GIFTED
One
Saying Goodbye
"Bye," I said miserably to my friends as I walked toward my car and got into the passenger seat.
"Don't worry Emma," said my mother who had been waiting in the driver's seat while I said bye to my closest friends. "Arizona will be a great new home! There's sunshine, a great paying new job, and you'll be going to a brand new school!" she said excitedly.
"Boarding school," I corrected her. Looking back at the home that I've lived in since I was three years old, I couldn't help but feel sad. I leaned against the window, watched my hometown of Spokane speed by me, and made myself not think about anything that would make me cry. I don't cry.
"I know you'll love it there," she said positively as she watched the road.
"Whatever." I said cruelly as I flipped my long, curly, light brown hair out of my face. I put in my headphones and turned up the music on my iPod so that it drowned everything else out.
When walking home from my aunt's birthday party, something amazing happened. After that, my mom called for a job in Tucson, Arizona, signed me up for a new boarding school, and packed up the house.
I didn't want to go, but I had to leave. I've lived in Spokane since I was three years old and now I'm sixteen. It's hard to leave all my friends, but it's for the best. This school I'm going to is very important to me and my mom for many reasons.
I really hate long car trips. I'm driving from Washington State to Arizona State with my mom, who I'm not really getting along with right now; this should be fun.
2 days later
"Hurry up Angel, we can't be late," called a tall, young man, as he grabbed a back-pack off his bed. The room was small but even though there was still room for many more things, the room was almost empty except for a bed, a small desk and a closet for clothes.
A young girl jumped out of a slightly larger room that was packed with tons of pink things. The girl contrasted greatly next to her brother; she wore a bright pink shirt and a too-too over black leggings. Her brother wore baggy, worn out jeans with a black t-shirt that had a guitar design on it.
"I'm coming," she yelled sweetly as she grabbed an apple from the tiny kitchen that was connected to a slightly larger living room that contained a couch and a small TV on a stand.
The boy walked out of his room, grabbing the keys to his apartment. "Get your bag, let's go," he said as he pushed his long, dark hair out of his face.
"Gosh, Fang," she said as she grabbed her bag off the couch. "If you wanted me to hurry, you should have woken me up earlier!" she laughed as she jumped out the apartment door and Fang gave a half smile as he closed and locked the door.
They started walking down the path from the apartments to the school. Fang looked up to see a car pulling up to the school. "Looks like the new student is finally here," he said to Angel as they walked closer to Williams School for the Gifted. "I hope she's not as lame as the last one," he said jokingly.
Angel glared at him and in a flash of light, and a cloud of dust, was at the door of the school with her friends. Fang walked up to the door of the school and leaned back against the frame; flipping his long, dark hair out of his face, and waiting for the bell to ring.
Two
Something Amazing
"Come on Emma, It's time to leave!" yelled my mom from downstairs. I grabbed my suitcases and took one last look at my room. I wouldn't see this one until the holidays. I walked downstairs where my mom was waiting.
She was taking me to my new school early so that I could drop my stuff off in my new room. As we started driving I couldn't help but notice all the differences of Arizona and Spokane. I stared out my window and watched the cacti zoom by as we got farther out into the desert.
I know I should have mentioned this before, but I didn't give you the full reason of why I had to leave Spokane. We didn't move just because of a new job and a new school, in fact the reason we moved is because we discovered something amazing about me.
My mom and I were walking home from a family party one afternoon after it had rained. I was dressed in this beautiful red floral dress, which I absolutely hate wearing, and my mom was wearing a white dress that she wore to my sister's high school graduation.
We don't live far from where the party was, but we still have to walk down this long stretch of road that many cars pass on. This dress was very important to my mom since she wore it when my sister left for college. There was a car full of jerks that went to my high school, and puddle next to where we were standing. You can probably guess what happened next.
I heard the guys in the car whistle then the car sped forward and splashed right into the puddle. My mom's eyes went wide as the puddle splashed upward in what seemed like slow motion. I jumped in front of her and without even knowing what I was doing, through my hands out in front of me as if to block the wave.
The water stopped in mid air.
I just looked in astonishment as the water followed my hands as I lowered them to my side. The water splashed to the ground and I just stood there, staring at the water.
I turned to my mom. She looked at me and I could see many emotions in her eyes. Disbelief, amazement, curiosity, and I couldn't exactly tell, but it looked like there was hint of happiness in them, like she was proud of me.
The rest of the walk home was silent. The instant we got there my mom called the school; William's School for the Gifted. We started packing that night and as I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, there were so many questions swarming in my head. But one stood out among the rest,
How did I get this amazing ability?
Fang's point of view
The bell rang and I walked into the school to see the principal was waiting for me. I walked into his office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Great he found out about the mysterious egging incident.
"Nicolas, you've lived here for more than six years, you know the school rules better than anyone. You also know that you can't get away with anything when I start investigating." He looked at me sternly and I just stared back at him, my hair hanging in my face.
"The name's Fang, and yea, I know," I said carefully. "But I didn't do anything." I had to force myself from giving him a mischievous half smile. I wasn't lying; I do know all the rules. I've been going here since I was ten years old; I found this place with my little sister while we were running from... never mind.
"Nicolas," he continued.
"Fang," I corrected.
He continued. "You don't really think that I don't know that it was you who egged my car do you?" he said getting a little aggravated. I shrugged and he opened one of his desk drawers. "I found evidence." He said as he pulled out a dark, slightly speckled feather.
I stared at it with hit of annoyance. "Great," I said as I slouched in the chair. The principal started with this long speech and I drifted off into my own little world, nodding sometimes so he wouldn't freak out.
I heard the office door open and guessed it was another student coming to see the principal. Suddenly he got up and started walking toward the door. I quickly got up and started walking out the doors.
I looked over quickly to see a tall girl with long brown hair and deep green eyes standing at the front desk. She looked over at me when the principal started taking again.
"Nicolas, don't break the rules again, or I have to talk to your-" he stopped suddenly. I just stared at him, trying not to let my anger show. I don't have any parents, I've never met them, and I'm pretty sure I never will. I really don't think I want to meet them; they left me to endure the worst torture you could imagine.
"It's Fang," I said again angrily as he turned and walked back to his office.
Three
Nick
Emma's point of view
I heard the bell ring when I was saying bye to my mom. I gave her a hug and walked into the doors of William's School for the Gifted. The inside of the school was even more beautiful than I thought.
The high ceiling was colored with tan tiles and the lights hanging from them were beautiful chandeliers that lightened the entire commons area. The walls were a darker tan than the ceiling and had many school awards and pictures lining them. The thin, cream colored carpet matched perfectly. The commons area I was in was filled with small areas of chairs and couches with coffee tables in-between and an enormous chandelier hanging in the middle.
I walked into the office which was to your immediate left when you walked through the towering school doors. I walked in to see small chairs lining the wall in front of a long desk that an elderly looking woman sat at. The woman was thin and had slightly graying, auburn hair. She wore small glasses and then I noticed something; there were papers flying into her hand as she stretched it out behind her.
I stared at her hand and didn't notice she was looking over at me until she called me over in a sweet, small voice that made me snap out of my trance. "Do you need something sweetheart?"
I walked up to the desk and answered her, "hi, I'm Emma Jones, this is my first day and I need my schedule and my looker and all that stuff," she smiled at me.
"Of course, you must be the one who called a couple days ago," she put her hand out to her side while she was taking and paperwork flew off the far desk and into her hand. "Here, this is your class schedule, your locker number, and all the other information you need." She said as she handed me the papers.
I turned my head as a door opened on the far wall and two people came out. The first one to come out was a tall boy with shaggy, dark hair, and the second was a slightly taller, older looking man that must have been the principal. I looked over at the boy as the principal started talking to him.
"Nicolas, don't break the rules again, or I have to talk to your-" the principal stopped suddenly as if he said something wrong. I couldn't help but see a small flash of anger in Nicolas's face but it was quickly concealed.
I heard him mutter something as the principal walked back into his room.
Suddenly, the small voice of the front desk woman broke the awkward silence. "Oh, Fang! You have the same first period as Emma, would you mind showing her to class?" he looked straight at me and nodded his head to signal me to follow him.
I followed him out the office and walked down the hallway next to the commons. He led me to an elevator and we walked inside. I kept looking at him from the side of my eyes. He pressed the button with the three on it and the elevator started moving. That's when he interrupted the awkward silence.
"So, what's your gift?" he asked in a monotonous voice that melted me like butter. I just stared at him.
"My what?" I asked confusingly. He looked at me annoyed.
"Your gift, your ability, your power?" he said in the same voice.
"Oh," I said as I felt my cheeks get a little red. "Water, I can manipulate and control water." I said in a slightly confident tone.
He just nodded as he kept staring at me. His dark eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"What about you?" I asked him as the elevator doors opened revealing a long, tan tiled hallway that split off into eight separate hallways, four on each side, that were filled with lockers. He smiled a quick half smile.
"You'll see later," he said as he walked out of the elevator. That's when I noticed the long slits cut out of the back of his shirt.
He walked me to my locker in the second hallway to the right. His locker was two away from mine. "So," I said as I put my backpack into my locker. "is your name 'Nicolas' or is your name 'Fang'?" I asked.
"Nicolas, but nobody calls me that," he said as we went to his locker so he could get his binder. "I go by Fang," I nodded.
"my names Emma," I said.
He walked me to the first period class, and I stopped in front of the door. "Come on," he said annoyed waiting for me to open the door. "We're already late."
"I'm going in right now," I said frustratingly as I pushed open the doors and walked in to the classroom.
