I glared at the soldier and fried his brain. I might have done worse, but I didn't have the time and couldn't take the risk. Atlas Alpha-hunters were merciless. They wouldn't hesitate to shoot me and anyone I cared about. Thanks to that idiot assassinating/murdering the president, it was open season all Alphas. We had tried to stop him, and we had failed.

But even if we had failed, we would not throw our lives away because of one man. As the love of my life had said "We will not fade away gently. We will fight and take everyone to hell with us." I had disagreed with her right up until the newly created Atlas organization had killed my family. They got scared of what I could do.

They opened fire on the house from the distance.

I wasn't home.

My Father. Mother. Sister. All home. All killed because of me. All. My. Fault.

The media didn't say a goddamn thing. They were related to a freak. Took care of a freak. Even if they didn't know what I could do, they deserved it.

Fine. If they wanted me to be some monster; then I would be that monster.

No mercy. For anyone.

I turned towards the other soldiers who were shooting at us. I held up my hand and watched in amusement as the soldiers looked terrified at the sight of all of their bullets stopping in midair. I flicked my finger and they turned around and slammed into the soldiers. They fell screaming. More screams came from behind me as Beck used his magnetism to toss the trucks and the soldiers in them around like little toys. Andre tore threw more of the soldiers, tossing them aside like leaves before a storm as the bullets bounced off his metal form.

I laughed with Jade as her blood blades formed on her arms and carved a blood soaked path forward. "This way out of here!" Cat appeared and cheered as she ran ahead. I looked around downtown LA. It looked like hell. We weren't the only Alphas in this city. We've been fighting for six months and lots us of had died. But like she said, we weren't going gently.

Beck tore down the Vincent Thomas Bridge. We laughed at the destruction.

Congratulations humanity. You got your monsters. Just like you wished.

I snapped forward, my chest pounding. I sweating and I was crying. What the hell kind of dream was that?! My alarm went off and I nearly jumped out of bed. I telekinetically turned it off and climbed out of bed. I reached outward with my mind, feeling the exasperation of my mom, wondering why it took Trina so long to get ready. The way my dad got himself ready for another day as a cop. He never told us how dangerous it could be. Always glossing it over or just straight up not talking about it. I would have given anything to continue to be ignorant about how dangerous his job could be. He may be a detective, but things happen to them too. I felt Trina's selfishness and her annoyance that I had gotten the better shampoo and conditioner then her. Well that's what you get for sleeping in on an early morning sale special! I got out of bed and felt better. Things weren't levitating any more. The first few nights back from Yellowstone, I was levitating all the furniture in my room every time I went to sleep.

I grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom, just in time for Trina to finally leave. She got up a full hour before me and still managed to make us late! I think today might be different. We might actually get to school on time! And then right after, Jade will wear a bright pink tutu and sing about how much she loves me. "Hey, are you all right?" Trina asked. I guess I must have looked like crud for her to actually notice. I felt her concern wafting off of her. I know we don't always get along and I sound like I don't like her, but we really do love each other. Just don't expect us to admit it.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream. More like a nightmare really."

"You haven't had one those since elementary school."

"I know. Maybe it was from your bad cooking." I cheeked. Trina puffed her cheeks out like an angry blowfish and she prepared to yell. I pushed past her before she could start ranting and slammed the door. I still couldn't believe what I dreamt. All those people…my family….Watching Beck tear down the Vincent Thomas bridge..Could he really be that powerful? I turned on the shower to scalding, in the hope that the water would wash away the horrors that I saw. The horrible things that I did.

I took a faster shower then usual and got dressed and went downstairs. I was half way through my fourth bowl of cereal when dad spoke up "You feeling okay there?" He asked gently. "Um, yea? Why?" "You've been eating twice as much as usual. You ate a month's worth of food in a couple weeks."

I blinked in surprise. I hadn't even noticed. "Guess I'm growing again." I said happily. "Oh god I hope not. We're not buying you a whole new wardrobe!" Mom said. I stuck my tongue out at her and we all laughed. They're all alive. It was just a dream. A screwed up nightmare. Nothing else. I looked at the clock, and sure enough we were in danger of being late. Again. "Trina! Get down here!"

