡¯t punch through.


    ¡°Both in agreement? Lovely, then let¡¯s get started.¡± Lizzy impatiently ushered us into the training room without letting either of us answer.


    The first thing I noticed about this room was that it had some differences between the one I¡¯d done the puck training in. There was no podium, but there were markings on the ground that reminded me of a basketball court someone had no idea how to paint. All the lines were perfectly symmetrical, and I was guessing that Lizzy would want us to stand on certain lines to measure distance.


    I ended up being right and she guided both of us exactly where she wanted. She put me on a dot that was dead in the center of the floor. In front of me, there was a line that ran across the room, and I guessed that it was exactly five feet in front of me. Lizzy had placed Alex just beyond that line after seeing how far he could reach with his arms. I wasn¡¯t thrilled at being that close. The dude could have cracked me like an egg and smoked me like a salmon. Knowing that, I wasn¡¯t going to let myself look like a chicken and ask to move farther back.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you do it, but I want you to try and manifest a barrier on that line in front of Alex,¡± Lizzy instructed, folding her arms. ¡°Make it as large as you can. Right now, I want to be sure you even can create what I¡¯m asking for. We can work on the precision of it all later.


    ¡°And Alex, once Ethan gives the okay, you¡¯re going to lay into the barrier. I know that subtlety isn¡¯t your favorite thing, but please don¡¯t be a dick and try to destroy it with all your power. I¡¯ll say it again, I want him to gradually build up a strong barrier. Then you can go nuts.¡±


    With that, she backed off and put all the pressure on me. I started at the floor, thinking that having a visual base would help me. I focused on the line and tried my trick from yesterday. In my head, Lizzy¡¯s giftbox sat enticingly behind an invisible force field. No matter how hard I tried to punch or kick through it, it refused to budge. I even tried a mental push on it, but it still held firm despite my best efforts.


    It wasn¡¯t much, but I saw a faint shimmer about three feet long running the line. No one else seemed to comment on it, so I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just a trick of the light. When it didn¡¯t fade away, I was sure I wasn¡¯t just hallucinating it. Mentally, I raised the barrier blocking my giftbox, and the three-foot line matched the shield in my head. Calmly and carefully, I got it to above Alex¡¯s height to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t miss, as funny as that¡¯d be. When it was fully raised, I barely could see the pink-purple shimmer. It should have been difficult for me to see, but at the same time, I was aware of its size perfectly.


    ¡°Can you guys see that?¡± I asked, worried I might shatter the barrier by making any sound. They all confirmed to me that they couldn¡¯t see anything, but I noticed Alex readying up. His entire right arm and fist began to glow that same dim yellow I saw from his sparring session. I shut down the giftbox scenario in my head, hoping to see if that would hurt my barrier at all, but it still stood strong. Just to be safe, I did keep my focus on the object in front of me, which seemed to keep it up and standing.


    ¡°Dominant arm at ten percent,¡± Alex said, pulling his fist back. He looked a bit unsure of where to punch exactly, glancing around in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and decided to keep it straightforward. I forced myself not to flinch when he launched his fist forward. His knuckles met my shield with an audible crack, not unlike the sound splintering glass might make. It was tough for me to really understand the sensation, but I could feel the barrier getting hit and damaged in my head. Sadly, my entire barrier crumbled like it was nothing. Alex pulled his fist back, confusedly looking at where he¡¯d hit, but still unable to see anything. ¡°You definitely made a barrier. Did it break?¡±


    ¡°It did,¡± I said looking sheepish. ¡°You ran right through it like it was a piece of paper. Nice punch.¡±


    ¡°No, it was about ten percent of what I could do,¡± Alex said, damn sure to ruin any moment or compliment he could. ¡°But for something you¡¯ve just manifested, that¡¯s quite good.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Ethan.¡± Lizzy stepped between myself and my barrier, trying to find any indication that it actually existed. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t heard the impact, I¡¯d think you were both in on a prank. Then again, Alex probably doesn¡¯t know what a prank is.¡±


    Before Alex could interject, Lori added her own comment. ¡°That¡¯s so cool! I¡¯ve seen telekinetics before, but this isn¡¯t the same. They could only use physical objects to act as a shield, but this is something else. It¡¯s like...it¡¯s like...I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you¡¯re going to be a cheerleader, go get into uniform. I have a miniskirt you can borrow.¡± Lizzy turned to face Lori, her gaze hard. I was learning fast that the Lizzy inside a training room was a completely different beast compared to the one outside a training room. ¡°Because I want you to hone your own powers too.¡±


    ¡°But my-¡± Lori began.


    Lizzy held up her hand. ¡°We¡¯ve been too complacent all these years. Everyone¡¯s been so determined to hide what they can do that they never really stopped to think about what they can do. Well, we have someone who revealed that secret, and there¡¯s no getting that toothpaste back in the tube this time. There¡¯s no magic we can work that can keep the public largely unaware. It is do or die for all of us, and that¡¯s why I want everyone in this room to get better.¡±


    ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lori said, looking at her shoes. ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t be the only one not working toward improving.¡±


    ¡°Damn right you can¡¯t be,¡± Lizzy agreed, this time with a confident smile. She wrapped a supportive arm around Lori¡¯s narrow shoulders. ¡°But you¡¯re a stronger girl than you give yourself credit for. Every time one of these nice boys does something in here, I want you to note any change in their moods. Read their hearts like they¡¯re your favorite book. Tell me how many times their emotions change from now until the next punch.¡±


    ¡°Any orders for me?¡± Alex asked, maybe attempting the first thing close to a joke I¡¯d heard him crack. Lizzy¡¯s confidence did seem to get him a little riled up, so he probably wouldn¡¯t have minded actually getting some orders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry that handsome head,¡± she said, returning to her spot next to Lori. ¡°Let Ethan remake that shield, you bump it up to thirty percent, and then we¡¯ll see if you need me to boss you around.¡±


    Taking that as my cue to get back to work, I tried repairing the shield first. It didn¡¯t take too long to make the first one, but being able to repair it was something that was nagging at me in the back of my head. How invaluable would it be if I could set up a shield and repair it before any chance of damage came through? Maybe if I could do that, I would actually be able to stop people from getting hurt. I could keep myself and my family safe.


    Using that as motivation, I focused on healing the crack. I tried without any mental imagery, and to my surprise, the webs running along the shimmer began to mend. It was slower than I would have liked, but the progress was undeniable. I felt a heat run through my body and I attributed that to my excitement. When the mend completed, I mentally tried to reinforce the barrier a bit to withstand the next blow. I couldn¡¯t visually see anything, though my connection to the shield felt a bit firmer. I noted the apparent connection my mind had with it to ask someone about later.


    I nodded toward Alex to signal that it was ready. He nodded back and his arm regained its glow, this time coming in brighter. Getting a better look at his arm, I could almost feel the power radiating off him. I didn¡¯t really have anything to compare it with, but I¡¯d have to bring up the idea of seeing him hit solid steel to see the result. For all I knew, his ten percent power punch might not be significantly stronger than a normal punch, which would probably have made my barrier weaker than glass.


    ¡°Dominant arm at thirty percent,¡± he said, just like the first time. Once again, he pulled back and let loose. The second time around, unfortunately, my barrier stood no chance. The thing shattered the moment he struck it, putting up no resistance. It actually put up so little fight that Alex nearly fell through with the force of his punch, expecting something to stop him. There was a distinct, uncomfortable feeling in the base of my skull as I watched the shimmering fragments fade away to nothing. It wasn¡¯t quite like pain, more like a tingling sensation that didn¡¯t belong there. A cold shiver ran down my spine from it, and it made me resolve to up my barrier¡¯s strength.


    Lizzy clicked her tongue and once again tried to spot any sign of the destroyed shield ¡°I figured thirty percent would be a bit much at first. Ah well, a girl can hope. Awesome work regardless, boys. Alex, you stay at that level for now and let¡¯s see if Ethan can get a barrier that can withstand it.¡±


    After that, we spent at least an hour trying the same thing. Manifesting the barrier became easy and fast. I didn¡¯t need to use the visualization tricks in my head, and I could feel the thing getting a teeny bit stronger each time. They also crumbled each time, so they weren¡¯t strong enough. I was disappointed and annoyed. Disappointed at my inability to create a stronger shield and annoyed at that tingling that hit every time one shattered to nothing. Since I¡¯d started to expect it, it didn¡¯t feel as bad as it first did, but it was still an annoyance. I tried to liken it back to Lizzy¡¯s comparison to going to the gym. It might be easy to start with ten pound weights, but if that was my limit, I¡¯d have to build that limit higher and higher each time.


    Eventually, I lost count of how many shields I¡¯d even created. Sweat was pouring down my face, chest, and arms. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what my underarms looked like. They felt¡ªand likely smelled¡ªbad enough. Alex looked barely winded with only a thin layer of sweat creating a small sheen on his face. Lizzy and Lori remained mostly silent, both intense in their own separate observations of our little test. To Lizzy¡¯s credit, she didn¡¯t try to push me too hard, yet I didn¡¯t have to be Lori to feel the high expectation coming from her.


    The next time, I put everything I could muster into the barrier. I retained the same size and shape of the others, but all my concentration went into durability, and the connection with it was awesome. To my mind, it felt like what a reliable shield would feel like on someone¡¯s arm. I admit that I beamed with a bit of pride at it, and it even seemed to look more tangible. I swore I could see actual edges on it, but no one commented on it, so I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Ready again, I nodded toward Alex to do his worst. Like a machine at that point, he went through the motions like usual. When his fist connected with the barrier, instead of crumbling away, it managed to stay standing! Okay, granted, the entire thing was cracked badly. It was still standing. Alex almost immediately grinned when his arm stopped against what likely looked like air to him. I heard Lizzy applaud and congratulate both of us.


    I turned to face her and the proud expression she wore shifted to one of shock. Her mouth seemed to move, but she wasn¡¯t actually saying anything. Not sure what the concern was, I rubbed some sweat from my upper lip that must¡¯ve rolled down past my nose. When I lifted my hand to motion to her that I couldn¡¯t hear, I noticed that my hand wasn¡¯t covered in sweat. A red smear of blood covered most of the back of my hand. I looked down at the ground, confused about why there was blood on me, and I saw that it was dripping at my feet as well.


    When it finally registered in my head that it was my blood and that Lizzy had probably been speaking after all, a sharp, stabbing pain took root at the same spot the tingling feeling had originated from. My legs went wobbly and I could feel myself falling, almost in slow motion. Everyone seemed to be spinning around. I tried to will my arms to move to catch myself before I hit the ground, but I couldn¡¯t get them to react fast enough. Somewhere in my head, I was screaming for my legs to try and buckle in a way that would break the fall a bit for my upper body. That was useless too. It was like my brain couldn¡¯t get any reasonable command sent to any part of my body.


    I dropped like a sack of bricks, and the last thing I remember seeing was Lori¡¯s look of horror and Lizzy trying to reach out to me. To her credit, she really did try to get to me in time. She just wasn¡¯t fast enough. The moment my head smacked the hard ground, I was out cold.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-One

    When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was my splitting headache. It felt like every inch of my head was being pushed in and ripped apart. I had regained consciousness, but I had yet to open my eyes. With how bad my headache was, opening them to a bright light was the last thing I wanted to do. I kept my eyes shut to see if the headache would pass after a few minutes. If anything, forcing my eyes to stay shut may have made the headache worse for me.


    With a groan, I slowly sat up and opened my eyes. After I blinked away the smudges in my vision, I saw that I was in a hospital room. I noticed that I had an IV in the crook of my elbow, which made me shudder by instinct. I never liked IVs, needles, or anything that got pushed through my skin. I hated knowing that there was something foreign sitting inside my body, even if it was there to help. The only thing that made the color run from my face more than the IV itself was when I imagined trying to take it out by myself. Suddenly feeling nauseous, I leaned back in my hospital bed.


    I heard a door gently shut, and I looked back up to see a door to a small room I hadn¡¯t noticed when I first opened my eyes. Walking out of it and drying her hands with paper towels was Lizzy, who wasn¡¯t aware that I was awake. She was looking down to the ground, her shoulders sagging. Without seeing her face, I could tell the girl looked terrible. Her hair was a mess and she just looked fragile. I was about to call out to her when she finally looked up and noticed me.


    ¡°Ethan?¡± Her voice was barely more than a whisper, like she couldn¡¯t quite believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn¡¯t seeing anything. When I gave her a sheepish grin and waved at her, she took off in a sprint. Given that there was only ten feet max between us and I wasn¡¯t exactly going anywhere with an IV in my arm, I thought her theatrics were enjoyable. I braced myself for the hug, but since Lizzy looked so crappy, I figured she¡¯d earned one. To her credit, her hug was gentle, like I was the one who looked fragile. I took that as a win considering she was about ready to crash into me from a sprint just moments before.


    ¡°The one and only,¡± I said, patting her back. I was surprised I touched her given my apprehension of most physical contact. Trying to comfort her felt like the right thing to do. ¡°Man, you look like something the cat dragged in.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, you say that to every girl who doesn¡¯t have makeup all over her face?¡± she asked, pulling out of the hug.


    ¡°What? No, I didn¡¯t mean it that way,¡± I stammered out, trying to get my foot out of my mouth. Another look at her face told me that she wasn¡¯t serious and that she also found no shortage of joy in teasing me. ¡°Really though, you look like hell.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I thought I killed you, dumbass,¡± Lizzy explained, pulling a chair up to the side of my bed. ¡°You hit your head hard when you fell. Oh my God, you just wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding from your nose. It was like a busted faucet. The closest healer got to you before an actual doctor. They¡¯re not great at diagnosing issues, so they couldn¡¯t tell you what the issue actually was. Anomaly-related injuries can be...tough to figure out. Once you were healed back to a stable point, the doctor just said to let you rest until you could be evaluated again.¡±


    ¡°Hit my head...?¡± I asked, trying to recall what I¡¯d been doing. It was fuzzy, but the training came back to me through a fog in my brain. ¡°Oh, right! Is everyone else okay?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. None of us hit our heads or had blood leaking out of them.¡± Lizzy looked at me like I was a bit dumb for asking about them before anything else. Then she bounced her eyebrows a few times and a familiar, playful grin spread across her face ¡°You¡¯ve had nothing but women come check on you though. You¡¯re a pretty lucky guy. I¡¯ve even been coming to see you every day.¡±


    ¡°I bet those guys who were glaring at me when we got lunch were thrilled.¡±


    ¡°One of them asked if I was your Manic Pixie Dream Girl when I wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk to him, so we have that.¡±


    ¡°I...don¡¯t know what that is,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s a bright, happy, quirky girl who shows a brooding, grumpy, soulful guy the joys of life and teaches him how to live.¡± Lizzy shook her head.


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m shy and get nervous in groups. I¡¯m not brooding or grumpy.¡± I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not soulful.¡±


    Lizzy giggled, a little more brightness entering her eyes. ¡°Right? Sure, I¡¯m fun and happy. I wouldn¡¯t go that far with it. It¡¯s just easy to be nice and peppy.¡±


    I cleared my throat, trying to get back on track. ¡°How¡¯s my sister doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, she¡¯s fine too. She only threatened to kill me in front of Mrs. Carmichael, but she¡¯s just been peachy.¡± Lizzy shivered a bit and checked over her shoulder to be safe. Her solemn expression returned. ¡°I don¡¯t blame her. When I told her that it was because I had pushed you too hard and too soon, I¡¯ve never seen someone so furious. Silently furious. I¡¯m not an easily intimidated woman. That¡¯s a scary lady you have watching over you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a bit, something sent a small wave of extra pain through my head. ¡°I thought she was going to scare the piss out of Lori. Literally. She¡¯s a good judge of character and motives, which is why I think she even gave the okay to come here. Shelly was definitely mad at you, but now that I¡¯m awake, she¡¯ll be fine. Just talk to her to clear it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do just that.¡± With a smile, she excused herself to get a doctor. I appreciate that she didn¡¯t go right to telling everyone that I was awake. I still wanted my headache to fade and getting another evaluation wouldn¡¯t hurt. Probably wouldn¡¯t hurt, at least.


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    It wasn¡¯t but a few minutes before Lizzy and the doctor came in. He was a short, younger man with some stubble covering his face. Standing about a head shorter than Lizzy, I was worried if he¡¯d even be able to evaluate me from the elevated hospital bed. I removed the sheet that covered my legs and was about to hop down to make it easier for him, but an aura that I could only describe as ¡°fiercely kind¡± halted any movement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry there, Ethan,¡± he said in a pleasant tone. ¡°You¡¯re the patient here, so let me take care of you. How¡¯re you feeling?¡± I let him know about my headache, which didn¡¯t seem to surprise him in the least, but mentioned that I felt well outside of that. ¡°You gave us a bit of a scare, so I¡¯m glad that a migraine is the biggest issue. You¡¯ve been napping away there for a good bit, so let¡¯s get this IV out of you and you can stretch. Sound good?¡±


    I nodded to let him know it was okay, and he freed me from the IV. Then I caught on to how long I¡¯d been out for. ¡°Wait, just how long have I been here? It hasn¡¯t been just a few hours?¡±


    Lizzy stepped up from around the doctor. ¡°Remember, I told you that I visited you every day. It¡¯s already Thursday, Ethan.¡±


    I froze up and my blood ran cold. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be the attack on Pittsburgh on Thursday?¡±


    Lizzy and the doctor both looked down, confirming my fears. A heavy silence weighed on the room, leaving the only thing I could hear the sound of blood rushing in my ears. I gripped the soft hospital pants I¡¯d been given with sweaty palms and slowly got to my feet. Knowing that I was out for as long as I was would have been enough to make me feel sick to my stomach, but waking up on the day that Pittsburgh was set to be attacked seemed to be part of a terrible joke.


    ¡°Who¡¯d they send?¡± I asked while getting used to being back on my own two feet. The doctor was right, I definitely needed a good stretch. Lizzy stood near in case I needed support. Saving some embarrassment, it didn¡¯t take long for everything to feel right again.


    ¡°No one that you know, but...¡± Lizzy chewed on her bottom lip, sadness coming off her in waves.


    ¡°They still sent people who probably won¡¯t come back,¡± I finished for her. She nodded, but she did insist that they were all volunteers. Either way, it still made me feel nauseous like when I first woke up.


    ¡°They¡¯ve had live broadcasts in the city all day,¡± the doctor said. He handed me a piece of paper on a clipboard that looked like a release. Against my better judgment, I signed it without looking over too much. I really wanted to get out of there and find a TV. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re antsy. Please don¡¯t hesitate to come back if you feel like you need anything. Normally I wouldn¡¯t even release someone like this, but without being able to determine a specific cause and amidst the chaos here, I¡¯ll leave you in Lizzy¡¯s care.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for?¡± The doctor hesitated, glancing at Lizzy. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Whatever you need to say to me, you can say in front of her.¡±


    ¡°My Anomaly lets me read minds on a surface level,¡± he said. ¡°If I focus it, I can dig deeper into someone¡¯s brain. When I was doing my examinations for you, I noticed...residual effects of someone¡¯s Anomaly that enhances fear and alters perceptions.¡±


    ¡°Wait, no way! It really was because of that guy.¡± I looked down at my hands. I¡¯d lived for six years with someone essentially infecting my mind. How many of my own issues were really even my own? I mean, I guess they technically all were, but how many were directly because of that Anomaly?


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. While I was able to get rid of it, I saw what it did. I know it wasn¡¯t pleasant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± I mumbled. ¡°I appreciate you helping to get rid of...whatever it was in my head.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Ethan.¡± The doctor smiled at me. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡±


    I thanked the doctor again and we both left, Lizzy remaining almost glued to me in case I fell or needed any help. She didn¡¯t press me for any info about what the doctor removed from my head, and I desperately needed time to process it myself. It felt like there was an eerie silence over the complex as we made our way through it. We got to Lizzy¡¯s apartment and didn¡¯t see anyone on the way there. The entire thing just gave me creepy vibes and I was glad to be in a place that didn¡¯t feel so crappy.


    ¡°I texted Lori and told her you were awake. She said that she¡¯d get your sister and come over here, which shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡± She made us a couple of sandwiches, and while I was going to decline at first, I certainly felt like someone who hadn¡¯t eaten any actual food in days. I scarfed down the sandwich that she kindly made, which seemed to give her a genuine smile.


    ¡°I owe you for this,¡± I told her around a mouthful of turkey and bread. ¡°If you want to do my hair or makeup, I¡¯m your guy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted,¡± she said.


    After she finished hers, there was a knock at her door. She welcomed Lori with a hug and my sister with a bit of a fearful nod. Lori ran up to me and hugged me too, everyone apparently forgetting that I didn¡¯t like to be touched. That was something that was gradually changing. It felt...kind of nice to get hugged by people who seemed to like me. Shelly seemed to notice that herself.


    ¡°You¡¯d have freaked out had she done that before.¡± That didn¡¯t stop my sister from wrapping me in a firm embrace herself. Her hugs were never ever a problem for me.


    ¡°I dunno, I think I just trust them now,¡± I said, grinning at my friends.


    ¡°Even the one that nearly got you killed?¡± Shelly asked, not hiding her anger. Even though Lizzy was a good bit taller, Shelly¡¯s presence felt massive in comparison.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Lizzy cried. She brushed some hair behind her ear and did her best to look my sister in the eye. ¡°I feel terrible, and I won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t say things like that. Thank you. I know you went to see him every day. I appreciate that.¡± With seeing me okay and the apology, Shelly¡¯s anger evaporated. When she had her head turned, I gave Lizzy two thumbs up, knowing how my sister¡¯s anger could fade if she could tell something was genuine. She turned her expression toward me and frowned. ¡°But if you don¡¯t learn your limits, I¡¯m kicking your butt, got it?¡±


    I grimaced and nodded, before turning everyone¡¯s attention to the TV. I grabbed the remote and cycled through all the major news stations. As I expected, every single one had a live broadcast in the city of Pittsburgh. I was reminded of the poor news crew that was ruthlessly murdered in the last attack and I just couldn¡¯t fathom why anyone else would risk their lives like that. There was no job or paycheck that could be worth that much.


    ¡°Those poor people. Don¡¯t they know what they¡¯re capable of? Why would they think that the announced attack would be any different?¡± Lori¡¯s thoughts were echoing my own. No doubt remembering her late friend, her eyes grew wet. Behind the sadness, I could see that there was a lot of anger and hatred. I was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to have her even watch the broadcast at all, given what happened. Before I could think about shutting the TV off, a familiar voice filled the room.


    ¡°Thank you to the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for being our gracious host for today¡¯s festivities.¡± The camera whipped around to McLeod¡¯s imposing presence as it was once again felt across the entire world.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Two

    ¡°Smug piece of shit,¡± Lizzy whispered through gritted teeth.


    Only the knight in black armor was with McLeod this time. Also different from the previous two attacks was their entrance. Before, they¡¯d appeared in the sky and made a grand spectacle out of it. There wasn¡¯t that same pomp and circumstance there had been when they attacked Vancouver and Seattle. Like before, the knight didn¡¯t move or betray any kind of emotion. The longer the camera lingered on those two, the more enraged at the knight¡¯s presence I felt. The anger got so bad that I had to sit down and rub my temples from the throbbing headache I still had.


    ¡°I hate him so much.¡± I looked up to see that any sadness in Lori¡¯s eyes had been replaced by nothing but fury and loathing. Her hands were clenched into tiny fists, and she seemed to be staring through the TV rather than absorbing anything on there. ¡°I hate him...¡±


    The news crews that were there just stood there wordlessly. The fear on their faces was obvious and I thought again why they would put themselves in that kind of position. I got that it was a job and a paycheck for them, maybe even a passion for some. There was still no chance it could be worth that level of danger.


    ¡°A city-wide evacuation?¡± McLeod asked, slowly scanning his surroundings. His confident grin never left his face. ¡°A wise move for casualties. Maybe you lot are a bit smarter than I gave you credit for. But what about those that remained behind and the resistance the government has sent?¡±


    ¡°Get down!¡± As if on cue, another voice from behind the camera yelled the command. Quicker than I would have expected, every news channel employee dropped to their bellies. I noticed most of them continuing to peek up as much as they could, still terrified of the men that stood before them.


    ¡°Right on time!¡± McLeod shouted, throwing his arms out, like an excited man welcoming someone into his home. ¡°Excellent response, though no matter how fast you are, I will not be stopped by you.¡± The black knight took a couple steps back and got behind McLeod. His boots meeting asphalt were the only sounds in the brief faceoff.


    Then the hail of bullets began. There was no other warning or chance for McLeod to offer himself up, not that he was going to. The news station we had on didn¡¯t have a favorable view of both McLeod and whoever was firing all the shots. The only thing we could see was the same, confident grin. All the bullets that were being fired off were being stopped by...something. Could he make a mental shield like I could? If he could, his shield was years ahead of my own.


    ¡°How is he doing that? I thought his thing was fire.¡± I could see her mind racing, trying to process what she was seeing. The rest of us, despite having powers as well, couldn¡¯t seem to figure it out either.


    Muffled yelling was heard over the bullets. None of it came from McLeod, or from what I could tell, the armored knight. None of it made sense. If there was an evacuation ordered for the city, why were there news crews there? If it was the police that opened fire, why were they opening fire with all those people there? If it was like when a hurricane hit, they made evacuations mandatory, but they couldn¡¯t force anyone to leave. Maybe in all the chaos, they just opted not to enforce it. I wasn¡¯t sure that could justify opening fire with civilians right there.


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    There was a noise I couldn¡¯t identify, and then there was an explosion. The camera only lasted long enough for me to determine that much. When it toppled over and the feed went black, I cycled through the other news channels I knew off the top of my head. I got two more blank feeds before I got to one that had a camera still standing and offered a wider shot. I had expected Pittsburgh¡¯s police to be opposing McLeod. Instead, it looked like our country¡¯s entire military was there. Dozens of people and a couple tanks were crammed together on the narrow Pittsburgh street.


    The explosion itself had already happened so I couldn¡¯t see anything regarding the moment of impact. I could hear fire crackling and bits of road, sidewalk, or building raining down. The fire and smoke began to swirl together until McLeod emerged, completely unharmed. He¡¯d drawn his blade and the remnants of the attack were actually swirling around his weapon. Blue flames, red flames, and the smoke all compacted together before eventually collapsing into his sword.


    ¡°Gentlemen, you have my sincerest thanks.¡± McLeod took a step forward into a few more stray rifle shots. From this new perspective, I could see that the bullets just vanished once they reached about three feet in front of him, no matter how fast they traveled through the air. ¡°You put forth your best effort, and while that would have been enough to fell any other man, I am simply not any other man. I am your king, and may this day live on in remembrance for your bravery, but infamy for your helplessness.¡±


    McLeod lifted his sword up and pointed it straight toward the military force. Confused, there were more orders to open fire. It was an order that was never followed. For the briefest of moments, his sword flashed a brilliant white. It wasn¡¯t too bright coming through on the TV, though it did light up the room without trouble. Anyone in the vicinity would have been temporarily blinded at best. Maybe it was a blessing so they wouldn¡¯t have to see what was coming.


    After the flash, a massive horizontal beam of white energy shot forward in an crescent shape. It was about double the height of McLeod and at least fifty feet wide. Everything caught in the energy wave was reduced to nothing; maybe some ash in the wind if anything remained at all. All of the military personnel, tanks, and cars were completely gone. The blast hit some tall buildings behind the personnel, destroying their support and some of the material a few feet above and below the point of impact. The upper parts of the buildings all fell and were left in varying states of ruin. I prayed that no one had been inside those buildings during the attack.


    ¡°A small display of my Sunblade.¡± McLeod¡¯s confident grin was gone and replaced by a hard look that met every camera still standing. The crews had already tried to escape. The ones who weren¡¯t dead tried anyway. Neither McLeod nor his knight gave chase. His sword once again began to glow the brilliant white, but instead of blinking out after an instant, it just grew brighter. ¡°Transcend and rise above, brothers and sisters.¡±


    Pittsburgh would be remembered as the first battle McLeod had with humanity. The first two incidents were considered tragedies and attacks, despite Rory being someone who did stand to fight him. Since he acted alone in such a chaotic time, history didn¡¯t place as much importance on his bravery as it should have. Rory would end up being remembered as a simple casualty, just like all those other people who died in Vancouver and Seattle.


    With the military attempting¡ªand utterly failing¡ªto engage McLeod, it was seen as the first steps people took to defend themselves. I wouldn¡¯t say they were fools for trying to fight, no more than I¡¯d criticize someone who genuinely wanted to do the right thing by helping people. My respect for the good men and women who died, in the line of duty or as bystanders, meant precisely nothing to the horrifying power that one evil man possessed.


    He thrust the white Sunblade into the road in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the entire city of Pittsburgh was wiped out.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Three

    Right after the attack, it was almost impossible to get any details on anything. We were all wondering about the people that were apparently sent to fight McLeod. No matter who we asked, we couldn¡¯t get any clear answers. Mrs. Carmichael seemed to keep those details close to her chest. Lori was worried about Alex and how he¡¯d react, Lizzy was trying to find as much video footage of the attack as possible, and Shelly was trying not to let her concern show all over her face. As for myself, I¡¯d begun to feel sick from the death and destruction. I was resting my eyes on Lizzy¡¯s couch, doing my very best to process everything I could.


    ¡°I¡¯m lost,¡± Lizzy said, finally breaking the silence. ¡°I know he can manipulate the blue flames. I guess he has a second Anomaly that lets him fire off those energy blasts too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very sure at all,¡± Lori bitterly spat. If Lizzy was offended by her tone, she made no mention of it. ¡°We need to know what he can do for sure. No one can be in the same city as McLeod if we don¡¯t know how his powers work.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± Lizzy got up and began to search around in her kitchen for something. ¡°I sent Mrs. Carmichael a text asking her to come by. She wanted to know when Ethan woke up and I¡¯m hoping we can get some details from her.¡±


    After that, we sat in near silence once again. The only sounds that I could hear were from everyone using their phones. It felt like everyone was terrified to speak of and acknowledge what happened anymore. I refused to keep the TV playing. I didn¡¯t want to deal with it. I was sure the president was having a press conference condemning the evil acts. The only thing I¡¯d seen after the attack was the mostly flat city from someone¡¯s drone shot. Nearly every building had been reduced to dust. The ones that hadn¡¯t been destroyed looked to be beyond any repair. If he attacked Pittsburgh just to flex his muscles, McLeod did a great job.


    Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, there were three gentle taps on the door. I sat up and winced at the light. Lizzy opened the door and welcomed Mrs. Carmichael in with a sad smile. Just her calm confidence and stability made me feel better. It radiated out of her and blanketed the room.


    ¡°Ethan,¡± Mrs. Carmichael greeted me with a rare, warm smile. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I could use an ibuprofen or two,¡± I replied honestly. I rubbed my temples to emphasize the headache pains I was having. ¡°I¡¯m up and alive, so it could be worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± She sat down on the area of the couch that I¡¯d just vacated. A solemn look fell over her face. ¡°I expect that you all have questions. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll have all the answers you seek.¡±


    ¡°What can he do?¡± Lizzy was the first to speak up. ¡°Exactly, I mean. Fire is obvious, but that...¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael hesitated. She looked like she was gathering her thoughts, and she pushed up a pair of glasses that I didn¡¯t remember seeing her wear before. ¡°We¡¯re still not completely sure. As you said, the fire is obvious, though I¡¯ve never seen an Anomaly that manipulates blue fire. Right now, we¡¯re under the assumption that he has a second Anomaly that allows him to produce those white energy blasts that destroyed Pittsburgh. However, we can¡¯t rule out that his fire Anomaly is so strong that those energy blasts were caused by it.¡±


    ¡°Back at square one...¡± Lizzy muttered. She plopped her butt down in a chair by her table, clearly dejected.


    ¡°There¡¯s...something you all deserve to know.¡± Mrs. Carmichael took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°We sent six people to Pittsburgh and none of them have returned or made contact with us.¡±


    All of us were stunned into silence, except for Lori. Enraged she stood up and glared at Mrs. Carmichael. ¡°What!? Six people are gone!?¡±


    ¡°Without any contact, we have no way to confirm their fates. With that in mind, we¡¯re currently assuming they¡¯ve all perished in the destruction, or they were all found before the attack began.¡± Mrs. Carmichael uncharacteristically ignored Lori¡¯s outburst, likely not wanting to make the mood in the room any worse. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that they¡¯re hiding, or worse, defected to join that man.¡±


    ¡°Who did you lose?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°Out of everyone, Fink is likely the only one you know who hasn¡¯t responded.¡± A knot of fear and worry tied in my stomach at the mention of the teleporter who brought us to Luna. Even though it hadn¡¯t been long, it felt like ages had crawled by since we last saw him. While Mrs. Carmichael ran down the other five names, I tried to recall any other information on the guy.


    ¡°If Fink was there, why weren¡¯t they there to stop McLeod or at least teleport out?¡± Lori asked, still seething with anger. Tears were rolling down her face, but no one dared mention it. She didn¡¯t stop to wipe them away. ¡°What was the plan going in?¡±


    ¡°The plan was to wait for him to attack and respond accordingly,¡± Mrs. Carmichael verified. ¡°Unfortunately, there had been more than one area setup for news coverage. We suspect that McLeod chose one of those locations at random, as it didn¡¯t matter to him which area he attacked.


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    ¡°By the time we figured out exactly where he was, the military had already responded. I gave them the direct order to not engage. Having us cause accidental harm to the military or any civilians would likely have doomed us in the future, so I ordered them to stay put. We had no information on McLeod¡¯s energy blasts, so it may have been too late to counter. As I said, they may have been neutralized before McLeod¡¯s attack on the city.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Lori shouted, slamming her hands on Lizzy¡¯s table. Lizzy and I flinched, but Shelly and Mrs. Carmichael didn¡¯t react. ¡°We had no idea on what this monster could really do, and you still sent six of our best in? Did you think he was bluffing when he said he¡¯d attack Pittsburgh? I don¡¯t even want to think about the families here that won¡¯t ever be the same.¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, girl,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said. Her solemn expression was replaced by one of uncharacteristic rage. Lori didn¡¯t back down in the slightest. ¡°If they perished today, they did so knowing that they were ultimately trying to do the right thing. It was voluntary to go, and all of them were prepared to make that ultimate sacrifice for any kind of advantage. I will not tolerate another outburst that disrespects the choices they all made.¡±


    Lori clenched her jaw and slowly sat back down. The rage hadn¡¯t gone anywhere when our gazes met. My own face started to feel warm, and I found myself wanting to pick a fight with someone. Even though I only knew one of those people, and I barely knew that one, I shared my friend¡¯s rage at their deaths. It took everything I had to stay calm and rational. Fortunately, Mrs. Carmichael changed the subject before I could start boiling.


    ¡°There is another matter I wish to discuss. For the past week, I¡¯ve been reviewing many old documents that had have largely been purged from history to protect our secrecy. I¡¯ll be honest with all of you, these are largely considered myth and legend by this point, if anyone knows about them at all. Before McLeod exposed us on a scale that we simply can¡¯t hide, I¡¯d never given them much thought.


    ¡°After the attack on Pittsburgh, we need every advantage that we can get. That¡¯s why, starting today, I¡¯m going to create teams based on my belief of who would mesh well together in a unit. Ms. Quick, you¡¯ll lead your friend Rosie, Julio Fuentes, and Braden Decker. I¡¯m sure that you at least know who they are, and I want you to work with them to help them foster their powers. Of course, this is an offer to volunteer. You¡¯re free to refuse, though I¡¯d advise you and Rosie to expand your social circle to include them. In the event we were attacked here, there are power in numbers.¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know anything about leading,¡± Lizzy said, shocked at the prospect of being a leader. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be someone else? Maybe someone older with more experience?¡±


    ¡°Look, right now, it¡¯s nothing that serious. I want everyone here to have at least two or three people they can count on in case it gets bad here. The idea is to work together, help each other grow, and keep each other safe. If this complex blew up tomorrow, which it won¡¯t, you probably wouldn¡¯t be getting orders from me on what to do. I will ask some of the teams to investigate some of our...history, however.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± I asked, curious about what Mrs. Carmichael had in mind.


    She smiled at me, probably happy to not have an outburst and a simple question to answer. ¡°I want you with Ms. Davis and Mr. Snow. You three are already familiar with each other. Plus, I¡¯m running out of people I could reasonably put together. It¡¯s been a nightmare trying to match everyone up as best I can.¡±


    I winced, not exactly thrilled to be on a team with Alex. After our training, I was feeling better about the guy, but suddenly being thrust onto a team with him didn¡¯t exactly fill me with joy. Knowing that Lori liked him, I wanted to help, despite my own feelings toward him. If I could wingman, and maybe get a gruff friend out of it, that would be a win. I expected a lot of growing pains.


    ¡°So, we have to take orders from him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, why would you think that boy is capable of being a leader right now?¡± Mrs. Carmichael asked. She genuinely looked dumbfounded that I¡¯d even consider him. That¡¯s why no one gave me a job where I had to delegate. ¡°Ms. Davis will lead you two, and the third person to join you, should everything line up that way.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, thank you for the offer, but if Lizzy is concerned with being a leader, then I know I¡¯m definitely not cut out for it,¡± Lori said, throwing her hands up. She looked a bit less angry than she had before. It was a work in progress. ¡°I can barely get myself to take care of my own business some days, let alone having to worry about others.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael sighed and shook her head. ¡°You kids now really disappoint me. Not everyone is a natural leader from the moment they¡¯re born. Leading is a skill that can be learned and honed, not unlike our Anomalies.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why not Alex or even Ethan?¡± Lori asked, still confused.


    ¡°Because Alex¡¯s personality isn¡¯t suited for that. He¡¯s strong physically, but his pride and sense of nobility would make him a poor fit to have others directly under his care. He has a certain...headstrong nature that, while heroic, could lead to people under his care getting hurt. He¡¯d benefit from having someone guide him and tell him how to help.¡± Mrs. Carmichael turned to me and shook her head. ¡°Perhaps Ethan can one day, but I want it to be you for your Anomaly, Ms. Davis. Your ability to read emotions would allow you to sense dysfunction and other issues to tackle them head on. There¡¯s more to it than just who¡¯s the strongest or has the kindest heart.¡±


    Both girls still looked uncomfortable with the idea, though neither piped up in protest. After hearing her reasoning for it, I found myself agreeing with Mrs. Carmichael. Lizzy was an enjoyable presence to be around, wasn¡¯t lazy, and could help someone figure out their powers if they struggled. Lori would certainly need some practice, but her Anomaly would just about be unparalleled as a tool to help cohesion. I couldn¡¯t help but think that Alex would refuse to listen to me if I was suddenly put in a position of power over him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as agreement, or at least acceptance.¡± She stood up and looked to both Lori and I to address us. ¡°I do want your group to check into something for me. Ms. Davis, have you heard of the Tomb Removed from Time?¡±

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Four

    ¡°Tomb Removed from Time? I think my parents mentioned something along those lines when I first moved here.¡± Lori¡¯s brow furrowed and she frowned, trying to recall the details. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a place where a corrupt man with a time Anomaly would hold kidnap victims for ransom?¡±


    ¡°Most of the fairy tales and kids¡¯ stories passed down here are based in some truth,¡± Mrs. Carmichael took a seat next to Lori and waved me over to join them. ¡°Especially ones that are popular among the normal world, but I digress. From everything I can gather, I can¡¯t find any proof of human use outside of one instance. In it, an object that could remove an Anomaly was stored. Sadly, I don¡¯t know when that object was first stored there. Our best guess is around two hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an object that can take away someone¡¯s Anomaly, and you¡¯re telling us that no one has touched it for two hundred years?¡± I asked, having trouble believing that.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s very possible that it could have been removed, if it ever truly existed at all. In the same way that Zeus may have been a real person with an Anomaly, it¡¯s entirely possible it¡¯s something that has been lost over time. The most that I can discern is that the Tomb itself is likely real, but that is largely meaningless to us. It¡¯s located in a cave in Missouri, and even with a teleporter, it¡¯s just not efficient to hop around and hope to find it."


    ¡°Which is why you want us to do it,¡± Lori said, making sure that Mrs. Carmichael knew it wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°You want us to find the Tomb in one of those caves? Out of how many caves exactly?¡±


    ¡°Again, it¡¯s not the Tomb itself that interests me. The possibility of an item that can remove someone¡¯s Anomaly has never been needed more than it is today. If it is real, we can turn the tide of this nonsense before the governments of the world start trying to round us up like cattle. If you can find it in a gas station, that¡¯d be great.¡±


    ¡°And what if it isn¡¯t real?¡± Shelly asked, interjecting. ¡°You¡¯re sending my brother and two other people out on a wild goose chase.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll have a chance to help each other and learn to work together. In addition, this is one of the safest things I could think of to have them do. If it exists, the Tomb itself might¡¯ve been destroyed by any number of natural events. If the place is more than just legend, it could have been raided long ago. At worst, this will be a bonding field trip for the three of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not really leaving me with much hope, Mrs. Carmichael...¡± I trailed off. I was feeling annoyed, since it just seemed like her idea was grasping at straws when we could actually improve our powers in other ways.


    ¡°I might not be, but that last bit of hope that you have means that part of you still believes in this entire thing,¡± she said, standing. ¡°Right now, this is how you three can help the most while we wait for another attack. Yes, this is a shot in the dark. It¡¯s a shot in the dark that might only yield personal benefits for you. I can find other people, so please don¡¯t feel pressured, though I¡¯d love for it to be you three.¡±


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    She was right about me having some hope for the idea. Every logical fiber of my being was screaming that it was a stupid idea. That hunting a fairy tale item that could do something like remove someone¡¯s ability was a complete waste of time. But if we did manage to find it, how great would that be? It could be used to protect billions of innocent people. It could instantly put an end to this stupid ¡°war¡± McLeod wanted so bad.


    ¡°I want to go,¡± Lori and I both said at the same time. We looked at each other with surprise at first. Relief and happiness came after. Mrs. Carmichael nodded with a smile, apparently sharing the sentiment.


    ¡°What if I want to go with him? And what about his schoolwork?¡± Shelly sure had a way to bring the mood down by reminding me of my academic obligations.


    ¡°We can speak to his school and figure something out,¡± Mrs. Carmichael said while wincing, as if she hadn¡¯t thought about it. ¡°As for you, Ms. Harper, I would like to discuss something with you. Privately, if you would. With the two of you on board, I know Mr. Snow will join you. You three will depart in three days, so rest up and don¡¯t get a change of heart.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael guided my suspicious sister out of the room and the three of us were left alone. Shaking her head, Lizzy started to get stuff together to cook herself some dinner, while Lori continued to think hard with her brow furrowed. I just went back to the couch and turned my focus back to the TV, finally braving the idea of turning it back on. They had interviews set up in Philadelphia and there were already protestors in the background. Signs calling us freaks, monsters, and calling for our executions were in clear view. It didn¡¯t appear that anyone had any intention of telling the sign holders to put them away. Luckily for my sanity, the sound was muted and there were no subtitles on, so I couldn¡¯t tell what the angry man being interviewed was saying. His eyes sent enough of a message for me.


    ¡°Lori, do we have any idea what we¡¯re ourselves into?¡± I asked, now trying to find something interesting to look at on Lizzy¡¯s ceiling. I heard a disappointed sigh come from behind me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. Really, I¡¯m going to be glad to get out of here for a few days again.¡± Most of the anger in her voice seemed to have subsided, replaced with a relatable tiredness. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I want to leave again so soon. Just a few months ago, I couldn¡¯t imagine leaving for anything longer than a day. I really hate this, Ethan.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really sure how to respond or to comfort her. Then again, I didn¡¯t know if she even wanted to be comforted. So instead of saying something that might have made her upset or dampen the feeling in the air even more, I just tried to imagine what the Tomb and the object Mrs. Carmichael wanted might look like. Would it be some grandly designed burial ground fit for royalty, or a hole in a cave that someone just gave a fancy-sounding name? If the object was real, would it even be small enough for us to reasonably carry back home?


    ¡°How many myths and legends like the Tomb are there?¡± I asked, suddenly curious about how many things Mrs. Carmichael might be looking for.


    ¡°There are a bunch,¡± Lori said, getting a little excited. ¡°The entire mythology surrounding Anomalies is kind of nuts. There are some obvious ones that even made out it to the public, like the Salem Witch Trials. Mrs. Carmichael talked about Zeus being someone with powers. That¡¯s a popular theory. Oh yeah, the Giza pyramids? Mostly done with Anomalies, but that bit was scrubbed pretty well. A lot of it was replaced by nonsense like alien visitors coming to help build them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that there are other people with Anomalies hidden away that would help us?¡±


    ¡°Hidden away? Yes, there are absolutely very powerful people that prefer to keep to themselves.¡± Lori snorted. ¡°Would they help us? I couldn¡¯t say. They always could, but with how effortlessly McLeod destroyed a major city, I¡¯d be more worried about them joining up with him.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Five

    It wasn¡¯t too eventful leading up to our...trip? Mission? Whatever it was called. After we wrapped up, Lizzy had shooed us out of her place so she could go meet with the team she was set to lead. Lori, kind as ever, walked me back home. For the most part, I was getting my way back down, so I thought about refusing her help. Then it hit me she offered to make sure I could make it back home safely. I stumbled a couple times and she tried to support me, and with our size difference, I was worried I¡¯d hurt her if we fell.


    I invited her in if she wanted to wait for Shelly and talk to her about anything, an offer that she declined. I didn¡¯t push it. She was exhausted and hurting. Beyond exhausted and hurting, probably. I knew watching the Pittsburgh attack unfold on TV took a harder toll on her than it did me, and throwing in the news of leading a team that was leaving in two days probably didn¡¯t put her mind at ease. I wished her well and told her to be in touch if she needed anything, which did seem to cheer her up a bit. I even gave her a quick hug. I initiated it, which surprised both of us.


    Alone again for what felt like the first time in ages, the fatigue really hit me just has hard as it did the first day I trained with Lizzy. I grabbed on to our couch for support and almost called Lori back just to be safe, only managing to refrain after I regained my balance. Slowly and carefully, I made my way to my bedroom. I used everything I could get my hands on for support and stability. Finally, eyeing my bed, I used the last bit of energy I had to scramble onto it. I nearly fell face-first into the large frame before managing to safely make it. After that, I was out again before I could take off my shoes.


    The next day was much better. My headache cleared up, I had more energy, and I actually got to eat three meals for the first time in a while. Shelly doted on me like I expected her to, and I greatly appreciated the care. Shelly had sacrificed so much for me that she became my role model. My own superhero, really. She was one of the best people in a world that could be uncaring, unforgiving, and needlessly cruel. I was surprised that she didn¡¯t try to talk me out of going on the mission we were given. Mrs. Carmichael must have either convinced her or put something else in her mind to distract her.


    She went out of her way to make sure I was properly packed. Clothes, extra underwear on top of those clothes, toiletries, a razor, spare phone charger, and a bunch of other things that I certainly would have forgotten about without her help. Knowing that I was going to be leaving for an unknown amount of time made me feel sentimental and nearly got me to call the whole thing off. I think Shelly could tell I was feeling that way too, because she held up a finger and cut me off before I could say anything when I was about to bring the idea up.


    ¡°You¡¯re an adult and I can¡¯t watch over you forever,¡± she told me. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to make your own decisions. As much as I might hate them, I¡¯ll have to do my best to help you. And for the record, I don¡¯t hate this decision, I just want you to be safe.¡±


    We packed and prepared with minimal words exchanged between us after that. The good thing was that I didn¡¯t have much to carry period, so I was a pretty easy person to travel with. I could fit about a week¡¯s worth of clothes into a small suitcase that could fit into a trunk with little issue. My laptop and smaller things that I might need on the go went into my school backpack. I was worried that Lori and Alex would have less stuff, making it look like I was overdoing it, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that was a silly thing to be concerned about. Shelly also assured me that I was bringing an appropriate number of things. She said if they brought less, they¡¯d be stopping to get the things they didn¡¯t bring.


    The rest of the day was spent hanging out, mostly quietly. It almost made me wish we had a more ¡°normal¡± sibling relationship. We hardly bickered and really got to act goofy with each other. I was such a mess for so long that Shelly never broke out anything harsher than the gentlest teasing. Even before Mom and Dad passed, her personality was so serious that she never really picked on me. After she had to take on a parental role, any chance of us acting like other brothers and sisters pretty much went out the window. It was one of those things that meant I could trust Shelly with just about everything, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I was missing out on something that other siblings had.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not good with the mushy kind of stuff, but I¡¯m really freaked out,¡± Shelly said from her spot next to me on the couch. Unsurprisingly, her face didn¡¯t give any hints that she was actually freaked out. It worried me that she might be bottling things up unhealthily, but that¡¯s how she¡¯d always been. ¡°Listen, just please make smart decisions and look out for each other, okay? Especially Lori. The spot she¡¯s been put in so suddenly isn¡¯t easy to adapt to, and I know that she can be a bit moody.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, taken to her after threatening to shoot her?¡± I asked, wanting to take away some of her tension. She just rolled her eyes in response.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really going to shoot her. She was about to piss herself in my backseat and she¡¯s barely five feet tall, trust me, I wasn¡¯t terrified.¡± She smirked at the memory. I raised my eyebrows and just looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. But for myself, I had to feel like I was in control of some part of it. It weirded me out that these people could just find you so easily. They could have kidnapped you without me ever knowing where you went. To answer your question, though, I do think I¡¯m growing a bit fond of her. Us short queens have to stick together.¡±


    I felt guilty about bringing her along with me here, even though it did seem to the right move. I was glad that she was warming up to Lori after that first meeting. That didn¡¯t change the fact that I was the one who made the decision to go with them. If it turned out they were ruthless murderers too, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything. Then again, if they could find me as easily as Shelly mentioned, it really didn¡¯t matter. They could just have killed us in our home or anywhere else. It wasn¡¯t like her job or my school offered world-class protection.


    She broke the silence with a yawn, still seeming completely unfazed on the outside. I was glad that she could stay so nonchalant, because I felt like a fish out of water. I could make some weak shields that might put me in a coma if too many were broken. At that point, I was just being led by the nose with people I hoped knew how to handle everything. She put her hair up in a bun and stood up. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna turn in for the night. You feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I think I¡¯ll head to bed in about an hour. I feel a lot better, but I¡¯m still pretty exhausted.¡± I stood up, getting ready to head off to my own room. ¡°I wanted to practice making more shields today. Still a little spooked after what happened, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going to need to watch that when you¡¯re gone,¡± she said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°It¡¯ll be harder to find someone who can help you out there. Just be a nice cheerleader for them, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m not eager for that to happen again,¡± I said, shuddering at imagining all that blood leaking out of me again. ¡°I¡¯ll be the best cheerleader they could want.¡±


    Satisfied with that answer, Shelly waved and disappeared into the hall. I watched her leave, pushing down my anxiety so I could tie it into a nice knot that sat in my stomach. I wanted to be like her. She was always so calm and cool about everything, although the gun thing might¡¯ve been extreme to some. She still handled the entire situation with a reasonable and fair request for Lori. I would have had no idea what to do had our roles been reversed. Pointing a gun at someone like that would have been too much for me.


    I let the minutes tick by while I thought back on my life to that point. I was having serious regrets not picking up any real hobbies or skills. Wake up, go to school, pass my tests, don¡¯t have freakouts, go home, watch TV with my sister, sleep, and repeat. That was what my life had been for six damn years. I knew people overstated how important high school was. Some talked about it like it was the best time to be alive. I wouldn¡¯t have gone that far with the idea, yet I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling I did manage to waste a lot of my high school life away. In a sad realization, I knew there was no one at my high school who would have missed me, if they noticed I was gone to begin with. That stung a little.


    Shelly would have kicked my butt if she could have heard my thoughts. Actually, she would have partially blamed herself for not pushing me to do more. She became...hesitant to nudge me with certain things. In a parental role, I couldn¡¯t deny she did her best with what little she had, and all things considered, she did a good job. I would have still bet money that she regretted not having me do something for those six years. People sometimes needed a little push to do things they weren¡¯t comfortable with. We may have overcompensated by agreeing to move across the country after a madman who could control fire led two attacks.


    With a sigh, I stopped beating myself up about it. It was all in the past where it couldn¡¯t be changed. My fondness of inaction couldn¡¯t be changed in the past, and I wasn¡¯t going to try and find a way to change it. That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t make attempts to be a little better going forward. I went to my bed and quickly found myself getting lost in my own thoughts again, but not really thinking about anything. It felt like my mind was going both too fast and too slow at the same time, and it made me feel a bit uneasy. I decided to browse my phone for news until either the butterflies in my stomach or sleep won out. Good thing for me I was still tired and the need for sleep beat out the excitement for the upcoming journey.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Six

    I was up a few minutes before my alarm set for seven, feeling nice and well-rested. I was glad that I slept so well because the butterflies didn¡¯t wait another moment before assaulting my stomach. Before doing anything else, I knelt next to my toilet to make sure I wasn¡¯t about to get sick. My heart was pounding, and sweat was already beginning to run down my face and hands. I tried to remember if I had eaten anything that might¡¯ve made my stomach upset or if it was really just all the nerves hitting me at one time.


    It took about ten minutes for me to finally calm down enough to be comfortable enough to stand. All the while, my stupid alarm on my phone had been blaring the entire time, which really did not help matters. That well-rested feeling I had didn¡¯t last long. From that entire ordeal, I felt a bit crappy and I desperately wanted some water. Groaning, I went out to the living room to see Lori out there, looking chipper as ever.


    ¡°Dude, your alarm was going off for ages,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°How heavy of a sleeper are you?¡±


    ¡°Nerves got to me, and I thought I was to get sick,¡± I replied, hoping to shut down the heavy sleeper idea. ¡°I was up before that went off. Which reminds me, why are you here?¡±


    She rubbed her hands together and looked a bit meek. ¡°Well, since I was made leader, I thought it¡¯d be smart if I got you guys personally. Michelle let me in.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can just call me Shelly now. Won¡¯t pull a gun on you again. Probably.¡± I looked up and noticed my sister in the kitchen, already making breakfast. She frowned when she saw me. ¡°You look like crap. You feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like I said, big time nerves when I woke up. I was worried I might puke, so I just sat by the toilet for a bit. Could you get me a glass of water, please?¡±


    She handed me a cold glass and I thanked her. I started drinking it slowly, and once I was pretty sure I wasn¡¯t going to throw it back up, I downed it quick. The cold sent a bit of a shock through me and helped make me feel a bit more normal. I stretched a bit to try and get the blood flowing while both women gave me strange looks.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused and embarrassed.


    ¡°On the surface, you seem so unbothered by these things happening so fast, Ethan,¡± Lori said. Her look had switched to one of genuine concern. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay for this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have nightmares sometimes, so I¡¯m not totally unbothered. I¡¯m just going with the flow of everything right now.¡± I figured that there was no sense in lying. She could probably feel if I tried to lie and likely felt my nervousness anyway. ¡°But...I think I want to do something. So, I¡¯ll help you and Alex out with this. It might help me out too.¡±


    Suddenly, Lori¡¯s phone went off. While she checked it, I remembered my luggage and went to get it. Both the suitcase and backpack were outside the door to my room. They felt a bit heavier than I remembered them feeling the night before, and I hoped that wasn¡¯t a bad sign. To try and test it myself, I opened and closed my hands. I didn¡¯t feel any pain or discomfort in my arms. I knew that I wasn¡¯t strong to begin with, so I just blamed it on that and having just had that episode in the bathroom. Carefully, I pulled my stuff back out into the living room.


    ¡°Great timing, that was Alex just now,¡± Lori informed me, tapping away on her phone. ¡°He¡¯s just going to meet us at the car, so we can head there any time.¡±


    ¡°Wait, car?¡± I asked, confused. For some reason, I expected something involving an Anomaly, not really a road trip. ¡°We¡¯re not going to teleport or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...there¡¯s some stuff I¡¯ll tell you about on the way. It¡¯s a bit easier to explain on the road with nothing but blank scenery around. Trust me, when we¡¯re going by our billionth farm, you¡¯ll want some conversation.¡±


    I was still a little lost. I decided not to press her for more information just yet. It wouldn¡¯t be a good start if I was already questioning what the boss was saying. Instead, I double checked both my bags to make sure I had everything. Shelly and I were pretty thorough last night in our packing, and it didn¡¯t seem like anything was amiss. Satisfied, I wanted to check with Lori to make sure she was set. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget anything, right?¡±


    ¡°I think I have everything, but just to be safe...¡± Lori grabbed her suitcase and brought it around. I was glad it was bigger than my own, so I wouldn¡¯t feel quite as self-conscious about how much space my stuff was taking up. She opened it up and I turned away. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable looking at someone¡¯s luggage. ¡°Shirts, shorts, socks, underwear, brush, laptop. Yep, I think I¡¯m all set. Thanks for getting me check again. Better safe than sorry.¡±


    She zipped her suitcase back up and turned to Shelly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we really should be going now. Do you want to walk with us there and see us off?¡±


    ¡°No, if I do that, I¡¯ll have a bad moment out there.¡± Shelly walked out from the kitchen and wrapped me in a massive hug. She was much shorter than me, but her strength came from more than just size. I embraced her back and felt my eyes getting a bit misty. I thought I heard a few sniffles come from her. ¡°Use that noggin to make good choices. You keep Alex and this little lady safe as best you can. Text me or call me when you¡¯re able to, and please, come back in one piece.¡± After her hug, she turned around and went to her laptop for work, not allowing me to see her face.


    Lori and I exited my home, which I gave one long look. It felt nice, in a way. Unlike when I moved, it didn¡¯t feel like a final goodbye. I did feel sad about leaving it behind, since I was already starting to feel like it was home. I wanted to go back inside and say another goodbye to my sister, and I had to stop myself. If I did something like that, I really might not have been able to go forward with Lori and Alex.


    We walked in silence, trying to look at some of the different things I saw on this new route. There were a lot of actual restaurants, and while none of them were open, they all looked cozy and welcoming. I wondered if there were any Anomalies that might make someone a better cook. Or if not a better cook itself, some other weird power that could be used to help make food taste better. Comparatively, making shields seemed less cool than being able to cook like it was magic. Maybe more useful against someone who could vaporize cities, I¡¯d concede that much. Still, definitely not as cool.


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    On the way, I noticed that we passed some more unusual things I hadn¡¯t been expecting in the complex. I saw one of those hockey rinks that I was told about on my initial arrival. I only got a peek inside, but it looked almost like a full arena that you¡¯d see for a pro team. I almost stopped to let myself contemplate the architecture of the whole thing. When I realized it¡¯d only give me a headache trying to make heads or tails of it, I started to turn away. I know that other sports fields were mentioned, so the staggering size of this place was really dawning on me.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you...oh, the arena.¡± Lori stopped after sensing the change in my feelings. Her eyes darted to the rink¡¯s doors. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why they built this place in the middle of the mountains. Getting people with superpowers to make the thing was easy enough, but the space was the big issue. They still have an illusion on this entire place, just in case, but being out in the mountains was a popular decision for secrecy. That does make the commute for people who work in town a huge bitch to deal with.¡±


    I simply nodded, still trying to process the size of it all. Lori chuckled and carried on, waving me forward. Further along and behind some more turns, I saw a space that looked like it was a massive lake with a few people fishing in it. Lori assured me that it was real and not an illusion. Apparently, outside of its creation, the entire thing was as natural as a lake you¡¯d find outside in the regular world. Lori claimed there were cabins in there that people could use as a little vacation spot. They were apparently much cheaper than anything they could find outside of the Luna complex. While I couldn¡¯t see any cabins from where I stood, I thought renting one out might make for a fun little staycation if we could manage to get the money.


    After I made myself not look at anything else that might distract me further, we walked for about ten more minutes. Lori pushed through a set of large steel doors in front of us and we emerged into a massive parking garage. The only differences I could find between it and a normal parking garage were the size and lack of open-air spaces. That made it feel a touch dreary, not that parking garages were exactly visually stimulating on the best of days.


    ¡°This is huge,¡± I said, looking at all the cars. One reason it was so big was because each car had a lot of room in their spaces. If it was more compact, it¡¯d probably be about half the size. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous to have a bunch of cars running in here at the same time?¡±


    ¡°Normally it would be, but they spent an insane amount of time properly ventilating this place.¡± Lori stopped to look around and I followed her gaze. Another short walk away stood Mrs. Carmichael, Alex, Lizzy, and two other guys that I didn¡¯t know. Once Lori saw them, she perked up and yelled out. ¡°Hey! Hey, guys!¡±


    Lori ran over to them and I almost tripped trying to keep up. I saved myself and my dignity for the most part, though I could see Lizzy trying to hold herself back from laughter. Even though she held back, I still threw her a dirty glare, which was met with one of fake innocence. Alex didn¡¯t seem to notice or care what we got up to. I¡¯d take that result every time over getting grilled by the guy.


    ¡°I wanted to say bye to you guys,¡± Lizzy said, clearing up any confusion about why she was there before anyone could ask. She pointed toward a shy-looking pale guy with black hair. He looked to be around my age, maybe a bit younger. Then she directed our attention to a Hispanic kid who was definitely younger than me. Relaxed confidence rolled off him in waves. ¡°Lori and Ethan, meet Braden and Julio. These boys are under my command now, so I¡¯ll have to boss them around when you guys aren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°That means I might not have to spend a week in a hospital bed. Not sure how I¡¯ll go on.¡±


    Lizzy blew a raspberry at me and crossed her arms. ¡°Talk back to me like that again and I¡¯ll give you a full makeup job. Then we¡¯ll see how happy you¡¯ll be after that, pretty boy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure why you call me pretty like that.¡± I felt a bit sheepish, which might¡¯ve been her goal all along.


    ¡°I see the natural beauty in all things, my friend,¡± she said, faking a high and mighty tone, before she got a bit more serious. ¡°Give yourself some more credit.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the brevity of this, but we all have some very busy days coming up.¡± Mrs. Carmichael stepped forward with a small bag, handing it to Lori. It looked like a moderately-oversized fanny pack. Lori nodded and took it, apparently not surprised at the parting gift. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to explain everything in there.¡±


    Mrs. Carmichael turned her attention to Alex and I, this time a rare look of deep sadness in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry that I¡¯ve asked you both to do this. In a perfect world, you could all live here with any family and friends, free of any true danger and hardship you would experience for being different. Unfortunately, we do not live in that perfect world, and I couldn¡¯t have more pride in everyone here for their willingness to help. Please, Mr. Harper, Mr. Snow, and Ms. Davis, above all else, be safe and take care of each other. I know I¡¯m grasping at straws with this, but I value your lives more than any possible item in a cave. That¡¯s why I took extra precautions that Ms. Davis will explain to you on the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, feeling more embarrassed than when Lizzy was teasing me. ¡°It got a bit heavy there, so I think we should say our goodbyes before we get too depressed.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Mrs. Carmichael agreed, a small smile growing on her face. ¡°Best of luck to you all. I know you¡¯ll do wonderfully.¡± She turned and walked down a different hallway before vanishing from my vision altogether. The sense of desperation I got from her made me want to find something that would be able to help. Plus, it¡¯d help make Lori good if she could report back a success.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss having you guys around so much!¡± Lizzy pulled Lori into a fierce hug. Lori, clearly having trouble breathing, returned the embrace. ¡°Rosie¡¯s going to be so sad she couldn¡¯t make it to say bye, so you guys better be back soon for her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gobba miff you too!¡± Lori tried yelling, muffled from the embrace. Finally, she was able to pull herself free with a gasp of air. ¡°We¡¯ll be back as soon as we can. Boys, I¡¯m going to go check out the car we got. Take your time saying bye!¡±


    Alex just shrugged and kinda grunted. He stuck out his hand for a handshake. Lizzy rolled her eyes and shook her head, matching the handshake for him, mumbling something about him needing to be nicer. He shook both Braden and Julio¡¯s hands as well. They didn¡¯t dare give him the sass Lizzy did. Alex quickly left me with the three of them, and I was kind of worried about a similar hug that Lori got.


    ¡°You take it easy, okay? They¡¯re good people, so try not to get worked up being trapped in a car with them.¡± Lizzy stuck a fist out in front of me. After a moment of confusion, I bumped her knuckles with my own, appreciating the thought she put into the gesture. ¡°I¡¯m going to get these guys in tiptop shape, so you better not slack off just because I¡¯m not there to kick you into high gear.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just tell me to take it easy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take it easy, just don¡¯t get complacent,¡± she said. ¡°I meant don¡¯t just create needless large barriers or try to stop a truck. You¡¯ll be on the road for a while, so find ways to practice in small ways and keep busy.¡±


    ¡°Got it, will do.¡± I looked at the other guys behind her, sensing they were about ready to get on with their day. Smiling, I shook both their hands still before turning to leave. ¡°When we get back, we¡¯ll have to do team exercises together or something.¡±


    Nervous and excited for the road ahead, I joined up with my partners to try and turn the tide of this conflict.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Seven

    We didn¡¯t do much talking at the start. Not a lot of room for pleasantries and conversation over all the grunting and groaning we did trying to arrange our luggage properly. We had a roomy, sleek SUV. There was so much space that putting luggage away shouldn¡¯t have been an issue. It just felt like we were just making everything harder than it had to be. After all, we had maybe seven bags that were of notable size in a vehicle that had three rows of seats. It shouldn¡¯t have been that hard, and yet, we definitely found a way to make it that hard. After an embarrassingly long amount of time, we did finally manage to get everything put away properly.


    ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve proven the three of us are about qualified to put away some suitcases, who¡¯s ready to cross half the country to find something of unimaginable power?¡± I asked, clapping my hands together. Alex just sighed, but Lori did giggle a bit.


    ¡°If I¡¯m driving, he¡¯s riding not riding up front,¡± Alex said, climbing in the front seat. Lori was more than happy to get ride shotgun next to him. I could see her trying to keep her hands busy and her eyes off him. He saw me about to sit behind him before stopping me. ¡°You should sit behind her. She¡¯s smaller, so you can get more leg room that way.¡±


    We got all settled and situated in the SUV, and I don¡¯t think it mattered where I sat, since I had a bunch of legroom behind Lori without her even adjusting her seat. The vehicle was awesome. There was a screen in the seat that I could cast my phone to for a better view. There were rows of lights along the ceiling of the vehicle, and those could be adjusted depending on the comfort of everyone inside. Most importantly, we all had seat warmers and coolers, and we could adjust the temperature of the air conditioning or heat for each person¡¯s vents.


    ¡°Oh yeah, so why do we have to drive there?¡± I asked, already gluing my head to the window. We were finally outside of the complex, and even though all the surrounding trees were naked from the frigid air, it still had a sort of eerie beauty to it. Even growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I never quite got to experience mountains like this. ¡°We couldn¡¯t just teleport there?¡±


    ¡°Right, about that,¡± Lori began, shifting so that she could better see my face. ¡°We were going to teleport originally, but then there was a bit of an issue. Fink, the one who died in Pittsburgh, could teleport silently without leaving any trace of his power. That¡¯s why he was so heavily relied upon.


    ¡°But this time, the only teleporter we could get quickly pretty much leaves a line of energy that can be traced and followed. If we asked him, there could be a target on our starting position and our destination because of it.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anyone else?¡±


    Lori shook her head and her eyes found the floor. ¡°No one that could be counted on with such short notice. Teleportation and healing are two of the rarest and most useful powers. If we didn¡¯t all need to be hidden now more than ever, we might¡¯ve had better luck.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha, that makes sense,¡± I said, instantly understanding why Mrs. Carmichael wouldn¡¯t want us to be so visible. I remembered that fanny pack that was given to Lori and got curious about that. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡±


    ¡°Backup stuff,¡± she replied, checking through it. ¡°There are three backup phones in here, one power detector, and three teleportation tokens. And before you ask, the teleportation items had to be created by someone with an Anomaly, and they are very exhausting for them to make. Like, the lady who made them can barely move her body for days after creating one. As far as we know, she has to actually put her life essence into items she creates, so it¡¯s only under dire circumstances we ask her to do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an incredible power,¡± I said, wondering what else she could make. Lori pulled out the tokens and gave me a good look. They were about the size of a quarter, but they looked like purple glass. Inside of them, there was a swirling energy that appeared to be hunting for any way to escape. ¡°These look really nice. How do they work?¡±


    ¡°You crush them in your hand, think of the place you want to teleport to, and you¡¯re there. As long as you imagined the place correctly, that is.¡± She carefully handed me one and I gingerly put it in my front pocket. ¡°We only got these made as an escape method in case things go wrong somewhere. Since we¡¯ll probably have to search a large area, having one precise teleport in without a vehicle to broaden our search wouldn¡¯t do us much good.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where the power detector comes in?¡± I asked, piecing together what Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s idea for the whole thing was.


    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s a little bracelet-like thing. It¡¯s been designed to pick up other Anomalies besides ours, so it won¡¯t go off just because we¡¯re nearby. Well, it shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s the first device of its kind. We¡¯re going to have to cover a large area and use these to find that cave. This was actually made based off the guy who felt your latent Anomaly the first time.¡± Lori handed it to me and I carefully clipped it on my wrist. It beeped once, which I assumed was it activating. Sure enough, it didn¡¯t seem to go off just because we were nearby. I handed it back to her after a few seconds. ¡°It has a small and basic display that can help guide us once it goes off. I think Mrs. Carmichael said it has a range of about four miles in any direction.¡±


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    Lori trailed off and I returned my view to the window. I wasn¡¯t sure how big the Catskills were, but I was figuring that I¡¯d be staring at naked trees for a long time. Sometimes I saw some deer darting in the other direction, or a courageous bird braving the winter, and I wondered how high up in the mountains we really were. Since we were on an actual road, I was having trouble gauging our orientation. I thought about asking Lori and Alex, but she appeared to be messing with her detection bracelet, and he had an intense look on his face while driving, so I decided to just leave it be.


    Since the nerves had died down a bit and we were actually on the road, it amazed me how quickly the boredom of a road trip hit. I thought about texting Shelly and asking her what she was up to. Since I¡¯d only just left, I couldn¡¯t help but think it might¡¯ve been a little weird. Lizzy was next on my list before I remembered she had her new teammates with her. Besides Lori, those were the only two people I had in my contacts I wanted to talk to. I had to stop myself a few times from seeing just how far Missouri was.


    Thinking of Lizzy did remind me of her parting words to practice more. I was a bit scared to try it after last time, and I was pretty sure there was another tingle in the base of my skull. It may have just been my nerves mixed with me remembering how unpleasant the sensation felt. Still, looking forward and seeing Alex and Lori quickly put to bed any internal debate I was having. I knew that I needed to be able to keep them safe as best I could. Without Lizzy¡¯s guidance though, I wasn¡¯t really sure how to begin.


    At first, I tried to imagine a thin shield going around my left hand, just like a latex glove. It was kind of clunky and uneven to start with, but after a few seconds of focusing, I was able to get it down. I gently pressed my right hand against the left, still a bit nervous to really test out putting pressure on it. I could feel that familiar tingling sensation in my head, though it wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been. It was just enough for me to recognize that it was there, so I guessed that it was breaking the shields that caused the more severe issues. I tried thinking of ways to mitigate that, because I couldn¡¯t black out in the middle of an attack just because some of my shields were destroyed.


    Next, I tried to have the shield grow up my arm to my elbow, which it did with surprising ease. There were still some issues with it being uneven, with some areas being a bit weaker than others. Like the tingling feeling, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad. Everything felt a lot more intuitive than I was expecting. Maybe it made sense, since my powers had been likened to training your physical body, meaning it should come somewhat naturally. Either way, I was glad for the smooth progress, no matter how slow it might have been.


    ¡°Lori, what have the known telekinetics been able to do?¡± I wasn¡¯t completely buying that Lizzy was right about me having telekinesis. My gut told me whatever I could do, it wasn¡¯t truly telekinesis.


    ¡°Hm, let me think...¡± she said, fiddling with the power-detecting bracelet. I guess she knew about some other functions on it and wanted to see what it could do. After a bit, she stopped playing with it and left it alone on her wrist. ¡°They can generally move stuff and create shields with their minds. Why?¡±


    ¡°How do their shields work?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± she admitted. ¡°Every video I¡¯ve seen makes it look they create big shields and they¡¯re done when the use switches focus. Actually, now that I think about it, there¡¯s always been a visible energy around the shield or an object being manipulated.¡±


    ¡°Even when they¡¯re novices you can see it?¡±


    She bounced her head around and waved her hand in a non-committal gesture. ¡°Again, my exposure to telekinetics is limited, so take it with a grain of salt. Do you think it¡¯s something different?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a thin shield going from my left hand up to my elbow right now.¡± I stopped to move that arm around to see if the shield would take damage, break, or maybe do something freaky. I didn¡¯t feel anything, and like the barriers from before, I could see a small shimmer on the protected area. I tried to will the shimmer to become visible to Lori. I could see it in higher detail, which made me get excited. ¡°Can you see it?¡±


    Disappointingly, she shook her head. ¡°Nope. I haven¡¯t heard of a telekinetic being able to make a localized shield like that. Usually they¡¯re more...grand and flamboyant with their power use.¡± She looked a bit puzzled and paused to think. ¡°But you also made a big barrier. Keep practicing with that and let me know how it goes. Oh, and practice safely, please.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to be told twice. I tried to extend the shield past my elbow, and that¡¯s when I started feeling a lot of resistance from it. Like before, it didn¡¯t hurt, but I could tell it was a sensation where its purpose was to tell me something was wrong. Instead of trying to make it larger, I focused on making it stronger. That felt harder to test without potentially hurting myself, so I settled on thumping the shield with my knuckles, which felt weird to do. It did yield some results though, as I could feel the barrier kick back a bit more each time.


    What finally brought me back out of my little world was a thumping in front of me. I peered around the seat to see Lori¡¯s left leg bouncing rapidly and her foot tapping the carpeted floor. Her arms were crossed, and it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell she was pretty agitated about something. I looked toward Alex who was his usual, intense self. I swallowed my fear and tried to help with the situation. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lori?¡±


    ¡°I have to use the bathroom so bad,¡± she said, her leg somehow bouncing even more. She clenched her teeth and tensed up. ¡°So. Bad.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t go before we left?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Dude, we left over three hours ago, and I have to pee,¡± Lori said, surprising me. I looked out the window for the first time in, well, apparently three hours. Sure enough, we were on an actual interstate with heavy-flowing traffic. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time to pass before I need to go.¡±


    Alex pulled into a clean-looking rest stop that, thankfully, didn¡¯t look to be crowded. The instant the SUV was parked, the small girl bolted out of it and to the nearest bathroom. How much time had passed surprised me and made me worry about my focus. Then it was my turn to realize that I could use a trip to the bathroom as well.


    ¡°Yeah, I think this is a good time to stretch my legs too.¡± I threw open the door and took in a deep breath of the cold winter air.

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Eight

    Alex went into the rest stop to see if there was anything fast and tasty he could bring back for everyone. Lori had come back and not-so-subtly hinted at wanting some donuts. Once she mentioned it, I wanted some too. Even a cheap donut was hard to mess up, so I was really hoping that Alex could find some in there, or find anything appropriately unhealthy. It gave him a chance to stretch his legs after driving for so long too, which was only fair. He tried to stretch on the side of the car, thinking we wouldn¡¯t see him do it.


    ¡°Sorry that I don¡¯t have my license,¡± I said. It didn¡¯t feel right that only those two had to drive such a long way.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s better that you practice with your Anomaly anyway. Leave the driving to us.¡± Lori smiled at me. She put her arms above her head and stretched, making her back pop a few times. ¡°I thought I was going to die in there.¡±


    ¡°Leader or not, when nature calls, it calls¡± I said. ¡°Anomalies can¡¯t fix a full bladder. Scratch that, there¡¯s probably one that can. I don¡¯t want to think about that one.¡±


    I liked the little rest spot. It was like the rest stops that I saw in movies, but instead of being a dreary and rundown place where teenagers got murdered or kidnapped to get murdered, it was up to date. The winter scenery was beautiful, so it had to be stunning in the summer. The trees around me had a bit more color on them despite the chill biting at every living thing around, and a gentle fog rolling over them gave them a cozy look in the sunlight.


    ¡°Well, actually-¡±


    ¡°Nope, like I said, don¡¯t want to know,¡± I said, putting my hands up and cutting her off. ¡°Whatever it is, good for them. Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±


    I thought about repeating what I did to those hockey pucks in training to a nearby tree branch to get some practice in. When two more cars pulled in the parking lot, I decided against it. Secrecy wasn¡¯t outrighted demanded of us or anything, but when I thought about the social situation, getting caught like that would have been beyond stupid. I felt really great after three hours of practice, though. I was eager for some more and Lori picked up on it.


    ¡°Dang, you¡¯re ready to go, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I want to get better with my power. If Alex is the only one who can really fight with an ability, that¡¯s a problem.¡± I cringed after I realized that I insulted her fighting capability. ¡°Not saying that you can¡¯t do anything, but Alex is definitely suited for actual fighting.¡±


    Lori brushed it off with a laugh and a wave. ¡°None taken. I think once we get back to Luna, I¡¯m going to learn how to use a gun. Shelly is smart for having one and it really got me considering it after I was held at gunpoint. Alex is the only one of us three that can punch his way out of something, and it¡¯s not always the right way to go about it, but McLeod is a lot of punch himself. We need every advantage we can get. I¡¯m not a boy who breaks six feet either, so I especially need every advantage I can get.¡±


    ¡°Shelly absolutely knows how to use hers.¡± I nodded in agreement, both at the idea of Lori having better defense for herself, and my sister¡¯s own ability to use a firearm. ¡°You should ask her for some help. You¡¯re both similar sizes, she¡¯s only a few years older than you, and she likes you. She won¡¯t admit it, but I bet she¡¯d like to have a girlfriend to bond with, especially over guns.¡±


    She tried in vain to keep from beaming at the chance. I was pretty sure that she was better socially than she gave herself credit for, but her shortage of friends probably made the prospect of making a new one better, even if their relationship did start off rocky. Lori was so earnest about trying to get more people in her life that I really hoped she could nab Alex. It was so disappointing that I couldn¡¯t be a better wingman for her.


    ¡°Hey! I got two dozen!¡± We looked up to see Alex walking toward us with two large boxes from a donut chain. I could already feel the pains in my stomach from how much fried dough and sugar there was.


    ¡°Two dozen?¡± I whispered to Lori. ¡°It¡¯s not a school field trip. Is Luna paying for this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so shut up and let me enjoy,¡± she replied, elbowing me gently in the side. ¡°If you don¡¯t want any, I¡¯ll eat them all.¡±


    Alex brought the boxes up to us and Lori was very eager to open them. She picked out three that she liked and wolfed down the first two, leaving pink icing all over her face. Lori and I laughed while Alex just sighed like a grumpy dad. He handed her some napkins and climbed into the seat I previously occupied. Right before he closed the door, he called back to us, ¡°You¡¯re up, short stuff. I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±


    Lori blushed at what he called her, awkwardly shuffling her feet. She took the driver¡¯s seat while I slid on the passenger¡¯s seat. I made sure that Alex had an ample amount of leg room while Lori adjusted the seat to better accommodate her height. She was all smiles with her feet being unable to touch the pedals for the longest time. I was about to say something, but she stopped me, still smiling wide. ¡°I would not say anything about my height, so I hope you were about to offer me another donut.¡±


    Wisely keeping my mouth shut, I handed her a fourth donut at her recommendation. Behind me, Alex hit some buttons, and a thin layer of a glass-like material rose between the front seats and the back. Any sound that he made was silenced, and I assumed it was the same his way. That was awesome for a nap. The material was hardly noticeable too, and if I hadn¡¯t seen it gone up, I probably wouldn¡¯t be aware of it. ¡°Will that make it hard to drive?¡±


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    Lori checked all her mirrors and the divider before shaking her head. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t. If it was dangerous, I don¡¯t think Luna would have let it be installed in one of their vehicles. I wonder how it works if we tried to recline...¡±


    We hit the road again and I thought that more practice would be good. For my next go around, I made two shields that covered both hands and wrists. If I focused really hard, I could get both of them to stretch about halfway up my forearm. The coverage area didn¡¯t excite me, but being able to make and maintain separate barriers did. Deciding that being able to cover my entire body in a protective energy was as good a start as any, I put most of my concentration into just maintaining both.


    Beads of sweat formed on my brow after only a few minutes. Having to split my attention for both of them was way more exhausting than I thought it was going to be. The annoying tingle in my head returned while the barriers wavered in stability. Not eager to see what might happen if I let one go from overexertion, I slowly willed away the left one.


    The relief was felt immediately and the right barrier stopped wavering, though I went ahead and shut that one down too. I was still a long way off from making a full-body shield, but this was a start. If nothing else, if I needed to thrust my hands into fire or something similar, being able to hold two barriers for a few minutes might prevent serious harm. I rubbed the base of my skull to see if I could feel anything different with my fingers, but there was nothing out of the ordinary on the outside. I checked my nose again to make sure I wasn¡¯t bleeding again. Thankfully, my hand came away dry.


    ¡°How long is this trip?¡± I asked. I took a long drink from my water bottle and lowered the temperature of the AC on my side. I slid my seat forward a bit so I could recline it some and relax. ¡°I¡¯ve never really done a road trip before.¡±


    ¡°I think it should be about seventeen hours from our starting point to the first set of caves I want to check out,¡± Lori said. She looked at her phone that was displaying a GPS application with an estimated time. ¡°Eh, we took twenty minutes longer to get to Pennsylvania than I hoped. The stop didn¡¯t help. We should be getting into Scranton soon.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re in Pennsylvania?¡± I asked. ¡°When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°New York¡¯s not that big, and it¡¯s not like we had to go through Manhattan through rush hour.¡± Lori checked the GPS one more time and swiped her phone a couple times, but she did make sure that there weren¡¯t any cars right next to her. ¡°Hm, at least this doesn¡¯t have us going through Pittsburgh.¡± She let the bit about Pittsburgh hang in the air, like she was waiting for someone else to comment on it. Her knuckles were white from her grip on the steering wheel, so whatever she was thinking, they weren¡¯t happy thoughts.


