
THE OMINOUS

Heroes Play It Safe. They Don't

By  
Boss Kelly
Contents

Chapter 1: The Change

Chapter 2: The Vision

Chapter 3 : The Awakening

Chapter 4 : The Departure

Chapter 5: The Flashback

Chapter 6: The Terminal

Chapter 7 : The Journey

Chapter 8: The Leader

Chapter 9 : The Muse

Chapter 10: The Link

Chapter 11: The Memories

Chapter 12 : The Orientation

Chapter 13: The Mercenary

Chapter 14: The Enforcement

Chapter 15: The Chancellor

Chapter 16: The Talk

Chapter 17: The Ghost

Chapter 18: The Infirmary

Chapter 19: The Struggle

Chapter 20: The Training

Chapter 21: The Rematch

Chapter 22: The Nightmare

Chapter 23 : The Truth

Chapter 24: The Hidden

Chapter 25: The Secrets

Chapter 25 : The Labatory

Chapter 26 : The Escape

Chapter 27: The Portal

Chapter 28 : The Arrival

Chapter 29 : The Predator

Chapter 30: The Truce

Chapter 31: The Mansion

Chapter 32: The Guide

Chapter 33: The Burden

Chapter 34: The Strategy

Chapter 35 : The Ambush

Chapter 36: The Interrogation

Chapter 37 : The Breakout

Chapter 38: The Bloodline

Chapter 39: The Fallen

Chapter 40: The Distraction

Chapter 41 : The Badges

Chapter 42: The Tower

Chapter 43: The Rebel

Chapter 44: The Dreamer

Chapter 45: The Plot

Chapter 46: The Choice

Chapter 47: The Team

Chapter 48: The Uniforms

Chapter 49: The Machine

Chapter 50: The Unity

Chapter 51: The Finale

Chapter 52: The Ominous

After Book

# Chapter 1: The Change

Did you ever feel that you were somehow different? Have you ever been hated or rejected by the rest of the world because of it? Even your own family?

Say that it had nothing to do with who you were as a person. What if it was because of something about you? Something that you didn't choose to be? Something that you can't give back even if you wanted to.

Now here are my last two questions before I get to my story, promise!

What if it in some strange way, you don't want to change that special or unique thing about you? Especially when that strange thing about you may be the only thing stopping an evil, ancient alien race that is over 1000 years old from using you as their half alien foot soldier to kill off the rest of the human race?

Oops! Sorry if I scared you a little bit! I have a tendency of spacing out and bring suspense in too soon. Let's take it a few months back. By the way, I don't think I introduced myself.

My name is Madelyn North, but everyone I know usually calls me Maddie for short. I was born in Seattle, Washington, the worst place for a teenage girl to fit in when she is a little different from everyone else.

Mostly because everyone at least in my old school seemed to live in the typical stereotypes, pretty girls have to be cheerleaders and not be into sci-fi, literature, or comics otherwise they would be labeled weird. (Which is why I was never a cheerleader myself) The big, tall guys have to become jocks and varsity stars while the smaller guys are rejected and picked on. While also being labeled as geeks and outcast. The teachers could care less if we really learn anything since they are being paid the "big bucks" (notice the sarcasm )and secretly have a few bottles of scotch in the faculty room. The popular kids rule the school as far as parties are concerned and always gets to cut in-line in the lunchroom.

Okay, maybe not all schools are like this but you got to admit, its pretty damn close. The only thing that isn't as typical in mine or any other schools is people like me.

Remember when I told you that I was unlike other teenage girls? Relax, I'm not a werewolf in case you were reminded of a certain late singer. Outside of being a social outsider, I'm also a telepathic half-alien.

But most people call us hybrids (half- human and half alien)

That's right! I'm part alien who can read minds along with some extra cool abilities. I can also fly and project my own artificial life force energy that I can turn into animals made out of energy called betakinisis. Although, I'm still working on controlling that one.

Still with me? Good, hope I didn't weird you out there. It's not something you see everyday; I know.

But I didn't always know that I was like this and I definitely did not know I had powers growing up. Kind of came in handy though!

Especially the flying one. Buses in Seattle can get pretty crowded and don't get me started on saving up for a car.

Anyway, the first time I discovered my powers was during my sophomore spring fling trip at the beach. The whole class ditch school for a weekend to blow off steam from all the crap we went through during our midterms.

I had went to the peers with my former bestie, Marcy to check on the hot guys that were in college.

Enter Marcy Willis and Chad Oscar, Maddie's childhood friends:

"Maddie, hurry up and get dressed already. At this rate, our kids will be in high school by the time you're done!" Marcy said

"You know I hate being rushed Marcy" I said. "Besides this was your idea for me to wear this crap."

"Just hurry up, I'm sure you look fine" Marcy said.

I opened the tent that I was changing in and revealed myself wearing an emerald green bikini. Guys, please get your mind out of the gutter!

"Damn girl!" Said Marcy." You've been working out! With a sexy body like that, you should totally be a cheerleader."

Marcy was always a good friend since elementary. Our moms' grew up together. Neither one of us knew our dad's. Her dad left when she was two.

My mom told me that my dad died a week after I was born. She never told me how he died or where he was from or even who he was.

But the only thing she did hint at was that he wasn't like any other man out there. Which always made me question my own place in this world. I guess for some people like me, whether they are human or hybrid, not knowing one half of your lineage makes you cast yourself out of society.

Along the way, Chad Oscar, Marcy's ex-boyfriend and head of the football team, approached us. He was senior and grew up with us since we were ten. He always seemed to be really nice to me. I used to think that he had a little crush on me. But I guess I was always too shy to ever notice.

"She's right you know" said Chad." You could even beat Marcy here for the top spot as cheer-leading captain."

"Careful Chad! Just because I dumped you, doesn't mean you can hit on my friend out of spite." Marcy said with a darker, less cheery demeanor.

"Easy Marcy, I didn't mean to offend. We can all be adults here can't we?" Chad said." Besides, I'm not hitting on anyone. The three of us got history together."

"Whatever douche bag! Come on Maddie. Let's go find some real men to hit on us" Marcy pulled my wrist while I was somewhat speechless.

"Bye Chad!" I said while trying not to let Marcy pull my arm off.

He waved goodbye with a smirk. Marcy never explained why she and Chad broke up. Which was odd since we never kept secrets from each other.

But every time I'd bring it up, she would turn into the hot-tempered girl that was pulling me away from one of our oldest childhood friends.

I was able to pull her away into the girl's bathroom just to clear her head. It took a few minutes but I was finally able to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Maddie" she said while lowering her head in a depressed position." I know you and Chad are long-time friends. I just couldn't stand the thought being around him."

"He's still your friend too Marcy" I tried to reminding her that. Before you two started dating, you were always able to talk about anything with both of us."

"Well sometimes Maddie, the people you love the most can't always be trusted. Not even if you need to tell them your biggest secret." Marcy said.

"I don't know Marcy" I said. "Maybe I should just....ahhhhhhhh!"

Before I could finish my sentence, my mind and my whole body felt this strange and painful surge of energy. I kneeled down on the bathroom floor holding my head since it felt like it was breaking apart. My bones felt like they were electrified and my heart felt like I was having a stroke. I didn't know at the time what was happening to me but I thought for sure that I was going to die.

"Maddie? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Marcy asked with a startled look as she kneeled on the floor to comfort me.

As Marcy kneeled down to me trying to help me up, I started hearing a lot of strange voices in my mind.

"I don't know." I told her. It just feels like can hear voices in my head."

The voices kept getting louder and louder. Eventually, I started to recognize a few of them.

They sounded like the voices of my classmates. Except these voices were talking about what seemed more like private thoughts and secrets that I know for sure none of my

classmates would say to each other let alone in public.

"She must be losing it." What sounded like Marcy's voice but she hadn't said a word." I hope she doesn't already know about the arrangement I made with.."

"I'm not losing it!" I said in terror as the pain stung through my mind and my body." What arrangement? With who? Chad?"

"What are you talking about?" Marcy said in shock. I didn't say anything about any arrangements! I think you should lay down for a little bit. Can you stand up?"

The pain slowly began to stop out of nowhere and I felt myself being able to think straight.

I tried to catch my breath and slow down my rapid heart rate before I tried to answer her.

"I think so." I said in pain and confusion. I slowly tried to pick myself up with Marcy's help." I think I just need to see a doc.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The pain came back and it was stronger the second time. I didn't know what was happening to me but it felt like a living x-ray was going through my body and it kept happening to me for what felt like forever. My nose started to bleed; I collapsed and kept twitching on the floor for god knows how long. I started to lose consciousness and it felt like this was the end for me.

"MADDIE" Marcy screamed." Maddie, wake up! Please wake up!" She cried in concern." CHAD! CHAD! Anyone please, call a doctor! Call an ambulance!! PLEASE! My friend's in pain! I think she's DYING! PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US!"

As blacked out, I saw Chad and a few of our classmates rush in the girl's bathroom trying to revive me. The room began to slowly blackout taking with it the voices of my peers talking to me in my steadily unresponsive state and I lost consciousness completely.

# Chapter 2: The Vision

They say when you die; you see your whole life pass you by. But for some reason, that wasn't the case for me.

While I was recovering from the black out, I had strange visions about me and five other teenagers I've never met before. Each one us had strange powers. One guy in sunglasses was blasting what looked like three robots from a sci-fi movie with two dark laser beams from his hands. While another guy who was bald sliced five other robots in half with his own arms. But both his arms were glowing purple like a glow stick.

The visions got weirder.

Next, I saw a Hispanic girl wearing a red jacket and beautiful, black hair created a red energy force field made out of what looked like to be ruby quartz. The force field was protecting a small group of people from a massive cloud of debris caused by a giant robot. Then I saw an Asian girl with a long ponytail pulled out of nowhere an orange and black glowing sword that looked like it came from a Viking movie. She ran towards that same giant robot that was about to lung a punch at her. But for some reason it seemed that everything around her (including the robot that was going to attack her) had been frozen in time. She easily climbed up to the robot's head and sliced it off its head into several pieces. Next, I saw a buff Native American guy lifted up a military tank with his bare hands and chucked it straight towards another giant robot.

Just when I thought I might just be watching a cheesy alien movie, the last vision I saw was me! I was flying in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by this strange green energy. I know; what's with all the glowing right? But all this crazy energy just started surging around me and kept getting bigger and bigger until it formed a ball of energy and then exploded!

(Maddie wakes from her coma started from her last vision)

When I finally gained consciousness, I found myself in the hospital in a medical room full with flowers and get well cards. My head was covered in bandages and I had a tube pierced in my wrist attached to that stuff that you see sick people in hospitals walk around with.

"Maddie!" Marcy said with a sigh of relief yet also looking like she's seen a ghost. "You're alive, you're wake!"

She ran towards me dropping the flowers that she had probably brought with her to exchange the ones on my nightstand. She hugged me almost like she use to hug me back when we were little.

"I thought you were dead!" Marcy cried. "You can't scare me like that again! You hear me? "Then she pulled back and asked,

"Wait. Do you remember who I am? Or at least your name?"

"Yeah Marcy!" I said with a slight giggle, hoping to lighten the serious mood. "I'm Maddie North! Your best non-cheerleading friend in the whole world! "

"Do not kid about this!" Marcy scolds. I never saw her this upset before. Not even about Chad. "What's the last thing you remember?"

The mood got quite and threatening. Like I was in a trailer for a bad poltergeist movie.

"I remember us talking about Chad a few hours ago before I blacked

out" I said.

"Look Maddie "Marcy said in a cautious demeanor. "That blackout you had wasn't a few hours ago."

I asked cautiously.

"How long ago was it? And why are you dressed like one of the junior girls?"

She took a dramatic pause, a deep breath, and sat next to me on the

side of my bed.

"Because Maddie" Marcy said. "And please don't freak out but...."

"You were in a coma for six months."

# Chapter 3 : The Awakening

The room went still and quiet with and ominous clutch of paranoia and confusion. I couldn't believe what was happening to me or even understand what I was becoming.

"WHAT?!" I jumped back into my hospital bed in complete disbelief with what had happened. "You can't be serious! I was just there, at the beach! How can you joke about something so scary?"

I climbed out of my hospital bed and struggled to walk away from Marcy.

Marcy stood up and reached out to me trying to calm me down.

"Maddie, relax! Please!" Marcy said. "I know this is a lot to take in and I don't understand it either. But you've been in the bed asleep for six month straight."

I turned my head to the right and closed my eyes shut and prayed to god that this was just a bad dream in a dream. Funny, you never really get a chance to appreciate a nightmare for what it really is until you go through something devastating in the real world. And you wish that whatever you're going through was just another damn nightmare.

Marcy walked up to me and placed her hand on the right side of my face. "I don't know what happened girl but we'll get through this together. We will...

I snatched her hand and threw it off.

"Together? Together? Before I blacked out, you were off making some type of arrangement without me and you expect me to trust you?"

"What are you talking about?" Marcy said." I'm here to check on you. I've been dropping in and out every week praying you'd come back to us"

"No, you're lying!" I said to her in an anger and cautious demeanor. "I don't need your help and I don't believe you about my blackout"

Marcy said in a tense posture, "Oh yeah? If you don't believe me, just look in that mirror right next to the door."

So I turned towards the mirror and saw my reflection for the first time in months. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I say two devastating things that every teenage girl would freak out over.

First, all my best makeup was gone! The guys reading this probably are scratching their heads like why this matters but I worked really hard to find the perfect powder and mascara for my complexion.

But the most shocking thing was that I had grown 3 extra inches from the time I was on the beach.

"See it now Maddie?" Marcy walked up behind me. "Your body went through a growth spurt will you were knocked out."

"I'm still so confused" I said. "How did all this happen to me so fast?"

A mysterious voice that sounded a lot like Marcy's entered my head even though she was quite with a concerned look on her face.

"This is bad! I can't let the others know she's awake. It's too early to use her for..."

I turned to her with a suspicious look on my face.

"Use me for what?" I asked. "What others?"

I took two steps back and thinking to myself, am I going crazy?

Enters Sarah North, Maddie North's human Mother:

"MADELYN!!!" Mom said with tears in her eyes racing down her face. She dropped her bags of groceries and ran towards me in her nurse uniform like I was just rescued from a burning bridge. She wrapped her arms tight around me a held on for dear life.

She kissed me all over my face like I was a ten year old again, which was pretty embarrassing since it was right in front of my best friend.

"Mom, Mom, I'm fine! I just had a little headache" I tried to explain.

"Are you kidding me?" She cried "My baby girl wakes up from a 6 month coma and you expect me to believe it was just from a headache?"

Suddenly, I heard another voice. This one sounded like my mom's.

"I bet her friends forced her to go to some wild part. I never should have put her in that trouble making school. "

Not that it matters but my mom is Italian and technically, I'm mixed with Nigerian and Italian.

"There's nothing wrong with my school mom!" I tried to tell her.

"What are you talking about sweetie?" Mom said. "Who said anything about your school?"

I took two steps backwards and started questioning what the hell was going on and why I was hearing voices in my head.

"What's happening to me? Why am I hearing so many voices?" I asked with a paranoid expression on my face and melted walking backwards while clutching my head.

"Maddie calm down!" Marcy said. "We've all been worried sick about you since spring break." "Everyone needed to make sure you got the help you needed and......."

"HELP?!" I screamed. "What do you mean by help? What type of help did I......"

My question was caught off by the first glance I took at the sign

located on the side hallway pointing to the wing side of my room.

"PSYCHIATRIC CARE?!" I yelled to the loudest I could yell. "Is that

the type of help you think I need?"

"Sweetie listen to me!" My mom said in a loving demeanor trying to

calm me down. But I took a few more steps back from her.

"I'm not a mental case mom and you shouldn't treat me like one" I told

her in disgust.

"Maddie please calm down!" Marcy tried to put me at ease. "We don't want to but we will call in the orderlies if we have to and transfer you to the intensive care room."

The room felt heavy with the staggering pressure of fear and paranoia as my whole perception of my own mother and my best friend looked at me as if I was a two headed monster.

"You're not taking me anywhere!" I told Marcy in an aggravated tone as I walked quicker and quicker to the hallway out of the psychiatric care. "I'm getting the hell out of this place!!"

Maddie then runs toward the exit at the far end of the hallway as Marcy pulls out a walkie talkie and alerts the orderly.

"It's Madelyn North, she's trying to escape. STOP HER!!"

Marcy spoke on the walkie before her and Sarah pursued Maddie.

As Maddie makes her way to the exit, an orderly blocks off the door. She backs up three steps and heads toward the left side of the hallway. Only to be blocked off by another orderly. Before she can even attempt to take the right side of the hallway, Chad walks in with an armored uniform to stop her.

"Chad?! What are you doing here?" She asked with a sense of panic.

"Maddie go back to your room" Chad implied. "You're feeling sick and you should really lay down."

"I'm not going back there" Maddie said as the room felt like it was spinning all around her. "This whole place is freaking me out, I keep hearing strange voices that sound like anyone who's around me come around without them saying it and........Wait! Why are you dressed like you're on the SWAT team?"

"Maddie go back to your room!" Chad repeated. "I don't want to have

to hurt you." Chad pulls out a taser staff.

Maddie's face transformed into a fear induced, jaw dropping expression.

"Chad wait!" Marcy shouted as her and Sarah caught up with him and

Maddie. "She's not like the rest of the hybrids! She's our friend.

We are here to help her."

"Hybrid?" Maddie questioned. "What's a hybrid? What are you guys talking about?"

"Marcy stay out of this!" Chad barked with a frustrated and numerous persona. "The last thing I'd want to do is hurt her but you know what we have to do to keep the rest of us safe!"

Narration returns to Maddie:

"Safe from what?" I said. "What the hell is a hybrid and what is going on here?"

Then I heard a voice that sounded a lot like Chad's.

"These half aliens are too dangerous to keep around unchecked. The best thing I can do for her is to put her to sleep until we can figure out what made her powers activate this soon."

"Half what?!" I asked in disbelief. "What powers? What kind of hospital is this?"

Then I put it together. The voices in my head weren't from my head. They were from everyone else's heads. I wasn't schizophrenic. I could read other people's minds. I realized that I'm a telepath!

"We can't take any more chances!" Chad then screamed. "Grab her!"

The four of them all reached at me, holding down my arms while Chad adjusted the charge on his staff. I tried to pull away but the orderlies were too strong as each one grabbed my arms. Plus my mom and Marcy put me in a headlock so I would have to look. I'd probably would have been more appreciative if I was about to be tasered into another coma.

"Let me go!" I said with tears squeezing out my eyes.

"Maddie we love you!" Marcy said with a grim facial expression of shame.

"Let me go!!" I repeated with a louder voice.

"Madelyn, please forgive me!" My mom cried.

"Let me go!!!" I shouted with more tears rushing down my face.

"It's just survival Maddie! Nothing personal!" Chad insisted as he slowly approached me ready to shock me into next July.

"LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" I screamed to the loudest I could scream with my eyes wide open.

While I was screaming, my eyes started glowing green and I felt as if I was mentally shutting every other mind around just by thinking about it.

Everyone around me was paralyzed by my "psychic screech ". They all screamed in agony and couldn't move. It was almost like they were being electrocuted.

After I calmed down, my eyes turn back to their normal green shade, minus the glowing of course, everyone around me fell to the ground and let go of me and the staff they were going to use on me.

"Chad? Marcy? Mom?" I asked as I checked to see if they were still alive. Luckily, I felt a pulse from all five of their wrist.