Four
Concentrate
My first period class was history, but not the history you know. The history I was in was the history of how gifts came to be. Gifts are the special ability that someone like me posses. I learned that there was once a man whose gift was to control nature. They say he went crazy and became a criminal, and with his gift almost destroyed the world. His name was Nature du Père, which is French for father nature. He was defeated by a man who everyone calls The Protector; his gift was the power of water, just like mine.
After the famous battle, The Protector disappeared and didn't return again until the famous battle known as the Battle of the Desert. This battle was between the Protector and an evil scientist that abused his gift and used it to take over. The Protector defeated the man but gave his life in the process. He is still famous today.
My second period class was science. This class teaches us about what happens when we use our gifts. The teacher says that regular people only use 10% of their brain, but when we are using our gifts, depending on what our gift is, we can use from 15% of our brain to 100%. Since my gift is the ability to manipulate water, which is a type of telekinesis, I use over 90% of my brain power. Oh, and did you know that air is a liquid?
So far, I've learned a lot about what a gift is. One thing that I learned that really surprised me was that I'm the only one that has been able to manipulate water since The Protector. He died about 16 years ago, right before I was born.
Right now is my third period class which is battle training with Mrs. Incendie, which is French for fire. In this class, I sat right next to Nick in the assigned seating chart. "Hey." He said to me as I sat down in the seat next to him.
I was about to answer him when the teacher started talking. She was a tall and young, with short, curly red hair. She got our attention quickly, since she used a burst of fire from her palm to get us to listen. "Welcome to Battle Training, this class will teach you all the basics of battle with your team."
I looked at her in confusion when she said team.
"By looking at the looks of confusion on your face after I said teams, I better get right to explaining it. You never want to go into battle alone. So, what better a way to teach that lesson then putting you into teams," she said smiling.
There were many nods from the student.
"Ok, as you can see, you are all sitting in groups of three. The people in your group of three are your battle partners."
I looked at Fang in shock but only saw a look in his eyes that said he already knew this. Maybe he could read minds? Then I looked to the left at my other partner. He was tall and very thin. His hair was a pale blonde and eyes were a dark brown. He looked over at us and waved to Fang.
"Looks like we're in the same battle group again this year," the boy said, obviously to Fang.
"Nice to see you again too, Jake," Nick said, leaning over my desk to knuckle the boy's fist. "Hey, don't tell her my gift yet, I want it to be a surprise," he whispered to him.
"No problem," he answered in an amused tone. "Hi, I'm Jake," he said, turning to me and shaking my hand.
"Emma," I answered back.
That's when the teacher interrupted us, " Ok, now that you have all had a chance to meet each other, it's time for you to show each other what your gifts are," she said as the groups started shuffling to different directions around the room.
My group found an area by the door. I watched around the room as I saw many people use their gifts. There was girl on the opposite side of the room that suddenly became invisible, and a boy in the group closest to us that stretched his arm all the way to the other side of the large room.
"Alright," Jake's voice snapped me out of my trance. "I guess I'll start." He said as he stood up. "My ability is shape shifting. Right now, I only know how to shift into animals," he said smiling. Suddenly, he stretched his arms out at his sides and started shifting. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. His arms started to become darker and shorter along with his legs. His nose became longer and all of his showing skin became dark and shaggy. Finally, after the transformation was complete, Jake had transformed into a chocolate lab. The weirdest part was still to come; he could talk with his normal voice, while being an animal! It was amazing.
"Ok, your turn," he said, turning to me. I looked over at Fang who nodded for me to go on."
"Oh, my gift is water," I said as I stood up, noticing the teacher's surprised reaction, and not sure of what to do. I looked around the room and saw a sink connected to the wall in the back of the room. I walked over to it and turned on the water.
Concentrating, I looked at the water and put my hands out in front of me; nothing happened. I put my hands down and concentrated harder on the water, remembering the day I was walking home with my mom and I protected her by moving the water. I then noticed that everyone was watching me.
I lifted up my hands again, this time focusing on the memory, and felt my hands start to tingle. Slowly, the water began coming toward my hands. I moved my hands farther apart, allowing the water to flow with them. I cupped my so that the water flowed in to a sphere. I didn't even notice all of the eyes that were on me, or that the teacher was coming my way.
"Interesting," I jumped when Mrs. Incendie started talking, making me drop the water onto the carpet with a SPLOOSH.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you coming and I..." she put her hand on my shoulder, smiling with sympathy.
"Don't worry dear, this carpet has taken much worse," she said with a small laugh. "What is your name again?" she asked, curiosity blazing in her eyes.
"Emma Jones," I answered back.
"Jones? Who are your parents Emma?" she asked me, not in an angry tone, but in a curious one.
"My mother is Olivia Jones, I never met my father, but my mom says he died fighting in the war." I answered back forcing my voice to stay even as I talked about my father. I never met him, but my mom used to tell me stories of how heroic and well known he was in the military. I wish I could have met him.
She just nodded. The classroom was very silent, when she clapped her hands, everyone jumped. "Alright, get back to work," she said before everyone started drifting back into their groups.
I stared at the wet floor until a finger tapped my shoulder; I turned around to see Fang. "Looks like it's my turn," he said with a half smile. He walked over to the teacher, who was still staring at me, and asked her something I couldn't hear then walked back over to us. "Let's go," he said, heading out the door and into the hallway.
Jake and I followed him out the door and down the hallway. "Go where?" I asked as we got into the elevator.
He turned to me. "To the Gym," he answered.
Five
Jump
We walked out of the elevator and turned left down a long hallway filled with classrooms. The carpet was a maroon red and as we walked down the decorated hallway, I was lost in thought, watching the diamond pattern in the carpet while we were walking. What could his gift be? He needs a large space so it's obviously not mind reading. And why does he have those long slits cut out of the back of his shirt? I thought to myself.
As I pondered the questions in my mind, I looked up at Fang. The long slits were cut through his shirt so that u could see the skin on his tanned back, but there was something distorted about it.
"Emma! Earth to Emma!" Jake's suddenly loud voice snapped me out of my thought. I looked up, a startled look on my face and saw that both of the boys were staring at me.
"What?" I asked in a confused voice. Then I looked at the huge double doors on the wall next to us. "Oh."
Fang looked at me with confusion in his eyes then turned and pushed the two metal doors open to reveal the enormous gym. The wooden floors were glossy with the exception of small scuff marks here and there. The maroon wall was lined with a golden stripe and there was an eagle painted on the back wall. I stood in the doorway looking at it in awe.
"This place seems to get even more amazing every time I see it," said Jake, looking up at the eagle on the wall. I saw Fang nod his head then walk over to the middle of the gymnasium.
Jake and I walked over to where he was standing and I saw him lift up a piece of wood from the floor. I looked over at Jake and saw the excitement on his face. What is going on? I thought to myself as I saw Fang press a red button that was under the tile.
Suddenly, the ground started shaking beneath my feet and the floor started lifting up to the now opening ceiling. With the sudden shaking, I lost my footing and tripped... right into Fang's arms. I blushed as he helped me get steady again.
"Sorry," I said as he helped me up.
"No problem," he said with a small smirk. When we finally got to the roof, I stared in amazement at the land in front of me. There was a small wind blowing and it whipped my long hair across my face.
When you think of the desert, you think of a hot, sandy, brown color with ugly bushes and random cacti scattered around, but as I looked out across the Arizona desert, there were beautiful rock formations and all different colors of yellows and oranges that stretched on forever in the shining sand.
I looked over at Fang and saw the sparkle in his eyes as he looked out across the land. Jake walked over and spoke. "Ok now that you got to see the desert, let's see how amazed you look when you see Fang's gift," he said to me as he looked at Fang expectantly.
Fang looked down and gave a little laugh as he turned around and started running. Is his gift speed or something? I asked myself as I watched him.
I couldn't help but notice the slits in the back of his shirt again, what are those for? The question ran through my mind again as I kept watching.
With his arms spread out wide, he jumped of the roof.
Six
Fang's Gift
The minute I saw him jump, I started running; but before I could get two yards, Jake grabbed my arms and pulled me back so that I was restrained and couldn't move. "Let go!" I yelled as I tried to struggle free. "He just jumped of the freaking r-... whoa..." I watched with wide eyes as Fang shot back up through sky using two magnificent, dark, ash colored wings. The last thing I saw was his bright smile flashing in the sun while he was flying through the crisp, desert air. Then I felt my body get weak and everything went black.
Fang's point of view
Oh she is going to freak out. I thought to myselfexcitedly as I started running toward the edge of the roof. I looked back to see the excitement in Jakes eyes and the confusion on Emma's face. As I got closer to the edge, I rolled my shoulders, letting my wings loosen, and then jumped of the roof, spreading my arms out wide and getting ready to spread my wings.
I let the thrill of falling take me over as I watched the ground come at me faster and faster. Then, right before I slammed into the ground, I shot out my wings and felt the air lift me straight up into the air. I smiled as I saw the look of astonishment on Emma's face but noticed that Jake was holding her arms back behind her.
As I rose higher I looked down to see that he had let go of her, but there was something wrong; I looked down to see not only astonishment in her eyes... but fear. Is she scared of me? I didn't think she was that kind of person. I felt anger at the thought of her being scared of me because I had wings, I mean, she can make freaking water move without touching it! Then I watched as her knees buckled under her and she collapsed on the ground.
Instantly, I spun around and nosedived toward the roof, making a running landing and pulling in my wings as I regained balance. "What happened," I asked Jake as I leaned down next to Emma, who was lying on the ground unconscious.
Jake answered me immediately. "She fainted! I think it was a little much jumping of the roof dude," he said to me. "Right when you jumped, she started running; she thought you were going to die. Dude, if you hadn't come up when you did, she would have broken free and jumped after you!"
