I didn't know until I was ten. Sure, I thought it was weird that no one ever saw my friends, no one ever heard the voices that I heard. Especially this one voice. I didn't know who he was but I always heard him. We were friends, because I never thought it was weird to hear someone in my head.

But I was 6. I didn't really care. I just wanted to play with my big brothers and dress up my Barbie's to look like sleeping beauty.

My parents had watched me closely for any signs of a gift emerging but had quickly given up.

From all outward appearances, I was practically human with a few other issues. And I remained that way for a few years. Of course, there was a slight problem when I was 9 but it didn't really matter.

…..

I was ten. Probably about 2 weeks after my birthday.

My birthday had been a quiet and awkward affair. No one quite knew how to treat me after the accident. Even Will wouldn't meet my eyes and he was always my supporter.

My mom bust into tears halfway through cutting the cake. I went to my room after that and hid. I couldn't take all the flinching, the pitying glances and the whispers.

It hurt too much.

But I didn't know what I had coming later.

Almost no one was in the house as there was some big event at the Net. I can't remember what it was, probably some benefit for rich people top to pass along money to other rich people to keep other people safe.

Apparently, since I was now ten, I was old enough to stay on my own for a night.

At the time, I was miserable. I knew that the only reason I wasn't going was because of what happened.

The frustration and anger caused me to lash out at my mother.

It's hard to remember what I actually said but I know that my dad had barked at me to go to my room and my mother's bottom lip had started to tremble.

I ran up the stairs and flopped on my bed.

And that was where I was when the pain started.

It began as a slight hot feeling against my shoulder. Which very quickly grew into burning. I couldn't help it, I screamed.

What's wrong The voice flickered into my head. My friend was back. The pain was agonizing, worse than the time that Xav had convinced me that it was a good idea to use hot candle wax as a band aid.

It hurts I whimpered, and he responded quickly.

Run it under water. It'll help

Thank god that no one was home.

I probably would have died on the spot.

I ran to the bathroom and stuck my shoulder under the ice cold stream of water. That eased the pain a little and I stayed there until the pain had eased. I removed my arm from the shower and pulled back the sleeve of my now soaked pajama top.

You can guess what was burned onto my arm. It wasn't exactly a happy surprise. I had no clue what it was at first but it didn't take very long for me to figure it out.

My father was never very creative with his passwords.

Looking up the mark was easy. Accepting what I had now become was harder. I left the bathroom and returned to my room. I don't really remember what happened the rest of the night.

I think there was a lot of screaming and crying. Possibly some damage of property. It was lucky that no one was home. I do remember at around 3 in the morning, lying on my bed. I had broken a lot of my dolls and my bedside table. I had gone through the seven stages of something.

Denial, which trust me, is hard to do when you have the cold evidence on your shoulder, Anger, hence the property damage and eventually I must of accepted it.

I have no idea how I got here but I do believe that the exact thought I had was "If I'm going to give up my life for this. I better be able to do something damn cool."

Laugher filled my head, but it wasn't mine. It definitely wasn't mine.

Thank you I whispered through the bond that I could feel forming. I didn't question why I could hear him again. I didn't realize that it meant the return of every other voice. I was too tired to think about it that much.

You're welcome the voice responded. What's your name?

Aria , yours ?

A slight pause and then. Luke

I cracked open one eye, hesitating as I wasn't fully sure if I wanted to know the answer

Luke?

Yes the reply came almost instantly

Are you like me? Are you marked?

You can't tell anyone about me, about this

I sat straight up, ignoring the pain in my shoulder

Are you marked?

The reply was little more than a whisper, almost as if we said it out loud, they could hear us and hunt us down.

Yes

….

Damn cool. Not exactly.

1 year later and still no power. And the voices were back. All of them.

Not just the kind ones. I had made the mistake of complaining to my parents about my medication no longer working and had been dragged into about fifty different consultations. Doctor after Doctor prescribed new meds, new combinations and every other thing in between. Eventually, I gave up.

I told my parents that the voices were gone and slowly the doctors visits ended. My parents were thrilled. They didn't have to deal with the problem child anymore.

This was when the divide between us really began. I had never been close to my mother or my father. Since it was her 8th child, there were some huge complications at my birth.

My mom was unconscious for weeks after.

When she finally woke up and came home. It was as if she didn't care about her daughter anymore.

She kind of gave up. I wasn't the priority, I never was. She was depressed and I was the only one that knew it. Dad put her on a pedestal and my brothers only saw the happy mother. But I got good at watching people and even now I can tell, she doesn't know how to act around me.

I had always been different but with the mark, I took that to a new level.

While my brothers became extraordinary, I became ordinary. They stood out, I hid in behind them. I told myself that it was because of the mark. If I stood out, I could die. Hiding was the best way to start safe.

But deep down, I think that I always knew that it was never just because of the mark. The truth is, there was always a divide in my family.

And when it came down to it, that divide was deeper then anyone of us could have ever imagined.

…..

My real scare came when I was 12 and an officer came for dinner. I'd known him for years even called him "Uncle Ben." Dinner was fine but I had forgotten my math book in the hall.

I slowly creeped down the stairs, trying to be quiet.

I slid into the hall, grabbing my math book and made to go back upstairs. But then I heard my name.

