Mutation

by Ameroq01

An original futuristic story.

Group A– Deadly – Extremely dangerous, advanced in their skill, highest threat level

Group B– Dangerous – Very dangerous, practiced in their skill, high threat

Group C– Potentially Dangerous – Can be dangerous, medium threat level

Group D– Docile – No threat, usually containing no special ability

Ember Rose: Junior – Class: N/A – Group: N/A

(7-8) English – Miss Price

(8-9) Gym – Mr. Lance

(9-10) History – Mr. Don

(10-11) Ability Enhancement – Mrs. Beck

(11-12) Science – Mrs. Finn

(12-1) Lunch – Lance + Beck Proctor

(1-2) Art – Mrs. Bern

~Introduction~

The medicines and drugs used by the humans washed into their waterways, polluting their sources of water and eventually seeping into their food sources. A chemical reaction began to take place within their bodies. Slowly, their children began to form mutations, both genetically and physically. The mutations became more and more common over time, until every generation of "normal" humans had died away, leaving only the enhanced creations in their wake.

The animals were unaffected by The Change, maybe because they were used to adapting and were better prepared for it, maybe because the human genes are more pliable than theirs.

The world is different now. And normal has been given a new meaning entirely.

Mutation

School, I've been told, is the same now as it was before The Change; routine, bland, and completely drama-filled. Though, not many people really know what it was like since no basic, ordinary humans are still living. No one really knows when The Change officially occurred, either. It is still a mystery to everyone. All we know is that the drugs and medicines used too frequently and in too high of doses finally bled into the drinking water and mutated us all. But we are told our minds and basic skills are the same as the humans' were, we have their inherited traits and functions, as well as human DNA. In a way, we are all still a form of human . . . but we are also so much more.

I trudged through the hall to my first period class, English, not looking forward to another day of bland reading of old literature. That's all Miss Price really did, day in and day out; read another chapter of the book, and do a study guide. At the end of a book sometimes we watched the movie version of it, if not, we started another book, and the cycle continued. She thought it was important that we learned how things were written before The Change. As if somehow that would keep us in touch with our human DNA.

Miss Price is in the most common class of mutation, as most of the population is, class 4; Basics, the lowest level in the genetic pyramid. Well, not the very lowest level. She wasn't like me. I was the very lowest. I wasn't even on the pyramid.

I am a Zero. A nothing.

In the eyes of everyone else at Enhancement Academy, I didn't exist. I had no special traits, no ability that set me apart from everyone else. In fact, the only thing not categorizing me as a full human is my mutated DNA. Maybe that's why my parents had left me here, at Enhancement Academy, when I was only a baby. Abandoned.

The teachers and students had actually thought I was a Psych at first, since they don't usually develop their powers until puberty, but when I still didn't change even after sophomore year here, they knew something was wrong with me. And now that I was a junior here, they knew I wasn't going to change.

I slumped into my seat at the back of the class, pulling out The Scarlet Letter and opening to Chapter 4. No one noticed me walk in. Not even a glance in my direction.

There were four basic classes of mutants. The Stealths; which had physical enhancements like strength or speed, the Psychs; which had mental abilities like mindreading or telekinesis, the Nekos; which had animal features or attributes, and the Basics; which had small sometimes unnoticeable mutations like shimmer skin or glowing eyes.

Then, from there, they were divided into four different groups based on how dangerous they were; Group A being deadly and Group D being harmless.

Some mutants were a mix of classes, when that happened, there was always one trait that was more dominant than the others, and that trait defined their class. Here at EA, we learned how to identify which class someone was in just by their looks or the way they moved. Everyone knew which class you belonged to (or didn't belong to, in my case). But as a rule, no one was allowed to know the groups assigned to each person, unless that person told you themselves. And it was forbidden to use your abilities unless absolutely necessary, which was a rule most didn't pay attention to anyway.

Mercifully, the shrill bell rang signaling that first period was over. I sighed in relief, shoving my tattered book inside my black bag and bolting with the rest of the students to my second period class.

"Ember!" I heard Kira's voice shout just as she shoved her way through the crowd to keep pace at my side, "There you are, ready for some dodge ball?" She asked slyly, showing off a white-toothed grin and whipping her white tail side-to-side nearly hitting a student behind her.

I chuckled as a reply and she linked arms with me, shoving through the crowd to get us to the locker rooms.

Kira was my best friend. My only friend.

She was my friend since back when I was "normal". Back when there was still the possibility I could change. She stayed my friend, and I loved her for it.

She's a Neko, Class 3. I wasn't sure of her group, but I guessed B or C. She definitely wasn't docile. She had two furry white ears that popped out from her straight golden, white-streaked hair atop her head, and a beautiful white tail. In addition to her visual wolfen features, I've noticed she has the instincts as well. As with most Nekos, Kira's inner animal was triggered by strong emotions that she had to constantly keep in check. I didn't know exactly what would happen if she didn't, but I figured it had something to do with losing her human side, and that was something it was best not to test.

Kira and I shared our second period gym class, and I was happy we had it together. She always had my back; she wouldn't let anyone take advantage of me for being a Zero.

We slipped into the girl's locker room and quickly changed into our gym clothes. We had seven minutes to dress, but Kira liked to get dressed and out into the gymnasium before the other girls swarmed the locker room and sprayed their infuriating body scents. Plus, she didn't care for crowds

—or most people, for that matter.

I slipped out of my dark-washed skinny jeans and black monster t-shirt and into black shorts and a matching black spandex tank top the academy had supplied. I kept on my black converse, and tied my long blonde hair into a ponytail at the base of my neck.

Kira swapped her tan low-riding cargo pants for green shorts and her earthy green t-shirt for another one exactly like it that brought out her mossy green eyes. She preferred simple clothes to the highly popular name brand nano-fiber and synth clothes. She left her shoulder length hair down and kept on her brown sneakers.

"Ready?" She asked, surveying me with her golden-flecked eyes.

I suppressed a chuckle at her eager expression and nodded, following her out to the gymnasium. Kira took gym a little too seriously . . . then again, gym at EA got pretty serious. Especially when people started using their abilities

—they didn't seem to understand the meaning of "forbidden".

We punched our names into the double scanner next to the golden double doors leading to the gymnasium, and held our thumbs against it as it quickly pricked them for the blood sample used to verify who we were. Our names and pictures popped up a moment later, and the golden doors clicked open, allowing us access to the cold, sterile-smelling gym room.

We entered and went directly to Mr. Lance, holding his clipboard and staring at it intently. Mr. Lance was a dream. He was the kind of guy you fantasized about but knew you could never have. He was in his early thirties, but didn't look a day over 19. I wasn't sure of his class or group, but he gave off a cool, confident vibe, one that said; I may look sweet, but don't cross me. I was pretty sure his ability dealt with not aging though.

I loved Mr. Lance. In addition to being completely hot, he was also a great teacher and nice guy. Most teachers treated me the same as the students did; but not Mr. Lance. He treated me the same as he treated everyone else, in fact, Kira liked to tease me and say he gave me special treatment.

"Miss Wolfe, Miss Rose." He nodded to Kira and I, his watery blue hair falling into his smoky gray eyes. He smiled briefly and handed us each a firm rubber ball, motioning us to the center of the gym while he stayed back by the doors, taking roll of the other entering students on his clipboard.

Dodge ball was considered an extreme sport at EA, and was most often played girls vs. boys. I genuinely liked the game . . . until the other students started using their abilities. It was unfair, I was pretty good at dodge ball in general, but how could I compete with someone who had super speed?

"Ems, you ready?" Kira asked excitedly, nearly jumping up and down with energy. She was like a puppy in that sense, so high-strung with energy she had to exert it, one reason gym was her favorite class. She was also way more competitive than me; I blamed her wolf DNA for that.

"As ready as always." I replied, watching the other students begin to file into the bland white-marbled gymnasium.

The gym was as big as a football field, easily holding the 112 students in our gym class. I watched as dozens of other students came in, all unique; wings, purple skin, a third eye, and tons of other mutations

—including ones below the surface that couldn't be seen. A weight seemed to press down on my chest; I always started feeling sorry for myself when I paid too much attention to my "peers."

Snap out of it, Ember.

The annoying voice in the back of my mind scolded, Stop being a wimp and get your head in the game!

I gripped the ball tighter in my hands. Mr. Lance only gave the first half of the students that entered the gym dodge balls, to make the game more interesting. That was the only time I seemed to have one. After the game started it was pretty much a battle between all the students to get a ball to throw. A battle I always seemed to lose.

The boys went to the other half of the gym that was divided down the center by a gray line. Kira stayed next to me, the golden flecks of her eyes expanding, leaving only a sliver of the normal green at the edges. This always happened before a competition of any kind, a trickle of her wolf instincts bled through to her conscious mind. It was cool, but a bit scary, like she wasn't all there inside her own head.

She grinned at me, showing her extended canines, "Let's do this, Em." Her voice was low, just a small rumble from within her chest.

I grinned back and we touched knuckles in our mutual show of solitude.

"ALL RIGHT, STUDENTS!" Mr. Lance's voice boomed throughout the gym, no megaphone needed. Everyone quieted immediately, and all eyes turned to him, standing next to the entrance in white nano-fiber shorts and a gold EA t-shirt. "Remember the rules," He said, his voice lowered but still rumbling through the room, "And absolutely NO abilities!" With that, he blew the whistle, and the game began.

It was definitely a battlefield. As always, I didn't get too close to the line separating the two teams, but I didn't completely cower in the corner either.

I could throw pretty well, and I wasn't slow . . . it was just that everyone else was fast.

I ducked as a ball flew just past my head, taking aim at a lizard Neko on the boys' team. I hurled the ball at him full force, and it hit its mark smack against his chest. For a moment he didn't move, looking surprised and then looking at me. I could imagine his thoughts; The Zero got me out?

After his initial shock wore off, he went over to the sidelines with the rest of his team members who had gotten hit.

"Nice throw!" Kira said enthusiastically, somehow appearing at my side with her tail wagging wildly. In the time it took me to throw my ball and get one person out, Kira had gotten six out, and dodged every ball that came her way. She was really good at gym.

"You too!" I said back, "You put everyone else to shame!" She jokingly elbowed me, and then shoved me to the left, out of the way of an incoming ball. With another fierce grin she sprinted away, her focus set on the game once again.

I did my best avoiding getting hit, but I barely got in any hits myself. I admit; I was jealous of Kira. She was good at everything, not to mention completely gorgeous. She had the perfect figure and her skin was just slightly tanned, setting off her exotic white wolfen features even more. I wished I could be as good as her.

Before I could react, a ball slammed into my face, knocking me backward. My head cracked loudly against the hard marble of the floor, and fire shot though my skull and pounded against it.

Every head seemed to whip in my direction to stare at me, but they were all so foggy . . . "Ember!" I heard Kira's voice distantly, but couldn't seem to spot her.

Two smoky eyes loomed above me, and I heard a sharp intake of breath as Mr. Lance helped me upright. I was lightheaded, and as I stood, the room spun. The only thing that kept me upright was Mr. Lance's firm grip on my arm.

The whole gym simply stood unmoving, but they all seemed so out of focus. It was as if time had stopped, they all seemed to be holding their breath.

"MOYER!" Mr. Lance's voice broke through my mental haze and I cringed at the harshness I'd never heard before, which brought back the pain. It was a throbbing sensation, mixed with a burning that scorched my entire skull and trickled down my neck. Suddenly I spotted Kira shoving through a group of students towards me, but a shake of Mr. Lance's head stopped her.

Her eyes were fully green again, and her ears drooped, a heartbreaking expression mottling her face. That was the last thing I saw before the world went black.

Chapter 2

My eyes flashed open and the back of my head throbbed with pain, as well as my nose and the entire left side of my face. I squinted into the harsh fluorescent lights beating down on me from the white ceiling, and slowly started to sit up. The familiar smell of lilac candles told me I was in the Nurse's office. I lay on a familiar rolling bed in a curtained room, like they would have at a hospital.

Just as I sat up, Mrs. Chub came through the curtain surrounding the room and pulled it closed behind her. She was a round middle-aged woman that kept her curly brown hair cropped short, and her sweet brown eyes calmed even the fiercest of mutants.

She smiled almost apologetically and came over to stand next to me,

"Ember, it's good to see you, it's been quite a while . . . though I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances."

I smiled slightly, wincing when it hurt my face even more. I used to get hurt all the time during my Ability Enhancement class

—a mandatory class at EA—back when they were hoping I'd change. The teacher tried to evoke my psychic power by scaring it out of me through battle, but of course it hadn't worked. So I landed in Nurse Chub's office every week to have her use her healing power on me.

"You cracked your skull when you hit the gym floor, and the impact of the ball broke your nose as well as bruised the left side of your face." She frowned, waiting for a response, but I didn't know what to say. When I just looked at her, she continued.

"I healed your skull, and bandaged your nose . . . but unfortunately a student had an accident earlier today and my healing abilities aren't fully recharged yet. You'll still have quite a bit of pain, and I won't be able to heal your nose until tomorrow morning."

"Oh, that's okay." I said, finally finding my voice. It came out sounding rougher than I expected, so I cleared my throat, "Do I need to go back to class?"

She smiled, seeming satisfied I hadn't suffered brain damage, "Heavens no! You've been out for an hour, I checked your schedule, you missed the rest of gym and your history class is halfway over . . . And I don't think it's wise to go to your Ability Enhancement class today."

I nodded; I definitely wasn't going to be practicing any martial arts today.

"Also," She continued softly, "Mr. Lance sent a boy up with your clothes; your gym clothes are a bit . . . dirty." Her eyes swept my neck and down my tank top. My shoulders and back were dried with my blood, and I could feel it matting my hair. "Mr. Lance instructed the boy to stay with you until you were fully healed. Apparently, he's the ball-thrower."

"Oh, ah, okay." Words seemed to elude me, maybe it was the pain, yeah, it was the pain, "Thank you."

She smiled, "Rest, dear. I'll send him in." With that, she hobbled out and I lay back down, not caring my hair was caked with blood and my face was mangled. The pain was worse.

Missing the rest of gym and History was no big loss to me. I didn't care for those classes anyway. Ability Enhancement was a special class, mandatory every year you were at EA. It was a class designed to help you control and master your special abilities. But the basics

—who generally didn't have an ability (and me, since I didn't either)—just learned martial arts and how to fight. I was pretty good, I exceled in my self-defense classes . . . until I was paired against someone who had an ability.

The curtain parted, and a boy walked into the cramped curtained room.

I recognized him immediately; Damien Moyer. He was one of the "big players" at EA. Class 1, and a rumored Group A made him very desirable. Not to mention his notorious bad-boy reputation.

He wasn't too bad to look at, either; he was tall and lean with ink black hair falling just shy of his eyes. His eyes. They were what was so unusual about his looks, what set him apart. His eyes were blacker than his hair. They were all pupil, with no color iris. They gleamed with mischief and something darker, sucking you in like a black hole.

He wore a light blue t-shirt that slightly offset his dark demeanor and navy blue jeans that were neither too tight nor too loose. His gray converse sneakers slightly calmed the chills his vibe gave me. His presence seemed to set me on edge even more than I usually was.

I saw him around school all the time, but I'd never come within a ten yard radius of him. He was a Stealth, and I was a Zero. Of course he'd been able to throw the ball hard enough to break my nose and send me flying to the floor

—He had enhanced strength.

I was suddenly much more conscious of my battered face and skimpy gym clothes, unsure what I should say or do. I'd heard so many stories about Damien

—mostly bad. And now I could understand some of them. His vibe wasn't just dark, it was menacing.

To my relief, he spoke first, "Here's your stuff." His voice purred, and he gently set my black tote bag on the small empty table next to the bed, "And sorry . . . about your face." He looked almost apologetic. Either that or he was amused. It was really hard to tell with those eyes.

"Yeah, it's fine

—I'm fine." I thanked whatever higher power it was that let my voice come out strong and even. I didn't want to look any more weak and pathetic than I already did.

He stood there for a few moments, studying me, and it was hard not to squirm under the power of his gaze. Finally, he eyed the room seeming displeased, and left through the curtain only to return moments later holding a green metal chair in one hand, obviously flaunting his strength. He sat in the chair next to the bed and continued to stare at me, to my dismay.

I fidgeted, "I'm fine, really

—you don't need to stay." He was probably even more uncomfortable than me, though you'd never tell from his calm demeanor. I knew he didn't want to spend his time, or be seen with a Zero.

"Oh, I really do." He replied smoothly, "You weren't there when Lance flipped."

"Oh." Was my only reply. I was being so good with my words today. I was surprised he was willing to stay with me, being forced or not, most people wouldn't have even showed up.

"So….." He began, running his hand back through his hair, "Come here often?"

"Uhm, sometimes." I clasped my hands together, staring at them intently, as if they would help me with my apparent speech issues.

