Chapter 1
Jess – Dallas, Texas, USA
The spider struggled to make its way up the side of the bath, its long legs slipping clumsily upon the smooth surface. There was a flash of blue shorter than a burst of sheet lighting and the crumpled, charred remains of the spider fell to the bottom of the bath. I had always hated spiders. I looked at my hands curiously, and then smiled. I knew what this meant; my powers were finally beginning to show. My mother had told me that they would, seeing as she had dreamt it before I even came into this world.
"Jess?" there was a yell up the stairs, "are you ready?"
"I'm coming Nathan!" I yelled back quickly exiting the bathroom and throwing myself into my room swiftly picking up my jumper off my made bed, turning round and running down the stairs all in one fluid motion. As I reached the bottom I saw the exasperated face of my older brother Nathan, he walked away just as I stepped into the hallway. My bags were still in the hallway near the door.
"Couldn't you even have put them in the car for me?" I said
"No." said Nathan shortly, I swore at his back.
"Fine then, I'm riding with Peter" I said.
Nathan just shrugged again and continued on out of the doorway, which he slammed on the way out making the window pane in the window next to it shake. I made a small noise of anger under my breath; my brother is so infuriating! It seemed impossible to get a reaction out of him, be it good or bad. I had told him that this is what would happen if he went to Harvard. It was full of over-educated people that didn't know how to have fun, well at least that was what I thought. I had told him so on several occasions but still all I was given was a cold shoulder.
I turned to my four bags lying by the door and attempted to pick them all up at once. I failed. With a cry I dropped three of them; the only one I managed to hold on to was the one I was balancing on my shoulder. The door opened and in came my other brother; Peter. He immediately picked up two of the bags and helped me carry them out to the car.
"Jesus Christ Jess! How much stuff do you need? We're only going for two weeks!" he said as he put them both over his shoulders.
"A girl needs her choice of clothes" I replied as we went outside and travelled down the garden path.
"Why are you even bothering to help her Peter?" asked Nathan who was sat beside mother in the family car waiting for us. Mother didn't even move her head she just kept staring straight ahead into the distance. I'm beginning to see where Nathan got his coldness from.
"Because Peter's nice you know that wonderful personality trait that some people around here seem to have forgone" I said snidely. Nathan just huffed and fell back in his seat. Unfortunately for him, he and mother couldn't go anywhere because there car was parked in front of Peter's yellow soft-top mini (!) I carried on struggling down the drive and threw my bags into the boot making the car rock. I slammed the boot shut and opened the passenger door, clambouring in.
"Jess, do you have to take your anger out on my beautiful car?" asked Peter.
"Sawwy Pete, it's just Nathan is being a total arse" I said.
Peter opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a hoot from the car in front. He huffed and started the car up before reversing out of the drive and into the road. He let mother and Nathan go in front of us so he didn't have to be being followed by them. The minute we were on a decent stretch of road I turned the radio on and tuned it to a station for music. A light Rock/Dance beat started to pump out of the stereo.
"So what's with you and Nathan at the moment?" asked Peter.
"I don't know, it's just everything I do it seems to be wrong, I can't seem to do anything right at the moment even when we were eating dinner last night, Nathan was quick to pick up on the fact that I was holding my fork wrong. I mean what the hell?!"
"I think he's got a lot on his mind at the moment"
"Don't make excuses for him, he's being an arse. Full stop."
"Yeah but Jess, put yourself in his shoes –"
"I wouldn't want to thank-you, his feet smell"
"Yes but apart from that, he has a lot of work from university and then this business with dad. I mean he has only been dead seven months, Nathan might be taking it hard."
I just shook my head in disagreement.
"Whatever Pete"
We drove in amicable silence for a while, even if we didn't always see eye to eye we were still the best of friends. Peter was only two years older than me unlike Nathan who was five years older, I felt much more of a connection to the younger. Apparently I was a surprise to mum and dad, they had only expected to have two children. At this point I stopped mum because I didn't need to know how she and dad had shared a "special hug." I leaned forward so my long blonde hair fell forwards into my eyes, my mind was buzzing. It was slightly odd that I had blonde hair when both my brothers had dark brown hair and my mother as well. Father had had mousy brown hair, slightly lighter than the two boys but still brown, mine was most defiantly blonde. I was the odd one out. I looked curiously up at Peter as he concentrated on the road. I wonder whether he would ever accept my powers, or whether he would exclude me as a freak. I decided to hold my tongue for at least the moment, they might manifest into something I couldn't control, or something might happen which caused me to use my power so I wouldn't have a choice but to tell him.