I wondered if I should give her a nudge. The first time I started figuring out what I could really do, I had thrown Trina off of the couch when she had started really getting on my nerves. What I can do is read people's thoughts and feel their emotions. I can also do the whole mind control thing and also change their emotions too. Basically the mind package as Andre called it. Every once an awhile, I will unintentionally "nudge" someone when I want something. I try not to do it on purpose, though when I do it's always small things like "stop talking, or hurry up so we can get to school on time." I'm not going to ruin their life or make them do something horrible. I couldn't tell if that me a horrible person or not. I mean, it's not like I'm making them play in traffic of anything. While I had been having a debate with myself, dad had called Trina and had forced her to come down. I grabbed my backpack and ran out the door with Trina following me.

"I think we might actually be on time today." I said. Trina said something about that it didn't matter if we were on time or not. (I wasn't really listening.) I pulled into the school parking lot and rushed off to my first class. As it turns out, I was lucky that I got to HA on time. Nothing like a test first thing in the morning. History class was made much better by the fact that Andre was there.

"Something wrong chica?" Andre asked.

"No, well yes. I had this weird nightmare. We all did these horrible things. I guess certain..things went to our heads."

Andre nodded. "I get what you mean. I've thought about it, you know? I go metal, who could stop me?"

"Beck could. I could. Robbie might, so could Sinjin." I answered immediately. Andre glared at me and smiled back. He mock-glared back and then laughed. "Okay, what regular person could stop me?" I thought about it. The only things that actually slowed Andre down and or damaged him were tanks and the like. "A tank?" I suggested.

"That's not a person."

"Still counts."

"How?"

"It's a person, or a bunch of people."

Andre kind of conceded the point, though I think he was happy that the only thing I could think of him to slow him down was tanks. Our conversation was interrupted by the teacher handing out the test. I was so glad that I finally figured out how to turn the mind reading on and off. It was hell, everyone's thoughts invading my head; not being able to tell which thought was mine. If it had gone on any longer, I probably would have gone insane. I couldn't turn off the empathy thing though. But I could ignore it as much as possible.

The day went by like it usually did, which is to say very very boring. But that's high school for you. It took all day, but it was finally time for the best class of the day. Sikowitz's class! He's really the only teacher all of us like here. He's not on the same wavelength as well…everyone (except Cat) but he's a great teacher. And it's the only class that all of us are in too! I sat down next to Beck and Jade and didn't have to be an empath to feel the sheer awkwardness between the two. Though I guess that's what happens when people who date for three years break up, get back together and then break up again. I couldn't let them sit in their awkwardness, it would just be mean. I moved a chair and sat between them, and Beck shot me a grateful smile, which I'm not sorry to say, had me blushing like a little schoolgirl. It is not fair that he could be that handsome. I felt the gratitude from Jade, though of course she wouldn't say it. I thought of a new trick that I saw on a movie and had to try it out. I concentrated on Jade.

Jade?

Jade flinched and looked around in confusion. Jade, it's me. The only mind reader you know. I'm talking to you. In your head! And don't start. Now we can talk without anyone hearing your secrets.

I don't have any secrets.

Everyone has secrets. You're probably the most secretest of us all.

Secretest?

You know what I mean.

I'm proud to announce that I barely flinched when Cat just appeared in her seat right behind me. Though I had a slight warning with everyone's papers suddenly flew around the room.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Jade demanded. "Jade, relax. Everyone's blaming something Sikowitz set up." Beck said. Jade grumbled but didn't say anything else. I felt a little bad for her. Jade always was angry, but now she seemed always angry. Like life held no happiness at all. Perhaps looking for a way to change the subject, Jade said "Hey Vega. Twenty bucks says Sikowitz comes through the window."

I thought about it. "No I think he'll surprise us and come through the door." Jade smirked and took the bet. We both were wrong. Sikowitz came through the roof. That spawned a quick debate over who won, but Beck compromised by pointing out that neither of us won. (Which was really a good thing because I didn't have twenty dollars and I don't want to know how Jade would take it out of me.)

Sikowitz's class was loud and fun as usual. We practiced improvisation and unfortunately got homework. We were paired up and told to get ready for an improve scene at the end of the week. And as usual, I was paired with Jade. She had no reaction except to say, "We'll work at my place." A chance to see the mysterious Jade's house? How could I pass it up? As we got up to leave, I noticed Cat practically glued herself to Jade's side. She stayed glued to Jade while we hung out outside of the school instead of going anywhere.

We all sat underneath a tree just talking away. None of us were in any rush to actually do anything. Beck was in the middle of telling this story when Robbie and Sinjin finally came back with the pizza. For a guy that can open up portals to just about anywhere, they sure took forever.

We started eating when this blond girl appeared out our table. It's really thanks to Sinjin, Robbie and Cat suddenly appearing so often that we didn't even react to her. Beck just asked who she was. Surprisingly though, Jade was the one who answered.