"How come?" He asked innocently, leaning towards me and staring even harder. His face looked smooth, but he had a scar on his forehead, hidden by his hair . . . he was too close. My head suddenly started to throb with a hard pressure pushing against it, "Because I'm a Zero!" I said sharply and loudly. The words escaped before I'd even had time to think about them.

He flinched, and dropped his eyes to the floor. Almost instantaneously, the pressure lifted from my head and was replaced with a dull ache. The pain tranqs Nurse Chub gave me had kicked in.

I hadn't meant to be so harsh; I didn't know why I suddenly said that . . . it wasn't like me at all. It took a lot more than a little comment to set me off.

"Sorry . . ." I said slowly, "I uh, I'm going to go change." I slowly got off the bed on the side opposite to Damien, and my vision blurred for a second before returning to normal. He handed me my bag as I rounded the bed to the entrance, not meeting my eyes. I took it and left him in the curtained room, going to the bathroom.

Chapter 3

I stepped out of the shower in the Nurse's bathroom, feeling clean and refreshed despite the aching in my body. My wet hair clung to my back, hanging just a few inches shy of my waist.

I dried off and slipped back into my dark jeans, carefully maneuvering my Monster t-shirt over my head to avoid touching my nose. Feeling better now that I was clean, I took a peek at my face in the mirror above the small sink. My usually pale skin was an angry purple-blue color on the entire left side of my face, and the plaster cast on my nose was a clean white that offset the bruising further. My sky blue eyes were bloodshot, making it look as if I'd been crying, which I hadn't. I sighed, I was never happy with my average looks, but now I was way below average. My small frame looked frail, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

I dug an insta-dry packet out of my bag and crushed it over my head. The herbal mixture puffed into a green cloud of fog around my head and absorbed every drop of water from my hair on contact. Insta-dry packets were a huge market for the female population, no longer did girls have to take hours drying and styling their hair.

X X X X

I ran my fingers through my hair, smoothing it out, and took one last wistful look in the mirror before grabbing my bag and returning to the curtained room I'd been in. I was exhausted, and hungry.

I entered the room, Damien was sitting in the same chair, in the same place he had when I'd left as if he hadn't moved at all since I'd been gone.

I cleared my throat and he sprung from his chair, making me blink, "I, uh, think I'm going back to my dorm." I said slowly as his eyes looked me over, making heat rush to my face.

"I'll come with you." He said quickly, "And we can pick up lunch on the way."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. You can go back to class."

He shrugged, "Lance said to stay with you until you were healed," he motioned to my face, "You don't look healed."

"I'm fi

—" He held up his hand to stop me,

"It's not like I have anything better to do."

I eyed him curiously. How could this be the popular Damien that hated Zeros? The one that used everyone, had a new girl each and every week, the one everyone admired but hated at the same time, the bad boy, who wouldn't spare any weakling a second glance.

If there was one thing everyone at EA knew, it was that Damien Moyer was bad news.

So why was he being so nice to me?

I sighed, and left the room. Damien followed me close on my heels,

"I'll talk to Nurse Chub; you can get us lunch from the Café. I like my steak-burgers rare." He grinned, winked, and before I could respond he was already halfway to Nurse Chub's office. I silently fumed as I hiked my bag onto my shoulder and made my way to the Café at the edge of the school.

The Café was in a building separate from the school, but was still connected to it by one long hallway. One of the many fluorescent red digital clocks on the wall said it was 11:56, almost my normal lunch time.

I made it to the Café before the other students from my lunch period. I hurried over to the Conveyer, grabbing two styrofoam containers next to the stack of green trays. I went through the different food stations, grabbing two steak-burgers from the many choices of main courses sitting on the heated glass counter. I had no idea what Damien would like with his burger, so I picked up some of everything, hurrying away before I was trampled by the hoard of hungry students now entering the Café and making their way to the line.

I carried the two boxes of food to the Café's exit door leading to the courtyard and pushed the door open with my hip. As the door swung open, a strong hand caught it from the outside and I froze, startled.

"You weren't trying to ditch me, were you?" asked Damien with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"N

—no." I said shakily, shoving one of the boxes—the heavier one—at him, "I got your burger." Then I moved past him into the crisp fall air, hearing the Café door close behind me with a loud click. He hurried to catch up with me and matched my pace with ease.

"So, where are we going now?" He asked, carrying his box in one hand and peering at me.

A gust of wind blew my hair into my mouth, and I angrily shoved it back, but let it stay over my shoulder to create a barrier between Damien and me. His stare unnerved me.

"I," I said sharply, "Am going to my dorm."

He shrugged, "Sounds good

—you got a roomie?"

Instead of answering, I shook my head. Not everyone lived on campus

—Kira lived a few miles away with her parents—but no one had been willing to room with a Zero.

The rest of the walk passed in silence. I didn't mind. It was a peaceful walk through the courtyard to the student housing, with only the crunch of leaves under our feet, and the song of the birds breaking the silence.

It wasn't an awkward silence, either. I didn't feel the need to make idle conversation. Damien stayed to my right side, a few paces behind me. But I didn't need to look back to know that. I could almost feel him there; his dark vibe seemed to shoot out daggers all around him, making my skin crawl.

He'd piqued my curiosity at this point. I had so many questions. The first being; was I wrong about him?

But of course I'd never ask. He'd serve out his sentence, see that I was healed, and everything would go back to normal

—he'd go back to acting like I didn't exist. Because, to him, I didn't.

We arrived at my building. It was the farthest from the forest that backed the school. It matched the other dorms; small, bland, and gray.

I dug in my bag until I found the key and unlocked the cold metal door with a gold

88-Z on the top.

Damien pulled it open and held it for me. Keeping any expression off my face, I went in.

My dorm was one larger room with another smaller room off to the side which was the bathroom.

My plain black-sheeted bed was pushed up against the wall next to a window with the blinds pulled shut. A gray metal desk was shoved into the other corner holding some notebooks and the school-provided laptop. Next to the bed was a small wooden side table holding an ancient-looking skull head that was actually a lamp. Next to the entrance door on either side were twin black dressers piled with knick-knacks and beloved items. On the right next to one of the dressers was my small closet, and on the left was the door leading to my bathroom.

XXXX

I flopped down on my bed, dropping my bag to the floor. Damien closed the door behind him and sat in the gray swivel chair at my desk, immediately taking out his steak burger and biting into it.

He chewed it carefully, savoring the flavor before swallowing and finally speaking,

"This is not rare."

I sighed with a chuckle, realizing I'd been staring at him the entire time and looking away.

"And why is it so dark in here?" He added.

"I like it dark."

"I can tell." He surveyed my Monster band posters that lined every inch of the walls, along with a very large painting of bloody skulls and roses above my bed

—a gift from Kira for my last birthday.

I avoided looking at him and instead got some fries out of my box and nibbled at them. It hurt my nose to chew too much.

Once Damien had finished every ounce of food in his box, and I'd given up on trying to eat; he looked at me. He stared with the same intensity he had in the Nurse's office, and a sudden pressure knocked me back, pulsating against my skull so hard I thought it would crack open…again. I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as possible and pressed my fists against my temples until the pressure abruptly cut off.

"Why?!" He demanded, suddenly grabbing onto my shoulders and shaking me roughly as well as holding me down firmly. I looked up at Damien, hovering over me, with complete confusion. What was going on?!

"Why?!" He demanded again, digging his nails in, "Why can't I access you?!" His expression was crazed, and his eyes seemed to ripple within; a black hole, absorbing any light. His dark vibe nearly smothered me.

"You're hurting me," I choked out.

He quickly released me and backed away, looking at his hands in disbelief. I lay there, panting for breath, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

This guy was insane!

I slowly sat up, mustering the courage to speak, just as my door flew open bringing in a cold gust of air.

"YOU SON OF AN OGRE!" Kira roared, sweeping into the room like a whirlwind.

Before Damien even had time to realize what was going on, Kira's fist connected with his face and he flew backward into the wall. Literally.

I knew Kira could access wolf strength, but I never knew how much

—I'd never had Ability Enhancement class with her.

She growled, and stalked over to Damien, who quickly stood with a firm glare set in place. I wondered if Kira's strength matched his

—but Damien had unlimited strength, Kira only had as much as she had energy to spare.

Her eyes glowed fully gold, and her teeth were fully elongated and sharp, changing her whole face and turning it more lupine than human.

She lunged at him, but he caught her fist and tripped her, "Stupid dog!" He yelled, rubbing his face

—but he shouldn't have said that because if there's one thing Kira hated, it was being called a dog.

She bit onto his leg, her teeth sinking in with a sickening gurgle. Damien roared and fell to the ground, grabbing a fistful of her hair.

"STOP IT!" I screamed when I finally found my voice.

Surprisingly, they both froze, staring at me. Kira looked shocked, her golden eyes wide, blood smeared across her face. As if she hadn't expected to see me in my own dorm room.

Damien looked stricken, like Kira had gotten in a second surprise punch. His left pant leg was torn and blood soaked into the fabric of his jeans. A red welt on the left side of his face in the shape of Kira's fist smoldered.

They both shuffled to their feet, Damien grabbed his empty lunch box, moved past Kira and picked up my half full one, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ember." He said, looking back over his shoulder, meeting my gaze before he left, only slightly limping, and closing the door behind him.

I quickly turned to Kira and glared my sharpest glare, standing up, "What the hell was that, Kira?!" I demanded.

The gold of her eyes instantly receded into her pupils, letting her eyes return to their human green. As she spoke, I could see her teeth had also returned to normal.

"I was defending you . . . he hurt you." The expression on her face was heartbreaking, but also kind of scary with the blood caked around her mouth. I sighed, letting my shoulders sag,

"Go clean off your face, then we can talk."

She gave me a shy half-smile and disappeared into my bathroom. It's a good thing my carpet was black

—I didn't want to know if it was covered in blood or not.

This was too much excitement for one day.

Chapter 4

Kira sat cross-legged on my bed, facing me. Her face was clean, but her eyes still held some guilt

—no doubt from letting me see her lash out.

"I was trying to punish him

—he could've killed you!" She reasoned, raising her voice.

I pursed my lips, "Let the school handle the punishing

—As you can see, I'm not dead."

She groaned, "Emberrrrrrr."

I sighed, "How'd you know he was here, anyway?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow at her.

She picked at a loose string on my bed sheet, not meeting my eyes, "I tracked him . . ."

I stared at her, straining to keep my jaw from dropping, "Do you know how much trouble you would be in if someone saw you?! If he tells?!"

She winced, still not looking at me, "But . . . he used his ability first . . . almost bled you out . . ."

I sighed again harshly. I knew Kira had good intentions, I knew she was just looking out for me

—but she was always so reckless, and that worried me. If she got caught using her wolf abilities at all—not to mention using them to get back at and harming another student—she would be severely punished and expelled. Then I'd be truly alone.

Damien had used his ability in gym, but he hadn't meant to hurt anyone, plus just about everyone used their ability at some point in gym. Mr. Lance had cut Damien a huge break.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and she looked up, "I know you're just looking out for me

—but if you get expelled, there won't be anyone to look out for me. Plus, I can take care of myself."

She was unconvinced of my last statement, but pulled me into a tight Kira-hug anyway, knowing that this was my way of forgiving her.

Her tail wagged contently, swishing against my bed sheets, and despite my no-hugging rule, I hugged her back.

"Ems, before you explain what Damien was doing in your dorm; there is one more thing you should know."

"What's that?" I asked, pulling back and looking at her.

"When I was tracking Damien . . . I couldn't sense you."

I stared at her, "What do you mean . . .?"

"I mean, I track by scent

—Damien has a gross cologne/oil/fog smell—you . . . you don't have one."

I blinked, not understanding what she was saying, and my chest pounding with dread.

"Ember, everything has a scent, each person has a distinct one that labels them, and tells who they are no matter what. You used to smell like burnt roses

—but now, it's like you don't exist."

X X X X

"What are you talking about . . .?" I asked numbly, sounding mechanical even to myself.

"I'm saying sometime between now and the last time I tracked, you lost your scent."

"But you said that wasn't possible

—everyone has one."
She nodded solemnly, looking almost as confused as me.

"What does that mean?" I whispered, fearing the worst.

"That you're completely undetectable and untraceable

—to anyone who tracks by scent, at least." She poked my arm, "Because you seem pretty clucking real to me."

I smiled at the word clucking. A few years ago, Kira had gotten into some pretty big trouble for her constant use of colorful language. Since then, she'd started replacing her swear words with completely ridiculous ones that made no sense at all.

"It's actually pretty cool," She continued, sudden realization shining in her eyes, "Ember! What if this is an ability! What if you aren't a Zero?!" She said excitedly, shaking my shoulders. It was a good thing the plaster cast on my nose had completely hardened, or I'd be in some serious pain.

I removed her hands from my shoulders, "Kira, if I was going to get an ability, I would've gotten it by now. Besides, I don't think not having a scent counts as an ability."

She frowned, "You are such a pessimist."

"And that's what you love about me." I said, completing the same bicker we always had.

She smiled, "Either way, we need to ask Mrs. Beck about it. She'll know."

"Well, I have to go in earlier tomorrow to get my nose healed anyway, I can ask her then."

"I'll meet you there! Like, 6:30?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

She wagged her tail, more excited for me than I could ever be. I couldn't let myself get excited, because if I did, if I got my hopes up, it would hurt that much more to find out it wasn't true.

"So, now it's your turn to do the explaining." She said, readjusting her position to lean back against my puffy gray pillows.

She rolled her eyes at my dumbfounded expression, "Jeez Ember, for someone so smart you sure are dumb. Damien! What was he doing here?"

Well, there was no getting out of this. When Kira wanted something, she wouldn't leave you alone until she got it.

So I explained everything to her, not leaving anything out. If there was anyone I could trust, it was Kira.

X X X X

"Wowwwwwwww." She finally said when I was done. I was proud; she hadn't interrupted me once during my entire time explaining (or mentioned anything about my mottled face)

—but now she had a million questions to ask.

"Okay, first of all, since when does 'Mr. Popular' care about what teachers say?

—Or hurting people, for that matter? And Ember! He held you down?—What the French fries?! He used his strength directly on you! You could've been seriously hurt!—And what was he doing to you? Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't showed up!—And that pressure on your head was obviously from him—Why I oughtta—"

I silenced her by putting up my hand,

"First," I held up one finger, ticking off the points as I went, "I have no idea why he listened to Mr. Lance, or if he really cared about hurting me. I have no clue why he stayed with me at all. I don't know why he held me down, or if he was even using his strength

—he's probably pretty strong even without it. I don't know what happened with the pressure—it was there and gone so fast I didn't have time to react."

"Well," She said, calmer now, "He definitely used his strength on me. There's no way he could've stopped a wolf punch otherwise."
"True." I contemplated, "But he seemed sincere in being sorry, he seemed . . . nice, even."

She scoffed, "Watch it, Ember, that hit in the face might've killed some brain cells."

I glared at her.

"Come on. You know as well as I do that he's a snake. He's up to something."

"What on Earth could he be up to? He has nothing to gain!" I said in exasperation.

"I don't know. But whatever it is must have something to do with 'accessing' you. We need to find out what that is, and what he's up to."

"Okay, I'll agree on that, but it's not like I'll ever see him again."

My thoughts flashed back to what he said just before he left; I'll see you tomorrow, Ember.

Kira seemed to be thinking the same thing, "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

I nodded, "How'd you get out of class so early anyway?"

She smirked, "Girl problems. Works every time."

We both laughed, until a buzzing from Kira's cargo pants startled us. She fished the pocket at her knee, pulling out her phone and flicking the small glowing screen with her thumb.

"Gotta go, mom's waiting at the gate for me

—I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early."

I nodded, glad she'd be there . . . Just in case she happened to be right about Damien.

"By the way, check your phone once in a while!" She chastised.

"Oops, I forgot about it. Hard to remember when there's only one person you text."

She rolled her eyes, and touched knuckles with me before leaving, probably using some wolf speed to get to her mother before she got impatient.

Once she was gone I sighed and laid back on my bed, after a moment, I dug in my bag, pulling out my phone. I flicked the screen with my thumb and it lit up, recognizing my touch. Its' dim glow illuminated my room, making me realize how dark it had gotten.

13 New Messages;

Kira

3 Missed Calls;

Kira

Of course she'd texted me and called

—the gym had probably been cleared out to be disinfected. She must've been frantic.

As I lay on my bed, flipping through the messages from Kira, I let the day's events replay in my mind.

What was with Damien?

First, he does as Lance says and stays with me

—risking his social status, then he comes to my dorm, acting sincerely nice, then he flips out and holds me down like some kind of psychopath saying things that don't make any sense at all.

And then there was the pressure on my head. It had happened twice; once in the Nurse's office, and once in my dorm. Did he have another ability? Everyone knew about his strength

—but was there more? I absently wondered what group he was put into.

