"I swear, Erika. Your brother is evil..." I told Erika as I pulled her aside while the rest of the team talked over the situation.

"Taryn, you're being paranoid. Charles is a really nice guy." Erika hissed as we attempted to walk down the small hallway. I sighed and jumped down the stairs toward the front door. I yanked it open and Erika stepped down the stairs and outside, a scowl lightly playing on her face.

"His eyes flickered when the news turned on. His body posture is... weird!" Erika sneered at me and I smirked. Now, I know I'm being stupid! "Umm, well, I still think he's evil." My point was getting weaker and weaker with each passing second. Erika sneered lightly at me.

"Tara, enough!" I gasped. She... she turned my name into something common, something ugly. I growled and mumbled under my breath.

"Sure, Erik... whatever you say!" Erika smirked and rolled her eyes before walking toward the road. I followed and we watched a Prius drive by.

"Nnnnnnoooooooooommmmmmmm!" It sounded loudly as it past us. I laughed silently, reminding myself of Jeff Dunham.

"That's just ironic." I whispered lightly and Erika chuckled.

"Yeah, I know!" We giggled for a while until Erika finally sobered up and stared at me with a tiny bit of hatred hidden within. I sighed.

"Come on! It's true! He is evil and you know it!"

"You know what?" Erika asked and I groaned. I could see the reply she was gonna give me. I played along, just to be safe.

"What?"

"Charles is my only brother and I've known him longer than you. He's not evil. Besides, you've known him for... what? Two days?"

"Two and half days." I mumbled as I scuffed my shoe on the grass.

"Exactly." Erika simply stated. I sighed lightly. There's no way she'll listen to me. I looked down at my shoes and contemplated how I can prove that he's evil. "Well, I'm going inside to grab my things then I'm going to the park. Want to join me?"

"Sure, I'll wait out here." I muttered. Erika laid her hand on my head. It was surprisingly warmer than any I've ever felt.

"Cheer up, Taryn. Not everybody can be right." I scrunched my nose at her and she giggled as she started to the door. Her hand left a warm invisible imprint on my head and I sat in the grass, trying to plan a way of exposing Charles. That's when a faint roar caught my ears. I frowned and looked up and down the road. Nothing was there and I closed my eyes, trying to think. The roar kept getting louder and louder till it finally blocked out my thinking. It appeared at the end of the block and I automatically covered my ears. It was so loud that my ear drums felt like they were bleeding.

"GO AWAY!" I yelled stupidly. My words were lost instantly and I gritted my teeth. Their metal music was heavy and it competed with the engine to be the loudest. They came closer and closer to the house and I stood up, trying to get inside the house before my ear drums blew up. I screamed, only to be lost in the noise. My eyes started watering from the immense pain and I nearly reached the door when sudden silence envolped me. I panicked. Oh God, I'm...deaf! I shook my head and tears flew as I tried to hear anything. That's when faint voices reached my ears.

"Wow, she's a looker, ain't she?" Another person cat-called me and I sighed. Well, at least I'm not deaf.

"Hey, pretty. What are you doing out here all alone?" I turned around to see a huge hummer parked on the curb with four guys jumping out. They certainly had colourful hair. The one that approached me first had white hair but he looked no older than Charles. The guy that followed him out of the hummer was... terrifying! His clothing was full of spikes and leather but his hair is what set me into shivers. His hair was gelled into long, tall spikes which were bright red. The guy who I think cat-called was behind the spiky red haired guy with a sneer on his face. The last guy was completely bald but he scared me by flicking his lighter on and off.

"I'm not alone." I simply stated, trying to look brave.

"You look like it." The white haired man exclaimed.

"Come on, girlie," The green haired grinner said, walking closer to me. "I'll show you a good time."

"No thanks! I'm fine." I said quietly.

"Come on. You know you want to hang out with the big boys." The Fire Player said, grabbing my arm.

"I've got enough big boys to play with, thank you very much." I smirked and tried to take my arm back. He had a strong grip and my fight was futile.

"Don't fight it," The messy green haired man ran his fingers down my back. It tingled lightly and I fought harder. "Your fight isn't going to work."

"Let go of me!" I yelled and wished that someone would look out the window.

"Let us take you out and show you a good time!" The red spiked man whispered in my ear.

"LET HER GO!" Someone roared and I smiled. All of the Storm Hawks including Erika and Charles poured out of the house and surrounded the four guys. They all hesitated and let go of me. I sighed and rubbed my shoulder, happy to be free. Charles stepped beside me and the four guys smiled quickly.

"Sorry about these guys. I forgot to tell you guys that they were coming over today. This is Spalding," He motioned to the white haired man. "Jake," The red spiked guy waved. "Mitch," The messy green haired guy smirked lightly at me. I shivered. "And Pyro." The bald fire player flicked his lighter on and off again. "Sorry for their rudeness, Taryn. I'm sure they didn't mean it." He shot a menacing look toward them and Mitch grinned. Charles turned back to us. "Oh and by the way, they're staying over tonight."

"What?!" Everybody shouted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

12 am...

I woke with a start.

"Stupid dream." I exclaimed and shook it out of my head before it could pop up in my head. Piper snored lightly beside me and I smiled. At least, Piper understands me better than most people. I felt like waking Piper up to tell her about everything but she looked so happy, I decided against it. "Tomorrow," I whispered lightly. I got out of bed and climbed over Piper to reach the door. Maybe, if I walk it off, I'll be able to fall back asleep. I opened the door slowly and walked out into the dark hall. My heart jumped as I felt my way down the hall. My finger hit a wood object and it opened up a tiny bit to show a bright light. I groaned and peeked through the door, wondering who was up. Spalding, Mitch, Jake, Pyro, and Charles were all sitting around a table, playing poker or blackjack, I couldn't really tell. That's when Charles spoke up.

"You guys shouldn't have done that to Taryn today."

"But..." Mitch spoke up but Charles cut him off.

"No 'buts', Mitch! You all nearly gave up our plans."

"Sorry, Boss." They all chimed together and Charles stood up, grabbing his head.

"I swear you guys are idoits at times! Thanks to you all, Mitch the most, we have to speed up Operation Burning Freedom. I hope you're happy."

"Sorry, Boss." They all chimed again.

"Pyro, get Lark and tell her that the Storm Hawks are here. She'll be here with that Ace of hers as soon as possible."

"Sure, Boss. Right away, Boss." Pyro answered and brought out his cellphone which had fire designs on it. Lark had a familiar ring to it. I know I've heard it before. That's when my mind whirled back to every Storm Hawk episode. 'Best Friends Forever' crossed my mind and a blonde pigtailed girl flashed into my mind. Piper's happy mind also falshed into my mind and I snuck back to my room. I closed the dark door slowly and crawled to Piper's side.

"Piper?!" I shook her and she groaned.

"What now?!" She asked, still half asleep.

"Who's Lark?" I asked, tensing up for the answer. Piper sat up quickly and stared at me with a fear faintly on her face.

"Lark is Cyclonis!"