"Oh," was all I could say. So the fear I saw was the fear of when I was falling, that explains a lot.
Jake looked down at Emma and then up at me "She obviously cares about you," he said. I looked up at him.
"What do you mean?" I asked, cautiously.
"You should have seen her face when you jumped," he said, looking up at me, his face serious. I hid the surprise in my face as I looked down at her.
"We should probably get her to the infirmary; Mrs. Incendie will be wondering why we've been gone so long." I said as I picked up Emma and carried her back to the spot where I made the gym go back inside the building. "She cares about you," Jakes words kept echoing in my head as I brought Emma to the infirmary, setting her on the bed and then setting down in the chair next to it.
"You can head back to class now, Fang," said the nurse. I looked up at her, then Emma, then got up and walked back to Mrs. Incendie's class, distracted by my thoughts the entire way there.
The screen flickered to life. A man's face appeared, covered in shadow. The boy that held the computer smiled at the man's face. The boy spoke first.
"You won't believe it, father," he said excitedly. "She's here! Just like you said would happen," the man on the screen laughed wickedly.
"Did you doubt me?" asked the man in evil laughter. The boy shook his head.
"I would never doubt you father," said the boy. "Do you want me to begin the plan?" asked the boy.
"Yes, begin as soon as you can," said the man. The boy nodded and then closed his laptop.
Things were going exactly as his father planned.
Seven
Father Nature
~Two Weeks Later~
"You ready Emma," asked Fang as him, Jake, and I walked into the virtual reality battle chamber, VRBC for short. I looked up at him and nodded. I've been preparing for this test, with Fang and Jake's help, ever since I woke up in the in infirmary two weeks ago.
"Let's go!" Jake said excitedly as the doors opened and they all walked into a white, dome-shaped room. Surprisingly, I've learned to do a lot of new things with my gift. I now can control water much easier and without concentrating so hard. Also, I can now make the water into ice by making my body colder while I'm moving the water. To help in the case where there is no water around, I carry a pouch of water on my belt. Fang said I was a really quick learner.
We are doing this assignment in Mrs. Incendie's battle training class where you are put in a randomly chosen battle and you must use what you have learned to defeat the villain you are sent up against. My team was the last team of the day.
"Alright everyone, are you ready? You won't be able to communicate with us once you are in the simulation, but we will be watching." said Mrs. Incendie's voice over the intercom.
"Let get this show on the road!" Jake yelled with an excited smile on his face. I gulped as the room started spinning and the intercom clicked off. The room became pitch black, and then suddenly a vast wasteland appeared in front of us.
The dark brown, rocky land looked totally deserted as we started walking forward. I heard the sound of running water, there must be a small river nearby. "Fang, take a look around," I told him as me and Jake got back to back, my hand on my water pouch, ready for anything.
Fang nodded and took a running start, spreading his gorgeous wings as he jumped into the air. I couldn't help but stare at him as he flew up in the air, so gracefully, he must have had many years of practice.
Suddenly, I saw his eyes widen a bit and he landed quickly, stumbling as he ran over to us. "There's something coming," he said casually, as he walked to the front of the group, "It's big, I don't know what it is but its creepy looking, like it's a big mountain thing that came to life.
I was confused by his description, but got in my battle stance, my hand already lifting the water slightly out of the pouch. I saw Jake transform into a lion, the most ferocious animal that he can turn into, and saw the muscles in Fang's shoulders and wings tense, ready to spring into action.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! The sirens in the VRBC control room sent the kids into an instant panic. The woman at the desk, Mrs. Incendie, quickly flipped switches and pushed buttons, trying to the simulator back online. She had no idea what had happened to the children that just went into the simulator. She simply pressed the start button, that she had pushed hundreds of times before, and let the computer take its course; but this time, after they were sent to their randomly chosen destination, the computers crashed and the sirens started going off.
She finally got one of the screens to flicker a grainy picture of a barren land, and then noticed the three teenagers that were standing in a battle stance. What is going on? Where are they? What are they preparing f-...? She looked at the screen, and in the distance saw something that she thought she would never see again.
"Oh no," she said out loud as she looked at the screen. She saw the large figure look into the camera, like he was watching her, and smile.
One of the students walked up to the screen and her eyes went wide as she saw the large beast. "What is that?" she asked in scared confusion.
"It's someone I never thought I'd see again...," she just stared wide eyed at the screen. "Nature du Père...," the student gasped at the name.
What do I do? I can't take them out without the principles key! "Kristen, you have a very important job," she said to the student standing next to her. "Go get the principle," the girl nodded and ran out of the building, running as fast as she could to the next building.
Hang in there, you'll be out of there soon, she said to herself, just don't die. She sat and watched the screen, the monster was getting closer and closer, and there was nothing she could do.
Eight
The Side with Blue Eyes
We stood ready, waiting for whatever was coming. I started feeling the ground shaking and knew that it was coming. "What did it look like?" I asked nick over the rumbling. He turned his head to answer me.
"It was big, maybe 40ft tall, and it doesn't look human. It looks like a mountain, you know, with rocks and trees and stuff, but it's in the shape of a man. It just looks strange." He answered, muscles tensing as the ground shook.
Suddenly, there was an enormous crash and the huge rock that was in front of us exploded outwards toward us. Fang got in front of me and Jake behind me; Fang covered his body with his wings, not only protecting him but Jake and me also. Not only does nick have wings, but he has raptor vision, super human strength, and his wings are so indestructible that almost nothing can hurt them.
When the smoke cleared, I saw the monster. It was exactly how Fang had explained him, and it seemed like it was looking straight at me. "Fang! Emma! What in the world is that!" yelled Jake over the noise; he had turned back into himself.
I looked over at Fang to see him staring at the beast with wide eyes. For the first time I actually saw fear in his always mysterious, dark eyes. I looked over at Jake and gave him the hand signal, an upside-down peace sign and then stick out your pinkie, which my team and I use to tell each other to attack immediately after the one who gave the signal.
I took action and ran quickly toward the monster, my hand resting just above my water pouch. He was watching me run toward him. When I got just 10 ft away from the monster I quickly got into a battle stance and started creating a water sphere. I looked down for two seconds only to look up as a boulder crashed into me, making me drop my water, send me flying back, and knocking the breath out of me.
I landed with a hard thud on the ground. I sat up and tried to breath normally, feeling dizzy as I looked over to see Jake turn into a cheetah and run toward the monster's left leg. The ground vibrated violently as the monster threw giant boulders at Jake, who dodged every one because of the cheetah's speed.
I looked over to see Fang still standing in the same area and looking up at the monster. I looked over quickly as Jake flew past me, transforming back into his human form, and hit his head on a rock, making him call out in pain. I ran over to him quickly and lifted head of the small rock, luckily, his head wasn't that hurt, just a small scratch that was slightly bleeding. I looked over to see nick staring at us with wide eyes.
Suddenly, his eyes became determined as he flipped out his amazing, ash colored wings. I watched as he flew amazing fast toward the monster.
Fang's point of view
I stood and stared at the monster. I knew him, I knew his name, what he looked like before he became that way. Memories from years ago began rushing back to me, the tests, the tubes, the needles, the exhaustion, and the screams of pain coming from other rooms. I stood paralyzed as I watched my team mates run toward the monster, both getting thrown back because of the monsters strength.
It took only the cry of pain coming from Jake to snap me out of my nostalgia. I quickly tuned my head to see Emma running toward Jake, she looked back at me, her deep, emerald eyes staring at me, filled with fear. Just that look made me forget about my horrible memories.
I snapped out my ash colored wings and jumped into the air, down stroking hard as I rose quickly in the air. I sped toward the monster and when I was right above him, I folded my wings above me and started spinning downwards so that my wings became an impenetrable drill.
I slammed into the monster with so much force that the beast stumbled backwards into one of the many mountains that surrounded the area I backstroked as I waited for the dust the clear, but out of the dust something shot out and wrapped around my ankle. I looked down to see a thick, green vine before it yanked me forward through the air; I quickly tucked my wings in so that they didn't fold the wrong way. The vine stopped suddenly then flung me forward, letting go and making me slam into the rocky ground, hard.
I heard Emma scream my name as I slowly sat up and clutched my arm as pain shot through it. I looked down at it to see a cut from my shoulder to just below my elbow. It was bleeding pretty badly so I ripped the sleeves off of my long sleeved shirt and wrapped it around my cut.
When I was done I looked up to see the monster step in front of Emma. I jumped up, running to the side to make sure Emma was ok, only to see the angriest face I've ever seen Emma make.
The ground rumbled as the monster laughed. "Weakling," it said to Emma, "I can't believe that you are all they have."
I watched Emma as her face contorted into rage. The atmosphere changed as I saw her hair whipped across her face. Suddenly, her deep, green eyes changed into a piercing blue. I stared in amazement at the power radiating off of her. I saw her hand fly out in my direction and suddenly heard the sound of rushing water.
I looked up suddenly to see enormous amounts of water flying through the air toward Emma, who was staring at the monster with a fiery determination. It was amazing.
The water splashed toward the monster with so much force that you could hear the clumps of rock that were breaking away from him every time the water hit him. She didn't stop even when he fell to the ground, that's when she spoke. "Don't you ever hurt my friends," she said in an icy voice as she stood over his giant face.
In a burst of dust, the monster suddenly disappeared. Emma landed on the ground perfectly, but when she stood up, her blues eye returned to her natural green. She smiled confusingly and started walking over to me and I gave a small smile as I clutched my arm.
I watched as she helped Jake up off the ground, but my heart stopped when her eyes clouded with pain and fear as she clutched her lower underarm. Her knees buckled under and she fell to ground. That's when I started running.
