Darkest Powers:

the

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Chapter 1

Fire,… that's all I saw when I woke up. The constant heat of the flames on my arms and face, even though the flames never touched me. Mom?… Dad?… Were they even awake yet? I really hoped so. The first thing I did was look around my room to find a way out, and the only exit available was my window. I'm on the second floor, but as my dad would always tell me, "What ever happens, worry about yourself first. I can handle myself and your mother." and I knew he could, after all… he is a werewolf. My mother, she's a necromancer. Before my mind went any further I raced for the window, my cell phone in my hand and I leaped down. Not afraid, not hesitating, just doing what I knew I could do. The only bad part was the landing, I didn't bend my knees in time so I had a jolt of pain run up my legs. Once I recovered I ran to my front yard in my sweat pants and sports bra. I'm glad I forgot to take my actual bra off last night. I am a dirty blond 15 year old girl with one icy blue eye and one piercing green eye. One from each of my parents.

No one was outside, my house was just burning in the mist of morning. I was expecting at least some people to be standing on their front porch calling the fire department or something, but people just aren't as kind nowadays. 'Look after yourself and only yourself.' that's how it was around here. I looked up at my home and then to the driveway, the truck was gone.

"Did they go to work?" I looked at the time on my cell, 6:30. They should have left thirty minutes ago. "So… when did the fire start?" I know I was going to have a lot of questions so the first thing I did was call Uncle Simon. The police or fire department wouldn't believe a teenage girl nowadays. The phone rang about three times before Uncle Simon answered.

"Hello? Rose?"

"Hey Uncle Simon… m-my house is on f-f-fire." I tried to say it strait forward, but I inherited my mothers childhood stutter, and sleep still haunted my eyes.

"What?! I'll be right over!" he hangs up quickly.

So I decide to attempt to call the fire department, and as I thought, they accused me of pranking them when I couldn't let them talk to my parents. I sat on the street curb, feeling the heat from the massive flames on my back as I try to call my parents cell phones, but they were off. I tried the work phone and one of my fathers colleagues answered.

"Local Post Office, how may I help you?"

"Hey Sam, it's Rose. Is my father Derek there?" I said hopefully.

"No he hasn't come in yet. Why did something happen?"

"I'll tell you about it later, but if you see him can you tell him to call me?"

"Yeah sure."

"Thanks." I hung up the phone and continued to wait for my Uncle Simon.

About fifteen minutes later my eyes flew open when I heard the sound screeching tires. I didn't even realize that I dozed off. I stand up only to see my uncle wide eyed at the mostly burned house. He turned to me and gripped my shoulder lightly.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

"No, their cells are off and dad isn't at work. The truck isn't here so I'm clueless at this point."

"Crap…" he thinks hard for a second before saying, "We'll find them but lets get you out of here first."

We hopped into his car and drove away, I looked back at my use-to-be-home and looked away. On the drive I decided to try and pull in aunt Liz. She isn't really my aunt which is why I'm allowed to make contact with her, even though she's around my age she's been dead since my mom was 15. I focused lightly on puling her in, drawing her image next to me. After a blink she was here in no time. Here was a 16 year old blond girl in a Minnie Mouse nightshirt and gray socks covered with purple and orange giraffes. She looked kind of confused until she realized I was there.

"Oh hey Rose, what'cha up to kiddo?" she smiled and wiggled her feet.

"Hey aunt Liz, apparently a lot… do you know where my mom is?" I looked at her with hopeful eyes, especially because now I'm actually starting to get worried about my parents.

"No, the last time I talked to her was earlier in the day yesterday. Why?" her big smile went down quite a lot.

"My house is burning down, and I can't find them anywhere. Do you think you can go look for her?" I could feel myself starting to tear up, but I forced them back.

She brought her hands up to cover her mouth with her shocked expression. "Yeah, I'll let you know as soon as I find her." after that she vanished quickly.

"Was that Liz?" uncle Simon said as he stared at me through the rear view.

"Yeah… I just thought it would be a good idea to get her to look for mom and dad." I stared blankly out the car window, thinking about where they could possibly be.