"Quite interesting that Aria has no powers. Especially in such a talented family. Don't you think?" "Yes." Came my father's perfectly controlled voice "but I really do not see how it matters to you. She isn't one of your marked girls. She doesn't even have powers as you said. She's practically a human"

I swear to god my heart stopped beating for a minute. They were talking about my mark. Almost unconsciously I moved closer to the doorway pushing against the wall.

"We found another one yesterday. He has been hiding but his father caught him in shorts. Called us and well."

He mimed a gunshot and my stomach lurched. This man who I had used to call an uncle, had shot someone.

Someone was dead purely because the had this mark. The man who used to give me dolls.

Did this mean I was truly evil? I didn't feel like the Devil but how are you supposed to feel? "I would prefer you not to talk about that in my house. None of us carry the mark and my children have no need to be scared tonight. Besides you checked every single one of them yourself."

I blinked, and my heart rate increased. He had come over about a week after the mark had burned itself onto me.

We went swimming and he stared at me for so long that I felt self conscious and turned away. I didn't realize they were checking for that mark. But for some reason that day I needed something stronger to hide it.

So I cut myself over the mark. I completely mutilated my skin, enough that the mark was unrecognizable. That night I woke up with the same burning on my arm and there it was. As black and ugly as before, not changed

"I know I did. Well I better be off, we have a possible kid up in Denver." I heard mutters of goodbyes and handshakes after that but I was already upstairs.

Benefits of the mark, you move fast.

I didn't sleep that night. I was debating running. I was considering staying.

But in the end I had no choice but to stay. If I ran now than they would track me down, they would predict I had heard the conversation and my name would be on the register for possible marked.

I couldn't run but right now staying had seemed impossible.

Look, a fire. Can't you see it burn? See the flames lick against the blood red sky? Who knew schools burned that fast? She sure didn't. The ten year old girl stands, her thin frame outlined against the smoke.

It's your fault, all your fault, a voice hisses in her ear. The same voice that screamed at her to light the match. Not that she needed a match; no she's much stronger than that. The mark burned on her shoulder proves that.

All she can do is watch helplessly as the school is consumed in fire. The screams of the dying are deafening but the screams of the dead echo in her ears, much louder than any noise a living human could make.

"I've got her." A rough hand grabs her arm, dragging her to the ground.

"Another marked?" The silhouette of a man, surrounded by fire, comes into view.

"This one's young. I bet it was her who blew this place up."

He turns his menacing face to the girl's, "Was it you little girly? Did you play with that little mark on your shoulder?" She kicks him.

"Screw you." He snaps, shoving his hand into his jacket. He pulls a silver gun out of his pocket and sets the cold metal barrel against her forehead. She makes to lunge at him but she is too young, too small.

"Be careful sweetheart. One wrong move and they'll torture you until you beg me to put this bullet in your head." She freezes, all too aware of the powers of the gun.

"Look at all this." He gestures to the burning building, the dead bodies. "You did this. You killed them." She doesn't reply. Her eyes are too busy, focused on the limp body of her brother. Her brother, who she sent sailing into the wall. Her brother, who is now dead. And she's soon to join him. As if reading her thoughts, the bullet clicks into the chamber.

"Take a good look. This will be the last thing you ever see." The gun firing is the last thing she hears.

….

I bolt upright gasping. Not another one. I drag the sweaty sheets away from my legs and set my feet on the floor.

The walls of my room are blue, not red. There is no smoke. There is no gun. I exhale deeply. I glance at my clock. 8:00. Damn, I slept in. I stand up and walk towards my mirror. I look tired and pale, like my skin lost its tan glow overnight.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I take inventory. Tan skin, check, Brown eyes that are way too big for my face, check. Freaky shortness compared to my family check. People say I look like my mother which I do but I still hear whispers.

Whispers that my mother had an affair, or that I'm adopted. It's all because of my stupid hair.

My brothers all have varying degrees of brown hair but I have blonde hair. Light blonde hair.

Mom claims I got it from a distant relative, a recessive gene. But people still talk. People always talk

Dark circles only emphasize how large my eyes are, making me look not only terrified but like some weird bug.

Just what a girl wants to look like.

The worst side effects from the dreams are the burning on my shoulder. No matter how much concealer I put on the night before; it disappears overnight, leaving the black lines clearly visible.

Seriously, I spend so much money on concealer and that shit is not cheap. I start applying it, slowly going through the motions of the routine that I have perfected since I was 10 years old.

It took like 50 make up tutorials and around 15 different shades of foundation but I made it work. I had to make it work. I didn't exactly have another choice.

I ran downstairs, and paused just outside the kitchen. My mother was bustling around the kitchen as my brothers ate.

"C'mon, now, hurry up. You'll be late!" She passed Zed a textbook and handed Yves a lunch bag.

"Let's go" Zed snapped, already pacing in front of the door.

"Why are you so eager?" Xav asked, raising his cereal spoon. Crystal laughed from where she was leaning against him. All of my brothers and their soulfinders were in town for a family visit. The house was even more crowded than usual.

My house was so busy, even without Uriel, Trace, Victor and Will staying with us. Xav was the only one who hadn't gotten another place to stay. I slid around the corner and headed into the kitchen.

I grabbed a granola bar and l slid around the corner of the shelf. I didn't really need to be that careful. I was pretty much invisible.

"Out, Out you all go" My mother ushered us out, my father close behind her. Hand on her waist, he smiled at her and I looked away.

I didn't want to see that. I was never going to have that so what's the point in watching other people enjoy it?