《The Delusion of Stars》


 The Dream of Stars

    My eyes are drawn toward the dark night''s sky with not a star in sight. Despite wearing extra layers, the cold chills me to my bones.


    I need to get home and get to bed already.


    The soft crunch of snow beneath my feet is contrasted by the occasional car whizzing by. The snow fell in sheets, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.


    As I approached a crosswalk on the street right before my home, I glanced to my left to see the faint silhouette created by the headlights of a car barreling out of control towards a young girl.


    Had she done something wrong? Was she bad? Then why? Why must her life come to an end in such a meaningless way?


    Before I knew it, my legs were carrying me towards the distant silhouette. The cold snow and winds pelted my face. The crunches of snow grew louder as I picked up pace. Despite my effort, how am I supposed to make it there before she gets hit? I''m useless. As far from a hero as you can get.


    A sudden strength coursed through my body. With one kick off of the ground, I closed the distance between us in a second.


    Blinded by headlights, I reached out and gently shoved the girl away from the vehicle, taking her place.


    The light engulfed me and right before the impact,


    "Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­"


    I blink open my eyes just to shut them again. I roll over and cover my ears with my pillow, desperately trying to finish my dream.


    "Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­"


    I groaned as I sat up and hit my alarm clock. It was time for school already.


    I wonder if I saved that girl, in my dream.


    When I stood up out of my bed to get ready for class, a weight left my lap and hit the floor. A strange yellow rock lay on the ground. I inspected the odd rock which seemed to be more of a gem. It appeared to be very valuable. Inside the gem was a glitter-like glow. It shimmered and sparkled like nothing I had seen before. It was oval in shape and about the size of your fingertip.


    My appraisal was interrupted by my mom yelling to make sure I was awake.


    "I''m coming, I''m coming!" I hollered back, stuffing the gem into my pocket.


    Quickly changing into my uniform, I brushed my teeth and headed downstairs. My mom had already prepared a nice breakfast for me. It was eggs and bacon. A standard meal for any occasion.


    Scarfing down my meal so I wouldn''t be late, I thanked my mom and headed out the door.


    I hopped on my bike and flung my bag over my shoulder. I took off and went straight to school.


    I''ve never been a big fan of school. I''m not the smartest or most sociable. I don''t have a tight group of friends and mostly just have acquaintances. By not sociable, I mean that I get into a lot of fights. When people are wrong I feel a need to speak up, that little habit has been a major reason I don''t have any friends. My fights are usually physical and I don''t have a great win rate either. It''s fifty-fifty at best.


    Slowing to a stop, I locked my bike onto a rack and prepared myself for another slow day at school.


    The high school buses, having just dropped off the last set of students, began to drive away. I hurriedly jogged to catch up with the last crowd.


    Mixing in with the people, I directed my gaze to my feet and kept to myself. The kids around me were loud. They talked of their upcoming sports game and asked each other if they had heard about what that cheerleader did. All pointless conversation as they padded out their bland days. Not that I''m any better. I''m worse. I call my days bland while doing nothing to change that.


    The day passed as I had expected, slow and filled with tedium. As the last bell rang the whole class filed out the door, I looked out the window and patiently waited for the hallway to clear. It''s hard enough going through the crowd in the morning, in the afternoon it''s even worse. Kids are desperate to get home, some of them are even coming straight from P.E. It''s just awful.


    When the sound dies down and I know the halls are clear, I get out of my chair and head back to the entrance of the building, or rather, my exit. My mind wandered on my way through the empty corridors as I meaninglessly thought about entrances and exits. An entrance for one is an exit for another. When you exit a building, you enter the outside. Two seemingly opposites can mean the exact same thing, it just depends who''s looking.


    Thud.


    While I was distracted by silly wordplay, I walked straight into someone. It was a pretty hard impact too, I hope they''re all right.


    I opened my eyes to see the still empty hall. For a few moments, it almost feels like I imagined the whole event. I glance around and just as I get ready to continue walking, a girl around my age appears on the floor.


    How could I have not seen her? She was there the whole time but I just now picked up on her.


    The girl was short with wavy hair that stretched down past her shoulders. Her bangs were long and reached just above her light brown eyes that matched her hair. She''s thin and seems to be in the same grade as me.


    The girl looked up at me in surprise. She scrambled onto her feet and turned to run away.


    "Wait!" I shouted without thinking, "Are you alright? I didn''t see you there."


    She slowly turned around but only wordlessly shook her head up and down in response to my question. She must be really shy. She even waited for the halls to clear like I did, although I didn''t do it for the same reason.


    The girl opened her mouth and hesitated for a moment, "¡­ You see me?"


    "Of course. Was I not supposed to?" That had to be the weirdest question I''ve ever heard. Did she mean to ask if I already saw her somewhere else? She probably meant to say ''did you see me,'' "Did you do something embarrassing in class?"


    "Of course not!" Her voice shot up for a moment but then quieted down and she blushed, "No¡­ it''s just that I had a series of strange occurrences today."


    "Like what? Maybe I could help."


    "¡­" She hesitated to confide in a stranger she just met. Understandable. Surprisingly, she went on. "Well, maybe it''s my imagination, but it seemed like everyone was ignoring me. Normally that wouldn''t be such a bad thing, but coming out of nowhere like this it was really frightening. I¡­ it felt like¡­ I think I might have been invisible."


    This girl bumped into me and is now claiming to have been invisible. As crazy as that sounds, there was that moment when I couldn''t tell what I bumped into. Well, no matter what, this seems pretty interesting. Even if I end up being unable to help, I think that I do need to at least try and solve her problem.


    "If you want, I could try and help you out. I doubt any of this is more than a coincidence, but I would like to put it out there that I didn''t see you for the first few seconds after we bumped."


    The girl didn''t seem surprised by this. She really must''ve endured being ignored all day. She spoke in her shy quiet tone, "Who are you?"


    Who am I? Oh, my name.


    "I''m Allen, and what''s your name?" I rephrased her question the proper way.


    "Sarah."


    "¡­"


    That conversation died fast! I knew that I wasn''t great at socializing, but talking to someone who is even worse at it is hard!


    "So¡­ Do you want to talk about it more outside? We should get out of here before the school closes."


    We passed through the entrance-turned-exit and re-positioned ourselves on the side of the school. On our way out, Sarah was extremely quiet and I couldn''t think of any small talk to make before we started our real discussion.


    Walking around the school, we paused just before turning the corner. There was a bit of yelling and it sounded like a fight was going to break out. The sounds were coming from along the wall on the side of the building. It was a good place to cause trouble because it was hard to see through the relatively large amounts of trees around this area. It was almost like a forest that stopped against the side of the school. I knew this place a little too well as it was the go-to for settling one of my ''discussions.''


    "What''d ya just say, punk?" A deep voice threatened from around the corner.


    I peaked around to see what was going on. Three guys surrounded another one backed against a wall.


    I need to help him! It felt weird thinking that because the man against the wall was clearly bigger and stronger than I was. Not that that mattered when you were outnumbered.


    The cornered man brushed back his medium length black hair with his fingers. He seemed calm and collected despite the equally strong looking guys around him. He inhaled slowly and then let out a large sigh. Suddenly, his face boiled red as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I said you better apologize before I count to ten or I''ll beat your ass!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The three bullies laughed as they considered their odds of winning against the cornered boy. No doubt they would take him down with minimal effort.


    Through their laughter they taunted him, "Awwww, is someone mad that we called them ''poverty''?"


    Another wail of laughter took them over at the sound of the childish and strange insult. It ended as quickly as it started when the victim threw a punch straight in the gut of one of his perpetrators. He collapsed and was immediately out of the fight.


    "Hey!" One of the lackey''s tried to send a right hook at the ''victim'' who swiftly dodged despite his large stature. He got down on the ground and threw a sweeping kick to take down the attacker.


    Stomping on the man''s stomach, he slowly turned to the last one standing.


    The final member of their crew was almost shaking. He took two steps back before regaining his confidence. A knife flips out of his pocket and gleams in the light.


    This is dangerous! Someone''s going to get hurt!


    The knifer let out a last chuckle as he brandished his weapon. The strong one who had just regained his composure after stomping that goon suddenly had another fit of rage at the sight of the knife.


    The air started to feel warmer and the powerful man''s body seemed to warp in a haze of heat. In the blink of an eye, he charges the knife wielding delinquent.


    With a thrust of his knife, he barely misses his mark.


    The man charging with his full force, dodges the knife and nails a large uppercut on the chin of the now humiliated child.


    I had just watched something amazing. It was three on one and yet they were dominated. And from the looks of it, they deserved what was coming to them. I''m almost ashamed to have considered helping. I probably would''ve held him back.


    "Hey mister! That was amazing!" I called out from around the corner. Sarah turned pale like I had just called for the attention of the devil.


    "Eh? Who are you? Wanna piece of me too, is that it?"


    "Eek. Of course not. I just couldn''t help but notice that you literally heated up the battlefield. What was that?"


    He looked genuinely confused, "I did what now?"


    "You know. The warmth and the haze and all that. Just look at that guy''s chin, he got burnt," I pointed to the knife wielding kid who had a red mark under his face.


    There was silence and then an unexpectedly upbeat answer.


    "I have no clue!" A large grin was smeared across his face.


    These cases may very well be related. The invisible girl and the flaming delinquent. Puzzled, I place my hands into my pockets looking for an answer. Oh, right. I had that gem in there. It had completely slipped my mind. Did I not check my pockets all day?


    Momentarily forgetting the mysterious super powers, I continue my exam on the gem-like rock.


    The muscular man looked intrigued, "Hey, you''ve got one of those too?"


    He pulled out another similar looking gem. They both glittered in the same exact way and were the same size. The main difference was the color. Instead of yellow, it was a light shade of red.


    Sarah followed suit and stumbled through her bag to reveal a gem of deep purple.


    Well isn''t this a strange occurrence? I immediately put two and two together. What''re the odds that I meet two people with the same mysterious gem as me and they both have had some type of supernatural occurrence. Might I have a super power too?


    "While you went on fire, it seems that Sarah here turned invisible earlier today," I informed the man, wait do I even know his name? I asked him the proper way, "Um¡­ what''s your name?"


    "Name''s Dylan. Nice to meet you¡­"


    "Allen," I finished his sentence.


    We went to a local cafe together and talked for a while.


    "So it seems that you two have some sort of ability. If the stone has anything to do with it, I probably have it as well. On the other hand, these may not be abilities, but something else. Anything else strange with you two?"


    They both shook their heads. Despite the vast differences between them, they got along well.


    We also talked about the powers themselves and tried to recreate the ability. Something weird definitely happened with those two. I really hope that it''s superpowers, but what''re the odds of that?


    To my surprise, Sarah managed to turn invisible again. One moment she was there, and then before our eyes, she vanished entirely. Her weight still imprinted on the cafe chair, but her body was nowhere to be seen. There was a shocked look on Dylan''s face and I bet there was one on mine too. I couldn''t tell what Sarah''s face looked like, because, well, you know.


    It took Sarah a few minutes, but she got the hang of turning invisible at will. Dylan however, wasn''t able to activate the heat again at all. Interesting.


    He probably can''t use his power because it has some kind of trigger that we don''t know. If we assume that is true and assume that everyone who has a stone has a power, I wonder what mine is and the trigger would be. It doesn''t seem that Sarah''s invisibility has any conditions on it so maybe only some are like that. There are still so many unanswered questions but that just means we need more tests!


    "Let''s try to figure out your ability, Allen. Mine seems like a lost cause for now," Dylan looked a bit disappointed. He probably wants to see fire magic as much as I do. Especially because it''s his.


    "Well, what do you suppose I should try? We don''t have a clue as to what mine even is. We are only assuming that I have one in the first place, it''s never been seen," I try to hide my excitement and anticipation of having magical abilities.


    Sarah looks thoughtfully in the corner while me and Dylan discuss possibilities. She seems like more of a thinker and observer type.


    "Speed?"


    "Electricity?"


    "Flight?"


    Me and Dylan traded ideas about what I might have.


    "Fire!"


    "No, you already have that."


    "Oh right," Dylan chuckled with a big smile on his face. "I thought that one''d suit you too."


    Wait. Who''s to say two people can''t have the same ability? Sure that might be how it works in comics, but this is real life. As real as invisibility and fire magic is anyway. What if everyone with a stone has the same set of abilities?


    "Hey, Sarah," I call out to the most powerful magic user I know. She sounds like a wizard when I say it like that, "How do you use invisibility? Is there some trick to it? How does it feel to be invisible?"


    Suddenly barraged with questions, Sarah wincingly tries to put her thoughts into words, "U-Um- well- it''s kind of like-"


    She takes a deep breath and collects her thoughts. She thinks for a moment and then opens her mouth again, "It activates when I don''t want to be seen. To go invisible, I have to deeply wish that no one can see me. Or maybe I believe that no one sees me," She stops to think again, "As for how it feels, I don''t like it. Maybe it''s because the first time I used it I couldn''t stop. It feels like I''m all alone, even when everyone is there. It isn''t a bad feeling, but I don''t like it."


    Wow. That was a lot more than I thought coming from her. Maybe that quiet thinking type causes her thoughts to be a lot more fleshed out.


    Dylan blinks a few times in confusion, "I see. I don''t get it."


    Sarah probably said more at once than he could take in. On the other hand, I close my eyes before responding and try to imagine the feeling of invisibility that she had described. The world turns black and I am left alone in my mind. I feel the loneliness of a world without me.


    Reopening my eyes, I am met with the sight of Sarah staring at me with anticipation and Dylan holding his eyes closed tight and almost popping a blood vessel trying to imagine what Sarah had said. But, because Sarah is making direct eye contact with me, it seems I can''t turn invisible.


    "Well I guess I don''t have invisibility."


    "Huh?"


    I had forgotten to even tell everyone my idea because I was lost in thought. I should fill them in, "I thought maybe we all had the same powers. Or that maybe I also had the same ability as someone else. At the very least, I don''t have invisibility."


    "Oh, that was a good idea. I''m surprised I didn''t consider it," Sarah quietly announces her appreciation of my failed idea.


    Dylan is concentrating so hard his face has turned red. He suddenly opened his eyes and held up a three on his hand.


    "How many fingers!?"


    "Wow! Where did he go?" I looked just over his shoulder.


    "Yes! Mission success!" He seemed really happy and now I felt bad.


    Sarah couldn''t contain herself and started laughing. This was the loudest I have ever heard her so far.


    Dylan looked at me in realization. He seemed a bit disappointed at first. I was starting to feel even worse. Then, a big smile appeared. He started laughing at the prank that I had felt bad about. Relieved, I joined the laughter.


    We all laughed so much we had tears in our eyes. We stopped and looked at each other silently, holding back the giggles. Dylan was the first to crack, sending us all back into hilarity.


    After a while, we all settled back down. I haven''t talked to friends like this in a long time. I''ve been missing out. I hope that I can talk to these two more often.


    Getting back on track, I said, "I guarantee that we aren''t the only ones who''ve had supernatural experiences. To learn more about these powers, we''re going to need to find others like us."


    Dylan asks, "How''re we supposed to do that, though?"


    Sarah speaks up after a few seconds. She''s been thinking about something for a while, "¡­ What if we started a new club at our school? I mean, like, what if we put up posters for our club around school and subtly mention the gems. Uh¡­ we could be the geology club? Then we could put a picture of our rocks with it."


    That was genius. If there were others like those two, they would be sure to notice their abilities and the stone after a while. If they ever seek answers, they would be led to the geology club. Maybe we could learn from whoever joined too! Hopefully we don''t get any people who are simply interested in the dirt.


    It was unanimous. That''s what we were going with. Sarah blushed when we praised her idea and she claimed it wasn''t that good.


    The three of us continued to talk and mess around. I had lost track of time and Dylan said he had to go home soon. I waved goodbye to Dylan and Sarah shortly after.


    I biked my way home realizing that for the first time in a while, I had fun interacting with friends. I usually would have avoided someone like Dylan but he''s pretty nice.


    I made myself a frozen dinner and then watched some television before bed. My parents are police officers who work late hours. I don''t see them much other than before school and on weekends.


    Laying down, I yawned and started drifting to sleep. Sarah said that she would take care of the posters so I didn''t have anything to worry about. Actually, I''m rather excited! This is going to be fun. My final year of high school is going to be action packed with superpowers!


    A few days passed and they were uneventful. A couple of people tried joining our club, but they just liked rocks. We mostly spent time messing around after school, trying to activate Dylan''s power and playing with invisibility.


    Sigh¡­ We can''t discover anything new unless we have more occurrences of these powers! We need to find a new person.


    "Bzzzzt¡­"


    "Pling Pling Pling"


    "Ba-ding!"


    The three of our phones got notifications simultaneously. They all had an email from the same address. This had to be a response to our poster!


    Dylan was beaming. Even Sarah couldn''t hide her excitement. I opened my phone and read the mail aloud. Even though they had it too, it would be the most fun to read it together.


    "Have you had any supernatural occurrences lately? If not then please ignore this message. I am contacting all three members of the ''Geology'' club to ask if you would like to meet up with some other people in similar predicaments. A conference, if you will. We would like to meet up tomorrow, Saturday. I know that is soon but it seems this is an important matter. We will try to discover as much about those gems as possible. I look forward to seeing you there." There was an address, meeting time, and picture of a gray gem attached.


    Dylan immediately expresses his position, "We''re definitely going, right?"


    "Of course!"


    Sarah nodded in agreement as well.


    I replied to the email and informed the sender that we were free to go.


    Later that night, I roll over in my bed. I can''t sleep. I can''t tell if I''m excited or scared. Super powers are awesome, but they could be scary, especially considering that I can''t even use them. Maybe I''ve been watching too much television but I feel like this meeting may go south.


    Lost in my thoughts, I roll out of bed and put on a jacket. I leave my house and step out into the cold air. It was the beginning of spring so it was still really chilly. I take a deep breath in and out.


    I wonder if I could use magic to become a hero? I''ve never been able to be one before. All I''m capable of is petty fisticuffs. I argue with those who are wrong to show them the truth. If I was stronger, I could protect all that is good. That is the person I aspire to be. One who protects good, no matter the cost. One who has the power to be righteous. All of that is just a silly dream though.


    My eyes are drawn towards the bright night''s sky. A million stars lined the cosmos. I take another deep breath and raise my hand towards the stars. Grasping at them, I decide to return to my slumber.

 Seeds of Doubt

    My alarm clock buzzes me awake at noon. It¡¯s the weekend, so sleeping in is my first priority. I quickly roll out of bed and put on street clothes, preparing for our meeting.


    I arrived at our usual cafe with Sarah and Dylan. We have our appointment with the mysterious emailer soon. We thought it would be best if the three of us met up first so that we can all arrive together. The location is pretty shady too. We¡¯re supposed to meet at an old abandoned school building. It''s very small and probably only has a few rooms. It has laid vacant for decades now.


    After some brief chatting we hop in Sarah''s car to head to the meeting place. She says she can drive us there, so Dylan and I accept her offer.


    She drives carefully and is very attentive.


    "Thanks again," I smile.


    "Of course. Anytime."


    "I hate having to make you drive us though."


    I have my license but not my own car. I would borrow my dad or mom''s, but Sarah had already offered.


    "Yeah," Dylan chimes in. "It''s really helpful. I don''t even have my license."


    Really? Hopefully the surprise isn¡¯t showing on my face. I got mine as soon as I was able to. I was super excited even though I barely got the opportunity to actually drive.


    "Eh? Why not?"


    "Well¡­ I failed the test a few times, and I wouldn''t be able to get a car anyway."


    Uh-oh. That was insensitive of me. He lashed out at those kids the first time I met him because they were calling him poor. His situation is probably complicated.


    The conversation falls to silence. I carefully follow the signs flying by with my eyes. This is nerve-wracking. We are all so nervous about how it will go.


    Suddenly, I realize that I have forgotten my gem at home. It''s too late to go back, though. I''m sure it''ll be fine.


    The car slows down, and we park in a lot a ways off from the building. I eagerly hop out of the car. Even though there¡¯s a chance for this to go poorly, it¡¯s still exciting to see more people like us.


    "I hope there''s someone there who has fire like me!"


    Dylan is talkative now that we¡¯re getting close to our destination.


    Sarah watches her feet closely and doesn''t look up. Maybe she''s scared? Or is she just being shy like usual?


    I put my hand on her shoulder, and she jerks her head up at me. I give her the most reassuring face I can.


    "What are you doing? You look like you just got an awful Christmas present."


    "Rude!"


    Looks like operation Reassuring Face was a failure.


    Dylan laughs at that comment, which causes me and Sarah to chuckle too.


    Sarah looks forward and walks a bit ahead of us. Maybe I could call it a success after all? She faces up and seems to be in a better mood.


    When we arrive at the old school, I knock on the door. It¡¯s a very small building made of brick. There are windows, but they are cracked and deeply stained a mossy green. The door has an old style to it that is entirely composed of slightly rotting wood.


    This place is a dump.


    I stop and notice voices on the other side. There are two distinct voices that sound happy. They continue to carry on their conversation without moving any closer. Seems they didn¡¯t hear me.


    Turning the knob, I walk in and wave the others to follow.


    The inside of the building is a little better than the outside. It is a short hallway with two rooms. One on each side. Those must have been classrooms. The voices come from the room on the left, so we all go there first.


    There¡¯s no door on the hinges to this class, so I immediately make eye contact with the people inside.


    Two school kids are sitting next to each other around a circular table. A loud girl is hanging off of a male younger classman with her arm around his shoulder. The boy seems to be in around the eighth grade, so the age difference is significant. He is short and cute with short brown hair. His wrist has a bandage wrap on it.


    The girl looks a bit older than me, but she¡¯s probably still in school as well. She is tall, hot, has tan skin and long blonde hair. She¡¯s laughing while putting all of her weight onto the boy with her arm around him. She gradually stops laughing as we walk in, and they both turn to look at us.


    There is a long silence. Awkwardly, I turn my eyes to avoid eye contact, and that''s when I notice the third person in the room. He is tall with long black hair and is playing on his phone. The phone is a relatively old model. He has completely ignored us and sits alone.


    I turn to my friends, and Dylan seems a bit shocked but regains his confidence quickly. I feel Sarah''s hands on my back as she hides behind me to avoid direct eye contact with the people she doesn''t know.


    If she doesn''t want to be seen badly enough, she may have accidentally turned invisible. I look at her concerned, and she seems to know what I mean without me saying it. She simply shrugs it off. Her control over the power must already be pretty solid.


    Dylan says the first word to break the silence.


    "Yo."


    The girl''s face is serious, but she still hangs off of the much smaller boy casually. She analyzes us for a second more and then laughs a bit. Every time she moves, the boy seems slightly uncomfortable.


    "Hey, you''re the ones who called the meeting, right? Why''d you leave us hangin''? The girl seems upset, but not to a point where it would last.


    "Oh, so they called you guys too? We didn''t make the meeting; we''re guests too."


    "Tch. That good-for-nothing host still isn''t here?"


    "Don''t be mean," The boy pinches her cheek, and she immediately puts her happy face on again.


    "Awww, you''re right," she looks back at us after her scolding, retaining her smile. "Who''re you guys anyway?"


    Doesn¡¯t anyone know how to ask for someone''s name? ¡°I''m Allen, and this is Sarah. Nice to meet you."


    I leave Dylan out because he''d want to speak for himself.


    "Name''s Dylan."


    "I''m Christina and this is Simon."


    "Hey! You don''t have to say my name for me!"


    "Sorry, sorry."


    An unexpected voice comes from the corner. It''s deep and gloomy, "I''m Luke."


    I had already forgotten he was there! He might as well have invisibility too.


    The three of us take a seat across from Christina and Simon.


    As we wait for the host to arrive, there is not a moment of silence. Christina and Dylan are getting along nicely.


    "So you guys have gems too, huh? Mine''s an awesome red!"


    "A red one? That goes well with my pink. What colors do you guys have?" She turns to Sarah and I.


    "Yellow and Purple."


    "Sweet. Simon here has a green one," Simon once again insists that he can speak for himself, but he¡¯s ignored this time. "Oi! Luke, what''s yours?"


    The gloomy boy replies, "Blue," without even looking up.


    "Have any of you figured anything out about these powers yet?" I ask.


    "Naturally," Christina claims sarcastically. "I''m an insane wizard. I have some mad magic skills."


    She could''ve just said no.


    Dylan plays along.


    "That¡¯s incredible!"


    "Can you demonstrate some of your abilities for us?" A new voice continues the bit from the hallway. It sounds somewhat familiar.


    A girl walks in. She has brown hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of blue. She is about average height and is very slim. Her face wears an expression that almost seems happy for no reason. Despite having a familiar voice, her face doesn¡¯t ring any bells.


    "Finally! Are you our host?" Christina looks relieved that she¡¯s finally here, but also a bit mad.


    Met with Christina¡¯s attitude, the new girl brushes it off and plays it cool, "No. I guess that means I¡¯m waiting on him too then?"


    She casually takes a seat next to me.


    "My name is Rachel. What¡¯re your names?"


    With the first proper introduction, we go around the table introducing ourselves again.


    "Please show us your magic, Wizard!" Dylan still wants to continue the joke.


    "I don¡¯t normally show off, but just this once I will demonstrate my other-worldly omnipotent powers," Christina continues.


    There is a dramatic pause as she slowly reaches into her pocket. Gently, her palm unfolds in front of us revealing a quarter. She grabs it between her index finger and her thumb and displays it to us.


    "Now watch closely."


    She sets it back in the palm of her left hand and then compresses it with her right. She squeezes down on it tightly.


    Slowly, her hands open up but the coin is nowhere to be found. She displays her empty palms proudly. The coin has vanished!


    Truly magic worthy of a fantasy novel.


    "Incredible~" Simon sarcastically compliments her display. He reaches behind her hands and pulls the coin from between her fingers. Sitting beside her ruined the trick for him.


    "Hey!"


    I have to admit, this display is pretty amusing. They play-fought over the coin happily. Everyone¡¯s nerves have to have been completely eradicated by now. At least mine are.


    Sarah stifles giggles as she watches their performance.


    Christina wins the quarter back after a tug-of-war with Simon. They both smile wide and laugh.


    "Sorry I¡¯m late," A man¡¯s voice echoes through the hall before he walks in through the door-less doorway. "My name is Kyle. Nice to meet you."


    He has short curly black hair and dark brown eyes that are almost black. He is a little taller than average and wears a black jacket. It is early spring, but his jacket is clearly for much colder weather. Age-wise, he seems about my age though perhaps more mature. Bags under his eyes express strong fatigue. His posture is extremely poor and he speaks like he is about to fall asleep.


    "Oi! You made us wait, kid. What took you so long?" Christina¡¯s eyebrow twitches angrily. She and Simon have waited longer than anyone else.


    "Please excuse me. I wanted to give everyone some time before I started the meeting. I thought it would be best if you were all slightly acquainted before I got down to business," he speaks fluently without pausing or stumbling over his words. It¡¯s like he¡¯s meant to be here. Yet, the importance in the words he speaks is completely contrasted by the sound of his faintly sleepy voice.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    We once again introduce ourselves to the newcomer.


    He sits beside Christina and Simon. The table is now completely full with the perfect number of chairs. Eight of us sit around in total. Clockwise from Kyle, we have: Dylan the musclehead, Sarah the quiet kid, Me, Rachel the cheerleader stereotype, Luke the antisocial, Christina the party girl, and Simon the playful kid. My mind wanders helplessly curious as to what each of their powers are.


    "This is everyone that I called here. You should be aware as to why we¡¯re all here. We¡¯ve all come across a glittering gem and have run into supernatural occurrences since. I am confident that I found everyone in the city who has a power. I might¡¯ve missed one but I find that unlikely. Now, may I see your gems?"


    I reach into my pocket to grab mine. Oh yeah, I forgot it at home.


    Or maybe not? I pull it out of my pocket, but I could¡¯ve sworn I forgot it.


    We all reveal our gems. Red, purple, yellow, pink, green, blue, gray, and one other. The last one is an outlier. It shines with many colors. The gem itself is transparent but each glitter inside is of a different color. Kind of like a rainbow, just not in order. The colors are chaotically arranged with no rhyme or reason to them. It reminds me of a colorful firework. This gem belongs to Rachel.


    "I see. Now, can I confirm that each of you has a sort of ability or superpower? As of now, the ¡®supernatural occurrence¡¯ could be anything. However, from my experience, it seems we should have a controllable ability. Is that true for everyone?"


    It feels official, the way this is being conducted. It¡¯s almost like an interrogation. The atmosphere is so intense not even Dylan or Christina dare to speak. We all simply nod. Except for one.


    "Yes. It seems so," Rachel appears comfortable despite the circumstances.


    "Good. So there is some consistency."


    Simon interjects, "Oh! Wanna know my power?"


    "No.¡± Kyle replies fast and forcefully. ¡°We really shouldn¡¯t tell each other our powers."


    Why not? I¡¯m certain that¡¯s what we¡¯re all thinking. I still haven¡¯t gotten used to the atmosphere yet so I can¡¯t bring myself to ask.


    "Why is that?" Simon narrows his eyebrows, confused.


    "We can¡¯t quite trust each other yet," What a stunning response. He¡¯s expressing his distrust with people he met for the first time. It¡¯s only natural to be skeptical, but telling others you doubt them can bring unease. "There¡¯s too much we don¡¯t know. While there¡¯s no repercussion for doubting the trustworthy, the price of trusting the untrustworthy is great. Someone may use their knowledge of your power against you."


    "W-why would they do that!?"


    "I¡¯m not sure yet. We know nothing about these powers. Moving o-"


    Simon stands abruptly, knocking Christina off his shoulders.


    "My ability allows me to heal wounds through direct contact!" Simon boldly makes direct eye contact with Kyle in defiance and then the rest of the room. His face changes from anger to embarrassment as he swiftly sits back down. "I trust you all. I hope you can trust me too."


    Despite Simon¡¯s attempt to allow trust in the entire group, Kyle has already made it clear that trust could be dangerous. The seeds of doubt have been sown and won¡¯t leave easily. My opinion of Simon is now through the roof though. We might just be one of a kind. I need to make friends with him later.


    Even still, silence follows Simon¡¯s display of courage. Nobody would follow in revealing their ability.


    Christina looks proud of Simon but also conflicted. Even she doesn¡¯t follow him. Doubt¡¯s roots have dug into everyone. Christina puts her arm around Simon again. It doesn¡¯t seem playful this time. It¡¯s as if she¡¯s declaring, "Mess with him and you¡¯re dead." She holds him close and gives him her protection.


    "I¡¯m glad you feel that you can trust me so much. I¡¯m grateful and hope that I can live up to it. Although, I still will not be disclosing my power. Don¡¯t take it personally, I¡¯m a paranoid person," Kyle clears his throat, returning to before the interruption. "Moving on, I want to find out the significance of the gems themselves. Have any of you been without them?"


    "I left mine home on multiple occasions," I inform him, finally gaining my voice after Simon gave me bravery.


    "Are you certain?"


    What¡¯s that mean? I think I did. I thought I did. Speaking of, I thought I left it home today too, what¡¯s the deal with that?


    "I¡¯ve run a few tests and it seems that I can¡¯t escape from mine. After I got my power, I¡¯ve been doing nonstop testing."


    This guy is incredible.


    "I thought I forgot mine today, but it was in my pocket."


    "Exactly. The gems seem to always be with us. No matter how many times I lose it or throw it away, it will return to me when I reach for it. It seems the gem is doing something similar to teleporting. This is likely true for all of you as well. That seems to have been the case for Allen. Knowing this, to me, it means we should value the gems greatly. Something tells me that permanently losing the gem would be bad. Which leads me to a different theory: what would happen if your gem was stolen?"


    All of Kyle¡¯s tests were likely to have been purposefully leaving it or forgetting it like me, but what if it was intentionally stolen from you? You couldn¡¯t test something like that on your own.


    Dylan seems interested, "Don¡¯t the gems teleport? Wouldn¡¯t it just come back?"


    "Let¡¯s test it out then," Christina is on the same wavelength as Dylan.


    "That would be the obvious answer, but I think it¡¯s worth being cautious of. We don¡¯t know how precious these gems are yet. They seem to be the source of our power, but if we lose the gem, who knows what else may go with it? These powers are still a complete unknown."


    "Ehhh? What, you scared?" Christina teases him.


    "Yes. I would be fine testing with your gem, though," He reaches out his open hand.


    Christina looks dumbfounded at first, but slowly grows frustrated the more she stares at his open palm. Kyle¡¯s hand mocks her attitude and puts her in her place. His method of doing so only makes us all more scared though. The simple hand gesture is a threat. His paranoia has seeped into all of us. The atmosphere of the meeting grows heavy as his outstretched palm becomes a symbol of fear. Hand over your gem, and who knows what¡¯ll happen? It¡¯s magic, after all. Even though there¡¯s no indication that it¡¯s dangerous, the mere possibility is terrifying.


    I put my gem back into my pocket. Everyone else has the same idea.


    Simon attempts to roll his gem to the center of the table, but Christina grabs his shoulder firmly. She really needs to be there for him. He can do some stupid stuff, apparently.


    It looks like Rachel had already put her gem back in her pocket before all of this. She¡¯s quick.


    "Assuming that the gems are the source of our power, having more than one would most likely give a large increase in the potency of our magic. That¡¯s only speculation though. It¡¯s also possible that it would allow the use of the other¡¯s magic. Still, we need to find out what these abilities are exactly and how to be safe with them. The point of calling this conference was to see if we could all share our information. Does anyone else have any ideas?"


    Kyle casually slipped in a reason for us to steal another person¡¯s gem. It kind of feels like he¡¯s stirring up chaos on purpose. He seems like a very paranoid and cautious person, but his words have only caused more danger.


    "I may have something," Simon speaks up.


    All eyes turn to face him. The atmosphere is still tense, but he seems to have missed that.


    "How do I put this¡­? Well, right before my first run-in with my power, I had a dream. That itself isn¡¯t unusual, but it was a weird dream. Someone was in pain and I couldn¡¯t stand the sight. I felt helpless but suddenly, I was able to heal them. I thought it was just a random dream at first, but a few days later, I accidentally healed a small cat on the side of the road. He was injured, but when I picked him up, he ran away fully recovered."


    "Now that you mention it¡­" Rachel must¡¯ve had one too.


    Did I? I very vaguely remember something similar. What was that dream again? I ran to save someone really fast. Maybe super speed?


    My thinking is interrupted when both Christina and Dylan say they had one too. Sarah nods along as well.


    "I see¡­ this is valuable information. Any other ideas?" Met with silence, he continues. "Well then, the next order of business is to decide if we even want to continue this meeting. The bottom line is that we now have magic powers that may give us an edge in life. It may be best for some of us to continue our separate ways. We may want to use our powers freely at our own discretion, because the only people who can regulate them is us, the ones who know."


    The gloomy voice of Luke returns, "I think we should end the meeting here. We¡¯ve learned a bit of interesting trivia, but I just want to use my powers on my own. Having an edge up in life sounds great to me."


    No. No. That¡¯s all wrong. I need to correct that thinking.


    "We can¡¯t use our powers for ourselves! Sure, the powers are ours, but we could save so many people with them! Simon¡¯s, for example, would be incredibly helpful to humanity! We can¡¯t just keep them under wraps and only benefit ourselves."


    "That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve ever heard," Luke laughs. "You think that we¡¯re obligated to use our powers for others? Why would that be the case? They haven¡¯t done anything for me, so I don¡¯t see why I should help them. Besides, how do you know my power would be helpful to anyone?"


    We can¡¯t get along.


    Dylan backs me up, "We had to have been given these powers for a reason. I¡¯m sure that they can be used to help in some way. We need to help others because it¡¯s the right thing to do."


    Kyle interrupts, "Well now I¡¯m curious. How about we take an anonymous vote? It won¡¯t decide what everyone has to do, it¡¯ll just give us a good idea of where the general person stands. Would you rather leave the meetings and use your power alone, or attend them and use your power for a greater purpose?"


    He hands out pens and paper, and we each write our opinion on it. They are folded and put into a hat then shuffled.


    Kyle counts out how many voted on either staying or going. Surprisingly, it seems to be an even four to four mix.


    How could so many of us be so evil?


    How could they want to do that?


    Those of us who leave are the ones who would prefer to abuse their powers. Even if you simply want no part in this, now that you know, leaving would be the same as allowing others to abuse their power. Turning a blind eye to crime is just as bad as committing it.


    "It appears that it would be better to continue this conference another day. It will be optional as a few of us don¡¯t want to come. I¡¯m glad you all came and shared information. I look forward to seeing you all again."


    Luke and Kyle are the first to leave with almost no delay. Rachel stops to smile and wave goodbye before leaving the room.


    As everyone leaves their seats, I sit still with my hands over my head. I try to wrack my brain for answers. How can I use my power to help others? How can I get everyone else to do the same?


    Sarah silently puts her hand on my shoulder and sits next to me while Dylan leans next to the door patiently.


    Only me, Dylan, Sarah, Christina, and Simon stuck around. Simon is complaining to Christina about how selfish some of these people are.


    That¡¯s right, Simon! We think similarly. I need to make good friends with him.


    "Hey, Simon. Sorry I didn¡¯t reveal my power with you. Honestly, I still don¡¯t know mine yet. I should¡¯ve stuck up for you, but it was really nerve-wracking. I¡¯m on your side though."


    "You¡¯re Allen, right? Nice to meet you. What school do you go to?"


    "North East. You?"


    "Oh, I live really close! I go to North high."


    High school? I thought he was a middle schooler.


    "Are you some kind of boy genius or something?"


    With a strained smile he chuckles awkwardly, "No, no, I¡¯m not that young. I¡¯m probably only a year younger than you. I¡¯m a junior."


    ¡­


    It¡¯s impossible to keep the surprise off my face. I can¡¯t help but give him another once-over. He¡¯s so much shorter than me and his face is still immature and cute. No wonder Christina hung around him so much. From the way they act, they must have known each other for a long time.


    "Hey! Don¡¯t be so rude! Are you tryin¡¯ to make fun of him?"


    Speaking of Christina.


    "No. Sorry about that. It was just surprising. We should all hang out sometime. You¡¯re going to be going to the next conference, right?"


    "Yep! Me and Christina will be going as a package."


    "Sweet. I¡¯ll see you there."


    Feeling refreshed after talking to Simon, I walk out of the old school building.


    I catch Luke and Rachel in the last couple words of a conversation outside. As my eyes meet Luke¡¯s he immediately parts ways with Rachel. Maybe I should talk to her too.


    "You¡¯re Rachel, right? That meeting was pretty intense."


    "Yes. And you¡¯re Allen. The meeting was a bit direct, but I enjoyed it. I¡¯m excited to learn more about these powers."


    She still seems pretty familiar.


    "What school do you go to?"


    "North East. Same as you."


    Uh oh. How had I not recognized her!? I still don¡¯t, but she recognized me apparently! I need to play this off.


    "O-oh yes, of course. I remember now!"


    She gives me a knowing smile that takes pleasure in my embarrassment. Damn her!


    "Well, Allen, will I be seeing you at the next meeting?"


    "Of course."


    "Then I¡¯ll see you there."


    She walks off, still smiling about my struggle. Actually, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s stopped smiling since I first saw her. Rachel smiled in various ways according to the situation, but corners of her lips never fell.


    Anyway¡­ who all is coming to the next meeting? Me, Sarah, Dylan, Christina, Simon, Rachel, and of course Kyle. That¡¯s a lot more than four! The only other person, Luke, I haven¡¯t even asked yet. During the vote, only four people voted in favor of having more meetings. Did someone lie? But who lied and when? Was it to me when I asked if they were coming, or during the vote? Maybe a few people didn¡¯t want more meetings but were still willing to attend them? That seems odd.


    No use in thinking about it. I may as well go home for now and wait until the next meeting. Wait, when even is it? Kyle never set a date, so I guess he¡¯ll have to message us. He has all of our contact information. I should probably get everyone¡¯s too.


    Sarah drives me back to the cafe and waves us off. I say my goodbyes and ride my bike back to my house.


    It¡¯s a weekend, so my parents are home. I hardly see them, so we aren¡¯t too close. I have an older brother as well. He¡¯s already out of college and has a successful career.


    "I¡¯m back! I was just out eating with some friends!" I shout from the entrance.


    "Welcome home! I¡¯m making eggs for dinner! Will you be hungry!?" Mom shouts back.