I groaned, rolling over onto my stomach. I was over-analyzing

—and giving myself a headache. I plugged my phone in to charge and set it on my nightstand, reluctantly pulling myself out of bed to change into my pajamas before crawling back under the covers. I was exhausted.

I dug my iPod out of my bag and turned the volume down, until it was only whisper loud, playing my favorite Monster song. I set it next to my phone, and closed my eyes. Letting the techno-screams lull me into unconsciousness.

Chapter 5

My phone alarm went off, and the shrill ring of it startled me awake. I hadn't dreamed. I never dreamed. I tapped the lit screen twice and the alarm abruptly stopped. I groaned inwardly, dragging myself out of bed. I usually didn't have to get up until 6:20, but today I had to get up and hour earlier to get healed and talk to Mrs. Beck.

My face throbbed. It felt like I'd fallen asleep in cement. I was not a morning person; I loathed them.

Reluctantly, I got out of bed and showered to wake myself up, using a precious insta-dry packet to save time. I glared into the mirror above my bathroom sink, as if it was to blame for the dark circles around my eyes, bruised face, and pounding headache.

I decided to wear a pair of black skinny jeans and my snug gray t-shirt with bloody skulls on it. And of course my converse, the black moon and star choker I never took off, and my silver crescent moon earrings.

I pocketed my phone, put my iPod in my bag, and slipped on my dark gray sweatshirt before heading to the school.

It was still dark out, and the other dorms were silent with still sleeping students. The air was chill, but felt nice against my bruised face. Everything was still, with only the chirping of crickets breaking the silence.

I was still exhausted, and felt awful in general, but on the bright side; at least it wasn't raining. After 15 minutes, I made it to the front doors of the school, exactly an hour before classes were to begin.

The double doors were made of bulletproof glass and secured with a print-scanner, keeping up with the Academy's reputation for keeping its students safe. Sometimes, the mutations of certain people's genes went too far; they became too mutated. We called them the Mutts. Mutts could mutate in several different ways; their minds could become twisted and completely inhumane, their bodies could mutate to the point that they simply died or lived in misery, or, rarely, they was a mixture of both.

Recently, there had been an issue across the country of Mutts breaking into schools and slaughtering students

—so the schools had to take extra precautions against attack.

I let the scanner verify who I was, and the doors' lock clicked open, letting me inside. The warm air of the front lobby enveloped me, and the elaborate gold and white room seemed almost eerie with no one else in it.

I went to the office at the center of the lobby and punched my name into the giant computer screen that sat on the desk. The secretary that made announcements and signed people in didn't come in until school actually started. The computer marked me present and confirmed I was here to see the nurse.

I walked through the empty hall with my footsteps making an infuriating tapping noise against the white-marbled floor that did nothing to ease my headache. I took the steps two at a time, finally arriving at the Nurse's office; the last room on the second floor.

I went in and immediately the smell of lilac candles hit me as I saw Nurse Chub scribbling on a notebook at her desk. She sprang up at the sound of the door closing behind me.

"Hello Ember," She said cheerily, "I hadn't expected you so soon."

"Sorry, the pain was really getting to me." I said, trying to ignore my migraine, and suddenly thankful Nurse Chub had even been here so early.

She smiled, "Come back to the healing room, I'll get you patched up."

I followed her past three curtained rooms like the one I'd been in and back into a tiny office room; her healing room. I'd been in it plenty of times, and it still looked exactly the same. There was a white-sheeted bed shoved into the right corner of the room, a small desk to the left of the entrance, and a tall metal shelf in the back left corner filled with both books and purple lilac-scented candles.

"Have a seat," She motioned to the bed, "You know the rest."

I did know the rest. I sat down on the soft cushioned bed, closing my eyes and pushing all thoughts to the back of my mind. I had to be calm/ I took deep breaths and let them out in short puffs like I'd been instructed each time I'd been here before. I thought of the meadow; plush green grass shining underneath the golden rays of the sun, purple violets springing up everywhere and a small stream rippling down the middle. It was my dream place, and it always calmed me to think of it.

Distantly, I heard Nurse Chub mumbling words I couldn't understand, and felt her warm index fingers pressing lightly against my temples. A feeling of warm, gooey honey trailing down my face made it difficult to focus on the image of my meadow, and I squeezed my eyes shut harder to focus.

I felt a glow, warm and brilliant inside my mind's eye spread through my body and settle in my chest. Within seconds, it was over.

"Ember." A distant voice cooed, coaxing my slowly back to the real world.

I opened my eyes, seeing Nurse Chub beaming above me with a slight sheen of sweat glistening on her face.

"You're all healed."

I touched my face, like I couldn't believe it was true, even though she'd healed me the same way many times before.

"Thank you." I said, smiling gratefully, happy my headache was finally gone.

"Anytime. You still have 40 minutes before classes begin."

"Yeah, I have an appointment with Mrs. Beck."

"Oh, well good luck!" She said cheerily, walking back to her desk as I left. I closed the door to her office behind me and

—

"Ember."

A squeak left my mouth as I jumped nearly three feet in the air. I whirled on Damien, who was leaning casually on the wall next to the Nurse's door.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I whisper-shouted. It felt odd to speak normally when it was so quiet.

The left corner of his mouth rose into a half-smile that looked both stunning and devious at the same time, "Your face looks good."

I blinked, unsure if that was a compliment, he's avoiding your question, idiot.

Oh. Right.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you doing here

—and what happened with you yesterday?!" I demanded.

He sighed, and pushed away from the wall to stand normally, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans,

"Look, I'd appreciate if what happened could stay just between us."

"There is no 'us', I'm healed now. Plus it's too late anyway."

He scoffed, "Okay, don't tell anyone else then

—the dog won't squeal."

"She is not a dog!" I nearly yelled, "And stop avoiding my questions!"

"Look, no one is going to believe a Zero anyway

—and if the d—" a glance at my glare made him pause, "if Kira tells, I can go to the headmaster and show her the bite marks on my leg."

That conniving, evil, little

—

"Whatever. Just stay away from me."

He wasn't going to answer my questions anyway, and I wasting any more time. I brushed past him and started walking to Mrs. Beck's classroom at a brisk pace.

But he followed me! I kept walking, ignoring him and hoping he'd go away

—but he didn't. Finally, I stopped and turned to him, "Do you mind?!" I demanded in exasperation.

He shrugged, "What are you going to Beck's for?"

"None of your damn business! Now go away before Kira gets here and beats you up again."

He frowned, "I was caught off guard

—plus, she isn't crazy enough to do that inside the school."

I raised my eyebrow, he really didn't know Kira.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I dug it out and answered, "Hey."

"Hey Ems, I'm here

—where are you?"

"Second floor, going down the staircase near the Nurse's office."

"Cool, I'll meet you in a sec."

She hung up and I put my phone back in my pocket, looking at Damien with my hands on my hips.

He shrugged nonchalantly. His attitude was really getting annoying. I silently screamed, and went down the stairs with Damien following close on my heels. I just hoped Kira could keep it together.

After waiting only seconds at the bottom of the elaborate spiral staircase, Kira showed up, and noticing Damien, had a scowl set firmly in place.

"What is he doing here?" She demanded, giving me an "I told you so" look.

"I don't know, he won't go away."

We both looked at him angrily and he shrugged, "Color me intrigued."

Kira looked from him to me, as if questioning what was really going on, but I could only shrug. I had no idea.

A small rumble came from Kira as she tried

—and failed—to keep the blatant hatred off her face, "Whatever. Let's go."

With that, she turned on her heel and started down the long hallway to Mrs. Beck's room. I ignored Damien and hurried to catch up with Kira, following behind her. I felt like she was mad at me for Damien being here

—but that wasn't my fault, I didn't want him around anymore than she did. But at the same time, she seemed to have a real loathing for him, and I didn't know why. Besides the fact he nearly killed me with a dodge ball, and that he was creepy in general, I really didn't know any reason Kira would have to hate him.

As we got closer to the room, my heart rate picked up and my palms began to sweat. Deep down, a tiny seed of hope had planted itself within me

—the very seed I promised I wouldn't plant.

You are a Zero,

my mind hissed.

A Zero. I couldn't be more. I couldn't hope to be more.

As we reached her room, Kira turned to look at me. Only an inch shorter than me, we were at eye level, "Go ahead." She motioned to the door and stepped aside. I inhaled silently, trying not to let Kira see how nervous I really was, and went inside.

Mrs. Beck's room was a chemical mess. Even more so than the science lab. Potions, beakers, and experiments sat bubbling on four large lab tables in the back of the room. Books and ingredients and labeled containers covered every visible inch of the shelved walls, as well as filled the entire "coat closet" that was behind Mrs. Beck's desk and next to another door leading to the training room that was about half the size of the gym.

She sat at her desk at the head of the room in front of an old-fashioned chalk board that was used before The Change.

She looked up at our entrance from the book she was studying and focused her piercing yellow eyes on us. Her long forked tongue flicked in and out of her mouth towards us, smelling the air.

"Welcome ssssstudents. Ssssssso nice to sssssssee you." She hissed.

Mrs. Beck was the most intimidating teacher at Enhancement Academy. She was a Snake Neko. She had the eyes that sent chills down your spine, to forked tongue she used to smell, as well as a scaly diamond pattern down her arms and back. But not only was she a Neko, she also had enhanced strength, as well as an ability called "intimidate". It was a unique snake trait. You couldn't look directly in her eyes for too long

—if you did, she could command you to obey her, or you would get partial paralysis. She was an obvious Group A, and her fangs contained poisonous venom that would kill within minutes. Of course she wasn't able to use her powers either, unless she needed to. No one disobeyed Mrs. Beck.

She stood from her desk, all 6'7" of her slinking over to us in an almost predatory way. She kept her short dark hair slicked back, and wore a backless leather tank top, showing off her scales, with tight dark pants and platform heels. She had a chilling sort of beauty.

"Mrs. Beck," Kira spoke up before I chickened out, "We have reason to believe Ember may have an ability." Mrs. Beck raised her eyebrows and scanned each of our faces.

Since Kira was also part predatory animal, Mrs. Becks' intimidate didn't affect her as much

—and if it affected Damien, he sure didn't show it. He stayed silent, with his gaze steady and unwavering.

Mrs. Beck's eyes settled on me, "Is this true, Ember?"

I nodded one quick, swift nod and put on a straight face.

She put her hand at her chin, contemplating something, and let her tongue flick out. It gave me the creeps when she did that.

"What ability do you think you possess?" She asked me

"I . . . don't know exactly." I said honestly, feeling silly to bother Mrs. Beck with something we weren't even sure of.

"What do you mean?" The hiss on her S's was gone, as she tried to act more human for us. Even without the hiss, something about her voice sounded sly and menacing

—a complete contrast to her sweet personality.

I looked to Kira for help and she reluctantly spoke, "I . . . can't exactly say. But she's different."

"How am I supposed to help, if you can't tell me what's going on?" She reasoned.

Crap. Kira couldn't tell

—if she did, she could get in real trouble for using her powers. Then again, Mrs. Beck was the Ability Enhancement teacher—she knew everyone, and everyone's powers. She'd helped developed them. She wouldn't tell . . . at least I hoped not.

I nudged Kira with my elbow and she sighed, she knew if I had an ability it was worth a little trouble.

"I can't smell her." Kira said flatly.

Mrs. Beck stared, "Excuse me?"

"Yesterday after Ember got hurt, I tried to track her to know where she was

—but she had no scent. I couldn't track her." She explained, fibbing only slightly.

"Well," Mrs. Beck said matter-of-factly, "I can smell her." For emphasis she flicked her tongue out again.

"What?" Kira blurted, clearly confused, "She had no scent, like she didn't even exist

—how is that possible?"

Mrs. Beck shrugged, "Try tracking her now."

Kira looked uncertain, but then closed her eyes. She was letting just enough wolf instinct bleed through her inner barrier to track.

She opened her golden eyes and inhaled deeply. After a breathless moment, her eyes were green again, "Yeah. Your scent's there." She said to me in a small mumble.

Mrs. Beck patted Kira's shoulder, "I'm sure you were just too worried to pick it up yesterday." She assured her, "But don't be using your powers like that again. I don't want trouble from the Headmaster." She gave her a pointed look, "Now you three need to get to class. First period is about to start."

Chapter 6

I know it wasn't a fluke." Kira insisted for about the millionth time, hurling yet another dodge ball at the opposite team, but without her normal grin of triumph.

"Kira, I get it. But it does make sense."

"Ember, when have I ever not been able to track?!"

"To be fair, you don't do it very often."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "As far as you know."

I repressed the urge to scold her and remind her how much trouble that could get her in, and instead changed the topic.

"So what was with Damien? He didn't say or do anything, and then he ran off the second he left the room!"

"When has anything that weirdo's done made sense?" She replied, blocking a ball coming towards me and catching it before it hit the floor.

"True

—I could've gotten that one!"

"Oh. Sorry . . . again."

She wasn't sorry. The whole gym period she'd stayed right by my side and wouldn't let me play. I knew she was worried, but this was overkill

—and Damien hadn't even bothered to show up. She even kept her wolf side in check, which was so unlike her.

The bell rang, and we headed back to the locker room. I knew Kira was upset at being wrong

—and it was kind of embarrassing—but it wasn't really a big deal.

It was very unlike Kira to not be able to track, that had never happened

—and it was even weirder for her to be wrong about something like that, but my scent couldn't have just disappeared.

We changed in silence, and one look at Kira's face told me she was still overthinking the whole thing.

We parted ways in silence, with not so much as a goodbye, and I sat through my History class trying to think of ways to cheer her up, with no such luck.

I headed to Ability Enhancement with Kira still on my mind

—which wasn't a very good idea because as I rounded the corner I smacked into someone, dropping my bag, spilling my books and papers everywhere.

"Sorry!" I said instinctively, immediately kneeling to retrieve my papers before all the other students cluttering the halls stepped on them

—and on me.

I picked up maybe eight papers when I realized there were no more. Confused, I looked up. The boy I ran into stood watching me, holding my bag in his hands.

I'd never seen him before. He was tall and slightly muscular with mussed blonde hair partially covering his right eye which was a translucent blue. But what really grabbed my attention were his clothes. He was wearing a black t-shirt just tight enough to define his slightly muscular build, black jeans, black converse, and a leather spiked choker. He also had wristbands up both his arms.

He was like a male version of me. You know, apart from him being completely gorgeous, and me being . . . well, me.

I stood up and his black-lined eyes swept over me, "Sorry about that," he said. His voice was deep, but yet still smooth and wintry, "I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay, my fault." I said quickly, taking my bag as he offered it to me. I put the few papers I had inside, noticing all my books were there, and all my papers were completely organized.

Why would he apologize to me?

No one here even acknowledged me, much less helped me pick up my books and apologize. I didn't have time to play the question game; I was going to be late for class.

I brushed past him without another glance and continued to class

—but the boy appeared by my side, "Hey, I'm sorry, did I offend you?" He asked nicely, and I vaguely wondered if he was baiting me—and how he'd caught up so fast. I shook my head, but kept walking and wouldn't look at him.

"I'm Aerin," He continued without skipping a beat, "I Just transferred here . . . I'm kind of lost."

I stopped abruptly, causing two girls behind me to bump into each other and throw out a few profanities before hurrying to class. That's why he was talking to me. He didn't know I was a Zero. I looked him over again; Stealth. I should've known.

Well, he was going to ruin his reputation

—and with looks like those, he would get a reputation—pretty fast if he kept talking to me. But . . .

"What class do you have?" I asked, speaking for the first time but avoiding his eyes.

He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. Of course even his teeth were perfect. Stealths were usually blessed with good looks. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Ability Enhancement."

Right. Of course. Of course we had the same class. I resisted the very strong urge to face-palm.

"That's where I'm heading; we're going to be late." Just as the words escaped my mouth, the bell rang.

"That's okay, I'll explain."

"Lets' go." I said unenthusiastically, walking through the now-empty hallway with a completely gorgeous guy by my side.

I must've done something to upset the balance of nature; exciting things don't happen to me, I swear.

X X X X

Mrs. Beck had been very understanding when Aerin explained he'd held me up and made us both late

—it turns out Mrs. Beck had been expecting him. If Mrs. Beck's intimidate affected Aerin, he didn't show it. He didn't even assess her, which I found odd considering how fierce she looked. Assessing a possible threat was a necessary thing—especially for a Stealth.

The rest of the class was in the giant training room behind Mrs. Beck's lab, and when we entered, every head swiveled in our direction.

Some of the guys scowled

—angry for the new male competition, and the girls . . . well, I swear I saw some drool come from Kristen's mouth.

"Back to practicing!" Mrs. Beck's stern voice commanded and everyone immediately went back to their prior activity, keeping their whispers quiet.

I stood silently next to Aerin, watching the floor. Another student brought the class total to 51, meaning I was the odd one out. No one wanted to practice hand-to-hand when they could be strengthening their powers

—and I couldn't practice with a stealth because they'd beat me to a bloody pulp without even trying.

