The mark started affecting me at age 4.

My mom kissed me goodbye for my first day of kindergarten and I skipped away, all smiles and two little braids tied with pink ribbons. I remember holding my older brother's hand and hiding behind him when the teacher looked at me.

I remember Will smiling at me, telling me I would be fine. Victor tapping his foot impatiently. I always was a bit of a shy kid but when I saw a little girl with red hair, I instantly went over to play with her. We spent the whole day laughing with each other.

Somehow I missed the odd looks from the other kids. I skipped home, chattering about my new friend Elizabeth. We only got closer as the year wore on but I never saw her inside.

Only ever outside. To my 4 year old brain it didn't matter. Lizzie and I were best friends. It was only when I started talking to this other girl, that I realized something crushing. I can still hear her asking "why do you always play alone? You should come play with us."

It didn't mean much to me than. I stopped playing with Liz and played with the other girls. Slowly Lizzie faded away. I was convinced she had moved schools and I was fairly unconcerned with that.

Now it's all I think about.

I was 7 when the illusion cracked. Up until that point my parents assumed I had no powers. Not even telepathy.

I agreed with them seeing as I hadn't done anything extraordinary like my brothers yet. I heard my brothers in my head but something in me always refused to respond to them.

I was perfectly okay with that, being 7 all I really cared about was Barbies. Sad but true. Grandpa had died a few days earlier and we were going to his funeral. My dress was itchy.

I didn't want to sit still so Uriel volunteered to take me out to the cemetery so I didn't disturb anyone. All I remember was seeing rows and rows of people, all standing around. My head started to feel heavy and I recall asking Uriel why there was so many people.

He looked at me funny and said that no one was around, that it was just us. Fear and panic had swept over me and than I saw Grandpa.

He was yelling at me, screaming at the top of his lungs. I can't remember the words but all I know is that I woke up in a hospital with a startling realization. I could see dead people.

They could talk to me.

That was my gift I guessed. I'm not sure why at that point I didn't tell anyone but I am sure as hell glad I didn't. Because 3 years later I woke up with a burning feeling on my shoulder.

I stumbled into the bathroom and that's when I saw it. Thick, black, ugly. I wore long sleeved shirts for a week as I searched the Internet. Yes I googled it.

Of course there was nothing there. So I stole my father's computer that was on savant networks and searched for it. It wasn't hard for me to find the info I wanted. What the mark was, what it meant for me and exactly what I was facing if I didn't hide it.

I think I watched about 17 videos on how to use concealer. Apparently it was good enough because no one ever questioned why there was a large amount of makeup on my shoulder.

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. I learned the art of perfectly blending in.

As my brothers became extraordinary I became ordinary. It was just the way I wanted it, if I got into a sport than it was such a possibility of me playing too hard and giving away my secret.

I spent most of my time in my room, a self diagnosed introvert. I became an afterthought in my family, epically when the drama of soulfinders began.

I helped in little ways that were obviously invisible to anyone else but aside from that I stayed in the background. I wasn't really worried about soulfinders until Xav found Crystal. Sweet, sarcastic Crystal who wanted to find me my soulfinder.

Little did she know I had no such thing. I convinced her to do Victor, Will and Uriel first but she was insisting on just doing a little scan for mine.

People like me have no soulfinders. They say the mark poisons our soul so much that it cannot be shared.

So basically that's me. Aria Benedict, hides in her bedroom as much as she can, makes good grades and my goals consist of surviving to senior year.

...

I heard my alarm clock buzz dully. I'm not even sure why I have it. I haven't slept long enough to actually use it in a long time. I swing out of bed and mechanically go through the motions of making it invisible. The complicated routine of covering the mark is second nature to me. After that I pick out a black shirt, Jean shorts and a pair of flip flops.

Second thought, I grab a grey hoodie. I've already applied the makeup which blends seamlessly into my tan arm.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I take inventory. Tan skin, check, Brown eyes that are way to 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, some lighting to Carmel but I have blonde hair. Light blonde hair.

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

It's just one more thing that drives a border between me and my family. Granted one of those borders is carefully engineered by me but we had problems even before the mark.

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'm background noise.

Plus only girl in a family of brothers kind of creates quite a separation. I slowly walked downstairs, into the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. As usual, I grabbed a slice of toast and chewed it while navigating around my busy mother and 2 brothers who were stuffing their faces.

Yves drove me and Zed to school with Phee and Sky. The collage wasn't far from the high school so they could drop us off.

Zed and U were closer than Yves and I. Odd because Zed was the popular one at school but he always had a bit of a soft spot for me. Just like Will. Victor and Trace had never really cared much, seeing as they were so much older than me.

Uriel just was basically almost out of the house when I was born so we weren't that close. Will and Zed were easily my favorites.

I slid out of the kitchen into the living room. Mostly because my family was so loud and boisterous, that it made me uncomfortable. Honestly, there were times I hated being a Benedict. I was the odd one, the one who my parents conveniently "forgot" to introduce to people. As far as everyone from the net was concerned, I was untalented. Nothing special and I'm pretty sure my family believed that as well.

"Zed if you don't hurry up, I'm leaving you." Yves threatened. Standing up, I joined the flow of people heading out the door.

I clambered into the car, taking the window seat.

As Sky slid into the car and Phee followed her, talking loudly, I tightened my seat belt.

There was always the obligatory sharing of spit before we actually got going. I just stared out the window, mentally swearing. I hated watching them because it was something I couldn't even imagine having in my life.

Ever.

Authors Note

Hey. Thanks so much for reading my story. So Aria is 1 year and a half younger than Zed. I know right now she's a little boring and insecure but She will get way better. I promise. Anyway please review and all that great stuff.