    "Yeah! Call me down when it¡¯s done!"


    I don¡¯t have any hobbies, so I just play on my computer to waste time.


    I eat dinner and then mess around before bed.


    My phone buzzes as I receive a group message on my phone from Kyle. He proposes another meeting tomorrow. I respond that I¡¯ll be attending, and Dylan and Sarah agree too. The message was only to the three of us. I guess he¡¯ll be messaging the others individually.


    I lay down and try to understand what our meeting today meant.


    My power is still unclear. It could be just about anything at this point. If we assume my dream had something to do with it, it could be strength or speed. Maybe something more obscure.


    I need to use my power in a meaningful way that helps others. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s why I was given it. Maybe I can be the hero I have always dreamed of. I just need some more strength. But, that¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? My power hasn¡¯t even been used yet, so it can¡¯t be too strong.


    Sarah¡¯s is amazing; she can use hers on command!


    What if mine was more powerful? If I had another gem¡­ could that allow me to accomplish my goals? Maybe the gems could allow me to make a wish like in a fairy tale. There¡¯s no way to find out, though. Stealing the gems is out of the question.


    I think of all the possibilities the powers can accomplish. I could be a hero. I could be the person I¡¯ve always dreamed of and admired. I just need more¡­ power.


    The dream sparkles like stars in the sky, and I fall asleep.

 Eyes Like Ice

    My alarm gets me up just in time to make it to today¡¯s meeting. Rolling out of bed, my mind endlessly wanders through the complex situation our meeting had laid out. I message Dylan and Sarah that I¡¯ll be biking to the school building alone today. They replied that they¡¯d meet me there.


    After getting ready for the day, I walk downstairs following a familiar smell.


    ¡°Good morning Allen! Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°Eggs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed!¡±


    Mom hardly makes anything else, not that she doesn¡¯t know how to. Still, they¡¯re quick, easy, and delicious. I¡¯m just thankful she cooks for me in the first place.


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡±


    I took my time to eat. There¡¯s still some hesitation in me because of how real the last meeting was.


    ¡°Something wrong, sweetie?¡±


    ¡°No, but these eggs sure are delicious!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. Take as many as you want.¡±


    I take my time with breakfast and leave the house casually, hopping onto my bike.


    Biking is great. It¡¯s fun and healthy. The feeling of the breeze in my hair is amazing. Riding my bike is one of the few things I truly enjoy doing. Still, the cardio parches my throat.


    Just before arriving at the abandoned school building, I stop at a nearby gas station. Ice cold soda is best after a nice bike ride.


    Though I guess the school isn¡¯t ¡®abandoned¡¯ anymore. We occupy it now.


    What should I get¡­ maybe a root beer? I¡¯ll go with that. I don¡¯t want to be late.


    Picking up my drink, I head to the cashier and check out.


    ¡°Come again!¡±


    The bell on the door chimes as I leave.


    With a crack of the aluminum tab followed by the soft sound of compressed air escaping the can, a gulp of the fizzy soda slides right down my throat.


    Refreshing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± A threatening voice calmly demands from behind me.


    I stop abruptly. It takes a few moments before my brain has a chance to allow the fear to set in. A freezing cold sharply chills the back of my neck making me jump a bit. It feels like a blade made of ice. The chill of metal is distinctly different from whatever is on my neck, this knife feels almost wet. Warm blood trickles down the back of my neck with a sting.


    ¡°Good. Now hand over your gem. Reach into your pocket and slowly reveal it.¡±


    This man. He camped by our meeting place where he knew we¡¯d show up, waiting for a single straggler to appear by themselves.


    Having no alternative, I cautiously remove my gem from my pocket.


    What a horrible person. I hope he gets what¡¯s coming to him. The world would be better off without scum like him.


    He should just die already.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t wait around for someone else to punish him. I need to do it myself. That¡¯s right. He¡¯s a villain. He¡¯s evil. So I have to do something. No God will punish him for his actions. I¡¯ll erase him from this world so he can¡¯t hurt anyone else.


    I¡¯ll kill him.


    Adrenaline surges through me as my grip tightens on my glittering yellow gem.


    ¡°Hey, Allen!¡± Dylan calls out to me from a car pulling into the gas station.


    The attacker, not willing to take on more than one person, pulls the weapon away and takes off. He escapes through the trees behind the station before I can catch his face.


    ¡°That was Luke, right? What was he doing?¡± On the other hand, Dylan recognizes him immediately, he couldn¡¯t have seen his face either.


    ¡°That bastard tried to mug me for my gem!¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re messing, right? Luke did?¡±


    Furious and frustrated, my mind loses focus on the conversation.


    ¡°Damn! He got away! We need to tell the others about this.¡±


    I get on my bike and speed off. Dylan says something but it¡¯s too late. I¡¯m already gone. I¡¯m way too pissed off to participate in a civil conversation right now. If we kept talking, I¡¯d likely just take out my anger on him.


    Gritting my teeth, I stomp into the meeting room. Dylan and Sarah try to catch up close behind.


    ¡°Luke attacked me.¡±


    Kyle looks up nonchalantly, completely unsurprised.


    Simon, Kyle, and Christina are sitting at the table. Rachel and Luke skipped.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Rachel?¡±


    ¡°She said she had something important to do, ¡°Kyle responds. ¡°Anyway, what was that about Luke?¡±


    ¡°He put a freezing knife to my neck and demanded my gem. Dylan called out to me and scared him off.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ this fell apart faster than anticipated. Maybe it¡¯s better we never hold another meeting. At the very least, Luke is already hostile towards us, but if another person secretly wanted to steal our gems, it would be far too easy grouped up like this. While I just recommended that we never hold another, it¡¯s still important to keep in touch. I¡¯ll give you all of each other¡¯s contact information before we part ways.¡± he looks up curiously. ¡°A freezing knife, though? That¡¯s probably something to do with his ability.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Kyle.¡±


    Simon looks horrified at the news, ¡°You were attacked? That¡¯s horrible! Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Oh, now that you mention it,¡± I turn around to show him the shallow cut on the back of my neck.


    Simon¡¯s hand touches my cut. It stings for a moment, but then the pain fades away entirely, along with the cut itself.


    The fact that something so unnatural is really happening makes our situation sink in that much more. With genuine appreciation, ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Thanks.¡±


    His lips curl with the most genuine smile I¡¯ve ever seen.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help!¡±


    Once again, I notice the wrap on his wrist.


    ¡°What happened to your hand? Can¡¯t you heal it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. I fell on it and it got sprained. It looks like my power can¡¯t heal me, only others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s inconvenient¡­¡±


    ¡­


    That¡¯s also his biggest weakness!? Does he really feel comfortable telling me that? If I ask him why he told me it would only hurt our trust, so I keep the thought to myself.


    ¡°You better not get any wise ideas now that you know how his power works. Not like that idiot, Luke,¡± Christina is as tactless as always. Although, I suppose that could be seen as cute with her standing up for Simon.


    ¡°Of course not. I just got attacked, myself.¡±


    Kyle¡¯s impatience runs thin, ¡°At any rate¡­ we need to notify Rachel and decide what to do about Luke. It¡¯s not really Simon or Christina¡¯s problem though.¡±


    ¡°Why not? We¡¯re in this together!¡± I retort.


    ¡°Well Luke goes to North East too. Now that he failed his first attempt, he¡¯ll have to assume we won¡¯t be meeting here anymore. If he wants to take someone¡¯s gem, it¡¯ll be the people right at his doorstep. The only ones here who go to North East are you three and Rachel. In other words, you¡¯re his targets. Not us. I suggest forming a group with Rachel and sticking together for now. As long as you remain close, he can¡¯t attack. It would also be wise not to let him know where you live. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯d go as far as to attack your relatives, but caution is always wise.¡±


    Kyle seems to have been prepared for a scenario like this. From his word choice, he¡¯s been expecting it. You¡¯d think that something that he himself openly calls ¡°paranoia¡± would be less helpful and on the dot.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I concede. There¡¯s no use in endangering Simon and Christina. ¡°Can you help arrange a meeting with the three of us and Rachel tomorrow at school? I don¡¯t have her contact yet and I¡¯m sure she knows you better.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll mediate between you and notify you when the plans are set up.¡±


    Kyle is surprisingly reliable. Well, maybe it isn¡¯t surprising. He did find seven ability users in the time it took me to find two¡­ and I happened to run into them by accident. Now that I find myself admiring Kyle¡¯s diligence so much, it¡¯s starting to feel impossible that he missed any ability users. We may be the only ones. At least in the city.


    ¡°I know Luke pretty well,¡± Dylan speaks slowly and carefully, his face somberly determined despite usually being upbeat and loud all the time. ¡°We used to be good friends. I¡¯m sure that I can solve this peacefully. So¡­ I¡¯ll talk with him,¡±


    Luke and Dylan used to be friends? Having an old friend attack someone like that¡­ he must be confused. When they were friends, I bet Dylan wouldn¡¯t have thought of him as the type of person who would stoop to such low actions.


    Kyle shakes his head in disapproval, ¡°You know him better than me, but I don¡¯t think talking is an option. If it were, he wouldn¡¯t have jumped Allen. He¡¯s not the talkative sort anyway. I¡¯m not telling you that you shouldn¡¯t talk to him, but I don¡¯t think you should. Still, no matter what, I¡¯ll be assisting you wherever I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m going to solve this peacefully.¡±


    Dylan won¡¯t budge.


    When it¡¯s time for us all to leave, Dylan, Sarah, and I are the first ones to go.


    ¡°Stay safe you three!¡± Simon waves us off.


    ¡°Be careful, I wouldn¡¯t want you to make Simon cry,¡± Christina joins in teasingly.


    Having brought my bike to the building, I¡¯m forced to ride it back on my own. I wave goodbye to Dylan and Sarah as I depart.


    Quickly chugging the rest of my root beer, I pedal as fast as I can.


    The next day, Monday, I receive a group message from Kyle that also went to Dylan, Sarah, and Rachel. It has the time for our meeting at school today.


    I scarf down my eggs and leave for school.


    Worries fill my mind about the thing with Luke. I still don¡¯t know how to use my ability, or even what it is. If Luke singles me out again, I¡¯ll definitely lose my gem. Dylan will be fine against him with his combat experience, especially because his power of heat and flames should be able to counter the cold blade he used on my neck.


    Lunch rolls around at school and I meet with Sarah and the others on the roof.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Hello again,¡± Rachel greets me with a smile.


    Looks like I arrived last. Dylan and Sarah were already here too.


    ¡°Hey. I assume you heard the news about Luke? It seems pretty dangerous right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard. Thank you for allowing me to have protection in your group. I hope I can be of assistance.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s polite speech seems to make everyone a little nervous. To try to loosen up the atmosphere, we sit in a circle on the floor.


    ¡°Tell us about yourself, Rachel.¡± Dylan starts the conversation.


    ¡°Well, I like cooking and playing sports. I¡¯m on the track team. Do you guys play anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I¡¯ve never liked sports.


    ¡°I used to play on the basketball team. I quit last year, though,¡± Dylan said.


    Sarah speaks up, ¡°I play on the softball team.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fun. I played softball when I was little, but my favorite part was the running, so I switched to track. I know the rules so maybe we could gather teams and play sometime?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Sarah smiles. It¡¯s probably nice to already have something in common with her.


    ¡°Actually, I always feel like I¡¯ve seen you around, Rachel, but I still can¡¯t really remember much about you. Did you just transfer in or something?¡± It¡¯s been bothering me for a while.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve been going here my whole life. We¡¯ve even shared a home room a few times.¡±


    ¡°Urk-¡± Yikes. She has a forgettable essence to her, even more so than Sarah.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad. I don¡¯t talk much.¡±


    ¡°Well, a-anyway,¡± I try to change the subject awkwardly. ¡°When Luke attacked me, it felt like he had a knife made of ice. His ability has something to do with that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll make him a good match for me!¡± Dylan says. ¡°It''ll be even safer for me to negotiate with him.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know how to use yours though,¡± Sarah points out.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± A sigh leaks from my chest. ¡°Can you use yours, Rachel? If not, then we only have one ability to use against Luke, and it isn¡¯t even offensive.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t feel comfortable talking about my ability, but I can use it on command.¡±


    ¡°If we tell you all of our abilities, will you tell us yours?¡± I barter.


    ¡°¡­ Maybe. I suppose we need to know each other''s abilities so that we can work together. Now¡¯s not a good time to be skeptical.¡±


    ¡°Are you two good with sharing?¡± I glance at Dylan and Sarah.


    Dylan cheers, ¡°Of course!¡±


    Sarah on the other hand, is much more reluctant. She pauses for a few seconds, considering every possibility, then she responds, ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± I smile at Rachel. ¡°My ability is unknown, even to me. I suspect it might be super speed based off of my dream, but I can¡¯t activate it. There¡¯s probably a trigger we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Same for me, although we¡¯ve seen mine a little and can guess that it¡¯s the power to create fire. The only time I used it I was fighting some punks. I burnt one¡¯s chin.¡±


    Sarah is still hesitant.


    After another careful moment of consideration, she mutters, ¡°I can turn invisible,¡± followed by a quick demonstration by disappearing and reappearing soon after.


    Rachel stops to process the new information, ¡°I see. That¡¯s a very useful ability. I guess I¡¯ll uphold my end of the bargain. I can¡­ transform to look like different people. It¡¯s a little weird, but I¡¯ll demonstrate.¡±


    Her face starts shifting. Each feature on her face melts and slides around like putty. The changes are very small, but to the human eye which is so skilled at recognizing people, each subtle change makes her look like a whole new person. It takes a couple of seconds before the process is complete.


    Slowly opening her eyes, the once beautiful blue hue has changed to brown, like my own. Actually, she looks completely identical to me. It¡¯s impossible to shake the feeling that I¡¯m staring into a mirror. Still, my features aren¡¯t flipped like they would be in a mirror, making it even more uncanny. The rest of her body remains the same which only adds to the weirdness.


    ¡°I can change the rest of my body too, but I¡¯d have to see the target in more detail first,¡± My- her eyes fall down to my chest before she¡¯s frozen still. Her face, my face, turns bright red. ¡°W-wait. That sounded a bit weird. I didn¡¯t mean to suggest anything- Never mind¡­¡±


    Her face shifted back but remained red.


    Creepy.


    Up until now her polite speech sounded like she was reading a script, but with that embarrassing slip up she began to reveal herself a little more. Still gross though.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible,¡± I try to keep the unease out of my voice.


    Dylan points out, ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be useful against Luke, though.¡±


    Rachel breaks eye contact and looks off to the side. Her ability is pretty disgusting, so I see why she¡¯s embarrassed. I guess that¡¯s why she was so hesitant.


    If Rachel was hesitating because she was embarrassed about her ability, not because she didn¡¯t trust us, then why did Sarah hesitate so much? I wonder if she¡¯s scared because of the Luke fiasco.


    Clearing my throat, I attempt to start the conversation back up, ¡°So that leaves us with zero offensive abilities to rely on. We don¡¯t even know the extent of Luke¡¯s ability yet. If worst comes to worst, the only one who can protect themselves is Dylan, because of his hand-to-hand fighting skills.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t worry about fighting too much,¡± Sarah suggests. ¡°Dylan is planning on talking him down anyway. We should just message him and ask if he wants to meet up later today.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can get through to him. He attacked me without any warning, but I guess I¡¯ll believe in Dylan for now. I¡¯ll message him and see if he wants to meet after school.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    The serious talk ends there.


    ¡°So, what¡¯d you guys bring for lunch?¡± I try to lighten the mood with a smile.


    Dylan brought a simple sandwich, Rachel has a thermos of soup, and Sarah has what looks like a whole feast! She brought some sandwiches, salad, and cookies. Here I just bought a school lunch. It¡¯s simple mac and cheese today. I don¡¯t have time to bring my own food with how much I sleep in. If I had Mom make it for me it would just be eggs. This is probably the better alternative.


    Dylan devours his food without delay. He finishes his sandwich before I even get a chance to eat much of my food at all. He still looks starved. For a person his size, he needs to eat more than one sandwich for lunch.


    His eyes fall on Sarah¡¯s food enviously, ¡°You¡¯re going to eat all of that?¡±


    Sarah takes her lunch box and spins her back to Dylan, hunching over to protect her food.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine. I made it all by myself.¡±


    Does that mean she made the cookies too? She must be quite the chef.


    ¡°Aw, come on! You know you can¡¯t eat all of that yourself. You¡¯re like a third of my size. You¡¯re even short for a girl! Can I please have some?¡±


    Sarah silently scoots farther away.


    ¡°No! Wait, come back! Is it money you want? I don¡¯t have much of that but I can provide anything else! I can even give you¡­¡± Dylan looks around desperately. ¡°My undying loyalty?¡±


    ¡°Does that taste good?¡±


    ¡°Well-¡±


    ¡°Then no deal.¡±


    Sarah takes another bite of one of her sandwiches.


    ¡°Well, it was worth a shot.¡±


    Rachel watches in amusement. You¡¯d expect the contrast in personalities between Sarah and Dylan to make them dislike each other, but they get along really well.


    Ding-Dong Dong-Ding


    Before we knew it, the bell rang and it was time for the next class. Surprisingly, Sarah managed to eat her entire meal. She¡¯s got quite the stomach for someone of her small stature.


    We walk down the hall together and Rachel is the first to split off. She joins a group of the most popular girls in school and starts chatting like it¡¯s nothing.


    Doesn¡¯t talk much my ass! She¡¯s a popular girl! No wonder she was familiar looking.


    I split off with Sarah and Dylan and went back to my class.


    The rest of the classes are boring as always and I simply bide my time until the end of the day.


    We all decided to meet at the exit after school. The best time for Luke to attack would be as we leave, so we¡¯ll have to stick together. If we see him, we¡¯ll let Dylan talk it out.


    I group up with everyone and get ready to leave. But, Dylan¡¯s missing.


    ¡°Have you two seen him!?¡± I struggle to keep from shouting.


    Sarah shakes her head and looks very nervous herself.


    Rachel keeps her cool, ¡°I haven¡¯t. Something is definitely wrong. He wouldn¡¯t be late for anything due to the circumstances. Given his personality, is it possible that he left to meet Luke on his own? I don¡¯t know him well, but he seems like the type of person who thinks that it¡¯s heroic to do something of that sort.¡±


    She¡¯s absolutely right. He has a short temper and he probably feels really betrayed by Luke. If I were in his position, if Dylan had betrayed me, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d do something similar. It would feel like it was my responsibility to set him straight. It might even feel like my fault that he caused trouble.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Thank you, Rachel.¡±


    She looks a little surprised, ¡°No need to thank me. What is it that you¡¯re thankful for?¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t have been able to think straight, not without her level head to keep me grounded. She¡¯s already a nice addition to our team.


    I slowly shake my head, unable to express my thoughts properly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go look for Dylan. We might still have time to stop him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not opposed to looking for him, but it may be dangerous. If things look hairy, we¡¯ll all need to run. We shouldn¡¯t take unnecessary risks. Where do you think he went?¡±


    That¡­ is a good question.


    Sarah spoke up giving her silent insight, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a car or a bike so he can¡¯t have gone far. I doubt that even he is stupid enough to get in a vehicle with a potentially violent thief. They had to have met somewhere near the school that¡¯s hard to view from the road. His main goal in choosing the meeting place wouldn¡¯t be keeping us away, but uninvolved people. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he was meeting at the forest-ish place beside the school. The one where he fought those thugs. It would fit all the criteria well.¡±


    Sarah is the brains of this operation. She always has the best ideas, despite her visible nerves.


    ¡°Thank you too, Sarah. That¡¯s perfect,¡± I place my hand on her shoulder and look as thankful as I can.


    She shrinks back, ¡°N-no problem.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worth checking out! Are you all in?¡±


    They both look confident.


    ¡°Sweet. Let¡¯s go find him.¡±


    We stick close together and hug the school wall. I lead in the front while Sarah stays in the back.


    We get to the corner where the forest starts and stop walking.


    I haven¡¯t added much to this group yet. All I¡¯ve done is worry and tangle my thoughts. I¡¯ll try playing the lead this time.


    ¡°Sarah, can you go invisible to check around the forest close to the wall? Make sure the road is clear, or rather, let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not.¡±


    She gave her simple nod before vanishing.


    Me and Rachel sit back nervously for around ten seconds but it feels like several minutes.


    Suddenly, Sarah appears in front of me out of nowhere. My lungs involuntarily gasp in shock.


    Covering up my startle with a cough, ¡°Did you see them?¡±


    ¡°No, they weren¡¯t close. They may still be back there, but they aren¡¯t where Dylan fought last time.¡±


    We turn the corner and are met with the overgrown foliage and trees. We split up and glance around. Even though we¡¯re searching for large people, it still feels safer to scan every inch of the forest.


    I hear a faint voice coming from deeper in the woods. The voices come from a direction that is away from the school. The farther from the school the forest gets, the denser the trees and more plants there are. The voices lead both away from the school and road. A place where your voice can¡¯t escape from and where eyes cannot peak. It feels like the place where a murder would go down.


    ¡°Sarah, do you hear those voices over there? Can you go investigate them?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Sarah fades away once again.


    She pops back in a minute later. I manage to keep calm this time.


    ¡°That¡¯s them. Luke and Dylan. They¡¯re in a heated argument. From what I picked up, Luke wants someone else¡¯s gem for some reason and won¡¯t let it go. Dylan is trying to tell him that it isn¡¯t right to forcefully take something but Luke won¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Come on guys, let''s calm them down.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Rachel interrupts me. ¡°Let¡¯s not. I suggest that we watch from a distance to see what happens. If we trust Dylan, we should trust that he can handle it without our help.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Thanks again, Rachel. You really help me think straight. I for one definitely trust him so we should wait close by.¡±


    We all walk through the woods until they¡¯re both in sight but we¡¯re still hidden by bushes. Silently we crouch down and watch.


    Dylan yells with a growl, ¡°Luke! You can¡¯t assault someone like that, my friend like that, and expect me not to care. I¡¯ll give you a pass because we¡¯re friends too, but you can¡¯t do anything like that again!¡±


    ¡°No. That isn¡¯t how this works. You can¡¯t expect to convince me like that, not so easily. We aren¡¯t friends anyway. We may have been long ago, but this is now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that! You can¡¯t cast aside our friendship like that! We were in it together, for the long haul!¡±


    ¡°Grow up, Dylan! It doesn¡¯t matter now. If you want me to stop trying to steal someone¡¯s gem, then give me your own. If you believe in our friendship so much, then prove it to me.¡±


    Dylan looks furious at that remark.


    ¡°You cast my friendship aside then demand that I hand you my gem which may even kill me? You¡¯re saying that our friendship only exists if I give you something!? You¡¯re crossing a line, now! Swear that you won¡¯t hurt anyone else again!¡±


    The air heats up and a sudden warm wind blows past my face.


    ¡°No. I refuse. I need a gem. I need to test the hypothesis. If it¡¯s to make my dreams come true, I must be willing to sacrifice anything. So Dylan, give me your gem, or I¡¯ll be forced to take it.¡±


    The gloomy figure of Luke faces the intimidating Dylan. They¡¯re both much larger than the average person. The scene in front of us was beginning to feel extremely dangerous.


    Embers begin to form around Dylan and he wears a pained expression of betrayal and fury.


    Noticing the change, Luke activates his own ability. Small particles of ice float around the air, reflecting light, glittering.


    Luke¡¯s face stays cold and unforgiving. He isn¡¯t mad, he looks the same gloomy way he always does, staring down Dylan with eyes like ice.


    Winds of both cold and hot begin to swirl around. Trees rustle frantically as they both prepare themselves.


    ¡°Fine then! If you won¡¯t submit, then I¡¯ll take your gem by force!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend, but you¡¯ve never beaten me in a fight. Even though you¡¯re no match for me, just for you, I¡¯ll go all out!¡±

 A Single Tear

    The winds howl and the trees sway as a flock of birds take flight to escape the scene.


    I don¡¯t know much about science, but mixing hot air with cold air in such a high amount can¡¯t be good. The wind continues to pick up speed and all I can do is watch in awe.


    I need to stop this before something bad happens.


    Coming to my senses, I stand up, revealing myself from the bushes.


    Rachel grabs my wrist and shakes her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go just yet. Let¡¯s see what Dylan can do. We need to trust him for now.¡±


    That may be so, but- but!


    Dylan is the first to strike. He charges directly at Luke, closing into melee range. His feet leave smoke and charred grass beneath them. The light around his body warps in a haze. Without any restraint, he throws a right jab at Luke¡¯s face. Yet, the punch doesn¡¯t connect. Almost instantly, a shield of ice appears in front of Dylan¡¯s fist. It materializes out of nowhere and is attached to Luke¡¯s wrist.


    So, that¡¯s his ability.


    Luke swings the shield, throwing Dylan¡¯s arm to the side and upsetting his balance. A medieval style sword of ice forms in Luke¡¯s right hand, launching a thrust at Dylan¡¯s abdomen.


    The sword is sharp. It¡¯s a weapon. A real weapon. It¡¯s designed to kill and that¡¯s what he¡¯s aiming for.


    The deadly sword flies toward Dylan¡¯s unprotected stomach. He¡¯s still trying to steady himself from the parry. From his current position, it¡¯s impossible to get away without being stabbed.


    At the last moment, an explosion of fire blasts out of Dylan¡¯s feet, destroying his shoes and launching him away from Luke, escaping unscathed. Even Dylan looks surprised at his own ability, but he seems to be getting the hang of it. Luke, on the other hand, only glares at his opponent with frustration. He stays steady with his shield up, waiting defensively for the next attack.


    At this new safe distance, Dylan glances at his open palm before clenching it into a fist. Taking a sprinter¡¯s pose, he gets down on all fours and prepares to get back into the fight. Another explosion propels him towards Luke at blinding speeds. The streams of flame from his feet begin to catch the surrounding grass on fire.


    Caught off guard at the overwhelming speed, Luke quickly attempts to block with his shield. It¡¯s no use, due to the sheer velocity and heat of the punch, the shield is demolished into pieces. At the very least, his arm comes out uninjured. The attack still carries enough force to send Luke flying backwards, causing his sword to fall from his grip. If he lands wrong on the ground or hits a tree, the resulting damage could easily be hospitalizing. Without a moment to waste, he creates a small ramp of ice beneath him to gently cradle his momentum and slide him back into an upright position.


    Undeterred, Dylan follows up his attack with a second. He once again launches himself, ready to punch on impact.


    Suddenly, right before contact, an ice pillar rises from the ground directly between Luke and Dylan.


    Unable to stop his momentum, Dylan creates another explosion in mid air to curve himself around the pillar. Immediately once around the pillar, he creates yet another explosion to redirect himself back towards Luke. It¡¯s clear who has the advantage in this kind of battle.


    Luke ducks to the ground as a dome forms around him to protect his entire body. The ice is too frosty to see through, completely hiding the boy.


    Dylan continues at full speed towards the dome without a second thought. He puts both his palms out in front of him as sparks begin to form around them. With both hands, Dylan forces two explosions of flame directly onto the dome, killing his momentum and attempting to melt the barrier at the same time.


    The massive explosion doesn¡¯t even put a dent in the dome.


    ¡°Get out Luke! Before I melt you along with your cowardly walls! Fight me fair and square!¡±


    Dylan yells in frustration. The embers multiply and a cloud of fire begins to pour out from his feet. The surrounding grass simply goes up in smoke while some of the more distant grass begins to catch fire. Dylan places his hands on the dome and sends explosion after explosion with a constant torrent of fire. Even the ground trembles at the sheer volume of force coming from the explosions.


    After a few moments, the dome begins to crack.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill him! We need to stop this. This is going too far!¡± Sarah pleads.


    Rachel reasons, ¡°No! We can¡¯t risk going over there! We have no power compared to them. We have to wait until the end. It¡¯s far too dangerous for us now.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    Rachel is right, but if Dylan is the one in danger, I¡¯ll have to run in myself no matter what.


    Without warning, a large spike shoots forwards out of the crack in the dome.


    Unprepared, Dylan can only barely shift it away from his heart. The ice directly impales his right side. Wails of agony pour from his lungs.


    The ice dome fades into a fine snowy powder along with the spike. Luke stands up while looking at Dylan pitifully.


    Dylan¡¯s side bleeds profusely. He¡¯s forced to put a hand on it and can only stare at Luke angrily. The fight is over, he can¡¯t fight like that.


    Luke creates another sword in his right hand and slowly begins to approach.


    ¡°That¡¯s the end of the line for you, Dylan.¡±


    Dylan blasts himself as far from Luke as possible. The imprecise movement causes him to tumble across the ground. Stumbling, he stabilizes himself on one knee. With his new distance, he reaches out his right hand and aims towards Luke. The fire that was leaking from his feet disappears and the embers around his hand intensify. Dylan redirects all of his firepower into a torrent of flames, creating a laser like projectile.


    Completely caught off guard, Luke attempts to create another shield to block with but it instantly evaporates before it even fully forms. The stream of fire drills a hole through Luke¡¯s left shoulder. A cry of pain escapes his lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, this is going too far!¡± I finally decide that whether or not I trust Dylan¡¯s skill has nothing to do with needing to stop them. Even though I trust him, there¡¯s no way this is the right solution.


    Rachel stares at the scene before us, ¡°It¡¯s too late. You can¡¯t stop them anymore. It¡¯s far too dangerous to get in the middle of now. You¡¯re right, though. We should¡¯ve stopped them a while ago, but now, we¡¯ll just get hurt if we rush in.¡±


    Now that she mentions it, the winds have picked up drastically. They have started to swirl around the arena like a tornado. The rustling of trees and howling of wind drowns out our voices to the extent that we no longer even have to be quiet. We can raise our voices and nobody will hear.


    The fire that had been constantly leaking from Dylan¡¯s feet has caught a large amount of the grass around him on fire. Everywhere Luke has been is covered in frost. The battlefield is dangerous, even without Dylan and Luke there.


    The profuse steam of blood leaking from Dylan sears closed as he cauterizes it with his flames.


    Through the pain, Dylan yells in anger, ¡°Luke!! If I must kill you here, then so be it!¡±


    The fire around him strengthens. The small cloud of fire under his feet becomes a large inferno surrounding him. The pillar of fire towers high, threatening to ignite even the canopy of the forest.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it should be! I can¡¯t lose here, your gem will be mine!¡±


    Dylan¡¯s furious voice changes to pain, ¡°You¡¯d really sacrifice that much just for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course. But, you have one thing confused. It¡¯s not just for me. I¡¯m doing this for my family. You know my pain better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t harm others for that! It¡¯s wrong!¡±


    ¡°NO! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s wrong!¡± Luke finally breaks down in anger. ¡°For my family¡¯s sake, I need your gem! Give it to me! For me! Please¡­! I will obtain another gem, whether it¡¯s yours or not. So if you don¡¯t want me to hurt anyone else, then give me yours!¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. Not now, not anymore. You¡¯ve gone too far.¡±


    Luke¡¯s voice smooths out with occasional cracks of sadness, ¡°I see. We had such good times together, when we were little. I wish we could go back to those days. I really do. But things have changed. I no longer need anyone else. I¡¯ll live by myself and protect my family! If I¡¯m always forced to rely on others, then how can I possibly believe that I¡¯m someone who can be relied on? I¡¯m the wall that protects my family. So please, for me¡­¡±


    The winds speed up again as the fire continues to rage. Scalding waves of heat blow across my face immediately before chilling winds sting it like a thousand needles. Hot, cold, hot, cold, the winds can¡¯t seem to choose who to side with as the weather grows disastrous.


    The point of discussion is over. This fight can no longer end peacefully.


    I need to stop this now, I¡¯ll intervene.


    Or so I thought. My eyes can¡¯t help but stare at the battered bodies of Luke and Dylan. Two wounds pass entirely through their bodies. Injuries that if moved even slightly, could¡¯ve been fatal.


    What¡¯s this? I can¡¯t move. My body won¡¯t move, even when I tell it to. The sudden prospect of death paralyzes me, getting in the middle of this fight is suicide.


    Hero my ass.


    ¡°JUST DIE ALREADY!!!¡±


    Three pillars of ice spin in circles around Luke. They twist around into a tree trunk-like shape. The trunk extends past the canopy of the forest. It¡¯s taller than the tallest tree here. Hundreds of branches shoot off in every direction from all around the trunk, branches that are as sharp as knives. From inside the protection of the tree he can¡¯t see outside for aiming, so the branches randomly shoot around, making it nearly impossible for Dylan to escape now.


    The tree of ice glimmers brightly, reflecting all of the Sun''s rays through the leaves of the other trees. It shimmers and sparkles miraculously. The surrounding grass is covered in frost making it appear to be winter instead of spring.


    Several branches of the tree head straight for Dylan.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that! Your selfishness is pissing me off!¡±


    Dylan completely loses control to his infinite rage. Fire coats everything around him. It¡¯s so bright that it¡¯s impossible to make out his face anymore. The sweltering heat evaporates some of the smaller knife-like branches thrusting towards him.


    The grass is entirely frozen now, except for in a circle around Dylan.


    The branches continue to grow towards him. A million spears fly in every direction. Nowhere is safe. The majority of the branches are heading in his general direction, while the rest cover everywhere else, just to be sure he won¡¯t get away. They don¡¯t quite reach out to us yet though.


    Dylan¡¯s heat isn¡¯t enough to melt all of the branches. They slowly start making it closer and closer to him. He has immense fire power, but his defense leaves a lot to ask for. On the other hand, Luke has offense and defense.


    All of the fire vanishes in an instant. Leaving just a glowing ball between Dylan¡¯s hands. It¡¯s the concentration of all of his fire power. He recognizes that his flimsy defenses can¡¯t hold for long and decides to gamble everything.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Three branches immediately hit Dylan. Without the heat to keep them at bay, they pierce his shoulder and both of his legs. It goes all the way through his shoulder, but they stop partially lodged in his legs.


    Through a scream of pain, Dylan aims the ball of pure heat towards the base of the tree, right where Luke hid. The sphere shines bright white like a miniature Sun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it! Please stop this!¡±


    Unable to sit idly by and watch any longer, Sarah stands abruptly. Her shouts are drowned out by the wind, so her actions are completely pointless. She runs towards Dylan helplessly.


    Maybe she wants to be a hero, too? She¡¯s definitely qualified, unlike me. I still can¡¯t even move.


    Sarah sprints away from the safety of the bushes. As she desperately tries to stop Dylan from becoming a killer, two stray branches intercept her. Shocked, Sarah slips on the frosted grass and begins to fall onto a deadly branch. It¡¯s completely unavoidable now.


    Sarah is going to die here.


    She hasn¡¯t done anything wrong though. So why? She simply wanted to help, but it¡¯s going to cost her life?


    That¡¯s wrong.


    It¡¯s all my fault, too.


    A strange power surges through me. It feels like adrenaline. My body suddenly feels light and the world around me seems to slow to a crawl. I can feel the power course through my muscles like a circuit of electricity.


    Without a second thought, I dash towards Sarah. The fear of death that once controlled me wasn¡¯t even half as strong as the fear of letting someone else die. The death of Sarah would be unjust. No, it would be the death of justice itself. She¡¯s done nothing wrong, and I must protect her life for that reason alone.


    A moment before Sarah gets hit, I¡¯m able to land softly beside her. The strength that passed through my veins made every step of my run feel like a leap. With this kind of power, though, I could cause her severe injury by pushing her away.


    At the last moment, I allow the strength to fade so that I can ever so gently push Sarah out of the way, taking her place.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Luke!¡± Dylan shouts at the top of his lungs.


    All of the cold air immediately gets blown away with an intensely hot wind.


    The miniature sun stretches into a beam of white hot inferno. It easily melts every branch it comes in contact with and cuts its way to the trunk.


    Fire wraps itself around the tree. The ice is strong, but the flame is stronger.


    The beam of fire pierces a hole through the tree along with Luke. It drills straight through the dead center of his torso, leaving a hole the size of a bowling ball.


    Blood drips out of his mouth and stomach as he silently collapses onto the floor.


    The massive tree turns to a fine dust, leaving snowflakes in the air. They fall gently down from the sky onto my face.


    It¡¯s cold again. So cold.


    The branch that had embedded itself in my chest also turned into snow.


    Winter covers the entire battlefield. Dylan falls over into the soft snow due to his wounds.


    ¡°Stay with me!¡± Sarah holds my body, teary eyed.


    Rachel hurries over as well, ¡°Allen, you need to stay awake, got it? I¡¯ll try and call Simon. Sarah, stay with him, I¡¯ll help Dylan.¡±


    Water droplets fall onto my cheek, warming it up. They come from Sarah¡¯s eyes. She continues to talk to me, but it¡¯s hard to hear. I¡¯m lost in my own thoughts.


    I saved her. Thank god. Does this¡­


    Does this make me a hero?


    Sarah reaches out and holds my hand while crying. I wrap my fingers around hers to try and comfort her. It seems I can¡¯t move anything but my hand.


    These powers, the gems, they got me hurt this badly and almost killed Dylan too. They really did kill Luke. Still, they allowed me to accomplish my dreams. As close as I could get to them, anyway.


    I¡¯ve had a good run.


    I still had things I wanted to do, but it¡¯s hard striving to accomplish things. I think I lived fine. Dying to accomplish my goal sounds good to me. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be remembered as the person I wish I was, even if that wasn¡¯t truly me.


    The world starts to fade away and the last thing I see is Sarah¡¯s sobbing face.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Will he really be alright?¡±


    Shut up, will you? I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ve already accepted death.


    ¡­


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure! I¡¯ve never needed to heal such serious wounds.¡±


    C¡¯mon. I just want some peace and quiet.


    I blink open my eyes and find myself in a house that I¡¯ve never seen before.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡±


    ¡°Allen! You¡¯re alive!¡± Sarah says with a shaky voice.


    Another tear falls onto my face. She wipes her eyes immediately.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah. I¡¯m alive. Where am I?¡±


    I sit up in the unknown house. I¡¯m on someone¡¯s bed.


    ¡°This is Christina¡¯s house,¡± Simon says. ¡°Her parents aren¡¯t home right now so she said we could use it. She¡¯s in the living room right now and Dylan is with her. He woke up before you did.¡±


    So Simon treated me, ¡°Thanks, Simon.¡±


    I stand up out of the bed and suddenly feel pretty cold. I look down and I¡¯m only wearing my underwear.


    ¡°Eek! Why¡¯d you strip me??¡±


    Sarah blushes.


    Simon frantically answers, ¡°Well, your shirt was ruined, it''s got a big hole and it¡¯s covered in blood. We needed to take your pants too, to make sure there were no other injuries. Not to mention, they were covered in blood too. Don¡¯t worry though, you should be one hundred percent healthy now.¡±


    ¡°Could you get me some pants then please?!¡±


    They brought me a pair of pants which fit me surprisingly well. It¡¯s a nice pair of sweatpants.


    ¡°Whose are these?¡±


    ¡°Christina¡¯s.¡±


    What?? That feels wrong. It feels almost as embarrassing as having no pants. Almost.


    ¡°Oi! What¡¯s the ruckus? Did Allen get up?¡± Christina calls from another room.


    Hearing that, Dylan immediately rushes through the doorway.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine! I was worried!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good now,¡± My memory is a bit foggy. ¡°What happened at the end of the fight? Where¡¯s Luke?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face darkens.


    Dylan speaks up, ¡°¡­ I killed him. Kyle helped bury him in the forest.¡±


    Simon looks like he¡¯s about to vomit.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m so sorry. I should¡¯ve stopped you earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. I shouldn¡¯t have gone by myself. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t think that you guys would follow me. I¡¯m an idiot. I got you all hurt and ended up killing my old friend. I just- I thought that I needed to take care of it all on my own. Luke was my friend, so I felt responsible.¡±


    At every mention of the word kill and Luke¡¯s fate, Simon looks even more appalled. Sarah too, but not to the same extent.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    Christina walks into the room, ¡°Kyle said that we should hold another meeting. The final one.¡±


    Everyone goes silent.


    What a cruel fate this is.


    A minute or so of silence passes before someone speaks up.


    Rachel lightens the mood, ¡°So¡­ Simon, Christina, how¡¯d you two meet?¡±


    Christina answers, ¡°Ah, Simon¡¯s been my friend since we were little. He¡¯s always helped me out.¡±


    ¡°Helped you out? I practically do everything for you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. He does a whole lot for me. He even makes my lunches,¡± She gives a proud smile.