    ¡°Do you want to stop in Pittsburgh?¡± I asked, trying to figure out what she wanted to do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re letting people in,¡± she replied. It was a good point. Even if they wanted to, I wasn¡¯t sure how well they¡¯d be able to prevent entry into a city-sized area that soon after a colossal attack. Sure, they could legally prevent it, but there was no way to really stop people from getting in. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go...but I think we should go if we can.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really disagree with you,¡± I admitted. It was a terrifying idea to visit a city that had been completely wiped out. It still felt like I needed to. I hadn¡¯t really been exposed to the extent of what McLeod and his guys could do, so it would make for a firsthand reality check. Plus, it felt appropriate to pay my respects to those who perished, since my powers made me feel connected to the whole thing. ¡°Yeah, I think we should try to go.¡±


    ¡°I just wish we had been more prepared,¡± Lori said, quietly enough that I thought she might¡¯ve been talking to herself. ¡°We¡¯ve been so sheltered from the true horrors of everything that I¡¯m still having trouble coming to grips with it. Rory is someone I¡¯ll never get back, and I know that, but I still think that he¡¯ll just pop in with a funny joke one day. It¡¯s as if my brain hasn¡¯t quite recognized he¡¯s gone.


    ¡°And that¡¯s when I feel myself getting angry, Ethan. Every day I get so upset that I want to punch a wall, cry into a pillow, or both. I¡¯ve always been a little on the moody side because I let everyone¡¯s feelings that I can sense get to me, but I¡¯ve never felt this kind of rage before. It scares me, and I want you to keep an eye on me. I trust your judgment and your heart to make up for mine when they fail.¡±


    I was having trouble finding the words to respond. I could tell she had anger spikes, especially when she saw that black-armored knight. Even though I had trouble relating, since the closest trauma I could compare hers to was watching my parents get killed, I nodded. Where she felt anger was probably where I felt guilt. I looked out the window and saw a sign that told me the next three exits would put us in Scranton. ¡°Does Alex know about how upset you get?¡±


    Lori shook her head with a sad smile on her face. ¡°Nope, and I don¡¯t want him to. I want to show him that I can make the right choices to keep him safe. If he knows about how I can be hindered because of my feelings like that...¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle. Lori frowned and I thought that she was legitimately upset at me. Thankfully, she did pause to give me a chance to explain myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s just a fun thought to me. He¡¯s so stoic and well-suited for physical combat that it was a nice image in my head. Well, stoic when he isn¡¯t losing to Rosie in a sparring match.¡±


    She did a quick look in the rearview mirror to make sure he was asleep and hadn¡¯t lowered the divider. ¡°Of course you¡¯d want to protect someone you...have feelings for. If I could make it so he never had to face an ounce of danger or hardship, I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s just about the most tender thing you¡¯ve ever said,¡± I teased, which did pull her a bit out of her depressed state. I took a look behind me at the handsome guy, and he did seem to look more vulnerable than I was expecting. Maybe that was just because he was asleep. ¡°Looks aside, I¡¯m still not sure I get the appeal.¡±


    ¡°He really is a good guy,¡± Lori insisted. ¡°I know that he stresses easy and isn¡¯t the best at expressing how he feels. I think that¡¯s why I noticed him to begin with. All the emotions I could see and take in, I sort of craved the stability and calm he puts out, you know?¡± She smirked at me. ¡°But now that you¡¯ve ruined the mood, you can sit there in silence for a bit. Pittsburgh is a few hours away.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Twenty-Nine

    Nothing exciting happened between Scranton and Pittsburgh, unless someone would want to count a dry interstate in the Pennsylvania winter as exciting. I was tired enough that I napped for an hour myself, and when I woke up, nothing really looked different. It wasn¡¯t exactly the Eastern Seaboard with metro areas popping up every fifty miles. I finally understood why so many people hated doing road trips in the States. Once you got out of the cities, you got a lot of repetitive scenery.


    I sat the rest of the way with my head leaning against the cool window, just letting random thoughts run through my brain. I¡¯d wait to practice again later, since I wanted to pace myself a bit better. Sometimes I¡¯d count how many of the same-colored cars I¡¯d see, but that got confusing quick when I couldn¡¯t tell which ones I¡¯d already counted. There weren¡¯t really any animals in the trees off the road either. Only the occasional farm animal broke up the monotony.


    Every now and again, Lori would gently tap the steering wheel and sing along to a song playing on the radio. Whenever she noticed me adjust my position in the seat to get more comfortable, she¡¯d apologize for being too loud, and I¡¯d have to tell her that it was fine. She was no Rosie, though she was hardly unpleasant to listen to. She insisted to me that she¡¯d never taken classes and just did it for fun. Her soft voice would have probably paired nicely with Rosie¡¯s musical powers.


    As we got closer to Pittsburgh, there were fewer cars on the interstate. I didn¡¯t know what the media might¡¯ve reported on the situation in the few days before we left, but whatever it was, it seemed to be keeping people away. Or there were police forces closer to the city to keep onlookers out. My worst fear was that there was a physical danger to the area that we couldn¡¯t really see on TV, and I wanted to bring that concern up with Lori.


    ¡°What if the area is heavily irradiated or something?¡± I asked. I eyed the little GPS tracker getting ever closer to the city and I felt myself getting a bit scared. ¡°Or what if there¡¯s something worse going on there?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t stay long, and we¡¯ll stay on the outskirts. The backroads should keep us away from any police.¡± Lori didn¡¯t seem completely satisfied with that idea. We didn¡¯t have much else to work with though. I think she wanted to distract herself because she tossed a glance to the rearview mirror again. ¡°Jeez, can¡¯t believe he¡¯s still out. Maybe he didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t another hour before we pulled up on the remnants of the city¡¯s outskirts. To my surprise, I didn¡¯t see any authorities there. There weren¡¯t any people around when I got a better look at my surroundings. Getting out of the SUV, the scene gave me chills. It was cool outside, but there hadn¡¯t been any snow in the forecast, so I was surprised to see some whitish flakes crunch under my feet.


    ¡°Are we supposed to hit snow on the way here?¡± I asked, already having a sinking feeling about what I was stepping on.


    ¡°No.¡± It was Alex who answered. He stepped out of the car and stretched his arms. ¡°What¡¯s under us is Pittsburgh. Or what¡¯s left of it.¡±


    I tried not to lose my lunch when I thought about it. I didn¡¯t want to think of the possibility that what I was stepping on were the remains of a person. A building would have been bad enough, but a person would have just been horrifying. I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head to make sure none of it landed on my head when a gust of wind kicked up. When I looked forward, it was just ash as far as the eye could see.


    ¡°It¡¯s terrible,¡± Lori said. I could tell that she was getting angry again and doing everything she could to keep it in check. To help her out, I tried to force myself to be happy, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it worked. ¡°I was told there was still at least forty-thousand people in the city. Even with the two-week warning, people didn¡¯t take it seriously or just couldn¡¯t leave. I hope Mrs. Carmichael was wrong about that number.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is, but that¡¯s all the more reason to work harder.¡± Alex took a few steps forward. Like my own, his footsteps crunched in the ash. My face turned up in disgust at the sound. Even though he was trying to maintain a strong fa?ade, I could see his shoulders slumping a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t care what we have to do, but we can¡¯t let this happen again. Four lives or forty-thousand lives; it doesn¡¯t matter. If the military can¡¯t scratch him, then it falls on us to kill McLeod.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe that a human being was capable of the level of destruction I was looking at. Even when a city got bombed, there were plenty of indicators that it was a city after the attack. Everything around us was just flat, featureless ash. There was some that had blown onto the road in the days after the attack, but for the most part, it seemed to be a perfect semicircle of damage. Beyond the cutoff of the attacked area, the road, trees, and everything else was undamaged.


    ¡°There¡¯s really just...nothing left, is there?¡± I asked. I was about to take a step forward before thinking better of it. I didn¡¯t know anything about the stability of the ground. For all I knew, I could take one step and fall right through in a giant sinkhole or strange trap. I tried looking farther for any signs of a building. Even on the outskirts of the city, there wasn¡¯t much to work with. Maybe a bit of pipe or rebar that somehow survived was all that I could see. ¡°This is really giving me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys want to keep on to Missouri, or do you want to look around a bit more?¡± Lori asked. She was kneeling with her bracelet near the ash on the ground. She gave it a bit of a funny look and shook her head. ¡°This apparently has a Geiger counter in it, naturally, and it¡¯s not going off. It can¡¯t account for anything else that might kill us, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get radiation poisoning if we walk a bit.¡±


    Lori reparked the SUV on the side of the road right before the ash began. I still hadn¡¯t seen anyone come anywhere close to us. I could hear cars on a nearby major road, none of which I imagined wanted to come near us. A sudden, strong gust of wind from the west blew a bunch of the ash all over us, the vehicle, and the trees. I¡¯d seen pictures of trees near a beach right after a hurricane where they were stripped and battered with sand. With the ash sticking to all of the trees around us, it reminded me of those photos.


    Carefully, we strolled around the edge of the destroyed area, making sure to keep on the grass. We cleared the area with trees after a few minutes, and we were finally able to see some buildings. Turns out it was once a little suburb, with all of the buildings being small, upscale homes. Since we were still on the edge of the grass, we were walking up in someone¡¯s backyard. Most of the house had been completely vaporized with only about a quarter remaining. It had stood for a few days now, so I wasn¡¯t too worried about it falling.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look to see if anyone¡¯s in there,¡± I said, knowing that no one in their right mind would still be inside. I just needed an excuse for myself to go. I gingerly made my way over, like the next step I took might make the remnants of the building give in. Placing one hand on edge of the wall, I peered inside. It was only around two in the afternoon, so the sun wasn¡¯t really shining inside, making everything look a bit darker than it should. ¡°Hello?¡±


    There was a loud thud and a light scrambling sound, like a spooked raccoon that got caught eating out of the garbage. The suddenness of it nearly made me lose my grip and fall into the ash. I was barely able to catch and stabilize myself. After calming my breathing, I listened for any other sounds. Despite it being the middle of the day on the weekend, the entire neighborhood was eerily quiet. Normally, kids would have been playing everywhere on such a pleasant winter day.


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    Slowly, I bent my body around the wall and slipped into the room. Upon a closer inspection, the room was mostly pink, with only the carpet being a different color. The room was definitely much bigger before the attack. The only thing left in the room was a disheveled bed, a cracked door to a small walk-in closet, and what I assumed was the door to the rest of the home. I ran my hand over the wallpaper that was adorned with a white flower pattern, and it came away with dust. Clicking my tongue, I wiped it on the side of my jeans to try and clean it.


    I heard another scrambling noise from the closet. I looked to my right and saw a window in case I had to make a daring escape from a raccoon or something. As quietly as I could, I made my way over to door. On the ground in front of me, I noticed that there was a small trail of crumbs. The scuttling sounded bigger than something like a rat. With the state of the area, I wasn¡¯t about to rule out any possibilities for what could have been behind that door.


    When I got to the accordion-style door, I quickly flung it open, hoping to scare out any critters that might¡¯ve made themselves at home. Well, I certainly scared what was in there, but it wasn¡¯t anything so easy as a raccoon, possum, or rat. Instead, a terrified little girl sat trembling in the corner. Her arms and hands were over her face, either to block out the light or to protect her head.


    I was stunned at first, and I didn¡¯t know how to react. I never really dealt with children, so I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the right thing to do. I slowly approached her and crouched next to the tiny girl. I tried keeping my voice as calm and steady as possible. ¡°Hey there, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I thought...I thought there were animals in here. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Slowly, she brought her arms down and showed me her face. Her hair was brown like Lori¡¯s. Her skin was a touch lighter than Lori¡¯s. Behind some unbrushed strands of hair were eyes that held a clear intelligence, at least for someone her age. She was thin, though not worryingly so. With the destroyed house and the girly room, even someone like me could figure out what happened. Near my foot was an old and well-maintained teddy bear. As a small peace offering to her, I carefully handed it to her. She took it from my hands and clutched it close to her chest.


    ¡°Are you going to take our things?¡± she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and the poor little thing looked scared beyond belief. I was impressed that she was even able to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, promise. Is it okay if I sit next to you?¡± She hesitated for a few moments. She checked around me and nodded. I slowly brought myself next to her and gently sat down. She clutched the bear harder to her body. Since the attack happened Thursday, and it was already Saturday, she probably wasn¡¯t in any huge danger from hunger. Water was a different story, so I pulled out my water bottle. ¡°Do you want some water? You must be thirsty after being here for so long.¡±


    She didn¡¯t waste any time taking the water bottle in one hand. She looked at it funny for a second, probably remembering something about accepting things from strangers. Her glance bounced from the bottle back to me a few times before she finally gave up and drank from it. I only had about half in there and the little girl spilled most of it on her shirt and bear. She looked disappointed when it ran out.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, we have some more,¡± I told her, returning the bottle to my side. I was dreading bringing up the next part, but knew that I had to so I could figure out just what was going on. ¡°Some of my friends are going on a road trip and we decided to stop by Pittsburgh. Do you know where your parents are? Can you tell me your name?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Megan,¡± she said. She followed it with a shrug and a head shake. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Mommy and Daddy are. They went out a while ago and called the phone. They said hide in my room. Um, they said don¡¯t answer the door. Then there was lots of screaming. They didn¡¯t call after that.¡±


    My heart nearly broke hearing her story. They had to have been caught up in the attack on Pittsburgh. Poor Megan had been there waiting for them to come back home. I was reminded of those few, terrible hours after my parents were taken from me. She¡¯d been waiting for around two days. I tried to not let my sadness at her situation show. ¡°My name is Ethan. Did the police come by? Or anyone at all?¡±


    This time, she nodded a couple times. ¡°There was someone yelling before. I think that was yesterday. But Mommy told me to stay put and not answer for anyone...¡±


    I really struggled with how to bring up the death of her parents. We weren¡¯t exactly in the same boat, but we were pretty dang close. All I knew was that we needed to get little Megan some help. ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think your parents will be coming home.¡±


    I could see her bottom lip quiver while she nodded in understanding. She probably knew, but was just so scared of being alone that she didn¡¯t want to think about it. Hugging her teddy, she brought her knees up and placed her forehead on them. Megan started crying, a quiet and gentle sound. I wasn¡¯t sure how to comfort her, if she even wanted to be comforted, so I just patted her back a few times and waited out her crying.


    ¡°My friends are outside, Megan. I bet they¡¯d love to meet you.¡± I tried to smile when her crying died down to just sniffling. ¡°Do you want to come say hi? We have some water, and since you¡¯ve been so brave, I bet they¡¯d want to give you some of our donuts. Then we can see about getting someone here to help you. Sound good?¡±


    Her eyes went a bit wide when I mentioned the sweets. She wiped the tears away and shakily stood up. When she just about fell, I grabbed her arm as gently as I could. I didn¡¯t trust opening the window with the condition the house was in, and it made me feel bad for even opening the closet door as quickly as I did. I let her gather any of the belongings she could get in the room, and she chose her bear, a small picture of her family on a nightstand, and a necklace that rested next to it. I was glad she understood that we were going to try and call the police to come help her. She seemed like a smart cookie.


    It took a bit of effort, but I was finally able to guide Megan around the wall and away from the ash. Out in the sunlight, she blinked and threw a hand over her eyes. Lori and Alex were still where I left them, and they hadn¡¯t noticed me emerge yet. When she adjusted to the light, I could feel Megan slip behind me and grip my jeans.


    I prayed it wasn¡¯t all too much for her. I was beginning to think it was a bad idea, but it was too late. Lori already noticed me and waved at me.


    ¡°We were about to come in and check on you. What took you so...¡± Her voice trailed off when she saw the child¡¯s head peering around from the side of my leg.


    ¡°Lori, this is Megan. She¡¯s done a really great job holding out here until some help arrived, so I thought we could give her some donuts and water.¡± I made my eyes go wide to put emphasis on certain parts, hoping Lori would understand.


    ¡°Oh, absolutely! We¡¯d love to share, but they¡¯re back in the car,¡± Lori sat cross-legged on the grass with a wide smile on her face. ¡°Can you wait a bit, Megs? Is it okay if I call you that?¡±


    Megan nodded and slowly walked up to her. She stuck out her hand and Lori shook it enthusiastically. Not too much that it might startle her. It was just enough to be a soothing presence. Lori was probably already reading her emotions and doing her best to work around them. She would make a great babysitter because of her powers.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Megs. I just have to let my friend know that we took a bit of a detour on our road trip.¡± She tapped the little detector bracelet on her hand a couple times. She looked at me, her upbeat tone not wavering. ¡°These have something that¡¯ll let Mrs. Carmichael know we need to talk to her urgently, but it¡¯s not an immediate life-or-death situation. When it finishes starting up, I¡¯ll-¡±


    She was cut off by a rapid, low beeping sound. The display on it had an arrow pointing directly in front of her, right to Megan. The little girl bounced back a bit and I didn¡¯t blame her. It surprised me, even though it wasn¡¯t a loud beep. Curiously, I took a closer look at it. ¡°Lori, what is that?¡±


    She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. ¡°That means there might be a teeny issue. The beeping is the bracelet¡¯s way of alerting us to an Anomaly. Megan, would you be okay with walking back with us to our car? One of these nice boys can carry you if you¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°Can Ethan carry me like a princess?¡± she asked, her voice dripping with earnestness. My lower back was already aching from imagining the walk back, but I wasn¡¯t going to say no.


    ¡°He would love to, Megan!¡± Lori answered for me, standing up. She brushed the grass and dirt off the back of her pants. She looked at me expectedly and gave me an exaggerated eye roll. ¡°Well? Our lovely princess has somewhere she has to be. Get to it!¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirty

    ¡°I¡¯m going to call Mrs. Carmichael, so you make sure Megan eats some of those donuts,¡± Lori said.


    We were back by the SUV now, still with no people around, and thank goodness for that. Some of the ash had blown onto the vehicle, making it look gross, creepy, and in desperate need of a fresh washing. Lori started to walk around to the other side of it before her head popped back around. ¡°Oh, and make sure she doesn¡¯t fill up on just junk. We don¡¯t have a lot right now, but we have some sandwich stuff in a cooler behind the second row of seats. Make her one of those.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, mother,¡± I said, setting Megan down. I was worried that she might¡¯ve been too heavy for me to carry back. She didn¡¯t weigh much at all though. Carrying her was even a little fun. Not sure if her light weight was because of some malnutrition or just her age, I tried to figure out how old she was. ¡°When¡¯s your birthday, Megan?¡±


    ¡°March twenty-seventh! I¡¯m turning seven.¡± She was standing on her toes trying to peer inside the window. Satisfied with knowing her age, I realized that she didn¡¯t have a jacket on and nearly panicked. I opened the door for her so she could scramble inside and finally warm up. I made sure she set all of her belongings down and I turned on the seat warmer before walking around to the other side to join her, where I saw Lori impatiently tapping her foot on the ground, probably still waiting for Mrs. Carmichael to answer.


    ¡°Your birthday¡¯s almost here. Is there anything that you want?¡± I felt a pang of sadness knowing she lost her mom and dad so soon before her birthday. It was already February, and I was sure her parents had something nice planned. I wanted to make sure she could have some semblance of a normal birthday, if that was even possible. I knew Shelly, Lori, and Mrs. Carmichael would more than likely be willing to help out. I was snapped out of my own thoughts by the sound of her rumbling tummy. ¡°And when¡¯s the last time you ate?¡±


    Megan looked up to the ceiling and stuck two fingers up before pushing them closer to me. ¡°This many, I think. Two days? My teacher says I¡¯m not good at counting yet.¡± She looked dejected and embarrassed. ¡°But I¡¯m getting better!¡±


    I didn¡¯t care as much about her counting as much as I did her diet. Two days without eating for a kid probably felt like an eternity. I reached into the third row of seats to grab the donuts, and I also saw the cooler. I told Megan to pick two while I made her a sandwich, and we could ask Lori about her having another one later. We had two cool bottles of water next to the sandwich ingredients as well. Megan was more than happy to take those.


    ¡°Whoa, easy there, kiddo,¡± I said, watching Megan hungrily shovel a donut in her mouth with only three bites. ¡°It¡¯s not going anywhere. If you choke or get sick, she¡¯s gonna kick my butt.¡± I pointed outside to Lori. Her free hand was making all sorts of annoyed gestures. Calling her frustrated would have been an understatement.


    Megan giggled through a mouthful of sweets. ¡°Daddy says the same thing about Mommy. He always gives me a piece of candy after dinner.¡± Her face fell when she mentioned her parents. She sniffled, managing to keep it together. She only rubbed her eyes this time.


    ¡°You know...I lost my parents too,¡± I told her. I didn¡¯t want to try and make it about me. I just wanted her to know she had someone who understood. I always felt better when I knew I wasn¡¯t alone in something. Megan looked back at me with sad eyes as big as dinner plates. I nodded my head in confirmation. ¡°It happened when I was twelve. It still hurts today, but I¡¯ve met a lot of great people that help make it better. All three of us are here for you, Megan.¡±


    ¡°Even him?¡± she asked, pointing toward Alex. He was leaning against the passenger side door, looking gruff. ¡°He¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°He looks scary, but he¡¯s a nice guy,¡± I said, but Megan still didn¡¯t look convinced. I held out a hooked pinky toward her. ¡°Pinky promise.¡±


    She did her end of the pinky promise and went back to eating her goodies. I finished making up her sandwich by running down which condiments she did and didn¡¯t like. All the while, her mental state was in the forefront of my mind. Losing both parents like that and nearly being killed the same way would certainly leave some trauma. Kids could be obnoxiously good at seeming more mature and well-adjusted than they should, so I had no idea when it would start to show. The little girl happily munching away on junk food didn¡¯t look like she was in a bad state of mind. Looks were often deceiving.


    Lori climbed into the front seat of the car as Megan ate the gourmet sandwich I painstakingly prepared. I could tell Lori was stressed and doing her absolute best to put up a happy front. She got the same basic information from Megan that I did, like her birthday, but got other things like her favorite color, kind of animal, and toys. When she saw Megan finish up the sandwich, she peered over the seat with a big smile. ¡°Megs, you should ask Alex if he wants to play. He¡¯s super-duper strong. I bet he¡¯d be able to fly you around like an airplane.¡±


    Megan seemed excited and nervous, glancing at the gruff guy outside the car. Lori promised her that it¡¯d be fine, and he¡¯d love the chance to play with her. When I reminded her of our pinky promise, she left the vehicle to approach Alex. We both watched to make sure he was being a good sport about it, which he was, so she seemed to be in good hands. He was all smiles and eager to toss a small human in the air. He was using his Anomaly for it and Megan was laughing her head off, which settled me down a bit.


    ¡°Okay, we have two options,¡± Lori began. ¡°Well, three. Or two and a half. It¡¯s a bit of a mess.¡±


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    ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning,¡± I said, trying to prevent a tangent before it began. ¡°What¡¯d Mrs. Carmichael say?¡±


    ¡°That the bracelet was probably right about Megan having an Anomaly. In a pretty damn scary method of tracking, she used the position of this vehicle, the direction we walked, and a satellite image of the nearest road to get the house number. Once she had the house number, finding the info for the occupants was easy enough for her. Right now, the entire family is considered missing. No grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anyone else that could take her in. She is, in the truest sense of the word, an orphan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be a while before most of the dead are actually confirmed dead instead of missing, won¡¯t it?¡± I asked. I looked past Lori and to the ash pit. I got the same feeling from it as I did from the graveyard where Mom and Dad were buried. It was the kind of heavy feeling in your chest when you realize you¡¯re staring at a massive amount of death. ¡°Megan said that she heard her parents scream on the phone and it went dead while they were in the city, so I think they¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so too,¡± Lori agreed. ¡°That brings us to our issue. In the eyes of the authorities, Megan is dead. With all the chaos going on, no one is going to hunt for her specifically at this point. There¡¯s just too much going on.


    ¡°Since she has an Anomaly, Mrs. Carmichael said we can bring her to Luna. Even if Megan didn¡¯t have one, I have no doubt that she would be welcomed there, but that¡¯s what I want to discuss with you. We have to be very careful with this, Ethan. She¡¯s not even seven yet, so if we brought her with us, that¡¯s essentially kidnapping. Maybe it isn¡¯t really breaking a law, but there¡¯s a case to be made for reporting this to the authorities and having them take care of it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really want to do that, do you?¡± I asked, having a feeling that neither of us really did. If I didn¡¯t have Shelly, that would have been my fate, and who¡¯s to say I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in an abusive home or worse? ¡°You think we should take her to Luna.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Lori nodded and rested her head on the steering wheel. She turned over to watch Alex and Megan playing with each other, the little girl still filled with glee. ¡°But is that a choice that we can really make? I mean, there¡¯s no way she can fully understand it. It takes well-adjusted adults some time to adjust. She didn¡¯t mention anything about her power though. Maybe it would be best to have her with us if she hasn¡¯t awoken it yet. Given what she went through, it¡¯d be surprising if she hasn¡¯t had her Anomaly pop up. Still, it¡¯s not impossible, and it could be very bad if she¡¯s with unsuspecting people.¡±


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I think we should too,¡± I added in, not bothering touching on her power. That wasn¡¯t something I could even process. ¡°If nothing else, her power could be dangerous, right? If we just handed her off to the police and she ends up living in a...less than ideal home, what if she ends up like McLeod? I think she should be put in a place where she¡¯d be surrounded by love and support.¡±


    ¡°You know, I feel like I¡¯m talking to another girl when I¡¯m with you,¡± Lori said, laughing.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± I frowned in confusion. I knew I didn¡¯t exactly give off huge amounts of masculine energy, but I didn¡¯t think I was particularly feminine either.


    ¡°You¡¯re just kind of family-oriented in a way that I¡¯ve only seen in other girls. It¡¯s not a bad thing, I swear. I know you¡¯ve been in a similar spot that Megan¡¯s in now, so I really appreciate your input.¡± Lori started up the SUV and I quickly gave up trying to understand what she meant. Maybe I¡¯d ask Shelly when I got back, but that was a pretty low priority. ¡°I guess we should do our best to explain everything to Megan.¡±


    Lori stretched as far as she could to reach the passenger side window. She watched the two play for a bit before tapping on the glass and waving them over. Alex had worked up a bit of a sweat from it, so he kept his window down when he got in. Megan was having giggle fits when she climbed in next to me. She threw me a toothy grin and two thumbs up from her play session. I gave her a high five and matched her expression.


    ¡°Have fun?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Megan was bouncing in her seat, but when Lori started up the SUV, she buckled herself in. ¡°You¡¯re right, he is super-duper strong.¡±


    Lori let Alex get his own chuckle out. She seemed really happy that Alex could adapt so well to the little girl. ¡°Megs, there¡¯s something we have to talk to you about. All three of us have...well, I guess you could call them superpowers. Sort of. Did your mom and dad talk to you about the people that have been showing up in other cities?¡±


    ¡°A little bit,¡± Megan said, finally settling down. ¡°They said there are some bad ones, but there was one good one on TV that saved people. Daddy wouldn¡¯t let me see.¡±


    ¡°Right. One of the brave people who tried to save others was one of my closest friends, actually.¡±


    ¡°Really!? You know a superhero?¡± Megan could barely contain herself. She was practically bouncing in the seat.


    Lori had a warm smile on her face in the reflection of the mirror. ¡°Yeah, he really was a hero. He died helping others get away.¡± Megan¡¯s demeanor got sad, so Lori got back to the matter at hand. ¡°We have this cool bracelet that¡¯s helping us look for something to stop the bad guys. It went off because you have a power like we do. That¡¯s how Alex was able to throw you so high.¡±


    ¡°I have one? What is it?¡± If she didn¡¯t know what her own power was, it likely hadn¡¯t awakened. It must¡¯ve been like mine not awakening when I saw my parents die.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet, but we can help you figure that out.¡± Lori stopped to take a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s no fun way to talk about this, Megs. We can bring you to the police so they can try to find you a new home, or you can come with us. Most of us have powers and we all live together in a big building. There¡¯s a bunch of fun stuff to do.


    ¡°Ethan and I talked about it, and we thought it was only fair that you get to make the decision. Ethan can attest to it, but life is going to be harder for you than it should be. We don¡¯t want to force you to go somewhere you don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    Megan looked down at her shoes and thought it over. I would have been overwhelmed with this kind of choice in her position. If someone had asked me that at twelve, I would have had no idea what to do. Being half that age with that decision would have sent me spiraling. There were a lot of families at Luna, though. There was more than enough room, and even if no family would be able to take her in, Shelly would in a heartbeat. Even with all the positives, it was a nearly-impossible choice for such a young kid.


    ¡°I miss Mommy and Daddy, but I like you guys. You gave me donuts and I want to be heroes like all of you.¡± Megan looked up to Lori with her eyes moist. ¡°Can I stay with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely. You¡¯re going to have so many new friends who are excited to see you when we get there.¡± Lori checked behind us and there were still no cars, so she slowly reversed and got us going again. ¡°But how about we get you a nice bath and a good night of sleep tonight?¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-One

    After making her choice, Megan certainly wasn¡¯t shy with sharing details. She energetically told us about how she was the best in her class at reading and writing, while math and numbers were still giving her some trouble. She had a group of three other friends that she liked to have sleepovers with on the weekends. She really loved to play video games with her friends and family, but her console was destroyed in the attack. She insisted that her teddy bear was her ¡°favoritest friend in the world¡± though.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, guys.¡± Lori hadn¡¯t stopped driving since we got Megan. We were in Columbus after over ten hours on the road. Lori told us that the detour to Pittsburgh had delayed us some. With winter reducing our daylight, she didn¡¯t want to be on the road for much longer. ¡°I¡¯m going to get off on the next exit, we¡¯re going to fill up the tank, and we¡¯re getting a hotel room. I am tired and Megan needs a bath.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take us long to find a very well-lit gas station that was maybe a five-minute drive away from a respectable hotel chain. Lori pulled in next to a pump close to the building and Megan was practically bouncing in her seat, asking us if we could get her a chocolate milk. Sadly, she didn¡¯t sleep at all during the drive. I assumed she hadn¡¯t slept much since half her house was destroyed, but I didn¡¯t really know. Kids and all their energy were a mysteries to me.


    Lori groaned and thumped her forehead on the wheel. We all looked at her with concern before she looked up and pointed toward the front of the building. There were at least ten people loudly and playfully shoving each other by the door. ¡°Didn¡¯t think about this being a college town and a Saturday night. Come on, man. We¡¯re not even really in the city or by the university.¡±


    Reluctantly, she got out of the car and went up to the crowd. There didn¡¯t seem to be a way to pay at the pump either, bafflingly. I didn¡¯t follow her, but I did get out to stretch my legs and keep an eye on the rowdy group. Alex stayed in the SUV and so did Megan, thankfully. It was colder there than it was in Pittsburgh, which surprised me. It might¡¯ve been a cold front moving east. I hadn¡¯t checked the weather or bothered to ask Lori about it.


    ¡°Excuse me, just need to squeeze by you,¡± Lori said, trying to wiggle her way through. One drunk girl in stiletto heels heard her and stumbled trying to move. The beer can in her hand flew into the parking lot and the other grabbed onto the first thing it could, which was the hem of Lori¡¯s shirt.


    The girl was tall, so she nearly brought Lori down with her. There was a ripping sound and the drunk girl came away with a handful of shirt, while Lori came up gingerly holding the shoulder that was forced down from the pull. She shivered with the small patch of skin being exposed to the cold. The drunk girl looked between Lori and the scrap of fabric. ¡°Whoa...are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± Lori said through what sounded like gritted teeth. A long, labored, and sharp breath exited through her nose, audible to me despite our distance.


    ¡°You should really...be more careful,¡± the drunk girl said, the words coming difficultly to her. She got up to her feet and I was worried she was about to break her ankles.


    ¡°Maybe you idiots should drink somewhere else and you could change out of those stupid shoes,¡± Lori snapped, marching her way into the store. Oh boy, did those guys look pissed after that. I couldn¡¯t really hear what they were saying. They were glancing at Lori in the store, so I inched my way closer to the front of the SUV. She paid the guy at the cash register and he didn¡¯t seem to register the presence of the drunk college kids outside. Drunk college idiots were probably a common occurrence for him.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem!?¡± the drunk girl shouted at Lori as she exited. She threw the scrap of shirt she had held in Lori¡¯s face, which hardly got any reaction at all. When Lori just tried to shrug it off and walk back with her bag, the drunk girl grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. ¡°You should...should watch where you¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Look, just please shut up and I¡¯ll get out of your hair, okay?¡± Lori was clearly exhausted and frustrated. Her attitude was not helping. ¡°I just want to get my gas and go to bed.¡±


    Instead of letting her go peacefully, the drunk girl put the palm of her hand on Lori¡¯s face and pushed her out in the parking lot. It wasn¡¯t a strong shove, but Lori was so small that it didn¡¯t matter. She stumbled back and nearly slipped, but she managed to avoid falling on her butt. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do about that, bitch?¡±


    Lori opened and closed her right hand a few times. She was visibly shaking. Worried about my friend, I started to walk over to make sure she wasn¡¯t crying. The drunk group were all pointing and laughing at her like bullies picking on a defenseless kid. I considered it a blessing that none of them looked particularly violent at a glance. That didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t get there with all the booze hitting their systems.


    About halfway across the parking lot, it was clear that Lori wasn¡¯t shaking because of crying. She raised her right foot and brought it down on the drunk girl¡¯s left ankle. There was a yelp and a snap. I nearly broke out into a sprint thinking the snap was a bone. When I got there, I sighed in relief that it was just one of her shoes¡¯ heels breaking off. No matter what, it didn¡¯t help my worry about everything going south.


    The drunk girl started to tumble toward the ground again, but instead of catching Lori, Lori caught her with a handful of black hair to help prop her up. Her free hand was balled into a fist and she launched it into the girl¡¯s face. Lori let go of her hair and she collapsed on the ground. She grabbed at her face and began screaming. That was when I decided to break into a full sprint.


    I got behind Lori and wrapped my arms around her waist, pushing aside any apprehension I had toward touching other people. I was able to dodge a stray elbow from her to drag and carry her back to the SUV. The group was stunned. They all prioritized helping their friend instead of immediately trying to beat Lori to a pulp, thank God. With all the motion and adrenaline, it was hard for me to see if she was bleeding on the pavement. I just had to hope she wasn¡¯t. Meanwhile, Lori was swearing at the group from the top of her lungs, ignoring all my attempts to calm her down.


    ¡°Lori, Lori!¡± I yelled, which did finally manage to bring her back to the real world. ¡°You need to fill this gas tank and we have to get out of here. We need to be gone yesterday.¡±


    Panting and still trembling, she moved strands of her short hair out of her face. Wordlessly, Lori did start to pump gas into the SUV. Looking back over to the front of the store, they were helping their friend up to her feet. She had to kick both her shoes off because of that broken heel. Again, it was hard to see with all the movement, but it looked like she might¡¯ve had a small nosebleed.


    ¡°Rip my shirt and putting her hand on me,¡± Lori muttered, her voice laced with anger. Her breathing was short and shallow. She looked past me and back to the group. ¡°And if you think about calling the police, remember that she grabbed me twice! She¡¯s lucky that¡¯s all she got!¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up.¡± I gritted my teeth, glancing back toward the group. They clearly heard her. ¡°You made your point. You won. Fill up the car so we can get out of here.¡±


    ¡°She had it coming.¡± Lori crossed her arms and looked away from me. Finally, she actually seemed to be calming down for real.


    ¡°Yes, she did,¡± I agreed. I tapped the window to get Alex¡¯s attention. When I did, I pointed to the driver¡¯s seat. He got the message and exited the vehicle. ¡°She had it coming, but we have a kid who¡¯s supposed to be dead in our backseat. You have to think these things through.¡±


    ¡°Ethan¡¯s right,¡± Alex said, getting behind the wheel. He kept the door open and watched the group. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to get into drunken brawls right now. But she did have it coming.¡±


    He shut the door to keep some warmth inside and left us with our thoughts.


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    She really did have it coming, though I doubted her friends saw it that way. They were practically stuffing her in the backseat of one of their vehicles. One of them looked around in a haze and spotted Lori. A chill ran up my spine when he lumbered toward us. Something about it didn¡¯t feel right. Lori had just wrapped up pumping the gas and we had no way of getting us all back in the SUV and out of the parking lot before he got to us.


    Lori didn¡¯t even seem to notice him, instead focusing on putting the gas pump away and sealing the tank¡¯s cap. When she turned to walk past me, he was by the front door, putting me between both of them. He was about my height and well-built, albeit still smaller than Alex. Before Lori could open her mouth, he reached into his coat and pulled out a handgun. I heard a small noise from behind me in the car, which I could only assume came from Megan.


    Even with the gun pointed at her, Lori didn¡¯t seem too bothered. Maybe after Shelly did the same thing, she just wasn¡¯t as surprised. I was lucky that she was at least surprised enough that she didn¡¯t get the chance to agitate the gunman further. As quickly as I could, I put a barrier up about two inches away from the barrel of the gun. I stacked up as many as I could in a line behind the first leading back to Lori. If one of those couldn¡¯t stop a punch from Alex, there was no way in hell it was stopping a bullet, so I was hoping quantity over quality would work out. Putting all of them up that fast wore me out and I had to lean back against the SUV for support. To the guy holding the gun, I must¡¯ve looked like I was scared shitless.


    ¡°You like hitting girls, do ya?¡± he asked, every word slurring coming off his tongue. Jesus, he was in worse shape than the one Lori beat up. ¡°Think it¡¯s fun to hit my girl like that?¡±


    ¡°You know that I am also a girl, right? You idiot.¡± She rolled her eyes. Even with a gun pointed right at her, she was still making poor decisions. Or maybe it was because of it. She could have been freaking out behind the tough look. ¡°Besides, she threw something in my face and grabbed me. I was just defending myself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you really are just a bitch, aren¡¯t you?¡± He waved the gun around like the idiot Lori said he was. I tried to guess where Megan was in relation to me and put as much of myself between him and her. ¡°Jealous because she¡¯s prettier than you? That it?¡±


    ¡°No, she hurt my shoulder, ripped my shirt, threw what she ripped off back at me, and then grabbed me.¡± Lori sighed with frustration and shook her head. She got a bit of a smug grin on her face and pointed toward their car. ¡°I don¡¯t care what she looked like before, but after what I did, I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll be prettier than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Lori, let¡¯s calm down now,¡± I said, trying to diffuse a situation that was right on the verge of potentially becoming deadly. I turned to the drunk guy and put both my hands up in what I hoped looked like a peaceful gesture. ¡°Look, man. I¡¯m sorry that we messed up your night drinking on the town. Can we just get out of here and you guys can still have fun?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Not anymore.¡± He pointed the gun back at Lori. He already seemed to be sobering up a bit. At the very least, he was speaking coherently. ¡°Maybe you shoulda listened to your boyfriend here earlier and this wouldn¡¯t get ugly.¡±


    There was a flash, an explosion, and it felt like someone punched me in the back of the head. I lost track of how many barriers I put up, but I was glad they were all there. Most of them were destroyed instantly, with only two managing to survive the bullet. The last one ended up standing perfectly strong. That was good, because I sure didn¡¯t feel the same way. I fell to one knee with a steady trickle of blood coming out of my nose. I forced myself to remain conscious and willed my body back up to both feet. I found it impossible to get my vision to focus properly.


    ¡°Ethan!¡± Lori shouted. It was hard to hear anything through the slight rushing sounds in my ears. Through the roaring, I could tell that her usual compassion came back. In front of me, the driver¡¯s door burst open and Alex tackled the drunk to the ground. It ran through my head that I was glad he only fired one shot, because a second one was absolutely getting to Lori with little resistance. I felt her arm around my shoulder and saw her point to the drunk. ¡°Alex, the gun!¡±


    She opened the SUV door and helped me inside. I was able to see enough at that point that I could see Alex wrestling the gun away from the vastly overwhelmed man on the ground. Most of his friends looked to be running away or standing there dumbfounded. Probably because anyone who was stupid enough to fire a gun a few feet away from a gas pump wasn¡¯t exactly a home run for expected survival chances. They called out the guy¡¯s name and Alex barked some orders for him to get going. Smartly, he had no intention of returning the firearm to him.


    Alex got back in the driver¡¯s seat and Lori raced to sit across from him. She put her head in her hands, rubbing her eyes over and over. I ran my hand over my mouth and, unsurprisingly, it came away with a decent smear of blood. Not nearly as big as when I blacked out at Luna, which provided me with a mixture of pride and comfort. Those didn¡¯t do anything to help the headache I could feel forming.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Megan asked, her voice shaking. I almost forgot about her, since she¡¯d been the quietest of the four of us. I looked over and saw tears running down her cheeks while she tried to put on her best brave face. ¡°He shot at you guys! Did he hit you?¡±


    ¡°Nope, all good here,¡± I said. I gave her a laugh and a thumbs-up. I wasn¡¯t socially awkward enough to want to make the little girl more upset than she already was. ¡°When I use too much of my power, I get a bad nosebleed.¡±


    ¡°You used your power?¡± she asked, confused.


    ¡°Sure did. I put up a bunch of shields between Lori and that guy. They¡¯re connected to me somehow, so if I put too much into them and too many get destroyed, I end up bleeding.¡±


    ¡°You saved her!¡± Megan cried, getting a bit too close to my personal space. Her yelling seemed to startle Lori out of her funk. Despite my inefficient method of saving my friend, Megan¡¯s overjoyed reaction made me feel proud of what I managed. ¡°You stopped that shot! Alex took him down! You guys are real heroes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that, Alex,¡± I said, never being too proud to thank someone who might hate my guts. I rubbed the back of my head and leaned against the cushy seat. I rolled my head side-to-side in rhythm with some weird pop song that was quietly playing on the radio. ¡°If you didn¡¯t get him when you did, we were hosed.¡±


    ¡°Good work yourself,¡± he replied. My face flushed from actually getting some recognition from him. It was one thing when the praise came from a little girl, but from him? I might as well have been getting a direct thanks from the president. ¡°Genuinely, I¡¯m impressed that you could stop a bullet when you could barely stop a punch a week ago.¡±


    ¡°I lost count of how many I put up to stop that one bullet, so I¡¯m not really a world-beater.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how. The bullet was stopped and no one was seriously hurt. The girl that Lori handled won¡¯t be winning any beauty contests for a bit, though.¡± I swore he said it through the tiniest smirk.


    He pulled us into a non-descript business park, safely away from the gas station. Alex looked around to make sure no other people were nearby, but there was little reason for anyone to be there on a Saturday night. ¡°I¡¯m switching over the plates. Keep an eye out.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant by plates at first until he dug out a new car license plate, this one from Pennsylvania instead of New York. He did...whatever you do to change out plates on a car. I¡¯d never done it, seen it done, nor thought about it really. All I knew was that it was probably pretty illegal. Considering that someone opened fire on us at that gas station, I thought it was a good call to change them.


    ¡°What¡¯re you thinking, boss?¡± I asked, leaning closer to our leader. She was visibly exhausted, and her slender shoulders were slumping. ¡°Do you still want to get a hotel room in Columbus?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± Her response was short, almost curt. ¡°I need to think, and I really need to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Look...¡± I began before trailing off. The words were having difficulty coming to me and I wasn¡¯t even sure what I really wanted to say. ¡°Sorry that things became such a mess back there.¡±


    She looked back at me with her face scrunched up. ¡°What are you talking about? I was the one who nearly got us all shot. I¡¯m not sure what happened. That drunk idiot ripped my shirt and it just went downhill. Maybe I¡¯m just tired, but it felt like something nasty took over. If you hadn¡¯t pulled me back when you did, one of us would probably be dead by now.¡±


    She sounded scared and small. Her composure was totally different from the person at the gas station, and I believed what she said. If someone hadn¡¯t stepped in, Lori would have either beaten that girl or someone would have attacked Lori. Or that guy would have just shot her earlier than he tried to. If that guy didn¡¯t have that gun, I had full confidence that Lori would have done the same thing to him as she did to the girl, or she would have gone down trying.


    Lori looked like she wanted to say more. I was about to prod her for some more information, but Alex got back in the SUV. I¡¯d expected him to be more upset about the whole thing. He put his hands on the wheel and sighed.


    ¡°I think we should be fine to sleep here,¡± he said. He pulled up the address for the hotel on his phone and got the directions going. ¡°There¡¯s probably security footage of that girl harassing you first and that guy pulling the gun on us, so they¡¯d be stupid to think they could really come after us legally.¡±


    We never drifted far from the original hotel chain we planned to rest at. The building itself was quiet and unassuming, which felt weird, given that we could hear club music not too far away. I expected a club in a college town, but not a hotel so close to it the music was audible from the parking lot. There was probably a pissed off manager who had a lot of pissed off customers in there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad,¡± Megan said. Our mood hadn¡¯t rebounded since the gas station. She then brought up perhaps the most agreeable point of the night, at least in my eyes. ¡°You guys were so cool! Even heroes need to sleep sometimes.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Two

    The hotel was nearly fully booked up. Our options were four separate rooms each with one bed, or we all shared the last single room with two beds. It wasn¡¯t a huge deal, not to me anyway. Having a place to sleep was more important than sharing that place. It did bum the others out. Everyone but Megan, of course. She was delighted at the idea of a huge sleepover. Her joy at the idea made it impossible to be upset at the situation, so we gladly took the single room. The little girl wanted to trust someone so badly. Maybe even needed it.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Lori yelled, the moment we entered the room.


    ¡°Language!¡± I yelled back, placing the palms of my hands over Megan¡¯s ears, something she clearly found funny by her giggles.


    ¡°Oops, sorry.¡± She tossed her suitcase on the bed. Alex and I put ours in the corner for the time being. She went through her clothes and started to fling lots of them everywhere. She lifted up a tank top and pair of shorts, shaking her head at them. ¡°Megs doesn''t have any other clothes. I don¡¯t think any of mine will fit her.¡±


    ¡°Do these ones stink?¡± Megan asked, sniffing her shirt. She came away with a shrug. ¡°Smells okay to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, not really, surprisingly.¡± Lori started to put most of her clothes back in the suitcase, keeping a fresh change in her hands. She looked at Alex with exhausted and defeated eyes. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to ask, but can you see if there¡¯s any store open that might sell something she could wear?¡±


    Clearly not thrilled with the idea, he pulled out his phone and impatiently tapped away at the screen. ¡°Got it. Megan, what size clothes do you wear?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Lori finally said after they figured out what size and kinds of clothes Alex should be looking for. ¡°I¡¯m going to help Megs with her bath, so if you¡¯re back before I¡¯m out, just toss some clothes in the bathroom.¡±


    Lori took Megan and her hairbrush into the bathroom, leaving me alone to finally relax and nurse the headache I had. I stretched out comfortably on the bed. As comfy as the SUV was for a vehicle, nothing beat being able to stretch out fully. A few scenarios of us needing to make a quick exit without Alex or the car occupied my thoughts, so I did my best so squash those away to avoid letting myself get in a bad mood. Lori was acting self-defense, and that guy pulled the gun on us without provocation. It would have been beyond stupid for him to try and go for a second round.


    That entire ordeal must have been catching up with me, because I had a small case of the shakes on top of the throbbing in my head. It happened so fast at the gas station that I didn¡¯t even have the time to even process the panic. I was suddenly feeling trapped in the hotel room, and it felt like there was something heavy resting on my chest. With a trembling hand, I pulled out my phone to try a video call with my sister.


    It rang a few times and she answered. I was surprised by her appearance. Her hair was down, she had makeup on, and she was wearing a fancy-looking blue dress. I could tell she was happy to see me, though her eyes betrayed a look of stress. Well, she was happy to see me until she noticed the blood that I¡¯d forgotten to clean off my face. Then she was a little less than jolly.


    ¡°Okay, it was my understanding that this was supposed to be a safe trip. Why do you have dried blood all over your face?¡±


    A nervous laugh escaped my mouth before I could stop it, which did not soften Shelly up at all. ¡°So, funny thing, a guy pulled a gun on Lori at the gas station, and-¡±


    ¡°What!? Why would someone pull a gun on her? Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°She kind of kicked a drunk girl¡¯s butt and her boyfriend was the one with the gun.¡±


    ¡°I...okay, you¡¯ll have to give me the full explanation later. Did that girl at least deserve it? Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she did, and we¡¯re all fine. Maybe a little rattled though.¡± I gave her a brief rundown of what happened. Turned out there wasn¡¯t a great way to go over everything, so it just ended up being the full explanation my sister wanted. There weren¡¯t enough details that I could really leave any out.


    ¡°Jeez, I didn¡¯t know she had that much of a mouth on her.¡± Shelly shook her head, having significantly cooled down on the matter. ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t some weird, power-related pickle you guys found yourself in. Honestly, that was just wrong place, wrong time.¡±


    The bathroom door burst open, letting the sound of rushing water fill the room. Megan¡¯s hair had been brushed fully and looked much better, but it still needed a good wash. She was all smiles while she charged toward me. Before I could react, she belly-flopped right on my chest. I¡¯d still been holding the phone up in the air above my face, and I nearly dropped it right on my nose. I grunted from the force I couldn¡¯t brace for.


    ¡°Ethan, Ethan!¡± she yelled, looking back at me. ¡°Lori threw something in the water and it turned pink and stuff! You should come see it.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, please don¡¯t tell me you got a time traveler pregnant, and this is your aged kid.¡± I looked back up at my phone and saw Shelly staring at Megan with a confused look. ¡°Why is there a small child with you guys?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this one is the weird, power-related pickle you wanted,¡± I said, the words struggling to leave me from Megan¡¯s weight on my chest. I looked back to her with about the sternest look I could manage. It wasn¡¯t very effective. ¡°I thought Lori was giving you a bath?¡±


    ¡°She was! I wanted to show you the pink water.¡± Megan¡¯s grin was huge. She flipped herself on her back, which made me grunt again. She waved when she saw Shelly. ¡°Ethan, is that your girlfriend? She looks like a princess!¡±


    I could barely contain my laughter. Shelly just looked disappointed in my reaction. ¡°Nope, that¡¯s my sister. Say hi to Shelly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, hi Shelly!¡± This time Megan waved with both her tiny hands. Shelly waved back and gave her brightest smile. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty!¡±


    ¡°All right, I like this one,¡± Shelly said. She did a hair flip for Megan that made her laugh.


    ¡°Sorry, Ethan. I was showing her a bath bomb.¡± It was Lori was stepping out of the bathroom. Despite being exhausted, she was obviously enjoying the exchange. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d get so excited. Come on, Megs, you can play in that pink water!¡±


    That did the trick and the little one slid off my chest, being careful not to hurt either one of us. I was really hoping that bath would wear Megan out. Lori really needed herself a good night of sleep. The giggling child had to be chastised by Lori for running in the bathroom, which was just the right amount of misbehaving I expected. Other than that, she was being a great kid.


    ¡°Now that one is the long story,¡± I said, before remembering that Lori had talked to Mrs. Carmichael about Megan. ¡°Wait, Mrs. Carmichael didn¡¯t tell you about it? Lori called her earlier today about it.¡±


    Shelly shook her head. ¡°Not a peep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, her name¡¯s Megan, she was orphaned by the attack on Pittsburgh, and she has an Anomaly. I found her when I checked out a mostly-destroyed house and she was hiding in her closet. She¡¯s been such an angel since we found her, and we think it¡¯s best to bring her back to Luna.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible. How¡¯s she handling it all?¡±


    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s a smart kid, so I think she understands that her parents are gone,¡± I said, not bothering to hide how upset her situation made me feel about my own parents. ¡°She¡¯s sad they¡¯re gone, but she¡¯s been just wonderful with us so far.¡±


    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s latched onto you pretty good.¡± Shelly changed something about her makeup and adjusted her dress.


    ¡°Why are you all dressed up anyway?¡± I asked. I hadn¡¯t remembered a time where she¡¯s actually gone through the effort to put on even eyeliner, except for maybe a job interview that didn¡¯t go anywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m...testing some things,¡± she said, failing to hide how uncomfortable she was. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give you full details later. Let¡¯s just say that there aren¡¯t any guarantees right now and I probably won¡¯t even stick with a look like this.¡±


    ¡°That explains exactly nothing and probably gave me more questions,¡± I told her with a laugh. Still, her business was her business. Considering she didn¡¯t freak out too bad about the gun and bringing a child with us, I was more than willing to let her have this one. ¡°Whatever it is, good luck. You tell me about it when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    It looked like a small weight had lifted off my sister¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I was always worried I never did enough for you, but I¡¯m really proud of how you are right now. You¡¯ve been through so much and you still think rationally before you do things. Thank you for saving Lori, too. Keep it up, and the world might just start believing in superheroes again. Anyway, it¡¯s late and it looks like you guys got your hands full. If you need any help at all with her, or anything, please call me.¡±


    ¡°You got it. I think I¡¯m just going to shower and sleep tonight.¡± I yawned, already feeling the urge to sleep overtake me. ¡°It¡¯s been a long one.¡±


    ¡°Take care of each other,¡± she said. She shook her head at herself in the mirror before returning her gaze back to the phone. ¡°Love you, Ethan. See you soon.¡±


    ¡°Love you too. I¡¯ll try to call again tomorrow.¡± Shelly waved at me one more time and the screen blinked out.


    I rolled over on my side and let the fatigue settle in. I wasn¡¯t close to freaking out like I had been before calling my sister, but I was still tired. Trying to ignore the throbbing in the back of my head wasn¡¯t working well, so I tried to focus on the sounds from the bathroom. They were still running the water, for some reason. The sounds of Megan and Lori both laughing together helped. For a nice moment, everything was peaceful.


    Then Alex nearly kicked the door in. Apparently, he¡¯d only seen the word ¡°subtlety¡± in the dictionary one time, and that was about as familiar as he had gotten with the idea. He had the cooler from the SUV and about ten different bags, all filled to the point of nearly spilling over. He set the cooler down on a long table that stood against the wall. He put the bags down on the bed that Lori claimed with her suitcase and began digging through the contents. He pulled out a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush.


    ¡°Can I throw these in there?¡± Alex asked, tapping on the bathroom door a few times. Lori gave him the okay, and making sure he was looking behind him, he placed the items in there. At least he had a touch of modesty.


    ¡°How¡¯re you holding up?¡± I asked, slowly getting into a sitting position. He didn¡¯t look much worse for wear.


    ¡°Fine, better than you two,¡± he replied with a shrug. ¡°She¡¯s having a tough time reconciling her personality with being a leader and you¡¯re still working on your Anomaly. Both things are a work in progress, so I should be doing better than you two. My job is easy in comparison.¡±


    When he mentioned that Lori was having trouble managing both her personality and trying to be the leader, it reminded me of how she was worried about her anger issues. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be able to handle it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, wasting no time, not wavering in his conviction. ¡°She has a good heart and has justified anger in there too. She just has to learn when to apply that anger to the proper causes. Just like I think you¡¯ll be able to master your Anomaly. You¡¯ve used it about three times now and can already stop a bullet, so I have high hopes for you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s the nicest thing you¡¯ve said to me,¡± I said, wiping away non-existent tears. ¡°I¡¯m touched.¡±


    ¡°I never disliked you, Ethan.¡± Alex sat down in a big leather chair by the room¡¯s window. ¡°I just didn¡¯t have the time or patience to babysit your power¡¯s growth. I apologize if I was antagonistic to you, but it wasn¡¯t me trying to be a bad guy. In fact, once your Anomaly develops further, I¡¯d enjoy a legitimate sparring session with you.¡±


    ¡°Would you throw a fit if I beat you like Rosie?¡± I asked, doing my best to make it clear I was joking around.


    ¡°Not one of my proudest moments,¡± he admitted with a wince. He ran his hand over his short, black hair. I was starting to get why Lori liked the guy. He really wasn¡¯t a mean dude. Gruff, and maybe annoyingly handsome, but not truly mean. ¡°I get a little into it when I can use my Anomaly. Before McLeod, people rarely sparred, because why would they need to? Everything about us was either a secret or written off as a hallucination or conspiracy. We had no need for superheroes or defenders until last month.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you realize about your power and end up at Luna?¡± This was the closest thing we¡¯d ever had to a heart-to-heart, and I was certainly curious.


    ¡°My father was a police officer in Shanghai. He¡¯s a good man, so when local corruption took over, it ended up forcing him out of the city.¡± Alex folded his large arms over his chest. ¡°He relocated to Baltimore. He doesn¡¯t tell me much about his past life, just that he¡¯d rather leave it behind and focus on being the best man he can be here.


    ¡°I figured out about my power when I was around Megan¡¯s age. I was taking a kickboxing class for exercise, got a bit too excited, and I put a small hole in a sandbag. Luna invited both my father and I there not long after that. He stayed with me until I turned eighteen, then he returned to Baltimore with my mother. She never hated the powers that surrounded her. She just...had trouble understanding it. When I was able to take care of myself, I wanted her to get back to some normalcy.¡±


    ¡°That explains your sense of duty,¡± I added.


    ¡°Yeah, got that one from my dad. He drilled into me that it was his job to keep people safe. It was no different when I got my Anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s unexpectedly simple,¡± I said, laying back down. ¡°I was waiting for something more complicated than that.¡±


    Alex simply shrugged his shoulders and looked out the window. Since he didn¡¯t appear worried, I knew we were at least safe in the hotel room for the time being. Every minute that passed without the police knocking on the door increased my confidence. But what was next for the team? I had some fears mounting that it might be too dangerous to have Megan along, but driving back to Luna would have been another ten hours.


    There was a small click and both girls emerged from the bathroom. Megan looked a million times better after finally getting a bath and change of clothes. She threw herself on the empty bed and snuggled under the covers. Lori had a towel around her short hair, looking infinitely better than she had when she went in.


    ¡°Shower¡¯s open, guys. I¡¯d take one if you haven¡¯t had one today.¡± Lori sat down on the bed and started playing on her phone.


    ¡°I took one this morning, so I¡¯ll wait until I wake up for another,¡± Alex said.


    ¡°Yeah, I need to get this blood off my face.¡± I took out some clothes that I could sleep comfortably in and hopped in the shower.


    Let me say, that shower was probably one of the best I ever took. It made me more tired in a good way. Instead of just feeling pure exhaustion and soreness, my body felt like it was winding down for bed. Getting rid of that gross dried blood was good for my mental state as well. I didn¡¯t care for the hair care products the hotel provided, but I needed to wash, so I just bit the bullet and used what was given.


    After my refreshing shower, I could barely keep my eyes open. I stumbled out to the hotel room to see Megan fast asleep, teddy bear clutched in her arms, and Lori reading a book. They were sharing that bed, which made sense. Alex had claimed the other one and left plenty of space for another person. Instead of joining him, I found a spare sheet and took the unused pillow from next to Alex.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really worried about sharing a bed with another guy,¡± he said, frowning.


    ¡°What?¡± My brain was working a bit too slow to put together what he meant at first, but I got it. ¡°Oh, nah. I thrash around in my sleep a lot. We¡¯ll both sleep better if I¡¯m not elbowing you in the head all night.¡±


    ¡°You take the bed then,¡± Alex said, standing up. ¡°You need the better night of rest than I do. It¡¯ll be inconvenient if our only long-range defense can¡¯t do anything because he slept on the floor. Plus, no one¡¯s going to blame me if your head starts leaking again.¡±


    ¡°Nice way to put it.¡± I did appreciate the gesture though. I was already worried about having to sleep for longer than a few hours. My tossing and turning had been bad enough that I¡¯d concerned Shelly with the noise back in Oregon. That was without nightmares too. I was just a restless sleeper.


    After getting settled in the bed, I realized we didn¡¯t have any real plan going forward. I looked toward Lori and tried to whisper for Megan¡¯s sake. ¡°Hey, any ideas for tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m in bed now. Anything about tomorrow will be decided tomorrow. I¡¯m checking out for the night.¡±


    Lori folded the corner of the page she left off and shut her book closed. She adjusted the covers on Megan to make sure she stayed warm. Before shutting the light off, she took a long look at Alex on the floor, a little smile forming on her face. She shook her head and turned the lamp off, plunging us into darkness.


    Sleep came for me not long after, washing over me like the warmth from an embrace. I was out like a light after just a couple of minutes.

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Three

    There were no alarms to wake us up. Mercifully, we were all allowed to sleep in as late as we wanted. Unmercifully, that didn¡¯t end up mattering. I was up at seven in the morning. Lori had already been awake and was dressed. Megan was sprawled out over the space that Lori had vacated. I thought that Alex might¡¯ve been dead with how little the guy moved. You could hardly see the dude breathe while he slept.


    Lori was sipping some tea out of a mug when she noticed me getting up. She grinned at me, and I noticed that she looked different in a few small ways, but they added up to create a moderate image change. She placed a finger to her lips and pointed at our two snoozing friends, before directing her thumb to the door. I stepped in the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth. Then, carefully and quietly, I followed her out and we headed out of the hotel for a nice morning walk.


    ¡°Did you put on makeup?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Lizzy told me I should practice with it; that it might be fun.¡± A flush crept across her brown skin. ¡°She also got me some clothes she described as ¡®more flattering¡¯. When I told her about Alex, she did her Lizzy thing. God forbid the day she sees you with a girl.¡±


    I took another look at Lori and could tell the Lizzy influence in it. She had a long-sleeved white shirt and small denim shorts over grey leggings. While not constricting, everything was much tighter, drawing more attention to her figure than the clothes I¡¯d previously seen her in. She also had her hair back behind a red hairband. It looked like she still needed some time to get used to it.


    ¡°Lizzy did a good job,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s still saying ¡®Lori¡¯ with a little more flare. What¡¯s your plan to woo him?¡±


    ¡°What do you think about the outfit?¡± Lori had trouble meeting my eyes. ¡°Is it too much?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s cute and flattering. You look good.¡±


    She looked up at me, her face a little pink. ¡°Do you think he¡¯d like it? Wait, what if he likes it too much? What if things move fast?¡±


    ¡°Lori-¡±


    ¡°My underwear doesn¡¯t even match,¡± she hissed.


    I snorted. ¡°Lori, relax. Trust me, if he¡¯s attracted to you, he will not care if your underwear matches if it gets to that point. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, right, I¡¯m overreacting. One step at a time.¡± She noticed me catch a chill and try to warm myself up, happy to change the subject. ¡°That¡¯s actually why I wanted to come out here. I needed to see if I¡¯d freeze my butt off, but these are really warm clothes. I¡¯ll need to figure out where Lizzy does her shopping.¡±


    ¡°You needed me to test dummy with you? I should have grabbed a jacket before we left.¡±


    ¡°Well, no, not entirely,¡± she admitted. ¡°I wanted to tell you that I think we should take most of today to relax and make sure we all have everything we need. I want us to get to St. Louis tonight to sleep there. We believe the cave system where the Tomb should be is in the southwest part of the state. So, we¡¯ll spend today taking it a little easy, then we go from St. Louis to our hopeful cave tomorrow. We¡¯ll kind of hop from hotels in that area if we need to.¡±


    ¡°How long are we going to look without finding anything?¡±


    Lori shrugged and pulled out her phone. On it was a highlighted area in Southwest Missouri, indicating where she wanted us to start. ¡°Failures happen sometimes, so we¡¯d go back home. It¡¯s not like she was the goal of this, but saving Megan already makes it worth it. Finding anything else is just a bonus.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I stopped to shiver again, really beginning to regret coming outside in my light pajamas. I started to head back toward the entrance. ¡°But my goal is to warm up a bit. Can we head back in?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ethan!¡± Lori yelled, catching up to me. She pointed at her phone again, this time the screen displaying a map of the Columbus area. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a park nearby. Why don¡¯t we all go there? It¡¯s chilly, but it¡¯ll let Megan get some exercise.¡±


    I nodded and noticed her hand when she put her phone away. Her knuckles were bruised and there was some swelling. She didn¡¯t seem to be favoring the foot she used to break that drunk lady¡¯s heel. If she saw me shaking my head, she managed to hide it well. ¡°You need to get some ice on that hand, Lori.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right,¡± she said quietly with a sheepish grin on her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it last night. I felt so crappy when I woke up, I just did my makeup to see if it¡¯d make me feel a little better. I¡¯ll get a baggie and some ice from the cooler. Thanks for reminding me.¡±


    When we got back inside the hotel, I noticed that they had a little breakfast bar. Moving around other hungry guests, I snagged four bagels and some packets of cream cheese to pile on a plate. I also came across some boxes of orange juice in an ice tray, which I helped myself to as well. I ignored the weird looks from the people watching one guy take all that stuff. Lori stood in the hallway, so it looked like I was just taking it all for myself. Hey, it was a breakfast buffet and there were four mouths to feed, so I wasn¡¯t about to hold back, no matter what looks I got.


    When we returned to the room, we woke up Megan and saw Alex sitting in the leather chair. He had opened the blinds to let some sunlight into the room to help the heater keep it nice and toasty. Megan rubbed her eyes and looked around, seeming a bit confused. It looked like she still had some adjusting to do, but she was thrilled when we walked in the door. I was starting to get used to her invading the personal bubble I usually set up to keep people away, and that didn¡¯t bother me one bit.


    ¡°You look so pretty today!¡± Megan yelled. She gently tugged on Lori¡¯s new shirt and leggings. ¡°Nice clothes. I like them lots.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s very sweet of you to say.¡± Lori crouched in front of her and hugged the still-sleepy kid. ¡°How about we get you some cute clothes as soon as we can? The friend who got me these would love nothing more than to take you along. I bet she¡¯d get better stuff than Alex did anyway.¡± Lori made that last bit a whisper just loud enough for Alex to overhear.


    ¡°Hey, you try driving around a city you don¡¯t know looking for kids¡¯ clothes. Those bagels for the team?¡± Alex stood up and grabbed a bagel and a packet of cream cheese when I nodded. He glanced at Lori and did a small double take. ¡°Huh, you changed your hair. Looks nice.¡±


    When he turned his back toward us, I elbowed her gently and gave her a thumbs up. She was embarrassed, her face as red as it could be, and she was obviously thrilled. I could already see her reporting the news back to an overly enthusiastic Lizzy once we got back. I was especially impressed that Alex even noticed. I could tell he was perceptive, yet I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d notice a small change like a hairband. Lori didn¡¯t even care that he didn¡¯t comment on the rest of the outfit.


    ¡°Megs, do you want to play in the park today?¡± Lori¡¯s glance went back to the little girl at her knees before turning back up to me. I felt her happiness from the compliment rubbing off on me. I was feeling eager to get back outside and play with the kiddo. ¡°I think after last night, we could all use a nice day outside.¡±


    Megan nodded emphatically. I thought her head was going to fly off her shoulders. Without being told, she started to make the bed back up and make sure she didn¡¯t have anything of hers laying out. Taking that as our cue, the rest of us also packed up as best we could. We all agreed on divvying up Megan¡¯s new clothes into our own suitcases and baggage. Until we could get her one of her own, it beat trying to manage that many plastic bags of clothes.


    The rest of us changed into proper clothes for the cold, with Lori being extra fussy about how Megan should be dressing for a winter day outside. Poor kid could barely move with all the layers she had on. I checked the forecasted temperature, and it was supposed to be around forty degrees with plenty of sunshine, so we were able to talk Lori down from all the clothes. At least removing enough layers to let Megan actually walk instead of waddle like a penguin.


    Alex and I bundled up appropriately as well. Lori grabbed a jacket to throw over her shoulders, though she was confident in Lizzy¡¯s outfit to keep her cozy. I packed up my suitcase, checked it twice to make sure I wasn¡¯t leaving anything important behind, and made up my bed as well. I had a feeling that anyone coming in to finish cleaning up the room would either change everything out or remake it, yet it felt like the right thing to do. We had some minor bagel-related cleaning to do as well that was totally not because we were rushing like idiots.


    We checked out and the lady behind the counter gave our group a weird look. Admittedly, a gangly pale guy, a muscular Chinese man, and two darker skinned girls over a decade apart in age probably wasn¡¯t the most common assortment of people the lady had seen. I remembered that we didn¡¯t get that kind of reaction when we came in. The dude who checked us in on the nightshift was probably used to seeing some greater diversity in the folks who came in.


    ¡°The park should be about...eight minutes away if we¡¯re driving,¡± Lori said, popping the trunk. She helped us get all of our bags in there. Somewhere she found time to wrap that bag of ice around her hand too. ¡°Sorry we don¡¯t have toys or anything like that, Megs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay! I have Max,¡± she replied, holding up her teddy bear with pride. ¡°And you guys can play with me.¡±


    Lori ruffled her hair and we all got inside. Alex offered to drive, but Lori said she didn¡¯t want the slight caffeine boost from her tea to go to waste, so she got behind the wheel. She waved bye to the hotel in a dramatic way that Megan was happy to follow. I joined in and I was pretty sure I even saw Alex give a good-spirited little hand motion.


    We moved onto greener pastures a whole mile away. The park was crowded, though not terribly so. Lots of college kids which kind of put everyone on edge after the previous night. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t any alcohol to be seen. Perhaps no booze made some sense, since it was barely eight in the morning at that point. Closer to the playing equipment was where we saw a bunch of kids with plenty of moms and a few dads. I was worried that Megan wouldn¡¯t have a lot of room to play on any of the structures. Her face didn¡¯t betray the same level of concern.


    ¡°You like making new friends, Megs?¡± Lori asked, pulling the keys from the ignition.


    ¡°Duh, I made friends with you guys, right?¡± She had us there.


    ¡°If you mouth off like that again, I¡¯m going to tickle you!¡± Lori reached around and started to tickle Megan¡¯s legs, sending her into hysterics. After a couple seconds of that, she pulled away from the giggling child and reassessed the area. She pointed to a fairly big space of green grass between the playground and our vehicle. ¡°Hm, I think we can set up between here and there. You guys hungry or did those bagels do the trick?¡±


    We all agreed that we were full and would eat when it got closer to lunchtime. Everyone got out and we pulled out a big quilt that was stored away in the trunk. I was really curious as to why that was there. I settled on it being useful if the SUV broke down and someone needed it to stay warm for the night. Regardless, it almost felt like a prank every time someone pulled a weird object out of a Luna-related vehicle or building. If it was an item that existed, they probably had a few spares lying around somewhere.


    ¡°Oh, Megs, we¡¯re going to need to keep a secret.¡± Lori laid the quilt down in a sunny spot. Alex and I helped spread out the edges while she continued. ¡°No one here can know about us being superheroes, okay? That includes you, since you¡¯re a hero in training.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll stay quiet, promise.¡± She set Max down on the quilt next to Alex, unofficially making him Guardian of the Teddy Bear, easily the most vital job on our entire trip. ¡°Oh, oh, does that mean we get superhero names?¡±


    ¡°You know, how is that going to be handled?¡± I asked. We had brought the cooler out and I was getting some drinks for everyone. ¡°If someone with an Anomaly starts to fight crime or whatever, would they need a name to protect their identities?¡±


    ¡°Zero idea,¡± Lori said. ¡°Briggs-Mason isn¡¯t the only other group with a sizeable Anomaly population in the States. There are a bunch of smaller communities or teams, even people that are rumored to live in mountains or caves away from the rest of the world. I¡¯ve even heard of some people living under the sea. Right now, it¡¯d be hard to make all of them agree on one single thing. They¡¯d all have to unite to an extent to make that decision.¡±


    ¡°If we do have to take secret identities, I hope there¡¯s someone who can choose mine for me.¡± I sat down to soak in the sun for a little while. The air was crisp and cool, but with no clouds, that sun felt wonderful. ¡°I¡¯m not the creative type. Do you want a codename, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t really care. Using my powers to help protect people is what I¡¯m here for. If someone gives me a nickname or a codename, that¡¯s their business.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of a cool name for you!¡± Megan declared, proudly sticking out her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll get one for all of you.¡±


    Lori and Alex both shared a chuckle at the girl¡¯s enthusiasm. Seeing them laugh gave me an idea that might be able to help Lori out. I stood up and held my hand out to Megan. ¡°Hey, want to see how high you can get on the swings?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯m stronger than you, so I can push her higher.¡± Alex started to get up, but I waved him down.


    ¡°Then let me get that exercise.¡± I pointed to my bicep. ¡°See? I need all the help I can get. It looks pretty crowded over there, too. Best if you just relax here. You don¡¯t want to accidentally use your Anomaly or something.¡±


    Alex began to protest, so I hurried away with a giddy Megan. We passed a bunch of parents and Megan did spend some time looking at them playing with their kids. I looked at kids with their parents for a while after I lost mine. They gave me some strange looks. I wished that we looked more alike so we could easily just play it off as being siblings. Sadly, she looked more like Lori, so we weren¡¯t pulling that off very well.


    There was an empty swing set at the far end of the set, so we awkwardly made our way past other people having a good time, almost getting bonked in the head a few times. Megan got into the seat, but she wasn¡¯t looking as eager as she had been earlier. I heard the laughter of the surrounding families and thought I might have an idea. I walked over in front of her and crouched down.


    ¡°Missing Mom and Dad again?¡± I asked and she nodded in reply. She was such a pleasant kid that I was certain her parents had to have been good people themselves, which couldn¡¯t have made the loss any easier. Grief was never easy to process, let alone at such a young age, which made everything both easier and harder in different ways. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we can¡¯t really fill that spot in your heart. You were dealt an unfair hand in this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay...¡± she said, her voice solemn.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not okay,¡± I told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it if it¡¯s too much. We all want to do our best to take care of you, so if you need to let it out, you can let it out. It was almost impossible for me, and I was older than you when I lost my parents.¡±


    ¡°And you guys will be here forever?¡± she asked, her voice almost breaking.


    ¡°Forever. We¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± I promised. It probably wasn¡¯t the smartest thing to do given McLeod and our circumstances, but she really needed some reassurance. ¡°Do you want me to start pushing you?¡±


    She nodded her head, her usual happy energy making a return. I didn¡¯t want to keep her waiting, so I gave her a little nudge to get us both used to the swing. Some old, bad experiences with them made me hesitant to give it all I had in one go. She kicked her legs out a bit, but gave me a sour look that told me I wasn¡¯t doing a good enough job, so I gave her a bigger push. She went out farther and that one was much more well-received.


    I kept on pushing and she kept on swinging. I was careful to find a good balance between fun and safety. If I launched her out of her seat and she got hurt, I¡¯d be sent back to Luna in a body bag. Megan was having a blast and I found her laughter contagious. We were both louder than any of the people surrounding us, and neither of us could have been paid to care. We were both having our fun and that¡¯s what mattered.


    Megan swung for around five minutes before her laughter and cheers started to die down. The parents were practically glaring at us for all the noise, which I took as a point of pride. I was pretty sure they were only upset because I didn¡¯t look like a parent, so they probably formed their own prejudices about the two of us. It wasn¡¯t our fault that we had more fun playing than their own kids did.


    ¡°Sorry that I couldn¡¯t push you as hard as Alex,¡± I whispered, helping her out of the seat. ¡°His powers help with that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I had fun. Why did you tell him to stay over there?¡± she asked.


    I faltered for a second, not fully remembering the lie I told him. Her question caught me off guard and I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be able to tell I was lying. After a few seconds of her quizzical look growing more suspicious, I gave up. ¡°You have to promise not to tell anyone. Lori...likes Alex and I wanted to let them talk a bit.¡±


    ¡°Lori and Alex, sitting in a tree...¡± she began the little song, but I stopped her and looked over my shoulder in a panic. They didn¡¯t seem to hear, so I let myself relax a bit. ¡°Just kidding. I won¡¯t tell, promise. Do you like anyone, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°You mean like a crush?¡± I asked. She nodded and I just shook my head. ¡°Nope, no one yet.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± The loud, sudden greeting that startled me. In a clear space in front of the swing set, about thirty feet away, a pretty woman with dyed green was waving at us. She had bright blue eyes, stood only a few inches shorter than me, and looked to be a college student. Behind her, a much shyer boy stood. Around them were orange pylon things, like I¡¯d seen in football games. ¡°Do you guys want to play?¡±


    She lifted up a blue, rubber kickball. I looked at Megan and shrugged. She was liking the idea. She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the happy lady. That was a good thing, because Megan didn¡¯t have any toys herself, so she couldn¡¯t just swing for hours on end. I made sure to remind myself to get her some outdoorsy toys for her.


    ¡°Hi there, my name¡¯s Chloe and this is my brother Ryan.¡± She gently nudged Ryan forward and he gave a shy wave. He looked to be about Megan¡¯s age, maybe a tad younger. ¡°We thought it¡¯d be more fun to play in teams, and some of the moms don¡¯t like it when their kids to try play with Ryan.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, looking back at the same moms that had given us some looks.


    ¡°They think he¡¯s my kid, but I¡¯m only twenty myself.¡± She dramatically rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°They don¡¯t even bother to ask, they just assume. I swear, they have a hivemind mentality.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± I said. I paused to think about how I wanted to introduce ourselves and just decided to wing it with siblings. ¡°My name¡¯s Ethan and this is my sister Megan.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you both!¡± She stuck her hand out for both of us to shake, and with a bit of encouraging, Ryan shook both of our hands too. He didn¡¯t meet our eyes. I did feel bad for the kid, since I had trouble with strangers at that age too. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before. You go to Ohio State?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I live in New York now,¡± I said. Chloe and Ryan backed up to get ready to start. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a road trip right now. I¡¯m close to graduating high school.¡±


    ¡°You do have a bit of a baby face to you, but there¡¯s a lot of younger looking students here,¡± she said. She pointed to the pylons I saw before. ¡°The ball has to stay inside the pylons! If it goes past, that¡¯s a point. First to ten points wins.¡±


    ¡°What does the winner get?¡± I asked, trying to recall how I played soccer in gym. Probably pretty badly, to be completely honest. Being a D1 athlete was never in my future.


    ¡°Loser does the winner¡¯s homework!¡± Chloe dropped the ball and kicked it toward us. She was holding back since it was just a fun game with kids, which was good, because I was not in great shape with my cardio.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s fair!¡± I yelled back, doing my best to kick the ball in a fair way toward Ryan. ¡°I could maybe do Ryan or Megan¡¯s homework. What¡¯s your major?¡±


    ¡°Engineering.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, no chance,¡± I said. Ryan and Megan were mostly kicking it to themselves by that point. Chloe and I drifted off to the side to give the kids room to play. Ryan was getting over his shyness and that didn¡¯t seem to be an issue for Megan. ¡°Thanks for letting her use your ball. We, uh, forgot her toys from New York.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± Chloe clapped me on the back with surprising strength. I stumbled forward a bit, which got a snort from her. The touching sent an uncomfortable jolt down my back. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re not a star quarterback for your school, are you?¡±


    ¡°Haha, hilarious.¡± I saw that Chloe knew I was joking, which was good.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad Ryan got someone to play with. The moms here don¡¯t really think I¡¯m his mother. Ryan has autism, so he doesn¡¯t always fit well with the other kids here.¡± Chloe made sure to glare at the other women. Upon further inspection, they did have a snobbish air to them. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. I¡¯d think that given everything going on, they¡¯d be clamoring for some escapism for their kids, you know? He¡¯s not even different from their kids. That doesn¡¯t matter in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°With what happened to Pittsburgh. I¡¯m surprised that the parks are even open, considering we¡¯re pretty close.¡± Chloe shifted uncomfortably. ¡°You have, like, something that completely changes the game and what we understand. I feel like we should let our darn kids play without everyone blowing their collective gasket.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really terrible what happened there.¡± I wanted to know what Chloe thought of people with powers, so I tried to push it a bit further. ¡°What do you think¡¯s going on with that guy? The one who attacked the city, I mean.¡±


    Chloe shrugged her shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s a terrorist and a monster. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s doing it. Some kind of superweapon or maybe he really is just a higher being and this is a punishment for us. People at OSU are beyond livid though. I don¡¯t live on campus, but I¡¯ve seen non-stop protests about ¡®getting the freaks out¡¯, whatever that means. They don¡¯t even know exactly what they¡¯re protesting. They see one guy do something and think their roommates can turn into biological bombs.¡±


    ¡°I blinked and the entire world is different,¡± I said. Chloe looked sad about the whole thing. I didn¡¯t want to reveal more than I should, so I had to tread carefully. I was enjoying the conversation. For me, it felt surprisingly normal and natural. ¡°We didn¡¯t have the heart to see Pittsburgh on the way here.¡±


    Chloe was about to reply, but she was stopped by the comforting sound of a rubber ball bouncing off the face of a youth. My head snapped toward Megan who was on the grass with a hand over her nose and mouth. Both Chloe and I rushed to her side, both of us landing on our knees by doing two impressive slides. Ryan looked horrified and dumbstruck.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked, trying to keep a level head. Megan had her eyes shut closed, but she opened them when she heard my voice. I gently patted her back to try and keep her calm.


    I expected her to start crying. That¡¯s what I would have done at that age. What she did was arguably worse, or at least creepier. She pulled her hand away and it was covered in blood. Her nose was providing a steady trickle of the red liquid. Megan opened her mouth to talk, but a tooth fell out, and that really scared the crap out of me. Then I remembered that she wasn¡¯t even seven yet, so losing baby teeth was something that could happen. When the tooth fell on her jacket, she picked it up and started to laugh. A little girl cackling with blood running down her face was not going to help us fit in with other families.


    ¡°Look, Ethan! I¡¯m like you when you used your-¡±


    ¡°Jeez there, kiddo!¡± I said, a bit too forcefully. I could already tell where she was going. ¡°You really took one in the face there. Does it hurt?¡±


    Catching on, she shook her head a bit too hard. That got blood on my jacket as well as Chloe¡¯s. I placed my head in my hands. The situation was only getting worse and worse. All I could hope for was that Chloe¡¯s jacket wasn¡¯t expensive and she didn¡¯t have any issue with having another human¡¯s blood just flying on her. Still, the most important thing was that Megan was okay, and she¡¯d probably like getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy.


