So thank you to those who reviewed the very first chapter.
They had been famous. They had been on television, on radio, news channels and stars, people interviewed them and everyone fawned over them for months on end. They had become the centre of attention without even actually doing anything. And they had loved it too. They weren't the kind of girls to run around, showing off to everyone else and wanting to get attention from them but this was the first time they had gotten attention of this kind without having to do anything for it. And they didn't have to act, they just had to tell everyone what they had seen while they were in the FAYZ and shortly after telling their story a few dozen times, they were allowed to go home again because they didn't have anything new. Just as they were growing bored of everyone asking them questions, they were old news and they had no more stories to tell. After that they had gone back with family, stayed at an uncles for a few days and just listened for the rest of the stories. They expected their friends to all follow them out soon because why would you stay when your mother called for you to escape and go home. But as time passed no one came with them. Sam's birthday was first and he stayed and they had no reason or any answer as to why or how because they couldn't see in through the wall.
And then the unthinkable happened. Francis came first, but it was Mother Mary who caught them off guard. She was all over the television and when she first saw them Emma screamed loud enough to shake the house down. Francis was in the same state and they were both rushed to the hospital where they both died before their parents even got a chance to see them one last time. No one understood. Emma and Anna had come out fine but anyone else who came seemed to look as if they had spent a round in the shredder/fire. Suddenly the girls didn't want anyone else to come out because they had no idea what effect would happen upon them. Would they come out fine or would they be malformed and disfigured like Mother Mary and Francis?
And then the wall came down. It became see through at one point but the twins had avoided the television since Mother Mary came out, and even when it did become visible and they checked up on those inside, they saw horror behind the walls. The people inside had been starved. Over half the children had died somehow, mutants were alive and there was a monstrous girl that Sam Temple had nearly burned alive with some weird power he had. And the twins didn't know what to think or what to say. They had been brought back a few times after that, asked more questions but they had no answers. They didn't know who or how people could do these incredible things, they didn't know anything about Drake gaining a whip hand and going crazy, or the evil baby, or the pain Caine caused the town. They didn't know anything and yet people still told them off and argued with them that they had to know something but they didn't. It only stopped when Emma started crying. Then their parents stepped in and rushed them away. And then the wall came down and Emma and Anna were quickly forgotten as everyone else became the centre of attention. From then on they paid attention and listened as Sam was nearly charged before Caine seemed to confess in a letter and then everyone was allowed to go free.
Emma and Anna didn't get in contact with anyone who came out of the FAYZ. It seemed almost wrong to try when they had gotten out fine while others had died either in or when they had come out. And no one tried to speak to them so they just let it go and moved on with their lives. They moved in down the street of their uncle and got their own house, settled down and lived life as best as they could, returning to school before they left after graduating and began to get part time jobs in whatever they could. They were a few of the lucky ones.
But then the strangest thing happened to Anna. She got a call from Astrid the Genius, a girl she hadn't even thought about, let alone spoken to.
The twins had been eating an early breakfast before Emma had to hurry to catch the bus in order to get to her music college classes. Anna had been left alone as she took slow sips of tea in front of the television. She had gone to the same college course as Emma once but she had quickly grown bored of playing the piano and just wasn't interested in playing any instruments at all let alone learning music notes or pitches. She had considered joining another course like that, maybe an English course or a business course, but they didn't interest her either. In the end Anna took day care courses on Monday's and Friday's only. She loved taking care of kids, she knew that since she helped Mother Mary with the little Pree's. But on the rest of her days she either stayed off or she had a flyer in a local shop renting our her assistants to anyone who might need a cleaner, babysitter or gardener. It kept money in her pocket and she didn't have to work all the time.
Halfway through a new television show Anna's private phone rang loudly from her jacket pocket hanging on the coat hook. She quickly hurried to answer in case it was a job but was surprised instead when she heard a unfamiliar voice of a person she barely knew. And even then, the part that she knew only knew her as The Genius.
"Hello? This is Astrid Ellison. I need your help. I really need your help here and I know we haven't spoken before, in fact we know nothing about one another, but there is no one else out there and Sam says you're trusting so please. I am trusting you to just... Please can you come to Daster Park soon? Please... Oh... And bring some clothes for a guy about fifteen years old. I'll explain when you get here." The dial tone.
"What the hell?!" Anna blinked, staring at her phone. Astrid the Genius called her out of nowhere to ask for help, only to demand it more than ask and then hang up before she could say whether or not she was busy! Anna never knew much about Astrid but she didn't think she was that big headed. Maybe time had changed her, or maybe Anna really didn't know her.
