Chapter 3: Visions, Abilities, and Gunshot Wounds

Within seconds of the phone ringing, the noise stopped and was replaced with a scratchy automated message. "A message has been forwarded to your phone."

The call went dead after that and Nina pulled the device away from her ear and stared at it.

"What happened?" Amber asked.

"I don't know. It just," Before she could finish, the phone vibrated in her hand and Nina was alerted of a new message.

"It's an address," Nina exclaimed as she looked up.

"An address? Do they want you to go there?" Mara asked.

Nina shrugged before reviewing the message again. "It says, 'Bring the boy.'"

Everyone's eyes shifted to Isaac who had lost interest in the topic a while ago and was now eating a sandwich in the kitchen. He looked up to find everyone staring and coughed a bit. "What?"

"You're going on a field trip," Jerome smirked.

(***)

"This is called kidnapping," Isaac informed Nina.

Nina glanced at him from the driver's seat and replied, "No one forced you to get in the car."

"You told me you needed to drop off a parcel, not that you were going to use me as bait for the stranger that's been leaving us messages," Isaac pointed out.

Nina shrugged. "Technically you are the parcel. We need to figure out what's going on."

"No, you need to figure out what's going on," Isaac informed her. "I couldn't care less."

"Aren't you just the slightest bit curious?" Nina asked.

Isaac shook his head. "No, I'm not. Haven't you heard that saying? 'Curiosity killed the cat?'"

Nina laughed a bit, her grip loosening on the steering wheel. "People always forget that that isn't the full saying. 'Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.'"

Isaac's eyes narrowed at the statement and he leaned forward, looking like he was ready to say something, but at the last minute he closed his mouth and sat back.

Nina raised an eyebrow at this and asked, "why do you do that? It's like every time you're about to say something apologetic you just stop."

Isaac grew stiff at the question, but he didn't let it faze him as he said, "Can you just drive? I want to get this over with."

Nina nodded, not bothering to argue with the dark haired boy.

(***)

"What are we supposed to do now?" Jerome asked.

Fabian glanced at him from his spot at the dining table and shrugged. "We have to wait."

"Like sitting ducks?" Eddie sighed. "This can't be as bad as it seems."

Amber plunged into the sofa and nodded. "It can be. Worse things have happened here."

"Okay, but are we in quarantine or something?" Patricia asked. "What do these jewels mean anyways?"

Amber opened her mouth to answer, but before she could the jewel in her hand began to glow. "What the,"

Amber jumped up from her seat and tried to set the jewel down, but it appeared to be stuck to her hand. "It won't come off!"

"Calm down," Mick advised as he took a couple steps toward her.

"Calm down?" Amber echoed. "There is a glowing ruby stuck to my hand!"

"Just stay still," Fabian said. "I'm sure there is nothing to worry about."

Amber scoffed and raised her hand up. At the sudden movement a crackling sound was heard and Jerome looked behind him to find the vase and flowers at the center of the table frozen solid.

"Umm, what just happened?" Jerome asked.

Fabian glanced at the vase and then back at Amber before saying, "I think you should put your hand down."

"You don't think that... You don't think I did that, right?" Amber asked.

Fabian gulped and he walked over to the vase. "I think we should all sit down and not make any sudden movements. If I'm right these jewels are doing something to us that should not be humanly possible. I'm going to call Nina."

Amber felt her heart sink and she took a seat back on the sofa. She stared at her hands.

(***)

"What?" Nina asked. "She did what?"

"You really shouldn't be on the phone while you're driving," Isaac informed her.

Nina rolled her eyes at him and switched the phone to her other ear. "We're almost at the location. I'm going to try and figure out what's going on. Okay, I have to go."

Nina hung up her phone and set it on the dashboard.

"What did she do?" Isaac asked.

"What?" Nina glanced at him for a moment.

"Amber? You said she did something," Isaac reminded her.

"Oh, it's nothing," Nina insisted. "Anyways, it looks like we're here."

Nina pulled the car into the parking lot of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

"If we're going to be working together you should learn to trust me," Isaac pointed out.

Nina scoffed and took her keys out of the ignition. "Considering we had our first conversation at the police station you can probably guess why I'm a bit hesitant to trust you."

He frowned and looked away at her words. "You know, I'm pretty sure this isn't the kind of place we should be meeting someone."

Nina ignored the statement and unclipped her seatbelt. "Come on."

Isaac sighed and reluctantly followed her out the car. He opened his mouth to protest once more, but upon his feet crunching against the gravel his whole body went limp and he fell to his knees.

"Isaac?" Nina asked. She watched carefully as he lifted up his head. His eyes were closed yet Nina could see them moving quick behind his eyelids.