But when I checked on my mom's breathing, I noticed that she had this strange envelope addressed to me in her coat. Almost like she didn't want me to find it.

Inside it read:

Dear Madelyn North,

This letter will appear blank to regular humans for only individuals

such as yourself can read:

We here at Zen Academy have become aware of your special talents and wish to invite you to enroll in our curriculum to help you master the full potential.

This letter will be your guide to finding us.

Come alone and tell no one if you wish to know the truth of what you are and sanctuary.

Sincerely,

Chancellor Emola Thorne

# Chapter 4 : The Departure

I didn't know what to take away from this strange invitation that had no return address written on it. Or what my own mother and my best friends would treat me like a monster for no good reason. All I knew was that I couldn't stay in that God awful hospital. So I went back into my room and looked for any spare clothes I could wear but I couldn't find any.

"Crap! How can I get out of here with no clothes and no money?" I said.

But then I thought, "Wait! Mom always brings an extra nurse outfit in her bag! "Under the recent circumstances, can't say I feel guilty about stealing her clothes."

I opened the gym bag my mom had left in the room and found an extra black nursing outfit.

Luckily I was a size 6 and my mom wore a size 8 so it wasn't too loose on me.

After I put on her spare uniform, I looked in my mom's purse and was surprised to find that she had an extra one thousand dollars.

"We barely had enough to cover utilizes this year." I said. "Where did she get all this money?" "Wait! Did they pay her to keep me here?!"

I searched everyone's pockets and scraped up two thousand and five hundred dollars and the keys to my mom's 2007 blue Buick century outside. Along with that, I took Marcy's visitor badge to avoid suspicion, Chad's electric staff that he almost used on me, and hid it in my mom's gym bag.

After I used Marcy's visitors pass to leave the crazy ward, I noticed that this wasn't a hospital at all! I was in some type of underground, top secret area fifty two facility. Trust me, it would take some type of weirdo from Buffalo, NY to make up the stuff I was going through!

"Where the hell am I?" I asked myself as I stared around in the room.

All I could find in this warehouse was the room that housed the psychiatric room I was in. It almost looked like some top secret bunker that you'd see in a CIA movie.

Ok sue me! I'm a movie nerd. This is probably why Chad and Marcy were my only friends. At least until they kidnapped and almost killed me.

But anyway, I walked towards the main entrance when two guards came out of nowhere.

"Hey you!" The first guard yelled. "Where do you think you're going?" He pulled his teaser staff. "Get back to your holding cell before we drag you there!"

I was speechless and scared of what they would do to me if I had listened to them. So the most sensible thing I could have was to run like hell.

"Get back hybrid!" The second guard yelled as they both chased me. He then grabbed his radio and called the other guards. "Heads up, the subject is heading towards your sector."

I ran to the left of the warehouse only to be stopped by two other guards around corner. They both grabbed me by surprise and I dropped the staff I stole from Chad.

I struggled to break from the hold that they had me in. "Let me go!!"

I yelled. "Leave me alone, I just want to go home"

Then one of the guards pulled away from me and picked up the staff I dropped. "You're not going anywhere freak!" The guard said as he turned on the staff to stun.

I got angrier and angrier and I felt the same type of energy I felt when I was almost stunned by Chad while the people I loved held me down. My eyes began to grow again only this time, it felt that my own consciousness was taking over theirs. Before it just felt like I was scrabbling everyone else's minds.

"I said I'm going home "I repeated." Now let me go NOW!! "

A few seconds after I had said that, my eyes started to glow again with the same green intensity that I had back in the psych ward. At first, I thought it would just be another psychic scream. but instead, I felt as if part of my consciousness was going into their minds.

If that doesn't make a lot of sense, think of one computer hacking into another computer's mainframe. Only that the computers being hacked into were the guards' minds and the computer hacking the other two computers was me!

Then the guards both let me go and they looked like they were in this hypnotized state that you'd see an overpriced magician in Las Vegas put an audience member in.

I quickly put two and two together and tested out this new "mind control" thing out. "Now tell me where the hell I am!" I told the third guard.

"This is an underground bunker used to isolate and study hybrids." The guard said in a blank trance.

"What are hybrids? And why were my friends and my mom keeping me here?" I asked.

"Hybrids have been classified as human subjects that have genetically inherited extraterrestrial DNA from one extraterrestrial parent." The guard continued to explain. "Vanity has instructed informer Sarah Penelope North to conduct private studies upon you to identify what abilities you may possess."

I tried to hold my concentration as I fought the tears that started raining down from my eyes.

"Oh my god! My mom was keeping me here and so was Marcy" I said to myself with a deep stomach engulfing feeling of betrayal. "They do think I'm a monster! They lied to me! "

I quickly wiped away the tears coming from my eyes, hoping to hold my control grip on the guards. "What is vanity?" I asked.

Just as I was about to get my answer, the two guards from before caught up to me and I lost my focus. "There she is!" The first guard said as the two set off their staffs to pulse out electricity.

"Hey! What's with you two?" The second guard yelled. "She must have gotten to them, let's take them out"

The two guards charged straight at us. I tested out my mind control powers to have the two guards I had controlled to fight them. All I had to do was to think about them fighting off the other guards and Presto. Instant mind controlled bodyguards!

They were able to fight off the other guards the longer I was thinking about it. It was playing a video game and my mind was the controller. I guess being a video game nerd and a book worm pays off after all.

Anyway, I was able to have the guards that I was controlling beat down the other two. The other two put in a few good jabs but I won in the end. "Ow! Ow! "I said." Weird, it almost feels like I was the one fighting those guys"

I guess it's because I was mentally linked to those two guys. Good thing those creeps only got a few good hits. I would hate to think what would happen if things had gotten worse.

"Ok, now Tell me who is vanity and what are they after next?" I ask the third guard. I pulled out my letter from Zen Academy. You know? The one that I took from my mom's coat. "And what's with this letter?

I probed there mind to find out more about Vanity but then this blue and white light exploded in the third guard's mind.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed. I lost my connection with the guards and they both fell unconscious

to the ground.

But not before I was able to find out where I was and how to get out.

It turns out I was in a private bunker under an abandon flag making warehouse in the middle of downtown Seattle.

Why does every creepy story have to involve something abandoned?

The exit was actually the front entrance that the first pair of guards where guarding from me. When I got to the door, there was a monitor and a card inserted. I pulled out Marcy's visitors badge and placed it in the inserted.

"Access granted" the monitor said. Then it popped out a capital V with two circles and a vertical line in the middle. I'm guessing that was Vanity's symbol.

The door open like a textbook and it showed a vacant elevator with the same symbol painted on the stainless steel doors. I walked in the elevator and found that there was only one button to the top. I pressed it and the doors shut close.

It felt as if it was climbing up eight stories high. When I finally got to the top, the elevator opened up and I found myself walking in the abandoned warehouse.

# Chapter 5: The Flashback

I walked towards the exit where I saw two open doors and in the middle, I saw the outside world. I ran quickly towards the exit, pushed the doors all the way open and then saw downtown Seattle. I paused for a minute to see all of the skyscrapers in the city.

It was usually something I would often do as a kid with my mom when I was eight years old. I started having flashbacks of the last time I was downtown

Eight years ago.....

"Madelyn!" My mom said. "Madelyn Angelou North, you get back here right now!"

I always hated it when she said my full name like that! Don't get it wrong, I love poetry but something about your parent screaming out your full name when you're little just seems too embarrassing for words.

"Mom!" I said to her. "I just want to ride the horsey". I was standing in front of the Manchester Mansion, one of the oldest abandoned buildings in the city. No one knew why it was shut down, but apparently, even the police were banned from stepping foot on it seeing it was private property.

"I told you to stay away from this place" mom said as she pulled my arm away. "This is a very bad place to be around. I want you to promise me not to go near this mansion again. Do you understand me?"

"But mom" I whined to her with my puppy dog eyes.

"Do you understand me?" She repeated as she waved her finger in my face. I always hated it when people did that.

"Yes mom" I reluctantly agreed.

"Good. Now let's go. Mommy has to drop you off at your friend Marcy's house. "Mom said." I'm working another double. With any luck, I will be considered for the company's next promotion"

We grew up in a fairly poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Seattle. As a single mom, she did everything she could to save up for my future and put food on the table. I remember spending a lot of long nights being at daycare or with Marcy and her mom. It's sad but the truth is, I don't remember my mom having that many days off and when she did,

she spent most of the day sleeping or running errands.

The next day, my mom picked me up from Marcy's house to walk me to school since we didn't have enough for a car.

New characters: Bethany Willis (Marcy's mom), Phil Ross (secret agent of Vanity)

"Thank you again Bethany "mom said as she hugged me after a long night's work.

"I can't keep doing this for free Sarah" Ms. Willis said. "You know I love you both but I have a child of my own and some bills I got to pay off."

"I promise to pay you in full next week; I just need a little more time" my mom said with an expression of doubt and frustration.

My mom was pregnant with me when she was a senior in high school and as a single mom, she didn't have enough time to pursue a career as an orthopedic like she wanted. My grandparents, who I never knew by the way, were so disgusted over the fact she got pregnant so soon in her life. She came from two Italian immigrants with who had to work day in and day out for their citizenship and to get by in the states. Plus even though she said they accepted me as their grandchild regardless of my mixed ethnicity, let's just say the neighborhood that she lived in wasn't as opened minded to any non-Italians if you get my drift. So they told her to give me up for adoption or they would send me off themselves. She chose to keep me instead and move to Seattle to start a new life. Unfortunately with only a high school diploma, she barely made ends meet each month.

What I didn't know at the time was that all would soon change that same day. A man in a darker fancy mustang drove to the curve. A man in a black suit,red tie, and a pin that looked like a 8 branched star walked out and spoke to my mom.

"Sarah Penelope North" The man said.

"May I help you?" My mom asked as she put me behind her.

The man took out his wallet and flashed a silver badge with the same star badge that was on his pin. I used to think he was just a social worker. But looking back at the situation then and comparing it to the more recent situation I had gotten into, I started to think that there might be a connection between him and Vanity.

"We need to talk." The man said. "I'll drive you to your daughter's school. She can sit in the back, its sound proof so we can discuss a few details."

My mom created a more serious and cautious expression on her face. I had never seen her so hinged and frightened before.

"Mom" I looked up to her and asked. "Who is this man?"

She tightened her grip on my hand and held on for dear life.

"Let's go Madelyn" She replied. "Everything is going to be alright"

She put her work bag in the backseat and then helped me get in. I remembered my heart beating faster and faster as she closed the door with the last part of my memory involved watching her blow me a kiss with a false sense of security on her face.

The door closed shut.

Flashback Ended.

# Chapter 6: The Terminal

I'm not sure why I remembered that specific memory now of all times but the pin the man was wearing look almost identical to the star I saw when I tried probing one of the guard's minds.

"This is gotta be the scariest and weirdest day of my life" I said to myself. Then I pulled out my mom's car and the envelope from Zen Academy. On the back, I saw a thin button. I pressed it and a blue virtual map popped out. "Whoa!" I said to myself out of shock as my jaw played open for about twenty seconds. "But hopefully, this is the key to all my answers"

I found my mom's car and drove to the railroad the virtual envelope showed me to go.

"This is really strange" I said to myself. "But it might be the only place I'll be safe from this Vanity crap."

I turned the keys into the ignition and drove straight to the map directions.

Forty five minutes later, the map brought me to my destination. It was an old abandoned train station on the outskirts of downtown Seattle. The city had left it vacant due to some electrical fire that went on back when my mom was my age now, sixteen.

I parked the car, grabbed my duffle bag, and walked in the terminal that looked like it was straight out of a ghost story. You could see the spider webs and burned debris.

"Hello?" I asked following an echo that stretched throughout the terminal. "Anybody home?"

I waited for a response but nothing happened. I started having a really bad feeling about all of these.

"This is stupid!" I said to myself. I pulled out the envelope with a sense of disgust. "I knew this wouldn't work." I tossed the envelope in the booth and then walked away.

But a few seconds after I tossed the envelope, something weird happen.

As if this story wasn't weird enough, right?

The envelope opened itself and the top of the booth shot out this bright green light and split into two. At first, it was too blinding for me to see. But after the light simmered, I saw that in between the booths, there was a hidden cavern that leads on and looked like it went on forever.

"Whoa!" I said with a jaw dropping look on my face. "This day is getting weirder and weirder!" I took a step back out of shock. I was tempted of leaving right then and there out of fear. Then I realized that if my own mother and my best friends would treat me like a monster, which could I trust. "Well at this rate, this thing might be my best shot at getting some answers."

I held onto my duffle bag and I walked inside the cavern as the green light entered at the end of it. My eyes opened completely and I could feel as if something familiar to me was calling out to me. Luring me with a sense of purpose and an overwhelming attraction that I couldn't resist.

The closer I got to the light, the less control I felt I had to pull away. The booth began to slowly close until it closed back in place behind me altogether. Leaving only the empty terminal, vacant and abandoned, as I traveled to the end of the cavern to see what next surprise awaited me.

# Chapter 7 : The Journey

As I walked further within the cavern, the strange green light kept getting bigger and bigger. The steps in the cavern were wrapping around the tunnel like a medieval castle.

"What's that sound?" I asked." It sounds almost like a....."

I approached the end of the cavern only to find that it lead to a dead end. All I found was a door shield shut and by the looks of it, it looked like it was made out of some really tough metal.

At this point, I thought that all this running and mystery lead to nothing. Except, there was a slab on the middle of the door that had a hand print carved on it.

"That's strange" I said to myself. "I wonder if it wants me to press this thing"

I placed my left hand on the slab and suddenly, my hand started to glow like an x-ray. The skin on my hand became invisible and all I could see was the bones in my hand. I tried pulling it off but it felt like it was glued on the slab.

"I can't take my hand of this thing "I said as I pulled with all my strength and raised my leg to push back. Until eventually, the slab gave off a blue glow and release my hand. Causing me to fall back on the steps behind me.

"Ouch!" I said. "That really........hurts!"

The door lifted itself open and gave off a large mechanism sound as if

this place had been out of commission for decades.

Inside the tunnel, the door revealed a highly advance underground railroad and not the type of Underground Railroad the teachers taught us in history class. There I saw a super decked out terminal and in the middle laid a bullet train that looked like it came from

extraterrestrial origins just like me.

"Hello?" I asked. "Is anyone there?"

Suddenly the alarms went off and the doors of the bullet train opened and a purple mist came rushing through the doors.

I still didn't know what to make of all this but I felt the need to get this train. I carried my bag, walks on board, and then the doors shut themselves closed and the train started to move.

"Next destination: Zen Academy "a mysterious voice addressed. Which is weird since I didn't see anyone else on the train. It made me wonder why there weren't any other hybrids in Seattle.

The train started to move on track and I started to pick up a few different thoughts that weren't my own. I started to think that maybe I wasn't the only person on this train at all.

"Who's there?" I asked. I didn't hear response so I tried probing who it could be on the other side.

Enter Eric Isaac (Ying Yang) and Adrian Rodriguez (Energy Grid):

I thought real hard to see who was on the other side of the train. That's when I heard two different minds: one boy and one girl; both around my age.

"What the hell was I thinking getting on this damn train? The boy thoughts echoed. "How is McKenzie going to get along without me? She's only 12 years old and she's with that damn foster agency"

I stopped the probing when I heard a thump hit the door outside the cart that I was in. It almost sounded like a basketball was bouncing on and off the door of the cart next to mine.

Being naturally curious, I went over to the other side of the cart and tried my luck with

seeing who was in the other cart.

The bouncing from the basketball kept going, sounding harder and harder with every throw. "Ayes memos, I never asked for any this carp" the girl thought. "I never asked to be a monster for a mother, I never asked to grow up without a dad, I never even asked for this damn invitation or even these stupid powers!"

The girl got so angry, clutched her basketball with one hand, while the other on turn into a hand made out of ruby quartz. She then punched the wall of the cart with that same hand out of frustration, breaking a hole in the wall.

That's when I realized that I had seen her before.

Well at least in my dream before I woke up from my comma.

She was the girl with beautiful black hair, shielding the bystanders from the debris. Then I

realized that the guy on the other side of the train was in my vision too! He was the one that was blasting away the robots. I couldn't believe that these two were real, I thought I had just made them up.

But I did sense that just like me, they were both scared teenagers who just recently realized that they were hybrids and had nowhere else to go.

# Chapter 8: The Leader

Guess it's true what they say, misery loves company. But still, the fact that only three teenagers would be on the train was questioning me like crazy. I mean surely, we couldn't have been the only hybrids in the world, right?

I looked deep into the guy's mind to know a little bit more about him and what his powers were. I found out that his name was Eric Isaac and he was actually from Detroit, Michigan. He came from an abusive household where his dad was a retired fireman and struggled to support him and his half-sister, McKenzie.

His mom died soon after he was born; so, he never met her. Almost sound a lot like my dad dying a few days after I was born.

Eric often stepped in as a father figure for McKenzie when her mom left her and their dad when she couldn't bare his drinking problem.

Outside of that, he was an all-star student at his high school. An A/B student and team captain of the lacrosse and basketball team. Plus, he would work double shifts on the weekends to save up for his own place for him and his sister to get away from his dad.

His sister would often come from school and was pretty good with computers. Even though she was only thirteen years old, Eric always knew she was smarter than him. Although never said it to her face out of fear that it would get to her ego. She always felt safe when Eric was in the house with her. Their dad would have sporadic outburst and

lash out on them for no reason and without warning.

One day while he was walking from work, he went to pick up McKenzie from one of her friend's house. When he got there, he saw her speaking to a director for a child protection agency that was in the area.

Apparently, she had known Eric's mother and has keeping tabs on him and his sister after she passed.

At first, he was skeptical of why she would show up now of all times in his life during his junior year in high school. The director offered to drive him and his sister home so they wouldn't have to walk. But Eric refused, feeling that it would be a trap to find out

how abusive their dad was and might lose his sister to a group home.

After he picked her up, he noticed that she was concealing a letter in her jacket that was addressed to him. She was nervous to tell him what the director talked to her about or what the letter was for. This caused them to get in a heated argument of what she was hiding from him.

Before they could finish their argument, his mind and body went through the same change I went through when I got my powers. For him, he was only unconscious for three to four hours laying lifeless on the sidewalk. McKenzie freaked out and called the director to help him off the sidewalk and rushed him to the hospital.

They kept him overnight but eventually he came back to life and the doctors couldn't find out anything wrong with him. When his dad got the hospital bill, he was furious that it cost so much and threatened to kick Eric out of the house and found the letter that McKenzie kept in her jacket. He was going to throw it out along with all of Eric's stuff but McKenzie tried to stop him.

Unfortunately, her father grabbed her and threw her on the floor minutes before the director dropped Eric off at his house.

When he walked in the house, he saw his father pulling his sister off the floor by her hair. He tried pushing him away from her but then his father turned his attention to Eric, beating him relentlessly.

Eventually, he fought back and mistakenly blasted his dad in the wall of their house with an energy beam made of dark matter out of his hands. That's how he learned that he was like me. Long story cut short; he took McKenzie and left their dad's house.

Afraid of his new powers and having no idea how he got them, Eric felt that he had to reluctantly leave McKenzie with the director until he figured it out. But before he left, his sister finally gave him the letter that she had tried to protect. Even the director did not know she had the letter but McKenzie held on to it because she felt it would be important to Eric to have later on. It turned out to be the same type of letter that I got from Zen Academy addressed to him. He was the only one who could read it since it appeared black to both her and their father when they tried to read it.