Mrs. Beck scanned the large room, her snake eyes settling on Damien in a near corner of the room, taking on two guys at once. Damien wasn't only the most popular and sought after guy at EA, he was also one of the most powerful. He knew how to handle his strength.

"Damien!" Mrs. Beck ordered in her stern instructing voice, "Come here. Chip, Luke," She addressed the other boys, "Practice with one another!"

The two boys Damien had been sparring with went at each other as Damien stalked over to us, avoiding the other students in his path, each at their own blue practice mat.

"Yes?" Damien asked casually, eyeing Aerin (probably sizing him up) and glancing curiously at me before I averted my eyes.

"This is Aerin," Mrs. Beck said, flicking out her tongue, "I'd like you to spar with him

—and keep an eye on him in general, he's just transferred here."

"Why?" Damien inquired, almost challenging. He was overconfident.

"Aerin matches your skill level, and his transfer records are very impressive. You could use more of a challenge, as could he." She said in a softer tone.

"What about Ember?" Damien then asked with a mischievous glint in his onyx eyes

—I continued to study the floor. I didn't like all the newfound attention.

"Ember," She said, placing a cold hand on my shoulder, "Will be observing and monitoring you both, as well as keeping records of your wins and losses. Think of it as a competition. And no foul play." She looked specifically at Damien on the last note.

After giving me a chart and setting up a bench for me, Mrs. Beck went back to the lab to work on . . . whatever it was she worked on. Damien and Aerin stood on opposite sides of the large blue mat, awaiting my signal to begin. Even though they'd just met, they both seemed to have a certain anger towards one another, it oozed from them like a toxin. There was visible friction. Maybe it was a guy thing

—competition or whatever. Maybe Damien felt threatened that the new guy was as skilled as him and good looking.

Looking at them was odd; they seemed alike and yet completely different at the same time. Damien had an inner darkness that seemed to lead out of him as a menacing aura, which he offset by wearing lighter colors. Aerin, though I knew nothing about him, seemed to wear his darkness on the outside displayed in his style for all to see; while covering up an inner light. He seemed like a generally happy guy.

I shook myself. You don't know them.

"Ready?" I asked them, pulling out of my mind abruptly.

They nodded in unison, widening their stances.

"Uh, go." I said, and they left at each other.

Damien moved effortlessly, like a predator going in for the kill. Each step he took seemed to be calculated and precise. He swung a punch at Aerin's face

—but missed. What? Aerin should have gotten the full force of Damien's punch, but he'd dodged it perfectly, appearing almost a foot away. Speed.

I scribbled furiously in the chart, trying not to take my eyes off the boys for fear I would miss something.

Damien tried again, with the same result. Aerin moved so fast I could barely see him. Damien hadn't realized Aerin's power as soon as I had; but he realized it now. His eyes seemed to pulsate with anger; he'd never been challenged like this.

Aerin wasn't even trying. He danced around Damien's punches gracefully

—moving even more effortlessly than Damien had. He wasn't even trying to fight back; he just kept dodging at the very last moment, which only enraged Damien further.

"Is this it?" Aerin taunted in a sweet voice, "I'm not even trying!"

Damien glared glare that would put the ancient Medusa to shame, and lunged at Aerin again

—he dodged, of course, just like before, but at the same time Damien spun and landed a full-force punch to his temple, making Aerin slide back and stumble before regaining his footing.

Woah.

Damien had been calculating Aerin's moves the whole time

—he wasn't just using brute force after all.

Scribble. Scribble.

Aerin wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and glared at Damien with blood red eyes

—

wait, red? I could've sworn they were blue . . .

Damien smiled, but it contorted his face, making him look demonic.

Aerin moved faster than I could follow, but I could see his pale fist connecting with Damien's face, shoulder, and stomach one after the other in rapid succession. Aerin may not have had the same strength Damien did; but he obviously wasn't weak.

Damien's eyes darted everywhere, but were unable to locate Aerin before his next blow hit.

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

Aerin was a blur of blonde hair. After a completely one-sided battle, Damien kicked out blindly, sending Aerin sprawling across the mat. They both breathed heavily, greedily sucking air into their lungs as they slowly pulled themselves to standing positions, hate masking their features.

"Wait!' I said quickly, before more punches were thrown, "I have today's section filled," I held up the chart, "Besides, you two need healing."

Damien chuckled and came over to me, "I don't need to be healed. The weakling barely touched me."

"Really?" I said with dripping sarcasm, "Because you're bleeding."

He quickly wiped his mouth and seemed astonished to find blood on his hand.

"Aerin needs to be healed too, that kick of yours was overpowered."

He seemed pleased at that, with his normal snarky smile back on his face, Aerin glared toward him. Were guys usually this hostile?

"Come on." I grabbed my bag and the chart and went to Mrs. Beck to show her my results. The boys had tied

—but that had been the most exciting class period I'd ever had! Seeing them fight had been amazing. It was so calculated, every move thought out. I'd never seen anything like it.

I wished I could fight like that.

Mrs. Beck thought monitoring their strengths and weaknesses was a good job for me

—a person can only practice hand-to-hand so much anyway—and said I'd continue to do that for the next few weeks.

I liked Mrs. Beck. As frightening as she was, she was kind. I just couldn't tell if she liked or hated me.

She gave me a pass

—her signature on a scrap of paper—and said it was a very good idea to take them to the nurse. She said Aerin had science class with me next period anyway.

Without saying a word to either of them, we left through for the Nurse's office through the empty halls. There was still about 10 minutes left until fourth period ended.

The silence was heavy. It was as if they were mentally trying to choke each other to death.

"So," Aerin spoke up, walking beside me on my right, "Why'd Beck make you observe us instead of practicing your power?"

Crap.

"I . . . uhm . . ." I stammered, not looking at him and not wanting to tell the truth.

Damien, on my left, slid his arm around my shoulders. I jumped instinctively, but he used his strength to hold me in place so Aerin wouldn't see.

"Ember doesn't have a power." He said matter-of-factly, refusing to remove his arm, which felt cold and odd even through my hoodie. My face heated, and my pride dropped to the floor.

Aerin's eyebrows knitted together in question.

Damien smiled, showing off his oddly pointed canines, "Ember is a Zero."

I glanced at Damien, but held in my gasp at his blunt statement. I took it much harder than he'd expressed it. I averted my eyes as they stung with the tears I wouldn't let escape.

Slowly, as if sensing my sudden change in spirits, Damien withdrew his arm.

"Are you really a Zero?" Aerin asked curiously, peering at me closer as I hid behind me curtain of hair. He obviously hadn't noticed my switch in mood.

I nodded, not trusting my voice enough to speak.

Aerin didn't ask anything else, and Damien didn't speak either. I didn't look at either of them the rest of the way to the nurse's office.

X X X X

After we got to the Nurse's and I explained that, no, this time it wasn't me that was hurt, she took Aerin to the healing room, leaving me with Damien to sit on the long cushioned waiting bench in front of her desk.

By this point, even the floor was getting annoyed with my staring.

"Ember." Damien's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and when I reluctantly looked at him, his face held no traces of his usual taunt or mischief.

"What I said back there . . . you know I didn't mean it like that, right?"

I scoffed, "What, so now you care?" I couldn't believe this guy! What angle was he even playing at?! He kept flipping back and forth playing good guy-bad guy. I was getting whiplash from all his moods! "You don't know me

—and you never will."

He looked taken aback

—hurt, even. Which made no sense at all.

"You don't know me either . . ." He mumbled.

"Oh, but I do." I retorted, "The great Damien Moyer; power-house and chick magnet extraordinaire. Cares nothing for those he deems weaker than himself." My voice was acid, it was a razor cutting deep into him

—at least, I hoped it was. I'd had enough of his games.

His mouth hung agape. For the first time, I was defending myself. It didn't matter that he was gorgeous, that he was popular, or that he could probably kill me with the flick of his wrist

—he was just a person, like I was.

"Ember . . ." Just then, Nurse Chub and Aerin returned.

"Damien, your turn." She said in her chipper voice. She looked weary, but I doubted Damien's healing would be very extensive. Stealths healed fast on their own.

With one last glance at me, Damien followed Nurse Chub back to the healing room.

Aerin stood awkwardly, probably not knowing whether to sit next to me or not. I stood up,

"Let's go to class. The bell's gonna ring soon."

"What about Damien?" He asked.

I shrugged, "He usually skips anyway."

Without another word, he followed me out into the hall and toward our science class.

"So . . . are you and him . . . close?" He asked uncomfortable.

I shook my head, "Yesterday was the first time I'd ever spoken to him. He's held in high esteem around here."

I didn't need to explain to him that Zeros were losers. We were rarities, but universally disliked. We were outcasts. Considered useless.

"Seems like a jerk."

I nodded.

"You don't speak very much." He stated.

"I'm not spoken to very much." I said truthfully. After a moment, I added, "Look, you seem nice, and you can take on Damien, so you'll get a lot of attention here

—but not if you talk to me."

He shrugged, "Damien talked to you." He pointed out.

"Damien ridicules me to make my head spin." I clarified.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him studying me, his gray eyes creasing at the corners

—gray?

"Your eyes are different." I said looking at him, letting my curiosity get the best of me.

He smiled, and it was like basking in a warm ray of sunshine.

"They change with my emotions. Are they gray right now?"

I nodded.

"That's because you confuse me

—it can also mean I'm scared. It depends on the situation."

"What's your normal eye color?"

"The light blue you saw in the halls. If I try really hard, I can mask my emotions to keep them their normal color, but it's a lot of work, and I'm lazy."

I couldn't hold in the chuckle that bubbled up out of my throat.

"Your laugh is cute."

I could feel my face heat as it flushed what was sure to be tomato red.

Why was this guy being nice to me? I didn't even know him.

Don't drag him down with you,

my mind warned.

Reluctantly, I sighed, and pried the smile off of my face.

"Really. You shouldn't be nice to me."

He cocked his head to the side, "And why is that?" He questioned.

"You know why."

He sighed and flipped his hair from his face, "You don't give yourself enough credit, you know that? You seem like the coolest person here

—who cares if you don't have some magic power?"

It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. But my point remained.

"Thank you. You seem cool too

—but don't."

He knew what I meant.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye and saw his iris slowly shift from gray to a clear, blinding white before he clamped down and they abruptly went back to their normal translucent blue.

X X X X

Science passed slowly; our normal teacher wasn't there, so we worked on a packet instead of a lab experiment. That was fine with me. No one ever wanted to partner with me, so the whole thing was usually just agonizing. It made me feel even more out of place. I wished I had more classes with Kira.

Aerin got put in a seat in the middle of the room; I was in the very back.

Everyone was staring at him and attempting to talk to him, no surprise there.

It's a good thing.

I told myself, he deserves attention, and normal friends.

The darker, more evil part of my mind scoffed; you know you're jealous.

I clamped down on my thoughts and focused on my packet for the rest of the period after that.

When the bell rang, dismissing me to my lunch period, I shoved everything into my bag and bolted from the room as fast as I possibly could without plowing anyone over.

"Ems!" Kira caught up to me halfway to the Café, "Did you see the new guy? I heard he's super hot!"

I rolled my eyes, "not only did I see him; I took notes on him while he and Damien dueled in Ability Enhancement

—and took him to the nurse before I walked him to our 6th period class."

Her jaw dropped and she put a firm hand on my shoulder, "Ember," She said in a very official voice, "This is a proud day for me, and the rest of humanity. You must spill everything. Now. The fate of my teenage hormones depends on it."

I burst out laughing, causing a few heads to turn my way before I controlled my snickering.

Kira grinned evilly and wagged her tail.

As we got our lunch and sat at a small corner table, I relayed my entire Aerin-encounter to her, and she gobbled up my story even faster than her triple-cheeseburger and mountain of fries. Kira gave a whole new meaning to "wolfing down food."

"Ember, that is so awesome! Aerin sounds soooo cool! But that Damien

—I told you he's bad news." She said, popping another handful of fries into her mouth at once.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked, "Besides the obvious."

She tilted her head, "You don't know?"

"Know what? The only way I hear anything is through you."

She licked the ketchup from her lips and mulled over her options, until she realized the only one was to tell me, "Ember, Damien is a killer."

I looked at her, not understanding.

"Few people know, and I'm not one to spread things . . . but the reason Damien is here is because he slaughtered his parents and younger brother."

"You can't know that." I said, still unsure.

She shrugged, "I don't know the details, but I got a look at his file before. Damien is dangerous

—and that vibe he has? That isn't natural. I know you've felt it."

I nodded slowly.

Kira abruptly stilled, turning completely calm and sipping at her bottle of water, "Incoming."

Just behind her, Damien stalked toward us, "You left me at the Nurse's." He said flatly, addressing me and not acknowledging Kira.

I shrugged and picked at my fries, refusing to look at him. I was getting really good at avoiding eye contact.

His voice softened, "Ember, I need to talk to you. Alone." When I didn't respond he added, "Now." sharply.

"Ember isn't going anywhere with you." Kira growled, glaring at him.

"The hell she isn't." Damien spat back. He then bent down and looked directly in her eyes, "You're thirsty. Go get a drink."

Her face twisted in confusion, and she stood, "I'm thirsty. I'm going to get a drink." Her voice was oddly emotionless, and she turned and walked away, leaving her half-full water bottle at the table.

I stared after her, "What did you . . ." I whispered in horror, letting my voice trail off.

"Compulsion. I'm a Stealth-Psych. I'll explain later, but there's something you need to know now."

"Or what?!" I demanded, "You'll compel me too?!" I made a point not to look directly in his eyes.

"Please." He was begging now, "What Kira told you

—it isn't true. I won't hurt you."

Against all my better judgment, I followed him out of the Café and into the hall, turning a few heads on the way. It was sure to raise questions, a Zero walking with the most popular guy at EA.

Once we were safely in the hall, I whirled on him with my arms crossed tightly over my chest, "What is going on?! Who are you?!"

"Damien Moyer, Stealth-Psych, group A." He said seriously, not a hint of joking visible on his face, "I can read minds, and put my will into other people's minds. Make them do as I wish. A very dangerous power."

"You

—"

"What Kira said," he cut me off, "Isn't what you think. But I will explain that later, okay?"

The sincerity he was showing shocked me, I nodded.

"What happened in your dorm

—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt or frighten you. I tried reading your mind—but couldn't. It was like your mind was an impenetrable barrier. I couldn't compel you even if I wanted to."

He checked to make sure I was listening instead of running for the hills and continued, "Something like this I've only encountered with other mind readers. Only they can block me out of their minds so easily. I didn't understand when I was in your dorm

—but I do now. Ember, you aren't a Zero."

"W….what?" My mind reeled.

"Aerin. I read his mind

—he didn't transfer from another school. He was sent here specifically. For you."

I waited for him to continue.

"Technically, you are a Zero

—you possess no power of your own, but you can use other peoples'."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, wondering if he really was some psychotic killer.

"When someone uses their power against you or on you

—you gain that power. Then, the next power used on you replaces the previous one. You can only control one at a time, and only an offensive one."

"So what you're saying is; when you tried to read my mind, I gained your power and the mental barrier that goes with it?"

He smiled, "Yes!"

"You're crazy." I tried shoving past him, but he blocked me.

"Ember, this isn't a joke. I read Aerin's mind. He's part of the Resistance to overthrow the current powers. He was sent to take you back with him."

"Why would they want me?"

"Because, being able to use anything that's thrown at you? That is something beyond amazing. And Zeros are very rare and hard to come by."

"Prove it." I challenged.

He sighed, and walked father down the hall. Without thinking about it, I followed him. I figured if he was going to kill me, he would've done it by now.

The first classroom we came across he turned to me, "There's a teacher in that room," he whispered, "I want you to close your eyes, and find her with your mind."

"How

—"

"Just try."

I obeyed, closing my eyes and reaching blindly, mentally guessing where she would be, until I hit something that felt like Jell-O. I instinctively flinched.

"Don't. It's okay. Push through it." Damien's voice was soft and coaxing, but sounded distant. I did as he said and pushed my way through the Jell-O. Once I was through, a weight pressed down on me, almost causing me to pull back, but Damien's voice urged me forward.

Damn kids. Next one that back-talks to me is getting their hair singed right off!

I heard in a female's voice. Her mind was warm, like I was wrapped up in a quilt.

I'm just an old softie. Oh retirement, hurry up…

I saw an image of an old woman with bright red hair relaxing on a beach.

I slowly eased out of her mind.

"Who . . ."

"Mrs. Camery. A fire wielder." He answered.

"So . . . everything you said . . ."

He nodded, and I pressed my palm against my forehead. I felt dizzy.

"Why did you tell me?" I asked softly, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"You needed to know. If the Resistance is after you . . . The ones they're fighting against will be too."

Chapter 7

The Resistance was an organization fighting against the current powers, and President Ericson.