    Poor Simon, he¡¯s totally getting used.


    ¡°Well, you guys can all sleep here if you need to. It¡¯s pretty late already. My parents won¡¯t mind.¡±


    It¡¯s late, maybe it would be better if I just told my parents that I¡¯ll be staying at a friend¡¯s place. Coming home at this point would make them question where I¡¯ve been.


    ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯s alright?¡± I confirm.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯d be happy to. Thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°No problem. What about you four?¡±


    They all nod.


    ¡°Sweet. I¡¯ll be going to bed soon. So, Simon can stay in my room, we have two guest bedrooms so two of you can stay in each, if that¡¯s alright.¡±


    Two guest beds? Dang.


    I roomed with Dylan and Sarah stayed with Rachel.


    Christina¡¯s house is huge. Apparently, Dylan was wandering around for a while before I woke up. A house this big would be impressive for anyone to see. Considering Dylan¡¯s financial state, it must seem like another universe.


    Man, Christina was a rich girl all along!


    I say my goodnights to everyone and lay down.


    As I drift asleep, my mind traces over today¡¯s events. Things have changed a lot in just one day. The previous idea that things may become dangerous is now fact. Just having these abilities puts us at risk.


    Speaking of, Dylan was able to activate his fire. My guess for the trigger is rage. Every time he gets angry, the flames swell. In the same way, Sarah¡¯s trigger was to feel like no one could see her. To ¡®wish¡¯ that she wasn¡¯t seen or to believe that she wasn¡¯t seen.


    So what¡¯s the correlation between rage and fire? I get that it¡¯s a very common connection to make, but invisibility and not being seen are literally the same. Rage and fire are quite different in reality. In this way, how are they even connected at all? Does there even have to be a reason?


    My ability seems to be a form of super strength. I was only able to activate it when I desired to protect Sarah, though. So I guess I ¡®wish¡¯ to have the strength to be able to protect someone. What does Dylan ¡®wish¡¯ for? I¡¯ll have to ask one of the other ability users, probably Sarah or Rachel. If they can¡¯t figure it out then I¡¯ll be forced to ask Kyle, but I don¡¯t like him much. He¡¯s done a lot for me and I appreciate it, but he gives off bad vibes. Not to mention, he causes a fair amount of problems himself.


    It¡¯s easy to ignore, because we all want to forget, but someone died today. Luke, Dylan¡¯s old friend and a brother in ability using, died. More specifically, he was killed. He was so desperate to steal someone¡¯s gem that he willingly put his life on the line. Why is that? What is the reason that he caused us so much pain? I¡¯ll never understand, because no matter what, I would never hurt an innocent like that. I would never do something evil.


    Not me.


    I saved someone today. I saved Sarah¡¯s life. I¡¯m practically already the hero that I¡¯ve always wanted. If I were stronger, I may have been able to take care of Luke on my own, though. That would¡¯ve been my optimal hero.


    A hero.


    To me, a hero is a person who protects justice at all costs. A person who is strong enough to protect good and destroy evil.


    It¡¯s no longer such a far fetched dream. I may one day become that person.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Dylan whispers.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re having trouble sleeping too?¡±


    I haven¡¯t, really, but since he has, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Today shook me up. I hope I wasn¡¯t showing it though.¡±


    He chuckles.


    ¡°No, you did a good job. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t worry anyone.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Anyway, I¡¯m having a lot of trouble coping with¡­ ya know¡­  killing Luke. It¡¯s rough, man. I feel that you may be the only one I can tell this to. I wouldn¡¯t want to worry any of the chicks, and Simon is too innocent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you can trust me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for understanding. Me and Luke were buddies since we were little kids. I¡¯m sure you gathered this by now, but my family is quite poor. We live in a trailer park. I don¡¯t want pity though. I¡¯m doing just as fine as everyone else. I¡¯m strong, but¡­ Luke wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s why I was there for him. Luke was in the same boat as me. Poor for the same reason, too. Medical bills can take a lot out of a lower income house. Blew us straight into poverty. My pa¡¯s got a heart disease. He hasn¡¯t kicked the bucket yet, though. He spends most of his time in the hospital, but that might be even worse. He¡¯s suffering and so is the rest of the family. The bills cost so much and he isn¡¯t getting better.¡±


    Damn. This is rough. He must¡¯ve had such a hard life up until this point, but as per his request, I won¡¯t pity him. Instead, he¡¯s doing great. From the way he acts now, he¡¯s a very amazing person to be able to be so kind and live in these conditions. He¡¯s probably got such a short temper because of how hard his home life is, though. It¡¯s understandable.


    ¡°A similar situation was happening with Luke, but he didn¡¯t handle it well. He often lashed out and got into fights for no reason. I¡¯d help him out, but it often just made us targets for bullying. Kids made fun of us for being poor, but after we gave them a couple beatings they wouldn¡¯t mention it again.¡±


    So he was bullied, too. Well, they tried to bully him at least. Still, for him to be able to have such a hard life and still not even let an ounce of it show. He¡¯s incredible.


    ¡°Somewhere along the way, Luke distanced himself from me. It was slow and gradual so it was hard to notice. When I confronted him, all he could say was that he needed to be stronger by himself. From my years of knowing him, he probably thought that always being with me and talking with each other made him weak. He probably thought that he wasn¡¯t strong enough to be there for his family if someone had to be there for him. In that regard, to go so far to protect your family, he was wonderful. But, as far as I know, he left all of his friends. He shut himself off from the world entirely. When I saw him again for the first time in a while, at the meeting, he didn¡¯t say a word to me. He was like a completely different person. But the Luke I knew was so fun. He was an amazing friend¡­ and I- I!¡±


    His voice picked up volume.


    I sat up and put my hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done great. There¡¯s no need to hold back.¡±


    His eyes welled with tears, but only one fell. He shed a single tear for his old friend. Despite being so strong, despite having such a hard life for such a long time, losing Luke was too much. Their friendship had already been torn apart, but he shed a tear for the wonderful man he remembered.


    ¡°Goodbye, Luke.¡±

 Just a Delusion

    I wake up to a noise in the middle of the night. Dylan and I had gone to bed right after venting about the recent tragedy.


    A noise came from outside of our room. Someone probably just needed to use the bathroom, but I¡¯d better go check on it given the recent events.


    Slowly and carefully, I leave the room so as not to wake Dylan up. Even though it¡¯s likely nothing dangerous, I still watch my footsteps to make sure they are silent as I sneak around the house.


    The sounds lead me directly to the kitchen. A figure in the dark stands in front of a newly closed fridge.


    I take a couple steps forward to see who¡¯s there, when my foot lands on a squeaky floorboard. The figure startles at the noise. They jump and quickly hide behind the kitchen table in moments.


    Why are they hiding? Maybe they feel bad about eating the food here without permission? That means the figure definitely isn¡¯t Christina. Probably not Simon either.


    I stand completely still as I consider the situation. Out of the corner of my eye someone is crouched down and slowly trying to sneak away.


    Are they stupid? They left the cover of the table and thought they could just walk right by me?


    Tired and running low on patience, I flick on the light.


    Sarah is hugging the wall low to the ground. She¡¯s staring me directly in the eye without making a sound or changing her expression. Without hesitation, she continues to sneak away.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯ there?¡± I call out.


    Startled, she stands straight up and spins to face me.


    ¡°You see me?¡±


    That¡¯s a strange question, she¡¯s not invisible right now so of course I can.


    I recall our first conversation we ever had.


    ¡°Was I not supposed to?¡±


    Her lips curl into a smile.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯ve already caught me. Everyone ate dinner here, though you weren¡¯t awake for that. Christina¡¯s parents were here at the time, but I guess you didn¡¯t get to meet them. They were very kind and didn¡¯t seem suspicious of us or anything. They just treated us normally. I felt really bad asking for more food even though I was still hungry. I thought I could hold off my appetite until tomorrow, but it was impossible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, but why¡¯d you think you were invisible?¡±


    ¡°Well, I tried to be, or at least I really didn¡¯t want to be seen eating the extra food. It was the same feeling that normally triggers it.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s super strange. Can you turn invisible right now?¡±


    She closes her eyes and concentrates.


    ¡°Do you see me?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Her brows furrow as her face begins to strain.


    ¡°How about now?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Wrinkles form on her forehead as her muscles tighten.


    ¡°Now??¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Sarah relaxes with a sigh.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m tired?¡±


    That¡¯s an awfully optimistic guess but I suppose we shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll have to check again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡­


    Silence.


    Not again!


    When me and her are alone together, our poor communication skills don¡¯t sync.


    ¡°So¡­ were you hurt? I tried to be gentle when I pushed you out of the way, but I was really hoping that you didn¡¯t hit the ground too hard.¡±


    She blushes.


    ¡°No, I was fine. Thank you so much for protecting me there. I couldn¡¯t stand the sight of that fight, but I did something reckless. I try, but it¡¯s hard to be as level-headed as Rachel.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. She felt like the leader in that operation, even though I wanted to be. She had stolen my title quicker than I could claim it. Seriously though, don¡¯t do reckless things like that, you had me worried!¡±


    Sarah mumbles a couple words under her breath but I can¡¯t tell what she said.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    She speaks up this time, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe what happened. Without Simon, you and Dylan would have died.¡±


    That¡¯s way too long to be what she said but I¡¯ll go with it.


    ¡°Yeah. How¡¯d he get there so fast anyway?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t. We called him, but his home is pretty far. Christina¡¯s house was closer so we met in the middle. Me and Rachel did our best to apply first aid, but you wouldn¡¯t have lasted much longer. It was a close one honestly.¡±


    ¡°What? It was that close!? I didn¡¯t realize that I could¡¯ve actually died! I thought you guys had it covered!¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± She advises with a chuckle. ¡°Keep your voice down. It¡¯s late.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. So, how¡¯re you doing?¡± Dylan had it rough and I never would¡¯ve known. I should check in with Sarah to make sure she¡¯s alright.


    She sighs, ¡°Good. I never thought that it would turn out this way, though¡­ I kind of hated my invisibility and these gems. It could be because my first use of it was scary, but it just feels gross. Still, even though I never liked the powers, I never expected them to cause something so catastrophic. Actually, speaking of, was that your ability back there?¡±


    I nearly forgot.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. It felt like super strength to me. The trigger must be using it to protect someone.¡±


    She gave a very bright smile, ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­ Your ability is much prettier than mine.¡±


    Noticing what she said, she turns around and sits next to the window. Without knowing what to say, she just looks out the window wistfully


    It¡¯s dark out, but a cloud blows out of the way, revealing the glowing moon. Sarah is showered in glimmering moonlight. The sight captivates me.


    I take a seat across from her and we both just sit down and relax for a moment.


    We are both bad at starting conversations so we just spend some time together instead. At first when we met, the silence was awkward, but now, I appreciate it.


    Eventually we had to part and go back to sleep. We¡¯d be meeting with Kyle at the old school tomorrow. The final meeting. I suppose the building will once again become ¡®abandoned.¡¯


    The next day, Sarah drove us to school. She already had her car at Christina¡¯s so it was ready to go.


    I attended my classes and then rode my bike alone to the meeting place. It was left there yesterday after I was injured.


    Surprisingly, I arrived at the meeting before Sarah, Dylan, and Rachel. We left at the same time but they rode in a car. You¡¯d think that a bike would travel slower. I wonder why I was faster? There are paths for bikes that cars can¡¯t go on, so that would help. Guess it doesn¡¯t matter.


    Simon and Christina were already here before me. Sarah¡¯s group arrived close behind me.


    We actually had to wait a few more minutes for Kyle, just like the first meeting. Last time, he said he was late because he thought he¡¯d give us time to warm up to each other. I wonder if that means he doesn¡¯t want to get close to us?


    Kyle gets down to business.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, mind telling me the details?¡± Kyle asks.


    Kyle missed all the major details of the incident. He never went to Christina¡¯s or even met up with anyone. Christina told him where the body of Luke was and I guess he just ¡®disposed¡¯ of it.


    I don¡¯t want to make Dylan retell the story, so I open my mouth to relay everything to Kyle-


    Dylan cuts me off and steps forward, ¡°No, it¡¯s a story that I need to tell. If I miss anything, you can add it in.¡±


    Dylan explains everything in as much detail as he can, from the perspective of one of the combatants. Dylan wasn¡¯t sure of, and left out, the part where Sarah ran in and I saved her.


    Nobody corrects it.


    Kyle looks on thoughtfully, unfazed by the news, ¡°I see¡­ Well, as for what you all don¡¯t know yet, the reason why Luke wanted the gems in the first place: I talked with him a little after the first meeting. I decided to tell him a few theories I had, concerning the gems. That seems to have been his motivation for attacking you guys.¡±


    He tells us this now!?


    I step forward angrily, ready to yell at him.


    ¡°Now hold on a minute, at least allow me to explain my theory,¡± For the first time, Kyle¡¯s mouth stretches into a grin. The boredom leaves his voice and he begins to speak with a child-like wonder. ¡°The gems, being the source of our power, might be able to create a miracle if enough are gathered. I¡¯d guess that if you had every single gem, you may even be able to become a sort of god. I know, it sounds far fetched, but if we explore the nature of these powers more, it may seem more convincing. I¡¯m almost one hundred percent sold on the theory as of now. When I told Luke, I wasn¡¯t certain about it, but the story I¡¯ve just heard is really something.¡±


    A god? What¡¯s he going on about?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°From the looks on your faces, you probably think that I¡¯m insane. Hear me out, why is Dylan able to produce fire? And why Luke ice? Even Simon, why can he heal people? There are many details I¡¯m unsure of, but let¡¯s brainstorm together. Actually, Allen, I want to hear your thoughts. Why can Dylan create fire?¡±


    Me? Is it because we¡¯re close friends?


    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not too sure, but he does have an aggressive personality? From the times his ability worked, he was always angry. It seems his fire is only activated through anger and is fueled by it.¡±


    ¡°Not what I was looking for, but it¡¯s close. If we start there, Dylan can use fire because he is aggressive, what if you say that he gets ¡®fired¡¯ up? Maybe he gets caught up in the ¡®heat¡¯ of the moment?¡±


    Idioms? What does wordplay have to do with it?


    Kyle speaks as though he¡¯s a professor on the topic. He is confident in his language. He also talks like a bit of a child. He¡¯s almost excited to be able to explain this to us. I think it might be the only time I¡¯ve heard him sound awake.


    ¡°My guess is that we get our power through our deepest psyche. Our abilities are formed through our unique identities. Simon heals people because of how much he despises conflict. That one is quite literal, but why should it have to be? The human mind is anything but logical, people think in language and since language has such a large impact on our lives, is it unreasonable to say that our abilities may have an attachment to it? If Dylan recognizes his short temper, his short ¡®fuse,¡¯ then is it possible that his ability has formed off of it? These abilities stem from our own individuality. In other words, these powers are delusions. They are false realities that we simply believe to be true. Think of it like this, Dylan understands that he has a short temper and also associates that with fire in his mind. If he takes that shortcoming to heart, it defines his world.¡±


    That kinda makes sense? But I¡¯m not convinced yet. It sounds silly.


    Kyle continues, undeterred by the disbelieving audience.


    ¡°For Luke, he gave others the ¡®cold¡¯ shoulder. He created walls around himself, distancing from others. That fits his personality well, doesn¡¯t it? Also fits the ability.¡±


    That checks out with what Dylan had told me too. Luke shut others out so that he could be stronger himself. He did it so that he could protect his family. Both of those statements have to do with walls. He really did give everyone the ¡®cold¡¯ shoulder too. Not to mention his ¡®icy¡¯ glare. It¡¯s like a really bad joke. Yet, it may have truly defined reality.


    ¡°Convinced? Think of your own ability. It should make sense why you have yours, even if it doesn¡¯t come out to be a play on words.¡±


    What about mine? I get the strength to protect others. I have always wanted to be a hero and I like to think that that¡¯s the kind of person I am¡­


    Sarah¡¯s?


    She¡¯s shy, at least. Maybe there¡¯s more to it, but that¡¯s pretty close to coming out as invisibility.


    Rachel? I don¡¯t know much about her¡­ I wonder if her power says something about who she is?


    It works on everyone''s so far. The puns only work on two out of five, though. I¡¯ll leave Rachel¡¯s as undetermined. That leaves Kyle¡¯s and Christina¡¯s as mystery powers.


    ¡°I guess that makes sense, I don¡¯t know about the whole language thing though,¡± Christina says.


    Simon¡¯s distaste for Kyle subtly leaks through his voice, ¡°Yeah. I can see that working out.¡±


    Dylan¡¯s brain has been fried. He doesn¡¯t even try to speak.


    Sarah looks a little concerned, maybe a little upset too. She looks lost in thought.


    Rachel also keeps her mouth shut, uncharacteristically.


    ¡°Then from now on, I will refer to our abilities as Delusions. It seems you all at least see the possibility, too. If we build off of it, what could getting a second gem do? At first we guessed that it powered you up, but what¡¯s that really mean? If we assume that both guesses are correct, getting stronger would mean having more control over it. As of now, our Delusions only react from a very deep part in the back of our minds. We had no say in their creation and they reflect our subconscious perception of reality. If we had more gems, I¡¯d guess that it would allow us to alter reality in a more conscious manner. If a single person had every gem, had full control over reality¡­ who is that man, but a god?¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Dylan understood this half. ¡°You¡¯re saying that you told Luke that he might be able to become a god? If I¡¯ve got a good grasp of your personality¡­ you weren¡¯t using him to test your theory, were you?¡±


    Kyle reverts back to his usual attitude, with his standard cool demeanor and emotionlessly tired face, ¡°No. I have no need for proving my theory. I have no need for becoming a god either. Tell me, did Luke have a reason?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ he wanted to save his mother.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I knew too. I had to look into each one of you before meeting, after all. Don¡¯t worry it was nothing too deep. Just a standard procedure. I already knew his home situation and when I saw his personality, I thought he needed some encouragement. I never would¡¯ve guessed that he¡¯d go so far though.¡±


    I¡¯m still not fond of Luke. I don¡¯t really buy his story. His life was rough, but to bring others down because of it is completely wrong. Deep down, I think he had it coming to him.


    Dylan responds, ¡°Sorry I accused you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. As this is the final meeting, does anyone have any last thoughts? Any final theories? I¡¯d love to hear them.¡±


    The room responds in silence.


    After a while Simon sheepishly asks, ¡°Why do you suggest that we don¡¯t see each other anymore?¡±


    Very matter-of-factly without a shred of shame, ¡°I¡¯m scared. If someone wants to fix a problem in their life, we have the unique opportunity to kill for it. And give up early on trying to steal gems without bloodshed. It will either just teleport back to the owner, or, as a reflection of the mind, end up taking away their consciousness, killing them. That may be a stretch, but I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to be the test subject. I won¡¯t stop you from seeing each other, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. I¡¯ll continue to respond to my phone, so I can still talk with you if needed. Please keep me informed with new info, I¡¯ll do the same with you.¡±


    Kyle stands up by himself and walks to the door. Nobody moves their head and nobody¡¯s eyes follow him. Silently, with our heads down, we wait.


    ¡°Goodbye, everyone. I hope that one day I can meet you all in good mind. If I ever stop being so paranoid, I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    Not a single person says goodbye in response. As he leaves there is only silence.


    I don¡¯t know how to feel about him. He always feels like he¡¯s one step ahead of me. He¡¯s undoubtedly intelligent. He gave off a bad feeling though. Behind his tired eyes and face, it felt like he was constantly hiding something. His words were more convincing than the truth could ever be.


    The truth isn¡¯t as convincing as an ideal lie. A good lie makes itself indistinguishable from the truth, but a perfect lie is even more convincing than that. What makes a lie perfect is the ability for anyone to believe it without a second thought. It fades into the background as a fact before being recognized as questionable. In that way, everything that man spoke was uncanny. When a person who seems like a liar never tells a lie, how can I be sure of anything he said? Their truth feels like lies and their lies feel like the truth. Kyle spoke with the confidence of a prevaricator.


    He talked like he knew it all, but he was never too far out there. When he said something crazy, there was evidence. What might a person who was so in touch with reality have as a Delusion?


    In any case, I don¡¯t like him, but he provided much needed guidance.


    Thank you.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t really going to stop seeing each other, are we? I trust you guys,¡± Simon stares at the table.


    Christina looks a little conflicted about that. She must want to steer clear from everyone now, but she may be convinced by Simon.


    ¡°No, we can still be friends, if you¡¯d like. I trust you all too. Right guys?¡± I say.


    Dylan gives a proud, ¡°Yup!¡±


    Sarah hesitates but nods.


    Rachel also agrees.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, want to keep holding meetings on our own? Even if it isn¡¯t to find more about Delusions, we could have them just to see each other, have some fun.¡±


    Simon looks up from the table and takes a moment to process before letting himself smile, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll see you two later!¡±


    We all said our goodbyes and set off.


    I don¡¯t feel like biking, so I load my bike onto Sarah¡¯s car. Dylan and Rachel are riding too.


    Rachel is dropped off first and then Dylan. We wave them off and then it¡¯s just us.


    ¡°We missed an opportunity to ask Kyle about your ability, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess we did. I still can¡¯t use it, either. He left so quickly. He hardly even waited to get a response from us¡±


    ¡°Sorry if this is too personal, but after hearing Kyle¡¯s speech, why do you have invisibility? You¡¯re shy, but I feel like that doesn¡¯t really cut it.¡±


    She freezes for a second and then considers.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell this to anyone, but because it¡¯s you,¡± She pauses briefly. ¡°I¡¯m shy, but it¡¯s a little more than that, I¡¯ve never had many friends. I don¡¯t mean that like I¡¯ve only had 3 friends at a time, I mean I¡¯ve only had 2 friends aside from you and Dylan, ever.¡±


    Wow. That¡¯s impossibly low. Even I¡¯ve had more than that.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty antisocial, so I don¡¯t dislike it. I¡¯m not lonely, I have plenty of fun on my own. Most people are more taxing to talk to than there is pay off. I¡¯ll only tell you this because I don¡¯t believe you¡¯d take it personally, I don¡¯t like people. There¡¯s always times when it¡¯s nice to talk, but I also love being alone. While I¡¯ve always had few friends, I¡¯ve never had a single enemy. Never bullied, never hurt. I¡¯m practically not even there. You could say, I¡¯m invisible. Nobody acknowledges me, and I like it that way. I feel uncomfortable in large groups of people too, so when I went to school that day, in the crowd, I really wanted to be invisible. Not to mention, nobody, even in a crowd, talks to me, so I¡¯m already invisible anyway. Or it feels like it.¡±


    That¡¯s really different from me. On the surface, we¡¯re both kids who are lonely because we suck so bad at socializing, but in reality she never wanted to socialize in the first place. I¡¯ve been legitimately lonely but she doesn¡¯t mind. She prefers it. I had the wrong idea about her.


    I won¡¯t ask, but I wonder if she even gets attention from her family? From her word choice, it doesn¡¯t sound like it.


    Sarah reconsiders, ¡°Well, I say that, but I regretted being invisible and even hated the feeling. Quite the contradiction. That¡¯s just how humans are, I guess. I don¡¯t want to interact with others but when I couldn¡¯t, I was scared.¡±


    Wow. She has some really interesting thoughts.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s interesting. I¡¯m not bugging you when I talk to you, am I?¡±


    ¡°No, and if you stop acting the same way you have to me, I¡¯ll be mad. That¡¯s why it¡¯s you that I told. I w- think you can understand me better.¡±


    I don¡¯t really get it but, ¡°Alright then. So if that¡¯s the deeper meaning to invisibility, why have you lost it?¡±


    She stops again, not a regular pause to think, but a pause that is worried, she even blushes a little, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask Kyle about it?¡±


    ¡°N- well¡­ maybe. No. I¡¯ll ask him. I¡¯ll tell you what he says.¡±


    The car stops at my house and I unload my bike.


    ¡°Thanks for driving.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but before you leave,¡± Her tone stiffens. ¡°There¡¯s something important I need to tell you. It¡¯s about Luke.¡±


    ¡°Luke? What happened?¡±


    Again, with a pause to think out her words, like usual, ¡°He wanted to kill someone so that he could take their gem, right? Because stealing a gem probably wouldn¡¯t work. Odds are, he already stole someone¡¯s gem and it just teleported away. Luke wouldn¡¯t attempt to kill someone before trying the easier route. So the only way to steal a gem is to kill the owner first.¡±


    So I guess we wouldn¡¯t die or anything if we¡¯d done the experiment back at the first meeting. We¡¯ve been really paranoid. Kyle rubbed off on us.


    ¡°That makes sense to me.¡±


    ¡°But, do you see the problem? Everyone overlooked it, but it¡¯s really dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well, come on then. What is it?¡±


    ¡°You see¡­¡± She stumbles again, it takes her several seconds to find words that she¡¯s willing to say. ¡°I hate to suggest that someone here is still betraying us but, Luke¡¯s gem, it¡¯s unaccounted for.¡±


    ¡°... Are you saying that someone took it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a possibility, but the only one who could have taken it is Kyle. He¡¯s the one who buried Luke. If we assume that it was him, he ran away right after obtaining it. He distanced himself from us before we found out what he did.¡±


    Damn that Kyle!


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe him!¡±


    Sarah looks at me with worry, ¡°Yeah¡­ It seems bad. He might have betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°We need to confront him somehow. If he did, then I¡¯ll give him a piece of my mind¡­ It¡¯s late, though, so let¡¯s pick up this conversation tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t tell Dylan about this though. Not him, or anyone else. With the possibility of it being stolen, I don¡¯t really know who else to trust, other than you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for trusting me. I won¡¯t tell Dylan, only because you said so, I think he is trustworthy, though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Allen. So, I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    I wonder why she trusts me more than Dylan? We¡¯ve known each other the same length.


    Returning home, I casually walk through my doorway. No one is home, it¡¯s just after dinner so my parents have been gone to work for a while. I microwave a frozen dinner and relax.


    Today was packed with info.


    I bide time until bed and then think about the events.


    If our powers are Delusions, then what¡¯s that say about my dream of becoming a hero? Is that just some delusion? The term Delusion seems inaccurate. That¡¯s surprising coming from Kyle, he¡¯s usually on point. But my dream is not just a delusion.


    Despite having just got in bed, I stand up again and walk outside.


    The stars glow above me. The brightest star in the sky reassures me of my dream.


    I know it isn¡¯t a delusion. I¡¯ve already made the first step. It may have been one yesterday, but today, it¡¯s no longer a delusion. I have the ability to protect others.


    I take another deep breath as I think of my aspirations.


    I can and will become a hero.

 Knight in Shining Armor

    While eating breakfast, I flick through dozens of channels trying to find something interesting to watch. It¡¯s all just boring news. As plain as my eggs. Wars in distant countries and natural disasters in places I¡¯ve never heard of, why is it even worth reporting?


    Suddenly, I see a familiar forest on a local news channel.


    ¡°Next to North East high school, there has been some sort of fire. Several trees seem to have been burnt to the ground and the grass is coated in a thin layer of ash. Luckily, the fire didn¡¯t make it far. Authorities are working to identify how the fire formed. They speculate that some students may have been messing around and accidentally caught something on fire. Witnesses report some strange events happening just two days ago in the area, around the time when the fire is assumed to have started. One witness reportedly saw a bright light emanating from the forest along with sudden high winds. When they tried to take a video, the light and winds had already died down. Proof of the claim has yet to be found, but it is eerie nonetheless. Experts find it odd that the fire stopped with so little damage caused. For a fire hot enough to take down trees, it¡¯s strange that it didn¡¯t spread any farther and clouds of smoke weren¡¯t noticed by anyone. Authorities speculate that the delinquents who caused the fire may have somehow put it out on their own. This mysterious event¡­¡±


    Uh oh.


    I really didn¡¯t need a reminder that happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± My mom asks.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    She saw me staring a hole through the television, too stunned to continue eating.


    What a sobering wake-up call. That fight, our powers, affected more than just us. They made the news. I¡¯m sure Luke¡¯s family was affected as well.


    That¡¯s enough. I can¡¯t keep thinking about this, it¡¯s sickening.


    Using as much will as I can muster, I bike to school and go through the day as usual.


    During lunch Sarah, Dylan, Rachel, and I continue to talk normally, though we gracefully dance around the elephant in the room. After school, Sarah, Dylan and I hang out at the cafe. Rachel had to go home.


    After some fun chatting, Dylan is the first to leave. He seems to leave first pretty often. I can¡¯t help but wonder if it has to do with his dad.


    Right after we part with him Sarah tenses up, ¡°So, about Luke¡¯s gem¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Should we even mention it to Kyle yet? We could meet with him in person, but that might be suspicious. If he really did betray us, we shouldn¡¯t just casually ask him about it. If we confront him too lightly, he may use the opportunity to run away. We don¡¯t know where he lives or what school he attends either. He¡¯s never mentioned it to anyone so far.¡±


    After I lay out everything we know in an easily digestible way, Sarah stops to think.


    I can ask the questions, but I definitely can¡¯t answer them. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but Sarah is far more intelligent than I am. All I can do is rely on her.


    ¡°We should tell him about the loss of my power. It¡¯s risky, if he truly has betrayed us. Using the loss of my Delusion as a pretense, we can set up a physical meeting with him. Being as interested in our powers as he is, hearing that I lost mine will interest him for sure. He doesn¡¯t trust us, but maybe if he knows I lost my power, he¡¯ll let his guard down a little. When we¡¯re in person, we can get answers for both the missing gem and my missing power. Confronting him at the abandoned school, we can easily corner him in that room to prevent him from escaping because it only has one exit.¡±


    ¡°As expected of you! Nice work,¡± I compliment her with a smile. ¡°Actually, any update on how your power is doing?¡±


    She blushes at the sudden praise, ¡°Thank you. There¡¯s one thing that sticks out to me now. It¡¯s rather important too. I hadn¡¯t thought to mention it with the¡­ recent chaos.¡±


    I¡¯ve noticed she has a habit of delaying what she¡¯s trying to say. I nod along to try and speed her up.


    ¡°Well, my gem, it used to glow purple, but now it¡¯s clear. It looks like glass. I purposely left it at home today and it hasn¡¯t shown up.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be good, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a clue for your power¡¯s disappearance. We definitely need to check with Kyle now. Hopefully he hasn¡¯t betrayed us, we need his mind. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s smart like you, or if he just has a critical mindset for solving problems. It¡¯s probably both.¡±


    After a few minutes of designing the perfect text, I read over it one more time.


    ¡°¡®Hello Kyle. I know it¡¯s only been a short time since you decided not to attend the meetings, but we have new information that you may be interested in. It seems that I have lost the ability to use my Delusion. I figured that you might like to help out. It¡¯s sure to lead to some important information. Only me and Allen know about this. If you want to, we could meet up in person to figure it out. Thanks.¡¯ Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Sarah nods.


    She left designing what the text said to me. Between the two of us, I¡¯m at least a little better at communication.


    I hand the phone back to her without clicking send. If I let her do it, all the responsibility doesn¡¯t fall on me.


    Pressing the send button, Sarah slides her phone back into her pocket, ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a little while before he responds so-¡±


    I was cut off by the ¡°Pling¡± of her phone¡¯s notification.


    ¡°That was fast!¡± The surprise makes me lose control over the volume of my voice.


    Sarah¡¯s mouth hangs in bewilderment by how fast he was able to see and reply to the message. She takes her phone out and reads his reply.


    I thought that because he was so fatigued all the time, he must have a full schedule. However, the fatigue might just be a symptom of how he works hard to keep his schedule empty. He must be very diligent.


    ¡°¡®That does seem very peculiar. I think it¡¯d be a great idea for us to meet up. Bring Allen along too. We can meet as soon as you¡¯d like, I¡¯m available anytime. Let¡¯s meet at the old school building.¡¯ What should I say?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to meet today?¡±


    She stops to think, ¡°It¡¯s still pretty early, why not? I want to meet while there¡¯s still daylight.¡±


    ¡°Then go ahead and ask him when the soonest we can meet is.¡±


    A few more messages were exchanged and we waited an hour before driving to the old school building.


    ¡°If he decides to attack us, can you handle him?¡± Sarah hesitates before asking.


    If she¡¯s scared, I guess I¡¯ll have to help her relax. She should be a little more trusting though. Kyle wouldn¡¯t attack us, even if he is a thief. Although, he does seem a little sketchy sometimes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. He won¡¯t hurt you, not while I¡¯m here.¡±


    She still looks nervous, but less so.


    We park in the lot a bit away from the school and start to walk over. Sarah follows close behind me as we approach the run down school.


    I knock on the door and open it.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    A tired voice responds, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m in our usual room.¡±


    I walk over to the door-less room with Sarah practically on my back. She follows me closely and cautiously.


    Kyle got here early? Usually he¡¯s late. Maybe he just hates small talk, so he waits for everyone to show and then gets straight to work.


    ¡°Short time no see,¡± Kyle says with a straight face.


    If that was supposed to be a joke, it was really lame. It sounds super weird coming from Kyle of all people. I might see that coming from Simon or Dylan, maybe even Christina, but Kyle?


    Sarah and I stay standing in front of the doorway and Kyle is sitting in the chair opposite of us..


    ¡°So, about Sarah,¡± this time I take the role of cutting to the chase. ¡°She can¡¯t turn invisible anymore.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. Just curious, what happened to her gem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s become clear. The light inside vanished.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ but back to the important stuff, when did this all happen?¡±


    I open my lips but Sarah responds to his question from behind me, ¡°Right after Luke died.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Do you have any idea as to what happened? You were at the scene of the fight, I recall.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear what you did there, only that Allen got stabbed by Luke. What was your role in the fight?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I kind of ran in and Allen had to save me.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Kyle stops for a moment, interested.


    ¡°Ah¡­ So that¡¯s it. How sweet.¡±


    Sarah almost sounds offended at his word choice. She¡¯s still clinging to my back, so neither I, nor Kyle can see her face, ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it in an offensive way. It¡¯s just that, I¡¯m surprised that you haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s face and voice relax, once again disinterested, back to his tired old self. When he talked about his theory before, he had a child-like wonder to him. Even now, he had sounded interested in the scenario, but he¡¯s lost all of that. It¡¯s like he¡¯s already solved everything. The answer is obvious to him.


    ¡°To put it bluntly, have you developed romantic feelings for Allen?¡±


    Huh? Keeping the surprise off of my face would be an impossible task. Not only that, but this kid is totally messing with us. I can¡¯t believe that we came here for this. He even greeted us with a lame ¡®joke¡¯.


    Silence.


    No rebuttal comes from Sarah. She just continues to hide behind me.


    I attempt to look at her face by turning around, but she continues sticking to my back. She doesn¡¯t respond and won¡¯t let me see her.


    Sarah¡¯s a slow talker, maybe she''s still computing what she heard.


    ¡­


    Kyle looks more bored than ever.


    ¡°Bullseye, huh?¡±


    ¡°Explain it to me at least!¡± I shout, impatiently.


    Kyle continues his relaxed demeanor, ¡°Well, I¡¯m now ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent sure of my old ¡®Delusion¡¯ theory.¡±


    ¡°Where did the last point oh oh one percent go?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, you can never be certain, Allen,¡± The words make my eyebrow twitch, ¡°Anyway, an invisibility Delusion would happen if the user believed they weren¡¯t seen or if they didn¡¯t want to be. I assume that Sarah here is like that. I¡¯ll bet that she doesn¡¯t have siblings and her parents don¡¯t pay attention to her, that might be the root of her personality. Now, I never addressed what might happen if your qualities as a person changed. What if you were no longer deluded? I bet it would be this. You saved her. Sarah, for the first time, was seen by someone else. They even saved her life. A girl of her age, who wouldn¡¯t fall in love with a knight in shining armor? You could say that in her being saved and recognized by another person, she was no longer invisible, not to them. At least, she doesn¡¯t want to be.¡±


    Knight in shining armor¡­ I like the sound of that. It¡¯s kinda like a hero.


    ¡°Romantic, but I still don¡¯t get it. She told me that she hates the feeling of being invisible. Why would her Delusion do something she hated?¡±


    ¡°I find it unlikely that she hated it. Highly unlikely. In truth, was she afraid of something else? Maybe she hated the fact that she liked being invisible. What if she didn¡¯t want to accept who she is? It¡¯s not common to be a person who dislikes social interaction. Often times, people like that can be misunderstood. She probably wants to fit in as much as everyone else. Saying that being invisible felt bad, would definitely aid in trying to fit in. Denying herself, not wanting to admit that she¡¯s different. Deep down, if she used to hate social interaction to a point of preferring being invisible, that would make perfect sense for her ability. But, what if meeting a certain someone changed her previous idea on people in general? If her heart and mind opened up, perhaps her ability would be lost entirely.¡±


    I find this all hard to believe. I¡¯ve never been in a relationship, despite being seventeen. It¡¯s sad, but I still have some childish ideas of what a relationship is. That can¡¯t really be helped though.


    A few more seconds pass with silence. Sarah still hasn¡¯t made a move to deny what Kyle was saying. She won¡¯t look at me either. Maybe she¡¯s embarrassed? But if that¡¯s true then¡­


    Score!!!


    Getting impaled by giant ice spikes was worth it.


    I need to handle this so that she won¡¯t be upset.


    ¡°I see. Is that true, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We can probably talk about this later, when Kyle isn¡¯t here.


    Now with that situation settled, I move on to the main event, ¡°Well, we got off track a bit. We actually had something else to say to you as well. Sarah, can you step out next to me yet? Since the loss of your ability isn¡¯t anything sinister, we should get serious again.¡±


    It takes her a second, but she steps out from behind me and faces Kyle. She still evades eye contact with me.


    I continue with a serious tone, ¡°Kyle, there was another suspicious event recently, do you know what it is?¡±


    He responds as laid back as always, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Does it involve me?¡±


    ¡°It does. You took care of Luke¡¯s¡­ body, right?¡±


    Saying anything about Luke still feels bad. It was too recent.


    ¡°Yes. That was me.¡±


    ¡°Did you happen to take something off of his body?¡±


    ¡°No? What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°His gem. Did you take it? Nobody has mentioned it yet, but someone has to have it.¡±


    Kyle still looks relaxed, ¡°You think that I took it? Such accusations. But, I understand. We are in a time of paranoia and suspicion. I can see why you believe me to have been the culprit. However, are you certain that it was me?¡±


    Huh? It has to have been, right?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see the gem on him, did you? That means that it was either taken by you, or someone before you got there. Everyone else was together.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±


    What does he mean?


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Kyle folds his hands and crosses one leg over the other, ¡°You¡¯re assuming that it was stolen. That¡¯s quite amusing. I didn¡¯t mean to ask if you were certain that it was me who stole it. No, I meant, are you certain that it was stolen at all? Do you have some sort of proof that the gem still exists? Luke is the first case of the death of a person who has a gem. Who knows what happens to the gem itself? It might just disappear. Or maybe it breaks. It¡¯s even possible that Dylan¡¯s laser incinerated it.¡±


    Oh. We jumped the gun, didn¡¯t we? I still think he took it, but there are plenty of unknown variables still.


    Kyle shakes his head, ¡°To think that you guys believed that it was me. You were suspicious of me? You thought I betrayed you? Good. You¡¯ve done well. It wasn¡¯t me, that much is true. Or is it? Why trust my words? If I stole it, I¡¯d lie my way out of here. Don¡¯t trust a word I say. Doubt. But, being that I cannot prove my innocence, what will you do? Will you search me for the gem? I guess you could, but there are hiding such a small object would be child¡¯s play-¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Kyle switches which leg is on top and leans in. ¡°I¡¯m saying that you¡¯ve come here under prepared. No, completely unprepared. You found the most likely suspect and only asked him if he did it. Of course I¡¯d say ¡®no.¡¯¡±


    This guy is something else. We¡¯re interrogating him and he is scolding us for assuming that he wouldn¡¯t lie. Everything he says contradicts his goals.


    Now what? Do I search him for real? He really could hide it somewhere on his body that I wouldn¡¯t find. There are plenty of options for stuff like that. Even if he just put it in his mouth, I wouldn¡¯t see it under his tongue. The gem may not even be on him at the moment. They teleport around anyway, so who could possibly know where it is? Is there even a point in searching him?


    Sarah speaks up, ¡°Sorry for accusing you. What do you think happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it was destroyed. If the person dies, the gem probably goes too. I still don¡¯t know what the gem is, but if it¡¯s the crystallization of his mind or dreams and delusions, those are all gone now. They were stolen from him. They were destroyed. The gem probably went with his hopes.¡±


    That¡¯s pretty dark.