"Well anyway," Peter broke the silence, "We're going to Florida!!"
"Oh yeah!" I yelled, "Shame about the length of the drive though, 20 hours!! c'est ennuyeux"
"Oi! Don't go all Frenchy on me, you know I dropped that shit as soon as I could! I know the length of the drive is a bum but at least we're stopping in Panama City, long way"
"Tu as très stupide" I mumbled under my breath. He gasped when he heard me and he tickled my ribs for a brief few seconds before returning his hand to the wheel and being content with sticking his tongue out at me. I looked back out the road, the tyres burning away slowly, the steady rush of other traffic past us was making me lethargic. I laid my head down on my chair and slowly drifted off into sleep.
Bryony, Miami, Florida, USA
My mind went into overdrive as I ran through the building. I was clutching the red folder in my hand, I was given instructions to guard it with my life, if seems that was what I was about to do. I rounded the corner at fast pace, I couldn't use my flat out pace because my companion would not be able to keep up with me. I looked into his eyes as the noise of the guards running toward us was heard.
"Go Bryony! Use it, I'll find you at fourth block" he said. I nodded, and tucked the folder under my arm for better running, as I did so a shot was fired and I felt it bury itself into my chest. I was badly winded, but at my friends push on my arm I carried on, went invisible and started to run faster than time itself. I heard the guard who had shot me cry of surprise as I ran past him throwing him off to the side. Out of the building into the sun, left, right, double back, left, left, right and stop. I fell against a wall my chest heaving as my suffering lungs tried to draw in much needed oxygen.
Next to me my companion had appeared and was already straightening up and urging me to do the same. I motioned a hand to my chest. Sylar looked down at it for few seconds then nodded his head, which I understood to mean that I few more seconds than normal. I looked down an even as I did, I saw the bullet popping out of my chest and the skin healing, not even leaving so much as a scar. I pulled up and looked directly at Sylar, he motioned for me to follow, we were going back to the house, to look at our most recent findings.
We walked along the sun baked sidewalk, thankfully it was deserted except for two people who gave me weird looks but I quickly wiped their memories before they walked past.
We walked the two blocks to the house pretty quickly.
"You have the folder?" he asked forcefully. I retrieved it and handed it to him. We got inside the house, we didn't need a key, Sylar just held my arm and we phased through the door. He put the red folder on the counter just inside the doorway, and sat down at one of the stools. I pulled one up beside him and gazed at the front of the folder which was soon obscured from view as he flipped it open.
"Perfect" he breathed under his voice. The inside of the folder contained many photos and short biography's on the inside cover it said Heroes. The first file showed a picture of a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Underneath it said
Name: Jessica Louise (Petrelli? (Surname not confirmed))
Age: 18
Appearance: Long Blonde hair, blue eyes, quite small about 5"1'. Weighs about 98 pounds.
Powers: Spontaneous Cellular Regeneration, Self-Propelled Flight, Time Manipulation, Generation and Manipulation of Electricity, Wall Crawling, Power to control Matter. (this is the list dated the 5/06/2006) we are not sure how far these will develop. (ABSORPTION SPONGE?!?)
Further Notes: Parents unknown was given to the Petrelli family to raise as their own when she was about a day old, Powers keep manifesting, not aware when they will stop, we are aware that she has gained control of her Generation and Manipulation of Electricity, is aware of her other powers but quite sure how to use them.
Sylar whistled under his breath when he read that. He turned the page.
There was a photo of another girl with long, thick dark brown hair and brown eyes, her left eye had an orange streak through it, very distinctive.
Sylar looked at me and back at the photograph.
"She looks a lot like you" he said
"Does she?"
He just nodded in response.
Under the photo it said:
Name: Kiera (Smithson? (Surname not confirmed))
Age: 18
Powers: Spontaneous Cellular Regeneration, Super Human Strength, Invisibility and Time and Manipulation. Also we believe that she could develop Self-Propelled flight dependant on what environment she is exposed to.
Appearance: Long brown hair with brown eyes. She has super-strength of character.
Further Notes: She is the same as the others given to the Smithson family when she was a day or two old. She doesn't know who her really parents are. Best friends with another hero: Claire Bennet.
