THREE |

ANGELINA LAUGHED, THE sound oddly forced because of the tension between the girls. Sapphire had tried to lighten their mood, especially Sophia's, but in the end she failed. Nothing could brighten their moods since they'd heard.

Sam had his powers back. So did Diana. Things were turning out to look a lot like the time just before the FAYZ, the worst event in Angelina's life. She had spent the entire time scared, always looking over her back; even her sister couldn't help her get over her fear. They had gotten free of it at last five months ago, but now it was looking like they might have to go back.

Sophia was acting like an angry mother bear, trying to protect all four of her cubs at once. She had always been a little overprotective of her younger sisters, Rose and Angelina, but since the FAYZ she hardly ever let them out of her sight.

She had recently begun to act the same way towards Scarlett and Sapphire, even though the twins weren't related to her. Scarlett, Sapphire, Rose, and Angelina had become good friends during the FAYZ, watching each other's backs and protecting each other from the horrors that awaited them everywhere.

Sophia hadn't been in the FAYZ, since she was already fifteen when it started. She had spent the entire time they were trapped in there working with the press to make sure the public stayed on the side of the kids trapped inside. She'd been one of the main people talking in favor of them once the dome went clear and the public turned on the kids. She had grown fond of Scarlett and Sapphire since she had learned of the way they had helped to take care of her two younger sisters.

Scarlett and Sapphire had lost their mom and dad both when Gaia fired her light through the dome, which added to Sophia's over-protectiveness of the twins. She was aware of the pain of losing a parent, as hers had died in a car accident five years previous. Since then she had taken on the role of the mother in the family, and had recently added Scarlett and Sapphire to that group. She acted like their mom, and the twins never protested.

"I don't think it's very likely you guys will have powers," Sophia said, obviously trying to reassure them. "You hardly had any the first time. It's different with Diana and Sam."

Sapphire tried to smile, but that too was forced. Normally Sapphire was the one who was always cheering everyone up, especially in the FAYZ, when everyone was too scared for themselves to be happy about anything. Even though she was never exactly cheery herself in any of those instances.

She made a good effort though, and the tension did ease an infinitesimal amount. Only Scarlett was unaffected by her twin's comfort. She knew her too well to think that she believed what Sophia had said.

"I hope not," Scarlett said, "considering what Zil did to the moofs in the last FAYZ. That was horrible," she and Sapphire shivered at the memory.

"I agree," Rose said, she too remembering the torture Zil inflicted on the mutants. "If we have powers, or at least any more power than last time, then it'd make us targets. If there's gonna be another FAYZ, then you do not want to be singled out." This time she shuddered, thinking of the fates of the ones who had been unable to prevent being singled out and captured. Even the ones who had survived after becoming so prominent didn't have a very good time through their life in the FAYZ. Or after, she was sure.

"Zil's gone. We won't have to worry about him again," said Sapphire, trying to change the topic and lift the mood.

"That doesn't mean we won't have to worry about others like him," Scarlett argued. Sapphire shot her a warning look, as if to say not to make things worse and just go with it. She was trying to make them feel better, not be reasonable. Often no one could do both at once.

"What? Just stating the facts, Saph. There's no way to avoid it," Scarlett responded warily. She didn't often argue with her twin, but none of them were in a very good mood.

"And I'm just trying to be a little less gloomy. You guys are downright depressing," Sapphire pouts.

Rose steps between them with a stern look on her face, knowing that is the best tactic when there's no chance they'll just concede and laugh. Often when they argue over a less grim topic, that's what happens. They both randomly burst into laughter and their anger diffuses instantly. But that obviously wasn't gonna happen.

"Come on, guys. We need to go see Diana. Even if you guys don't want any powers you have to be discovered, it's still an order from Sam," Sophia said. Even though they were out of the FAYZ, an order from Sam wasn't something any of them could ignore. He was still a leader to them, though now he wasn't as essential to their survival.

The girls grudgingly agreed, and the five of them rose from their positions on either the beds belonging to the twins or the carpeted floor of their bedroom.

By the time they reached the park they were supposed to go to in order to get tested by Diana, all five girls were sick of walking. They'd misjudged the distance big time, and had ended up walking five miles. How they managed to mess up that much, none of them knew. But now they all knew not to trust Angelina with the map.

"It's not my fault!" Angelina protested as they located Sam, Astrid and Diana and trudged over to them wearily. All of them gave Angelina a disbelieving look. They had been arguing with her the entire time they'd been walking, but the youngest of them still kept circulating back to that. No matter how much they all reminded her that she was the one with the map, she refused to admit her guiltiness.

The other four girls exchanged a look, all of them sick of Angelina's conviction. Before they could continue the argument though, they arrived within earshot of Astrid, Sam, and Diana.

"Hi guys. Diana had some problems with her power this morning, but she seems to have it back now. No one she's tested has showed signs of having a power yet though, so we're not entirely sure," Sam said. Weariness lined his face, going deeper than the physical weariness of the girls.

He frowned when he noticed Sophia standing behind them. "Were you in the FAYZ? I don't remember you."

"No, I was too old for the FAYZ," she replied, shaking her head.

Sam looked worried. "I didn't want anyone older than the FAYZ. It may have been chaos when the adults disappeared, but I'm not sure that we're not better off without them," he said grimly.

"I'm their older sister," Sophia stated protectively, stepping in front of the girls so she was positioned in between them and Sam. "And I'm only sixteen. Not an adult."

Sam hesitated, but then grudgingly nodded and led the group over to where Astrid and Diana were lounging in the shade under the sweeping boughs of a faded willow tree.