    ¡°Oh man, I better get this one back to the car and clean her up.¡± I picked up the bleeding child, making sure to hold her upright so the blood flowed out of her face instead of back down her throat. ¡°It was really nice meeting you Chloe and Ryan. Sorry that we have to cut it so short! Um, sorry about your jacket!¡±


    ¡°Wait, before you go,¡± Chloe placed a hand on my arm. I managed to resist pulling away out of reflex. ¡°What¡¯s your phone number? Let¡¯s stay in touch. I want to make sure that Megan¡¯s okay later.¡±


    I quickly rattled off my phone number for Chloe and she entered it in her own phone just as fast. She sent a test text message, and I felt my pocket vibrate a few seconds later. I gave her a thumbs up and she beamed at me. She took Ryan, who was still freaked out, and took him to play more. A bit of a weird interaction. At least she seemed nice enough. I thought it would have been cool to hear about how students in her university felt about people like us.


    When I got back to Lori and Alex, they were both chatting away. Lori was completely absorbed in the conversation, and he didn¡¯t seem disinterested himself. I had Megan positioned in a way that her back was toward them. I felt really bad about breaking up their sweet moment so soon, but there wasn¡¯t really anything else I could do with a bleeding child that was under my care.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t get mad, but...¡± I set Megan down. Lori looked horrified and Alex looked surprised. They did relax a bit when Megan held up her bloody baby tooth. ¡°Megan got hit in the face by a kickball. Just a little bump. You know how noses bleed from even the littlest thing.¡±


    ¡°Kids will be kids,¡± Lori said with a weary sigh. She took a napkin, got it wet with some ice from our cooler, and wiped the dried blood off as best she could. The heavy bleeding had mostly subsided, leaving just a small trickle in its wake. ¡°Does it hurt anywhere, Megs?¡±


    Megan shook her head, still happy as can be. At least one of us there could have some fun with blood leaking out of our noses. Lori wiped the tooth off and gave it back to its owner, who eagerly put it in her pocket. Not satisfied with the blood trickle, Lori stuffed two bits of napkin in her nostrils. A real photo-worthy moment right there.


    Suddenly aware of my own hunger, I was pumped to see two sandwiches made up for us. Doing my best to not chew with my mouth open, I recapped the fun little bonding session that Megan and I got to share. She already thought of Ryan as her new best friend, so I let her take the reins and talk about how much fun she had with the siblings we¡¯d just met.

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Four

    I didn¡¯t see Chloe again before we left, so I replied to her test text to let her know that Megan was okay. She was happy to hear it, and after my request, she kept telling me about the student protests at Ohio State. There were enough students that were vocal about us that it did make me nervous. Ohio State was only a single school, so there were probably thousands of other protestors that were just against us in general.


    Alex was the one who drove us to St. Louis, and I was pleased to report that we managed to avoid disaster. It was almost boring, really. I gave Megan my phone so she could watch some movies which kept her entertained the entire way. I used that time to myself to practice with my barriers again. I was able to get two separate barriers from my hands to my elbows. Instead of working on size, I put most of my effort into strengthening them. Their strength was something I was consciously aware of. It did frustrate me that I didn¡¯t have a way to test out that strength on something practical in the real world.


    As one would expect from a drive through the States, there wasn¡¯t a lot of eye-catching scenery unless you were a big fan of corn. No disrespect to all the hardworking farmers in the Midwest, but man, it wasn¡¯t exactly visually stimulating. Passing through some bigger areas like Dayton and Indianapolis livened things up a bit. Those changes of scenery didn¡¯t last long before we were right back in rural America all over again. We made sure that no threats had been made to cities in our surrounding area before we went through them. It turned out that McLeod had been completely silent since Pittsburgh.


    Our gas was just low enough to be a small concern when we started seeing exit signs for St. Louis. Alex pulled off and we found a gas station. This time, it was still the afternoon, so there weren¡¯t any drunk students waiting in front of the building. Alex still insisted that he¡¯d go in and pay for it, which made Lori look embarrassed. Megan needed to use the bathroom, so she followed Alex inside where he kept a watchful eye on her and waited outside the bathroom for her to finish up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure someone from either city would kill me if I told them this, but this looks basically the same as Columbus.¡± I looked out the window, trying to understand the pride people felt in certain major cities over another. Maybe there was more charm in them if you lived there. The small-town guy I was just wasn¡¯t seeing it. ¡°Give me little towns in the mountains any day.¡±


    ¡°They have a charm to them. You probably wouldn¡¯t get bored here.¡± Lori was looking at her phone and sounded deep in thought. I was surprised she even answered me at all. ¡°I didn¡¯t get as much time at the park as I was hoping. We can either setup shop here for the rest of the day or we can keep going and get a room farther southwest.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anything about that part of the state?¡± Nothing I learned in geography was coming back to me. The class was a bore on the best of days. Learning about Southwest Missouri would have had me snoozing right through it. We learned about Oregon and other areas in the Pacific Northwest with some California and New York thrown in there, but that was about it.


    ¡°That there are caves in it and a lot of the Ozarks cover the area. So, no, not really.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯d be smarter to set up for tonight and make a plan for tomorrow,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d make sense to make any unnecessary risks to save a few hours. ¡°If we get there tonight and we can¡¯t find a room, that could be a problem. Well, the SUV is pretty nice, so it wouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s post up in St. Louis tonight.¡± Lori set her phone down and stretched. I looked inside the gas station and it was crowded inside, with either a very overworked or very disinterested employee behind the counter. The guy was probably both. ¡°Maybe we can go out for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Want me to watch Megan so you and Alex get a nice dinner?¡± I asked, only half joking. If Lori really wanted that, I¡¯d do it with no hesitation.


    ¡°Absolutely not. I appreciate what you did at the park, but I¡¯m not going to exclude you and Megan from a full dinner because of that. You¡¯re my friend too, you know.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I am pretty good at letting small kids get hit with kickballs, so I can understand the appreciation for my skills.¡± I sent Shelly a short text telling her that everything was going well today, touched base with Lizzy, though I made sure to leave out the part about finding Megan until a better time, and asked Chloe where she thought people with powers came from. Those three would keep me busy for a bit, no doubt. ¡°How¡¯d that go, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Really well!¡± Lori was excited, like she¡¯d been waiting for me to ask about it. ¡°I tried to make some subtle hints that I¡¯m interested. I think him getting out of Luna for a bit has helped him loosen up. He¡¯s better than I expected with Megan, but I think that kid could be good with anyone. Oh, and he said that we could train together once we¡¯re back home.¡±


    ¡°Ah, romance,¡± I said, doing a poor French accent. ¡°Nothing to spark that romantic fire quite like getting punched by your crush.¡±


    ¡°Not like that, dummy.¡± She reached back and gave me a playful punch to the knee. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to try expanding my power recently. Once I could read emotions, it didn¡¯t really grow beyond that. I need to see if I can make it more useful.¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± I asked. We weren¡¯t fully in the downtown area, but there was still some bustling activity around us. It was Sunday, but that wasn¡¯t stopping a few businessmen and businesswomen from entering and leaving imposing concrete structures. It was almost surreal to see people still going about their lives in such a normal way knowing we were part of a superpowered secret society and McLeod could be anywhere.


    ¡°Well, the emotions come off people as colors at its base level. It¡¯s kind of like an aura, I guess.¡± She made a motion with her hands that vaguely resembled the outline of a human. ¡°As I got older, I started to actually feel them as well, but that¡¯s beside the point.


    ¡°Anyway, I want to try and expand on that base power. There are times where I can see it, well, sort of flare out? My goal is to find out where those emotions are directed. Sure, there are times where someone might just be in a good mood or upset at the world in general, so it¡¯ll be hard to tell.¡±


    ¡°Is Alex going to help you, or are you both just going to be in the same room?¡± I tried to imagine what she meant. That was a struggle. Without having her power myself, it wasn¡¯t of much help. Then again, explaining that I could put up shields and knock things over with a weird shimmer created from my mind wouldn¡¯t go over too well either.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to do his own practice and I¡¯m going to try to trace his emotions. Even if I can just get the color to go in some direction, I¡¯ll know it¡¯s worthwhile. I¡¯ve had no real idea how to try and grow my Anomaly. I just know I have to get my ass in gear and improve.¡±


    ¡°I do too,¡± I said, thinking on what I might be able to do with my power. At that time, it was still just barriers and the shields on my arms. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried anything for offense since the hockey puck test.¡±


    ¡°Starting with more passive or defensive things is usually the best way to get started,¡± Lori assured me. ¡°Once you have a good handle on the Anomaly defensively, trying for offense comes easier. If you¡¯re learning to box, you don¡¯t want to get thrown in with a heavyweight champion on your first day.¡±


    ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to use it for attacking someone,¡± I admitted, the thought of needing to hurt someone sending a chill down my spine. Inanimate rubber pucks were one thing. Those couldn¡¯t feel a thing. Another living person was a totally different world.


    ¡°I hate to tell you this, but you probably will,¡± Lori said. ¡°At least if you plan on helping us stop McLeod. There¡¯s...not going to be an easy nor a kind solution to that problem.¡±


    Her words hung in the air, and I knew she was right. I took another look at the men and women who were just going about their Sundays. McLeod could be there and vaporize this city in an instant. I was sure then that the only reason he announced the Pittsburgh one was so he could show off his ability to do it. With that firmly established, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for such a warning.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Alex finally came back with Megan, who was holding a chocolate milk. I was glad she finally got her treat, because the bag that Lori had the night before must¡¯ve been left behind after the gunman incident. Alex looked annoyed, probably from the long wait he dealt with inside, or maybe just from being awake that day. Couldn¡¯t blame him there, but I wondered why he didn¡¯t just try paying at the pump with a card. Well, no matter the choice he made, he was filling the SUV back up to full and giving us the ability to drive through more rural America. Yay!


    With the gas tank full and all passengers accounted for, Lori explained the plan to both of them. Before we left, she adjusted her bracelet-detector thingy to not react to Megan¡¯s power, which made actually searching for any other power possible. With me wondering how it worked, Lori gave a vague explanation that it could be set to not react to the same thing twice, which was apparently how we got it to work for our powers. I trusted the explanation, but I didn¡¯t trust that Lori knew exactly how they worked.


    When the detection device up and running, we hit the road to a hotel with a nice restaurant nearby. That turned out to be a hotel called the Clock Tower, which was renowned and even I knew its name before seeing it. A quick inspection of the hotel¡¯s information declared it to be a five-star hotel with an upscale restaurant that couldn¡¯t be missed. It also showed that a single room was five hundred dollars for a night, which nearly made my eyes pop out of my head. The massive room did have two beds and a pull-out couch to help justify the flashy price tag.


    We sat in the parking lot debating if it was just a bit too much. Lori said it was fine as Luna was footing the bill, but even they couldn¡¯t have unlimited funds. Megan was enamored with the size of beauty of the building, so her vote was clearly in favor of spending the day there. Alex was indifferent to where we slept, he just wanted to have a place to sleep at all. I shared a similar sentiment as him. Spending so many years watching Shelly struggle to make ends meet for us, the price left me with a feeling of unease.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lori insisted. ¡°If we got two separate rooms at just a decent hotel, we¡¯d still be paying around two hundred fifty dollars for the night. Might as well just have a good time with it. Plus, we don¡¯t have to drive for dinner.¡±


    With her mind set on it, we gathered our suitcases and walked inside the gold-trimmed revolving doors. There were people who practically oozed high class and money from their pores, but we got fewer weird looks from them than I did at the park. I found that strange but didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. As long as no one tried to pick fights with us or call the cops on us, they could look at us and think whatever they wanted for all I cared.


    The lady working the check-in counter was very kind and pleasant. She was a bit older than Alex, so she was surprised to see a younger crowd asking for a room. When she was sure no one else was around, she leveled with us and told us that the attacks had made people cancel their room reservations left and right, which in turn made her job much easier. It was a bit terrifying to know that we were paying five hundred dollars for a room when they weren¡¯t in demand.


    The building had thirty floors, and our room was on the twenty-eighth, so the view was pretty awesome, even if I didn¡¯t care for the landlocked major city skyline. It would¡¯ve been better with a rising or setting sun on gently rolling ocean waves, yet I wasn¡¯t going to complain when someone else was paying. All the people walking around the city looked tiny and insignificant. I imagined that¡¯s how McLeod saw them when he was floating above cities he wanted to wipe off the map.


    ¡°This is awesome!¡± Megan yelled, examining every inch of the pristine room, taking in all the paintings and fake plants. She was having some trouble getting on the tall beds, finally managing it with a little effort. She gleefully started bouncing until Lori had to calm her down before she got hurt. Megan was pouting just a bit and mumbled, ¡°No fun...¡±


    The rest of the afternoon was used to rest, relax, and plan. We all looked up the Clock Tower restaurant menu while discussing how we would handle the following day, but there were only so many ways we could discuss walking around in caves before we circled back to the same ideas. While I thought about getting some lobster, Lori recommended that we all stick together to minimize risks when searching, which didn¡¯t get any pushback from the rest of the group. It was the correct call, even if it made our search radius smaller.


    Minutes ticked away, turning into hours, and I found it hard to relax. The last person or family there must¡¯ve been fans of racquetball, because I found two racquets and four of the bouncy balls used for the sport. That gave me an idea for some entertainment and a bit of practice. I checked the time and we were about an hour out from our designated dinner time.


    ¡°Megan, you want to help me out?¡± I asked, breaking the girl¡¯s attention away from the TV. She approached with a curious expression when I showed her the red balls and handed them off to her. ¡°I want you to throw these at me and when they bounce back, you catch them, okay?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll bounce to me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use my power, so don¡¯t worry about hitting me. Just make sure you aim at me. Sound good?¡±


    She looked a bit skeptical before nodding in agreement. I sat on the floor and put up a barrier a few inches in front of my face. The shimmer seemed a bit more noticeable to me, but I still didn¡¯t get any comments from the other three that they could see it. Being able to see it seemed useless to me. I could already tell exactly where it was because of the connection it had with my brain. Oh well, there wasn¡¯t anything to be done about it at that moment, and it didn¡¯t matter.


    I looked at Megan and nodded. She started with a small toss. The ball gently connected with my shield, and I barely registered the impact. It was like a small tickle caused by a gentle breeze on the back of my head. Still, it bounced back to her, seemingly hitting the air. Her mouth hung open and I told her she could put more effort into it. Then she really started firing them off as strong as she could.


    After about a half hour of that, it was starting to tire me out. Each consecutive hit felt stronger and stronger, even though Megan was getting tired herself. She had spent the entire time running back and forth picking up the balls that bounced past her. I could have probably carried on for another half hour before really getting winded, but I put my hand up to signal for Megan to stop. When I was sure she wouldn¡¯t throw one at my head, I broke down my shield.


    ¡°Not exactly Alex¡¯s punches there, but thirty minutes isn¡¯t bad,¡± Lori said, giving us some small applause. ¡°I don¡¯t think you would have been able to hold it that long just a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°So, you can make shields?¡± Megan asked, sitting right down right in front of me.


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing. I was able to knock over a stack of hockey pucks, but I¡¯ve only done that one time. That¡¯s how Lori didn¡¯t get shot the other night. I was able to stack up a bunch of shields in front of her.¡±


    ¡°Cool! Show me how to do it.¡± She patted me on the leg and looked at me expectantly. I was happy Megan¡¯s pats didn¡¯t give the same antsy feeling I got when others touched me. Then again, my issue with people touching me was already diminishing.


    ¡°Your power probably isn¡¯t like mine,¡± I said. There was disappointment in her eyes, but she still looked excited about having an Anomaly. ¡°Let us get you to where we live and we can work on it there, okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be cool!¡± Megan added, nodding. Suddenly, she looked toward Lori. ¡°When are we going to dinner? I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can go now. You boys good?¡± When both of us nodded, she put away the book she was reading and we took off.


    The restaurant had some kind of name that I couldn¡¯t pronounce and I didn¡¯t even know what language it was. It was on the thirtieth floor, making the view from the restaurant just marginally better than the view from our own room. What the restaurant did have was atmosphere. Simply put, it was gorgeous. Elegant decorations that I probably couldn¡¯t pronounce sat all around us under dim lighting. Even the smells from the kitchen felt like they belonged to a higher class. There were only two tables occupied, so it was almost eerily quiet compared to what I was used to.


    Our waiter looked surprised to see four people in regular clothes, but he was kind and courteous. I was still set on the lobster, so I ordered that without looking at the menu. When I did get around to looking at the rest of the selection, I saw that it was one of those places that didn¡¯t have the prices on the menu. I would have some explaining to do if this lobster cost, like, two hundred dollars. Lori, Alex, and Megan all ordered expensive food themselves at least. We¡¯d all sink with the ship if we had to.


    The dinner was wonderful, to be honest. Soon after our food arrived, the few other customers cleared out, leaving us to be a bit more obnoxious than we probably should have been. Our waiter saw that it was just us there and didn¡¯t push the matter. I still got the impression that he wanted us out of there from the glances he gave us whenever one of us laughed too loud. When Megan asked for French fries and ketchup, the poor guy looked floored before he had to explain that those just weren¡¯t things offered there. The kiddo was disappointed, so she had to find something else that sounded good to her. Just because the place was fancy didn¡¯t mean that there wasn¡¯t something for Megan too.


    Alex ordered a fancy bottle of wine, which loosened him up a bit. He was still very much Alex, but he could finally lean back and rest his shoulders with a little help from the alcohol. Lori seemed to enjoy the more laidback mode of her crush. Megan and I played games with bits of our leftover food, careful not to let the waiter see us being gross kids. It felt good to just forget the rest of the world and splurge, even if it was only for a moment. That dinner really made a good moment of joy and escapism before everything started to snowball downhill for us.

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Five

    ¡°Finally! We¡¯re here!¡± Lori¡¯s head hit the steering wheel with a bonk after she pulled into the parking space. ¡°I¡¯m so tired of driving.¡±


    ¡°This is only the first cave, Lori.¡± It didn¡¯t feel good to dampen her spirits. We needed to keep focused though. We¡¯d checked out of the hotel a few hours before and made our way to what Lori hoped was a promising set of cave systems. Checking in and making small talk with Chloe, Shelly, and Lizzy once again spared me from boredom of the drive. ¡°We might need more driving after we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about actually driving back to New York either,¡± Alex added.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cry.¡± Lori most certainly wasn¡¯t about to cry, but that didn¡¯t stop Megan from interjecting.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive us back!¡± I had to restrain Megan from trying to climb into the front seat with Lori.


    ¡°Give it about ten more years, Megs. Then I¡¯ll let you drive me around.¡± Lori lifted her head up and looked at the dirt path flanked on both sides by trees. We were beginning in a place called Honesty¡¯s Cavern. Lori claimed it was easy enough to traverse that it was as good a starting spot as any. She tapped her bracelet a few times and it came online. ¡°Boys, I¡¯m going to activate this bracelet. On the display, it¡¯ll point toward the source of power if there¡¯s one nearby. When the source gets closer, the arrow blinks faster until we¡¯re nearly on top of it. Then the entire screen goes green when we¡¯re there. If I somehow don¡¯t notice it go off, let me know.¡±


    Alex and I both nodded. We were greeted by an immediate beeping from Lori¡¯s wrist. That got the adrenaline pumping a little bit. Looking at Lori¡¯s display, there were two green arrows flashing on the small screen, one pointing directly ahead of us, and another to our back right. I was about to ask if that meant there were two sources of power, but Lori looked both confused and frustrated. For the most part, that confirmed to me what I wanted to know.


    ¡°Could it be busted?¡± Alex asked. He gently shook his to see if it¡¯d change anything. As expected, it did not.


    ¡°I guess it could be. It¡¯s only a prototype.¡± Lori shook her head. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not like Luna to hand out busted equipment. It worked fine when we found Megan too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start here anyway,¡± I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. ¡°It¡¯s pointing forward toward the cave, right? It could be in there.¡±


    ¡°Unlikely, since this is our first stop, but anything¡¯s possible.¡± Lori opened the glovebox to check for something when the gun from our Columbus visit dropped by Alex¡¯s feet. She screamed when it hit the floorboard and she got all of her small body in the seat as quickly as possible. ¡°We didn¡¯t get rid of this thing!?¡±


    Alex just casually looked down at the firearm before picking it up. He checked to see if it was still loaded, which it was. ¡°Huh, guess I forgot about it. You should take it, Lori. Your Anomaly isn¡¯t suited for fighting, so this might come in handy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to use the thing...¡± she said, taking it reluctantly, holding it away from her like she just found an old gym sock. Lori at least knew enough to not point the damn thing at people. She examined it with her back turned toward the rest of the car and the barrel facing the window. I didn¡¯t know anything about guns myself. That was Shelly¡¯s domain. Seeing her with the pistol gave me an idea to play with later when I had the chance. ¡°Where do I even keep this?¡±


    ¡°Waistband and wear your jacket over it,¡± Alex said, opening his door to the cold Ozark air. ¡°Well, we¡¯re kind of in the sticks. You might not even need to hide it.¡±


    We all got out and I watched Lori struggle with the pistol. After making sure the safety was engaged, she put it in the back of her jeans, looking terrified the entire time. ¡°If I shoot myself in the ass, I¡¯m going to be so pissed at you, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Look, you¡¯ll survive that, and it gives you a way to defend yourself. Just pull it out if you really have to use it. Don¡¯t point it at anyone you aren¡¯t prepared to kill.¡±


    With those cheerful words and the possibility of my friend shooting herself in the butt, we started our cave expeditions. At first, I thought it¡¯d be something really cool. Granted, it was pretty breathtaking the first few goes since I¡¯d never been inside a cave before. The water rhythmically dripping from the stalactites to the reflective pools below was one of the things I didn¡¯t get bored of. Or were they stalagmites? I could never remember which ones hung from the top. Whichever one was which, they were awesome.


    Honesty¡¯s Cavern unfortunately yielded nothing of value that we could get to. It wasn¡¯t a big cave, and it was a tourist attraction on top of that, so getting around in it was easy enough. The arrow continued to blink when we got to the end of the cave. There was nothing inside that looked like it might lead to a tomb either. There was a small building around the cave, likely for a groundskeeper. That groundskeeper probably had a power they didn¡¯t know about. Slightly dejected, we trekked our way back out, but at least I got to see the cool formations again.


    ¡°This...is more daunting than I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Lori confessed once we were back by the SUV. I checked the bracelet and the two blinking arrows remained, but the one that was originally to our back right was now directly behind us. ¡°Four miles is both a huge space and a tiny one, depending on how easily you can get to where you need to be.¡±


    ¡°Another thing to consider is that there could be people caving or tour guides who might have an Anomaly,¡± I added. The realization hit Lori and she looked more dejected than when we were leaving the cave. ¡°This kind of sucks, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Quit whining and keep looking,¡± Alex said. ¡°We already knew it was a long shot and we all agreed to come out here anyway. It¡¯s stupid to complain about it being hard now.¡±


    He was right, yet he didn¡¯t do much for the mood. For me, it wasn¡¯t the difficulty of the task that was bothering me. It was the vagueness of it all. The detectors were useful, and being able to block certain readings made this entire thing possible, but when you had two signals popping up in opposite directions without knowing if either one was your goal, it was disheartening.


    We managed to get five other short caves done that day. None of them produced anything worthwhile. Lori got close to someone with an Anomaly, but they were in a tourist group consisting of at least a dozen people. There was no way to even figure out who was in it without trying to follow them while driving, so we just cut our losses and let them go. At least the detector had a silent mode we could activate to avoid unwanted attention. We didn¡¯t drift far from our starting point of Honesty¡¯s Cavern, so we were always stuck with those two green arrows.


    After that fifth cave, the sun was just beginning to set, and we opted to call it quits for the evening. Everyone was cranky from the cold, the walking, and the lack of results. Megan handled it as well as a six-year-old could. She was visibly upset, but she was still receptive to our ideas. Bless that child, because I don¡¯t think I would have been able to keep it together at that age. And, I¡¯m happy to report, Lori did not shoot herself in the backside with her newly acquired gun.


    Alex was driving this time around and we¡¯d decided on a log cabin style hotel to stay in as long as we remained in the area. It may have been a tourist trap. In fact, I was certain it was. It still gave off charming and welcoming vibes. Those trapped tourists didn¡¯t have bad taste at all. If it was a tourist trap hotel, the prices of it were really friendly. No twenty-eighth story view or restaurants with no prices on their menus there. It relied on its rustic charm to be absorbing.


    This time, to give us all some space, we got three separate rooms. Alex and I each had our own rooms, while the girls shared one. Megan was excited for all the ¡°girl talk¡± they could have. I feared that Lori might be getting burned out on watching her, but she shared Megan¡¯s enthusiasm about it. Maybe Megan¡¯s Anomaly was just the ability to brighten everyone¡¯s day a bit, because that¡¯s all she seemed to do for us.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    My room looked like just how I imagined the inside of a cozy cottage in the woods would. The floor was wooden and creaked when I walked on it, which added more to its rustic charm for me. There was a brightly colored rug in the center of the room, a fake fireplace against the wall, and a low-lying bed opposite of it. Some fake candles added to the atmosphere, but there was also a TV and some lamps, and the bathroom looked more like a standard hotel bathroom. For some reason, I felt a touch disappointed at how standard that bathroom seemed. It felt totally disconnected from the rest of the room.


    After taking a long, hot shower, I relaxed on the bed. That bed was comfier than the one in the five-star hotel at maybe a third of the price. Go figure, right? Price doesn¡¯t always mean comfort and atmosphere. Both were still wonderful stays in their own ways though. I just stretched out and relaxed, running over the day¡¯s failures in my head. They sucked in the moment, but after the fact, it was actually an enjoyable day for me. I hoped the others saw it that way while they wound down and relaxed.


    I decided it¡¯d be a good time to do a video chat with Shelly. This time, instead of holding my phone up with my actual hand, I wanted to see if I could hold it with just my powers. If I hadn¡¯t shoved over the hockey pucks, I wouldn¡¯t have even thought to try this out, because I would have thought I could only create shields. Boy, that would have been a huge waste of potential.


    Even though I didn¡¯t intend for it to be a shield, the shape started off as one. It was thicker than most of the other ones I made and just big enough to encompass my hand. After I had that shape stable, I slowly began to break away at it, making it resemble my actual hand. It was a lot of trial and error, and a whole lot of dismantling and repairing parts of it. Sure enough, I got it to look like an actual hand. Well, ¡°look¡± being used loosely of course. I could tell the shape of it because of my connection to it, but I still couldn¡¯t actually see it beyond the shimmer in the air I¡¯d come to expect.


    I practiced getting the fingers on it to move, which proved to be the hardest part initially. I put my real hand up next to it to help me visualize the kind of movements I wanted. That got me somewhere. The motion was still a bit stiff and unnatural, as unnatural as a mind-conjured hand should have probably been. It was still progress I could be moderately proud of. As a whole, I could get the hand to move well, but I¡¯d need to fine tune the more precise movements of the digits.


    I selected the call option for Shelly with my actual hand, laid flat on my back, and used my shimmering hand to hold the phone about a foot above my face. It was steady and the hand didn¡¯t seem to interfere with any of the phone¡¯s functions. It did make it kind of hard for me to see my sister¡¯s face when she answered. Once again, her hair and makeup were done.


    ¡°This a regular thing for you now?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you put effort into makeup maybe once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a test. Sort of.¡± Shelly gave a resigned sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not in love with it either.¡±


    ¡°It looks nice,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Is that Ethan?¡± a familiar voice yelled out. From over Shelly¡¯s shoulder, Lizzy¡¯s head popped up. Her hair and makeup were also done, making her look as beautiful as ever. When she saw my face on the screen, she nearly knocked my sister over trying to wave at me. ¡°Ethan! It¡¯s been forever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days.¡± I waved back to her and smiled at her excitement. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too. Why are you hanging out with my sister? Not that it¡¯s a problem or anything. I didn¡¯t think you two would have a lot in common.¡±


    Lizzy awkwardly rubbed the scar on her face, looking like she wasn¡¯t sure what she should say. ¡°She asked for some help, and I feel like I owe her for what happened to you, so here we are.¡±


    ¡°Lizzy, I told you, it¡¯s fine now,¡± Shelly said, adjusting to fit both faces on the screen. ¡°He¡¯s fine and there aren¡¯t any hard feelings here. I appreciate your help though.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t just ignore when a nice lady asks me to help with her hair. It¡¯s so much fun and your hair is so nice. Ethan wouldn¡¯t let me do his.¡± Lizzy did a big, dramatic pout, which got a laugh out of us siblings. She stuck her tongue out at me.


    I knew there was something that Shelly wasn¡¯t telling me from our last call, and Lizzy was clearly in on it too. Knowing that Lizzy knew made me feel better about whatever it was. She was a nice lady, and my sister wouldn¡¯t trust just anyone with something she wanted to hide. More than whatever secret she was keeping, I was glad to see her getting out and making some friends too.


    ¡°I was just calling to check in with Shelly,¡± I informed them. ¡°We went through some caves today and came up with nothing, so we¡¯re at a really neat log cabin hotel thing. I think I like this more than the five-star one we stayed at last night.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you stayed at a five-star hotel?¡± Shelly asked, crossing her arms. In the back, Lizzy exaggerated the covering of her mouth with her hand, probably thinking she was being cute. ¡°And just who paid for all that?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, that one probably should have waited until we got back,¡± I said, rubbing my eyes with both hands. ¡°Lori said it was on Luna¡¯s dollar and that it was fine. If it makes you feel better, we got a big selfie at the hotel¡¯s restaurant.¡±


    ¡°You guys went to a five-star hotel¡¯s in-house restaurant too!?¡± Shelly was shaking her head now. ¡°What you guys spent there could have covered a month of bills back in Oregon, I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°Just keep shoving that foot farther in your own mouth, bud!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lizzy!¡± I replied as sarcastically as I could, sticking my tongue out at her and blowing a raspberry. I put one hand on my forehead and used the other to rub the bridge of my nose ¡°Yeah, we did it as a one-night thing. We were a bit fatigued from the travel.¡±


    ¡°Wait...where¡¯s the phone if you have both hands on your face?¡± Shelly asked. My awesome training idea now had a practical use, and that was to get me out of hot water with my sister. ¡°Is this some weird power thing again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m practicing holding my phone up with a hand made from my mind.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± She threw her hands up in defeat. ¡°I¡¯m just here because we¡¯re family. All this is too weird for me.¡±


    Shelly bringing my attention to it made me realize that I was getting tired from the use of my power. I¡¯d only been using the hand to hold the phone for a few minutes. All the work on actually making the hand must¡¯ve worn me out. There were more plans I wanted to try with this shimmer-hand, but I wasn¡¯t quite there yet. I had to keep telling myself to take baby steps. I had to learn to walk before I could learn to run.


    The next little while was spent just making some casual small talk while Lizzy worked more on her hair. Shelly looked uncomfortable in that position, something I could relate to, going back to my time in Lizzy¡¯s chair while she put that little gift on my face. Lizzy¡¯s odd charisma and outward affection against my sister¡¯s gruff exterior would have been a wonderful battle to see live.


    ¡°Same plan tomorrow? More caves?¡± Shelly asked, doing her best to sit still for Lizzy. She did flinch a bit, but Lizzy didn¡¯t chastise her like she did me when I apparently moved.


    ¡°Sure is. More wonderful, cold, damp caves in the winter. What I think we¡¯ll end up doing is work our way back east from here. It¡¯s going to be a nightmare to try and find anything, if there is anything to find. I don¡¯t know how well group morale will hold out. Megan helps with that, though.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Megan?¡± Lizzy asked, a sly grin appearing on her face. ¡°A special lady you wooed there, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°God, I wish it were that simple.¡± I went through the explanation of how we came across her, our decision-making, and how she acted around us. I could see Lizzy¡¯s heart melt a bit more with each word. I would have to make sure to send her that big dinner selfie we all took. I really felt like Megan would be in good hands there at Luna.


    That story pushed the timer on the call up to just over ten minutes. My shimmer-hand''s grip on the phone felt weak and the device felt heavier in the hand¡¯s grip. I felt like I was sweating buckets. The reaction from the ladies furthered my suspicion of that, so we decided to wrap it up. I told Shelly I loved her, which Lizzy naturally played with and made it sound like I meant it for her, and ended the conversation.


    Not but a few seconds after I did, my shimmer-hand crumbled away and the phone fell right on my nose. That tingle in the back of my head was there. Compared to the first few times I felt it, the sensation was dull. Maybe I was just exhausted instead of overexerted. I wasn¡¯t bleeding from my nose either, from both using my powers or having the phone drop on it. With only my thoughts in the room with me, I did feel myself getting tired.


    I tried to let sleep welcome me into its sweet embrace. I tossed and turned in the bed, grateful for the doctor who helped removed the remnants of the gunman¡¯s powers in my head. Without that, I would have been seeing shadows everywhere. I had enough guilt and enough going on without those damn shadows. One positive to not getting to sleep immediately was that it kept me awake enough to text Lizzy the dinner selfie.


    For some reason, I felt guilty that I wasn¡¯t giving enough conversation back to Chloe, even though she didn¡¯t seem to mind it. To try and put my mind at ease, I sent her the dinner selfie too, with some cheesy message about wishing she was there, like a tacky postcard. I lied to her, saying that Megan and I were Lori¡¯s younger siblings, with me being adopted, and Alex was her boyfriend. That last bit would hopefully become truth before long.


    That helped keep some of my guilt down, enough that I was finally able to let sleep¡¯s siren song hit my ears and take me under.

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Six

    It was overcast when I woke up, which didn¡¯t put me in the best mindset for the day. With the naked trees, the gray clouds made everything look almost too dreary. I wanted to crawl back under those nice warm covers to just sleep the rest of the day away. If I had to look at the repetitive scenery of caves, at least let it be on a sunny day. Overcast weather just wasn¡¯t fair, man.


    Shrugging at the futility of trying to alter the clouds, I sat down at a little table I somehow didn¡¯t notice the night before. Lori said we had to be out by noon, and it was only seven in the morning. With any luck, the rest of them would sleep in and the weather would brighten up a bit in the meantime. Or maybe we could just take the day off and pretend like we were lumberjacks in our cabins.


    My eyes began to wander before settling on an old picture of an actual lumberjack-looking guy and the name of the small town we were in. He was massive and ruggedly handsome. There was no date on the picture that I could see, but it had to be at least seventy years old. It got me thinking about what kind of life he lived, if he had any family, and what the town was like when he was alive. Hell, he still could have been alive for all I really knew.


    I started thinking beyond that lumberjack guy and about everyone else. Every person, car, and house we passed on the way there had thousands of stories around them. It was almost overwhelming to me to think about it, and it made me angry at the same time. Everyone was just going about their days as best they could, even when McLeod and Dii Consentes could show up anywhere to end those lives. I looked back at the picture and wondered what that guy might¡¯ve done in this situation. Would he also go about his day-to-day life as best he could, hoping that his town was spared?


    The text tone from my phone startled me out of internal strife that formed because of a picture. Probably for the best, that one. The text was from Lori, checking if I was awake. When I responded to the affirmative, she told me to be ready to head out by nine. Megan was still sleeping, and she hadn¡¯t heard from Alex yet, so the plan was to let everyone sleep a bit more. She also threw in the names of some of the caves that we were planning to visit, hopefully with better results this time.


    Reading Lizzy¡¯s reaction to the dinner selfie and seeing Megan for the first time nearly gave me enough energy to get me to our checkout time. I had never seen the words ¡°cute¡±, ¡°precious¡±, and ¡°adorable¡± used so much in one space. She was dying to meet that kid. Chloe didn¡¯t exactly share that same level of excitement. Having her blood spray all over her jacket might¡¯ve had something to do with that. She still put a few nice words and hearts in her response.


    When I glanced out my window again to see if the weather was any better¡ªwhich it was¡ªI noticed a small two-story toy shop across the near-empty road. Lori carrying an actual gun around made me want to get a toy one. It had to look real enough, since the goal wasn¡¯t actually to shoot anyone with it. If I needed to, I was going to be screwed. I wanted it on me just in case I needed to pull out something that looked convincing at a quick glance. I didn¡¯t trust my Anomaly to be used offensively without danger to myself or everyone around me.


    I checked my pockets for three things. My room key, my wallet, and that little teleporting glass item. Those were my big three things to not lose ever, even though the hotel room key one could be figured out. My wallet could too, in time, but that teleporting item had to be one of the most valuable items on the planet. Dropping it on a walk to a toy store would not win me any popularity contests with Lori, Mrs. Carmichael, or the person who made it.


    The walk to the toy store was quick and pleasantly warm. I appreciated that, because it felt like it was getting colder and colder every day. There were still some clouds blocking the sunlight, making me grateful for the bits of warmth I could get.


    The building was old, but well-maintained. Lots of love and care went into making it look great. Little spinnable racks were on either side of the wooden door. Cute toys being sold at a discount hung from them. There were cars, trucks, action figures, and loads of little plushies. One in particular caught my eye: a brunette princess in a pink dress. It wasn¡¯t highly detailed or remarkable. Even so, I decided to grab it for Megan. Hopefully she wouldn''t prefer a monster truck or something. Maybe she would like both.


    There was a kind old man behind the counter who greeted me with a smile when I went inside. The store smelled like a mix of burning firewood and cinnamon, making it very inviting. There were toys everywhere. Maybe that shouldn¡¯t have been a shock, since it was a toy store, but there was hardly any space not occupied by toys. Even walking through the shelves that made up the aisles proved to be tough with how many there were.


    ¡°Anything you¡¯re looking for, young man?¡± the owner, I assumed, asked.


    ¡°Actually, yes, there is.¡± I made my way backward and walked up to his counter. ¡°My friends and I are on our way back from an airsoft tournament, and I lost one of my guns. Do you have a replacement pistol?¡±


    ¡°Hm, airsoft pistol?¡± He stroked his white beard and looked deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes came to life as he recalled something. ¡°I might have just what you¡¯re looking for!¡±


    The old man went off into a backroom. In the brief moment that the door was open, I could see more toys lining the hall and a skinny spiral staircase leading up. I wondered if he lived on the second story. Back in Oregon, there were some older stores like this one. Most of them just used the second story as storage. The kid in me recognized how awesome it would be to live among all these toys. If he had grandkids, they had to have a blast every time they came by for a visit.


    The man didn¡¯t return for a while, and I was starting to get worried he might¡¯ve fallen. I still had plenty of time until Lori wanted us to leave, but my concern was if he got hurt. I went to the door he disappeared through and the internal debate between checking on him and minding my own business began. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself if he was hurt because I was too scared to check on him, so I decided to push through.


    ¡°Aha, found it!¡± the man yelled. I heard footsteps on metal, so I quickly scrambled back to the counter, trying to make it look like I was just browsing all the toys he had around. He opened the door and I looked surprised to see him. ¡°How¡¯s this, young man?¡±


    He placed a black pistol onto the counter. As I expected, it had an orange tip on the end of a barrel, which I¡¯d have to remove later. It was smaller than Lori¡¯s actual handgun. That was fine. I just wanted to have it in case I needed a quick way to startle someone. I grabbed it, pointed it toward the wall, and got a feel for the size and weight of it. It was still just an imitation gun, so it wasn¡¯t hard to wield at all. I really wanted to get it.


    ¡°This is perfect, sir.¡± I set the gun and the princess plushie on the counter to pay for them. He looked a bit quizzically at the two clashing items. He looked at them for a few seconds before shrugging. ¡°Thank you for finding it for me.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem at all, son. Is this one for a girl back home?¡± He tapped a few buttons on the cash register, which looked decades old. ¡°That¡¯ll be ten dollars even.¡±


    ¡°For my younger sister. She loves princesses.¡± I pulled a ten out of my wallet, happy I didn¡¯t have to fight with change. ¡°Is that right? This seems...low for all these.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no such thing. That princess is on the discount rack, and I¡¯ve had that old toy gun upstairs for ages now. One less thing to have to trip on, right?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t argue with that. One less toy in there would make it ever so slightly easier to get around, but they all seemed important to the old man. I couldn¡¯t blame him for not parting with any of them he didn¡¯t sell. With another thanks, I gathered up my things and made my way out. The chances of me being back in this spot again had to be astronomically low, but I made a note to come back if I was in town.


    I crossed the street, after looking both ways of course, and walked back to my hotel room. I had the airsoft gun in the back of my jeans with much less fear than Lori had. I still had around an hour to wait until we needed to go, so I spent that time packing everything up and double checking that I had all my belongings. My teleporting stone thingy and wallet were still in my pockets. Like my first hotel stay, I made sure that everything was as nice and made up as possible.


    I gathered up all my belongings and went to Lori¡¯s room, making sure to carry the princess behind my back. When I knocked, she opened it almost immediately. She had put on some makeup again, but her outfit was suited for caving and getting dirty. It didn¡¯t slip past me that my small friend looked disappointed it was me and not Alex at her door. Behind Lori was Megan, brushing her teeth and looking just about ready to go herself.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Morning, kiddo,¡± I said, walking inside. When she turned around to see me, she was met with the princess toy I got her. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s not the nicest thing ever, but-¡±


    Before I could finish, she grabbed the toy with a huge, muffled squeal. She hugged to her chest and gently bounced on the bed. She finished brushing her teeth in a hurry so she could actually talk to me instead of making weird grunting sounds. ¡°I love her! Thank you, thank you, thank you.¡±


    She ran into me to wrap her little arms around my waist. I ruffled her hair, beyond happy that she was so excited to get it. Megan took it and placed it next to Max. I wondered what kind of name she might give her new friend. Hopefully the princess and Max would make a happy family for Megan.


    Lori must¡¯ve been watching the window, because she let Alex in before he even knocked. He looked surprised and a bit weirded out. We greeted each other while Megan made sure to show him about the great new friend she got. She mentioned that I got it for her, which made me beam with some pride. Alex might¡¯ve been all cool, handsome, brooding, and muscular, but he didn¡¯t get the little girl a toy that made her squeal with happiness.


    ¡°Oh, Alex, can you do me a favor?¡± I pulled out the toy gun and handed it to him, with the barrel pointing down. ¡°Can you use your power to get that orange tip off the end? It¡¯s just a toy, but I got it to look scary if I need to surprise someone in a pinch.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± he said, taking the gun from me. His hand glowed and he effortlessly crushed the plastic end in an instant. When he gave it back, I loved how much better it looked. It wouldn¡¯t fool any enthusiasts, so I was counting on not running into any. ¡°I like that idea for you. The moment of distraction it might buy could save your life.¡±


    ¡°Get your butts in gear, team, today¡¯s our day.¡± Lori walked to the hotel¡¯s office while we put everything back up in the SUV. The hotels were nice and all, but I would not miss having to load and unload that stupid suitcase.


    Megan and I took our usual spots in the middle row. She decided to name the princess Dana, and she was already making Dana and Max play with each other. Lori took the driver¡¯s spot, having to adjust with her gun still in the back of her pants. She either got over her fear, or just resigned herself to the possibility of getting her butt shot.


    ¡°First cave today is called Megan¡¯s Reach.¡± Lori made sure to put emphasis on the little girl¡¯s name, not that she needed to. She perked up immediately at the sound of her name. ¡°Guess they named it after our hero in training, huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Megan¡¯s energy and Lori¡¯s attitude revitalized me. We were eager to get started too.


    The drive was short. It only took a few minutes to get there. This one wasn¡¯t a touristy cave. Or at least not on a weekday it wasn¡¯t. Lori activated the Anomaly detector bracelet, and like the previous day, there was a notification straight ahead and one behind us. There were camping grounds in the area behind us, so having another person there with an Anomaly wouldn¡¯t be a massive shock. Lori wasn¡¯t letting herself get discouraged this time.


    Carefully, we made our way through the cave. This one didn¡¯t have nearly as many people coming to it, so we had to be careful and make better use of our senses without the benefit of tourist paths. It wasn¡¯t long before we all had our headlamps on. We made sure someone was always keeping a hold of Megan since she didn¡¯t have her own lamp. Having to make sure she didn¡¯t get hurt coupled with the less-traveled path made it much harder on us, but we persevered through.


    Megan¡¯s Reach was beautiful like all the other caves we saw, though it had the same issues with repeated scenery I was tired of. I wasn¡¯t a caver, so the actual exploring of it just wasn¡¯t my thing. The was nice, sure, but I didn¡¯t have to walk God-knows-how-far into one just for cool formations. I thought about that while I almost broke my ankle for the third time on a near-fall.


    ¡°Wait, guys,¡± Lori said, stopping the group. Excitement rolled off her while she grabbed at my shirt sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s blinking faster!¡±


    As fast as we could, we raced forward. It was my job to make sure Megan stayed safe while we rushed through the cave. You could cut the tension in the group with a knife. The next step was trying to find the source. Lori''s detector showed that we were just feet away.


    Everyone stayed near each other while hunting for any physical clue. My hands began shaking when I realized that we might actually be at our goal. The entire thing felt mysterious and dangerous on top of bordering on surreal insanity. We really were hunting treasure in this random cave. This hardly touched, hardly explored cave. Who knew how many people had even been this deep in over the past century?


    ¡°Guys, this rock has a gap in it.¡± It was Alex who made the find. Lori and I both found him looking around a large boulder, trying to find a way past. The rock looked just natural enough if one didn¡¯t spend too much time checking it out with lights shining on it. ¡°There¡¯s no moving it with my enhanced strength. We¡¯d need an actual strongman for this one.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you were the brawn of the group, bud,¡± I said, walking up to the gap. ¡°Instead, you just sleep in on our big days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is a bit of an issue.¡± Alex didn¡¯t comment on my joke in any way. His focus was all on our large obstacle. If there was any time for Megan to reveal she could move the Earth, it would have been then. Looking at her, she was just as frustrated as we were. ¡°If your power was more developed, you might be able to get a shield in there and expand it. That¡¯d still be a longshot with a lot more training.¡±


    ¡°How about you break it down?¡± Lori asked, gently placing a hand on Alex¡¯s biceps. ¡°You might not be strong enough to move it, but why not just punch through it?¡±


    Alex contemplated it for a moment. Just to be a sport about it, he did try to push it away. Both of his arms glowed yellow and cast a faint light over us. Some dust and a few tiny pebbles came off the top. Right when I thought he might be making headway with it, he grunted and stopped. His work wasn¡¯t nearly enough to make a significant dent in it. If he kept that up for a week, he might¡¯ve been able to get it moved.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll just punch a stupid boulder in a dark cave.¡± Alex¡¯s fists got brighter and we all stepped back. I put up a shield in front of the three of us to keep us protecting from any stray debris. His first punch shattered a chunk of it, sending shards flying back. The shield absorbed the punishment without issue. ¡°Brawn over brains, I guess.¡±


    Alex kept punching the stone, each strike making the rock smaller. Alex¡¯s lamp would shine some light into the gap, but we still couldn¡¯t see anything worthwhile. After a while, the sound of the rock breaking cave me a headache. Megan had been covering her ears nearly the whole time. The rhythmic pummeling made me long for the repetitive sounds of water dripping from the cave¡¯s ceiling. How could I have been so stupid to miss it?


    ¡°I think I can get through,¡± Alex said, wiggling half his body between the boulder and the wall. His voice became confident, and he gave us a rare grin. ¡°We¡¯re in, boys and girls.¡±


    Relief washed over us. After Alex slipped through, I let Megan in next, making sure that she didn¡¯t get hurt on the way. With Megan inside, Lori went next, and I was the last one to make it through. The rock looked jagged from the uneven destruction. I nearly sliced myself at least three times getting through. I have no idea how Alex¡¯s massive frame didn¡¯t get shredded to ribbons.


    Now that we were all inside, our shining lamps revealed a perfectly smooth hallway. Something that could not have been naturally formed there. Not quite believing it, I ran my hand over the wall. It came away with a layer of grime that I hastily wiped on the back of my jeans. Megan didn¡¯t seem too impressed with it herself. Lori¡¯s lamp light was flying around everywhere, searching for anything. After taking a moment to soak it all in, something felt weird. It felt like every hair on my arm was standing on end, almost like I was about to get struck by lightning. I ran my hand down my arm to try and shake the feeling.


    ¡°Guys,¡± she whispered, ¡°this is it, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we explore,¡± I said, trying to keep my own nerves from coming out at the worst time.


    ¡°Be careful and stay behind me. We don¡¯t know how stable this place is at all.¡± Alex led the way as our guide and protector. Lori took Megan¡¯s hand to safely guide her along behind the big guy.


    I wanted to observe the walls and my surroundings more, but I was too scared I might trip over something, so I kept my eyes on the ground in front of me. Every step echoed in the hall, eventually getting as bad as Alex punching the rock. I think I was getting irrationally irritable. That weird feeling I noticed when we walked in got worse the farther in we went. It felt like there was something just under the surface of my skin, trying to break out. It took all of my self-restraint to avoid digging into my own flesh.


    Finally, after what felt like an hour, we reached an unassuming wooden door. It had no windows and looked like it was older than all our team combined. None of us really knew what to do. Our lamp lights went from the door, its handle, to the wall, and to each other erratically. On Lori¡¯s detector, we were right on top of the green orb. There was still that flashing green arrow behind us, but that one wasn¡¯t our priority.


    ¡°Should...we open it?¡± I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. It still echoed off the walls, making me cringe at the sound.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice.¡± Lori took a deep breath and clapped her hands on her face. ¡°Who wants to do the honors?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader,¡± Alex said, stepping back. ¡°All mystery door openings should go to you.¡±


    From what my light would reveal, she looked nervous. That didn¡¯t stop the little lady. She grabbed the brass handle and turned it slowly. It sounded like it wanted to snap off under her hand. With a sharp inhale, she shoved the door open, and we all walked through.


    Our eyes adjusted to the surprising light that met us. After my vision settled, I saw that we were in a large, square room. There were tiny beds cut into the walls, most of them with unmoving bodies as the occupants. They were incredibly small and reminded me of cramped prison bunks. At the head and foot of each bed, on the wall, hung a candle to illuminate the space. Dead in the center of the room, there was a big wooden table with books, paper, and other materials that I didn¡¯t recognize. Sitting at it was a surprised man in a suit.


    ¡°Well, hello there.¡± The man stood up and composed himself, a thin smile stretching across his face. ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time since I¡¯ve had guests. Who might you be?¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Seven

    ¡°Uh...hi?¡± Lori cautiously stepped toward the man. She stuck out her hand and he gently took it, planting a kiss on the back.


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised by this place,¡± the man said, making it a statement, not a question. He had close-cut brown hair and a shaven face. He was handsome in a way that was almost generic. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to pick him out of a crowd of people if I tried. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Is this the Tomb Removed from Time?¡± Lori asked, backing away.


    The man replied with a chuckle and a gentle smile. He waved us over and set out four chairs for us to sit in at his fancy table. Once we were seated, he joined us and cleared his throat. ¡°That is a title for this space, yes. Not one I¡¯ve heard in many years. A bit dramatic, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± I asked, trying to look at some of the still people in the beds. Their faces and figures were mostly obscured. The light in the room was good for illuminating the center and not much else.


    ¡°Just under two hundred years.¡± The man¡¯s reply was so nonchalant I couldn¡¯t make myself react. ¡°I haven¡¯t had guests in nearly fifty years. Who do you serve?¡±


    ¡°How have you been here so long?¡± I asked, answering his question with one of my own. Well, ignoring his question with my own was more accurate. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Very well, I will explain myself first,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°To make this as expedient as possible, I¡¯ll share the crucial details first. My name is Arthur Adams. My gift, or Anomaly as I believe the term has become over the years, is control over time. I¡¯ve been bound here by my best friend and most trusted confidant who betrayed me all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°The old stories I was told as a little girl mentioned a corrupt man who could control time,¡± Lori mentioned, looking suspicious.


    Arthur simply shrugged his shoulders in response. ¡°I suppose that if I said I wasn¡¯t corrupt, that¡¯d be just what you¡¯d expect me to say, right?¡±


    Arthur got up and slowly paced around the room, his eyes coming to rest on each body in their beds. It didn¡¯t seem to matter that they were barely visible in their little cutouts. Sadness and grief filled his eyes, along with something that appeared dangerous. Geared toward us or not, it put me on edge. I carefully pulled my airsoft gun out of the back of my pants and kept it in my lap. If he could really control time, there wasn¡¯t really anything we could hope to stop him with. None of our powers could match that. That didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t go down swinging.


    ¡°Would you like the full details? It¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve been able to share my story to fresh ears.¡±


    ¡°We would, sir.¡± Alex stood up to shake the man¡¯s hand. I thought it was strange he didn¡¯t do that when we first walked in and met the guy.


    ¡°Wonderful! I know not how long these gifts have been with mankind, but they¡¯ve been with me since my birth in eighteen twenty-eight. Ever since I was a boy, I could manipulate the flow of time around me. What first began with making crops grow faster than any man had seen before soon became reducing a man to bones.


    ¡°Those times were not accepting of someone like myself, so I spent years drifting across America, living as a vagabond and using my gift to survive. Eventually, I met my dear friend John Peters, a man who had also been bestowed unique gifts. While he always longed for a life of wealth and influence, his gift gave him the means to take it by force.¡±


    ¡°What was his Anomaly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Over the years, I¡¯ve been given media of the time period in which I lived, which has kept me somewhat up to date with current trends. Well, not so much recently, but up to around nineteen seventy. Let me ask, would you all say there is a difference between superpowers belonging to the heroes of comics and traditional magic?¡±


    We all remained silent for a while, internally debating the question among ourselves. Was there really a difference? Sure, I had always thought of magic as shooting fireballs or calling down lightning. McLeod could manipulate fire and Rory could manipulate ice. That felt like magic to me. Right before I was going to give my input, Megan gave hers. ¡°I think there¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°Understood, little one,¡± Arthur said with a warm smile. ¡°I ask because I¡¯ve always considered John¡¯s gift something closer to magic than what the colorful characters in those comic books can do. His gift was a contract of sorts. He would set up parameters for an agreement, and should one of the parties not fulfill their end of that agreement, a predetermined penalty would be carried out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡± Lori had a sad look in her eyes. This poor man had been trapped here for nearly two hundred years.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Arthur turned around a small frame to reveal a painting of himself, a woman, and two boys. ¡°John became disillusioned with using his bindings to gain power, thinking himself higher than the common man, despite his own humble origins. While he slowly descended into greed and selfishness, I found love and a family.


    ¡°John had the idea of finding people with gifts like us and making them bend to our will. With his bindings and some leverage on the person, he was effectively untouchable by forcing them to do his bidding. I learned that the hard way when he took my family hostage. He had this wild idea of building an army of gifted individuals that were forced to follow his commands. In return for his guarantee that no harm would befall my loved ones by him or any of his associates, I had to keep people he deemed useful in stasis here until he required their services.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible!¡± Lori exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table. ¡°Those...those people weren¡¯t just tools he could use for his personal gain.¡±


    ¡°I told him the same thing.¡± Arthur sat down again. His voice was heavy with sadness. ¡°He insisted it was his way to the life he deserved. Slavery, or at least the support of it, was still common where we lived. Sadly, John was one of those men who still supported it. The only comfort was that I knew he had to maintain his end of the binding. He was too much of a coward to go back on his own word and risk harm to his person or belongings.


    ¡°He had one of his servants carve out this room. I¡¯m unable to use my gift to harm him or anyone under him. I cannot kill myself while under his contract. Even after he himself stopped visiting, and I assumed his passing had come, I¡¯m still held back by his rules. Tell me, have you heard any rumblings of his name, or perhaps a group called The Wisps?¡±


    I knew I hadn¡¯t. Alex shook his to confirm he also hadn¡¯t heard of anyone or anything like that. Lori looked like she was scouring her brain for any mention of either name, but even she came up empty. Arthur was visibly relieved when none of us had any clue who he was talking about.


    ¡°It comforts me knowing that his ideas have died out with him. Even if I have to live by our agreement long after he¡¯s gone, his madness never got him anything he truly desired.¡±


    ¡°Actually...that¡¯s sort of why we¡¯re here.¡± Lori ran down the details of Dii Consentes attacking cities and exposing the secrets that had long been hidden by time. She had to fill him in on some of the technological advancements that had been made. Since he was up to date until nineteen seventy, he understood the bulk of what she explained.


    ¡°I see. When John used cunning and a man¡¯s loved ones, McLeod can gain followers through sheer strength.¡± Arthur rested his chin on folded hands propped up by his elbows. ¡°And this brought you here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, our boss told us that there was a tool here that could take away someone¡¯s Anomaly,¡± Lori said. ¡°We didn¡¯t even know which cave you were in. We spent all day yesterday just trying to hunt this place down.¡±


    ¡°Your information was only half-correct,¡± Arthus claimed. ¡°John was very picky about who could learn of my existence here, so that doesn¡¯t come as a shock. In fact, I¡¯m impressed you had enough information to find this place at all. Whoever betrayed John¡¯s trust must have been clever, or your leader well-informed.


    ¡°But I digress. There is no tool that can remove someone¡¯s gifts, as far as I¡¯m aware. However, around ten years after I was trapped here, John brought a young woman to me. She was bound by a contract that prevented her from using her gifts for a period of five hours. He informed me that three of those hours were up, and he¡¯d be back for her when he required her. Why he chose an arbitrary window like that, I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s her?¡± Lori asked, confused. ¡°She can remove someone¡¯s powers?¡±


    Arthur stood up and waved us over to one of the beds. I kept my toy gun in my hand, making it visible while trying to make it look non-threatening. Lying in one was a redheaded young woman with freckles dotted across her cheeks and nose, her face slightly rounded with high cheekbones. Her clothes looked like an outfit that belonged back in the Civil War era, yet they still weren¡¯t what I expected. I¡¯d always thought that women in that time wore big dresses with puffy sleeves, but she was in what looked closer to men¡¯s wear.


    Getting a better look at her, she was extremely pretty, almost in a rugged way. She looked to be a few years older than me. Her hands, while small and slender, had visible calluses on them. Her slightly loose top did little to hide how broad her shoulders were for a woman. She wasn¡¯t strong or muscular in the same way bodybuilders or frequent gym goers were, nor could I describe her as stocky or stout. She was just solid. Solid like people who made careers out of hard, manual labor.


    ¡°If they had to carry her somewhere, they found that the women¡¯s clothing of the time made it too difficult,¡± Arthur said, as if reading some of my earlier thoughts. Lori appeared to be confused about her dress as well though. ¡°So, they either had specially sized wear designed for her, or they just got some meant for a smaller male.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Arthur frowned and cleared his throat. ¡°Her name is Rebecca, and she was bestowed two gifts. She can completely remove someone¡¯s gift with just a touch to their person. Her second gift lets her perfectly mimic the voice of anyone she hears. John...John took her daughter to bring her here. His contract with her demanded that she not use her gifts for the limited period of time I mentioned before. In exchange, he would not allow any harm to befall her daughter.¡±


    ¡°Your friend was a jerk,¡± Megan said, looking sadly at the prone lady.


    ¡°That he was.¡± Arthur matched her sad look. The candlelight made shadows dance on Rebecca¡¯s pretty face. ¡°In a show of power, he¡¯d always give me as much information as he could on the people he brought here. It was his way of telling me it was helpless to resist. No matter what he tried, I couldn¡¯t join him. If only I could have stopped him from succumbing to his greed.¡±


    ¡°You might not be able to help him, but why not us?¡± I asked. Arthur tilted his head at me, not getting what I was implying. ¡°You might not have been able to help your friend, but you can help us stop McLeod. Let us get you out of here.¡±


    ¡°A kind thought...¡± Arthur paused for a moment. ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t get your name.¡±


    ¡°Ethan. Ethan Harper.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind thought, Ethan, but I can¡¯t go with you.¡± He went to retrieve the picture of his family. His heartbreak and longing filled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still bound by John, remember? Even in his passing, I¡¯m not free from my end. The title ¡®Tomb Removed from Time¡¯ is apt. This will be where I meet my end, no matter how much I try to fight that destiny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, taking a step closer to him. I looked at the picture of his family and was reminded of my own that was ripped away from me. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else that you think might get you out?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t. I¡¯ve had plenty of time to think of a loophole to free me, and after all these years, I¡¯ve come up with nothing. I have come up with another idea, however.¡± Arthur looked toward Lori with a pained smile. ¡°Your firearm, miss. I wish to make a trade that might benefit both parties.¡±


    Startled, Lori reached for the gun. She slowly pulled it out with a shaking hand. It looked like it weighed heavy in her hand while she thought about handing it to him. Arthur went back to a puzzled look before shaking his head. We actually got a good laugh out of him at the misunderstanding.


    ¡°No, miss, I¡¯m not asking for the gun itself,¡± he said. ¡°Remember, I cannot kill myself, but I believe I have a different loophole. When John and I were bound, he was in a small hurry. He only told me that I couldn¡¯t leave, kill myself, or bring any harm to the people under my influence. He never intended for an outsider to learn of this chamber, so he never specified that someone else couldn¡¯t slay me. I¡¯m not forced to stop anyone from trying.¡±


    ¡°You want us to kill you!?¡± Lori asked, horrified. The hand that held the gun out retreated to her side. ¡°We can¡¯t do that, Arthur.¡±


    A sad sigh left his mouth. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gripped the picture of his family so hard his knuckles went white. Tears started to run down Lori¡¯s face. I could tell how much pain the poor man was in, but she was feeling it. Nearly two hundred years of torture, being completely alone, forced to suspend time for someone who had betrayed him.


    ¡°Miss, please.¡± The grip on her shoulder tightened some, but not enough to be threatening. ¡°My family departed this world long ago. Every fiber of my being wants nothing more than to finally be with them. I¡¯ve waited so, so long for the chance.¡±


    He looked toward Rebecca and shut his eyes. A blue light enveloped her body. It began to shine and swirl around her. The light started to swirl so fast that I thought it might go out of control and I instinctively took a step back. The light began to slow down before finally dissipating, leaving the redhead awake. Her bright green eyes were blinking as she scanned all of us. Her eyes seemed to linger on me a few seconds longer than anyone else.


    ¡°Rebecca, I¡¯m truly sorry that you were brought here.¡±


    She sprang to her feet, nearly hitting her head on the upper part of her carved-out bed. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She placed a hand on her throat and looked at Arthur with fury. Seeing, or maybe feeling, her rage, Lori took a step back with her gun. Rebecca¡¯s callused hands balled up into fists at her side.


    ¡°For your body, time has not passed since you were brought here, so you still have two hours left before you can speak,¡± Arthur informed her, doing nothing to dull her rage. ¡°Please, listen to these people. Over one hundred fifty years have passed since you were brougt here, and the world needs your help.¡±


    When Arthur mentioned how much time had elapsed, Rebecca¡¯s eyes went wide with shock. She fell to her knees and started to sob silently, her shoulders shaking. The others looked like they had no idea what do to. I couldn¡¯t comfortably watch this lady cry silently. I got down on a knee next to her, putting my hand on her back to try and support her as best I could. I might¡¯ve been nervous about touching strangers, but I was still a guy. Seeing a girl crying activated some protective instincts. I had hoped she¡¯d take it as a friendly gesture.


    Instead, when her had snapped up at my touch, Rebecca¡¯s glance went to my fake gun. She snatched it out of my hand before I could react. She put the barrel against her temple and held it there. Even if it was loaded and she pulled the trigger, it wasn¡¯t like it would kill her. It would give her a hell of a headache, though she wouldn¡¯t die from it. Just seeing her panicked desperation, knowing she was close to pulling a real trigger in her mind, was enough to scare me plenty.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s not a real gun!¡± I yelled. Her hand tightened, nearly squeezing the trigger. With another silent sob, she dropped the toy on the ground.


    I had no idea what I could do to help. I put my hand on her back again and started to rub small circles over her shirt. I hated being so powerless to help this heartbroken woman. She hadn¡¯t asked for any of what happened to her. I didn¡¯t know her, yet I got the impression she didn¡¯t deserve what happened to her either.


    Megan walked up to her and wrapped her arms around Rebecca. I feared that Rebecca might retaliate because of the state of mind she was in, but she just looked surprised at the gesture. Megan silently joined me in patting her back, whispering the best reassurances she could. Eventually, Rebecca did calm down enough to hand me the gun back and stand. Megan held onto her pale hand and Rebecca was in no hurry to let go herself.


    ¡°Rebecca, I know you have a lot of questions,¡± Arthur said, giving her a little bit more time to make sure she was calm enough to listen. ¡°I know that you¡¯re going through unimaginable pain right now, but please, help these people. You¡¯ve lost things that you can¡¯t recover. Not even my power would allow me to reunite you with your daughter. The man that brought you here is long gone. You¡¯re able to move forward. You¡¯re the only one I¡¯ll allow to move forward. You¡¯re the only one he brought to me that isn¡¯t a criminal.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the rest of these people are criminals?¡± I asked, looking again at all the figures.


    ¡°They are indeed, Ethan. The easiest way for John to find people was to track criminals who used their gifts for evil. All the people in here, save for Rebecca, have committed atrocities that most people couldn¡¯t imagine.¡±


    ¡°Will they be freed if...if we...¡± I couldn¡¯t finish the question. I didn¡¯t need to. Arthur understood.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t. All the people in here that were kept in stasis will be killed when I die. I have to free someone from that stasis for them to live, which is why I freed Rebecca. Out of all of them, she is truly the one who deserves a second chance at life.


    ¡°I got it. Is this really what you want?¡± Lori¡¯s voice cracked. She walked up to Arthur, craning her neck back to look him in the eye. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else you want to try first?¡±


    Arthur shook his head and smiled at us all. ¡°There isn¡¯t, miss. Time is my domain, so I know that my time has been up for far too long. This isn¡¯t natural. Human beings weren¡¯t meant to live as long as I have. I¡¯m so very tired. Would you be the one to let me see my wife and sons again?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Alex said, standing next to Lori. He stuck his hand out for the gun.


    With tears running down her face, Lori shook her head. Her voice was breaking, but she did her best to look strong. ¡°No, I was made the leader here. I don¡¯t think I could show my face to Mrs. Carmichael if I made one of you do something like this. This is what I have to do.¡±


    ¡°Rebecca,¡± I whispered, getting her attention. I felt nervous when she looked at me. It felt like her beautiful eyes could see right through me. Composing myself, I did my best to carry on. ¡°Could you please turn her around and cover her ears?¡±


    The redhead nodded and she brought Megan to a different area of the room. Rebecca made sure that the kiddo¡¯s back was turned and her ears were covered. Nodding back to me that we could continue, I tried to steel myself to what was about to happen.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Arthur. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if Lori was really apologizing to Arthur or to herself. He lowered his head toward Lori and she placed the barrel on his forehead. Her hand was still shaking. The poor girl was barely composed enough to stand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, please,¡± he replied, trying to comfort her. He closed his eyes as a warm smile slowly grew across his face. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for someone to set me free from this nightmare.¡±


    ¡°I hope you find peace with your family,¡± Lori said, and then there was an explosion that made me jump and left my ears ringing. For just an instant, horrible memories of my parents¡¯ death flashed fresh in my mind.


    Arthur¡¯s head snapped back, and he collapsed to the ground, dead. Lori¡¯s gun clattered to the ground as she collapsed at the same time. Her head fell between her knees. She let out some of the most agonizing, heartbroken sobs I¡¯d ever heard. Her cries and the remnant of the gunshot echoed off the walls. Alex sat next to her and put a large arm around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. At the same time, that skin crawling feeling I had vanished, making me realize it had something to do with Arthur¡¯s power.


    All around me, the bodies of the criminals aged rapidly. There was a small mercy as none of them appeared to wake up from their stasis as they died. Their flesh dried out, rotted, and eventually just bones were left in all the beds. Even if they were all terrible criminals, it was more than a little sickening to watch so many people die at once. Part of it felt right. Right in the sense that the natural flow of things was being corrected for these people. Just to make sure, I looked over to see that Rebecca was still standing. To my relief, she looked as good as she did when Arthur first released her.


    I turned my attention back to Arthur¡¯s corpse. He passed away gripping the picture of his family, which made me tear up a bit myself. I took one look at the wound in his head and refused to take a second. At least he looked at peace. I put the picture on his chest and folded both his hands over it. I knelt next to him and wanted to say a prayer. I just couldn¡¯t make my mind or mouth work enough to get anything coherent going. I settled for hoping that he could spend all the time in the world with his loved ones at last.


    ¡°Well, you guys really did us dirty here.¡± There was a voice from the direction of the hallway, making me spin around. Rebecca was backing up with Megan in her arms, getting closer toward me.


    Emerging from the shadow of the doorway was a pale looking man with black hair. He looked familiar in a way that I couldn¡¯t quite place. His eyes showed nothing but confidence and bloodlust, a combination that sent shivers through me. He casually leaned against the door and whistled when he saw Arthur¡¯s body.


    ¡°We followed you idiots chasing a rumor and you actually axed the guy when you find him? You guys really are dumbest motherfuckers alive.¡±


    He slowly stepped forward, clicking his tongue at the bones in the bed spaces. Two more figures followed him in from the room. Terror wrapped itself around my heart when I realized why the guy looked so familiar. Heather, the woman who¡¯d brought down the building in Vancouver and crushed the lady in Seattle, emerged from behind him, being almost a mirror image of the cocky guy. Their only differences were their height and body shapes.


    The only thing to make the entire situation somehow worse was the other figure. It was the knight clad in black armor, his metallic steps echoing in the tight space. Without words or feelings, he scanned the room as well. His eyes weren¡¯t visible under his helmet when his gaze fell to Arthur¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°You might¡¯ve screwed the pooch by killing that guy. Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s fine.¡± The black-haired man paused and stuck his finger toward Rebecca and Megan. ¡°That redhead will work just fine too.¡±

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Eight

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± The threat came from Lori, who was getting to her feet. She had the gun in her hands again. Her finger was pressed up against the trigger, ready to fire in an instant. Fresh tears were still flowing down her face when she pulled the gun up and aimed it at the knight.


    Alex placed his hand on the gun and made her lower it. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot that thing against that armor! Do you want the bullet to deflect and kill one of us?¡±


    ¡°But...but that bastard killed Rory...¡± Lori said, reluctantly lowering the gun. Her outburst gave me the time to put myself between our enemies and Megan and Rebecca.


    ¡°I know he did, but you need to stop and think. Don¡¯t let your anger get your friends hurt.¡±


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t wanna hurt Ethan and Megan, do we?¡± the black-haired man said.


    ¡°Stop playing with them, Eric,¡± Heather scolded. There was no way they weren¡¯t twins. ¡°Which one do you want?¡±


    Alex had made his way toward the knight, his fists glowing. I thought about putting a shield in front of him, but that would just get in his way. I put one up in front of myself, which kept Megan and Rebecca somewhat safe as well. At least I hoped it would. Heather could swallow buildings like it was nothing. My shield would crumble like a graham cracker if she wanted it to.


    ¡°I think I want blondie there.¡± He pointed at me, and my heart began to pound. ¡°Although he doesn¡¯t look like much. What do you say, pretty boy?¡±


    I just remained silent and tried to beef up my shield as much as I could. It was hard enough that I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to talk and focus on it at the same time. Since I had never seen him before, I didn¡¯t know what he could do. If he was anything like his sister, I¡¯d have to watch out for even the slightest movement. His finger twitched and I flinched.


    ¡°Eyes up, Ethan,¡± Alex said, looking as calm as ever. At least he was going to get that chance to flex his muscles he was looking for.


    ¡°I know. Can you take him?¡± I asked, meaning the knight.


    ¡°Yeah, the knight and the creepy one over there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    No one had told me a more obvious lie in my entire life. What those two did wasn¡¯t fine at all. I had to trust how capable Alex was. If Rebecca didn¡¯t have that old bind on her, she might¡¯ve been able to take away one of their powers and make everything more reasonable. As it stood, it was a tall task. Afraid to take my eyes off Eric, I couldn¡¯t turn my head to face the two behind me. ¡°Rebecca, please keep her safe as best you can. I know we just met, but please.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you worrying about?¡± Eric asked. ¡°You¡¯re all coming with me!¡±


    We were suddenly transported to a huge, lush meadow. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, rolling in the breeze along with the bright grass. The sky was a pinkish orange, like the sun was setting, but I couldn¡¯t see where it was. It all smelled wonderful. It was an idealistic place for a picnic. If I wasn¡¯t staring at a homicidal madman, I would have been more than happy to take a few minutes to enjoy everything.


    ¡°You¡¯re a teleporter?¡± I asked, surprised by where he brought us.


    ¡°A teleporter? They wish they could do what I can.¡± Eric snapped his fingers and there were suddenly three of him. I tried to keep up with all three as they moved in separate directions. The one on my right had fire in his hands and the one on the left had electricity arcing between his fingers. ¡°You ever see a teleporter do this?¡±


    He snapped his fingers again and the clones were gone, leaving no evidence behind that they¡¯d ever existed in the first place. He pulled a knife out from his pocket and tossed it around in the air. I prayed he¡¯d slip up and slice a finger or two off his, but I had no such luck, unfortunately. He calmly whistled while he walked back and forth, staring at me the same way a starving wolf would stare at a steak dropped in front of it.


    ¡°Well? I¡¯m waiting.¡± He paused to look at me. I must¡¯ve looked pitiful. Suddenly, he broke into a laughing fit, bending over and grabbing his stomach. ¡°Please tell me you can actually do something.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t one to be provoked, so I ignored him. My focus was all on trying to figure out what exactly he could do. Or maybe I was trying to figure out what he couldn¡¯t do. He teleported us, made clones, and those clones had two different powers. Given how terrifying his sister already was, his array of powers nearly had me shaking. I was sure I was told me that some people could have two powers. Not a billion.


    ¡°Not going to do anything? That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go to some place with a bit more atmosphere.¡±


    I blinked and we were on a glossy, black surface. Startled, I looked up to my right and saw that there was a huge volcano with lava running down the side, trickling slowly like honey out of a bottle. Most of the sky was obscured by thick, dark, billowing ash. I managed to catch a glimpse of a planet or moon I didn¡¯t recognize overhead. I panicked, making sure I could still breathe properly, which was a mistake.


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Eric whispered, suddenly to my left. His knife flashed in the dim light, and I tried to put up a barrier on my left arm to avoid the attack while hopping back. ¡°Oh? Maybe you aren¡¯t just dead weight, pretty boy.¡±


    My shield didn¡¯t block enough. I felt my skin split open and hot blood start to trickle down. Then the pain came, and I was grateful that it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. I had nothing to compare it to. To me, my arm might as well have been cut off. Physically, it was the most painful thing I¡¯d dealt with. Couple that with the dull tingling in my head from my destroyed arm-shield, I was not starting off the fight in a good way.


    ¡°Ethan!¡± I heard Megan yell out. She started to cry, and I saw Rebecca doing her best to restrain the child out of the corner of my eye. I dissolved the large shield I made before and put a circular one around them. It was the first time I¡¯d done one in that shape, but I found it easy enough. If he could teleport that fast and had all those powers at his disposal, those two needed to be protected from all sides.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kiddo,¡± I said, worrying extensively myself. I winced at her, meaning to make it come out as a casual wink. ¡°Just a scratch. I almost got this guy figured out.¡±


    ¡°You have me figured out?¡± Eric taunted, showing me my blood on the knife. ¡°You did something to mitigate that damage, but you have nothing figured out. But I will tell you something: I¡¯m the strongest of them all.¡±


    We were shifted through various locations, almost faster than I could process. A sandy beach on an alien planet with a green sky, a research base in a frozen tundra during a roaring blizzard, a dense jungle with chirping and chattering animals all around us, before we settled on a skyscraper in a city I didn¡¯t recognize. My brain desperately tried to keep up with all the different scenery. Being near the edge of the roof, I couldn¡¯t help myself. I peered over the edge to see cars clogging the narrow street below. Dizzy, I stumbled back from the edge.


    ¡°The entire fabric of reality is nothing to me,¡± Eric boasted. ¡°I¡¯ve slaughtered people stronger than you by the dozens. Even McLeod is weaker than me. I¡¯m just biding my time until I can take my rightful place on top of the world. Why go through the effort when he¡¯s so eager to get his hands dirty by taking out the garbage?¡±


    ¡°Then why do you use that crappy knife?¡± I asked, my breath coming out ragged. I said it was crappy. It did a damn good job on my arm.


    ¡°To give everyone a sporting chance. Why blow everything I have to kill someone in a spectacular way?¡± He snapped his fingers and a crowned, angelic figure appeared. It was a bright white silhouette more than a tangible being I could find features in. Light poured out of the feminine figure, making it nearly impossible for me to see. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into nothing. ¡°You like that? I call that one my Flux Queen.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stress enough how much I didn¡¯t care about the stupid name he gave it, so I just kept my mouth shut. My best wasn¡¯t enough. Eric danced around me, slashing at my exposed skin without a care in the world. I had decent reflexes to avoid the worst of his attacks. It took all my focus just to keep up with those. He didn¡¯t use his clones or the fire or the electricity he showed before. He clearly enjoyed toying with me. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t about toying with me. Maybe he just loved trying to butcher people he just met.


    Through the pain and blood loss, my brain was telling me his attacks were predictable. He wasn¡¯t practiced in his attacks. I¡¯d seen a kid at school who could fight get the drop on a bully who didn¡¯t know just what the kid could do. It was infuriating to know that I should be able to break through and hit him with a counter. I just couldn¡¯t get my body to react fast enough. Every time I tried to land a punch on Eric, he would dodge my clumsy strike. If he felt fancy, he¡¯d teleport just out of my reach. It really didn¡¯t help that I had no idea how to throw a proper punch. Throwing on the increasing number of slashes on my body, I wasn¡¯t getting any closer to hitting him.


    With every slash that cut through my pathetic attempts at barriers on my arms, I felt myself grow more exhausted. How could people stand getting in prolonged fights? I was gassed and my head hurt. My entire body hurt. Trying to keep the weak barriers up on my arms felt like my head was being pulled in two while I focused on the barrier to keep the girls safe. I almost laughed when I realized I¡¯d probably want to take some kind of kickboxing class if I managed to get out of my fight alive.


    After taking a cut on the cheek, I spared a glance at the two girls who were relying on me for protection. Megan was visibly horrified. Rebecca¡¯s eyes were hard and filled with belief. I could tell she thought I could do it. I had no idea why she thought that. I was getting my ass kicked. At least they were still behind my stronger barrier. Seeing those bright green eyes look at me with such belief and determination gave me something of a second wind. It didn¡¯t do anything to help the pain, tragically. At least it helped get some energy back in my body.


    I was getting hopeless and desperate, not having any idea how to proceed. The pain from all the gashes was getting worse. Blackness started creeping up in the edges of my vision as I started to feel chilly, sweat running over my body and into my open wounds. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head when I focused on all the pain I was dealing with. It was mostly from instinct that told me something was off. In an impossible world I¡¯d recently joined, his powers seemed too impossible.


    Looking around while Eric monologued like an idiot, I noticed a flag flapping in the breeze above me. I licked the index finger on my right hand and held it up in the air. Nothing. No wind despite how high in the air we were. Thinking about it, there had been no heat even though we had been right next to an active volcano. My sudden idea was stupid and was such a longshot, but Eric seemed cocky enough that I might be able to get it to work.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve only known about my powers for around a month,¡± I said, trying to stand as straight and look as calm as I could. ¡°It¡¯s sad that you couldn¡¯t get me in one shot. You have all this power, and a measly nobody is still standing right here. No wonder McLeod uses Heather for all the heavy lifting.¡±


    I could see his eye twitch in anger. I knew I had to be careful. It wasn¡¯t just me in danger. Megan and Rebecca were behind me, and I would not let them get hurt. Like when I saw Rebecca crying, it was probably some guy thing to want to protect helpless women. I watched Mom and Dad die as a helpless child. I wasn¡¯t going to watch the two behind me die. I wouldn¡¯t let it happen. I had to make sure Eric was focused just on me.


    ¡°Then how about I kill you with just this knife? You can bleed out knowing that you¡¯re lower than shit I wipe off my shoe.¡± He spat at me. Dodging that nearly made me fall over on unsteady legs.


    Eric was in my face without me noticing him move. He had the knife in a reverse grip above his head, ready to stab down on me. I was expecting the attack that time around, so I got back just in time to avoid being fatally stabbed. That didn¡¯t mean I avoided all danger though. The blade cut through my clothes and left a long, diagonal slash across my torso. That bumped the slash on my arm for the most painful thing I ever dealt with.


    I reached down with my good hand and grabbed Eric¡¯s wrist. This time, it was my turn to whisper to him, ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    ¡°ETHAN!¡± Megan cried out, absolutely distraught. At that moment, there was a heavy pressure on my back that brought me down to my knees. Looking at Eric, I saw that it wasn¡¯t his doing, because crumbled too. Maybe it was some kind of defense mechanism his weird Anomaly had.


    Whatever it was, I was glad it helped hold him in place, since I wouldn¡¯t need to move for the next part of my plan.


    With the wounds and blood loss, I couldn¡¯t focus properly. The pain was paralyzing. I just put all of my remaining power into a baseball-sized orb in front of me and launched it at Eric. There was a sickening crack that I wouldn¡¯t ever be able to forget, and the sky began to splinter and fade away. I struggled to stay conscious while it crumbled around me.


    There was the sound of glass shattering and I was back in the Tomb Removed from Time, having barely moved. Eric was launched backward close to the doorway, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. I saw that Alex was fighting the knight, looking in better shape than myself, but that was a low bar. His scratches were minor compared to the gashes Eric had put on me. He took the chance my distraction gave to punch the helmet off the knight.


    What surprised everyone more than seeing me suddenly appear was the long, curly blonde hair and beautiful face that was under the helmet. Strong, fierce blue eyes glared daggers into Alex. The entire time we¡¯d thought the mysterious warrior was a guy. In a true step forward for murderous equality, the black knight was actually a woman.

