FOUR MONTHS AGO
LIZ DOWLER – LANCASTER, OHIO
Liz walked out of her classroom and down the hall to her locker. She was done for the day and decided that she might go and see her grandfather. It had been about a month and a half since she last visited her grandfather. She was kinda freaked out by that sudden flash of light that occurred when he touched her head. Although she didn't have any run INS with the girl that jumped her in school. She hoped that the rest of her time in school would go smoothly but she knew better than that. After getting things from her locker she headed for her car in the parking lot. She reached the parking lot to see that girl and a group of her lackeys surrounding this other girl. The other girl was on the ground and crying. She didn't really want to get involved but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl.
Oh damn it what the hell?
She walked over to the group who didn't realize she was coming until she was practically on top of them. Meghan turned around to see Liz standing there.
"What do you want?"
"You should stop messing with her." Liz replied.
"Or what? You're gonna beat me up?" She said while laughing.
Liz smirked. Meghan stopped laughing and noticed Liz's grin.
"What are you laughing for you, bitch?" Meghan said as she went in for a slap.
Liz's hand immediately went up and caught it. This surprised both Liz and Meghan. Liz cocked her other arm back as if she was going to throw something.
"Fireball."
She wasn't sure what she was doing but her instincts told her to do as such so she threw a baseball sized fireball at Meghan. Meghan clinched her eyes tightly waiting for the inevitable but she realized after a few seconds that it didn't come. She opened her eyes and saw Liz's smoking hand. Needless to say she was confused. Then she heard an explosion. She turned around to see that her car was ablaze.
"That was my car."
"You think."
"You'll pay for this." Meghan said running away from the scene with her friends.
Liz looked down at the battered girl and smiled.
DUSTIN ZOFCHAK - NEW YORK CITY
Dustin stepped out of a cab in front of an apartment complex in Manhattan with his sling style backpack and a small suitcase. He opened the door and started up the stairs to the fifth floor. His mother got a call from a geneticist by the name of Suresh. His mother didn't think it would hurt due to the fact that Dustin was out of school for summer and suspension. She also told him he could stay with his sister that lived in New York. His sister was a few years older than he was and was living on her own in the city. He hadn't seen hi s sister ever since she moved to New York. The two of them had a decent relationship as far as siblings go but his sister had a bit of a depression issue at times due to her weight issues. She always stressed to Dustin about being in shape. He knew that he and his sister were a bit one the opposite ends of the spectrum as personality and looks went. He was more of the athletic build while she was on the bigger side. He could make friends with anyone he met while she was more of the emo, hate the popular kids type. However, he took his sister's advice and did his best to stay in shape. He often wondered why she didn't take her own advice considering she was overweight. He finally reached the fifth floor and walked down the hallway. He found his sister's door and knocked on it.
"Coming." A voice said from the other side.
Seconds later, the door opened and his sister stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. Correction, Dustin's sister had a weight problem. Dustin was in complete shock at his sister's new look. She was now a lot thinner and had even cut her hair a bit longer than what it was. Although she still looked like his sister, her face did look a lot different and it wasn't because of weight loss.
"Wow, Betty,…you look good. I mean…"
"Careful, little brother. Some people would call that incest."
"Well, it'd be legal in West Virginia."
Betty laughed at Dustin's remark. He always had some comment to say and it was usually funny. Betty held the door open for Dustin as he brought his stuff in. He scanned the apartment as he stepped deeper into it. Not a bad place for a single girl like Betty.
"Another thing I forgot to tell you is, call me Candice."
"Candice? Why?"
"You know I never liked my name. So I took Candice instead. It was either that or Michelle."
"Candice, eh? It suits your new look." Dustin said.
"I think so. I'm also taking Dad's last name. So I'm going by Candice Wilmer."
"You've always gone by Dad's last name, even though he and mom were never married." Dustin replied.
"That is true. So did you hear? I'm moving to Texas." Candice said.
"How could I hear that if I hadn't talked to you in a while and if mom didn't know?"
"Fair enough but I got a job working at a paper company down there called Primatech."
"So, you'll be making copies, eh?"
"Something like that." Candice said with a slight grin.
TONIA FIORE – ODESSA, TEXAS
Tone came home from school to hear yelling come from inside her house. It wasn't any surprise to hear he mother and step father fighting. Her step father was one of the abusive types. She had no idea what her mother saw in him. It was probably lust at first and then fear of loneliness. Either way it wasn't a good reason to marry someone. Every time her mother appeared with a new set of bruises complete with a set of black eyes, she'd constantly say some lame excuse to cover for him. He had even beaten her when he wrecked the car while drunk driving. She was at home at the time and somehow he had blamed it on her. Tone walked into the house and up the stairs into the hallway just in time to see her step father lay one right on her mothers face. For some reason today, this was getting on Tone's nerves. Normally, she'd go into her room and drown it out by doing something else but now it was taking everything she had not to do anything. She couldn't take it any more.
"Stop it." She said. "Stop hurting my mother."
"Or what?" He said walking over to her.
He bent over slightly to get closer to her face. Tone slightly stepped back to avoid the potent alcohol smell coming from his breath.
"I won't let you hurt her anymore."
"Don't think just because you're a woman don't mean that I won't hit you." He said.
"Yeah you've proven that." She said with a sarcastic tone to her voice.
Without warning, Tone was knocked into a wall. Her step father had backhanded her across the face. She looked to her mother and saw that her mother wasn't going to be any help due to the fact she was stricken with fear. Tone shot to her feet and stood in front of her step father.