Diana stood up as they approached her. Weariness was clearly visible in her features as well. "Who's first?" she asked, her dark eyes skimming over them and hovering on Sophia for a moment before moving on. "Were all of you in the FAYZ?" she asks.

"I wasn't. I'm their older sister, but I was too old for the FAYZ. I'm only sixteen, though." She added hastily after the encounter with Sam.

Diana just held out her hand for the first person to take. Scarlett stepped forward, taking Diana's outstretched hand after a moment's hesitation.

Diana let go after a second. Her eyes were wide with something akin to fear in them.

"She's got a power, that's for sure," Diana said. "She's a five. Even higher than Sam and C-Caine." she faltered on Caine's name. Her pronouncement was met with an astounded silence. Scarlett had gone white, the color drained from her face. A similar thing had happened to her twin.

"What?!" Angelina burst out, voicing everyone's thoughts.

After another moment, Sam spoke.

"Sapphire, you're Scarlett's twin, aren't you?" he asked carefully.

Sapphire's brow furrowed, her face still pale. "Yeah. Why?" Realization hit her and she turned whiter than Scarlett. "You think I'd be as powerful as her. Like you and Caine." Diana winced.

The look in Sam's eyes issued a silent command. Without saying anything, she stepped forward tentatively and thrust her hand out towards Diana.

Diana took it after a brief hesitation. Almost immediately after she touched it, she let go.

"It's the same," she announced. Scarlett and Sapphire were both just standing, frozen, as were the rest of the girls. They all were in complete shock.

Angelina and Rose exchanged a terrified glance before Rose stepped forward slowly, almost cringing away from Diana out of fear of what she might say. Diana closed the distance between them, grabbing hold of Rose's hand.

She'd closed her eyes in advance so she could concentrate, but now her eyes flew open as she made contact with Rose.

She dropped her hand.

"Five," Diana said, disbelief written across her face as well as Sam and Astrid's. "She's a five too. I think there might be something wrong with my power. There's no way all three of them just happen to be more powerful than the most powerful people in the FAYZ."

"Test me then."

Sophia spoke, striding confidently toward Diana. "If I have a five, then we can suspect that something's wrong with her power. If not, then it's probably on track."

Diana tilted her head thoughtfully. "Good idea," she said.

Sophia offered her hand. Diana closed her eyes again. Again she dropped her hand almost immediately, her eyes wide again and her head shaking.

"Five?" Sapphire asked, a note of hope coloring her voice.

"No," Diana said slowly. They sighed collectively, all of them disappointed except for Sophia. Despite her hypothesis, she would've been a little worried if Diana had declared her a five.

"She's a four."

Diana was met once again by silence. Now Sophia was the one who drained of color.

Sam was confused. How were these girls so powerful when they had previously shown so little power? And Sophia hadn't even been in the FAYZ. And now three of them, at least, were more powerful than he and Caine.

He didn't see how it was possible. But there was still one more girl that had a likelihood of being the same as her sisters.

Impatiently, Angelina stepped forward. "Get it over with," she said, closing her eyes. Her muscles were tensed, prepared for the worst, as if Diana would suddenly just lash out and magically cause extreme pain to her nerves. Despite the situation he was in, Sam barely held his snort of amusement in check.

Diana slowly took her hand, her eyes not leaving her face until she touched Angelina's hand. When she did so, she jerked back, an alarmed expression on her face.

"What?" Sophia asked, worried about her sister.

"She's another five," Diana said, sighing. "I don't see how this is happening. You had no powers before and now all of a sudden you have more power than the most powerful mutants in the FAYZ." Sam winced at the word mutants, along with the girls. "This shouldn't happen. People don't just randomly develop extreme power. You must have had at least some sort of power in the FAYZ."

The four youngest of the girls just shrugged, their faces all still white and unable to have full control over what they said. The oldest just stared at them with one raised eyebrow.

"Um, ya that makes sense for them I guess. But first of all, they didn't have any signs of power in the FAYZ; and secondly, I wasn't even in the FAYZ."

"I don't get it." Sapphire said, the only one of the four of them who had regained her speech. "We weren't moofs. We don't have powers. Last time, we didn't even have enough of a power to tell what they were. Now we're supposed to be more powerful than you?" Sapphire's tone was the pinnacle of disbelief.

"It doesn't make any sense to me either," Astrid said, stepping closer to the rest of them. It was the first time she had spoken since they'd gotten there. "I think we should talk to some others from the FAYZ. See if they've gotten their powers back or developed new ones, like you guys have. Dekka was hanging out with Edilio today, wasn't she?" Sam nodded. "Then we should go talk to the two of them. I think Dekka's been keeping an eye on Lana, along with Sanjit and his family. She'd know where they are so we can contact them as well."

"Good idea," Sam said, moving over to Astrid and taking her hand. He turned toward the girls, where they had been standing ever since they'd all gotten the results of Diana's reading. "Will you guys come? We have to try and figure out what your powers are. There's never been any five bars before, so we'll also need to know how powerful you guys are."

Sapphire glanced at Scarlett, then at the rest of the girls. Scarlett nodded, still unable to speak and telling Sapphire to tell Sam that they'd go. Still, Sapphire hesitated. But after a moment she looked back at Sam.

"We'll go," she said, her voice unwavering.

A/N

Ok the other chapters were kinda short so WE'RE JUST GONNA DROWN YOU PEOPLE IN WORDS WITH THIS CHAPTER. I hope we can make more of our chapters longer like this but it may not always happen so bear with us. We'll try to update as often as possible but we can't guarantee updates will be on time with school happening and all. Again, suggestions are always welcome. CYA!

-Kari