Prologue: Thundering Hearts

No matter where I turned, the woods looked the same. God, why do they look the same?

I ran through the forest, holding Diego on my back while Benjamin trailed behind me, struggling to keep up. I knew that my speed and stamina was only a small part of my mutation, but since I hadn't practiced in such a long time, I knew that I wouldn't be able to rely on it forever.

"Benjamin, hurry up!" As we ran, I tried to differentiate through the darkness; what did that woman say?

"I found them!" Hearing the cruel voice of the hunters, I pushed my body harder, now driven by the desperate need to protect my brothers. I was about to distract them when I heard Benjamin scream of pain; I spun around to see him fall to the ground and saw his cause of stopping: a gun shot.

That's when the woods finally began to look different. My senses went on hyper-drive, and I was able to see, hear, and smell everything. Diego sensed the change and began to get off my back, completely aware of what was about to happen. I was about to fight when I sensed another mutant around us, silently watching. And he knew I was aware of his presence.

"Get down!" I ducked at the sight of the gunshot and pushed the two boys with me. Then, out of nowhere, flames flew from the trees, illuminating the cold night. Not wanting to depend on this creep, I allowed some of my mutation to flow through me. Focusing hard, I began to draw the energy from my assailants, slowly and painfully. I heard a cry, and I knew my powers were working. The only problem was that I was exhausted; I didn't have enough strength to run. As I kept sucking the life out of them, my eyes began to close. "Hey, knock it off!" A pair of dark brown eyes came into my view, begging me to stay awake. Unfortunately, the darkness took me…