After painfully hugging his sister goodbye and leaving her with the agency, Eric used the envelope to guide him to his destination. Hoping to find answers that no one in Detroit could answer; he took the next bus to the location that the envelope had given him. The letter had lead him to an abandoned gas station in Downtown Detroit.

When he placed the envelope on the front counter, the counter opened up in four pieces, revealing a staircase that lead to a terminal similar to the one I found in Seattle. He found the train, and went in the first cart available that gave off that mysterious green light. As the doors closed behind him.

All he could think about was what he had become and what would happen to McKenzie?

# Chapter 9 : The Muse

I know what you're saying, that's a lot to take out of someone's mind especially when you've never actually met them. But I couldn't take any more chances when it came to who I associated with.

I took a break from probing Eric's mind and tried my luck with the girl with the ruby coated hand.

Her name turned out to be Adrian Rodriguez and she was from El Paso, Texas. She lived with her mom who was a factory worker. Her mom was very demanding and she was

constantly trying to earn her mom's approval. She was a varsity basketball player for her school's girl basketball team. Even though she was still a sophomore, she qualified for the varsity team at a young age and was close to playing state.

But the night her team was going to play for the regional championship, she experienced "the change" like I did.

Just so you know, I'm not talking about that change that all girls go through.

I meant that she was becoming a hybrid.

It lasted for two hours and the doctors never saw anything like it.

The school thought she was on drugs so they kicked her off the team and suspended her for a week. The following week, she found out that her team lost 110 to 18 because they were down one-star player. When she came back to school, everyone hated her and bullied her relentlessly.

One day after school, she was ambushed by the captain of the girl's basketball team and four of her former teammates behind the bleachers.

They blamed Adrian for costing them the game and tried to beat her up.

That was until she got so angry, that she blasted them it this red energy beam that set the captain of the team flying to the back school. When she hit the wall, she was in cased in ruby quartz and knocked out cold.

The other girls were so much in disbelief they ran away out of shock and Adrian left with disbelief and fear of what she had become.

Things didn't get any better when she got home. Her mom found out what had happened and beat her out of shame. She used her power to harden her hands and throw her mom to the other side of the house.

During the conflict, she found her invitation to Zen Academy. Feeling like she had nowhere else to go, she packed her things and left on her own to the train.

# Chapter 10: The Link

So that's all I got from a boy from Detroit and a girl from a small town on a train that I never met before; thanks to my mind probing. To quote the popular rock 'n roll song, they took a midnight train goin anywhere. Okay come on, give some credit; that was a little funny right?

Anyway, I didn't know how to approach either one of them in person.

It's not like I could just walk to those and say, "Hi! My name is Maddie! I know we've never met before and we are all on this creep train to a school no one in the world has ever heard about. But I kind of read your minds without asking permission. Long story short; I basically know everything about you including that you guys are half-alien like me and have dangerous and strange powers. Let's be friends!"

"Wait a minute!" I said. "Maybe I can link our minds together and introduce ourselves." The plan was to enter both their minds at the same time and connect all three of us like a three-way phone call. It might have been a long shot but, I needed to make some new friends who were like me.

Especially since we are all going to this strange academy that no one has ever heard of.

I sat down on the train seat and closed my eyes while focusing on spreading my focus to each mind. As the trail tracks on the train muffled the noise from the speeding bullet train, I felt my consciousness entering their minds. Only this time, I wasn't controlling or attacking their minds like back at the warehouse.

The process of entering their minds was absolutely freaky but liberating at the same time. I felt weightless almost as if I was free falling through space. I melted floating down in this infinity corner of space. Until I saw Eric and Adrian at the bottom.

"What the hell?" Eric said sporadically. "Where am I?" "How did I get off the train?"

"Who are you?" Adrian said to Eric. "Did you bring us here?"

"No, I didn't. I swear "Eric replied." I don't even know how I got here"

Adrian looked at Eric with a furious expression and charged at him with all her might. Only for Eric to stop her attack, bear hugging her to the point where she couldn't move.

"Calm down, "Eric said." I don't want to hurt you but I didn't bring us here.

Adrian frustrated to get out of Eric's grip. She managed to free her left elbow and hit him in his stomach, setting her free.

"Ow," Eric said. "I told you, I didn't do this."

"Oh please, you didn't; then who did?" Adrian asked.

"I did" I said to them as I slowly floated down to their location.

"Who the hell are you?" Eric said as he was curled up from Adrian hitting him.

"My name is Madelyn North but you can just call me Maddie" I

introduced myself and finally made my way to the ground. "Don't freak out! But I kind of brought us all here mentally"

"Mentally?" Adrian asked with a sense of caution. "So did you give me that letter? Did you get us on this train?"

"No, I didn't. I swear." I tried to explain. "I got an envelope from Zen Academy just like you did. "

"Wait, how did you know we got those letters too?" Eric asked.

"I kind of read your minds!" I said with a need for hesitation. "I didn't mean to read in but..."

"You did what?!" Adrian yelled with an aggressive tone.

"I'm sorry," I said in a shrinking voice. "I just had to make sure I was around people I trust."

"You think you have the right for us to trust you?" Adrian said. "Que demon iOS le da el derecho a spearmen?

"Huh? What did you say? "Eric chimed into the conversation.

"She asked me what the hell gave me the right to spy on her." I shockingly translated.

"You speak Spanish?" Adrian replied.

"No. Not until now at least!!" I answered her. I never took a Spanish class in school. This may have been because I could read her mind and that let me understand it word for word.

"Guys listen," I said. "I know you don't trust me and I'm sorry for reading your minds. To make it fair and even, how about I show you my memories about how I learned about my powers?"

They looked at each other and then glance back at me. "Sure. That seems fair enough. Let's do it! "Eric said.

"Yeah, let's give it a try," Adrian said.

I sat down, pushed back my hair, folded my legs, and closed my eyes to focus on my memories and got as comfortable as possible." ok. Here we go" I said.

# Chapter 11: The Memories

When I opened my eyes, they were glowing in the same green intensity as before. The room around us mirrored the memories I had since when I first went through the change including the vision I had while I was in the coma.

"Whoa! This is so unreal "Adrian said in awe." Dang chica! I thought my powers were trippy"

The room continued to reflect all of the memories that I had experienced up to this point. My memories floated all around us and Eric and Adrian was captivated by the physical manifestation of my memories like a child at their first aquarium. I was still shocked at everything that happened but this made me feel at ease knowing that I was not the only one.

"I can't believe this" Eric said. "This all looks too much to be real"

"Wait a minute!" Adrian pointed out. "I've seen that pin before."

"What pin?" Eric asked.

"The one that secret agent was wearing"

"How? "I asked her.

"That's the same pin that one of the nurses at my school was wearing.

It was back when I first went through the change. "Adrian said

"Now that you mention, I've seen that pin too," Eric said. "I wasn't sure if it meant anything but the lady who took my sister in through the agency wore one just like that."

"Really?" I said. "That can't be a coincidence. Who were those people? "

I was shocked to see the same pin on the nurse who treated Adrian and the director of the children shelter. That weird pin of an eyeball with a golden sun in it seems to be a common theme for all of us.

But was every hybrid out there exposed to someone who wore this specific pin?

"Alright; this is all way too much to take in," Eric said. "Please tell me this whole thing doesn't get any weirder".

"I wish I could say that but there's one more thing I need to show you guys," I said with a hesitate demeanor.

"For goodness sake chica" Adrian complained. "What else could be this strange?"

"Trust me, it's better if I show you than tell you" I emphasized.

I started to remember the vision I had right before I woke up from my coma. I focus on that particular memory the most and in a way, it made it feel so real and familiar to me. What I didn't know at the time was how real this event was for the three of us soon to be six.

"This's unreal!" Eric said." That's me blasting that robot!"

"Incredible" Adrian said. "I had no idea I could make force fields.

And am I flying too? That is awesome."

"But who are those other kids?" Eric asked. "I've never met any of them before."

"Yeah, we got Denzel, Lucy Liu, and Taylor Lautner over here!" Adrian joked. "Put us together and we would make multi-diverse superhero franchise! By the way, Maddie, unless you didn't pick this up while you went all DaVinci Code on my brain without asking, I'm was usually the fun one in my group of friends. Well, in my group of former friends anyway. "

"I had a feeling about that!" I told her. "Again guys, I'm sorry for breaking into your thoughts without asking but hopefully, we can work this out."

"Well, I guess it's always good to have a mind reader as a home girl.

"Adrian added." Especially since we're going to some mysterious school."

"Yeah, too bad. None of us have the alien power to wipe school from the face of the earth!" Eric added.

"Haha Haha," Adrian laughed. "Cute, a bit cheesy for my taste but cute."

"kind of like you Adrian!" Eric replied as she blushed slightly

while folding her arms and smiling the other way. It didn't take a telepathic to know when two people like each other.

Being the third wheel was always on my personal resume back when I thought I was all human. So relieving that awkward feeling was nothing new.

"Anyway guys, it looks like we'll be reaching the academy soon; so I think I'll just close up the mind link we have so we can meet face to face when we get there." I interrupted.

"Ok sure." Eric agreed. "But how exactly do we get out of wherever we are?"

"Oh right," I said. "Hold on, I should be able to separate our minds back to our own bodies. See you guys on the other side"

I concentrated on releasing Eric and Adrian's minds for a short period of time. Until I could feel their minds slipping away from our connection.

Five minutes later, I opened my eyes and I realized I was back in my own body and my own cart on my own.

"Who!" I said. "This academy better be all it's cracked up to be.

For all of our sacks!" At least now I have a few friends I can trust

now"

The train steady entered the intended destination that the three of us saw as our only performance for salvation. We felt the train begin to slow down and the pressure in the air around us became thinner.

Eventually, the train stopped completely and the train doors began to open.

"Destination reached: passengers please depart from the train"

The same announcer from before said.

As I grabbed my bags and left the cart, I saw a large crowd of

teenagers like me walking around the campus. The campus of the school was paved in marble tiling and the school itself was structured to look like a super old wealthy mansion that would make Harvard look like a community college.

There, we say a small robot that looked like it was from a comic book convention hover towards the middle of the crest. Then the robot popped out an 8-foot hologram of a woman with a royal lab coat and a capital H on her forehead.

Everyone around the terminal stared up at the hologram.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Chancellor Thorne said. "Welcome to Zen Academy!"

# Chapter 12 : The Orientation

The entire crowd of students climbing out of these strange trains was all gasping at the sight of this gigantic hologram towering above us. The mere presence of this strange woman was captivating enough to keep everyone in suspense.

"I am Chancellor Emola Thorne," The hologram said. "Here at Zen Academy, my faculty and I have made it our personal objective to seek out all of you based on your special abilities. We know that many of you may come from households and cities that do not understand what you are capable of or why you have these frightening gifts. Some of you may have been exploited or hunted by those closest to you because of this. But please rest assured, that you are safe in this environment where you will be mentored and protected to use these abilities for the betterment of yourselves and all mankind!"

I didn't know what it was but I felt safe while listening to her talk. It's as if her voice somehow calmed me. I felt enchanted by her words and at the same time, I felt uneasy to trust her. I looked around and saw all the other students starring in a total conviction that she was trustworthy. They almost looked to her like she was their savior.

"My security drones shall escort you all to your dorms for your stay," the chancellor said. "Please follow the drone assigned to you and stay close to them throughout your tour. Orientations shall commence in three hours so please be sure to unpack and meet us in the main hall. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy your stay."

The hologram vanished and the drone flew towards the students.

While one of the drones flew towards me, a familiar voice came from the crowd of student around me as I gave the drone my bag.

"Maddie!" Adrian said. She ran towards me and gave me the tightest huge anyone's ever given me since Marcy visited me in the hospital.

Keeping in mind that this was the first time she and I ever met in

person.

"Que pasa chica? (Which means how you are in Spanish?) Finally, I get to meet my favorite psychic in person. Whoa, I didn't know you'd actually be around my height in real life.

"Nice to meet you in the flesh too Adrian," I said.

"Oh my gosh! I love your skin! It's so soft and beautiful. It's like a nice peanut butter texture. Sort of like Halle Berry!"

"Um, Thanks!" I said nervously. I have never been a big fan of physical touch since I was largely an introvert growing up. But having friends who were different personalities than I was always something I wanted to get better at.

"Wait! Are you reading my mind now?" Adrian asked.

"No, I'm not. I swear" I told her.

"Oh good! For a second there, I thought that you were making me think something that you had thought of." Adrian said as we gave our bags to the drones and walked towards the school.

"Huh?" I asked. Trust me, not even a mind reader could keep up with this girl. She seemed to have such a bright, sanguine attitude.

"Oh by the way, sorry for being a grouch on the train!" She said. "Ever since I learned about my powers, I've had to watch my own back and it's been hard to trust anyone."

"Don't worry, I felt the same way," I said.

"Yeah, but based on what you showed me and Eric, your mom was somewhat civil until your powers popped up and she went all Area 51 on you." Adrian said. "My mom was always a monster to me"

"Sorry to hear that," I said to her. "Wait, where is Eric? I'd feel better knowing that all three of us were going in together."

"Relax," Adrian said. "I'm sure our third musketeer will show up any a minute now."

"Someone mention my name? "Eric said walking behind us.

"He, Eric!" Adrian said. "Wow. You're a lot thinner than I thought"

"Guess it's from the sports I've played," Eric said. "Did you girls get everything?"

"Yeah, got everything from our bags to our invites," Adrian said as she held up her invitation.

Then a strong breeze blew her invitation towards the middle of the main circle of the campus.

"Oh crap!" Adrian said. "Don't worry I'll get it!" She ran through the crowd and Eric and I chose to follow her.

"Come on! Let's give her a hand" Eric said.

Enter Natalie Chang (War Zone):

Adrian finally caught her invitations and clutched it in her fist. Then she turned around and signaled us where she was.

"Hey, guys!" She said. "It's all good! I got my.... Goof.

She bumped into a girl wearing a purple hood over her head and caused the girl to drop something she was looking at. By the looks of it, it was a rectangular item big enough to be an eight by eleven photo with a frame around it.

"Hey watch it!" The girl said as she took off her hood.

"Sorry, Chica!" Adrian apologized. "Here, let me pick that up for you."

The girl grabbed Adrian's arm and put her in a nasty head lock. She moved so quickly and precise that it was almost like she had done this type of thing before.

"Ow! What's the big deal?" Adrian asked.

"Keep your hands off my stuff," The girl told her.

Eric and I ran towards her as soon as we could.

"Hey let her go! She said she was sorry" . Eric yelled.

The other students around us all watched in suspense at what was happening. That's the moment I recognized her. She was the girl with the orange and black energy weapons in my vision. Strange that I would meet her this soon and especially like this.

"Stay out of this!" She said.

I tried to enter her mind, hoping to shut her down and free Adrian in the process. But I wasn't able to access her mind completely.

All I was able to access were a few short clips of her life including an older man calling her Natalie, her using her powers to create a bow and arrow to shoot down an army jeep, and a village burning down.

"What was that?" Natalie asked. Somehow, I think she was able to sense me in her mind. "Which one of you is a psychic?"

"Let her go, Natalie!" I said.

"You!" She released Adrian and turned her attention to me. "Your read my mind!"

She then summoned a sword out of orange and black energy. I would have been completely nerding out if she didn't look like she wanted to kill me!

"You spineless bitch!" Natalie said. "I'm sick of you telepathies messing with my head."

"Wait, you mean there are more telepaths like me?" I asked.

"After I'm done with you, there will be one less telepathy in my way!" Natalie said.

The crowd of students stopped everything they were doing prior to her outrage and all eyes were on the four of us.

"Hey! Calm down!" Eric said to Natalie. He then lifted his left hand and charged it with dark energy. "You're not the only one who's willing to use their powers!"

"You want to die with your friend?" Natalie said as she generated a mallet in her other hand. "Be my guest!"

Adrian ran to our side and crystallized both her arms, ready to take Natalie head on. "So much for keeping out of trouble on the first day of school. At least this way will be a lot more fun."

"Guys hold on!" I said. "Maybe we can work this out. We are not here to hurt you, Natalie."

"That's good heart." She replied. "Too bad I can't make the same promise to you and your friends."

It was clear that talking our way out wasn't going to work. So the next best thing I could do was to shut down her thoughts and knock her out. But for some reason, I still couldn't do that either. I was able to learn that she was some kind of mercenary years ago but everything else about her was blocked off. It was almost like something or someone was jamming my mind probe.

"Guys!" I said. "I'm trying to shut her down but something is keeping me out of her mind."

"Can you tell us anything about her?" Eric said. "All I know is that she used to be some type of mercenary," I said.

"Mercenary?!" Adrian said. "Oh great! How are we going to take down a trained killer who can make her own creepy, glowing weapons?"

"Can you shut her down if we buy you some time?" Eric asked.

"Maybe! But you have to keep her distracted and protect yourselves" I said.

"Deal. Adrian and I will fight her together!" Eric said.

"Sweet," Adrian responded. "Let's beat this bitch!" 

# Chapter 13: The Mercenary

The crowd around us made a super wide circle as if they were expecting a huge fight to happen. By the looks of this girl, she was the executioner and we were the gladiators fighting for our lives.

"Guys, this might be a bad time to tell you this but I don't know how to fight" I nervously told them.

"Seriously?" Adrian asked. "Then just mind blast her or something. Knock this ninja chick out."

"I'm trying" I responded. I don't know what it is but something in her mind is putting up one hell of a fight of its own."

"I won't let you creeps mess with my head. Not again, never again"

Natalie added.

"If we give you enough time, can you manage to shut her down Maddie?"

Eric asked.

"Yes," I said "but you two have to keep her busy. If I do anything else or if she attacks me head on, I won't be able to focus."

"Deal! Leave it to us chic!" Adrian added.

"Enough talk," Natalie said. "Die!"

Natalie then transformed her mallet into a shield for defense. She then aggressively charged straight at us with her shield lunged in front of her and her sword cutting the air behind her, ready to be swung at a moment's notice.

Eric got in front of me and Adrian ready to blast his dark matter beam.

He then gathered some dark matter energy in his left hand and pushed the beam out of his hand. The dark energy plasma surged towards Natalie but her shield was able to block it.

Then, the beam split into five different branches and wreaked havoc on the front campus.

The other students quickly ran out of the way. The more power he tried to blast at her, the slower she charged towards us.

"Guys, I have to get closer to her," I said.

"What? Why?" Adrian asked.

"I can't get into her head from this distance," I said. "If we are going to stop anyone from getting hurt, I have to be close enough to stop her. If I can just get close to her...."

"Say no more" Eric interrupted. "If it takes her down then let's do it."

"Me seats commando el pela?" Adrian said in Spanish. "I mean fine. I'm sure I can hold her off long enough for you to do your brain drain thing."

"Are you sure?" Eric said.

"Yeah. My quartz are indestructible. Let her go!" Adrian said.

But before he could, Natalie deflect Eric's beam back to him completely with her shield. Luckily, Eric and everyone behind him moved out the way And the beam ending up blasting the right side of the school leaving a scorched black impact crater on the wall.

Before anyone could see how bad the hole was, Natalie charged at us, transforming her shield into six small throwing stars with three blades on each one. As the stars hurled toward us, Adrian coated her arms in ruby quartz and blocked off three of them. Eric was able to blast the fourth one, but the last two were a few inches from killing me!