 Book One - Chapter Thirty-Nine

    Scrambling, I grabbed the teleporting glass out of my pocket. We only had three and we needed five to get everyone out safely. The pressure on my back had subsided and I was able to stand. Unfortunately, I made the stupid mistake of holding onto the glass with a shaky hand while I stood up. When I managed to get on both feet, I stumbled forward, and the glass left my weak grip. Time felt like it slowed to a crawl as it clattered in front of the knight.


    ¡°Shit, Alex, grab it!¡± Lori yelled. Despite her obvious rage and fury, she looked more composed than she had when the knight walked in.


    When the knight heard Lori¡¯s yelling, she raced toward it, faster than Alex could get there. With a yell¡ªthe first sound I¡¯d heard ever heard her make¡ªshe stomped on it with her foot, hoping to destroy the item we deemed valuable.


    Looking back at it and being honest, her doing that saved our bacon. There was the sound of rushing air and she was gone. The bright side was one of the most terrifying beings on the planet couldn¡¯t immediately kill us. The downside was that we now could only get two of our five people out.


    There was a pained grunt from Eric crumpled form. Being reminded of his presence, I looked over and saw the damage I¡¯d done. The indent I saw in his chest was worse than I had originally thought, and blood was steadily leaking from his mouth. He made a gross gurgling noise when his sister ran to check on him. I wanted to stop and be mortified about what I¡¯d done. I knew he was trying to kill me and wanted to take both Rebecca and Megan. That didn¡¯t mean I had to feel good about what I¡¯d done. I was grateful for my own injuries at that point since they acted as a distraction from the damage I¡¯d done to Eric.


    ¡°Alex!¡± Lori yelled, breaking him out of his stunned silence. Without the knight¡¯s fearsome presence looming, Lori had already calmed down. ¡°You have to take Megan and get out of here.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving any of you,¡± he said, standing put. His eyes darted over to Heather. She was cradling her dying brother close to her chest.


    Lori wasn¡¯t listening. She was coaxing the terrified Megan away from Rebecca and bringing her over to Alex, only taking her eyes off the little girl to check on Heather. Getting a better look at him through my somewhat blurry vision, I saw his cuts and bruises really were minor compared to my own. I felt a whole lot of envy and shame that he could handle two opponents with minimal damage, while I struggled with just one. Eric¡¯s Anomaly was creating illusions, so when I counted that, I felt even worse. I was carved up by what was essentially a normal guy with a knife who could do a few parlor tricks.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a fucking debate, Alex.¡± Lori brought Megan next to him, placed his hand on the child, and gave her one of the two remaining teleport stones. She was much softer and nicer toward the crying child. ¡°Megs, I need you to imagine being with Alex, okay? Just start thinking, no matter where you are, that you¡¯re with him. He¡¯s your travel buddy, okay? Do not lose that thought. Can you do that for me?¡±


    Megan shut her eyes and nodded.


    ¡°Alex, if this goes wrong, you are the only one that can protect her. She¡¯s just a kid and I will not let her get hurt. As your leader, I¡¯m ordering you to take her back with you.¡±


    Heather had started letting out the kind of wails that one released if a part of them had been ripped away. I almost felt bad for her. If I hadn¡¯t seen her end human lives already, I¡¯d have felt much worse at her loss. I hated knowing that she still had some sort of human emotions and affection despite how evil of a woman she was. Mostly, I just felt normal miserable from killing someone and my numerous wounds that continued to freely leak blood all over the Tomb¡¯s floor.


    ¡°I...¡± Alex trailed off, conflict evident in his expression. He looked toward Heather and knew Lori was making the best call she could. ¡°Fine. How can we make this work without her knowing what Luna looks like?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing the heavy lifting. Put your stone in her hand, imagine Luna, and crush both yours and Megan¡¯s at the same time. As long as she imagines that she¡¯s with you, I think this should work.¡±


    ¡°You think it should work?¡± Alex asked, sounding desperate.


    ¡°Yes, I do. But if it doesn¡¯t, and you both end up in Florida or something, you have the best means to keep her safe. Now get ready.¡± Lori stood up straight, daring Alex to be defiant. He looked like he was about to when he sighed and shook his head. He wrapped his arm around the still-trembling Megan. Before he crushed the stones, Lori leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She pushed Alex¡¯s glowing hand down on the glass-like material and I heard both shatter. The sound of rushing air that accompanied the knight when she left made a return. I was able to exchange looks with both of them before they vanished. Gone was Alex¡¯s usual calm, cool confidence. Joining its departure were Megan¡¯s happiness and smile. We had no way of knowing if they made it to Luna yet. I could only hope they made it safely, or at the very least, were together. It was time to focus on ourselves.


    ¡°Ethan, if we get past her, do you have enough to run like hell out of the cave?¡± Lori asked, her voice barely even a whisper. I only nodded in response. I wasn¡¯t sure I had enough to speak, let alone get out of there. With the adrenaline dying down, the pain from my injuries somehow got worse.


    Heather picked up her brother¡¯s body and turned toward us. Her eyes locked onto me, and her hateful glare was suffocating. Lori¡¯s eyes were terrifying when the knight appeared, but Heather was legitimately a dangerous human being on top of being an enraged griever. Her creepy appearance was just exacerbated by the tears running down her pale cheeks. She never took a moment to even blink at me.


    ¡°You did this!¡± she yelled. The room started to rumble around us, bits of the ceiling falling in.


    Then it hit me that a cave may have been the single worst place to fight a woman who could control earth.


    There was a loud explosion from Lori¡¯s gun as she fired a shot toward Heather without any hesitation. The bullet harmlessly hit Eric¡¯s corpse, which did a few things. First, it left Heather alive, which was not great for keeping us alive. Second, it pissed her off even more, which was more than fair. Third, it distracted her enough to let Lori run up and shoulder tackle her out of the doorway.


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    ¡°Run, now!¡± she commanded, and I didn¡¯t hesitate, though I ended up limping along more than doing any proper running. Somewhere in the chaos, I remembered to turn the lamp I was still wearing on.


    Lori didn¡¯t have any trouble racing to the front of the cave. Some relief hit me knowing she¡¯d make it out. Maybe it was the chaos of everything, or the fact that she felt like my first real friend, or because I stopped a bullet for her, or some combination of everything, but I needed her to make it out. They all had to. None of the people who depended on me, even a little, were going to die. It wasn¡¯t an option.


    My right foot dropped in a hole I didn¡¯t see, causing me to stumble worse than I had been. Rebecca paid me back for protecting her in the Tomb by catching me. In a better state, I would have felt bad about bleeding all over a lady. She didn¡¯t care much, propping her solid body up under my right arm to support me. Realizing she didn¡¯t have a lamp of her own, and to keep my sorry ass upright, I held her as tight as I could manage. Me as the light and her as the support, we guided ourselves toward the mouth of the cave. There were more screams behind us and sounds of rocks crashing down to the hard ground. She was really bringing the whole damn cave down trying to get us.


    I nearly slipped at least half a dozen times. Rebecca never left my side to save herself, even when I needed a few seconds to catch my breath. After the first time, I stopped shining the light right in her eyes by mistake. Every step felt like it was killing me. I was positive it was impossible the path from the entrance to the Tomb had been as long as it felt when I was injured. If Heather could control the earth around her, maybe she somehow made it longer.


    After a walk that had to have taken ten years, and aged me thirty, I saw the exit of the cave. I had to dodge a falling rock the size of a baseball, barely managing to tug Rebecca just enough to get her away too. My legs were sluggish and they refused to cooperate. They seemed to enjoy slipping and sliding all over the place, threatening to have me plant face-first into the ground. Rebecca started to drag me along when I couldn¡¯t get a solid footing. All the while, the front of the collapsing structure got closer and closer. If Heather hadn¡¯t been so grief-stricken, I don¡¯t think we would have made it out. She could have brought the whole thing down at the same time. Maybe she couldn¡¯t do that and save herself. I wasn¡¯t sure. Monsters like her had a really annoying tendency to survive no matter what.


    Finally, sunlight welcomed us, but we weren¡¯t out of the woods just yet. The SUV was still 50 feet away, give or take, and we were standing on Heather¡¯s weapon. Hell, even if we got to the vehicle and started driving, it¡¯s not like we were off the ground. There had to be a limit to Heather¡¯s range, but I didn¡¯t want to test what it was.


    Rebecca helped drag my nearly useless body to the SUV. Lori had long beat us there and opened the back doors for us. She was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, ready to go, throwing concerned glances back at me. It took the last bit of my strength to sort of slide my body into the seat and shut my door. Rebecca raced around to the other side and did the same. I buckled the seat belt, something that looked like it confused Rebecca, but she got it after a couple tries.


    Lori slammed on the gas and put us in reverse. As deftly she could, she maneuvered the SUV out of the parking lot and got us on the road. I looked behind us as much as my body would allow, and I saw dust rising up from the space where the cave was. A healthy number of trees were falling down next to it. I didn¡¯t feel great about the distance between us and the collapsed cave until we were ten minutes on the road, Lori doing her best to speed just the right amount to avoid getting us pulled over.


    After a half hour of driving, Lori was finally brave enough to speak. ¡°How¡¯re you holding up, Ethan?¡±


    I figured she was talking about my physical injuries. When I opened my mouth to reply, I sort of broke down. I¡¯d never been good at looking strong if I was upset, and Shelly encouraged me to let it out in a healthy way if I needed it. All the horror of taking a life and nearly losing my own came crashing down on me. Tears stung my eyes, threatening to flood over and run down my face. Physical pain and emotional distress didn¡¯t make for a fun combo on a long car trip. Lori could see me in the rearview mirror. I could only see her eyes, and that was all I needed to know she was trying not to let my emotions affect her. She had to drive, so trying to deal with me might¡¯ve been a death sentence for us.


    To my surprise, Rebecca reached over and held me in an awkward hug. Like physical pain and emotional distress being a bad mix for a trip, cars didn¡¯t make for the best places to exchange embraces. Still, my skin didn¡¯t want to crawl at her touch. I didn¡¯t know if that was part of the shock, me getting over my phobia after all those years, or something else. Whatever the reason, I put my head on her shoulder and let myself freak out mentally. I barely managed to keep it together.


    Whenever I shut my eyes, I kept seeing Eric¡¯s corpse hanging limply from his sister¡¯s arms. He was certainly an evil man. Evil enough to kill me and kidnap two defenseless girls. If I hadn¡¯t figured out his power, the three of us would have been screwed. He could create illusions that could affect every sense but touch. That¡¯s why he needed the knife, because as impressive as everything he created was, they didn¡¯t pose any kind of danger to me. If he hadn¡¯t tried to be so flashy with what he showed me, he probably could have killed me. I only knew something was wrong because some of those grand locations should have had made me feel something, like the wind on the top of the skyscraper.


    I effectively killed some random, defenseless guy with a knife with a desperate use of a power I couldn¡¯t control. Yeah, that shook my foundation a little bit.


    Everything felt dull and not real. I had to keep touching my seat and my chest just to make sure I wasn¡¯t hallucinating anything. The pain from my wounds kept me grounded, as unpleasant as they were. Even in Rebecca¡¯s arms, I had to convince myself that I really existed. I wanted to attribute how weird and disconnected I felt to my blood loss. It would have been the best outcome. I knew that everything was happening because of my mind though.


    After some time passed, I pulled away from the warm embrace. I¡¯d finally stopped bleeding, which gave me some time to examine my wounds. The bleeding had largely stopped, only threatening to start back up if I moved too suddenly. I took great care to move as slowly as possible. Movements were going to be a finite resource that I could only use if I really had to. Rebecca, bless that woman, helped hold a bottle of water up to my lips so I could take a few swigs.


    I had completely managed to lose track of time when I heard a small grunt come from the seat next to me. I realized it was the first noise I¡¯d heard Rebecca make, so I looked over to see if she was able to speak again. She was looking at her hand with a wince as a black target-looking symbol appeared on her palm.


    ¡°Guess that means I¡¯m free?¡± she asked. The words were uneven and they all sounded like they were spoken by a different person. That did another small number on my mind. She shut her eyes and shook her head. She brought a hand up to her throat and she started rubbing. ¡°Sorry, I was trying to get your speech patterns down. Everything is still a bit messy.¡±


    Those words came out sounding much better.


    ¡°You must have a million questions,¡± Lori said, not taking her eyes off the road in front of her.


    ¡°I do, but those can wait,¡± she turned to me and gave me a tiny, sad smile. Fitting for a woman who had just regained her freedom while losing so much in the process. ¡°My name is Rebecca Briars. It¡¯s nice to meet you and finally speak with you.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter One

    Things were, well, not going great after the Tomb. Outside of my injuries, we all made it back to Luna unscathed, including Megan and Alex. They both ended up in the training rooms down below the residences, shops, and restaurants. According to Alex, Megan was a wreck and bawling her eyes out. She had no idea if Lori and I were alive, so that made it hard on the poor guy to get her calmed down. Given how Alex wasn¡¯t exactly the cuddliest guy in the world, I was just about positive he had to have Mrs. Carmichael come down to the training rooms and calm Megan down. I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how overwhelmed that little girl was.


    Things were hectic at Luna for a few hours after that. Lori was driving us halfway across the country, Rebecca had been hurled around one hundred fifty years into the future, and I was having trouble coping with Eric¡¯s death while trying to ignore the physical pain my injuries brought me. For the entire trip back¡ªwhich was around twenty hours¡ªI could hardly process anything. Lori was focused on driving all the way through after getting in touch with Luna. Rebecca was trying to take in her new world, her narrowed eyes darting around to nearly everything new she saw. The most I could bring myself to do was try and not whimper like a puppy every time one of my knife wounds hurt, which was a lot.


    But outside of those few things I could distinctly remember, everything was just a bit of a blur. Rebecca would ask Lori some questions, but to me, it sounded like I was trying to listen to them while I was underwater. My body felt like it was on a sluggish autopilot. I could do normal tasks that had been so engrained into my daily routine that they were second nature, like eating, and that was just about it. Getting me to respond to questions or directions took a lot more prodding. I couldn¡¯t even recall my responses to anything they asked.


    That didn¡¯t get better for me when we finally returned to Luna after our long drive back. After I got my injuries healed, there were hugs and warm welcomes passed around, and people could tell something was just a bit off. For one, I accepted every hug that was offered to me without any vocal or physical protest. Those included ones from Alex, Lizzy, Shelly, Megan, and even Mrs. Carmichael. That threw up some red flags for Shelly and Lori, with even Rebecca looking worried about me. Mrs. Carmichael had been apologizing nonstop about the unrealized dangers of the trip, alternating between Shelly and myself. I didn¡¯t really care. What was done was done. The rest of my attention went to the concerned faces of my sister, my friend, and the century-old redhead.


    Without the need to drive us for nearly a day straight, Lori ended up pulling me aside to check on me. She knew that my parents were killed and how much it affected me. At the time, I couldn¡¯t remember if I told her about me slipping off the doorframe and my theory about how that was what made the gunman pull the trigger. In a way that had to make me look like a rambling mess, I told her about that too. If she already knew, she didn¡¯t try to stop me. She just let me talk about it and how killing Eric made me feel that same helplessness.


    She nodded and listened intently, being able to tell that I wasn¡¯t looking for someone to tell me it was okay at that time. After that, Lori mentioned having trouble coming to grips with the fact that she killed Arthur. She seemed to be handling it better than I was handling my issues with Eric. I really wanted to ask her for help, and I knew she would be more than willing to try, but I was ashamed. Then I was ashamed of being ashamed. Every part of me screamed out that my life, Megan¡¯s life, and Rebecca''s life were all in danger with Eric there. It was us or him. I knew he wasn¡¯t going to stop without killing at least me and kidnapping Rebecca. I wanted to rationalize it by doing what I had to do to keep everyone safe. I still couldn¡¯t get it out of my head that I killed a normal guy because I didn¡¯t have enough control over my own powers. There was no way that someone like Alex couldn¡¯t have just incapacitated the guy and left the Tomb without adding another dead body to it.


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    Maybe if I¡¯d taken the time to push myself more during the more boring hours of the trip, no one would have had to die at all. I had made respectable progress in a short window, sure. I was able to save one of my friends from being shot! That meant a lot to me. It would have meant a lot to me if I had the control to avoid killing someone too.


    So, things weren¡¯t shaping up too well for me. It¡¯d already been a month since we¡¯d returned. I tried to keep up with social gatherings and look as normal as I could, using up all the energy I could muster in the process. The rest went into basic stuff that normally wouldn¡¯t have been any trouble for me. Showering, shaving, keeping my room tidy, and things along those lines. Those sorts of trivial things that helped me hold on and think my mind wasn¡¯t totally falling apart. I started to think of the flow of that routine as a river, and I couldn¡¯t let it dry up or get blocked. I had to keep it going.


    Along with those tasks, there were things I was actively battling throughout the days. Things that made staying afloat on that river feel like a crucible. I was having some terrible nightmares nearly every night. I had started sleeping with my light or television on just to see if the extra lights would help stop the nightmares. They did not. What bothered me most about my nightmares was that I couldn¡¯t even remember them when I woke up. I would just jolt awake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat with a massive headache, and fearing for someone¡¯s life. I was pretty sure it was mine I was afraid for, but with everything being a jumbled mess in my head, I didn¡¯t know for sure.


    One thing that helped me out was school, surprisingly. Since I¡¯d missed some while I was unconscious, and then I left for my trip to go to the Tomb, I needed to make up a healthy amount of work. None of it was difficult for me. It was just enough of a challenge that it took some time and it helped stimulate my mind in a productive way, temporarily banishing everything else that had been flooding it. Just having something simple and time consuming was a blessing for me. If the nightmares were the whitewater rapids in my Routine River, school was the sturdiest raft I could imagine, doing its best to keep me afloat. There wasn¡¯t anything preventing me from working ahead either, so in the four weeks that I¡¯d been back, I was actually able to get two whole months ahead. I was stunned when I checked the upcoming coursework to see that I was basically at the end of it. Not bad for a solid B student.


    That made Shelly happy, even though I could tell that she had trouble seeing me in the state I was. There was no chance I was going to fool her by putting on a fake, tough guy act, not that I was going to try. Shelly was always there if I needed her and she never pushed me the wrong way, though, and there weren¡¯t enough words to describe how much I appreciated that. But I could still see the pained expression on her face whenever I walked out after a rough night. Her stress about my stress wasn¡¯t doing a whole to help said stress.


    Everyone else had been kind to me during my down stretch. I didn¡¯t see them as much as I should have since they all had their own things going on. Alex was training and getting stronger. Lizzy was doing teambuilding work with her crew, but she still found time to text and check in on me when she could. Megan was temporarily staying with Mrs. Carmichael while they tried to find her a permanent home. Lori was meeting a lot with Mrs. Carmichael to iron out some leadership duties. I knew that she was also getting therapy sessions to help her work through killing Arthur. Mrs. Carmichael offered me the same deal. The idea of talking to someone about it all just seemed too far out of my reach, so I politely declined.


    And that¡¯s what my life had been for those four weeks. Some days were better than others. Some days I could smile and have that smile be mostly genuine. Other days I couldn¡¯t even force a fake smile. We had been spared from Dii Consentes attacking any cities and there were no reports of the cave collapse being caused by us. In fact, there hadn¡¯t been much made about the cave collapse at all. Fortunately, to the world, I was still a nobody. I was just an eighteen-year-old that could sit in his room, do his schoolwork online, and inch closer to graduation. I was spared being labeled a murderer by everyone except myself. To make up for being the only one putting that label on me, I did my best to make sure I wouldn¡¯t forget it.

 Book Two - Chapter Two

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 Book Two - Chapter Three

    The floodgates broke and she started to sob, as if not speaking about her daughter had been the last thing holding her together. I did recall Arthur mentioning something about his friend that kidnapped her using her daughter as leverage. I guess it had slipped my mind with everything going on at that time, along with the two of them having the same last name. I winced, only a little thankful her crying made it so she couldn¡¯t see my face very well.


    I sat down next to her at the bar. My hands twitched and my fingers laced around each other a few times. With a deep breath, I mustered the courage to put an arm around her shoulders. While not revolting for me, it was weird from not hugging people often. The biggest issue was that I didn¡¯t know how to comfort someone very well. I sort of just lightly pulled her close to me and rubbed the shoulder I held. She leaned into my chest and cried into that, so I took that as a sign that she didn¡¯t completely hate it herself.


    ¡°When that man came for me,¡± Rebecca began, finally calming down enough to speak, ¡°I thought he¡¯d just need me to remove someone¡¯s power. Or maybe even mimic a voice to trick someone. I was good at that stuff. No, he took me to that damn cave, and next thing I knew, I was with you guys.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how hard that was on you.¡± I didn¡¯t really know what to say, so I was trying to tread lightly. I was already feeling the energy I had for the day sapping away. Helping her find info on her daughter would be worth it, though. ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Just like you¡¯ve been there for Megan the past month?¡±


    Even though she was talking into my chest, I turned to look away. I was ashamed and embarrassed about my behavior. I knew I was doing wrong by Megan. I wasn¡¯t proud of it either. I was the one who found her. I was the one she seemed to gravitate to the most. I was the one who needed to be there for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s not...I didn¡¯t...¡± Rebecca fumbled with her words.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I should have been there for her.¡± I started chewing on my bottom lip. I suddenly felt sick. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to vanish on her or you. I want to be there for both of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot,¡± she said. ¡°Kids are important to me. You have a responsibility to help take care of her. I shouldn¡¯t have been snappy about it though.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I agree. I¡¯ve been moping for too long.¡± My throat felt tight. ¡°It¡¯s not helping anything. Maybe I could at least help her. Maybe I could help you. I know I did a bad job at showing that the kiddo is important to me too.¡±


    ¡°It kills me to see what she¡¯s going through.¡± Rebecca sniffled against my chest. I said a silent thanks for me wearing a freshly washed shirt. ¡°When Arthur told me what year it was, I couldn¡¯t handle the idea of being without my daughter like that. If I hadn¡¯t agreed with that kidnapping bastard, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have left my daughter alone. I can¡¯t make the same mistake with her. That¡¯s why I got so snippy with you there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to do better. I can¡¯t promise it¡¯ll be perfect on the first try, but I¡¯ll do my best to be there for her again.¡± I gave her shoulder a little squeeze, hiding my surprise at how normal and natural it felt to hold it. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go back to Rose. When was she born? I¡¯ll try to look her up by adding in a birthyear. Oh, almost forgot, what city?¡±


    ¡°Eighteen fifty-seven in Forks, Kansas.¡± Rebecca finally pulled away from me to grab a paper towel. She used it to wipe the tears from her face. The hug-like thing could have been a lot worse.


    I entered the info and numerous results popped up again, albeit fewer than before. I could tell right off the bat that more than a few weren¡¯t what we were looking for. I was worried that there wouldn¡¯t be much, if any, documentation of a random girl from that period. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. There was a hefty amount of information to sort through, so we got to work. She leaned in extra close as we shared her phone screen. Rebecca was able to easily steer me away from ones that had no chance of being right. Then we started digging into ones we thought had better chances, which we narrowed down pretty well. She let me do the navigating on the phone, expediting the process by a lot.


    ¡°Disappeared mother...¡± I read aloud, finally coming across an article on a site that talked about unsolved mysteries before the twentieth century. I turned the phone toward Rebecca. ¡°This is dated eighteen fifty-seven. Check it out.¡±


    She quickly took the phone from me and scrolled through it with wide eyes. Her mouth moved silently while she read the information. When she reached the end, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. There was an old photograph that showed a woman with a striking resemblance to Rebecca. The photo was black and white, so I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what color her hair was, though my gut was telling me it was likely red. They certainly shared the same freckles across their faces.


    ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Rebecca confirmed in a tiny, squeaky whisper. She held the phone to her chest and resumed her crying. I was glad it was much happier crying the second time around. She hugged that phone to her like it was her actual daughter. ¡°That¡¯s my Rose.¡±


    ¡°What did it say?¡± I asked, putting my arm around her again. She managed to nudge even closer to me to show me the screen.


    It was a bit of a long read that took me a few minutes to get through thanks to Rebecca¡¯s shaky hands holding the phone. The gist was that after her mother disappeared, Rose was taken in by a farmer and his family. Under their care, she worked hard on their land. Eventually, she ended up marrying a man who became a wealthy businessman nearing the turn of the century. After that, she was able to live a quiet and happy life with her family. Even with her comfortable life, she did want it documented that her mom disappeared in such a strange circumstance. She never wanted her mother¡¯s name to be lost to history.


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    ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful. What a lovely family.¡± She looked longingly at the photograph, her face alternating between sorrow and joy. ¡°I hope that she doesn¡¯t think I hated her and left.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± I gave her shoulder a small squeeze. ¡°She went out of her way to make it known that you just vanished with no trace. She held onto that well into adulthood, which for a kid that young, is pretty impressive. Rose never stopped thinking about you.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Her big green eyes were burning holes right through me.


    ¡°I know so,¡± I said, hoping I sounded confident. ¡°She got to live a happy life with a family that she loved with all her heart.¡±


    ¡°It breaks my heart that I couldn¡¯t see her grow up.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to tell me what she was like?¡± I asked. Rebecca turned to stare at me, her eyes narrowing as she scanned my face. I started to panic and worry I said something wrong.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first person who didn¡¯t just apologize that I lost her.¡± Rebecca shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re the only one to ask about her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am sorry this all happened,¡± I clarified. I scratched the back of my neck and looked at the bar. Talking about that kind of stuff always made me feel awkward and ungrateful. ¡°When I was twelve, I watched my parents get shot and killed in a home invasion. After that, everyone apologized for my loss. Police officers, doctors, kids at school, teachers, and just about anyone else who knew. It wasn¡¯t that that I didn¡¯t appreciate their condolences. They just...felt a little hollow when I heard them so many times. No one asked me what they were like either. They were only sorry I lost them. There¡¯s more to these people than just us losing them.¡±


    Rebecca nodded. ¡°You understand. It wasn¡¯t just my daughter I lost. It was her entire life I didn¡¯t get to see unfold. I never got to see her fall in love, I never got to meet her husband, I never got to see her children. Maybe I would have died before any of that happened, I can¡¯t tell the future. Or I guess it would be telling the past? Anyway, it wasn¡¯t just her I lost in my life. It was all the things she did and the life she lived.¡±


    I looked a bit longer at the picture of Rose¡¯s family. ¡°But as a mom, it feels good to know that she did get to live a nice life, right?¡±


    ¡°It does, you¡¯re right,¡± she agreed. She stood up and stretched. She still looked a little fragile. Then she did something I wasn¡¯t expecting. She threw her arms around me and pushed her face against my chest once again. The dampness on the front of my shirt told me she started crying again. Her voice was breaking and muffled, making it really hard for me to understand when she said, ¡°I¡¯d been hoping I could find her for this month I¡¯ve been here. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.¡±


    I really did not know what to do with my hands. There were hugs between friends¡ªand acquaintances, apparently¡ªand hugs where a crying woman is burying her face in my chest. I wasn¡¯t well-versed in either with the latter being entirely uncharted foreign territory. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should hug her back, how long it would last, or really anything. I made a quick decision to just return the embrace before I managed to make everything more awkward, if that was even possible. I couldn¡¯t lie, it felt pretty dang nice.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help with this,¡± I told her.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hard thing for me to be open about. When I saw you for the first time, I had a good feeling about you. Then you nearly got yourself killed to save me and a little girl.¡± Rebecca pulled her head back and looked up at me. She took a few deep breaths to settle herself back down. ¡°I had Rose when I was seventeen out of wedlock, which didn¡¯t go over well with my family. They were embarrassed about it, and people in town made sure I was reminded of my actions. He was a real sweet-talking city boy. Could talk the deed to your property right out of your hands. Turns out, he was just interested in getting in my pants. That¡¯s what you call it now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one name for it. Having a kid before you¡¯re married doesn¡¯t exactly go over well today either.¡±


    ¡°My relationship with my parents was never great. Having Rose only a bigger strain on it. Good thing I just helped out on the farm mostly. Didn¡¯t have to do much but haul a lot of heavy stuff around for my father.¡± That explained her solid-looking physique. ¡°I wasn¡¯t ashamed that I had her, not at all, but I was ashamed that I couldn¡¯t do more for her. I was...a little embarrassed to let everyone know about her.¡±


    ¡°But I was okay to tell?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°You understand what I¡¯ve dealt with better than the others. You understand how it feels to have your family taken away.¡± Rebecca offered a tiny smile. ¡°And, like I said, I had a good feeling about you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what it was like to lose a daughter. I couldn¡¯t imagine how terrible it felt. Losing Mom and Dad was awful enough. Imagining outliving my own child made me feel ill from just the thought. I had no idea how Rebecca managed it. Even knowing Rose lived a good life, the whole situation must¡¯ve torn the woman up inside.


    When it came to Mom and Dad, I tried not to make it a focal point of my identity, because there¡¯s no faster way to kill a good mood than to bring up dead parents. So, maybe there was something there that made it easier for her to open about Rose. There was no healthy way to hold a traumatic event like that inside a person either. I wanted to be more than just my dead parents, and Rebecca no doubt wanted to be more than a single mother who felt like she failed her daughter.


    ¡°I can¡¯t force you to talk about anything,¡± she said, ¡°but holding that guilt can eat away at you. I¡¯m just a stranger to you, I know, so you might not even listen to me. I want you to know that you don¡¯t have to suffer alone. You can tell me anything if you ever want to.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hate the idea. With her understanding eyes, and a touch that didn¡¯t make my want to fly off, it felt easier with her. Even considering that, I was getting a bit warm from the hugging. ¡°Do strangers usually hug this long?¡±


    She immediately released her grip and backed away. Her face was almost as red as her hair. My own face felt like it could start a forest fire if I got too close to some trees. ¡°Sorry. Lori mentioned something about touching.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± I said with a laugh. The sound almost felt unfamiliar to me after the past month. ¡°It¡¯s been getting better ever since I met Lori. For whatever reason, I don¡¯t get bothered at all by you. Anyway, going back to what you said, I think you¡¯re right. It¡¯s about time I try to do something about this.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Four

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 Book Two - Chapter Five

    I didn¡¯t tell Shelly about Rebecca coming over or that we hung out after the fact. Not wanting to get her hopes up, I wanted to make sure I still felt good enough when I woke up before letting her know about my plans for the day. She could tell I was in better spirits when she walked in, though. It looked like there was a weight lifted off her back and I felt awful about how much I might¡¯ve been upsetting the people around me, even if they were just upset for me because I was upset.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t even right to say I was really upsetting them. It wasn¡¯t like they were mad at me. They had all been very kind and supportive of me, but it was tough for them to see. That was a better way for me to look at it. It was tough on them to see where I was mentally. Then it became tough on me to see them feel helpless about my own helplessness. Everything was so frustrating. It was this giant circle where everything fed back into each other to create this weird, miserable loop that I was beyond sick of.


    My sister made a small and easy dinner. I made sure to eat all my meals with her for both our sakes, so long as she was available. The last thing I needed was to just hole up in my room with every meal to eat alone. Just by seeing me in a noticeably better place, I could tell that Shelly was having a great evening. She was almost bubbly. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t push it and ask me for a bunch of details. She just left it at saying I looked better before she went to bed with a warm smile on her face.


    When she turned to head to her room, I nearly stopped her to ask her if a girl drawing you in her notebook was a good sign she might like you. I opened my mouth before she could go too far, but before I could say anything, I chickened out. At that moment, I didn¡¯t want Shelly to know there might a girl who possibly liked me.


    That night, no nightmares ruined my sleep. I felt comfortable shutting both the light and TV off. The darkness I¡¯d missed wrapped around me to help me drift off for the night. It hit me hard just how much I hated sleeping with any kind of light on. With my improved mindset, I found one of the best nights of sleep I¡¯d had in a while as my reward.


    I woke up feeling good and was relieved to learn I had enough time to take a shower before Rebecca arrived. I was already nervous enough about going out again. Throwing on some rank body odor wasn¡¯t something I wanted to add to my nerves. I made sure I shaved off any stubble while I lamented about needing a haircut. It looked fine enough still, but it was getting a bit long, even for my liking.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Shelly greeted me as I went out to the living room. I jumped back, not expecting her to be there. She¡¯d been absent most mornings around that time. She saw that I was wearing clothes a teeny bit nicer than my usual moping loungewear. She couldn¡¯t keep the hint of excitement out of her voice. ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    I wanted to lie about it or play it off. Knowing her, it was going to come back to bite me in the butt if I did that. That was even if she didn¡¯t see right through the lie the moment it left my mouth. ¡°Rebecca asked if I wanted to watch Lizzy¡¯s team have a training match.¡±


    ¡°Rebecca,¡± Shelly said flatly. Her eyes narrowed, looking like she was trying to put the name to a face. I could practically see the lightbulb go off above her head. I was surprised she didn¡¯t know her immediately, given she was half of the reason I looked like I lost a fight in a butcher shop. ¡°The strong-looking redhead? I haven¡¯t seen her around much. She¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°She needed to learn how to use her phone,¡± I said, not really telling a lie. More like a half-truth, or just not the entire truth. Rebecca had needed to learn to use the phone. ¡°We chatted for a bit, and she mentioned a match today. I thought it might be time to try and stop feeling sorry for myself.¡±


    Suddenly, Shelly looked all serious. She got up and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be saying this, since I¡¯ve just wanted you to feel better again. Please don¡¯t rush it. Just know that all of us want you to take it at your pace. If it¡¯s too soon for you, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, that really does mean a lot.¡± That one was not a half-truth. ¡°I do think I¡¯m ready. Ready to try, if nothing else. I can see it on your face and their faces. It¡¯s not been easy for anyone. Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I¡¯m so tired of those looks. I¡¯m tired of feeling this way myself. I can¡¯t just...stop living because something messed with my head.¡±


    ¡°You know, I wish you were just a normal eighteen-year-old.¡± Shelly shook her head. When she looked at me again, she was smiling. ¡°You¡¯re not nearly impulsive enough. You actually think things through too much. Go out and drink at a party or something so I can get mad at you. Don¡¯t actually do that. I will be mad, and I think Mom¡¯s ghost would haunt me forever if I knowingly let it happen.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the same way at eighteen?¡± I asked, remembering how Shelly was when she was younger, ignoring the uncomfortable chill I felt when she brought up the idea of Mom having a ghost. I couldn¡¯t remember a time I¡¯d ever seen her have fun, which was a terrible thought to have about your family. ¡°Thinking about it, weren¡¯t you always like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you have an entirely different set of problems that I couldn¡¯t handle.¡± She walked back to the bar and started to play on her laptop.


    ¡°I just like to go with the flow as best I can. I¡¯m not good at making big decisions.¡±


    I plopped down on the couch and started to watch news. It was all about people with Anomalies, or the ¡°Enhanced Humans¡±, as some news stations desperately tried to make stick to the public¡¯s general vocabulary. They even capitalized it every time, like we really were just something completely inhuman. I wasn¡¯t a big fan of that name. According to a few texts from Lori, we had many more people revealing they had Anomalies of their own once they realized there may have been an explanation for all the crazy things that happened around them. All the ones interviewed resented Dii Consentes and their actions. Some sympathized with the goal of wanting people with powers to be recognized, but that had been muddled by the terrorist attacks. There were still plenty of normal people who were against us entirely.


    Seeing everyone talk about it reminded me that I hadn¡¯t texted Chloe in a long time either. I pulled out my phone, and when I saw that I hadn¡¯t replied to her last text for nearly a month, I hesitated. We weren¡¯t friends, per se, though I did enjoy hearing about how other places were handling the whole superpowers thing, particularly a major university. The casual, easy conversation with her was nice. Through gritted teeth and a wince, I texted out an apology and just left it at I was going through some stuff. I added in that my upcoming graduation was stressing me out.


    Away from the world of my phone, the news parroted the same stuff over and over. They were true pros at taking a thirty-second conversation and stretching it out over two hours. I felt my eyes glaze over watching it and I almost fell back asleep. I had started thinking about what new decorations I wanted in the living room, something I¡¯d never cared about before, just to stay awake. How cool would a model ship have been above the fake fireplace? I was spared from a poorly timed nap and worse interior decorating decisions by a knock on the door. My phone told me it was a couple minute before nine, so that narrowed the list of people it could have been to just a few.


    I opened the door, being met with bright red hair for the second time in as many days. Rebecca was wearing a green dress that ended just above her knees, some black leggings, and gray sneakers. It was a simple and very nice outfit. I offered Rebecca breakfast again, but she politely declined. She saw my sister and got a little red in the face. They exchanged small waves and smiles with each other. Rebecca grabbed at the hem of her skirt, looking eager to get going. I waved to Shelly and told her I loved her, scooting past Rebecca and locking the door behind me. We walked for about a minute in silence. When we were far enough away from my apartment that I was positive there was no way Shelly could hear us, I asked her about it.


    ¡°Does my sister bother you?¡± I tried not to sound offended.


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± she said in a hurry. ¡°I¡¯ve just been meeting so many new people. I¡¯m a bit, what do some of you guys like to say today? Oh, my social battery is drained. I overheard a guy saying that the other day. Anyway, I¡¯ve talked to her before. She¡¯s nice and all, I¡¯m just not looking to talk to someone.¡±


    ¡°As long as there¡¯s no bad blood, everything¡¯s good. Sorry to hear that meeting all these people is taking so much out of you.¡± I didn¡¯t touch on why I might¡¯ve been the exception.


    We took the only path I knew to get down there. The walk felt like it was getting shorter each time, even with the month-long gap between my trips. We passed the same old homes, stores, and restaurants. Nearly each one I wanted to go visit. More than once, I had to stop myself from asking Rebecca if she¡¯d like to go grab more food from the few caf¨¦s we passed. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d hurt to wait a bit longer.


    In the training hallway, just about all the room-usage papers were filled up. No sounds could be heard through the walls, but the small windows in the doors showed that no one was shy about training anymore. I had to remind myself that while I might be special among normal humans, there were still thousands of people with Anomalies, and they weren¡¯t going to wait up for me to get better. More people had found their way to Luna when they had reasonable explanations for why they might¡¯ve accidentally lit their school or work on fire too. Mrs. Carmichael had to have been keeping busy enough to yank her hair out.


    ¡°Here it is,¡± Rebecca said, pointing toward the sheet of paper in the plastic container. It was booked for a couple hours, and we were already past their scheduled start time, so they were probably already inside. The participants were Lizzy, Julio, and Braden. Rebecca looked confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t there supposed to be four?¡±


    ¡°We only had three when we got you,¡± I replied with a shrug. I wasn¡¯t sure how married to the four-person team idea Mrs. Carmichael actually was. ¡°Maybe Rosie is busy with something else.¡±


    Entering the room, I noticed that there wasn¡¯t anyone in the waiting area. We made our way to the upstairs viewing area that was, thankfully, empty as well. I had a feeling in my gut that told me these spectator seats wouldn¡¯t be empty for long. If more people were starting to use the rooms, folks who wanted to watch would follow suit. It was only a matter of time.


    ¡°Do you know what either of them can do?¡± I asked, looking at both guys. They were facing each other from opposite ends of the court. I recalled Julio being shorter than Braden, so it was easy to pick him out. He had a hoodie obscuring most of his face. Lizzy stood between them, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. She looked more like a referee than a participant. A bored one at that. From my seat, it looked like she might¡¯ve been examining her nails.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I hope they¡¯re interesting. There are some wild powers out there.¡± Rebecca looked lost in some memories. ¡°I took away the powers of one guy who could make elephant trunks appear out of the ground and use them as weapons. They made a bunch of noises too. One of the first things I did when I got here was make someone show me a video about elephants. I had to know if they were making the same sound.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, stunned. I envisioned a man laughing maniacally in a never-ending field of gray elephant trunks, all of them smashing everything to bits. ¡°How have I not heard about that guy today?¡±


    ¡°History¡¯s pretty selective as is. We didn¡¯t all have cameras and computers in our pockets, and not even everyone was literate. It was easier to get away with stuff back in my day. I removed his power anyway. He probably wasn¡¯t eager to let the world know about that.¡±


    ¡°That makes me glad we found Rose.¡± I thought about how many people thought they were just crazy if they saw someone use an Anomaly in public before McLeod outed the whole thing. I had a small hope that some of those people were being smug about how right they were all along.


    ¡°She married someone wealthy. That made it easier for her to make her story known.¡± A warm smile spread across Rebecca¡¯s face. ¡°Her gumption to make sure what happened was documented she got from her grandmother. She would never see anything unfinished, for better and worse. She hated stories with no concrete ending.¡±


    ¡°How do you take away someone¡¯s power anyway?¡± I asked. Even with her noticeable muscles, Rebecca wasn¡¯t the scariest looking person around. She looked like a child compared to the knight we fought in the Tomb. I had to keep reminding myself that she was arguably the strongest person in the building.


    ¡°I touch them with the palm of either hand.¡± She held up her open hand and showed me the little target markings that had popped up in the car after we got out of the Tomb. ¡°It can go through clothing. I just need to touch a person. People here haven¡¯t been lining up to shake my hand.¡±


    She looked and sounded surprisingly hurt when she said it. Her eyes fell to the marks. They were unusual as is, and once word got out what she could do, there was no chance she could keep that Anomaly hidden. Shrugging, I took her hand in mine and gave it a firm shake. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she shook my hand back.


    Maybe that was part of the issue she had at Luna. I had trouble seeing Lori or Lizzy reacting that way. From what I knew of them, they were such nice ladies. Those two didn¡¯t represent the entirety of Luna by a long shot, though. A lot of the people probably held their powers in high regard and would be distraught if something happened to them. While I could understand that mindset, it didn¡¯t make it right.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s funny,¡± I said, checking if they had started sparring down there yet. Judging from Lizzy¡¯s still-bored expression, they had not. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have your voice power, and you only had the ability to block other Anomalies, you wouldn¡¯t even have a power at all in a normal world.¡±


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    ¡°Is...is that funny?¡± Rebecca asked. She looked confused, like she was just trying to piece together what I said and find any humor in it.


    ¡°I thought it was interesting.¡± My face went red thinking I¡¯d said something weird or nonsensical.


    Luck was on my side, because the sparring session began before I could worry more about how I might have embarrassed myself. Lizzy pulled out her phone and tapped her screen a few times. Right when I thought she was making a phone call, rock formations appeared out of the ground. This development didn¡¯t seem to surprise any of the three down in the room, but Rebecca and I weren¡¯t expecting it. Terrain modification for the training rooms? That was pretty awesome. Lizzy barked some command and took a step back, and the fight was on


    Julio lowered his head, flipped back his hood, and two...things burst through his short hair. They were an off-white color, contrasting against his dark hair. Braden took cover behind one of the rocks that Lizzy called up. After some dust cleared from the impact, I realized that they were antlers that had grown out of Julio¡¯s head. They were embedded into the rock pillar, where a huge crack surrounded the entry points. Some of the branching parts of the antlers made their way into the rock as well, leaving tiny puncture marks over the entire thing.


    ¡°Wow.¡± I couldn¡¯t comprehend how those worked or what they must feel like. Julio¡¯s antlers crossed at least twenty feet almost instantly. There weren¡¯t any branching bits until the very ends; the part that was supposed to hit Braden. Could he control how much and where they grew?


    ¡°Jeez, he makes our powers look tame, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Rebecca asked, nudging me with her elbow. Since just about all I could do was make a floating hand, I couldn¡¯t disagree with that assessment.


    Julio¡¯s antlers receded and went back to his head. They returned slower than they went out. Given the distance between him and myself, I might¡¯ve just been seeing things, but I was pretty sure there were two little nubs in his hair. The damage in the rock was impressive for just a sparring match attack. He either didn¡¯t know his own strength or they weren¡¯t pulling their punches against each other.


    I realized I had scooted toward the edge of my seat. In the time I took to readjust my position before looking back at the room, something had changed. I didn¡¯t know what exactly it was, but something was different. It was just like those side-by-side pictures where a single miniscule element was removed or added, and you had to find the difference between them. While I searched for the change, Julio tensed up and started looking too. He lifted both his feet and checked the floor beneath him, as if he might¡¯ve stepped in something gross and needed to scrape it off.


    Braden was still standing behind the same rock he used for cover with only his right hand visible to me. Out of it, there was some kind of thick, black goop dripping from his fingertips to the ground, landing in small puddles. I thought that it might have been tar, but when it hit the ground, it raced around to the other side of the rock. There it started to pool and bubble, a shadowy figure slowly rising from the mess. A little gross? Yes. Awesome? Absolutely. Reminded me of the shadowy hallucinations I dealt with for years? I didn¡¯t dwell on that.


    When it fully emerged, it mostly solidified and took the shape of a human. Some bits of goop continued to drip from its frame onto the ground. It twitched and jerked unnaturally. There were red glowing specks where its eyes should have been. The rest of it was pure black, giving me similar vibes to the knight and his black armor. In its right arm, it held a sword made from whatever substance its body was. It lumbered slowly toward Julio, each step looking pained and labored.


    That¡¯s when I realized how Braden created it.


    There was one bright light above the combat area, and no matter where I looked, there wasn¡¯t a single shadow to be spotted. That¡¯s why the room was different in a way I didn¡¯t immediately notice. I couldn¡¯t help the grin that broke out on my face. Lizzy had a pretty wicked team under her command.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Rebecca asked. She looked unsettled by it, and I didn¡¯t blame her. That thing was creepy.


    ¡°The one hiding behind the rock,¡± I said, pointing toward Braden, ¡°I think he can control shadows.¡±


    I looked down and noticed that we still had our shadows, as did everything else in the room that I could see. Maybe they weren¡¯t allowed to use things from outside the combat area. Or maybe he had a highly limited range or poor control. He did look like a nervous guy from that first meeting I had with him. The power alone was already a shock from what I knew about him. It was sneaky, maybe befitting a timid guy like him. Its applications were deadly too.


    The more I thought about it, the less sure I was about his Anomaly. If he could control shadows and manifest them into tangible objects, why not just use the shadow behind Julio to make a blade that could attack his blind side? That would make more sense, at least it did to me. ¡°Actually, I think he can steal them.¡±


    ¡°Steal them?¡± Rebecca questioned. We both watched the shadow being¡¯s movements become crisper and more precise with each passing second. From behind his cover, Julio was trying to impale it with his antlers, but every time they hit, the shadow just reformed whatever area was hit when the antlers pulled back.


    ¡°When he made that thing, it all dripped from his fingers like goop. I think he can, like, hold onto the shadows he gathers.¡± I wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure that¡¯s how it worked. It was just a working theory. No matter the mechanics behind it, it was incredible. Knowing how he made it would only be part of being able to stop it anyway.


    The shadow being found the rock that Julio had just taken refuge behind. Its ¡°eyes¡± appeared to glow a little brighter as it raised its sword. I was worried for Julio¡¯s wellbeing in that moment, but he swiftly proved my worries unfounded. The shadow blade slammed into an antler shield. They were like those shovel kinds of antlers on a caribou, and with how he manipulated them, they shielded his entire body completely. One benefit to being a shorter guy was that he didn¡¯t need to cover as much.


    The shadow kept swinging and beating on the shield, slowly pushing Julio back. There were small cracks beginning to form in his antlers. Julio was brought down to one knee, and it was clear he was struggling against the onslaught. Bits of bone started to fall to the floor, big enough that I could see them. If he didn¡¯t yield or have a trick up his sleeve...


    The next strike was powerful. It shattered right through Julio¡¯s crumbling defenses. The blade embedded itself in his shoulder. From what I could tell, it wasn¡¯t a terribly deep wound. Blood leaked out of it and black goop went in the open gash. Lizzy immediately threw up her hand and called the match in favor of Braden. The shadow returned to its ooze-like state in the ground before it split, each shadow going back to everything in the room.


    ¡°I thought that¡¯d go on longer, like a movie or something.¡± I sat down, feeling a bit underwhelmed by the sparring match. Then I felt disgusted at myself for wanting a simple sparring match to go longer for my entertainment. They weren¡¯t supposed to be all-out brawls. If that broke out in a city, innocents would suffer in a long battle.


    ¡°Movie...movie...¡± Rebecca trailed off. Then she snapped her fingers. ¡°Those are the moving picture things, right? Well, those and television.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Watching Julio, he seemed in pretty good shape, considering he just had a blade sunk into his shoulder. He looked like he could have kept going, but it was smart for Lizzy to call it as a precaution. She waved in a medic to help her boys. ¡°Have you seen a movie yet?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve stuck with books,¡± she said. ¡°A lot of the stuff on screens have been a bit overstimulating for me. I get a headache trying to use the phone thing, but it¡¯s so much easier to get books now. I love how many there are to read.¡±


    ¡°There might be some easier shows to start you out with. A lot of it is easy on the eyes if you know where to look.¡±


    The medic finished healing Julio and departed the room, not wasting any time getting out of there. Julio rotated and tested his shoulder, doing some stretches and jumping jacks. He gave Lizzy a thumbs up and she signaled for the second match to begin. This time, instead of rocks, there was a large pool with various bits of land rotating around the center, creating constantly moving tiny islands.


    That one didn¡¯t go as well for Braden. With less shadows to pull from the stone pillars, his creation wasn¡¯t nearly as strong. Julio also figured out its weakness: an antler through the head. Once he skewered it through the head, it returned to its puddle form and rushed back to Braden. He didn¡¯t have enough time to reform it against Julio¡¯s offense, so he got impaled in the shoulder and knocked in the water, ending the second bout quickly. The healer didn¡¯t look thrilled to be in there with those two, but he did his job and fixed up Braden nicely.


    He looked really discouraged when Lizzy called them over to talk to them. I couldn¡¯t tell what they were talking about, but they broke their small huddle with both guys returning to their original spots. They were still talking toward each other, throwing in some head shakes or nods. If they were fighting, it looked like Julio won, because Braden¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    He gathered up the three shadows of the people in the room once again. Instead of forming them into another warrior, he formed a black orb between his hands, about the size of a baseball. He nodded and Julio did his defensive antler trick, completely covering his entire body. Pointed black lines shot out from the orb and struck the shield.


    Braden repeated that for what felt like hours. The instant one made contact, he retracted it, getting a bit faster each time. The attacks weren¡¯t just retracting faster either; they were coming out of the black ball quicker too. Julio was being pushed back again, and while it was not as hard as he had been against the shadow being, he still had to brace himself. Whenever a crack formed in the antlers, Julio would repair it, like how I wanted to with my own barriers.


    I checked my phone and I must have lost track of time. It was already nearing eleven, meaning their training time was almost up. Lizzy checked her phone and realized it too, calling their practice to a halt. She waved them over and gave them both congratulatory pats on their shoulders, something Julio took much better than Braden. Had I really just spent over an hour watching one guy fire the same shadow beams from a ball?


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one who can control the shadows?¡± Rebecca asked, her face nearly pressed against the glass.


    ¡°Braden...something. I don¡¯t know his full name.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how that works.¡± She stepped back and we started to walk down the stairs to the room that connected the combat area to the hallway. ¡°Would he be able to do the same thing in a room with no light, or can he only pull shadows created by the absence of light? Well, I guess that¡¯s what every shadow is, but you know what I mean. The thing he did with the stones.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but trying to imagine the cans and cannots of it all was threatening to give me a headache. Leave the weird shadow magic at home and just give my equally weird shimmer magic. With my brain being connected to it, at least that stuff made sense to me. Thinking about it, our powers were probably similar in that regard. I got excited when I considered I might be able to make my own warrior to fight for me.


    Braden was the first one back in. The poor guy was just about yanked aside by Rebecca, who was firing a hundred questions a second at him about his power. Apparently, the little duel had recharged her social battery a little. His expression was asking me for help, but I could only give him a look of sympathy and a shrug in return. He was a good sport about answering her questions once he could get a word in, though. Rebecca¡¯s face lit up with everything he said, which got a smile out of me.


    Lizzy and Julio lagged behind a bit, chatting and strategizing about different ways that he could use his antlers. Something about trying to expand the area he could cover with his shield, I think. Julio had this glint in his eye whenever he talked about his power. No doubt he took a lot of pride in what he could do, even if it was kind of weird. I guess when you¡¯re weird among the weird, having unshakable confidence was a requirement.


    ¡°Hey, Ethan,¡± Lizzy said, barely passing me a glance, before resuming her chat with Julio. Then she did a double-take, realizing I was actually there in front of her again. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really good to see you again.¡± I waved and smiled at her. ¡°Sorry that it took me so long.¡±


    ¡°Dude, don¡¯t sweat that.¡± Her face showed nothing but kindness and understanding with her smile. Even her scar seemed to be grinning at me. ¡°Everyone has times where they need to fight through their battles. None of us are mad at you for taking as long as you needed.¡±


    The understanding made me uncomfortable, though I still appreciated it more than I could put in words. I was still eager to change the subject away from myself. ¡°So, doing training with your team?¡±


    Lizzy¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of her team, like a mom who was just invited to gush about the accomplishments of her children. She pulled Julio in close, something that looked easy given that he was a good few inches shorter than her. He didn¡¯t seem to mind too much, throwing a cocky grin my way. ¡°Sure am. These guys have awesome Anomalies. Guessing you saw?¡±


    ¡°Antlers and shadows,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Some spooky stuff there.¡±


    ¡°When you guys are ready, we should have a four-on-four match.¡± Lizzy looked excited at her own idea. With the offensive capabilities of her team and her ability to bring out ways for them to train, I didn¡¯t share that same enthusiasm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. I need to catch up to you guys and she¡¯s still adjusting.¡± I nodded my head toward Rebecca, who was still talking Braden¡¯s ear off. Her green eyes sparkled with glee going over the shadow powers. ¡°How would that work out? One of her powers let¡¯s her take away someone¡¯s Anomaly by touch.¡±


    ¡°If she touches someone, they have to sit out the rest of the exercise,¡± Lizzy suggested. ¡°Oh, or they could just try to fight without using their powers. That¡¯s mostly what Lori and I have to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°What can you do?¡± Julio asked, looking me up and down, like he was analyzing how worthy of a match I was. I realized he was trying to size me up to make himself look strong in front of Lizzy. I had no interest in dating her, and I was sure she felt the same, so it was almost cute to see him try and look all tough. It was at least nicer than when Alex first sized me up.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t really know how to explain it,¡± I admitted, having difficulty trying to wrap my head around it. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I had begun to scratch the surface of what I could do. ¡°I guess it¡¯s sort of like Braden?¡±


    At the mention of his name, his head turned toward us, but Lizzy waved him back to his one-sided conversation. No life raft for him there as the redhead pulled him back under the ocean of questions she had.


    ¡°You control shadows?¡± Julio was confused. I didn¡¯t blame him. I wasn¡¯t making it easy to understand.


    ¡°No, I can make these kinds of shimmering creations. I¡¯ve only done barriers, small shielding on my skin, a hand, and...a sort of ball.¡± I shook my head, remembering the ball that I shoved into Eric¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Julio said flatly. I couldn¡¯t even show him since other people couldn¡¯t seem to see what I created.


    ¡°Oh, you can make a hand now?¡± Lizzy asked. Since she¡¯d helped me with the barrier trick, she understood it a bit more. ¡°When did you figure that out?¡±


    ¡°When I called my sister from the hotel room. You were there.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t remember that. Anyway, nice job. That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    We chatted for a few more minutes about how everyone was doing and holding up. Lizzy had been doing her best to spend at least some time each day with some of her team, which was paying dividends, because they were all getting along great. Apparently, Mrs. Carmichael had sent out eight total teams on missions similar to ours, but we were the only one that came back with anything. Ours was the wild goose chase that yielded some results. That included a little girl and a fight that almost got me killed. That didn¡¯t make her view any of the teams as lesser, since they were mostly old legends anyway. We just happened to get lucky to find ours.


    Mrs. Carmichael had to announce what happened, both as a morale booster and as an explanation for why around twenty-four people left the Luna complex within forty-eight hours of each other. One result of us being the only team to come back with something was all of us had sort of become popular. People were stopping Lori all the time since she was the leader, and she was too kind to tell them she was busy, so she¡¯d answer their questions and play along. Alex had no shortage of people trying to get his time either. No doubt that was a great source of joy for our small captain.


    ¡°Jeez, sounds like Rebecca and I have been smart just staying off the radar,¡± I said. Talking was one thing, but when people got excited, they tended to forget about personal space boundaries.


    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Lizzy agreed. She nudged me in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°You¡¯re the one that has to worry. Get ready to beat those girls off with a stick. Ladies love a guy who put his life on the line to save a child. Makes their maternal instincts go wild.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I said, wincing. ¡°Beating people away with sticks is just the thing I need right now.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Six

    ¡°You might just have to suck it up and send her a message yourself,¡± Rebecca told me, taking a sip of her now-regularly ordered iced coffee. According to her, it was one of the best tasting things she ever had, at least after the first two days of ordering it. She added that it was a pretty low bar the iced coffee had to clear, but it leaped over it and planted the landing with perfect tens all across the board.


    ¡°I know, you¡¯re right.¡± I looked at my phone¡¯s blank screen, still making zero progress on doing what I should have been.


    A week had passed since we sat in on Lizzy¡¯s Sunday team training. Seeing Julio and Braden get a better feel for their powers made me want to practice with Alex again, and since Lori was our leader, I was hoping she¡¯d be involved too. I just...hadn¡¯t really worked up the courage to text Lori to try and schedule a time to get together. I was still feeling ashamed about everything. It made it hard for me to reach out, even though I knew she¡¯d understand. Out of all my friends, she¡¯d understand the most. It was her power to understand what people were feeling. Still, in a lot of ways, it was easier to open up to Rebecca than it was to the woman who was already the best friend I ever had.


    ¡°This coffee stuff really is damn good,¡± she said, trying to shift the subject after seeing the discomfort on my face. We both already knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to wait forever for Lori to reach out, so there was no point in beating that dead horse, unless I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here every day for a week,¡± I reminded her. The two of us hanging out had become a daily thing. We¡¯d both had bad days where our emotions got the better of us, so we were doing our best to help each other through it. For a mother who lost her daughter, I thought she was handling it remarkably well. ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you were still getting it if you hate it.¡±


    ¡°It was an acquired taste, I¡¯ll admit.¡± She took a long drink, so it really must¡¯ve been a quickly acquired taste after a couple days. Her eyes got wide like she just remembered something. ¡°Are there names for powers or for people with them?¡±


    It took me a moment to realize she was talking about things like superheroes. ¡°Not one that I know. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯d name my own power.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I was reading those comic book things. I thought those would be a good place to start with some entertainment from today since, you know, we have powers. They¡¯re colorful and they don¡¯t give me headaches.¡± She stopped herself and took a deep breath. ¡°Anyway, I was reading some and they had codenames for their identities. Some have cool names for their powers, but it¡¯s mostly for their superhero alter egos.¡±


    ¡°You think we should have names?¡± I asked. I¡¯d been thinking about it since there had been a handful of reports come out that people may have been using powers to fight crime. Chloe told me about a fight that was stopped on campus by someone with super strength, after she forgave me for ignoring her for a month, thankfully.


    She replied with an indifferent shrug. ¡°Just one of those things I thought about while trying to get to sleep. Doesn¡¯t it sound fun?¡±


    ¡°I guess, but I still don¡¯t know what I would call my own power. No one else can see the objects I can create. It feels like it doesn¡¯t make sense to name something that someone else couldn¡¯t see.¡±


    Rebecca just stared at me like she was waiting for me to deliver a punchline. When that didn¡¯t come, she carried on, ¡°What are you talking about? I saw the orb that you had to use on Eric.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± I asked. I felt myself leaning over the table. ¡°No one else had been able to see my shields. How¡¯d you see that?¡±


    ¡°With my eyes, duh.¡± She pointed toward her glasses like she was being cute. Maybe I thought she was. Only a little bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any shields. Just the ball.¡±


    I leaned back against the firm wood in our booth, letting what she told me settle. The shields weren¡¯t visible, but the all-or-nothing orb attack I used was. I hadn¡¯t shown anyone the hand or any of the other things I¡¯d been working on. I figured they¡¯d follow the same pattern as the shield. That was why I needed to practice with others to figure everything out. If the ball was visible, that would change how I could work my power.


    Rebecca¡¯s concerned-filled gaze was fixated on me. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing you can do about that right now. Describe your power to me. I¡¯ll help you name it.¡±


    I knew she was trying to keep me from getting in my own head, so I went along with her. After all, it would be neat to have a secret name if I ever needed one. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to describe the things I make. They¡¯re part of me, at least sort of. I have some sort of connection to them. I can physically feel it when they¡¯re destroyed. It¡¯s like a tingle in the base of my skull. If I have too many barriers destroyed in succession, I get a bad nosebleed and might black out. I was out for a week the first time it happened.¡±


    ¡°Give me details that don¡¯t involve you hemorrhaging everywhere, Mr. Sunshine. Something nicer, please.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re sort of...purple-pink in color.¡± I made a small barrier in front of me to make sure I was remembering it right. Sure enough, the colors rolled across the barrier and shimmered in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ve always seen them as a slight shimmer, like it¡¯s visually telling me it¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I saw in the ball, so I think you¡¯re right on that.¡± She stopped for a minute to tap her index finger on her chin and think. After a while, she finally came up with something. ¡°I think Shimmer is a good name. And it¡¯s a good name for the things you create. Shimmer-Shield, Shimmer-Hand, whatever you want.¡±


    Shimmer. I said it in my head a few times and tried putting it into sentences, probably looking like I was a complete weirdo with how much I was moving my head around in thought. It actually fit in well and rolled off the tongue nicely. I had some concerns with it, but I didn¡¯t have a better name to offer up in its place. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s cool enough?¡±


    ¡°Ethan, with all due respect, you may be the least cool guy I¡¯ve ever met,¡± Rebecca told me gently. I didn¡¯t take any offense to it on account of her being completely right. ¡°That¡¯s such a juvenile concept anyway. Seeming cool is for kids. You nearly died saving a child and a woman you just met. That¡¯s actually cool.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, I kind of like it,¡± I said. I carefully took a bite of the warm pastry in front of me, having learned my lesson from the first time. I kept repeating the name, putting different inflections on it. ¡°Shimmer. Shiiiimmer. Shimmer.¡±


    ¡°It might not have a hidden meaning or anything special, but it¡¯s short and memorable. I¡¯ll always remember when Shimmer took a beating to save my life.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked, swallowing down my delicious baked food. Her comment left me embarrassed, but I tried to not let it show. ¡°Have you thought about your own name?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Rebecca¡¯s face went nearly as red as her hair and she suddenly had a deep interest in a small nick on the table. ¡°I was thinking Paracusia. If I had to have one at all, that is.¡±


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    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± I had never heard the word before, but it sounded like one of those fancy medical words that I would have trouble pronouncing if she hadn¡¯t done it for me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of auditory hallucination,¡± Rebecca informed me. Her face was still red, but she wasn¡¯t quite as reserved as she had just been. ¡°I¡¯ve been good at throwing people for a loop with my voice power. My voice isn¡¯t really a hallucination or anything. Anyway, no one needs to know that part.¡±


    ¡°Why not a name that takes inspiration from your other power?¡± I finished off my pastry and took another sip of iced coffee. The warm food being washed down by the cold beverage was a refresher, and really, one of those little things I had started looking forward to each day. Even on my bad days where it was a nightmare to get to the little caf¨¦, I always felt better after those treats.


    ¡°And risk giving that away?¡± She almost looked offended that I¡¯d asked. ¡°I was imprisoned for over a century and brought back here because of that power. I¡¯m holding that one close to the vest for as long as I can. And I may have seen ¡®paracusia¡¯ in the dictionary I read before bed and thought it sounded unique.¡±


    ¡°You read the dictionary before bed?¡± I always thought people read stuff more...interesting before they went to sleep. ¡°Like, willingly and for fun?¡±


    Rebecca took the last bite of her own pastry and downed it with her coffee. The caf¨¦ was starting to get full. Some people had started to point toward us¡ªmostly me¡ªand were whispering. It was just paranoia when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had to fight every urge in my body to make sure that there was no one behind me, but we were in the corner booth, so it would have been impossible. Unless someone was hiding in the wall, which I wasn¡¯t about to rule out.


    ¡°You guys today are very wordy,¡± Rebecca said. ¡°I was well-read for my time and I have some catching up to do. I try to learn a few new words every night before I sleep. That¡¯s how I learned what hemorrhaging is, just so you know.¡±


    ¡°You say we¡¯re wordy, but I can barely follow any writing from the Civil War era.¡±


    ¡°Different kind of wordy. The more literate everyone became, the more English evolved in day-to-day speaking.¡± She seemed to notice the caf¨¦ fill up and how a lot of them were looking our way. Without paying them any more attention, she got up and waved for me to follow to the hallway, where we could get away from nosy eyes and ears.


    ¡°Are you going to get in touch with Lori?¡± she asked, idly brushing some loose hair off her shirt.


    ¡°I will when I get back home, promise. I need to see how Megan is doing too.¡± That kid was nothing but love and energy, so any adoptive parents shouldn¡¯t have had any issues with taking her in. Realizing that put a pit in my stomach. I was really starting to miss having her around.


    ¡°You should look into a hobby,¡± Rebecca told me. She pulled out a tiny, beat-up dictionary. ¡°Even something simple like learning a word a day has helped me a lot. Settles me down.¡±


    ¡°Does school count?¡± I asked. I knew that I needed to pick something up. I had a laptop and a TV. There was no reason for me to avoid getting drawn in by a show or movie series, and that required very little effort on my part.


    Rebecca rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Find something that you genuinely enjoy, silly. If your studies are that something, then more power to you, but it should be something you have fun with during your leisure time. Anyway, I have to go. I¡¯m a couple days behind on grocery shopping and I don¡¯t want to eat canned raviolis for dinner again.¡±


    She went off with a wave and I thought about what hobbies might be fun after I nearly offered to make her dinner out of reflex. I needed something that was easy to start with and didn¡¯t require a lot of knowledge going in. I remembered that craft store that Lori took me to when she had to get something for her mother, where she had suggested I work on creating something that was meaningful to me. There was nothing else going on for me that day, so I decided to pay that crafts shop a visit again.


    I didn¡¯t remember my way to it exactly, so I had to use my navigation app for some help. With it¡¯s help, it wasn¡¯t long before I was standing in front of the light blue structure. One thing that was really starting to creep me out about all the shops in Luna was that there was hardly anyone walking around outside. I knew that the complex wasn¡¯t exactly Times Square, but seeing all the shops without people nearby reminded me of those old ghost towns that were barely standing. It had to be because the structure was way bigger than needed for the number of residents.


    The inside was a different story. It was nice and still filled with a bunch of little knickknacks along with the usual crafting stuff. The same kind old lady¡ªMs. Anne¡ªwas standing behind the cash register doing a light amount of tidying up. Looking at all the crafts around me almost made me feel overwhelmed and I had to battle the urge to run from freaking yarn that surrounded me. Rebecca was right, I definitely wasn¡¯t the embodiment of coolness.


    ¡°Good morning, young man.¡± Her voice was warm and sweet. She squinted and looked me over. ¡°You were with Lori here not too long ago. Her not-boyfriend, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, her not-boyfriend,¡± I confirmed, looking around. I figured she was going to ask if I was looking for anything, so I went ahead. ¡°Do you have any easy hobbies for novices? Something that¡¯s a little easy for the brain.¡±


    ¡°Puzzles,¡± she said flatly and instantly. ¡°I always recommend puzzles as a first hobby. They look nice, and all you need is time and a table to put one together. Why not start with a three-hundred-piece one, honey?¡±


    At first, I wasn¡¯t so sure. A puzzle? I hadn¡¯t done one since I was around five, and that¡¯s the age group I had always associated puzzles with. Some warm memories with Mom, Dad, and Shelly came to mind. We all tried to complete this big puzzle, but we were all being goofs about it, even Shelly. I think it took us months of family nights to finish the thing. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I really enjoyed those silly puzzle nights. Maybe that was something I needed again. ¡°You know what? A puzzle sounds great.¡±


    Miss Anne guided me to the area where she kept most of the puzzles. There were a bunch of famous paintings, planets, or images that have stood the test of time. I looked at ones that were based off planes and trains with neither of them sparking much of an interest. Some of them were of those huge college football stadiums, which I thought was cool, though not what I wanted to put together as a puzzle. When I saw the one for Ohio State, I did think it¡¯d be funny to put it together and show Chloe.


    After some internal debate, I decided on a thousand-piece Starry Night one to work on with Shelly, a five-hundred-piece princess one to work on with Megan, and another thousand-piece one with an astronaut looking at a planet I couldn¡¯t recognize. That last one was for me to work on by myself. Shelly would probably enjoy a relaxing activity and Megan would enjoy anything princess-themed, so those two felt like safe bets.


    ¡°I have some people who might want to join in, so I¡¯ll get these three today,¡± I said to Ms. Anne, pulling out my wallet. Like that toy store in Missouri, everything was cheaper than I expected. She insisted that the price was correct, and it was more important that I enjoy my new hobby than worry about the price. I felt guilty about it, but her kindness disarmed me. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Anne.¡±


    ¡°Of course, honey. You enjoy now!¡± We exchanged waves while I walked out.


    I was more excited about the puzzles than I felt like I had any right to be. Now that I had them in my possession, I was already wanting to start getting to work on them. I needed to figure out how to get in contact with Megan so I could show her the princess one. I was sure she¡¯d be pumped to work on that one. My entire walk back home was filled with thoughts of doing puzzles. It really was the silly, little things that mattered.


    I opened the door to the empty apartment. As usual, Shelly was out taking care of her business, leaving some food for me in the fridge. I left the princess and Starry Night puzzles on the counter for later while keeping the astronaut one with me. I went into my room looking at the box, wondering how hard it would be to complete. Starting with the outside would be the best bet, probably.


    There was a silver flash and a blade was pressed against my throat. I barely looked up in time to stop myself before I ran right into a nasty decapitation. I dropped the puzzle, and it was a weird thing to notice at the time, but it didn¡¯t spill out of the box. My room was only dimly lit, so I couldn¡¯t see who held their sword to my neck.


    ¡°I need you to listen to me and bring your leader.¡± Her voice was deeper than I had been expecting. Getting a better look at her, her face was pretty with sharp features. She had a Roman nose, high cheekbones, and a jawline that was as pronounced than my own. It really fit her terrifying image. ¡°How fast can you get them here?¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Seven

    ¡°How did you get here?¡± I asked, not really meaning to ignore her command. I had just thought Luna was secure up to that point.


    She held up her left wrist and showed me a clunky looking mechanical bracelet. ¡°This is¡ªwas¡ªa prototype teleportation device. This is the only one we had around, so I took it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, how did you get in here? My room.¡± I set up a barrier between my neck and her sword, though it wouldn¡¯t have been very effective against someone of her strength. She¡¯d rip through the thing like an eager kid through wrapping paper on Christmas morning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for these questions right now.¡± She pushed her sword forward where it hit my barrier. She looked confused for a moment. With just a bit more strength, she slipped the blade right through it. I felt that in the base of my skull, but the rest of the barrier stayed up around it. Her face softened a bit, and she pulled the sword back, sheathing it on her hip. Without the sword pointing me, I was able to turn to face her, turning my barrier with me. ¡°Please, you all have to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Why would I bring anyone I care about to you? You killed my best friend¡¯s best friend. You helped McLeod destroy an entire city.¡± I took a step toward her, bringing down my barrier while trying to hide the fear I felt. Despite the fear threatening to paralyze me, I managed to create the same kind of ball I used to kill Eric. Not wanting to kill someone again, I made sure it wasn¡¯t nearly as strong. Her eyes widened for a moment before she threw up her arms to shield herself, meaning she saw it too.


    The attack struck her in the arms with an audible shattering noise. Her arms got pushed back into her chest from the force, and she was sent through my door. That poor thing got destroyed on impact and she crashed into the wall in the hallway. There was a large crack where she hit, it spider-webbing out. I winced at having to explain that to Shelly if I even lived long enough to have that talk, showing how great my priorities were.


    ¡°You glad...you got that out of your system now?¡± She asked, raising up her head from behind her crossed arms. Her wrists already had purple bruises on them and there was a small trickle of blood running out of the corner of her mouth. Her black, metal band shirt wasn¡¯t torn from the impact. I thought it was a weird shirt choice for a killer, but I guess even killers listened to music. ¡°You¡¯ll need more than that to down me. I¡¯m not as fragile as Eric.¡±


    ¡°I would tell you not to speak ill of the dead, but he was a huge asshole.¡± I had another ball formed, both surprised and horrified at how easily I could create them after only making two before.


    ¡°He did worse than what he did to you, trust me,¡± she said, standing up straight. It was still weirding me out to see her in a metal band¡¯s shirt, and I noticed she had some ripped jeans. I had to concede it made sense she couldn¡¯t be in armor all the time. ¡°You don¡¯t want to think about the nightmares he would have inflicted on those two with you. His powers didn¡¯t give him any extra durability. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t take what you just hit me with. Consider yourself lucky he didn¡¯t get his knife to that kid.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to test that durability theory out again? I don¡¯t think you can take that many more of these.¡± I tried to sound more confident than I felt. Even if she had properly blocked it, the amount of damage she showed was minimal compared to Eric. My element of surprise was gone too.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to test it out,¡± she snapped, her cold eyes sending chills throughout my body. ¡°I want you to get your damn allies here. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it when you walked in. Here I thought you¡¯d be the levelheaded one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I didn¡¯t let my guard down even though she was right about being able to kill me if she wanted. Her blade at my throat wasn¡¯t just for show.


    She sighed and it was obvious her anger was growing with each second that I didn¡¯t listen to her. ¡°The guy is strong enough to fight me equally and the girl was prepared to shoot me, even if it was a stupid idea with my armor in such a tight space. I assumed you were the best one for a reasonable discussion. Maybe I was wrong. This is really testing my patience.¡±


    ¡°You break into my house and have the nerve to complain that I¡¯m not being compliant? Excuse me for testing the patience of the woman who had her sword at my neck.¡±


    She seemed to understand what I was saying and relented just a touch. ¡°Okay, fine. You¡¯re right. I apologize. I have critical information that¡¯s important to you and your allies, so I am asking you, can you please call them here? Everything will be easier to explain with all of you here. You can bring as many as you want. I already know that they¡¯re more than capable of defeating me through sheer numbers.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I finally said, keeping the ball up in front of me. I pulled out my phone and sent out a text to everyone that could come, which wasn¡¯t a lot of people. I still wasn¡¯t the most social guy on the planet. Mrs. Carmichael, Shelly, Lori, Lizzy, Alex, and Rebecca. ¡°There, message sent.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you tell them?¡± She looked at me suspiciously.


    ¡°That the black knight that helped attack three cities is in my apartment, to get here as fast as possible, and to all enter at one time. Even if you kill me, you aren¡¯t going to pick them off one by one.¡±


    She exhaled sharply through her nose and shook her head. Then she nearly moved faster than I could keep up with. She spun me around again, pinning my left arm between my back and her stomach, while her blade found its way to my throat once again. Her left arm wrapped around my chest and held me close to her, ensuring I couldn¡¯t move much unless she wanted me to. Her strength was absurd. My focus broke and the ball dissipated, leaving me with just the uncomfortable feeling of being touched.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± I yelled, trying to wiggle free, entirely unable to budge even an inch. I tried to stomp on her feet. Even without armor to protect her, my stomps didn¡¯t faze her.


    ¡°Stop that! I just need them to not kill me the second I walk in. You¡¯re my insurance for that.¡± She walked us out to the living room, positioning us behind the couch and facing the front door. ¡°I¡¯m trusting that they won¡¯t kill you to get to me.¡±


    I decided that it wasn¡¯t worth it to mouth off anymore. Since she held me right against her body, I didn¡¯t trust my control over my Anomaly to get her off me without severely injuring myself, and she may as well have been immune to my kicking and stomping. I resigned myself to just hoping my friends wouldn¡¯t do something stupid to get me killed.


    I was still wondering just why she was in my apartment. If McLeod and his goons could teleport there that easily, why hadn¡¯t they done it before? She was so ready to kill us in Missouri, so what could she have to gain just by taking me hostage? I was getting warm from being pressed so close to the knight which made my issues with being touched worse. I almost asked her if she could just let me go for that, only stopping myself when I realized how weak and silly it would make me seem. It wasn¡¯t like I was looking strong anyway, though.


    I¡¯d never paid attention to the sound our doorknob made, but the moment I heard it, it was one of the loudest things I¡¯d ever heard. It turned slowly, and I felt both of us tense up in our awkward hostage situation. While it didn¡¯t surprise me in the slightest to feel that from my own body, I wasn¡¯t expecting it from her. I don¡¯t think I feared death so much, but I didn¡¯t want my sister to see it happen, and I didn¡¯t want anyone else to get hurt on my behalf. That¡¯s why my heart started racing and beads of sweat started to form on my brow.


    The door groaned slightly as it cracked open. There was a moment of silence before it flew in. Mrs. Carmichael, Shelly, and Lori all burst in with handguns pointed at the knight. Well, pointed at me with the knight behind me. Alex, Lizzy, and Rebecca were next, though that trio didn¡¯t carry any weapons. Alex¡¯s fists were glowing with the other two trying to get out of the way. It looked like Rebecca was eyeing ways to get around the apartment to us, but everything was too in the open for a sneaky approach.


    ¡°If you hurt so much as a single hair on his head, I¡¯ll send what¡¯s left of you back to McLeod in bags,¡± Lori threatened. She was doing her best to contain her anger, and I appreciated that, because I was the first thing between the barrel of her gun and the knight. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care if it¡¯s the last thing I do.¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± the knight whispered, only audible to me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt him if you just put down your guns and let me explain. I¡¯ll put down my weapon and he¡¯ll be free to go. All I need you to do is promise that you won¡¯t attack.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to hurt him if I put a bullet between your eyes either,¡± Lori replied, raising a decent point. She inched closer and aimed the gun higher.


    ¡°Please, just give me a chance to explain,¡± the knight said, her voice not being as soft as I would have made my own when trying to plead at gunpoint.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°You killed my best friend!¡± Lori yelled, taking one step closer. I saw Mrs. Carmichael glance toward her with a worried look in her eyes. ¡°He was like a brother to me, and you bastards took him away. You took him away!¡±


    ¡°I was wrong!¡± the knight yelled back. The yelling right in my ear made me jump, which almost got the blade to dig into my neck. The jump prompted everyone to refocus their guns¡ªand fists¡ªon the knight.


    ¡°She could have killed me if she wanted to. She told me to send the text message to bring you all here. Can you please put down the guns and let her speak? I¡¯m tired of this stupid sword on my Adam¡¯s apple, and whether it kills me or not, I¡¯d rather not turn my damn living room into a firing range.¡± I knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to make it past Alex and Rebecca no matter what happened, so I hoped the whole thing could just be defused.


    Lori looked at me with nothing but hurt in her brown eyes and I felt terrible. The first interaction that I¡¯d had with her in a while, after she¡¯d done nothing but try to help me, was to tell her to put her weapon down in front of the person who killed someone special to her while that same person held another one of her friends as a hostage. Her expression made me want to apologize immediately, but that would have to be done later. There was a lot of apologizing I felt like I owed her. I did consider us a bit closer to even considering she had been pointing a gun at me.


    Still, despite her clear hatred for the woman behind me, Lori complied. She holstered the gun inside the jacket she was wearing. Mrs. Carmichael and Shelly followed suit, though Shelly kept hers on the counter nearby. Alex never lowered his fists and Rebecca had taken up a spot next to him. All she had to do was tag the knight to take away the scariest parts of her. Then she was just a really tall lady with a sword.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the best you¡¯re going to get,¡± I spat out, trying and failing to shake free again.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The knight slowly stretched her sword out in front of me before dropping it. It landed on the couch with a gentle thud. She then released me and backed away slowly, holding up both her hands. I carefully made my way back to my group, where Shelly gave me a quick hug. ¡°No tricks, I swear on my life.¡±


    ¡°Your life means nothing to us.¡± Lori¡¯s words came out laced with venom and got a small sigh out of the knight.


    ¡°Yeah, that makes two of us.¡± She rubbed her wrists where my attack had hit her and looked toward the ground.


    ¡°Exactly who are you, how did you get here, and what do you want with Ethan?¡± Mrs. Carmichael asked. Her eyes were as hard as stone.


    ¡°My name is Val,¡± she said, not giving us a last name. ¡°I...I was wrong for what I did. I know that won¡¯t mean anything to you. It shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m here to tell you all everything I know about McLeod and the threat you face going forward.¡±


    ¡°Before I can tell you about them, you need to know why I¡¯m here, and that¡¯s a longer story,¡± Val said. She started to walk forward, but when Alex took a step closer and Lori reached for her gun again, she backed up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stand here.¡±


    ¡°Stop wasting our time and tell us your piece before we decide what to do with you,¡± Alex said. His fists were glowing brighter than I¡¯d ever seen before, casting odd shadows in my living room. Their light was reflecting off Val¡¯s blade, something I was positive she was regretting putting down.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯ll give you my full story. I have no real memories of my mother or father. Only little bits and pieces of them in a haze, if they¡¯re even real memories. Besides them, my only memories are from where I lived. I was left alone in a small town in Canada. Nothing more than a village, really. I ate scraps and garbage, stole clothes and lighters to stay alive in abandoned buildings. Whatever I could to just make it to the next day. The winters were almost impossible to survive, but survive them is what I did.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect us to feel sorry for you?¡± Lori asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t expect anyone to feel sorry for me, let alone you lot.¡± Val shook her head and composed herself before she lashed out. ¡°Anyway, I believe I was around seven, I found another young girl named Emily. While I was hidden away in abandoned buildings, afraid of everyone else in the town, she would always bring me what food she could. Sometimes she¡¯d be able to sneak clothes and blankets to me. When we were just girls, she did her best to teach me how to read. For seven years, she was the closest thing I had to family and a teacher.


    ¡°When I was around fourteen, that¡¯s when a gang attacked my village. They were people like us, people with powers. They left no one alive. No one. No men, women, or children. I watched Emily and her family get slaughtered like cattle in front of my eyes. That¡¯s when I awakened my flight and strength. I tried to chase after them, but they were able to flee.¡±


    Val paused to take a breath after rushing through her words, which let all of us absorb the information. I looked at Mrs. Carmichael, whose eyebrows were knitted low. I had the feeling she at least knew of the incident that Val was talking about.


