Chapter One: Light

"Hello?"

The voice was meek as it reverberated off the stone walls. Tina jumped up excitedly.

"Yes, hello!" She shouted back grabbing Huck's phone. She set the light to spastically go off to draw in the speaker. "We're over here! Come! Please!" Footsteps clicked to the ground and echoed quickly through the air. Tina held her breath and smoothed out the wrinkles in her perfect raven hair. "Let's hope it's a producer." She muttered under her breath. Huck frowned feeling the distinctive sting of uncertainty pinch the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Where are you?" The voice called. It was close. Tina held the phone above her head and started waving it around.

"Over here!" She shouted narrowing her eyes to the darkness. Try as she might, she failed at finding the figure lost somewhere deep within the black void.

"Tina." Huck finally spoke keeping his voice even and low. "Something feels off."

"Don't be such a child." The girl scorned. "Someone's here, that's a good sign."

Huck pursed his lips and rolled his eyes as Tina continued jumping around. Finally, the figure emerged. A girl in her mid-teen years slowly pulled out of the darkness. Her face was painted in worry and a touch of fear as she inched closer and closer to the two adults. Tina couldn't help but feel disappointed, but greeted the girl with a smile nevertheless.

"Hi." Tina greeted kindly. "And who might you be?"

The girl grinned fidgeting with her long burgundy hair and inhaled slowly. "Reject."

Tina's smile slipped and Huck stifled a laugh. She blinked twice lowering the phone. "Excuse me?" She asked politely. The girl smiled back at her awkwardly.

"My name is Reject." She mumbled under her breath. "Reject Ed Carter. I'm Duncan and Dawn's daughter."

Tina's jaw dropped and Huck couldn't hold back his laugh anymore. Reject's face dropped and Tina took the opportunity to look the girl over.

Reject had a solid three inches on Tina, and unlike the host, had some definite curves despite her young age. Reject's face was sharp with distinct green eyes, much like her father; and she wore her hair long and unruly much like her mother's. That aside, her resemblance to her parents faltered. Her style was edgy and hopeless all at once. She wore worn out skinny jeans rolled up to show off her weathered gray combat boots and a lacy white shirt that showed through her open army green military coat. Her skin was nice and pale, only slightly darker than her mother's, and she had three piercings up her right ear and only one on her left.

"Reject, you got any nicknames?" Huck asked after he finally managed to calm himself down. The girl shook her head no.

"I never really bothered with that." She spoke softly and carefully, splitting her gaze evenly between the man and woman. "After a while, you own up to your name, especially one as horrid as mine. I kind of like it. It reminds me I don't have to be defined by my parent's legacy, that I can change my future at will."

Tina and Huck shared a look. Tina cleared her throat in an attempt to change the subject. "Did you see anyone as you were coming?"

Reject shook her head no. Huck sighed turning to Tina. He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her out of earshot.

"Have you heard from the producers?" He asked hunching over her. "How do we know this isn't a scam? What are we supposed to do?"

"Wait for everyone to get here." She shrugged pulling away. "Now come on, quit being so paranoid."

Huck's face turned sour, but he didn't protest any further. Instead, he joined Tina as she invited Reject to sit with her on the bench. The conversation the two girls lead was very light and superficial. They kept it focused on music, art, and plans after the show. Try as he might, Huck couldn't engage. His eyes scanned over the darkness. His ears focused on any irregular sounds. These were all red flags.

"Hello!" Reject and Tina stopped chattering. Huck rose to his feet. "Is there anyone out there? Man, its dark! Hello? Hello?"

"Someone else is here!" Tina exclaimed. "Great! We're over here! Come on in! We're in the back!"

"Oh, gnarly!" The voice was quickly accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling swiftly across the floor. Reject acted suddenly. She climbed on top of the bench and pulled her knees into her chest. Tina stood, waving the phone in the darkness, and Huck stood firmly at her side still analyzing the darkness. "Warn me when I'm getting clos-" Before he had time to finish, he collided with the host knocking them both to the ground. The boy burst into a roaring fit of laughter, but Tina wasn't so amused.

"My hair! My outfit! No! No! No!" She whined. "I'm covered in dust!"

"Oh man! I'm real sorry about that, lady!" The boy said offering up a hand. Tina simply glared and reached for the phone which had been tossed off to the side. The boy let out an awkward chuckle as he pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his spare hand across the back of his neck. "I should have known better than to try to skate in the dark. I guess- I guess, well I'm not really sure what I was thinking. Going into a dark room alone is terrifying. Adding a skate board? It chased that fear away!"