No one knew too much about the Resistance, their attacks against the government had so far been on a very small scale, but the organization was growing. It was said they had hidden support groups everywhere

—people ready to aid their cause hiding in plain sight, and that the government was trying to exterminate them without being noticed or creating an up-rise. But most people didn't believe such stories.

I walked to Art class slowly, with the information I'd received still swirling around in my head, trying to sink in. Was it all really true? The Resistance was actually real? It had to be true. I could suddenly read minds if I tried to

—a thought that still sent shivers down my spine. It felt unnatural, knowing I could dip into someone's innermost thoughts whenever I wanted. It felt like a cheap trick.

Then there was also the fact that Aerin had been so nice to me . . . how could he be part of a delinquent group of thugs?

He was nice because he's here to capture you!

My mind screamed.

And all of this pointed to Damien being a good guy (something I was even more unprepared for)

—but what about his family? Did he kill them? And if he didn't . . . what happened to them?

I shut my mind off as I entered my last class of the day; my favorite class. Art. It was an elective; it was calming and quiet, and one of my few classes with Kira. Plus Mrs. Bern just let you do whatever you wanted.

Mrs. Bern was the art teacher, and the job fit her. She was a Basic and as far as I knew; powerless. But she looked like a work of art. She was short and petite, with shimmer skin that sparkled like a million diamonds every time she moved, long translucent hair, and coral pink eyes. She was completely beautiful, and had an almost elfin quality about her.

I went to my station

—a larger easel with every kind of art supply you would ever want/need—and sat on the tan rotating stood in front of it.

The room had plenty of art stations, but there were few people in the class since it was just an elective

—and they all stayed towards the front of the room, treating me like the plague.

The walls of the room were painted by Mrs. Bern herself; elaborate twisting vines and flowers covered every inch in an enchanting array of colors, setting off the bland linoleum flooring.

I set my bag down and flipped the cover of my Easel back, revealing a painting of a waterfall in the middle of an exotic jungle. It was coming along better than I'd thought it would, and it was fun working on it.

"Ember!" Kira's voice made me jump as she stomped over to me. Kira. Crap.

"What the hell happened to you at lunch?!" She demanded, "Damien used compulsion on me! I'm going to kill him! I didn't know he could do that! How overpowered is he?! How DARE he!" She exclaimed in a rage, struggling to keep the wolf inside.

I was suddenly very thankful no one else had shown up yet

—including Mrs. Bern.

"Kira. Calm down. Look, I know everything. Damien explained it all

—he's coming to my dorm after school, and he'll tell you everything he told me."

"But

—"

"Kira, you need to trust me."

She stared me down until finally throwing her hands up, "Fine! But you owe me!" Then she took her seat at the easel next to mine just as Mrs. Bern and the other students started filing into the room.

And who was among those students? Aerin. Of course. I had the worst luck ever.

He talked to Mrs. Bern who sat at her desk in the front of the room

—who looked much too small to sit at such a large desk—and then walked past all the other students to sit at the empty station on my right.

Shock wavered across every student's face until they went back to their own artwork, whispering as if I didn't notice. Not that they cared.

"Hey there." Kira said, standing next to me, looking at Aerin

—crap! I forgot to tell Kira about him!

She nudged me with her elbow, waiting for me to introduce her

—what other choice did I have?

"Aerin, this is Kira. Kira, Aerin." I said, trying to keep the disdain from my voice.

"Pleasure to meet you." Aerin purred.

Kira smiled in return, "I've heard so much about you."

He winked, "It's not all true."

As I internally puked, they made light conversation before Kira thankfully returned to her station.

After a moment of indecision, I glanced into Aerin's mind

—it was much quicker and easier than it had been the first time.

His mind felt clean, even blank. It was too bright.

Why won't she talk to me?

The thought whispered through the empty white of his mind. Suddenly, an image of me appeared. Only, it wasn't me, because this girl was beautiful. Her long hair blew in the wind; her eyes were tight and focused, ready for battle. Even though it looked like a normal picture, I could tell the elements were at my

—the girl's—command.

I pulled out of his mind, not understanding, and continued to sketch trees in my picture, hoping he wouldn't try to talk to me.

The bell rang after an excruciating hour of trying not to look at Aerin.

"Nice painting." He said, standing beside me.

"Thanks."

I abruptly put the cover over my easel and grabbed my bag, getting off my stool and waiting for Kira.

"We need to go to my dorm; I . . . have something to show you." I said to her as she approached me, lying when I realized Aerin still stood by my side.

"Ember, can I talk to you a minute?" He asked.

"Actually, Kira and I

—"

"Go ahead." She cut me off, sounding sluggish. I turned to her in confusion,

"I'll meet you there. I'm not feeling too well."

Before I could protest, she was gone, leaving me with Aerin in the now-empty room. That was so unlike her

—she'd never just leave me so willingly, feeling sick or not.

I slowly faced Aerin, his eyes were their normal blue.

"What." I said more hastily than I'd meant to.

"I have something we need to talk about

—something important." He glanced at Mrs. Bern watching us curiously at her desk, "But not here."

He started walking away, and without even realizing it, I was following him! I felt like I needed to follow him. I had no will not to follow him.

We left the classroom and went down the long corridor to the main entrance, stepping out into the cold air. I usually left out the Café exit. I shivered, zipping up my sweatshirt. Winter was almost here

—the weather had plummeted since only yesterday.

"Where are we going?" It was difficult even questioning him, what was this?

He glanced back at me, "My place."

Alarms went off in my head, and I screamed at my legs to stop moving

—but I couldn't stop. I wanted to follow him. I had to.

"Stop." Said a commanding voice. And when Aerin stopped, so did I.

He turned, and I followed suit. Damien stood a couple yards away, staring at us with his arms crossed over his chest,

"Where are you going?" He asked me

—I think he was asking me.

"Following Aerin." I said cheerily, as if I didn't have a care in the world.

His eyebrows furrowed, and Aerin suddenly moved to take a protective stance in front of me.

"Let her go, Aerin." Damien said calmly, dangerously. There was an edge to him, like an unconcealed rage leaking out of him like I'd never seen before.

"You're a mind controller," Aerin said, "I'm an emotion controller. Let's see who's faster."

I blinked, and Aerin was gone, slamming his foot into Damien's chest and knocking him backward.

I stared wide-eyed. The trance I'd been in suddenly shattered. He'd been controlling my emotions.

Damien was on the ground, looking up at Aerin in complete confusion. He slowly got to his feet, and Aerin stood back, watching him.

How had that kick not hurt him?! Come

on!

"I am so sorry!" Damien exclaimed in what could only be described as the voice of a little girl.

"I don't know what came over me! It was soooo rude of me!"

I stared. And stared some more. Damien was not this person, and I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that. It was so obvious Aerin was influencing him . . . I guess I was just surprised Damien had let it happen.

Use it.

A light bulb suddenly clicked on inside my head. I had Aerin's influence now. Maybe Damien had let Aerin use it on him because he wanted me to counteract it. Maybe he was counting on me.

But . . . I had no idea how to control emotions! Some people had to practice their whole lives to get a handle on their powers

—how could I be expected to just know how to use them? I wouldn't even have them forever!

I shoved aside the panic that clawed at me from the inside and focused on Aerin. Maybe his power worked the same way Damien's had. I hoped so.

I closed my eyes and reached out to Aerin as I had with Damien's power . . . but I couldn't reach. It gave me a feeling of unease, like being just too short to ride a roller-coaster.

This thing had a range limit?

I slowly stepped forward, realizing why Aerin's control over my influence had broken so suddenly, and reached out again.

I shoved against his mind, surprised to find it much more solid than the first time I'd entered it. Is his power weaker? His mind felt like a hard-boiled egg; tough, but still pliable. I hoped I could do this before he caught on. Could he feel me probing him? I couldn't open my eyes to check on him, or I would've lost the connection.

As I got through to his mind, it was no longer blank as it had seemed with Damien's reading power. It was a dull red glow; all I could see were wires everywhere I looked. No, not wires, nerves. They were every color imaginable, tangling together in one big heaping mess.

Now what.

I didn't have time to think. I reach out, and after a moment of indecision, I pulled on the calmest-colored nerve I could find, which happened to be a soft violet color.

Immediately, a smell like honey enveloped me like a too-tight hug, and his mind glowed violet. I quickly pulled out of his mind and opened my eyes into the gray afternoon light.

Damien was standing with a tight choke-hold on Aerin, watching me with an unreadable expression. Was that worry?

I approached him slowly, feeling like I'd just had an out-of-body experience. I guess I kind of had.

Not only was Damien watching me, so was Aerin.

He wasn't struggling against Damien's iron grip, and he watched me without blinking. His eyes were the same soft violet color as the nerve I'd pulled. But the look on his face was . . . off.

"Glad you figured it out." Damien said approvingly.

"How did you

—"

"I knew you could do it. As soon as you entered his mind, he could feel you and lost his hold over me. He doesn't have the defense of a mind-reader

—but it can be tougher than most, especially when you're using his own power."

I nodded, "I read his mind earlier today, and it wasn't as tough to get in as it was with his power. Is yours just stronger?"

He grinned like I'd paid him a compliment, "I guess you could put it that way."

I tilted my head.

"Generally, a mind reader only has defense against another mind reader. But every Psych is different depending on their ability. Most Psychs have a higher defense against someone who has the same power as us. My guess is Aerin can only slightly detect me using my power, but he can feel you using his. And before you ask, all Psychs know these things; we were taught these things. Since you aren't a Psych, there was no reason for you to be taught."

Right, so now I was even more lost. Just because I didn't have a power, I wasn't taught about them. Greaaaat.

"So, if you have to concentrate to keep control over the emotions . . . . Why's he still like that?" I pointed to Aerin, who was looking at me like I was a big juicy steak. Or maybe a little kitten. I couldn't really tell.

Damien's eyes widened, ""You aren't doing that?"

I scoffed, "I could barely even get through his mind barrier

—no, I'm not doing that! No one told me I had to do that!"

Damien released his hold on Aerin, and he dropped to his knees on the ground almost in slow motion, never taking his eyes off of me.

Damien stood next to me, staring down at him like a lab rat.

"Ember . . ." He said slowly, "What exactly did you do in there?"

"Nothing, I just pulled on a nerve."

"You . . . pulled . . . a nerve." He looked at me, and I was suddenly filled with the sickening dread that I'd done something horribly wrong.

"Ember, you can't just pull on a nerve! You're supposed to lightly poke it or something!" he exploded.

"How was I supposed to know?!" I retorted angrily, throwing my hands in the air, "I wasn't given an instruction manual!"

He must've realized yelling at me was the wrong thing to do because he pressed his hand to his forehead and knelt down face-to-face with Aerin.

"His eyes show emotions?" He asked in a calmer voice, not looking up.

"Yeah."

"Well . . . I think you pulled on the love nerve." He stood, "This boy is thinking nothing but 'I love Ember' over and over again."

Well, that couldn't be good.

He shook his head in disappointment.

"You can't be mad at me for this, I don't have any practice

—I didn't know what I was doing!"

"But you need to learn. Use some common sense."

I bit back the not-so-nice words that had formed on the tip of my tongue.

"Come on; let's take him to your dorm."

He reluctantly helped Aerin up and kept an arm around his shoulders to balance him as we walked to my dorm. I walked ahead, not wanting to see Aerin's face, and knowing Damien could handle him.

"You know, Kira knows you compelled her." I said slowly, hopefully choosing a safe topic.

"Yeah, I forgot to make her forget that

—plus I figured you'd tell her anyway."

I glanced back to see a frown on his face and stayed silent. He wasn't wrong.

"What's with you and her anyway?" he asked a moment later.

"She's my best friend." I replied almost automatically.

"Yeah, but . . . never mind."

Zeros didn't have friends;

is what neither of us spoke out loud.

"How'd you know to come looking for me anyway?" I asked, watching him over my shoulder, and ignoring a still-creepy Aerin.

"You are a real slow-poke. Everyone had left by the time I'd gotten worried. I saw in some students' minds you'd gone out the front with Aerin instead of the Café exit you usually use. Plus, you would've waited for me."

I was going to argue, but didn't see the point, he read me too easily. I was just lucky he'd found me. Who knows what Aerin had been planning to do? I wondered why Damien even cared.

X X X X

When we got to my dorm, I entered first, just on the off chance Kira was lying in wait for Damien.

She jumped off my bed and was next to me immediately, hands on her hips, glaring at the door where Damien waited beyond,

"Damien Moyer, you have some

—" She stopped when he pushed the door open the whole way an entered with Aerin in tow.

"Kira, give us a minute and he'll explain." I said calmly.

Out of probably curiosity, she listened, taking a seat at my desk chair.

Chapter 8

"So, let me get this straight," Kira said, after over an hour of constant questioning, "Not only did you mess with my head

—he did too?!" She motioned to Aerin without looking at him.

Damien nodded.

"

I swear to God, the next person that steps foot into my mind is going to get one up their ass!" She exclaimed in a wolf rage.

I stifled a chuckle at her angry red face, and saw Damien's lips twitch like he was hiding a smile.

Aerin just drooled, and still stared at me. I kind of wanted to hit him.

It was an odd sight, Kira at my desk, Damien on my bed, and Aerin on the floor at Damien's feet (just in case he returned to normal). I sat on the floor facing them all a foot away. It was a sight I never imagined to see.

Kira had been surprisingly calm during the explanation. Her eyes had stayed fully green the whole time, and she'd even been kind of nice to Damien. Who was this girl and what had she done with Kira?

"So what do we do about him?" I asked, returning all attention to Aerin; no one wanted to look directly at him. Kira no longer thought he was man-candy, either.

"Well . . .," Kira said slowly, conjuring up an idea, "Ember still has that emotion power . . . why doesn't she just go in and try to undo it?"

"No." Damien said immediately.

Kira frowned, "And why not?"

"She's the one that did this in the first place! She has no idea what she's doing."

Kira crossed her arms over her chest, "This thing is new, to all of us. Do you have any better ideas?" She looked at Aerin, who had drool dripping down the side of his face, for emphasis.

"Well

—"

"No. You don't." She cut him off, "Ember, try it."

This was the first time I could remember that Kira had reasoned instead of using brute force to get her way.

Damien looked flabbergasted, but said nothing. Kira smiled encouragingly and I pushed into Aerin's mind.

It was the same as it had been the last time, except his mind barrier was almost nonexistent. Like his strength was fading away along with his mind.

The warm honey scent enveloped me. It was sickening sweet and overwhelmed my senses, I could taste it in the back of my throat. Everything was bathed in a soft violet glow, making it hard to find the right nerve.

It felt like everything was in slow motion, as if I was in a tar pit and couldn't get out.

I couldn't find the right nerve.

Frustrated, and feeling light-headed from the honey sweetness, I lightly pushed a red nerve.

The violet glow eased slightly, and I suddenly felt a twinge of spiciness in my throat.

Maybe I don't need the violet nerve,

a thought sprang into my mind, maybe I just need the rest of them.

I started nudging at all the nerves in the tangled heap, each one slightly lifting the violet glow and leaving a new taste in my throat to help cover up the sweetness.

After what felt like eternity, I had touched every nerve in Aerin's mind. The violet glow and honey-scent were gone. It felt like . . . well, nothing. It had a clean scent, almost sterile. And the mind-glow was only the dull red it had been when I'd entered the very first time.

I returned to my own mind, slowly opening my eyes to see both Damien and Kira sitting next to Aerin and watching him closely. He looked the same.

"Ember! How'd it go?" Kira asked, sensing I was back.

I shook my head, "I thought I'd fixed him."

"What'd you do?" Damien asked.

"I poked all his other nerves to hopefully reverse it . . ."

He nodded, "That was a good idea."

But it wasn't. It didn't work.

Drool seeped out of the corner of Aerin's mouth, as he stared off into the nothingness somewhere behind me.

Kira growled, and suddenly struck out, slapping Aerin across the face with a loud smack. As if in slow motion, he fell onto his side, his eyes closed.

Damien stared wide-eyed, and I leapt off the floor to be closer.

"Kira! What are you doing?!"

She stood to be at my level, and so did Damien, both ignoring Aerin lying on the floor.

Kira shrugged, "Wanted to see if it would spark any reaction. Plus he deserved it."

I groaned. That was the Kira I knew.

Damien watched us silently, not expressing any emotion or hint at what was going on inside his head. Somehow, it was creepier when he was silent. It was as if you could hear his dark aura screeching, and feel it closing in on you.

I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get anywhere scolding Kira

—and agreeing Aerin did kind of deserve it—and looked down at Aerin.

"Now what?"

Kira and Damien shrugged in unison.

"My mom's going to be here soon. I could only hold her off for so long." Kira said, "You could come home with me, spend the night

—leave Aerin to Damien." She looked hopeful. Like a normal girl's night could save me from the sudden uncertainness that was my life. Like it would expel everything we'd just learned and gone through today.