"Isaac?" she asked once more.

Suddenly, Isaac's head fell forward and he gasped for air. He raised his hand to his chest and let it settle above his heart as he waited for the beating to settle.

"What just happened?"

Isaac gulped and he shook his head. "I saw something," he mumbled.

His eyes widened as soon as the statement left his lips and he rose to his feet. "Get down!"

"What are you talking about?" Nina questioned.

Isaac groaned and he rushed over to the other side of the car and pushed Nina down, pressing his body against hers.

Several gunshots rang from above and Nina looked up at the teen above her. "How did you know that was going to happen?"

Isaac sighed and he shifted his body so his weight wasn't on her. "I'd like to say it was intuition and a love for mystery novels, but I saw it happen."

"What do you mean you 'saw it happen'?" Nina asked.

Isaac hesitated at this before standing up and offering a hand to Nina. "I saw you get shot."

He pointed his finger between her eyes and frowned. "Right there."

(***)

Nina opened the door to Anubis house in a rush. She headed straight upstairs not bothering to look at her housemates who were all crowded in the living area.

"Nina…" Fabian's voice trailed off as he watched Nina head upstairs. Before he could chase after her Isaac blocked his path and gestured to the sofa.

"What happened?" Fabian asked.

Isaac's jaw tightened at this and he handed him the burner phone. "Like I said, it was trap."

"There was no one there?" Mara asked.

Isaac shook his head and took a seat on the sofa. "No, there was someone there alright. Nina's just a bit shaken."

Jerome narrowed his eyes at this and stepped forward. "Why?"

"Because we were shot at," Isaac answered.

"What?" Fabian gasped.

"We were shot at, but it's okay because I knew it was going to happen. Amber's not the only one with weird abilities it turns out. I saw it happen. I saw Nina get shot and I was able to save her because of that, but who knows what would've happened if I didn't get that-that vision of sorts," Isaac informed them.

"So you have visions?" Jerome shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Actually it was a precognition," Nina corrected from the top of the stairs. "And I think I know what's happening to us."

Nina walked down the steps with the fragments of the jewels in her gloved hands. "And it has something to do with this."

(***)

"So we all have abilities?" Jerome asked.

Nina nodded. "I think an action triggers it. For Amber it was directing herself towards an object and for Isaac it was a dangerous situation."

"We just have to wait and see it is what you're saying?" Mick questioned.

"Yes. I think until we each know what we are capable of doing we need to lay low for a bit," she advised.

"Speak for yourself. Some of us have lives," Patricia snapped.

Nina rolled her eyes and stood up. "I think we're in danger."

"What else is new?" Patricia scoffed. "We've heard it all before. I refuse to stop living my life."

A majority of the group nodded and Nina frowned as she watched them all disperse. Soon it was just Nina, Amber, and Fabian standing alone.

"I guess it's up to us," Amber shrugged.

Nina sighed and slowly began making her way to her room. "Yeah… always up to us to save the world."

(***)

Isaac sat in the bleachers observing the nearest football practice. He watched the players move out of order and he attempted to focus his mind on an image, or an outcome of sorts. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, choosing to give up on the task.

"Fan of football?" Mick asked.

Isaac's head shot up at the voice. Upon seeing Mick, the teen settled down again and shook his head. "Not really."

"Play any sports?" Mick questioned.

Isaac nodded and gestured for Mick to take a seat. "I'm captain of the track team."

"A runner? Nice," Mick complimented. "So what are you doing here then?"

"I guess I was just trying to make sense of everything," Isaac shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. My mind is consumed with fog."

"Well I don't know about you, but my mind tends to focus whenever I play football. I just let everything go. Maybe you should go for a run," Mick offered.

Isaac thought for a moment before nodding and standing up. "I think I will. Umm, thanks… Mick? It's Mick right?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, it's Mick. And you're Isaac."

"Right, well I'll see you around," Isaac gave him a small smile and stepped down from the bleachers. Before walking away, Isaac turned back to Mick and quickly shed his leather jacket. "Do you mind holding this for me?"

Mick shook his head and took the jacket. "Not at all."

"Thanks," And then he was off, Isaac fading into the distance and becoming a small insignificant dot to Mick.

(***)

Isaac had run all through the campus before coming upon his favorite corner. He stopped to catch his breath when he heard the crunching of gravel behind him.

"For fucks sake," Isaac turned to find Nina standing by the fountain. "Can't a guy have a moment alone around here?"

"Sorry," Nina shrugged. "Danielle told me this is where you go when you want to think. I was waiting here for half an hour."