    Actually, that means Luke¡¯s struggles were in vain. Not by killing or stealing can you obtain a second gem. Maybe if you took someone like Sarah¡¯s?


    ¡°Is the interrogation over? This was an interesting conversation, thank you.¡±


    Kyle stands up and begins to walk out the door. He brushes between me and Sarah. We couldn¡¯t stop him from walking through us. We¡¯re still trying to cope with our mistakes.


    I step forward as he leaves the school.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡±


    He just left! I can¡¯t believe it. We messed up bad. We overlooked such a simple option. His paranoia has spread to us so deeply that we hardly considered that it was something harmless. We just automatically assumed the worst.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Sarah speaks softly. ¡°About what he said¡­¡±


    That happened too. I wonder if Sarah was even paying attention to our utter defeat just now.


    I wait and give her the time to think that she needs. The once awkward silence, now feels gentle and nice. I¡¯ve heard it so many times before while talking to her. It¡¯s calming now.


    ¡°I¡­ kind of do like you. That¡¯s so embarrassing to say.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s face glows red, she still hasn¡¯t looked up at me. She¡¯s glancing out the window and she fidgets awkwardly with her hands, but she doesn¡¯t turn invisible. She wants to be seen. By me.


    Oh no. I wasn¡¯t prepared for this. I always get mad at characters in stories when they get cold feet after talking big, but this is harder than I thought!


    ¡°Thank you¡­ I like you too.¡±


    Is that what I was supposed to say? What does it mean to ¡®like¡¯ her? Did I just make some kind of commitment? Does ¡®like¡¯ mean that if we ever part ways, I lied to her? I may have messed up here. Our relationship could get really awkward.


    She ever so slowly turns her head towards mine. She¡¯s significantly shorter than me, so she looks at my chest first and then slowly looks up.


    My heart is kind of pounding. What happens next?


    We make eye contact.


    Uh oh. I don¡¯t know what happens after this. She must not either.


    We continue to just look at each other. I can¡¯t even tell how long this has been happening anymore. It feels like we¡¯ve been staring at each other for minutes, but I guarantee it¡¯s only been a few seconds.


    The window of opportunity for a kiss or something intimate has died. We are now stuck awkwardly locking eyes.


    Somehow, I¡¯m the first one to look away. I start to feel my face heat up. I can¡¯t let her see that, so I turn around. Blinking a few times, I put my hand on the back of my head.


    ¡°Well, time to head back?¡±


    She makes a ¡°mhm mhm¡± in agreement.


    The drive back felt long. I couldn¡¯t let myself look at Sarah. Just looking at her felt a bit weird. I couldn¡¯t start a conversation, either.


    She stops in my driveway and looks at me, but says nothing.


    This needs to me, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you later. Maybe we could¡­ hangout sometime. The two of us.¡±


    With a red face, she instinctively turns her head away.


    Unable to keep the excitement out of her voice, she softly replies, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    With that, Sarah drives home and I bide my time until night.


    My mind no longer cares about whether Luke¡¯s gem was stolen or not. Actually, I can no longer care that the recent tragedy even happened.


    Forget that! I¡¯ve got a date! Or, well, I will have one.


    Still!


    I can¡¯t sleep. I just can¡¯t. There¡¯s too much to think about, with Sarah.


    Giddy, I walk outside to see the stars.


    Man, I love the stars.


    Sitting in my driveway, I stare up at the starry sky. They¡¯re so bright and gorgeous. Whenever I see them, I just want to grab one. I want to reach up and steal one out of the sky.


    Hopefully I can have a long lasting relationship with Sarah. It isn¡¯t official yet, but I still can¡¯t help thinking about it.


    To live up to her vision of me, to be that knight in shining armor¡­ That¡¯s the first step of being a hero.


    I can¡¯t wait to go on that date with her.


    My first ever date.

 A Monster

    I wake up to a group text including everyone other than Kyle. It¡¯s an invitation from Simon to hold another meeting today after school. A meeting not about the gems, but the bond we share over them.


    I reply saying that it sounds great. After a few minutes worth of responses, it looks like all of us can go.


    After getting ready for school, I walk downstairs and sit down for breakfast.


    Eggs, again.


    ¡°So, Allen,¡± my mom asks me inquisitively. ¡°You stayed at a friend¡¯s house the other night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why do you ask?¡±


    Unable to hold back the emotion, her eyes well with tears.


    ¡°My little boy has friends!¡±


    Ouch. But, I guess I never told her about them. I haven¡¯t had friends for a long time, so I see why she¡¯d be worried about me. Mom isn¡¯t usually home after school, so I never bothered to tell her where I was. She would¡¯ve never known that I was going out with friends this whole time. She only knows now because I was forced to spend the night at Christina¡¯s.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve made a lot of friends recently. Sarah, Dylan, Simon, Rachel, and Christina,¡± I recite while leaving Kyle out on purpose. I¡¯m still annoyed from the last time I saw him.


    ¡­ am I petty?


    ¡°That¡¯s so many! Good for you. You said Sarah¡¯s name first¡­¡± She winks at me. ¡°Is she special to you?¡±


    The scrambled eggs in my mouth get caught in my throat, causing me to cough violently.


    ¡°Mom! N-no of course not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding,¡± she laughs. ¡°But from that reaction¡­¡±


    I glare at her with the meanest face I can muster.


    ¡°Right, right. Still, you¡¯re back in the game. Only a few months of school left before you graduate, but that¡¯s plenty of time!¡±


    Wow. I¡¯m really close to being an adult. That¡¯s¡­ scary.


    ¡°So, whose house did you spend the night at?¡±


    Uh¡­ this might cause a misunderstanding.


    ¡°¡­ Dylan¡¯s?¡±


    Before I could catch myself, I lied.


    ¡°That¡¯s fun. I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re finally in the groove of socializing again. Don¡¯t try to ¡®set them straight¡¯ anymore, you got it? That¡¯s where your other friends went.¡±


    Yeah, I did do that a lot. I still won¡¯t give up on my justice, luckily Dylan and Sarah haven¡¯t bothered me yet. We seem to fit well together. I can¡¯t promise not to set them straight, I will only believe that I won¡¯t have to.


    I pull out my phone and¡­


    ¡°Look at the time! Sorry, mom! I¡¯m going to be late!¡±


    Mom smiles at me, ¡°Bike safe!¡±


    Hopping on my bike, I pedal like I never have before!


    After school, Dylan and Rachel go home on the bus while I stay with Sarah. I¡¯m going to do it. I¡¯m going to ask her on a date.


    To start, I chat with her on the way to her car.


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite genre of movie, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Horror, probably.¡±


    Oh, I¡¯m bad with horror.


    ¡°Horror movies are cool¡­ want to go see one with me?¡±


    Again, like it was natural.


    She glances up at me, then quickly looks away again, ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s tomorrow? We¡¯ll be hanging out with Simon and the other¡¯s today.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a certain one that you¡¯d like to see?¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°I think I broke her.¡±


    Her lips stretch into a soft smile.


    Mission success!


    ¡°Sweet! I¡¯ll see you at the meeting!¡±


    I sit on my bike and prepare to leave.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Sarah interrupts. ¡°Do you¡­ want to ride with me? You can put your bike on the back of my car.¡±


    This is the best day of my life.


    The ride to the meeting is mostly silence. Not an awkward one, I think. Just the typical silence you get with her. I understand now that she doesn¡¯t always want to talk, so I¡¯ll start conversations occasionally. If she doesn¡¯t add much to it, I¡¯ll leave her alone.


    It can feel like she doesn¡¯t want to talk to me, but I don¡¯t want to misunderstand her. That would be bad. She already unloaded all of her thoughts on me, the ones she didn¡¯t want to tell anyone else. She trusted me because she believed that I wouldn¡¯t misunderstand her. I need to live up to that.


    Sarah is a person who doesn¡¯t always enjoy social interaction, not because she dislikes the person talking to her, it¡¯s because she dislikes the talking. I can¡¯t really understand that because I get lonely easily, but it¡¯s a part of her I¡¯ve accepted.


    We arrive at the old school building and get out of the car.


    We park in the same spot as always, a short walk from the actual building.


    ¡°Hey guys!¡± I smile as I walk through the door.


    The old building feels a little like home now. As I turn into the doorless doorway, I can¡¯t stop myself from grinning.


    Simon, Christina, Rachel and Dylan are already here. Sarah and I were last to arrive.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± Simon greets us with a smile.


    ¡°Hey, why¡¯d the two of you show up together?¡± Christina smirks at Sarah.


    Why does she have to be so observant?!


    ¡°Well you see,¡± I begin, it¡¯s already too late to be shy now. Sarah can¡¯t stop herself from blushing, though. That¡¯s how she is. There¡¯s no reason to hide it, it¡¯s just a little embarrassing for late bloomers like us. Actually, now that I think about it, would even beating around the bush or understating be rude to Sarah who is right beside me? Better to be blunt, ¡°I asked her out on a date.¡±


    Dylan¡¯s the only one who shows even relative surprise.


    Christina claps her hands together, ¡°Good goin¡¯ girl!¡±


    Simon nods his head, ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    Wait, did they already know Sarah liked me? Was it that obvious? Maybe they were just happy for her, but it sounds to me like they knew already.


    Dylan was confused, ¡°Wait. You two are like, dating now?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh,¡± I laugh nervously. It wasn¡¯t something I thought about at first but it could be awkward for Dylan from now on, ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±


    Sarah stares at the ground and avoids making eye contact with anyone. I hope I made the right decision.


    ¡°Wow, that surprised me. Congrats guys.¡±


    Christina looks excited for this fresh drama, ¡°Have you been on a date yet? When was it?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re going to see a movie tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, I see. You love birds have fun!¡±


    Again, as weird as she phrased that, I¡¯m not in a position to deny it with the girl in question right beside me. Christina is really good at making the most of this opportunity. She¡¯s messing with us hard.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I try to change the topic. ¡°What¡¯s up with you guys?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Simon says. ¡°We¡¯re preparing for our finals at school, they¡¯re coming fast. They even gave us this giant packet to study.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still a junior, right? You¡¯ve still got another year. It¡¯s weird that this is the end of highschool for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only a year younger, it can¡¯t be that big of a difference in feel.¡±


    Christina goes pale, cutting our conversation short, ¡°I forgot about the finals. I haven¡¯t studied at all! I could fail¡­¡±


    Simon pats her on the back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do fine. Maybe we could hold a group study session? That would be fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for it,¡± Dylan chimes in. He¡¯s probably behind in his studies too.


    Actually, I haven¡¯t studied either. I¡¯m smarter than Dylan, but I still really should study to be safe.


    I¡¯m sure Sarah has it covered though. Her and Rachel might not even need to study to ace the finals! I guess I don¡¯t know if Rachel is smart, but she somehow feels that way.


    ¡°Guys, I hate to do this, but I have to go for now,¡± Christina explains while hurrying out the door. ¡°I¡¯ll come back, but I left all of my textbooks at school. I¡¯m going to need them this weekend, so hopefully the school hasn¡¯t locked its doors yet. I¡¯ll try to be fast!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± Simon shouts to her.


    Once Christina is gone, Sarah quietly asks, ¡°¡­ Can you tell us more about Christina? She¡¯s one of the few people I don¡¯t know that much about yet. She seems a lot like Dylan, but I haven¡¯t heard too much from her.¡±


    We really don¡¯t know anything about her. I didn¡¯t realize until just now how little I knew about her. Sarah must¡¯ve had it on her mind for a while, seeing as how fast she brought up the topic after Christina left.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Simon thinks for a moment before speaking frankly. ¡°She talks big, but she¡¯s actually a small person. Not in a bad way! She just isn¡¯t very strong on her own. That¡¯s why I need to be there for her.¡±


    How sweet. The cute little Simon looks out for the significantly bigger and tougher Christina. It seems like the opposite on the surface.


    ¡°That¡¯s really nice,¡± Dylan says.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s great. She¡¯s funny and talkative and is always looking out for me. Well, she tries to, but all she can really do to look out for me is make sure nobody is mean to me. I don¡¯t have any enemies anyway, so it¡¯s not super helpful to be honest,¡± Simon looks up and smiles brightly. ¡°Still, I really appreciate her.¡±


    Man, I really hope Christina is hiding behind the door, listening. I¡¯d love to see her face hearing all this.


    ¡­ I wonder what Christina¡¯s Delusion is. The fact that she has one means there¡¯s got to be a little more to her, right?


    ¡°Sounds more like you two are dating than Allen and Sarah,¡± Dylan remarks.


    Simon¡¯s cheeks go a little rosy and he looks at the table, ¡°N-no! We aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± he winks. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing ya.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon!¡±


    We all chuckle at Simon¡¯s expense. Although, he laughs too so it¡¯s all in good fun. It was me a couple minutes ago, so it¡¯s only fair.


    We continue to chat and mess around for a while. Eventually Christina returns with her textbooks and throws her arm over Simon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m back! You wouldn¡¯t believe how close I cut it,¡± Christina sighs deeply.


    I can¡¯t help but smile at the sight of Christina hanging off of Simon again.


    Our little meeting continued until the sun began to set. There were plenty of laughs and we had a great time. Dylan eventually needed to go and everyone began to leave.


    First it was Dylan and then Rachel, and then Christina and Simon, leaving me alone with Sarah.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    We both get in her car and begin to drive back to my place. I don¡¯t really know much to say to her, so the car drive is mostly quiet.


    You know what? I could use some music right now.


    ¡°What type of music do you listen to, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Probably indie rock or alternative rock.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good choice. Want to listen to some?¡±


    Sarah always kept her radio off until now. She probably prefers silence.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sarah turns to her favorite station and some music begins to play. She keeps it at a relatively low volume.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for driving and I can¡¯t wait¡­ for our date tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± she smiles.


    Waving goodbye, I unpack my bike and walk through my front door.


    I pop a frozen dinner in the microwave and wait for it to cook. My mind wanders in anticipation for tomorrow. It¡¯s going to be great, I hope.


    ¡°Knock Knock Knock¡±


    It hasn¡¯t been long, I wonder if Sarah forgot something?


    I open the door and Sarah looks up at me.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m already back. I forgot to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, my phone broke so I just got a new one. It¡¯s from a different provider so it has a new number, I wanted to make sure you knew before tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. What¡¯s your number?¡±


    ¡°Here, can I see your phone?¡±


    She isn¡¯t a talkative person, maybe she doesn¡¯t want to say every number?


    I hand her my unlocked phone on the contacts app.


    In a flash, she hands my phone back with her updated contact.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    The door shuts and she¡¯s already gone.


    ***


    Saturday


    Despite not being a morning person, I wake up and I¡¯m already ready for my date with Allen! I can hardly contain my excitement.


    It¡¯s a little nerve wracking too though, what if it goes poorly?


    All I can do is believe that it will go well.


    I shower, pick out the perfect dress, and do my makeup.


    ¡°Pling¡±


    That must be from Allen.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready for our date! Just confirming that you can make it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    After I finish getting ready, I grab my car keys and walk out the door. My parents aren¡¯t home, as usual, so I simply leave without anyone to say ¡®goodbye¡¯ to.


    On my way, I listen to my favorite song and try to calm down. This is going to be great! My first ever date.


    I¡¯d never listen to this song in front of Allen, or anyone else. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing. My taste happens to be a bit odd. Unfortunately, it isn¡¯t something I can bring myself to be honest about.


    ¡°You look great, Sarah,¡± Allen compliments me as I meet him in the theater.


    Just the words make me happy. I¡¯m glad he said that, ¡°Thank you. You look great too.¡±


    We order some popcorn and take our seats.


    The movie plays like any other horror movie. It¡¯s decent but the plot isn¡¯t amazing. It¡¯s about a mad scientist who sacrifices everything to bring his dead wife back. He only ends up creating a monster that haunts him. There were plenty of holes in the plot and the characters were decent at best, but I watched it with Allen.


    Actually, the effects were really good. The scary elements were even enough to bother a horror veteran like me. Allen must be great with horror too. He never even jumped once.


    As we walk out from the theater, ¡°That was a pretty good movie, right Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I enjoyed it a lot,¡± It¡¯s not a lie. Despite being a mediocre all around movie, being able to watch it with Allen made it amazing.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask if you wanted to come back to my place, but my parents are still there. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d bother us. Would it be alright if I went with you to your place?¡±


    ¡°W-w-what?!¡± Control over my voice falters. How bold! I never thought of him as that type, not that I dislike it, ¡°I-I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Eek! I¡¯m so nervous. He¡¯s so bold all of a sudden. What¡¯s he going to do?


    We enter my house and I escort him upstairs to my room. I feel like any other room would be a little strange. In my house, no room other than my own feels like home. Although bringing him to my bedroom when no parents are home sounds scandalous.


    I walk him into my room and turn on the light. He shuts the door behind us without saying a word.


    My room is relatively girlish, I¡¯d say. The walls are painted a deep purple and all of the furniture is a clean white. Since I spend so much time here, it isn¡¯t sparkling clean. I follow his gaze to ensure he hasn¡¯t spotted any crumbs.


    ¡°H-how do you like my room?¡± I sit down on my bed quickly.


    Between combing my hair with my hands and twiddling with my fingers, there¡¯s no way he hasn¡¯t noticed how nervous I am. Which only makes me more nervous.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± he sits down on my bed close beside me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I can¡¯t think of any words to say. My heart threatens to beat itself out of my own chest.


    Allen stands up and starts to walk around, looking on the tops of my counters, ¡°It¡¯s really spacious. My room is much smaller.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±


    ¡°The color of these walls reminds me of your gem. Whatever happened to it?¡±


    Huh? That¡¯s a weird thing to ask.


    I stand and open a drawer, taking out the transparent remnant of my gem. After losing my Delusion, it became clear like glass. All of the glitter and light inside disappeared. The hollow shell of my childish delusions.


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± he picks it up out of my hands.


    ¡°U-um.¡±


    I guess he took it. I can¡¯t get my words out to ask what he wanted it for.


    He examines the gem with a stiff grin. After a second the empty gem begins to glow once again.


    Wait.


    That¡¯s not right.


    Something is wrong. It has been for a while. All of this is weird.


    The glassy gem between Allen¡¯s fingers begins to sparkle with every color of the rainbow.


    ¡°Thank you, Sarah. You¡¯ve been a great help to me,¡± Allen speaks in a voice that is not his own.


    It sounds familiar, but I can¡¯t identify the voice by itself.


    It takes me a second to realize, Rachel. The voice itself has nothing to do with the realization, just the recollection of her Delusion. For some reason her voice is so indistinct that it¡¯s hard to pin it down in my mind.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on!¡± I demand.


    I already know. It¡¯s obvious already. Too obvious.


    Rachel just obtained her third gem.


    If the gem wasn¡¯t there when Kyle disposed of the body, there was still one person who could have taken it behind my back. Rachel. I was distracted by both Allen and Dylan dying. She could¡¯ve easily raided Luke¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°You¡¯re smart. I¡¯m sure you figured it out. You¡¯re a witness of my crime, but killing is wrong. I have a different plan for you.¡±


    Allen¡¯s face and body melt and mush back to that of a female. The squelching of her liquid like composition sends a chill down my spine. Rachel stands in front of me with her shoulder length brown hair and matching brown eyes. She stands above me, slightly taller than the average girl.


    It feels uncanny. Something is wrong.


    Doesn¡¯t she have blue eyes?


    Trying to sound calm despite the precarious situation, ¡°Your eyes. You forgot to change them to blue.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± she blinks and upon reopening her eyes, they¡¯re a beautiful blue once again.


    ¡°I see¡­ Rachel doesn¡¯t look like that, does she?¡±


    She glares at me. I must be striking a weak point.


    I, myself, am weak. I don¡¯t even have the power to turn invisible anymore. I have no hope of leaving here unless I use my brain. My words need to hit her where it hurts, in her mind. Maybe I can somehow distract her to buy time for my escape. If not, I¡¯m done for.


    I continue my provocation, ¡°Yes¡­ Who knows what Rachel looks like? If not even Rachel does, then who- what even are you? A monster! That¡¯s what!¡±


    She stares me down angrily. She really doesn¡¯t know what she looks like anymore? What a fate. I almost feel bad for her.


    After shape shifting, unless you perfectly remember what you look like, you can never go back. After morphing your shape a large amount of times, there¡¯s no doubt you¡¯d be a little different. To completely forget who you were? Eye color and all? She must have been shifting her whole life. Even before we got the gems.


    As I taunt her, I begin to circle around her towards the door.


    ¡°Your Delusion is obvious! You¡¯re an open book,¡± this is hard, I usually don¡¯t talk so much, but my life depends on it. ¡°You¡¯re ¡®two faced¡¯! Right? An empty liar who doesn¡¯t have a personality of their own. No wonder you¡¯re popular at school. You just say whatever the other person wants to hear, right?¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong!¡± Instinctively, Rachel breaks eye contact and looks down to her left.


    Now¡¯s my chance.


    Without a second thought, I dart for the door.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    She¡¯s right behind me.


    I throw the door open without care and it smashes into the wall.


    My heart is beating faster than ever. Even on my date with Allen my heart wasn¡¯t this fast. Oh, I guess that wasn¡¯t him, huh?


    My legs can hardly keep up. I need to be faster! I¡¯m much shorter than Rachel, but the adrenaline is keeping me in the competition.


    The sound of her footsteps echoes behind me. The vibrations of her steps travel through my feet and up my legs and back. Sprinting down my staircase I nearly slip and fall onto my neck. My breaths become heavy as I reach the front door.


    Rachel¡¯s footsteps stopped following me at the base of the stairs, though I didn¡¯t notice until just now.


    Frantically yanking the doorknob, I swing the door open and take a step outside. The fresh air pours into the house and into my lungs. The bright sunshine bounces off of my skin and burns my retinas.


    Uh oh.


    Something grabs my leg and I trip over forwards.


    Thud.


    My head slams against the metal on the bottom of the doorway.


    Blood runs down my forehead.


    I¡­ need to¡­ get away!


    It becomes increasingly harder to think as fear engulfs my vision.


    ¡°No! AAAAA!¡± I scream as loud as I can.


    No one will come, will they?


    I turn around to see Rachel still standing several feet back at the base of the staircase. Her arm that grabbed my leg is stretched out across the floor towards my ankle like some kind of dough.


    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. I never even stood a chance.


    She really is¡­ a monster.


    Her arm begins to retract and pull me with it. I desperately try to grab onto everything as I pass by in vain. My grip just isn¡¯t tight enough.


    I¡¯m helpless. My brain can only take me so far.


    Rachel lifts me up effortlessly. Does shape shifting give monstrous strength too? Can she even create stronger muscles in her arm?


    It¡¯s no use. I can¡¯t think clearly.


    She puts her hands around my throat, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you. Killing is wrong. I¡¯ll just knock you out and hide you somewhere until I¡¯ve obtained the rest of the gems.¡±


    As the blood flow to my brain is cut off, I feel true fear for the first time.


    I stare into Rachel¡¯s empty, fake eyes. She¡¯s a complete monster who isn¡¯t even human anymore. Her body isn¡¯t composed in a normal way, it¡¯s not right!


    Does that mean I wasn¡¯t human until I lost my power? Is this what Delusions really are? Is Allen human?


    Allen?


    Allen.


    Allen!


    My mind can only think one last thing before I can no longer stay conscious.


    ¡°Save me¡­ Allen.¡±

 Im Glad

    Saturday


    After a relatively uneventful day of wandering around town with Christina, I go back home and get to sleep. In the middle of the night, I get a call.


    It¡¯s Christina. Is it happening tonight, too?


    ¡°Hey Simon¡­¡± Her voice is shaky. Or maybe it¡¯s just the call. ¡°I think I¡¯m having another panic attack.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here for you. Concentrate on your breathing.¡±


    ¡°It- It¡¯s just that- Luke died.¡±


    I hate hearing that. It makes me sick. Every time I¡¯m reminded of Luke¡¯s death, my stomach churns. My head aches and I unconsciously grit my teeth. What happened to him shouldn¡¯t have ever come to be. I¡¯m not sure who to blame, but violence is never the answer, ever.


    Because it¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°Yeah. I know. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll heal you no matter what happens.¡±


    She goes on for a while. I might not get much sleep tonight. She does this a lot.


    Christina has bad mental health. She has frequent anxiety attacks at night and is mildly depressed. She never says a word of it to anyone but me.


    I¡¯m glad that I can help her, that I can be there for her.


    I need to help people who are weak, like Christina. I¡¯ll do anything I can for them. I can¡¯t stand seeing people in pain. Just the thought of Luke¡¯s face is enough to get me nauseous, I¡¯ll do anything in my power so that I never have to see anyone suffer.


    Eventually, she talks less and less on the call, until she says nothing at all, finally asleep.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± I whisper into my phone.


    I wake up in the morning and walk through my morning routine like usual. It¡¯s too bad there¡¯s no school today.


    Bored, I pull out my phone and text Christina like always.


    ¡°Good morning, got any plans for today?¡±


    ¡°None¡­ Want to go bowling? I¡¯ll drive.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll pick you up in a few hours.¡±


    Yay!


    Rubbing my eyes tiredly, I stumble downstairs for breakfast.


    ¡°Good morning, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, sunshine. I¡¯m making pancakes, want any?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love some.¡±


    Smells delicious.


    I sit down at the table and fiddle on my phone while I wait. As I scroll, it becomes apparent that my hands are abnormally shaky at the moment. I must be stressed out. This happens a lot, so it isn¡¯t a big deal.


    When the pancakes finish, I eat up my portion and head back to my room.


    ¡°Love you, Mom!¡±


    ¡°Love you too!¡±


    My stomach hurts. I wonder if it was the pancakes? I hope this isn¡¯t the stress too.


    Knock. Knock. Knock.


    She¡¯s half an hour earlier than I thought she¡¯d be.


    ¡°That¡¯s Christina! I¡¯ll get it!¡± I shout to Mom from my room.


    Quickly putting on my socks and shoes, I run to answer the door.


    ¡°Heya!¡± Christina greets with a smile.


    Heya?


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I came over so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Being early is fine with me. I was bored anyway.¡±


    She said ¡®suddenly¡¯ instead of ¡®early¡¯. Weird. It kind of makes sense, but you¡¯d expect someone to say ¡°early.¡±


    ¡°A-ah.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Are you ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I walk out of the front door and wave goodbye to Mom.


    ¡°Follow me, I parked back here.¡±


    Christina leads me to her car as I follow behind her. We walk down the street and her car is parked on the side of the road at the end of the street.


    Weird.


    Actually, on closer inspection, this isn¡¯t her car.


    ¡°Did you get a new car?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Like it?¡± She asks cheerfully.


    It honestly seems like a bit of a downgrade.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±


    This feels so strange. It feels wrong. All of these minor discrepancies are feeling much more weighty.


    Something isn¡¯t right.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°About last night¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    ¡°Did you really mean what you said about me?¡±


    She stops and thinks for a moment, ¡°Of course I meant it.¡±


    My heart skips a beat.


    Who is she?


    This is bad. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m able to keep the discomfort off of my face. My face is definitely pale. She¡¯ll find out I¡¯m onto her. She will- what will she do to me?


    The stomach ache gets even worse. It pinches at me, begging me to stop moving. Pleading that I step away from the car.


    No, I can use this as an excuse to escape. I can¡¯t just turn her down, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do. If I play off my visible discomfort as illness, I might be able to escape.


    First, I¡¯ll try one more test to be safe.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we should eat out at that restaurant anymore. My stomach hurts. Want to go to the movies instead?¡±


    ¡°Sure! I ate breakfast earlier anyway.¡±


    Our plan was to go bowling.


    ¡°One second, I¡¯ll be right back, wait here for me. I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Casually, I turn my back and start walking away, but she follows me.


    This is bad.


    Opening my front door once again, she follows close behind me.


    ¡°Back so soon?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re on our way out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sweety.¡±


    I walk to my room and stop at the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right out Christina, no need to follow me into the bathroom,¡± I force a chuckle.


    She just smiles with a tilt of her head and stands behind me within arm¡¯s reach. I open the door just enough to fit through so that she can¡¯t see the inside from her angle. She still thinks it¡¯s the bathroom. This really can¡¯t be her. She¡¯s been to my house a thousand times.


    Despite having known that this ¡°Christina¡± couldn¡¯t be the real one for so long, it¡¯s just so hard to believe. Over and over I find myself reconfirming the situation in disbelief.


    Twisting the lock in place behind me, I pace around the room in thought.


    Where can I go? I can¡¯t stay here forever.


    The window catches my eye. I slide it open, but an insect screen stops me from escaping. My fingers run along the edge of the screen, scraping for some kind of latch.


    How do you take one of these off!?


    ¡°You okay in there?¡± ¡®Christina¡¯ asks.


    Why interact with me while I¡¯m in the bathroom!? The noises of me opening the window must be strange.


    ¡°Yeah. Why don¡¯t you just wait in the car?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t respond.


    My mind continues to shoot about from one idea to the other, trying to flee the current situation. Suddenly I spy my pocket knife on my wardrobe. Thank god I used to be a boy scout.


    I flip open the blade and cut diagonally across the insect screen. Just in case, I keep the knife in my pocket. I¡¯m completely against violence, so I wonder why?


    I hang my right leg out the window first and look down. My vision starts to spin as I look at the top side of our bushes from my bedroom window on the second floor. That¡¯s a long fall.


    The door knob begins to shake. She must not be buying it. The sounds of the lock mechanism on the knob jingle vigorously.


    Without any time left, I grab the edge of the window and hang myself down. I need to shorten the falling distance as best as I can. There¡¯s a bush under me, maybe that will cushion the fall? After that, I¡¯ll sprint towards the woods!


    Through the silence of my room, the faint sound of the door unlocking echoes.


    How¡¯d she do that?!


    I immediately react by letting go of the window sill.


    Thud.


    My legs impact the ground after crashing through the bush. It hurts like hell. My legs sting all throughout and I can feel the bone in them somehow. It isn¡¯t broken, I think, but I can feel the bone¡¯s location. I¡¯m sure I can still run though! I have to. My clothes are torn a bit by the sharp branches of the bush too. My arms and legs are scratched up a bit.


    I stand as fast as I can and sprint into the forest. Each step I take fuels the fire of pain in both my legs.


    I can¡¯t look back, but by now, she probably walked to the window and saw me running.


    There aren¡¯t any sounds of footsteps following me. She must be far gone. She¡¯ll follow me, but there¡¯s no way she¡¯d jump after me. No doubt that she¡¯ll walk downstairs and out the door.


    I left her in the house with Mom, but that thing is only after my gem. Wait¡­ what if Mom is taken hostage? What do I do then? Maybe if I don¡¯t return home there¡¯d be no point in taking her hostage. A threat like that is worthless if your target doesn¡¯t even know you are making it.


    I¡¯ll run away from home.


    ¡­


    Who knows what else that creature can look like? I can¡¯t talk to anyone, or let them see me. Can I really live my life like that? Running away from shadows until the coast is clear, in constant fear and paranoia? That sounds far too similar to someone I hate.


    In that case, my next course of action needs to be hiding close to the house. Christina, the real one, is still going to stop at my house in around twenty five minutes. My little game of hide and seek needs to last only that long. Actually, I can message her to speed up.


    With uncanny timing, I receive a message from Christina on my phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m at your house. Sorry for being early.¡±


    Well that saved me!


    I don¡¯t even need to message her.


    I sneak around and look at the front of my house. Christina is standing there.


    Her car still isn¡¯t, though. Meaning¡­ That¡¯s the fake!? How¡¯d she send a text from Christina¡¯s number? If her phone got taken, could she have been killed?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    No way! Not in the timeframe. Not to mention, if it had access to Christina¡¯s phone and messages, it would¡¯ve already known about our plans for today.


    Yes. Christina must be safe.


    I feel like I¡¯ve heard something like this on the news before, a method for scammers to imitate someone else¡¯s phone number. It¡¯s scary to see in action. This creature must be pretty smart.


    I¡¯ll hide around the side of a house two houses down from mine. That¡¯ll let me have a good idea of when the real Christina arrives and hide me decently well.


    It¡¯s nerve wracking not fully understanding the situation. I¡¯m not fully sure of how that thing used Christina¡¯s number, so it¡¯s scary to message her for help. It¡¯s probably safest to just wait this out.


    So I do. My mind can¡¯t sit still, constantly bouncing around along with my accelerating heart rate and ragged breathing for what feels like hours. Yet according to my phone, two minutes have passed.


    The fake with Christina¡¯s face begins to walk around. She¡¯s searching for me. If I had run to the forest, it wouldn¡¯t have a shot of finding me, so it just walks up the road patiently. If it doesn¡¯t find me now, it¡¯ll likely just wander around this street until Christina arrives. Since I accidentally let that slip, it knows Christina will show up eventually. If I simply run away now, Christina could be killed.


    The forest plan seems safest at first, but not only does it put Christina in danger, I would also be in a nightmarish position. I¡¯d be in constant fear that whoever I talk to is a fake. I¡¯d never be able to tell.


    I could always also message Allen, Sarah, Dylan, or Rachel for help. But¡­ isn¡¯t one of them the monster right in front of me? Dylan definitely isn¡¯t because I know his ability now. Allen, Sarah, and Rachel are a different story though. As much as I hate to believe it, any of them could be this monster. Messaging Dylan could be safe, but I¡¯m afraid he might notify his friends. Knowing him, even if asked to come alone he¡¯d bring friends anyway.


    I hadn¡¯t considered it until now, but even if I call for backup, would anyone except for the real Christina believe me? Accusing the person in front of me of being a shapeshifter isn¡¯t exactly convincing.


    My safest option is to stay right on this street for Christina to save me. Her power isn¡¯t amazing, but it¡¯ll be enough to defeat a fake!


    Ten minutes remain and it walks up the street towards me.


    Where do I go? If I stay behind the houses I¡¯d have to make a break for it through the gap between the yards. If it happens to see me, it¡¯s all over. No doubt it¡¯d outrun me. My legs still hurt and they¡¯re all scratched up.


    I could easily move farther from my own house without being seen, but that¡¯s probably what it wants!


    I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯ll head straight backwards, to the forest. Then, from the woods, I¡¯ll move to the back of my house. She can¡¯t see me that way, and I can keep an eye on her.


    This will be a precise maneuver. If I run back to the woods before that thing is directly in front of the house I¡¯m currently behind, it¡¯ll be able to see me.


    This is going to be close. I¡¯ll use the faint sound of footsteps to try and locate the perfect moment to start moving.


    I sneak along the wall behind the house, sticking my back to it.


    Closing my eyes to focus on my hearing, I count off the very faint footsteps from the sidewalk. The birds chirping and the occasional car going by drown out the distant sound. Even the wind can overpower the sound of its footsteps.


    One step.


    Wind.


    Two steps.


    Bird.


    Three steps.


    Four steps.


    Car.


    Five steps.


    I continue counting off the steps until they sound like they¡¯re behind the house.


    Now¡¯s my chance.


    I run as quietly as possible to the woods.


    As soon as I take cover in the trees, I twist my head back to see if I was spotted.


    It¡¯s not there. It must still be in front of the house.


    I walk through the woods and take cover behind my house. The tall grass and branches constantly scrape against my cuts, making them sting again. Being able to casually walk again is such a relief.


    I sit down behind my house, back against the wall, and take a deep breath.


    My hands shake and my stomach begs me to vomit.


    Not now.


    I¡¯m scared. This is awful, but I think I won. Only two minutes until Christina is here.


    As soon as I calm down, fear washes over me in a second burst.


    I hear footsteps close by in the grass. They move fast, straight towards me like a wolf after its prey.


    It found me!


    Shit!


    I throw myself to my feet and sprint diagonally towards the woods.


    It¡¯s close behind me, and it¡¯s much quicker than me.


    Whether it¡¯s fear, morbid curiosity, or despair, I can¡¯t help but look over my shoulder to see it again.


    That thing is horribly misshapen. Its face is still Christina¡¯s but its legs are shaped like a horse¡¯s back legs, bent completely crooked. It still has the skin of a human, but the bone structure looks so unnatural. Despite how hideous it is, no human can compete with a horse in terms of speed.


    Its arms are significantly longer than a human¡¯s and seem to have no bones. They move like a snake and grow out towards me.


    The fingernails on the snake-like arms grow out in an instant like knives and fly towards my head.


    I¡¯m a dead man.


    It¡¯s best to just give up.


    I¡¯ve always liked to consider myself someone who could cope with death. Besides, I¡¯ve had enough with this fear. This is the most awful feeling I¡¯ve ever felt.


    I¡¯m terrified.


    If I struggle to live, who knows how painful it¡¯ll be? My life¡¯s been great, but lately I¡¯ve been really stressed. Maybe this is a relief?


    Besides, I don¡¯t stand a chance against that monster. Asking anything more of me is cruelty. I did my best. What more can I do?


    I relax all of my muscles and allow myself to die painlessly-


    No! I can¡¯t! I¡¯m scared!


    In a sudden desperate realization, I throw my body to the side and fall to the floor. That could¡¯ve killed me¡­ but I lived. The knife-like nails missed my neck.


    That¡¯s when it hits. The pain.


    My shoulder bleeds profusely and my vision struggles to focus. It hurts like hell. In all of my life I¡¯ve never felt pain like this. My left shoulder shoots a fiery yet sharp stinging pain throughout the entirety of my body. I reflexively grasp at the wound with my hand and curl into a fetal position.


    Biting my lip, I force myself to open my eyes and see how bad the injury is. That¡¯s when I see it.


    My left arm lies on the red, blood soaked grass in front of me, completely detached from my body.


    A shrill scream of pain tears from my throat in agony. Hearing the sound with my own ears I can¡¯t even recognize it as my own. The sound is more fit for an animal.


    The monster¡¯s running comes to a stop, but its arms bend back around to get into position for cutting off my head.


    Suddenly, both of the snake-like arms fall to the ground. They crash at speeds much faster than gravity, so powerful that they smash a small hole in the dirt around them.


    It¡¯s Christina. If she was even a second later¡­ I can¡¯t even bring myself to imagine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here! Are you alright!?¡±


    She runs towards me from the street. She must have seen me as she passed by in her car and heard the scream. Thank god I had the sense to run diagonally. If I ran straight, the house would have blocked her vision of me. She might not have been able to tell where I was. If I gave up and let it kill me instead of dodging, she wouldn¡¯t have heard my scream either. I bet the creature would¡¯ve killed her by shifting into me next.


    Stumbling back to my feet, I change directions and begin running toward the road, toward Christina. I can¡¯t balance with my missing arm and fall on the floor once again. My vision is fuzzy and black speckles dance through the world around me. Christina catches up to me and stands between me and the monster..


    ¡°What is that?¡± Christina asks in horror.


    ¡°I have no clue¡­ It¡¯s hardly human,¡± I manage to say in between breaths. The pain makes it hard to speak. I desperately squeeze my shoulder to stop the bleeding, but the blood continues pouring. If only I could heal myself¡­ but, it¡¯s not about me right now! Christina needs to make it out alive too!


    The thing retracts its arms and reshapes its legs into a person¡¯s.


    Two Christina¡¯s face each other.


    ¡°This sure is unsettling. Can you put on your real face?¡±


    The fake scoffs and it slowly mutates itself again.


    It shifts slowly almost as if it wants to be theatrical. I saw it shoot its nails out. It can obviously mutate faster.


    It retains a female¡¯s body but gets shorter. It¡¯s around average height with brown hair and blue eyes.


    ¡°Rachel?!¡± I can¡¯t believe it. I didn¡¯t know her well, but we were friends.


    The monstrous woman looks at both of us, ¡°Who¡¯d you expect?¡±


    ¡°A shape shifter,¡± I gasp for air to inform Christina. ¡°We can¡¯t know for sure¡­ that it¡¯s really Rachel, either¡­ That thing can take any form it desires. It¡¯ll¡­ be a tough opponent. We can¡¯t even run¡­ It would outpace anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up for it,¡± Christina forces a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll be able to protect you. Heal me if I get injured. We¡¯ll make a good duo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I don¡¯t know how well I¡¯ll be able to help with one arm, or how much longer I can stay conscious, but I¡¯ll do whatever I can.