"I'd better stay."

She looked torn, but wrapped me into a tight hug and gave me a "be careful" look before reluctantly leaving.

I wondered how she was suddenly okay with leaving me alone with Damien whom she hated.

"My doing." He said.

"What?" I asked, startled and confused. He was standing so close; I could almost feel his darkness encompassing me.

"I might've compelled her to trust me." He said nonchalantly, examining his nails.

My jaw hit the floor, "You didn't."

He shrugged, still having that 'I'm so cool' attitude.

"She is going to kill you!" I hissed, almost scared she could hear me.

He chuckled, "It'll wear off, and she won't know I did anything. She'll just be confused why she trusted me for a moment." He paused at my expression, "I just needed her to shut up for a little."

My jaw broke through the floor.

"Her voice drives me crazy."

I was both horrified and impressed that he'd compelled Kira. Horrified because she was my best friend, and he was willing to use his powers so easily just to get what he wanted. Impressed because he was ballsy enough to face Kira's wrath when I told her. He knew I'd tell her.

A soft groan made us both jump, and we peered down at Aerin.

Damien nodded for me to go over by my desk and I complied.

The only light in the room came from my skull lamp which cast a gentle orange glow over the room. It felt eerie, and sent a shiver down my spine.

Aerin sat up, rubbing the cheek Kira had left a nice welt on and looking around until his eyes focused on Damien, and he stopped cold.

"You will do as Ember and I say." Damien commanded, and I realized he was compelling Aerin.

After a moment, he motioned me back over.

Aerin's eyes looked slightly glazed, and he sat still on my floor.

"Why did you take Ember?" Damien asked. His voice was strong and confident. I almost felt safe.

"I had things to show her, to tell her." Aerin answered mechanically.

"What things?"

"Her destiny."

Damien scoffed, but my curiosity had been sparked.

"Destiny?" I questioned Aerin.

He nodded, "A prophecy of a Zero girl overthrowing the government. The Resistance wants to help you fulfill that destiny."

"Bullshit." Damien cut in, "Complete crap, you can't listen to this."

I ignored him, "Why?"

"The Resistance is fighting against the government, we want it overthrown. We want freedom, and equal rights for everyone

—all the classes. I was sent to tell you of your gift, to teach you how to use it—I didn't know you'd figured it out."

"How do you know I'm the right Zero?" I asked, ignoring the gleam in his eyes.

He shrugged, "It's not like there's many of you. Besides, your dark look is hard to miss. The prophecy said when we found you, we'd know."

I sighed, "So not only do I have a freak 'gift', I'm somehow expected to overthrow President Ericson?!" I sunk into my bed overwhelmed, and wishing I'd gone with Kira.

Why me?

My breathing sped up and my palms began to sweat. I didn't want this. I just wanted to fit in

—not this.

I wanted Aerin to go back to wherever he came from and let me alone, I wanted it all to be a lie, a cruel joke played on me by Damien.

But deep down, I knew it wasn't a joke.

"Ember, calm down." Damien's voice cooed, and I suddenly remembered his existence, and sat up. I was shaking.

"Look, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay." He rested his hand on my shoulder, but I swatted it away.

"You said it yourself, if the Resistance is after me, so will their enemies. If they know about me, and found me, so will the government people. And I assume they know the 'prophecy' as well." I looked to Aerin and he nodded, "So, obviously, one way or another, I'll have to leave."

Aerin nodded, "Even if you refuse to join us, the government will see you as too much of a threat to keep around. They don't care for liabilities."

I balked, "So they'd just . . . what? Kill me?"My voice rose with panic.

"President Ericson is not who you think. He's ruthless. And there's so much about the government you don't know…"

"But why don't I know?"

"Obviously you aren't supposed to. If people figured out how corrupt and evil the government really was, there could be an uprising. Which is where the Resistance comes in."

"Why don't you just inform everybody how bad it is then?" I demanded, getting frustrated.

Aerin shook his head sadly, His light blue eyes turning a shade deeper, "Some people are so willing to trust authority that we wouldn't be believed. People will believe what they want, even if proof is right under their nose. Some opinions just can't be swayed."

I clenched my fists. So I would have to run. Ericson would send people to kill me.

How? How could everything change so rapidly, throughout the course of just one day? How was my life suddenly at risk? It was too much. Too much.

I wanted everything back to the way it was. I didn't need to have a power, I didn't need to be on the genetic pyramid

—but I didn't want this.

"Ember." Damien softly whispered. He'd sat beside me on my bed while I'd been thinking and now he put his arm around me. This time, I let him.

I could feel the sting in my eyes as the tears welled up in them, and I buried my face into his chest without a second thought.

At that moment, I didn't care who he was, I didn't care that I barely knew him or that I didn't trust him. I didn't even care that I could feel his darkness wrapping around me tightly. He was my strength in that moment. The only thing holding me up.

I felt him stroke my hair and I sniffed my runny nose, forcing the tears to stop. I pulled back and was horrified to see tiny wet spots on his shirt.

"What do I do?" I asked Aerin, who had seen my entire breakdown and was still watching, as if all was completely normal.

"Nothing." Damien said before Aerin could answer "Screw prophecy, you can't just leave."

"She has to." Aerin said, "Either she listens to reason and comes with me, or is killed by Ericson's men. Or," He added as a second thought, "She could join Ericson and help him commit unimaginably heinous crimes

—but somehow I don't see that happening."

I heard Damien take in a sharp breath, but didn't look over at him, "Release him from the compulsion."

"What?"

"Do it. He's told the truth

—he was never going to hurt me." I reasoned.

"He attacked me." Damien pointed out.

"Only because I thought you worked for Ericson." Aerin said.

"Do it." I repeated. My voice sounded drained of all emotion, even to me. I didn't feel like myself anymore.

When Damien broke the compulsion, Aerin blinked a few times and (probably feeling vulnerable with us looking own at him) stood up.

Of course, he remembered everything that had happened and sent a red-eyed glare to Damien before settling his translucent blue eyes back on me.

"So, what do you choose to do?" He asked calmly.

"She'll sleep on it." Damien answered for me. It boiled my blood that he had the nerve to answer for me, but I let it go and nodded.

Aerin seemed frustrated, but nodded as well, "You'll need to decide quickly, I don't know when Ericson's men will arrive, but it will be soon. My colleagues informed me they are on your trail."

Knowing people were coming for me

—to kill me—more than scared me. It made me want to pee my pants, but I pushed it aside for the minute, and instead asked,

"What exactly does the Resistance do?"

"We fight back any way we can. We do many different things, but there are a good number of us, and the main thing we do is stick together

—and we would all die without a moment's hesitation to protect the Zero."

He said Zero in a way I'd never heard it been said. It made my heart leap into my throat and choke off any words. He said it with a sort of awe . . . with admiration, even respect. It sounded beautiful. And for a tiny second, I gave in to the fantasy that I was worth something to the world.

Damien stood, and I focused my attention on him momentarily.

"It's late. We should let Ember rest." He then walked to the door and held it for Aerin, not waiting for him to say anything and obviously not leaving until he did.

Aerin looked frustrated, and his eyes turned red around the edges as he struggled to keep his composure.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." He said.

"I'm sorry for . . . using your power."

He smirked, "Glad you brought me back. I'll have to thank Kira for that."

He bowed slightly, and went to the door, "Please consider joining me." He said, just before leaving.

Damien gave me one last look before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

I definitely wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

So, like any girl would do, I called Kira and replayed everything that had happened to her, with words flying from my mouth faster than I'd thought possible, and then promptly burst into tears.

Chapter 9

I woke up feeling worse than ever, and actually wishing for my broken nose back. I was so tired, and my eyes were sore from crying so much

—and filled with those gross little crusties. And that wasn't including how I felt after the events of yesterday came rushing back. I was highly valuable to the Resistance, and highly wanted to the government. Yay me.

My hair looked like shit, too.

I went through the motions of getting ready without really thinking. By the time I was dressed, I couldn't remember what I'd put on.

Black jeans. Black shirt. Gray hoodie. Converse. Plus the usual jewelry that I didn't take off.

I felt dirty from not showering, but just couldn't find the energy to do it. I wrapped my hair up into a bun piled atop my head, letting my bangs flow free and fall into my left eye.

I trudged to school, not noticing anything around me. Ignoring the other students. Pretending I truly didn't exist.

What was wrong with me?

"Ember?" Aerin asked, walking beside me. How long had he been there?

"Yeah." I mumbled, my voice coming out scratchy.

"Have you come to a decision yet?"

"Oh . . . no." I mumbled. I hadn't even thought about it.

"Ember, if you don't act fast, Ericson's men will kill you. I can't fight them myself."

"Yeah." He didn't care about me; I realized with sudden clarity, he only needed me for his prophecy thing. He only cared about getting me to join him.

He let out a long breath, "Please take this seriously."

I nodded, or at least, I think I nodded. I couldn't be sure, but when I glanced over again, he was gone.

Let them come

; I thought bitterly, you'd only lose your tool.

X X X X

I slunk into my first period class just as the bell rang, and slid into my seat. We were watching a movie, thankfully. I didn't think I could make it through another chapter of The Scarlet Letter. I get the idea. She sinned. Bad.

"Look at her." I heard a voice whisper loudly at the edge of the room, just loud enough for the class to hear, but not Miss Price who was sitting at her desk at the opposite end of the room.

"Ever seen anything so sad?" Quiet snickers filled the space to my right. Stacia.

If Damien was at the top of the social pyramid, Stacia was his female counterpart. She had white-blonde hair that perfectly matched her snowy wings and blue eyes even more translucent than Aerin's, patched with shimmer skin. She was the definition of beauty; but angelic as her appearance was, she was a devil inside.

She was a Neko-Stealth mix, which didn't happen too often (most humans didn't like the idea of "inbreeding"). Her wings were snow owl, and she had fierce talons for nails, but other than that she looked perfectly normal. Despite her animal attributes, she also had another unknown power (unknown to me, at least), because she was categorized as Stealth.

I sent an icy glare in her direction, but I don't think she saw.

"Poor little Zero

—you know they make compact for those dark eyes of yours." She said mockingly in her melodic voice.

My blood boiled. Why today, of all days?

She saw you with her ex.

Oh. Right. Stacia and Damien had been an off-on thing for years.

"Too bad they don't have makeup for that ugly personality of yours." I hissed back, causing a few quiet and surprised gasps. I was in no mood to be pushed around.

I could see Stacia looking directly at me now from two rows away and basked in the dim light from the holo-screen playing the movie. Her eyes shimmered like diamonds, and I had the sudden realization that I never cared for them. I'm sure my eyes looked like black holes. They always seemed to be dark around the edges.

"You better watch it, Zero. It isn't very smart for the powerless to talk back." She crooned, flipping her hair.

"It isn't very smart to threaten me," I spat back, "Using powers are forbidden."

She laughed silently, and I felt stupid. She didn't care about the rules,

"I don't need my powers to put you in your place."

"Oh, shut up, Stacia." Said a gruff voice nearby.

Sam Mathews, in the row next to me had said it. Sam and I had never talked, he'd never been nice to me, but he'd never been outwardly mean to me, either. He was one of those completely neutral parties that you never knew what to expect from. I knew he'd always had a huge crush on Kira, though she'd never notice. She was completely observant . . . until it came to boys liking her.

He was a Neko like her, except he was part Golden Retriever. He had the golden ears and tail; of course they weren't as impressive as Kira's wolf attributes. I also didn't know if he could do anything to the extent Kira could, normal dogs obviously couldn't compare to wolves.

He was cute, though; good build, and wavy sandy-blonde hair. I couldn't remember his eye color.

"Stay out of it, Sam." Stacia said, glaring daggers at him, with most of the people around her doing the same. Mindless groupies, as I called them.

"You gonna make me?" I couldn't see his face since his seat was a few up from mine, but I imagined him baring his teeth at her like I knew Kira would.

I saw Stacia hesitate before turning her glare to me, "Later." Was all she said, a quiet warning, before turning her attention back to the movie.

I exhaled the breath I didn't know I'd been holing, and quietly whispered "Thanks, Sam."

He didn't turn to me; he didn't have to. I saw his ear twitch and he nodded once, just enough for me to notice. I guess he wasn't a neutral party anymore.

When class ended, I practically bolted from the room; worried Stacia really would "put me in my place", until I realized I still had Aerin's power. I almost face-palmed in the hallway.

I was eager to see Kira, she always knew how to cheer me up. Just being around her made me feel better.

She was waiting for me by the locker room entrance and squeezed me in a brief hug. "It'll be okay, Ems." She murmured before releasing me. Some people lingering in the hallway were whispering and looking at us, and we went into the locker room.

Once inside, the real conversation began. Kira and I had lockers at the very back corner of the room, next to one full-length mirror and a bathroom stall. It was relatively private and away from the other lockers.

"I heard Stacia said things to you." Kira said carefully, keeping her voice lowered. She knew my mood was delicate, and I was grateful she was toning down her normal self.

I nodded, "I think it was because of Damien . . . Sam came to my rescue."

"Yeah, probably. Sam?"

"Mathews." I clarified.

"Ah, the pup. That is . . . unexpected."

"It was," I agreed, "But impressive. Maybe he wants to win you over by being nice to me."

She raised an eyebrow and she re-tied her sneakers.

"He's always liked you."

She chortled and rolled her eyes, as if a boy liking her was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard. She was so stubborn sometimes.

"Let's go." She said, abruptly more serious. Then I noticed some harsh looks being thrown our way by Stacia's groupies entering. I hadn't noticed.

Kira and I scurried to the gym room before someone started something. I was surprised she hadn't.

When we entered the gym for yet another dodge-ball session Stacia was already standing on the girls' side, looking perfect in her baby blue spandex short and white tank top that was way too low cut to be school approved.

"Hey guys." She said cheerily, walking over to us with a smile plastered on her face. He wings were tucked neatly behind her, and I realized she must get her clothes specially made, like Kira did (of course, in Kira's case, her mom just cut holes in her pants).

Stacia gripped her dodge ball in one hand, and looking around; I saw Mr. Lance had left the gymnasium.

I had a disconcerting feeling that things were about to get real.

"Warned you, Zero." She said, stopping a foot away. Her smile transformed into a sneer and her voice turned acidic.

"Back off." Kira said with warning, stepping forward.

Stacia gave her a once-over, and seemed to brush her off, "My business is with her." She pointed a perfectly manicured nail at me.

"I said," Kira growled, "Back off."

Stacia glared and batted Kira aside with her giant wing. Which was not a good idea.

Just as Stacia stepped forward for me, Kira seized both her wings from behind and used them to throw her back, leaving a trail of feathers behind her.

She'd been pushed too far. Her golden eyes glowed, and energy radiated from her in waves.

I wanted to do something

—but Kira was in her wolf state, and trying to bring her out of that could result in me losing limbs.

Students were starting to pour into the gym now, and they all stayed a good distance away, watching. Fights were like free entertainment. Plus, Stacia was more feared than actually liked. There were lots of people that would like to see her beaten to a pulp.

She flapped her wings once, and stood. Kira watched her every move the way a cat would watch a mouse. Stacia's flawless face was transformed with rage; she let out a shrieking owl screech and flew upward, coming down at Kira with unimaginable speed.

Kira stood her ground, waiting until the last second to punch out and hit her target right in the stomach. The impact knocked them both backwards, but they got up immediately, charging at each other.

Stacia grabbed a fistful of Kira's hair, trying to rip it out.

. . . Which was basically the dumbest thing you could do in a fight.

Kira, obviously using her wolf strength, punched her fists into Stacia's stomach over and over again. When she still wouldn't let go, Kira bit down into her shoulder causing her to scream out in pain.

At this point, the student bod had started to make a commotion, and Mr. Lance burst through the crowd.

"Stop it, NOW!" He bellowed, suddenly beside them and ripping them apart by their arms.

"What's going on here?!"He demanded, pulling at them roughly. I couldn't see his face since his back was to me, and I was kind of glad considering how harsh his voice was.

"She started it," Stacia whimpered, pointing to me with a shaky hand, "And then she attacked me." She pointed to Kira.

Mr. Lance loosened his grip noticing Stacia's shoulder, which was missing a chunk and gushing blood in a steady stream.

She was a mess. Her hair was tangled, her wings were missing patches of feathers, and she was covered in blood and bruises. Kira had only a few minor scrapes and messy hair . . . which didn't make her look very innocent.

"Moyer, get her to the nurse." He called to Damien, "Ember, I want you and Kira to go the Headmaster, now."

"But, Mr. Lance, we didn't

—" I squeaked.

"Then you better tell your side before Stacia tells hers." He said more calmly. He even looked kind of sympathetic.

Damien helped Stacia limp to the nurse, and Kira and I went the opposite way, to the Headmaster's building at the opposite end of the school. I vaguely wondered how Damien had watched the whole time and not done a thing to help.