"What? You want some more?"
"I'm not Oliver Twist." She said as she did a few hand movements in front of him. "Restrain." She said as she made a slashing motion across his chest as the last hand movement.
Her step father's hands were grabbed by an unseen force and forced behind him.
"What the hell is going on?" He said as he fell to the floor.
"This is why you're not going to hurt my mother again." She said as she started stomping on his face.
He tried desperately to get away from the unrelenting onslaught coming from his step daughter. He moved backwards trying to move away, unknowing that the stairs were only inches away. Tone noticed this and stopped her attack. Her step father opened his eyes once the attack was over and was helped to his feet by Tone. She could see the anger seething in his eyes. She knew that if she released him that he'd kill her. She wasn't done yet anyway. She extended her index finger and pushed on his chest, sending him crashing down the stairs. Her mother ran past her and down the stairs to the broken body. She felt for a pulse and didn't find one.
"He's dead." She said.
BLAINE STORK – KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA
Blaine walked down the street in downtown Kissimmee. He had gone to the bars that night to practically make his paycheck disappear. Although he wasn't drunk, most of it went to random good looking girls that had come into the bar through out the night. Even though he sat next to a girl at the bar, got to know her, bought her virtually unlimited drinks, he was still walking home alone. After looking at his hands and visualizing the abilities he had stuck them into his pockets and kicked a random rock in annoyance and depression.
What good are these abilities if I can't show them off or at least impress some girl?
He usually went to the bars so he didn't have to go home or didn't have to go home alone at least. Half way home, he realized that he wasn't alone. He vaguely heard the footsteps of two people behind him. He slightly turned around and saw one of the guys pull out a red piece of clothing and then shove it back in his pocket. He turned his eyes back to the front of him. No sooner than he did that, he felt two pairs of hands spin him around and slammed him to the ground. One of them pulled a gun and held it to his chest.
"What you carryin'?" One of them asked.
"I don't have anything." Blaine said.
The one with the gun patted Blaine's pockets with his free hand in search for his wallet.
"What? You got no wap wit you? You white, you got money."
The guy found Blaine's wallet and reached in for it. Blaine instantly clapped his hands together and touched the gun. He was able to mold the gun into a metal tube that attached itself to the guy's hand.
"What the…?"
The guy pulled back and his friend came over to inspect his hand. Blaine wasn't done yet. He clapped his hands again and pressed them to the ground. The ground erupted and encased the two guys in a dome like barrier. With one more clap and pressing his hands to the dome and caused it to return to the earth with the two guys inside.
"Don't you ever try to rob me again." Blaine said not expecting an answer from the buried would be robbers. "They'll be able to get out, eventually."
He stuck his hands back into his pockets and continued walking home.
DUSTIN ZOFCHAK – NEW YORK CITY
Dustin walked out of Professor Suresh's apartment after doing some tests and revealing his ability to him. Suresh had called his ability Ki manipulation. The ability to focus one's life energy into a physical form of energy. As he shut the door he looked up and damn near ran into a girl about his height but seemed older. She had a stove pot with a lid on it. The scent of macaroni and cheese filled Dustin's nostrils.
"Sorry." He said.
"No I'm sorry. I almost burned you with the pot."
Dustin walked off as the girl walked into through the door he had just come out of. He walked out of the building and hailed a cab. One pulled over and he got into the cab. The driver was a very dark skinned bald man. He didn't say anything when Dustin got in.
"Uh…take me to…" Dustin pulled out a slip of paper. "I can't remember the address. It's…uh…."
Smoke began to fill the back of the cab. Dustin looked at the driver who seemed like he didn't care about the smoke. Dustin covered his mouth and coughed as he tried to open the doors. It was no use. After a futile attempt to break the windows and to open the doors, he finally passed out. Once he was out the driver pulled away.
Dustin awoke in a room that was mostly dark but it had enough light to get around. He felt the restraints on his arms and legs along with the neural attachments of a machine. Suddenly, a man came into view. A man with short brown hair and wearing horn rimmed glasses.
ALEX MERRIELL – NEW YORK CITY
Alex and his mother walked down the streets of Manhattan heading for his Aunt and Uncle's house. In front of them Dustin Zofchak stepped out of a cab, holding his head. If he were old enough he looked like he were drunk. Dustin looked up and saw Alex's approach.
"Excuse me; do you know what day it is?" He asked.
"Uh, Tuesday." Alex replied with a confused look on his face.
Dustin looked around trying to gather his thoughts. "Thanks."
"Not a problem." Alex said walking away.
That can't be right. I've somehow lost a day.
Dustin started up the stairs of his sister's apartment complex. Alex continued down the street heading towards the Petrelli Mansion. A few minutes later, he and his mother arrived. His mother rang the door bell and a few seconds passed before a man came and answered the door. The man knew who they were and let them in without stopping them. They took a few steps into the house and Heidi came rolling up to them in her wheelchair. Heidi was Alex's mom's sister, who was now paralyzed from the waist down. Nathan walked into the room a few seconds later followed by Peter.
"How are things holding up here?" His mom asked.
"Well, we've gone through a bit of a spell. Nathan's dad passed away a few weeks ago."
A look of sorrow passed over Alex's mom. "Oh, Nathan I'm sorry."
Nathan just nodded accepting the comfort. Heidi turned herself around in her wheelchair.
"Come on, I'll have the chef cook up something for lunch."
Alex was not one to argue when it came to getting food, especially food from his Aunt and Uncle's place. He excitedly followed them to the outside dining area.
