A/N: This Lorien Legacies story is all my imagination, just sayin'. Lol. I've pre-written little bits of the story on my Word Document, but I still need to write it plus school so updates could be slow. On the website WATTPAD my username is "Justinnbartha". Anyway. I might take long breaks while updating. Please leave reviews so I know whether or not you like it :)

Chapter One: NINE

I loved cooking mushrooms. If you'd met me, I doubt I'd come across as the cooking-baking type, but I was. I found it amazing myself. My Cêpan, who had always kept the name Codie, let me cook most of the time. Because we lived in a humid, clammy village in Myanmar, a small place in South East Asia, the kitchen, like the rest of the hut, was a small space that overheated quite a bit. We usually had to go for a swim in the bog nearby after cooking. Luckily, though, the kitchen was big and the closest to the ground, as everything was on high elevation, so it was just a little cooler than the other rooms. Anyway, I did most of the cooking. Another thing you wouldn't believe about me is that I suggested we move here. Why? Hiding in plain sight. When my Cêpan heard that idea, he found it brilliant.

The Mogadorians wouldn't expect another Garde to move closer to where the last one was killed.

I stood in the kitchen, using the only clean wooden spoon I have left. On the pan in front of me, I had a whole package of mushrooms sprawled out on it. The creaky, dusty stove was on medium, so I had time to chop up whatever else I could mix with the mushrooms to make dinner, considering we had zero food left. I held my cutting board over my pan and dumped the chopped up celery into the pan. Beside me, I had a bottle of pre-prepared parsley, and so I grabbed it and shook little bits into the mix. I dropped my wood spoon after wiping sweat off my forehead and turned the stove to low. I made for the steps leading outside that were near the back of the kitchen, hoping for a blast of cool air.

I stepped outside, but the only cool air I got was when I opened the door. It was cooler outside, but not by much. I knew I was going to go insane. It was late August, and Codie and I had been here for a month. I didn't have many friends, but that was mainly cause to living in a little piece of land we shared with two other huts and a large kitchen/education center. Our hut was the closest to the bog, which I slid down to and dipped my feet in. The center was behind our hut and in the middle of the three huts – one hut was out of our sight from ours, and the other one was by the other corner of the center.

I liked it here, when you were talking safety. I didn't like the climate, and I didn't like the people very much because they were all used to being cooped up, and nobody was rich enough to afford air conditioning, including us.

"Amu!"

I turned. From behind me, Codie was approaching, holding my cell phone in one hand and a couple grocery bags in the other. "Hey, I got this renewed today." He wagged my phone in the thick air.

I took it as Codie sat down beside me. "Thanks, um, but what for?" Yesterday, Codie had told me he would take my phone to get it 'rigged up'. Looking at it now, it looked all new and spiffy, painted blue, but I didn't see what the point was.

"Open it."

I flipped the screen open and suddenly, travelling up my arms and all around me, I got a cool shiver. Gaping, I looked at the phone as it froze up in my hands. Or, at least it felt like it.

"My phone is freezing cold!" I looked up at Codie. He just smiled. I laughed, shutting my phone and feeling the cold chill disappear.

"Yeah, there ya go, Amu. I saw how hot you've been, so I went to the nearest phone center and told them to do anything they needed with it to make it cooler. Literally."

I looked up at Codie. I dropped the phone in shock and shoved him, but he was barely affected by my attempt. "What's gotten into you?" He asked.

"What if those workers you just handed my phone to were them!"

Codie rolled his eyes. "Come on, Nine. I'm not that clumsy, I'd know them better than you would. You must not remember; after our first three months living here, the Mogs almost captured you. They were 'working' at your school, and I killed them and took you away when I knew something was wrong."

"Aha, no, Codes. You just killed my teachers."

Codie picked up my phone, extending it to me. "It's all right, I've got It under control, Nine – I mean – Amujary. Just take your phone, and enjoy it. No other kids here will have one."

"That name you gave me is the stupidest thing ever," I spluttered, feeling the need to say something back. "Okay. Fine. I like the phone, okay?"

I snatched the phone away from Codie and shoved it in my pocket. As he made his way towards our hut I started over to the education center, which was an open program for kids in the area to go to to hang out and get daily lessons every two hours over the summer vacation. It wasn't summer school, just a program for fun. You didn't even have to go, it was like a choice. Codie just suggested that I do it, considering I haven't really spent time at local Earth school.

As soon as I walked in the center, I saw the one guy I actually hung out with. He's the only guy who wasn't stubby, greasy, or a jerk here. Myanmar was a pretty lame place, concerning the kids here.

"Hey," I said as I approached Mike. Mike had short blond hair, which is reason one why he wasn't greasy and gross; he kept it short, so it didn't automatically go that way, and blond, which is thinner than having it dark. Even my hair was black, and I still managed to keep it clean enough. Plus, I felt like Mike and I were the only people here who showered.