Kira walked with her nose high in the air, her tail pointing upward, and her chest puffed out with pride. Some students nodded to her as we exited the gym, some even fist-bumped her. Others glared and whispered obscenities . . . she didn't seem to notice that.

Once we were out of the gym, and I made sure no one was around (and that her eyes were fully green), I whirled on her,

"Kira, what the Hell was that?!"

"Huh?" She cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"You went full wolf in there, in front of the entire gym class

—you nearly killed Stacia!" I hissed.

She shrugged, "Wouldn't have been such a big loss. She had it coming."

I gaped at her, "How can you act so casual about this?!"

"Loosen up, Ems. I did this place a favor. Hopefully Stacia will come back from this with a new outlook on life." She grinned and started walking toward the Headmaster's building.

After a moment, I sprinted to catch up with her and matched her cheerful stride.

"Can you at least take that damn feather out of your hair?!"

She looked at me in mock horror, "But Ember

—that's my battle prize."

She laughed at my glare and kept walking. She knew I wasn't too mad. Besides, she had done it to protect me

—how could I be mad? If anything, I was more worried about what would happen next.

X X X X

"There you are!" Aerin exclaimed, abruptly coming to a screeching halt an inch away and startling us both, "I've been looking everywhere! We've got to go, now!"

"Woaaah, slow down." Kira said, somehow calmed from her cheery mood, "What's going on?"

"Oh! Kira

—thanks for bringing me back yesterday, that hit must've done the trick," He scrambled, "But Ember is in danger, Ericson's people are here—I don't know what they look like or where they are, but they're here. We have to get her out, right now!" His voice was panicky, and his eyes were a cloudy gray. He was completely frantic.

"How do you know?" I demanded, suddenly feeling the depression from that morning taking over.

"Damien

—he said he heard things about new students—ones that weren't on any lists. New students don't just show up at private academies without being listed."

Kira looked at me, eyes wide. She hadn't told me her opinion on what I should do. She didn't need to. I knew she'd want me to do whatever would make me safest. Even if that meant leaving forever.

"What do we do?" She asked Aerin, turning back to him, all business now.

"We have to get her out, take her to the Resistance hideout, she'll be safe there."

Kira looked at me once, searching my eyes, "Ems." She said softly, "Choose."

"I . . ." I didn't know what to do.

"Choose!" Aerin said more loudly, quickly.

How could this be happening? We were going to see the headmaster

—I couldn't go.

"Let's tell the Headmaster."

They both stared at me, like I was completely insane.

"She can help us, protect me. She's one of the most powerful people in the world."

"No, Ember. That's what the government wants you to think. You think Mrs. Beck and the teachers are powerful? They're nothing. The truly strong Class A all work for the government, or the Resistance. They're too powerful to be wasted on supervising a school."

There was a low chuckle from behind us, and Kira and I spun around.

"Didn't make it to the Headmaster's, I see." Mr. Lance said coolly, flipping his watery blue hair.

"We're headed there now." Kira said swiftly, stepping up to be beside me, "Sorry, we ran into a friend."

He smiled, an instead of his normally perfect teeth, they were all sharpened to a point, looking wicked, "You won't be heading anywhere." He said, running his tongue over his teeth.

"Why?" I asked, completely baffled as to what was going on.

"So innocent," He crooned, "I've always liked that about you."

"Go. Now." Aerin hissed, suddenly in front of us, blocking my view of Mr. Lance.

"Foolish boy. I've had my eye on her from the minute she was placed in my class. I will be the one to deliver her to Ericson."

"You're . . . You're with the government." I breathed as panic and confusion climbed up my throat.

"Obviously. And there's quite a price on your pretty head."

Not Mr. Lance. Not my favorite teacher . . . How could this be happening?

"Enough talking!" Kira growled, shoving me back protectively behind her, "I don't care how screwed up this is

—from now on, if you're with Ericson, you're my enemy!" She yelled before launching herself at him, shocking even Aerin.

Lance was quick. Not the lightning speed that Aerin had, but he was close. He dodged Kira's every move, toying with her. She was full wolf again, and though her fighting instincts were heightened, her mentality was not. She couldn't see she was being played. Blind rage consumed her.

Aerin noticed it, too and joined the fight, using his speed to confuse Lance and let Kira land a kick to his gut. With her enhanced strength, he stumbled, but regained his footing immediately. Aerin was a whisp on the wind, landing punches left and right.

Lance was getting angry. He yelled and a vein in his forehead bulged.

Out of nowhere, a sheet of water appeared all around him shooting outward and throwing both Aerin and Kira back. He must have been a mix between Stealth, Psych, and Neko. A rarity that I'd never seen happen. And really wished I wasn't seeing now.

Aerin and Kira recovered quickly. With Aerin's Stealth healing, and Kira's quick wolf recovery, they weren't easily injured

—but they would be if they kept going like this. Lance barely had a scratch on him.

"Aerin, get the Zero out of here!" A voice yelled, as a boy on a hover-board came out of nowhere and stopped the next wave of water Lance was about to use.

"About time you got here!" Aerin yelled.

"Yeah yeah, get going!" He said back in good humor, blocking Lance's every move, staying on his hover-board with no problem, "I'll catch up!"

With that, Aerin grabbed my hand and hauled me away, "Come on, Kira!"

With one last growl, she hurried after us.

Chapter 10

We stopped at my dorm to grab a few things and shove them into my giant bag, including extra clothes for both Kira and I. Aerin had gotten tired of my slow pace and ended up carrying me most of the way there

—something I was completely uncomfortable with . . . but kind of liked at the same time.

Kira had stayed in her wolf state, but Aerin kept a slight influence over her emotions so she would want to follow us instead of fight. I guess his power was pretty convenient . . . if you knew how to use it.

I wondered where Damien was, wondered what he was doing

—but I shoved that aside the minute I thought it. He didn't care about me; he would go back to being the most sought-after guy at school, no harm done . . . But thinking that made my stomach churn.

Aerin was leading us through the forest that backed the school, texting away at the speed of light. He'd told us that there were a few others like Lance that worked in the school, but had loyalty to the government. He said it was common; that Ericson kept his people planted almost everywhere, just in case something like this was to happen. He also said the new students were sent there to get me, and were probably already on our trail. Which did nothing to ease my nerves.

Kira finally calmed down, and mostly tried to lighten the mood, but with no luck. My mind was spinning.

"Aerin, where exactly are we going?" She asked, ignoring the fact that he'd saved her from getting her butt whooped by Lance. She was waaay to proud to acknowledge that.

"We're going to the base . . . my home, technically. Most of the Resistance is stationed there, waiting for me to return." He said, pocketing his phone.

Thankfully, Aerin had let me change back into my normal clothes, but Kira had stayed in her gym clothes. She never got cold; in fact she said the weather was nice, to her it probably was, since her temperature ran higher than what was considered looking at her was giving me goose bumps.

"And what about that guy that . . . the guy that showed up." She'd almost said that guy that saved us.

He glanced back at us, "He'll find us, don't worry."

"I meant, who is he? And how do you know he won't lose to Lance?"

"He's part of the Resistance. I called him for backup just in case something like that was to happen." He chuckled, "And don't worry

—he won't lose to Lance."

"But how do you know? We barely put a scratch on him

—and there were two of us."

"Jack is an elemental like Lance. He controls ice, where Lance controls water. Ice beats water, Jack won't lose." He sounded overly confident, which made me curious about this Jack.

We walked in silence for a little while, which was fine with me. I was just glad we weren't running. I could run, if I had to

—but not for very long. Most people had at least heightened endurance, or just slightly above normal speed—I didn't. I had nothing. Which really sucked in a situation like this.

And then, guess what happened to make this little trip even more enjoyable? Snow. Freaking snow. It wasn't heavy or anything, but I dropped a degree in warmth each time one touched my face.

We walked for what seemed like forever, maneuvering over fallen trees and broken limbs. The snow fell steadily, and seemed to only be affecting me. I tried to stop my shivering and look strong, but I was freezing. I couldn't feel my toes, and my nose was practically non-existent.

X X X X

After a few minutes, the snow started coming down more heavily, causing my body to shake with chills. Kira walked as close to me as possible, and the heat radiating off of her helped a little, but I was still freezing.

We suddenly heard twigs snapping behind us, and Aerin jumped back placing himself between us and the possible threat. I was taken by a sudden awe for him; so willing to protect me at any cost, willing to throw himself straight at any danger for me

—until I remembered it was only because he needed me. The awe shriveled up and died the instant I remembered that.

"Woah, woah Aerin. Wouldn't want to hurt little old me." Said a joking voice as Jack did a flip off his hover board and landed on the ground in front of him.

"Jack." Aerin said with slight relief, "Took you long enough."

Jack rolled his eyes, "That guy was ancient

—he knew what he was doing. You overestimate me."

"I estimate you just the right amount."

Jack grinned and they bumped fists, before Jack came over to Kira and I.

"And who might you two lovely ladies be?" He crooned mischievously.

He looked a lot cuter up close. His hair was a metallic white and spiked up perfectly, but oddly enough, his eyebrows were dark making him look handsome in a devilish way and making his icy blue eyes even more prominent. He was thin, but not so thin that he looked weak, and he seemed to have an air of confidence that was only half-joking.

His gray t-shirt and dark jeans looked average, but not so average that you wouldn't look him over. He was definitely good looking

—but I was too cold to care.

"I'm Kira," She spoke for us, noticing the chattering of my teeth, "This is Ember."

He smiled, glancing over at me, but keeping his attention solely on Kira.

"It's a pleasure." He took her hand and kissed it. Something Kira wouldn't normally allow.

Oh come on. Now? Was it really necessary?

Aerin cleared his throat, "Ember is the Zero."

Jack cocked is head to the side and noticeably looked me over head-to-toe, a wide smile slowly taking over his face and revealing perfect teeth.

"It's an honor to meet you." He said more seriously, bowing his head.

"Jack is just playing." Aerin said, "He's not normally this weird."

Jack looked at him with mock horror, "How could you say that?!"

Aerin rolled his eyes.

"Aren't y-you c-c-cold?" I stuttered, curious.

He smiled more genuinely, "Not a bit. I control ice

—I'm never cold. My normal temperature is below freezing."

"Which is why he can't get a date." Aerin chimed in.

Jack glared at him, Kira and I stifled chuckles.

"Anyway, we better get moving. I stalled most of Ericson's men

—but they won't be held off for too long. And now they know which direction we're going." Jack said, serious. His moods seemed to shift quickly.

Aerin's eyes were a shocking white that looked both terrifying and amazing at the same time.

"We better get moving then." Aerin said, "Jack, you lead this time, I'll take the rear."

Jack nodded, all business, and jumped back onto his hover board, leading the way.

"It was custom-made by the Resistance. We have some pretty cool tricks up our sleeves." Aerin said, referring to the hover board. They were rare and extremely expensive, usually only used by the government.

"Nice." Kira said with amazement, staring at Jack. She was obviously amazed by something.

I, on the other hand, didn't know what to make of Jack. He seemed nice enough

—and there was the fact he'd saved us . . . but I didn't trust him. I mean, I didn't really trust anyone except Kira, but my mind told me to be wary of Jack. He seemed a little too sly. And the fact that Kira was eyeing him up like a piece of steak didn't help.

The snow continued to get heavier, and the wind picked up, trying to knock us over. "Aerin, we can't keep going through this. It's turning into a real storm

—the Zero will get frostbite." Jack yelled over the howling of the wind. I was angry that they kept referring to me as "the Zero", but I was too cold to say anything. I was now too busy picturing frostbite to care what they called me.

"We're almost there, just a little farther, Jack." Aerin yelled back.

I couldn't walk anymore. I couldn't feel my feet. My knees shook and the rest of my body shook uncontrollably. I couldn't keep going. Even without the added weight of my bag that Kira had long since taken, I was too heavy. My body was shutting down.

Even Kira had gotten slight goose bumps. Aerin wore a heavy sweatshirt, he seemed cold but not near as cold as me. I was slowing everyone down.

"I c-c-c-c-can't." I tried to speak. It didn't work very well.

Jack stopped and looked back at us.

"Keep going." Aerin called to him, scooping me up before I even realized he was next to me. He acted as if I weighed nothing, but I knew that wasn't true. I felt uncomfortable

—self-conscious as well.

"P-p-put m-m-me

—"

"Shhh, we're almost there." He said, and I couldn't argue any further. It was warm, being close to him with his arms around me. I couldn't see Kira, and I didn't try to. I didn't want to move. Didn't want to see the look of disapproval displayed clearly on her face. I closed my eyes, still feeling the cold lashing at my face

—but it was okay. I was safe.

X X X X

"Ember." Called a distant voice, soft like a melody, familiar like a memory.

"Ember." It called again, louder. I was floating in a sea of fog. I couldn't see anything but misty whiteness everywhere. Where am I?

"Ember, be a good girl. Be good for mommy." The voice whispered in my ear, but nothing was there. Mom?

"EMBER, GET UP!" Kira yelled, shaking my shoulders roughly.

I made a squeak of surprise and bolted upright, I had a sense of vertigo for a minute as all the faces looming over me spun around and I had no idea where I was.

"I'm up." I said softly.

They let out a collective sigh; Jack, Aerin, and Kira all sat back, and Jack scooted away from me.

"We thought you'd never wake up." Kira complained, and then softened, "You worried us."

"Sorry." I said, "Where are we?" I took in my surroundings, rock walls, one light hanging from the ceiling, and seven small cots lining the circular room, one of which I was laying in with a small blanket over me. It was very small, very plain.

"This is one of the many hideouts the Resistance has set up." Aerin said proudly.

Kira rolled her eyes, "This is a small cave they put a light and some cots in

—a nice little hidey-hole."

I noticed the entrance closed up with a thick sheet of ice that I couldn't see through. Neat.

"Jack camouflaged it." Aerin said, noticing my roaming eyes "We should be safe here until the storm dies down"

"Okay . . . what time is it?"

"A little past 9 . . . you can go back to sleep, we were just afraid you wouldn't wake up."

I nodded. It was chilly, but compared to earlier it was like a furnace, and I was glad to be out of the storm.

Kira sat close to Jack, scooting back next to him slowly, and I raised my eyebrow.

"Since his body temperature is below freezing, he's keeping his distance. He's the coldest thing in this room."

"And apparently Kira likes cold things." Aerin mused, his eyes turning a deeper blue.

She glared.

They bantered like old friends, and I wondered momentarily how Kira felt about everything that was happening. She didn't seem to mind

—which struck me as completely odd. She'd left her parents without a second thought. Left the school. If Kira aligned herself with me and the Resistance, she would be as wanted as anyone. I was suddenly scared for her. For what I'd dragged her into.

"Get some sleep, Ems." She said, sliding into the cot closest to me, ignoring the blanket and cuddling with her puffy tail.

Aerin and Jack followed suit and climbed into different cots, Jack also ignoring his blanket.

Feeling exhausted, and calmer than I had the entire day, I closed my eyes and drifted off, having the nagging sense that I was forgetting something.

X X X X

I awoke to the sound of glass shattering, and a slight shake of the ground. Confused, I stared at everyone else through the groggy haze of sleep. Aerin was on his feet in a second, and Jack was too. They were like soldiers; ready for battle at a moment's notice.

Kira grumbled and let out a small whine. She was a heavy sleeper, but the next time the noise happened, she was slowly pulled from her sleep. It was like a pounding, and then a shattering right after.

"What is

—"

"Shh!" Aerin and Jack hushed me in unison. They stood poised for a fight directly in front of the ice barrier. Someone was trying to break through. Webs of cracks laced out, showing that the barrier was ready to shatter.

Just before it did, Jack liquefied it and it pooled in a puddle of water on the ground.

Kira and I were both on our feet, ready just in case Aerin and Jack needed help

—I hoped they didn't.

Whoever had been trying to break in was frozen in a solid block of ice; I bet they weren't expecting that. Hah.

Kira and I slowly approached the block of ice as Jack checked outside, making sure there were no others. Once he seemed satisfied, he re-iced the entrance. It was amazing to see. The water from the floor froze, and then he moved that ice over the doorway, and it spread out until it completely covered the door. He molded the ice to his will

—since ice was essentially water, I figured he had to be able to control that at least a little bit. I made a mental note to ask more about it later.

"Uh oh." Kira breathed, staring at the block of ice. Jack looked confused, Aerin looked smug.

"What?" I asked, stepping next to Kira.

She just pointed, I peered closer, and whose emotionless eyes are staring back at me? Freaking Damien's.

He was poised for a punch and had a determined glint in his eyes. Even frozen, he was gorgeous.

I was suddenly very aware that I'd been sleeping only moments ago, and rubbed my face, getting the gross sleeping oils off. My hair was a lost cause. I knew what it looked like when I woke up in the morning

—a tangled mess. The downside of having long hair.

"Uh, hey Jack . . . how long can someone survive in a frozen state like this? I mean . . . what happens?" Kira asked slowly. I looked over at him expectantly.

