A Stronger Weakness
Prologue

I slumped around my small apartment, holding a book to my face. It was brutally cold for October, especially Halloween. I felt bad for the little children who ran around outside, probably freezing in their cheap costumes. At least it was a free night for mutants – the ones with physical differences, that was. They could walk the streets pretending they were wearing a costume, as if they were like everyone else. As if they weren't freaks.

Freaks.

And I was one of them... one of the freaks. I had been locked up in a basement for it. I was living in a squeaky old apartment for it.

"Oh, God," I said aloud, setting my book down on the coffee table in the middle of my living room. "Why can't I just be like everyone else?" I asked towards the heavens.

"There is a cure, you know." a sudden voice said from the shadows. I didn't recognize it. It was a woman's voice – high pitched and quick, something like I imagined squirrel's voice to be.

I swung my head around to where the voice had come from – the kitchen. It was too dark to see anything, but I could hear perfectly. There was a thud, then footsteps, and a shadowed figure stepped into the living room.

The woman emerged from the shadows, walking in a feline manner. She was small and curvy, and her skin was so pale that it made me wonder if she was just an illusion. Her black hair was short and choppy, and barely brushed her shoulders. Gleaming in the moonlight that swept past her face was a set of two glowing yellow eyes complete with feline irises. The woman was dressed all in black leather that was so tight it could have ripped right off.

She stopped at my couch and sat down on the arm, licking the back of her hand. Only then did I notice that her fingernails had been cut and sharpened so that they resembled claws.

"Panther, are you trying to turn the girl into a human?" said another female voice. It wasn't from the kitchen, but rather from a few feet in front of me. I couldn't see anything, and grew extremely confused.

I backed away from the voice until I hit the wall.

Panther just continued to lick the back of her hand as if she hadn't heard the voice. "Camouflage, come out where we can see you." she said, still grooming herself.

A black woman appeared out of nowhere, standing tall above me. She was muscular and her mere presence was intimidating, especially at such close range. Her skin was light, but her hair was an ashy black. Her face was heart-shaped, with high cheek bones and round eyes, and without that scowl she might have looked hospitable. Her dark eyes shone in the moonlight, filled with intent.

I gulped and dug my fingers into the wall behind me, breaking the plaster. "Who are you?" I managed to choke out.

The women just stayed in their positions and looked at each other, then burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Camouflage, Panther," snapped a voice from the past. Her voice was cold and shrill, like a rush of freezing wind had just swept through the drafty apartment. Goosebumps appeared on my arms and legs, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. "We mustn't scare the children," said the voice, and the figure it belonged to manifested from her hiding place.

I gulped again, but stood my ground. I couldn't show fear around my sister. "Adrian," I said sternly, but quickly corrected.

"My name is Control." the mutant said strictly, as if she was ashamed of her birth name. "And this is Camouflage... and Panther." she introduced the two other women after a second of letting her own self-proclaimed name drift into the quiet of the night.

I was guessing that the feline woman was named Panther and the woman that had appeared out of nowhere was called Camouflage. Camouflage must have had some invisibility abilities because it fit her name and how she had just suddenly materialized out of nothing in front of me. And Control.

Yes, that fit, too. Adrian had always been the one in control of everything, everyone. I wondered if Panther and Camouflage had joined her voluntarily.

"Yes, they did." Adrian replied to my thoughts. That was right - I'd almost forgot my sister could read minds. "I would never force another mutant to do something against their will." she lied, stepping toward me.

Panther had stopped grooming herself once Adrian had made her presence known, and Camouflage had stepped back from the main scene to watch from the sidelines.

Adrian was only a few feet from me now, staring me down with her coal black eyes. They were like two little onyxes in the middle of a sea of platinum blond hair. Like the feline's, her skin was a pale alabaster and it looked as if she hadn't seen sun in centuries.

I didn't know if Adrian was making me feel that way or if she was truly that intimidating, but I started to feel a deep rumble in the pit of my stomach – like I was feeling the side effects of a spoiled dinner.

But I still didn't understand why Adrian and her little friends were here in my apartment. What could my sister possibly want from me? Knowing Adrian, she would have to have a very good reason as to come all the way to Trenton from wherever the hell she had roamed to, instead of just sending one of her slaves.

"They aren't my slaves, dear sister." Adrian said, still scanning my thoughts. "Like I said before, I would never force another mutant to do something against their will." she repeated, taking another small step toward me.

Still, what was she doing here? I couldn't wait for her to process my thoughts. "What do you want with me?" I asked sternly.

Adrian laughed – a crackly, maniacal laugh that sent chills down my spine. "Hasn't it become obvious yet? We want you to join us." she said, as if I might take her seriously.

I scoffed. "Like I would ever play on your team. You locked me up in a dirty cellar! And, on top of the torture you put me through, you expect me to join your little club set to destroy the human race?" I screamed, stepping towards Adrian. My burning face was just inches from hers.

She kept cool, and a little smirk forming at the edge of her lips. "I'm guessing that's a no?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yes! Yes! Of course that's a no!" I screamed at her, my arms flailing everywhere.

Adrian laughed again, this time throwing back her head and smiling wickedly. After her little spasm, she motioned for Camouflage and Panther to come toward us. "Hold her back." she commanded, and the two other women grabbed my arms and pushed me against the wall.

I was much too strong for them. As soon as they grabbed me, I threw them off, sending Camouflage through a wall and Panther into the couch. "You know you can't keep me down, Adrian."

"Is that so?" she asked, forcing me against the wall again. Telepaths were my worst enemy.

Adrian pushed her forehead against mine, and there was a horrible screeching in my head. I screamed at the pain, but that didn't stop my sister. The shrill noise was enough to knock off my balance, making me incapable of moving, aside from my squirming.

The last thing I remember was that ear-splitting sound, and then it was all black.