"Well if anyone can find your mom it would be Liz." he gave me a reassuring smile.

"That's what I'm hoping for." I leaned my forehead on the cold window.

"Hey, it's ok. Not the first time Derek and Chloe disappeared unexpectedly." he tried to hide his own worry from his face, but I could hear it in his voice.

I rolled down the window enough to smell the air, it rained the night before so any trail my parents could have left were well covered. I have no choice but to rely on auntie Liz. Worry rolls over me and I instinctively reach up to touch my crystal around my neck, sliding it back and forth on the rope. I switch my mind to about how the fire could have possibly started. We didn't use the heater in the fall, me and dad are the ones who know how to cook but we have never left the stove on. I wondered if someone purposely set the house on fire, I may be 15 but I'm not stupid, a necromancer and a werewolf are not usual to wind up together. With them being genetically modified made me quite different as well, I've seen ghost all my life and I started to develop my enhanced senses at around 12 but I have yet to change. Sometimes I wish I could just get it over with, but my dad warned me that it was going to be exhausting and may even hurt at first. I'm not too worried about it though, if the genetic alterations can get passed down to new generations then I might start soon, my dad changed at 16, my 16th birthday being in a few weeks. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt the comfortable vibration of the car die, I looked out of the window to see uncle Simons apartments. I opened the door only slightly when Simon quickly shut my door again.

"Hey, what-" he pulled his hand up to quiet me as he crouched and looked around the area, he motioned me to roll the window down a little more, when I did he pointed at his nose with a questioning look on his face. After a sec I realized that he wanted me to smell for something I guess.

"W-" he cut me off again and started to sign to me with sign language.

"The door." in sign language then finally pointing to his door, with out paying attention I didn't realized but focusing on it I realized that it was partially open.

"I get it." I signed back to him as I lifted my nose to the air. Nothing new really, just his usual neighbors and cats. "Let me get closer." I signed, he hesitated but let me crawl out the door and strode my way closer to the apartment. I didn't dare get even one step up the stairs, I hid behind the wall closest to the stairs, I smelled one last time and could only make out one particular smell that I didn't notice before. I rolled my eyes and stood up, I know this sent any day. As if on cue my aunt Tori popped her head out of the door.

"Ugh, Simon you never seem to find a place for any of your drawings do you?" raising a brow down at the car, seeing me out the corner of her eye, immediately noticing that I'm in a sports bra and sweat pants. "I really doubt that your mother just lets you run around like that." another jolt of worry runs through me.

"Shut up Tori, her house just burned down and we don't know where Derek and Chloe are." walking up with a slightly pissed look on but worry quickly covered it.

Silence and an incredibly shocked look pretty much just slapped her in the face. She whips her hand up to her mouth, as if to keep her jaw from dropping down to the ground.

"Y-yeah, w-well I got aunt Liz l-looking for them right now s-so until I get some feedback from her I really want to get some c-clothes on and p-possibly get something to eat." I made my way up the stairs and through the door, a single table covered in papers, most likely Simons drawings and comic strips. There was a single two drawer dresser on the far side of the room, that's were my spare clothes were. I took out my spare black tank top and black skinny jeans. I could hear the conversation of Simon and Tori outside, they think they're being quiet enough to where I couldn't hear them but it wasn't that hard to figure out in the first place.

"There's no way that it was an accident." Simon with deep worry in his voice.

"Well they could have just left the stove on or something." Tori's voice wavering at the end of her sentence, proving that she didn't believe it was an accident either.

"We need to get out of here and find a place to hole up for a while until we know what's going on."

"Right… but where?" I could hear her feet pacing a little bit.

"Lets not discus that out here." Simon walks in with Tori following behind.

I held up my phone to show them. "I'm guessing I'm going to have to ditch this around somewhere then huh?" I dangled it from the charm I had on it.

He looked over at Tori then back at me, realizing that I heard everything. "That would probably be smart. If it really wasn't an accident then you could be getting tracked." with a frown he walked over to the kitchen area and grabbed an apple off the counter.