"Maddie no!" Eric said as he reached out his hand. And at that second, the stars stopped in midair inches away from my face. It had a white, shining light over it and Eric's left hand had the same strange aura around it.

He had just discovered a new power!

"What the hell?" Natalie said as she paused for a brief second along with the rest of us.

"Whoa!" Adrian said. "Did either of you know he could do that?"

"No. This is the first time!" Eric said. Strange, I never knew he had telekinesis when I probed his mind. Maybe because he had never known he had it before either.

Natalie kept charging towards us but then Adrian stepped in and blocked her attack. She swung her sword effortlessly towards Adrian's body. Since her arms were protected by her quartz, she was constantly moving them against Natalie's sword. But eventually, Natalie managed to make some precise cuts on her Adrian's legs.

"Ahhh! You bitch! "Adrian said out of frustration and pain. He released a crimson beam from her hands aimed at Natalie. But Natalie easily back flipped and missed the beam completely. The beam divided the crowd around us and only managed to hit the side of the train.

This created a cluster of ruby quartz on the side of the train.

"Girls, this is getting too dangerous," Eric said. He relapsed his grip on the throwing stars and dropped to the ground. "We can't keep risking the lives of these students. We need to find a better place to end this."

"Tell that to the crazy ninja chick that's trying to kill us" Adrian assisted as she was covering her cuts.

"Adrian! He's right!" I told her. "We don't want to turn this place into a war zone"

"Hmm. War zone?" Adrian asked. "That would be an awesome nickname to call this girl if she wasn't all assassin's creed on us."

"Enough talk! This ends now!" Natalie said. She turned her attention to me, lunging forward with a mashed in one hand and a katana in the other. Adrian tried to knock her out and swung a few punches at her, but she avoided each blow. Then she kicked her in her stomach and elbowed her in the back of her neck.

"Oof!" Adrian said. She curled up on her knees on the floor covering her stomach and squinting her eyes. "No pied mover" (Which means I can't move.)

"Adrian!" Eric shouted out of concern. "That's enough!" He tried to blast her with his energy beam but she kept flipping out of the way. He couldn't even get one shot at her.

"Almost there!" I said. I could feel my conscious breaking through whatever mental blocks that were in her mind.

"Ow!" "Natalie said as I tried to enter her mind while running towards us. "You little bitch, I told you to stay out of my mind!" She then jumped six feet in the air and turn her blades into a loaded machine gun and fired several shots aimed at me.

"Look out!" Eric said. He used his newfound telekinesis to create a force field to protect us.

"Can't keep this up! Too much pressure; can't focus"

As Eric struggled to maintain the force field, Natalie fell down and changed her gun into a mallet and slammed it right into his force field.

The force shield crumbled into pieces and broke Eric's focus.

The shock wave from the mallet hitting Eric's force field shattered nearly every window on the front side of the school.

Natalie then kicked Eric in his left shoulder, disconnecting it and following up with a few quick jabs to his stomach. She then finished him off with a sweep kick that sent him falling hard on the pavement of the sidewalk. Eric was down for the count.

"Eric! Not you too!" I screamed out of concern and fear.

"You're next!" Natalie said to me. She came towards me and swung out another katana. But somehow, I was able to read enough of her mind to master her fight style and predict her moves based on her memories. So it wasn't too difficult to avoid the blow and stop her from killing me. Strange that I could only master this when I was arm's length from her.

"Copy this!" Natalie said. She created a mallet again and managed to hit me hard enough to push me back.

"Ouch!" I said. She then knocked me down to the pavement of the academy with a roundhouse kick. She jumped up and landed on me. She then grabbed me by the neck and change her mallet into a dagger.

"I'm going to cut your pretty little eyes out!" Natalie told me. At this point, I was close enough to get deeper in her mind and shut her down.

"No, you won't!" I shouted. My eyes glowed green again and I could access her mind completely.

"Ahhhhhh!" Natalie screamed in agony just like my mom and friends did the first time I attacked another person's mind. "No! I won't let you mess with my mind, not like her!" I slowed her down and kept her at bay.

She dropped her dagger and she soon after fell to the ground weakened and unconscious.

I picked up the frame that she dropped when Adrian bumped into her. The glass was cracked but I saw a picture of an Asian couple holding a baby in their arms. The cloak that the man was wearing looked just like the one Natalie was wearing before the fight.

"Were these her parents?"

BOOOOOOM!

After I had asked that question, two guys crashed down out of the sky and came to her side. Their faces became covered in mystery by the dust from the impact crater. My only question at this point was if they were new friends or enemies?

# Chapter 14: The Enforcement

As the debris from these two mysterious figures began to lose its thickness, I was able to recognize the two guys walking out of it.

One of them was a bald black guy and the other was a muscular guy who looked like he was native American or Indian.

"You can all get inside know, the show's over," The bald one said with a

British accent.

They walked around Natalie while the other one knelt down to check her pulse. While he was doing that, the bald guy started to talk to me.

Then I finally realized that these two were the other guys I saw in my vision. The bald one was the guy who sliced the robots I saw in half with his bare hands. While the other guy was the one who lifted an armored tank by himself. I had no idea why I was meeting them like this for the first time, but all it proved was that the six of us were somehow connected to each other.

"You blokes really know how to make an entrance Ms. North. You and your friends there just became the most popular students at the academy." He said.

"Who are you?" I asked. "How do you know my name?"

"My name's Daryl Wailer and Mr. Muscles over there is Richard Ardmore. We're enforcers for the Academy."

"What does that have to do with me and my friends?" I asked.

"Simple" Daryl said. "Our jobs as enforcers is to make sure the newbies follow the rules and stay out of trouble. Since you and your friends just had a little spat with Ms. Chang over there, Chancellor Thorne thought it proper to escort you to her office personally to

educate you on how things work around here."

"We were instructed not to interfere with the fight you and Natalie had"

Rick said as he stood up from checking on Natalie. "Unless any outside party was injured"

"Are you kidding me?" I said. "Why did you not stop her from hurting my friend Adrian in the first place?"

"Hold on there, love" Daryl interrupted. "You blokes had Ms. Chang over here at a disadvantage. Three against one doesn't sound fair after all. Even though your friends here got their sorry tails kicked."

"What he means to say is that Chancellor Thorne wishes to sort out things with you so that this incident never happens again." Rick said.

"Maddie, It's them; isn't it?" Eric said. He could barely move after his fight with Natalie and tried to stand up on his own. "They were in your vision too, weren't they?"

"Yeah, they are" . I said to him.

"Vision?" Rick said. "What do you mean by vision?"

"Who bloody cares?" Daryl said. "Let's just get these newbies to the

Chancellor already?"

"The Chancellor?" "Adrian asked trying to pick herself up from the floor. Still covered with her scars, she was barely able to stand. "Great!" Now we get sent to detention after getting our asses kicked"

"Language Ms. Rodriguez," Rick said. The drones will carry you and Mr. Isaac to the infirmary where you will receive all of the medical attention you need."

"As for you sunshine," Daryl said to me. "You are going straight to the Chancellor's office"

"Why should I?" I asked.

"A little rebellious, aren't we?" He asked. "I like that in a woman. Take your best shot at fighting your way out. I got no issues tackling with a dame" He winked at me and punch his hand.

"Easy Daryl," Rick said. "We aren't here to fight anyone. But we will

do whatever it takes to fulfill our orders."

I tried probing their minds but for some reason, I couldn't. It was almost like when I tried to read Natalie's thoughts. Only this time, whatever was shielding her mind from me was shielding there's a lot better.

"Let's go," Eric said to me. "It's the only way we can make it out of

here in one piece."

"I'd listen to your friend their sweetheart!" Daryl said in an obnoxious tone.

"Fine. I'll go." I said.

"Good!" Rick said. "The security drones will transport your friends to

the infirmary."

Out of nowhere, the front doors of the Academy opened up on their own.

Then six drones floated out of the crowd. Two of them cast what I can only explain to be a yellow tractor beam to lift Eric. While the other four did the same with Adrian and Natalie as they laid there in stillness and pain. They carried them straight into the front entrance

of the Academy.

"Right this way gorgeous!" Daryl said.

I reluctantly followed them into the main entrance with a cloud of doubt hovering over my head.

The cloud of uncertainty I felt dawn above me was complemented by the multiple eyes of the students watching me. I had no idea what would happen to my friends or for that matter, what was going to happen to me next.

All I knew was that any complaints I had about my old school would pale in comparison to the surprises that would await me in Zen Academy.

# Chapter 15: The Chancellor

To say that I was a little uneasy at this point would be the mother of all understatements. I mean walking down the Academy corridors was like walking through a medieval castle filled with old pictures and strange artifacts that seemed to be unearthly.

"Relax Nurse Judy!" Daryl joked. Keep in mind, I had been wearing my mom's spare nurse scrubs since I got there. "Your playmates will be just fine. The infirmary will take care of them."

"Haha!" I laughed sarcastically. "Why does the Chancellor only

want to talk to me?"

"She's already aware of your powers and felt it best to observe

them first hand," Rick stated.

"You see, telepathies are some of the rarest hybrids out there and some of the most troublesome!" Daryl said. "You probably have already noticed but reading our minds won't be that easy"

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Let's just say that Chancellor Thorne has her methods" Rick answered.

We eventually made it to Chancellor Thorne's office. On the outside lied scribbles that looked like they were some type of languages. But nothing like I had ever seen on earth. Her room was guarded by two monster sized doors, cutting of an increase or cracks. So peeping beyond closed doors was in a lot of ways impossible to do.

Rick walked towards the left side of the door and placed his palm on the wall and then red circle made out of the same scribbles outside the Chancellor's office started to glow.

"Hello, Chancellor Thorne!" Rick said. "We have Madelyn North here as you requested."

"Terrific!" Chancellor Thorne said. "A moment, please. I will be out soon!"

Then the doors slowly began to open and as it did, the light trapped within the Chancellor's office began to branch out of its confinement.

Then emerging out of the blinding gaze of the light came a tall, long haired woman in a button down lab coat. She had skin the color of magenta and the Capital H with two tear drops in the middle laid on the top of her forehead. Her lips were succulent and full and her body posture was flawless as she arched her back to give herself a more authoritarian appearance.

"Hello child," she said with a smile that amplified her burning

magenta eyes "I am Chancellor Thorne!"

"Hi," I said nervously. "My name is...."

"Madelyn Thorne! Yes, I know." She interrupted. "I have been

waiting for you for some time now"

"What do you mean?" I asked her. "I don't understand why you just asked for me; my friends are..."

"Hush now my dear." "She said as she placed her hand on my right shoulder. The minute she did that, I felt like some of my own free will was being drained from me.

"Your friends are perfectly safe now. Come let us have a brief talk."

I didn't know what this feeling was but it made me less and less

concerned for my friends and more willing to follow her wishes.

Before we walked into her office, she took a quick glance at Rick and Daryl.

"Thank you, two gentlemen, for accompanying Ms. North." She said to them. "You may return to your post." She said as her eyes glowed an even stronger shade of magenta.

It was similar to my eyes whenever I used my powers.

"Yes Madame Chancellor, moved," Rick and Daryl said simultaneously. As they said it, I noticed that their eyes started to mimicked the glowing intensity of Chancellor Thorne's eyes for a brief second.

They began to move down the right corridor as if they were in some kind of sleepwalking trance along the way.

I didn't know what exactly she did to them or how she did it, but I had a bad feeling that I would soon find out the hard way.

Without my telepathy, I was walking in a new situation completely blind and unprepared. It was a terrible feeling to have in a place where my only two friends were being swept away to an infirmary to lick their wounds. As I continued to walk in the Chancellor's office, I started to question what else she was capable of.

# Chapter 16: The Talk

So there I was, less than two hours on a new campus of some intergalactic Academy, I was already in trouble with the dean. By the way, she was pretty much an alien that could use mind control on her students. To some degree, she was even able to influence my mind to the point that I was walking straight into a lion's den. I was just hoping that I wouldn't be the gazelle that would end up becoming her dinner!

I slowly followed her into her office not knowing what might happen to me as long as I was still stuck in trance. I knew that I should have run out of that place but something about her powers forced me to keep moving forward.

Besides, Eric and Adrian were badly hurt and I couldn't stand the thought of running out on them.

So I felt at this time, the best thing to do was to stay off of her

bad side and try to play it cool until I got some answers. Even though she seemed peaceful enough, I was afraid that one of her other powers might have been to blow off other people's head. Come on, with everything that I have just been exposed to, nothing seems to be far-fetched anymore.

"Please, Maddie!" She said with a polite tone. "Have a seat"

"Thank You, Ms. Thorne!" I told her.

"Please! Call me Emola" She responded. "I'm happy to have finally met your acquaintance! I have had my eye on you for quite some time. You dear show much promise."

"You have been watching me?" I asked. "Why have you been watching me if you don't mind me asking?"

"I've been keeping an eye out for you since the day your powers first manifested." She answered. "I've noticed that your abilities are still gradually developing. With the proper guidance, you could truly be a formidable telepath just like you father!"

I instantly lunged toward her in suspense.

"You knew who my father was? I said. "Wait! Was my father a telepath just like I am?"

"Not quite my dear!" "She explained. "You like the rest of the student body are all offspring from one human parent and one Akarrian parent."

"What's an Akarrian?" I asked.

"Akarrian's were an advanced extraterrestrial species that existed millennia ago lived." She said. "We came from another galaxy that was on the brink of destruction.

However, Akarrian DNA had trouble adapting to the conditions of this galaxy on a molecular level. That is why our greatest scientist worked tirelessly to prevent our species from being

extinct. Both through means of our advanced technology and

experimenting with mystical properties.

"Mystical?" I asked.

"Yes My dear," Emola said. "Our species technology was quite

compatible with what you would refer to as magic. The leaders of our people became the alchemist and fused magic and technology to alter our DNA to survive this new galaxy's harsh conditions.

Unfortunately, our species perished due to our exposure to this galaxy's conditions.

In order to preserve what little trace of our lineage we had left, many of the survivors who had been genetically modified by the alchemist chose to mate with the closest sentient life available.

"I'm guessing you mean humans?" I said. "And by mate, you mean..."

"Ha-ha Ha "Emola laughed." Yes, my dear!"

"I don't mean to be direct but why are you telling me all of this?" I asked.

"Because Maddie I wish to help you and others like you learn more about their heritage. All I ask in return is that you refrain from any public altercations moving forward." Emola said.

She then walked over to me and touched my shoulder. I felt a strange warm feeling flowing around my body and I had no idea what it was.

"I will make a deal!" She bent down and spoke into my ear. "I will help you find the truth of your heritage and provide you and your friends to keep refuge here if you merely agree to stay in this Academy as my students."

I couldn't pass down that offer. At least not until I got some more background of what else I was getting myself into. So I agreed to stay out of trouble and to participate in Emola's curriculum.

"Deal!" I said.

"Excellent! I shall send over two of my drones to escort you to change into the school uniform and after that, they shall lead you to your friends." Emola said.

The doors opened on their own and the chancellor personally escorted me out of her office.

But as I walked out, I saw what looked like to be a hooded cloak hanging in a display box with the same symbol on Emola's forehead.

"What is the strange cloak for?" I asked.

"All will be revealed in due time, my dear!" Emola said. "I shall see you shortly."

I instantly had a higher sense of uncertainty in my chest from her vague answer. It probably didn't help the fact that I still could read her mind or anyone else's mind without having a mental tug of war.

The doors closed and there I stood alone in the crippling silence of the hallway wondering for what strange purpose we were all really here. It seemed like there was more to the Akarrian history than what she was telling me. I just didn't know what.

# Chapter 17: The Ghost

To say that my encounter with the chancellor or Emola was a bit overwhelming would be a huge understatement.

I don't understand what she is or how she knows what she knows about me and my family. By the way, I tend to talk to myself a lot. Even before my mom showed up; so, I guess I've always been a little bit off.

"Right this way!" The drone said. It pointed me to the changing room.

Enter Lisa Scorch (Ember):

When I walk into a changing room, I noticed a blond Caucasian girl getting dressed.

Keep your thoughts PG boys, she was just pulling up her socks.

The girl pulled out of cigarettes. Then she snapped her fingers and out came this small pink flame from her fingers!

My eyes lit up at the sight of it. No pun intended! I couldn't believe all these teens my own age and so many different powers.

"I know you're their newbie." The girl said. "It's rude to stare you know."

"Oh! Sorry!" I said. "I didn't mean to stare. My name is...."

"Maddie North!" She said with a smirk. "Everyone who saw you and your friends finds a chain knows your name."

She stood up and burned up her cigarette into ashes.

"Congratulations you're officially the most popular girl in school."

She said. "The name is Lisa. Lisa Scorch."

"Cool name!" I said.

"Well given my Powers, I figured that it was proper." By the way, want a light?" She asked as she pulled out of cigarettes.

"Oh no, thanks! I don't smoke." I said

"How cute!" Lisa said. "Suit yourself! I'm guessing one of those

Jetson robots brought you here to change out of that Nurse Jackie uniform."

"Why does everybody use that reference? I said. "But yeah I figured it out already might as well dress the part as a somewhat normal students."

"Help me!" I heard a mysterious voice come out of nowhere. It was distinctively different from Lisa's. This voice sounded like it came from a man.

"Who's there?" I asked

"What do you mean?" Lisa inquired

"There was another voice!" I told her. "It sounded like a man's voice asking for help!"

"Where is he?" Lisa asked. "She then lit up her hands into two

medium-sized pink flames and looked around on her shoulder. "Alright,

pervert! Come out before I'll melt your face off. "

"I can't sense their body anywhere!" I said.

"Maybe it's a ghost!" She joked. "Either that or some other telepath

playing tricks on you."

"Wait! There's other telepaths around here?" I asked her.

"Sure, you didn't think you were the only one; did you?" Lisa asked.

"Anyway, there should be some uniforms in that room. There are no windows in there so you should be safe."

She pointed to a small room next to the lockers that wrapped around

the corner beside me.

"Thanks! I should be ok though!" I said.

"Don't mention it! In fact, I'll stay for a little bit to make sure no

creeps try to see a peep show!" She offered as she lit up another

cigarette with her pink flames.

She waited outside across from my changing room. When I got out I was wearing a preppy school uniform with those Zen Academy Capital Z symbol on the right side of my sweater vest and pink skirts.

I had to admit for a suspicious and all-powerful Chancellor, Emola

sure had good taste in fashion!

"O la la!" Lisa said as she complimented me. Check out Tyra Banks!"

"How do I look?" I asked.

"Let me put it to you like this." Lisa said after she smoked yet

another cigarette. "Before you looked like you were going to take a

boy's blood pressure. But now you look like you could raise some blood

pressures. Oh and I ain't talking about in their arms!"

"Stop!" I blushed. "I'm trying to blend in!"

"Sorry honey but with a body like that and your little pow wow with

Natalie, you'll definitely stick out more than ever!" Lisa said.

"Well anyway, I guess I should be going. I have to see if my friends

are okay!" I told her.

"Nice. I should get going too before those drones give me a ticket for loitering during school hours!" Lisa said.

We began to leave the changing room and once we enter the hallway, we began to go our separate ways.

"You're pretty cool chick Maddie North!" Lisa said. "Stay safe out there."

She gave me a fist bump and then started walking down the other side

of the hallway. I couldn't help but notice that she had a strange

tattoo on the back of her neck.