"Hey, Amu!" Mike smiled at me as I sat down at his table. We'd only been hanging out for about a week, but he'd still memorized my impossibly difficult name. "Decided to drop in today, I see."

"Uh, yeah," I smiled. "I took my time this morning though. It's uh, hot. And so are the showers, which I find odd."

"Yeah. You'd think the water would be cold, because we couldn't afford heat, but I guess the water goes hot because of how frigging hot it is already." Mike laughed. "So, I kinda forget, but where are you from again?"

"New Mexico," I lied. That was my backstory; Codie couldn't afford the mortgage, so we moved to a less expensive place. I told Mike the story and he nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, I remember again. Right. How's Codie, Amu?"

I must've been going mad. For a second, I thought I heard him call me Nine. "Oh, um, he's good. We aren't quite used to the hot climate, yet. New Mexico isn't as hot as this place."

"I know. I've been here since I was six. I'm used to it but I feel like my dad could do loads better and go somewhere else." Mike looked around, distracted, like he usually did when talking about his father. "My dad just… he found a girl, and she betrayed him like a month later. Goes to show, for women, eh?"

I looked down at my shoes, which were nice ones. At least when I looked down in sadness I could look at something pretty. "Oh, yeah. Steer clear of girls, man, you just get bitten in the back."

"You think?" Mike looked up at me, as I was standing. "Not all girls are bad."

"Don't tell me you have a crush, Michael!"

Mike laughed, looking away. "Nah, I just wish I had a mother or sister figure who would actually love me. But all the good ones are given to the people who take them for granted."

I looked away, over to the food counter wall. Two lunch ladies were hustling around on their side of the glass, even though nobody was ordering. Only two tables were taken, and only three people at the tables. Me being only eleven, I was lucky to have Mike; he was fourteen and he'd be forced to go to high school as soon as school starts. I'd have to make some new crappy temporary friends until Codie moved us again.

I could connect with Mike, which is why we were friends; I'd never had a girl in my life either. I only had Codie. I'd never even had a girlfriend. But it was okay, I wasn't as worried about it as Mike. I guess when you're a real human kid you ponder about it a lot more.

I felt it before I heard it.

I felt a cool sting of air hit the back of my neck, and for a minute it felt good. I turned and my heart skipped a beat; a man stood behind me, holding my phone up and open, projecting the cool air out. The man wore a black hoodie and had the hood up, and I couldn't really see his face. He stood close enough to me so that I could smell his breath before he'd even spoke.

"That's all I need," he hissed.

I knew it.

I ran. Booking it out the door, I heard the air whipping from behind me and I knew something was off. I didn't bear looking. I kept my footing until I reached my hut's door, where I tripped and fell on top of the little creaky front deck. I screamed out, "CODIE!" before I felt something latch on to my foot.

I flipped myself over. Codie dropped my foot when he saw my expression. Relieved, I jumped up from the ground and grasped on to his shoulders. "Codie! They're here! We need to go! They have my phone!"

Codie's face dropped. I noticed his skin went pale and his eyes rolled over. Confused, I jumped off him and stood back. Codie dropped to his knees and that was when I saw the Mogadorian behind him, pulling his bloody sword from Codie's shoulder.

"NO!"

I tried to move to Codie but something had me from behind. I turned to look, and the Mog in the hoodie smiled at me, his pale hands digging in to my shoulders. "What is your Number?" He purred, showing off his little spiky teeth.

I turned away from him. Codie was on the ground, his face turned away. I looked up at the Mog who had hurt him.

"You filthy animals," I grunted as the Mog behind me dug his nails into me harder. "You won't kill me,"

I was flung onto the deck. Flipping over, I had a split second to run before the Mog's sword came down. I rolled to the side and the Mog screeched as he missed me. I fell on to the ground by Codie and closed my eyes, sitting up.

Concentrating, I lifted both of my hands as the two Mogs rushed at me. I yelled, and pushed my hands back at them. As I watched, the Mog with the sword was thrown to the ground backwards, dropping the weapon, but the second Mog was bigger and stronger. He jumped at me, and I was unable to use my telekinesis, currently my only Legacy, to stop him.

I tried to move from underneath him, but he had me pinned. I heard the other Mog barreling over to us, and, closing my eyes, I prepared for the worst.

I felt the pain.

I screamed as the second Mog's sword pierced me, as it seemed, right through the heart. The pain was unbearable. I hoped I'd just die quickly. But it wasn't that easy. The Mog's sword bounced out of my chest, falling to the ground beside me. The pain subsided, but I still bled. I held the spot where it had pierced me and opened my eyes.

The last thing I saw before it went black was the ugly, smiling face of the Mog as he brought the blindfold over my eyes.

And then I felt a new scar burning on my leg.