"In other words, you did know exactly what you were doing." Tina growled brushing off her fancy dress pants. The boy chuckled.

"I guess you're right."

"What's your name, kid?" Huck asked after a beat. The boy glanced up at the man and smiled.

"I'm River." He stated confidently. "Son of Geoff and Bridgette. Humanitarian, pro surfer and skater, average kid."

"That's quite the introduction." Reject commented dropping her legs back to the ground. River noticed her for the first time and smiled brightly back at her. They took a second to examine each other fully. Reject noted how much he looked like his parents. He had his dad's coloring and goofy grin with messy shoulder length blond hair and big green eyes. But his face strongly resembled his mothers, stealing her droopy eyes and sharp chin and high cheek bones. Like his father, he liked showing off his six pack. Even in the cold, he wore a long unbuttoned flannel shirt, skinny jeans, and skater shoes. Reject wondered how he wasn't freezing.

"At the risk of sounding totally cheesy, I'm going to admit I practiced it a few times in the mirror." He smirked drawing the attention back on himself. "Ma and Pa aren't exactly known for their tact when it comes to grand entrances. Ma is a bit of a klutz, and Pa is, well, Pa. They learned, though. And taught me."

"It seems history truly does have a way of repeating itself." Tina spat bitterly. River frowned.

"Man, I'm real sorry, lady. Truly." He apologized. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. Huck stepped forward taking his phone back from out of the angry woman's hands.

"Someone else is here." He whispered. Those four little words hushed the atmosphere completely. No one dared to breathe as the sound of shuffling zipped around the corner.

"Link?" Came a voice dangerously close. Tina exhaled slowly cupping her hand over her heart.

"Yes, Zelda." Came a second voice, deeper and more aggressive than the first. Tina yanked the light away from Huck and prepared to flash it out into the open, but she didn't have the chance. Suddenly two people, a boy and a girl, were staring her down. Tina jumped dropping the phone. The girl bent down and scooped it up, cradling it in her hands.

"Link." She spoke. "I think I've found them."
"Yes, Zelda. I believe you have." The boy remarked. Tina shivered and shrank back into Huck's chest. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and grinned wickedly at the twins.

"Let me guess." He hummed letting his arms wander along the lanky teens. "You're Link and Zelda, Sam and Dakota's mutant twins. Your birth made global news sixteen years ago."
"Yes, we're aware." They stated in unison.

The twins were a mad mix of both of their parents. Link was tall and blond with dotted black eyes and horn rimmed glasses. He was slender with a notable birthmark that crawled up his arm of glossy green scales. He showed it off proudly, keeping the sleeve of his right jacket rolled up and the left arm rolled down. Zelda, on the other hand, had a birthmark that attacked the left side of her neck. Purple scales splotched just behind her left ear that she wore long and combed back in curls. Like her mother, she was decorated completely in pink. She wore a pink scarf and a light pink flowing dress that stopped just above her knobby knees.

Reject left River's side to introduce herself, but the twins glared at her in return causing her to stumble back into River. He laughed.

"Wow, mutants! That's wicked cool!" He commented. Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Link, it appears we have another fan." She mocked. Link smiled.

"Yes, it would seem that way." He agreed. River's smile didn't slip, it didn't even falter. He simply continued grinning at the amazing duo who could care less about his existence.

"I hear someone else approaching." Zelda spoke. Link froze over, listening, then a smug smirk captured his face. He fixed his glasses to a point on his nose and nodded.

"Three…two…one…" He counted, and right on cue a heavy sigh was lifted.

"Hey!" A low voice howled. "Who's in here? I saw a footprints in the mud, so I know someone's there! You better not try to scare me."

"We're in the back!" Tina croaked. "There's six of us."

Footsteps squished around the corner and within seconds the figure finally emerged from the darkness. A boy, tall and muscular, with tan skin and freckles smiled and waved. His hair was styled in a messy comb over and even in the darkness proved to be a deep raven red. His eyes were a soft baby blue that he kept neutral as he glanced over the people huddled around in a sloppy circle.

The boy wore a long nice tan trench coat and fitted coot-cut blue jeans, and his face hinted at the slightest of smiles as he formally bowed fixing his gaze on Reject still clinging to River's side.