"Hey, Lisa!" I said. "What's up with your tattoo?"

"It's my nickname," she said

"What's your nickname?" I asked her.

"Folks back home used to call me Ember." She answered and continue to

walk down the hallway.

# Chapter 18: The Infirmary

I started to feel a little bit at ease after meeting Lisa. Or Ember as her friends will call her!

Ever since my little altercation with Natalie, it was hard to think that anyone here at the school would be remotely friendly towards me.

But when that strange voice came out of nowhere, I asked myself that question out loud. I kept walking down the hallway and I couldn't shake that strange noise out my head. It was strange that Lisa couldn't hear it but I could. Maybe it was because I was a telepath.

These type of thoughts kept playing on me further and further as I walked closer to the Infirmary. It didn't seem like the Chancellor did it. Even though she seemed powerful enough to do something like that, it wouldn't make any sense for her to disguise her voice.

Eventually, the drone was escorting me straight to the infirmary and I was ready to see my friends.

Please step back Miss North. The drone said.

I took two steps back and watched as the circle in the drone's chest lit up with a burning pink Spot spotlight.

Then I saw a whole bunch of strange unrecognizable scribbles that appeared around the long. In time I would be able to realize that it was the same type of alphabet that was on the chance as well.

"Access granted, "the voice command said. The door's been opened automatically. Inside it, housed a full high-tech medical or Machinery that seemed to be centuries beyond anything in Earth that had been built by humans. Whatever the Akar's early civilization was like for coming, it was clear that they were far more advanced than us.

Then I saw a few students made up and what appeared to be floating hospital beds. I walked further down and found in Adrian and Eric recovering.

"Hey, guys!" I said. Thank god you're ok!"

"Hey, chica!" Adrian said. "Glad you aren't mind warped like everyone else."

"What do you mean? I asked.

"Everyone at this academy seems to be spaced. Almost like they're in la la land." Adrian explained.

"All the other students in this school are all convinced that the Chancellor is some kind of messiah," Eric said. "No one here seems to talk about their lives outside the Academy when we ask them. Almost like they've become obsessed with this place."

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place," I said.

"We should get out of here!" Eric said.

Then as we were discussing the idea of escaping, Daryl and Rick came through the doors of the infirmary.

"Oh great!" Adrian said. "You guys again."

"Glad to see you all up and moving," Daryl said in a cocky demeanor.

"What do you want with us?" Eric said.

"Chancellor Thorne wanted us to let you know that you three are expected to participate in our training forum this afternoon." Rick said.

"Training forum? Eric asked. But we just got to this school. Why do we have to train right away?"

"Relax Boy Scout!" Daryl said. "All the newbies have to train as soon as they get here."

"It's the best way we can properly assess your powers and from there, determine the best way to teach you.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Every hybrid has his or her own unique abilities. Because of that, different abilities require different programs to accommodate them." Rick said.

"Also, you'll be happy to know that the two of us will be orchestrating the challenges specifically designed for you three!" Daryl said.

"What?!" Adrian said. Have we to fight you guys too?"

"Don't worry Adrian!" Eric said. It's still three against two; so we should be okay.

"Three vs two?" Daryl asked. "No such luck slick. Ms. Chang will be facing you as well!"

"You're kidding me?" Adrian said.

Then Natalie walked out of the back room behind me, Eric, and Adrian.

She seemed completely healed from our last fight. She walked up to me for a second.

I thought she'd try to attack me but instead, she just had a smirk on her face.

She kept walking past me, through the enforcers, and out of the infirmary.

"Did I forget to mention? Daryl said. Miss. Chang is an enforcer as well.

"Oh perfect! Adrian said.

"See you blokes in the training forum!" Daryl said with a smirk.

As Daryl and Rick walked through the infirmary doors, Daryl turned around and told us,

"Oh, and by the way, your phones and electronics won't work here. Plus, no one is allowed to leave the Academy without Chancellor Thorne's permission!"

His superficial smirk was the last thing we saw before the doors of the infirmary closed shut.

Leaving the three of us in a state of uncertainty.

# Chapter 19: The Struggle

We had no idea what to do. We couldn't leave the academy and we couldn't call for help. The people that we could call for would

probably try to kill us. Now we had to fight a bunch of other hybrids we didn't even know.

"What the hell?" Adrian said. "How are we going to survive this? We barely even understand how our powers work."

"What creeps me out the most is that we can't even leave this Academy on our own terms," I said. "Like we are trapped her and can't leave unless the chancellor says so."

"Even if we could leave, we'd have nowhere to go" Eric stated. "The rest of the world won't understand what we are. Most likely, they'll try to kill us because of it"

"News flash Eric," Adrian said. "We already have people trying to kill us. That ninja girl and now her two henchmen want to waste us for fun"

"I don't think so" I intervened. "If they wanted us dead, the

chancellor could have done it herself"

"How do you know that?" Adrian asked.

"You remember what I did to Natalie?" I said. "She's way more

experienced than I am and just imagine if she did something like that to us without hesitating"

"Wait! Are you saying that she was holding back earlier?" Eric asked.

"Great!" Adrian said out of frustration. "I don't know why we thought we would be safe here. It's only filled with people who want to hurt us just like home. Except they have crazy powers too."

I looked towards to Eric. "Speaking of crazy powers, how long did you know you could use telekinesis?"

"Is that what it's called?" He asked. "I had no idea that I could do

that until today. Something just prompted me to reach out when Natalie attacked you."

"Yeah, that was crazy!" Adrian added. "At least we can have that

the advantage when we fight the executioners over there"

"It does make me wonder though?" I said. "If Eric can do that on top of his other powers, what else can we do?"

Three drones interrupted our conversation. Each one was carrying a stack of clothes and floated towards each of us. Then each drone shot out a blue stream of light in the air for a blue hologram of Chancellor Thorne.

"Hello, New students!" Chancellor Thorne said. "I hope everyone is fully recovered from that minor altercation from earlier today.

In order to properly assess your abilities, I felt it proper to place the two of you along with Ms. North for our training forum. Please rest assured that this training will be completely monitored and any injuries sustained will be promptly healed by our facilities."

We couldn't shake the overbearing feeling that this would be a very uncomfortable experience and the fact that no one could leave this a place without going through the chancellor first. She seemed to have control over everything around the school and these drones seemed like the only other life forms in this Academy other than us.

"You all will have 20 minutes to prepare for your evaluations and change for our training." Chancellor Thorne said. "Please address our drones when you are ready and they shall escort you to our forum. We thank you for your cooperation and wish you good luck!"

The hologram shut down and the drones gave us the stack of clothes then floated out of the infirmary.

"Great! Now we are totally screwed!" Adrian said.

"Looks like we have to train," Eric said. "Thorne won't let us go

unless we play by her rules."

"You're right Eric," I said. "We better get dress for this thing"

We all went into our separate bathrooms to change our clothes and prepare for the event.

Ten minutes passed.

I walked out of the bathroom with my full body armor and walked into the main lobby. I was dressed in a lightweight, carbon fiber uniform with green highlights around my body. On the left upper side of my uniform was the Zen Academy emblem with a white circle in the middle. It seemed comfortable to wear and sturdy enough to keep me safe.

"Whoa! Looking good sexy!" Adrian teased. "muy clienta!"

"Ha. Adrian stop" I replied. She walked out wearing a similar set of armor only hers had red highlights around hers.

"Not going to lie," Adrian said. "We make these outfits look good. Hey Eric, what's holding you up? We have a death stance to survive."

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Eric answered as he walked into the main lobby, revealing a grayish black suit of armor with white and black highlights.

"We all look like a multicultural super hero team," Adrian said. "next thing you know we will be dressed up in tights and capes shouting up, up and away."

"Relax Adrian," I told her. "I'm pretty sure that we won't have to wear these for..."

"Help me!" The strange voice from before had repeated.

"Did you guys hear that?" I asked them.

"Hear what," Adrian said with a questionable expression on her face.

"That voice!" I said with a freaked out expression. "Someone was

asking for Help."

Then Eric and Adrian looked at each other with a confused look on their faces.

"We didn't hear anything," Eric said.

"Wait! Do you think someone's here?" Adrian said. "Maybe there's a hybrid that can turn invisible. You know, like a ghost!"

Adrian paced around the room, looking over her shoulders. "Hey ghost, show yourself!" Adrian said as she crystallized her arms.

"Your friends said we'd face them in the training room"

"Adrian relaxed," I said. "There's no ghost."

"Hey, after all the weird stuff that's happened in the past two weeks, I figured anything could happen," Adrian said.

As we were talking, another drone floated in the infirmary and approached us.

"Greetings student," said drone 875. "Chancellor Throne has requested your presence at the training forum. Examinations shall be conducted in ten minutes"

"Examinations?" Eric repeated. "Guess it's time to show Throne what we got! You two ready?"

Adrian and I nodded to each other and began to join Eric as we

followed the drone to the training forum.

"Don't worry chica," Adrian said as she placed her right hand on my left shoulder." We can hunt for your ghost later. After we kick some ass!"

"Thanks!" I said sarcastically.

I couldn't help but feel that there was something else out there.

All I knew was that things would not get any easier from that point on.

As the drone guided us down the Academy halls, it gave off a slightly red flat light on its monitor screen and it started to twitch.

"Help me!" The mysterious voice came back.

"Own!" I said as the voice seemed to be all in my head. Almost as if it was another telepathy trying to contact me.

"You ok?" Eric asked.

"I think so" I answered.

"Umm excuse Mr. Drone," I asked. The drone didn't seem to respond.

"You! Robot host!" Adrian shouted. The machine turned to us after the red flare disappeared.

"Yes, how May I assist you?" Drone 875 answered.

"My friend here asked you a question." Adrian said "What? You things aren't programmed to have manners?"

"My apologies Ms. North" drone 875 replied. "I believe my processing unit was temporarily tampered with." "Pardon me while I perform a self-analysis"

Then we saw strange letters and symbols load on its main frame.

Almost like when your computer is downloading and all you see is zeros and ones.

Except, none of these symbols seemed human. For all we knew, it was some strange alien Morse code.

"I have analyzed my primary and secondary programs and have found no foreign programming. Shall we move on?" Drone 875 said as it leads us to the next hall.

"This is super weird" Adrian whispered to Eric and me.

"Just be on guard" Eric responded.

Finally, the drones led us to a locked door at the end of the final

hall. "We have reached the training forum!" Said drone 875.

"Allow me to permit you access, please take at least three steps backward."

We all took three steps while the drone floated to the middle of the door. Then it folded its arms in 4 different ways:

Triangle, square, diamond, and circle

After it reached, five strange markings appeared on the wall and they all glowed orange. The symbols looked similar to the ones that the robot had flashed on its monitor.

The door began to separate in four separate corners down the middle as a thick, overexposed sky blue light rushed out of the room.

Blinding us with its radiance, the light grew expeditiously and shrouded the three of us with luminosity and a growing anticipation for survival.

# Chapter 20: The Training

The doors finally opened and this strange, green light came out. Inside, we saw the massive room with obstacle courses that resembles a high tech medieval dungeon. As the three of us witnessed the overwhelming size of the obstacle courses, we also saw a bunch of different students in with different abilities fighting for their lives. At the very end of the room, we saw a tower that held a holographic checker flag. The students all tried to reach it, but nearly all of them were attacked and knocked out by some huge cobalt robots.

"This is beyond crazy!" Adrian said, clutching her forehead.

"Hello students!" Chancellor Thorne's voice came from another hologram. "Welcome to the training forum! Here you will be tested on your abilities and your survival techniques. Please rest assured that all of our facilities are being monitored to ensure that no one suffers fatal injuries. Now, you have been separated in groups of three. The objective is to make it through the obstacle course, eliminate any adversary that stands in your way, and make it to the finish line before time runs out.

"You have approximately 50 minutes to complete this test. If you should fail, you shall be brought to the post examination site to be properly educated. However, if you are to succeed, you shall move on to our next procedure.

"Good luck and be careful!"

"Hello students!" Drone 875 said. "Welcome to the training forum! Prepare for your training process. Good luck!" The drone flew behind us, back into the academy."

"Wait!" Eric said while chasing after the drone." We never said that we would train for something this dangerous! This whole thing is way too..."

Boooop Booooop!

Eric was interrupted by a loud alarm that we could only guess signified that training had started. After that, the door behind us began to seal itself away, leaving us trapped within the training forum.

"Let the training begin!" Chancellor Thorne said.

"Great! Now we're trapped in a slaughterhouse," Adrian said.

"We'll just have to do our best to make it out in one piece. Are you two ready?" Eric said.

"Yeah! If we stick together, we just might have a shot." I said.

"Look out!" Adrian said while pointing at a large piece of debris falling from the sky and heading over us.

She then used her powers to create a force field made of ruby quartz around us as the debris shattered on impact.

She then ran to us to see if we were okay. But while her force field started to dematerialize, we all took a good look at the wreckage that almost took Eric and I out.

"Is this a giant robot's head?" Adrian took two fearful steps back and her knees started to shake.

"Yeah it is!" I said. "But don't worry! I'm sure that was the only one"

Of course, me and my big mouth had to say something that stupid!

Ten seconds later, a nine foot tall robot decked out in blue and silver metal walked towards us ready to attack.

"Please don't tell me there's a huge robot behind me." Adrian said right before she turned around.

We all got ready to fight this daunting robot when out of nowhere, a large sonic scream blasted straight through the robot's head.

"Whoa!" Where the hell did that come from?" Adrian asked.

"I'm not sure, but staying here clearly isn't such a good idea. We have to move now!" Eric said.

"Okay let's ahhhhhh!"

Before Adrian could finish her sentence, a hole peeled out from under the ground she was standing on.

"Adrian!!" Eric and I said.

Then another strange hole appeared under the ground we were standing on. I found myself falling to my doom just like Adrian was.

"Maddie!" Eric said.

Before he could do anything to save either of us, a giant robot made of cobalt iron dropped down and attacked him. Making it impossible for him to use his powers to save us.

As I fell down that endless hole, I started to hear my heart beat get louder and louder.

"After everything I went through, I can't believe I'm going out like this." I thought to myself.

I closed my eyes out of fear; instantly, I felt a strange warm feeling in my chest. Almost as if something was coming out. Then when I opened my eyes, I saw this strange pink glow in the shape of butterfly wings coming from my chest.

Suddenly, I found myself floating within that pit.

"What the?" I said to myself.

"Hello Ms. North" a hologram of Chancellor Thorne appeared floating in front of me." I have sensed that you have acquired a new ability.

Beta kinesis is a very interesting and rare ability for a Halfling like you to possess."

"Emola? What's going on here? What's beta kinesis?"

"The ability to generate and manipulate artificial life energy." she said. "This energy can be used in a variety of methods. In your case, flying"

"Look this is great and all; but why can't I use my telepathy here?" I said.

"I am currently blocking your telepathy from the other students and enforcers. It's my desire to see how well you personally adapt to such a challenge." Chancellor Thorne said." You my dear have a very unique connection and purpose to our species."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You'll see soon enough my dear" Thorne replied. "Until next time Ms.

North, Farwell and good luck!"

The hologram of her faded away and I focused on flying out of that pit and back to the surface to find my friends.

I finally flew high enough to reach the top of the pit hole. As I floated above the training room, I saw that the pit I fell in had already begun to repair itself. It's as if the floor had a mind of its own.

What was this strange place and how was Emola manipulating everything?

"Hey Chica!" Adrian said as she flew around me. "Your vision was right! I can fly! Estoy bien! I can fly!"

Adrian smiled cheek to cheek and floated towards me for a minute.

"Whoa! You can do this trick too?" She said. "Awesome! Look at us flying chicks in combat, literally!"

"Um girls?" Eric said as he was battling an eight-foot cobalt covered android. "I hope I'm not interrupting your flying lessons up there. Because I could really use some help if you don't mind."

He tried using his both energy beams and telekinesis to blast off the robot's appendages. But every time he did, it kept regenerating its appendages.

The strain of using his telekinesis was wearing Eric down. Who knew how long he could keep this up until he lost concentration and the robot would break through.

"Un momento tough guy!" Adrian said as she soared down like a hawk preying on its target. She hardens her forearms and her legs in ruby quartz.

Then she flipped like a bowling ball and headed straight towards the android.

Upon impact, she stomped on the robot's face and then jumped off its head. Sending the android crashing deep into the ground, shattered into pieces.

We flew down to Eric to check if he was ok.

"Eric! Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Eric said back. "Thanks for the save Adrian"

"Anytime boss man" Adrian replied by lightly punching him in the arm.

Although, she forgot to dematerialize her fist before doing it!

"Ouch!" Eric said.

"Oops Sorry!" Adrian apologized.

Enter Chris Stratus (Steam Dragon) and Jana York (Shriek):

While Eric and Adrian were talking, I sensed the presence of another hybrid coming our way.

"Um guys?" I said. "I think we have company."

Then a huge gust of smoke crashed down and filled the arena with a blinding fog that no one could see through.

Then out of nowhere, three androids that were made of the same metallic cobalt steel that Adrian and Eric faced flew out of the mist as if they were thrown by something with the strength of a hurricane.

Or in this case, someone.

"Hey!" Adrian said as she generated her ruby quartz to generate a bright red light so we could see where we were. "Who turned on the smoke?"

"I did" A mysterious voice answered.

The smoke seemed to move on its own, collectively gathering into one spot.

"What's happening?" Adrian asked in a state of astonishment.

The smog eventually turned itself into one human body. Until it was all gathered into a skinny, dark skin African American guy with a dragon tattoo painted on his left sleeve.

"Hope I didn't hit you guys? Those drones were getting on my nerves!" The guy said.

"Whoa!" Adrian said. "Dude that was awesome!"

"Thanks!" He answered. "You must be the guys who roughed up Natalie."

"Impressive! My name is Chris Stratus. But you can call me Steam Dragon."

He seemed nice enough but I couldn't read his mind to make sure. It was probably because Chancellor Thorne was so close to the training forum. I wasn't sure where she was specifically, but I could tell she was close enough to block my telepathy.

"Nice name!" I said. "I'm Maddie, this is Adrian, and this is Eric."

"Good to meet you guys!" Chris said. "Most of the new people here have a tough time getting through the first wave of training."

"Any pointers?" Eric emquired.

"Keep moving and look out for the enforcers! They will try every trick in the book to keep you at bay. "

Then another cobalt android was pushed back across from us and Chris.

But this time, it was pushed back by a sonic scream. Just like the one we saw earlier.

"Where did that come from?" Adrian asked.

"It came from her!" Chris said.

That's when a brunette, Caucasian girl wearing a Zen Academy uniform with yellow lining around it. It seemed that Chris already knew who she was.

"I told you to watch your own back." The girl said as she walked towards Chris.

"Hey it's you!" Adrian said.

Apparently, it was the same girl who saved us from the giant robot that almost attacked us when we first entered the training room.

"Thanks again for the double save chica!" Adrian said.

"I wasn't talking to you or trying to save you!" The girl quickly dismissed Adrian's gratitude.

"Thanks Babe! But you know I can handle myself." Chris said.

"Babe?" Adrian imagined.

"Oh yeah! Guys, this is my overprotective girlfriend, Jana York. But

everyone here calls her Shriek."

"No they don't!" Jana said. "You're the only one that calls me that. Now stop mingling with the competition"

"Hey! We're not your enemy!" Adrian said. "Besides, saving us doesn't give you permission to be a grouch"

"I just took down a few cobalt drones that were trying to kill me and my boyfriend." Jana said. "Saving your ass was just a bonus"

"Take it easy you two!" Eric said. "Between the five of us, we stand a better chance of getting through this thing in one piece."