Then, as she sat down and continued to stare at her phone, Anna wondered what on Earth she could be asking her out for. Wait, why her? Was Astrid that lonely that she didn't have any other friends or people to ask to help her. And what was that about Sam? Sam said Anna was trusting and so Astrid was trusting her? But then wait a second, how did Astrid get her number? And how did she know Anna lived anywhere near Daster Park? Was she a spy or something? Anna was so confused as to why Astrid was speaking to her and how she knew all this information that she spent a few minutes trying to work it all out but her head just ached afterwards.
Anna sat debating for almost half an hour, purely staring at the phone and trying to work everything out in her mind. In the end it was too much, she was too curious and at the same time the guilt for getting out perfectly fine while they all suffered was still fresh in her mind. What was the worst that could happen? Astrid was Genius. Not a trouble maker.
After a quick change of clothes into something less nighty and more summery, in other words a plain white skirt and a plain light orange blouse with white sandals, Anna was about to leave the house when she remembered the second part of the message. Astrid wanted her to bring clothes? Male clothes? For a fifteen year old? Anna paused and frowned once again in confusion. Should she really be doing all this when she wasn't even sure what this was all about in the first place? But then she was curious and guilty and mostly curious. So she ran back upstairs and slipped into her parents room. Anna didn't know any more fifteen year olds, at least not any who she knew well enough that they would lend her clothes so Astrid would just have to settle for a set of over grown male clothes. Anna grabbed her light green backpack and shoved a large white t-shirt in with a pair of dark blue shots. After a moment's hesitation she grabbed a pair of her own trainers that were slightly small for her, hopefully they would be big enough for a fifteen year old even if they did have pink on the soles.
Finally she left the house and stepped into her front garden, grabbing her bike from the side and pulling it out into the streets. In just a few more weeks Anna would be going for her drivers licence and she wouldn't have to peddle around all the time. Emma would be taking it the same day as her and they hoped they would pass together too because as soon as both of them had their licence, their parents promised to get them a car to share for when they needed it.
For now she had to settle though, as she climbed on the bike Anna moved quickly down the road, making sure to keep on the road or the specific bike paths so no police stopped to lecture her. It only took her a few minutes if she rushed but Anna was determined not to rush for Astrid's sake. And the gentle ride was better for her legs anyway, not to mention she did enjoy the wind when it combed it's way through her creamy brown hair. Then she remembered she forgot to brush her hair! Anna cursed and slowed down to a stop. She reached up and pulled it down from it's pony tail, combing her fingers through it a few times before she put it back up again. Almost immediately her fringe sprung free and hung over her forehead while the rest hung behind her head. It was still a mess and she actually debating turning back to get ready properly. Whatever Astrid wanted, surely it could wait just a few... No. Anna wasn't a primpy pressy girl. She didn't fuss over her looks and she wasn't going to ride all the way home to come all the way back for a few tangles and split ends, especially when the only person she was meeting was Astrid... And a fifteen year old boy but that wasn't much better a reason.
The rest of the ride down to the park passed with only the wind wiping sweat from her forehead. Why Daster Park? It was a small plain park with hardly any picnic area, a small sport area and a tiny fountain. It was in the middle of a busy area and so the traffic was loud during rush hour and it was generally the worst park you could go to. There were much better parks, bigger lakes, bigger grass area, quieter. Anna rolled her eyes as she slowly began to slow the bike down when she saw the iron gates of the park. Even the gates looked rusted and old, easily broken and the lock itself had been gone for years now.
Anna stopped the bike completely and climbed off, she walked over and chained it to the bike area. She supposed that was one thing about the park that wasn't too bad, it was so run down and unused that no one even went there to steal bikes or balls. Rubbing her shoulders where her backpack straps had dug into her shoulders on the ride over, Anna walked through into the gates and came to an almost immediate stop. The park was so small just by standing in the gates she could see all the sections and the other end of the gates too, but standing there she couldn't see Astrid anywhere. She might have considered not recognising her but there really was no one at all in the park that day, it was deserted with only the fountain running and the gentle sounds of cars behind of her.
"... Uh..." Anna said slowly, suddenly self-conscious. Maybe she should just leave. "Hello? Astrid The Genius?"
"Anna?" Astrid's head appeared from the woods. She didn't look too different. Her blonde hair was still bright though it was cut shorter than Anna's own hair. She had the same pretty face and the same pink lips and bright eyes but now Anna could see a hint of make up, bright pink lip gloss and a hint of blue eye shadow. She was dressed in a simple white summer dress with dark blue, almost black, strange flowers that covered it, a dark blue sash around the waist that was tied to the side, and a set of white soft sneakers on her feet, white and blue like her dress.