"The hell do you want Vanessa?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes and laughed. "I want what you want Jade. World peace and happiness, a government that actually works, my parents to actually pay attention to me, you tongue deep in me" (We all did a spit take on that one.)

"None of those are going to happen. Especially the last one."

Vanessa pouted. She wore a plaid skirt with knee high socks and a colored tank top with large boots. A very perky hippy goth set up. Actually looked good. "What do you want? You're not here for fun." Jade snapped.

Vanessa was still smiling, but the smile stopped reaching her eyes. It was like she was dropping an act. I couldn't feel anything from her. Honestly, she kind of scared me. She flicked her wrist and a card popped out. She dropped it on the table and said, "Come to Club Red Alpha. Show the bouncer this card and he'll take you to the right place. The place for important people who can do all sorts of neat tricks." She said with a wink.

"And if we don't go?" Beck asked.

Still smiling, Vanessa turned to Beck. "Oh you'll want to go handsome. It's in your best interests. And it's the only way you'll get the answers you need to know. I promise that none of you will be hurt. If you go to the club. If you don't…well…" She shrugged and turned and skipped away. Probably still smiling.

"Soooo." Robbie started to say. "Jade?" Beck asked. Jade sighed. "We can trust her to give us any info we need. If she says we wont be hurt, then we wont. She's big on keeping promises."

"Are you two uh..involved or something?" Andre asked. Jade shot him a glare. "No. She only has eyes for her boyfriend. Nessa just likes to piss people off." Vanessa spawned a debate between us, but we decided to go to the club. The chance for information was to good to pass up. We all split off to head home. Cat told me something about a ruby, but she wasn't making any sense. I had planned on going home myself, but Jade ordered me to go to her place today. So here I was! In Jade's car driving to her place. I was a bit worried about letting Trina drive home, but I gave her a small mental nudge to drive safely. Oh don't give me that look; you'd do the same if you knew someone that was lethal as the grim reaper when behind the wheel of a car! Jade pulled up to this large house. Did I say house? I mean mansion. Wow. I knew her dad was rich but this is just…wow. Jade pushed a button and the huge gates swung open. Considering how large and imposing the gates were, I expected them to scream or something. When I mentioned that, Jade smirked and said that she had installed a speaker system to do that, but it got taken down after it made her stepbrother piss himself.

Jade parked her car and when we got to the door, she spent a couple minutes turning off the security system and unlocking the door. "What's with all of the locks?" I asked. "Had these all put in after Sinjin broke into my house."

Oh right, he did do that didn't he? I guess all the locks are justified then. When we finally got into the house or mansion really, I remembered what Cat had said. "Why did Cat say something about rubies?"

Jade stilled. "I don't know." She said a second later. I frowned. "Jade. I know you're lying. I can make you tell the truth."

Jade turned in surprise. "You would actually do that?"

I frowned. "Well..no." Drat her for calling my bluff so quickly. "Jade please. Talk to me." I reached out and touched her arm, and she didn't recoil or do anything. I felt the confusion, the apathy, the distrust and something else buried beneath all of them that I couldn't make out. Whatever it was, it was really buried beneath the apathy, distrust and oh my god the hate. I don't think anyone could have that much hate in them. Whatever it was, it was so well buried that I don't think Jade even knew it was there.

"Ruby Schere. It's a new identity I set up for when the shit hits the fan. I can be ready to leave and have a new life set up at any time."

I was floored. "Why would you set up something like that?!" I yelled. Jade looked at me like I was a moron. "You've heard of Murphy's law right? We have super powers! You really think everything is going to stay the same? Things are going to go wrong. I'm just getting ready for when they do."

"So you'll just leave?" I demanded.

"I'm not leaving idiot! I said the same to Cat and she's not fucking getting it! This is a just in case."

We glared at each other. "How could you even plan to just leave? What about your friends?"

Jade scoffed. "I'm pretty sure all of you would throw parties if I left." "I wouldn't." I said, hurt. "I would, no want you to stay. No matter what." "Which only goes to show that you're a moron. Or a masochist." Jade snapped.

We glared at each other. I couldn't believe her! Here she was being selfish and stupid as usual. I can't believe I want to be friends with her! Actually try and get to know the real Jade. God I'm so stupid. And she's stupid too! Thinking that this is all going to go horribly wrong. Then I thought back to my nightmare.

What if Jade wasn't wrong to prepare for the worst? Could the worst really happen?

That's it for now. I really should go to bed. It's three am.

-C.H.