Sylar flipped to the next file. I gasped, it was me.
"I didn't expect to be in here!" I said
"Why? I'm in here somewhere" he said
"You are? I thought you kept yourself under-wraps"
"I do, but the company knows everything"
I sat back more than a little concerned.
"Well at least what's in here shouldn't be any surprise to you, you know of all these things" Sylar said.
I looked at my file.
Name: Bryony Isabella (Surname unknown)
Age: 17
Powers: Spontaneous Cellular Regeneration, Self-Propelled Flight, Telepathy, Speedster, Cryokinesis (again like j.b not sure how far these powers will develop) (ABSORPTION?!?!?! SPONGE??"
I looked surprised. Cryokinesis; that was a new one. I turned away from the table and Sylar followed me with his eyes. I walked to the tap and turned it on, holding my finger under the cold water I concentrated really hard and slowly the water flow began to get colder and slowly it turned to ice, leaving a cold tower rising from the plughole to the tap, I giggled a little at my new ability. Sylar smiled as I admired my new power.
"I'll have that later" he said
"Oh no! Not again! I got sick of that when you first found me" I said, "It hurts so much"
"It Hurts so much!" Sylar mimicked, "Sorry Hun it was part of the deal" I could tell by his eyes that he wasn't sorry at all, I had to stick with him; it was where I got my meal ticket.
He turned back to the file. Flicking through Nathan, Peter and Claire quickly, we already knew about them even though some of them didn't know about themselves. He paused briefly with a small noise of interest at Matt Parkman, then continued flipping through Niki Sanders, Angela Petrelli, Micah Sanders, Hiro Nakumaura, D.L Hawkins, a girl named Monica and a boy named West. He didn't seem very interested in them. Then he got to his own file. Clipped on the top was a photograph taken about three years ago when he was 17.
Name: Gabriel Gray aka Sylar.
Age: 20
Powers: Ability of Control and Ability of Intelligence Manipulation, Takes powers from other heroes.
Further Notes: Is believed to be with the afore mentioned Bryony Isabella ? Every time one of her powers manifest, we believe he copies it. This could be dangerous because we don't know far her powers will develop.
Sylar looked up from the file and looked at me curiously. I sent back an cautious but altogether evil smile. His file was the last in the folder except from a piece of lined paper just clipped into the file at the back, as if it were a brief thought. Sylar took it out and placed it on the table before proceeding to read it. It read:
Referring to the first three mentioned in this file. We believe there is a link seeing as they are the ones with the most powers (Apart from Peter Petrelli and Sylar). All of them come from unknown backgrounds. If they got together they could either be highly dangerous or work for good in ways unknown. They must be kept apart at all costs. For Good or for Evil.
Kiera, Odessa, Texas, USA
"I've got something to show you K" said my best friend Claire. We were sat in her bedroom after school one day, the Texan sun burning through the open window accompanied by the slight autumn breeze.
"What?" I asked absently thinking she would pull a magazine out from under the bed and show me a designer dress.
"K! Look!" she agitated. I looked up and as I did she got a nail from near her window and drove it through her finger. I started up with an exclamation. But even as I looked she pulled it out of her finger and the wound healed instantly not even leaving a scar. I looked at her face, she looked scared as if expecting rejection from me. I just smiled softly stood up. She looked up again at me expecting my reaction.
"Guess you won't mind if I show you something as well" I said.
And I vanished.
I heard her gasp and exclaim.
"Kiera?!" she cried. I reappeared in exactly the same spot that I had disappeared from.
She sat down suddenly on her bed.
"You have power too?" she asked
"I think so" I said quietly.
"How long have you known and what can you do?" she asked excited to meet someone else like her.
"Well I've known for about two months, I was scared to tell anyone due to fear of rejection" I said softly, "as for the powers I have, I can go invisible, I also have super human strength, I can do your spontaneous cellular regeneration and I think I can manipulate time"
She looked shocked.
"Wow, you kind of outstrip my power" she said
"I wish I didn't have them, it's the biggest secret I've ever had to try to keep, I am so glad I've been able to tell you other I think I would have exploded. You do realize we can never tell anyone else?" I asked with concern.
"Yes totally. I mean just imagine what could happen, I would never want that!" she said.
I smiled at her.
"Girls, Pizza!!!" her mother called.
"Coming Mom!" Claire yelled. She looked at me and I stared at her, then we both burst out laughing and fell about on the floor in hysterical giggles. We were normal girls, weren't we?