"Uh hi." Anna said slowly. She walked over and came to a stop in front of her. She reached up and grabbed her backpack straps just for something to hold onto so her hands wouldn't fiddle.
"Hey." It was then Anna saw her face. She was flushed in the cheeks, her eyes wider than normal and she looked almost haunted.
Instantly Anna felt bad once more. Clearly the effects of the FAYZ were still filling her mind and she needed someone to be here for her. Anna couldn't imagine what it must have been like and she wished she could comfort her in some way, maybe a hug or even just a pat on the shoulder. Carefully, like she was afraid she might startle her, Anna reached over and placed it on her shoulder, giving her a small smile. Maybe this was why Astrid had called her. Because she didn't want to admit defeat to Sam or anyone else who had been in the FAYZ and instead just needed someone who didn't understand so she could talk to them about everything. Well, Anna would help her. At least as much as she could.
"Look, I am sorry for demanding you here. You have no idea how relieved I am you came." Astrid almost begged.
"That's fine." Anna shrugged. She wasn't sure how to talk. Babies and kids were easier, but Astrid was her age. If not Astrid was mentally older considering her brains and her experience in the FAYZ as one of the oldest people there. Maybe she should just talk to her like she was Emma. But they had a different relationship and that would come off weird if she spoke to her like her sister. Maybe her friend, Melissa. Melissa was a good friend and she was smart... "Look, do you want to sit down so we can talk?" Then a thought occurred. "Wait a minute. Why did you want me to bring these clothes for? Did you want them for... Sam?" But Sam wasn't fifteen, Anna thought.
"No. No. I mean... Look you know all about what happened in the FAYZ, right?" Astrid asked, her eyes suddenly glassy like she might cry. Her lips shivered and Anna took a step back, worried she was going to start screaming and sobbing in her face.
"Yeah." Anna nodded, shrugging her shoulders. "I heard about most of it, I mean. You know, on TV and in the newspapers."
"So you heard about Caine?" Astrid pressed, stepping right up to her again.
The closeness made Anna uncomfortable and she took a tiny step back. "That he went crazy and turned from the saviour into the evil king devil himself? Yeah. It's still pretty hard to believe considering how great he had been when he first showed up. But then... Well then I heard about the big fight and I really am sorry for it all."
"Not that part!" Astrid suddenly snapped and Anna took another sharp step away again. "The last part. The part about his death! How he died!"
Anna really wasn't liking Astrid much. "Yes I know!" She snapped and blushed, trying to stay calm. It wasn't Astrid's fault. she was traumatised. "He-He-He done something! He killed himself to save everyone! He wanted redemption and he... And he wanted to save Diana or something. He let someone take him over and killed that evil baby thing." Anna blinked. "That's all I remember."
"That's right!" Astrid said, voice shrill. She shut her eyes and seemed to take a breath to calm herself down before she continued. "He died. He sacrificed himself and we all got out because of it."
She fell silent and Anna was left staring at her. Astrid lifted her head and stared at her, eyes still hauntingly wide, if not wider than when Anna had first started talking to her. Her lips shook and she clenched her hands together in front of her before she began to tug at her dress and hair like she was trying to sort herself out. But even standing there Anna could see her brain was ticking furiously in her skull. Anna waited for her. She wanted to press for answers but Astrid was seriously upset and Anna was admittedly afraid of upsetting her any further.
Then Astrid stepped right up to her again, and before Anna could step away Astrid was grabbing her hands and holding them tightly in between her own. Anna stared at her, wishing she hadn't come along and still wondering why exactly Astrid needed her here, let alone why she needed those clothes or why she had called Anna in the first place. She clearly needed a real friend, someone who understood what had happened and what Caine had done or been like.
"Anna... Promise me I can trust you." Astrid said slowly. "I am going to show and tell you some things and I need to know that you won't go running and telling anyone else."
Anna stared at her. Oh God, what was it Astrid didn't want people to know? Was it something serious? Something dangerous? But it had to be related to Caine. What could be related to Caine, who was now dead, that would need clothes for a fifteen year old guy, and that would be so serious or dangerous that Anna couldn't tell anyone, not to mention leaving Astrid in a complete state. Suddenly Anna didn't want to be there anymore.
"ANNA!" Astrid snapped, shaking her hard and snapping her attention back. "Please! I need you're help! There's no one that can help me right now!"
Not sure whether or not she was making a mistake, Anna slowly nodded her head. "Okay, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone anything, I promise."