    The creature speaks, ¡°I really am Rachel. Although, I didn¡¯t want to fight you both at the same time. I figured that the easiest target I knew of was Simon¡­ No matter, I doubt I can lose.¡±


    ¡°Why are you fighting us?¡± I plead. ¡°Killing isn¡¯t the answer!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it is. I have only one wish and I need it to come true. I already have three gems. If I have both of yours, I¡¯ll be unstoppable. Of course, I would¡¯ve preferred having four gems before taking on a real fight.¡±


    ¡°W-Who¡¯s gems did you take? Who¡¯d you kill!?¡± The words taste awful in my mouth.


    ¡°I took Luke¡¯s after he already died and I ¡®took care¡¯ of Sarah. Don¡¯t worry, she isn¡¯t dead. Killing is wrong, after all. However, even though as a human being I¡¯m opposed to murder, if it is necessary, I have to allow it. I¡¯m not a bad person, I just need to do this.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s your goal here? We can help you!¡±


    Rachel only sneers.


    ¡°Stop, Simon. It¡¯s too late. She¡¯s off the deep end.¡±


    ¡°Off the deep end? How dare you! I¡¯m perfectly normal!¡±


    ¡°Is that how you see yourself?¡± Christina laughs.


    ¡°You¡¯re a rude bitch aren¡¯t you? This battle is fated and I have nothing to do with it. When I kill you here, it will only be because I had no choice.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s making you?¡± I try to reason.


    ¡°Me. My circumstances require this much.¡±


    ¡°But what is it that you want from all of this?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯d never understand.¡±


    She really is crazy. She can¡¯t even explain what she wants. This is the most fear I¡¯ve ever felt. It¡¯s true fear. She really will kill us if we mess up. I don¡¯t ever want to feel pain like this again.


    I wonder¡­ would giving up hurt less?


    ¡°Well, we can no longer talk, so Rachel, back down now or face our wrath!¡± Christina threatens.


    ¡°Time to test my new power!¡±


    With those words, someone was guaranteed to die here.


    We¡¯re a decent distance apart. It¡¯d take even Rachel a couple of seconds to close the distance.


    Rachel¡¯s arms extend again like snakes while her finger nails grow out into razor blades.


    Christina puts out her hands and points them at the flying snake-arms, ¡°C¡¯mon!¡±


    The arms are slammed into the ground once again.


    Christina¡¯s Delusion, I know it all too well. She can¡¯t take care of herself so she puts her weight on others. Thus, she can add additional gravity to objects around her. Kyle sure is a genius. I would¡¯ve never understood why she had that Delusion. Gravity manipulation, but more specifically adding weight. She can¡¯t ¡°carry her own weight¡±, so it¡¯s passed on to someone else.


    With her arms stuck, Rachel¡¯s legs bend and twist into a horse¡¯s and she runs straight towards me and Christina.


    When she gets around twenty feet from us, a large weight is placed on her.


    Now we have her! She shouldn¡¯t have gotten so close, now she won¡¯t be able to move.


    But Rachel doesn¡¯t. She stands and keeps walking. She can¡¯t sprint anymore, but she continues making her way to us.


    What even is she? Is this the power of the gems?


    Her muscles bulge. Muscle mass appears out of nowhere and she gains the build of a weightlifter.


    If that isn¡¯t overpowered¡­


    Christina runs towards the slowed Rachel with a punch wound up.


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t jump in like that!¡± I caution.


    ¡°Trust me, I just had a good idea.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s arms retract back onto her body. Her torso bubbles and expands. Her whole body begins to contort and grow until she has the body of a massive over-six-foot tall bodybuilder. The only problem for her now is that she¡¯s being slowed down by gravity.


    Rachel takes a boxing stance and gets ready to block Christina¡¯s blow. I know Christina, and I think she may have just bit off more than she can chew. It¡¯s hard to imagine this going well. It¡¯s a school girl versus the world¡¯s strongest man.


    Christina throws her whole body weight into a single punch.


    Rachel¡¯s face gleams with confidence, despite being weighed down so much.


    The smirk on her face is instantly wiped off when Christina¡¯s little teenage girl punch launches her backwards through the yard. Rachel managed to block in time but it looks like the punch broke one of her arms. The massive muscular arm is bent in half like a toothpick.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°It worked! It looks like if I add a large amount of weight to my own arm after it¡¯s already in motion, it¡¯ll keep the momentum. I just hit her with the force of a brick traveling as fast as my fist. Well, a whole lot heavier than a brick,¡± She pauses for a moment. ¡°That¡¯ll only hold her for a second, she¡¯ll stand up soon, but¡­ I kinda broke my hand.¡±


    She what!?


    I shamble over to heal it. Her hand is in really bad shape. That punch deals some damage, but the human body can¡¯t take the recoil.


    I have to remove my right hand from my still bleeding shoulder to heal her. Just taking off my hand reignites the pain. It hurts so bad, I consider not healing Christina so that I can continue to ease my pain, but I power through.


    ¡°Are you alright now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, but we have bigger problems.¡±


    Rachel stands back up after flying back around twenty feet. That blow would¡¯ve killed a human. The arm she blocked with is mangled.


    The mangled arm starts to twist and morph.


    She can self heal too? I guess that makes sense, shape shifting can modify the body in any way. But if that¡¯s the case¡­


    How do we win?


    It¡¯s hopeless. We can only try to escape.


    My legs begin to tremble. I¡¯m going to die here.


    Even with the extra gravity, Rachel runs faster than the average person. She¡¯s even faster than me, weighed down!


    ¡°Run, Christina! Let¡¯s escape!¡±


    ¡°No! I need to defeat her!¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid!? We can¡¯t even hurt her! She¡¯s invincible!¡±


    Christina thinks for a second and replies, ¡°If I get a solid shot on her head, there¡¯s no way it can be repaired. It¡¯s an instant kill.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but-!¡±


    I guess that also means she isn¡¯t able to shapeshift her own brain. If she did, how would she shift back?


    That¡¯s her core.


    Still, it¡¯s no use. I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m truly, truly afraid.


    Rachel slows to a stop and then watches us from a small distance.


    Christina takes advantage of the opportunity to look at me and smile, ¡°I know¡­ I know that I¡¯ve been relying on you my entire life. I¡¯ve relied on all of those around me. I know that we can¡¯t outrun her. I also know this fight is unwinnable. But, Simon, run for me. You escape. I¡¯ll hold her off. Notify Allen and the others. You can win together!¡±


    Tears swell in my eyes. I¡¯m terrified, but without hesitation, ¡°Thank you, Christina.¡±


    I want to stay and help her¡­ but what can I do? I¡¯m so terrified. The fear is too much for me. I can¡¯t handle the idea of death. If I die here¡­ what about my mom and pa? What about my sister? What about me?


    My shoulder constantly reminds me of the fear of death.


    I don¡¯t want to die!


    I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die.


    Without being able to think, my legs take off and I can¡¯t stop running.


    Thank you Christina.


    I run in terribly poor form. My balance is completely thrown off without my arm. I can hardly even run, but the adrenaline forces me to keep going. Blood trickles from my shoulder despite me holding onto it. My legs fill with pain from my previous injuries but I keep going.


    The tears that blurred my vision start to fall.


    Christina died. She did. There¡¯s no way she can fight that monster. Land a blow on her head? That¡¯s entirely impossible. It¡¯s laughable. My best friend has died. I¡¯ve known her for so long¡­ I loved her.


    But I can hardly think about that.


    That is an entirely secondary emotion right now.


    No, it¡¯s third.


    I¡¯m afraid. I can¡¯t die here! I don¡¯t want to! I don¡¯t want to feel pain! I¡¯m terrified.


    But¡­ number one¡­


    Deep down in the truest depths of my heart I¡¯m¡­


    Through the tears, a smile creeps onto my face.


    I run into the woods and don¡¯t pay heed to wherever I¡¯m going.


    I¡¯m glad that it wasn¡¯t me.

 Four Empty Chairs

    My eyes slowly open to take in the world around me.


    Where am I?


    I did open my eyes, didn¡¯t I?


    Everything remains black no matter how many times I blink.


    My back rests against the cold floor. To get a better idea of where I am, I stand up.


    Well, I try to.


    Moving my arms and legs is met with firm resistance. They¡¯re bound. Whenever I move my arms, metal jingles and clinks around. It feels like I¡¯m handcuffed to some kind of metal bar. If I tug, it moves a little.


    My legs don¡¯t make noise when I move them. They¡¯re probably tied with cloth.


    I¡¯m blindfolded and gagged with cloth as well.


    What happened?


    Oh, right.


    Rachel.


    She really didn¡¯t kill me though. I can¡¯t believe she followed through on her word. It felt more like a ¡°don¡¯t struggle¡± situation. She was acting completely psychotic so I thought I was done for.


    With a bit of effort, I rub my face against the floor in an attempt to slide my blindfold off. It takes a couple minutes, but it loosens enough for me to see.


    Light assaults my retinas in a blinding flash. The window doesn¡¯t have blinds so the sun shines unhindered. Despite having removed my blindfold and escaping the pitch black darkness, I¡¯m met with a bright white light which continues to blind me.


    Giving myself a moment to adjust, I take in my surroundings thoroughly and carefully.


    First things first, my wrists are handcuffed to a school desk. Unfortunately, the handcuffs aren¡¯t plastic. They¡¯re the real deal.


    Of course, my phone isn¡¯t on me.


    I have a hunch of where I am, but I want a look out the window for confirmation.


    Struggling to stand with my bound feet, I purposely knock over the desk my hands are attached to in order to get up. I highly doubt that Rachel is babysitting me, so I won¡¯t worry about how much noise it makes.


    There are two sets of handcuffs. Both of my hands have different cuffs on them. The end my hands are in is tightly locked in place like you¡¯d expect, but the other half of the cuffs are completely and unsalvageably damaged. They¡¯re crushed, bent as close to the size of the desk¡¯s legs as possible. No matter how I move them, it¡¯s impossible to detach them from the desk. She must¡¯ve been unable to find something immovable to bind me to, so she attached a desk behind me to act as a ball and chain. It¡¯s not impossible to leave like this, but doing so is slow and unwieldy.


    She doesn¡¯t need to keep me here forever after all.


    So, where am I?


    From my new standing position, I can easily get a view of the outside through the window.


    About what I expected.


    It¡¯s the old school building. The small scale and damaged state of the room around me made it obvious, but this confirms it.


    I knew Rachel wouldn¡¯t hide me in her home. What if I was found by a family member? If she didn¡¯t know any other place to hide me, I guess it''s easiest to just tie me up here. Sure, the others know this location too, but she probably intends on killing everyone before they get a chance to hold another meeting.


    Soon.


    Actually, what is her plan?


    I guess after taking my gem, she¡¯d go kill¡­ Simon. Everyone is aware of his ability and if singled out, he¡¯s just as weak as the average eighth grader. Not to mention, his ability to rescue someone from certain death could prove detrimental to Rachel¡¯s plans.


    Afterwards¡­ Maybe Allen? Allen always hangs out with Dylan so he probably seems weak in comparison. Christina seems pretty tough, herself. Her ability is a complete mystery too. Rachel has at least seen Allen¡¯s. Allen would likely be the best pick between the three options.


    Then she¡¯ll go for Christina, then Dylan. Dylan is the strongest as far as we¡¯ve seen. Not only is he tall with a muscular figure, he also killed Luke already. Rachel witnessed it. He was indisputably powerful. But could he defeat someone who already has six gems? Doubtful.


    Finally, she¡¯d kill Kyle. He would be left for last, not because he¡¯s strong, but because he¡¯s allusive. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll even be able to track him down at all. Honestly, the final boss wouldn¡¯t be a fight to the death with a fire manipulating body builder, it would be trying to find Kyle.


    I need to tell Simon what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll text Kyle after. He¡¯s smart and despite being so selfish, he does seem to care about the group at least a little.


    How am I supposed to take these cuffs off though?


    Alright, I saw this in a horror movie once. The main character was handcuffed by their insane ex but managed to escape using a hair pin.


    I¡¯ll give this a shot.


    I lay back down and rub my head on the ground until a bobby pin pulls loose.


    Rolling onto my back, I pick up the pin off the ground after some fumbling.


    With the pin in my right hand and stretching the chain to its limit, I slide it into the keyhole of my left cuff. If I turn it too hard I could break my one chance of escape. Gently. I¡¯ll turn it clockwise¡­


    Nothing happens.


    I remove the clip and play with it in my fingers. Using just enough force to slowly bend the metal, I try to make the loop at the end a little wider.


    Failed again.


    Over the next, presumably, several hours, I adjust the size and shape of the loop until it eventually pops open the lock on the cuffs. The light from the window changed slowly in both color and brightness, but it¡¯s an impossible task to judge how long it really took.


    The film made that look so easy!


    Luckily, the loop I ended with was able to work on both pairs of handcuffs.


    Finally,


    Click!


    That¡¯s it! I thought I was going to go insane!


    Now that my handcuffs are removed, untying the cloth around my legs and in my mouth is child''s play.


    I turn the knob to leave the room but the knob refuses to move. I¡¯m locked in.


    Maybe it¡¯s barricaded? I don¡¯t know if these doors even have locks.


    In any case, I lift up the desk I was previously attached to with all of my might. I¡¯m less fit than I imagined. Just lifting the desk strains my entire body.


    Putting my back into it, I throw the desk at the window.


    Thud.


    The desk bounces off.


    Again!


    Thud.


    This time the window cracks.


    Once more!


    Smash!


    A nice cold breeze blows right in. That¡¯s better.


    Free at last, I can¡¯t resist the urge to search the building for my phone. Of course, with no luck.


    Now how do I contact Simon? I¡¯m going to need to meet up with someone who knows his number. The closest house to the school is¡­ maybe Allen¡¯s? It¡¯s either that or Dylan¡¯s.


    I would borrow someone¡¯s phone off the street, but I only know my number and my mom¡¯s off the top of my head. Even in a situation like this, I won¡¯t involve my mom. She couldn¡¯t help anyway. She¡¯s probably busy.


    I¡¯m not going to hitchhike either. That¡¯s scary.


    I¡¯m going to have to walk all the way to Allen¡¯s house. Hopefully I¡¯m not too late.


    ***


    Knock Knock Knock


    Who is that?


    While relaxing in the living room, I seem to have gotten a visitor.


    Opening the door, I¡¯m met with a welcome face making an impatient one.


    ¡°Sarah. I thought you were at the hospital for your grandma?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Her brows furrow.


    ¡°You messaged me on the phone yesterday, that you wouldn¡¯t be able to make our date.¡±


    Her eyes widen in realization before quickly explaining, ¡°That was Rachel. She¡¯s stolen my gem and is preparing to kill Simon.¡±


    Give me a moment to register. Excuse me? It was Rachel? Rachel ruined my first date!? Here I was thinking that Sarah had second thoughts.


    I¡¯ll get her back for this! I was so disappointed!


    What was that about Simon?


    ¡°Simon is going to be killed? We can save him, right?¡±


    ¡°We have to. And fast. I¡¯ll explain everything on the way. You said you can drive, right?¡±


    I shout to my mom that I¡¯m going out with friends and she allows me to take the car. On my way out, I send a quick message to Simon and Christina warning them to watch out for Rachel¡¯s shapeshifting and another message. I send an additional message to Dylan to meet us at a caf¨¦ between his house and Simon¡¯s. Just in case, I loop Kyle in on the message to Dylan.


    On the drive to Simon¡¯s house, Sarah explains everything.


    She was put on a fake date with me and kidnapped by Rachel. How could I have missed it?


    Now that I think about it¡­


    ¡°How¡¯d she text you using my number? My phone hasn¡¯t left my sight, and my password isn¡¯t something she could guess.¡±


    ¡°I think- it¡¯s a technique that scammers use. I¡¯m not an expert, but she can make it look like you sent a text that you didn¡¯t. It tricks my phone into thinking that your number sent it.¡±


    ¡°I see. But didn¡¯t you reply to the message? Shouldn¡¯t that have gone to me?¡±


    She stops and considers, ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you didn¡¯t get it. You definitely should have. Did you talk with Rachel recently?¡±


    Talk with Rachel? I don¡¯t think so. Unless¡­


    Uh oh.


    ¡°Did you come back to my house after you dropped me off two days ago?¡±


    ¡°No, I went straight home. That must¡¯ve been Rachel¡¯s first move.¡±


    ¡°You asked for my phone. You said that you had gotten a new provider and that you could type your new number into my phone for me.¡±


    Sarah places a hand on her chin, ¡°Rachel must¡¯ve blocked my real number on your phone and given you a fake number that she had control of. That way, she can text me with your number, but when I reply you wouldn¡¯t see it. This strategy makes it so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see the text I sent either, but since she took initiative and sent me a message first, it was just a confirmation of our date. She gambled that I wouldn¡¯t ask a question afterwards. Although, even if I did and was ghosted, I¡¯d still show up on the date without worrying about it. A confirmation message was sent, after all¡±


    Wow. Rachel¡¯s smarter than I took her for. She always seemed like the smart type, but she never did anything remarkably intelligent. Her cool head was admirable, but her intelligence was hidden.


    Sarah, on the other hand, pieced together Rachel¡¯s whole plan in a few minutes! Man, she¡¯s amazing.


    As we get closer to Simon¡¯s street, Sarah shouts to stop the car.


    She quickly hops out and jogs over to a trash can on the side of the road. A sick looking boy sits behind it, hugging his knees.


    Good eye.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sarah asks the boy.


    He looks up with a deranged face. His eyes are red from crying and his lips force a crooked smile. The boy¡¯s clothes are all torn up. His pants have scratches and holes all over. His shirt is missing a sleeve and has red stains splattered across it. Oddly enough, there¡¯s not a single injury on the boy''s body.


    It takes a moment for me and Sarah to realize who the fear stricken boy is. His face is so different from normal. More than simply looking different, it has changed.


    ¡°Sarah- no. Are you!?¡± His voice trembles until he notices me out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Oh¡­ there¡¯s two of you¡­ she shouldn¡¯t be able to split¡­ probably¡­¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Simon talks like he¡¯s been possessed. The once cheerful boy is petrified. He stares at the two of us with doubt and distrust.


    ¡°Simon. We¡¯re here now. Did Rachel get to you?¡±


    ¡°No- No. She didn¡¯t get me. Not me.¡±


    ¡°Can you ride with us? We need to go somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°Safe? How can anywhere be safe? Anyone could be Rachel. That may not be Allen with you, and you may not even be Sarah. Hell, how do you know I¡¯m me?¡±


    For some reason- no, for a clear reason, he is reminiscent of Kyle. Not his tone, not his voice¡­ but the content of what he¡¯s saying is almost exactly what Kyle would say. His words are filled with distrust and he wears it proud. He¡¯s not afraid to express the fact that we can¡¯t be trusted- that nothing can be trusted.


    ¡°Come with us, Simon. Dylan will be there. He¡¯s strong. We¡¯ll go pick up Christina too.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± His frightened voice has fallen off completely. It¡¯s impossible for him to let out more than a strained whisper. ¡°She died.¡±


    The news doesn¡¯t hit until seconds after it¡¯s heard. Despite not liking how distrusting Kyle is, I can¡¯t believe my own ears.


    Two have died.


    Luke.


    Christina.


    ¡°Tell us what happened!¡± My patience is wearing thin. Sarah¡¯s been talking calmly this whole time. She wants to comfort him, but we don¡¯t have time for that.


    ¡°She protected me. I was in pain. The worst pain I¡¯d ever felt. But, Christina used her life to delay Rachel, and I ran. I ran without turning back,¡± A cruel, evil smile is glued to his face. He talks of the tragic event like it¡¯s a miracle. He talks about it as though all that matters is that he got away.


    His voice, his face, his words. He¡¯s pissing me off. He¡¯s talking like he¡¯s evil.


    Where did the cute, justice loving Simon go?


    Sarah grabs his sleeveless arm and stands him up. The physical contact with that bare arm makes him visibly shake.


    ¡°Come with us, Simon. We can help you,¡± Sarah invites reassuringly.


    Without response or resistance, Simon is silently dragged into our car. He doesn¡¯t make a sound on the way to the meeting place with Dylan.


    ¡°She killed Christina!?¡± Dylan shouts in confusion upon hearing the news.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it sounds like. She already has four gems and she¡¯ll be coming for us next. We need to fight. She¡¯s evil and dangerous, so we need to kill her.¡± I propose the only thought in my mind.


    Dylan sits in the back of the car quietly next to Simon. He makes a difficult expression, thinking over my words.


    We drive to the abandoned school.


    Rachel locked Sarah up there, but Sarah proposed that she wouldn¡¯t return. Why? Because if someone is at the building, everyone is. Rachel is a coward, too afraid to tackle more than a single opponent at a time.


    We text Kyle but he doesn¡¯t respond. It was obvious when he didn¡¯t respond to the first message, that bastard is just going to abandon us. What happened to him saying he¡¯d continue to respond to his phone and help us out?


    We silently take our seats in the meeting room. The other classroom was now boarded off. That must be where Sarah was kidnapped.


    Simon sits in his regular seat, still wearing that twisted expression on his face. Four empty chairs surround him. Sarah and Dylan sit beside me, in front of the doorless doorway.


    Despite coming here to talk, nobody says a word. The atmosphere is eerie and dark. The empty chairs threaten us to stand up. They threaten us to leave the room and never come back, like those who previously sat in them. If we leave our chairs, no one will be left.


    The empty chairs silently watch on as we all attempt to cope with the new situation.


    Only half of the club''s members remain.


    Luke was incinerated.


    Rachel betrayed us.


    Christina sacrificed herself.


    Kyle ran away.


    Who will be next? Us, or Rachel?


    One side needs to die. It¡¯s unavoidable now.


    ¡°Could you explain her abilities to us, Simon?¡± Sarah asks calmly, as though speaking with a child.


    Reluctantly, he does, ¡°She can transform into any shape. That includes strengthening herself with muscle and altering her shape to be more suited for speed and attacking. And, she can heal any injury in moments¡­ It¡¯s hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Any injury?¡± Sarah ponders. ¡°Perhaps if her head was destroyed, she wouldn¡¯t be able to continue healing? If that¡¯s the case, we would have to take her out in a single hit.¡±


    I speak up and voice my best plan, ¡°Me and Dylan won¡¯t be able to defeat Rachel alone. At least, not without major injuries or a sacrifice. A head shot is probably impossible. Rachel has four gems already. Honestly, I don¡¯t think we stand a chance-¡±


    Everyone remains silent. Sarah watches the table while Simon¡¯s eyes dart around the room, vigilant. Dylan watches my face as he listens.


    ¡°-There¡¯s only one way we can win this¡­ we need another gem. Between the four of us, only two can fight. One gem here is going to waste. To maximize our chances of winning, of surviving, we need to kill Simon.¡±


    Simon sits still, staring daggers at me. His eyes are merciless.


    The way I see it, Simon is as much of a traitor as Luke. Simon selfishly let Christina die and for that, he needs to be punished. His continued existence will get us all killed. Me, Dylan, and Sarah.


    Not to mention, his ability to heal is useless in the middle of a fight. He needs direct contact, but if he puts himself into the fray, he¡¯ll be killed instantly. He¡¯s just a kid. Even though he can heal us after our battle, we just can¡¯t win with our current fire power.


    Sarah looks shocked at my suggestion, but continues staring at the table.


    Dylan immediately raises his voice, ¡°No! We can¡¯t do that. We can¡¯t kill Simon just for our sake!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ not just for us. For Christina, too. He let her die! Are you just going to forgive him!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not his fault! She sacrificed herself so that he could live!¡±


    The temperature notably rises. Of course, Dylan isn¡¯t the type of person who can control himself. He¡¯s like me, in that regard.


    ¡°Then what do you suppose we do!? We can¡¯t let ourselves be killed like this.¡±


    Dylan¡¯s anger shrinks as he glances to the side.


    He responds quietly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure but-¡±


    ¡°We need to kill Simon! It¡¯s our only hope! You can have his gem, and together, we can defeat Rachel.¡±


    ¡°That might work, no, it probably will. But we can¡¯t just kill him! It¡¯s just too selfish! I already killed Luke, I won¡¯t accept any more needless death!¡±


    ***


    I sit in the corner alone. Who knows when this could fall apart. A fight might break out at any moment. I need to keep my distance.


    Somewhere along the line, I sat down in a seat far from the door. It¡¯ll be hard to escape from this position. I only chose this seat because at the moment I wanted to be as far away from them as possible.


    The empty chairs surround me. They whisper threats. At any moment, I may also die. I may run away. But, I won¡¯t sacrifice myself. No matter what, my life will never be the same.


    Allen seems different to me now. Not in the same way that Christina felt different when she was an imposter. Allen feels more confident, but it¡¯s a confidence that will surely hurt him. He also feels like an enemy. He doesn¡¯t feel like an enemy because he wants to kill me, it¡¯s something else. I don¡¯t blame him for wanting me to die. For him to survive I can¡¯t live. Still, that confidence only welcomes misfortune. He¡¯s going to make a grave mistake in his sinful pride.


    ¡°We need to kill Simon! It¡¯s our only hope! You can have his gem and together, we can defeat Rachel,¡± Allen yells violently.


    ¡°That might work, but we can¡¯t just kill him! I already killed Luke, I won¡¯t allow anymore needless death!¡± Dylan¡¯s words carry a wave of sudden heat.


    Sarah remains staring at the table. She¡¯s just as bad as Allen if she doesn¡¯t decide to help me. As far as I¡¯m concerned, she¡¯s an accomplice.


    I need to take this into my own hands. I need to get out of here.


    Allen¡¯s trying to kill me, but Dylan is closest to the door. If I walk out casually, maybe they¡¯ll be too distracted with their arguing?


    What if they notice? Will they attack me? I need to be ready, but I can¡¯t fight them. It¡¯s impossible.


    Watching Christina, the most important person to me, sacrifice herself was painful. It hurt so badly I thought I might die from the pain. Somehow though, it didn¡¯t hurt quite as bad as having my arm torn off. That pain which shot through every inch of my body with concentrated agony, the pain of my imminent death, that is a pain I never want to feel again.


    My perception of reality, my perception of myself, has changed.


    As I try to brainstorm ways to escape, my fingers wander over something in my pocket.


    ¡°Dylan! We need to do this! We don¡¯t have a choice!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t kill him! I can¡¯t accept that! I won¡¯t let another one of our friends die!¡±


    Sarah grabs Allen¡¯s sleeve without looking up.


    She whispers, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do anymore. Is it really okay to kill him? I know it¡¯s our only chance but-¡±


    Nonchalantly, I stand up and begin to walk around the table and through the door. Slowly and casually, I pray that they don''t try to stop me.


    Dylan abruptly stands up and blocks my path to the door.


    He towers over me menacingly. My eyes stare straight forward, only about halfway through his chest. I¡¯d need to bend my neck completely upwards to see his face. His arms are the size of my head. If he wanted, a single punch would surely knock me out. He could torch me alive in a moment.


    ¡°Hey, Simon, I¡¯m defending you here. Trust me. Still, you need to stay here for this discussion. It involves you as much as-¡±


    Now, my escape!


    Dylan loses his voice. Air struggles to escape his lungs to speak as he slowly reaches down to his stomach.


    My hands feel a warm drizzle run down them. I grip my pocket knife with all of my strength and firmly pull it from his belly. My first obstacle is down.


    Sorry, Dylan. You were defending me, but I can¡¯t die here. I¡¯ll do whatever I can to escape.


    Before I can realize it, Allen launches across the table in a blitz.


    That speed is inhuman!


    He slams me against the wall by my shoulders. My head bounces off of the wall. The whole world goes dark for a moment. It seems like I blinked, but my eyes never shut. During that brief unconsciousness, my knife slips right out of my hand. The blood which coated my hand served to easily disarm me.


    His grasp on my shoulders presses tightly into my skin through my shirt. The back of my head stings from the impact with the wall, but the pain doesn¡¯t last.


    Allen looks down on me with his much taller stature and slides his hands to my neck. He lifts me off of the ground by my throat, with my back against the wall. My feet can¡¯t reach the floor no matter how much I try. I attempt to kick at his body but there just isn¡¯t enough room to put any weight into it.


    Desperately, I dig my fingernails into his forearm. I scratch and claw as deeply as physically possible. Warm blood and skin wedges itself between my nails. Still, he refuses to let go.


    I can¡¯t die here.


    As his grip tightens, my breath grows faint. Drawing a breath is impossible.


    Let me go! Let me go! I can¡¯t even scream.


    My head starts to feel light as my ability to think fades away. My feet stop kicking and my arms fall to my sides. I can¡¯t move. He won¡¯t let me go. This is the end of the line for me.


    But¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­


    Snap.


    ***


    Simon¡¯s body dangles from my hands. His neck gave out its resistance, violently snapping backwards.


    He scratched up my hands and arms, covering them in Dylan¡¯s blood.


    I give his neck a final squeeze before dropping his body.


    He¡¯s dead.


    I killed him¡­


    I had to. I needed to do that. It was our only chance. Not to mention, he killed Christina and stabbed Dylan. He had it coming.


    Simon changed. He used to be the kind of person who would sacrifice anything to protect someone. Now, he became the kind of person who would sacrifice anything to protect himself.


    What could change him to such a degree in less than a day?


    Even I know that a person won¡¯t change that fast, no matter what they experience. No, Simon must¡¯ve been like this the whole time. He lied to himself as much as Rachel did. He masqueraded as a person who hated conflict because he cared about those around him, but deep down he was selfish. Masqueraded might be the wrong term. He was truly convinced that he cared about others. That was his delusion.


    Simon only hated conflict because he didn¡¯t want to get caught up in it. Even he must not have known that until Christina died. That¡¯s when he and everyone else saw his true colors.


    Serves him right.


    Sarah sits down next to Dylan on the floor without so much as looking at Simon¡¯s body. The sound alone was enough to make her pale in the face.


    Dylan¡¯s laying down and breathing heavily. Sweat falls down his face.


    Sarah applies pressure to the wound and tries to calm him down. The stab is really deep. If the wound was in a slightly different location, he could have been killed. Even now there¡¯s a chance he doesn¡¯t make it.


    I can¡¯t help Dylan, I don¡¯t have the knowledge or the ability. Right now I need to take care of Simon.


    I fish through Simon¡¯s pockets, searching for his gem. If it¡¯s anything like Sarah¡¯s, it should be clear now. I¡¯d guess that on contact it¡¯ll switch ownership. That¡¯s what happened with Rachel.


    Found it. It¡¯s in his right pocket.


    Wait, that¡¯s not right.


    His gem continues glowing green. Is¡­ he still alive? I broke his neck!


    A bloody hand shakily rises up, grabbing my wrist which holds his gem.


    Simon¡¯s deranged eyes stare into my soul as he slowly stands back up, trembling.


    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t die that easily.¡±


    Damn! His ability must have changed from healing others. He can regenerate himself now. He¡¯s realized how selfish he is and chose to embrace it.


    Sarah looks over at us from the ground with teary eyes.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± I ask Sarah desperately. I¡¯m really at a loss. The feeling of snapping his neck was disgusting. I already killed him once. Do I just¡­ keep hitting him? ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°I hate this. I hate the idea of killing, too, but we have no chance against Rachel. She promised that she wouldn¡¯t kill me, but I don¡¯t want you or Dylan to die,¡± Sarah looks down at Dylan while she speaks.


    Desperate, I look towards Simon. It would be so much easier if he understood us. It would be so much easier if he just agreed to die.


    ¡°Simon¡­ we need to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You do. In that case, I need to kill you.¡±


    Simon dives for the knife on the floor.


    It¡¯s almost pitiful. His Delusion doesn¡¯t allow him to fight for his life. All it does is make sure he doesn¡¯t die. How can I fight that? He¡¯s a weak opponent, it feels cruel.


    He grabs the knife as he rolls over. Immediately, I kick it out of his hands and stomp his fingers. The knife flies from his grip and slides beneath the table.


    He grunts in pain and I feel a few fingers break.


    Not even a full second later, his fingers have already healed.


    Simon tries to stand up, so I kick him as hard as I can, throwing him back to the floor. My inhuman strength has faded. I no longer feel like I¡¯m protecting anyone. I feel rotten. But, we need to do this.


    Simon lays on the floor for a second, he got the wind knocked out of him from my kick.


    It doesn¡¯t take more than a couple of seconds before he attempts to stand again.


    I kick him, but he tries to get back up. The cycle continues for many rotations.


    Every single time. He tries to stand, I kick him in the stomach, then he cries out in pain. Then he stands again.


    Why won¡¯t he just lay down!?


    A radiance of pain spreads through my foot and as soon as I think that, Simon lands a punch on my face. I only dropped my guard for a moment, but he took the opportunity.


    Even a weakling who throws a proper punch can do some good damage. That¡¯ll definitely leave a bruise. Right on my cheek, I feel cuts inside my mouth where my skin impacted my teeth.


    In response, I furiously throw the best punch at his face that I can. I aim for the exact spot he did too. Pain spreads through my arms from the various scratches he made earlier as I strangled him.


    My superior strength sends him stumbling back into the wall, but moments later, he¡¯s completely healed.


    My jaw still hurts.


    ¡°See now?¡± Simon taunts. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me. I¡¯ll fight all day, but I won¡¯t die.¡±


    This fight isn¡¯t going anywhere. Actually, it¡¯s heading towards my loss. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s sustained any damage.


    He can¡¯t be immortal, can he?


    I¡¯d guess his regeneration works the same way as Rachel¡¯s. The only way for him to die is for his brain to take enough damage to stop him from thinking. As long as his brain works, his Delusion will keep him alive.


    What should I do?


    Simon punches me again while I think. Same spot.


    That cocky little¡­


    Is he trying to make me want to kill him!?


    My fists hurt from punching him and they¡¯re covered in scratches. Dylan¡¯s blood still stains my skin.


    Simon stands before me in a boxing stance, clearly one that he¡¯s never had to make before. It¡¯s a clear imitation he must¡¯ve seen in passing on television. I corner him against the wall, but he doesn¡¯t break eye-contact. His goal isn¡¯t to beat me, it¡¯s to run away. He only wants to survive.


    Simon doesn¡¯t have a scratch on his body. Despite the stains of blood and roughed up clothes, physically, he looks like the fight hasn¡¯t even started. Yet, I have a red cheek and scratched up hands. Simon may be the worst opponent to face. As long as he has the will to live, this fight won¡¯t end until I¡¯m on the floor.


    Dylan stumbles on his words from the floor, ¡°Allen, don¡¯t kill him. We still need¡­ t-to talk this out.¡±


    Simon screwed over our only chance to beat Rachel. Not only did he wound our strongest fighter before the battle, he selfishly protected his gem.


    He needs to die, before he can cause anymore harm!

 Fragments of Happiness

    I need to escape from here!


    If I stay, Allen is going to kill me. I don¡¯t blame him, though. It¡¯s his best option.


    Sure, Dylan was trying to help me, but in the end he would¡¯ve had to listen to Allen. If he didn¡¯t, they both would¡¯ve been killed by Rachel. As long as I live, their fates are sealed. Hell, it¡¯s debatable if they¡¯ll even survive with my gem.


    Dylan really does get caught up in the heat of the moment. He follows his heart and doesn¡¯t think for a moment about anything else. That fiery personality of his has doomed all of the friends that he cares about so dearly. He probably doesn¡¯t even recognize it.


    Normally deciding to kill me immediately would be a rash decision, but because of the time constraint they¡¯re under, they might not get a chance to change their mind.


    His decision to spare me and wait was impatient. Waiting was impatient.


    He didn¡¯t care to think of the consequences of waiting. In other words, he decided to wait spontaneously. Dylan wanted me to live illogically and wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.


    Now, if I had stabbed Allen first, I¡¯m certain that I would¡¯ve gotten immolated by Dylan in an instant.


    I wonder if that word, ¡°immolate,¡± has anything to do with Dylan¡¯s Delusion? Meaning both to destroy using fire or to sacrifice with it. In this case I should¡¯ve been the sacrifice, but maybe the real sacrifice was his two closest friends beside him.


    After thinking such thoughts, I once again focus my full attention on the fight before me.


    Back against the wall, I throw a punch at Allen. I¡¯ve honestly never fought anyone before, so I¡¯m not sure what to do here. I¡¯ve only ever seen fights on television.


    Allen easily pushes my hand to the side and counters with his own punch.


    His fist crushes into my stomach, forcing the air out of my mouth. I stumble back against the wall, unable to breathe.


    Allen stares at me with pity in his eyes. He walks towards me slowly with his arms in a boxing stance, guarding his face.


    The pain subsides and my lungs once again fill with air, as though was never hit.


    Again, I throw a weak, weightless punch, only to be knocked into the wall.


    This isn¡¯t working.


    Looking around for anything I can possibly use to escape, I see chalk and an eraser on the bottom of the nearby blackboard. The board itself is only a few feet away on the wall on my right.


    Despite my small stature, I run straight towards Allen with my whole body in an imitation of a football tackle. I make sure that my center of gravity is off towards the black board.


    Predictably, Allen steps to my left and pushes me towards the black board. He has the fighting sense to know that he could throw me much easier that way. It works out for me, though.


    I cling to the ledge of the black board to stand back up. Allen just watches me, waiting to counter me when I attack again. He¡¯s gone completely defensive. His offense will only open him up to damage, but he still wouldn¡¯t be able to deal any.


    Quickly grabbing the chalk, I fling it off the shelf with my left hand, straight at Allen¡¯s face. Unable to dodge, he only braces for the impact. It bounces off of his forehead harmlessly.


    Allen braced, closing his eyes for a brief moment as the chalk flew towards his head. During that moment, I grabbed the eraser with my right hand and hid it behind my back.


    Allen opens his eyes, an annoyed expression plastered on his face. Angered by my surprise attack, he throws a punch at my stomach with his right hand. However, this time while his guard is down, I raise the eraser and clap it in between my hands leaving a large cloud of chalk.


    In preparation I held my breath and closed my eyes, but he wasn¡¯t prepared. Allen gets a lung full of chalk and is blinded momentarily. He stumbles backwards and coughs violently.


    It won¡¯t last long but this is my only chance!


    I run around Allen and grab my knife while I dive under the table.


    Armed with this knife, I can kill him easily. Right now, while he¡¯s blinded, all I need to do is stab him. This is probably the only opportunity I¡¯ll have to kill Allen. A trick like this will never work again.


    I don¡¯t particularly want to kill, though. Actually, I¡¯d prefer not to. If I¡¯m left with no choice then I¡¯ll do what needs to be done. Still, I already know the fear that comes with death. It would leave me with a bad taste in my mouth if I taught someone else that fear.


    While I need to die for him to live, he doesn¡¯t need to die for me to live. He probably won¡¯t be able to catch up to me now. So, I won¡¯t stab Allen. If he pursues me though¡­ I¡¯m scared of what I might do.


    Crawling out from under the table and jumping over Dylan, I escape out the door.


    A smile creeps onto my face once again.


    I¡¯m still alive.


    ***


    Dammit!


    Even though I know I need to kill Simon, there¡¯s nothing I can do anyway. He¡¯s practically invincible and he¡¯s crafty. If I chased after him now, I bet I could catch up but- I don¡¯t know if I want to go through with this. It feels too cruel beating him up when he can¡¯t die. No matter how evil I think he is, just the thought of fighting Simon makes me sick.


    ¡°Is Dylan alright?¡± I ask Sarah between heavy breaths. She¡¯s still sitting on the floor next to him.


    ¡°Yes, he just needs some rest. The bleeding stopped, but he won¡¯t be able to fight for a while. We should probably get him to the hospital to check for an infection, but¡­¡±


    I guess taking him to the hospital isn¡¯t an option. There would be too many questions for us. Police would be called and we¡¯d meet many new faces. There would be thousands of opportunities for Rachel to assassinate us.


    How did the fight with Luke end with no lasting injuries?


    Oh. Of course. How could I have forgotten?


    Why did things have to turn out this way?


    It¡¯s all Rachel¡¯s fault!


    I guess it actually started with Luke.


    No, even before Luke it was Kyle. As soon as we became paranoid, it was over. Kyle gave us incentive to betray each other, even if it was by accident. Next time I see him I¡¯m going to give him a piece of my mind.


    We need a new plan to fight Rachel. She¡¯s a shape shifter with 4 gems. From what Simon described, she can heal and make as strong of muscles as she wants. She¡¯s practically as invincible as Simon and she can fight. It¡¯s over.


    No matter how hard I think, I can¡¯t possibly create a strategy to win. My best bet is to just fight. Fight until I die.