"Guess I have to find a new spot," Isaac scoffed. He lifted up his shirt and wiped the sweat that covered his forehead before gesturing for Nina to take a seat.

"What do you want?"

Nina shrugged before pulling out the segment of the jewel Isaac had broken. "I had a question about this."

"What makes you think I'll know?" He asked.

"You had the jewel for a week before we got that letter. You had to have been curious," she replied.

Isaac sighed and he ran a hand through his curly hair. "I didn't find much."

"There wasn't anything interesting?" Nina inquired further.

"Alright, but if I tell you this you have to keep it between us," Isaac declared.

"I can't promise that. I'd be lying," she told him.

Isaac laughed a bit before taking the jewel from her hand. "At least you're honest. The jewel, and actually that entire pouch we found, wasn't from Peru. I brought it over to the museum to see what they would say and apparently it's an old Egyptian artifact. It was believed to be from-,"

Before Isaac could finish his sentence, a loud bang rang from the distance and Nina was knocked from her spot on the edge of the fountain. Isaac's eyes grew wide and he knelt beside Nina.

"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.

"I was just shot!" Nina shouted. "What do you think?"

Isaac glanced down at her left leg to find a nasty gash on her calf. "It grazed you. The bullet didn't penetrate."

"Do you think it was the same person?" Nina asked.

"I don't want to stick around to find out," Isaac replied. "Let's go."

"I can't exactly walk," Nina pointed out.

"Oh, right," Isaac put Nina's right arm over his shoulders and he picked her up. "Now let's go."

(***)

The moment Isaac and Nina arrived at Anubis house, everyone crowded around them. Isaac placed Nina down on the sofa and stepped away, allowing her housemates to flock around her.

"A bit of space please?" Nina cried.

Everyone took a step back at the demand.

"What happened?" Fabian asked.

"I guess they found us. They took a shot at Nina and grazed her. She's bleeding but she should be fine," Isaac informed them.

"She's not bleeding," Jerome pointed out.

"What?" Nina looked down at her left leg to find it fully healed. "How did that-,"

"Your power," Isaac interrupted. "It must be."

"I healed?" Nina asked. "Can you get me a knife?"

Fabian's eyes widened at this and he shook his head. "Are you going to test the theory out? What if you can't heal?"

"Then have a bandage ready," Nina replied as she took the knife out of Isaac's hand. She brought it to her hand and winced as she took a quick swipe. Crimson red flooded her hands and Amber handed her a nearby dish towel. Nina wiped at the blood and revealed a nasty gash at her hand.

"See? Now you've cut yourself for-," Fabian began to say, but before he could finish the gash slowly began to close until it was completely gone.

"Well alright," Nina sighed. "I guess that settles it."

"So Amber can freeze things, Isaac can see the future, and Nina can heal herself… I wonder what I can do," Jerome smirked.

"Maybe we should all stay put until we know what we can do," Mara suggested. "I mean, apparently we're being hunted."

"That's not a bad idea. All in favor of staying here?" Amber asked.

Everyone raised their hands and Amber nodded.

"So it's settled then,"

(***)

By the end of the day, the teens sat divided across the room refusing to look at each other and themselves. No one else had discovered an ability while seated together in the small space. Only thoughts and fears of what was to come were shared forcing the reality of the situation to sink into each of them.

"So…" Jerome sighed and shifted in his seat. "What now? I mean, we can't possibly just sit here waiting for something we aren't even sure of."

"What if we're stuck like this?" Eddie frowned and looked down at his hands. "What if people find out and we're marked as freaks for the rest of our lives?"

"Guys we can't let this get us down," Nina told them. "We can fix this; I'm sure of it. We just need to find a way."

"You do that then," Isaac replied.

"Where are you going?" Nina asked.

Isaac shrugged and headed to the door. "I'm going home. I need my sleep. Some of us have things to do tomorrow."

Danielle nodded in agreement and she followed the boy out.

"Isaac's right," Mick declared as he stood up. "We're stuck like this, so we might as well just learn how to deal with it. We have class tomorrow. Let's just sleep."

Soon everyone had gotten up and left, leaving Nina, Fabian, and Amber alone.

"What are we going to do?" Amber asked.

Nina sighed and she stared at the fractured jewel she held in her hand. "I don't know."

"Let's make a plan then," Fabian tossed his piece into the center of the dining table and pulled out a chair.

Amber and Nina followed suit, tossing their own jewels into the center and attempting to make sense of the mess that had consumed their lives.

AN: Thanks for reading. I'll post a new chapter soon. If you liked please favorite, subscribe, and leave a review.

-Karina