"Thank you, okay." Astrid said slowly. "I really need help. Sam and Diana are working and everyone else is either in college, school or just out too busy for me to call them. And I'm trying to work out what happened and why but it isn't making any sense."
"Astrid," Anna interrupted. "Why don't you show me exactly what I shouldn't be telling anyone?"
Astrid swallowed hard and nodded. Taking Anna's hand and pulling her along she took her down towards the area where she had been when Anna had first arrived. Anna didn't fancy holding her hand, or walking into the trees with her when she was clearly lost in her thoughts and slightly out of it. But she didn't pull away either. Instead she kept up and glanced around the area, still trying to think what, why, when and how?!
"What is it?" Anna asked as they came to a stop.
Astrid hesitated and glanced out like she was checking that no one was in the park watching them. Then she moved around a thick bush and crouched down, seeming to be looking at something on the ground at her feet. Anna bit down on her lower lip before she walked around and followed Astrid to stare down at... A naked boy?!
"Oh my gosh!" Anna shrieked and jumped back a step.
The boy was handsome, that was obvious, he had dark brown hair that fell in waves around his head, perfectly healthy with peachy skinned and a slight healthy tan. He was completely naked, not especially muscular but still not flabby or anything terrible. The boy lay awkwardly, on his back but tilted to the side and his right arm was hooked into the bush, sticking through so it was mostly covered by the leaves and his legs lay cross over while his other arm slung to the side with his palm facing upwards. Even though he was lying in the dirt he was perfectly clean and perfectly healthy and there didn't seem to be any bruises or wounds on his head that would cause him to be unconscious. It was almost like he had thrown himself down and fallen asleep. And... Oh God it was Caine!
Well that certainly explained a lot.
"Caine?" Anna blinked. "Caine? But... You said he died!"
"He did die!" Astrid snapped. Suddenly she looked so much more calmly and contained now that Anna was the one freaking out. It was like she needed to be more in control than others.
"Then how is he lying here?!" Anna's own voice had risen to a shriek. "Is this a joke?!" She turned on Astrid. "Are you messing with me? Man, what a bitchy thing to do!"
"I am not messing with you! How exactly could I be messing with you? You think I got a guy who looked just like Caine, stripped him down and convinced him to just lie on the ground while we waited for you to show up!" Astrid snapped. "I asked for your help! So just help me out here! You brought clothes, right?"
Anna glared at her for a moment before she looked down at Caine. He was still naked on the ground and she felt ridiculously awkward staring down at his body. Looking back at Astrid she still glared but then reached up and brought her backpack around, opening it and dumping the clothes down on the floor at Astrid's feet. Then she pulled the backpack back on her shoulders and stood with her arms crossed, scowling as Astrid sorted through the clothes.
"They're the only clothes I could get. I don't have many fifteen year olds around me anymore." Anna said.
"They'll do." Astrid said.
Astrid spent the next ten minutes trying to struggle to get the top and shorts on Caine while he was lying unconscious at her feet and Anna stood watching in silence. Finally she let out a growl of annoyance and threw the clothes down, turning and staring at Anna, hands on her hips.
"Mind helping me?" Astrid said, clearly frustrated.
"Hey! Look here, Astrid the Genie-Ass!" Anna snapped. "You called me out of nowhere. I don't know you and we never actually talked before ever! Now you demand I come here and give you clothes. And then you freak out on me? I mean ten seconds ago you looked like you were going to start crying and screaming and now you're back to being in charge, bossy and demanding. How about you ask me to help you, and while I help you, you finish telling me what the bloody hell is going on?!"
Astrid looked both annoyed and reluctant. Finally she nodded. "Okay, okay, I get it. I'm sorry. Could you please help me dress him?"
Anna sighed. It was so hard to be angry when people apologised. "Sure."
She crouched down and pushed Caine up so he was sitting, his arm scratched on the bush but he didn't draw any blood and she slowly held him up as Astrid pulled the top on over his head and into his arms. It was only a little bit bigger than Caine and was definitely loose and baggy on his skinny frame. The shorts were the biggest problem, they were clearly too big for him and even when they somehow managed to get them on him they were obviously going to slip down the minute he stood up. The shoes were the only thing that fitted him and that was only because they could tie the shoelaces tight around his feet.
"What do we do about the shorts?" Anna asked, sighing as she lay Caine back down again.
"My sash!" Astrid grinned. She untied the sash from her waist and slowly brought it around Caine's waist, trying it tightly in front of him. "That should do it."
"Okay, now hurry up and explain." Anna snapped.