    Hopeless, I turn to the one person that might know the answer, ¡°Sarah¡­ what do we do now?¡±


    Silently, the only one I can count on shakes her head.


    If the three of us can¡¯t do anything, and Simon escaped, what else can we do?


    Call Kyle again? It¡¯s worth a shot, but that selfish jerk wouldn¡¯t help us if it put him in danger. If he was answering texts willy-nilly then he¡¯d be killed by Rachel before he could even be useful to us.


    Is he already dead? I doubt it. He¡¯s the one I¡¯d bet would survive the longest. He¡¯d outlast even Simon.


    Well, I guess I have to prepare to fight Rachel alone.


    My ability seems to only activate when I need to protect someone. Does that mean my only chance to even attempt to fight Rachel is by putting someone else in danger? If no one is in danger I can¡¯t even use my Delusion at all.


    Sarah speaks up, breaking the silence, ¡°When Rachel attacked me, she didn¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Obviously.


    ¡°No, but why?¡±


    ¡­


    That does seem strange, now that she mentions it. Rachel appears to be a ruthless killer and habitual liar, typical evil behavior. So why wouldn¡¯t she finish off Sarah? If she¡¯d just killed her, there would¡¯ve been no witnesses. Kidnapping takes much more effort than murder.


    Actually, if Sarah had died, we all would¡¯ve been none the wiser of our imminent deaths. She would probably meet us one at a time using Sarah¡¯s body. We¡¯d die without knowing a thing. She made such a careless mistake after designing such an intricate scheme with the phones? That¡¯s weird. It¡¯s almost scary.


    No, it¡¯s terrifying. What is going on in her head?


    A chill runs down my spine and the hairs on my arms stand on end.


    Recomposing myself with a gulp, ¡°Are you saying that you have an idea?¡±


    Sarah looks at me with a confident gleam in her eye, ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest clue.¡±


    ¡°Come on! This is serious!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    As annoying as that joke was, we¡¯re all feeling anxious right now. I¡¯ll let it slide.


    It is a good thought though¡­


    Sarah falls deep into thought. After calming her nerves with a joke, she thinks as deep as always. She doesn¡¯t pay attention to her surroundings, focusing only on the mystery at hand. Dylan is asleep beside her. Even though he¡¯s still injured, it looks as though Sarah has forgotten it all. All she wants now is to solve the mystery. She looks almost mystical while she¡¯s thinking like this.


    In the meantime, I need to call my parents.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    They¡¯re the hands-off type, but I¡¯ve never really worried them before. Aside from school fights, that is.


    The phone rings twice before Mom picks up. With shaky breathing and sweaty palms, I tell her that I might not be home for a few days. I use the excuse that I¡¯ll be at a friend¡¯s house. She seems to tell from my voice that something is wrong. She asks multiple times to make sure I¡¯m feeling alright. I lie each time, saying I¡¯m fine. Each time I say the words, it hurts just a bit more. Thanks for looking out for me, Mom. I hope I can see you again.


    Actually, I heard something about phone calls somewhere. It¡¯s not really your voice that comes out on the other side. Your voice needs to be turned into small data. It¡¯s compressed and squished into a very different voice in order to save data. So, you never know who might actually be on the other side of the phone. Their voices are fabricated, stitched back together after being torn to pieces.


    Those are the thoughts I had as I talked to my mother for what might be the last time.


    ***


    I run, run, and continue to run.


    After a few minutes and I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m not being followed, I sit down on a bench and catch my breath.


    When I ran from the school building, I didn¡¯t head to the woods or anything fancy. I just followed the road and made it somewhere close by.


    I guess I can never go back home now¡­


    Oh¡­ oh no.


    If I go home, who knows where Rachel will be waiting? I surely can¡¯t go there. But, what of my mother who I love so much? My dad who I laugh with and am scolded by? My sister who I play and argue with?


    While I think of all the happy memories in my life that are over, all of the things I can never get back, my mind shifts to that stomach churning face. She haunts me. Not Rachel. No, someone far more haunting.


    I¡¯m so, so sorry, Christina. I left you¡­ but, what else could I have done?


    Allen¡¯s right. It¡¯s all my fault. But, what else was there to do?


    I shouldn¡¯t have dodged those nails.


    I should¡¯ve just died.


    But-


    No, I need to live. I¡¯ve thought the very same thing before, that maybe I should die. Right before my arm was cut off, I thought these same thoughts. But, the urge to live outweighs anything else that I¡¯ve ever felt. It¡¯s incredible.


    Now that my life is no longer in danger, temporarily, my mind wanders freely.


    As much as I know that there was nothing else I could do, I still feel awful. I think that maybe, I loved Christina. Probably not romantically, but there¡¯s no doubt that she was irreplaceable to me.


    Somehow, at the same time, my hands no longer shake. I don¡¯t have a headache. My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.


    It really was stressful, wasn¡¯t it? That¡¯s the one problem Christina had, she always put her weight on others. She couldn¡¯t carry it all herself. I guess that I couldn¡¯t carry all of her weight either, not without feeling sick and stressed.


    Despite feeling so depressed that Christina died, the fact remains that my hands are steady. The stress she caused me has faded.


    I hate the fact that I can even think such things of a friend who is so recently deceased.


    Christina must¡¯ve been aware of it too. She said as much, right before¡­


    Anyway, she said that she knew how much of a burden she was. Maybe she realized it when Kyle told us his theory¡­ No. If his theory is right, she¡¯s always known. That must¡¯ve been a large cause of stress for her too. The fact that her stress caused others stress, caused her stress.


    What a vicious cycle. Despite how much I love her, she has the worst personality.


    Grass crunches down as footsteps approach me. With the timing, I half expect to see Christina when I turn around.


    ¡°Hello, Simon.¡±


    ¡°Are you Rachel?¡± I ask deadpan.


    ¡°Heavens no. Do I look like Rachel to you?¡± Kyle asks.


    Kyle looks at me with his ever present bags under his eyes. His curly black hair freely grows from his head, unstyled. The black jacket over his shoulders remains unzipped.


    ¡°Sorry, that was a bad question, but shouldn¡¯t you be cowering in fear or something?¡±


    Rachel would have killed me already so this must really be him, but what could Kyle want?


    ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t look at me with those eyes, Simon.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve started to understand you recently. It¡¯s disgusting. What do you want from me?¡±


    He puts on a genuinely shocked face, ¡°Nothing! I just want to speak with you.¡±


    He¡¯s acting differently than normal, even if he isn¡¯t Rachel.


    Without the energy to continue running, I simply sit still as he takes a seat beside me.


    ¡°Beautiful day, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He¡¯s right, I guess. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention because of the whole dying thing, but it¡¯s nice and sunny, the sky is clear.


    ¡°Cut to the chase.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. No need to be so aggressive!¡± He takes a breath. ¡°If you insist, have you considered helping Allen?¡±


    So he does know about Rachel.


    ¡°Helping with what?¡± I feign ignorance.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a kidder. Help fight in the upcoming battle, of course.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help even if I tried.¡±


    ¡°Sure you could. You¡¯d be an excellent healer for their team. Dylan¡¯s in pretty rough shape right now, he may need assistance.¡±


    ¡°Were you watching!?¡± I shout.


    ¡°I just happened to be around while you guys¡­ talked.¡±


    What a douche.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t help. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Now you¡¯re honest! It¡¯s been annoying me this whole time we¡¯ve known each other. You went on about ¡®right¡¯ and ¡®wrong¡¯ and you pretended to hate conflict for such dumb reasons. No matter, I believe that it¡¯s in your best interest to fight right now. If you don¡¯t, Rachel will kill you.¡±


    Tch. He just wants me and Allen to defeat Rachel and save his sorry ass.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you that confident in your new immortality? I wouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    He knows everything. How long has he been watching this? From what angles?


    ¡°Well, she can¡¯t kill me. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°True. You¡¯re correct, about the most important thing. To you, all you need is to be alive. That¡¯s where you find happiness. You¡¯re quite adaptable, only needing that. There are plenty of others who would commit suicide because they didn¡¯t have something they wanted. People who can¡¯t find happiness in the things they have can sometimes prefer death. But you, as long as you live, you¡¯ll be satisfied. That¡¯s beautiful, if I do say so myself. Rachel is one of those people who would rather die than live without their happiness. She may have even been considering it¡­ until she had the opportunity for happiness right in her sight. All she had to do was stretchhhh~ out her arms,¡± Kyle made an exaggerated hand motion while lengthening the word ¡°stretch.¡±


    That¡¯s probably no more than a coincidence, but her arms stretched a lot in the battle. If Kyle is right, then the subconscious has a big role in how powers manifest.


    Rachel ¡®stretched¡¯ towards happiness?


    Her arms stretched towards my neck.


    ¡°Yet,¡± he continues. ¡°a fragment of that happiness ran away. It¡¯s you, Simon. She¡¯ll do whatever it takes to kill you. I know she has it in her, she¡¯s quite scary. Do you know what¡¯s an even more terrifying character trait than being scary?¡± He doesn¡¯t give me a second to answer. ¡°Intelligence. Someone who¡¯s smarter than you will always be one step ahead. They¡¯ll always get what they want and they¡¯ll always take it from you. And let me tell you, Rachel is smart. Do you see what I¡¯m saying yet?¡±


    ¡°Get on with it!¡± Even I can lose my patience.


    Kyle chuckles, ¡°Well you see, if I can figure it out, I¡¯m sure that she can. You aren¡¯t as invincible as you think. You both have the same weakness, but with your healing ability, I doubt that your head could be destroyed instantly by any of us. With the speed you heal, no matter how strong the force, you¡¯d probably out heal it. Even though you¡¯re extremely durable, you still aren¡¯t invincible. Care to know your secret?¡±


    This is bound to be interesting.


    ***


    Waiting in the same classroom, Sarah remains lost in thought. I wonder what she¡¯s onto? It seems emotional. Maybe she¡¯s lost hope? Or maybe she¡¯s just thinking about something sad.


    ¡°Bzzzzt¡­¡±


    Well that¡¯s unexpected. A text from Simon.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to help you fight Rachel. You can¡¯t beat her alone. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about her and we can fight together.¡±


    This has to be a trick. Simon just ran from me after I threatened to kill him. How can he fight anyway? I just saw his skills, he¡¯s garbage. The message could be Rachel¡¯s too, but that shouldn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll do the same thing to both of them.


    I text back, ¡°Fine. We¡¯re still at the school. I won¡¯t attack you.¡±


    I¡¯m going to attack him.


    It¡¯s been an hour since he ran. I wonder what made him change his mind.


    ¡°Guys. Simon is coming back. He says he¡¯ll fight with us. I¡¯m still going to kill him if we can¡¯t win the fight. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes so we can all live.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Dylan groans. ¡°Though I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t kill Simon.¡±


    Dylan has already woken up and despite the advice from Sarah, he refuses to sleep more. He has a gauze wrap around his torso to stop the bleeding, there was some in my car. He¡¯s sitting up in a chair and we¡¯ve been discussing battle plans. We have nothing so far though.


    Sarah remains in thought. Is she still thinking about the same thing?


    ¡°Hey, Sarah, what¡¯ve you been thinking about?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t hear me.


    ¡°Hey! Sarah? You there?¡± I wave my hand in front of her face.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She sighs. ¡°Sorry. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯ve you been thinking about?¡± I repeat. She must be very interested in it to be so lost in thought.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I give her time to think.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about Rachel.¡±


    That was a simple answer for how long she thought of her words. Usually she speaks in essays about her thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Well, I guess her betrayal was unexpected. Sarah was closer to her than I was. It must have hit her even harder. Maybe Sarah understands now why she wasn¡¯t killed? I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.


    A few minutes later, Simon walks in.


    His face is the same as it has been. That deranged face of evil. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s so different now. He no longer looks like that small eighth grader I initially saw him as. His eyes and face are stern. He looks selfish and desperate.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he greets. ¡°Are you ready to talk?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I think we can beat Rachel together,¡± Simon gets straight down to business. He acts more and more like Kyle by the second. ¡°I did injure Dylan, but he¡¯d be best for a sharp shooter anyway. If he stands in the back and shoots laser beams at her head, she¡¯ll be much weaker when you go close range.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to fight her? I guess you don¡¯t know my ability yet. I get more physical strength when I need to protect someone. That means I can¡¯t fight her unless someone else is in danger. I¡¯m not willing to sacrifice anyone like that. If I messed up, they¡¯d die.¡±


    ¡°No, I knew your ability. That¡¯s why it¡¯s perfect. We can team up. See, my ability is invincibility. If I act like a punching bag for Rachel, I won¡¯t die and you¡¯ll be able to use your Delusion. It¡¯s the perfect combination of abilities if you ask me.¡±


    I hate to admit it, but our abilities do synchronize well. That¡¯s pretty ironic though. The ability that allows you to protect someone is strongest when used in combination with the ability that makes you need no protecting.


    Sarah adds, ¡°We figured that the best way to fight her would be an ambush. There¡¯s no doubt that Rachel is on the offensive. She loves using fake texts so we predict that she¡¯s going to text Allen from my number soon. All four of us will go to the location and then surprise Rachel with an all out assault. If we¡¯re lucky, Dylan may even be able to get a head shot and kill her right off the bat.¡±


    ¡°Are you in?¡± I ask Simon.


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s a nice plan.¡±


    Sarah looks down, embarrassed by the compliment.


    Then, now we wait.


    It was only about another half hour before the text came in exactly as Sarah predicted. A text from her fake number requesting that I meet her where Luke and Dylan¡¯s fight took place. Of course, she chose an area that was well hidden and there wouldn¡¯t be witnesses.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there,¡± I reply to the message. As a test, I add, ¡°Weren¡¯t you at the hospital for your grandma?¡±


    She responds, ¡°It seems that my grandma has passed¡­ I need you now more than ever.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s slick. She knows my relationship with Sarah and is exploiting my emotions to lower my guard. Not that I really have a guard. She doesn¡¯t know that I already know exactly what she¡¯s planning.


    It¡¯s time.


    ¡°Are you all ready?¡±


    Everyone stands up and although in pain, Dylan looks excited.


    He yells, ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡±

 Climb Up a Tree and Lie

    I approach the blackened grass where Luke and Dylan fought to the death just days ago. There are noticeably fewer trees than last time. They probably fell and were removed after the fire. The forest is much less dense in the area now, making anyone in it a perfect target for a sniper.


    Rachel should be coming from the direction of the nearest road. Dylan is positioned behind some trees on the edge of the clearing on the opposite side. For Rachel to see Dylan, she¡¯d have to circle all the way around. Simon and Sarah are also waiting with Dylan for now. If necessary, it isn¡¯t a far run for Simon to join the fray.


    As for Sarah?


    I tried to convince her to wait at the abandoned school building, but she insisted on watching the fight.


    ¡°Hey¡­ you¡¯re early,¡± A girl walks through the trees to greet me. Her long bangs cover her eyes as she stares at the ground.


    Sarah.


    She speaks in a weak tone. The voice of someone who¡¯s grandma recently passed. That¡¯s the story she¡¯s going with, after all.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sarah?¡±


    My heart speeds up and I feel my palms sweating coldly. She won¡¯t notice I¡¯m nervous, will she? One wrong step and she¡¯ll attack me without hesitation.


    Feigning as much nonchalance as possible, I walk up to her and position myself directly beside her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯ve been really depressed lately and I wanted to talk to you about it,¡± her voice shakes as though she¡¯s about to cry. Her face is impossible to read with her bangs covering most of it, but her shaking shoulders tell the whole story. The sight makes me unconsciously relax my tense muscles.


    She¡¯s too good at acting.


    I almost feel bad watching this display, knowing I¡¯m the one deceiving her. What a wretched feeling, knowing that the person in front of me is about to be blasted to pieces, but being unable to share.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I look down at her.


    ¡°No¡­ No! I¡¯m not. It¡¯s all too much for me,¡± her choked up voice devolves into a quiet whisper, unable to muster anything more. Tears stream from her eyes as silent sobs escape her mouth. She turns around and squats to the ground in order to avoid eye contact. Her arms work desperately to wipe the tears off of her face.


    ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯ll be alright. I¡¯m here for you,¡± I comfort her as I step forward.


    Suddenly, a bright light flashes from the corner of my eye, immediately followed by the deep rumble of an explosion, reminiscent of thunder.


    A laser tears through Sarah¡¯s torso, completely cutting a chunk out from her left abdomen. The skin surrounding the hole is melted into a charcoal paste emanating vaporized blood. Boiling blood and liquid flesh bubble out of the wound like a fountain.


    For a moment, I¡¯m horrified. The sight sends a chill straight down my spine.


    A delayed torrent of intensely heated wind blows passed my face, snapping me out of the momentary confusion.


    She had me fooled even though I knew it was Rachel! I was about to go pat her on the back! I¡¯d have been killed!


    Still¡­ that sight is something truly horrifying. Why¡¯d it have to be Sarah¡¯s face too?


    Though more importantly, it was Rachel¡¯s torso that exploded.


    Dylan missed.


    The hole in her chest begins to contort and morph. The boiling blood rolls back into the wound in defiance of gravity as the melted flesh begins to contort back into its original shape.


    Instead of continuing to watch in awe, I turn and run towards Simon. At the same time, Simon leaves his spot in the woods and runs to me.


    We¡¯ll meet in the middle.


    Horrible gurgling sounds echo from behind me. The sounds of flesh and blood melding and sloshing around. It¡¯s a symphony of the grotesque. The noises begin to gain on me.


    She can still run while healing that injury!?


    I can¡¯t help but glance over my shoulder. A mistake I¡¯m sure to regret. Not that it¡¯ll get me caught, but I¡¯ll be subjected to the sight.


    The upper-body of Sarah runs at me with incredible speed, propped up by grossly bent and twisted legs like an animal¡¯s. Sarah¡¯s jaw rests open while leaking scarlet blood. Her upper-body is bent backwards, seemingly unable to keep up with the pace of those monstrous legs. One of the thing¡¯s arms stretches out towards me with long, razor-like nails. The arm moves like a snake with no bone to limit its free movement. After extending enough that its nails reach just passed me, it lines up with my neck almost like a scythe.


    Nauseated, I quickly face forward to see Simon just in front of me. Unable to react in time, he easily pushes me to the floor.


    Fallen onto my back, I get a clear view of what happens above me.


    Fingernail scythes swung where my neck had been just moments ago, though now it was Simon¡¯s neck that took the blow. The blade was stopped midway into his neck.


    Simon¡¯s body heals faster than the razor cuts. If he hadn¡¯t pushed me to the ground, my head would¡¯ve rolled. Instead, he is simply thrown to the side by the force. His body is flung directly into a tree with a thud.


    Finally, a power comparable to adrenaline surges through my muscles.


    I slam the ground with both my arms and legs, launching back onto my feet.


    The thing¡¯s arm is still hovering just a few feet away, so I leap towards it and grab it without hesitation. Planting my feet into the ground, I grip it with both hands, tight enough to bend steel. Though, much like Simon¡¯s healing, I¡¯m unable to destroy the arm with just that. It is only crushed to about a third of its size where my hands grabbed. It shakes violently back and forth in an attempt to escape my grip, to no avail.


    The crackling of its shattered muscles vibrates through my hands and into my own arms, sickeningly. With a heave, I yank the monster towards me. This time it offers no resistance as it is removed from the ground and flies towards me helplessly. Throughout it all, she doesn¡¯t make a noise. No sign of pain is produced.


    I let go of the arm with my right hand.


    For the sake of protecting Simon, Dylan, and Sarah, I grit my teeth as I thrust my fist into Sarah¡¯s distorted face.


    The thing launches back like it¡¯s weightless. My strength surprises me every time.


    Simon runs back to me from the woods, scratching his neck where he got hit. He still feels every ounce of pain.


    ¡°Are you alright, Simon?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    I smirk and look forward, re-focusing on the battle.


    The creature stands back up, head completely uninjured.


    In Sarah¡¯s voice with blood in her mouth, ¡°Simon? You¡¯re back so soon? So you can heal yourself after all¡­ or did you gain a new perspective after our last encounter?¡±


    He screams furiously as he runs in towards the thing and attempts to punch it.


    Immediately, an elongated arm bats him to the side. He¡¯s launched back into the woods.


    ¡°You¡¯re as useless now as you were back then,¡± she sighs.


    How frustrating that must be. He¡¯s the only one who¡¯s already lost something to Rachel. He lost Christina. Yet, he¡¯s unable to do a thing about it. All he can do is rely on me, the one who tried to kill him.


    Using my power, still boosted with the intent to save Simon, I jump into the air towards the abomination. The jump has a high arc, so I¡¯m falling almost straight onto its head.


    Both of its arms shrink back to normal size in seconds and suddenly gain a large heap of muscle mass. It¡¯s less that they shrunk, they compacted down. The arms hardly even look human anymore. They¡¯re pads of muscle and flesh.


    My gravity aided punch is easily blocked. Even with my full strength, the sheer amount of mass in her arms negates any damage. Although, as expected, she falls to her knees because of the force pushing down. Only her arms gained muscle, so her legs can¡¯t keep up anymore.


    Normally, a jump attack from above is completely pointless. It carries the force of gravity, but it¡¯s slow and leaves you vulnerable. In this case, however, her guard has completely shifted upwards.


    My fist planted firmly into one of the flesh pads, it morphs around my hand, completely enveloping it. Tugging does nothing, I¡¯m stuck.


    Suddenly, a flash of light followed by an explosion blast through the area.


    The lower half of her face is turned into dust, but not her brain.


    She falls to the floor and I tear my fist out from her grasp. My hand is covered in warm blood and muscle tissue.


    I land on the floor on my side and tumble a couple feet. After scrambling back up, I put my eyes back on the monster to analyze the damage. Needless to say, there is none. It has already finished healing.


    Simon is able to run back to my side and we face off with Rachel once again.


    Rachel still has Sarah¡¯s face on. It¡¯s making me uneasy.


    ¡°Sorry, can you change your face? You know, back to normal?¡± I ask.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Sarah¡¯s voice shifts gradually into Rachel¡¯s. ¡°Sometimes I forget I was even shifted.¡±


    Nasty.


    Her face shifts back and so does her body. Her arms and legs return to normal too. With shoulder length brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, she smiles as though seeing old college pals for the first time in years. Oddly, it looks like she might be a little shorter than she used to be.


    ¡°I see that you have Dylan hidden back there in the woods. Why doesn¡¯t he fight in person? I¡¯m sure he¡¯d fare better than you and Simon.¡±


    Because Simon¡¯s an asshole.


    ¡°No. He¡¯s too good for you. You wouldn¡¯t stand a chance,¡± I taunt.


    ¡°I see. Well, he¡¯s still more worrying than you are, even from so far away.¡±


    Her legs bubble, gradually gaining as much muscle as her arms had. I take a fighting stance in turn. Her legs compress into a spring made of muscle, suddenly launching towards where Dylan is shooting from.


    Shit.


    I respond with my own leap towards Dylan as soon as I notice. We¡¯re both the same speed, but had a head start.


    If Dylan dies then we¡¯re all toast.


    The air heats up as Dylan flies out of the trees, carried by a spear of flame. He has a wrap around his stomach, but he powers through the pain. He doesn¡¯t launch away in retreat, but head on in a frontal assault.


    Sprouting another two arms, Rachel makes a wall of flesh around her head. Her boneless arms twirl and twist up around her face like a wall.


    Dylan stops propelling himself with fire and makes a large explosion on Rachel¡¯s arms immediately after contact. They tear apart revealing her face, but she¡¯s unharmed.


    Rachel¡¯s momentum is lost due to the explosion and begins to fall onto the ground. Her body makes a huge thud as she smashes into the floor.


    I can¡¯t change my direction in mid air like Dylan can, so I helplessly fly towards the woods.


    Actually, how do I land?


    I frantically try to think of a way, but when I get too close to the floor, I use the rest of my power to stomp the floor as hard as possible with my feet.


    The strength negates the fall mostly, but my legs still hurt and I fall face first onto the grass.


    ¡°Hey Sarah.¡± I casually greet after my atrocious landing.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± She holds her hands close to her chest gently.


    Well, I need to get back into the fight!


    I start running as fast as I can towards them, though that is only the speed of an average high school boy. No longer protecting anyone, my strength has faded entirely.


    As I approach, Dylan flies around Rachel with explosions. He torches her from every angle, leaving her no opportunity to fight back.


    Her four arms are still wrapped around her head, but she can¡¯t take them off or he¡¯ll kill her. She can¡¯t even see in this state.


    She¡¯s completely tied up! We can win!


    Of course, that¡¯d be far too easy.


    A hundred slits suddenly appear across the arm wall around her head. In unison, they tear open revealing numerous eyeballs. Their irises vary in color across the entire spectrum.


    They dart around frantically searching for Dylan, which doesn¡¯t take more than a second. After one sees him, they all rotate in his direction, gathering the depth of his exact aerial location.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Like missiles having locked onto their target, the arms unwrap, still covered in eyes, and fly straight towards Dylan¡¯s neck.


    Caught off guard, he blasts himself backwards and lands near me. The arms stop pursuing immediately.


    Somewhere along the way, Simon had run past their fight and he stops beside me as well. At this point, Simon and I are out of breath.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t working,¡± Simon squeeks out between breaths.


    ¡°It¡¯ll work,¡± Dylan insists. ¡°All we have to do is keep this up. She¡¯s tough, but we¡¯re tougher!¡±


    Although I don¡¯t know if we are actually stronger, I have no choice but to keep trying. Giving up now will solve nothing.


    Simon is the first to run towards Rachel. He knows that he needs to be hit so I can keep fighting.


    Rachel¡¯s four arms face towards us, still covered in eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to see like this,¡± she mutters absent-mindedly as she slowly walks towards Simon.


    On queue, the eyes blink, and are consumed by flesh.


    Simon runs in close with a battle cry and lands a solid punch on Rachel, although it is a punch that an eighth grader would throw. His goal isn¡¯t damage though.


    Wait, how¡¯d he get in so close? Shouldn¡¯t Rachel have knocked him away?


    She simply stands still while Simon hits her again. She doesn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°I was correct¡­¡± She thinks aloud. ¡°Attack me, Allen. Or can¡¯t you? You¡¯ve only attacked after Simon so far, and he knows he can¡¯t hurt me. Add your personality to that mix and I think I know your Delusion.¡±


    It¡¯s not a delusion! Although, yes, it¡¯s a Delusion.


    Dang it! I can¡¯t attack. This only proves her theory. Simon really is useless now! If she continues ignoring him, then I¡¯m useless too. Dylan can¡¯t do this on his own.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s too funny. Hilarious. Pathetic. You can¡¯t even attack me unless you¡¯re protecting your friends? How stupid and childish of an ability can you possibly have? I never would¡¯ve thought you were such a kid. Look how puny your justice is now! I stole Luke¡¯s gem! I killed Christina and kidnapped Sarah! Just give up. There¡¯s nothing you can do. I just need to kill you, then Dylan, then Simon. I¡¯ll get to Kyle later. I¡¯ve already won. Make this easier for both of us.¡±


    Damn! How¡¯s she so smart!?


    A person like her¡­ She uses her Delusion and intelligence for evil. A villain like her shouldn¡¯t be allowed even a trial! She deserves the death penalty.


    Softly, I begin to feel my strength return.


    I see.


    I understand it now.


    I¡¯m not useless after all.


    My ¡®Delusion¡¯ isn¡¯t to protect the weak. It¡¯s not to help those in danger.


    This is the power that will allow me to become the hero that I¡¯ve always wanted to be. Heroes do protect others, but they also do something much more crucial. My hero, my ideal human, the perfect being¡­ I am the judge, the jury, and executioner!


    Heroes don¡¯t just fight for other people or for humanity, they fight to protect justice!


    Rachel simply existing is an injustice all on its own. For that reason¡­


    With my new understanding of my own power, I kick off the ground in a blinding leap towards Rachel.


    I feel stronger than I was before. Before, I was about equal with Rachel.


    Now¡­


    Caught off guard, two of Rachel¡¯s arms bend in a cross to protect her face, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m aiming for.


    Grass and dirt is torn from the ground as I plant my heels into it to stop my momentum just in front of her arms. I crouch down and land a solid upper cut on her stomach, launching her skyward. My fist briefly penetrates her abdomen, covering it in blood once again. A large hole is left where my fist hit. It doesn¡¯t go all the way through, but the surrounding damage makes it appear as though she was hit by a car. As she continues to ascend, blood rains down from the air.


    ¡°Come, Dylan!¡±


    I jump towards her in the air, meeting her about halfway into the tree tops and leaving footprints pressed into the earth with sheer force.


    Dylan blasts himself towards the ground under me. Simon runs out of the danger, no longer necessary.


    Clutching my hands together in a hammer, I slam Rachel straight towards the ground, towards Dylan. Three of her arms attempt to block, but are splattered into bloody rain.


    As she falls, she swings her last arm at me. I can¡¯t dodge, but I simply hit it away with my full strength, squishing it to pieces.


    While I fall, I have no choice but to let Dylan take care of the final blow. Dylan¡¯s as mad as I am after her dissing me, so his power is strengthened as well.


    The heat in the air disperses suddenly as a white ball forms between his palms.


    Rachel falls helplessly as Dylan charges his attack.


    She can¡¯t possibly survive this. No matter how much she shapeshifts to reinforce her defense, flesh is flesh, and flesh will boil and vaporize.


    It¡¯s over.


    Dylan yells a familiar line as he dishes the final blow.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± He points the miniature star at¡­ ¡°L-Luke¡­¡±


    The inferno in his hands vanishes as the body of Luke falls towards Dylan. He reaches both his arms out to catch Luke, and they hit the floor together.


    A look of realization appears on his face. The unbridled fury in his eyes swears to reduce that monster¡¯s entire body to atoms, but that time will never come.


    The look of realization that had turned into anger has now become pain.


    Luke¡¯s arm lies straight through Dylan¡¯s chest. Fresh, scarlet, blood soaks both of them.


    The light leaves Dylan¡¯s eyes as they close for the last time.


    Luke tears his arm out of Dylan¡¯s heart and mutters indifferently, ¡°That was a close one.¡±


    ¡°MONSTER!!!¡± I scream without regard to my throat. The word tears through my neck like a speeding train, cutting into my vocal cords.


    I feel a pain that can¡¯t be described in words. Not physical. No.


    I kick the ground at an angle to soften my blow while simultaneously launching towards Rachel. A small crater is left where my foot stepped for only a brief moment.


    Before I can reach, Luke slowly holds up a glass gem that starts to shine with every color of the rainbow.


    She obtained her fifth gem.


    My heart sinks in a second realization of what that meant.


    He¡¯s really dead.


    Luke¡¯s face blurs through my tears, but I blink them away.


    One of that creature¡¯s arms intercepts me, it puffs large with muscle, even more than last time.


    I swat it as hard as I can to make a path to that monster¡¯s head.


    I can only think one thought.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.


    Ten times. Fifty times. One hundred times.


    For Christina. For Sarah. For Dylan.


    Die!


    The arm is torn into ribbons of blood and muscle fiber and Rachel is pushed backwards, away from Dylan¡¯s body. Still, she stays standing.


    Four more arms protrude from around her.


    They all have more muscle than even Dylan had. It¡¯s not the grotesque amount, it¡¯s still a natural degree.


    My foot meets the ground again, so I kick off once more to renew my momentum, creating a second crater.


    From behind me I hear loud sobbing, Sarah runs towards the body of Dylan.


    I can only assume that Simon is watching close by. I doubt he ran, but he has no part in the fight anymore.


    Rachel¡¯s four arms all fly towards me. Two attack my sides while the others stay in front.


    I back hand the two in front with both my arms, but the other two connect good blows to my chest and shoulder.


    With slightly different elevation, the force on the two sides of my body flips me in circles like a frisbee. The amount of muscle on those arms is deceiving. The muscles themselves are much more dense now.


    Spinning uncontrollably, a third punch lands on my unprotected stomach. It follows through completely, almost carrying me through the air. The air from my lungs is forcefully expelled making it impossible to breathe.


    After seconds of being pushed through the air, my back connects with a tree as the fist continues to push me into it. I feel my organs compress as the lack of oxygen makes the world around me continue to spin.


    The hideous arm retracts, leaving me to slide off of the tree and fall to the ground.


    I¡¯m useless.


    Even though she¡¯s the pinnacle of evil¡­ I can¡¯t do a thing about it.


    Some hero I am. Even now that I¡¯ve gained strength and understood it better¡­


    I¡¯m weak.


    I curse my weakness with every ounce of my being.


    Strength.


    I need strength. If only I were stronger, then things wouldn¡¯t have had to turn out this way!


    Rachel walks towards me slowly and casually as her arms retract. She bubbles and morphs, folds back into her normal appearance again. The shift is noticeably faster than it used to be as well. Oddly, she seems taller than usual and her hair is black. It¡¯s not right.


    ¡°That was a fun fight. Thanks for the good time,¡± she continues with her unnatural smile.


    Sarah stands up in front of me and yells through tears, ¡°Stop!¡±


    ***


    ¡°I already told you, I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to kill you, Sarah. Killing is wrong. And I don¡¯t have to. Just step out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Me and you are similar,¡± My voice is shaky and my vision blurred through tears. Dylan has been killed and I want to cry. Rachel, the murderer is right in front of me and I desperately want to kill her. ¡°We¡¯re embarrassed to be ourselves. Or, at least, I was. I understand you now. I¡¯ve never met Rachel. Not once in my life. You know, I was like you. I¡¯m shy and people interpret that as hostility. I cut myself off from people because they were a hassle. They don¡¯t get me. They can¡¯t. But, Allen showed me that although people can¡¯t understand, they can accept.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    I continue undeterred, ¡°You hide who you are behind a mask, because you can¡¯t be understood, right? You must have a very different view of the world than I do. You say things like, ¡®killing is wrong,¡¯ not because you believe it, but because you want to believe it. You must be hated because of how different you are, right? It¡¯s only natural to want to fit in, I understand that. I relate to you. Still, what could you want so bad that you¡¯d put all of this effort in for?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get it!¡±


    ¡°But I can accept it! I can help you get what you want without killing. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°No. You can¡¯t help me get this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can. I already have a guess as to what you want so bad,¡± I stop and wipe my eyes. ¡°Do you want to become someone else?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be reborn as someone new?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t accept who you are because nobody else will. So do you want to truly become someone society will accept?¡±


    Rachel looks on in silence, angrily. Neither denying nor attacking.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true then. You¡¯re a person whose morals don¡¯t align with the normal. You don¡¯t see a problem with killing and lying. I¡¯m sure that you don¡¯t see a lot of other things that I do. But, you see plenty of things that I don¡¯t as well, I¡¯m sure. That¡¯s who you are. You aren¡¯t the same as everyone else.¡±


    ¡°No! I am the same! I always have been! Killing is wrong! I know that! It¡¯s obvious! Killing is evil!¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Does Rachel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s who I am!¡±


    ¡°Why lie? I already know! You don¡¯t have to be the same! It isn¡¯t a crime to be different! Even if society scoffs at you, you shouldn¡¯t hide yourself like this!¡±


    The color in Rachel¡¯s skin begins to fade away. It lightens and dries out. She covers her face with her hands, hiding behind yet another layer.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m the same as everyone else! Anyone who is alright with killing should just die themselves! They¡¯re evil! Because- Because¡­ killing is wrong!¡±


    The horribly twisted person, human, known as Rachel falls to her knees and her skin continues to lighten and dry.


    Human.


    Not a creature, abomination, or monster.


    Just a human.


    I understand it all clearly. I¡¯ve felt similar to her before. Instead of putting on a mask, I avoided people, I was invisible.


    Rachel has been shifting her whole life. She pretends to be someone she isn¡¯t so that everyone accepts her. Outside, she¡¯s smart, funny, and calm. Inside, she¡¯s constantly at odds with the person she¡¯s pretending to be. I doubt even her parents know who she is. Rachel can say she¡¯s someone else and pretend all she wants, but deep down, she¡¯s still Rachel. She still doesn¡¯t have qualms with killing and only pretends to appease her constant need to be ¡®normal.¡¯ She only let me live for that reason. She let me live so that she could say, ¡°I¡¯m normal. See? I dislike killing!¡± She even pretends to be someone else by herself, even when she¡¯s all alone. The true her can never show up. It¡¯s alive, but hiding deep deep within her mind. Like her body, maybe it¡¯s been so long that she¡¯s forgotten who Rachel is? Her mask is stuck to her face. It is her face. She can¡¯t stop lying.


    Soon tears roll down as her skin dries out and shrivels up.


    Then she makes her decision.


    ¡°That¡¯s not me! It isn¡¯t me! That¡¯s not who I am! Rachel is- I am- a person who¡¯s fun, calm, smart, beautiful, kind, observant, sweet, caring, helpful, cheerful, friendly, confident, patient, honest- I¡¯m perfect!¡±


    Rachel¡¯s skin begins to resemble birch wood starting at her toes and her fingers, moving up her body.


    Her toes stretch into roots and dig into the earth. Her arms grow out and spit off into branches. Her body stretches up far into the air.


    Soon, her torso is a large tree trunk. It¡¯s twice as wide as the biggest tree here. Her head goes above the canopy and her hair extends into branches.


    Slowly, her face turns to wood as well.


    In front of me stands Rachel, a large birch tree in a forest of only oak. She has no leaves, despite being mid-spring. The tree has what looks like a face carved into it just below the canopy of the forest.


    From the sky, five glass gems fall down from the branches. Completely clear.


    Rachel died.


    Her brain has become wooden through and through, and with that she can no longer think. She¡¯s dead.


    I walk forwards and pick up the glass. It doesn¡¯t glow. I¡¯m still not deluded.


    Simon walks up to me at a distance. He makes sure to leave a gap so that I know he won¡¯t snatch the gems away.


    ¡°Why¡­ why did she kill herself like that?¡±


    ¡°I think that,¡± I pause, lost in thought.


    Yes. I know why.


    I guess that Delusions can kill you too.


    She must¡¯ve known how confused she was. She knew that being confronted, she had to confess. If she didn¡¯t tell the truth, the fact that her outward persona wasn¡¯t her true self, then she¡¯d become something else entirely. Her Delusion should be strong enough with five gems to start altering reality in a more conscious way. I guess at the same time, the overflowing power also begins to react in a more unconscious way. By insisting that she wasn¡¯t Rachel, her Delusion acted.


    Her Delusion became so powerful that her own twisted and confused mind killed her. Her inner ¡®true¡¯ self knew that it was there. It knew that everything was a lie, but she wouldn¡¯t admit it. You could say that-


    ¡°She¡¯d rather climb up a tree and lie than stand on the ground and be herself.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Sickening. Especially because I¡¯ve felt exactly like her. To deny myself, to deny my own personality and individuality because I was afraid others wouldn¡¯t like me.


    Still, what a fool, for her to die like that after coming so far. Her own undoing was her inability to tell the truth. Her inability to be herself.


    I wonder what would¡¯ve come of her if she¡¯d met someone like Allen was to me.


    I wonder what would¡¯ve come of me if I hadn¡¯t met Allen¡­


    I¡¯d surely have stayed as inhuman as Rachel.


    Delusions really do cost your humanity, I guess.


    And then, after getting all of the mysteries and thoughts out of the way, I cried.


    I couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. The tears streamed down my face and I wept. Dylan was killed. I¡¯ll never get him back. He was funny and he¡¯d stand up for me. He was so kind and gentle despite his quick fuse. I wish I would¡¯ve trusted him with knowing about Luke¡¯s gem. He had the right to know, but I was suspicious of him. I regret it.


    I regret so many things. It¡¯s too late to change any of it though. I wish I had been nicer to Dylan. I wish I would¡¯ve hung out with him more. I wish I would¡¯ve been closer to him.


    He was my second friend in such a long time¡­ We didn¡¯t know each other for long, but it hurts.


    An arm falls around my shoulder. Allen sits down next to me, tears in his eyes.


    A pain rises in my heart and I continue to bawl my eyes out.

 A Bright Nights Sky

    We cried. Me and Sarah both. We cried and cried and cried.


    And then we stopped.


    Dylan is dead, and it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m sure that nobody else will blame me, but all that matters is that I blame myself. If I had been stronger¡­ If I wasn¡¯t such a weakling!


    Sarah. She ¡®defeated¡¯ Rachel. Sure, there wasn¡¯t any blood. Yeah, there was no fight. But, she was more heroic in that moment than I¡¯ve been in my entire life. She accepted who she was and admitted her faults. She analyzed Rachel and related to her. She stayed calm and exposed all of Rachel¡¯s lies.