"Well, obviously when someone is put in this state, everything stops. Their blood and everything is frozen until I un-do it. So . . . I guess they can live up to an hour. Sometimes." He shrugged, like he wasn't even sure.

"Well unfreeze him!" I demanded, a little too anxiously. Aerin gave me a strange look that I couldn't quite decipher, and then nodded at Jack.

In an instant, Damien was a sopping wet mess on the floor, gasping for air. How could anyone look that graceful gasping for air?!

"What . . . the . . . hell." He said between gasps, "You . . . tried to . . . kill me."

Aerin shrugged, "Thought you were Ericson's men."

It irked me how nonchalant Aerin could act about almost killing someone

—I wondered if he ever had before. It also bothered me that I had no idea why they seemed to have this weird rivalry thing going on. Maybe it was just too much testosterone in one room.

Damien glared and got to his feet, flipping his dripping hair off his forehead. Kira walked over to him, and before any of us knew what she was doing, she punched him straight in the gut. Even he looked shocked; he doubled over and looked up at her,

"That was for compelling me again, and letting your girlfriend start shit." She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down until he recovered

—which he did in record time.

"I missed you too, wolfie. Stacia doesn't lie; your punches are impressive

—even without wolf strength." He said in his normal impish way, acting as if she hadn't just punched him.

She just rolled her eyes

—though it was obvious to me her ego had grown to the size of a balloon, and she held her head a little higher, remembering her defeat at school—and went to stand next to Jack, who was eyeing Damien with both caution and interest. Aerin watched with a steely expression, arms crossed.

Damien's black eyes rested on me, and he walked over. I couldn't believe he was here

—what the heck was he doing?! What was he thinking?! Why was he here?

"There's the little Zero I missed so much." He said warmly, taking in my rough appearance.

I was stunned. And confused. And being confused made me mad. First he acts like he cares about me, then he acts as if we don't even know each other

—then he's back to caring, and following me away from the academy. What is with this guy?

When I didn't speak, he did,

"I came to help guard you."

A laughed bubbled up from my throat before I could stop it. It sounded just a little too hysterical. Was I finally losing it? Were all of the events from the past few days finally building up and becoming too much?

Damien cocked his head to the side, just staring at me. Everyone else just watched with caution and a lot of curiosity. All but Aerin. He kept any emotion off his face.

"Why is that funny?" Damien asked, and my attention snapped back to him. I felt awkward talking with everyone watching me

—but it wasn't like there was anywhere with privacy in this little cave. I pretended it was just me and him, and tried to piece together my scattered thoughts.

"What do you mean you came to guard me?" My voice held only a hint of hysteria, but I knew he heard it.

"I came to help. To protect you from evil and all that." He shrugged.

How could he act like this was no big deal?!

"Well go back. We don't need your help." I said coldly.

In truth, we probably could use his help. If Jack was right and Ericson's men were following us, we could use all the help we could get, and Damien's strength and mind powers could be a huge advantage. Not that I'd let him know that. My mind was a mess of emotions all bleeding together, but right now all they formed was anger. Anger that he hadn't helped with Stacia, anger that he'd left my dorm without even looking back, anger that he hadn't even tried to talk to me at school. Damien was a jerk. A stupid jerk that didn't care about anyone but himself. All he cared about was acting indifferent to everything. He wanted to pretend he cared and then kick you to the curb, leaving you wondering and waiting for more. He'd make you just curious enough to want to figure him out. Maybe he was some kind of Mutt with a personality disorder. What had people called it? Bipolar?

A flicker of hurt passed across his face for a moment, before it returned to that irritating mask of indifference.

"You know you need my help. Kira knows it, Aerin knows it, and ice boy knows it. I have the strength you could use. Without strength, speed means nothing."

I glanced over at them, Kira held no expression, and Jack seemed to be in thought. Aerin's jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed red.

"She's right." Aerin spoke up, "We don't need you

—go back to the prep academy where you belong."

Damien turned around and fixed him with his cold stare, "No one asked your opinion, speedy. Stay out of it."

Aerin stepped forward, eyes red and swirling, "Don't give me one of your pet names, Damien." He said icily, "You aren't welcome here. You put us all at risk by coming after us."

"Are you looking for another fight? Because I'd be glad to kick your ass again."

"You've never 'kicked my ass', and you know it." Aerin spat, they were getting in each other's faces now.

"Woah, woah, woah." Kira said, pushing them apart, "As much as I'd love a good fight about now

—and I really would—we don't have the time to deal with this." She said, in a commanding voice. I noticed her eyes were just slightly golden; a fight always got her going.

"Kira's right." Jack spoke up, stepping next to her, "We have to get moving. It's already past eight and the snow has stopped."

Jack seemed to like Kira just a little too much, but I didn't care so long as she was happy and he was discreet.

Aerin ran a frustrated hand through his tousled hair, and Damien crossed his arms, obviously seething.

"I'm going with you." He said with finality. Aerin looked ready to disagree, but Jack spoke,

"It'd be a pleasure. I'm Jack, by the way."

Damien nodded.

And just like that, our happy little group started for the Resistance's main hideout. This was going to be interesting.

Chapter 11

The hideout was, in a word, amazing. It was cloaked, so it was invisible to most and shielded so only members could get in.

I was both surprised and relieved we hadn't run into Ericson's men

—apparently Damien had done a little compelling to throw them off our trail. A fact Aerin was not pleased to hear. Aerin wasn't pleased to hear anything from Damien.

We'd arrived at dusk, and Aerin had put Kira and I in the same tent (that's what most people lived in, tents) they were impressive though. The tents were actually miniature cabins with a mini-fridge, bunk beds, and this amazing little holo-tv mounted on the wall. Aerin said this was the basic setup of all tents, except that the ones already occupied had personal items and such.

Jack reluctantly left Kira to return to his own tent, and Aerin said he'd "take care of Damien". That statement alone worried me, not to mention the look on his face when he said it, but I was too exhausted to care. I'd plopped myself down on the lower bunk and was asleep almost instantly. The mattresses were those high-tech micro bead ones, and for just a moment, I wondered how the Resistance got a hold of such amazing things. But then I was asleep, so the question faded from existence.

Now I laid in the soft bed, looking up at the bunk above me and listening to Kira's quiet snores. I was so comfortable. The shield around the entire hideout kept the cold out, but made everything look normal at the same time. You could see through it, but it was there, an invisible barrier

—I referred to it as the dome.

There was one small window opposite to the door, and outside of it I could see the snow covering trees in the distance, but I also knew there was no snow inside the dome. It kept that out.

Aerin and Jack (as well as every other member of the Resistance) had special microchips under their skin that let them through the barrier. I wondered if I had to get one. I shuddered at the thought of needles.

A soft knock at the door made me flinch, but then I remembered Aerin saying he'd come get me in the morning

—that he had someone important to introduce me to.

I slowly pulled myself away from the soft bed and rubbed my face. I could really go for a shower. I wanted that more than anything else I could think of at the moment.

Not caring enough to change clothes, I answered the door.

Aerin stood there, his hair perfectly styled with bangs fighting to hide his left eye. He looked amazing. He wore a basic black t-shirt and his normal jewelry, with light ripped jeans. I felt so inadequate, and wondered if he'd even gotten a shower. He always looked good…and clean. I was jealous.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Maybe . . . I have one request before we go anywhere, though."

He raised an eyebrow, "And what would that be?"

I breathed, "Can I please get a shower?"

He laughed a beautiful, throaty laugh exposing his perfect teeth. Boy, did I love his smile.

"Come on, I'll take you to the bathroom."

Grinning, I grabbed my bag with the extra clothes in it and hurried after him, leaving a sleeping Kira to her dreams.

X X X X

Nothing, and I mean nothing, had ever felt more wonderful than that 20 minute shower. The Resistance had one bathroom that everyone used

—but let me tell you, it was made for the gods. It was huge, elaborate, and contained not only the nicest showers and baths imaginable, but also a sauna and Jacuzzi tub. It doubled as a spa. Everything was the newest model and make; they had the most high-tech things I'd ever seen. And man, did I want to use that Jacuzzi.

They had the most expensive hair products known to man, and everyone shared them. The Resistance seemed to me more like a big happy family than anything. I had yet to meet anyone though; the bathroom had been surprisingly empty.

Though, on second thought, I was glad it was empty. The shower rooms and actual bathrooms inside the large marble building were separated by gender, but I still felt completely awkward changing around other girls. I was barely comfortable around Kira

—and I'd known her all my life.

After I was clean and my hair was more perfect than it had ever been (thank you expensive hair-care products!), I put on a clean pair of skinny jeans and a black t-shirt (I loved that it was warm inside the dome). I even got to brush my teeth

—which was a relief because I was pretty sure fungus had started to form in there.

I emerged from the bathroom feeling better than I had in a long time.

"It's about time. I was just about to come in and get you."

I smiled, "That is the most amazing bathroom I've ever seen."

"You look . . . good. I mean, I wasn't going to say anything, but you were starting to stink." He made a face. I laughed and lightly punched his arm.

It felt weird, unusual. It felt like I'd known Aerin all my life. Playing around and joking with one another felt….nice. What was I doing? I barely knew this guy.

But for the first time in quite a while, I felt . . . content. Safe, really. I was startled at my own realization.

"You okay?" Aerin asked, peering at me with a worried look.

"Oh, yeah I'm good." I said, pulled away from my inner world, and forcing a smile. He seemed to buy it.

"Before I take you to see Marcus, I think we should get you some breakfast."

On cue, my stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn't eaten in a day. I didn't even notice I was hungry, with everything else going on

—running for my life and all—food seemed so trivial. Then I remembered Kira; that girl was always hungry, and she hadn't eaten either.

"Don't worry, Jack will take her to the Café when she wakes up." He said, guessing my thoughts.

Relieved, I followed him toward another large white building. Everything was large and white

—I hadn't noticed how huge everything really was until now. It'd been too dark last night. I was amazed at how big the dome must be to cover everything.

The bathroom was one of the larger buildings, along with the Café we were headed towards, and a few other enormous white buildings. I normally didn't care for white, but in this case . . . it worked.

X X X X

After scarfing down two plates of pancakes, bacon, three slices of toast, and downing four cups of orange juice, I sat back feeling completely wonderful.

The whole café was empty. Where is everyone? I thought.

"Jeez, someone was hungry." Aerin said with a huge grin of his face, walking over to me. He'd left to speak to someone

—who, I had no idea. I still had yet to see a single person.

The Café looked exactly the same as the school's had. Except, of course, everything was white. It was starting to bother me a little.

Aerin, faster than my eyes could follow, disposed of my paper plates and silverware. He'd said disposable things were easier than dealing with washing dishes

—couldn't argue with that.

"Now, ready to meet Marcus and everyone?"

"Uh . . . sure." I said uncertainly, "Who exactly is Marcus, and . . .everyone?"

"Oh!" He smacked his palm against his forehead, "Marcus is our leader

—the creator of the Resistance and the strongest person I know. He's a group A."

I stared wide eyed.

"He's been waiting to see you," He continued "He's made plans for your training and housing, and

—"

"What?!" I abruptly wasn't so content anymore, and the food in my stomach churned angrily.

He stopped, and looked at my terrified expression, "No, no, it isn't a big thing, but you need training, so you can control your powers and defend yourself, you're the one who has to defeat

—"

"Woah, woah, woah. Stop and rewind yourself. I can defend myself just fine

—and I'm not here to fulfill your little 'prophecy'." I was tense now and confused once again, not knowing what to do.

"The academy's training is nothing, they only taught you basics, and I know you don't believe in the prophecy, but everyone here does

—we need you, Ember. Even if only to give these people some hope."

"What people?!" I demanded, "I haven't seen one person since I got here!"

"Just come meet Marcus, you'll see."

X X X X

And just like that, I followed him. Once again not thinking before I acted. I really needed to get a handle on my fickle emotions

—and my critical thinking skills.

XXXX

I sat in a small, elegant office. Much like one back at the academy. I was inside a building that dwarfed all other buildings inside the dome. Aerin called it the "meeting house".

I was alone, sitting in the only chair in the small office, in front of a plain metal desk. I couldn't stop fidgeting.

Why would Aerin leave me all alone?

My mind demanded.

He'd told me Marcus would be there shortly. I was not looking forward to meeting this guy by myself. From the little Aerin had told me, he was one scary mutant.

A click of the door opening made my stomach lurch with unease. I heard soft but heavy footsteps approaching me from behind, and I dug my nails into the palm of my hand. Why was I so nervous?

"Ah, it is the Zero I have heard so much about." A thickly accented voice purred.

I looked up to see a tall man leaning against the desk in front of me, towering over me. He was . . . well, not what I expected. I'd expected a seriously power-packed old man. He was . . . young.

At least, younger than I'd expected, he couldn't be over 21 or 22.

His shoulder length blonde hair cupped his face, and his long dark lashes shaded the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. His cheek bones were high, his skin slightly tanned and completely perfect. He seemed devoid of any flaws. He had to be almost seven feet tall, but he was lean and eloquent looking, and somehow . . . I felt both completely intimidated and at ease all in the same moment. It made my stomach lurch.

"Ember." I said slowly, hating the way my voice squeaked.

He flashed a wicked smile that was cruel and beautiful at the same time,

"I am Marcus. And I've heard so much about you."

"I . . . haven't heard much, about you I mean." I said warily. I didn't like the way he loomed over me. Seeming to sense my unease, he pulled the chair from behind the desk and sat down, still a few feet taller than me.

"I imagine you're curious about my age." He stated; all business.

I just stared at him, "Yeah . . . you're . . . young." Well, wasn't I the big talker today.

He laughed, and it was the single most musical yet terrifying thing ever. It was a cruel laugh.

"You see, I don't age. It is part of my ability. I can age, but I choose not to. My accent? It is Greek."

"Woah." He wasn't just old, he was ancient.

He smiled again, but it looked harsh, "Moving on, you know why you're here, correct?"

"Because of a prophecy that I would defeat Ericson."

His stare turned harsh, "Yes. Ericson is a fiend who would like nothing more than to eradicate the Basics all together. He also wants to enslave the Nekos. Now, this may seem like no big deal to most Psychs and Stealths

—but it is a huge concern to many. Some of us are close friends, some of us have family in those two classes—some of us just recognize how wrong that is." His accent turned sharp.

"And this prophecy says I'm the only one who can stop this? I don't even have a power." I said doubtfully.

He met my eyes, softening slightly, "There are people from all classes in the Resistance, little one. More than one person has had this future sight. You will defeat Ericson. You have no idea how highly guarded he is

—and powerful. The media doesn't expose much about him other than his words, but he is a group A, such as myself."

I balked; I hadn't known any of this about Ericson. Sure, the four classes were already divided, but enslaving the Nekos? Wiping out the Basics? That wasn't right.

He interrupted my thoughts, "You have so much more power than you believe. You just need training

—and people here can give you that. You give these people hope, a hope they've never felt before. Hope, that maybe one day the classes will be equal."

I stared, stunned speechless. This wasn't just about taking Ericson out

—this was about changing the system, the way of life as we knew it. I mean, it wasn't that I didn't agree—I did. So much. I knew firsthand what it was like to be looked down upon—and I knew some places were even worse than the Academy when it came to the classes—but how was I going to change anything?

"People here would give their lives to protect you

—people believe in you so strongly. We've been waiting quite a while, until you were ready." He continued, "I understand you're frightened, this is all so much. But we need your help. And I need you to trust me."

I wasn't sure of anything

—I barely trusted anyone. But instead of saying that, I felt myself nodding. Aerin trusted this guy…and Aerin hadn't lied to me about anything so far.

He smiled; a real, true smile that met his eyes. I lost my breath for a moment.

"I have one request of you before your training starts, and before I explain things further. One request I need you to agree to. Anything after that is debatable."

I didn't want to agree, but then my head did this completely unfamiliar thing; it nodded.

X X X X

I found myself at a podium on a stage in a ballroom inside of the meeting house. Hundreds of people stared up at me with awed expressions on their faces. Marcus stood back to my right, urging me toward the microphone.

Anything but a speech.

He could've had me agree to anything

—to fulfilling the prophecy—but out of everything, he made me agree to a speech. This was cruel and unusual punishment.

I took a deep breath, feeling my face heat at being stared at by so many people. So many people who thought I was their savior.

I searched the crowd for Kira, but there were too many people. They all blended together into a giant mass. But then I spotted Damien at the front of the crowd, looking up at me. I'd completely forgotten about him. I wondered where he'd stayed.

He flashed a small reassuring smile up at me, one devoid of the normal arrogance he displayed, and my nerves calmed slightly.

I took another deep breath, and I did what Marcus had asked. I proclaimed to be their savior. The great Zero who would bring about the change of time, the change of the Old Ways. The one who would give them all equality. I made promises I wasn't sure I would keep. And I hated myself for it.

X X X X