"The five of us?" Jana asked. "No thanks! We can hold our own. Let's go Chris!"

"Sorry guys! She can be a little choleric!" Chris said. "Good luck though!"

His legs then turned into cloud like ghost tail and allowed him to fly up and carry himself and Jana to a different part of the training room.

"Well, so much for making new friends!" Adrian said.

"Hey Guys look!" I said. "There's the finish line!"

Above us was a high platform that house a hologram with a check board flag on the top. Adrian grabbed Eric between his arms and flew up towards the flag as I followed them.

"We're almost there!" Adrian said.

But then a shower of orange and black glowing arrows came pouring down on us. I was able to dodge the arrows aimed at me on my own.

Unfortunately, Adrian wasn't as fast since she was carrying Eric.

"Look out!" I shouted. Then Eric made a white energy based barrier in front of Adrian and himself. The arrows started to explode on contact as soon as they hit his barrier.

"Alright Eric!" Adrian said. "Finally got the hang of that power?"

"Not exactly!" Eric said. "It's taking up a lot of concentration. Not sure how long I can keep this up."

We took a closer look up above the platform and saw that it was

Natalie shooting at us with a construct that looked like a hwacha. By the way, a hwacha is a multiple rocket launcher in case you were wondering.

"Does this girl every quit?" Adrian asked in frustration.

We both flew to a lower level of the platform that was at least five floors deep from Natalie's attack. Luckily, there was some cover above it to hide us from her line of fire.

There we found the head of one of the giant robots that the Chancellor sent to attack us.

"I have an idea!" Adrian said.

"Adrian wait!" Eric reached out to her. But she didn't listen and flew towards the head anyway. She crystalized her arms and lifted the robot's head. She then flew out above Natalie, ready to fight back.

"Shoot at this bitch!" Adrian said as she flung the robot's head above her and towards Natalie.

But before it even reached her, Rick flew above Natalie like a hawk while carrying Daryl.

Rick even had an overshadow over his body that made him look like he was surrounded by a giant hawk.

He then dropped Daryl towards the robot's head. Daryl's arms then gave off the same strange purplish glow that I saw them have in my vision.

He dived further towards the robot's head and swung his arms against it the minute he made contact with it.

With his bare hands, he was able to chop the robot's head into several pieces. All of them gradually missing Natalie in the processes.

Rick then swooped down to grab Natalie to fly her down to the platform that Eric and I were on. While Daryl flew straight toward it and crashing head first on the unforgiving pavement.

At first we thought he had died from the crash since the distance he came from was that high. But then, we saw him emerge from his ruble with several scars and bruises from the crash. What was really freaky was that they began healing themselves in a matter of seconds!

Daryl them stood straight up with not so much as a scratch left on him. Almost like he was immortal!

"Ha! That tickled!" He said with a smirk.

He slowly brushed himself off shoulder to shoulder while the others caught up to him.

"What the hell are these guys?" Adrian asked.

The enforcers slowly walked up to us with Natalie leading the way with Daryl behind her on her left and Rick on her right.

"Hi Maddie!" Natalie said as she summoned two orange glowing katanas in each of her hands. The glow from her two swords began to highlight her menacing eyes and equally sinister grin.

My heart sunk like an anchor on a sailboat and I couldn't stop my hands and teeth from shaking as she asked me a cringeful question:

"Ready for a rematch" ?

# Chapter 21: The Rematch

In case none of you reading this has ever been face to face with an assassin in training who hates your guts, trust me you don't want to experience it. It's a freaking nightmare.

"You can't use your mind powers this time." Natalie said. "You can thank the Chancellor for that."

"Just stay out of our way "Eric said.

"No chance boy scout "Daryl said." In order to get pass, one of you blokes have to fight one of us"

"What kind of rule is that? "Adrian asked.

"One representative of each team has to fight each other." Rick said."

"That's crazy!" Adrian said.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Ardmore is correct!" Chancellor Thorne said through a hologram that appeared behind us. "Each team must have one of its members face the other competitor. In fact, I nominate Ms. North to face one of the enforcers!"

"That will be me!" Natalie said

"You can't be serious!" Eric said.

"The decision has already been made." the chancellor said." Let the final battle begin"

Then a force field suddenly appeared around me and Natalie. Cutting me

off from Eric and Adrian.

"Guys?!" I asked.

"They can't help you this time! Natalie said. "It's just you and me!!"

She then tossed one of her swords to me.

"Before I kick your ass, I might as well give you a fighting chance"

I thought it was strange that she would give me one of her swords to

defend myself. Maybe she wasn't as despicable as I thought.

"Let's do this! "she said.

She then lunged at me with the sword she had left and the rematch was on!

First she jumped up and swung her sword straight down aiming for my

head. But I used the other sword to block it.

Then she attack me with a roundhouse kick, but I was able to duck

under it. Then I followed up with a few swings with my sword. However,

she was able to deflect each attack.

"You stole some of my moves!" Natalie said. "But here's one thing you

can't copy"

She then summoned a shield and knocked my sword out my hand. After

that, she swept kicked me under my feet, causing me to fall to the

ground.

"Maddie!" Adrian screamed

"You have to stop this!" Eric said. "Without her telepathy, she can't

defend herself."

"You blokes heard the Chancellor!" Daryl said. "Brain girl over there

has to win it for you newbies on her own"

"Guys! I'm fine" I told them as I picked myself up.

But then Natalie turned her sword into a whip and wrapped it around my

legs. She then pulled me back down to the ground. Next, she triple

flipped in the air and as she was about to fall on me, she then turned

her shield to a mallet.

Right when she was going to hit me with her mallet, I pushed my arms

in front of me to block her attack. I know, as if thrusting my arms

would in front of a mallet made out of solid energy would do

something. You'd be surprised.

"Stay back!" I said to her. Before she could hit me, I summoned two

tigers made of green energy out of my hands and the attacked her.

Blowing her away to the ceiling of the force field and then sending

her falling to the ground.

My eyes were captured by this strange, new power I discovered. I was

still barely able to understand the whole flying thing.

"Whoa!" Adrian said. "what is that?!"

"That Ms. Rodriguez is betakinisis" The Chancellor said.

"Beta- what?" Adrian said.

"Betakinisis!" The Chancellor replied. "It's the ability to generate

an artificial life force and manipulate it into various formats. In

Ms. North's case, she can use it to fly and make animal-like

constructs!"

"How many damn powers do you have?!" Natalie said as she picked

herself up to charge at me again.

"Maddie quick!" Eric said. "You have to do that again."

"I don't know how!" I said.

Then Natalie plunged herself towards me and attacked using her mallet.

Then, my arms started to admit two tiger shrouds allowing me to block

off most of the attack. But she was still able to push me back hard

enough to hit the wall of the force field.

"Glad you're getting the hang of that trick" Natalie said." Now I

don't have to go easy on you"

She took out two axes and started to attack me relentless. I could

barely keep up and was starting to wonder when she would stop.

"Maddie!" Adrian screamed.

"That's it! We're getting her Out of there" Eric said.

Then Eric and Adrian both used their powers to blast at the force

field but I didn't seem like it was working.

"Now, now students. You must respect my rules. "The Chancellor said.

Then two lasers from the ceiling pop out and stun both Eric and Adrian.

"Ahhhh!" They both screamed in agony. Their bodies twitched and curled

in pain. Until the lasers stopped and they fell to the ground!

I could hear them breathing slowly which meant they weren't dead. But

they were unconscious.

"No!" I screamed.

"Hey!" Natalie said. She changed her two axes into a mallet. "You

should be worried about yourself!"

She then swung her mallet straight into my stomach! I fell to the

floor and curled up into a ball.

"What's wrong? Can't take a little pain telepath?" Natalie said.

But slowly, my mind started to black out and I started to her whispers

from a thousand different voices that I didn't recognize. The voices

got louder and I started to feel this strange energy around me.

I didn't know what it was but it felt dangerous and somewhat evil the

louder the voices got. Eventually, I was completely possessed.

The voices got darker and darker. All of them said the exact same

chant over and over again :

KILL HER! KILL HER! KILL HER!

Then I felt this sinister presence took over my mind and body, causing

me to pick myself up. I was suddenly floating in mid air looking down

at Natalie with dark crimson eyes and dark green energy hovering off

my body!

"Why won't you just die?!" Natalie said. She then turned her mallet

into a giant sword and jumped up to attack me. But I caught her attack

, holding her and her sword in mid air.

"Most of us already have!!" I said while having a cynical smile on my face.

Chapter Twenty Two: The Possessed

All I remember from this particular moment was that I was filled with so much rage and sinister thoughts. Almost as if I was possessed by me something unworldly something that forced me to be a darker a version of myself.

"What the hell are you?" Natalie asked.

"Your destruction!" I said while speaking with a thousand different voices.

I then shattered her sword with my bare hand and blasted her with

tiger shroud coated with the same dark energy that was surrounding me.

She then hit the end of the force field behind her. She was barely

able to pick herself up without falling back down.

"what the bloody hell is going on in there?!" Daryl said.

"We should shut this down now!" Rick said.

But before they could act, they stopped automatically as if they were

frozen in time.

"Sorry gentlemen!" The Chancellor said." But I need to see what will

become of this without interruption!"

"I would encourage you to get up Miss Chang!" Chancellor Thorne said.

"do you really want Maddie to embarrass you again? Do you remember

the pain you felt? You the most powerful warrior in the school being

beaten by a mere amateur?"

I floated towards Natalie while still in this berserk state of mind

and sporing out this dark, dangerous energy. As I came closer to her,

she summoned a shield to protect herself and then she summoned Axe.

"remember how you treated Maddie for being the only person to beat

you! Chancellor Thorne continued to antagonize Natalie." To beat you

in front of everyone else, including the rest of the enforcers." "You

haven't felt such disgrace like that since the last mission that you

failed as your uncle's progeny"

Natalie gritted her teeth out of shame and anger. A tear shed from her left eye.

"I can't relive the past again!" Natalie sobbed trying not to cry." I will win this battle!"

She began to charge straight at me with his shield raised in front of her and her axe ready to be swung against me.

"This battle ends now!" I said. I then curled up into a ball

gathering a lot of the dark green energy around be and then unfolded

my body. Unleashing a blast that leveled the entire training room.

When the dust cleared, the training room was covered in its own ruble

and looked like a wasteland. The other hybrids were knocked out cold,

including the enforcers. The force field that housed Natalie and I was

completely destroyed and Natalie was banged up pretty bad.

While I was still in that sinister state, I pulled Natalie up with my

left hand and created a tiger shroud with my right hand.

"Now it's your turn to die!" I said.

"Go ahead! Do it. You telepaths are all alike!" Natalie said." You force your way into people's minds and then you just toss them aside when you're done with them!"

"Maddie!" Adrian screamed. "Don't do it! Please stop!"

She and Eric was somehow able to survive the blast. She flew through the rubble with Eric holding on to her.

They landed on the floor and tried to talk some sense into me.

"Maddie! This isn't you! You don't have to do this!" Eric said.

"He's right Maddie." Adrian agreed." You're not a killer! Not like her"

It was difficult to pay attention to them completely. Whatever this

power was, I felt as if I was losing grip of who I really was. This

power slowly changed me into a monster.

"That will be quite enough Ms. North!" The Chancellor said. She flew out to me in person right before I took Natalie's life." This training is over"

She calmly placed her hand on my shoulder and I began to feel like myself again. But not until after I started to blacked out and slowly feel unconscious.

"Maddie! Maddie, Maddie!" Eric and Adrian kept shouting.

Everything went dark.

The last thing I remembered was dropping Natalie on the floor and soon after, collapsing to the floor myself. As I feel asleep, I heard Eric and Adrian calling my name.

# Chapter 22: The Nightmare

I know what you're thinking even without my powers! All this girl seems to do is sleep and think a lot. Maybe I should consider being a philosopher!

But while it was unconscious, I had another strange and bizarre vision.

This new vision I had was a lot darker and creepier than the last one.

I imagine myself back in the infirmary by myself. There was a dark red lighting in the corner of the scenery and an unshakeable feeling of vacancy. I walked out to see if anybody was there but I couldn't find anyone.

"Hello "I asked. "Is anyone there?"

I got no response at first. Then suddenly, I heard a voice in pain

echo throughout the room.

"Help!" The mysterious voice from earlier came out of nowhere.

I had no idea where that voice came from or who it was. I kept walking

around the whole room, looking to see if I can find out where the

strange voice was coming from. I looked throughout the entire

Infirmary and in the hallway but all the rooms were empty. It felt

like some really, bad nightmare from a slasher movie.

"Help me! "The mysterious voice said.

"Who's there? Where am I? What happened to me and my friends?" I asked.

Then I saw a strange figure creep into the light. His body was glowing in purple energy and it seemed like he was reaching out to me. Almost as if he needed help.

"Hello? Who are you? Maybe I can help. "I said.

I ran towards him but it seemed liked the room kept pulling him back and I could never catch up to him.

"What's going on? Why can't I catch up to you? "I said.

"Trap! Trap! "The mysterious voice said.

"What trap? "I asked. "Is the Academy the trap? "

"Escape! You Must Escape! "The voice said.

"Escape from whom? Chancellor Thorne?" I asked.

"Trap! Trap! Escape! "He kept saying it over and over again but I couldn't understand what it meant.

"Escape from what? "Who are you? "I asked him.

"Zirocco." The voice responded.

"Zirocco?! "I said. "Why is Thorne keeping us here? What is this place? How I can help you? "

But before I could get my answer, the room started to crack like a broken mirror and out of each crack emerge green and red lights. I would it had more of a christmas setting but in this case, it looked way too cynical to be anything jolly.

"Maddie Maddie" A strange distant voice other than Zirocco kept calling my name but I couldn't see where it was coming from. I was scared and continued to wonder what was happening to me.

My entire surroundings begin to crack even further and then, a large

lab emerging from the ground under my feet. There I saw what looked

like human bodies being kept in giant test tubes. In a way, they

looked almost like experiments.

"Maddie, Maddie" another familiar voice said. This one sounded like a

male's voice.

I still didn't understand what was happening.

"Hello guys?! What's going on here? Where are you?" I screamed.

The more I start to panic, the darker the vision became!

The test tube's begun to open and I saw the strange, unidentified

bodies that all looked like they were memorized. They crept towards

me like creepy zombies from a cheesy thriller movie.

I had no idea what was going to happen but all I knew was that I had

to get out of there. I tried to use my powers, but they weren't

working! For some reason, I couldn't fly and I couldn't use my

telepathy either. I felt like I was going to be abducted by these

strange creatures and I didn't understand why.

"Maddie! Maddie!" The voices kept chanting my name again and

before I can answer it, those strange creatures captured me. More of

them popped from the ground and started pulling me down with them. I

had no idea what they were but they were pulling me down and I

couldn't break away from them.

"Somebody help!" I screamed and screamed.

"Maddie! Maddie!" The voices kept saying.

The creatures pulled me further and further into the ground. I couldn't pull myself away and I instantly felt as if I was going to be a trap in this place or killed right then and there.

As the room kept cracking piece-by-piece, the bright lights kept branching through and the bodies of the unknown creatures began to pile up around me.

The last thing I saw was Zirocco floating above me. That's when I noticed a strange symbol on his forehead. It was the same symbol on Chancellor Thorne's forehead as well.

Question was, what did it mean?

Vision ended.

# Chapter 23 : The Truth

As I woke up from my second coma, I couldn't help but feel that these visions had more to do with this Academy than we knew. We couldn't leave unless Chancellor Thorne had allowed it.

But after having that last disturbing Vision, I was done waiting for things to just happen. I knew that my friends and I had to get out of that academy one way or another!

"Maddie! Maddie!" Adrian repeated.

I woke up and slowly opened my eyes to find her and Eric trying to revive me. It felt like I was knocked out for at least a few hours or two. But since the last time I went into a coma for six months, I was dripping with sweat down my face as I contemplated how long I had been knocked out the second time around.

"Thank goodness you're awake chica! We started to worry about you." Adrian said.

She leaned over to me and gave me a tight hug. For a second I started to think of Marcy. Even though it wasn't that long ago, It felt like forever since I had an actual real friend worry about me.

"Guys?!" I said. "What happened? Where's Natalie? How long have I been out?"

"You've been out for 50 years chica! We are the grandkids of your friends! And the world is now ruled by giant, talking lobsters!"

Adrian said with a suspicious look in her eyes.

I quickly lifted myself up from the bed in shock.

"What?!" I said.

"Just kidding! Lighten up!" Adrian joked.

Now was not a good time in to heckle me! Especially after all the crazy stuff that we've been through.

Eric elbowed her in the arm.

"Not funny!" Eric said

"Sorry! Sorry!" Adrian said lifting her arms up. "You guys are too tense! After that training, we all need a little humor." Adrian said

"The training?!" I said. "What happened to the other students? Where's Natalie?"

"We don't know!" Eric said. "The drones that were left from your battle with Natalie brought you both here. But after she healed, they took her somewhere else."

"Plus when you went all supernova on Mrs. Kill Bill, it knocked out all the other students and Thorne's cronies," Adrian added. "She then had her bots take me and dimples over here to this room to heal. A few hours later, they dropped you off"

"Wait! Where's the chancellor now?" "We have to get as far away from her and this place as possible," I said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Eric asked.

"She's doing some type of experiments! I'm not sure what exactly, but I know that none of us are safe even if we did pass the exam." I said with a serious and cautious tone.

"Understatement of the century Chica!" Adrian said. "But what do you mean by experiments?"

"I had another vision when I was knocked out," I said. "She has some type of creepy lab in the academy. In that lab, I got attacked by a bunch of bizarre creatures! She's making something dangerous and threatening. I don't know what but I'm not staying to find out."

"Geez Chica," Adrian said. "You got some strange dreams"

"Speaking of strange" Eric interrupted. "What happened to you back in the training forum?"

"Yeah" Adrian added. "you completely lost it.

"I don't know!" I said. "But I never felt anything like that before."

"What do mean?" Eric asked. "What did it feel like?"

"It felt terrible and exciting at the same time," I told him while clutching my hands. "I can't explain all the emotions, but I felt like there were hundreds or thousands of different voices running through my head. Almost like I was fused with them."

"Fused?" Eric said. "That sounds dangerous"

"And super freaky, no offense!" Adrian added.

"None was taken," I said.

"Wait a minute!" Eric said. "Remember that symbol on Thorne's head."

"Yeah!" I said.

"We saw that symbol on one of the doors in the hallway while we were being brought here by her drones"

"Really?" I gasped in suspense.

"Oh yeah! There was this one door that was sealed off from us." Adriane said.

"She's right," Eric said. "Something about that door had a bad feeling. The drones kept us away from it because we were the only ones in the training room that survived your "" incident" ".

"Survived?" I asked him. "Do you mean that I...."

"He didn't mean it like that Maddie!" Adrian said. "But everyone else was knocked out by a what happened."

"Guys I know this might sound completely weird, but we have to find out what's behind that door," I told them.

"What? why?!" Adrian asked.

"I saw that ghost again. He said his name was Zirocco. I don't know where he came from but I think he'll have some answers to what's really going on in this Academy and how to get out of here." I said.

"Zir-who?" Adriane asked. "How do you know this isn't just some kind of trap?"