    If I was half as cool as Sarah then Dylan wouldn¡¯t have¡­


    Simon sat leaning on the giant birch tree that towered over the forest. It was practically already dead. It didn¡¯t have a single leaf on it.


    Simon didn¡¯t shed a tear and stayed against the tree while Sarah and I cried.


    I take my arm off of Sarah¡¯s shoulder and wipe my eyes, ¡°Are you alright, Sarah?¡±


    Her voice wavers and a few tears continue to fall, ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I guess it¡¯s all over then. There shouldn¡¯t be anymore betrayal. We have all of the gems and I doubt that Simon would try to take them. All he wants is to live.


    My eyes are drawn to the five glass gems in Sarah¡¯s lap.


    ¡­ If I were stronger¡­ If I were¡­


    Sarah grabbed the clear glass and looked up at me, ¡°Rachel died because she couldn¡¯t accept who she was. These gems could kill anyone who¡¯s mind isn¡¯t prepared for them. I can¡¯t make use of these gems now that I don¡¯t have a Delusion. So, Allen, what do you want to do with them?¡±


    Is she¡­ offering them to me?


    She adds, ¡°If you don¡¯t want them then we could just bury them somewhere.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I responded a little fast there. I slow myself down, ¡°No, I want to keep them. I can still be a hero. I want to be able to continue protecting others.¡±


    Sarah looks at me hesitantly, and then slowly begins to hand me the gems.


    I reach over and put my open palm under hers.


    Simon watches from the tree.


    Sarah drops the gems into my palm slowly.


    One by one the glass gems light up.


    Luke, Rachel, Christina, Sarah, and Dylan¡¯s.


    They began to glow a strong yellow. They glow like the sun and the stars above. The dark forest made their light seem that much brighter. They twinkled and sparkled with my hopes and dreams.


    Now, if there¡¯s ever trouble, if there¡¯s ever someone I need to protect, if there¡¯s ever punishment I need to deal, I¡¯ll be able to. I¡¯d venture to guess that my new power should make me the strongest man alive. Sure, that¡¯s not a tough title to take with super powers, but still. I¡¯ll be able to be a hero.


    No matter what, I can do it now.


    I grasp the gems and put them into my pocket.


    For Dylan, I¡¯ll become a hero. I¡¯ll become the person I¡¯ve always wanted to be.


    ¡°To think,¡± A sleepy voice reveals itself behind me, ¡°Rachel would rather die lying than be herself.¡±


    I turn around as fast as possible to prevent a sneak attack, ¡°Kyle!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you so excited about? I just came around to congratulate you,¡± he wears a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Why are you acting so weird? Don¡¯t you usually skip straight to the point?¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but that was only so that less people would talk to me. Acting professional is a good way to deter boring people. Now, you all interest me much more. You¡¯re no longer the bland people you started as. Not to me, anyway.¡±


    What is he talking about? Dylan just died. Why is he here chatting it up?


    ¡°Go away. We can talk later.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m needed now, aren¡¯t I? Which of you three are going to take care of the body?¡±


    My stomach feels horrible just thinking about it. Dylan¡¯s body needs hidden¡­ That just feels awful. I hadn¡¯t thought much of it when it was Luke. Is this how Dylan had felt?


    I can¡¯t think of a reply to him.


    ¡°Exactly. It would be problematic for me if all of this supernatural business was uncovered. It would be very difficult to explain.¡±


    Me and Sarah sat on the opposite side of the large birch tree from the corpse. Dylan¡¯s dead body laid alone. As bad as it feels to distance from it, being near it would feel awful. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stomach seeing his body again.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad that you needed my services. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been hard to explain that it was already taken care of.¡±


    Huh?


    He just got here. How could the body already be hidden?


    Actually, how long was he here for? He knew that Rachel was the tree¡­


    I can¡¯t help but stand up and begin walking around the tree.


    Is it really already gone? Kyle¡¯s always struck me as a liar. But, would he lie about something so easily proven false?


    My steps slowly carry me around the tree. I can¡¯t help but hesitate. The image of Dylan smiling is frozen in my mind. I can still hardly believe he¡¯s gone. Honestly, I¡¯m still a bit in denial. It feels like I¡¯ll turn the corner and he¡¯s going to be there standing and cheerful.


    My head finally peaks around the tree.


    There¡¯s nothing.


    No body, no blood.


    Not even a scrap of all of the body parts that were torn off of Rachel. Not a single piece of evidence remains on the charred grass.


    ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just got rid of the evidence. How I did it is of no matter. But, it obviously has to do with my Delusion. I am quite skilled at a certain something.¡±


    Hiding bodies?


    Teleportation?


    Erasing things?


    What¡¯d he do?


    Somehow, looking at the empty forest of blackened grass is more disturbing than if there were corpses. It¡¯s like everything that happened, all of the tragedy and pain, just didn¡¯t.


    My heart sinks as I stare at the empty field surrounded by trees.


    I can¡¯t peel my eyes away.


    ¡°See? All taken care of. No need to worry about a thing.¡±


    The gears in my mind finally begin turning again, ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°I got here in time to watch the whole fight. It was quite the display.¡±


    A display? A display!? We fought for our lives! Dylan didn¡¯t make it! And Kyle calls it a display!?


    Unable to control myself, I turn around and quickly walk towards Kyle.


    Now that I think of it, if it¡¯s not my fault that Dylan died and it¡¯s not Simon¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s Kyle¡¯s. He instigated every tragedy so far. He¡¯s more at fault than Luke and Rachel are. He told everyone that we would get stronger with the gems and could make our dreams come true. He told us that others would be coming for our gems. He told us that we should be scared and that it was a viable option to kill each other. Without him, we all could¡¯ve been a happy band of friends.


    I wind up my fist and throw a hard punch at his face.


    Kyle doesn¡¯t even flinch. He just stands there while I attack him.


    Right when my fist is about to connect,


    Huh?


    I begin to stumble and trip, falling onto the ground with a thud.


    I could¡¯ve sworn I hit him directly in the head. He couldn¡¯t have dodged. It feels like he wasn¡¯t there. It¡¯s like I passed through him but it looks like I never got close enough to hit him in the first place. He stands significantly farther from where I fell over.


    Just what is with this guy?


    ¡°Well, it seems we¡¯ve talked enough for now. You¡¯re so worked up that you misread the distance. I¡¯ll give you time to calm down. But, Allen, I have things I want to talk with you about. If you have time, I¡¯ll message you later,¡± Kyle says with his signature bored voice.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Scrambling back onto my feet, ¡°Just tell me now!¡±


    ¡°See? You¡¯re far too worked up. If you¡¯re really that impatient then we can talk tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Whatever. I¡¯ll talk with you later then.¡±


    I figure that if I see him later, I¡¯ll hit him as hard as I can. He¡¯s pissing me off. Next time, I won¡¯t misread the distance.


    Kyle walks off while all I can do is clench my fists. He turns his back and puts one hand up to wave goodbye.


    It¡¯s dark out. I think it¡¯s already night. I¡¯ve lost sense of what time it is because of how packed today has been.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be leaving too then,¡± Simon stands up. ¡°Earlier today I believed that I¡¯d never be able to see my family again. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m not sure what I would¡¯ve done. Maybe I would have had to throw my life away fighting Rachel by myself, just to see them. I guarantee that my life would¡¯ve been awful if we hadn¡¯t taken her out. Well, I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ Thank you, Allen. I¡¯m terribly sorry for the trouble I¡¯ve caused you. You have my gratitude.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what to say to that so, ¡°Yeah. Goodbye, Simon.¡±


    I can¡¯t say that he¡¯s welcome, because he isn¡¯t. I hate this new Simon. He¡¯s selfish and the expression on his face feels so unnatural.


    Most of all, he stabbed Dylan. If he hadn¡¯t then maybe¡­


    ¡°Thank you, Simon. Goodbye,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Goodbye, you two.¡±


    And he walked off. He turned his back and walked away.


    ¡®See you later¡¯ wasn¡¯t an option here. Not in this situation. We all knew without saying that we never intended on seeing Simon again. As grateful as he is to us, he¡¯s still afraid. Above all, he wants to live. Staying for even a second near another gem user is bad news, especially me. I¡¯m the owner of six out of eight gems.


    ¡°I told my parents that I was on a road trip. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment. I thought that we wouldn¡¯t get closure so soon. Should I go back anyway?¡±


    Sarah still had teary eyes. I don¡¯t know, but if she needs someone to talk to then I need to be there for her. That¡¯s my job. As her boyfriend.


    We never went on that date, did we?


    Well, not like we can make up for that now. We¡¯ve both just experienced what is probably the most tragic thing to happen to us.


    But, since Sarah isn¡¯t great at expressing her emotions, I don¡¯t want to miss the time when she needs me. I need to make sure that it¡¯s alright for me to leave.


    In all honesty, I don¡¯t know if I am ready to leave her. I definitely can¡¯t talk to my family about this. She¡¯s the only one. She¡¯s the only person in my life that I can relate too. I¡¯m that person for her too.


    ¡°If you wanted, you could come back to my place. My mom might be home, but that¡¯s only a might. She¡¯s never really around. I don¡¯t know where she goes and she doesn¡¯t know where I go. Even if she¡¯s home, you won¡¯t see her. Still want to come?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Of course. I guess I was right the second time.


    It was me who wanted to be with her.


    We walk through the dark forest together.


    I feel the back of her hand touch mine. She moves her hand back reflexively. Sarah seems a bit embarrassed so I reach over and grab her hand.


    It¡¯s warm.


    She looks down at the floor and avoids eye contact.


    When we finally leave the forest, the night sky opens up. My eyes can¡¯t help but look at the bright stars. A million different stars light up from millions of light years away.


    It¡¯s absolutely gorgeous.


    ***


    My fingers lock with Allen¡¯s. I¡¯ve never had much of any social relationships so jumping straight to this point is scary. But, it¡¯s nice. His hand is warm and comforting.


    I stare at my toes to hide my face. I know my cheeks are red and I can¡¯t let him see that.


    We step outside of the forest and I look up for a moment. Allen looks so enthralled by the sky. It¡¯s strange. The sky doesn¡¯t seem too interesting to me.


    In fact, it¡¯s actually really weird because-


    Sadly, we get to the car and we have to let go of each other¡¯s hands. I liked it.


    I take a seat in the passenger side of the car. Allen sat beside me in the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°This is your mom¡¯s car, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Will she be needing it?¡±


    I figure that he may have overlooked that detail. If he comes back to my house in this car then his mom won¡¯t be able to use it for a while.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t. Both of my parents go to work at the same station anyway. They always drive in the same car there. Their police cars are always at the station.¡±


    I guess that makes sense, ¡°I see.¡±


    I keep my hands folded in my lap while he drives me home. Holding my own hand feels so different.


    The car pulls into my driveway and slows to a stop.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Allen says softly.


    We didn¡¯t say much on the way here. There¡¯s too much in our minds right now. At least, in mine.


    ***


    I open my car door and walk outside. Sarah leaves too and begins to walk to the front door.


    I stare into the sky beside the car. I haven¡¯t taken a step since I left it. The stars dance before my eyes and all I can think about doing is reaching up and grabbing one. I can feel my hand about to grab the stars. I¡¯m so close.


    ¡°Allen, come on,¡± Sarah calls out to me.


    I snap out of my little day dream and notice that I had been reaching my hand out to the stars. Actually, maybe that would be a night dream?


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I say as I jog to the door.


    We both walk in careful not to make a sound. Neither of us know if her parents are home. We tip toe our way inside.


    ¡°Where should I sleep?¡± I whisper.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I can¡¯t see her face through the darkness, ¡°Well, we only have two bedrooms. My parents are in one. You definitely can¡¯t sleep in the living room. If you did, my parents would be confused when they wake up.¡±


    ¡°So your room?¡±


    ¡°¡­ yeah. It¡¯s gotta be.¡±


    Yeah. It has to be. Well, if I don¡¯t have another choice.


    This will be my first time in a girls room!


    Now that I think that, at age seventeen that¡¯s a little sad.


    Sarah walks a distance ahead of me and moves fast. She keeps her head down and swiftly opens her door.


    Without turning on the lights, she walks over to her bed and stands beside it.


    It smells like her in here.


    I can barely make out her silhouette in the darkness.


    We both stand silently for a few seconds. I stare directly at where I think her face is. Is she looking at me too?


    Eventually, she lies herself down on her bed.


    I grab a blanket and pillow and lie on the floor.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± I whisper.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Today was packed. I¡¯d guess that it¡¯s the worst day I¡¯ve ever had. I can¡¯t believe that he died. It feels so fake.


    I¡¯ve only known him for a few weeks, maybe a month, but he felt like he¡¯d been my best friend forever. He was my second friend in such a long time, I had forgotten what it was like to have friends. Yet, as quickly as he entered my life, he exited. The entrance was the gems, but that happened to be the exit as well. To think, the same gems that granted me the wish of having friends and becoming a hero also stole my best friend away and humiliated my attempts at heroism.


    But, now I have the power. I have to. Just five gems made a liar turn into an abomination with so much power. Rachel¡¯s ability was only to shape shift, but after obtaining so many gems even an ability like that felt unstoppable.


    Well, I¡¯m sure Dylan would have been able to defeat her on his own if he wasn¡¯t wounded¡­


    Every time I think that thought I get angry. I hate Simon. If I saw him again I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. I blame him for the deaths of both Christina and Dylan. He just let Christina die, and he stabbed Dylan!


    Then there¡¯s Kyle. I blame him for everything that has happened so far. It feels like he strung us along this path of death. He claims to be looking out for himself, but he constantly makes our lives more dangerous. He incentivized us to kill each other and even told Luke that he could save his family before any of us. There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t have malicious intent.


    But, more than one person can be at fault. Yes, I blame Simon and Kyle, but most of all, it¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. I was so weak. I couldn¡¯t save Dylan on two occasions. I couldn¡¯t save Sarah when she was kidnapped. I couldn¡¯t save Christina when she was killed. I couldn¡¯t punish Rachel when she betrayed us. I couldn¡¯t punish Simon when he abandoned Christina. I couldn¡¯t punish Luke when he attacked me. I was utterly useless.


    This whole time¡­ I haven¡¯t done a damned thing.


    Now, I have to be unstoppable. With this many gems I can only imagine how strong my punches are. If I ever need to deal out justice, I¡¯ll be able to. Except, can I really?


    I have the gems but I still feel so weak. I fell on my butt when I tried to hit Kyle. I still feel like just some kid.


    If I was a little stronger¡­


    If I had all of the gems then I could be the ultimate hero. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill Simon or Kyle. They¡¯re both scum. They¡¯re responsible for the deaths of others. There¡¯s only one way for them to atone.


    But, there¡¯s no way to kill Simon. Because of that, I can forget about the chance of getting more power. There isn¡¯t much else I can do. Even if I had Kyle¡¯s gem, I couldn¡¯t get the complete set. There¡¯s no point if I don¡¯t get true power.


    It¡¯s no use. I can¡¯t sleep.


    I get up as silently as possible so that I can avoid waking Sarah. This feels familiar. Oh, right, I did something similar with Dylan once.


    I open the door slowly and walk out.


    I continue downstairs and open the front door.


    The fresh air fills my lungs. I take a deep breath in and out while I stare into the bright night¡¯s sky. The stars above shine so brightly. If only I could grab one. They feel so close but I almost feel like I¡¯ll never be able to get one. The stars are just too far away. I¡¯m weak. I¡¯m useless.


    But I don¡¯t have to be.


    A million stars line the sky and fill my vision. They give me hope that I¡¯ll achieve my aspirations.


    I take another deep breath in. It¡¯s chilly out so I can see my own breath.


    ***


    From the darkness, I watch a silhouette move across the room and open the door. Where could he be going so late?


    I stand silently and follow him.


    I keep my foot steps silent and maintain a far distance. I figured Allen only wanted a snack, but it seems he¡¯s going somewhere else.


    The front door opens and shuts behind him.


    Where is he off to?


    I slowly open the door and walk out to him.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I say.


    Allen stands on the steps and stares up into the sky. He looks like he¡¯s watching something amazing.


    ¡°Oh, Sarah. Did I wake you up?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess you couldn¡¯t fall asleep either then?¡± I really couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yeah. I always watch the stars before bed.¡±


    I walk beside him and look up. It only takes a few moments before I¡¯m bored.


    Seconds pass before I realize that I was staring at his face. I hope he didn¡¯t see. That¡¯s embarrassing. But, to me, his face is much prettier than this sky.


    Still, it¡¯s bothered me for a while now.


    We live in a pretty suburban area. There¡¯s plenty of people here and plenty of streetlights.


    What I¡¯m trying to get at is,


    It¡¯s actually really weird because-


    It¡¯s cloudy and there isn¡¯t a single star in the sky.

 The Best Lie

    The next day, I wake up on the floor of Sarah¡¯s room.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I greet.


    ¡°¡­ Good morning,¡± Sarah says shyly.


    Sarah is in a new outfit and sits on her bed. She looks like she¡¯s watching videos on her laptop.


    It must be just as awkward for someone to wake up on the floor of your room as it is to wake up on the floor of someone else¡¯s room.


    I still haven¡¯t told my parents that I canceled the ¡®road trip¡¯.


    I think it¡¯s Sunday. I¡¯ll have to go back to school tomorrow.


    I check my phone to confirm the date. Yeah, Sunday. More interestingly, a message from Kyle waits in my inbox.


    Was he serious about having something to tell me?


    ¡°Hello, Allen. If you¡¯d like, we could meet sometime today. I have things I¡¯d like to speak with you about. I¡¯m sure I know some information you may want too.¡±


    ¡°Information that I¡¯d want?¡±


    ¡°Good to see that you¡¯re interested! Let¡¯s talk. Meet me at-¡±


    He adds the address of a park and a time to meet. He wants to meet in a couple hours, around lunch.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Hey Sarah, I¡¯m going to go meet with Kyle.¡±


    Sarah looks worried, ¡°¡­ Are you sure that you want to do that? It could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about? I have six gems, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not what I meant. He¡¯s crafty and manipulative.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll rely on you if he says anything strange.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Be careful, Allen.¡±


    Although, truthfully, I don¡¯t want to bring Sarah back into this.


    I walk downstairs with Sarah. She starts cooking some eggs for us for breakfast. Yeah, eggs. There¡¯s still no sign of her parents. I can¡¯t believe that I still haven¡¯t seen them. They¡¯re too absent from their child¡¯s life.


    While I wait for the eggs I scroll through channels on the television. A local news program shows up, ¡°In the same forest that recently had a fire created by delinquents, a large tree has suddenly grown from the ashes. Although, it grew much faster than any tree should have. Many are afraid of these woods and believe that they¡¯re haunted. The tree has no leaves and is a birch tree in a forest containing only oak. The tree towers over the others and the top can be seen from outside of the forest. No residents seem to remember the tree being there. How could such a large tree appear out of no where? Are these strange events just coincidence? Or is there something more mysterious going on? In other news-¡±


    I shudder thinking about that fight again. I really want to take my mind off of it. It¡¯s too horrible.


    But, yet again, these events have effected more people than just us. Luke, Dylan, Rachel, and Christina¡¯s families probably all miss them.


    I need to stop thinking about this. It¡¯s too much for me.


    ¡°Eggs are ready!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Allen?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Allen!¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± I got lost in my thoughts.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sarah asks concerned.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m ready for some eggs!¡± I swiftly try to change the subject.


    Me and Sarah eat our eggs. They taste much different from how my mom makes them. They¡¯re both delicious.


    Eventually, I part with Sarah and leave for the day. I need to talk with Kyle and get back to my mom so she knows I¡¯m alright.


    I drive around for a while before heading to the park. I¡¯ll be far too early if I go now. I simply drive around aimlessly, deep in thought.


    So much has happened lately. In one day, Christina sacrificed herself for Simon and Simon revealed himself to be a selfish awful person, we fought Rachel and she killed Dylan. That¡¯s far overly simplified but still, it was just one day.


    My mind wandered to the fight again and I see a replay of Dylan getting killed by Rachel.


    If only I were-!


    Eventually, the time to meet with Kyle comes and I pull into a parking lot.


    The weather is nice and I take a deep breath to appreciate the nature.


    The park is very nice. It looks new, but there are no kids playing. It¡¯s empty. The slides and swing sets look like they¡¯ve never even been used. Maybe that¡¯s why the place looks so new? Nobody ever comes around.


    I wonder if the kids it was made for have grown up?


    The nice view of the park is ruined by the tired yet presentable man sitting on a bench.


    Kyle glances up from his phone and makes eye contact with me. He gives me a playful wave and smile.


    He feels so different than he used to.


    ¡°Hello, Allen. I¡¯m glad that you were able to make it.¡±


    ¡°Hello. What do you want from me?¡± I cut to the chase.


    He looks offended, ¡°Nothing! I just wanted to talk. I really do. You¡¯re so much more interesting now than you used to be.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got this look in your eyes¡­ how do I say it? Well, you look confident. That alone isn¡¯t interesting at all, it¡¯s that you still look so determined as well. You¡¯ve always had a determined look but had nothing to back it up. But now you seem so confident as well. Are you that proud of your power?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± How do I answer that?


    I just look at him as irritated as possible.


    ¡°C¡¯mon now. Why the look? Let me flesh out what I was saying a little more. You¡¯re confident in your new power and determined to use it. Determined to be stronger and to fulfill your goals. It comes off as arrogance to me, but arrogance is entertaining too.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t sound any better than last time.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t get any stronger, can you? You¡¯ve hit a road block. The ultimate goal would be godhood through obtaining all of the gems. Yet, that¡¯s impossible now. Simon is invincible!¡± Kyle exaggerates his words and it sounds like he¡¯s acting in a drama.


    ¡­ I have thought that before. Can he read minds or something?


    ¡°So, you said that you had something I wanted to know?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a buzzkill. Let¡¯s talk for a little longer. I¡¯m quite lonely by myself. It¡¯d be wonderful if you¡¯d talk for a while longer with me.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± I guess I¡¯ll keep listening, there¡¯s no harm in it, ¡°Keep talking.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful. Actually, I thought this was peculiar, which person¡¯s Delusion doesn¡¯t fit with the rest?¡±


    Huh? Which one is the odd one out? Maybe¡­


    ¡°¡­ Simon¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Wrong! I thought you¡¯d be on the same page as me,¡± Kyle laughs as if to pity my stupidity. ¡°The answer I was looking for was Dylan¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Why his? His ability is very similar to Luke¡¯s, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well, in terms of effect. But, why does he have that ability? Yeah, we guessed that it was because he got caught up in the heat of the moment, but why? I mean, Sarah had her ability because she wished to be invisible. Her power allowed her a way to achieve her goals. Same with Luke, he wanted to be a wall for his family, a shield. Rachel wanted to be someone else. Simon wanted to avoid conflict and never see someone in pain. You wanted to be a hero. So what¡¯s up with Dylan¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I guess that you already know?¡±


    Kyle smirks and begins talking in his childish tone, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know this, but Christina¡¯s ability was to add additional gravity to anything she saw. She had it because she put her own ¡®weight¡¯ on others. In the same way as Dylan¡¯s, they don¡¯t ¡®wish¡¯ for anything. The gems created their power based off of a flaw in their character. Do you suppose that they were aware of their flaws and that their only wish was to stop having them? If that¡¯s the case, why would the gems give them a power based around it? That¡¯s the opposite of fixing the problem, it¡¯s highlighting it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Maybe they didn¡¯t want to change, either?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking! Me and you go along well!¡± No we don¡¯t. We do not and never will. Kyle continues excitedly, ¡°They were content with who they were, but were also very aware of their problem. They made no effort to change themselves, but also never moved on. They were stuck in a cycle of acknowledging their weakness but continuing on without fixing it. From what Simon said, I¡¯d guess that in her last moments of life, Christina¡¯s gem was already clear. I¡¯d bet that her ability disappeared as soon as her twisted view of the world did as well. She no longer was ¡®just a person who was a burden to others.¡¯ She saved Simon! Her twisted view of the world was one where she believed there was no hope of her changing. She thought that she was a worthless person and never attempted to change that, because she believed it was impossible. I bet the same goes for Dylan. Their Delusion was that their personal flaws were permanent. They acknowledged their problems and accepted them as inevitable. What do you think of that guess?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Honestly, stuff like this doesn¡¯t interest me much, ¡°It¡¯s poetic. Too bad we can¡¯t ask them.¡±


    I spoke coldly in an attempt to guilt Kyle.


    ¡°Yes. It really is too bad,¡± He speaks the same way he did earlier. Like an excited child.


    ¡°I have a question for you then. Why do you take such interest in others? You called us all boring earlier.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. Not a single one of you are boring anymore. As soon as I realized the Delusion theory, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited about finding who you truly were.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you told Luke he could accomplish his dreams through violence? To see if he would?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. That¡¯s interesting too, though. I really just wanted to cheer him up.¡±


    ¡°Liar. You¡¯re just lying,¡± I start to get angry. Hearing him so happy makes me mad. I can¡¯t possibly be happy. Not after Dylan died. Not so soon. Dylan¡¯s death was pointless and horrible. Kyle being so cheery after there being three deaths in a week is awful.


    ¡°Now, now. I¡¯m not lying. I wouldn¡¯t lie. Although, of course, you won¡¯t believe that. Funny, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s impossible for either of us to know if the other is lying. About anything.¡±


    ¡°No. I know you¡¯re lying. It¡¯s clear when a statement is the truth.¡±


    ¡°I disagree. It¡¯s impossible to tell if any statement is true.¡±


    That¡¯s silly, ¡°The sky is blue, isn¡¯t it? How could I lie about that?¡±


    His smile gets a little smaller and his voice grows tired again, ¡°No. The sky is red.¡±


    Kyle points up at the partly cloudy sky. It¡¯s blue as can be.


    That just makes me more mad, ¡°You¡¯re just lying! Now it¡¯s obvious, are you trying to make me leave?¡±


    ¡°No. No, the sky is red,¡± He continues pointing at it. ¡°Have a look for yourself.¡±


    Still blue.


    ¡°Are you messing with me? I¡¯m bored, but I don¡¯t have the patience for this,¡± I begin to turn away but he stops me.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. To me, the sky is red,¡± With that one phrase added, the whole sentence changes.


    ¡®To me.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°See? Adding that what I¡¯m saying is relative to me makes it impossible to disprove. The only one who can do that is me. While adding ¡®to me¡¯ changes how you see the sentence, it functionally remains the same. Anything anyone ever says should be assumed that it¡¯s relative to them. Because they¡¯re saying it. My point is, I may be lying to you. You may be lying to me. The only one who knows those things is the speaker. I say, continuing being doubtful! Doubt me! Doubt others, too. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll make mistakes. Trust can hurt you, but doubt can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then, I doubt you. I don¡¯t trust you and I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°As it should be,¡± Kyle laughs, ¡°Speaking of the truth, how can it be determined?¡±


    ¡°The truth is obvious. It¡¯s just what is provable,¡± Knowing Kyle, he¡¯s going somewhere with this. I¡¯ll give it time this time.


    ¡°You see, if everything is based on perspective, like established with the red sky scenario, then if even one person disagrees with something then it isn¡¯t one hundred percent true. You aren¡¯t able to tell who is correct. The ¡®truth¡¯ is whatever you believe it is.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± These word games are messing with my head. I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to keep disputing him over this.


    ¡°A lie is when someone purposely tells you something false in an attempt to make you believe it. Curious, right? That means that the best lie is indistinguishable from the truth. Even the truth is always up for debate. What if it¡¯s just a cleverly disguised lie? In this way, lies are just different views. They are different truths. A lie cannot be proven false. ¡®Proving¡¯ something is very inexact. For example, if you were to simply time how long it takes to get from point A to point B, then you¡¯d use a stop watch. Every time, you go at the same speed and every time the stopwatch stops at ten seconds. Now, are you certain that it takes ten seconds to go from point A to B? Aside from possible technological errors, the biggest and most unavoidable error is how our brain perceives it. We can¡¯t possibly know if we see what everyone else does. Just trying to check the watch could end up causing different answers. Sure, that¡¯s mostly just a thought experiment though. For the most part, all humans work the same way and would see a stop watch the same. But, what if you were different? The odd one out? If you saw nine seconds when everyone else sees ten, does that make you wrong? For being different, are you incorrect? Well, I can¡¯t possibly be wrong, it¡¯s what I see! So, are they wrong?¡±


    He waits for a response.


    Man, he sure can talk!


    ¡°I suppose that I¡¯m right? Maybe they¡¯re mistaken. I know I¡¯m seeing it right. They must be making a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Interesting response,¡± Kyle smiles, ¡°I¡¯m a perspectivist. Being different lets you see the world in a different light. It¡¯s a world where the many out weigh the few. Are the few wrong because there are less of us? No. Are the many right because there are more of them? No. I believe that simply being alive makes the world based around our perspective. I¡¯m not right, nor am I wrong. There¡¯s no right answer.¡±


    I can see where he¡¯s coming from, but I have to disagree. Was Rachel right to kill Christina and Dylan?


    No!


    Is Kyle suggesting that because they had a different perspective they weren¡¯t wrong? It¡¯s obvious to me that in every scenario, murder is wrong. Even if Rachel was twisted enough to truly believe that murder was fine, she was still wrong. Under no circumstances is murder right. I¡¯ll stand by that until the day I die. If Kyle is trying to say that Rachel wasn¡¯t wrong¡­


    ¡°No. You¡¯re wrong,¡± I state. Kyle looks a bit surprised but also pleased. ¡°I am right. If another disagrees with me, they must be wrong. I¡¯m not talking about silly trivia. I mean in a real situation. When it¡¯s a question of justice, I¡¯m always in the right. Rachel was wrong to kill Dylan. We would¡¯ve been right to kill her.¡±


    He lets out a chuckle, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the perspective of a hero, right? Good fights to defeat the evil. I believe that it would be impossible to say for certain that you aren¡¯t the bad guy. Actually, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s room for good guys and bad guys in real life. You¡¯re just like Luke, seeking the gems to protect what you hold dear. But, to him you were a villain.¡±


    This guy has the worst philosophy ever. I couldn¡¯t disagree more. I¡¯m right, and he¡¯s wrong. It isn¡¯t any more complicated than that. He shouldn¡¯t have incited us to kill each other. If that¡¯s not wrong, what is?


    ¡°You think that I am like Luke? You must be kidding me. He attacked innocents like it was nothing. I¡¯m nothing like him.¡±


    Noticing the anger on my face, ¡°Well, I guess we can leave that discussion there. I¡¯ve had fun talking to you though. As you can tell, philosophy is fun for me. People¡¯s ideas are very interesting. In any case, I should tell you what you want before I go.¡±


    Kyle stands up off of the bench and walks towards me.


    He approaches me and stops right in front of my face.


    ¡°The power you desire is closer than you think. You can still obtain Simon¡¯s gem. With that and mine, you can achieve godhood,¡± Kyle¡¯s face changed from his childish excitement into an adults seriousness.


    Why would he tell me how to kill Simon? Even if there is a way, I¡¯d kill Kyle next. If I really have the opportunity, I don¡¯t see a problem with killing them. They¡¯re evil by every definition. The world would be better off without them. It¡¯d be better with me having every gem. It¡¯d be best with me as a god.


    ¡°Why would you tell me that?¡±


    ¡°Because, I want to die,¡± Kyle speaks in a serious and solemn tone. ¡°I think the best way I can use my death is to leave behind a god to take care of the world for me. You can do that, can¡¯t you? I have no problems with creating the opportunity for you to rule. I was going to kill myself anyway, so it would be nice to contribute to the world at the same time.¡±


    ¡°How can I get it?¡± I ask hesitantly.


    ¡°He has the same weakness as Rachel. If his brain stops working, he¡¯s finished. But, he heals faster than anything could destroy his brain. I¡¯d say that any physical attack is useless. So, the only way to kill him is¡­¡± Kyle smiles in a different way than he did talking about his theories. ¡°Suffocation. He can¡¯t heal if he isn¡¯t damaged. Close his throat and his brain will stop functioning.¡±


    That sounds like it could work¡­ I was expecting something more extravagant though.


    ¡°Is that the truth? Or just another lie?¡±


    His smile somehow gets even wider, ¡°It¡¯s not a lie. But, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the truth. After all, I haven¡¯t tried it.¡±


    He misunderstood, ¡°No. Not that. You¡¯re willing to die so I can become a god? How does that make sense? You¡¯re more selfish than Simon is.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Honestly, I¡¯ve wanted to die for some time. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could help me out,¡± Somehow, his smile doesn¡¯t fade.


    With the intent of delivering punishment, my body feels a jolt of power run through. It feels so much stronger with all of the gems. Too much stronger.


    Suddenly, to catch him off guard, I throw a punch at his stomach. It should kill instantly. With the strength I have, it¡¯ll blast him across the park.


    ¡°Oh. Not yet,¡± he says nonchalantly as I ¡®misread¡¯ the distance between us. I half expected this so I don¡¯t fall this time. Kyle stands around six feet away, his smile faded. ¡°Although I¡¯ll die in the end, I¡¯d like to see this all the way through. I want to be there for the big moment.¡±


    Another lie? Is he planning something big, or is he simply excited to see what could be the making of a god? I suppose, only he knows the answer.


    As much as I hate it, just this interaction proves what he said earlier. Even if he¡¯s the biggest liar on the planet, if his lies are good enough, there¡¯s no difference between his lies and the truth.


    I almost want to just believe him out of spite but, ¡°Fine then, Kyle. I¡¯ll place my doubt in you.¡±


    Satisfied Kyle sighs, ¡°Good. Let¡¯s set aside our differences, and be suspicious of one another.¡±


    I turn my back to him and begin walking away, never looking back.


    I¡¯ve stooped to his level. But, I can¡¯t believe a word he says. As much as I hate the distrust he shows others, trust is the last thing he deserves.


    With my current strength, I could easily kill Kyle here. There¡¯s no point in ending him now, though. I¡¯ll come back for him.


    First, it would be best to decide on a temporary ability for him. My best guess would be teleportation. It would explain how never gets hit. But how did he move the bodies? Maybe he can teleport other objects as well? I¡¯ll go with that for now.


    Maybe I should ask Sarah about it? No. I can¡¯t. I won¡¯t bring her into this. I can¡¯t put her in danger again. Not to mention, I doubt she¡¯d want me to kill Simon or Kyle.


    I walk back to my car and hop in. Next destination, home.


    I turn on the radio to fill the silent void in the car. How should I explain the road trip? Surely I¡¯m going to be scolded. I put my parents in a position where they were worried about me but couldn¡¯t do anything about it. If they sent a search party when I was just going on a road trip, that would cause more harm than good. They didn¡¯t have many options there.


    On the way home, I had the urge to use the bathroom. Luckily, I was passing a supermarket so I could go right in and come out.


    The automatic sliding doors greeted me and I hurried my way to the restroom. I didn¡¯t pay much heed to my surroundings because it was urgent.


    That hit the spot.


    I walk out of the bathroom and head towards the entrance. But, I remembered seeing something vaguely as I ran to the bathroom.


    Slowly and hesitantly, I begin to turn my head back towards the wall.


    A large white paper covered the green painted wall of the store, separating the different restrooms. The paper was hung just above the drinking fountain in a spot where the most people would see it. That was the best and most fitting choice for a missing persons poster.


    I leaned my weight against the drinking fountain and closely examined the poster. My eyes darted all across the page. My heart sinks into my stomach.


    Apparently, an unusually large amount of kids were reported missing over the last week. Normally, not many people go missing, but with all of the strange events going on, every report was taken seriously.


    The familiar faces of Luke, Christina, and Dylan stared at me.


    Again I was reminded of the effect this has all had on other people. And I realized that there are people out there who miss Dylan more than I do. Just the thought makes me feel small and insignificant. It¡¯s as if my problems never mattered in the first place.


    Luke¡¯s family that he strived to protect won¡¯t be able to see him ever again. His mom will die before seeing her son again.


    Simon¡¯s going to die without being able to apologize to Christina.


    Dylan¡¯s dad won¡¯t see him before succumbing to his illness.


    For the first time, the world around me feels evil. I always saw the world as good and the occasional person to be bad. But, in this moment, it feels as though the world itself was the real villain.

 Delusions of Grandeur

    I knock on my own door as if I was a stranger. Despite only going to my own house to speak with my own parents, I¡¯m nervous. I lied to them about something I could never tell the truth about. Not only that, but I¡¯ve worried them to death! How can I just come back days early and say, ¡°False alarm!¡± with a smile on my face?


    I feel as though I want to turn back. Maybe it would have been better to never return home? If I knew how I would feel in this moment before hand, If I could have avoided this awful feeling of nervousness and anxiety that I feel right now, I may have chosen to never come back.


    But, it¡¯s too late.


    I¡¯ve knocked and my parents are already coming to the door.


    I need to find an excuse to tell them. But, that¡¯s lying, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t that the reason I hate Kyle?


    Well, guess I can¡¯t hide from it. As bad as I feel right now, I need to somehow tell them the truth. It¡¯s going to be hard to say, but I need to.


    But¡­ do I?


    The door swings open in front of me and my mom looks at me with tears in her eyes.


    Before I have a chance to react, she¡¯s already run over and hugged me. She holds me tight and close to her while in tears.


    ¡°You scared me! You¡¯ve never done anything like this before¡­ Allen, we¡¯ve been so worried about you.¡±


    Mom speaks with a shaky voice that¡¯s been muffled by her speaking into my chest. I hadn¡¯t noticed until now, but when did I get bigger than her?


    I really am getting older, aren¡¯t I?


    I can¡¯t help but stand speechless as she cries while holding me tight. I¡¯m not sure what to do with my arms and I can¡¯t force any tears to fall. I feel so out of place. Am I supposed to cry in this reunion too?


    More and more seconds pass without me moving. What do I say? What do I do? I had expected to be yelled at and scolded but-


    Do I say ¡®I¡¯m back?¡¯


    Maybe ¡®thank you?¡¯


    But, I can only think of one thing right now,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sitting down on the living room couch across from my mom and dad, I wait in the uncomfortable silence. I haven¡¯t been able to gather my thoughts or speak yet. I don¡¯t know what I could possibly say. My mom still has tears in her eyes and my dad has been holding her hand.


    My dad starts us off, ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    He speaks like he¡¯s truly curious. He doesn¡¯t sound mad like I predicted, nor worried. I guess me just being here is enough for him to think I¡¯m safe.


    Somehow, the calm voice is even more scary. He¡¯s been a police officer for years and so he¡¯s a real tough guy. He has a stern face and sounds like he¡¯s interrogated his odd criminal.


    Again, no words can come to mind. I had intended on telling them everything but, I just can¡¯t. They wouldn¡¯t believe a word about super powers, not that I blame them for that. I¡¯d probably just be signing myself up for therapy with that route.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I repeat as though it were my catch phrase.


    What can I possibly tell them? I said that I was going on a road trip with friends and I took their car to do it! What kind of idiot would do that? If only I had come up with a better lie.


    No. Lying is wrong but¡­ It¡¯s justified here because I did it to save my friends. Yes, it was a good lie.


    My dad looks at my seventh ¡®sorry¡¯ the same way he¡¯s seen the last six, ¡°Allen. We need to know what¡¯s going on so that we can help. Trust us.¡±


    No matter what I say now, I won¡¯t be believed. There isn¡¯t a single real reason that all of this would add up. I mean, I¡¯ve dug my grave further still by continuing to apologize. What would cause me to go on the road trip only to come back in a day and apologize a lot?


    ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry. I was intoxicated. I got drunk and must¡¯ve made that call when I wasn¡¯t thinking. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Somehow, the best lie came to mind.


    My mom looked at me with the same sad face while my dad sighed and grew less angry.


    ¡°You won¡¯t do it again, will you? I feel that the hard way is the best way to learn. With the amount of ¡®sorrys¡¯ you¡¯ve been spouting, I can trust that you won¡¯t be foolish enough to drink that much again, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I say without making eye contact.


    My own parents wouldn¡¯t turn me in for drinking underage and it¡¯s the only way to explain my odd behavior. The worst that could have come of this was getting grounded for an extended period of time, but I guess my clean track record for this kind of thing helped me out. From the way he spoke, it sounded like my dad had his share of alcohol in high school too.