    ¡°While I was holding...what was left of Emily,¡± Val continued, ¡°that¡¯s when McLeod showed up. He told me that I had to be special to survive. To survive so long on my own and the attack. He told me that I should go with him because he was special too. He¡¯d keep me safe, make me strong, and we could prevent that gang from wreaking havoc freely like they¡¯d done. He told me that the people who slaughtered my village were from Luna. He said that Luna would do anything to keep the secret of Anomalies from spreading, including hunting down and killing anyone with powers if they thought they were too old to be properly indoctrinated.¡±


    ¡°I know the incident you¡¯re talking about, but no one from Luna was involved. We had to cover it up.¡± Mrs. Carmichael frowned and shook her head, the tiniest shudder running through her. That had to bring back some unpleasant memories. ¡°It was a mess from top to bottom. Before the attacks on Vancouver and Seattle, that was the closest Anomalies had come to being outed.¡±


    ¡°Now I know that it wasn¡¯t your people, but for a decade, I¡¯ve harbored resentment toward you from that moment. McLeod...became like a father to me, or at least the closest thing to it. Whenever I faltered in my beliefs or stumbled in my growth, he reminded me that I was getting stronger so people like me didn¡¯t have to suffer the same way I had as a child.¡±


    ¡°And you stopped that suffering by attacking three cities!?¡± Lori screamed. I had to place a hand on her shoulder to keep her from charging Val and probably getting someone killed.


    ¡°I always thought it was for a future where people like us would live safe and happy!¡± Val shouted back, her voice a mix of rage and despair. ¡°I thought that no matter what he needed us to do, it was all for the benefit of our lives in the end. He always told us that the only way to be taken seriously was to make our power known, and yes, I believed him. I believed the man who I thought saved my life when I was a child. I believed him about the cities and about you here at Luna.


    ¡°The day in the Tomb, when I learned we lost Eric, I went to watch the footage from the night my village was destroyed. It was a frustrating defeat, and I¡¯ve always watched the footage of that village being destroyed to keep me grounded and focused. I¡¯d watch it when I needed to remind myself what I was doing there. The footage was old security camera footage mashed together, so it was a bit grainy and sloppy. I could always see the gang there, but after Eric died, it was different. Instead of the gang, it was McLeod slaughtering everyone. He was the one who cut Emily to bits and waited to ¡®find¡¯ me when I held her remains.¡±


    ¡°The security footage was one of his illusions,¡± I said, remembering how Eric¡¯s power shattered into nothing when I dealt him his deathblow.


    Val nodded in response. ¡°To make sure it was really one of his illusions, I checked other things that I knew he had masked with an illusion previously. A hole in the wall, a damaged vehicle, or anything else he might have masked. All of them were returned to their states before he used his power. Once he died, all of his illusions went with him.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s when you decided to find Ethan,¡± Shelly said. Once again, Val nodded. Mrs. Carmichael ran her hand over her pulled back hair. Alex seemed to relax just a bit, still not anywhere near dropping his guard fully.


    ¡°This thing was a prototype teleportation device,¡± she said, pointing to the same thing on her wrist that she showed me previously. ¡°It worked the same way that the stones you had in the Tomb did, but with less precision. A few years back, someone brought it to McLeod as a token of goodwill. McLeod is very proud and peculiar about what tools he¡¯ll use, and he considered this too ¡®dishonorable¡¯. The guy who brought it didn¡¯t care for how dismissive McLeod was. What happened to the guy after that was messy. I ended up in Ethan¡¯s room instead of directly with Ethan, like I had originally hoped, and it looks like this was only good for one trip.¡±


    That alarmed Mrs. Carmichael. ¡°Dii Consentes has their own devices that can teleport them anywhere?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore. McLeod does have a teleporter. I¡¯m not sure why he doesn¡¯t use her more often. To him, these kinds of gadgets are just junk that inferior cowards would use.¡± She took it off her wrist and tossed it next to her sword. ¡°Well, I guess it is just junk now.¡±


    ¡°And you expect us to believe he just operates on these stupid rules he¡¯s made up?¡± It was Alex who spoke up.


    ¡°McLeod¡¯s biggest follies are his pride and his need for theatrics,¡± Val explained. ¡°To him, teleportation should only be used as a statement to show power. That¡¯s why he did it for Vancouver, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. He doesn¡¯t like surprise attacks, so he doesn¡¯t like surprise teleportation. That way, when people inevitably try to fight back, he can stop them. He thought something like this device was underhanded. You lot should consider yourselves lucky his arrogance gives him a weakness like that to exploit.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re even dealing with this,¡± Lori mumbled. She pointedly looked at Val. ¡°You know, everything was fine for us before your handler decided he needed to be a tyrannical world leader.¡±


    ¡°Fine?¡± Val scoffed. ¡°You live in a metal box in the ground because you all feel the need to hide. You¡¯re living this cute little idealistic fantasy that everything would have just continued to go perfectly here.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s still a good life!¡± I thought Lori was about to charge Val right there.


    ¡°Good? Are you kidding me? Tell me how many times in all of human history that groups hiding away because of how they were born have been a good thing.¡± Val grabbed the back of our couch and leaned forward. ¡°McLeod has done enough monstrous acts for countless lifetimes. I have been a willing accomplice and ally to him during many of those atrocities. He isn¡¯t wrong about people like us being able to live our lives. We absolutely shouldn¡¯t be confined to the mountains like we¡¯re some cult. We shouldn¡¯t have our memories wiped because we lost control of our powers when we were kids. We shouldn¡¯t just be covered up.¡±


    ¡°What was it about him that you wanted to tell us?¡± I asked, sitting down in a chair, hoping to diffuse the brawl I sensed coming on. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but after having a sword at my neck twice in less than an hour, I wasn¡¯t going to be any more uncomfortable than I had been there.


    ¡°That they¡¯re on their way here.¡± Desperation and panic filled Val¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long they¡¯ve been traveling, so I don¡¯t know how long you have. I don¡¯t even know where this facility is. They know where this complex is, and McLeod is ready to attack.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Eight

    ¡°Ms. Davis, is she lying?¡± Mrs. Carmichael asked, turning her attention toward the short woman. When she didn¡¯t reply after a few seconds, Mrs. Carmichael pushed her a bit harder. ¡°Lori, is this woman lying?¡±


    ¡°No, she isn¡¯t lying!¡± Lori yelled, her eyes red and misty. ¡°Of course she isn¡¯t fucking lying! If she was, I¡¯d have stopped this nonsense at the first sign she was.¡±


    She stormed out of the apartment and I followed her as fast I could, narrowly avoiding getting my fingers crunched from her slamming my apartment¡¯s front door. I expected her to be down the hall, so I nearly tripped over the small lady when I found out she had just sunk to the ground right by the door. She wasn¡¯t crying just yet, and I could tell she was doing everything in her power to control her breathing. Maybe that was something she learned from her therapy sessions to help curb the anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this is the first thing I¡¯ve talked to you about,¡± I told her, sliding down next to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


    ¡°She killed Rory, Ethan,¡± Lori reminded me. ¡°You know what hurts the most? That I could tell she wasn¡¯t lying. Everything she said she meant with her heart. She really got duped, or at least she genuinely believes she did. How many people are dead because she helped McLeod? No, even without the illusions, she has to be held accountable.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, but we should listen to what she has to say.¡± Lori looked upset at the idea, so I tried to remind her of what was at stake. ¡°If she really has information on McLeod and the rest of them, we need that to prepare, right?¡±


    It took her a while to accept the idea. I wasn¡¯t sure which silence was making me more uncomfortable: the one between us, or the one in my apartment where a killer was waiting. Finally, she just nodded. She wiped her eyes and took a few more seconds to regain her composure. No one was walking in the hallway, so we didn¡¯t need to worry about explaining anything to any curious passersby. At least not yet. Mrs. Carmichael would have plenty of that to do for all of us. When she looked ready, I stood up and held out my hand to help her up, and we went back in.


    All eyes were on us when we walked back in. With everyone staring at me, my face got warm. It was like being late and walking into a classroom where every student just watched you, except instead of those kids, one of them was someone who just had a sword pointed at my neck. I wasn¡¯t even sure which one was the more nightmarish idea situation. As I expected, it didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d said a word since we¡¯d left. I could have cut the tension in the air with a knife, or Val¡¯s sword, and I was agitated by it. So, I tried to do something useful. ¡°Does anyone want some sweet tea?¡±


    Without waiting for a response from anyone, I poured out enough glasses for everyone there. Yes, even Val. I could still feel their eyes on me, but I¡¯d be damned if I wasn¡¯t going to at least try and improve the situation. I was the one taken hostage, and if I wanted sweet tea, it was my right to have some. I handed glasses to everyone. The way I saw it, we were hopefully past the part where people might be killing each other over my sofa, so we could move on to the part where we could start negotiating with each other.


    ¡°You know that it''ll be difficult for me to outright believe your story, correct?¡± Mrs. Carmichael asked. ¡°Even if Ms. Davis confirmed that you were telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Val said, looking toward her feet. ¡°I have nothing else that I can offer besides information. None of you have any reason to trust me after what I¡¯ve done. All I can do is try to help the future.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight with us instead of against us?¡± I asked. I almost immediately regretted it, but what else was there? Val just gave us some information and skipped away happy and rosy-cheeked? Wasn¡¯t going to happen. Even if I didn¡¯t hold as much hatred for her as Lori did, I agreed with my little friend that she couldn¡¯t just get away with what she did. An illusion wasn¡¯t a good enough reason for years of being at McLeod¡¯s side. She had to do something.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? You want this mass-murderer to just join up with us?¡± Any of the composure that Lori built up out of the room was gone again. ¡°Are you seriously that stupid, Ethan?¡±


    Okay, ouch, that one hurt a bit. I wasn¡¯t trying to make her mad, and it did look like she regretted what she said as soon as it left her mouth. Still, she didn¡¯t apologize or back down from what she said. I didn¡¯t either.


    ¡°Ms. Davis, I understand why you don¡¯t like this idea, I really do, but it¡¯s an option that should be considered.¡± Mrs. Carmichael tried to place a hand on Lori¡¯s shoulder only to be met with an angry shrug.


    ¡°You just said yourself you don¡¯t fully trust her!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s still true, I do not trust her.¡± Mrs. Carmichael adjusted her glasses and matched Lori¡¯s hard look. ¡°This is going to escalate to a war, Ms. Davis. People will die and the world will change. It¡¯s already changing. There is nothing we can do to stop it. As a leader with people under my care, I will do anything I can to mitigate the damage. If you have any misconception about me, where I¡¯m somehow above using someone I don¡¯t trust to ensure our survival, it¡¯s time for you to discard that narrow-minded perception of me to view the bigger picture.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we hold it to a vote?¡± Alex suggested before tempers could flare any worse than they were. He jabbed a thumb in the direction of Val. ¡°Not including her, there are seven of us here. That would give us a tiebreaker in a vote.¡±


    Before anyone else could pipe up, Mrs. Carmichael started the vote. ¡°All against the idea? For anyone who disagrees with another¡¯s choice, please handle that matter privately among yourselves. This is someone¡¯s home and I¡¯m sure Ms. Harper wouldn¡¯t appreciate a second round to the screaming match that¡¯s already taken place in her living room.¡±


    Lori¡¯s hand unsurprisingly went up. Shelly and Lizzy followed her, albeit much more slowly. Shelly¡¯s eyes went from Val, to her sword, to me, before she finally held her hand up all the way to solidify her vote against the idea. That already decided the vote, but Mrs. Carmichael finished the formality. ¡°All in favor?¡±


    Her hand, Rebecca¡¯s hand, Alex¡¯s hand, and my hand all went up. Lori exhaled sharply through her nose, shutting her eyes tight. When she opened them again, I felt sick to my stomach when she looked at me. I knew us voting for this had to be killing her. I wished I hadn¡¯t even let her know Val showed up. No matter how angry she was at the idea, I agreed with Mrs. Carmichael. It was going to be a battle of survival, and if Val could prevent us from ending up like the Pittsburgh she helped destroy, I¡¯d be willing to take the chance on her. Lori stood up and marched over to Val, not at all intimidated by the foot difference in their height.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be part of his plans anymore,¡± Val began, ¡°so I¡¯ll-¡±


    She was cut off by a loud slap that echoed throughout the apartment. Everyone was ready for Val to react. Given how capable she¡¯d been the couple times I¡¯d seen her, I was sure she could have managed to dodge a slap from Lori. I was more shocked that she didn¡¯t bother trying to dodge it. Val¡¯s head jerked to the side and her blonde hair covered her face, shielding us from her reaction. I knew it had to hurt Lori¡¯s hand too, since that was a harsh hit, though she didn¡¯t show any signs of pain or discomfort.


    ¡°Wherever they send you, I¡¯m going,¡± Lori said, opening and closing her hands at her sides. It looked like an exercise to keep her anger under control, and with all things considered, I thought she was doing a good job with that. ¡°You¡¯ll be under my watch here. You don¡¯t breathe without me knowing. You¡¯ll get no redemption in dying, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re hoping for. You¡¯ll get no heroic or noble sacrifice, understand? Everything you do now is to make up for the thousands of people you helped murder.¡±


    ¡°When this is all done, I¡¯ll give my life up to you. To you personally.¡± Val looked up at all of us. There was blood running from her nose and there was a strange look in her eyes. It was like a mix of despair, anger, and the look of someone who had no will to go on. Was that how I looked at my lowest? ¡°You have my word.¡±


    ¡°Your word means nothing to me,¡± Lori said. ¡°I will be the one to put a bullet between your eyes. Your actions, not words, will be what determines just when I do that.¡±


    She walked by me, giving only a glare that told me just how much I¡¯d betrayed her. That sick feeling returned to my stomach and I had to question if I made the right decision. We hadn¡¯t known each other long, and she was genuinely the closest person I had to a best friend. She killed an innocent man so Alex and I didn¡¯t have to. I had to hope she¡¯d be willing to patch things up later, because in the moment, I felt like a complete scumbag. She had killed someone Lori saw as family, and I voted to invite her into our community.


    Lori slammed the door shut and I went back outside after her. Even if I thought we needed Val¡¯s help, I couldn¡¯t just leave my friend out there to have her anger eat her up. Not with any kind of conscience I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Lori, wait!¡± I yelled, jogging up behind her. She didn¡¯t have a long stride, yet she was booking it down the hall faster than I would have expected.


    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± She spun around and jammed a finger in my chest. I recoiled from the touch, like her anger and rage would rub off on me from her fingertip. ¡°Are you going to tell me that you love her next?¡±


    ¡°Lori, you¡¯re an empath, you¡¯d know if that was the case.¡± I rubbed my head and took a step back so I could see her in full. ¡°Look, I¡¯m really sorry about it.¡±


    ¡°Ethan, I can feel that you¡¯re sorry!¡± she yelled, throwing her arms up. She looked like she wanted to punch holes in every apartment door her eyes went over. ¡°If you think I¡¯m mad because I¡¯m looking for an apology, you couldn¡¯t be farther off the mark. I can¡¯t believe you stabbed me in the back like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about Alex?¡± I felt embarrassed even bringing him up to save my own backside in an argument. He had voted the same as I did, and he was her crush. I just felt so mad when I looked into her brown eyes. It didn¡¯t feel right that only I got the verbal lashing and the nasty glares. ¡°You like the guy, right? So why didn¡¯t you stare daggers into him like you did me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to yell at him later. In a matter of minutes, my boyfriend and the guy I thought was my best friend just completely stomp on my trust.¡± She leaned in with a smile that was anything but friendly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m plenty infuriated to share.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you guys are...?¡± For a moment, I forgot about our fight and I was just happy for her. I had been so out of it dealing with my own life that I hadn¡¯t bothered to check in on their progress. I guess there had been more than I thought.


    ¡°Yes, Ethan, we¡¯re dating. A couple. Boyfriend and girlfriend.¡± She huffed, like she couldn¡¯t believe that she was having to explain it to me. ¡°When we got back, he pulled me aside and asked about the kiss on the cheek I gave him. I was so tired from driving over twenty hours on top of being awake before that, I just told him how I felt. He said that he wanted to get to know me better, which was the same thing I wanted, so now we¡¯re dating.¡±


    ¡°Wow, congratulations, really.¡± I tried to smile at her, but when I looked into her eyes again, anger ran through my mind, instantly flipping my mood back around. ¡°So, he just gets a free pass because you finally stepped up from pining after him? Your years-long crush finally decides to get with you and that¡¯s all it takes?¡±


    ¡°No, you douchebag.¡± She jabbed a finger toward me again. I barely noticed it. My head felt so clouded, and I just didn¡¯t understand why I was saying the things that I did. I didn¡¯t mean to be mean. ¡°He¡¯s getting a ¡®pass¡¯ right now because I know he¡¯s a pragmatic sort. When it comes to objective decisions about winning a fight, I already knew what he¡¯d vote for, because he isn¡¯t driven off emotional choices. That¡¯s why I like him. That stability helps keep me from losing my mind like it does when other people are too emotional. What I didn¡¯t expect was that you, someone who I thought was a good guy with a great heart, would disregard everything I went through to win a fight. A fight you don¡¯t even know if we¡¯re going to lose.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know what, Lori?¡± I was starting to raise my voice, and no matter how hard I tried to make myself stop, I couldn¡¯t. It still didn¡¯t seem fair to me that Alex was getting away with it because we thought different. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t have a personal investment in everyone you hate all the time. I¡¯m sorry that I have my own thoughts and feelings that don¡¯t buckle the second you¡¯re hurt. I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m not so emotional that I have to hate that woman every second I¡¯m breathing. I had enough self-loathing going on to know it¡¯s a shitty way to live, so I hope you can move past it.¡±


    ¡°You know why I hate her! You still can¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong!¡±


    ¡°I never did tell you that you were wrong!¡± I nearly slammed the side of my fist into someone¡¯s door. It was only in the briefest moment of clarity that I managed to stop myself before causing some serious damage, probably to my hand. ¡°But you aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s lost someone. My parents are both gone. Shelly is the only family I have left, and she gave up years of her life for me. If I can keep her alive because Val wants to go turncoat, then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I thought we were family, Ethan. Or at least something close to it after almost dying in that cave.¡± Her voice softened for a moment, but she still had a hard look in her eyes. ¡°But hey, you got your parents killed, right? Maybe being your family is just a death sentence anyway, and I don¡¯t want a bullet in my head. If I were Shelly, I¡¯d watch out.¡±


    The moment she finished saying it, her eyes went wide with horror. Actually, they widened while she was saying it, like she wanted to stop. Lori just couldn¡¯t make herself stop once she got going. She covered her mouth like it¡¯d take back what she said, or maybe she did it to prevent herself from saying more. There was still anger in her eyes, though it was quickly buried down behind a mix of other emotions that I couldn¡¯t read. For myself, I was just trying to swallow down the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.


    ¡°Ethan, I didn¡¯t...that wasn¡¯t...¡± She struggled to find the words to finish what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right on that one.¡± My anger had completely deflated, the wind in my sails gone, and I just felt miserable. I was sad about my parents and sad that someone I trusted used them against me. What bothered me most is that I trusted her enough to think that Shelly might actually end up dead just by being related to me. I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to think of something that I could use to get out of there. I didn¡¯t have the fire left to be snappy. It was a situation that might¡¯ve been best ending in awkward silence. Shocker, I was too awkward for the awkward silence when it made sense. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you and Alex. Really, I¡¯m glad that you two found each other.¡±


    I turned to make the short walk back to my apartment. I didn¡¯t like how I felt on the edge of crying. I tried to tell myself they were just words. My throat hurt, my eyes hurt, my nose hurt, and my chest hurt. The simple act of breathing caused me pain. Everything was just hurting. I was on total autopilot, taking slow and calculated steps. I was afraid that anything more would make my body hurt worse. Everything I saw almost had this weird kind of haze around it, like I was in a dream. I kept hoping that I would wake up and everything that just happened would be gone. I could wake up, text Lori, and we could hang out. Just like normal, with no murderers involved.


    I walked into my living room to an awkward silence like the one I should have left with Lori. All their eyes burned holes into me, and I froze up for a moment. So I couldn¡¯t see them, I sat down on the couch and rubbed my eyes. None of them made any kind of sound. Not even Alex, who I expected to rip into me for fighting with his girlfriend. I hoped I wasn¡¯t the only one having second thoughts about the whole thing. Even though Lizzy and Shelly weren¡¯t as upset as Lori, they did still disagree with the decision to bring Val into the fold.


    ¡°We, uh, we had some words.¡± It was lame and vague, but there was no way I was going to repeat what we said out there. I felt ashamed of how I acted, and I was scared that they would be harsh on Lori for what she said if it got out. Maybe she deserved a harsh reprimand. She had given me a dagger to one of my most vulnerable emotional areas, and then gave the blade a firm twist on top of it. I just didn¡¯t want to be the one to make it happen. She could tell them if she wanted to. ¡°It didn¡¯t go great. Sorry there, Alex.¡±


    A gentle hand touched my shoulder. I looked up to see it was Rebecca. She had a soft look on her face, and she sat down next to me. I was still surprised that I didn¡¯t want to jump away from her touch. In fact, I wanted to lean into it more. If there was ever a woman I wanted to give me a hug, it was her in that moment. ¡°She needs time to accept it, but I think she will. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°As callous at is to say, Ms. Davis will have to figure out how to make this work. She¡¯s smarter than she gives herself credit for, yet her anger and outbursts are still concerns.¡± Mrs. Carmichael sat down on the other side of me, taking a long drink from the tea I gave her. I appreciated that she spoke up before I had to answer Rebecca, who started to rub my back in small circles with her hand. Mrs. Carmichael looked toward Val, who hadn¡¯t bothered cleaning the blood from her face, though I did notice some of the tea in her glass was missing. ¡°What can you tell us about Dii Consentes?¡±


    ¡°I have almost nothing on the other members,¡± Val revealed. I could just about feel the disappointment hanging thick and heavy in the room, especially from her. Everyone¡¯s shoulders slumped and there were a few sighs. ¡°McLeod kept most of us separate when he could. I only know about him, Heather, Eric, and of the teleporter he uses. Even then, I only know so much. McLeod was always expecting one of us to betray him eventually, so all the information was on a need-to-know basis.¡±


    ¡°All information is helpful right now,¡± Alex reminded her. If he was pissed at me, he didn¡¯t go public with it. I appreciated that he was all business and didn¡¯t try to make me air the dirty laundry right there.


    ¡°Right.¡± Val took a long breath and started to go into detail. ¡°McLeod has absolute control of heat and fire. The danger isn¡¯t just the fire he creates, but the other heat manipulation. In Pittsburgh, the bullets didn¡¯t reach him because he simply made the space in front of him so hot that they were reduced to nothing. Yes, bullets were reduced to dust before they could become a danger to him.¡±


    ¡°How can we get anything close to him to even try and get the kill?¡± I asked. Part of me felt gross about casually mentioning killing a man, even though that man was a murdering sociopath himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s just it.¡± Val began to sit down on the couch before stopping herself. Shelly gave a small nod, Val moved her sword, and took a seat next to Rebecca. ¡°Without something that has the defense to stand up to his heat and fire, he¡¯s almost impossible to fight in combat. He¡¯s strong, fast, and has the best control of his Anomaly out of everyone I¡¯ve ever met. The blue flames are nothing to him. He has little difficulty with heating the air quickly to the point it can vaporize anything to ash. His Sunblade is the only thing I¡¯ve seen him have trouble with. I know it looked like he just used it in Pittsburgh after he absorbed all the fire. That¡¯s not the case. That¡¯s an aspect of his power that takes a long time for him to prepare and recover from.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he announced the Pittsburgh attack in advance, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Shelly asked, looking stressed out. ¡°It makes sense if that white sword thing isn¡¯t just something he can pull out whenever he wants.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Val confirmed. ¡°He spent at least twelve hours each day between his attacks just absorbing the heat needed to successfully destroy Pittsburgh with that. Probably more. I don¡¯t think I saw him sleep or eat one time. He can take in heat from his surroundings, even when it¡¯s freezing outside, and he can store it in his body. McLeod is strong without trying, but when he is trying, he¡¯s a complete monster.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news, right?¡± I was trying to be optimistic about the situation, but three weeks had already passed. That would mean that McLeod could be on his way with the force to remove this complex off the map. Maybe even flatten the mountain we were in. ¡°That means he can¡¯t just destroy cities each day, one after another, with as much ease.¡±


    ¡°Even if he can¡¯t use that exact attack, he¡¯s still the top of the food chain.¡± Val¡¯s gaze drifted to her sword. She ran a pale hand over it like she was reminiscing about something. ¡°There¡¯s no one stronger than him. One of my Anomalies is enhanced physiology. I¡¯m stronger, faster, and more dexterous than just about anyone else on the planet. That man can still hold his own against me in a regular swordfight. Genetically, he¡¯s just superior, even with an Anomaly.


    ¡°And everything is symbolic with him. McLeod does things exactly how he wants to do them, not necessarily how he should do them. He could freeze someone to death by absorbing all the heat their body produces or in the surrounding area. He chooses to use a sword and fight ¡®honorably¡¯ because he¡¯s powerful enough for that luxury.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®symbolic¡¯, exactly?¡± I asked. Not getting symbolism was why my literature classes were some of my least favorites. Though the symbolism of a blue curtain didn¡¯t seem to matter as much as the¡ªapparently important¡ªsymbolism of a man who could vaporize cities.


    ¡°The sword is one of his favorite things,¡± Val said. She finally wiped the blood from her nose and corner of her mouth, but it had already begun to dry and it left a red stain on her light skin. ¡°He thinks that guns are barbaric and that swords are tools befitting those that are noble. He thinks...thought of me as something like a daughter, which is why I have one. A sword makes use of both my powers, and he was all about us showing our powers. I couldn¡¯t use my enhanced strength if I had a gun.¡±


    ¡°He does talk like a man who carries himself as an arrogant king,¡± Alex said. He also took a sip of the sweet tea, finally settling down enough to stop using his Anomaly. I took the tea as another sign that he wasn¡¯t going to beat the tar out of me for saying awful things to his girlfriend. Not yet, at least. The day was still young.


    ¡°That¡¯s a weakness and a strength.¡± Val got up and started to pace back and forth. ¡°He¡¯s rightfully confident in his strength, and that¡¯s why there are people who support him unflinchingly. They crave the power, stability, and the possible future he brings for people with Anomalies. For a flock that was confused about who they were and what they could do, some see him as their savior.


    ¡°But that confidence means he does things like announces attacks and makes the grandest spectacle of everything. He made sure we either had someone working for the news stations to avoid cutting the broadcasts, or he just used force and intimidation to keep them going. He didn¡¯t use a teleporter to come here because he simply doesn¡¯t think he needs to. He only used the teleporters for the city attacks because he wanted to terrify normal people that he could show up anywhere. He wants to travel here normally, look for more cities to attack, and maybe even recruit more people.¡±


    ¡°Does he not see us as a significant threat?¡± Mrs. Carmichael asked.


    ¡°He does recognize the threat you pose, both in ability and number. That¡¯s why he had us follow your team you sent to the Tomb Removed from Time. When I returned to him, he admitted having heard the name. He thought it was a legend as well. If one of Eric¡¯s Anomalies didn¡¯t let us track you down, we wouldn¡¯t be having this discussion today.¡± Mrs. Carmichael looked annoyed at the revelation that he had some of the same info on the place that she did. Val seemed to notice, and her face softened. ¡°He¡¯s quite resourceful himself. Don¡¯t take it personally. We were looking for people to recruit in Pennsylvania, and Eric just happened to feel a vehicle filled with four Anomalies.¡±


    Chills ran down my spine thinking about how long they had been following us. That meant any of the times we were separated, we could have been killed off without issue. Well, I could have been. Alex was able to hold his own. When I was playing with Megan in the park, what would have stopped Val from killing us, Chloe, and Ryan? If Val really wanted to, it would have been easy.


    Another silence hung over the room. Both Mrs. Carmichael and Shelly were deep in thought. If Alex was thinking hard about something, he didn¡¯t show it as much as those two, just looking as stoic as ever. Val got up and kept pacing back and forth. All the while, I was just too stressed to think about anything properly. Even knowing McLeod was on his way didn¡¯t carry the weight with me that I knew it should. Rebecca gave my shoulder a light squeeze of reassurance.


    ¡°If I may, why did the four of you decide to let me in?¡± Val asked.


    ¡°Well, I suggested it,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would have been a good idea to go back on it. We really will need all the help we can get.¡±


    ¡°My reasoning is largely the same. Despite her hatred for you, Ms. Davis believes that you weren¡¯t lying to us, and I¡¯ll have to trust her so I can start to trust you. As Ethan said, we¡¯ll need every able body we can get.¡± Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s deep-in-thought expression switched to a confident one.


    ¡°You¡¯re not better than me, but you¡¯re good enough,¡± Alex said gruffly. It didn¡¯t come across as condescending, somehow. Just that he genuinely thought he was stronger, and for all I knew, he might¡¯ve been. I almost chuckled at how much I liked his easy self-assured demeanor.


    Rebecca was the only one that had difficulty answering. Her eyes kept dancing between everyone, even though no one else was looking at her, and she chewed her bottom lip. After a few seconds of fidgeting, she finally got up and looked around at everyone in the room.


    ¡°I was asked to fight with you only moments after learning I¡¯d outlived my daughter and anyone else I knew in my life. The other option was to be kidnapped or crushed in a crumbling room. My entire life had been changed, and for me, it felt like it was an instant. I wasn¡¯t learning or observing anything when I was held in stasis. I closed my eyes with a world and a family that I was a part of, and I didn¡¯t have a lot of important stuff left to me when I opened them again.¡± Her eyes flicked to me for a moment before she resumed. ¡°But I¡¯m finding things that I like in this new world. The two of us might be different, but I know that it¡¯s not easy to be forced to leave your life behind. That¡¯s why I voted to bring her in.¡±


    Rebecca had a point. Both had to leave the only things they knew behind, their entire lives, and Luna pressured them into just taking up arms and trying to stop the bad guys. Granted, I don¡¯t know how many other options Val had. Going back to the people who had manipulated you for a lot of your life after destroying your previous life wasn¡¯t the greatest option. Being imprisoned or executed were the next two that came to mind, and that¡¯s where I stopped thinking about it. The decision was made and all I could do was try to work with it.


    ¡°Come, Val...?¡± Mrs. Carmichael trailed off, expecting the rest of her name.


    ¡°Just Val. I don¡¯t have a last name.¡± Val crossed her arms and had an air of rebellion about her, daring anyone to challenge it.


    Mrs. Carmichael sighed as if she was a spunky teenage daughter going through a phase. She probably thought it was something to test her patience or one last act of defiance from someone formerly under McLeod. If she was abandoned, though, she really might not have a last name. No matter the reason, Mrs. Carmichael departed with Val, who took her sword. I would have been worried, but since Mrs. Carmichael¡¯s Anomaly was apparently exceptional regeneration, I thought she¡¯d be the safest of everyone.


    ¡°I should get going too,¡± Alex said, checking the time. He looked a bit uneasy when he eyed the door where his girlfriend had stormed out not even half an hour prior. ¡°There¡¯s some stuff I need to take care of. Good to see you again, Ethan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been quiet. How¡¯re you, Lizzy?¡± I asked. Her face was scrunched up which made her scar more noticeable. Part of me was scared she¡¯d get all over me about the Lori thing. I¡¯d seen enough TV shows where if you pissed off one girl, her best friend would be at your throat with a knife, and I¡¯d had enough women with bladed objects at my neck for one lifetime.


    ¡°I feel bad for Lori. She was the only reason I voted no. I didn¡¯t really have a horse in that race.¡± She tried to put on her usual, happy face that could make just about anyone let their guard down, only letting a hint of how upset she was slide through. She came over and gave me a small, only mildly uncomfortable hug. Maybe it was for her sake more than my own. ¡°Since everything is calming down, I have to get back to work. I¡¯m sure Mrs. Carmichael will give us all the information she can in excruciating detail later.¡±


    With her departure, there was just Rebecca, Shelly, and I. It felt way later than it really was, and I wanted to go take a nap. I almost excused myself to start on my silly puzzle. I couldn¡¯t yet. I knew that there were things I had to take care of. Lori was the most pressing one. There was absolutely no way she wanted to see me, or maybe anyone, that day. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t ever want to see me again. I really didn¡¯t think I had considered her feelings enough.


    I settled for the most useful thing, something that I should have been doing for the past three weeks. I decided to go do some training by myself. A space that big and empty would let me think. Rebecca still looked a little on edge, which made me want to invite her to blow off some steam. ¡°Do you want to do some training together?¡±


    ¡°Exercise does sound good right now,¡± she said. I held out a hand that she eagerly took, letting me gently pull her off the couch. ¡°I¡¯d love to come join you.¡±


    ¡°And just like that we¡¯re all going back to our routine?¡± Shelly asked with a snort. Like Lizzy, she gave me a quick hug before I left. ¡°Whatever, I got some work to do myself. Ethan, if you get held hostage again, try to make it so the walk isn¡¯t so far for me, okay?¡±


    "Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye on him," Rebecca said.


    Shelly folded her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow at the redhead. "Oh, I bet you''re going to."


    Rebecca''s face became bright red and she looked down at her feet in embarrassment. I didn''t want Shelly to worry, so I tried to come to her defense. "She''s been helping me get out of the apartment for a little while. It''s okay, I''m in good hands."


    A wavering grin broke on my sister''s face while Rebecca looked up at me. "Ethan, that''s not what she...never mind, thank you."

 Book Two - Chapter Nine

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised no one was using this room,¡± I said, entering the familiar and large training area, Rebecca following close behind. She seemed much more at ease when she was away from my apartment. My voice echoed off the walls and I got a bit of vertigo from how high the ceiling was.


    ¡°Lucky day. What were you going to work on?¡± Rebecca started doing some stretches to loosen up, keeping her eyes on me. If I knew any good stretches and hadn¡¯t felt so self-conscious with her looking at me, I would have done the same. Maybe I should have been more embarrassed that I knew fewer warmup stretches than a lady from the Civil War era.


    ¡°My shield strength. It¡¯s the best thing I can make right now.¡± I formed a Shimmer-Shield in front of me. Usually, I¡¯d just put one with a moderate amount of strength up, but this time I put more into it. Instead of just a shimmer in the air, this one formed into an object I could both see and feel. It was purple-pink and rectangular in shape, but the corners looked like they¡¯d been shaved down. I moved out of the way so Rebecca could get a look. ¡°Can you see this?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± She stopped her stretching and hesitantly placed a hand on it, like I had such poor control over my power that it would explode into a million pointy shards. ¡°You finally made one visible.¡±


    ¡°I put some more into this one. It¡¯s weird, even my strongest ones weren¡¯t visible before.¡± I placed my hand on it too, wondering what it felt like. I expected something cold and harsh, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn it felt warm and smooth, like glass in the sun. I could have taken a long nap on the thing. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing in my room. Small things, but still a little bit of practice. I can¡¯t believe this one came to me so easily.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need to keep doing that.¡± Rebecca pulled her hand back and went back to her stretches. I could feel her eyes right back on me as I continued to examine my shield.


    Since I didn¡¯t have anyone to attack my shield for me, I wanted to try a method that would let me do it myself. That was another reason why I wanted Rebecca there. Since I was going to be attacking it, if I wasn¡¯t careful, I could be spending another few days in the hospital. With the looming threat of McLeod, being unconscious for more than twenty-four hours was not an option.


    Ever since I saw Braden create those lance-like things from that shadow orb, I was trying to match it. I could make an orb in my hands, and...that was about as far as I got with the comparison. I couldn¡¯t get it to shoot out beams like his. After remembering that his shadow warrior looked more like a reforming gas or liquid when damaged, I was sure that it was because the bones that made up our powers were just fundamentally different, even if we could pull similar tricks out of our hats. My power might just be too hard, literally, for me to easily do what he did. That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t learn anything from what he did.


    Instead of trying to make lance-like attacks from an orb in my hand, I just made a spear. In my head, I pictured something majestic and regal looking. A large, intricate blade on the end of a sturdy polearm, maybe with a fur tassel at the end. It was something that would have even given someone like McLeod pause on the battlefield. Instead, I got something that was a polearm and a small, bladed end that was barely thicker than the rest. It looked more like a javelin, but since I was going to be throwing it, maybe that was for the best. An elaborate weapon could wait if I decided to create one to fight with.


    Shimmer-Javelin was too messy in my head, so I opted to call it Shimmer-Spear, no matter what weapon it resembled in reality. My power, my naming, with some naming credit going to Rebecca. I was slightly embarrassed giving names like that to my creations, yet at the same time, it was kind of fun. I just hoped that Rebecca would stick to her name and not leave me out to dry. If I had to publicly announce myself as Shimmer to a nefarious villain, I was not going to handle her jumping in with, ¡°I¡¯m Rebecca!¡± No way.


    I took the Shimmer-Spear in my and to get a feel for the weight. It was almost light as air in my hand when I¡¯d been bracing for something much heavier. It had the same smooth, warm glassy texture as the shield did. I wasn¡¯t sure if everything I made was that light, or if it was just the weapon I held. If it was everything, then I couldn¡¯t believe that something that light killed Eric so easily. Then again, I was pretty sure bullets weren¡¯t exactly heavy.


    With the spear in my grasp, I shrugged, and just threw it forward. Boy, if there was one physical action in my life I could take back, it would be that one. My throw sucked and I was instantly crossed off any baseball scout¡¯s list. It sailed wide of the shield and its side clattered off the wall. How the hell did I not even get it to throw mostly straight? I turned around to try and save face with Rebecca, but she was pretending like she didn¡¯t see it. When I kept staring at her, she couldn¡¯t hold it and she burst out in laughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t laugh. That was awful.¡± She had to sit down to try and control her laughing. She started gasping and wheezing, throwing an arm across her midsection. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not trying to be mean, but...¡±


    ¡°Well, at least one of us is getting some fun out of it.¡± I smirked and ignored the slight blush I felt. The sound of her laughing was way better than any embarrassment I was feeling.


    I broke down the Shimmer-Spear that lay against the wall and reformed it in my hand. Though my face was bright red, I wasn¡¯t too bent out of shape about the whole thing. It was pretty funny, and to be perfectly honest, the completely expected result. Seriously, what was I doing trying to throw a javelin with my noodle arms? Plus, how sweet Rebecca¡¯s laughing sounded on my ears made it more than worth it. I also knew that I wouldn¡¯t be throwing those most of the time. They were still controlled by my mind, after all.


    I let go of the spear and willed it to float in the air. I looked directly at the center of my shield and sent the spear toward that spot. The bladed tip embedded itself into the shield cleanly. There were no fractures in it like when Alex had punched it. The damage barely registered in the back of my head. I took that as a sign that I was getting stronger and better with my power, which was a great feeling. Since it was all connected to my mind, all I had to do was visualize where I wanted my spear to go, and it went there. I wasn¡¯t sure how it worked, Maybe some kind of weird telepathy? I didn¡¯t care too much about the nuts and bolts of it. All I had to do was aim in spirit to hit my target.


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    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just do that in the first place?¡± Rebecca asked, her voice now deep and masculine. That gave me a bit of a start, but I remembered she was there to train as well, so changing her vocals made sense. It was almost like Alex was talking right behind me.


    ¡°I wanted to see how it would be to throw it.¡± I shrugged and formed another spear, keeping the one I already tossed still in the shield. Next was to see how many I could have out at one time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to throw these for real unless I really need to. My arms are about as strong and stable as the legs of a newborn giraffe, so it¡¯ll be a last resort.¡±


    I sent the spear forward, this time with more force behind it. Like the first one, it embedded itself smoothly in the shield, albeit farther in by a couple inches. I repeated that process three more times, getting better with my target visualization and the spear¡¯s travel speed. I had a small fear that I¡¯d lose control of the spear mid-flight. That fear never amounted to much as I never lost control. I felt fine with all the damage done to the shield and all the weapons summoned, but I still sat down to take a small breather. After the first hospital trip I had from overdoing it, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to rush toward a second.


    I watched Rebecca do some shadowboxing training. She threw out fast jabs, kicks, and some weird holds that I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what they were without a person to test them on. I wasn¡¯t a proper judge, but all her movements seemed quick and efficient. She was able to keep going without a break, or really breaking a sweat, despite the fact she was wearing a sweater and jeans. It only put me a little bit to shame.


    After a bit, she noticed me watching her. ¡°If you¡¯re just going to stare, come help me.¡± She gave me a quick wink and waved me over.


    I was hesitant about getting punched or kicked. I wasn¡¯t some macho tough guy who was eager to see if a girl¡¯s punch could really hurt. Still, I made my way to her side. She did have a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, though it looked like she could keep going for another hour without any trouble. She scanned my body up and down before placing her hand horizontally against the top of her forehead. She then drifted her hand perfectly across to my body, where it met the base of my throat.


    ¡°This is something I wanted to try on someone my height, but it should work on you.¡± She left only a couple inches between us.


    ¡°Try what?¡± I asked nervously. Rebecca took off her sweater to reveal a white tank top that showed off her lean muscles and solid shoulders.


    Instead of explaining, she showed me. Rebecca stepped to the left side of my body, wrapped her right arm around my neck, forcing me down a bit, and held my right arm out and high with her left hand. Her right foot was planted near my own, and the result made my body stretched out in an uncomfortable way where I didn''t have a whole lot of leverage to use to my advantage. I tensed up, not sure if I was supposed to be doing anything to help, like try to fight out. She made a humming noise and I imagined that she looked confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to do one of the most basic judo throws I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯m still not sure how it works.¡± I could hear her better, so she must have turned to face my head. ¡°With your free hand, see how much you can grab or try to move me.¡±


    I did as instructed. No matter how hard I tried, I could only feel her waist or hip, and the most I could do to get any leverage was grab a small handful of her tank. If I was in any real danger, I wasn¡¯t sure how much I would have been able to do. Granted, I didn¡¯t know what I would have been doing, since I wasn¡¯t exactly a creep who just went around grabbing at the waists and hips of strong women.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you can do?¡± she asked.


    I used a bit more strength to see if I could turn the tables, and all I managed to do was grab a handful of what was definitely her butt. After that, I just let my body go limp and gave up. I didn''t need to cop a second feel to know I was at my limit. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± she said with a snort. I could feel her trying to hold back some laughter. ¡°This is supposed to help use my body to block your body, and then I do this.¡±


    Rebecca bent down, pulled my outstretched arm forward, and wrenched my head along with it. In a second, I was flipped over her body, and I landed hard on my back. When I hit the cold, hard ground, I got the feeling most of those kinds of throws were learned on softer padding to avoid injuries. I felt my ribs ache and my tailbone was tingling. She rolled through with it, sloppy and inexperienced, though I imagined it could have been a whole lot worse for her first attempt at it. Her face ended up right above mine, the tips of our noses gently brushing. With my aching ribs, and nothing else, I couldn¡¯t breathe for a few moments.


    ¡°I probably should have done that on a padded floor,¡± she said, stating the obvious. My back and lungs would have had a few choice words for her if they could talk. She sat down next to me and looked at me with worry. ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, boss.¡± It came out raspy. I struggled to sit up and she helped to support me. The wind wasn¡¯t quite knocked out of me all the way, but it did hurt with every breath I took. ¡°That¡¯d be good if you did it really quick.¡±


    ¡°Want to try it again?¡±


    ¡°No, not really,¡± I admitted, ¡°but I will. How many more of these throws do you have?¡±


    She had seven more ¡°basic¡± throws she wanted to try. Each one involved me hitting my ribs, lower back, or both. Each one made it harder to breathe until I was gasping for breath and tapping out on the last one. How all those damn throws didn¡¯t have me paralyzed in a wheelchair was beyond any reasoning I could come up with. I was almost scared to talk about how lucky I felt. If I spoke it into reality, what if I did get seriously injured from one of her tosses?


    ¡°Really, are you okay?¡± Rebecca was on her knees next to my head. I just gave a thumbs up in reply. She pulled out a white cloth and wiped away some sweat that formed on my forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s the last one I¡¯ll do.¡±


    My entire torso ached, and it wasn¡¯t just my forehead that was covered in sweat. The room wasn¡¯t spinning in my vision, though not for a lack of trying. I focused on the shield and spears I had created. I was glad they were still standing. Or floating. Whatever, I was glad just they were still existing after the small beating I took. My head didn¡¯t feel any worse for keeping them up while getting tossed around like a rag doll.


    I shakily stood up and nearly fell over. Rebecca quickly propped herself up under my right arm, and I half expected another toss. Instead, she just looked at me like I was being dumb.


    ¡°I think we should call it. How many of those spears have you made at one time before?¡± She adjusted herself to support my weight better. She gave me a pat on my chest that told me she thought I did a great job. Shame I was covered in gross sweat.


    ¡°That¡¯s the most I¡¯ve done.¡± It came out more as a wheeze than human speech and my face went red again. Of course, it had to make my voice sound higher too.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good progress, so don¡¯t kill yourself trying to do more.¡± She looked guilty about the whole thing. ¡°How about I treat you to a dinner for kicking your butt like that?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I let you do most of those throws,¡± I said, slowly regaining my ability to breathe fully. I broke down the shield and spears, now confident in my ability to produce what I¡¯d need to be useful in a fight.


    ¡°Most?¡±


    ¡°Most,¡± I confirmed, trying to smile.


    Rebecca had to practically drag me out of the training room, but after that, she did make good on her promise and treated me to a wonderful dinner later that evening. Solid superpower progress and a great dinner. What more could a guy ask for?

 Book Two - Chapter Ten

    The next three days went by quickly and easily, for the most part. They were so peaceful I found myself getting anxious from it, and I used that time to work on my Shimmer, which was getting stronger by the day. Even shattering shields by force barely recognized in my head. I broke thirty in one session with spear and orb attacks, and only then did I finally start to feel some discomfort from it. Rebecca liked the progress I was making. What she seemed to like more than my progress was throwing me on my backside all the time. Knowing she was getting something out of it did help dull the pain a touch.


    She kept smiling at me whenever I did something neat. Whenever she threw me on my back, it seemed that she made a point to have our faces be as close as possible without touching. Sometimes our foreheads or our noses brushed against each other, and I may not have been the most socially adept guy around, but not even I was going to ignore what she was doing. The thought that she might be into me¡ªme, of all people¡ªelated me and threatened to make me violently ill, because I definitely felt some kind of connection to her. To me, it really felt like there was chemistry there. Everything just felt better when I was next to her.


    Mrs. Carmichael announced to everyone that it was estimated McLeod would arrive at Luna in seven days, which left me four to prepare at that point, and it did bring me down about the whole Rebecca thing. A lot of people evacuated to another Luna compound in Nebraska. I had been sure that was Big Sky Country, but Shelly awkwardly had to inform me that I was thinking of Montana. Everyone had been given the option to leave, and everyone I knew personally decided to stay. Mrs. Carmichael begrudgingly let Megan stay, so long as someone was always with her, and she was the top priority to get her out if the attack happened. She confessed to me that there weren''t any families willing to take her. I understood that. Evacuating your own family out was stressful enough without throwing on another little girl you didn''t know. If we weren''t able to make it out, it wasn''t fair to another family to make them watch over Megan. Like Pittsburgh, they couldn¡¯t enforce an evacuation, so Mrs. Carmichael entrusted the kiddo to Shelly and her judgment. By extension, that meant she was entrusted to me too.


    Mrs. Carmichael seemed nervous about the whole thing. She tried her best to cover it up, of course, though I could see a few nervous tics emerge whenever I saw her. I was in that camp too. The danger of McLeod was starting to set in, making me realize how lightly I¡¯d been taking it since arriving. I didn¡¯t want to be like that anymore. After nearly dying in the Tomb, I had to get in better shape with how I tackled everything. I could have fun, but I really had to start being on my toes.


    I¡¯d reunited with Megan finally, and I got to start that puzzle with her. When the little girl ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug she could manage, I had to battle to keep my emotions in check. She thought I was sad, and she couldn¡¯t have been further from the truth. I spun her around in the air while maintaining my embrace, which seemed to make her forget about my reaction. It felt a bit soon and weird to say I loved the kid, but man, it had to be something close to it.


    She¡¯d spent the past two nights with us in Shelly¡¯s room, where my sister was more than happy to have her. She adored that little girl as much as I did. Part of me knew that she would be staying with us full-time from that moment onward, even though we weren¡¯t a complete family with parents who would be expected to have the skills to take care of a little girl. Despite my awkward attempt at apologizing, she accepted it without any fuss. She¡¯d even made a card that said, ¡°Get well soon!¡± in her big, blocky handwriting. That one melted my heart and threatened to turn me into a puddle.


    Rebecca was over a lot too, mostly to help Megan with school, but I couldn¡¯t avoid noticing that she was trying to get closer to me. I was just about positive she liked me, but I kept telling myself that maybe Rebecca was just like that with her friends. Lizzy was openly affectionate in that same way, but something felt...different. Rebecca was a little more awkward around me, which made me more awkward around her too. I didn¡¯t consider myself overly perceptive or paranoid, but it really did feel different. All in all, that made the combined effort to teach Megan challenging. It was still one of the brighter spots of my days. We¡¯d only just started and she was starting to take to homeschooling very well. The rest of us were too.


    That day¡¯s lesson was on telling time. That proved to be difficult since Megan struggled with numbers and we didn¡¯t have any analogue clocks for a good visual example. We were able to find a site with world clocks, which Megan found cool with all the different time zones, sending us into a small tangent about those. That turned into a brief geography lesson with some maps. With how many digital clocks we had, I almost scrapped trying to teach her about it. Really, with things like phones, she probably would have been fine. I just couldn¡¯t have her growing up unable to tell time. It wasn¡¯t like calculus where the day-to-day practicality of it was small unless you worked in a field that used it. You kind of had to know how to tell time.


    After I could tell that it was getting a bit much for the youngster, Rebecca and I dismissed her for an hour so she could clear her head, watch some TV, and eat. Megan didn¡¯t try to hide her excitement and she rushed off to Shelly¡¯s room to enjoy her break. For a little while, I was scared to let her go unsupervised, but she was a little angel. Any time she did something wrong, she told us right away, and we never yelled at her. With her gone, an awkward silence quickly filled the space she left behind.


    ¡°Do you want to go out sometime?¡± I blurted out. Then I paused and furrowed my brow, not sure if I had actually just asked that or maybe just hallucinated it. Maybe I was just having a really long dream and I was still living back in Oregon and didn¡¯t have any powers. Rebecca looked similarly stunned. Oh well, no point in trying to dance around it anymore. My heart was thumping in my chest and I could feel my ears getting hot. ¡°Like, more than we have been. An actual date. You and me. Together. More than friends.¡±


    Rebecca looked down at her lap and played with her hands, almost for an uncomfortably long time. My stomach started to churn, and my throat felt tight. I kept looking between her and Shelly¡¯s room, hoping Megan would burst back in to bring us back to the endless joys of first grade schoolwork. If I had a window, I might have jumped out of it to escape the jumbled mess of words I left hanging in the air.


    ¡°I would absolutely love that,¡± Rebecca said. I snuck a glance at my phone to confirm that an hour hadn¡¯t really passed. Then, she looked up and smiled at me. It was warm and maybe the best thing I¡¯d ever seen. I almost had to look away.


    ¡°Tonight, maybe? You know, before McLeod shows up and we have to handle that.¡±


    ¡°As good a time as any,¡± she said. Her face scrunched up in a cute way, drawing more of my attention to her freckles. ¡°Not a movie, right? I know that people do that today.¡±


    ¡°I always heard a movie would be a bad first date,¡± I replied, remembering overhearing some girls at my old high school talking about bad dates they dealt with. They had plenty of long lists with movies topping out as the worst first option. ¡°It¡¯s dark and you have to be quiet, or you get kicked out. That¡¯s something for marriage when you¡¯ve been together forever and know each other inside out.¡±


    That gave me an idea about where to go. The previous two nights I had trouble sleeping, so I was taking some walks on the outside part of the Luna complex to help me wind down. It took me ages to find the first night, but it was easier on the second one. The weather was shaping up to be comfortable, so why not? It beat a movie or another meal.


    ¡°What¡¯s your apartment number? I¡¯ll come get you at eight.¡± For some reason, I was feeling worse after she said yes. Maybe it was all the panic that I was ordinarily too dumb to feel just hitting me at once. I couldn¡¯t stop fidgeting and I didn¡¯t know what to do with my hands. It felt weird that I had a date. It was weirder that it didn¡¯t feel weird.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll text it to you,¡± she said, pulling out her phone. With a little difficulty, she got the info sent over to me.


    After putting it into the navigation app for this sprawling building, I learned that she didn¡¯t live far away at all. Maybe ten minutes if I took a wrong turn, which hadn¡¯t happened since I started using the map.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± Megan made her presence known again. I hadn¡¯t heard her walk up behind me and she almost gave me a heart attack. ¡°What¡¯re you two doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her food,¡± Rebecca said after getting a good look at my pathetic state. Not exactly smooth, but she was still all smiles. After throwing me on my ass multiple times, she had a rough idea of what she was getting, so if she said yes despite how lame I was, maybe that put me in a good position with her after all.


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    Megan stopped caring about what we were up to when she was promised some snacks, so she followed Rebecca to the kitchen. The more I looked at her, the more it hit me how pretty she was. It was something that I already knew, having gotten plenty of good looks at her since our first meeting. Since agreeing to a date, I was already seeing things a little differently. She was doing very well with cooking, considering she¡¯d only been near those kinds of appliances for just over a month. She hadn¡¯t burned the entire complex down, at least. She kept it simple by making the three of us some grilled cheese sandwiches.


    While she did that, I took a few minutes to practice with my Shimmer again. In any downtime I had, I was trying to get as much control over my power as possible. I made two hands, but I still needed to tie their movements with my real hands. Things like barriers, spears, and orbs were easy. While they didn¡¯t require the same level of control that my hands did, they were far simpler in overall application. Improving that aspect of my power was coming slowly to me. Still, making two hands was, well, handy.


    I used them to bring my sandwich plate over to me. Megan looked on in amazement. They moved slower and the grip was clunker than I¡¯d hoped for, but it was something. It got the food from Point A to Point B, which is what mattered most. Function over form.


    ¡°Have you figured out what your power is yet, kiddo?¡± I asked. Megan wandered over next to me, her PB&J sandwich cut into the shape of a dinosaur. I didn¡¯t even know we had those kinds of cutting things lying around.


    She took a big bite and did her best to talk around the food. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had one until earlier this year,¡± I told her. ¡°Sometimes people are late bloomers. I can¡¯t wait to see what yours is.¡±


    We all went through our food and Megan went back to Shelly¡¯s room to watch TV for a bit longer. I tried to find better ways to teach Megan about time, which proved to be a greater struggle than I expected. None of it looked very fun. She could at least count to twelve, which should have made it easy enough for her to understand the concept of hours, but the smaller increments might be trouble.


    ¡°How¡¯d you learn time?¡± I asked Rebecca, throwing my head back in defeat. At least my ceiling didn¡¯t have stupid numbers I needed to look at.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember all that well,¡± she sat down next to me with a warm cup of tea. ¡°My father had a pocket watch he¡¯d carry around, tell me the time, and I¡¯d use the position of the sun from what he told me. I never really knew the exact time.¡±


    I decided there that we were just going to work on some more reading and writing for the rest of the day. I¡¯d try to get her to go over her issues with numbers more in the future to see if that helped the time. Personally, I didn¡¯t think she was doing terribly with math and the like, but she insisted that it was harder than the other stuff. I could see her forehead crinkle in frustration at times. I had trouble with math at that age as well, so I took it she was telling the truth.


    ¡°Maybe we should give her a holiday until this McLeod thing blows over,¡± Rebecca suggested.


    I didn¡¯t hate the sound of that. ¡°Do you think we should? It would make it easier for me to try and think up ways to teach her. Or give me some time to think of anything.¡±


    Rebecca nodded, so I spent the rest of Megan¡¯s break working on the next few things I wanted her to work on. It was a lot of basic adding and subtracting with little colored tokens and candies, the latter she¡¯d be allowed to eat when the lesson was finished, with some spelling practice thrown in. Whenever she spelled a word right, I would say it dramatically and do a little dance. It got her to laugh and made her want to do better, which was all I was hoping for. Her spoken vocabulary was good, but her spelling had to catch up somewhat.


    ¡°Good news, kiddo,¡± I told Megan when I saw her walk out, ¡°you¡¯re done for the next few days. Don¡¯t get too excited, because we¡¯ll get you caught up after the weekend.¡±


    Despite my advice, her grin kept growing bigger. Shelly might kick mine and Rebecca¡¯s butts for this break, but it felt like the right move. Just too much going on with McLeod to properly and efficiently teach Megan. It was fine with me if she just viewed it as another break. Whatever kept her happy.


    That left me the rest of the day to simultaneously get excited and panic about the date. It was two in the afternoon, and Shelly got home at four, which would give me three hours to safely get ready and have someone watch Megan. I was dreading it, but I knew I¡¯d have to go to Lizzy¡¯s for help. I texted her if I could come over at around four thirty and almost immediately got a response in the affirmative. She added in some kissy faces and a few hearts. I frowned at my screen, unable to tell if that was just Lizzy being Lizzy, or if she knew about the date. Or maybe both.


    The three of us spent those two hours doing that princess puzzle. That went about as well as I thought it would. Having an energetic child there to help made putting a few hundred small pieces fit together properly almost impossible, but that was the fun. I felt just like I did when my own family tried to complete one of them. Most of the pieces ended up on the ground just so we could find the easy edge pieces. Then it became a game of picking up the mess and trying to get the rest of the pieces right.


    Shelly walked in just when we had three sides done. Megan ran over to her and gave her a big hug. She set all her belongings down and picked Megan up. I could tell she was stressed and tired. Whatever she had going on was exhausting her. Still, she never snapped at anyone over it. She just desperately needed a nap. Megan¡¯s little arms around her neck seemed to brighten Shelly up a teeny bit.


    ¡°How¡¯d school go today?¡± she asked, poking Megan on the nose.


    ¡°Awesome! Ethan said I can have the next few days off.¡±


    ¡°Did he now?¡± Shelly¡¯s gaze fell to me, her eyebrows raised. Kids and their honesty. At least it wasn¡¯t like I was trying to keep some big secret.


    ¡°Not that cut and dry,¡± I said, trying to do damage control. I didn¡¯t want to scare Megan, so I took care with what I said next. ¡°With that in the next few days, I thought it¡¯d be smarter to focus on it for now instead of school.¡±


    Shelly put Megan down and told her to wait in her room. The little girl ran off giggling, almost slipping on the floor, just barely catching herself. I winced watching her almost bust her butt on the ground even though she was fine. I didn¡¯t stop wincing until the kiddo was completely out of sight. I made sure she was in Shelly¡¯s room with the door shut before continuing the conversation.


    ¡°This Dii Consentes thing has me stressed out too,¡± Shelly said, sitting down where Megan had been. She idly scooted pieces of the puzzle around, not trying to complete it. ¡°On top of just normal work stress.¡±


    ¡°And that work would be the work you can''t tell me about?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t bitter. If she couldn¡¯t tell me, I trusted she had her reasons for it. I was getting worried, though.


    ¡°Yeah, everything is just getting a bit heavy.¡± Shelly shifted to a more jovial tone. ¡°You bringing a kid home didn¡¯t help. At least she¡¯s past the diapers and waking up at the phase where she wakes up at two in the morning to scream and cry.


    ¡°Hey, I think I¡¯m going to head out.¡± Rebecca looked nervous and her eyes darted between us siblings. They finally settled on me, and her face went a bit red. ¡°Um, see you later, Ethan.¡±


    ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± Shelly asked when Rebecca shut the door, giving me a knowing poke to the ribs. Then it was my turn to go red.


    ¡°I asked her out on a date tonight.¡± It felt embarrassing to say it like that for some reason, so I tried to avoid meeting her gaze.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time one of you did that. Probably had to be you, since she¡¯s from an older era and all, and you¡¯re a pretty understanding dude. You¡¯re about the only guy she knows.¡± She patted me on the back and gave me a bit of a side hug. ¡°Good for you, Ethan Harper. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised?¡± I asked, feeling stupid.


    ¡°Ethan, she¡¯s been over here every day for, like, two weeks.¡± She pulled away and gave me a funny look. ¡°You guys have been getting coffee every day too. Don¡¯t need the world¡¯s sharpest intuition for that. If you guys didn¡¯t go out on one actual date, that would have surprised me more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not bothered by it? No long speech about not being dumb?¡±


    ¡°Not really, bud. You rescued her from a cave and saved her life. I feel like any advice I have might be a bit quaint for a couple who¡¯s been through something like that.¡± She got up and started pulling out some pots and pans. ¡°If I felt like she was some kind of predator or perv, I¡¯d at least tell you that, but she seems very nice. She¡¯s wonderful with Megan and she¡¯s pretty. I haven¡¯t seen you this relaxed since you were on those painkillers from getting your wisdom teeth pulled.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she really is pretty,¡± I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. I felt like I had a stupid smile on my face when I said it.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be nineteen in a few months now. You don¡¯t need my approval for everything anymore. If she makes you happy, go for it.¡± She stopped to pull out some ingredients I recognized and knew she would be making lasagna. ¡°Another thing about life is that you sometimes have to make your own mistakes.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s a mistake?¡± My heart sank for a moment.


    ¡°No, sorry, that¡¯s not what I meant. Just say that it does end up that you¡¯re both totally incompatible. There are times when no advice I could give would tell you that. You do, sometimes, have to figure out mistakes by making those mistakes. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m still here to give advice if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I follow you now.¡± I was relieved that she didn¡¯t feel like it was an outright mistake to try and date Rebecca.


    ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to be both your parent and sister. I¡¯d love nothing more than to tease you about it, but since it¡¯s your first date, I want to be supportive more than anything.¡± She thumped her forehead with the palm of her hand. ¡°Oh man, you really need something good to wear.¡±


    ¡°I was about to tell you that I¡¯m going to head to Lizzy¡¯s for some help with that.¡± I groaned, realizing what that explanation would be like. ¡°She¡¯ll do enough teasing for you, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you know you¡¯ve surrounded yourself with a woman of character.¡± She walked over to me as I got off the stool and gave me a hug. ¡°In all seriousness, congratulations. I am really happy for you. For both of you. Asking someone out for the first time isn¡¯t easy for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but asking her out was the easy part.¡± I pulled away and couldn¡¯t help but give a nervous grin. ¡°Now I just have to make sure I don¡¯t humiliate myself. That might be the hard part.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Eleven

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 Book Two - Chapter Twelve

    It was a little before noon when Braden and I met up in the tallest training chamber I¡¯d seen yet. Lizzy was both benevolent and evil. She didn¡¯t call for the training to be at the crack of dawn, so I was able to get a little bit of rest after walking Rebecca back to her place. That was all very nice of her. My sleep had been improving since I had been taking better care of myself, yet I wasn¡¯t going to turn down an opportunity to get a little more rest in.


    Then she invited Lori to the training. That was a little less nice of her. The short lady didn¡¯t say a word to me when she walked in and only gave Lizzy a small greeting. In fact, it looked like Lori did everything she could to avoid me. That stung more than I cared to admit. That was still my friend. It didn¡¯t put me in a great mental space to get myself ready to fight Braden either.


    Lizzy was over talking to Braden, probably discussing strategy, and I guess that meant Lori felt the need to do the same. She still looked pretty pissed when she came up to me. Her arms were crossed, and she looked toward the ground, almost like a pouting child. It was a far cry from how Lizzy was interacting with her own teammate.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, lamely. I wanted to apologize so bad for even having the idea to let Val in, but I just had no idea where to begin. How do you even tell someone you¡¯re sorry for something like that?


    She looked up, her brown eyes hard, arms still folded over her chest. All business and that just about killed any chance I had to say sorry. ¡°Morning.¡±


    It looked like she wanted to say something else. It looked like she wanted to say a lot more. She glanced over at Lizzy who was still all chummy with Braden and shook her head. Taking a deep breath, her eyes went right back to her shoes. I didn¡¯t have to be an empath to sense that she was angry. Even though I was just a few minutes away from sparring with Braden, I couldn¡¯t manage to focus on that. I needed to patch things up with Lori as soon as possible.


    ¡°You guys done?¡± Lizzy shouted at us, effectively axing any chance I had to talk to my leader. The room was empty, so the echo made it harder to hear her than if she¡¯d just used her inside voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re done!¡± Lori yelled back, not quite as loud. That disappointed me and I wished she hadn¡¯t even come over. Now my focus was going to be split two ways, and it was already messing with my head.


    Lori and Lizzy went to the far wall of the room, standing on the center line. The rest of the floor didn¡¯t have designs to indicate where people should stand, just that one line running dead in the center, so Braden and I just backed away a reasonable distance. We were still waiting for Lizzy to signal for us to start when the area around us erupted into a series of two- and three-story buildings. I saw panels on the ground open to reveal the buildings. The entire thing was probably an engineering nightmare. Props to whoever made the whole thing happen.


    ¡°Begin!¡± Lizzy yelled; her voice barely audible through the dying sounds of the shifting room.


    ¡°How the hell do they manage this?¡± I asked, observing my surroundings. They were a mix of nondescript office-like buildings and homes. The buildings looked authentic, though they wouldn¡¯t be mixed together that way in a real city. The actual layout of the buildings seemed random, with just enough room for maybe three people to walk next to each other through the ¡°streets¡±. I was having trouble wrapping my head around how this sort of thing could even be built. ¡°There has to be at least forty feet of space below this room to hold all these buildings.¡±


    Remembering the rules Lizzy laid out for this session¡ªthat the first person to incapacitate the other, land a hypothetical killing blow on the other, or got the other to surrender would win, with no lethal force being allowed¡ªI slowly put a barrier around my body. It was taking longer than I¡¯d wanted. With each second going by, I saw flickers of movement in the windows that I thought were Braden¡¯s shadow warriors. It was the first full-body barrier I¡¯d completed, and I found myself able to breathe just fine through it. That was cool. What wasn¡¯t as cool was seeing everything through the purple-pink color of my Shimmer. I decided to call it Shimmer-Armor, apparently having no creative bones in my body. Somehow being able to breathe through it was enough of a win for me.


    At that moment, it was just a visual adjustment, which I felt like I could work around. My body still worked just fine. I had to create some segments at my elbows and knees to move in my armor. Being able to breathe through it was the most important thing. I didn¡¯t have to risk leaving any part open for my mouth to get hit.


    I looked around for any buildings that might be taller than the others to use as a watchtower of sorts. Getting a vantage point seemed like as good a spot to start as any. Sadly, I didn¡¯t see anything like that. None of the buildings were tall enough to let me so over the rest. Instead, I went inside the two-story home that popped up next to me. It was your standard cookie cutter home that you could find in any suburban neighborhood. Nothing special on the outside. I was more interested in what I could find inside. I opened the front door, and the room was dimly lit, something that made me pause. The only source of light came from a weak light bulb in the kitchen.


    Since a shadow only appeared when a light source was blocked, did that mean Braden had a theoretically infinite supply of power as long as there were shadows in the houses? Would it matter if the shadows were dim?


    I remembered Rebecca mentioning something like that when we watched him spar with Julio. There wasn¡¯t really a chance for him to test it there, but with me standing in a building, ripe for the taking? Didn¡¯t like it. Just because I¡¯d only seen him pull from people or smaller objects didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t also take from buildings. I strengthened my Shimmer-Barrier as best I could and saw it get a bit brighter in response. I didn¡¯t know enough about his power, but I had to assume that any absence of light was a weapon that he could use.


    I took a quick glance around the living room of the home. It looked like a display room instead of a home that real people actually inhabited. Everything looked plasticky and would have benefited from showroom lighting. I ran into the kitchen and threw open every drawer, cabinet, or cooking appliance I could find. I was hoping to come across matches, a flashlight, or anything else I could use to create light. Just my luck, they were all empty. Maybe I should have just been grateful that the display objects opened and moved at all.


    I quickly generated a cube above my hand and rotated it around. It caught some of the light from the dull bulb above me, and there was a refraction effect, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough. Maybe if I got it to catch from the bigger lights outside, I could use it to dispel some shadows. That was a gamble I didn¡¯t want to take, so I put the idea away as something to break out if I had no other options. I dissipated the cube and sighed. ¡°Should have paid more attention in my science classes.¡±


    I ran back out of the house without exploring the rest of it. If I was going to check any other buildings, I would only stay on the first floor. Jumping through a window was a much nicer prospect when I wasn¡¯t ten feet or more above the ground. I was really wishing I knew more about Braden¡¯s power or his way of thinking. He seemed shy, which told me nothing about how he liked to fight. Julio was confident enough that I assumed he¡¯d just charge headfirst into anything, so that didn¡¯t tell me much about how Braden liked to defend himself.


    My instinct was to stick to buildings as cover and move slowly through them. Most of those led through dark alleyways or under awnings, forcing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. At least in the middle of the street, the only shadow I had to worry about was my own. I did a double take to make sure I still had mine and it wasn¡¯t looking suspicious. To my relief, it wasn¡¯t acting odd at all. Maybe Braden could only pull shadows that he was near. Or maybe it was like a wireless signal that couldn¡¯t travel through too many solid objects without difficulty.


    In my peripheral vision, I kept seeing flickers and blurs going around in the buildings. I was really starting to hate that, out of every possible opponent, Lizzy wanted me to fight the shadow guy. With how many hallucinations the gunman who killed my parents gave me, I still had some trouble fully shaking the idea they could be gone. My thoughts randomly going to Lori didn¡¯t help me discern between reality and my hallucinations either. With how active my brain was being, I was not eager to find out if they really were hallucinations or his shadows.


    I carefully walked the street, listening for any sound. My head kept screaming at me that it wasn¡¯t that big of an area, but the buildings blocked the windows for the spectator area and both team leaders, so it felt like I was just dumped into an abandoned section of a city. It felt like it was a lot bigger than I knew it really was. The entire thing was silent, and it was starting to creep me out.


    Just then, I felt pressure on my right ankle. I spun my head around and saw a thin, black blade coming out of my shadow. It was stopped by my barrier, but it was still strong enough to push the thin Shimmer against my skin. I generated a spear and launched it at the shadow, making it fall back into the ground where it belonged. If I didn¡¯t have the full-body shield, that might¡¯ve severed my Achilles. It was disappointing that my Shimmer-Armor was so malleable by something other than myself.


    I silently cursed my power for the match-up I was in, desperately wishing I could do something like fly. I could have tried to create a Shimmer-Shield under my feet and moved that around, or even tried to lift my entire body from within the barrier I made around myself, but knowing my luck, I would have squished myself into jelly or launched myself into the ceiling at supersonic speeds. Those were things to be practiced in a more controlled environment.


    I watched my own shadow for a few seconds to make sure it wasn¡¯t going to strike out again. I wasn¡¯t sure if Braden could see me from a hiding place or through his shadows, and I didn¡¯t know if he could feel a sensation through them like I could with my Shimmer. It didn¡¯t look like he could when I watched him fight Julio. Then again, he didn¡¯t use his little shadow blade trick on him either. There was a lot I didn¡¯t from that little sparring session, but there was no way for him to know all my secrets either. Hell, I barely knew my secrets.


    I kept walking forward, picking up my pace, trying to leave my feet on the ground as little as possible. I had to ignore every flicker of movement I saw, since I didn¡¯t have the luxury to stop and examine each one. My only goal was to run around and try to find Braden or lure him out into attacking me. If he attacked me with his shadow warriors, though, I didn¡¯t know what to do after that.


    One step at a time, one step at a time.


    I rounded a corner and nearly impaled myself on the shadow warrior that had been waiting for me. Even though I managed to avoid gutting myself on it, when I hopped back in reflex, it slashed out low. This time, the slash was stronger than the little jab aimed at my ankle. It tore through my Shimmer-Armor with moderate resistance and left a cut on my left thigh. I put my hand over it by reflex and it came back slick with blood and the weird shadow goop that Braden¡¯s power created.


    Wincing and sucking air through my teeth, I repaired the damage in my Shimmer-Armor and tried to ignore the pain. The repair worked nicely. I trusted the armor saved me from worse damage on my leg, or maybe even losing it entirely, so I had no intentions of ditching it. The shadow warrior shambled toward me, my blood mixing in with the black blade it held. What I would have given to be a scientist able to collect a sample of it to study.


    I created a Shimmer-Spear and sent it toward the shadow. The stinging pain in my leg made it harder for my brain to focus, so instead of going into its head like I¡¯d wanted, it embedded itself deep in the shadow¡¯s chest. It made a strange sound on impact, like dropping a soaking wet shirt on a tile floor. So, they really weren¡¯t just shadows, not that I needed much more to confirm that with my wounded leg. It was a tangible object with its own properties. I didn¡¯t need much convincing after everything I¡¯d seen, but interacting with it using my own Anomaly helped solidify my guess. It would have been much cooler had I not been dealing with the burning in my left leg. Whatever it did, the slash from that was infinitely worse than anything from Eric. It made the cuts left by his knife feel like cat scratches.


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    While keeping an eye on the shadow warrior and trying to avoid any possible traps, I kept wondering why that cut felt worse than the deep slashes I got from Eric. Was it just the adrenaline from that fight that kept it from hurting as much? Maybe the desire to protect Megan and Rebecca? Since this fight with Braden was still only a sparring match, I didn¡¯t quite feel the same urgency I had with Eric. I allowed myself a moment to try and think about the shadow¡¯s composition. That didn¡¯t yield me a lot of useful info for the fight.


    Regaining some focus, I created and launched another spear toward the shadow. This time, it went right into its brain, or whatever was supposed to be there. If it had looked anything like a human, I absolutely would have hesitated on doing that, so it saved my bacon that those things were so creepy and twitchy. Watching it dissolve into a black puddle bought me a moment of rest to catch my breath. My spear clattered against the ground, and I broke that down with just a glance. I didn¡¯t like seeing the black goop on it at all.


    It raced off down the street that it originally blocked me from going down. It hit me that I saw this happen when Braden fought Julio. The shadow was destroyed, and the puddle took off back to Braden.


    ¡°Come on, come on,¡± I mumbled, trying to get my left leg to work properly. It wasn¡¯t a dramatic chase as much me just hobbling after a moving puddle, but that was just about the only way I had to find Braden before he could incapacitate me or land a killing blow.

 Book Two - Chapter Thirteen

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 Book Two - Chapter Fourteen

    That night, I had a miserable time trying to sleep. I tossed and turned in my bed for two hours. My wounds had all been healed up with no scarring left behind, so my face was spared permanent disfigurement. The soreness was a different story. The healer, Marcus, said he could take care of the soreness, though that¡¯d take longer. At that point, I¡¯d already been down there for nearly an hour getting the worst of the worst patched up, so I opted to just take that and get out.


    To my face, Shelly had been oddly calm about the ordeal. She was never a lecturer to begin with. She just told me to stay safe and get better. Maybe she just thought the beating I took was enough of a lecture and she¡¯d just be pouring salt into the wound. She did mention that she liked how my Shimmer looked, now that I could make the creations visible to other people. Like Lori, she told me it was pretty, which didn¡¯t exactly thrill me. Whatever, it could look however it wanted to as long as it kept bringing in results.


    Megan thought it was just the coolest thing ever. She said the injuries were gross and nasty, and maybe implied I wasn¡¯t the brightest for not taking care of myself. Of course, she said all that with a smile on her face. She was dying to see the pictures and video that Shelly adamantly refused to show her. At least in the eyes of an almost seven-year-old, I was kind of cool with just a pinch of stupid thrown in for good measure. I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that one. I felt like getting a kid¡¯s approval was a lot easier than getting their dunce cap branding.


    I still wasn¡¯t sure what was holding me back from sleeping. I was both mentally and physically exhausted, and the soreness wasn¡¯t that terrible. No matter what I tried, I just could not persuade my body to shut down for the night. Braden didn¡¯t seem to know about his shadow goop causing me more pain. That made sense. The guy probably wasn¡¯t stabbing himself with the shadows. Marcus did confirm that something felt off with my body during the healing process. I checked the time on my phone, and the harsh white numbers told me it was one thirty in the morning.


    ¡°Great,¡± I mumbled, shoving my face against my pillow.


    Giving up trying to wrestle sleep away from the Sandman, I grabbed my jacket and went out for the walk outside which was starting to become more common than I cared for. The Luna complex was sleepy and quiet, which gave it an eerie feel when everyone was still there. With so many temporarily evacuated, I found myself getting nervous in the small hallways. Something could have jumped out at me from one of those empty apartments at any time. I was glad when I felt the cool outdoor air hit me and I didn¡¯t have a thousand doors behind me that could burst open to reveal a knife-wielding maniac.


    I made my way over to the spot where Rebecca and I had just gone on our date. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky and there was minimal light pollution so far away in the mountains. The sky was beautiful, and I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off it. I nearly tripped at least three times just enjoying the view. I regretted not taking Rebecca out then, because that view would have been worth talking about. I had briefly considered giving her a call to see if she wanted to come. Then I realized waking her up at one thirty for anything other than an emergency was a good way to end a relationship.


    As I approached the little gazebo, I began to hear grunting and other exertion noises from behind the bushes that blocked my view. I couldn¡¯t even recall hearing another person outside the Luna complex before, so I created a Shimmer-Spear and advanced with caution. The fear that it was a massive bear or something worse was in my mind, even though those noises wouldn¡¯t make sense with that sort of animal. I had just gotten my butt kicked by a bunch of shadows, so things making sense wasn¡¯t something I wanted to bet my safety on.


    I readied my spear and leaped around the corner. For the second time in twenty-four hours, I was nearly decapitated. There was a flash of silver, and a blade missed my face by a couple of inches. Even though it would have missed anyway, I fell back in surprise and landed right on my ass. That sent a minor jolt of pain through my aching body and a groan escaped my lips.


    ¡°What the hell!?¡± a female voice cried out. I blinked a few times and saw Val running toward me, blade still in hand. The panic instinct took over and I placed my Shimmer-Spear between myself and her, making her stop in her tracks. She dropped her sword to the dirt and put up her hands. ¡°It was an accident!¡±


    ¡°I know it was.¡± I stood up slowly and broke down the spear before rubbing my sore shoulders. ¡°Sorry about the scare. I¡¯d never seen anyone else out here before, so I didn¡¯t know what was going on. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were some kind of bear making weird sounds. Bit of a reflex.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, right? I didn¡¯t hit you?¡± Val looked like she was going to check me over for injuries before I put some more distance between us. I wasn¡¯t looking for a repeat situation of being taken hostage. She got the message and backed up herself. ¡°I was trying to tire myself out with some training. Sleep hasn¡¯t come easy lately. I¡¯ve learned that sleeping in a bed that¡¯s not my own is harder than I expected.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having some troubles sleeping too.¡± I was still skeptical of her. Her swinging a sword out in the middle of the night wasn¡¯t exactly normal in my book either. Then again, she could have killed me if she wanted to. Again. There was something about the distressed look in her eyes that made it harder for me to muster the same hatred that Lori held. Or maybe that was just part of my exhaustion lowering my defenses. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Val looked taken aback for a moment, her head tilting in confusion. Then she composed herself. I noticed her blue eyes weren¡¯t as hard and cold as before, just very tired.


    ¡°There were a million other things you could have done besides come here. So, why did you come here?¡± I leaned against one of the support beams, too exhausted to even try to look tough.


    ¡°Your leader told me it would be best to answer questions to try and build trust,¡± she muttered. It was obvious to me that Val didn¡¯t want to talk about it. I wasn¡¯t going to back down, even if it might¡¯ve been upsetting for her. I crossed my arms and waited.


    ¡°You already know why I left Dii Consentes,¡± she began, ¡°but I¡¯m here to try and right my wrongs before I die. When I found out McLeod had been manipulating me all these years, I...I was ready for it all to be over. I know I might come off a certain way that makes it seem like I don''t have feelings. Well, I can''t stand being lied to. It''s one of the things that sets me off the most, so when I found out the man I considered to be my father lied to me like that, I knew I couldn''t stay with him. I might be confused about everything else right now. I''m not confused about that. That''s why I wanted to end my own life. I have no one now.¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± I said, remembering how quickly Rebecca had pulled that toy gun from my hand and held it against her head. I knew that it was something that almost never happened instantly. To actually commit suicide was generally something that was a long time coming, which had me worrying about both Val and Rebecca. Thankfully, the latter seemed to be in a better place mentally than she had been on that day.


    ¡°At least I thought I was ready. Turns out I¡¯m too much of a coward to do it. I had my sword pointed at my chest and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it.¡± She sounded disgusted that she didn¡¯t take her own life. ¡°It didn¡¯t even come from a place of atonement. I wasn¡¯t meant to have a family, since my first one was murdered and my second just used me for my power, and I lost...all of my desire to carry on.¡±


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    ¡°I...¡± My voice trailed off. I didn¡¯t know what the right thing to say was. Was there even a right thing to say? She was still a murderer and an accomplice in massive destruction, but to hear someone say they didn¡¯t deserve a family? That didn¡¯t sit right with me.


    ¡°I had Luna¡¯s hatred so ingrained in me for so long,¡± Val continued, not letting there be an awkward silence. ¡°It was always at the forefront of my mind. I decided that if I could do anything to make my life worthwhile, I could at least give Luna what little information I knew.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand why you hated Luna. You were under those illusions for so long that there was nothing you could do about that.¡± I paused, trying to think about how to handle the next part. ¡°Even if you hated Luna so much, why did you follow through with assisting in the slaughter of all those people? You mentioned something about McLeod being correct about the treatment of people like us, right?¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a better answer for both of us. I always thought the end would justify the means.¡± Val looked sickened just saying it. ¡°I thought that, at the end of it all, McLeod would usher in a better life for people with powers. No revolution is pretty and kind, and it might not even be fully justifiable. I thought that since he¡¯d saved me, he¡¯d save others like me. I was never completely comfortable with what he did or what he asked of me. Clearly, I wasn¡¯t bothered enough not to go along with his plans. The way he talked...he made the world sound like it could be a better place for anyone with an Anomaly.¡±


    I made a Shimmer-Hand and drifted it to her sword, letting what she was saying sink in. Val made no attempt to stop or even question me. I brought the sword over to me and dropped it in my hands. It was heavier than I expected. I had to brace myself to not fall forward from the weight, sending fresh soreness through my tired muscles. I made sure not to show any weakness in front of Val, not that it looked like she even cared.