I took out the memory chip with all my contacts in it, my phone charm out of the loop then I took out the battery and set it on the counter. "Later we can go and cancel my account." I continued to the bathroom to change, I walked out with wet hair as I decided to wash my hair while I was in there. Simon and Tori were looking at an old paper map to find some sort of place to go and make some game plans, even a rendezvous point to meet up if we ever get separated. I walked over to get involved and see exactly what we were doing. Tori jumped as if I just caught them in a secret, but then again I'm the only person who could sneak up on my dad because I'm so silent when I walk.

"Hey Rose, just looking for a place to hideout." still scanning over the map of the town.

I pointed to a road off to the side, "There's an abandoned log cabin just on the outside of town off of here." I looked up to see Tori and Simon with their eyebrows raised.

"And how could you possibly know that?" tapping her fingers on the table top as if to catch me in a crime.

"I venture around the forests and roads all around the town, I found it one day when I was checking a new route." I said it strait up but Tori's brow was still raised.

"Does Derek know that you do this?" hoping I was doing this with some help.

"No, he doesn't. I know that we are always in danger uncle, that's why I wanted to be familiar with every possible escape route." I glanced back down at the map and pointed out to the small spaces on the street. Mentally noting all the alley ways and streets, I hear a large sigh from Simon.

"Well definitely is useful to know the area." scratching the back of his head.

"How do you even find your way out of your house?" raising a brow.

"Um, the front door?" not looking up and still observing the map.

"I mean without your parents knowing." puffing up her cheeks.

"I never leave the house with out letting them know, and I always keep my phone on me so if I don't answer they know something's wrong." I shrug and look at the fridge to see a picture of my mom and dad with grandpa Kit and grandma Lauren. There's another person we should warn to keep their guard up. "So who's gonna call grandpa and grandma? They should know that something's up, and to keep an eye out for mom and dad in case they come up at their place or something." walking to the fridge and pulling out a .

"Smart move. I'll call and let him know." Tori said voluntarily jogging out to the home phone. I was left in the kitchen with uncle Simon, we exchanged worried looks.

"Where do you think they went?" I asked him to start up some conversation.

"I have no clue, but I hope that Liz can find them, otherwise I don't know what to do." leaning on the counter as if he's gonna fall over if he didn't.

I walked out and into uncle Simons room only to walk to the closet and pull out two backpacks, our emergency packs for if we ever get into a situation like this. At the bottom of his closet a shoebox with pieces of paper sticking out of the sides. I opened it only to see loads of drawings, looks like still in development drawings, I opened up a folded one in fours. When I opened it I saw a young girl with her arm around a large black wolf. The first thing I thought about was my mom and dad, I've seen pictures of my mom when she was my age so it wasn't hard to figure out. I stuck that one picture into my bag and put the lid back on the shoe box then left the room.

In the living room uncle Simon had a small box filled with non-perishable food and unopened juices. We were definitely leaving soon, but I guess we've been here too long already so I'm not surprised that we need to get going. I gazed out around the room and almost leaped out of my skin when I looked into the partially opened front door, a boy maybe 14 or 15 with dark hair and pale skin with blue lips, just staring at me and not walking in. A ghost of course, so I walked over and he backed up from the door as I walked out side.

"Yes?" I raised a brow at him, still trying to rub away my goose bumps. He said nothing, he parted his lips like he had something to say but didn't know how to put it in words. Finally he leaned in so close to me that his chest touched my crystal, I could feel his icy breath when he made contact with it.

"Be careful." the frost from his breath covered my ear, he vanished an instant later. I stood there baffled that I felt him, I wiped the frost off of my ear and rubbed at my hair standing on end on my neck. I walked in only to find uncle Simon jogging up to me.

"Was that Liz?" his eyes hopeful, pleading me to tell him that my parents were alright.

"No, it was a ghost but not Liz." still rubbing the hair on my neck. "He said to be careful. Like he knew something, I-I think we're being watched or followed or something." I glanced back out the door rubbing my arms. "Lets go. Now." I jogged over and grabbed my bag and cell.

"Right." he nodded and got his bag. Aunt Tori was already out in the car apparently. We left immediately, leaving everything that would drag us down.