"I don't know. But we have to do something." I said.

"I understand where Maddie's coming from," Eric said. Maybe we should check it out. It might be the only way out of this god-forsaken Academy."

"Are we seriously going to start hunting for ghosts?" Adrian asked.

"Can't we just call someone else for that? Why can't we just go back to having a normal life and go to a normal school?"

"Nothing about what we are or what we experienced so far has been normal," Eric said. "If we have any chance of surviving, we're gonna have to see what's behind that door!"

"Fine! Fine! I hate being out voted." Adrian said. "But if we're going to doing this, how are we supposed to get through the Academy by ourselves?"

"You can't!" A fourth voice chimed into the conversation from within the shadowy background standing behind them.

We all looked at our backs. Soon the mysterious voice began to expose their true identity and It was the last person we would have expected.

"If you really want to make it out of here, you three are gonna need my help!" Natalie said.

# Chapter 24: The Hidden

The four of us probably weren't the best of friends at first. But at this point, we all wanted answers regarding what the hell this Academy was up to.

So reluctantly, me, Adrian and Eric agreed to trust Natalie for now seeing how she had the most experience about the Academy than any of us.

The four of us walked out of the Infirmary, carrying a deep sense of caution and uncertainty.

As we walked through the ward, we should walk through the automatic doors that led to the vacant hallway.

"Okay if we're going to do this, how are we supposed to get past all those drones?" Adrian said.

"We'll use this." Natalie said as she puked out a strange device that looked like a cell phone with the same eyeball crest in the back.

"What is that thing?" Adrian said.

"It's a cloaking device that I had Rick build for stealth training.

Originally, we were going to use it against you and the rest of the students but we didn't have enough time to incorporate in all the Goliaths "Natalie said.

"You mean those giant robots you sent at us?" Adrian said." What's the point of playing hide and seek when we can just take down those tin cans?"

"Adrian! We're just here to find answers without getting caught! The last thing we need to do is to fight any more enforcers." I said.

"North is right!" Natalie said." You three barely stopped me. Plus as much as I hate to admit it, even I can't handle Thorne and the other enforcers on my own."

"I agree!" Eric said." But how does that device work?"

"Like this!" Natalie said.

She pressed the middle of the logo. The device opened in eight different directions and a blue flash of terrestrial energy coated the four of us with its radiance.

We looked at each other and then at our hands. We could see the outline of our bodies and faces but in the middle, we were translucent.

"Whoa! Best selfie ever!!" Adrian said.

"Shhhh!" Natalie lend over and placed her hand over her mouth.

"Nobody talk!" Natalie said." They can still hear us!"

Adrian lifted Natalie's hand off her mouth.

"Who?" Adrian whispered.

Enter Theo Voxx ( Sun Beetle ) and Cliff Barnes ( Fightstar):

I sensed two more hybrids walking towards us from behind.

"Two hybrids are coming our way!" I said.

"Everyone stay quiet!" Natalie said.

We all pressed up against the wall of the Academy floor as the two hybrids walked passed us completely oblivious to our presence.

One of them was a thin, Hispanic male with giant, beetle like wings sprouting from his back.

The other was a bulky, Italian male with short, orange hair with a thin scar over his left eye.

They both had glowing, magenta eyes and seemed as if they were in a mind numbing trance. The same as Daryl and Rick when they brought me to the chancellor's office for the first time.

"The one with the scar calls himself Frightstar and the one with the wings call himself Sun Beetle. They're both enforcers. "Natalie whispered.

"Great! There's more of you creeps?" Adrian whispered." what can they do?"

"Sun Beetle can fly, spit acid, has night vision, and shoot solar beams from his eyes." Natalie whispered." Frightstar is a telekinetic like Issac here. Only, his telekinesis has a red aurora instead of white."

"Wow, that's all?" Adrian sarcastically whispered.

"What was that?" Sun Beetle said.

He turned his head towards our direction and then flew down the hallway. As his wings started to flap rapidly like an insect taking flight, the curtains that surrounded the windows throughout the hallway all flustered in a panicked. Until he was literally inches away for Adrian!

But because of the cloaking device, he couldn't see her.

"what's the holdup?!" Frightstar said while he turned his head and towards Sun Beetle while he himself stood still in front of a locked door at the end of the hallway.

"I thought I heard something!" He said.

I could see Adrian tensing up and having a nervous look on her face.

Her teeth were tightened shut and she was trying her best not to make a sound.

"Guess it was nothing!" Sun Beetle said.

"Come on! We don't want to keep the change in the waiting!" Frightstar said.

Sun Beetle then flew back down towards Frightstar. Then Frightstar placed his hand on top of the mysterious door that they were in front of.

The door then opened and a large tangerine- colored light came rushing out the door. The two enforcers then walked in.

"Hey Adrian, are you okay?" Eric said.

Adrian started to breathe heavily after that suspenseful encounter with Sun Beetle. I could sense that she was literally scared for her life!

"I'm just glad that bug boy over there didn't give me an acid makeover!" Adrian said.

Natalie then saw that the door the enforcers went through was starting to close!

"That's our target! Let's go!" Natalie said.

We all quickly ran towards the room, hoping to reach it in time. As we all jumped into the room, the door slowly closed on its own and vanished.

Then the floor began to shatter beneath our feet, causing us all to fall!

"Ahh!" We all screamed.

Adrian quickly used her powers to catch herself and then grabbed Eric.

While I used my powers to stop myself from fal5l and then I caught Natalie.

We both floated to the ground that appeared to be twenty feet under from the door.

"Let go of me telepath!" Natalie said. She pulled herself away from my grip.

"I was just trying to save your life!" I said.

"I don't need you to fly in and save me from falling! Touch me again and I'll kick your ass!" She threatened me. Then she stormed off.

"Um, you're welcome!" I said.

Eric and Adrian caught up with me and the four of us walked further into the mysterious room.

But as we continued to walk through its, we soon realized that it was no ordinary room. We soon found that this room housed strange, alien like technology that what ended shape of giant monitors and computers.

Attached to the strange technology were several human-sized test tubes. Each of them had a human body inside of them.

That's when we found out what this place really was.

Natalie took three steps back with us watching her slowly back away from it all.

"This is it! It actually exists!" Natalie said as her hands began to shake in a fluster accompanied by a drop of sweat racing down her face." It's her Laboratory!" 

# Chapter 25: The Secrets

To describe what the laboratory actually looked like, it would be kind of like what you would see in a Sci-fi movie from the eighties. The strange purple and silver monitors an giant test tubes were things that nobody for earth could have possibly have created.

"what is this place?" i asked.

"Looks like we're in the future!"

Adrian said." Hey Chang! You know what this place is?"

But at first, Natalie was quiet as a mouse, unable to say a word as she was in a state of speechless fear. It's almost like she had been here before.

"Natalie, are you okay?" I asked but still got no response.

"what's wrong with her?" Adrian said.

"Natalie, are you ok?" I asked While walking slowly towards her."

"This place shouldn't exist!" she said as she continued to stare her down to the floor completely ignoring my hand.

It was a strange sight for the three of us to see. Ever since we go to the school, we've never seen her this vulnerable.

We all circled around her baffled by the site of her curling up on the laboratory door.

"Why?!" Adrian asked." What is this place?"

"It's a myth, a living nightmare!" Natalie said.

She wasn't being very clear so we stood there hoping she would explain.

"Natalie?!" I said as I kneeled down to her. I soon found myself holding her hands and rubbing the back of her hands with my thumbs.

It's a trick I picked up from my mom back when I was a kid. Whenever I was scared or had a secret that I didn't want to talk about, she would always kneel down and rub my hands to comfort me.

"Please tell us what's wrong! What rumor are you talking about?" Maddie said.

She gave no response at first and closed her eyes while turning her head to the right.

"It's okay!" I told her with a smile hoping to reason with her." You can tell us! We're all friends here!"

"Easy chica!" Adrian whispered while leaning next to Eric."

Remember, she tried to kill you twice!"

"Not helping!" Eric whispered back.

"No she's right!" Natalie said as she tilted her head towards me.

"I've done terrible things!" Natalie sobbed." the chancellor made me terrible things!"

"what type of things?" I asked her.

"she's used me in the rest of the enforcers to *ght new students."

Natalie said." she wanted us to weed out the weak from the strong!"

"Why?" I asked her.

Before she could answer me, the test tubes started to go up bright magenta color. As the rest of the room with pitch black only leaving the test tube's visible along with the monitors attached to them.

"what the hell is happening?!" Adrian said curling to Eric.

Natalie's hands continue to quake in my Palms.

"we were told that the hybrids that didn't pass would be sent home!"

Natalie said." But it was all a lie!"

She swallowed the bulge in her throat and looked up to the ceiling.

"She's been harvesting us for these machines!" Natalie said.

"What?!" Adrian angrily said ready to crystallize her arm to attack Natalie.

Fortunately, Eric used his telekinesis to hold her back.

"You mean to tell me that you lead us to a homicidal alien's harvest tank?!" Adrian shouted." I'm sick people like you and Thorne putting me in these screwed up messes.

Just like my mom did."

"Adrian! Stop please!" I said turning my head to her.

"You of all people are defending her?!" Adrian replied." she wanted to waste us this morning and now..."

"Adrian! Let's talk!" Eric said as he loosened his hold over her.

"Fine!" Adrian said as she decrystalized her arms and walked to him.

"I know how you feel!" Eric said putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I know your mom use to hit you!"

"What?!" Adrian said." How did you.."

"I could tell by the way you talked about her just now." Eric said.

"Trust me, I've been there. My dad put me and my sister through the same thing!"

"Sis..sister?" Adrian said.

"Here name's McKenzie!" Eric said." She's the only family I have other then my dad. After I found out about my powers, I put her in a damn group home."

He crunched on his teeth with a sense of regret and squeezed her shoulders.

"It killed me inside but it was the only place she'd be safe until I figured out why I'm the way I am." Eric said." Right now, we all need answers on what we are and why! The only to do that is stick together for now!"

"Okay!" Adrian said as Eric removed his hands from her shoulders."

For now!" She then scold at Natalie and folded her arms.

"Thanks guys!" I softly said to them as I turned my head back to Natalie. Only to find her staring at to particular test tubes a few feet from where we were kneeling.

When I looked to them, I sensed something vaguely familiar in each one.

I stood up and walked to towards them.

"What are you doing?!" Eric said.

"There's something off about these two tube in particular.

I finally approached the two tests tubes and I slowly wiped off the frost of each one. It was revealed that in the first one was Daryl and other was Rick!

"Oh my god!" I said.

"Not yet!" Chancellor Thorne said as she approach us from the shadows. "But with the six of you here, I will become one very soon!

# Chapter 25 : The Labatory

The room went quiet with a combination of fear and uncertainty.

Chancellor Thorne walked closer and closer as we all took our fighting posses.

"Hello my dear students." chancellor said." I am so impressed with all off you finding your way to my laboratory!"

"You've been doing this all the time?!" Adrian said angrily.

"Abducting us?!"

"Abducting is such a primitive expression for what I am doing through this academy" Thorne said as she walked to a test tube to her right.

She rubbed the frost off the tube, revealing Lisa Scorch suspended in it!

"Lisa!" I screamed.

"why force you halflings to come into my fold when I can invite them to come at their own free will?" Thorne said while gazing at her student being held in her insidious test tube." Especially when they already feel like they have no other options!"

"what do mean by having no other choice?" I asked.

"How else did you think I knew where to mail your invitations?"

Thorne said as she turned her attention to us." This equipment are able monitor when a hybrid's powers activate. From there, I was able to send out invitations to those who possess the hybrid DNA and direct them to the nearest transportation sites."

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Eric thought to himself." I never should have left my sister!"

"Please Mr. Isaacs! Your sister is one of the many inferior species on this planet!" Thorne said."

"What did you say about my sister?!" Eric said with a angry voice as he lunged toward her. Fortunately, Adrian was able to fly in front of him, stopping him from getting in too deep.

"Easy Eric!" Adrian said as she pushed him back." I'm suppose to be the hot headed one. Besides, we don't know how dangerous this lady is!"

"Please don't think of me as dangerous my dear!" Thorne said, placing her hands on her chest and giving off an angelic smile.

Trying to be more appealing." I simply want to bring our species back to the glory that it once was. In order to do that, I need your help!"

"That's a bunch of crap!" Natalie said standing up and pushing me aside." You're no better then my uncle! Forcing people to fight your damn wars!"

"Oh I have no intentions on starting a war with humanity!" Thorne said while extending her hand on the test tube that Lisa was suspended in. "Once I have everything in place, my presence on Earth will spell genocide for those groveling apes!"

"That's enough!" Natalie shouted while creating a sword in her hands.

She then charge straight at sword ready to kill Thorne in one swing.

But when she swung her sword, Thorne easily stopped her in mid-air.

Apparently, Thorne was capable of telekinesis just like Eric was.

"I can't move!" Natalie said struggling to get out of the hole that

Chancellor Thorne had her in.

"Of course you can't Miss Chang!" Thorne said to her while peeling her hand off Lisa's test tube." I have a few abilities of my own and you and your friends, I shall have this entire planets wiped clean of its human infestation."

Thorne used her powers to throw Natalie on the other side of the room.Crashing her into a test tube about five feet behind of us. She fell to the ground unconscious and unable to move.

"Natalie!" I shouted.

"Don't worry! We can still take her on!" Adrian said. She stood there with Eric ready to fight for their lives. "It's three against one! The odds are in our favor!"

"Oh no Miss Rodriguez! I'm only here for observation!" Thorne said as she folded her arms." But if it's a fight you want, I'm happy to accommodate you!"

She then raised her arm in the air and snapped her fingers.

After she snapped her fingers, several of the test tubes began to open. The students in the test tubes climbed out wearing their suits from training.

Each one had bright, glowing magenta eyes similar to Thorne's and slowly walked towards us!

"Um guys!" Adrian said clutching on Eric's arm." I have a really bad feeling about this!" 

# Chapter 26 : The Escape

You thinking watch some show about the dead walking amongst the living is terrifying? Well try mind controlled teenagers with different alien powers after you.

The students were all in a crazy mind stricken trance that i couldn't break them out of.

"GREAT!" I said. I can't shut down any of there minds."

"of course you can't my dear" thorne had responded." I have shielded there minds from you. Lets see how you fare against your peers."

Students! Please apprehend these ominous rebels!"

The students ran straight towards us ready to tear us apart.

"Um guys!" Adrian said." i don't think we can face them all!

"we can't" Eric said." Run!"

We all ran as fast as we could to escape chancellor thorne and her traumatized hybrid soldiers. But before we could, i stopped to carry Natalie.

Are you crazy? Adrian said to me." why would you bring her along? she's pretty much like them."

"No she's not." I answered her she wouldn't have cried that much if she was like that if she was the sites we're better than that we need all the help you can get if we're going to get out of here.

Hate to say it but Maddie's rights Eric said you can't leave a person behind she made a deal with us we're not going to go back on that deal.

I'll be alright I will help her agent said but first let me slow these guys down.

Adrian then raised her arms and created Ruby courts force you to keep the other hybrids back hoping that it would be thick enough to keep them at bay while we escaped.

"That should do the trick!" Adrian said as she caught up to us.

"Now let's get the hell out of here!"

I flew towards the nearest exit I was carrying Natalie while she was carrying Eric. But as we look behind us, we saw Daryl spinning his body through the ruby quartz wall Adrian had made with his strange laser like arms. Then him and Rick both jumped through the whole that he had made.

Meanwhile, we were a few inches away from the doorway that we originally fell from. But then, a giant" H" that looked just like the symbol on Thorne's forehead emerged and shot to bolts of crimson lightning at us.

"Awwwww!" We all screamed in agonizing pain as we fell down back to the laboratory floor.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Adrian said as the three of us picked ourselves up with Natalie still lying unconscious.

"Foolish children!" Thorne said as she flew up in the air until she stood floating above us three feet away." I control everything in this academy. Including them!"

She then pointed to Daryl and Rick as they slowly cornered us. No way of defending ourselves in our weaken state due to the lightning Thorne threw at us and the crash that we survived on the laboratory floor, we started to feel that this would be our demise.

# Chapter 27: The Portal

So far, our little escape plan didn't look like it was going to work out.

"We got our asses handed to us just fighting sleepy over here" Adrian said while referring to Natalie." How can we handle these two!"

"Use the eye!" Zirocco said as I heard him whisper to me.

"Where is his voice coming from?" I asked myself as a noticed the cloaking device that Natalie took was glowing yellow.

"What the heck is that?" Adrian said.

I hesitated with a response as she watched me pull out the cloaking device from Natalie's pocket.

"What the hell?" Eric said while holding on to Adrian.

The device then shot out two bolts of energy at Daryl and Rick freeing them from Thorne's control and causing them to fall to the ground.

"No! Not him!" Thorne said." Ember! Sun Beetle! Destroy that device!"

Sun Beetle and Ember both flew over the ruby quartz wall to destroy the clocking device. We knew we couldn't fight them after being injured so badly.

"Um! Maddie!" Adrian said." If that thing can do whatever it did to

Seal and Dance with wolves over her to flame girl and bug boy up there, now would be the time!"

"I'm not sure what or how it did what it did but maybe if I press this..." i said as a pressed the eye symbol in the middle of the device.

But when I did, a giant portal opened under our feet and the six of us feel in. The portal then sealed itself just as Lisa and Sun Beetle made it to the ground.

The portal had a strange, gravitational pull that made it impossible for Adrian and I to fly out of. We all fell for what seemed to be forever until the portal opened back up. We landed on what looked like to be an ally way. You could tell by the loud noises of traffic and dumpsters with overflowing trash that we were back on Earth.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!" Adrian said picking Eric and herself up.

"Funny!" Eric said." Where ever that portal took us, it clearly isn't the academy!"

"Then where?" Adrian said." I've never seen this place before."

"But I have!" I said as a picked myself up and walked past them. I soon came across a road that the Space Needle standing from a distance.

I turned around to Adrian and Eric with a smile on my face.

"Guys!" I said." Welcome to Seattle!" 

# Chapter 28 : The Arrival

After all the crazy crap we went through, I somehow brought us to where it all started. Well at least where it all started for me.

"But how did we get here" Eric said. "I thought that device was just for cloaking."

"I thought so too!" I responded.

"Un Momento! Can we just backup of what just happened? "Adrian said." Out of all places, why did that thing take us here to your hometown?"

"Well all I could think of when we were about to be attacked by those traumatized hybrids was how much I wanted to go home. I guess the device picked up on that." I explained.

"Bloody hell" Daryl said as he woke up.

Eric and Adrian rushed to my side ready to take him on if he was still under Emola's control.

"Stay back Maddie!" Eric said." we don't know if this guy's still traumatized by thorne"

"what the hell happen to me?" Daryl said." wait! This isn't the

academy. What did that bitch do to me?"

He seemed disoriented and confused. I had no idea if he was literally snapped out of it or if he was just pretending.

I softly pushed by Adrian and Eric to get a little closer to him.

"Maddie! What are you doing?" Eric asked me looking over his shoulder." let me an Adrian slow him down then you can know him unconscious"

"Huh?" Daryl said while jumping off his back and taking a fighting stance against us. He looked just like a street fighter. "Who the hell are you blokes? Where the hell am i?"

"Guys relax" i said." something's different with him now. His mind doesn't have the same resistance as it did back at the academy."

