Chapter 1
Marina
The flickering fire creates threatening shadows against the trees and I peer around, trying to see if there are any unhidden threats. Not that it matters. The others could deal with any stray mogs in seconds, whilst I would just be on healing duty. Which is ok, I like being useful in that aspect but still. I wish I could be stronger and braver like the others, like Six. She is currently asleep, dead to the world. It's incredible really that she can sleep that deeply but still be completely alert when she wakes up. Probably ingrained from years on the run.
Nine groans and rolls over, knocking into John, who even still asleep, moves further away. Those two act like brothers and joke around a lot. Well Nine does, John spends too much time with Sarah, to even notice most of the time. She is currently curled up next to John, who has an arm around her, protecting her. Next to her is Ella, who is as close to the fire as possible for warmth.
We are in the middle of the woods, in Montana. It's cold and wet, but it will have to do. Six and Eight managed to put up a shelter that only protects us slightly from the rain but it's better than nothing. After the battle in Dulce, we managed to escape narrowly by stealing one of the vans. We had to ditch it at the state border and then we caught a train to the North. We decided the best way to hide was to literally stay out of sight in the woods. Stereotypical, I know, but no one has bothered us since.
Eight stirs next to me and I look down to see if he's woken up. He hasn't of course, he's just asleep, but he sleeps so restlessly you can't tell. His handsome face is scrunched up and he rolls over again. Maybe he's having another dream with Setrakus Ra, although he and Four haven't had one since our battle. I sigh when looking at him. He hasn't talked to me much since our kiss at Dulce and acts like it never happened. He thanked me about saving him but that was it. But then again none of us have been talkative the last couple of days.
Nine groans again next to me and sits up, shaking his head. He finally cut his hair a couple of days ago (probably to impress Six) and he looks a lot better. More intimidating, which pleases him a lot. He sighs and rubs his eyes. He's tired. We all are.
"What time is it?" he asks drowsily. I look down at the watch I stole a couple of days ago. Using Six's invisibility and a couple of Xitharis, we raided a shopping centre and stole as many necessary items as possible.
"4 in the morning. You can sleep for longer if you want, i'm not too tired" I replied. My legacy of night vision had been invaluable these past few nights as I'd been on watch most of the time, but the lack of sleep was starting to take a toll. I stifled a yawn.
Nine rolled his eyes and grinned. "Seriously? Be selfish and get sleep. You can't train with not enough sleep".
I shrugged and lay down. "I suppose. But it doesn't matter how much sleep i get, you and Six will still destroy me".
He laughs and nods. "Yep, but that's all part of the training process. And don't worry. I'm saving my strength for Johnny". I shake my head and close my eyes. I must be a lot more exhausted than i thought because i almost immediately fall asleep.
Xxx
When I wake up, the sun is high in the sky and shines directly on my face. The rain has stopped for now, although there are still heavy clouds in the sky. Blinking, I prop myself up on my elbows and look around. Most of the others are up, except for John and Sarah. Six sees that i'm awake and smiles teasingly.
"Ready for our session? I'm not gonna go easy on you. Gotta make up for lost time" she says. Nine is flicking sticks at her, whilst she uses telekinesis to brush them away.
"Good morning to you too" I reply, but I'm not grumpy. I smile back at her and sit all the way up, stretching. She is prepping breakfast but probably wants me to do the cooking. A lifetime of work in the convent's kitchens has kind of made me a pro.
"Ha, someone's cheerful. Hey Nine, stop for God's sake. Annoy Eight or someone else for once!" She snaps at Nine, who just rolls his eyes but stops. Eight was looking in his chest but closes it and leans back. He looks quite happy considering our current situation.
"You know he won't stop annoying you. It's in his nature to be like that" he says, whilst grinning cheekily at Nine. They get on well, too. Probably helps that Eight was almost as eager to kill mogs at Dulce and that he likes to take the piss out of Sarah and John.
"Hey! Not true. I used to be serious, like Marina!" he retorts back. I look up from cooking and look at him. Six shoves him playfully. Once again, I'm struck by how normal she can be around them.
"Marina's cooking your breakfast, so don't be mean. And please, you serious, that's like saying the mogs are clever!"
John suddenly groans and rolls over. He sits up and stretches.
"Ugh, what time is it? It's way too early" he mutters whilst gently shaking Sarah awake. Her eyes flutter open and he leans down and kisses her gently. Nine makes gagging noises, whilst Six hits him. Ella giggles at that and then continues to help me.