I was curious to find out.
Bryony
"So why did you want the file?" I asked Sylar.
"Bryony, for an intelligent girl you are extremely dim sometimes" he replied. I looked affronted but he smiled.
"I intend to kill the heroes, then I will be the only one" he said
"Excuse me?" I said
"Well apart from you of course" he reassured.
"That's better" I said, "However the only problem with being the last of anything is that over time there be none left at all"
He turned around and looked at me curiously.
"Oh don't worry, I have a plan, and don't worry again, it does involve you" he said with a grin.
"So who we starting with?" I said
"I thought we might with Jessica Louise Petrelli" he said
"Sounds like a plan, but how are you intending to kill a girl with SCR?"
"I don't know yet, but if you keep asking me dumb questions I might just test out my theories on you!"
I stared hard into Sylar's eyes, trying to hear his thoughts. He looked absently at me for a while as if thinking about something I caught a snippet of it;
Knife to the head? …… together…for evil…..peter Petrelli…unfair.
That was the point where he saw me watching intently and he broke the eye contact and the silence.
"Don't try that!!" he warned. I just smiled sweetly.
"Or else" he finished.
I stayed silent. Jessica Louise Petrelli it was then.
I was curious. For Good or For Evil.
Jess
I awoke with a start when there was sworn oath from my brother beside me.
"Fuck, Shit!!!!" he said
"Language Peter, there's ladies in the car" I said as I opened my eyes. We were in pull-in zone on a smaller road, there was nobody about.
"Where?" he said. I hit him.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I think the one of the chains of the engine has got stuck. It's making it stall" he said as he got out of the car and headed to the bonnet.
I got out too and went with him. He unclipped the bonnet latch and opened it, propping it open.
"Damn! I can't get my hand in there too put that back on!" he said, "the gaps too small"
"I'll try. I've got smaller hands than you" I offered.
"The chain's really –" he didn't get to finish his sentence because I had already plunged my hand to the loose chain where he was pointing.
"Jess!" he exclaimed. I got the chain back on and it started whirring as my hand was still in there, I cried out in pain as my fingers got stuck, it was slicing my fingers.
"Turn it off!!" I screamed at him. He hastily did so, to stop it turning. I took my ruined hand out and cradled it my lap. I was losing a lot of blood.
"I'll call an ambulance!" Peter said panicked.
"No wait!" I said. I held my hand up, the fingers were all bent and twisted with cuts and my index finger was hanging on by a thread, the bone of my ring finger was sticking out, my hand had turned into a bloated bag as it started to swell, I was having trouble keeping consciousness. I took it in my left hand and pulled. My index finger came off and more blood starting welling, Peter made a strangled noise and started to forward but I put up my left hand to stop him. I also held my mangled right hand up for him to see, even as we watched my thumb put itself back into joint, my index finger regrew, the bone that was sticking out put itself back under the skin and all the others cuts healed, leaving me with a perfectly formed hand just covered in blood. I glanced at Peter, to see his reaction.
"How did you do that?!" he asked hoarsely.
"I-I-I don't know" I stuttered, "it just happens"
He just stared in shock.
"Please don't reject me" I said, "I didn't ask to be able to do this and whatever you do; do not tell Nathan"
Peter gulped once, twice.
"What else can you d-do?" he asked still a little shaky. At least he wasn't running away screaming. I opened my hand up suddenly and a ball of electricity appeared in my hand. His eyes opened wider – if that was possible – I closed my hand.
"Say something?" I said. He looked at me and then closed his eyes, swallowed again.
"Wow" was all he said. He then looked intently at me, then he closed his eyes and concentrated hard, he jumped up. He flew up about ten feet and hovered above me. I looked about me quickly to see whether there was anyone about. There wasn't. I smiled up at him and jumped, I flew up so I was level with him. He smiled again.
"I knew you'd be able to do that" he said
"How?" I asked
"I can only use power when someone near me has power" he said
"You knew that you had power?! And you never told me?" I said indignant.
"Neither did you" he said fairly. We floated back down to ground slowly. I checked cautiously about for any other people, there was nothing except for a stray cat crossing the deserted street.
"Just please don't tell mother or Nathan!" I pleaded, "they'll freak"
"I won't don't worry, but I think they've got a few things that they should be telling you" he said as he walked back to the mini. I started intently at his back.
I was curious.