Nine
Marked
Fang's point of view
"Emma!" I yelled as I ran toward her. She was now lying on her side on the ground, her hand grabbing the lower part of her arm. Jake got to her before I did and tried to comfort her as she screamed in pain. I was over 400 feet away from where they were, so I flipped out my wings and flew at my top speed toward them.
When I finally got there, Emma was no longer screaming. She was just lying on her side and clutched her arm, in too much pain to scream. Her eyes were glazed over in pain as I tucked in my wings and got down on my knees next to her.
"What happened?" I asked Jake in a serious tone. He was staring down at Emma from where he was standing; there was a small glint in his eyes that made me curious. It looked like he was hiding something.
"She was helping me up, I heard a sizzle coming from her lower arm, and the next thing I knew she was screaming on the ground in front of me!" he yelled as his eyes changed to scared and confused.
I looked down at Emma again, her eyes where unfocused and she didn't make any resistance when I removed the hand that was clutching her other arm. What I saw made me jump up so fast that it won me a confused look from Jake.
Among the bright red area, was a symbol burned into her skin:
I stopped the horrible memories from flooding back, pushing them to the back of my mind and locking them there, like I always do. "Come on," I said to Jake as I leaned down and picked Emma up off of the ground, holding her bridal style. "We need to find a way out of here,"
Suddenly, the world around us started flickering then became all white as we were sent back to the virtual reality battle chamber. I had almost forgotten that it was a simulation. When we walked out, our entire class was standing outside of the doors along with Mrs. Incendie and the headmaster. The crowd was cheering as we walked out.
Anger suddenly filled me as I saw the teacher and principle. I handed the now unconscious Emma to a surprised Jake as I stalked up to Mrs. Incendie. "What the heck where you thinking sending us there?" I yelled at Mrs. Incendie. The crowd suddenly stopped cheering and just stood and stared as I yelled at the teacher
She looked at me stunned, the smile of relief wiped of her face. "It- it wasn't my fault!" she yelled in defense. That just made me even more irritated.
"Not your fault? I yelled in anger. "You were the one controlling the destination! Because of you, Emma is hurt, Jake probably has a concussion and I'll need stitches half way up my arm!" I yelled, showing them the blood soaked shirt sleeves that were wrapped around my arm.
She stood speechless, so the headmaster spoke up. "Nicolas, you do not understand; when you were sent to your destination, the computers were taken control of! It wasn't Mrs. Incendie's fault," he said to me seriously as I stood in front of both of them. "If it weren't for her, you would still be in that dimension!" he finished.
"Well maybe you should have better security," I said quieter as I threw one last glare and turned to take Emma out of Jake's arms, walking to the infirmary. I shouldn't have lost my temper, Nothing good ever happens when I get angry.
Emma's point of view
Pain, more pain than I've ever felt in my entire life. I knew I passed out, but that was on the battle field. Now, when I opened my eyes, I squinted at the bright florescent lights on the ceiling. Where am I? My arm was still burning, so I tuned to look at it, only to see it wrapped in gauze. That's when I noticed someone sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. I jumped out of bed, tuning in the air and getting into a battle stance. Pain shot up my arm so quickly that I yelped in pain, grabbing the wrapped part of my arm.
I looked up suddenly as someone rushed up to me, to my relief, it was Fang. "Emma!" he said concernedly. I looked up at him in confusion, even though his voice sounded concerned, he let nothing show through his eyes.
"Where- where am I?" I asked him as he steadied me. "What happened after the battle? I was helping Jake up, then I was walking over to you, and the next thing I know, I'm in a- a... Where am I exactly?" I asked quickly.
He looked at me with a small half smile that made my heart jump, and then answered my questions. "You're in the infirmary," he said as I realized the hospital bed and white walls and ceiling. "You passed out, you were in a lot of pain and you've been unconscious for awhile."
"How long have I been unconscious?" I asked, standing up straight.
"Um, about two days," he said and I stared at him in disbelief. That's when his face got serious. "We need to talk about something," he said as he walked me back over to the bed.
I sat down on the wrinkled, white sheets. He grabbed my arm delicately, knowing that I was in pain, and carefully removed the gauze around my arm. I gasped when my arm showed. It looked like I had been burned and then someone had taken a laser and embedded a symbol into my skin.
"What is that?" I asked as I stared at my arm. I looked up at nick and saw something flash in his eyes, before he lifted the sleeve from his long sleeved shirt up past his elbow.
He had the same mark. "What is going on?" I asked as I looked as his arm in astonishment.
"I think it's time you knew about my past," he said as he pulled his sleeve down. I couldn't hide the shocked expression on my face.
Ten
Fang's Past
"As far back as I can remember, I've lived in a lab run by a man named Thomas Baxton," started Fang. I saw him flinch as he said the name Thomas Baxton. "And honestly, the farthest back I can remember is when I was six years old. My room was a small, concrete walled, square, chamber that had a metal door and no windows. I shared my room with my younger sister Angel. I was always told I was a complete miracle; I was successfully infused with bird DNA, which is why I have wings and can fly."
"Wait," I said, interrupting him. "If you were such a miracle, why did they let you out? Are you still with them? Did they send you here so that you could be more educated?" I asked every question right after the other, when I was silent he gave me his answer.
"I wasn't let out," he said as his eyes became dark and distant. "I escaped."
"Escaped? Why?" I asked.
"For four years I was experimented on, given brutal tests and injected with so many drugs I was never told the names of ..."
~Flashback~
10 year old Nick's point of view
The bright lights in my cell flashed on, startling me as I sat up quickly. I looked around at the cracked cement walls and then at the bolted metal door. The same men were standing outside of the door. It's the regular routine: lights on, get up, they come, and then they take you to the white room. I got out of my bed and walked over to my younger sister, who was still sleeping.
"Angel, time to get up," I said quietly as I shook her softly. Her young eyes opened and she smiled as she looked at me. She is six years old, and I make sure she is awake before I am taken to the white room. You never know if you'll come back from the white room.
She sat up and smiled at me. "Happy Birthday Nick!" she said as she hugged me. Today I turn 10 years old. The only reason I know this is because I've counted everyday I've been here since I was 6 years old.
I smiled as the men walked in. one of them grabbed my arm, but instead of the other one standing by in case I run (which I've tried many times before), he walked toward Lily and grabbed her arm. Fear swept through my body.
"Don't touch her!" I yelled at the man. In four years, they've never taken Lily anywhere. I ripped my arm out of the first man's grip and tackled the man that was holding Lily. Even though I was only ten, I've been experimented on for many years. In result, I'm a freak.
As I pinned the man to the ground, the other ran toward me with an electrically charged baton. Instinctively, I wrapped my wings around my body (that probably explains the 'freak' part), and felt nothing as the baton hit my indestructible wings.
That's when the man with the baton turned and ran over toAngel, grabbing her arm and holding her in the air, the baton ready to be used, "Either she comes with us, or she gets shocked," he said to me. "And I know you know how that feels," I jumped off the man I had pinned and turned, terrified to look at the man holding my sister.
I fell to my knees and looked at the man. "Please," I said as I looked up at him with tear filled eyes, "Just leave her alone," he smiled evilly as he set her back on the ground.
He walked over to me, and suddenly jabbed me in the ribs with the baton. Electricity painfully shot through my body. I yelled out as I fell to the ground, stunned, and looked up to see them dragging my sister through the door. I tried to reach out to her, but passed out as the metal door slammed shut.
...
When I awoke, I jumped up as fast as I could and ran to the door. I could see the men standing outside the door through the tiny window built in the door. That's when I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I spun around quickly, only to see my little sister asleep in her bed.
I ran over to her, pain greeted my every step because of the now bruising part of my chest. The first thing I did was check her wrists and sadness swept over me as I saw the bruises around the needle marks. They had experimented on her.
Anger flowed through me as I saw the marks. I ran over to the door, wings out to make me seem bigger, and punched the door, creating a huge dent. The men kicked open the door, only to get whipped in the face with my ash colored wings.
Angry, both men lashed out. One missed but the other landed his fist right on my cheek, making me fly back and slam against the cement wall. While I was dazed, they cuffed my hands and then tied my wings behind my back.
"It's about time you woke up," said one of the men as they dragged me out of the room. "Now you can start your training for today," when the metal door closed, I got to my feet and started walking with them, instead of being dragged.
When we got to the white room, Doctor Thomas Baxton was standing by a white table. When he looked over at us he smiled, then his eyes filled with curiosity as he saw my bruised face, burned shirt, tied wings, and cuffed hands. "What happened here?" he said with an icy, curious voice.
Both the men let go of my arms, the one to my right answered the doctor's question. "The subject resisted to come with us. He tried to attack so we had to take action,"
Rage made me speak. "You experimented on her! You couldn't just leave her alone!" I yelled, only to grab my bruised chest as I was elbowed by the other man.
"You must understand," said the doctor. "You and your sister are here for one reason, to help me improve the human race!" he yelled maniacally.
I glared at him, and then felt my wings being untied and my hands being un-cuffed. "Time to start today's training," he said as he led me over to the table. I sat on the table, my feet dangling close to the floor. Doctor Baxton came out pushing a small silver table with, instead of various needles spread out, just one large needle sat on the cloth.
The needle was filled with a bright green liquid. "This," said the doctor, holding up the need, "is called Alpha. It will strengthen you and your abilities, such as your strength and flying abilities," he grabbed for my arm, but I pulled away.
"What if it hurts me?" I asked as fear swept over me. The doctor just shook his head and smiled, forcibly grasping my arm and holding it tight.
"Stay still," he said as the needle got closer and closer. There was nothing I could do, so I turned my head and closed my eyes as the needle penetrated my skin. After it was taken out, the doctor made me stand up. "Do you feel any different?" he asked.