    ¡°He wants to kill everyone that doesn¡¯t have a power. How could that be a better place for us? My sister¡ªmy only family left¡ªwould be killed and he wouldn¡¯t bat an eye. Wouldn¡¯t your old friend Emily still have been killed in a world ruled by McLeod?¡± I rotated the blade around as best I could, and it was impressive to me, even if I didn¡¯t really know what a quality sword was supposed to look or feel like.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to kill everyone without powers. Or he knows he can¡¯t, if nothing else. Things like that are mostly bravado for the cameras.¡± Val leaned against the beam across from me. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that he would exploit them for labor and make sure they live in a constant state of fear, but he doesn¡¯t actually want them all dead. The population of people with Anomalies is too low to risk killing out everyone else, and we don¡¯t know how much of a role genetics play in power distribution. He wouldn¡¯t risk a population bottleneck like that without better evidence. From what he told me, his parents had no powers.¡±


    ¡°But if he got data that would support him, he would kill them if he could, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    Val inhaled sharply between her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t think he would kill all of them. For as strong as he is, there are just too many normal humans in the world. I would believe him if he said he would enslave normal humans. He didn¡¯t tell us a lot about his plans or who else is in Dii Consentes. He¡¯s smart and confident, but there¡¯s a paranoia under there too. Not everyone would be willing to risk their lives just because he¡¯s strong, so McLeod started to pay people he thought he could manipulate. Enough of them have a price where they¡¯d support any heinous act. When you start buying loyalty instead of earning it, there¡¯s a bigger risk those people defect first. Besides McLeod, the only ones he let me interact with regularly were Heather and Eric. I think he wanted to keep Eric around me for his illusions, and Heather is his twin sister, so they were joined at the hip. That¡¯s why it was the three of us that found you.¡±


    I slowly swung her sword around, treating it more like a plaything than a weapon while still being careful. I just needed something to occupy my hands while I took in her information. The pain in my arms begged me to stop right when I was just getting the hang of its weight and balance. If Val was worried about me using her weapon against her, she didn¡¯t show it. The look in her eyes and the deflated way she carried herself told me she genuinely didn¡¯t care if I decided to run the blade through her heart. I fully believed her when she said she didn¡¯t have the will to live anymore.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hate you,¡± I finally said, sticking her sword into the dirt. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hate anyone. It¡¯s too much effort to truly hate someone with every fiber of your being, and I¡¯ve seen what it¡¯s doing to someone I care a lot about. But you killed someone very important to my best friend. She watched it happen and I saw what it did to her.¡±


    ¡°If I could take it back, I would.¡± Val¡¯s voice was raw with emotion, something I hadn¡¯t been anticipating. ¡°I would take back attacking you five in the Tomb if I could.¡±


    ¡°Did you mean what you said about giving your life up to Lori if we somehow come out on top?¡± I rested my hands on the sword, surprised at how well it held up sticking out of the ground.


    ¡°I did, yes.¡± Val took a shaky breath. ¡°If I¡¯m too much of a coward to take my own life, I¡¯d gladly leave the judgment of what to do in her hands. I was so lost when I learned the truth about what happened to me. I know who I took from her, so I feel it¡¯s only right to let her make the decision on what happens to me.¡±


    Something about the way she said it didn¡¯t sit right with me. I could understand that she wanted to do the right thing, commend it even. The rest of it made me uncomfortable. I didn¡¯t like that Val was so ready to hand her life over to effectively be a pawn for Luna instead of McLeod. I wanted to speak up against it and tell her there was more she could do with her life. I ended up stopping myself, thinking it wouldn¡¯t matter coming from me. To her, Lori was really the only one whose decisions carried any weight.


    ¡°The only thing I¡¯ll say about your situation is this: you can¡¯t hate yourself into loving yourself.¡± When Val gave me a confused look, I tried to put it another way. ¡°You won''t ever be able to feel like you righted your wrongs if you hate yourself, because nothing you do will ever feel like it was good enough. Maybe you won¡¯t ever stop, maybe you shouldn¡¯t stop, or maybe it¡¯s up to you and Lori to figure it out. Just make sure that you¡¯re focused if you help us. If you¡¯re going to let self-loathing swallow you up, you won¡¯t be in a good space mentally to help.¡±


    She slid her back down against the beam and sat on the ground. ¡°Do you think that I can do the right thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, of course you can,¡± I said. I handed her sword back to her. My arms had enough and I didn¡¯t feel like trying to lift the thing anymore. I sat against the beam opposite hers. ¡°Terrible things done in the past don¡¯t mean you can¡¯t do the right things after. People might not forgive you and may continue to judge you for those terrible things. That¡¯s all up to them. There¡¯s only so much you can do to control that.¡±


    Val took her sword again and I battled the instinct to make another Shimmer-Spear in response. She used it to prop herself back on two feet. I still wasn¡¯t used to our height difference, so it felt like she dwarfed me. Slowly, she stuck her hand out in a friendly gesture. It looked like she wanted to smile but was having trouble.


    ¡°Look, sorry, but not yet,¡± I said, stepping out from the cover of the gazebo. Val looked disappointed, and being the absolute loser I was, hated to upset people. I groaned and stuck my hand in hers. ¡°We¡¯re not really there yet. Still, I wanted you here because I think you can help us. It¡¯d be stupid of me to not shake your hand as a welcome.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but thank you for going through with the gesture,¡± she said with a smile that seemed genuine. She turned her back toward me and started swinging her sword again. Like Alex and Rebecca, Val¡¯s physique was impressive. A lot could be said about her, and none of those things could paint her dedication to fitness in a bad light. Looking at my arms, I realized how much I really needed to work out.


    I felt bad about trying to be practical when it came to issues of the heart, especially when it was a lady telling me she wanted to commit suicide. After the way she made her entrance, I just wasn¡¯t ready to give her my full trust. I couldn¡¯t just leave her like that. ¡°All right, if you really need someone to talk to, you can come to me. Nothing that you can do or I can do will be able to change what you¡¯ve done, but you can¡¯t just have no outlet here. You know where I live, so as long as you aren¡¯t banging on my door at this time of the night, you can come by if you just need an ear to talk at.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I''ll keep it in mind.¡± Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. She didn¡¯t turn to face me. It might have just been a trick of the light, but I was positive that I saw some tension leave her shoulders.


    ¡°Good luck with your training. I think I¡¯m finally tired enough to get to bed.¡± Even though she wasn¡¯t watching, I waved bye to her and went back home, hoping that I said the right things about her situation. The last thing I wanted or needed was for everything to spiral down more because of what I did.

 Book Two - Chapter Fifteen

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 Book Two - Chapter Sixteen

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 Book Two - Chapter Seventeen

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 Book Two - Chapter Eighteen

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 Book Two - Chapter Nineteen

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 Book Two - Chapter Twenty

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 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-One

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 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Two

    Okay, it wasn¡¯t as bad as I was expecting. Back when I went to a physical high school, I heard a couple of the guys in the cafeteria talking about going to the malls with their fashion-friendly girlfriends, usually the peppy cheerleader types. They made it sound like they were kidnapped and underwent months of torture with minimal food and water. To them, it was some kind of human rights violation to be stuck with those girls. Well, maybe the kidnapping parts were true, and maybe those parts were human rights violations. The rest of it? Not so bad. Back in Oregon, the drive to the mall did take us almost an hour, so maybe that¡¯s what the guys took issue with.


    Lizzy claimed she had no idea where we were going or what stores we''d find, yet she magically guided us to an upscale shop without any difficulty. The lighting was dim, which didn''t seem helpful when looking at or trying on clothes someone might want to buy. Surrounding us were billions of colors, designs, fabrics, and words for articles of clothing I didn''t know existed before that trip to the mall. Outside of one lady at a checkout counter, the three of us were the only people in the store. She waved at us and asked us if we needed any help. Lizzy told her she was going to try and find a few things first, but if she needed it, she''d be back for better fits or recommendations.


    ¡°Okay, this should do to start.¡± Lizzy walked up to Val with a mountain of clothes after a mere few minutes of going around the shop. That monster of a woman had more clothes in her hands than I¡¯d managed to own across my entire life to that point. ¡°Go try these on. We¡¯ll give you our takes.¡±


    The lady at the counter looked our way with a mixture of concern and amazement. Concerning and amazing were great ways to describe Lizzy. I gave the lady a sympathetic shrug, not that she should care too much about us trying on clothes. As long as we were respectful and put everything back, I wasn''t going to worry about the mountain of clothes being an issue.


    ¡°These are to start?¡± I asked. The look on Val¡¯s face told me that she agreed with my exasperation. Despite the small amount of horror in her eyes, she seemed to be having fun spending time with other people. ¡°Lizzy, my sister and I combined have owned less clothes in our entire lives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you guys were poor.¡± When Lizzy saw the annoyed look on my face, she shrugged with a sheepish grin. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, cross my heart. Still the truth.¡±


    ¡°Really, Lizzy, I think he¡¯s right.¡± Even with Val¡¯s height, she still struggled to see over the pile. ¡°These will take all day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a superhuman,¡± Lizzy said, a little too loudly. When I shushed her, she rolled her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re in Nebraska, Ethan. There¡¯s no one here. Now go get changed, Val. Start with whatever you want.¡±


    For whatever reason, there were small benches in front of the changing rooms that Lizzy and I could sit on. It felt really weird to me to have spots set up to sit right outside where people were changing clothes. Maybe they were there because of the exact reason that Lizzy wanted me there for: to make it more comfortable and easier to go through outfits. I still felt like I was accidentally being a perv, and that if anyone else was there, they¡¯d be glaring at me until I left. At least having a girl there next to me would probably help people from thinking I was a complete creep.


    ¡°Why did you really want me here?¡± I asked. The unease of what people might think seeing me by a changing room had my skin feeling like it was crawling.


    ¡°The reason I told you. I wanted a boy¡¯s take on how Val¡¯s outfits looked.¡±


    ¡°Lizzy, you have way more fashion sense than I do. There is nothing I could say that would come close to what you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right on that. Honestly, you¡¯re like a second sister if anything. That¡¯s why I brought you.¡± I must have had another annoyed look, because she pulled back quickly. ¡°I¡¯m playing with you. I just thought that you could use a little time out of the house and a chance to get a present for Megan. And we could talk about this game night idea. And we could talk about Megan¡¯s birthday party. And we could-¡±


    ¡°Got it, you just wanted to chat.¡± She nodded and looked like I would be mad. I wasn¡¯t going to get mad at the lady. I just wanted an honest answer. If she wanted to chat with me, that was fine. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get out of here. My skin is rebelling against me, and this scar is getting the worst of it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring it up in case you were sensitive about it.¡± Lizzy placed a hand on it. I managed to stay calm. I tried not to make a big deal of touching out in the parking lot. I would have felt bad if I backtracked on it so fast. ¡°If you ever want me to put makeup over it to conceal it, I will in a heartbeat. Like, I¡¯d drop whatever I¡¯m doing if you wanted me to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you, thanks.¡± As long as she wasn¡¯t running her fingers all over it, I had no problem with her touching the scar. I knew it was ugly, but at the same time, it had to be fascinating for people that hadn¡¯t seen burn injuries before. ¡°Actually, why not use your makeup to give me regeneration powers? You can give a temporary Anomaly, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t think about that. I lost all my stuff back when the Catskills facility was taken, so I can¡¯t right now. The moment I get more, I¡¯ll help. The cosmetics I use with my power are special. I don¡¯t think normal makeup would do the trick for this.¡± She held out a pinky to me like I was a kid. I rolled my eyes and tried to make myself look too cool for it, but I put my pinky with hers. ¡°Pinky promise, buddy.¡±


    Val slowly opened the door and looked mortified. She had on a loose and flowing sleeveless blue dress. On someone like Lori, it would have probably hit the ground, but on the girl who was taller than me? No such luck. She was trying to pull down its skirt to avoid accidentally showing more than she wanted. She shifted awkwardly and looked at me for help, like my power was to fix women¡¯s clothing. For what it was worth, I did think the dress looked nice. Given how uncomfortable she looked in it, I decided to keep my mouth shut on the matter. ¡°I don¡¯t think this one¡¯s the answer.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. I have my work cut out for me.¡± Lizzy groaned and puffed out her cheeks. To help Val¡¯s modesty, I went ahead and tried to find something interesting to look at on my shoe. ¡°As a tall girl with big boobs too, I feel your pain, both when it comes to buying clothing and on my back. Your body shape is dreadful for the kind of clothes we¡¯re finding here. This is too tight in the chest and shoulders. Even if it wasn¡¯t, this is supposed to be a calf-length dress. Man, this is a bit loose in the waist too. God, you¡¯re like, ninety percent leg. You¡¯re so long, no offense.¡±


    Lizzy shifted between Val''s different body parts at a speed that both impressed me and made me feel slightly uncomfortable to hear the discussion. If Megan got to the point where she cared about how she dressed as a teenager, I was sending her to Lizzy for her expertise. In the meantime, I would count my blessings that buying clothes for Megan was exceptionally easy. If the shirt was pink and had a princess on it, she lost her mind. I wasn''t going to take that for granted anymore.


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    ¡°None taken, I know what you mean.¡± The rustling of fabric made me keep my eyes on the floor for sure, just to be safe. ¡°When McLeod let me out to shop, I had a hard time finding anything that fit me.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this doesn¡¯t even cover stuff like specific hip or inseam measurements. If you want high-waisted anything, we¡¯ll have to make another trip out of it, I think.¡± Lizzy sounded like she was about to lose it.


    ¡°Lizzy, don¡¯t have a fit now.¡± Silence. Maybe my comedic genius was less effective directed at my shoes. ¡°Get it? Fit? Clothing puns? I slept two hours last night, so if I don¡¯t get one fake chuckle, I¡¯m stealing your car.¡±


    Both of them complied and gave me fake, but friendly, laughs. I heard Lizzy groan again and it really did sound like she was on the verge of losing it. ¡°I really am about to have a fit over this. Whatever, try on the next thing that looks good. Mash it up with anything you want and we¡¯ll go from there.¡±


    Val complied and Lizzy rejoined me. In a total mood shift, she stared at me with big eyes and a wide smile. ¡°Tell me about your date with Rebecca.¡±


    ¡°Right, the thing I ended up losing an eye over.¡± I instinctively ran a finger over it to make sure that I did, in fact, still have my eye. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure why I came out with you guys. It seems like every time I get caught up with you girls, I get some kind of bodily harm. Drive safe, please.¡±


    ¡°Your sister would have my head.¡± Lizzy shuddered. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t dodge the subject. Your date. Details. Now. I want a full report.¡±


    ¡°I took her to a gazebo I thought was nice, she fell asleep on my chest, and she drooled on me. Other than that, we just talked a bit.¡± I shrugged. Even though I had fun, I knew how lame it sounded as a first date. ¡°Let me try to channel the second sister thing and get you some better, sappier details. When I¡¯m with her, everything feels simple and right. I have never been near a person who just makes me feel so relaxed. It feels like I¡¯m home when I¡¯m with her, and I just don¡¯t get it. We¡¯ve gone on one date, and we¡¯ve technically only known each other for a month.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to get. That¡¯s how a relationship should feel. You¡¯ve seen people stumble in romance, yeah?¡± When I nodded, she looked satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s just it, Ethan. Romance isn¡¯t the thing that¡¯s complicated. People are. At the end of the day, two people love each other. If they don¡¯t complicate it themselves, then they¡¯re home free. Maybe you guys are just two simple souls that know you¡¯re meant for each other.¡±


    ¡°Whoa there, who said anything about love?¡± If my skin was just crawling before, it was now in overdrive. Buzzing? Could my skin be buzzing? Probably not. It still felt like it was. ¡°We¡¯re not even at the first kiss phase yet.¡±


    ¡°Apologies.¡± She did a fake bow that somehow looked graceful, even though she was slouched over on a cheap little bench. ¡°And it¡¯s fine to not know if you love her yet. It¡¯s even fine to know you don¡¯t love her yet, but that¡¯s the end goal, right? I don¡¯t get the impression you¡¯re out here to be a womanizer, so why date her if you didn¡¯t feel like you could be compatible with her?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I admitted, feeling a flush snake its way up my neck. ¡°Love is the end goal. When I first even thought about dating, I decided I didn¡¯t want any games. I was aiming for a good relationship. It does feel like that this is a good relationship.¡±


    ¡°Ethan Harper, you are just so cute.¡± I didn¡¯t mind teasing Lizzy¡¯s return. She was so easy to talk to about things I¡¯d otherwise find embarrassing. Maybe we were each other¡¯s second sisters, or whatever she would call me. Still, I felt like I was betraying Lori by not letting her be the emotional guidance in my life. That was literally her power¡¯s gimmick. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I think I¡¯m happy too.¡± I always noticed that she didn¡¯t have anyone around her that could qualify as boyfriend or girlfriend material. I was scared that I might be encroaching on a boundary I wasn¡¯t meant to cross, but Lizzy hardly seemed to hold anything back, so I took my shot. ¡°You seem to know a lot about romance, so I have to ask, why are you single?¡±


    Her face got serious for a moment, and I thought I did overstep. Right as I was about to backpedal, she sighed and looked at her hands folded in her lap. ¡°Romance isn¡¯t for me, I¡¯ve learned. This might not make any sense, but it¡¯s just not something I can make work with my brain and my person. I don¡¯t have any romantic connection to anyone. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not incapable of loving people like you and Lori. Falling in love is a different story.¡±


    ¡°I think I get you,¡± I said. I nudged her with my elbow. ¡°I have to admit, I wasn¡¯t sure what signals you were giving me when you called me pretty before. Considering I¡¯d never had a girl say something like that to me, I went with my gut and assumed you weren¡¯t interested.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are cute, even if I don¡¯t want to be your wife.¡± She pinched my cheek like a stereotypical grandma from a comedy. ¡°It helps diffuse a lot of tension in people. I know that my beauty and my scar can make me intimidating, so if I¡¯m a bit of a goof, people usually stop freaking out about how I look. After that, it¡¯s just for fun.¡±


    Val opened the door again and emerged with a new outfit. She had on a black crop top and leggings, reminding me of her workout gear. Since she didn¡¯t have to battle the length of anything, it was way more fashionable. It was still a little chilly at the time, so if she gave it a little bit, she¡¯d have a great outfit for the spring.


    ¡°Your abs are insane, girl.¡± Lizzy pointed at Val¡¯s abs before going walking around her in a circle. ¡°This is a little better, but the top wasn¡¯t supposed to be this short. At least it¡¯s wearable, I guess. You like it, Val?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think it grabs too much attention.¡± She tried to look at the back of the outfit by turning her head, ignoring the fact that she had an available mirror right behind her. ¡°I want to stay off the radar if I can.¡±


    ¡°Only a few people know what you look like. This is only attention-grabbing because of how fit and tall you are. You¡¯ll see this kind of stuff in the summer all the time.¡± Lizzy gently squeezed her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. Give it a maybe for now?¡±


    Val nodded and vanished back into the changing room. They didn¡¯t even ask me what I thought about it, so that just showed how much I was really needed there. I thought about getting up to wander around the mall. It was a Monday and kids weren¡¯t quite out for break, so the entire place was quiet. Or the mall could have just been performing terribly with the rise of online shopping. I knew that was a thing that was hurting them all across the country.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business,¡± Lizzy said, sitting down next to me again. ¡°I think that Lori would go to a game night at Val¡¯s place. With the right prodding and a little bit of the old puppy dog eyes trick, I think we could get her there. Now, there is virtually zero chance that she¡¯d plan it herself. She¡¯ll need to ease herself into the whole Val acceptance thing. That means I¡¯m your temporary leader and I¡¯m going to try and get the ball rolling on this.¡±


    ¡°How does this mean you¡¯re our leader now?¡±


    ¡°I think we should get simple board games that can make you think,¡± she said, ignoring my question entirely. ¡°Have anything in mind?¡±


    ¡°Uh, Scrabble?¡± I offered, knowing I wasn¡¯t going to talk her down from her leader thing. She snapped her fingers, pointed at me, and nodding enthusiastically. I was brought along to name one board game. That was my entire role in our shopping trip. I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry.


    ¡°Good thinking! I like it. We can add some simpler stuff like Uno or Yahtzee later. Those sound like a good three to start with. Not too competitive, you could do two of them in teams for our cute couples, and they¡¯re easy enough to get going.¡±


    "Do you two want to come with me to grab them?" I asked.


    Lizzy shook her head. "After this, we''re going underwear shopping, so unless you want-"


    ¡°How about I go buy them now?¡± I cut her off. I stood up but got a rush of dizziness, probably from how exhausted I still was, causing me to stumble. I tried to play it off like it was nothing. ¡°I saw a toy store when I walked in. I¡¯ll head that way and meet up with you guys in an hour or so. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Ethan, don¡¯t you get hurt out there for a couple games.¡± Lizzy held up her phone and waved it in front of my face. ¡°If you start feeling bad, sit down, then you call or text me. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it. Let me tempt fate by asking what¡¯s the worst that could happen.¡± And before the ceiling could collapse on my head, I left Val and Lizzy to their fun challenge of finding clothes that could reasonably fit a busty six-four woman.

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Three

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 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Four

    Lizzy was right. Once she told Alex that it was a kind of training exercise we would be doing, he was in, which made Lori begrudgingly agree to it. Not even Val would stop her from spending time with her man. I felt awful for lying to her, especially about something with Val. I didn¡¯t see any other way that she¡¯d willingly step foot into a room with the woman if it didn¡¯t involve her getting beaten up or maimed, and we were trying to build up a team, not tear one down before it even began. Having Lizzy on my side with the idea did help soften the blow so all her anger wasn¡¯t directed at one person.


    ¡°Am I a bad person for lying to her like that?¡± I asked Rebecca, putting my hand in hers. Since Val didn¡¯t live that far, we just decided to walk to her place together. The sunset painted the sky in a beautiful pink-orange color, barely managing to crack the guilt I had been feeling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person for doing it, Ethan, I just don¡¯t like it. Lori is our friend. We shouldn¡¯t lie to the people we care about.¡± Rebecca looked disappointed when I first told her, which made sharing that bed with her more uncomfortable than it had the first time. Her disappointment made me feel terrible. I would have rather had her screaming and yelling at me about it. Eventually, how tired I¡¯d been won out, and we¡¯ve managed to share the bed comfortably since then. ¡°Her hating Val makes it all so hard, but I think you should have told her why we were all getting together in the first place.¡±


    I groaned and hung my head low. I knew she was right, and I wasn¡¯t too proud to admit it. ¡°If she still wants to talk to me after this, I¡¯ll give her a big apology.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re giving her one if she doesn¡¯t want to talk to you ever again.¡± She saw my look and laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not because I told you that you would. It¡¯s just what you¡¯d do anyway. You¡¯re a good guy, you just made a questionable decision. It happens. Your heart is in the right place, and if it makes you feel any better at all, I know exactly why you did it.¡±


    ¡°How are you so smart?¡± I was about to rest my head on her shoulder, nearly making us both tumble into the street.


    ¡°Getting close to two hundred years old helps. I just look good for my age.¡±


    ¡°Good and then some,¡± I agreed. She laughed and gave me a light slap on the shoulder. I appreciated her not bringing up my terrible attempt to knock us on our butts on the road. Val¡¯s house was right up the sidewalk and was the only one with any kind of lights, painting a small section of the street in a creepy yellow glow. ¡°That¡¯s it up there. You ready?¡±


    ¡°Oh man, I¡¯m going to kick your butt at Scrabble. I am a queen of the dictionary right now. No, not even the queen. I am the goddess of the dictionary.¡± Rebecca sounded genuinely excited to play. I didn¡¯t even think about her nightly dictionary readings when I suggested Scrabble. She really was poised to wipe the floor with me, had it not been decided that we were going to play as a couple and Val would go solo.


    ¡°We¡¯re on the same team and I like having my butt, so please leave it unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I like your butt too,¡± she said. She dramatically leaned back to take a long look at my backside. I tried not to let her see me go bright ride, though trying to cover my ass with my free hand probably gave it away. I couldn¡¯t see how she was looking at it, which frightened me most of all.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending too much time around Lizzy. She makes people too weird when she¡¯s around them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want weird?¡± She released my hand to pinch my backside. I yelped and jumped like a total loser. ¡°How¡¯s that for weird?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re one of the only people I enjoy touching me.¡± I tried to hold back the laugh and pretend to look angry to no avail.


    Before my girlfriend could continue to appraise me¡ªnot that I truly minded¡ªI picked up the pace to get to Val¡¯s. Lizzy was there to watch over it anyhow, so it wasn¡¯t like I was exactly safe there either. Those kinds of comments were something I¡¯d come to expect from Lizzy. It was almost six, but only Lizzy¡¯s sedan was in the driveway. I was disappointed to not see a vehicle proudly announcing that it was driven by a pizza guy, because I was starving. I skipped out on dinner since I was relying on the promise of massively unhealthy food to keep me going through an evening I was only slightly dreading.


    I tapped on the door once and Val immediately flung it open. She looked much more approachable than normal, despite how wildly nervous she was, like she was ready to bolt out the door to her own home. She had on a sleeveless white dress that showed her lean muscles and almost reached her ankles. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, subtle eye makeup drawing attention to her face. I had to admit, Lizzy did wonders with Val¡¯s image. It¡¯s not like the lady had ever been ugly by any means. Lizzy just had this magical ability to turn someone¡¯s presentation around entirely. If I ever had to do a photo shoot or something, there was not another person on the planet I¡¯d trust to get me ready.


    ¡°Hey. Hey there. Hi. Good evening. You two, hope you¡¯re well.¡± She smoothed out the front of her dress, folded her hands in front of her, and smiled wide at us after a brief wince from her rough introduction. The attempt was there, and that¡¯s what counted.


    ¡°Morning,¡± I said, seeing if it¡¯d throw her off. She reacted like she didn¡¯t even hear me, or I just didn¡¯t exist at all. After a few more seconds of standing in front of the blocked path, I rocked back and forth on my heels. ¡°Bit windy out here. Mind letting us in?¡±


    Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she took a step back. I had to refrain from keeling over with laughter. She leaned flat against her door and waved us in. Lizzy was relaxing in a simpler tank top and shorts on the couch, flipping grapes into her mouth. It was a nice enough space. Our place had been completely furnished, making it look like we had lived there for a year. Val¡¯s place felt newer with fewer bells and whistles. Even the plain, cream carpet looked fresh out of the box. The roll? Whatever they stored carpets in before they laid them down over a floor.


    On the wall above Lizzy were three menacing-looking swords of varying lengths, because of course there were. Well, that told me what birthday gift Val would probably like. It also told me a bit about her interior decorating style, which made me feel better about my own. Looking at them, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. While I wouldn¡¯t have put them up in my own home, they were very Val. I secretly hoped the walls of her house would one day be lined with nothing but weapons. I wanted the feeling of walking into a Renaissance fair weapons tent turned up to a million.


    ¡°You collect swords?¡± I asked. Rebecca broke off from me and reached for one. I grimaced, waiting for it to slip out of her grip, take a hand with it, and maybe impale Lizzy in the chest for good measure. ¡°That¡¯s kind of rad.¡±


    ¡°No one says that anymore.¡± Lizzy looked and sounded as if I was an embarrassing dad that just spoiled her first date.


    ¡°Well, I say it.¡± I sent a playful glare her way. I got an eye roll for my trouble.


    ¡°I do,¡± Val nodded, ignoring the two of us acting like children in her living room. ¡°Those are cheap display ones that I picked up. Even when I lived with him, I would only put out non-sharpened, low-quality ones. If someone ever broke in, I didn¡¯t want them to have anything they could use. Actually, if someone had one of those and thought it¡¯d do anything to me, that¡¯d put them at a disadvantage.¡±


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    ¡°Right,¡± I agreed, a little impressed at how seriously she merged decor and safety. ¡°I recommend sword duels next game night.¡±


    ¡°You suggest Scrabble when I read the dictionary every night and then you suggest sword duels with a woman who is both taller and stronger than you. And she actually uses a sword.¡± Rebecca looked at me like I was nuts, and I didn¡¯t have sleep deprivation to blame it on that time.


    ¡°I¡¯m a brave soul, ready to take on all challengers. I¡¯m just giving you guys a fighting chance.¡± I lifted my fists into the air like I was a newly crowned champion waiting for his applause. However, my friends were all anti-fun, so I didn¡¯t get even a golf clap. ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of fake friends.¡±


    ¡°Please contain your man before he embarrasses himself,¡± Lizzy said to Rebecca, getting up to grab the game of Scrabble. When we got back with everything from the mall, I had to use Lizzy to distract Megan so I could bring everything up to my room without her seeing. After that, there was just no sense in having me keep the games, so I handed them all over to Val.


    ¡°Do I need to take you back home?¡± Rebecca asked, carefully putting Val¡¯s display sword back up on the wall. ¡°Are you going to embarrass me in front of company?¡±


    ¡°I will embarrass both of us constantly, as it is my only purpose on this planet.¡± I put my arm around her, and she just sighed. Being with Rebecca just made me feel better and goofier. I could just take a load off and relax with her next to me. ¡°You knew what you signed up for when you agreed to that date, and this is just the tip of the Ethanberg.¡±


    ¡°I truly did not know what I was signing up for, and please don¡¯t say ¡®Ethanberg¡¯ in front of me or anyone ever again.¡± She looked toward the kitchen, probably so Lizzy could save her from me. That wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°Maybe just don¡¯t say it at all, even in private. And don¡¯t even think about using it in Scrabble, because that won¡¯t count.¡±


    Lizzy began to unbox the game and unfolded the board on a low-lying table in the center of the living room. When she unloaded the word tiles, I started to get a little excited. Val went pale and looked like she was going to be sick. Did she have a fear of cheap wooden game tiles? I¡¯d never make fun of someone¡¯s irrational fear, but that would be a weird one. I was going to ask her what was bothering her when a knock on her door blocked the chance.


    Val, looking eager to get away from the wooden menaces, opened the door for her expected guests. Even when I could only barely see around her, I could tell Lori¡¯s face dropped the moment Val opened the door. Val hurriedly ushered them inside before Lori could bolt, punch her in the face, or maybe both. Rebecca and I tried to welcome them with smiles and waves. Alex even greeted us warmly. Lori was still sour. Expecting that reaction didn¡¯t make it any less disappointing to see in the flesh.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the dress? Doesn¡¯t look like something you¡¯d train in.¡± Lori eyed Val¡¯s dress suspiciously, like she couldn¡¯t comprehend that she could wear anything outside of a T-shirt, sports bra, or black suit of armor. ¡°White¡¯s not your color.¡±


    Val frowned and tried to subtly assess what was so bad about the color on her. I was worried the situation would deteriorate further if we kept trying to lie. ¡°Lori, Lizzy, Val, and I all put this together so we could try to get the five of us right. This isn¡¯t an actual training exercise. This is just a game night and we¡¯re playing Scrabble in pairs.¡±


    ¡°You lied to me to get me to play Scrabble?¡± Lori was enraged in an instant. I wasn¡¯t able to look up to meet her eyes. ¡°Are you guys serious? All of you were in on this stupid idea?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Alex said. ¡°I just thought this was an actual training exercise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did too.¡± Lori squeezed Alex¡¯s hand and gestured to the door. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re leaving. I want nothing to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Lori, when are you going to get over this shitty attitude?¡± Lizzy stopped setting up the game and was standing with her hands on her hips. ¡°You¡¯re really going to stand there and say you want nothing to do with her, yet you want her to be under your constant watch? You guys are the only ones with a fifth person on your team. You don¡¯t get to have it both ways. You can¡¯t just try and wait for her to betray us and not want to be around her either. You have a team that she¡¯s a part of. How¡¯re you going to feel if your grudge gets someone like Ethan killed?¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine, I get your point,¡± Lori snapped back. She stopped walking toward the door and pointed at Val. ¡°But why do we have to do this stupid ¡®team building¡¯ nonsense? Why couldn¡¯t we do real training at least?¡±


    ¡°You know why!¡± Lizzy yelled. Her patience had obviously reached its limit. ¡°We have that boat party in May, and guess what? My team is going to be there too. Everyone knows why you hate her. No one is telling you that you ever have to forgive her. But now you need to grow up and realize that this isn¡¯t just about you or even your team anymore. You have four other people that have to trust in me, trust in you, and trust in your team. This has to work.


    ¡°And the reason we¡¯re not just beating the piss out of each other with fists, swords, and whatever Ethan conjures up is because there are other things we need to focus on. We have this boat party coming up. Everyone needs to be acting as a single unit. Anything that jeopardizes one of us can get the rest of us in hot water. We don¡¯t know exactly what we¡¯re walking into, so I¡¯m going to say it until everyone understands, okay? We. Need. To. Be. On. The. Same. Page. There is no other option.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she talking about? What boat party?¡± Rebecca looked between the two team captains, neither of which answered her. When she looked at me next, I just pursed my lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later tonight, promise,¡± I whispered, not wanting to derail what was going on. Lizzy was right and Lori really had to get it in her head. Hopefully Rebecca could wait until we were back at our place.


    ¡°You¡¯re really saying it matters that much how I treat this one monster?¡± None of the contempt Lori had for Val had gone anywhere. Instead of looking heated up about it, Val just looked so tired and defeated. I knew taking those verbal beatings from Lori wasn¡¯t going to improve anything.


    ¡°Yes, I am saying that!¡± Lizzy tapped her temple with two fingers a few times. ¡°Think for just a second. I know you¡¯re smarter than this. If you expect to have Val under your watch, but you keep treating her like dirt, how long until your teammates give up on your leadership abilities, huh? Maybe Alex won¡¯t, but what about Ethan and Rebecca? Val helped Rebecca carry him out of Luna before it was taken over. Have you even checked in on him since then? On any of the other three at all? Your concussion was taken care of in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Lori was cut off by Lizzy holding up a hand. Lizzy¡¯s face was red, her jaw clenched. I couldn¡¯t remember ever seeing her so furious. I could just about see the steam coming out of her ears.


    ¡°No, you will listen to what I have to say. Your attitude is acid for a team¡¯s structure. Do you know how it¡¯s going to reflect on me if I tell my team to trust you, but then you go AWOL because of your personal vendetta? I¡¯ll lose their trust and my credibility, but more importantly, I might actually lose one of them because of a bad decision. I like you, Lori. You¡¯re my friend. I want to work with you. When this entire thing is over and we win, maybe we can be actual heroes working together for something greater.¡±


    ¡°Fine! I get your point.¡± Lori looked like she wanted to cover her ears and throw a tantrum. I knew from that time she touched me to get a reaction out of me, despite knowing how much I hated it, she could have a bit of a nasty side to her. Lizzy was right. I was starting to lose faith in her ability to lead us. ¡°I will make no promises beyond sitting down and trying to play Scrabble tonight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all anyone wants,¡± Lizzy said, her voice softening a touch. ¡°I¡¯m just here to watch and order pizza. Just use it to try and have some fun. You don¡¯t even have to pay attention when Val plays. Your team and my team just need you to take the first step here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I can do that. I¡¯ll play the game tonight.¡± Lori took a few deep breaths and did look like she was really trying to calm down. She sat down at the low table and looked at the game board. ¡°I¡¯ve played this as a kid, but how¡¯s it going to work when we play as couples?¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s your turn normally, you¡¯ll just alternate between you and Alex. Ethan might start, then it goes to you, and then to Val. When it would go back to Ethan, Rebecca would have her turn, then Alex, and then Val again.¡± Lizzy sounded like she was explaining it to a kindergarten class, not being the sharpest guy in the world, I appreciated the extra bit of effort.


    Getting down on her knees, she made sure the board and pieces were all set up properly. Her shift from angry team leader to supervisor for a game night was more than a little shocking. Gone was the yelling woman who looked like she was about to throw a shoe at Lori. She was replaced by the casual, easygoing lady who laughed at me when I shut my eyes to avoid looking at a woman¡¯s underwear.


    ¡°Now, you guys read the rules and I¡¯ll order the pizza.¡± Lizzy looked up and grinned at each of us individually. ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun!¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Twenty-Five

    ¡°Ethan, there is no chance you¡¯re going to get ¡®flabbergasted¡¯ on that board,¡± Rebecca said, trying to let me down gently.


    ¡°Hey, it could happen,¡± I protested.


    ¡°Okay, it could happen.¡± She rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°It won¡¯t, so let¡¯s go for a better word, yeah? Maybe? Just for me?¡±


    Despite my girlfriend¡¯s insistence that I wouldn¡¯t be able to get my desired word on the board, the game was going well. No one was being overly competitive about it. Lori mostly ignored it when Val did anything, occasionally commenting on Alex and Rebecca¡¯s play, calling them clever for what they came up with. Rebecca was doing the heavy lifting on our team and Alex was her boyfriend, so her praise was hardly surprising.


    ¡°Pizza¡¯s here!¡± Lizzy exclaimed right before the guy knocked on the door. ¡°I¡¯ll get it, you guys keep playing.¡±


    I just settled for putting down ¡®gas¡¯ on the board. It was a paltry point total for our team, which sucked since we were in a tight race with Alex and Lori¡¯s team. Val was sticking to exclusively to short words and her turns were taking a bit, which had given Lori and I a little bit of time to catch up. She was right about her concussion and broken orbital bone. I was glad to hear they¡¯d both been healed up nicely. They were off to Nebraska before we were. Apparently, they were told not to text or call us. Something about the possibility of devices being tracked. I didn¡¯t get it. I was pretty sure our phones being on could have been enough to do that.


    ¡°Hm, ¡®up¡¯, there.¡± Val put down her final tile and wrote down the score. She didn¡¯t have a point booster space, so she got four points from it. Her small point total didn¡¯t do anything to make Val seem less content. She looked like she was enjoying the game. No chairs had gone flying, and no tables had been broken, so things were going well to that point.


    ¡°Why do you keep doing that?¡± Lori asked. I felt a pit form in my stomach, even though she hadn¡¯t really said anything. Just a bad, miserable feeling in my gut.


    ¡°Doing what?¡± Val asked. She sounded like she was trying to be friendly and nice, which might have been something working against her more than for her. ¡°Does ¡®up¡¯ not count? I can take it down.¡±


    ¡°No, you keep using short words. Nothing has more than three letters.¡± Lori pointed at every word Val put down on the board. ¡°Look at this. ¡®Cat¡¯, ¡®dog¡¯, ¡®air¡¯, and now ¡®up¡¯. Can you not read or something?¡±


    Val had been shifting to get a look at her words when the question hit her. Her knee hit the table in a jolt, sending tiles everywhere. Lizzy was coming back with six boxes of pizza, poking her head around to see what the commotion was. I hopelessly tried to get all the words back in their original places. I¡¯d completely forgotten where all of them went.


    ¡°Wait, you actually can¡¯t, can you?¡± Lori asked. I looked toward Val, her head angled slightly down toward the Scrabble board. Her eyes were wide, and I could see a flush creep up her neck, spread over her cheeks, and end on her ears. Her pale skin made the intense blush pop. ¡°No way, you can¡¯t read. You helped destroy a city and you honest to God cannot read.¡±


    ¡°Lori, be quiet,¡± I said, already feeling myself get angry. Rebecca, Alex, and Lizzy all stopped and didn¡¯t look like they knew what to do. Lizzy didn¡¯t even try setting the boxes of pizza down. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to play the game only with short words.¡±


    ¡°No, no, really.¡± Lori snickered and leaned forward. ¡°I want her to tell me if she can read or not.¡±


    Val¡¯s bottom lip quivered. She tried to chew on it to hide it. Game night had officially been ruined. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ethan. She¡¯s right. I can¡¯t really.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Val. Scrabble was my idea. This is my fault.¡± I wanted to reach out to her to do something. Her posture was screaming that she didn¡¯t want anyone to touch her.


    Lori¡¯s snickering turned into full laughter that echoed throughout the living room and kitchen. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she started to do that wheezing when your laugh lasts too long or starts to hurt. She grabbed her stomach and coughed. But she never stopped laughing at Val.


    About as gracefully as she could, she stood up and took off up the stairs. Her eyes were wet when she left, and I felt terrible. Scrabble had been my idea. I didn¡¯t even think to ask Val what she thought about it. She was our host. The entire night was supposed to be for her to try and gel with our team. Instead, it collapsed, and she was on the verge of breaking down in tears. Given how calm she seemed every time we¡¯d interacted before, I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Lori, are you serious?¡± I asked, which finally made her laughing die down. ¡°Please tell me I just hallucinated that. Please tell me you didn¡¯t really just do that.¡±


    ¡°Do what? Point out that she can¡¯t read?¡± Lori¡¯s eyes narrowed at me. She still had wet lines on her face, not in a hurry to wipe them off her face.


    ¡°No, Lori. You completely humiliated her.¡± I stood up and ran a hand through my hair. I made my other one open and close into a fist, trying to calm myself down and not throw a punch at someone. ¡°There¡¯s nothing even wrong with playing the game just using short words. I thought you were just a troubled person before, and with good reason, but you¡¯re genuinely cruel sometimes. Before you say anything, can you imagine being an adult and only being able to spell out words like that? Take Rory out of it for a second. Think about how humiliating that is.¡±


    Lori pursed her lips, remaining silent. Instead, Alex took over. He stood up and grabbed a collar of my shirt with a glowing hand. In response, I created a Shimmer-Spear over each shoulder, pointing both directly at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk to her that way,¡± Alex said, his voice barely above a growl.


    ¡°And you¡¯re going to get your hand off him,¡± Rebecca said. In an instant, her hand was over his wrist. His hand was still glowing, so she hadn¡¯t removed his power. Who knew how close she was to doing it. ¡°Get your hand. Off. Ethan. Now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a power to take either of you.¡± He glared at Rebecca, but his grip did loosen, if only slightly.


    ¡°You want to test that, meathead? Let¡¯s see if you got a brain in that head of yours.¡± Rebecca¡¯s eyes were shining. It worried me that she looked so eager to fight Alex. Even without his power, I was sure he was capable. But then again, so was she.


    ¡°Enough! All three of you, sit the fuck down.¡± Lizzy placed the boxes down and her barely contained rage was back. ¡°Sit down now! I am done playing games with you fuckers.¡±


    Her yelling was enough to snap most of us out of it. Alex slowly let go of my shirt, Rebecca released her grip, and I broke down my spears. Lori, the only one without an active power, was still sitting down. We all returned to our spots and Rebecca grabbed my hand. She was shaking. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was from fear, excitement, anger, or a mix of all three. Her standing up to Alex to defend me warmed my heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m so fed up with you, Lori,¡± Lizzy said. ¡°Your childish attitude had a bit of a charm to it when you were a scared girl who was getting her first assignment. What the hell happened to you? I have never seen you act like this before. Ethan¡¯s right, you¡¯re a cruel person.¡±


    ¡°My best friend died! Died because of her. She fucking killed him!¡± She gestured toward the stairs. ¡°And I was made leader a few days after. I couldn¡¯t even grieve for my friend before I was sent right back out into the world.¡± Lori¡¯s chest heaved and her eyes were red. ¡°Then I had a man beg me to shoot him in the head, and I did. I killed a man who¡¯d done nothing to wrong me. The only wrongs he¡¯d committed to the world were against his will. A man who was manipulated for over a century to do someone¡¯s bidding.¡±


    ¡°And this is how you handle it!? You laugh at someone who has never learned to read. You told me that you would try tonight. The only thing you tried to do was be a massive fucking bitch, and it worked, so good job.¡± I was worried that Lizzy was about to start beating on Lori again. With all the tension in the room, it was poised to turn into a full brawl.


    ¡°Lori, I¡¯m going to give you a choice right now.¡± I tried to keep my voice even. I needed my delivery to be right so it didn¡¯t seem like I was just saying it in a fit of rage. ¡°You¡¯re going to go up those stairs, apologize, and talk to Val. If you don¡¯t, I will never do anything under your leadership again. Lizzy¡¯s right, I don¡¯t trust you to be a captain anymore. Even if I did, I can¡¯t work with someone who¡¯s acting like you have been. I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s come to an ultimatum, I really am. I don¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


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    ¡°With that I did? How many people has she killed?¡± Lori scoffed, like we didn¡¯t all know about Val¡¯s past. ¡°Do I have to keep reminding you people about that? We had to take in an orphaned little girl because of something she helped with.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s at least trying, Lori!¡± I understood her hatred of the woman, I really did. If I was asked to work with the guy who killed my parents, I wouldn¡¯t do it. That was the difference between us though. I would separate myself from the situation. ¡°She helped Rebecca keep me safe when my arm got hurt, she offered her life to you when McLeod is taken care of, and it was because of her that we had any warning about McLeod coming at all. She is trying to be better. She is trying to be nicer. I can¡¯t keep doing this with you.¡±


    Lori clenched her fists and looked down. If she didn¡¯t get it with all of us telling her, I didn¡¯t know if she ever would. I had never been around Rory, so I would be the first to admit I couldn¡¯t understand their connection and relationship, but I kept comparing her situation to my own when my parents were killed. If I held on to nothing but rage about that moment, I would be miserable all the time. It was hard enough to deal with without adding that kind of hatred to the mix.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with me,¡± Lori finally said. She kept her gaze on the floor. ¡°I know that you guys are right. I don¡¯t know why I can¡¯t admit it and why I¡¯m so angry all the time, but I know that I can¡¯t keep doing this.¡±


    ¡°Lori, you don¡¯t ever have to forgive Val for what she did,¡± I said, moving over and crouching down next to her. ¡°I swear to you, no one here is going to blame you or think any less of you if you don¡¯t. But if you don¡¯t talk to her about everything that happened, you¡¯re never going to feel better. When my parents were killed, I had an outlet with Shelly. Don¡¯t let that anger be the only thing you allow yourself to feel.¡±


    Lori sighed and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll go apologize to her.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± I held out my hand and helped her to her feet. She gave me a funny look. ¡°I¡¯m just making sure everything goes over smoothly.¡±


    With the tension in the room settled somewhat, the smell from the six pizza boxes wafted over to me. I wouldn¡¯t admit it out loud, but I was close to shoving Lori out the window and just digging in. I still hadn¡¯t eaten anything and it was just my luck that I had to try and support two people who didn¡¯t like each other. Stupid team building game night nonsense, keeping me from greasy food that could kill me. Couldn¡¯t the needs of two teams wait for a few minutes so I could scarf down some pizza?


    The upstairs of Val¡¯s home was a lot like my house¡¯s, except instead of a bedroom, she had a loft-like area. Since she was living alone, it was sparsely decorated, with just another display sword and a cream-colored carpet on the ground. The entire space felt so lonely. God, as terrible as McLeod was, at least Val wasn¡¯t living in complete isolation with him. Not wanting to stay in the depressing area, I kept going on ahead.


    There was an open door and the sound of soft sniffling. Unless Val was housing someone who was undergoing an allergy attack, the list of people it could have been was a very short one. The opened door led to a small balcony outside, something I was pretty sure my place didn¡¯t have. It offered a great view of the full moon overhead and was exposed to the soft breeze. If I needed a place to go and cry, I would have chosen that balcony too.


    ¡°Val, I¡¯m really sorry I didn¡¯t talk to you about the game beforehand.¡± I said it before I saw her, correctly assuming she¡¯d be there when I walked out. ¡°Tonight was supposed to be about you and bonding with the team. My idea ruined it.¡±


    ¡°It still ended up being about me, right?¡± Val offered a weak, sad chuckle. It wasn¡¯t funny at all. It was just sad. Even Lori frowned at it. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make a scene down there. You should go back and play.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯re here because of me.¡± Lori didn¡¯t look smug or proud, something I had a nagging fear about. ¡°I wanted to apologize about how I acted down there.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to apologize to me?¡± Val¡¯s eyes danced between us, like she wasn¡¯t sure if she was about to be the victim of a prank. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I was wrong.¡± Lori winced saying it. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to bully you this whole time because I don¡¯t like you. I have good reason not to like you. I need this team to be a cohesive unit, and what I did was too far. I¡¯m sorry for what I said and I¡¯m not going to act like that anymore.¡±


    ¡°Lori, I am so, so sorry for killing your friend. I¡¯m sorry for what I did for ten years.¡± Val turned to face us and wiped her nose. A stronger breeze rolled through and blew her hair in front of her face. ¡°If I could go back and change all of it, I would. Every time I try to sleep, I see their faces and I hear their screams.¡±


    ¡°Val, I¡¯m never going to forgive you.¡± Lori delivered it flatly, not too soft and not too mean. Val¡¯s face fell when she heard it. ¡°I¡¯m never going to forgive you for what you took from me and what you did to all those people, but I can tell that you¡¯re genuine in your feelings. You¡¯re going to live with what you¡¯ve done, and you may still be punished legally. I¡¯m not getting anything by trying to torment you now. It¡¯ll be a detriment to the team. If it¡¯s a detriment to the team, it¡¯ll put my team in danger. I can¡¯t have that. Even though I won¡¯t forgive you for what you¡¯ve done, maybe we can build something new.¡±


    I knew that was the most even Lori was going to be about it, and Val caught on too. ¡°I swear to you, I¡¯m going to do everything I can to help you stop McLeod.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re counting on it.¡± Lori gave a weak smile and leaned against the balcony¡¯s guardrail. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back down there and play how you want? Or just eat some food. One of those is an order from your leader.¡±


    Val nodded and took off, leaving Lori and I alone. The breeze was starting to pick up again, and like a fool, I didn¡¯t have a jacket. How I grew up in the cold and snow of Oregon and still didn¡¯t carry one around with me was beyond me. Shelly always told me to bring one, so I had no idea why I just dropped that habit like an idiot.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m proud of you,¡± I said, battling off the chill. ¡°I know it took a lot for you to say that. That¡¯s what a leader needs to do.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t trust me to be a leader?¡± Lori folded her hands on the rail and rested her chin on them.


    ¡°This was a good start to changing my opinion.¡± I sighed and stared up at the full moon. ¡°Lori, I¡¯m sorry I said that. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you as a person. I don¡¯t trust your emotional outbursts. When you get like that, it¡¯s like you¡¯re a completely different person from the one who met me in Oregon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been just so mad. I had nightmares about shooting Arthur. I would wake up covered in sweat and with a huge headache. Therapy is helping some. All this anger scares me, Ethan.¡± I could hear her shifting next to me, but I kept my eyes upward. ¡°I took it out on you when I shouldn¡¯t have. I want to be this team captain so bad. I¡¯m so proud of what you, Alex, and I managed to do in the Tomb. I hate being the girl who¡¯s prone to these shitty mood swings. Like we don¡¯t get called emotional enough without powers making it worse.¡±


    ¡°Lori, I¡¯m not going to pretend to understand what you have to deal with when your power is what it is. I want you to know I have your back, okay?¡± A nervous laugh escaped my mouth. ¡°At least when you¡¯re being cool and not being mean to someone because they have trouble reading.¡±


    ¡°That really is sad. McLeod didn¡¯t teach her to read at all?¡± When I just shrugged, Lori huffed. ¡°For someone who can¡¯t read, she doesn¡¯t have trouble speaking.¡±


    ¡°I think she knows smaller words. Come to think of it, when I handed her a pamphlet on the houses here, she did look frustrated.¡± I sighed, rubbing my temples to keep the budding headache at bay. ¡°If Megan¡¯s okay with it, maybe I could have Val sit in on some of her classes. We¡¯re covering a lot of reading with her right now. Or we will be, once we get that set up.¡±


    ¡°You and Rebecca are so cute together,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re like actual parents.¡±


    ¡°She is an actual parent. I¡¯m just trying to help out by winging it with some logic thrown in. Rebecca¡¯s daughter was about Megan¡¯s age when they were separated. I¡¯m glad the three of us have taken to each other so well, though.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± I looked down at her and Lori looked scared, like I was holding up a fist and I was ready to punch her. Hesitantly, she gave me a hug. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you. I missed you when you were gone.¡±


    I was too tired to get upset about the touching. I was managing to get over it in my own time. At least it wasn¡¯t my stupid arm for once. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be back. There have been a couple days where it¡¯s still been hard. I think I¡¯ll have those for the rest of my life. She makes those days a little easier.¡±


    ¡°Hey guys, the pizza¡¯s getting cold.¡± Speaking of the devil, my girlfriend was standing in the doorway, taking a bite out of a slice covered in pepperoni. ¡°Hurry up before we eat it all. We didn¡¯t have anything this good back in the old days.¡±


    ¡°There were six boxes, how are you-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s not what it looks like.¡± Lori backed away and hit the guardrail. My heart lurched, thinking her momentum was about to send her spilling over, but she was so short that she barely budged. ¡°I swear, there was nothing weird about it.¡±


    Well, that definitely made her hug sound totally normal and not weird at all.


    ¡°I know that.¡± Rebecca tilted her head, confused. ¡°If I didn¡¯t trust either one of you, I would have followed Ethan up here. If you haven¡¯t noticed, a lot of his friends are women who range from cute to exceptionally gorgeous. Believe me, I trust all of you, and I¡¯m not threatened by anyone in this house anyway. You came here with your boyfriend too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been feeling insecure about that.¡± Her shoulders slumped. ¡°Since Alex is bi, I¡¯ve been so worried about guys and girls trying to get with him. I¡¯ve seen some of the looks he got at work back in New York.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he still chose you, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Instead of thinking about it like there¡¯s twice as many people who can take him away from you, think about it like he chose you over twice as many people. Because that¡¯s what he did.¡±


    Lori¡¯s eyes went wide like we just dropped some grand revelation on her. I was going to feel really bad for her if she went through all the effort to get Alex and was still battling all that insecurity. No one deserved to be worried about that in their love life. The way he was ready to beat me into goop after I had to go off a bit on Lori gave me some confidence in the guy. Rebecca would have still whipped him up and down the street, but I wouldn¡¯t tell either of them that. No need to bruise that man¡¯s ego like that.


    Then it was Rebecca¡¯s turn to be hugged. Lori held her tight, the way someone would to their best friend that they hadn¡¯t seen in years. It was another thing that showed me she was slowly returning to the Lori I knew. The one that we desperately needed to stay around if our little team was going to have any cohesion at all. Everything that occurred in the span of about seven minutes there was a good start.


    ¡°Come on, we have a game to finish and some pizza to eat.¡± Lori smiled wide at both of us, and we didn¡¯t need more persuading.

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    After calling the number on the card Cordell gave us, we were allowed just enough time to change out of our costumes into normal clothes. All of us ended up bringing our bags into the hotel room since we didn¡¯t know how long we were going to be debating the whole matter. The stern-faced bald man who immediately appeared didn¡¯t allow any of us to leave the room to change, so we had to do a lot of girls and boys turning their backs toward each other while we undressed. The ladies weren¡¯t thrilled that the teleporter constantly kept everyone in his sight while we changed, their grumbles and protests were met by an uncaring and cold silence. The guy didn¡¯t have any eyebrows, and Lizzy made sure we all knew it with the jabs she threw at him.


    At least Val got to keep her sword on her. Her having her weapon made me feel a lot safer. She was the only girl changing out of her costume who didn¡¯t throw jabs or barbs at Baldy either. With her height, muscular frame, sword, and Anomaly, she didn¡¯t need things like verbal insults to get under someone¡¯s skin, if one could even get under Baldy¡¯s skin.


    The instant we were all dressed back in normal clothes, we were transported to a huge chamber in what was either a cave or a mountain, leaving only Shelly and Megan behind. Disoriented for a moment, I looked up at the spacious area above my head. Gray stone curved and came together in a dome above us, completely smooth and void of any imperfection. The air was dry and a little chilly, not humid and damp like I recalled the cave leading to the Tomb being. Looking around more, I discovered half a dozen pathways lit by torches, three on each side of me. The dancing flames only illuminated so much, so I didn¡¯t waste more time trying to peer down the halls. Instead, I focused on the five stone chairs, each seating a person wearing a white cloak and a skull mask. In the center, the largest stone chair was home to the only one without a mask, our great friend Cordell.


    ¡°Welcome to the home of the White-Cloaked Sentinels!¡± He stood up and clapped for his guests. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see all of you again.¡±


    The uneasy feelings I had for the guy returned in full force. Since we were technically their guests, I didn¡¯t put up a barrier between the two of us like I did on the yacht. I didn¡¯t know the temperament of his colleagues, how powerful they were, or what they could do. I just assumed they all had powers that were significant enough to be useful to Cordell, and that was enough to keep me on my best behavior in their home.


    Besides the unease I got when Cordell spoke, I immediately felt another strange sensation. It was warm and beckoning. It was walking into my heated home after being outside on a cold winter¡¯s day. It was getting the softest hug from my mother after she baked brownies for the entire family. It was the jubilation of getting out of school to start the sweet freedom of summer break. Through the mess in my head, I could distinctly hear a woman¡¯s soft singing, calling me closer to...somewhere. Somewhere nearby in whatever strange structure we were in. The sound¡ªthe feeling¡ªwas everywhere, at war with the revolt and fear that Cordell filled me with.


    ¡°That look on your face...you hear it, don¡¯t you?¡± Cordell asked. He slowly walked up to me, his eyes narrowed into slits. It took every bit of strength, willpower, and restraint I had to not try and blast the guy away or throw a Shimmer-Spear at him. Stiff as a statue, I let him walk up to me, making sure to keep all my senses alert. ¡°Answer me, young man. I had the same reaction as you when I first walked this great chamber. You can hear the Spheresong, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± I hissed through clenched teeth. I tightened my hands into fists involuntarily. It was hard not to take a swing at him. His talking was getting in the way of the beautiful music that I heard.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll learn in time. It¡¯s unimportant right now.¡± Cordell shook his head and turned to the rest of the group. ¡°Can the rest of you hear it?¡±


    To my surprise, everyone in the group agreed they could hear something with varying degrees of success. No two people seemed to react to the sounds the same way. Alex and Lori could barely hear anything and couldn¡¯t determine what it was exactly. Lizzy heard some rhythmic music that she claimed reminded her of a prom night. Val heard her friend that McLeod killed in her youth. Everyone else confirmed what they heard at the same time, so I couldn¡¯t make out what they all said with everyone succeeding at talking over each other.


    ¡°Does it beckon to you? It has almost a physical pull, does it not?¡± No one else said anything, so I felt compelled to nod my head and admit that it was actually calling to me. ¡°Good. Hearing it is the most important part, but the allure of the Spheresong is reserved for, ah, a special kind of individual. Its intoxicating calls to dance cannot be denied for long, Ethan. Perhaps later I¡¯ll show it to you.¡±


    ¡°Show what to me?¡± The singing in my head died down somewhat, so I was able to relax my body in response. Cordell still made me sick, but the warmth from the song, or whatever he called it, had made me feel better. Better enough that I didn¡¯t feel the need to impale the man who was standing in front of me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of you. A part of everyone in this room. It¡¯s a part of even those who cannot hear its call. It¡¯s a part of every tree, rock, blade of grass, and ounce of water that calls this planet home. It¡¯s why we all stand here today.¡± Cordell spoke of this thing like it was his wife or his children. No, he spoke of it like it was a deity he worshipped. He glowed with pride and awe about this thing like he was in the presence of said deity. ¡°Soon I¡¯ll show you. Not yet, but soon. Being in its presence alone would make standing in a magnificent city of gold feel like you were standing among cardboard cutouts masquerading as buildings.¡±


    Why did he have to be completely weird and cryptic on top of being untrustworthy? That last bit didn¡¯t even make a lick of sense to me.


    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯ll be time for all that later,¡± he said, drifting back toward his throne. Around him, the other Sentinels only stirred when beckoned to. ¡°Come, come. Introduce yourselves to our guests. Why don¡¯t you give them a little taste of what you¡¯re capable of?¡±


    The one on my far left slowly stood up and removed their mask, revealing a man who had the exact same skin complexion and hair color as Cordell. The only thing that set him apart was that he had the wrinkled face of a middle-aged man. With a blank look in his eyes, he lifted his hands out in front of him. In seconds, the most intricate crystal sculpture of a deer I¡¯d ever seen was built between us. A beautiful black-purple creation, reminding me of my own Shimmer creations. It wasn¡¯t until I touched it that I realized it was ice, not crystal, my fingertips stinging under the cold burn of the sculpture. The man¡¯s only reaction to me touching it was a slow, uncoordinated bow, followed by sitting back in his chair. ¡°I¡¯m Ordosi.¡±


    The next one did something similar. They stood up and removed their mask to reveal a teenage boy, easily younger than myself. Like Ordosi, he had the same complexion and hair color as Cordell. When he lifted his hands, a bunch of multicolored coral of various shapes, sizes, and textures erupted from the ground beneath his feet. It was a display equally as beautiful as Ordosi¡¯s. Like the older man, he sat back down and flatly told us his name, ¡°Devon.¡±


    Next up was a girl around Lori¡¯s age. Pattern recognition told me that she¡¯d have a pale face and dark hair too, and as usual, I was completely right. A maelstrom of lava and burning rock enveloped her, leaving only her dull, empty eyes staring out. Just as quickly as it appeared, the lava and rock vanished into nothing. It was faster than I would have been able to break down one of my Shimmer weapons. ¡°Paritry,¡± she mumbled, planting herself back in her seat.


    The last one was a woman around Abigail¡¯s age. Unlike the others, her power didn¡¯t have anything to do with nature, and it took longer to show us. There was a light rumbling in the corridors around us before dozens of faceless mannequins burst out. Some had limbs that were segmented, with some kind of string or rope holding the parts together, hanging loosely at their sides. A few of them dug their fingers into the smooth wall and climbed up to the ceiling, looking down at us. Even without eyes, I could tell they were able to see us. ¡°Cregene.¡±


    ¡°Some creative names there,¡± Alex said, poking at one of the mannequins without any unease. It moved from his touch but didn¡¯t react in any other way. Somehow, that felt worse than if it sprang up and punched him in the face. With a simple flick of Cregene¡¯s wrist, all of the mannequins ran off through the corridors. ¡°Ain¡¯t Cregene a toothpaste or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, what can I say? We¡¯re a creative bunch! It makes sense they¡¯d want to use the names of greatness for mundane products. Everyone¡¯s more than a little tired from planning the party, so you¡¯ll have to excuse their antisocial behavior.¡± Cordell sighed and looked at his companions like a disappointed father. ¡°They¡¯ll be in better shape tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, right. Any reason why they all just happen to have your exact same skin and hair colors?¡± Lori knew something was weird about that too. Even though it was obvious to anyone looking, I was glad I wasn¡¯t alone in noticing.


    ¡°I know that you all must be exhausted,¡± Cordell said, completely ignoring Lori. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a nice night of rest and we can talk about it tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°We came here to form an alliance with you against a threat. We did not come here for a sleepover.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯d like to leave, the door is right behind you.¡± Cordell sent one of his metal cables past me to a massive set of wooden doors. With a little bit of effort, he opened the door to reveal a nasty snowstorm, frozen wind piercing the chamber we stood in. I beat down the urge to shiver and show weakness. More concerning than the snowstorm was the fact that I couldn¡¯t see any ground outside the door, which sold me on the idea that we were in a mountain. ¡°Any takers?¡±


    When no one budged, Cordell laughed and slammed the doors. Warmth immediately returned to the chamber, unnaturally fast, and I knew the warm and welcoming feeling was just to disguise whatever this bastard had planned for us. A surge of anger ran through me right then. We really all agreed to try and partner with this guy, and it had us trapped in a damn mountain. Maybe Shelly was right about us just being kids. Stupid kids who had no idea what they were doing, all following a desperate woman looking to avenge her husband and son.


    ¡°Walk this way, I¡¯ll show you to your rooms. I know you¡¯re all tired.¡± Nothing like a snake leading us to an enclosed area with no easy way of escape to help us get to sleep.


    A miserable night of sleep in a situation I hated made for one grouchy Ethan. Rebecca was apologizing for voting to bring us every time I tossed or turned. It didn¡¯t matter since I wasn¡¯t mad at her. I wasn¡¯t mad at any of my friends. They all made a call they thought was for the best, and more than that, it was done. Being angry at my friends wasn¡¯t going to get us anywhere good. If I had grievances to air, there would be a place to do it, and that place wasn¡¯t inside of a damn mountain.


    Even outside of everything I already knew about Cordell, I hated him. Hated him beyond what was rational. I felt like Lori when she had one of her swings of intense anger, but this wasn¡¯t fading after a little while. I woke up stiff and sore, despite the exceptionally comfortable bed Rebecca and I shared. I woke up angry, too. I made sure to turn my head to get my glaring out of the way. Rebecca was upset enough with herself for the both of us. She didn¡¯t need my random bouts of anger to make her feel even worse.


    There was a trunk at the foot of our bed, two outfits for us to wear were laid out, so at least we got to change into something fresh. There was no bathroom where we slept, so we had to change our clothes with our backs toward each other. I thought that part was a little cute. It was like we were both shy, nervous teenagers¡ªwhich I was¡ªand we were trying to work around being awkward. After throwing on my shirt, I heard Rebecca let out a deep sigh, and almost turned around on instinct. I managed to stop myself, almost regretting it, but not wanting to feel like I invaded her trust and privacy either.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for bringing us here,¡± she said, opening the day on just a cheery note.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you, honey dearest,¡± I said, trying to add some sickening sweetness to my voice to make her laugh. And it was the truth. I wasn¡¯t mad at her, but she didn¡¯t seem to believe it, so I tried to stay lighthearted. ¡°I¡¯m mad at the cable guy, that''s for sure. Seriously, only one show on this thing? I thought we were some kind of big shots around here.¡±


    I gestured to the window above us that I had noticed when we went to bed, pretending to be unimpressed. It managed to stay free of any snow, giving us a beautiful, unobstructed view of the sky. Looking out at the window on the wall, it left no doubt in my mind that we were staying in a mountain, our room over a particularly nasty-looking sheer drop down to jagged rock and ice. The sun was out and reflected harshly off the snow that was at least a couple hundred feet below us. Unless we could tie every bed sheet on Earth together to form a long rope, there was no easy way off the mountain from our room.


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    ¡°It is kind of beautiful, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± Rebecca''s voice sounded far away. She was rubbing at the marks on her hands. I wondered how much she resented her powers, especially in that moment. I didn¡¯t have the nerve to ask her, and again, I didn¡¯t want her to feel worse about herself. If we got through everything in one piece, I decided I would ask. If we could create a world where she didn¡¯t have to be a pawn in anyone¡¯s game and didn¡¯t feel like her Anomalies defined her in the eyes of others.


    Instead, to offer some silent comfort, I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. I was hers and I was with her. I supported her decisions and how she felt about them, even if she was regretting her vote. It wasn¡¯t going to hurt me, hurt how I thought about her, or hurt our relationship. Those were all things I wanted to tell her, so I hoped my feelings could come through in the embrace. From the way she put her face against my shoulder and seemed to ease up against me, I thought I did an adequate job wordlessly telling her how I felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡±


    ¡°Shush.¡± I put a hand on her head and ran it down over her silky red hair. My other hand rubs small circles over her back. ¡°We¡¯re here. I¡¯m not holding it against anyone, least of all you. You¡¯re the one who they¡¯re obsessed over, not me. No more apologies, okay? We¡¯re going to get through this and do our best with what we have.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°They were going to find us anyway,¡± I said, feeling bad for the interruptions she honestly needed. ¡°If they knew who we were, they would find a way to get to us if they truly wanted to. If anything, this saves time and cuts out the middleman. I know you¡¯re going to feel bad, so I won¡¯t tell you to stop. Just know I¡¯m not mad at you or our friends. I am mad at Cordell for making moves on my girl, though.¡±


    She pulled back, grinning at me with a twinkle in her green eyes. ¡°Oh, so I¡¯m your girl now?¡±


    I shrug, trying to look indifferent. ¡°We share the same bed and take care of the same kid. We¡¯re basically in the weirdest non-married marriage ever.¡±


    The idea of marriage did...something to her expression. I couldn¡¯t quite read it. It almost made me regret saying it. I hadn¡¯t even been thinking properly when I did say it. It wasn¡¯t like I had proposed. It wasn¡¯t like we¡¯d truly discussed being married together. I wanted to slap my palm against my forehead. Marriage was a huge deal to women, right? Weren¡¯t they looking for The One when they got into relationships with guys?


    After a few seconds of awkward silence, she giggled, releasing me from the tightness in my chest. ¡°You know, it is kind of like that, isn¡¯t it? I think our romance roadmap is a little all over the place, covered with scribbles and bad directions, with a bunch of detours and scenic routes taken.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a weird journey, that¡¯s for sure,¡± I agreed. I pulled her back in the hug, placing my chin on the top of her head. ¡°I guess we should go hunt for our friends and see what these weirdos have planned for us today.¡±


    Rebecca nodded, breaking the hug again. She slipped her hand in mine as we went through the hall Cordell brought us through the night before. Knowing it was bright out, the darkness of the halls seemed eerie. Shivers not born from the cold outside ran up my spine. Something had to have been watching me. No shadowy figures popped out at me like they did when I was still under the influence of my parents¡¯ murderer¡¯s Anomaly. It was something different. I was a lab rat being forced to go through a tunnel in a labyrinth, only I knew there wouldn¡¯t be a treat or a reward waiting at the end of it. Maybe like a good little rat, I shook off my fear, squeezed my girlfriend¡¯s hand, and pushed forward.


    There was an absolute feast¡ªand a table that hadn¡¯t been there the night prior¡ªin the main chamber. Lori and Alex were already there, eating away, though with some unease on their faces. Alex was inhaling anything he could find, but Lori only took small nibbles, like she was scared the next bite of food would bite back. When Rebecca and I sat down to join them, the others in our little group weren¡¯t far behind. Most of us were hesitant to eat anything given to us by these guys. We didn¡¯t know what might be poisoned or what might have something worse in it. Sadly, hunger was the second hardest opponent to defeat, behind only Father Time. It wasn¡¯t long before we were all eating at least a little bit of all the food in front of us.


    ¡°How is everything? I put a lot of effort into it.¡± Cregene appeared by the table, slipping by all of us like Cordell had the night before. Her hair and skin were still the same as Cordell¡¯s. The difference came in her eyes. Her eyes were much livelier, and there was a noticeable pep to her movements. Even her white cloak seemed to move with more life. She was a far cry from the woman who was a step above a zombie just a single sleep before.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± I admitted, taking a bite out of the best flaky biscuit I¡¯d ever had the fortune of eating. Even my mom¡¯s cooking couldn¡¯t have held a candle to it. ¡°It¡¯s a shame about our hosts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about last night. A lot of things happened and we were so tired. Planning those yacht parties takes a lot out of us.¡± Cregene shifted uncomfortably before pouring Lizzy a glass of orange juice. The expression on her face bordered on being pained. Was she hurting? Was it the mess of the yacht party coupled with putting together a feast? ¡°Please, enjoy. If you need anything, just call. I won¡¯t be far behind.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine any of them would be far behind one another. They gave me the creeps, and that wasn¡¯t just the pale skin and dark hair combo. It dawned on me that she could have been watching me in the hall before I made my way to the table. The food suddenly didn¡¯t look as appetizing as it originally did, so I tried to find some positivity in the scenery.


    The table and chairs were extraordinary. They were something that only the finest royalty could use for dining many centuries ago. Looking at them¡ªtouching them¡ªI could tell they had stories to tell. They were objects with personality. And yet, they were the only things in the chamber, not counting the Sentinels¡¯ seats and the torches. It was almost disappointing. They went through the whole process of giving us a grand feast with nothing else to look at. Five stars for the food, until I got creeped out and didn¡¯t want another bite. Two stars for the atmosphere, and a fat negative five stars for the service.


    I felt a bit off. The circumstances of our stay weren¡¯t pleasant, sure, but the thing that bothered me the most was the lack of conversation. Despite the yummy food, no one was saying a damn word. It was driving me up a wall. We weren¡¯t discussing any strategy or any negotiation tactics. We had just come from a costume party and most of us were eating like kings and queens, getting nothing done while each passing second meant the world was a little closer to McLeod¡¯s next attack. I was getting into my own head with that one, making myself more pissed off. I just couldn¡¯t help it. There was so much agitation in me.


    When we all finished our meals, Cordell just happened to slither out from the same corridor that Cregene vanished down. Nothing was a coincidence with him, everything was a calculated maneuver. We all had to play his stupid game. When he stood at an empty part of the table, he put his hands down, leaning over excitedly. In that one instance, he was like an adorable puppy, genuinely excited. If he could have just been like that all the time, I would have been fine. But no, we were stuck with the weird dude. Maybe it was for the best he didn¡¯t put on a trustworthy act.


    ¡°As a show of good faith, I¡¯ll show Ethan the most valuable object on this planet.¡± His eyes sparkled. In the distance, the warm singing enveloped me, making everything just perfect for a single moment. Of course, he just had to ruin the beautiful moment for me. ¡°I understand that you have your doubts about me and about my friends. I shouldn¡¯t have acted the way I did on the yacht, and I am truly sorry. I promise, what I¡¯m about to show you will make all of that seem like a speck of dust floating by in the wind with how insignificant it was.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, not buying his nonsense, despite the song in my ears telling me otherwise. The singing might¡¯ve been the greatest thing in the world. ¡°Okay, why just me? Let my friends see it too.¡±


    ¡°Patience, young man. There will be time for all of you. You are the one who has the most rage inside. Among you, you¡¯re the one it calls to the most. The intimacy of this meeting shouldn¡¯t be spoiled by a crowd.¡±


    Back to his stupid cryptic nonsense again. He was right about me getting pissed. With a huff, I pushed my seat out as loud as I possibly could, just about the only act of defiance I could get away with. I hoped it scratched his stupid floor. The smart part of my brain was pleading with me to bring someone else, the intoxication of the song overruling that smart part of my brain. Slipping in my ears, it promised me that everything was going to be fine and it was excited to see me. Something was strange about it, though not unwelcome. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the offer for long.


    Wordlessly, Cordell took me through the far-right corridor from the entrance. No one followed us. The light sounds of friendly chatter soon vanished when we got far enough away. Someone could have heard if I yelled, but it would have taken more than a few seconds to get to me. Through the lovely song in my head, I focused on how far away I was getting from my friends.


    Cordell wasn¡¯t aggressive in his body language. To the contrary, he was almost skipping like a giddy little schoolgirl. Even if he wanted to manipulate my girlfriend¡¯s power for his plans, he was genuinely thrilled to be taking me to this thing. After about a minute more of walking, we entered another chamber much like the first one we ate breakfast in. He made such a big deal about the whole thing that I was expecting something grand. Maybe trumpets and banners and another feast.


    When I saw it, I was disappointed. It was a white sphere, slightly bigger than a volleyball, with thin lines running through it, cutting segments into its otherwise featureless body. The most remarkable thing about it was that it hovered a foot above a stone pedestal. The pedestal had a crescent shape cut into it, almost like it was evaporated away by the Sphere getting too close. It was a perfect crater, free of any blemish. A light radiated off the Sphere, dim, just enough to illuminate the immediate space around it. Torches in the darker areas did the rest of the job.


    But the disappointment of the visual was nothing compared to what I heard. When I laid eyes on it, it felt like the Sphere had been awakened. I knew that the song was coming from it somehow wiggling inside my mind. I almost paused at how absurd it was. The floating ball in front of me was communicating with me directly in my brain. When I stood only feet away, I finally recognized the singing as my mother¡¯s, one of the most joyous sounds I held onto from my childhood. Hearing it again, the wonderful sound trumped all the feelings of getting out of school early the song previously put in me.


    ¡°This is it, Ethan. This is the source. The very thing that pulls on my heart and makes me complete.¡± Cordell reached a hand out for only a second before stopping himself. His hand trembled before slowly going to his side. ¡°The Spheresong brought me here, just like it brought you here. The intoxicating allure is too much for any mere man to withstand. It has been here long before my time, and it will remain long after I¡¯m gone, the stories passed down to the next protectors, just as they were passed down to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible.¡± My voice wavered and I felt like I was about to cry. Not from sadness or even joy, but from the fact that I knew I was staring at something incredible. Despite the simplicity of it being a floating orb, my brain was having trouble processing the whole thing. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cordell admitted, deflating some of the awe that ballooned up inside of me. ¡°As I said, it was here long before I was. I do not know what it is. I only know it is my duty to protect it.¡±


    A sour note played in my head. The urge to rush over and coddle the Sphere ran over me. I had to force my body to stand still, despite the pleading honestly being too much to bear. I gritted my teeth so hard I was afraid they¡¯d start to crack. Whatever I was feeling, Cordell wasn¡¯t. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him staring at the Sphere with love in his eyes. No, not just love. Lust. He was looking at it the same way a lecherous perv would eye women in skimpy bikinis at the beach on a hot summer¡¯s day.


    And that infuriated me, so much so that I created a small Shimmer-Dagger in my left hand. Hidden at my side, Cordell didn¡¯t see it, the light it gave off not enough to pull his eyes away. The Sphere played me a calming song, the same one my mother would use on me when I hurt myself and couldn¡¯t stop crying. I noticed that there weren¡¯t really words, only sounds that were vaguely similar to words. It was odd, almost alien, and it using my mom¡¯s voice made it weirder. Using that, I calmed down and dissipated the dagger, stopping myself from getting into trouble.


    ¡°See, isn¡¯t it better that you saw this alone? This is what being a White-Cloaked Sentinel offers. The greatest sense of protection and purpose.¡± Cordell wrapped an arm around me, snapping me out of the Sphere¡¯s calming spell, nearly causing me to puke at the same time. The shift from its influence to going back to reality made me want to curl up on the cold ground beneath me. ¡°Come, let¡¯s tell your colleagues.¡±


    They all looked surprised when they saw me, so something on my face or in my body language must have changed. I couldn¡¯t help it. Every cell in my body wanted to touch the Sphere for whatever reason. I needed to, I just didn¡¯t know how or even why. I could tell it needed...something. A hug? I wasn¡¯t sure. With how Cordell looked at it, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d take too kindly to someone else getting their mitts on it, especially since he had to restrain himself from doing it.


    ¡°Guys, it¡¯s...¡± I struggled to find the right wording. ¡°It¡¯s incredible. I¡¯m not sure what else to say other than it¡¯s incredible. When you see it, you¡¯ll find out. You¡¯ll get why, I promise.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t trying to be vague like Cordell, not when I was just so frustrated by him. In my head, I legitimately couldn¡¯t find the words I wanted to use to describe the sensations I felt. It was pretty easy to describe, honestly, but the brain of an overwhelmed eighteen-year-old boy isn¡¯t always the best place to find eloquence. Because of that, everyone looked at me like I was just a little bit insane. Maybe I was. After all, I was hearing something that was almost my mom¡¯s singing in my head. Generally, not a normal thing to hear in the presence of a volleyball.


    ¡°You all will get to see it in due time.¡± Cordell sat down at the table, folding his hands in front of his face. While everyone looked skeptical, no one was going to complain about the uplifted mood. ¡°Here¡¯s the part I know you won¡¯t like. All of you can stay here, completely safe from the outside world, free of harm. Despite his power, this place is out of his limits. The only condition is you relinquish complete control of Rebecca to us. She becomes a full-fledged member of the White-Cloaked Sentinels.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, quickly and flatly. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen, so you need to stop asking. She isn¡¯t just some object to ¡®relinquish complete control¡¯ of.¡±


    ¡°You say this, and yet you answer for her,¡± Cordell countered. ¡°Are you not using her to stop McLeod? Is that not why you rescued her from the cave?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± I paused, struggling for a moment. Not because of his questions, those were stupid and easy to answer. None of them were the verbal traps he thought they were. I stopped because I did completely answer for her. If she wanted to end the whole thing enough to join them, what was I going to do to stop her? Quickly, I regained myself. ¡°Fine, I answered for her, and that was wrong. But we didn¡¯t even think she was a person when we first heard about her. The story was presented like she was an object. We rescued her because everything was chaos and she was the only good person there. She is not a pawn to be used by you. None of us are.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to offend.¡± Cordell put his hands up defensively, glancing in Rebecca¡¯s direction. ¡°My wording was poor, but I wanted to be blunt to clear up any misunderstandings before they arose. You all will know the greatest power you possibly could here. However, that is my condition, and it is non-negotiable. I¡¯ll leave you all to discuss it and sleep on it tonight.¡±

 Book Two - Chapter Thirty-Nine

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 Book Two - Chapter Forty

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 Book Two - Chapter Forty-One

    ¡°We could have been friends, you know.¡± Cordell spoke to me like he was talking to sentient garbage. His words dripped out of his mouth like acid. Not the kind of person I would want to be friends with. ¡°But now? You can die alone, hundreds of miles from home, forgotten within a decade. I hope trying to touch the Sphere was worth it, boy.¡±


    Touch the Sphere? As I thought about it, I was reminded why I brought everyone there to begin with. It wasn¡¯t to fight those guys, it was because I thought the Sphere was the way out of this.


    Something changed in Cordell¡¯s eyes when he saw my reaction. He went from confident and disgusted to angered. He sent a cable speeding toward me, black ooze flying off in random directions. The thing moved so fast that I could barely react to it. I couldn¡¯t get a barrier up in front of me to stop it, so I had to settle for putting one up behind me to somewhat cushion the impact of my body slamming into something. If I had to choose between slamming into a cold stone wall and my own barrier, I was going to choose the thing I could soften a little.