"Marina and I had to keep watch, so don't complain about not sleeping enough" Nine says. Then changing topics immediately, as he so often does: "Hey, when's breakfast ready?"
I continue to stir the soup (which wasn't too hard to make) and don't look up. "Couple of minutes. We'd have had it by now if you'd helped and not sat there though" I answer.
"Ouch, but hey I stayed up, that counts for something". I don't bother to say that I also stayed up. The others continue to converse amongst themselves and I can't help but feel jealous and lonely. It's so easy for them; they can all fight and control their legacies. They don't feel intimidated by each other. I'm the weak outcast who depends on them for training and guidance. Noticing my expression, Ella holds my hand and smiles at me. She doesn't say anything but she doesn't have to. She understands and at the moment, that's all I need.
Xxx
Five
Rule one when hunting mogs: never assume you are better. They may be stupid but their technology is insane. Trust me, I know, I've had to break out of a couple of mog prisons in my time and even with invisibility, it wasn't easy.
Rule two: don't rush. It takes time to see where their bases are and where they hide before and after their missions. Rushing will definitely increase your chances of death.
And rule three: don't reveal yourself. Because before you know it an army of mogs will hunt you faster than you can say 'Lorien'. Which has also happened to me before.
The problem is that I'm too reckless. If a mog's in town, I hunt it, instead of running. At first, this got me into trouble and led to the most painful experience of all, my Cepan's death. We had been hiding in Rio de Janeiro; "hiding in plain sight" is how she put it. But I had been careless and when I was 11, I'd shown off how strong and fast I was to the other kids. Christina and I hadn't realised there had been a minor mog base there and one day she'd gone to get food and she had never returned. A week later, I was able to open my chest on my own. I never found her body.
I had fled from Rio and hidden in the US. I travelled everywhere, learning to survive by myself and training. I had met a man named Devdan at the beginning, when I developed my first legacy, telekinesis. But soon after I had mastered it, he disappeared. I was only 12.I haven't seen him in the three years since. Last year, I moved back to South America, but this time to Argentina. I had fit in well, with my coffee-coloured skin, black hair and dark eyes. But I had become reckless again and when an earthquake hit, I couldn't help but save an old man. And I've been running ever since.
The coffee shop door rings as customers enter. It's a group of teenage girls, all glammed up in mini-skirts and crop tops. Must be the head clique of the high school down the road. Currently, I'm in California, after the recent attack at Dulce, which must be the Garde. No one else would be that stupid or deadly. So far I haven't seen them and I doubt I'll find them that easily. They will be hidden, especially John Smith, the supposed leader of the gang.
Finding the others will be a problem. They will have a better chance of finding me now that they are teamed up and they can use their chests together. All I have is a small red stone, a communication device but one that has been bugged by the mogs. Which is utter shit.
The door rings again but this time it's an adult and two teenagers. They look like hitchhikers; they're pretty beat-up. The adult is middle-aged and stocky, whilst the two boys are skinny and medium height. All are very pale.
Immediately, I'm on my guard. One of the boys is a mog, i'm sure of it. The way he walks and talks just proves it. And who else would have such pale skin in California. But what is a mog doing with two humans? And why is a teenage mog out in the real world? Usually the soldiers are older, adults, with years of training.
I chug back the rest of my black coffee and stretch. I finger the daggers strapped onto the belt around my waist, hidden by the long zip-up hoodie I'm wearing. I also check to make sure I have my healing stone zipped up in the jacket's pockets and that I have my clip there too. It's an awesome weapon, my clip. Twist the top and it turns into a full Loric sword and is lethal for mogs. Twist it again and it becomes a hair grip. But I don't wear it; it wouldn't go with the combat boots that I worship.
The mog and his companions sit down, they haven't noticed me. I stand up and sling my bag over my shoulder. It's heavy; filled with supplies and finally after a lot of pushing, I managed to put my chest in my bag. Though it's a bit more obvious than I'd like it to be. I move towards the door, whilst using my legacy to read the mog's thoughts on me.
God, i'm hungry... and tired...want sleep... but must find others...who's she?...looks different... just want food... and sleep.
I try not to snort. How pathetic. He can't notice a Loric when he sees one.
When I read minds, I don't get full sentences just a couple of words and a general idea of feelings. And this mog has no idea who i am, or what i can do. Never mind, I'll show him soon. But first I'll let him eat. I grin to myself as I walk out of the door. Revenge will never be sweeter. The mogs attack our children, now we'll attack theirs.
