Prologue

Nyx

From the moment I turned six, I knew I was different. It could have been that at that moment, I accidentally incinerated my cake, and sent all the kids at my party running away screaming. Or it could have been when the four people with costumes on showed up at our door, and had a screaming contest with my parents, who were I thought were my parents at the time. But I was six, so screaming contest meant extremely loud argument, and when I say incinerated, I mean using heat vision to explode a cake, and then watch all your friends run away screaming.

Best sixth birthday party ever.

Anyway, after my mom cleaned all the vomit and burnt cake off the walls and floor, we had a family meeting. My older brother was there. He was twelve.

"Look, kids, we haven't told you everything. You both know you are adopted. But..."

My mom started off. She looked strained, her naturally beautiful face doubtful, and her short black hair tucked behind her ears. I could read the strain out of her hazel eyes. She glances at my father for help. I glance at my brother. His pink lips are tight, and his jaw is clenched. His usually neat blond hair is slightly ruffled, and his green eyes shout out stress.

"You both are related. But... We don't know who you are related to. You both have very special...Talents. Those men were from the ASI, a scientists organization. They came to pick you both up, and take you away for testing. They have been here before. But we don't want you to-"

"Wait, so you're saying that those know it all shave been here before, wanting to take us away to experiment on us, and you couldn't tell us?!"

My brother, Mercury, yells. I know, we have strange names, but they were names that our real parents gave us.

"Don't talk to your mother that way! We couldn't tell you! We didn't want you to worry!"

"Didn't want us to worry? Didn't want us to WORRY? The U.S. Government wants to put us back in a science lab, and you say NOTHING!"

I think about what I did today. Incinerating my birthday cake with heat vision. Floating and creating negative energy with my hands. Maybe we should go to the science lab. They could help us. But do we really want to be experiments? I know that's how we started off, but we don't have to continue. It was all an accident. I can't control my power yet.

And I was six while thinking all this. Eventually I just drained out all of my family's argueing, and stood up, heading to my room.

"Nyx? Where are you going?"

I hear my brother ask.

"To bed."

I say and turn slowly. All three of my family members are looking at me confused. I brush a soft, dark brown curl away from my green eyes. My brother and I share the same color of eyes, and our build is more or less the same. Even if you were color blind you would be able to tell that we are related.

"Goodnight."

Mercury mutters, and turns away. I feel a pang of sadness and guilt, For leaving this one up to him with no support. But I push it away, believing that my brother will make the right choice. But knowing he may not at the same time.

Wasn't I a cheerful six year old?

Alex

I always felt different, and I felt the same amount of different wen I met him. But first, let's rewind. I grew up in a normal home, with normal parents. And normal twin brothers. I was always the normal one. The kid that never stood out, had two friends, and wasn't noticed by anyone.

But then everything changed, and this is where it all began.

I was walking down the hall, books in hand, thinking about my last class, and dreading homework. The school day had finished, I was surrounded by loud teenagers. A crisp afternoon in Lacronge, a small city outside of New York City. Lacy raced up to me, followed by her twin Macy. They both talk at the same time, saying the same words in a kind of chorus. I'm used to it, but everyone around gives us weird looks. They both have long brown hair and green eyes. And are identical, but I can tell the difference. Even their parents (who are rarely at home) have trouble identifying one from the other.

"You would not believe what just happened Alex! Catrina was insulting us, then Mr. Douglas totally caught her and chewed her out! It was totally awesome! You should have been there! And, like, ten minutes before she had been gossiping in math class, and he sent her outside!"

The looked at me, both pairs of innocent green eyes gazing up at me.

"That's so cool! The popular girls never get caught!"

I smiled, feeling happy that Catrina might finally back off the pair. What she finds fun about bullying a pair of cute and sweet twins, I will never understand. They don't defend themselves, because they're too afraid of hurting others feelings. I find that ridiculous.

"I know! Maybe she'll stop picking on us!"

I smile, and nod.

"I need to put my books away. So do you guys. We can talk at lunch break."