    The lie I spoke was equivalent to the truth, from the eyes of my parents. The lie filled in the gaps perfectly, but wasn¡¯t true. What¡¯s the difference if it was true then? To them, there really isn¡¯t one. This must have been what Kyle was talking about.


    A good lie is the same as telling the truth. From the eyes of those lied to, they¡¯ll never know the difference. It won¡¯t effect them at all.


    It feels a little dirty but¡­ I lied for my friends. I would never lie normally, but the situation called for it. I had to.


    My dad went on about his days in high school while my mom pulled herself together. They both scolded me to not be stupid again, but left without dealing a punishment. I guess they think that from the way I was acting, it¡¯s been punishment enough. Not to mention that the only thing they could really do is ¡°ground¡± their nearly adult child.


    It was night when the talk was finished and I went straight to bed. As tired as I was, it still took me a while to sift through the thoughts and find sleep.


    Although I wished for a dream, I got a nightmare.


    I stand in the forest with charred grass and watch as Dylan is killed by Rachel again and again. Horrible imagery and detail forced me to relive the death of my best friend. All the while, a sick and twisted laugh rung out through the forest.


    ¡°Make it stop! Make it stop!¡± I shout to no avail.


    Desperately, I out run towards Dylan attempting to save him, but each time I come up short. No matter how fast I run, I can¡¯t reach them.


    The hysterical laughter chilled me to my bones.


    Rachel¡¯s hands strangled Dylan and held him in the air. He struggled to breathe but couldn¡¯t get free.


    The sound of that horrible laugh resounded over and over through the forest.


    Suddenly, I realized.


    Oh, the laughter is my own.


    I stare into the eyes of Simon and hold him by the neck in the same way Rachel had held Dylan. Simon struggles to take a breath and all I can do is laugh and laugh.


    ¡°Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­¡±


    I sit up fast and in a cold sweat.


    I¡¯m drenched and breathe heavily.


    What a horrible nightmare¡­


    I get up, take a shower, and brush my teeth like usual.


    Somehow, I still have school today.


    The world has persisted and stayed the same even though I¡¯ve endured many tragedies. Everyone continues to move forwards despite my existence. It feels like my problems aren¡¯t real. No matter what awful thing happens to me, there will still be school tomorrow.


    I have six glowing yellow gems in my pocket. I haven¡¯t experimented with them the same way as Kyle, but through just having them I learned more about their properties.


    They don¡¯t take up any space when they aren¡¯t being observed. They appear again at will whenever I grab somewhere I can¡¯t see, usually that¡¯s my pocket. I can choose to grab one or all of them, but just owning six gems doesn¡¯t effect my life in any way. I expected they may get annoying when they¡¯re all ways filling up my pockets and clinking around, but that doesn¡¯t even happen. They¡¯re closer to being nonexistent.


    Sometimes it feels like everyone died for nothing. The only thing they left behind for me was their gems, but they don¡¯t even feel real.


    I¡¯ll make them feel real. I¡¯ll become god and make this world perfect. I need to. For Dylan.


    I¡¯ve already made up my mind. I¡¯m going to kill Simon and Kyle.


    Although, Kyle won¡¯t be so easy. I don¡¯t believe his suicide plan for a second.


    I walk downstairs and eat my eggs for breakfast.


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m glad you like them.¡±


    I grab my bag and start to head out.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving really early. You could stay a while longer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be sorry for? If you mean yesterday, you can give it a rest. I¡¯ll always forgive you no matter what. You need to make sure that you can learn and grow from your mistakes. No amount of me punishing you can help with that. I trust you to learn on your own, but I¡¯ll always be here as a backboard in your time of need. So, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯m lying to her. What do I even begin to say here? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Thank you.¡±


    Mom smiles at me, ¡°You seem different lately. You¡¯re getting older so fast. I¡¯ll miss you when you leave.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll miss you too.¡±


    ¡°You know, somehow, even though you¡¯ve only been apologizing, you seem confident with something. Ever since you made your new friends, you¡¯ve been so much more confident. It¡¯s a good look on you! But, make sure you pick your friends right! If they¡¯re the ones who made you drink so much-¡±


    ¡°No, no. They aren¡¯t. It¡¯s all my fault. But, thank you so much.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She just smiles at me while I turn around to leave again.


    ¡°Have a great day!¡±


    ¡°I will. Thanks.¡±


    Jumping on my bike, I pedal to school as fast as I can.


    The day plays out like normal. I go through the same motions as always and meet up with Sarah at the end of the day.


    ¡°Sorry Sarah, I need to go home early today. I got grounded for¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh. I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Well, I hope you aren¡¯t too bored.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡±


    We walk out of the main doors and I hop on my bike. She follows me to it like usual and waves me goodbye as I turn onto the street.


    ***


    Something is different with Allen today.


    I watch him bike off onto the road.


    He said he was grounded and needed to go home, but he¡¯s definitely heading in the opposite direction that he¡¯s supposed to.


    I suspect Kyle has something to do with this. I hope Allen isn¡¯t being threatened.


    I get in my car and follow him. This feels like a wrong thing to do, but if he¡¯s being threatened then I need to help.


    He follows roads I¡¯ve been down before and stops on a familiar street. He parks his bike at the old school building I thought I¡¯d never see again.


    Is this another meeting with Kyle?


    I stop my car far in the distance and walk towards the school. Slowly, I make my way to the run down building.


    Should I tell Allen that I¡¯m here? I don¡¯t hear talking so Kyle isn¡¯t here yet. Should I wait around or just say hello? I¡¯ll give it a few minutes. I have a bad feeling about this. If he¡¯s being lied to by Kyle then I need to hear all of it.


    Ever so gently, I open the door to the building without making a sound. Just as gently, I shut the door behind me.


    Good. Not a sound.


    I peak through the doorless doorway of the classroom. Allen is sitting and playing on his phone while he waits. He sits in his usual chair with his back to the door.


    Oddly enough, the barricade on the door that Rachel used to kidnap me was gone. There used to be chairs and boards blocking it off so that I couldn¡¯t escape. I wonder who removed them? Maybe Kyle? He seems like he¡¯s the most attached to this building. He¡¯s the one who knew of it and suggested it in the first place.


    There¡¯s a loud knock on the door behind me.


    He¡¯s here!


    Swiftly, I open up the door to the room I was kidnapped in and hide inside. I hope that Allen didn¡¯t see me. He probably didn¡¯t, I think I was pretty fast on that. I kind of impress myself. He shouldn¡¯t have heard the door over the knocking either.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Allen greets.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Replies the person I expected to hear the least.


    Simon.


    ***


    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet Allen from the doorway.


    Despite the warm temperature out, he wears a long-sleeved jacket.


    His text was just vague enough to get me to come. It read, ¡°Hello Simon. I didn¡¯t think that I was going to need to talk to you so soon. I have bad news about the gems. They¡¯re more dangerous than we imagined. Meet me at the old building after school.¡±


    I figure Allen wouldn¡¯t lie, although the possibility hasn¡¯t slipped my mind. My pocket knife is already out behind my back. If I need to, I¡¯ll get out of here. This time, I won¡¯t go to the back of the class either. I learned that the hard way. I¡¯ll sit as close to the door and as far away from him as possible.


    ¡°About those gems,¡± Allen speaks with a bit of fear in his voice. ¡°It seems that just having them can negatively influence physical health.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, now that I have six gems, my strength has been declining at a rapid rate. I think it was happening before I got the extra gems, but the effects are obvious now. I feel weaker and heavy. I don¡¯t know how much worse it can get, honestly. I¡¯ve been worried that I¡¯ll die like this.¡±


    Die? No, I can¡¯t die. The only one who knows how to kill me is Kyle, but if my gem will kill me over time¡­


    ¡°Are you serious? How bad is it for you right now?¡±


    ¡°I could hardly get through school today. Really, it feels terrible,¡± Allen sounds sincere as he speaks.


    Now that he mentions it¡­ maybe I feel a little weaker? Maybe not? I guess it¡¯s hard to tell because after Christina¡­ stopped putting her weight on me, I¡¯ve only felt healthier. I suppose it¡¯s possible I¡¯ve been declining in health but I couldn¡¯t notice because a separate weight was lifted.


    ¡°Do you know of a way to stop it, or did you just call me here to tell me that we¡¯re doomed?¡±


    ¡°Well, I figured you could help out. You¡¯re smarter than me, and I don¡¯t want to ask Kyle. He gives off bad vibes.¡±


    ¡°What about Sarah? I¡¯m sure she¡¯s smarter than me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to bring her into this. I haven¡¯t told her about my health either.¡±


    I relax my grip on my knife and fold it into my pocket. Everything he¡¯s said makes sense. We haven¡¯t known a thing about the gems all this time, I don¡¯t doubt they may be harmful. His distrust of Kyle and concern for Sarah help me trust him too. He sounds really sincere about all of this, it checks out. And, if his he¡¯s weakened right now, I bet I could get away even if he tried to attack me.


    Relaxed, I walk into the classroom slowly and sit in the chair two away from Allen. It¡¯s close to the door and far enough away from him.


    The old four empty chairs have become six. Thinking about it sends chills down my spine.


    Luke was killed by Dylan.


    Dylan was killed trying to stop Rachel.


    Rachel killed herself.


    Sarah lost her gem.


    Kyle ran away.


    Christina sacrificed herself for me.


    Only two remain.


    Thinking about the loss of Christina makes me sick. This world is too cruel. It¡¯s all my fault.


    ¡°Maybe we can lose our gems the same way as Sarah did?¡± I suggest. This is the only way that I can live, if Allen isn¡¯t lying or mistaken.


    Funny, I need to lose my immortality to live.


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t so easy to do the same as her. For you it would certainly be impossible. You want to lose your gem so you can live, but you have to give up on life for you to no longer be deluded. A contradiction like that can never come to pass.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that this is it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I came to you so that you could help me. If you think of anything, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I owe him for saving me, so it couldn¡¯t hurt to share information with him too. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°No. I also figured we could talk about something else¡­¡±


    ¡°What could that be?¡±


    ¡°Your Delusion. Why did you let Christina die?¡±


    Don¡¯t say that. Please. Don¡¯t make me feel worse than I already do.


    ¡°I- I was afraid.¡±


    Allen¡¯s tone of sadness and fear changed to being a little angry and pitying, ¡°You let her die because you were selfish. Do you think that you were justified in doing so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was my life or hers. She told me to live so¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it really because she wanted you to live? Or is it because you wanted to live?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I wanted to live. I did. In the moment I wasn¡¯t able to think of anyone but myself. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You insist on playing dumb?¡± His voice gains volume. ¡°You¡¯re selfish. Your selfishness caused Christina to die. Don¡¯t you think that you need punished?¡±


    ¡°P-punished? It¡¯s not my fault! I only did what I had to!¡±


    It¡¯s starting to seem bad. I reach into my pocket to grab my knife.


    Before I¡¯m able to even reach it, Allen shoots up at blinding speeds and grabs my throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault. You caused Christina to die!¡± Allen yells as he holds me above the floor.


    My throat is nearly closed but I manage to push out a few more words, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ wrong! It¡¯s not my¡­¡±


    ¡°Face it Simon. You¡¯re arrogant, cowardly, malicious, thoughtless, and selfish. You¡¯re evil!¡±


    His inhuman strength grasps around my neck and I can no longer breathe.


    Stop it. Stop it!


    I need to live¡­ I need to¡­


    My legs kick but can¡¯t reach far enough. My hands scratch his arms but his long sleeved jacket prevents much damage. He¡¯s learned from last time. This was his plan from the beginning.


    He set me up!


    I thought I was prepared for it if he did this, but he seemed so sincere. I let my guard down. The whole gem thing must be a lie too. I thought I could get to my knife in time if he tried to grab me, but he¡¯s magnitudes faster than he was before. I felt wind pass my face when he stood.


    He¡¯s not squeezing as hard as he was last time. Last time he dropped me as soon as my neck broke, but now he¡¯s waiting for me to suffocate. Allen isn¡¯t smart so how did he¡­?


    Kyle!


    It¡¯s too late now. My mind is starting to get fuzzy. Maybe I should give up?


    Maybe it¡¯s about time it all ended.


    I¡¯ve had a good life.


    Thank you, mom.


    Thank you, dad.


    Sorry, Christina. I loved you.


    The world grows darker and darker around me.


    All of a sudden I hear the faint sound of a door swing open and someone yelling.


    ***


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Sarah yells.


    I didn¡¯t want her to see this. I wanted her to stay out of this. When did she get here?


    ¡°Sarah¡­ I- I¡¯m just doing what needs to be done.¡±


    Sarah looks horrified, ¡°What needs to be done? We were finished! The story was over. How could you?¡±


    ¡°No! He deserves it! He killed Christina!¡±


    My grip on Simon loosens as I attempt to defend myself.


    Seeing his moment of opportunity, Simon swings a knife at my wrist. With my new power, I easily drop him and move out of the way before being so much as grazed.


    Simon stumbles across the floor and hides behind Sarah. She invites him behind her and puts out a hand to protect him.


    ¡°No, Sarah. How could you? He¡¯s evil! If I just had his and Kyle¡¯s gems, I could protect everyone!¡±


    ¡°Allen. You need to stop this. I understand you want to become that hero, but you¡¯re already a hero. You saved me!¡±


    No. I¡¯m no hero. I let Dylan die and I let Simon and Kyle live. I couldn¡¯t kill Rachel when I needed to either. I¡¯m as far from a hero as you can get. But, I could be stronger.


    My strength persists because there¡¯s more justice to be served, ¡°Step aside.¡±


    Sarah grits her teeth and stomps into the ground, ¡°No! You need to listen to me.¡±


    Whatever, I can just go around her. She¡¯ll forgive me.


    Using my power, I get ready to grab Simon from behind her.


    Sarah lets out a yelp as a pocket knife is pressed against her neck. Simon grabs her and pulls her into a choke hold with a knife at her throat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move! I¡¯ll kill her!¡±


    What do I do now? This just proves that Simon is evil. Now I¡¯ll kill him no matter what. But, how can I save Sarah at the same time?


    ¡°D-¡± Sarah attempts to speak but is cut of by Simon cutting the surface of her skin.


    The sight of Sarah being taken hostage and cut by Simon infuriates me. Justice needs to be served. He¡¯s clearly the evil one here. I¡¯m good!


    But, again, I¡¯m powerless. How can I stop him now? I¡¯ll be endangering Sarah¡¯s life if I continue.


    No! I have strength now! My power far exceeds even Rachel¡¯s. I¡¯m the strongest one alive. I can do this. I can do anything. Yes, Simon has nothing compared to me.


    Simon begins to slowly back up while taking Sarah with him.


    Using my full strength, I leap towards Simon. I prepare a punch to hit him in the face just over Sarah¡¯s shoulder.


    Startled, Simon screams and trips backwards.


    My fist nails Simon in the face and smashes him against the wall. I shout loudly to put more power into it. The wall cracks apart releasing an explosion of sound. Any normal person would¡¯ve been crushed. Not him though.


    Finishing what I started, I grab his neck and lift him to the air. He screams trying to call for help.


    He looks horrified. His face is more sickening than any I¡¯ve ever seen before. He looks like he¡¯s in much more despair than he was last time. What¡¯s different now? Maybe the pain of being hit?


    Simon¡¯s eyes are locked gazing helplessly at the blood soaked floor. He stares at the ground completely ignoring the fact that he¡¯s being strangled.


    Oh no.


    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.


    It¡¯s not my fault.


    Simon did this!


    It¡¯s not my fault!


    Sarah lies lifelessly on the ground in a pool of blood.

 The Delusion of Stars

    I sit curled up against the wall in the hallway of an old abandoned school. My hands cover my eyes so that I can avoid reality.


    It¡¯s like it never happened if I just don¡¯t open my eyes.


    I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ve been sitting here, but I can¡¯t bring myself to stand up and look.


    The bodies of Simon and Sarah lay next to me in a pool of blood. The air smells of rust and makes my stomach churn.


    My confidence in my own abilities is what caused all of this. It¡¯s my fault. I thought that I was so strong I could handle any situation. Yet, even with six gems, I couldn¡¯t save Sarah. No, I caused her death.


    I killed her.


    Some hero I am. All I¡¯ve done is kill and watch others die. Sarah was more of a hero than I ever was. She saved me, in more ways than one.


    But now, she¡¯s gone. Sarah and Dylan have both left and I¡¯ll never be able to see them again.


    If I were stronger then¡­ No. This is me being stronger. My strength is unparalleled and I still let Sarah die. It has nothing to do with my power, it¡¯s my stupidity. My confidence brought about my downfall. Maybe if I had told Sarah about what Kyle said¡­ If I had just consulted her then she wouldn¡¯t have died. Even if she was wrong and tried to stop me¡­ She wouldn¡¯t have been killed.


    ¡°Well, this doesn¡¯t look good,¡± a familiar voice speaks from the entrance of the school.


    ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± I mutter without uncovering my eyes.


    ¡°I came to see how things went. Looks pretty bad.¡±


    Slowly, I peak out from behind my hands to see the two fresh corpses surrounding me.


    I wasn¡¯t even able to hear Sarah¡¯s cries before she died. They were drowned away by me lashing out at Simon.


    A bright red puddle covers the floor. Ripples flow through the crimson as Kyle walks over to me.


    ¡°Stay back!¡± I yell preparing to fight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down now. I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    I stumble up onto my feet while leaning against the wall. I glare at Kyle as if to say ¡®Don¡¯t come any closer.¡¯


    A wet drip and plop echoes through the hall with every step I take. I kneel down next to Simon and remove a glass gem from his pocket. The seventh gem begins to shine yellow in my palm.


    Blood stains my knees and hands. I step over Sarah and push Kyle out of the way of the door. I can¡¯t stay here any longer. I¡¯ll really go mad.


    It¡¯s already night. I raise my hand and try to touch the stars.


    Deep breath in.


    And out.


    I feel a complex spiral of emotions inside of me that I can¡¯t possibly describe.


    Kyle walks up and stops beside me.


    ¡°What¡¯s your dream?¡± He asks.


    ¡°I¡­ I want to become¡­ a hero,¡± I repeat the line I¡¯ve used so many times before.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Seems like he was just curious. Silence takes the stage while we stand in the cold of night.


    ¡°What is it that you truly want?¡± He asks a very similar question. Well, maybe it¡¯s the same one.


    ¡°I want to become a hero,¡± I repeat once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing you want most right now? Well, let me ask a different way. If you were to become god right now, what would you do?¡±


    ¡­


    That¡¯s right. I can still fix this. I can fix everything. If I become god, if I go through with my plan, I can bring them back. I could see Dylan and Sarah again!


    ¡°I want to bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°So, please, will you willingly give me your gem?¡±


    He stops and thinks for a moment before speaking. Somehow, just that moment of silence reminds me of her, ¡°Honestly, I imagined you would have given up on your dream by now. I thought your gems would be clear and mine for the taking.¡±


    I figured. There was no chance he wanted to die. He was just using me as a convenient way to gather the gems. Not that he stands a chance in a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, Kyle. Did you do this all on purpose? What¡¯s the real reason that you caused so much chaos? Why did you have Luke attack me in the first place?¡±


    ¡°That could be a number of things. Perhaps I wanted to test out my theory. Maybe I wanted to gather the gems myself. There''s even a chance that I wanted some entertainment. No matter what I say, you won¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Tch. You probably just wanted entertainment. You¡¯re sickening.¡±


    ¡°See? What kind of person do you see me as? Who is it that you imagine me to be? Am I a monster to you? Am I a villain? Am I evil?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re the worst thing that has happened to me. When I look back on it, you started all of this. You gathered us up and brought us to a discrete location. You told us we could kill each other and that others could kill us. You even singled out a desperate and unstable Luke and told him to kill someone. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done even more that I didn¡¯t even recognize.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re different than you used to be. You seem to have matured into quite the skeptic. But, yes. If I had, say, taught Rachel how to spoof a phone number, you¡¯d never know.¡±


    I can¡¯t even get mad. The sight of the soothing stars above us calms me. They¡¯re so¡­ close.


    ¡°I figured something like that might be the case.¡±


    Silence consumes the conversation once again. We both stare into the sky.


    ¡°I see them too.¡±


    Huh?


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I ask.


    ¡°The stars. I see them too. Right now, they¡¯re closer to us than they ever have been. It feels as though they¡¯re taunting me,¡± he takes a deep breath and then continues. ¡°Did you know? The word aspire means to hope to achieve something, like for a goal to come true. A goal that is far away, one that you can only hope for, is often times called a dream. So to aspire could mean to dream, or to try and reach that dream. The word aspire comes from the Latin word ¡®aspirare.¡¯ It¡¯s a word that means, ¡®to breathe.¡¯ In other words, it¡¯s only natural to dream and try to accomplish them. Dreaming comes as a necessary part to life. Dreaming is as essential as breathing. But, I¡¯ve been thinking, after coming this far, what have I really been chasing after? Dreams share many properties with delusions. Was this all¡­ was it¡­ worth it?¡±


    Somehow, Kyle¡¯s words strike a chord with me. He summarized my complex feeling of looking into the stars in a few sentences.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I agree. ¡°Sadly, only one of our dreams can come true.¡±


    He chuckles again, ¡°It seems that way.¡±


    I relish in the silence for a while longer. The stars are still out tonight, I can still fix this. I can fix everything.


    ¡°Kyle¡­ are you certain that you¡¯re theory is correct? I can still save them, can¡¯t I?¡±


    Kyle stands in the darkness considering my question, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Honestly, it¡¯s a stretch. There aren¡¯t any guarantees in life, but if obtaining the eighth gem doesn¡¯t give us the power we need¡­¡±


    It¡¯s all over.


    ¡°¡­ Then the only way to find out is for me to kill you,¡± I prepare myself for battle.


    ¡°Before we get into the meat of it, let¡¯s talk a little more. After we kill each other, we won¡¯t be able to talk again.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but I don¡¯t have anything interesting to say.¡±


    ¡°It does seem like we¡¯re out of words, doesn¡¯t it? Only so much can be said in language. Maybe you¡¯re right, it might be time to finish this,¡± With a final deep breath. ¡°Although, one last thing¡­ these goals we¡¯re fighting for, these aspirations we¡¯ve killed for, these delusions, they may be called dreams for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Possibly. But, I have to reach it. No matter how far away they are, even if your theory is wrong, I¡¯ve lost too much to give up now.¡±


    ¡°Then, Allen¡­¡±


    We both look at each other and turn our backs, gaining a little more distance before the final battle. Only one of us can make it out of here.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Kyle confirms.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I hold my seven gems in the palm of my hand. I can win this.


    ¡°Then let us begin.¡±


    Kyle stands still with his hands in his pocket. Somehow even in the final battle, his voice and eyes are still as tired as always. Although, now I feel a bit of understanding with him. We might be more similar than I initially thought. His constantly bored expression now seems a little sad.


    A strength surges through my body, justice will be delivered onto this villain.


    The biggest problem in this fight will be figuring out Kyle¡¯s ability. Right now, I¡¯m guessing that he can teleport objects.


    I open my hand and drop the gems on the floor, knowing that they¡¯ll simply vanish into my pockets when the battle starts. The moment I hear the sound of the gems hitting the grass, I launch at Kyle with more speed than I ever have before.


    Kyle continues looking uninterested as I fly towards him. His hands remain in his pockets and he doesn¡¯t even flinch.


    Suddenly, two tree roots tear out of the ground on both sides of him. Both roots move diagonally into my path to intercept me.


    What kind of ability is that!? He can move tree roots and teleport bodies? That doesn¡¯t add up.


    Unable to avoid the roots now in my path, I try to punch them out of the way to maintain my momentum. Somehow, the one I was aiming for bends out of the way and wraps itself around my wrist. Now locked in my position, I look back and attempt to kick the second root, only for it to wrap around my ankle.


    They¡¯re strong! I tug and pull with the strongest force I can output, but I¡¯m stuck in place.


    Kyle, hands still in his pockets, slowly walks up to me and speaks tired and unsurprised, ¡°Even with all of the power you have, something as weak as this will stop you?¡±


    Damn it!


    I continue to struggle against the roots and start to feel them breaking. Kyle is in arms reach and he thinks I can¡¯t move. This has to be my chance. I suddenly snap the root attached to my wrist and slam my arm into him.


    Like after the battle with Rachel, my hand swipes right by him even though I could¡¯ve sworn that it was a perfect hit.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It looks like this fight won¡¯t be as easy as I thought.


    The remaining root on my ankle bends down and throws me into the air.


    I fly straight upwards while the wind rushes past my ears.


    What¡¯s his ability? The key to winning has to be finding out what his ability is. He can seemingly teleport, make bodies disappear, and control tree roots. How does that all add up? Now that I think of it, he probably made the roots. There aren¡¯t any trees that would have roots positioned right where he was.


    I ponder my options as my speed slows down and I reach the apex of the throw. The wind passing by calms down and I slowly begin my descent.


    I can easily use my ability to negate the damage from falling, but if Kyle watched my fight with Rachel, he knows that. He must be planning on intercepting me on the ground.


    As I approach the grass, Kyle looks up at me from a short distance of where I¡¯ll land. I spin around to a standing up position and prepare to kick the ground with my feet on impact.


    My feet slam into the ground with insane force. The ground cracks beneath my feet and leaves a crater where I landed. It¡¯s small with a diameter about the size of a large plate, but I¡¯m surprised that I have that much power. The landing makes a thunderous noise like an explosive went off. This power is nothing like I had with six gems.


    No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because of my gem count.


    It must be that I need to be a hero now more than ever. Not only is the most evil person I¡¯ve ever met standing in front of me, if I beat him, I have a chance to save Dylan and Sarah.


    Why didn¡¯t I get attacked as I landed, though? That would have been the perfect time to tangle me up again. Although, I¡¯m confident that the strength of my kick would have destroyed them, I thought he¡¯d try it anyway. There would be no harm in it.


    The two roots are gone and Kyle once again stands in front of me.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong. Do you think that the ge-¡± Kyle is interrupted by a punch heading straight for him. Yet, somehow, he¡¯s just out of reach.


    I continue to send a barrage of punches his way and run towards him while he continues his speech, just out of reach, ¡°Rude. I was trying to ask if the gems may be responsible for the amount of power you have right now. It¡¯s incredible, really. This is nothing like you were in your fight with Rachel. Even when you fought Simon, you were worlds weaker than you are now.¡±


    Frustrated with the man who¡¯s so close, yet so far, I stomp the floor as hard as I can to shake the ground and knock Kyle off balance. The ground quakes and he stumbles backwards.


    Now!


    I throw my body weight and all of my strength into a downwards punch on the falling Kyle. Instead of crushing him into the ground, my fist is caught by a tree root. I tear through it quickly but it gives him just enough time to stumble his way back up and out of reach.


    The fact that he rushed to get up and moved away instead of just being out of reach must mean that he would have been damaged by that. But, what¡¯s the rule then?


    ¡°Somethings off,¡± Kyle observes. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going all out?¡±


    Is he taunting me!?


    I leap off the ground towards him but he simply steps out of the way to dodge me.


    I land a little ways away with my back turned. With his speed, he could already be behind me right now. My back is wide open. That little outburst I just had could cost me greatly.


    As quickly as possible, I turn around and swing my arm to prevent any sneak attacks. But, there weren¡¯t any. Kyle is as far away as I left him, and not a single branch was out.


    Why didn¡¯t he-?


    Kyle scratches his head and looks deep in thought. He has the gall to tell me I¡¯m not going all out? What¡¯s with him? He¡¯s arguably stronger than I am and he only has one gem!


    To think I had considered myself the strongest without even acknowledging his existence. He¡¯s multiple times stronger than I was with only one gem.


    Once again, I leap over towards him preparing another punch. Suddenly, the ground lifts up into a wall in front of him. Pure earth stands as a thick wall between us.


    Using my momentum, I continue my assault and throw a large punch at the wall. It leaves a dip in it the exact way my landing did earlier. How thick is this wall!? It definitely should¡¯ve shattered.


    Quickly, I around to the other side, not giving him enough time to escape, but he isn¡¯t there. Where did he go? Did he teleport away?


    No wait!


    I turn back and look up only to see Kyle on top of the ¡®wall¡¯ he rose earlier. From this angle, it¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s no wall, it¡¯s a platform. It¡¯s about as tall as the old school building, the size of the average one story house.


    From the side of it grows three more tree roots, it¡¯s obvious that he can move the earth too, but those seem to be his favorite. They extend themselves towards me and I simply knock them away. We¡¯re at a complete impasse.


    ¡°Well. I guess it¡¯s a stalemate then,¡± Kyle continues his uninterested look in the middle of our death battle.


    ¡°Are you telling me that you give up!? Our dreams are this close!¡±


    ¡°No, I could never give up. Not on this. But, if it¡¯s impossible¡­¡±


    Those words make me more angry than anything Kyle has ever said. I feel my face turn red and I smoke coming out of my ears.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel the need to fight for your dream, then die for mine!!!¡±


    With a roar, I punch the platform again, sending a shock wave up and through it to knock him over again. I easily jump to the top of the house-sized plateau and punch the off-balance villain.


    Again, he stands just out of reach, but because of that, he¡¯s now on the very edge of the platform. He¡¯s cornered.


    His eyes glance down at my toes, why-?


    I look down just in time to notice two tree roots spin up my legs, binding me to this spot.


    I try kick but my legs won¡¯t move, so I swiftly try to punch them away. Right before my hand reaches them, the root branches off and sends another to twist around my arm, locking it in place too.


    With one hand left, I once again try to scrape the roots off only to be caught again.


    My arms and legs are both bound leaving me standing helpless. I continue to struggle and tug my way free. The first time, they broke much easier. I guess it¡¯s harder to get free since all of my limbs are sealed off this time.


    Kyle steps away from the edge of the platform, but doesn¡¯t get too close to me. I almost hit him last time.


    With all of my muscle, I strain myself trying to pull free. My arms and legs feel like they¡¯re burning. I hear the roots start to creak. If they don¡¯t break right now, I guarantee another one is going to impale me. I might be too late.


    I tightly shut my eyes to focus on pulling the roots off. Slowly but surely the branches begin to crack. After a few more seconds, my right arm breaks free, followed by my left.


    Relieved, I reopen my eyes and pull the branches off my legs.


    Why didn¡¯t he kill me there? That was the perfect opportunity. He¡¯s only countering my advances, he hardly makes any himself.


    Not even bothering to attack again, I watch him carefully as I think. Kyle continues looking tired and keeps his hands in his pocket. He doesn¡¯t make any moves. I wonder if he¡¯s thinking too?


    What¡¯s his ability? At first I suspected it was teleportation because of the missing bodies and his evasion, but I¡¯ll be damned if he can control it precisely enough to move the ground and control branches. Although, the branches probably weren¡¯t even in the ground before he moved them. It seems like they were created. But, why tree branches?


    Seems like teleportation is out of the question.


    This is tough. Maybe¡­ nature manipulation? That doesn¡¯t even makes sense. He can teleport!


    What if he can create matter? Maybe he can control what he created too. If that¡¯s the case, he could be creating the ground and the branches. What if he just moved the ground under him like that to create the illusion of me missing and him teleporting?


    No. That doesn¡¯t even begin to explain the missing bodies, unless he can destroy matter too. If that were the case though, I¡¯d be dead already.


    So what is it!?


    I¡¯m not smart enough for this. It seems like a dead end for me too. I curse my stupidity, but I can¡¯t change it. Normally in this situation I¡¯d¡­ ask Sarah.


    What would she say?


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t give up yet. I know you can figure it out.¡±


    Maybe it would be something like that.


    Her voice already feels so distant, like I¡¯ll forget it if I don¡¯t save her right here.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got this. We believe in you,¡± I can almost imagine Dylan chiming in with a smile on his face.


    I won¡¯t give up yet. For myself. For them.


    Think!


    Yes¡­ that¡¯s right. I¡¯m going about this all wrong. I¡¯m trying to find out his ability, but that isn¡¯t what I should search for at all! What¡¯s his¡­ Delusion?


    Kyle¡¯s own theory is what will allow me to narrow down the search.


    Your Delusion manifests to allow you to achieve your dream. It lets you ¡®wish¡¯ for something and make it come true. For me that was to be a hero, for Sarah it was to be invisible, for Luke it was to be a wall, for Simon it was to live, for Rachel it was to be someone else. Where does Kyle fit in? He never told me what it was that he wanted to accomplish. He asked me, but I didn¡¯t bother to ask him back. Wait a minute. What if-


    What if he was an exception, the same way Christina and Dylan were? I could have never understood why Dylan¡¯s Delusion wasn¡¯t a wish, but someone in the same predicament easily could. So going under the assumption that Kyle¡¯s ability was based off of a character flaw he knew of, what would his Delusion be?


    Well, he¡¯s one hell of a liar. What if he hates lying? A liar who despises lies¡­ that sounds exactly like something he¡¯d say. He loves contradictions and word play and openly admitted to being a liar. Earlier, he justified the lies too. It was subtle, but he did. He said something along the lines of it being impossible to tell a lie from the truth, in that being the case, what¡¯s the difference between lying and telling the truth? Is that his way of justifying behavior that he himself is disgusted by?


    A liar who hates lying justifies his own lies by saying they are true if someone else believes them.


    His ability probably has something to do with deceiving me.


    I see¡­


    He couldn¡¯t attack me when I wasn¡¯t looking either. He drew my gaze to the floor before having the roots tangle me up.


    It all makes sense then. He creates illusions.


    Well played, Kyle.


    Any illusion that I see, that I believe, comes true because of my gems. They become my ¡®Delusion.¡¯ His power is proportional to how many gems his opponents have. The more gems, the more real the illusions are.


    In other words, it isn¡¯t his ability that created the tree roots or the plateau¡­


    It was mine.


    He simply showed me the foundation.


    Even though I still hate him, deciphering his identity like this feels wrong. It makes him feel like more of a human than he used to. Knowing that the liar and villain has been struggling all along almost makes me sympathetic.


    However, this is no time for that. He caused this. He did it all for his goal, his aspiration, his dream. Although I¡¯ll never know what it was that he wished to accomplish, I¡¯ll kill him right now.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m a liar. The worst of the worst. I¡¯m a person who lies through their teeth and regrets it. But, can I blame myself? I can¡¯t help it. One lie leads to another, slowly making my life a tangle of lies and deceit. I hate being a liar, I regret it. Do I have to be a person like this? I hide who I am behind whichever lie suits me for the moment.¡±


    -is what I would think, but who knows? Lying isn¡¯t really such a bad thing. Do I really regret it?


    Or is that just another lie?


    Really. I never really feel sorry about what I did, do I? I¡¯d stop if that were the case. There¡¯s no way for even me to tell what the truth is. People continue their lives by lying to themselves. If I need to tell myself that I dislike lying to feel human, does that mean I really believe it?


    Well, none of it matters. I¡¯m a liar and that¡¯s that. I never think too much of it. I couldn¡¯t seriously say something as grand as ¡®regretting my lies¡¯ with a straight face. I lie and forget about it. There¡¯s no point in making a big deal out of it.


    Everything said by anyone needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Perspective and opinion is mixed into even the most factual statements. Even private thoughts are biased. People lie to themselves all the time.


    There isn¡¯t a single creature more contradicting than humans.


    Oh well.


    Allen stands with me on top of the plateau I envisioned. This is the final destination for one of us.


    From the look on his face, I¡¯ve already lost.


    Allen closes his eyes and slowly approaches me.


    When his eyes are closed like that, what illusion could I make him see?


    ¡°Well done, Allen,¡± I try my hardest to continue sounding tired despite the fear, one final lie.


    My time has come to an end. I¡¯ve lived plenty long.


    Allen stops just before reaching me, less than an arms length away. He slowly opens his eyes.


    Suddenly, I make him see two branches fly out from the ground and pierce through his head, yet they must not be real, because I can¡¯t see them. They don¡¯t exist. I can only see what becomes reality. I suppose he didn¡¯t believe that they existed. He must¡¯ve figured me out.


    But, it¡¯s still strange. I thought he¡¯d have much more variety in his attacks. With a total of seven gems, he should be able to alter reality to a much higher degree by now. I guess they¡¯re called ¡®dreams¡¯ for a reason after all. Nobody wins in this tragedy.


    I look up at the stars once more, but, for some reason, the sky is dark.


    ***


    I punch Kyle half heartedly as he looks into the sky longingly. My fist punctures a hole right through his chest and his body goes limp. Warm, damp blood covers my whole arm, the feeling is sickening.


    He¡¯s dead. Kyle, the cold hearted and selfish villain is dead.


    I lay him on top of the blood soaked grass and remove the empty glass gem from his pocket.


    Finally¡­ it¡¯s all over. There doesn¡¯t need to be any more death or betrayal. Because I¡¯m god.


    I sit upon the plateau and hold all eight gems glowing yellow in my palm, but¡­


    I don¡¯t feel any different.


    A sickening laughter echoes throughout the woods. Laughter filled with disappointment, depression, and despair.


    No matter how many times I wish upon these gems-


    The dark night sky looks down upon me like a fool. Not a single star remains to hope on. None of my aspirations or dreams can be seen.


    It looks like, for once, Kyle was wrong.


    Because-


    No matter how many times I wish upon these gems-


    Dylan and Sarah are never coming back.


    The yellow shimmer fades away and leaves behind only the empty and hollow husk of my dreams.

 Afterword

    Sorry.


    The following will be about me and this book. Just a little behind the scenes action. If you don¡¯t care about any of that, then this chapter isn¡¯t for you. The story is over.


    This is L. A. Sirius. Well, not really. That¡¯s a lie. Of course that isn¡¯t my real name. I¡¯m a bit similar to Sarah, and I need to work on that.


    Well, this certainty was a journey to write. Man, I hope you liked the story. It wasn¡¯t happy and it didn¡¯t leave either of us with a good feeling, but I enjoyed it. It¡¯s my first book so I made a million mistakes and then some. Sorry about all that. But, personally, I¡¯m proud of it. It came along nicely despite some writing flaws. I think the general story, plot, and characters turned out nicely.


    When I came up with the idea for the story, I really wanted a way to use word play to explore deeper into a character''s mind. I thought the idea of having ¡®Delusions¡¯ was quite nice. It¡¯s an interesting concept I wish was explored more.


    Me and my friend have very conflicting ideas on our taste in entertainment. I really like psychologicals and sad stuff, but he likes to have lots of fight scenes and just awesome stuff. I hope this story was able to effectively combine the two.


    The characters I made are relatable to me and I hope you can relate to at least one of them too. While my life is very different from hers, I related with Sarah a lot on an emotional level. Because of my connection with the characters, I was genuinely sad writing the ending and the events of this story. From the beginning, I had decided on how I wanted it to end. I knew exactly what the final scene would entail, yet I still felt terrible writing it on paper. I nearly changed the entire story towards the end because of my attachment to the characters. I hope I could inspire the same feelings in my readers. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    From the beginning I wanted my audience to relate to flaws in the characters and sympathize with them so that I could end it all in tragedy. That¡¯s just how I like my stories, sadly. I feel that when there¡¯s a happy ending with a lesson to be learned, nobody will take it seriously. Although it may just be seen as edgy nonsense, I really want to push the different themes by making you yell at the mistakes each character makes. I feel that it¡¯s much easier to take a message to heart if it hurts.


    I¡¯m so sorry if you don¡¯t like that type of thing, though. I hope that you don¡¯t hate the story because it was sad. Even if you did hate it for that reason, I¡¯m glad I could invoke the right emotions.


    My one regret with the book, other than average mistakes a first-time author would make, I wish I had explored a few of the characters more. I cut them out of the story before developing enough. The book definitely could have been longer, but what can you do?


    I may as well mention why the last chapter was delayed so long. Sorry about that, I had trouble getting myself to finish the story. If I didn''t have a deadline of May 5th for the contest, it may have taken me even longer to write. I''m a big procrastinator. I felt that when the story finished, it would all be over. Towards the end, I started to feel pressured into writing the chapters too. Despite having so few viewers, I felt I''d lose them all if I took too long. If I write another book on this site, I''ll be sure to finish it before posting any chapters.


    I don¡¯t mind bad ratings, I actually love them if they are accompanied with criticism. So, if you dislike my story, please write me a little review. It would mean the world to me. If I decide to continue writing, it¡¯ll help me out a ton in my new projects. And, if you did like my story, a review highlighting your favorite parts would also make me happy.


    Anyway, that¡¯s enough rambling, thank you all for getting this far. It means a lot.