    That plan worked! My barrier did stop me from getting slammed into the wall. But, and there¡¯s always a but, my armor was totaled. It took its last hit and fell away, leaving me completely exposed to attacks. And man, those guys weren¡¯t ones to waste an opportunity like that. I couldn¡¯t even look up before there was a burning pain below the right part of my ribcage. There, a bit of purple-black ice stuck out, dark frost spreading slightly to the area around the wound. Ordosi¡¯s hands gripped the ice so hard I thought his knuckles would start to bleed.


    I¡¯d touched ice that felt like it burned my hand before. Hell, I even had an actual minor ice burn from leaving an ice pack on me for way too long. It was annoying, but I didn¡¯t think much of it past the first couple of hours when it had been a nuisance. The ice dagger I was stabbed with was in a completely different universe. It felt like everything it touched in my body just stopped. Everything ceased to work, except my pain receptors. Those were passing every inspection and running at full power, the traitorous bastards.


    I was running so low on power that I didn¡¯t have much left in the tank. It was all or nothing, then or never, so I went back to one of the most horrific events of my life. Not trying to focus on a particular shape, I created a solid orb, about the size of a baseball and stronger than anything I¡¯d made up to that point. As hard as I possibly could, I slammed it into Ordosi¡¯s torso. I felt¡ªand heard¡ªhis chest buckle under the force of my attack. He was sent crashing into the wall with a sickening crunch. It looked like he was hit by a cannonball more than a last-ditch attack I threw out. I knew from the moment I hit him that he was going to die. The second impact against the wall was what ensured he would never take another breath.


    I made peace with what I had to do there before I did it. From the moment Cordell swiped at my hand with his tentacle when we arrived in the chamber, I knew that the odds of everyone leaving alive were very low. That went for either side. Of course, that didn¡¯t make what I did next any easier.


    Out of the corner of my eye, Cregene twitched, placing one foot toward me. She barely moved, but I still generated another orb and sent it directly to her. It hit her square in the chest too, and just because I couldn¡¯t hear her ribs cracking from it didn¡¯t mean I was ignorant of what happened. That attack wasn¡¯t as strong as the one I hit Ordosi with, which ended up being overkill. She didn¡¯t rise again from the weaker attack I¡¯d hit her with. I knew that I didn¡¯t have to attack her. I had the control over my power that I lacked with Eric. I still made the decision to attack and to kill her, even if I was panicked. She wasn¡¯t a threat to me at that point. There weren¡¯t even any mannequins attacking me that I could have used to justify doing what I did. Feeling like I was going to die alone, and without my friends there to be at risk, I just put everything I could into those two small attacks.


    Cordell¡¯s roar snapped me back to my painful reality. Cables whirled around the room indiscriminately. He downed his last remaining allies with his rage-filled outburst, his cables breaking their bodies as easily as my orbs had Ordosi and Cregene. When he gained enough control over his cables, he sent them all at me. I didn¡¯t have time to count, but it was at least a few dozen, all ready to rip my body to shreds. Way later than I should have, I reached out and touched the Sphere, putting my trust in its ability to save me.


    The world around me erupted in a flash of white, warm light. It was so intense that I thought it burned my eyes and made me go blind. Could it have burned my eyes completely? Blinking once, I realized how stupid that was as my vision worked perfectly fine. My eyes didn¡¯t hurt. The pain from where I was stabbed was still there, turned down to a dull throb more than searing agony.


    Sitting in a chair, watching me with intense and love-filled eyes, was my mother. She looked just as I remembered her before the break-in. In fact, she was wearing the same clothes she had been when she came home that day. The woman there was smiling and happy like she had been waiting for me to get home myself.


    But I knew that it wasn¡¯t her and it couldn¡¯t be her.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what game this is. I know what I¡¯m seeing isn¡¯t real, so you can cut the crap. I know you¡¯re not my mom.¡± I sat down, letting my fatigue take over. Even though the woman in front of me was not my mother, I still felt safe where I was. There was no danger of the Sentinels attacking me there. I could finally take a moment to rest and gather myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, no.¡± Not My Mom sounded a little disappointed, her voice bringing mixed feelings up into my chest. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve talked to someone else, I thought it would be easier if you saw someone you loved. You had a lot of choices.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so if you¡¯re not my mom, who are you?¡± I put an elbow on my thigh and rested my chin on my open palm.


    ¡°I am...it¡¯s hard to explain. I¡¯m very ill and I¡¯m not one of you. None of your medicine nor machines could fix me. I require something more. I require something beyond your capabilities.¡± She didn¡¯t look sick to me. She still looked like a happy version of my mom.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, I can¡¯t force you. I am getting a little tired of everyone being cryptic, so can you at least give me something to work with?¡± I put my hands behind me and tried to stretch my torso out. The shard was gone, but there was still some residual ice that was binding my shirt to my skin. I sucked in a breath through my teeth to help cope with the new throb of pain that hit me. It was like the wound was waiting for me to look at it again before it reminded me of its presence.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one that you know as the Sphere. What resides inside the shell, anyway. Its heart and soul, if you will.¡± When I frowned at her, she sighed. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s difficult to explain. The only ones who can help me are very far away. When our conversation is done, you¡¯ll get to meet them. I¡¯m hoping that they¡¯ll listen to you and come help me. I¡¯ve been alone for so long. After I send you to them, I won¡¯t have much energy left to continue. Maybe a year at most.¡±


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    ¡°Alone? Haven¡¯t you had these people here to protect you?¡±


    ¡°Protect? Hah!¡± The Sphere masquerading as my mother slapped her knee. ¡°They kept me prisoner. Cordell was right in that the others before him wanted to learn about me, but they didn¡¯t have what I required. Cordell didn¡¯t either. He just wanted to keep me all to himself. That fool, he also didn¡¯t understand what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°And yet, somehow, I do,¡± I said, raising my eyebrows. ¡°And that¡¯s why you brought me here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand me,¡± the Sphere admitted, ¡°but you do have something about you. A rational way of thinking, uncommon in all youth. A kind, but perhaps guilty, heart. When you touched me, you opened all your memories to me. I know how you feel about what happened to your parents. I know how you¡¯ve forgiven Lori after the things she¡¯s said to you. I know how you care for Rebecca and your sister, in different two vastly different ways, yet both equally strong.¡±


    I flushed, both from embarrassment and anger. I didn¡¯t like having my mind prodded and I really wasn¡¯t keen on having my memories used as a personality test, least of all by something pretending to be my mother. I wanted to get up and leave, but all around me was an empty, white space.


    ¡°I can tell that I¡¯ve made you angry. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve felt myself degrade gradually over the past few centuries.¡± Centuries. She said it as casually as I would have mentioned a few weeks or months. ¡°I believe that you have the right blend of strength, compassion, and rationality to help me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, why should I help you?¡± I felt bad asking it in such a harsh tone, but this thing was using me for its own gain, and I didn¡¯t appreciate that.


    ¡°Because I saved your life,¡± she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, she kind of did, I had to give her that. She sighed and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not asking you to do this...to help because I saved your life. I¡¯m asking you because I¡¯ve been trapped here by those animals, slowly withering away. Each day, I get a little bit weaker. I want...I want to be well again.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine, whatever.¡± My stupid bleeding heart wasn¡¯t going to let me leave without agreeing to help someone in need. Especially when it was presenting itself as my mother. ¡°How do I help you?¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know. Not exactly.¡±


    ¡°Awesome start. Can my friends help you? Are they okay?¡± I had been trying to avoid the question. I was scared that I wouldn¡¯t like the answer. I almost spoke up again to tell her not to tell me. I sighed, realizing I had to know.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about your friends, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The disappointment must have been clear on my face because she hurried to find a silver lining. ¡°But the Sentinels are dealt with! When you touched me, it released enough energy to make sure that they wouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡±


    ¡°Did it kill them?¡± I looked toward my crossed legs, already knowing that answer.


    ¡°It did, yes. It was limited to the chamber you were located in. I don¡¯t know if your friends are safe, but I do know that they didn¡¯t perish the way the Sentinels did.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s something, at least. Okay, where do I go to help you?¡± I stood up slowly, my legs wobbly beneath me.


    Suddenly, the Sphere was there to support me. She may have looked like my mom, but she was a hell of a lot stronger. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten much. I only remember bits and pieces during increasingly brief moments of lucidity. Tell them everything you¡¯ve learned here from me. They can help you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that tells me nothing,¡± I said. The Sphere pursed her lips and I sighed. ¡°Fine, take me to wherever you need me to go. You did save my life after all, so you¡¯re the only reason I¡¯d be able to see my friends again. I owe you for that.¡±


    When I blinked again, I wasn¡¯t in the stone chamber or on a frozen mountain. It was barely above freezing, so for a second, I thought I might have still been on a mountain. That couldn¡¯t have been right. The area was flat, the grass underneath me lush and healthy, not like what you¡¯d find in the middle of a blizzard. I had to be somewhere that was maintained regularly. The grass, while difficult for me to see, looked to have been recently trimmed. Looking up, I let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the dark, starry sky out in the open after being stuck in the mountain was one of the most beautiful things I¡¯d ever laid my eyes on. Still, even with its beauty, something about it looked and felt off to me.


    Pulling out my phone, I tried to call everyone I could. No dice for any of them. Checking my screen again, I saw a fat signal indicating I had no reception where I was. Worse than that, two full days had passed since our battle in the mountain. I swore, hunting through my phone¡¯s calendar in hope that I was just seeing things or the date displayed was wrong. Sadly, the calendar told no lies. Weirdly, my phone said it was five thirty in the morning. I was seeing an awful lot of stars for five thirty in the morning.


    I wanted to use my phone¡¯s flashlight, but its battery life was getting low, and I wanted to keep it in the event of an emergency. I put my phone away and focused. Around me were the vague, dark silhouettes of trees, shaking in the gentle wind. I couldn¡¯t see past them, but after turning around, I did see some faint light pollution peeking over the tree line. I made a small celebratory gesture with my right hand, forgetting about my wound. It had healed somewhat, the slight sting reminding me it was more than happy to tear open again if I wasn¡¯t going to be careful.


    With newfound humility and a humble attitude, I walked in the direction I saw the light. The deeper I got into the trees, the more I was shielded from the wind. As little as it helped against the chill, I was going to count every blessing I got and appreciate them. Still tired from my confrontation, with the wound in my side, and my head still feeling the effects of the mannequin, I carried on into the cold night. It was tough to see the edges of the trees before they hit me. Fortunately, I was on some kind of path, heading toward light. If I stuck with that, I¡¯d have to find some civilization again eventually.


    Walking through, I heard strange noises in the nature around me. Lots of little chirping and chattering in the trees. While it was interesting, I didn¡¯t hear much bird activity in the winter back in Oregon, so it spooked me a little bit. I thought that the Sphere sent me to an area that was getting a bit of a cold snap, the last gasp of cool weather before the unforgiving summer moved in, or maybe it dumped me somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere that would have been cooling down instead of warming up. The birds seemed to be enjoying the chill, so I tried my best to follow their lead. I let their weird songs carry me through my walk, guiding me in the event that I got a bit too close to the edge of my path.


    Then I walked through the clearing and found the source of the light.


    Something in my brain told me I was out of place where I was, so I kept myself hidden behind one of the trees while I peered out into civilization. Rounded buildings with multicolored lights stood strong in defiance of the relaxing darkness that night brought. I didn¡¯t know what architecture I was staring at. It certainly wasn¡¯t any kind of brutalist work I¡¯d become accustomed to. Credit to the guy or gal who drew up that little piece of city. They clearly had some fun taste. Most importantly, they understood how much my eyes needed light to see.


    When I saw the first couple with pink skin and rough, scaly heads, I thought it was a couple of folks for the costume party on the yacht dressing up as aliens. When I saw an impossibly tall guy with blue skin and little horns coming out of his head, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Fresh sweat started to run down my torso, my hands suddenly clammy. I wished I had never taken up the Sphere on its offer and just asked it to send me right back to that chamber.


    I pulled out my phone and started to put everything together in my head. No reception, middle of the night at five thirty in the morning, near-freezing weather on the doorstep of summer, and the unfamiliar sounds in the wilderness. I was mad it even took me that long to figure it out. I¡¯d never been the sharpest, I¡¯d be the first to tell anyone that, but it was so obvious when I put any thought at all into it. I couldn''t stop the feeling of sickness that hit my stomach. Taking a few steps back into the treeline, I threw up, my brain unable to take the new revelation on top of everything else I''d gone through.


    I wasn¡¯t on Earth anymore. The Sphere had transported me to an entirely different planet.

 Book Three - Chapter One

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 Book Three - Chapter Two

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    how I got here. I¡¯m glad that you guys don¡¯t want to kill me, and I¡¯m thrilled that your first interaction with a human has been a good one, but can I please do this tomorrow? It¡¯s been a very long, very upsetting day.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Three

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 Book Three - Chapter Four

    me want to throw up a little, and said aliens had been nothing but kind to me since I''d arrived. ¡°And by the way, I try not to use this power to hear your thoughts. Some memories leak through, but I don¡¯t use it to just spy on what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    that was the scale I was attributing to the person I was waiting to trust my health to. The guy probably could have snapped my fingers and covered me in blisters that would burst and drain me of all my blood.


    Magnus hurried to translate for me as the English words left my mouth, leaving a dumbfounded look on Gus'' face.

 Book Three - Chapter Five

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 Book Three - Chapter Six

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 Book Three - Chapter Seven

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 Book Three - Chapter Eight

    On the day that I¡¯d been on Clamor for exactly a month, Sven gave me a call. I¡¯d received one of those things that Magnus used to contact his brother when I first arrived. They weren¡¯t phones, and I was too embarrassed to admit I couldn¡¯t remember what they were called, so I was sticking with holoscreen for the sake of ease. Sven ended up being the first person to give me a call on the new device. For some reason, that made me feel a little nervous answering it.


    ¡°Ethan? There¡¯s been a moggodrackin attack. Will you help?¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for playing-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. How do I get there? What kind of attack is it?¡± He must have been dying for my help, because if there was ever a moment I could feel the tension release from someone¡¯s shoulders over the phone, it was that one.


    ¡°I¡¯m a few minutes away. Do whatever you need to prepare. Get Magnus ready too, I¡¯ll want both of you for this.¡± Sven hung up, leaving me alone with Magnus.


    ¡°You get any of that?¡± I asked. Magnus had been sitting next to me the whole time, so he was the only reason I could understand Sven anyway.


    ¡°Yep.¡± He sighed and did a couple of stretches. ¡°I hate going to active sites like this. You seem pretty calm. Not your first battle?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve been in my head, you know it¡¯s not. Remember all the bragging Sven did about my mentality? All that stuff about being beyond my years and experience?¡± I was mostly calm with a dash of excitement thrown in. During the month I had been there, I never managed to land a hit on Sven, but he said I was improving and my natural calm was a great tool to have in any kind of combat. Emotional and irrational people got killed, even when fighting someone weaker than them. That¡¯s how people like Eric died. I wasn¡¯t sure if I bought that fully. I thought most actions should have some amount of emotional backing to them.


    Another thing that put me in a better mindset was how I felt physically. I couldn¡¯t let my mind wander to thoughts of everyone back on Earth all the time. If I let that happen, I would never be able to train with Sven, so I found something else to do with my time: work out. Sven and Magnus supported the idea, and despite how lanky the strongest pjulsen were, they still had plenty of gyms and workout tips. Magnus had given me a protein shake, except it was roughly a billion times stronger than anything on Earth. I had no idea what it did inside my body, nor did I want to know. I just knew it was giving me astonishingly visible results in a short time.


    ¡°I know, I know, you¡¯re a big hotshot prodigy. I¡¯m just making sure you¡¯re ready. You got lucky with a sneak attack on those four last time. This one will be the real deal. He wouldn¡¯t have asked for your help if he didn¡¯t think it was needed.¡± Magnus looked outside and sighed again. ¡°He¡¯s here, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As fast as we could, we got out of the apartment and into the car Sven had waiting for us. It was a regular vehicle with no armor or weapons. It was the kind of thing you¡¯d use for everyday use, not to drive into an active warzone. Maybe they were short on their version of tanks. Or, more likely, they didn¡¯t want to have their equivalent of tanks going through an active civilian center.


    ¡°Magnus, you sit back and act as a line of communication between Ethan and myself,¡± Sven ordered. We barely had our butts in the seats before he sped off to wherever the hell we were going, jerking me sideways when he made a sharp turn. He activated something that sounded like the tornado sirens I heard being tested back in Nebraska. Any car within fifty feet of us made sure to split and get out.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m here. What are you getting me into?¡± I tried not to sound accusatory with my tone, even if I was tense. I just needed to know what I was going up against.


    ¡°They call them Savants. They¡¯re highly trained and well-armed soldiers. Despite their inferior technology, these warriors are not to be trifled with.¡± He made another sharp turn that sent my head into the window. While I rubbed where I just got hit, Sven didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°Compared to the guys you took care of when you first got here, the difference is night and day. They¡¯re brutal and taking one down takes time. I¡¯ll need you to take care of any other soldiers that the Savant has with them, and I want you to protect as many pjulsen as possible.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± I nodded and stared out the window, looking at the plumes of smoke that we were rapidly approaching. I sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Protect the innocents, sounds good.¡±


    If he asked me how I was feeling about it, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to lie. Sven got me a little bit nervous about the Savant. If it was enough that he called me in a panic to act as backup, I figured I should be on alert. Even though it wasn¡¯t my job to fight this Savant, I wasn¡¯t going to rule anything out. In the car, I did everything I could to keep my fear from turning into full-blown terror. But fear could be good. Fear kept me on edge and helped keep me alive just as much as being calm did. It was a healthy balance, two things coming together to keep my ass from getting kicked so bad I couldn¡¯t get back up.


    When we reached the edge of the battlefield, Sven parked and we got out. It was eerily silent for the location of a warzone battle. I heard the crackling sound of fires raging a bit up the road, accompanied by the shattering of glass. I didn¡¯t see anyone out there, not a soul, pjulsen, or otherwise. Broken glass, chunks of building, and abandoned cars littered the road, the only proof that anyone had been there at all. As a precaution, I put my Shimmer-Armor on.


    ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± Sven said, admiring a change I made to it.


    ¡°I was hoping I¡¯d get the drop on you in our next practice session.


    I shrugged. ¡°Oh well, what can you do, right?¡±


    I¡¯d started to compress the defensive power of my barriers into small diamond shapes, almost like scales. It was something I practiced at Magnus¡¯ apartment when the thoughts of home became too much. The stress of trying to put as much defensive power into such a tiny shape was a pleasant escape from reality. When I layered my scales on top of each other, I was able to significantly increase the protection on whatever part of my body I put them on. I hadn¡¯t fully mastered it yet, and I could only manage to keep a limited number of scales up, so I chose the most important parts of my body to keep safe. My head, my chest, and my legs were all covered in them. If I lost my arms, I could still use my powers. Same with my legs, though my mobility would be reduced to a literal crawl.


    Without waiting for Sven, I hugged the line of buildings near his car and made my way toward the billowing smoke and crackling fires. Shop windows were broken everywhere I looked, still without a sign of anyone nearby, living or dead. There wasn¡¯t even any blood. I wouldn¡¯t say that something felt wrong, but the whole thing did feel strange. Then again, someone like McLeod was so proud of his destruction that he burned a man and had a woman crushed on live television, so my standards were a bit off.


    When I rounded the corner at the intersection, still careful not to step on any of the broken glass that littered the ground, I nearly slammed into the back of a few moggodrackin soldiers. Seeing them up close and in the light of day was strange. From what I could tell from my place behind them, they had pale gray skin and slightly elongated heads. The image of the stereotypical grey alien came to mind, but the guys in front of me were all tall and bulky. If they were all like the ones I had in front of me, that meant an entire military force composed of guys who looked like Alex, albeit way less handsome.


    Orders were barked in a deep, growly language that I couldn¡¯t understand. The one I nearly slammed into pointed down the street, exposing a rifle that hung past his hip. The middle soldier let out a gross, phlegmy sound that had to be laughter. The one on the farthest side just stood there, staring at something I couldn¡¯t see. About a hundred feet in front of them was the base of the smoke pillar I¡¯d been following. Again, no one else was in sight.


    I couldn¡¯t what was burning. I didn¡¯t need to see a damn thing. I could smell it well enough. It was almost exactly the same smell that came from my arm when McLeod burned a hole through it.


    Since arriving on Clamor, when my mind was left to wander, I often thought about when I killed the Sentinels and the moggodrackin that were about to attack the nightclub. I didn¡¯t take pride in killing them and I wasn¡¯t happy I did it, but I understood that I almost had to, given my situation and control over my power at the time. With the three in front of me, knowing they were burning the bodies of the pjulsen, burning the bodies of the people who had accepted and welcomed me to their planet, it took all the restraint I could muster to not send spears through their heads because I wanted to.


    But I had no problem with their limbs.


    Three Shimmer-Spears manifested around me and I sent one each into a leg of the moggodrackin standing in front of me. They cried out in pain and surprise. When the one closest to me tried to reach for his rifle, I created another spear and pinned his hand to the ground, forcing his whole body to crumple at an awkward angle. I did the same for the other two. Stubborn bastards they were, they tried to use their free hands, but couldn¡¯t lift the rifles from their positions on the ground. I cut the straps that kept the rifles to their bodies. Carefully, I moved them to the empty building that sat on the corner.


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    There wasn¡¯t much I could do to stop the fire, let alone have any chance at saving anyone in the pile, not that anyone could have been saved at that point. Instead, I searched the area for survivors I could do something to help. Walking by the pile nearly made me lose my lunch, but I was determined to search every nook and cranny. If there was even a chance a pjulsen citizen was nearby and needed help, I wouldn¡¯t miss them. I would frequently check over my shoulder to make sure that the three soldiers I incapacitated stayed as such. Outside of some yelling in their grumbly language, they weren¡¯t causing any more trouble. Every time they tried to pry a spear free, they winced and thought better of it.


    Satisfied to leave them for a moment, I ducked behind an alleyway. There weren¡¯t any doors or windows leading inside any of the surrounding buildings. It was there I found what¡ªor who¡ªI was looking for. In the dark, grimy corner was a blue pjulsen child cowering. They covered their head and whimpered when they saw me. Slowly, I tried to approach and look as harmless as possible. Yeah, that didn¡¯t really work out so well with my glowing armor and being an alien and all.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± I tried to touch the kid, but they flinched and recoiled back, so I just set my hands down. They mumbled something I couldn¡¯t understand. I muttered a curse the kid couldn¡¯t understand when I realized I was too far away from Magnus for his brain link thing to translate for me. That didn¡¯t stop me from trying. ¡°Will you take my hand? I want to get you out of here.¡±


    The kid wasn¡¯t having it, and credit to them, I wouldn¡¯t have gone with an alien stranger if someone put me in that same position either. I had a horrible realization that this poor child¡¯s parents were likely being burned in the pile behind me. I saw red and I wanted nothing more than to give the moggodrackin a taste of their own medicine. With a deep, shaky breath, I forced myself to calm down for the benefit of the kid in front of me. As vile as they were, I wouldn¡¯t let myself give in to just killing everyone. Plus, they had value for the pjulsen to interrogate.


    Keeping my eyes on the kid, I sensed something off behind me. God, was I appreciative of those sixth senses people had when in danger. My armor may have been active, but I was feeling jumpy and on edge, probably with plenty of good reason. Without turning to give away the fact I knew someone was behind me, I tried to spot any reflective surfaces that I could use to my advantage. The wall, as expected, gave me nothing helpful to work with. The kid¡¯s face still showed nothing but their fear, so they couldn¡¯t tell me anything or give me any sign.


    With a sigh, I whipped around to see a smirking moggodrackin staring back at me. They didn¡¯t have a rifle like the others. Instead, they flashed a silver orb in his right hand, reminding me of the tool Rosie used all those months ago when I first saw her spar with Alex. I only had time to tilt my head in confusion before it blasted me in the chest with a red laser.


    The blast pushed me back against the wall, putting me right next to the pjulsen kid. My breath hitched for a second, expecting me to look down to find a gaping hole in my chest. Good fortune was on my side, my armor protected against that and the laser. I patted the spot where it hit, and there was some minor damage to the armor. It was nothing I couldn¡¯t repair with a quick thought. ¡°Yes! I knew this would work, hell yeah!¡±


    It was the moggodrackin¡¯s turn to tilt their head in confusion. I was glad to let them try and punch through my armor before I remembered the terrified kid next to me. I had to get them and get myself out of the corner we were backed into. Even if they weren¡¯t there, tight corridors weren¡¯t my favorite place to fight in. Throw an opponent of unknown capabilities in the mix, and that was going to be a hard pass from me. I put myself between the moggodrackin and the child, prepared to stand my ground if another blast came.


    But it didn¡¯t. The moggodrackin just stared at me like they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing.


    Whatever, they could gawk at me all they wanted. I wasn¡¯t going to waste time. I tried to pepper them with a Shimmer-Spears I hastily created, but they were a cut above the guys who were still pinned to the ground and screaming just around the alley¡¯s corner. They pulled two devices from their sides that wrapped around part of their hands, looking like a cross between biker gloves and brass knuckles. Those two devices produced wicked, nasty swords that were longer than my arms. With surprising grace and mobility for someone so big, they danced through all of my spears or destroyed them. I didn¡¯t necessarily want them dead¡ªnot more than the others, anyway¡ªbut I did want to push them back.


    My plan of pushing them back was slowly working, though not for a lack of effort from the moggodrackin and their nasty swords. I had to throw in an extra spear attack. I wasn¡¯t hitting them at all, and I learned I didn¡¯t need to land every attack. They would jump a few feet back on every third or fourth attack without being able to gain much solid ground. Using so many spears in such a short amount of time made a thin layer of sweat form on my hairline. I couldn¡¯t get winded and lose the advantage I had against them. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t let that kid stay cornered with what I was assuming was the Savant. In the middle of hurling purple-pink spears at a dual-sword-wielding madman, I thought how strange it was that the pjulsen called them Savants.


    There was a small gap between when they landed and when my next spear went out. That was all they needed to make the strike count.


    With quickness they hadn¡¯t displayed in our sloppy little dance to that point, the moggodrackin jumped forward. There was another flash of silver and a searing pain in my right arm. I was positive it was a knife they threw, even though I couldn¡¯t see how they could have thrown anything with their hands occupied. The only upside was that I heard it stick deep in the wall behind me and not the child behind me. That bit of comforting knowledge wasn¡¯t much of a painkiller for my arm, though.


    I dared a glance down at the damage. They¡¯d cleanly cut through the weaker part of my armor, much to my annoyance, but the slash on my arm wasn¡¯t much. At least, it didn¡¯t look like it was much. I had dealt with much worse when I sparred with Braden and ended up with more cuts and slashes than healthy skin. There was no reason that it should have been hurting as much as it was.


    Poison.


    It was the first possibility that came to mind. The thought got my heart racing, which was probably the last thing I wanted to happen if I had poison¡ªor maybe some kind of venom¡ªrunning through my bloodstream. I¡¯d always heard that keeping calm helped slow the venom from something like a snake bite. I had no idea what stupid space poison just got put into my body, or if it worked the same way as venom on Earth. For all I knew, whatever was put in my veins could just teleport to my heart or brain whenever it wanted.


    The smug look on the Savant bastard¡¯s face told me that I was right in thinking the dagger was laced with something. That put a timer on what I could do, so I did my best to calm my breathing and focus, trying to will my heart to settle down to slow the spread of the contaminant through my body. The pain in my arm was searing, though it was manageable. After all, I was carved up by Braden and had a hole blown through my arm by McLeod. I could handle a little cut, especially when there was a kid who depended on me.


    The Savant took another step forward, so I made them take three steps back, careful not to give them a new opening to attack me. I kept up my assault of spears, creating more and putting more speed behind them, pushing aside the protests of my body and mind. They had some trouble adjusting to the new onslaught. The poison running through me turned a thin layer of sweat on my forehead into a waterfall that burned my eyes. Keeping my eyes open suddenly becoming a tall task was exactly what I needed in a fight. All I needed was to give the kid a clear and obvious chance to run, hoping they took it...


    The Savant did a flip backward, going farther than should have been possible, landing in the street. I took the chance and ran with it, keeping up wave after wave of spears while pushing forward out of the alley. Without looking behind me, I tried to wave to signal the kid to get the hell out of there. Even if I¡¯d braved looking behind me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see the kid. My vision was blurry from a mix of sweat and the poison taking its toll on my body. I stood there, panting, and I could feel the pleased look on the Savant¡¯s face before I could even hope to see it.


    Then, a strange feeling overcame me. It took me a few seconds to realize that the hairs on my arms were standing up and there was a weird smell in the air. My brain was screaming at me to duck, and while I had a somewhat rocky relationship with my brain, I followed its advice and slammed belly-first onto the street beneath me. Thank goodness my armor was there to prevent me from smashing my entire face against the ground.


    My reward was not getting fried by a bolt of lightning that slammed right into the Savant¡¯s chest, the arching electricity harmlessly striking against my armor.


    ¡°Ethan, why did you run off!? Are you insane!?¡± Sven was at my side kneeling down next to me. He carefully picked up my arm and examined the wound as best he could. ¡°Heavy Green, that¡¯s not good. Magnus, take him to safety!¡±


    Magnus was right there on the left side of my body, slowly helping to bring me to my feet. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Magnus, there¡¯s a kid.¡± I groaned and tried to point to the alleyway. ¡°There¡¯s a kid back there. They need more help than I do.¡±


    He really didn¡¯t look convinced I was okay. I proved I was doing well enough to stand under my own power, giving him the green light to take off to where I directed him. I made sure to put up a barrier between him and the Savant, but they weren¡¯t even thinking about Magnus. His eyes were glued to Sven.


    ¡°Ethan, you need to leave. You don¡¯t want to get caught up in this.¡± Sven kept his voice low, calm, and firm. If I was better at reading pjulsen voices, I might¡¯ve thought he sounded disappointed in me.


    I wanted to help. I wasn¡¯t cut out for hero work, and I was tired of constantly hurting. Still, there was a kid who was in the alley, and that kid needed someone to make sure they were safe. I slowly started to back away, not risking turning my back on the Savant. Even with Sven there, his last dagger hit me in the blink of an eye. If I was really unlucky, I figured his next one would be right between my shoulder blades.


    Sadly, my work wasn¡¯t done. Right when I thought the whole mess couldn¡¯t get weirder, an actual robot burst through one of the buildings to my left, kicking up a fresh cloud of dust and dirt. The low-sitting building groaned as a chunk of its support was kicked out from under it. It had a massive sword-like extension from its arm. It must¡¯ve been a law that no one on Clamor could catch a break, because the massive hunk of metal¡¯s aim was right on Sven.

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 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-One

    Val¡¯s house had some pretty flowers in front of it, which I thought was a surprisingly lively touch given her gruff, anti-social nature. She never struck me as moody, at least not like Lori could be, thankfully. Val was a little bit of a tough nut to crack. I realized I had no idea what she liked to do or what her hobbies were. Did she like decorating with flowers, or did someone just give her some advice on how to spruce up her home a tad? Not that she owed me an explanation or anything, but I wanted to make an effort to be friendly with her.


    Before I knocked on the door, it flew open, leading me to nearly knock on Val¡¯s shoulder instead. Val looked outstanding. She¡¯d always been beautiful with her piercing eyes and blonde hair, but beautiful in a sort of scary way. Sort of like how certain natural disasters like a volcano eruption or a tornado had a terrifying allure that made them impossible to take your eyes off of. That was what Val¡¯s particular beauty reminded me of.


    But the woman who answered the door was different. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail and she had a flowing sundress that twirled just above her knees. When she smiled, it felt like the sun shone a little brighter. It was a rare thing to treasure, and her ugly past be damned, I felt special that she chose to smile at me. It wasn¡¯t just her natural looks, she seemed relaxed and maybe even a little happy to see me there. It was incredible that she¡¯d been that menacing knight that struck so much terror in people.


    ¡°Wow,¡± was all I managed to say. The casual vibe she gave off was completely clashing with what I knew about her.


    ¡°Please, come in.¡± She gestured behind her and I stepped right back into the Scrabble Disaster Zone without nervousness or fear of a repeat or similar incident. Val shut the door and fidgeted with her dress. ¡°Lizzy¡¯s been trying to get me to wear some brighter clothes. Something about pushing me out of my comfort zone and making me look a little presentable. I put a hard no on her makeup attempts. Oh, Lizzy wouldn¡¯t tell me, what does RBF mean?¡±


    I snickered and turned my head to the side. ¡°Uh, she said you have resting bitch face. It means you look a little pissed off by default. Knowing her, she probably meant it in a nice way.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, she¡¯s right. I look very grumpy most of the time I¡¯m awake.¡± Val tried to hide a small chuckle behind a fake cough. ¡°So, this bright dress...be honest with me, is it ugly?¡±


    ¡°No, I was going to say you look really nice.¡± It felt weird, and maybe a little wrong, to compliment a woman who wasn¡¯t my fianc¨¦e on her appearance. That was a silly way of thinking. Being with someone didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t say another human being looked nice, and Val was clearly trying to put effort in with her brighter appearance. ¡°More than nice, you look happier. Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re taking the weight of the world on your shoulders now.¡±


    It was truly amazing how relaxing a little could completely change how a person was presented. I wondered if that was how I looked to my friends and family after spending months slowly getting things together. Did they feel the same way looking at me when I came back as I did looking at Val in brighter clothes and in a better mood? Did my time spent on Clamor make me look like I knew what I was doing, even just a little bit more?


    ¡°Reading has helped. Right now, I¡¯m reading a book about a bunch of kids who can see magical creatures. They¡¯re going on all sorts of adventures together. The protagonist can turn himself into a butterfly, and I can¡¯t help but wonder if there¡¯s someone with an Anomaly that would them do that in the real world.¡± She drew a little butterfly in the air with her two index fingers. I knew exactly which book she was talking about, but no way was I going to interrupt her when she was so enthused. ¡°I¡¯m completely hooked. When I said it was for me, the guy at the bookstore looked at me like I was nuts. I guess it¡¯s for kids, but that¡¯s where my reading level is at right now, so I¡¯m not going to be ashamed of it. Not after how much worse it was a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Good for you!¡± I held up my hand for a high five, which she hesitated in finishing. She looked like I might take it back and make fun of her. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you if someone doesn¡¯t get it. I¡¯ve read it and I think it¡¯s awesome. When you finish, let¡¯s talk about it, okay? I¡¯ll have to read it again.¡±


    She nodded enthusiastically. If she had a tail, it would have been wagging fast enough to carve a hole through steel.


    ¡°Thank you for what you¡¯re doing.¡± Val went from happy to serious again, the tiniest hint of a pleased twinkle in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I was on edge yesterday. There was so much going on that I got snappy when I should have been happy at the reunion. I appreciate that you want to include me.¡±


    I waved away her concerns with a hand. ¡°None of that. You¡¯ve fought with us and you shouldn¡¯t just be alone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. All of my life, I only knew what my father¡ªsorry, McLeod¡ªhad taught me. There was nothing fun like reading, playing board games, going to the movies, or going on a shopping spree with your girlfriends. Everything, and I mean everything, was about his vision and goals. When I helped with Pittsburgh, something just changed in me, and realizing he lied to me my entire life was the final thing that pushed me over the edge. I want there to be a better life for people like us, but I didn¡¯t do enough to truly see how far he was willing to go to make it happen until it was too late. It...sounds so much different than it actually is. I was too much of a coward to take my life to repent and now I feel like I¡¯m using you to hide from the justice that I deserve.¡±


    Val said she didn¡¯t know what to say, and maybe that was true. She did drop something pretty heavy on me there. I really didn¡¯t know what to say. Her atrocities were something we had sort of avoided talking about since it wasn¡¯t going to help us get through the mess we were in. She killed Lori¡¯s best friend in cold blood on national television, something that made Lori legitimately want her dead, which I couldn¡¯t find myself blaming her for. I knew Lori didn¡¯t like Val, and most likely would never forgive her. Yet, she had at least worked on making their relationship professional for the time being. I didn¡¯t have a dog in their fight, so to speak, but my voting to allow Val into our group had caused some serious friction between the two of us.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re better off here helping than dead or in prison,¡± I finally said. It wasn¡¯t the nicest thing to say, but I was at a bit of a loss. ¡°Your life has more value than what you can do for us in stopping McLeod. You might not have been allowed to read or watch movies there, so you should keep finding things you like here to always gain that perspective. Oh, here¡¯s an idea! How about when you get a few more books under your belt, we start a book club? If you love reading so much, you can find some like-minded people.¡±


    We stood there in silence, a depressing mood filling the room. It was so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that she had killed people before. Innocent people whose worst crimes were being late on paying parking tickets. Part of that did make me want to turn my nose up at her in disgust. How could it not? One of the only things that me holding back on a bad reaction was that I knew that she¡¯d been lied to and manipulated all her life. That didn¡¯t excuse her actions, but the more I looked at her think about what I had said, the more I couldn¡¯t help but think of her as a normal girl with an impossible life.


    She was still pondering the book club idea when I couldn¡¯t let myself get in my own head anymore. I had to look for something to break the silence. Peering past Val and into her kitchen, I saw a single chocolate cupcake on a small table in the middle. My eyes danced between her and the delicious baked treat that beckoned me with its lopsided pink icing. The single unlit candle stuck out at an odd angle. It was perfectly fitting for the uneven treat.


    Right when Val looked up, I darted past her and had the cupcake in my hand. ¡°Finally, what I really came here for!¡±


    ¡°Wait, put that down!¡± She grabbed her sword and pointed it at me, trying not to look like she was about to break out in a grin. ¡°Unhand the treat, fiend!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to best me in combat for it,¡± I said, creating a Shimmer-Sword. Where she got her own sword from, I had no idea. There wasn¡¯t room to hide the thing in her sundress.


    We lightly tapped the flat part of our blades together, careful not to actually hurt each other or damage her house. Her skill with a sword was better than mine anyway, so even when just playing around, she effortlessly knocked my sword to the ground. A five-year-old with a stick would have put up a better fight than I had. Gently, she bonked the top of my head with the flat of her sword. I crumbled in an overdramatic heap on the ground, holding the cupcake up in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯ve bested me,¡± I said, forcing my voice to crack. ¡°Your reward, brave warrior.¡±


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    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s yours.¡± Val held out a hand and pulled me up with almost minimal effort. Her face was a little red and she must have found something really interesting to look at on my shoes. ¡°I tried some baking. I know it¡¯s late, but that¡¯s for the birthday here you missed. Oh, and a gift to welcome you back home.¡±


    I looked at the slightly ugly cupcake and back to her. I was touched. Like, way more touched than I probably should have been for a single cupcake. My eyes got a little misty and I had to wipe them with the back of my hand. I could tell she baked it entirely by hand, and the faults made it so much nicer. If the cupcake tasted like burnt dirt, it¡¯d still be one of the tastiest things I could have eaten. ¡°This is the first birthday gift someone¡¯s given me since I¡¯ve been back. I...wow. Thanks so much.¡±


    I fetched a knife from her drawer and cut it in half, taking the side with all the icing. It was sitting in my belly like a brick before I even took a bite, not that I had the heart or nerve to tell Val that all the sugar might give me an upset stomach. She kept eyeing me while I held it, a nervous glint telling me she thought I was about to just slam it in on the ground in a huff. I knew she didn¡¯t have a good childhood, but I didn¡¯t want to think about what made her look so scared I was going to throw her gift away. I didn¡¯t even know Val really could be scared.


    ¡°Here, you take this half. We¡¯ll share.¡± I handed her the more palatable-looking half with as warm a smile I could muster. ¡°What better way to share a gift than with friends?¡±


    ¡°Friends,¡± she mumbled looking down at the cupcake half I gave her. The word hung on her lips like she¡¯d never said it before. Or even considered it.


    I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her and feel guilty. She did some evil things with a flimsy excuse, but she at least owned up to that. She put up such a tough exterior and I didn¡¯t know where she really stood on an emotional level. There were times where she seemed like an unstoppable badass who wanted nothing more than to right her wrongs. Then there were times where some vulnerability slipped out and she was a scared girl with no social skills, reminding me of myself throughout most of my childhood.


    ¡°Did he ever hit you?¡± The moment the question left my lips, I covered my mouth and my eyes widened with shock. How the hell could I ask her a question like that? Had I lost my damn mind? I couldn¡¯t even stumble out an apology for her.


    Val¡¯s eyes widened a bit too. For a moment, there was rage in her deep blue eyes. They were an entire raging ocean about to swallow a rickety little boat whole. Her grip tightened on her sword and I felt my heart jump. Without breaking out my powers, I only had half of a cupcake to defend myself with. As much icing as there was, I didn¡¯t trust it was enough to stop her sword.


    Then, as quickly as it came, the frightening rage left her eyes and her shoulders fell. She was calm again, though not without reminding me just how scary she could be. But it also showed me how in control she was.


    ¡°He-¡±


    ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to answer that. I wasn¡¯t thinking and it slipped out.¡± The strange part was, I really wasn¡¯t thinking of asking it. Usually, I wasn¡¯t so much of a motormouth whose foot ended up inside.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Val set her sword down on the table, its tip pointed right at me. I had to force myself to not take a step back in fear. ¡°McLeod¡¯s hit me before, yes. When I wasn¡¯t doing well enough, it¡¯d become something like my motivation. It turns out I didn¡¯t do well a lot.¡±


    I clenched my fists at my side and tightened my jaw. I didn¡¯t feel like it was my place to speak, even if the look on Val¡¯s face told me she wasn¡¯t necessarily against me saying anything. I had a lot of opinions on people who used any kind of power, be it age, physical strength, or political, to hurt others. Val saw this man as a father figure¡ªthe closest she¡¯d ever had¡ªand he put her through abuse for who knew how many years. Well, I was sure Val knew. After my first blunder, I wasn¡¯t going to ask that question as a follow-up.


    Slowly, she lifted up the hem of her skirt, getting it up to the point where I almost had to turn my head away. ¡°He put them in areas that were hard to see.¡± She pointed toward some long, pale marks that ran across her thighs. Some looked small, but almost like they were done deliberately that way to keep them hidden. Did he take a small blade and run it slowly across her flesh? The piece of shit really had an attack he thought he could keep hidden as long as Val was under his thumb. Maybe he did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said as gently as I could manage through all of the anger that ran through me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, really.¡± It was not okay and she was bad about lying that she felt the same way. She tried to muster a weak and forced smile. ¡°I¡¯d show you the ones on my back, but you¡¯re going to be a married man soon, so no chance there. A shirt or sports bra covers those ones, so I don¡¯t have to worry about someone accidentally seeing those.¡±


    ¡°Val, I...¡± My voice trailed off, unable to find the right words for the situation, if any existed at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she repeated, dropping the hem of her skirt to her knees again. She gave me a bitter smile, but not one without any warmth. ¡°We¡¯re friends, right? Friends are supposed to tell each other things. Confide in each other. Share vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Share secrets together. It makes me happy that you want to be my friend.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t take offense to this, but when did you become so normal?¡± A vision of her crushing the teleportation stone in the Tomb Removed from Time flashed through my mind. We were just a quick decision away from at least one of us not being in this room.


    ¡°Books helped,¡± she admitted, folding her arms like she wasn¡¯t happy about it. ¡°When I read through these stories with all these colorful characters who just want to be good despite their flaws, they rub off on me and I try to learn from them. A lot trust their friends and allies. I want to be like that too. When did you become so outgoing?¡±


    ¡°Being stranded on a planet put a lot in perspective for me.¡± I took some icing on my finger and gave it a lick. ¡°When I was away for so long, I didn¡¯t even know if you guys were alive. I wanted to appreciate everyone more when I got back. You¡¯re the first of many visits I owe to people. Oh, and Lizzy being aggressively peppy wore down my tough, bad boy exterior that I¡¯d spent years building.¡±


    ¡°You know, I would have laughed at you a few months ago for saying that, but I think you¡¯re the right amount of tough and tender.¡± She eyed me up and down, causing me to go red. ¡°I can see why Rebecca fell for you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I scratched the back of my neck, forcing myself to maintain difficult eye contact with her.


    ¡°Ask her. She¡¯s going to be your wife, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be shy to tell you.¡± Val pulled a DVD out of one of the drawers, and before I could ask her why she had a movie stored in her kitchen, she waved me to the living room. There, she put the DVD in an old player that was hooked up to a TV that would have been all the rage nearly two decades prior. Even the TV stand looked like something that followed Rebecca from her time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know how to operate a DVD player.¡±


    ¡°DVD is a bit outdated now. I¡¯m more concerned with why your TV stand looks like it¡¯d crumble if I sneezed.¡± I sat down in front of the TV and crossed my legs, praying it wouldn¡¯t fall on me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to spend more than I had to. It does the job. If there was one good thing McLeod¡¯s attempt at being a ¡®father¡¯ taught me, it¡¯s that something just doing the job can be all I need.¡± Val pushed the DVD player¡¯s tray and it responded with an agonizing plastic groan. ¡°Your sister can¡¯t pay us that much, after all.¡±


    ¡°She pays you guys?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, these houses don¡¯t pay for themselves.¡± She mashed on the remote control, but when nothing happened, she huffed and marched off to get batteries from the kitchen. Her voice was slightly muffled there. ¡°All of us are part of the Luna Defense Team, which does pay a bit. Helps all of us who don¡¯t have regular jobs or parents to live with. Actually, I lied about the houses a little. We don¡¯t pay for them. Staying in them is a perk of being in the LDT, which is why the pay isn¡¯t outstanding.¡±


    I stared at the ground, thinking about the money being moved around.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think that everyone just lived entirely rent-free here, right? I don¡¯t know the ins and the outs of it, but people very much work here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about it,¡± I admitted. My cheeks were a little pink. It was obvious when she said it, so I was a little embarrassed I didn¡¯t think of it.


    Luckily, I was spared further embarrassment by the start of the movie. It was an animated movie made for young children that hadn¡¯t been popular since I was in kindergarten, not that Val cared about that in the slightest. She watched it, eyes sparkling, only opening her mouth to tell me about something she liked. It was nice, but it was sad too. There was nothing wrong with adults liking stuff made for kids. That was one of the benefits of being an adult. You could like media meant for all age groups. It was the knowledge that she never had the chance to be a kid that made it feel special. Things like the books and the movies were safe for her. I had so much trouble reconciling the fearsome woman I knew she was with the vulnerable little girl she never got to be.


    When the movie finished, I realized I had to wipe my eyes. I tried to turn my head so she couldn¡¯t see, but I didn¡¯t do a very good job.


    ¡°It got me the first time too.¡± She offered me a hand to get me off the ground. Her grip was like iron. ¡°Hell, still gets me sometimes.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the movie,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t? What was it?¡± Her voice was a little panicked. ¡°If it was something about the house, I can-¡±


    I put my arms around her and gave her a quick hug to shut her up. It only lasted a second, but I felt her lean muscles tense up. I forgot that she was stronger than she looked, and she already looked plenty strong. I didn¡¯t even know if the hug was for me or her at that point.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Thanks for having me over. I¡¯m sorry about everything that¡¯s happened to you.¡± I wiped my nose and looked at my shoes. ¡°I¡¯m glad that life¡¯s better for you here. We¡¯ll...we¡¯ll figure all this out. Just get over this hurdle, and I promise, we¡¯ll figure out a way you can repent and atone without it costing your life.¡±


    She laughed and patted me on the back. ¡°It was scary at first, and I wasn¡¯t in a good place, but I¡¯m happy here. Truly, I am. You¡¯re a good man. Seriously, ask Rebecca why she fell for you. Just don¡¯t let it go to your head.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if it goes to my head, I¡¯m bringing it here for the movie tomorrow.¡± I eyed the empty space in the living room that desperately needed to be filled with chairs and a table. ¡°Not much we can do about your lack of furniture right now, but just get a few pizzas. Garbage food and something to watch is all a host needs to have a good party.¡±


    ¡°We all just had pizza yesterday, don¡¯t you think-¡±


    ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t think. Not once before and certainly not now.¡± I crossed my arms and stood my ground. ¡°More food that¡¯s terrible for me is exactly what I need now that I¡¯m home.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Two

    I woke up on Sunday with a feeling of unease. The night before, Rebecca had been both distant and clingy, which was something I had trouble wrapping my brain around. She was worried whenever I left her sight for anything, even just checking the mail, taking out the garbage, or going to shower. But when I tried to get closer to her to show I was with her right there, she would start pushing me away or find something else to do. We went to bed without saying a word to each other.


    I didn¡¯t even know if we were fighting. Was that a fight? There hadn¡¯t been any screaming or yelling. There hadn¡¯t even been a disagreement. It wasn¡¯t like one of us said we¡¯d do something before completely forgetting to follow through. All the chores had been taken care of, and since my hands had been fixed up nicely, I didn¡¯t have to push any of them off on Rebecca. I didn¡¯t disagree with her decision to let Megan go to school instead of taking it online. Before I could get to sleep, I kept trying to think of what I did wrong, coming up with nothing each time.


    That didn¡¯t make me feel any better when I looked over and saw her place in the bed empty. What did I do wrong to upset her? Was she rethinking my proposal? A knot of worry swelled in my stomach and rose to my throat. I had to force that back down with a firm swallow. After being gone and having it set in just how much I missed her, I knew that I wanted her to be in my life forever. I needed her to be in my life forever.


    After getting dressed, I crept downstairs to see a mess of red hair bouncing around in the kitchen, trying to make a big breakfast. Judging by the size of the breakfast she was trying to make, it wouldn¡¯t end up being a winning battle for her. Nothing was going wrong, but I could see by her shoulders how stressed she was. When I saw her pick up the knife to start some chopping, I decided it was time to step in.


    ¡°Good morning, my love,¡± I said, trying to sound cute and overdramatic in a way I imagined a young woman might. I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her in a hug, conscious of how she was handling the knife. I set her back down with a kiss on the top of her head. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy, why don¡¯t you let me help you out some?¡±


    I reached for the knife, but she pulled it away from me. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯ll take care of breakfast this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you sure? You¡¯re looking a little tense here.¡± I tried to grab the knife again. ¡°I know the ways we both learned how to cook aren¡¯t exactly the same, so if you need some time to adjust to any of the appliances here, I get it.¡±


    When my hand touched hers, she dropped the knife and whirled around, anger in her usually calm green eyes. ¡°Can I have some space, please? You get to be a hero and you¡¯ve been a homemaker since I met you. You know, I¡¯d like to do something on my own here.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, honey,¡± I replied with a soft smile, not taking offense to her tone. ¡°Sorry if I got in your way.¡±


    She must not have heard me or didn¡¯t process what I said, because she folded her arms over her chest and her bottom lip quivered. ¡°I don¡¯t have many skills here. I live in an isolated gated community today and I helped my dad on a homestead during the Civil War. This hero, saving the world stuff isn¡¯t for me, so I want to be able to offer something to this house.¡±


    I brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her on the forehead, which seemed to bring her back to reality. ¡°Sweetheart, I¡¯m sorry if I didn¡¯t give you any space to do things you wanted or needed to do. If you want to cook, be a homemaker, or anything else, I¡¯ll support you. But I didn¡¯t propose to you because of what I thought you brought to the dinner table or how well you can keep a house clean. I proposed to you because I love you and you¡¯re my home. Everything feels safe and a little better when I¡¯m around you, even if you¡¯re in your pajamas getting crumbs in the bed from messy potato chips.¡±


    She put both her hands around mine and sighed. Her gaze drifted to where we were touching. ¡°You¡¯re one of the only people here who isn¡¯t scared of my touch and my Anomaly.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s because they¡¯re scared of a farmer¡¯s hands.¡± I briefly wondered how common it was for the woman¡¯s hands to be the callused hands in a relationship. Mine certainly hadn¡¯t seen years of hard physical labor.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling insecure and you make fun of my hands!¡± Rebecca managed to look mad for all of two seconds. She couldn¡¯t help but smirk and lightly slap my arm. She looked over the backs of her hands and her palms. ¡°They do have a lot of calluses on them, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re feeling insecure. Do you want to talk about it, rough hands and all?¡± I put my arms around her and pulled her closer to my chest.


    She looked up at me, most of the anger had faded from her eyes, their usual softness returning. ¡°Promise you won¡¯t laugh at any of my insecurities?¡± I nodded, unable to even dream of laughing at her for anything that made her feel worse about herself. ¡°I¡¯m worried about our age, for one. I¡¯ve been trying to use some of those social media app things to learn more about the world today, and most of the women on them seem to marry men older than them. That was common in my day too. Rose¡¯s father was twenty-four when I met him.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you were a child? That¡¯s disgusting.¡± I turned my nose up at that.


    ¡°But that¡¯s just it! Is it different between us?¡± Her face went red with shame.


    ¡°If you had Rose when you were seventeen, that means there¡¯s a good chance you were sixteen when you got pregnant.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. She nodded anyway. ¡°Did he pressure you to sleep with him?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, he did. He seemed like he had a good handle on things and was so effortlessly confident.¡± She sighed. ¡°He acted mature and a little bit dangerous. I didn¡¯t really want to sleep with him, but I thought I was ready to handle something like that with someone who seemed so sure of himself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different, then. Sure, you¡¯re older than me, but I¡¯m an adult¡ªand was an adult when we met¡ªand you also haven¡¯t tried to have sex with me.¡± I tapped her on the nose, my action not looking like it did much to make her feel any better. ¡°All right, let me try this a different way. Did you look at me and want to be with me because I was eighteen?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course not!¡± Rebecca looked mad that I would even imply that, which was exactly my point. ¡°You were the one who helped me learn about what happened to my daughter. You¡¯re not the most conventionally charming guy, sorry, and you¡¯re not dangerous either, but I already went through that phase of my life. After that last asshole left me and a little girl, I didn¡¯t want charming or dangerous anymore. You¡¯re fun, you¡¯re brave, and you might scare me to death with how you want to be a hero, but you¡¯re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.¡±


    ¡°See? It¡¯s not so bad that you¡¯re a few years older than me, is it?¡± I pulled her in close and she let out a deep breath into my chest. I rubbed her back for a few minutes and enjoyed how nice it felt to hug my fianc¨¦e. ¡°It¡¯s not predatory, and if it was, Shelly would have shot you a long time ago. Then she would have given me a rundown of how I need to be smarter. You¡¯re still here, and I haven¡¯t been screamed at, so I think we¡¯re doing okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just part of it,¡± she said, her voice muffled against my chest. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m a tier below the other girls in your life. I¡¯m not scared of or threatened by them. They¡¯re nice, and I do trust all of them...I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m the lame duck here.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I ran my hand over the back of her head and down her silky hair.


    She pulled away from me and pushed her hair back behind her ears. ¡°Well, Lori is cute, and I think she¡¯s done a good job as a leader so far. She can be moody and nasty because of it, but she¡¯s kept all of us safe and has made decisions I couldn¡¯t in a million years. She¡¯s small and slender, which seems to be the in thing for a lot of guys now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll concede that she is cute. She almost gives off that kind of grown-up younger sister vibe, right? I¡¯ve never thought about her romantically. I thought she might want to kill me when we first met, which isn¡¯t exactly a great sign that a woman wants to be wooed, even if I had wanted to woo her. Her emotions are a bit much for me.¡±


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    ¡°Val has a certain aura to her. Dangerous, mysterious, and absolutely ripped. Here I thought I was strong. That woman looks like she¡¯s carved out of stone and could lift a truck with one hand. Plus, she¡¯s beautiful too, even if she doesn¡¯t ever let her face relax.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate Val¡¯s help here, and I want to be her friend, but I also never considered her as a partner. She¡¯s older than my sister. If you want to talk about age, that would be a bit much for me. We both have crappy situations with our parents, and I think she should get the chance to be happy, absolutely. Hm, sorry, no interest in wedding her either.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s Lizzy. She¡¯s so positive and peppy that it feels like she should be a motivational speaker for kids. Everyone is drawn into her orbit. She¡¯s like the sun. And she¡¯s so, you know...¡± With her index fingers, she made an hourglass shape in the air. ¡°I know I said that small and slender is popular. Women who look like Lizzy have never been unpopular. One thing being online has taught me is that people are, uh, really damn horny when it comes to women with large chests. When I look at Lizzy, it¡¯s hard to imagine her not checking every box a guy might have. What¡¯s her only ¡®fault¡¯? A single scar on her face?¡±


    I snorted with laughter and had to cover my mouth with a hand. ¡°The first time I saw her she was in a bikini. I legitimately had no idea where the hell I should look when I first met her. Yeah, she¡¯s beautiful. And yes, just like the others, she¡¯s just never someone I considered dating. I do love her and Lori, don¡¯t get me wrong. You know how loveable they are. They¡¯re...they¡¯re more like sisters to me. I don¡¯t love them the same way that I do you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not just saying that to make me feel better?¡± Rebecca put her hands on her hips after pulling away from me.


    ¡°Of course not, silly. Every night when I went to bed on Clamor, I looked at your picture.¡± I took her face in my hands. Her eyes were both expectant and patient. I was suddenly shy and nervous, so I gently kissed her to hide my nerves. ¡°You¡¯re the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve met. I don¡¯t care about Lizzy¡¯s chest or how slender Lori is. You¡¯re the best fit for me forever. No matter how Lori and Lizzy may look or act, you¡¯re the only one I want to spend every day of my life with.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you have a little charm to you, Ethan Harper. But don¡¯t let it go to your head.¡± She kissed me and put her hands around my neck. Sadness pulled her face down. ¡°I wish my mother could have met you. She wasn¡¯t the strongest woman in the world, but you¡¯d have a hard time finding someone who could love you as much as she did.¡±


    ¡°But not your father?¡±


    ¡°Oh, absolutely not. He would have hated your guts.¡± She chuckled a bit before pulling away to lean against the counter. ¡°He wanted me to marry himself. Wait, hold on, that came out wrong. How do I describe it?¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean. He wanted a son¡ªor son-in-law¡ªlike himself.¡± I popped a few chocolate candies we had sitting in a bowl in my mouth. Only the most nutritious breakfast would do for me.


    ¡°Yes and no. I don¡¯t think he wanted me to be a son, per se, but he wanted one he could bond with.¡± She reached out her hand and I shared some candy with her. ¡°He had a very strict and unwavering idea of masculinity and what exactly it should be. You aren¡¯t anywhere near that idea of masculinity. You¡¯re better. You¡¯re better to me than he was to my mom. You¡¯re better to Megan than he was to Rose. You know what? You were better to Rose than he was, and all you did was help me look up what happened to her after I was kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± I went next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, taking in her warmth and presence. ¡°You¡¯re one of the strongest women I know. You¡¯ve been through so much and you still keep going. One foot in front of the other, even if it feels like it¡¯s impossible to even crawl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because of you and everyone here. I want to help. I don¡¯t want any families to be ripped apart like mine was. I don¡¯t want our kids to grow up in a world where they¡¯re afraid because someone like McLeod might take them or kill their parents.¡± She shifted uncomfortably. ¡°But I¡¯m worried about you. I...I don¡¯t know if I can handle you being gone again. Especially if I know there¡¯s no chance of you coming back to us. This hero life is not for me. I know you guys need me this time, but I can¡¯t do it forever.¡±


    ¡°When this business with McLeod is over, and we will win, I promise you that I won¡¯t be a hero. I want to be a teacher to those kids. So many have to be like I was. Confused, not sure about this hidden world they''re being forced into, and they really need someone to help guide them through it. Imagine if Val had that? Her life could have been completely different.¡± I kissed the top of her head again and smiled. ¡°But we¡¯re already at ¡®our kids¡¯, huh? We skipped over a few steps, like the one where we clearly have feelings for each other and won¡¯t do anything about it. Oh, or the one where we aren¡¯t dating yet, but there¡¯s only one bed in the hotel room.¡±


    ¡°Do ¡®our kids¡¯ bother you, Mr. Harper?¡± She poked my midsection with two fingers. ¡°And we sort of had the thing with the one bed.¡±


    ¡°I''m not bothered by ''our kids'' at all, Mrs. Soon-to-be-Harper. Or are you going to keep your maiden name? Maybe even a hyphen and use both? Rebecca Briars-Harper. Has a sort of ring to it, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Yeah, if you want me to sound like a law firm. Rebecca Harper is lovely. But one step at a time before we start thinking about kids too much, so I¡¯ll spare you there. We already have one who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re back.¡±


    That was as close to splashing cold water on me without filling a bucket in our sink. As shitty as it was to admit, I¡¯d been using Rebecca¡¯s presence to dull the ache Megan¡¯s absence left. My brain had no idea how to handle it. It kept screaming at me that I was never going to see her again and I had to do something to save her. The little girl was just hanging out with friends, not that my brain cared about that. The logical side of me was trying its best to keep me calm, telling me to go to my current greatest source of comfort. Thankfully, my source of comfort wasn¡¯t too against a little snuggling up with each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited to see her. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve vanished out of her life twice now. I feel like such garbage.¡± Thinking about how I let Megan down was something that hurt my soul. She lost so much, and my own mental issues took me out of her life for months right after we saved her. I had less of a choice when I went to Clamor, but that didn¡¯t make me feel any better. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll want to see me?¡±


    ¡°Megan¡¯s a strong girl, Ethan. Stronger than we give her credit for. She was heartbroken when she thought you were dead. Even through that heartbreak, she¡¯s been trying, just like all of us. I think it¡¯ll be good for her.¡± Rebecca put a hand to her chest and squeezed at her green sweater. ¡°She was so loving when I got back. That room was so empty without you, and I cried so much. She wouldn¡¯t let me sleep alone. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s had a daughter before, and there I was, feeling like the kid being comforted. How silly is that?¡±


    Before I could respond, some dark smoke drifted in front of me, accompanied by an unpleasant burning smell. I looked at the stovetop, where the breakfast that Rebecca had been lovingly making was burned to a crisp. We¡¯d been talking so much that I completely forgot she¡¯d been actively cooking.


    ¡°Oh, jeez!¡± I shut the stove off and tried to wave away the smoke so it wouldn¡¯t trigger the smoke detector. Rebecca hurriedly grabbed the pan and started to pour water on it. Steam rushed off with a loud sizzle, the smoke vanishing a few seconds later. After a few anxious heartbeats where we both expected the ear-splitting scream of the smoke detector going off, we relaxed.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t change anything. I want you to have me do more stuff around the house. At least until your big superhero teaching job can buy me a hundred acres and a bunch of cattle.¡± Rebecca winked at me and dumped whatever she was attempting to make in the garbage. ¡°In the meantime, I may take you up on your offer for cooking help.¡±


    ¡°How can I say no? I have a weakness for redheads who nearly burn down my kitchen.¡± I wrapped my arms around her waist. Half expecting her to be annoyed, she giggled and splashed some water on my face. I pulled her closer to me and put my head on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to do everything I can to give you the life you want.¡±


    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re off to a good start.¡± She leaned her head against mine and shut her eyes, the moment between the two of us feeling better than walking on air.


    With Rebecca feeling better about herself, our relationship, and where we both stood in said relationship, the day was great. We did all the mushy stuff like holding hands and cuddling together during the movie night at Val¡¯s. Everyone had a good time lovingly poking fun at us. Everyone but Alex, who still didn¡¯t apologize for the door that he broke. The prickly bastard in me that rarely showed up wanted to make a grand appearance. It was only thanks to Rebecca nuzzling up next to me that cooler heads could prevail.


    Even Val looked relaxed. Well, as relaxed as Val could look, anyway. She wore another casual dress to try and look warm and welcoming for everyone. Lori even smiled at her and thanked her for hosting, which I thought was a huge step forward. Lizzy greeted her with a hug, being about the only girl in our group tall enough to do that without putting her face in a place that would land me in jail if I did it. Braden looked a little nervous, but like Val, he started to relax just enough to look presentable. Julio, as expected, wasn¡¯t nearly as bothered by the whole thing as Val and Braden.


    Val already had a few pizzas and some sides ordered, with two-liter bottles of soda stretching all along her countertops. We all got a bunch of food, gathered on the floor, and watched the old movie on the even older equipment. No one paid too much attention since the night wasn¡¯t even about the movie. It was a great evening of socializing, making it something I wouldn¡¯t have dreamed of doing the year before. Val didn¡¯t carry much conversation, but Lizzy helped out, which had Val opening up slowly. She even talked about her struggles with reading and how she had been making great progress with her skills. Everyone, even Lori, was supportive of her there.


    By the time everyone was ready to go home, the sun had long since gone down, a tiny chill threatening to give summer the boot for another year. We all agreed it was going to be sweater season soon. Groaning, Rebecca¡ªwho was always a little cold¡ªpointed out it was almost always sweater season for her. When I looked at all the smiling and laughing faces, I didn¡¯t know if they had been happy like that since I was gone. I knew some had worked through it in their own ways and others took it harder, but everything felt right.


    The only thing missing was the little girl who was having a sleepover with her friend.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Three

    I waited behind the couch for Megan. Rebecca, Lizzy, and Lori all went to pick her up together. They wanted her to think something big was going on without the surprise being ruined. Given how indisposed I previously had been, I didn¡¯t understand why they thought she might have even guessed the surprise was me. Rebecca even thought about leaving her ring behind before ultimately deciding against it. Since no one gave her any idea that I was back, I had no reason to believe she was expecting anything to happen. That did make me pause and wonder why the hell I decided to hide behind the couch the whole time the ladies were gone, which was something I didn¡¯t have a good answer for.


    I was a nervous wreck crouching behind our furniture. I was excited to see her, but I had no idea how she would react. After losing her parents, hiding away in her home for a few days, and getting picked up by strangers, she held up remarkably well for someone so young. Then I vanished from her life because I wasn¡¯t ready to handle my problems, which was selfish, no matter how much it made sense to be in a dark place. Megan was a child who needed stability and support, and when I finally gave a little of that back to her, I was gone again. It not being a choice didn¡¯t make the result any different. Months without someone she relied on in such a crucial time of her life.


    She deserved better than that.


    The door opened and I heard a high, energetic voice come through. ¡°Yeah! Mrs. Huntley said my math is getting better. I got a B- on my test.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯m so proud of you. I think we¡¯ll have to celebrate.¡± I could hear the smile on Rebecca¡¯s face. Plenty of agreement was coming from the other women. ¡°You have someone who wants to hear about your grade too.¡±


    ¡°Shelly? I¡¯ll tell her!¡±


    When I heard her footsteps pick up, I sprang up from the back of the couch, rounding its corner and nearly scaring the poor kid half to death. ¡°Surprise!¡±


    ¡°AH!¡± Megan yelped and fell on her backside, looking up at me in terror. After a few seconds of processing what she was seeing, recognition replaced terror. ¡°Ethan? Ethan!¡±


    I got down on both knees and spread my arms out in anticipation of the massive hug I was about to receive. She ran forward, buried her little face in my chest, and started sobbing. I let her tackle me on my back. Her tiny hands gripped at the front of my shirt, maybe horrified that if she let go, I¡¯d vanish again. When I felt her small body trembling under my embrace, I couldn¡¯t keep my emotions in check. Tears ran down my face and I started to cry too, holding the little girl as close as I could without hurting her. Maybe I was the one who was scared she¡¯d vanish if I let go. There was no way I would have been able to handle it happening again. I wouldn''t be able to take it.


    ¡°They said you died. They said you wouldn¡¯t come home.¡± Her voice cracked. ¡°They said you were like my mom and dad. Mom and Dad couldn''t come home. I...I don''t get it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m here now.¡± My voice cracked with sobs, leaving me not much better than the little girl in my arms. Lizzy started to stroke Megan¡¯s hair, while Rebecca got down on her knees to run her fingers through my hair.


    ¡°Why did you leave again!?¡± Megan looked up at me, her wet eyes burning a hole right through my heart. ¡°Do you hate me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to leave. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I pulled her back in for a second hug, not ever wanting to let go of her. ¡°I could never hate you. I love you so much, kiddo.¡±


    She sniffled and didn¡¯t say anything for so long that I thought she was about to push away again. Finally, she whispered, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    ¡°I promise, if I ever go anywhere again, I¡¯ll let you know. I got separated from everyone and it took me a little longer to get home.¡± I tilted her head up so she could look at me. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs and she did the same for me, something that nearly made my heart explode. ¡°But no more crying, okay? I¡¯m here to stay, I promise, so no more being sad. Look at you, you¡¯ve gotten so big!¡±


    ¡°And you cut your hair!¡± She poked a little index finger at my bicep. ¡°When did you get strong?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to build muscles for Rebecca before I got back,¡± I said with a wink. I turned Megan¡¯s head and cupped my hand next to her ear to tell her a secret. ¡°Hey, I have something to tell you. Rebecca and I are getting married.¡±


    Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide as dinner plates. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. I want you to be the flower girl. Do you remember Ryan from our time in Columbus? The one who made you lose your tooth?¡± I finished wiping the tears off my face while Megan nodded. ¡°He and Chloe actually live here now, believe it or not. She let me in. Would you be the flower girl if he got to be ringbearer?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of him!¡± Lizzy exclaimed, loudly smacking a palm against her forehead. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, they¡¯re both the perfect ages for it. I¡¯ll go call Chloe. I like that girl, she¡¯s cool.¡±


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    Everyone watched her leave to make the phone call, giving me a few seconds to finish collecting myself. Rebecca kissed me on the cheek and put her arms around my shoulders. Ruffling Megan¡¯s hair, she asked, ¡°So, will you help us?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Can I pick out the dress you wear? It¡¯ll be so pretty.¡±


    Rebecca chuckled and kissed Megan on the cheek. ¡°I know it will, but you¡¯ll have to talk with Lizzy and Lori about that. Lori is making my dress and Lizzy is the wedding planner.¡±


    ¡°Can I choose the snacks? I want there to be brownies!¡±


    ¡°And what else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? There has to be more?¡± I tried to hold back laughing while imagining the perfect wedding Lizzy would put together suddenly crumbling to shambles because of a seven-year-old and her demand for chocolate goodies.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you help on the dress,¡± Lori said with a wink. ¡°We¡¯ll just keep it between us girls, okay?¡±


    ¡°But Ethan¡¯s a boy.¡± Megan pointed at me. ¡°He¡¯s right there!¡±


    ¡°Eh, he¡¯s basically one of the girls now.¡± Lori waved her hand, dismissing Megan¡¯s protest. ¡°He can have some of our secrets. But only the bad and gross ones. Nothing like the secret pillow fights we have.¡±


    Megan laughed, but I just shook my head. ¡°There¡¯s a whole other planet I can go back to, you know. I don¡¯t have to take this.¡±


    ¡°Planet? Like Mars or Jupiter?¡± Megan tilted her head up at me.


    ¡°Oh, right! You weren¡¯t here.¡± I positioned myself so I could look Megan in the eye as seriously as possible. ¡°The reason why I was gone was because I was on a different planet. Very far away. The people there are...the reason we have our powers.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much I wanted to tell her about that part. After all, her parents were killed by people with Anomalies. Megan seemed to accept Val, thank goodness, but how much did she really understand about what happened and how much Val worked with McLeod? She had her own Anomaly, which would put a target on her back. I didn¡¯t know if she really resented the powers that had already changed her life so much. Would she hate the pjulsen because the whole Anomaly mess could be traced back to them and Clamor?


    ¡°They gave them to us?¡± She tilted her head again and squinted, the gears in her head turning to try and figure out how all of it worked.


    ¡°Well, yes and no. Sort of. They created these devices that are beyond both our understanding and theirs. The way I¡¯m looking at it is the universe is a ¡®living¡¯ being, but in a way that¡¯s completely different from how we¡¯re alive. Those devices use the universe¡¯s energy to manipulate the physical world around us, and for them, that results in limited powers and the ability to live on new planets. One of those devices landed here on Earth a long time ago, something went wrong, and that energy has spread through humans, giving some powers on a bigger scale.¡±


    ¡°Right, makes sense.¡± Megan rolled her eyes. She looked at the two other ladies like she couldn¡¯t believe they were letting me run my mouth. Even Rebecca¡¯s eyes glazed over during my explanation. So much for teamwork.


    ¡°The important thing is that the people there were very nice to me and helped me get back here to you.¡± I tickled at her ribcage, sending her into a mess of laughs and flailing limbs. A sneaker from an errant kick caught me right in the nose, sending my head back. The kick was harder than I expected from such a young kid. ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Megan was immediately on her feet, trying to put her little hands on my face. I gently held one of her hands while I put a finger against my upper lip. It came away red and wet. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. It was an accident. Please don¡¯t be mad.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s my fault, I started tickling you.¡± I held my head back to stop the blood from rolling down my face, but a sharp slap on the back sent my head forward. ¡°Ow! Why are you guys trying to beat the tar out of me? Wasn¡¯t Megan¡¯s kick bad enough?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to choke on your own blood?¡± Rebecca asked with all the disapproval of an annoyed mother scolding her most disobedient child. ¡°Keep your head forward, dummy. Don¡¯t let it run down your throat. I¡¯ll get you a towel, so just hold tight and listen to directions. No. Blood. In. The. Throat.¡±


    She grumbled something about marrying a big child who couldn¡¯t take care of himself and I couldn¡¯t help but smile the whole time. I winked at Megan who returned the smile herself. The threat of McLeod, the president, and the uncertain relationship with an alien race still hung over my head like an executioner¡¯s axe. With all of my family back in my arms again, I felt like I could take on both worlds and their problems.


    Returning with a towel to help clean up the mess I made of myself, Rebecca prompted Megan to go through everything that happened when I was gone. Kids, being the brutally honest people they are, meant I wasn¡¯t going to be safe from minor amounts of heartache. I nearly couldn¡¯t stand hearing about how my departure hurt everyone so badly. The adults were honest, but hearing the same thing come from that raw, uncontained emotional heart of a child was worse than any beating McLeod or Sven had given me.


    Unlike the adults grilling and guilting me for making them believe I was dead, Megan moved past it quickly, telling me about all the other cool stuff she did. She loved public school and the chance to make new friends in person. She told me all about the different games she beat and what she thought about all of them in surprising detail. Apparently, there had been a rule set in place that Megan could play an extra hour or two a day if she beat the games she played, or at least gave it a genuine attempt, and she had to agree to write out a review for the game. The girl had some serious media literacy from the exercises, giving her a new appreciation for her favorite hobby.


    Then, most importantly, was Ryan. Knowing she had, in her words, a best friend nearby made her go a little wild. I was going to point out that Ryan had to agree to be her friend first, but somehow, I got the feeling that Megan would have made that friendship happen no matter what anyone said. I felt bad for the poor kid. He seemed so quiet, polite, and reserved. Girls like Megan and Lizzy had ways of creating whirlwinds that got even the most socially inept people caught up in them.


    Still, knowing she had someone she could look forward to playing with was a relief, even if it meant he was sacrificing some of his sanity before he could even spell that word. Megan insisted he would be important in planning the wedding with her, so I couldn¡¯t wait to see her brawl with Lizzy over the role and the work. I had a sinking, miserable feeling that those fights were going to happen right in my kitchen or living room.


    Oh well, the noise of Lizzy bickering with a kid over wedding planning was going to be the sweetest sound that could hit my ears.

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Four

my benefit." I chuckled. "Where am I going to have the time to milk a cow when I have to earn money for that homestead? I¡¯m not retiring until I¡¯m over a hundred years old.¡±


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 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Five

I


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 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Six

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    .

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Seven

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    really think I¡¯d have been ready for it if I didn¡¯t make you do it there? Not to stroke your ego, but if I didn¡¯t plan for that to happen, you¡¯d have cut me in half.¡± She tapped the side of her head. ¡°Remember those times you were suddenly just furious with me around? I didn¡¯t always register it in the moment, usually because


    so pretty too. Why do you make weapons to use in your hands when you can control them around you too?¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Eight

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never show up. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to keep a girl waiting? The girl acting as your handler should have made you aware of this.¡± Lizzy put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the ground when I made my way inside.


    ¡°Glad to see you didn¡¯t crotch yourself on the balance beam this morning.¡± I patted her on the shoulder and walked by, leaving her mouth hanging wide open. Lori didn¡¯t do a lot to hold back the snort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Be. Mean. To. Me!¡± Lizzy punctuated each word with a gentle punch to my back after she regained her composure. ¡°You know what? This is going to be so TMI, but you deserve some TMI after you were mean to me. I bruised my tailbone and my lady parts, thank you very much. I had some very embarrassing conversations with my doctor because of them.¡±


    ¡°Really? You okay?¡± I sat down on the couch as quickly as possible to avoid getting punched below the belt by an overexcited dog a second time.


    ¡°Mhm, much better now. Nothing that can¡¯t be resolved by the only thing that¡¯s won my heart. Unlike you two, ibuprofen would never fail me.¡± Lizzy gingerly sat down on the balance beam. Like me, she was afraid of a repeat incident that would have her needing a lot more ibuprofen. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed you didn¡¯t come by to ice my tailbone when it was at its worst.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m so sorry for not coming by to ice your butt while you were recovering.¡± I clapped my hands together and bowed for her forgiveness and to return to her good graces. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re feeling better.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I think guys would die for the chance to put ice on it. Most of them wouldn¡¯t be engaged to another gorgeous gal, I guess, but you get my point.¡± Lizzy flipped her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll just bring the girls over if I need my ass frozen.¡±


    ¡°This is a weird conversation. You two are weird people.¡± Lori shook her head. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to stick around to hear Lizzy talk about her bruised backside and vulva, which is the weirdest thing I''ve said all year, I think you guys better hit the road soon. I have a few things I need to go work on too, so I think I¡¯ll split.¡±


    Lori pulled me into a big hug. For someone who said they needed to work out more, her embraces were remarkably strong. A girl that small had no right to hug as tightly as she did. She pulled back and put some of her hair behind her ear. ¡°Call if you need anything, okay? I know I can¡¯t help much from here...I¡¯ll figure something out if you guys need something, I promise.¡±


    Lizzy wrapped Lori in a hug, picked the smaller girl up, and sent her off through the front door with declarations of eternal friendship and gratitude. When she closed it, I felt a slight awkwardness come over me. I liked Lizzy just fine, but she could be just a bit high-energy for me at times. At least I¡¯d gotten better about interacting with people. The version of me that first showed up to the Luna facility in New York would not have been able to handle so much time around Lizzy.


    ¡°Right!¡± Lizzy clapped her hands and smiled, plopping down on the couch next to me. She grimaced slightly and readjusted, carefully leaning back against a throw pillow. ¡°Do you have any questions yet?¡±


    ¡°Yet? You didn¡¯t go over anything.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be a concert. It¡¯s like, a punk concert, but apparently, the band itself completely sold out. They don¡¯t mind singing about wealth inequality and systemic oppression while charging ninety big ones for a crappy T-shirt with their logo that cost a buck to make in a Chinese sweatshop. The cheapest tickets I could manage to find still ran a little over seven hundred dollars apiece.¡±


    My eyes nearly popped out of my head. ¡°For a concert? Do you get one of those sweatshop shirts or anything with the purchase at least? That¡¯s insane. At least a commemorative cup or something.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Like the band, the concert is just about completely sold out, and all the tickets were expensive before everyone started reselling them for absurd amounts.¡± She stretched out her arms and cracked her neck. ¡°Since the concert has been so expensive, that digging I mentioned before turned up this event. I think it¡¯ll be a lot of rich kids who have some pent-up issues spending their parents¡¯ money on this concert, souvenirs, booze, and drugs. Sadly, the inebriated and high don¡¯t always make for targets that are able to protect themselves.¡±


    ¡°And you think the couple will be prowling the concert for the chance to get some easy money off people who won¡¯t even know it¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡± Lizzy shot a finger gun with a perfectly manicured pink nail at me. ¡°And this concert was the biggest thing I could find happening this weekend. Every sports team in Vegas is either on the road, not worth talking about, or just isn¡¯t playing. The concert will be held indoors, so it¡¯ll be comfortable in that desert heat. There are always the casinos, but I just have a feeling this will be a prime place to get some cash. Man, I think I could grab a wallet or a few bucks out of a purse there.¡±


    That all made perfect sense to me. The only thing that might have been a hang-up for me was going after a concert instead of a casino. If their Anomalies were truly so great for stealing money, wouldn¡¯t casinos be the easiest banks in the world to steal from? On the other hand, casinos were so synonymous with Las Vegas that maybe going after them was a stupid idea. Disrupting the flow of income for casinos in Vegas sounded like a great way to get on the wrong radars belonging to the wrong people.


    ¡°Good job, I like the idea. Where do we fit in?¡± I was having trouble envisioning the concert, partially because the outrageous cost seemed to put it on a different plane of existence from the entertainment I was used to. I¡¯d never been to one, so I couldn¡¯t help but imagine it being a bunch of people in black, banging their heads like they wanted to snap their necks.


    ¡°I know how you feel about larger groups of people being tightly packed together, so I thought you might want to help me watch the entrance. Everything I¡¯ve found out about our happily married duo shows them wearing formal clothing. A nice suit and hat for the sir, and a sparkling halter dress for the lady. It¡¯s possible they¡¯ll change it up since this is not a formal event, but I think they like to have their stolen money visible on their bodies, so they should stick out like sore thumbs.¡±


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    She spent the next few minutes showing me the concert venue and gave me some info on the band, The Hedgetrimmers. When I had to stop her to ask if the band name was real, she solemnly nodded. I thought that was an...interesting name for a punk band. Not that I knew much of anything about naming a band or marketing, and they were the ones making enough money to have their concert tickets sell for over seven hundred dollars. They were doing something right.