We split to go to our lockers. I used the finger scanner, and then my locker popped open. I set my 'geography' books inside, we all call it social studies, then got out my pre algebra books. I walked the twenty steps it took to get to Mr. Douglas's class. I entered, found open seats, but in the back, as usual. I sat behind Jemi. She was talking to Sielia, as usual, and I sat up and started on the 'Do Now' algebra problems that were up on the whiteboard. Mr. Douglas came in, and I waved at him. He waved back. He called the class to attention.

"The 'Do Now' is on the board! Get started."

He called out, and everyone quieted down.

I glanced across the room, and immediately noticed that there was a new person in class. I've gone to this school for five years, so I know my way around. I know everyone in our grade, so I know when there's a new student. I finished my warm up, and we went over the answers. I caught 's eye, and nodded toward the new kid. I couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl, they were wearing a giant hoodie that covered they face, all I could see were long strands of black hair hanging down.

"Oh! I forgot to mention that we have a new student. He came in the middle of the day today, come on up!"

called to the mysterious looking guy. He slowly made his way up to the front of the class. He was about a foot taller than me, and I'm one of the taller girls in our grade. He was almost as tall as Tyson, a giant South-African-boy.

"This is-" Mr douglas glanced down at his roster sheet. "Claudius Angel. Welcome to Seventh grade Claudius!"

"Actually, call me Claude."

He muttered loudly, and pushed back his hood,to reveal a pale face, shiny black hair, and a pair of ice blue eyes that seemed to hide all emotion. All the girls gasped, and he seemed to scan the class, but his gaze stopped to stare at mine. He seemed to know something I didn't, I don't know how. I just have a feeling. He then slowly went back to his seat.

"Claude, as much as that hoodie is fashionable, we have a no-hoodie-in-class-rule at our school. Please dispose of it immediately. Do you need to drop it off in your locker?"

Claude nodded, and left to put his hoodie away. I watched him leave, and then listened to .

Lunch break came again, and I was actually sad to leave 's class. We were just getting into a talk about politics. if there's one thing we don't do in Pre-algebra, it's pre-algebra. Anyway, I made my way over to Macy, Lacy, Vincent, and Oscar and my regular table, just to see Catrina and her minions sitting there. I walk up.

"Why aren't you guys sitting on the field? You always sit there. This is our table."

I say, trying to keep my temper. Catrina gives me a look that says; Who are you? Get away, you might infect me with whatever disease you obviously have. Then she stands up, smirks, and walks over to me.

"Does it have your name on it?"

"We engraved our names in the table, if that's what you mean."

I automatically respond, smirking right back at her. She glares, and shoves me backwards. I look up at her, and see her eyes. Just daring me to fight back. I smirk again.

"Well, thanks for pushing me. I'm sure Mr. Douglas would have sent you out of the classroom."

She snarled and jumped at me. I dodged the first attack, and jumped back when she tried to grab my ankle. But she was bigger than me, and she overpowered me eventually. Caterina knocked me over, punched me twice, and then dumped my boiling lunch on my shirt. I yelped, and she held my arms down. All the kids had gathered around, and were chanting;

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

I felt the pasta burn my skin through the shirt, and saw Macy, Lacy, and Vincent being held back my Catrina's minions.

"Does it feel good? Maybe you should learn not to mess with me."

She snarled at me, and held me in place. I closed my eyes and felt red, hot tears piling up, and desperately tried to blink them away. The burning had stopped, and Catrina was back to hitting me. I rolled over, trying to defend myself, without hitting her. She may be a crazy girl, but I won't be the one getting in trouble for hitting her. Pain rushed through my mind, I felt new bruises appear everywhere. Then suddenly the punching stopped, and so did the chanting. I was on my side, all fight drained. I just lay there, hurting, and crying. My friends were nowhere to be seen. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Claude standing in front of me, worry in his eyes. Catrina was crying with a bloody nose, and I assumed he had hit her.

"Are you ok? I think someone went to get the nurse."

He said in a voice with a slight british accent. Claude offered his hand, and helped me up. I fell back down immediately, a few snickers went through the dispersing crowd. I noticed they had stopped when Claude looked around. I had stopped crying, and suddenly the world started spinning. I heard loud voices as my eyes slowly closed. I think I heard Claude shouting orders, but the world was falling away.