Sighing, Astrid tried to speak as simply as possible even while frustrated. "Look, I don't know everything, even if people assume I do. The FAYZ was a completely different world with completely different rules and laws almost. We were able to do unnatural things because of the mutations and because it was like we entered a new world where the universe laws had been hacked. But this doesn't make any sense. We're back in the real world. When the walls came down after Little Pete killed Gaia. From what I can guess, when the wall and energy pulled from the Earth, it acted like a suction, pulling out powers along with it and taking everything mutant with it. We were all normal again without powers and without any of the unnatural events that happened." Astrid explained.
"So if that's true, then how come Caine's here? I mean, are you sure he died? Maybe you just thought he died. There's always cases where someone's heart stopped for a few minutes, even an hour, before they come back again." Anna explained, sitting back and frowning at Caine.
"That's what doesn't make any sense. Everything not normal should have left with the FAYZ wall and the powers but out of nowhere this is happening again. And for the record, I'm pretty sure Caine died. After all, I did watch his skin, eyes and organs all melt as he was shocked with lightening before his bare bones exploded." Astrid scowled. "So yeah. I'm pretty sure he died."
Anna looked up and stared at her. "We never spoke much before. We never really met one another either. But we've met now and so now I've decided that I don't like you."
Astrid looked generally shocked by this. Then she suddenly giggled. And then she was laughing aloud.
After a minute of Anna easing away from her and unsure if she had lost her mind again, Astrid spoke. "Sorry. It's just that you're very blunt. It's actually nice. You may not like me, but I'm starting to like you."
Standing, Astrid reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
"Who are you calling?" Anna blinked.
"I'm hoping Diana will be out of work now." Astrid explained. "Then she can help her get Caine back to our apartment."
"Wasn't Diana in love with Caine? That's why he killed himself for her?" Anna pointed out.
"... Oh... Good point. Best not call her. But Sam won't be out for ages, Edilio's out on a date. I'm not sure on Cookie and-" Astrid rambled.
"How about Emma?" Anna shrugged.
"Emma? Like your sister, Emma?" Astrid blinked.
"Yeah. She headed to college but if she knew this was an emergency then she'd come and help us out." Anna said. Well, she hoped Emma would. This was a weird emergency so it was hard to tell how exactly Emma would react to this over the phone.
"How far away is the college?" Astrid asked.
"I dunno. Maybe half an hour or so away." Anna said, trying to think of how long it normally took her to get there.
"That's way too long! We need to get Caine out of here as soon as possible!" Astrid moaned.
"Well didn't we dress him so that it wouldn't look weird going down the street with him?" Anna asked. Astrid nodded. "Then wouldn't it be weird if we carried him? Why don't we wake him up and get him to walk with us back to your place?"
Astrid turned her head and gave her a very cynical look. She crossed her arms before stating. "I may not like the nickname, but people call me Astrid the Genius for a reason. I'm not stupid. I thought of that but we don't know how or why he turned up here. This could be some kind of... I don't know!" Astrid snapped. "The point is, I didn't want to wake him until I had absolutely no other choice."
"I'd say you have no choice." Anna sighed, looking down at Caine. "Do you have any water or anything?"
Astrid checked her bag. She carried a small plastic water bottle but she drank almost half of it while waiting for Anna to show up. Carefully she unscrewed the top and moved beside of Caine's head, slowly turning the water over and pouring it over his face. At first nothing and Astrid was worried he might drown. But then Anna slapped him around the face and he coughed suddenly, breathing heavily as his eye lids slowly began to open.
"He's waking." Anna noted. Then raised her hand and grinned. "Nothing like a good slap to get someone moving!"
"Good lesson." Astrid grinned but she was pale and her eyes were stuck on Caine. She was waiting for something to go wrong.
Caine's eyes blinked slowly. His eyelashes were still wet and water still dropped onto his eyes, making him have to blink all over again. His vision was fuzzy, the light blinded him and the shapes of the leaves and the trees were mixing together and confusing him. Already he could feel a head ache and his skin was ice cold, so cold it was numb and he couldn't even feel the goose bumps trailing him. Then there was that soft material that was lying on his skin, his arms and legs were also bare and his back was aching. His elbow burned like it had been scratched and his spine creaked when he moved his neck left and right. Finally he breathed, ignoring the hot burning pain as he breathed with an incredibly dry throat. Then he saw the two girls hanging over him. One was blonde and pretty but pale and wide eyed, the other was a light brunette with a rounded face and a frown. They were both watching him. He didn't really recognise the brunette but the blonde immediately popped into his mind.
"Astrid? Oh God, what did you do to end up in hell?"
4) How do you think Diana and Sam will react?
5) Who did you like in Light?
6) Who did you hate in Light?