    Lizzy held up a few black devices with a small hook looping around them. ¡°We¡¯ll use these to communicate. Nothing fancy, except they¡¯re phenomenal at noise-canceling, and they filter out background noise so damn nicely. They¡¯ll be perfect for a concert and for me annoying you all evening.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Julio going to do?¡± I asked, looking over some more images of the concert venue. ¡°We¡¯re not old enough to buy drinks, but we can still get inside most places. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°First off, when you look like me, there is no drinking age restriction if you don¡¯t want there to be one.¡± Lizzy smirked and I sighed. ¡°Okay, fine, you¡¯re right. All of our ages could pose a problem for some things. You do not tell Julio this, but I have us some fake IDs if we need them. In fact, I have a fake marriage certificate for the two of us dated for the day we arrive in town. Yes, our IDs match too. Anyway, right now, the plan is to have him walk the areas around the locations where the Andersons committed their crimes. I don¡¯t expect him to find much, but who knows? He might get something. It gives him something to do as well. I want this to be a learning experience for him with some training wheels on for the kid. He¡¯s some decent muscle too.¡±


    ¡°No arguments from me.¡± I gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re the boss, I¡¯ll follow. Speaking of Julio, where is he?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to pick him up at his place. I¡¯ve gone over all this with him already, so I figured I¡¯d let him sleep in some. We¡¯ll pick him up and I¡¯ll drive straight through.¡± Lizzy got up and grabbed a suitcase and a backpack, bringing them both to the door. ¡°Got everything I need here! We¡¯re set to stay a week, so you¡¯ll be a bit tired for your school speech. Oh yeah, since the concert cost a small fortune, we¡¯re all staying in one hotel room. I don¡¯t want us to sleep separated if something happens, so you two will have to tough it out for a little while.¡±


    ¡°Works for me. Should we go ahead and hit the road?¡± I stood next to Lizzy¡¯s luggage while she pulled out a sheet of paper.


    ¡°Yep, just a sec. Let me check over the list. Shirts, shorts, underwear, concert outfit, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair dryer, extra socks, pajamas, shampoo, conditioner, bandages, shoes, a brush, and some snacks.¡± She tapped the paper with each item she said.


    ¡°That order seems random,¡± I said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want to check your packing to make sure that everything you listed is actually in there?¡±


    ¡°I packed everything with the list, so I should be good. I was just double-checking to make sure it all looked right. I don¡¯t want to unpack everything in there either.¡±


    I shrugged and grabbed her bags. ¡°Just checking. I¡¯ll help load these in the car. Is there anything you¡¯re forgetting? It¡¯s a long way back from Vegas.¡±


    ¡°Nope, let¡¯s get this show on the road. I¡¯ll need to get a lot of energy drinks after I get Julio.¡±


    Loading the bags into her car, I started to get butterflies in my stomach. The last two road trips I¡¯d been on yielded some mixed results. The first one led me to essentially adopting the sweetest little girl ever into my family. I also got to meet the love of my life in a weird time bubble cave, and that was something I was putting in the Win Column of my life. During the first one, I got to feel like I¡¯d been brave and in control of something for the first time in my life, even if it was a lot of Lori and Alex babysitting me. The second road trip gave me a house nicer than anything my brain could have processed me living in ever since Mom and Dad were killed.


    Then whatever the opposite of butterflies was filled my stomach. On my first road trip, I saw the destroyed, ashy remnants of what had been a large city and its citizens. I ended up killing someone I hadn¡¯t meant to due to the lack of control I had over my Anomaly. Physically, I got hurt worse than I ever had before in my life. While I felt like I had control over something major for the first time in my life, I quickly realized I had been seriously out of my depth when it came to what happened to us. If it had been just a hunt for an object without being ambushed¡ªsomething partially caused by our own lack of awareness¡ªthat would have been more along my speed at the time.


    Then the second road trip happened because we¡¯d been forced out of our home when McLeod took it from us. I had scars, some mental, mostly physical, from that horrible event. Again, I got to feel like I was in control when I made the decision to stay to defend our home and my sense of stability. That decision left me with a hole in my arm that I was lucky could get healed up. It left me with an inability to do something like grill food over an open fire.


    They weren¡¯t all winners.


    A sudden wave of tiredness hit me as I slammed the trunk of Lizzy¡¯s car closed. While I couldn¡¯t deny I felt like I¡¯d gone on proper adventures that, even with all the tragedy and grief, had largely been cool experiences that helped me grow and see the world for what it could be under someone like McLeod. I¡¯d gained some life experience I never would have on those two road trips. I¡¯d gained family on those road trips. I¡¯d also gone into a state barely better than catatonic due to what happened on of those road trips.


    I was tired of learning. I was tired of life experience. I was tired of hurting. The classmates I would have graduated with were barely in their first semesters of college. I was standing in someone¡¯s driveway at the crack of dawn with scars that ached just imagining being in the Las Vegas heat. They were enjoying getting hammered and high and going to parties with their first real taste of independence. I would have loved my mom to be around to make just one more decision for me.


    I leaned my head against the cool glass of the rear window in front of me. It felt like I was suddenly exhausted. I knew it wasn¡¯t sudden. The exhaustion and fatigue from what my life had become in less than a year had been there for a long time. My brain just picked the most annoying time ever to tell me I needed to take a nice, long nap both before and after a month-long vacation where I wouldn¡¯t have to lift a finger or worry about doing anything that might get more holes burned right through me.


    ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± I was too tired to even get startled and jump from Lizzy¡¯s question, asked with a gentle tenderness that had been gone from her sarcasm previously.


    I pulled in a lungful of air through my nose, letting it wake me up a little. ¡°I will be. Tired, so if it¡¯s okay with you, I might nap for a stretch on the road.¡±


    Lizzy pondered me, her eyes piercing right through why I was tired, quickly figuring out it wasn¡¯t something a simple nap on a road trip was going to fix. She didn¡¯t need Lori¡¯s ability to read emotions to know when someone wasn¡¯t feeling their best. The girl had plenty of social deduction skills hidden under an odd charisma and a jovial personality front. Unless someone spent time around her to see how she was a good leader, I bet nearly anyone who ran into Lizzy would underestimate the girl.


    ¡°Sleep as much as you can on the trip.¡± Lizzy¡¯s smile was tight and forced. It was a little comforting that this bothering me was bothering her. No one would have been able to convince me that a girl like Lizzy would have talked to a guy like me in January. Then she became one of my best friends. More like extended family.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get some sleep in.¡± I nodded toward the car¡¯s front door. ¡°Let¡¯s go get Julio, let¡¯s go do some gambling, and let¡¯s go to some strip clubs.¡±


    ¡°Your sister will rip my head off and stick it on a pike outside your house.¡± Lizzy huffed and laughed. ¡°I¡¯m so in, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Nine

    With the light amount of agonizing I dealt with at the trunk of Lizzy¡¯s car over my past road trips, it was odd that my latest one didn¡¯t have anything odd happen. Given that the first road trip I went on involved Lori nearly being shot, us finding a kid who we took in as part of the family, meeting a guy who could control time, and needing to escape from a collapsing cave, I was a little on edge for the Las Vegas trip. Turned out there was just a lot of nothing between our little town in Nebraska and Sin City.


    After about twelve hours, Lizzy needed to rest, and I offered to finish the last leg of the trip. I didn¡¯t have my license, which made Lizzy think I had no idea how to operate a car in the slightest. Fortunately, I had gotten some practice in with Shelly before our lives got all weird for us. It was enough that I was pretty confident I could pass the exam for my license, and now that we had the income to get another vehicle, it was one of the first things on the table for me once I got out of the McLeod mess I was in.


    Despite my insistence that I could do the rest of the drive, even telling Lizzy to give my sister a call to confirm how much I¡¯d practiced, she still hesitated to hand the wheel over to me. When I mentioned that we shouldn¡¯t lose out on any time, Lizzy finally relented with a dramatic sigh. It didn¡¯t take too long for her to fall asleep after I started driving, so my skills behind the wheel must have done a little bit to impress her.


    Julio didn¡¯t have much of an opinion on the matter, or much to say at all during the trip. Every time I tried to engage him in some light, quiet conversation, he wasn¡¯t all that interested in talking. I found that a little odd. Sure, we¡¯d never been best friends or anything like that. It wasn¡¯t like the kid shied away from being the center of attention, or at least near it, every time I¡¯d seen him before. He was a teenager with cool powers who wanted to show them off. In the back of Lizzy¡¯s car, he became all sullen and brooding.


    I decided to take it as a sign I was being blessed. Given my inexperience driving, especially in a major city, not having to juggle the road and a conversation might have been for the best. It would have been a real downer on the trip if we started out with a totaled car because I lost focus for a few seconds. That forced me to keep my eyes on the road and not worry about much else.


    I gently shook Lizzy awake when I got us parked at the hotel. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re here, and we arrived in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ugh. Let me sleep some more.¡± She turned away and rested her head against the window. Muddled lights from the city broken up by passing cars danced across her face.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bed in there to sleep on. Also, you have drool all over your face. How does someone even get bedhead without moving their head at all when they¡¯re asleep?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a woman of many talents,¡± she mumbled, fishing for her seatbelt buckle. I sighed and helped undo it for her, which seemed to please the tired lady. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I opened the door and gasped. ¡°What the hell? It has to be at least ninety degrees out here. It¡¯s already ten! How is it still so damn hot out?¡± The comfort of the air-conditioned SUV nearly brought me back in, but with the hotel right there, I just sighed and went to collect the bags. I could already feel the sweat forming under my arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wore a T-shirt and shorts.¡± Lizzy rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and straightened her hair out as best she could. ¡°Do I still have any drool left on my face? I want to get us checked in and I don¡¯t need to look like a doofus doing it.¡±


    ¡°Nope, you¡¯re good.¡± I gave her a thumbs-up and nodded toward the hotel. I was able to wrangle my stuff and Lizzy¡¯s, but I had trouble getting Julio¡¯s. ¡°Hey, are you able to grab your bag? My hands are full here.¡±


    ¡°All those muscles and you can¡¯t even get that. You¡¯re the worst butler.¡± His tone was light and his eyes had a certain mischievous glint in them. It was nice to see a little more life back in the guy, though I had a sinking feeling that bringing a kid to Sin City might have been a bad decision. ¡°No worries, thanks for getting us here in time.¡±


    He followed Lizzy inside the hotel, never taking his eyes off the city that sprawled out all around him. Our hotel wasn¡¯t some five-star beauty right on the Strip, but it didn¡¯t look too shabby, and we were within walking distance of just about any Las Vegas attraction we could want. Even I felt a little energized by the air of chance, and a bit of danger, in the city around me. I had to resist the urge to see how much cash I had on hand¡ªand could potentially lose playing games I had no idea how to play¡ªbefore I joined up with everyone inside.


    ¡°We have a room on the top floor, so enjoy the view, boys.¡± Lizzy folded her arms over her chest and smiled, looking a little smug, as I walked inside the lobby. She handed us each a keycard, grabbed three bags of chips from a stand in the lobby, and waved for us to follow. ¡°The room has two beds and a pull out couch, so you guys won¡¯t have to worry about getting cooties from me or the struggle of having to share the bed with another boy, the horror.¡±


    ¡°You mean we won¡¯t have to worry about you snoring in our ears or kicking us when you flail around at night.¡± Julio yawned, suddenly looking much more tired than he had out in the parking lot.


    ¡°Since you want to talk trash, you get the pullout couch, you little gremlin.¡± Lizzy took him in a headlock and they both shared a laugh that echoed down the hall. I felt a pang of jealousy that I wasn¡¯t sharing a nice moment with my own team.


    The elevator ride felt like it took hours and my limbs started to feel heavy from finishing the rest of the drive. I hadn¡¯t realized how tense I had been the whole time behind the wheel until my body realized it could relax, the dangers of being rear-ended being substantially lower on the top floor of a hotel. Accounting for the time zone difference, my body was telling me it was midnight and I seriously needed to be sleeping. The tiredness was starting to hit me suddenly and I was beginning to worry if I¡¯d even be able to make it to the room. How much of a social faux pas would it have been to just slide down the wall of the elevator to fall asleep on the floor? It was Vegas, plenty of drunk people had to have done that before.


    The ding from the elevator arriving on the twentieth floor did give me the second wind I needed to get to the room before I allowed myself to fall asleep. When the door to our room was opened by Lizzy, I fell face-first on one of the beds. I didn¡¯t move the comforter on top or take off my shoes. It just felt so nice to be in a soft bed after spending nearly eighteen hours cooped up in a vehicle. Credit to us for making it through the entire drive without wanting to kill each other.


    Julio muttered something about hopping in the shower before anyone else could claim it, which was fine by me. There was some movement on the other side of my bed. Peeking up, I saw Lizzy stretch her legs, and pull an envelope out of her backpack.


    I shoved my face back into the comforter. ¡°No, whatever you¡¯re doing here, go away. I¡¯m tired and this is my space. You have your own bed.¡±


    ¡°Hm, can¡¯t really hear you there, but it sounded like you said you¡¯d love to look at these with me!¡± Lizzy patted me on my head and I groaned. ¡°You¡¯re such a good guy! I¡¯m so glad I adopted you into my little circle.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    I leaned back against the head of the bed next to her, rubbing my eyes. ¡°What¡¯s in the envelope? If it¡¯s a cash bonus for helping you with this, I¡¯m down for that.¡±


    Lizzy¡¯s face went a little red and she fidgeted with the envelope. ¡°Well, you know how we¡¯re kind of like superheroes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really consider myself one, but yeah, I can see how we¡¯d be seen that way.¡± I dreaded the idea of the public believing I was any kind of superhero. I was tired after driving for a few hours. I was no hero.


    ¡°I thought it might be fun to have some costume concepts drawn up for me, so I sent this lady a few pictures of me, and commissioned her to draw up some costume ideas.¡± Lizzy turned away and looked toward the window like she was worried I was about to start laughing at her. The sound of Julio turning the water on startled me, much louder than I had been expecting, Lizzy completely ignored the noise. ¡°She was really sweet and even sent me high-quality prints because she thought it was such a cool opportunity. I haven¡¯t checked them out yet, so I thought it¡¯d be fun to see what you thought. You know, after hurting McLeod, you are our resident superhero now.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that sounds a little fun. If my identity wasn¡¯t public thanks to the Glendale fiasco, I think I¡¯d do the same thing.¡± I leaned in a bit closer while she flipped open the top of the envelope and pulled the first of the prints out.


    ¡°Oh. My. God.¡± Lizzy''s eyes went wide, an uncharacteristic blush coloring her face. She dropped the first print and put her head in her hands. ¡°How did this happen? I can¡¯t even look at this!¡±


    When I saw what dropped in her lap, I started cracking up. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really something. How kind of her to send you a print for that. I hope you frame this and put it above your bed.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give her any rules or restrictions, so maybe it¡¯s my fault she did this. You know what? No, this is not my fault. Not my fault at all. I thought she¡¯d give me some clothes!¡± Lizzy held the first print up again and sighed. ¡°The purple and white colors are right at least, but what is this? This neckline goes down to my damn knees, the sides are completely cut out, and somehow my cleavage could hold up a Christmas tree. I don¡¯t know where the support for that is coming from because there is not a damn thing in this costume that could give the girls any kind of lift. I should not have to tell a woman that boobs hang from the chest, not the collarbones. She should already know that! And I can walk in heels just fine, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to fight crime in some killer stilettos.¡±


    I had to get my laughing under control while Lizzy kept frowning at the print. I felt for her, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like this whole thing was intentional. As nice as the coloring was, and outside of the exaggeration about the costume''s neckline, I had to agree with Lizzy¡¯s assessment. The overall design just wasn''t acceptable for a superhero in real life. Maybe the artist she had commissioned thought she was doing some kind of cosplay or was getting a costume together for a Halloween party. After all, I couldn¡¯t see Lizzy revealing to some random woman she had never met that she had an Anomaly.


    ¡°Oh, well, I can at least wear a bra in this one. Lucky me. Shame that this costume is a thong leotard with even worse heels. I hate thongs! I don''t even wear them as underwear! If I don''t want my ass flossed under my pants, why the hell would I want my ass flossed for everyone to see?¡± Lizzy was spot on with the second print¡¯s revealing costume. ¡°Nothing screams ¡®practical fighter¡¯ quite like having my entire ass out, being graced with the world¡¯s worst wedgie, topped off with shoes that¡¯d break my ankles. I can¡¯t believe I paid for these.¡±


    ¡°Check the next two. Maybe they¡¯re better.¡± Despite the laugh threatening to break through in my voice, I tried to encourage her while she put the first two mortifying designs away. ¡°Fingers crossed they¡¯re not worse.¡±


    ¡°Dude, they could only be worse if she put me in three pieces of masking tape.¡± Lizzy shook her head and peeked at the third one through split fingers. Exhaling, she handed me the third one. ¡°This one is better. I can do without the chest window. At least there¡¯s some mesh over it to make it look a little better. I don¡¯t get the tears in the pants with fishnets under them, but since most of me is covered, I¡¯ll take it at this point.¡±


    Lizzy was right, the third one did look significantly better. She had a little mask that covered up her scar, which was her most identifying feature. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and the colors really suited her. The tears in the pants seemed a little grungy for her personality, and the fishnets weren¡¯t the best looking part of the costume. If I saw a woman dressed like that saying she was a superhero, I wouldn¡¯t have had any trouble believing it.


    ¡°Oh, this is the one!¡± Lizzy tapped the fourth and final print with a huge grin. ¡°Skintight, as expected. I can live with that. None of my butt or chest are actually visible. Still have heels, but I¡¯m a sucker for Mary Jane shoes, so I¡¯ll let those slide. I think I¡¯ll ask her to work with me on this one some more.¡±


    ¡°You went from wondering why you paid this lady to wanting to work with her again in the span of a few minutes.¡± I took another look at the costume and tried to imagine what mine would have looked like. Since I was already plastered on TV, I knew there was no need to have a costume to mask my identity, but it was still a little fun to imagine.


    ¡°I like her work a lot more when I¡¯m not half-naked. Believe it or not, I don¡¯t like to show that much skin if I can help it.¡± She put her head back against the headboard and sighed. ¡°You remember how I was in a bikini when we first met? That wasn¡¯t even mine. That was my sister¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t find my swimsuit that day, which is a one-piece with shorts for bottoms. I like my looks, and I know where they can be advantageous for me. Because of that, people think I¡¯m going to dress a certain way. Whatever way they think I¡¯ll dress, I won¡¯t do it. I like to be covered up when I can be.¡±


    ¡°I get you. Looks like she took some real comic book liberties with the first two. Honestly, I think the second two have potential there. Working with her to better meet your vision might be worth it.¡± I handed the print back to her and she put it away. ¡°So, you¡¯ve decided to become a hero? Are you going to go with Miss Modesty as your name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be a PR nightmare. Headlines saying I¡¯m slut-shaming women or that I¡¯m a real hero for little girls. I just want to be me. My Anomaly is based on giving others powers or enhancements with an outside tool, so I have to use physical things separate from my body in a world where people like you or Alex can just club everything like a caveman.¡± Lizzy pulled out a small container of some kind of makeup and tossed it around. ¡°The cosmetics are my Anomaly¡¯s identity and my career, so I wanted to base my name around it, but I can¡¯t just be Cosmetics or Makeup. That sounds silly.¡±


    ¡°How about Cozy? Sort of a nickname for Cosmetics. No one would have to know but us. It sounds nice and friendly. Knowing it¡¯s a nickname helps keep it better in line with your Anomaly¡¯s theme.¡±


    Her eyes sparkled and she sat up in the bed. ¡°I love it! It¡¯s better than anything I came up with by a long shot. Can I steal it?¡±


    ¡°Well, Rebecca already gave me my hero name, so it¡¯s not like I have it reserved as one I¡¯d use. Feel free, bud.¡±


    Lizzy threw her arms around my neck in a choking hug. ¡°I knew it was a good idea to befriend you! You¡¯re up there as one of my besties.¡±


    ¡°Do you choke all your besties?¡± I tried tapping out on the bed to signify I was giving up. The woman just held on tighter. ¡°Why are all the women in my life obsessed with hugging me like this?¡±


    ¡°Normally, I only hug other girls like this. You¡¯re just such a great dude that I can¡¯t help myself. Thanks for not laughing at me with this whole costume thing.¡± Lizzy suddenly frowned. ¡°Well, thanks for not laughing at the things that didn¡¯t deserve it. Those first costumes were some abominations.¡±


    ¡°Happy to help.¡± The tiredness came over me again. I stretched out my arms and yawned, really wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Julio was still in the shower, so I gave up any hope of getting one in before bed. There was no chance I was dragging my ass out of bed unless I had to use the bathroom. ¡°Sorry, boss, I think this is about it for me. I have to get some sleep or I¡¯m not going to be able to function.¡±


    Lizzy didn¡¯t protest, moving all her stuff over to her own bed. She shut the lights off in the room, only the faint glow of her phone¡¯s screen providing any light. I buried my face against a pillow, unable to hold back a grin. Lizzy¡¯s costumes being a surprise to both of us made for some great, unexpected fun. I appreciated that Lizzy could be such a great sport about the whole thing. If it had been me, I would have axed any idea of becoming a superhero or wearing a costume right there.


    ¡°Night, Ethan. I¡¯ll let Rebecca know we made it safe and sound. You guys can talk tomorrow.¡±


    I muttered some pathetic attempt at thanks before the sweet embrace of sleep pulled me under.

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    and have her feel like it would end up being a favor a guy would hate. ¡°Pads or tampons, what brand, and is there any kind of specific size or something you need?¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-One

    I knew there were plenty of overly dramatic stories about guys buying feminine hygiene products for their girlfriends or whatever, so part of me had been expecting some weird looks when I walked inside the pharmacy before I realized it made no sense for people to care in the slightest. What, was someone going to think I was having my period? Yeah, if someone thought that, they could keep thinking that. It wasn¡¯t going to be something that made me upset.


    The exact pads Lizzy jotted down on my phone were there, I grabbed the package and went to pick up a few other things. I grabbed some ibuprofen, and they didn¡¯t have any heated blankets or heating pads, so I just grabbed a fluffy fleece throw they had on sale. Shelly liked chocolate as a comfort food when I had to do pharmacy runs for her, so I grabbed a few bars and hoped Lizzy wouldn¡¯t get upset at possibly bloating in her horrific pleather pants.


    ¡°Did you find everything okay?¡± the peppy lady at the cashier asked. Oddly enough, there wasn¡¯t another customer in the entire store, which made her voice carry across the entire open space.


    ¡°I did, thank you.¡± I put everything up on the counter and grabbed some fruit-flavored candy for all of us. Lizzy was definitely going to blame me for any weight she put on during our trip. There was going to be no getting away from that wrath for me. ¡°And these too, please. Is it always this dead in here?¡±


    ¡°Usually, yeah. Between you and me, I think this place might be a front for organized crime. I get maybe a dozen customers a day.¡± Still looking down at the counter, I could see the woman¡¯s hair shake back and forth, following her head.


    When I looked up at the lady¡ªher nametag identifying her as Amy¡ªher mouth went from a smile to wide open in shock. I looked at my shirt to see if I had a stain I¡¯d missed. When I didn¡¯t find one, I looked behind me to see if there was something weird like someone with a knife ready to stab me. I didn¡¯t find anyone else in the quiet store.


    ¡°You¡¯re Ethan! You¡¯re him, right? The guy who stopped McLeod near Phoenix.¡± She planted her hands down on the counter, leaning closer. She was closer to Lori in height, so she had to crane her neck back to look up at me. Her eyes were so wide and filled with wondrous awe that I had trouble maintaining contact with them.


    I felt my face go red and I suddenly felt warm, not just from the scorching Las Vegas heat. Awkwardly, I pulled at my collar. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s me. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You...you saved my family. I can¡¯t believe I''m meeting you in the flesh like this.¡± She laughed and put both her hands over her mouth. ¡°My mom and dad were down in Arizona for vacation. They didn¡¯t mean to go to Glendale. Their GPS brought them there and they had no idea that anything was wrong. By the time they realized something wasn¡¯t right and that the city had mostly been evacuated, it was too late to get back out. Mom and Dad managed to get out later, but their car was destroyed. All I wanted was for them to get out of Arizona as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, I¡¯m so sorry to hear that they had such a scare. How¡¯re they doing now?¡± I had no idea what I should have been doing with my limbs, so I just put my arms behind my back and started kicking the ground with the tip of my right toe.


    ¡°They¡¯re alive because of you!¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if she was going to jump with joy, break down crying, or start laughing. Maybe all three at the same time. ¡°They only barely got out of their car and hid. If you hadn¡¯t come along...¡± The unspoken words were in her eyes and quivering bottom lip. I hadn¡¯t stuck around to talk to anyone in Arizona. I knew I¡¯d helped out, but to see someone who got to benefit from my actions? I was feeling a mix of emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help,¡± I finally said, any cooler or more appropriate words escaping me. My neck and chest felt itchy like I¡¯d just walked in to some poison ivy without a shirt on.


    ¡°Would it be okay if I, uh, got your autograph?¡± It was Amy¡¯s turn to go red in the face and shy in her mannerisms. ¡°Not for me, of course. My son is a huge fan. Ever since he saw you stand up to McLeod, he wants to be a hero like you. He can¡¯t stop talking about how Ethan saved Grandma and Grandpa. Sorry, he might be a little obsessed. I haven¡¯t tried to pump the brakes on it because I want him to be able to believe in heroes, you know? And you didn¡¯t hear it from me, but I think he might have some powers too.¡±


    ¡°Really? How do you know?¡± That last part surprised me. I couldn¡¯t tell if she just wanted to believe he had powers, so that¡¯s what she thought she saw. If he was talking about my ¡°heroics¡± and she was still elated about her parents making it out okay, who knew if she wasn¡¯t doing some wishful thinking? Not me, though I wanted to give Amy the benefit of the doubt. Anomalies were weird things that manifested in strange ways sometimes.


    ¡°Well, I see lights coming out from under his door sometimes. They''re so bright and colorful, even from under the door. He doesn¡¯t have a TV in his room right now, and I don¡¯t think his phone could make lights that bright.¡± She leaned in closer to me and spoke in a hushed tone even though no one else was there to overhear us. ¡°How did you figure out about your powers?¡±


    I gave her a brief rundown of how I met Lori, fudging just a few details to keep as much private as I could. If she thought her son seriously had powers, I didn¡¯t want to tell her that Lori had found me because she essentially used a tracker to contact me so close to my old home. I didn¡¯t feel great about keeping that info from her, but I didn¡¯t want her to feel like we would actively hunt people like her son, even though a tracker might come through and talk to them one day.


    The entire time, she looked like she was hearing the coolest stuff in the world. I tried not to be unsettled by the fact that I was the center of those cool things in the story. I may have worked to push McLeod out of Glendale and talked back to the president, which might have made me a badass to some people. None of that did anything to eliminate the shy teenager inside me. Hell, I was still reeling from how nervous I¡¯d been proposing to Rebecca. I wasn¡¯t a cool guy in the slightest. I was just a guy who had a bizarre break in life, maybe lucky or unlucky depending on one¡¯s perspective.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Wow! You haven¡¯t had your powers for long. You¡¯re just a kid yourself.¡± A look of sadness came over her. I wanted to quip back at her. She wasn¡¯t that much older than my sister, so she was fairly young herself. ¡°A kid saved an entire city from that bastard while the people we rely on to protect us sat back and did nothing.¡±


    ¡°Kids have to grow up fast now.¡± My mind drifted to Megan more than my own experience. Amy¡¯s sympathy was clear as day on her face. ¡°I know someone who¡¯s been dealt a really bad hand with all this. Just a little girl and she¡¯s been so strong through it all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad people like you are here. My son¡¯s father isn¡¯t really in the picture and I¡¯m sure you can guess I don¡¯t make a lot of money from this job.¡± Amy looked embarrassed by all that. I didn¡¯t think there was any shame in her working a cashier job to support her family or in being a single mother. ¡°But I feel like my luck is turning around. I¡¯ve been wishing that my little Freddy could become something special so he can live a good life, not working a dead-end job like his mother. I wished my parents got out of Arizona as fast as possible. I wished someone would stop McLeod. And, this is so embarrassing, but I wished I would get to meet you at some point.¡±


    The things she listed made me pause. It seemed like she was doing a lot of wishing and getting them granted, at least partially. Was it all just a big coincidence? Probably, if I was being honest. It wasn¡¯t like they were overly surprising or in-depth wishes. Wishing for your son to have a better life than yours, wishing for your parents to be safe, and wishing for someone to stop a madman who was destroying cities weren¡¯t out of the ordinary. The one that seemed a little odd was her wish to meet me before I happened to be in her store because my friend somehow forgot to pack her feminine hygiene products for a trip while she was on her period. With how capable I learned Lizzy was, that last one was more than a little unlikely.


    ¡°Hey, do you mind if I get your number?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to you about something later down the line once all this settles down a little.¡±


    She smiled at me, yet it was full of pity. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a nice guy, and I cannot thank you enough for saving my parents, but I¡¯m not just interested in seeing someone right now. Especially not someone who could be my son¡¯s brother.¡±


    I went red and I looked right at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m, uh, happily engaged to a wonderful lady who¡¯s waiting for me back home. I was asking because if you think your son has powers, I think I can get people to help. It¡¯s not something I can handle directly, but I have some connections.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯d do that for me?¡± Amy took out her phone and hesitated, staring hard at the device in her hand. Yep, Amy was a lady who had been burned by trusting before. When it involved her son, I completely understood why she¡¯d be a little on guard, even if she thought I was a hero.


    ¡°For you and Freddy. And, as a bonus, I¡¯ll sign as many autographs as you want.¡± I took a permanent marker from the stand next to the counter, popped the cap off, grabbed a candy bar, and wrote my number down on the back. ¡°Here, this way, you don¡¯t have to worry about giving me your number unless you absolutely want to. I know how scary it is to suddenly have these powers and then have your world changed in the blink of an eye.¡± Then I grabbed a few more chocolate bars and signed my name across them, planning on giving them to her after I paid for them.


    Amy put her phone away and slowly smiled. ¡°Thank you. For your number and the autographs. By the way, you have to pay for the marker now.¡±


    Sadly, candy bar wrappers weren¡¯t the coolest things in the world to sign, so I made a mental note to get her something more worthwhile if she came with us to Luna. I didn¡¯t necessarily doubt that Freddy had powers. I had a suspicion that it might not just be Freddy who was special. Of course, her saying she wished for all the things she did and her just getting lucky was entirely possible, or my theory about the wishes being so understandable could have still stood. Stranger things had happened, and my gut told me to extend the olive branch to her and her kid. After all, even with that magical feeling of chance in Vegas, how lucky could a single mother working in a drug store be at the end of the day?


    We said our goodbyes and I went back to the hotel under the scorching desert heat. All of the concrete structures absorbing the heat were making it worse. Places like Las Vegas and Glendale were on the bottom of my list for places to move, so low that death might be a preferable alternative. There was no way those habitats were meant for human survival, even with air conditioning and running water. It was a good thing the hotel was just a few minutes away on foot, and I had the situation with Amy to mull over in my head, keeping me largely distracted.


    When I made it back to the hotel room, Julio was still out, hopefully enjoying the heat more than I had been. Lizzy was stretched out on the bed, still trying to fidget with her pants to get comfortable. For a few seconds, I wondered how she¡¯d even change out a pad with pants that had been so miserable to get on and off. I stopped myself before I could think about it more. There were some obstacles in a woman¡¯s life that she would have to be able to overcome on her own. She almost looked surprised when I walked in.


    ¡°I thought you died out there. Was it packed?¡±


    ¡°No, the exact opposite. The cashier is a lady who recognized me.¡± I wasn¡¯t quite as bothered as I had been in the store, but I did go a little red again. ¡°We talked a bit. She says her son has powers. I think it¡¯s her who has them, or maybe even both of them. Just a gut feeling. I gave her my number so we can try to arrange for her to come to Luna soon.¡±


    Her eyes widened a touch. ¡°That¡¯d be something. Good job, just another thing to check off with this visit. Did you have any trouble getting me what I asked for?¡±


    ¡°Nope, no issues. Here you go.¡± I tossed her the bag of stuff. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you had ibuprofen, so I got you some of that. I also didn¡¯t know if you had any trouble swallowing pills, so I got you both regular and chewable ibuprofen. It¡¯s meant for kids, so you might have to up the dosage. Oh, they didn¡¯t have a heating pad or anything, so I got you a little throw blanket to help make you a little more comfortable. Sorry that I couldn¡¯t do more there.¡±


    ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡± Lizzy looked on the verge of stunned tears. ¡°You bought the whole damn store to make me feel better. I take back everything mean I¡¯ve said about you. You¡¯re going to be such a great dad to Megan and the eighteen little girls Rebecca¡¯s going to pop out for you¡±


    I shuddered at the horrific idea of having nineteen daughters. ¡°I give it a few hours until you¡¯re mean to me again.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± she admitted. She downed some of the ibuprofen with a bottle of water and took her phone out again. ¡°All I really need to do is put on my makeup and I¡¯m ready to go. Was thinking about black lipstick, but when I thought about it more, I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯d work for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all your domain, boss. I¡¯m just here to keep an eye out.¡±


    A sly grin spread across her face. ¡°Great, then let¡¯s get to studying the footage we have of the Andersons. I want you to be able to pick them out by body language alone by the time we¡¯re ready to head out.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Two

    It looked like thousands of people were funneling into the Winston Concert Hall, but that was probably my dislike of crowds exaggerating the number. All of them were wearing clothes and outfits like Lizzy''s. Mostly black, lots of purple, with a few other colors thrown in to add the smallest amount of variety. Tons of people were wearing dark makeup too, so Lizzy was spot on with her black lipstick, though she opted against putting it on before we left our hotel room. Outside of her natural beauty that typically turned a head or two, she wasn¡¯t really going to stick out much. If only not sticking out in a crowd could have done anything to help her while wearing a sweltering outfit in the blistering heat.


    I realized that the Andersons were going to be hard to pick out if they didn¡¯t wear fancier clothes. They were both good-looking, conventionally but not exceptionally beautiful or handsome. When we reviewed all the video footage we had on them, they had this uncanny quality to almost change their appearance each time they showed up in a new place. Whether they both trimmed their brown hair, Robert grew out a beard, or Francine adjusted her makeup, they made themselves look just different enough to not raise any alarms when they appeared.


    ¡°See anything yet?¡± Lizzy¡¯s voice crackled unpleasantly in my ear. Before we left our hotel room, we did a little testing for our earpieces. Annoyingly, while the noise-canceling features worked wonderfully, the audio quality wasn¡¯t as high. Yep, a great use of Luna¡¯s money crackling and popping in my ear.


    ¡°Nothing but a sea of people filing in. No one that looks like the Andersons.¡± Admittedly, there were so many people going in that I had a lot of trouble picking any specific person out from my bench across the street. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see from where I am. Not without looking like a complete weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Remember, they¡¯re pros at blending in. Ow!¡± Lizzy stopped and mumbled something I couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Sorry, some dick elbowed me in the ribs.¡± She made sure to raise her voice high enough to make her insult heard.


    ¡°You okay? Nothing broken?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve already been elbowed in the shoulder and someone stepped on my toes. You might be taking me out of here in a body bag. Ugh, thank God I haven¡¯t snapped my ankles in these heels yet. I guess the night is still young.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen anything worthwhile in there yet?¡± I asked, trying to keep us a little on track. People kept filling the concert hall, barely managing to not trample each other. For every person who made their way inside, it felt like three more people walked up to join the crowd outside. Just watching the crowd made me feel a bit queasy.


    ¡°Not directly, but I did see someone pay two hundred dollars for a few drinks, so that was kind of wild.¡± Lizzy gagged at her own statement. ¡°These rich kids, I swear. Once everyone is drunk and high, that¡¯s when it¡¯d be most likely the Andersons strike, so I think it¡¯ll be a bit. I¡¯m kind of surprised there aren¡¯t more people who pregamed before showing up. Oh well, I just have to deal with getting shoved around in heels.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who chose the shoes,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°They complete the outfit! I look great, thank you.¡± There were some muffled grunts and sounds like people hitting each other. When I didn¡¯t hear from Lizzy for a few seconds, I started to get nervous. The unpleasant and loud crackling of the earpiece let out the tension that built up in my shoulders. ¡°Yeah, excuse you, asshole!¡±


    ¡°Lizzy, I think you should find the quietest spot you can to take a breather. It won¡¯t help anything if you end up getting in fights.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m just miserable. My feet hurt, I¡¯m melting, I¡¯m bloated, I have cramps, and I keep getting pushed around.¡± Lizzy did take a deep breath and slowly let it out. ¡°I¡¯ll be good from here on out. I won¡¯t start any fights. Promise. They wouldn¡¯t know to capture my good angle for my mugshot.¡±


    It was silent between us for a while. I kept an eye out on the crowd as it gradually got smaller. Still no sign of the Andersons on my end, unless they were able to blend in with the crowd. I was frustrated that I couldn¡¯t go in and check myself, but there was no way I could handle the crowd. The amount of progress I¡¯d made in handling large groups of people had only gone so far. Plus, if the lady at the store could recognize me, someone in there definitely would. Even sitting on a bench across from the venue, I was worried some random person would realize who I was.


    I had suggested Julio for the task, but Lizzy wanted to keep him out of danger as much as she could, mostly wanting him to learn from afar and be some emergency backup if needed. If push came to shove, she said it was mostly in my hands to be the muscle. I understood her wanting to protect him because he was a kid, though I thought he would have been able to move around a lot more without drawing attention to himself. Then again, I was probably safer to have around alcohol and drugs while keeping my nose clean than a mischievous kid enjoying his first visit to Las Vegas.


    It took over two hours for the bulk of the attendees to get inside the building. A few stragglers were late to the party, and by the time they were going in, music was already blasting inside, vibrating my ribs when the doors opened up. Lizzy gave me some updates to keep me in the loop and let me know she was safe. To her annoyance, she hadn¡¯t found anything of interest yet, unless one wanted to count lots of shoving and getting pushed around as interesting concert finds. Every time she checked back in, she sounded more desperate, like her plan was falling apart in front of her.


    Finally, after a couple more hours, activity outside of the venue had slowed down to nothing more than a few people leaving the concert early. Getting antsy, I decided I wasn¡¯t getting anything done just sitting on the bench. I was ready to give up entirely, disappointed in myself that I couldn¡¯t spot the couple if they even showed up at all. I stood up to walk around, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw some movement along the side of the building.


    There were no lights on that side, so it was hard to make out any kind of motion without thinking it may have been a trick my eyes were playing on me. From what I could tell, it looked like a lady¡¯s dress shimmering when it caught what little light it could. A door opened and it vanished as quickly as I saw it. There were no security guards over there, so I sprinted across the street after them, hoping no one saw me.


    ¡°Lizzy?¡± I whispered after tapping my earpiece once. I heard the faint rumbling of music come through her side. ¡°Lizzy, I think they just walked in.¡±


    ¡°Where? How do you know?¡± Her voice was hushed, which made it harder to hear her. Despite the noise canceling, I could still hear some of the music over the device. It must have been head=splittingly loud.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°There¡¯s a side entrance on the east side of the building.¡± I got to the door and leaned up against the wall. I tried to listen for anything inside. For my trouble, all I got was the faint thumping of the music and some people yelling, so nothing new or unusual there. ¡°I can¡¯t hear anything. Want me to go inside?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Lizzy hesitated. I wasn¡¯t comfortable with her being in there alone, but she was the boss, so I wasn¡¯t going to go against what she said unless it was dire. Her plan specifically kept me outside, but when the real deal was in front of us, I wanted to check again with her. ¡°Come in and try to keep your head low. You¡¯ll stick out. Besides having your face plastered on every major news station, you aren¡¯t dressed to blend in.¡±


    Nodding to no one, I did what she said and slipped in through the door. There wasn¡¯t any security on the inside either, which was alarming, but it was to my benefit. If I was looking like I didn¡¯t belong, I¡¯d be thrown out in a heartbeat if I was checked for a ticket. I had to wonder if the Andersons paid off the security to not be at that particular door. Maybe security was just that lax to begin with.


    Checking around, it looked like I was in a storage closet of some kind. I briefly stopped to wonder why a storage closet would have an exit to the outside before I went back to focusing on the task at hand. There were dusty shelves and boxes all around me in a cramped space. Yeah, it didn¡¯t need to be connected to the outside of the building at all. I took a quick peek in a few of the boxes, unable to find anything useful in any of them. They all contained a bunch of cables and other things I didn¡¯t recognize or have any use for.


    When I left the room, I was hit by the full force of the music and the crowd. I was still down the hall from the actual concert area, and I was already feeling sick. I sucked in some air and held my breath, taking a few seconds to collect myself. Scanning the area, I didn¡¯t see any other way the Andersons could have gone but forward. I crept along slowly, trying not to be afraid they¡¯d pop out to attack me.


    That didn¡¯t happen, but when I got to the end of the hall and reached for the door, it flung open and hit me right in the face.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I grabbed my nose and stumbled back, instinctively putting my armor on over my body.


    ¡°Oh shit, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Lizzy shut the door behind her and placed both her hands on the sides of my face. She turned it around and looked at it from a few angles. ¡°I don¡¯t think I broke it. You have a nosebleed we need to clean up.¡±


    I let my armor down and got a good look at her. ¡°Jeez, I could be like you. What the hell happened? You look like you got beaten up by a bunch of bullies.¡±


    She touched her puffy eye and winced. ¡°Well, I got elbowed in the eye. Some girl punched me in the shoulder. I was kicked in the back of the legs. Twice. I¡¯m pretty sure I got kicked in my back, and I¡¯m taller than you in my heels, so that was impressive. Oh, someone elbowed me in the chest and got nothing but boob. Judging by that guy¡¯s personality after he hit me, if he knew he hit a DDD cup, he¡¯d be bragging to his loser friends about touching it. I guarantee he¡¯ll never touch another one again in his crappy life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m begging you to stop saying these things.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back a laugh, as much as I tried. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get some ice on my eye later. Don¡¯t you worry that pretty little head about me, I¡¯ll sleep just fine tonight.¡± Her face got serious. ¡°They came through this way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they were gone by the time I came in. Did you see them?¡± I wiped a small trail of blood from my throbbing nose. If Lizzy wasn¡¯t complaining about getting pummeled in the sea of people, I wasn¡¯t going to about a little nosebleed.


    She shook her head. ¡°I got here as fast as I could. Looks like they moved faster. Damn, they probably know the building well. I even swapped out my heels for some sneakers.¡±


    ¡°Good call. You¡¯re not taller than me anymore. You can run without snapping your ankles too. Everyone wins.¡±


    ¡°Excuse you, I have impeccable balance.¡± Lizzy defiantly folded her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Girl, I watched you crotch yourself on a tool meant to show your balance. Sorry, but I¡¯m still a little skeptical.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling Rebecca that you were mean to me.¡± She pulled up the back of her shoe and cracked open the door. ¡°Oh shit, we have a problem.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I tried to peek over her head, unable to see much of anything.


    There was a sound like a thousand windows being shattered by hammers at one time. I jumped back and covered my ears, recoiling from the sound. Lizzy didn¡¯t jump, but she did clamp her hands over her ears. It wasn¡¯t like anything I¡¯d ever heard before in my entire life.


    ¡°They¡¯re out there!¡± Lizzy yelled, her voice coming through more as a muffle. She flung open the door and immediately stopped in her tracks.


    In the main area, all the stage lights had been shattered, only leaving some weak emergency lights to provide limited visibility. Wicked glass daggers floated high above the crowd, pointed at everyone in the room indiscriminately, barely glinting in the dim light. A girl tried to run away, but a dagger flew down and pressed up against her throat, forcing her back in line. On stage was a good-looking couple, the man dressed in a nice suit, and the woman in a glittering gold dress, the fancy clothes clashing against the dark attire of the crowd below them.


    ¡°The heroes have arrived! Oh, aren¡¯t you just dying to save the people here?¡± Francine Anderson twirled a piece of glass between her fingers. ¡°Or maybe you just want to leap into action like you did in Arizona, huh?¡±


    ¡°Look, we know you¡¯re not killers, so why don¡¯t you just let the people go? We can handle this without spilling any blood.¡± They were both focused right on me, so I wasn¡¯t going to risk creating any weapons or armor, leaving me essentially defenseless.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we¡¯re not killers,¡± Robert Anderson said, pointing a few glass daggers right at my face. ¡°But there¡¯s always a first time for everything. Vegas is a fine land of opportunity, after all.¡±


    ¡°And why should we let them go?¡± Francine disappeared and then reappeared next to the girl who had tried to run away. She pulled the girl against her torso, the glass shard remaining pressed up against her neck. ¡°We know all about what you can do, Ethan. A scary one in a fight. Never knowing when to quit. Someone whose willpower is stronger than his bones and muscles.¡±


    The girl whimpered and tried to squirm free. ¡°Please, l-let me go.¡±


    Francine pushed the dagger against her skin, drawing a trickle of blood. The poor girl just winced, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Thank goodness she stopped trying to move. Reflexively, I took a step forward toward her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Robert¡¯s voice boomed, echoing in the nearly silent room. ¡°Take another step and all their blood is on your hands. We¡¯re taking every valuable belonging and piece of money in this building. It¡¯s not like a beautiful necklace can¡¯t sell stained in a little red.¡±


    I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they¡¯d crack, obeying his command to avert turning the concert venue into a slaughterhouse. Good to his word, at least to that point, no one was getting their throats slashed. I wanted to look around for anything I could use to handle the situation, but I couldn¡¯t risk it. Even if they didn¡¯t start killing people, I didn¡¯t trust myself to use anything around me without hurting the people myself.


    ¡°She¡¯s smarter than you, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Francine nodded behind me at Lizzy. ¡°She knows you two have no leverage here. Shame she doesn¡¯t have an actual power she can use. Right, Lizzy?¡±


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Her voice was tight with tension, with a mix of sounding insulted.


    ¡°The same way we knew you were going to be here.¡± Francine¡¯s face twisted. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not as smart as I thought. All beauty, some brains. Truth is, we weren¡¯t going to touch this place until we heard you¡¯d be here. Really, it wasn¡¯t a bad assumption on your part. Crowded, druggies and drunks, and kids who have unlimited access to Mommy and Daddy¡¯s money. Still, there are way too many people here for us to risk an appearance. Well, until we learned about the two VIPs that would show up.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± I asked, hoping to put the focus back on me. Lizzy was the leader, so I trusted her to cook something up.


    ¡°Wow, you seriously don¡¯t have a guess for that one?¡± Robert sounded genuinely disappointed in my cluelessness. He turned and waved someone over from the back of the stage.


    Lizzy gasped when she saw Julio walk forward, looking straight at the ground. I didn¡¯t need to see her face to know it was twisted up in shock and horror.

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Three

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 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Four

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 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Five

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 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Six

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 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Seven

    ¡°Hey everyone,¡± I said, tapping the little mic that stuck out of the podium on our theater¡¯s stage. The shrill feedback sound pierced everyone¡¯s ears, causing a few grimaces in the crowd. No one was going to complain the speech put them to sleep at least. ¡°Well, I can see the budget for audio equipment hasn¡¯t improved much since I¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    That got a couple of small chuckles from the large crowd, which was enough of a win for the entire day in my book. Most of the students were looking up at me, and I had a lot more engaged looks than I had been expecting. I wasn¡¯t sure why. I assumed it was either because I wasn¡¯t even a full year removed from being a student myself, making me still ¡°cool¡± enough to listen to. Or maybe it was because I had been on the news because of my powers. Perhaps a little mix of both.


    Looking out at the crowd, I¡¯d expected to feel more pangs of nostalgia than I did feel. For nearly four years, Cassidy Wheeler High School had been where I spent a good chunk of my life. It was kind of shocking how little I felt about the school. For some people, high school was a time they considered the best of their lives. It wasn¡¯t like I had a horrible time or anything, though it was certainly four years that didn¡¯t feel like they amounted to much until I met Lori.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been ten months since I was a student here, but so much has changed for me, and maybe even for all of you. I¡¯d wager a lot of you have your own thoughts and opinions on us folks with powers. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask for a show of hands or anything like that. At the very least, I¡¯m sure there are plenty of parents who make their opinions known, whether you want to hear them or not.¡±


    There was a murmur of agreement and a few nodding heads in the crowd. Not everyone looked happy, which concerned me a little with Megan on stage. I could take the heat of dissenting opinions well enough. Not being liked by everyone was just a part of life. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted an innocent seven-year-old girl to gain the ire of the people in the crowd. Instead of making a big deal of it unless I had to. There was no need to get riled up about thoughts I couldn¡¯t prove anyone was having.


    Clearing my throat, I started to read off the note cards I had up with me before a feeling stopped me. The speech I had written down was something that felt generic to me. Nothing that was too outrageous, and to be honest, probably wasn¡¯t worth anyone¡¯s time, including my own. I could play it safe and tell everyone that they all had great things in front of them, probably exactly how everyone expected me to. Then I had a sudden urge to speak from the heart with the platform I had been given.


    ¡°You know, I wrote a whole speech down here,¡± I said, holding up the cards for the crowd. I ripped them in half and stuffed the pieces in my pockets. ¡°Instead, I think I¡¯d rather talk to you guys on a more human level, so this might not be too refined.¡±


    The tiniest spark of interest flickered in the crowd. Another tiny win for staving off the mass apathy of teenagers who would have rather been anywhere else.


    ¡°This is difficult for me to talk about, but when I was twelve, I watched my parents get shot in their heads during a home invasion. The person was nobody to us and had no connection to my family. It was just unlucky for us. Wrong place and the wrong time, you know? I imagine most of you around my age have heard about that. That¡¯s the kind of thing a small town talks about a lot.


    ¡°As you might expect, that left me in a bad place for a long time. It wasn¡¯t really until I learned I had the powers I do that I started to take steps forward with my life. I met a lot of great people, including my fianc¨¦e and our daughter we adopted.¡±


    Rebecca must have been a mind reader or great at reading the room. She came over to stand next to me with Megan sitting in her arms. I had checked with Megan at least a few million times to make sure she was okay with me calling her my daughter, and she said she was okay with it each time. The bright, warm smile told me that her opinion didn¡¯t change. She leaned over to the mic and waved with a little hand.


    ¡°Hi people!¡± Her voice was a little too loud given how close she was to the microphone.


    Nearly the entire crowd said hi back and waved to the little girl, which just made Megan light up like a Christmas tree. Before she could take over the whole speech, Rebecca brought her back to the chairs that had been lined up behind us. I saw a few girls in the front row who clearly adored Megs, and even some of the guys couldn¡¯t help but let their tough guy masks break a little. Maybe they weren¡¯t as apathetic as I thought.


    ¡°They¡¯re the world to me.¡± I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows to show some of the scars I¡¯d acquired since I left school and joined Luna. ¡°These scars I have are just some pieces of physical evidence I have to show that it hasn¡¯t been easygoing to keep them safe. I promise, if you guys are imagining me doing something cool getting these, that probably wasn¡¯t what happened in reality. If none of you knew me from school, believe me, I¡¯m the least cool guy on this planet. It¡¯s a miracle the two ladies behind me put up with me.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you get them?¡± The question came from a girl a few rows from the front. When the teachers glared at her, her hands flew over her mouth, and she shrunk down in her seat. I managed to fight off the grin that tried to form on my face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to get mad at her,¡± I said, finally glad I had a little bit of equal ground to stand on with the teachers at the school. It wasn¡¯t like they could give me detention. ¡°If you want the truth, I got these by being reckless and biting off more than I could chew a few times. I won¡¯t share the details, because they are a little gross. Know that I have a few more where these came from.¡±


    That got the crowd murmuring again. I knew I was only throwing fuel to the fire of their curiosity, but I wasn¡¯t going to dive in and tell them I got one by having a hole burned through my arm. Telling them I went to a different planet was completely off the table, even though that would have really spiced up the whole thing. Sadly, for the poor students from a small town in Oregon, that was one secret I couldn¡¯t let out.


    ¡°Anyway, I know a lot of you feel like everything that¡¯s happening right now is the most important time of your life. Don¡¯t get me wrong, for a lot of you, the stuff you¡¯re experiencing now is the first time you¡¯re going through it, so it is a big deal. Using my life, I¡¯d like to tell you all there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯ll seem so insignificant in a few years. You know young kids will trip and scrape their knees and act like it¡¯s the end of the world? That reaction is usually because that¡¯s the first time they¡¯re dealing with it, and that¡¯s not going to magically change just because you¡¯re older now.


    ¡°So, I want you all to...just be good people to each other. I didn¡¯t have many friends here. I wasn¡¯t popular. I wasn¡¯t even targeted by bullies. I was someone who drifted through class each day with no ambition other than making it home to repeat the cycle. I¡¯m preparing to get married less than a year later. You all have so much time and potential in front of you, but I know things can be hard now. The world is changing as we speak, so why not use your time here to be better? Why not go talk to someone who¡¯s always alone and looks like they could use a friend? Because in five years, you might not care about the science presentation you¡¯re stressing over now, but you could make a great friend who has your back through thick and thin.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I took a second to let what I said settle. I could see that a few kids didn¡¯t care all that much. That was still what I¡¯d been expecting the entire time. Besides them, there were a lot of shifting faces. Some threw glances around the room, likely spotting other students who weren¡¯t as popular, or maybe looking for people they wanted to talk to before. That moment would have been the part in my original speech where I told them to keep working hard and it¡¯d pay off for them. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell all those students something that could have been a lie.


    ¡°You might not think you have a lot to offer. I know I didn¡¯t think I had anything to offer anyone. I thought I was a burden to my sister who was my legal guardian from twelve to eighteen years old. I thought I was a burden on people until I got a grasp on my powers. I can¡¯t understate just how much being nice to someone can help. Your kindness can be a tool for building a better future. Sometimes all you have is each other, and you have to make the most of it. So, you know, just be good people. It pays off more than you might think.¡±


    I know it wasn¡¯t the speech Principal Davenport had been looking for, but if he wanted a success story, then it was going to be with these kids being better people. The reality of the situation was that some of the students there weren¡¯t going to amount to any ¡°success stories¡±. A lot of them were going to make just enough to pay their car payments and make their rent or mortgage. I wasn¡¯t interested in trying to give the school a good name. If the school was going to get a good name, it would be from the media attention I brought it. I didn¡¯t care about that. If there were two people in the crowd who became friends because of what I said, then I¡¯d done enough. If bullying went down some because of what I said, then it was all worth it.


    When I sat down next to Rebecca, I thought the whole thing was done with, and I¡¯d just get to chat with her and Megan. That¡¯s when I followed her gaze and saw a few of the kids starting to walk up the stairs to the stage. I sighed, hoping they¡¯d at least give me some personal space. Lizzy getting all close was one thing I¡¯d gotten used to. I was still a little on edge from the public speaking thing. The list of people I wanted near me was very short.


    ¡°Hey, can you take Megan and go show her around the school?¡± I asked Shelly. We both knew there wasn¡¯t anything of value to show her. It was a high school in a rural area, it wasn''t like we had any grand secrets hidden away. All I was looking for was an excuse to keep Megan occupied and with someone safe, so Shelly quickly took off with the kiddo.


    The students, four in total¡ªall girls, naturally¡ªwere taking their sweet time walking over. Rebecca scooted a bit closer to me, put her head on my shoulder, and put her arms around my torso. Her affectionate show of possession certainly wasn¡¯t lost on me, and I had to fight the urge to smile when the girls did finally get in front of us.


    ¡°Hi,¡± the front girl, a small brunette, whispered. ¡°I really liked your speech.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I tried to put on a confident smile. When she didn¡¯t say anything, I struggled against letting my face fall. ¡°Did you, uh, have any questions?¡±


    ¡°Um, no.¡± She shuffled her feet awkwardly, barely able to meet my eyes. I could understand that social difficulty. ¡°I, uh, I¡¯m sorry about your parents. That¡¯s a terrible thing to go through.¡±


    ¡°It was hard,¡± I agreed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exaggerating either. I was in a bad spot for a lot of my life until I discovered my power. A lot of things fell together in a good way for me after that. It took me a little bit, but I learned that I¡¯m more than just a guy with dead parents. Don¡¯t get me wrong or anything, I still miss them every day.¡±


    She nodded emphatically. ¡°I wanted to tell you that what you said hit home. It was touching. I just moved here over the summer. Making friends isn¡¯t easy for me. These three just talked to me one day and now they¡¯re the best friends I¡¯ve had in my life.¡±


    The other girls smiled, and a tall blonde pulled her into a side hug.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s great, and I¡¯m glad you have a group of friends here. I was content to be alone for most of my life. I didn¡¯t think it was all that bad for a while. Then when I got those friends who wanted me in their lives, it completely changed my world.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling others to do the same. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d want to come up here to thank you for the speech. I thought, well, I thought it was going to be lame. Either way, it was a good excuse to get out of class.¡± Her face was bright red and it looked like her social batteries were about drained.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone got something out of it. I was losing my mind trying to think of anything to say.¡± I shook my head a little. ¡°I know I¡¯m not a student anymore, but I¡¯m not that far off. I know a lot of these things were used by people to take time out of class and that¡¯s the only reason anyone cared.¡±


    The brunette nodded again before turning her attention to Rebecca. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your time up here. Thank you for letting us see your daughter. She¡¯s totally precious and you two looked so happy when she was saying hi.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize, that¡¯s why he stuck around.¡± Rebecca stuck out a hand for her to shake, taking care not to grip the girl¡¯s smaller hand too hard. ¡°She¡¯s the cutest kid back home too.¡±


    All four of them waved goodbye, and even though the brunette seemed happy to talk, I could tell she was relieved she didn¡¯t have to anymore. She wasn¡¯t lying about being shy. Part of me wanted to feel a little bad for her because I saw so much of myself in her demeanor. Then I saw her three friends wrap her up in a massive group hug. Yeah, she was going to be just fine. High school students could be fickle, so being able to have friends like that was a great thing to witness.


    I tried to imagine my friends with me in high school. They were all older than me, so I couldn¡¯t see our schedules overlapping much. That was one downside to being the baby of the bunch. There was no chance I would have had the stones to talk to any of the girls I knew. Alex probably would have been on the football team or something, a stoic, brooding guy that the girls all fawned over. Lizzy could have been the best cheerleader this school ever had, no doubt causing ¡°controversy¡± because of the scar across her face would have been a big deal for something that placed importance on looks. Val would have been putting dudes in headlocks on the wrestling team. If there was any lady who could make it on that team, it would have been her.


    Lori and Rebecca would have been the easiest for me to talk to had we gone to school together. Despite Lori¡¯s emotional outbursts, she was still easy to talk to, and she was still my best friend. I could have seen our friendship blossoming slowly and awkwardly without superpowers to help bolster our conversations. Rebecca was my soulmate, and that was a hill I was ready to die on. I might have been a rambling mess talking to her. Scratch that, I would have certainly been a rambling mess talking to her if I¡¯d met her during my time in high school. And we still would have found a way to work it out. My social struggles and her being from a different time period wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.


    It gave me a new appreciation for everything. If I didn¡¯t have any powers, I had no idea where I would have ended up. My sister would have been working for less money than she deserved. If I was in college, I wouldn¡¯t have had any clue what I wanted to study or do. Realistically, I probably would have been working my own job with low pay in Shamrock, trying to look at the bright side that I was able to make ends meet, even if I was just scraping by.


    ¡°Do you want to stick around?¡± I asked, trying to stop dwelling on a past that wasn¡¯t my own or real. I leaned back in my seat, listening to the gentle hum of all the students talking with each other. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll need me for anything else today.¡±


    Rebecca looked out at the crowd and tightened her grip on my arm. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s scram. I know you want to take me to your parents¡¯ graves.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that exciting,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I think Mom and Dad would be happy if you came, though.¡±

 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Eight

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 Book Three - Chapter Thirty-Nine

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 Book Three - Chapter Forty

    After an agonizingly long trip to the hospital, both kids were swiftly rushed away to be treated. We explained Ryan¡¯s situation to the hospital staff, and they seemed to understand, allowing Rebecca to go with the kids. They weren¡¯t thrilled letting her follow along with the kids, so I didn¡¯t try to ask to join them. It wasn¡¯t that I didn''t want to, but I hadn¡¯t called Shelly or Chloe to tell them what happened. I was dreading having to explain everything to Ryan¡¯s sister, especially when I didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d be okay. Before I dealt with them, I needed to call someone who I knew could immediately help when time was possibly of the essence.


    ¡°Ethan, I just fixed you up,¡± Charlie said, not wasting any time grilling me after picking up the phone. ¡°What did you do now?¡±


    ¡°Charlie, Megan and Ryan were both attacked by a pit bull at a birthday party. Ryan protected her, but he¡¯s hurt bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, how bad? Where are you? I¡¯ll head over now.¡± I heard her grabbing things over the phone.


    ¡°We¡¯re at Valley Medical in Omaha. There¡¯s...a lot of his arm missing. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll decide to do, but I haven¡¯t told the staff here we have someone who can heal nasty wounds.¡± I imagined Ryan losing his arm and knew I had to do something. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to heal him here without people seeing, so if you don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let my friend¡¯s brother suffer because I¡¯m worried people might see me.¡± Her voice was firm and maybe a little insulted. ¡°Have you told Chloe?¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t thinking straight in the chaos, I¡¯m sorry. I forgot to call her on the way over. I¡¯ll call her after we¡¯re done.¡± I had been so focused on the kids that nothing else seemed to matter much, though it wasn¡¯t like I had the ability to do anything myself. My Anomaly wasn¡¯t exactly suited to stitch up wounds or relieve the pain both of them were dealing with.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m sure you and Rebecca did a great job. I¡¯ll head over and fill Chloe in on the way. I''ll let your sister know too. Hospitals typically don¡¯t amputate immediately unless they have to. I don¡¯t know anything about these doctors or how they¡¯ll treat it, so please try to explain to them that I can fix his arm up before they do anything too drastic.¡±


    I took a deep breath the moment we ended our call, trying to calm my frazzled nerves. Having them in any kind of harm¡¯s way felt a million times worse than the times I¡¯d been in danger. The kids were both as safe as they possibly could be until Chloe arrived. That was the most important thing. I just had to let them take care of the children while we waited.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir. Would you like a shirt?¡± A young lady, maybe a couple of years older than Rebecca, was sitting at the front desk and smiling kindly at me. She was staring pointedly at my face, and if the situation had been calmer, I would have taken a few seconds to wonder if she had been checking me out. Given I had some of Megan¡¯s blood on me¡ªstill not as much as Rebecca had from cradling Ryan¡ªI kind of hoped she was just being courteous.


    Realizing I hadn¡¯t put anything else on since we left, I went beet red. Being in a state of undress in front of strangers wasn¡¯t something I was huge on, so I appreciated her offer and help. I mumbled, ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    A laugh burst free from the lady. She turned to dig through a small table covered in featureless T-shirts before she tossed one over to me. I threw it on, immediately feeling much better and a little more put together.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I said, still blushing. ¡°Do you have one for my fianc¨¦e? She¡¯s not hurt and, thankfully, had a tank top on under hers. She was covered in blood.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. She was a mess when you came in.¡± She started digging for another shirt and I saw her name, Cindy, on her nametag. ¡°It feels weird to have you here. No offense, but seeing what you did in Arizona, I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to visit a hospital in Nebraska. I thought heroes would have some kind of response system separate from what we work with.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t live too far away.¡± I got closer to the desk and she kept up her kind smile. ¡°It is a little weird to be in one. I haven¡¯t been to a hospital in a long time.¡±


    ¡°I only caught a glimpse of what you came in with.¡± She winced sympathetically. ¡°Didn¡¯t have a choice, did you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No. Listen, there¡¯s...someone who can heal wounds. She usually treats me when I get hurt. She¡¯s a big part of the reason why I haven¡¯t been to a hospital in a long time. I asked her to come here to help heal Ryan. I don¡¯t know what the doctors will decide to do with his arm like that, but can we let her heal him? She does great work.¡±


    Cindy¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°I saw what you could do on TV. I think you¡¯re a good guy. It¡¯s not up to me, and a lot of people still aren¡¯t very accepting of it. From a doctor¡¯s perspective, you¡¯d be asking them to let a random girl come over and interfere with their patient. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯d let it happen. I don¡¯t know the legality of it with all these superpowers involved either.¡±


    ¡°Please, is there anything you can do? I would have lost my left arm if I had been taken to a hospital. She saved it.¡± I put my hands on the counter and leaned forward, feeling exhausted while preparing for another battle. ¡°Maybe he won¡¯t lose his arm as it is. Maybe they can fix it up. Why take the risk when there¡¯s an easier, safer way?¡±


    Cindy¡¯s face softened and she looked down. ¡°I¡¯ll ask for you, okay? No promises, so don¡¯t get your hopes too high. How does your fianc¨¦e win any arguments with you? You look like a sad kitten I found in a box on a rainy night. Ugh, she must hate it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, I seriously appreciate it.¡± I left Cindy to take care of her work, even though there weren¡¯t a lot of people around. I took it as a good problem to have when you worked at a hospital.


    I wanted to go find Rebecca and the kids. I wanted to sit down and clear my head. I wanted to nap until Charlie showed up. I wanted to not be responsible for what happened to the kids under my care. Sighing, I knew I had to grow a pair sooner rather than later. No doubt about it, I knew I owed Chloe an apology as soon as she came in. That, and I didn¡¯t want Charlie to have to deal with trying to get in without me, so I had to stay focused. I knew it was going to be about an hour before they got to the hospital. Every minute I couldn¡¯t check on Megan and Ryan would be torture. Facing the music was starting to feel like a better option than staring at the ceiling with just my thoughts as company.


    When they finally got there, I still hadn¡¯t received an update from Cindy, Rebecca, or anyone else about either the idea I pitched or the kids. Charlie was wearing a hoodie, with a focused look on her face underneath. Chloe had obviously been crying, so that made me feel like I was less than garbage. Her brother was in my care and I let her down.


    ¡°Chloe, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I said, standing up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they had a dog and I wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop it.¡±


    To my surprise, she gave me a big hug, squeezing my ribs tightly and burying her face into my chest. ¡°Are you okay? Is Rebecca okay?¡±


    ¡°We are. Megan got cut above her lip. I think she¡¯ll be fine with some stitches.¡± I didn¡¯t push her away entirely. I kept her at arm¡¯s length with my hands firmly on her shoulders. I wanted to be careful with what I said next. ¡°Ryan was in rough shape. He jumped in front of Megan after she got cut. He saved her.¡±


    She smiled and choked back a sob. ¡°He¡¯s a great little guy.¡±


    ¡°The best,¡± I agreed. I walked them over to the front desk where Cindy sat, writing on a bunch of papers. ¡°Cindy, this is Chloe and Charlie.¡±


    She looked at Chloe and gave her a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re going to help your brother the best we can. I was told you...might have a different way to help.¡±


    Charlie sighed and pulled back her hood. ¡°I can heal wounds that would normally need amputation. I can accelerate the body¡¯s natural regeneration and give it regeneration when it ordinally wouldn¡¯t be able to heal on its own. If you let me see him, I can probably do more than your doctors in a shorter amount of time without the risk of infection or a poor reaction to medication.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± Cindy glanced at me. ¡°I was able to get Ryan¡¯s doctor to agree to meet with you. I¡¯ll shoot straight with you three: this could land us in hot water. I will deny this conversation ever happened if anyone presses me, so it¡¯s up to you to convince her to let you do what you think you need to. Remember, doctors are smart and proud, but they¡¯re not perfect. You¡¯ll be telling her that you can do more with ¡®magic¡¯ than what she can with years of schooling and experience. Play to her sensibility to save patients, not that you can do a better job than she can, okay?¡±


    ¡°I hope she won¡¯t think of it as magic. It¡¯s just potent, natural healing.¡± Glancing at me, Charlie looked worried.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you there,¡± Cindy said. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you how I think she¡¯ll react, so I¡¯d get your sales pitch ready. For what it¡¯s worth, I believe Ethan, and it looks like he believes in you. Here, I¡¯ll take you to his room.¡±


    Cindy got someone to sit at the desk while she stepped away to lead us through the building. After a couple of turns, I was already lost, but Cindy navigated it like a seasoned pro. She gave small greetings to her coworkers when they walked by, not stopping for any conversation in the maze-like building. She put us in an elevator that was taking us to the fifth floor. The map that showed the layout of the hospital was designed to keep people trapped worse than a casino was. It was almost impressive.


    ¡°Megan will be fine. She¡¯ll just need some stitches. She probably already got them.¡± Cindy fidgeted and sighed. ¡°I would feel guilty if I didn¡¯t give you an update on Ryan. Chloe, if you want to cover your ears, now would be the time.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear,¡± she said, voice shaking.


    ¡°Amputation below the elbow isn¡¯t their top choice right now. It usually isn¡¯t. It is on the table and hasn¡¯t been ruled out in the slightest. I was told their current plan is to do some grafting to replace what was torn out by the dog. The upside is they fully expect him to survive. Him dying from this wound isn¡¯t something they¡¯re considering right now. Needless to say, I don¡¯t think you need me saying that¡¯s a positive.¡±


    Chloe looked like she was about to drop. She wiped her eyes and sniffled, nodding her head in relief. ¡°As long as he¡¯s alive. We¡¯ll get through it no matter what happens.¡±


    The elevator dinged and we were greeted with an empty hallway. The walls and floor were painted bright, fun colors. Cartoon characters were scattered around in various spots. Mercifully, no red paint trails on the floor left the impression of blood smears everywhere.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Cindy put a hand on my shoulder and pointed to the left. ¡°Just take the first left. He¡¯s in room five hundred. You shouldn¡¯t have any trouble finding it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve helped with.¡± I nearly wanted to give the lady a hug, but I restrained myself.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. Good luck.¡± She remained in the elevator while the three of us stepped out. ¡°If it all works out, would you ever mind showing me your powers? Both of you, if possible.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I said.


    ¡°Same here,¡± Charlie added.


    Cindy waved, looking a little pumped, managing to keep it to herself to avoid being insensitive to Chloe¡¯s mood. She hit a button on the elevator and the doors closed, leaving us with our next task. We needed to convince a doctor we could suddenly heal a severely injured kid while he was under her care. Like Cindy said, finding the room wasn¡¯t hard. Outside stood a woman I didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°You must be Ethan.¡± Ryan¡¯s doctor, Dr. Karagas, stuck out her hand. I gave it a firm shake that she matched well. She looked at the other two, pointing at Chloe. ¡°Ryan¡¯s sister?¡±


    Chloe nodded. The poor girl looked like she was about to explode with a million different questions. She managed to remain patient and polite.


    ¡°I can see the resemblance.¡± She turned her attention to Charlie. ¡°And that would make you our magic healer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not magic.¡± Charlie looked offended like she associated the idea of magic with some parlor trick done for preschoolers in a little show to make them laugh. ¡°I can heal his arm up and he¡¯ll have full functionality.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to let someone who isn¡¯t a relative just walk in that room and do who-knows-what to this child under my care? Cindy is one of the best, longest-tenured employees we have here, so I told her I¡¯d listen to you as a courtesy to her. I have to remind you all that this is a place of medicine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what if I just made you let me do what I need to do?¡± Charlie asked, taking a step forward. Dr. Karagas¡¯s eyebrows lifted, but she didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°Charlie,¡± I hissed, trying to get her to calm down. I put myself between her and the doctor. ¡°I understand that this isn¡¯t anything covered in the textbooks you studied or anything you¡¯ve seen before. I can vouch for her. She¡¯s fixed me up multiple times now. At worst, she¡¯s helped me avoid limping around for weeks. At best, she¡¯s saved my limbs.¡±


    I turned my left arm so Dr. Karagas could see the scarring. I pulled up the back of my jeans so she could see the scar on my ankle too.


    ¡°I had a hole burned through my arm. It went through everything. Bone, muscle, tendons, all of it. Charlie helped heal it for me in just a few minutes. I would have lost it if she didn¡¯t.¡±


    Dr. Karagas¡¯s expression softened some. There was a curiosity in her eyes, one that I hoped would let Charlie do her thing. She may have had the pride of an accomplished doctor, but if something like Charlie¡¯s healing could really exist in our world, it could help her save countless more patients. I just needed to set the hook and reel her in so she¡¯d step aside for a few minutes.


    ¡°She¡¯ll show you and it won¡¯t have to be on your patient.¡± I put the back of my hand up to my mouth and bit down as hard as I could. My bite was stronger than I thought. Blood trickled into my mouth as my teeth broke skin. I was too tired to give much indication that it hurt.


    ¡°That¡¯s gross,¡± Dr. Karagas said flatly. She didn¡¯t look impressed when I held up the back of my hand to her face.


    I put my hand out in front of Charlie. ¡°This should be easy for you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is. That was gross.¡± She took a breath and put her hands out, leaving plenty of space for the doctor to observe.


    Gentle warmth wrapped around my hand. Pain replaced it seconds later as my skin repaired itself. Given how tame the injury was compared to some of the other things Charlie had to heal, it didn¡¯t even take ten seconds to get it healed up. A little redness and blood were the only signs I was hurt to begin with. Well, the saliva was too, but that was less dignified than the other two things.


    Dr. Karagas just about lunged at my hand, grabbing it and looking it over. She looked all over my arm, presumably checking for some trick that must have eluded her. She narrowed her eyes at Charlie and me. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡±


    Charlie groaned in frustration. ¡°Please, my friend¡¯s little brother is in there. He might lose his arm. I can¡¯t tell you exactly how it works on a deep biomechanical level. It¡¯s just sort of something I know how to do on instinct. It¡¯s as natural to me as breathing. If you let me heal his arm, I promise I¡¯ll bring Ethan to your house and show you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I didn¡¯t sign off on being anyone¡¯s guinea pig. Oh well, if it was something that got Ryan healed. ¡°Fine, whatever.¡±


    Dr. Karagas sighed after a few seconds. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m watching the whole thing. If I don¡¯t like it, you¡¯re leaving and I¡¯m doing this the way I know how to. This is my job. This is my passion. This is how I support my family. This is what I love doing. Even letting you try this could completely ruin my career and destroy my reputation.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlie put a hand on Dr. Karagas¡¯s shoulder, who tensed under her touch. ¡°But if you are a doctor worth anything, then you¡¯ll want to do everything you can to get this boy back healthy. Now, I do recommend knocking him out for this.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dr. Karagas was skeptical again and I was worried we were going to lose her.


    ¡°Because it hurts a fair bit,¡± I answered for Charlie. ¡°When I got this burn fixed up, I legitimately thought it¡¯d be better to just cut my damn arm off.¡±


    ¡°Let me get an anesthesiologist. If he needs general anesthesia, one¡¯s going to be there like this is a surgery.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine.¡± Charlie pointed toward the door. ¡°Can we at least go see him first?¡±


    Dr. Karagas looked at Chloe and relented. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s on morphine right now, so he might not be responsive. Rebecca and Megan are in there too.¡±


    When Dr. Karagas left, we slowly opened the door and went in. Megan was asleep in a chair next to Ryan¡¯s bed, her cut already stitched up. Rebecca was next to her, holding Ryan¡¯s hand. She was as still as a statue, and for a little bit, I was worried something happened to her too. She did finally turn to us when we closed the door.


    She let go of Ryan¡¯s hand and ran into my arms. She was still wearing her blood-soaked tank top, making me feel like an idiot for forgetting the shirt Cindy offered. She started shaking and quietly crying. Chloe gently rubbed her back and joined the hug.


    ¡°Thank you, Rebecca. I don¡¯t need the details. I already know you and Ethan kept Ryan as safe as you could.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rebecca kept repeating herself, silently sobbing into my chest. She wanted nothing more than to keep those two kids safe. Like me, she felt like she¡¯d failed both of them.


    ¡°Chloe?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. We all turned our attention to the kid who had been braver than most adults would have been in his situation.


    ¡°Hey, buddy, I¡¯m here now. Sorry it took me so long to get here.¡± She took Rebecca¡¯s chair and started running her hand through his hair. ¡°I heard you were a hero. Help keep this little lady safe, yeah?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing.¡± He mumbled something else we couldn¡¯t make out thanks to the morphine making him all loopy. He had a tiny, proud smile on his face. I wished I had been a hundredth as brave as he was when I was only six.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t nothing. You did a great thing for your friend. We¡¯re going to get your arm fixed, okay?¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± he muttered. His head leaned over to the side and he slowly drifted off to sleep. A gentle snoring left his open mouth.


    After Ryan fell asleep, Megan woke up. She first saw Chloe and immediately buried her face in her chest, little hands gripping the sides of her shirt. Chloe rubbed the top of her head and held her in a gentle hug, one of many that had been given that day.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. He saved me.¡± Megan blaming herself was like a punch to the gut.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, honey,¡± Chloe said. She looked at all of us, her own tiny smile looking just like her brother¡¯s. ¡°And the same goes for all of you. Don¡¯t you dare blame yourselves for this. None of you attacked anyone. You all kept him safe and brought him here.¡±


    ¡°Chloe, I still-¡± She cut me off by holding up a finger.


    ¡°Be quiet, dummy. Look at me.¡± When I looked into her eyes, she took in a deep breath. ¡°You called to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything dangerous there. They lied. Ryan made a choice to keep his friend safe. It was a noble thing to do. Ethan, how would you feel if everyone you saved cried and moped because they felt guilty you got hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d feel bad.¡± I couldn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°Exactly. He¡¯s going to be okay. Ryan and Megan are still going to be best friends after this, and I¡¯m still going to be friends with you and Rebecca after this. Let¡¯s not cry anymore, okay? We¡¯re all in this to support each other.¡±


    It was her brother, and I wasn¡¯t going to argue. We all sat around Ryan, waiting for Dr. Karagas to come back. Megan was a lot more vocal since the shock and adrenaline had settled down. She looked sleepy, though she was happy to see me. She showed me the stitches right above her lip, which looked awful and made me grit my teeth in protective anger. I tried to play it off for her sake and say they looked cool.


    ¡°I do get to look like Aunt Lizzy now!¡± She did a little fist pump and nearly stumbled over. Chloe caught her and chastised her for being reckless. ¡°I don¡¯t need any makeup to be as pretty as her!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s on some painkillers too,¡± Rebecca whispered, holding back a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she saw fairies on the wall. She was grabbing at them like one of those videos with a cat and a laser pointer.¡±


    We had some empty chatter to keep the uncomfortable silence at bay for a few minutes until Dr. Karagas came back with a short tan man in scrubs. I couldn¡¯t read his name tag, but I was just ready to have the kid patched up, so I didn¡¯t really care who he was. He brought in a big machine that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie. I had no idea what it was for, but he started getting everything set up.


    ¡°Do you have what you need?¡± Dr. Karagas asked Charlie.


    ¡°I do,¡± she confirmed. ¡°When he¡¯s under, let me know, and I¡¯ll get started.¡±


    The anesthesiologist gave her a thumbs-up after a few minutes. The machine looked like an alien creation, but whatever helped Ryan was a friend of mine. The kid was absolutely gone and wasn¡¯t going to wake up for the end of the world.


    ¡°He¡¯s good?¡± Charlie asked. When Dr. Karagas and the anesthesiologist nodded, she got to work.


    It was nice to not be on the receiving end of the healing for once. He didn¡¯t flinch while his mangled arm was slowly regenerating. Dr. Karagas looked on in complete awe. Torn muscle repaired itself and ruptured tendons settled back in place before Ryan¡¯s skin covered everything back up. There was some noticeable scarring on his arm, yet it looked much better than my burn did when Charlie was done with it. She¡¯d definitely been practicing.


    Charlie stumbled back, nearly falling over a table against the wall. Rebecca caught her and propped her up by slipping an arm around her waist.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be all set in a few days.¡± Charlie gasped and wheezed, slowly sliding down Rebecca¡¯s body until she was on the ground.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked, kneeling next to her.


    ¡°Just tired. I never told you guys, but I should only heal once or twice a month. It exhausts me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but weren¡¯t you healing a bunch of people when, you know, that stuff happened?¡± Just because some of the cat was out of the bag with Dr. Karagas didn¡¯t mean I needed to spill all the beans, even though I didn¡¯t do a great job covering.


    ¡°Sure did,¡± Charlie croaked. ¡°Guess what happened? I almost died. I had to have a caretaker for a month. I could barely get up to use the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°If you need help, I¡¯ll come stay with you for a while,¡± Chloe offered, sitting next to the healer. ¡°I really can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your little brother. I wouldn¡¯t live with myself if I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°You did an incredible thing,¡± Dr. Karagas said, not just talking about the patient she helped. She continued to observe Ryan¡¯s arm. ¡°This is astounding. You could do great things with us here.¡±


    Charlie shook her head. ¡°Like I said, I can only do this so many times in a short span before I¡¯m on death¡¯s door myself. I feel like I¡¯m better suited as a first responder in cases where standard treatment isn¡¯t a viable option. Given the people I hang around, that¡¯s a bit more common than you might think.¡±


    Dr. Karagas shook her head, but it looked to be more from amazement. ¡°It¡¯s your choice, but this is incredible. There¡¯s no one else on the planet who could have done anything close to this. Well, maybe people who can heal like you can come close to this. Nothing in medicine has come this far. Full recoveries take months at a minimum.¡±


    When Ryan was taken off the anesthesia, he woke up, groggily looking around. It took him a bit to come to, but he was pretty coherent. There wouldn¡¯t be any funny videos of him saying silly things while still high as a kite, not that we would have recorded him even if he was acting that way.


    The first one to greet him was Megan. She put a quick kiss on his cheek and shyly looked down. ¡°Thanks for stopping the dog.¡±


    Rebecca and Chloe both let out little gasps. I just chuckled behind my hand. Even Dr. Karagas couldn¡¯t resist smiling.


    ¡°What?¡± Megan asked, noticing us staring at her. She pointed right at Rebecca. ¡°You do that to Ethan. He does it back. Shelly does it to her boyfriend. You do it to the people you care about.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± I said. ¡°Usually you don¡¯t...ah, never mind. If he¡¯s okay with it, you can show how you care about him how you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°That was so cute,¡± Rebecca whispered. ¡°They¡¯re definitely going to date when they get older.¡±


    I had been so excited to pretend to be like one of those dads you see on TV when he finds out someone is dating his daughter. I thought it¡¯d be fun to make up a bunch of fake rules for them to date and act like a bit of a dick. If Ryan was going to be her boyfriend, then there was no way I could play that game with the kid. Not when he just risked himself to save my daughter in a nightmare I never wanted to think about again.

 Book Three - Chapter Forty-One

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 Book Three - Chapter Forty-Two

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    just McLeod that you have to worry about taking down."


    did get you good.¡±