Suddenly, a wave of energy swept through me. "I feel so... powerful," I said as I looked down at my hands. I reached over to metal table and grabbed the glass needle. The doctor looked at me curiously as crushed the needle in my palm. The shattered glass didn't even leave a scratch.
He smiled wickedly at me as he led me back over to the metal table. "Lay here," he said. I obeyed and he strapped my arms and legs to the table. After he did so, he walked behind a glass window along with the two guards from before. Confused, I lifted my head slightly to see what he was doing. He was holding a small device in his hands and as soon as his thumb pressed on a red spot on the device, extreme pain made me screams aloud.
My right arm burned so intensely that it went numb, and the pain radiating through my body was more pain than I've ever felt in my entire life. Time slowed down as my eyes blurred with tears. With every ounce of strength I had left, I ripped my arms and legs out of the restraints. I clutched my arm as I ran toward the door and, with one strong pull, yanked the door open. I was done with being in so much pain; I'm getting out of here.
I ran down the hallway, eyes blurred with tears and mind fogged with pain. I took the path back to my cell, sirens blaring and lights flashing. Covering my head with my wings, I barreled into the metal door, crashing right through it. I fell to the ground, dazed for a moment. Geez, that Alpha stuff really works.
My sister stared at me with her eyes wide. I ran over to her and picked her up, carrying her at my side. "What's going on!" she yelled in a frightened voice. My arm was still throbbing, my face and chest bruised, every part of me in pain, but I was determined to get out.
"I'm done," I said weakly to my sister. "It's time to get out of here," I stopped as I saw the guards running toward us from the front. I turned only to see the same thing. "Lily, cover your head," I said quietly to her. She obeyed and that's when I took my stance.
I wrapped my wings above me in a cone shape, and jumped up, spinning as I did so to create a type of drill with my wings. I dug quickly though the ceiling and the many floors above us, finally, after about 10 minutes of drilling, we finally hit fresh air.
I flipped out my wings and flapped to get higher. "Hold on tight," I said to Lily as we got higher. I looked down to see people flooding out of the building, looking up at us as we got farther and farther away.
"Where are we going?" asked my sister in a small voice. I looked over at her and then back in front of me at the setting sun in the horizon, my chin length, black hair flowing back behind me.
"As far away from there as we can get," I said to her as I sped away from the horrible building, flying faster than I have ever gone in my life.
After hours of non-stop flying, I landed in a deep canyon in the middle of a large desert. I found a crevice in the wall that was big enough for my sister and me to stay in for the night. I set lily down in a sandy spot close to the back of the small crevice; she had fallen asleep while we were flying over the desert.
I sat down in the cool shadow of the crevice and stretched my aching wings. Everything hurt, but nothing more than my right arm, which I refused to move because it hurt so badly.
I looked down at my arm to see what they had done to it to make it hurt so badly. What I saw made me so angry that I punched the wall of the crevice, causing bits of the rock to crumble and my knuckles to split open. They marked me with the very symbol I saw everyday back at the lab.
The skin around it was puffy and red; it looked like the symbol was burned into my skin and felt like it was carved into my bone. I lay down on the ground, closer to the opening of the crevice, and my body sighed in relief as I closed my eyes, falling instantly into a deep sleep...
~ Flash back over~
Present time
Emma's point of view
"About a week after that, I found this place," said Fang in a quiet voice. "By then, I had learned that my sister also had a gift," I could catch a hint of sadness in his voice as he said that. "I changed my name to Fang. 'Nick' just brought back too many memories.
"I'm so sorry Fang," I said in a shocked voice. "I had no idea..., wait, if you got your mark from the lab," he flinched as I said that. "Then how did I get my mark?" I asked in a confused voice. He got up off the infirmary bed and walked over to the door.
"I have no idea, but one thing I'm sure of, you got your abilities from Thomas Baxton. I'm just not sure how," he opened the door. "Come on, I'll walk you to your apartment,"
I got up off the bed and followed him out. When we exited the school, the sun was just sinking down in the horizon. Fang walked over to me as I stared at the sunset. "Come on," he said as he stretched out his wings. "I'll fly us there, just stand there and hold your arms up. Be ready to hold on tight,"
I nodded and watched as he took a running start, leaping in the air and soaring up through the beautiful, pink sky. I lifted my arms up and closed my eyes, waiting for him to grab on.
Suddenly, I was yanked of the ground. I grabbed on tight to Fang's arms as he held tightly onto mine. I opened my eyes and they widened as we rose higher and higher. My hair blew out behind me as I looked up at Fang, his dark hair shining a dark purple in the sunlight. He looked down at me and, seeing the shocked expression on my face, gave me a half smile.
"Amazing isn't it," he said as he looked at me. I nodded, speechless as I looked out over the never-ending, golden desert. We started descending as we got closer the apartments.
My apartment was one floor and three doors away from his. When we got about 5 feet away from the ground, Fang counted to three and then let go of my arms. I fell down while he flew upwards and I landed with a little stumble while he landed gracefully, tucking in his wings as he approached me.
"That was incredible!" I said breathlessly. He smiled and shrugged before he walked me up to my door.
"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow," he said kind of awkwardly as I unlocked my door.
"You know it," I answered back with a smile.
He nodded and the stretched his wings, jumping up to the second floor and landing with a small thump. "Show off!" I yelled as he unlocked his door. I heard him chuckle before I entered my apartment.
I closed and locked my door, walking to my room and plopping down on my bed. I sighed as I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I had drifted off into a deep sleep.
Eleven
A New Ability
Fang's point of view~
"You did WHAT?" yelled Angel from the couch. After I got home, I walked to the kitchen and started dinner. As I was boiling the water, I nonchalantly told Angel about me telling Emma about our past. "You promised that we wouldn't tell anyone except the headmaster about that!" I understood why she was angry at me; our past is, well, not really something we like to talk about to other people.
"Angel, she-," I started but was interrupted.
"Just because you like a girl doesn't mean you have to go and tell her about everything!" she yelled. I walked into the living room so I could look at her face to face.
"Angel, it's not like that," I said defensively. "she-," again I was interrupted.
"Not like that?" she said sarcastically. "Yeah ri-," this time I interrupted.
"Angel," I said slightly irritated. "She was marked," I said. Consequently, Angel just stared, wide-eyed.
"How," Angel asked with curiosity and fear twirling in her eyes. I shook my head, signally that I didn't know.
It was silent the rest of the night. After dinner, we went to bed. I made sure Angel was asleep before I went into my room and lay on my bed, looking up at my white, textured ceiling. Finally, I fell into a light sleep.
~Emma's point of view~
Fang! I yelled as I ran toward him. Wait a second, why is this so familiar? I asked myself. Then it clicked, quickly I jumped back as a large, mountain of a foot stepped in front of me. I suddenly felt anger fill my body. The next thing I knew, I was staring at myself. It was like an out of body experience.
I watched as my face contorted into rage. My eyes suddenly changed into a glowing, icy blue. My hair was whipping my face and my hands were glowing with a dim, white color. Then I noticed something that made my stomach drop. The other me was looking straight into my eyes.
I heard a strange sound behind me. I turned my head to see waves of surging water flying through the air. It was headed right for me. "Don't you ever hurt my friends," the other me said as the water flowed closer and closer. NO! I screamed, my arms raised up in defense as the water dived toward me. NO!
I snapped open my eyes and quickly sat upwards. Sweat covered my face and body. "Just a nightmare," I said quietly to myself as looked over at the clock. The neon blue numbers glowed brightly in the darkness: 4:23AM. "Only four," I said as I got out of bed and walked into the living room and sat on my couch. After that nightmare, I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.
I turned on the lamp by the couch and sat there. There was a small pain in my arm as I brushed it against my leg. I looked down at the mark on my under for-arm. The mark was burned into my skin, my bones. I felt a lump swell in my throat.
I walked over to my door, unlocking it and walking outside in the fresh morning air. I suddenly felt a surge of energy flow through me. I jumped up, grabbing the railing on the third floor of my apartment building.
"What the-," I looked down in astonishment to see that I had jumped 20 feet in the air. I smiled as I started to laugh. I let go of the railing and dropped to the ground, landing perfectly. "Sweet," I said after I landed.
I turned around and looked toward the school. All you could see was the shadow silhouetted against the navy blue sky. "How did I do that," I thought to myself. When I was thinking, I remembered something that my science teacher had said in class. 'The air is a liquid, filled with molecules of water.'
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I pictured water all around me in my mind. I tensed my legs, and with one strong jump, flew upwards over a hundred feet in the air, and started falling.
My eyes were wide in terror as the ground came rushing toward me. "Think, think!" I yelled as I fell. Then I started feeling water slapping my face. I opened my eyes, concentrating as I grouped the water together, encasing my bare feet. I slowed down quickly, and then floated in the air, focusing the energy to my feet so that I could control the water with them.
I smiled as I looked down at the water surrounding my feet; it was continually flowing, never ending. I looked up at the night sky, and then laughed as I flew upwards into the never ending night sky. I flew over the desert, over the school, then turned back around and flew back toward the apartments. Flying with Fang is amazing, but when you're the one actually flying through the air, it's too amazing for words.
I landed on the sandy ground, making sand and dust fly up when my feet hit the ground. I yawned as walked into my apartment. I turned off the lamp in the living room as I walked toward my bedroom. I looked at the clock as I lay back down in my bed: 6:15AM.
I had forgotten entirely about my nightmare, and all the energy I used learning about my new ability made me extremely tired. I got back into bed, excited for the morning. "Fang is going to be so amazed!" I said to myself as I yawned again. My heart swelled as I said his name. Then before I knew it, I was fast asleep again.