"I'm Beau." He introduced. "Courtney and Scott's only son. It's nice to meet you." Without waiting for a response, he dropped to one knee and delicately took Reject's hand in his and stared her lovingly in the eyes. Her cheeks instantly warmed. "And you are quite the vision of beauty, my love. I live to serve you."

"C-come again?" She choked yanking her hand away. He smiled kindly up at her and cleared his throat.

"I am now and forever humbly yours." He stated kindly. "What's not to get?"

"I don't even know you!" She exclaimed. "Do you even know me? I just-I just don't understand. Please, there's no freedom in being this attached to someone. Go along now, be your own servant."

"But what if I want to serve you?" He asked. "That's why I was born! Don't you remember? You rescued me! I'm yours."

"I did no such thing!" She huffed. "Please-"

"Someone else is coming." Link interrupted. "Two, actually. One is closer, the other will come in a bit."

"Are you sure?" Tina asked. Link nodded then shifted his weight over to his sister.

"Care to join me as we explore?"

"Indeed." She grinned, and with that the two disappeared into the darkness.

"I enjoy them." River laughed playing with his skateboard. "Did anyone else notice their super powers?"

"Super. Powers?" Tina mouthed. Huck shrugged.

"Hello!" Called yet another voice. This one was female and kind. "Oh my gosh, ew! It's dark. Like, really super-duper dark."

"No way!" Came a second voice. "I love your outfit! Where did you get those shoes? Oh no! Look at that, covered in mud. Such a shame!"

"Thanks! These shoes are hand-me-downs from my mom. She became a Top Model after the show. Care to, uh, walk in with me? It's a bit too dark for my taste!"

"Oh my gosh! Yes! Your mom was Lindsey? She's my hero! I'd be more than honored to escort you inside! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

"Thanks, that's really flattering. But you can stop fangirling. I'm just a girl and she's just a woman. No need to geek out."

"You just don't understand!" Screamed the second girl. "You're so lucky! Daughter of Tyler and Lindsey! What a power couple! My parents are Brick and Jo. Do you have any idea what that's like? They have no style. It's disgusting."

"Welcome." Tina said as the girls approached. The shorter one jumped, but the taller one simply gave a meek smile.

"Hi." The tall one waved. "I'm sure you're wondering who we are. I'm Daisy, daughter of Tyler and Lindsey."

"And I'm Bobbi!" The second girl said crinkling her nose. "Daughter of Brick and Jo."

The two girls were nearly polar opposites. Daisy was tall and curvy, baring a striking resemblance to her mother's signature body. Her eyes were big, blue, and deep carrying a certain air of knowledge that neither of her parents held, and her hair was long and dirty blond framing the shape of her heart shaped face.

Bobbi, on the other hand, was small and round. Her hair was a greasy honey brown, much like her mothers, and her eyes as dark as her father's. Despite her gawky appearance, her style rivaled that of Daisy's. Both girls wore vintage pleated skirts and leggings with boots, and nice long pea coats.

"So where's everyone else?" Daisy asked after a beat. "And why isn't there any light?"

"We're not sure." Tina frowned. "Huck and I have been waiting for the producers for hours."

"Perhaps we can turn the lights on ourselves?" River offered with a kind smile.

"More people might show up." Tina sighed rubbing her temples. "We can't leave."

"You can't." River grinned. "But we can. Ever since the twins left I felt the spirit of adventure rising inside of me. I'd love to go looking for a switch or some means of light."

"Me too." Reject stated softly.

"I guess I'll go too. I hate waiting." Daisy offered.

"Oh my gosh! Then I want to go too!" Bobbi bounced excitedly. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"I'm going wherever Reject is going!" Beau stated jumping to his feet. Reject shot Daisy a sympathetic look and frowned.

"I guess we'll head out, then." River grinned. "We'll be back once we find some light. You two wait here for more contestants."

"I suppose that's a reasonable idea." Tina hummed fixing her hair back up into a bun. River nodded, motioned the group to follow, and stalked off.

Author's Notes

Greetings! I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. With only five more contestants to be introduce, the story is sure to pick up! And, as promised, Mike and Zoey's son will make a grand appearance as the others wander off to find some light! Ah, I'm so excited I could puke! Please review, let me know what you think! Or if I should even continue!

Peace, Love, & Light,

-thehugbandit