Twelve
Soar
~Emma's point of view~
I walked out my door at 8:45, my school bag hung off my shoulder as I locked the door. I turned and started walking toward the school excitedly. I had it all planned out; I would wait until battle training class and then show Fang my new ability.
Even in the hot, Arizona desert, there was still a small chill in the early, November air. If I concentrated hard enough, I could feel the water in air. It was an amazing feeling. I heard the sound of a door close, and then the sound of two pairs of feet land in the sand in front of the apartments. I stopped walking and turned around to see Fang walking toward the school with his sister, Angel.
"Good morning you guys," I said as they caught up with me. Angel smiled at me and Fang, flipping his long, dark bangs, nodded in return. Angel waved as she disappeared in a flash of light and a cloud of dust. The first time I saw Angel use her gift, I thought she was a teleported, it turned out she is just extremely fast, almost as fast as light.
"So," said Fang as we walked along the path to school. "Angel wants you to come to dinner tonight," he said casually. I looked over at him questioningly.
"Dinner?" I asked stunned. He nodded. "Alright, but why?" I asked confused.
"I- Angel just wants to get to know you better," he said awkwardly. I nodded and smiled.
"I'd love to come to dinner," I said, and just to loosen the awkwardness, I punched him in the arm. "I've got something awesome to show you in battle training," I said excitedly as we walked through the doors of the school and then upstairs to our hallway.
He nodded. "Can't wait," he said as I stopped at my locker. He walked farther down the hallway and I lost him in the crowd of kids.
"Good morning," Jake's voice startled me as he walked up to his locker, which was next to mine.
"Hi Jake," I said as I calmed myself down. "I got something awesome to show you in battle training today," I said as I closed my locker, my books and binder in my arms.
"Sweet, I'm excited," he said with a bright smile, his short blond hair shone as he waved and walked down the hallway. I waved back and turned the opposite way down the hallway to my first period, history.
I walked into the room and sat in my desk at the front of the room. When class started, I was instantly bored. All we talked about was the history of our school. I mean, it was sort of interesting, but I still found myself making the air become tiny drops of water and moving them around with my hands.
Every since the mark came, which feels like almost forever ago but was just yesterday, I've felt my power rising. Then I remembered the dream I had last night. I don't want to become that again, that strange me that was obviously more powerful than the regular me.
When I think back to when I became her, all I remember is my body suddenly becoming amazingly powerful. But to become that powerful, I had felt angry, angrier than I've ever been. I didn't want to feel angry every time I wanted to use my gift to the extreme.
I jumped slightly when the bell that signaled the end of first period rang. I packed up my things and walked out the door, Fang came up to me and we walked to science together.
"What was with you in history?" he asked confusingly as we walked through the door in the science room.
"Oh," I said embarrassingly. "I was just thinking," I said as we sat down at one of the long, cream colored, science tables.
"About what?" he asked as we took out our science notebooks.
"Fang," I said as I started writing down the notes on the board. "What was it like, during the battle, when I...changed?" I asked cautiously. He looked at me, a little shocked at the question I asked.
"Well," he started. "When the monster stepped in front of you, I thought he crushed you. So I walked a little farther to the left, making sure you weren't. It was kind of, well, weird at first. There was this sudden wave of pure energy; you could feel it in the air. Then your eyes changed color and you started, like, glowing and it got really windy. It was crazy amazing," he said slowly finishing in a whisper as the teacher started talking.
I nodded. Then my attention was turned toward the teacher as she started talking about our next lesson. She started with a fact that actually made my eyes widen. She said, "The human body is 70% water," she stated.
She continued talking, "the blood makes up almost all of that 70%." She started walking around the room to charts that shoed the human body. She walked back in front of the class. "The only known person who was able to control the water inside another person's body, was The Protector," she said. For some reason, I thought I saw her eyes flash toward me for a split second. I felt something inside of me, a feeling I wasn't familiar with, as she talked. I pushed it back down and continued listening to the teacher.
When the lesson was over, Fang and I walked down the hall together to our next class. Battle Training was outside today. In fact, we were having our lesson on roof where I first discovered Fang's awesome ability. We walked to the gym where the rest of our class was waiting.
"Hey Emma, Fang," called Jake as he walked out of a crowd of kids toward us. I never noticed before how popular Jake was. I waved back and Fang nodded toward him, signaling hey.
"Do you know what we're doing today?" I asked him as he got to where we were standing. He shook his head.
Just then, Amy Young, a girl in my class, walked up to me. "Hey Emma," she said to me. She was short for her age. She has dark eyes and even darker hair, and was of Asian origin. She could go invisible whenever she wanted to. "What's that on your arm?" she asked as she pointed to my mark.
I felt a wave of uneasiness sweep over me. "Oh, um," I wracked my brain for an excuse. I couldn't tell her that an evil scientist but a mark on me, making my abilities even stronger that before. "I got hurt during the training yesterday," I said quickly.
She looked at me as if she didn't believe me, but she shrugged her shoulders and walked back over to her friends. "You know," said Fang as he stood next to me. "You could wrap it in gauze or something," he said.
"No, that would just draw more attention to it. I'll just wait until it blows over. It's not like it's really that interesting," I said and gave a small, strained laugh. That's when Mrs. Incendie opened the gym doors and led us into the gym.
On the roof, she introduced our lesson for today. She said, "Today, class, we are practicing our skills. If there is anything you want to perfect, today is the day to practice. You will practice with your battle group, you may start," she explained. We all split up into our groups, now is my chance to show off my new skill.
"Alright," said Jake as we walked over to one corner of the building. "Emma, why don't you show us what you wanted to show us?" he asked as him and Fang sat on the edge of the roof.
I nodded as I felt excitement flow through me. I Stood back and closed my eyes, concentrating on the water in the air. When I opened my eyes, I saw Fang's eyes flash with curiosity. I focused energy in my hands and feet, then using the water in the air, I jumped up. The energy in my feet made a small bubble of water appear under me and I used my hands to push the water in the air down, propelling me higher into the air.
I stopped instantly in mid-air, using the water around my feet to keep me up in the air. I let myself drop for a while, causing Fang to stand up quickly, tensing his muscles. But as I got closer to the ground I slowed myself down using fluid friction, landing gracefully on the roof.
I stood up straight and smiled, proud of myself. My team-mates walked up to me, I could tell they were slightly in shock. "Tell me, when did you learn to do something like that?" Jake asked excitedly as he gave me a high-five.
"Last night, I went outside to get some air and the next thing I knew, I was flying through the air!" I said proudly. I looked over at nick who gave me a half smile.
"That was cool," he said to me with an impressed voice. I smiled and then walked over to the edge of the building and sat down.
"It's extremely exhausting though," I said letting out a deep breath.
"I want to try something now," said Jake as he jumped up, morphing into an eagle in mid-air. He soared so high that I lost track of him in the vast blueness.
That's when Fang turned to me. "You eyes were glowing," he said in a grim voice. "When you opened your eyes, right before you jumped up, they flashed blue."
My stomach dropped. I thought it was all me, when I discovered this new ability, but the other me was source of it. The mark made it happen.
Thirteen
Dinner at Fang's
After school, I walked home with Fang and Angel. Angel was telling me a story about how her friend used her telekinesis abilities in class and that she made a Dry-Erase marker draw on the board while sitting at her desk. I laughed as she showed the expression on the teacher's face; a mixture of shock and annoyance.
She saluted to us and sped off in the direction of the far off apartments. "Are you excited for the weekend?" I asked Fang as the stone sidewalk ended and the hot, desert sand began.
"Yeah," he said distantly. I looked over at him confusingly.
"Are you alright?" I asked. He had been really quiet since battle training.
He shook his head, as if trying to shake off a troubled thought. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, giving me a half smile. I smiled as a thought came to my mind.
"I've got an idea," I said as we walked toward the apartments, sill about a mile and a half away from where we were at. He looked over at me, curiosity burning in his eyes. "Let's race, see who is faster WITHOUT using out gifts," I said.
He gave me his half smile, "alright," he said. We stood side by side in the sand, both in running positions. He counted down, "3, 2, 1... GO!" right when he said go we both took off at about the same speed, dust and sand spraying out behind us as we ran.
At first, Fang was ahead of me. But what he didn't know was that I was in track back in Washington. I pushed ahead of him, my hair flowing out behind me as I sped by. I caught a glimpse of him as I ran past, he was actually smiling, I mean genuinely smiling, laughing as he started to pull ahead of me.
"Oh, no you don't!" I yelled to him as I got up to where he was, running side by side in the scorching desert. When we finally reached the apartments, we jumped up to his apartment at the same time and burst through the door, startling Angel.
We sat in the middle of his living room, leaning against each other and trying to catch our breaths while we were laughing hysterically. It was the first time I had ever heard him laugh. It was perfect. Angel just stared at us with wide eyes, a small smile spreading on her face.
Fang helped me up. That's when Angel walked over to me and looked up slightly; she was very tall for her age and almost my height. "Hey, do you mind cooking dinner?" she asked, a little embarrassed. I looked at her questioningly.
"I'm positive you're a great cook," I said as I smiled down at her.
She shook her head. "I'm not very good at cooking on a stove," she said, then looked over at Fang. "And he can't even use a microwave without blowing something up," I looked over at Fang and he shrugged.
"Tell you what," I said as I turned back to her. "How about we cook together? I'll make sure our food is edible, and you can learn to cook something for your brother over there," I said pointing over to Fang.
She smiled. "Sounds great," she said and led me into the slightly empty kitchen. Fang's house was mostly empty, except for the living room that contained a couch and a fairly large flat screen T.V.
The kitchen was the same size as the one in my apartment. It had a small table pushed up against the wall under a window that looked out over the vast, empty desert. "We should have spaghetti tonight," said Angel as she pulled me into the kitchen.
"Ok, I need you to get me a deep pan, noodles, and, um, a strainer and tomato sauce," I said, remembering what my mom had taught me. Angel grabbed the pan as I started the stove. "First we need to boil the water," I said to Angel.
We cooked and talked and laughed while making the dinner. Teaching Angel how to cook was a very different experience. I'm a single child; I've never had any siblings of my own, so hanging out with Angel really made feel like an older sister.
When the spaghetti was finished, I helped Angel take the table that was in the kitchen and put it in the space next to the living room that is meant to be a dining area. "Ok, I'll go in and prepare the salad, and you can set the table," I said to Angel as I turned and walked into the kitchen.
As I was looking for a salad bowl, Fang walked into the kitchen, leaning up against the wall where the table used to be. "This place looks different without the table right here," he said awkwardly.
I nodded. "It looks bigger," I said, still looking for a large, clear bowl. He walked over and knelt down beside me, delicately pulling out a large glass bowl. He handed it to me, looking away as he got up. "Thanks," I said quietly.
He walked over to the fridge and grabbed the salad bag out of it. I grabbed the bag and opened it, pouring the lettuce into the bowl. "This is going to be delicious," I said smiling as I mixed the lettuce in with some carrot pieces.
"It smells really good," said Fang as he carried the bowl to the table. He looked over at me and gave me his half smile; finally we were ready to eat. "Here, let me get that," said Fang as pulled out my chair.
I looked at him confusingly, smiled, and then sat down in the pulled out chair. Angel looked over at Fang then suddenly burst out laughing. "What?" I asked as I stared at her confusingly.
Fang looked over at her frustratingly. "Shut up Angel," he said to her in a harsh whisper. I looked at the two of them confusingly.
"Um, let's eat," I said, pushing my confusion away and replacing it with excitement. Fang nodded as we all grabbed out plates and piled on the food.
While eating dinner, we talked and laughed and ate. Angel talked mostly, telling us stories about what happens in her classes. One story she told us includes her friend that she mentioned earlier when we were walking to Fang's. Angel and her friend were at lunch and they caused a food fight because her friend was levitating food. The food slipped out of her force and somehow ended up on a kid's head.
After that, we moved over to the couch that was in the living room and turned on a movie. Angel sat to my left and Fang sat to my right. About half way through the movie, I realized how tired I was. I kept feeling my eyes drooping. The next thing I know, I'm waking up to a loud crash that came from the kitchen.
Fourteen
Kidnapped
Crash!
My eyes opened suddenly and for a moment, I didn't know where I was. Fang's, I must have fallen asleep last night. Then I heard the crash again and jumped up off the couch. Fang came out of his room, dressed in only his PJ pants, and looked over at me then back at the kitchen, where the sound had come from.
It must have been somewhere around three AM because it was pitch black out. Fang walked over to me and whispered, "Go tell Angel to hide; I'll go see what's going on. When she is hidden come back out here, it might take both of us," I nodded and then went to wake up Angel.
I walked into Angel's room quietly, and then shook her awake. She woke with a start but calmed when she saw it was me. "Angel," I whispered before she could speak. "Don't ask questions, just get under your bed and be as quiet as you can," I felt her tense as I said that, but she obediently got under her bed.
I walked out of her room, my eyes now well adjusted to darkness of the apartment. What I saw surprised me into fear; Fang was on the floor, tied up and duct taped. The next thing I know, I'm flat on the floor. I heard Nick yell something that I couldn't understand. I looked up at him, confused and scared, but the next thing I know, I feel a prick on my arm. I fought the sudden feeling of sleep, but eventually it took over. Everything drifted away and I was surrounded by a sea of darkness.
Fang's point of view~
I watched Emma walk into Angel's room before walking forward toward the kitchen, the source of the noise. I tensed the muscles in my wings and formed my hands into fists, preparing for the worst.
A million things were running through my mind, but only one thing stood out: Protect Angel and Emma. Angel is the only family I have; I need to protect her at all costs and Emma... I need to protect her too. Emma is special and, well, she means a lot to me.
I was just two steps in front of the kitchen when something hit me in the chest; Hard. The breath was knocked out of me as I doubled over holding my stomach. Then I fell backwards as something hit my face. Confusion swept over me as I noticed that there was no one there, I lifted my hand up to my nose and felt warm blood.
Everything happened really quickly after that. I was lifted off the ground by an unseen force that grabbed my wings and pulled hard. I felt the muscles pull in my shoulders painfully. As I staggered backwards, I swung my fist forward at nothing. I swung again, this time harder, but my fist stopped in mid-punch. It felt like a hand was grabbing it.
My arm was pulled behind my back along with the other. I felt a rough rope tie them together, and as I turned to see who was doing it, I saw nothing. All I saw was the yellow rope wrapped around my wrists.
I turned my head quickly as I heard the sound of tape being ripped, but as I turned my head, something taped the duct tape over my mouth. Something grabbed my feet out from under me and I fell forward, banging my head on the floor, and feeling my ankles being tied together.
"Stay calm, stay calm," I said to myself as I struggled against the rope. That's when a man suddenly appeared in front of me; he was in an all black jump suit and was wearing a mask that was only showing his eyes.
I heard a rusting and knew it was Emma coming out of Angel's room. When the man disappeared again, fear swept over me. "Emma, run!" I yelled, but it was extremely muffled from the duct tape.
She looked at me with shock in her eyes and did the last thing I wanted her to do, walk toward me. There was nothing I could do as the invisible man pinned her to the ground. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes as the man became visible again.
I watched as he stuck a small needle in her arm. I watched as her eyes began to cloud over. I watched as her eyes drooped and her head fell flat on the floor.
I yelled her name through the muffled tape, but there was nothing I could do as the man picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. That's when I let all of my anger out.
I felt the power run through me as my marked arm began to sting slightly. I knew that by now, my blue eyes were changed into a glowing, deathly red. I felt my muscles become hundreds of times stronger.
I ripped the ropes from my wrists and ankles like they were pieces of cotton. I ripped of the tape that was wrapped around my mouth, ignoring the pain. "Get your filthy hands off of her," I said through gritted teeth.
The flicker of fear in the man's eyes pleased me. I suddenly ran forward toward the man with all my strength, but suddenly hit dry-wall, smashing a hole through it. I looked up in angry confusion. The man was gone.
And so was Emma.
Fifteen
Dream
~Emma's point of view~
The sudden shock of freezing cold woke me. I opened my eyes to see I was laying on a hard surface with blinding white snow all around me. I sat up, shivering, and looked around. Sudden familiarity struck me like an arrow. I was back in my old neighborhood in Spokane, Washington; I was sitting on the snow covered pavement in front of my house, but there was something strange about it. I stood up and looked around. There were no people. There was no sound. There was nothing.
Shivering violently, I walked toward my old home, keeping my senses alert for any movement. When I walked in, I knew it must be a dream...or a distant memory. What I saw brought tears to my eyes.
Sitting in the middle of a brightly lit living room, was a Christmas tree, and sitting in front of it was a very young version of me. I must have been about two years old. I walked toward the living room and heard the small laugh of my mother from behind the tree, and then a short, deep laugh in response.
I froze in my spot. That laugh was so familiar but also so distant. Slowly, I walked around the huge, decorated tree. When I saw the left side of my mother's body, I stopped walking. I took a deep breath, ready to remember who my father is, ready to see him for real. My mother never kept photos hanging up in the old house.
I took another deep breath and jumped around the tree, but just as I was about to see my dad's face, my eyes opened. The sudden pain I felt in my head caused me to moan. I grabbed my head and then focus on where I am.
I look up to see dimly lit florescent lights. I looked down to see that I'm sitting on a hard, cement floor. I leaned on the cracked, cement wall as I stood up. My head was spinning.
The metal door on the other side of the room creaked open and two tall men, resembling what many people would call the presidents Secret Service men, walked in. They walked over to me and grabbed my arms. Too weak to resist, I let them drag me down the hallway. Finally I managed to get out a few slurred words. "Where am I?"
The two men acted as if I didn't say anything, they just kept dragging me down the long, hospital looking hallway. "Get up," one of them ordered me. I stood weakly on my wobbling legs.
"What did you do to me?" I asked quietly as I stumbled through a swinging, double door. They both ignored me again. I don't like being ignored. I stopped dead in my tracks.
Both the men turned their heads to look at me. "Come," one of the said.
I looked at both of them dangerously, my head still slightly spinning. "Where am I?" I asked them. They looked at me evilly, and then I saw one of them pull something out of his belt. Suddenly, something jabbed into my stomach and a jolt of painful electricity passed through me.
I yelled and grabbed my stomach. They shocked me again and this time I fell to the floor. I felt the tears on my cheeks as I wreathed in pain. They grabbed my arms and started dragging me again. We entered a large, lab like room.
The two men threw me across the floor into the room. I slid to a stop, holing my bruising stomach. I looked up to see a bleary outline of a man standing over me before my eyes closed and the sea of darkness washed over me again.
Fang's point of view~
"Angel," I called in worry as I ran into her room. If she was hurt, I would never forgive myself. I saw her head pop up from behind her bed. I ran over to her and hugged her as she cried.
"Where's Emma?" she asked as she looked behind me, expecting Emma to walk in. "What was that noise? Why are your knuckles bleeding?" I could see the fear in her eyes.
I stood up. "You need to go to the principle. Tell him that we were attacked and that they took Emma, I'm going to go get help," I answered.
"But," Angel stuttered, but I interrupted her.
"Angel," I said calmly. "You need to do this for me, okay?" I said to her. She nodded and then I saw her disappear, knowing she was probably at the school already.
I let my anger out again, making my power increase, knowing that my eyes were changing color. The color change must have been some kind of odd side effect of the mark. I ran out the door, knocking it off its hinges as I opened it. I jumped into the air, stretched out my wings, and took off.
I know that I can't take them on with just my own abilities. I need Jake. I flew quickly toward the country outside of the city. I guess you could call it country, Jake's family is really wealthy so they can afford to grow grass and keeps their huge house always looking new though the sun was always beating down on it.
I landed on the cement driveway, causing it to crack as I landed. I ran up to the door and knocked on it loudly, causing the metal to dent inwards. I should be trying to control my strength, but this is too urgent to be worrying about that right now.
Jake's mom opened the door slowly, exposing her enormous mansion. She looked up groggily, then her eyes widened as she saw me. "Fang? Your eyes," she said as she looked at me alarmed. "What's wrong, it's been a long time since I've seen you this angry,"
"Where's Jake?" I asked quickly. She looked at me skeptically. I heard footsteps walking behind her on the marble floor.
"What's going on mom?" asked Jake as he came up beside her. He took one look at Angel s face, saw his eyes and his voice then became serious. "What happened?"
I looked at him. "They took Emma," I said. "And I need your help getting her back," he nodded. I saw something flash in his eyes, and for some reason, I felt uneasiness in my stomach.
Sixteen
Unexpected Attack
~Emma's point of view~
I woke up strapped to a metal hospital bed. My head was clear, but it took me a minute of panic to figure out where I was. When the memory hit me, my panic was replaced with dread. I tried to move my head, wanting to look around the room, but the straps wrapped around my head were too tight. All I could do was look up at the florescent lights that hung in rows on the ceiling.
"Hello?" I asked shakily. I heard footsteps walking toward me on the linoleum floor. I felt the straps on my head loosen and I slowly lifted my head up to see a tall man standing in front of me. He looked like he could be in his early fifties. His hair was a short, dirty blond, almost grey and small wrinkles showed up on the corners of his eyes and on his forehead. For some reason, he looked remarkably familiar.
"Miss Jones, it's very nice to meet you," he with an evil smirk.
"I'd shake your hand, but a little tied up at the moment," I said sarcastically.
He had that same smirk on his face. "My name is Dr. Thomas Baxton; I'm head of Baxton Laboratory," he stated as he started walking closer to where my head was. The mere mention of his name mad my stomach drop and my blood run cold.
I closed my eyes to calm the panic that was running through my body. I felt the straps on my arms and legs loosen, and when I opened my eyes, guards were standing all around me. The doctor looked at me seriously now. "If you try to run, my guards will shoot you," he said to me.
I nodded, keeping myself looking calm as I sat up the metal table. Plan, plan, got to think of a plan! I said as he walked over to a small, rolling table holding a needle filled with green liquid. I looked around at the guards standing around me; there's nothing I can do right now.
"This will pinch slightly," Dr. Baxton said as he grabbed my arm and pulled it out straight and located the vain. "Any questions before you get the treatment?" he asked with an excited glimmer in his eyes.
"Two," I answered. He nodded, signaling me to proceed with the questions. "One: What is that, and Two: why did you choose me?" he smiled mischievously.
"Very good questions, Ms. Jones," he said then answered, "One: this is a drug that will advance your powers, and Two: your abilities and because of who your father is," I looked at him confusingly.
"Why does it matter who my father is?" I asked.
He shook his head then answered, "I'm surprised your mother didn't tell you about your father, even after you gained your amazing and rare abilities,"
"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.
He chuckled. "Your father was a very powerful man, the most powerful man that has ever lived!" he answered, flailing his hands with emphasis. When he saw that I was still confused, he smiled evilly. "Your father is The Protector, and you inherited his awesome abilities," I looked at him with glaring disbelief.
Fang's point of view~
"Fang!" yelled Jake over the sound of the wind rushing past our ears. "Do you even know where we're going?" I looked over at him. He had morphed into a bird and we were flying as quickly as the wind would take us.
"I have a pretty good idea of where they took her," I yelled grimly over the rush of the wind. I looked down over the desert as it rushed by. For some odd reason, the desert below looked familiar.
"Earth to Fang!" yelled Jake. I looked over at his feathered face. "Where would they take her?"
"Baxton Labs," I answered. There was a short, awkward silence, and during those seconds of silence, I heard an unmistakable whistle in the distance. Once the realization of what the noise was clicked in my head, I tucked my wings in and dropped, fast.
The ground rushed up fast. Right before I hit the ground, I spread out my wings to slow me down. My wings stretched painfully and I hit the ground harder than I expected. I looked around at my surroundings and saw why the area was so familiar: it was the canyon where Angel and I hid the night we escaped. Jake morphed back into human form in the air and landed in the sand next to me, sending sand and dust everywhere.
"What's going-," Jake was cut off as the heat seeking missile flew over the canyon.
"Jake, morph into a cold blooded animal and run!" I yelled as I ran toward the canyon wall, to the small crevice. Hopefully the cold mountain will hide my body heat.
I jumped into the crevice and slid back as far as I could into the cave, just as the missile hit the side of the canyon with a defining sound.
Everything instantly went dark.
~Emma's point of view~
"You're lying to me," I said in an angry voice.
"If I'm lying to you, this drug won't hurt at all; but if I'm telling the truth about your father, then this will be the most painful thing you will ever go through," he said casually.
Angry, I stood up and walked over to him. "I don't like being lied to," I said menacingly, keeping a scowl on my face. He laughed at me.
"You can't hurt me," he said smiling. "You can try but you won't even leave a bruise," I had had enough. I drew back my arm and then with all my strength, sent it flying toward his face.
Before I could even come close to his face, two guards grabbed my arms and yanked me back hard and held me in place as I kicked and screamed angrily.
The needle penetrated my arm. Through my skin, I could see the green liquid traveling through my veins. The pain was instant. I screamed as my body started burning. I fell to the floor and curled into a ball, clutching my arm. But even though all the pain, I realized two things.
One: my power felt stronger than ever; and two: he was telling the truth.
Seventeen
Betrayed
I swam in and out of conciseness as they dragged me from the lab. The only thought going through my head was about The Protector, my father. It's unbelievable. My head is telling me that it's all a lie, but my heart is telling me the opposite.
They toss me into my cell and I land on my side with a thud, sliding on the cement and then hitting the back wall. I just lay there, trying to piece together everything that has happened.
I don't know how much time has passed before two guards come into my room and toss a metal tray on the ground. A bowl of soup clashed to the ground and the soup splattered everywhere. A small role of bread rolled across the floor and landed an arm length away from me.
The guards left the room, slamming and locking the door behind them. I sit up against the wall and chew on the stale roll. The drug that they put into me had made me so weak that I can barely open my mouth.
I guess that's what they wanted it to do. Keep me weak until they know they can contain me. I look down at my scar. The redness and swelling has been gone for a while, but it still stings every day. I wonder if this is what Fang has had to go through every day since he was ten. Just the thought of Fang brings tears to my eyes. I lean back against the wall and with my entire strength scream at the top of my lungs.
~ Fang's point of views~
Darkness. Darkness everywhere. I can't move. I can barely breathe. I finally come to full realization that I'm not dead, almost, but not dead. I try to un-wrap my wings from around me only to send pain through my entire body as the pressure of the mountain presses down on my body. The only thing protecting me is my wings.
I almost give up hope. Letting my wings slowly lose their strength and feeling the force of the rocks push down more and more. Then a thought pushes its way into my mind. Emma, on the first day of school when we met, the look on her face when I jumped of the roof, the look of fear in her eyes when the invisible man took her; Emma, being tortured as I was when I was younger. That last thought makes my entire body clench. I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone I loved end up in that horrible place.
My anger explodes in a wave of energy. My wings turn to steel and my body glows red. I start to spin slowly, pushing rocks away with my wings and then, with one huge jump, I drill my way through the rocks with my wings as easily as if it were dirt.
I burst through the side of the cliff with a roar. I land on the ground with a thud, sending sand flying in all directions. Get control. I tell myself, but the anger keeps getting stronger as I stand still. Get Control. I tell myself more fiercely, but I can't shake it off. I turn in the direction of Baxton Labs and take off on foot, running almost as fast as my sister. The anger is so much. I hurts like a fire burning on the inside of me. GET CONTROL! I let out another roar as I stop and fall to my knees, grabbing my head between my hands and focusing. Slowly, my body stops shaking. My mind calms as I focus on anything but what angers me. I have a job to do, save Emma.
I stand and look out over the desert. In the distance, I see heat waves radiating off of a small building. I stretch out my now aching wings and jump into the air, flying toward the building with all the strength I could, and preparing for a gruesome battle.
~Jake~
I morphed back into myself and landed with a thud next to Fang. He looks like he's seen a ghost. "What's going-," I was cut off as a missile flew over the canyon.
"Jake, morph into a cold blooded animal and run!" Fang yelled as he took off toward a cliff; exactly according to plan. I morphed into a hawk and flew up to the top of the cliff just as the missile crashed into the side of the canyon.
"No way could he have survived that," I said to myself as I morphed back into myself. I pulled out my communication device and turned the volume up until I could hear static and stated my soldier ID. "Jake Baxton, ID number 55960. Battle report message," I waited a few minutes until the head of communications answered back.
"H.O.C., ID number 55223, state your message," he said back through the static.
"Target has been destroyed. Missile has made direct contact. Asking permission to return to base," I answered back through the device.
"Permission granted," answered the soldier. I morphed into an eagle and made my way to Baxton labs. My father is waiting for me.