I walked in closer to see if i could reason with him." Daryl its me,

Maddie" i said." You met us at the academy. You were one of the enforcers"

"Maybe we shouldn't tell him he was a complete jerk that tried to kill us with his laser arms" Adrian whispered to Eric.

"not funny" Eric replied.

"hold on a tic" Daryl said." i remember you now."

Finally. I felt like i was getting through to him." that's good! I was afraid that..."

"you're that crazy chick that went ballistic in the training room!"

Daryl said.

Okay! Not the memory i was looking for!

But it was a start!

"what was that?" daryl asked." It knocked the lot of us out could"

Just for a quick recap, when I zoned out against Natalie, the shockwave scattered throughout the training room and knocked out most of the students and enforcers. The only reason Eric and Adrian were safe was because Adrian and eric forced a force field together with their powers.

"Trust me if i knew, id tell you." i told him." But long story cut short, Thorne tried to brainwash you and the rest of the students into killing us but i used this weird device to channel my powers to free you and rick."

Wait a minute what did you do to Rick and Natalie? He asked out of anger and frustration relaxed get to friends over there taking a little nap Adrian said why I love holding her arms.

"What the deuce?" Dale said when he saw them both knocked out. What the hell happened to them?

"Listen Baldy "Adrian said. "Before you jump to conclusions they're not dead this still alive

"I already know that Sherlock." Daryl said." They're vitals are

still in tack And don't call me baldy."

"Then grow some hair cue ball! Adrian teased him

"Wait! how can you tell that their vitals are still in tack?" Eric said.

"I can sense to life force energy and other things" Daryl said." A person, an animal, even from a telepath that creates contructs like Thorne. I can sense the difference."

"Well that's not freaky at all!" Adrian said sarcastically." By the way how long you think they're going to stay that way?"

"Hold on!" I said." I was caught up in all suspense, I forgot that I could possibly wake them up mentally and I should snap him out of it!"

"are you sure? Eric said. "Last time you tried with Natalie, you had a hard time break into her thoughts."

"only because thorne was jamming my telepathy!" I explained to him.

"But now that we're far away from her and the Academy, It should be no problem."

"Okay but you might want to start with muscles over there" Adrian pointed to Rick.

"Sure!" I said wish me luck!" 

# Chapter 29 : The Predator

To say that getting better at reading people's mind was both accelerating and distracting would be an understatement.

Since i already probed Natalie's mind, i figured i start with Rick first.

I gradually penetrated his thoughts to see if i could reach his subconscious. I opened my eyes and saw his memories rushing through his mind like a California highway during rush hour.

It turns out that rick was born on a Native American reservation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Unlike the rest of us, he never knew either of his birth parents, human or alien. He was adopted by a Irish couple who were business partners with Rick's birth mother.

Try to ignore the stereotype but apparently she owned a local casino!

Rick's grandfather was apparently an Indian chief who had owned the casino before his mother did. He and Rick's mom had a falling out earlier in her life before Rick was born. He disapproved on people outside of his tribe owning property on his land.

Especially to create some casino of all things and saw her as a "sellout" .

Since Rick's alien dad was clearly not from the tribe or this planet for that matter, Rick's grandfather disapproved of the relationship.

So when Rick's mother died seconds after child birth, his grandfather saw him as nothing more than an abomination. So he signed all legal rights away to Rick's adoptive parents in exchange for full rights to Rick's mother shares of the casino.

For the most part it seems that Rick's Foster family treated him very well. They put him in the best schools went to all of his games, and they supported him when he wanted to be a top scholar in his class.

But what he didn't know at the time was during all those years, they were really running tests on him to find out what exactly he was.

Because of his father's unusual origins they felt that Rick may have gained some of his father's genetics.

For a long time, they noticed nothing abnormal about his DNA. Until one day after his school's prom, Rick had dropped off his date and began to walk home when suddenly, he went through" the change."

His body started crippling and a huge surge of energy and went straight through his mind and body making him physically and mentally unconscious. When his date found him lying on the streets, she quickly called the hospital and his parents to see what had happened to him.

Later on that night, Rick found himself tied up into a testing lab, not a hospital may mind you, but a secret lab that they had used to monitor Rick since the day he was born. They were conducting tests on him seeing how much his body could stand and what caused this phenomenon to happen to him.

As they checked their monitors in a other room, Rick slipped away from his medical bag and overheard them.

Turns out that secretly, they were biologist that wanted to exploit Rick's hybrid genetics. They willingly gave their ownership of the casino to his grandfather knowing if they could crack the code behind Rick's genetics, they could patent their research, i.e Rick, and make quadruple the money they would have made from the casino.

Feeling betrayed and labeled as a monster, Rick ran out as soon as he could. But then a silent alarm tripped and his parents sent out two three hundred pound security guards to restrain him.

When the two guards pinned him down on the floor, he seemed to think that nothing could save him now. Until he got so angry he envisioned a gorilla and then was able to quickly scroll both guards straight into the ceiling in and run off.

Panicking and wanting answers for what was happening to him he went to the only person he thought I could help his grandfather. When he told his grandfather about what had happened, his grandfather had confirmed the fact that he had possessed some of his father's is alien genetics. He offered to take Rick somewhere safe and Rick agreed to follow.

Seemingly giving Rick the safety and love he had so desperately desired from him, Rick's grandfather lead him to a private property away from the town.

But just as Rick felt safe and protected as he approached the cabin where he thought he would be staying, his grandfather wrapped a whip around his neck! Then five other tribe men rushed out of the bushes, each beating him with sledgehammers.

Something switched in Rick's head and he projected the anger and the overshadow of a grizzly bear. He swung his arms at each tribes men, badly wounding them. Until he grabbed his grandfather by the neck.

Ready to put an end to the man who had disowned him his whole life, a letter fell out of the old man's coat pocket that was addressed to Rick.

This letter turned out to be an invite to Zen Academy. Even though he couldn't read what was in it, his grandfather explained that this letter barred markings similar to the one Rick's father had once used.

Rick threw his grandfather to the ground, sparing him as long as he left the property and telling no one else what Rick could do. As the old man cowardly ran off, Rick was free to find out what clues about his unique heritage this letter could offer.

When he opened it, it gave him directions for where to go and how the academy could help him. It lead him to a broken down terminal that was abandoned years ago.

He used the letter to open a portal that lead him to the train leading to the school.

When he go to zen academy, he was instantly introduced to Chancellor Thorne because of how much variety his powers were.

But the strange thing is after he met Thorne, all of his memories stopped and i could read anymore of his thoughts. Almost as if Thorne cut out all of his memories after they met.

But how?

Just as I asked myself that, Rick woke up out shock, shooting out his claws and teeth like a lion.

"You!" Rick said in a high degree of aggression.

"hey rick" i said." any chance you remember me?"

He then clutched his hands and pounce straight towards me.

# Chapter 30: The Truce

Strange how probing people's mind always seems to get people mad at me. You'd think i'd learn better by now. Oh well.

Just inches away from mulling my face into pieces, i pushed out my arms and out came out two tiger shrouds around each arm.

"rick!" I said." i don't want to hurt you, but do not leave me a choice"

Apparently, that didn't stop him from attacking me. I quickly dodged his talon and grabbed his arms to subdue him.

"Maddie!" Adrian and eric said. They rushed over to help me until

Daryal guard them from me.

"what are you doing baldy? He's gonna kill her" adrian said.

"first off, stop calling me baldy" Daryl told her." second, Ardmore's not gonna kill her. He just gets like this whenever he wakes up from a bad dream"

"then why not let us help her?" Eric said

"Trust me, the more of a fight you give him, the more savage he gets" daryl said." beside look at her, she holding her own without you two playing bodyguard. So let him burn it off and come to his senses"

As much as i'd probably never tell him back then, i knew Daryl was right. I could sense that rick was a gentle soul when i probed his mind. All i had to do was wait until he blew off enough steam.

He broke free from my gripped and kicked me to the end of the valley like a kangaroo. Luckily, i remembered i could fly and caught myself in mid air before i was pushed into a wall.

I couldn't read his mind anymore because of the primal rage his mind was in, so i flew in charging at him ready to strike.

He then mimicked the speed of a jack rabbit while still extending his claw and charged back at me.

But right before our collision, a orange and black energy arrow shot into the middle of the valley and exploded. The blast wasn't deadly but it pushed me and rick to opposite directions.

Fortunately, i stopped myself from floating into space. I flew down to see who had shot that arrow even though by now, i knew exactly who did it.

"i guess you piss of everyone who's not a psychic." I turned my head and i found out that it was Natalie.

She finally recovered from her encounter with Emola.

"Hey Rick" Natalie said to him. "Calm down she's not going to hurt you."

After she said that, Rick shoke his head and it seemed like he was starting to come to his senses. Where am I what happened with said looking puzzled as if he didn't remember him almost attacking me.

"Long story cut short, Thorne wants to either kill us or brainwash us as her personal weapons. But thankfully our new friends here have been able to help us get away from her. "Daryl said.

"Now we're somewhere in Seattle Washington and now we're on the Run." Natalie said

"Wait how are you able to snap him out of that?" I asked her

Just give him with a bright enough light and it usually snap him out of any chance that he was in whenever he gets like that." Natalie told me.

"Bloody hell! Here I thought I'd get to see your little show "Daryl said. "Well least you're back saying how do you feel? "

"Just fine wailer." Natalie responded looks like you didn't get yourself killed at least not yet.

"You of all people should know it's pretty difficult to get me killed "Daryl said.

"Anybody have any idea what we're going to do now? "Adrian chimmed in. "Chances are Mother Terresa won't just let us get away. "

"This is all still so sudden "Rick said. "I don't what but I do know Thorne is planning something big.

"What do you mean by that? "Eric said.

"Right before training, I overheard Thorne discussing some very sketchy plans about using a weapon that would change everything. "Rick said looking down at the ground and holding his head. "She also said she would need something called The Anomaly."

"What's the Anomaly?!" I asked him.

"I don't know!" Rick said scratching his head. "But I know that she said that it had something to do with all six of us!"

"All of us?" Daryl said

"I can't mke heads or tails of it "Rick said as he reached in his pocket. "But I was able to take a picture of a building that she had placed with her plans.

He then pulled out a picture of the same mansion that I had visited when I was a kid. The one that was banded from the public.

"You guys might think this is weird but that mansion is in Seattle" I said. "I can lead us there. "

"Hold on schoolgirl" Daryl said. "Just because you can read minds, does mean you gained our trust. "

"He is right" Rick agreed. "We barely now each other. How can we trust you?"

"Hello. "Adrian stepped to my side. "Evil space teacher wants to abducted all six of us? Don't you think its best if we work together in order to survive? "

"She's right. "Eric said. "I know we all don't know each other that well. But we stand more of a chance of escaping Thorne together. "

"I get why your skeptical "I added. "But if you guys trust me enough to take you to this mansion, we can all find what Thorne is really after and stop her. "

The three former enforcers looked at each other, feeling that this could be the only lead we had to find the truth.

"We're in!" Natalie said." Take us to this mansion!" 

# Chapter 31: The Mansion

Did you ever grow up with your parents telling you specifically not to do something dangerous? How about they told you not to do it and you did it anyway? Like say go into a creepy mansion that even the local police are afraid to go into?

Well considering the possibility of you and a handful of your new friends had creepy powers and the only way to hide from a creepy academy that specializes in capturing and harvesting people like you were to visit said creepy mansion?

The mansion that i spoke about in my flashback, for those of you who remember, was the same mansion that this strange device Natalie stole was directing us to. We followed the directions that pointed us straight to the mansion with the horse statues in front of it. The crowd of people and pedestrians that came across us exchange some strange looks towards us. But no one tried to attack us!

To the rest of the world, it just seemed like a regular day. No mysterious trains, no monster, and no aliens other than the ones you see on Halloween.

But in all seriousness, we couldn't shake the feeling that we stood out from other people not only because of what we were but the simple fact that we were still in our training uniforms.

"gross. I hate being watch" adrian said

"weren't you a basketball player before all this?" eric asked.

"yeah but that was because i was an athlete. People knew that from my jersey" adrian said." now that i'm in this creepy uniform, people look at me like i'm apart of some comic book shop"

"quit complaining princess" daryl said." aside from the clothes, we blend in"

"yeah despite the fact that we're all a pack of freaks" adrian replied.

"Adrian!" i said

"Oh come on chica, you don't have to read anyone's mind to know that we all feel like freaks" adrian said

"your friend maybe onto something" daryl said. "Them calling us hybrids might as well be another name for freaks"

We walked through the crowd to cross the road. While we walked, i couldn't shake off the possibility that maybe Adrian was right. What if we were freaks? What if my family you were right to try to capture me? After seeing what you was doing to the students at her Academy, it was hard to believe that we would be safe around other people after all our powers made us dangerous. Our existence made a threatening.

Maddie are you okay Eric is looking concerned.

I I'm fine just remembering where the Mansion was. I said

We finally approached the Mansion only to find that there were several guards protecting its. This was weird because everybody in the city even the police were scared to stand anywhere near the Mansion so why all the sudden it wasn't being guarded?

Great now we have to deal with the bloody authorities. Darrell said.

At least I'll be able to get a good exercise while I'm here. He then cracked his knuckles ready to get into a massive brawl

Wait I told him we don't need to cause any more attention to ourselves. Let me deal with this

Create you really know how to be a buzz kill for a guy darling Daryl said. Just for the record I could easily with less than 5 minutes

"We're looking for answers "Natalie intervene. "Not to go to jail or make a bloodbath"

I couldn't agree more with Natalie. We had to find out and we couldn't do that with police guarding it.

At this point I was pretty good at answering people's minds and doing just about anything I wanted so in this case I was able to enter the police officer's mind.

I made them all think that there was a fugitive that just stole from a local bank and was on the run.

The police went after the fictional thief and drove off in the other direction.

"Not bad chica! Not bad!" Adrian complimented me.

"How long is that going to keep them occupied? "Rick asked.

"Hopefully for an hour. That should be enough to keep them busy." I said. "But the further they are from me the further I will hold them."

"Then let's go "Eric said

We all ran into the mansion only to find that the mansion doors were barred shut.

"Hey Rick would you mind.." I asked

"Sure. Stand back everyone" Rick said.

He then took five steps back and then around him look like after cloak of what seemed to be a ram.

He in charge straight into the door headfirst and blew the doors wide open.

"Nice going Primal! What happened to keep things kosher?" Daryl said.

"Don't worry, I'll patch up the door so nobody notices the difference. Eric said. "He then used his telekinesis to build the pieces of the door that was scattered open and rebuild it."

"There we go. Good as new "Eric said

"Can't say the same for this creepy place" Adrian said.

As we walk into the Mansion we saw that it was surrounded withhold almost ancient furniture material that seemed to resemble a lot like the devices we saw at the Academy. But it was odd how would this Mansion be in any way related to the Academy.

Then the device that I'd used to get us there started floating out of my pocket straight up in the air in the middle of the mansion. e

"What's what's going on? "Daryl asked

"We all stared at the strange device floating in mid-air it started to go up writes purplish green somewhere the voice that I heard before started to other itself again.

Then fractions of light that came through the windows surrounding the mansion insides started to form a human-like body in the middle of the room.

Until finally it was symbol of a man wearing in some strange lab coat similar to that of Chancellor Thorne's with the same "H" Insignia on the top of his forehead.

"What in the world is that thing? "Natalie asked we were all caught in silence and shock.

We had no idea what we have just uncovered or what was going to happen next even though that might sound a little tentative it's based on how everything has been going this past story always seems to get even stranger the further we go through it.

"Hello children "the strange man said as he regained consciousness.

"Thank you for freeing me!" He said. "I am Zirocco. "

# Chapter 32: The Guide

You're probably wondering by now when are they going to stop introducing all these weird characters. Wish I could have an answer for you but only gets a lot weirder are moving forward.

"what are you?" Daryl asked.

"I am an artificial intelligence created by the nearly extinct species known as the akar." Ziraco said.

"Nearly extinct?!" Adrian asked. "What do you mean by that? Who are the Akar? What they have to do with us?"

"The Akar were an ancient civilization in from an alternate galaxy! "Zirocco explained. "Many millennia ago, few of their survivors were brought to this plane of existence during what humanity would consider the Big Bang.

"Thorne told me about that. "I said as I walked closer to Zirocco. "She said that the Akar had to experiment on themselves to survive."

"You are correct Ms. North. "Zirocco said. "However the experiments came to a dreaded cost.

Only a precious few survivors of the species lasted long enough to come to this planet. The Akar soon discovered that the only way to preserve their species and also to create a stronger sub species in the process was through cross breeding. "

"By breeding you mean human-alien sex?! "Adrian said while arching her back. "Ewww. "

"Quite clown "Natalie said as she nudged her in her arm.

"What? I can't be the only one who finds it gross that our parents did the nasty with a bunch of ET wannabees.

"Adrian quite "Eric turned his head to her.

"Each of you come from one of the Akarrian survivors and one human parent. "Zirocco said. "Your conseption was the result of the Akar's ambitions to increase their population amongst this newly found planet. "

"So does that mean our parents were alien invaders?" Adrian asked. "Great just when I thought this wasn't going to feel more like some stupid comic book.

"You are correct Ms. Roderguiez" he answered her. "Every person that has been categorized as what some may call a "hybrid" stems from one parent that was one of the remaining survivors."

"Wait a minute, "Rick said. "If that's true, then what happened to our Akarrian parents?"

"Those who did survive the longest still had a short life span. He answered him. They only had enough life force to create their offspring with this new species." Zirocco said.

"So that's the story! "Eric said. "This is almost too much to take in!"

"You said it! "Rick agreed with him. "All the AP engineering and tech classes in the world never got me this overwhelmed. "

I was just getting to know Rick but I could sense that he was the type that was super obsessed with facts and logic.

A regular melancholy.

"How do did you know our names? "Natalie said.

"Based on your genetic structures, I was able to discover your identities. They matched that of the six Akarrian survivors who had attempted to stop the head Akarrian alchemist from activating your initial programming "

"Why? "What initial programming did they try to stop? "Rick asked.

"In every hybrid, there exists a gnome genetically engineered to override the offspring's free will and to use them as weapons to annihilate all other existing life on the planet.

# Chapter 33: The Burden

The room quickly ran to a quiet don't hang out. The powers that we haven't been with that many of us had seen as a blessing head suddenly revealed to be our greatest curse.

Are you serious Daryl said

Can't believe it's Eric said. We really were created to be weapons

"All those years growing up. All of those test that my parents did on me. It was all because of this!" Rick cringed while holding his hands in the air.

"No wonder my mom hate me so much! I'm just a monster." Adrian said hugging herself while gazing down the floor underneath her.

"My uncle used me as a weapon!" Natalie said." I kept thinking it wasn't fair. But now I realize I was always a weapon. Just for the wrong person!"

It was hard to see everyone be at shock about what we had just learned. I didn't have to read their minds to know that this was a hard pill to swallow.

Imagine living your whole life living as everyone else. Searching for some part of you that is missing and having a burning need to find it.

But only to find out that something about wasn't very good.

"My brother!" Daryl said to himself." After what he did to our family, I thought that he was a monster! But after knowing the truth, I'm just like him."

"What do you mean? "I said. "Come on snap out of it! I know this is a lot to take in but we can't....ahhhhhh!"

Suddenly I started to have strange sense that we weren't alone in that mansion.

"Maddie what's wrong? "Adrian said

Then suddenly a pink ball of fire came blasting straight through the mansion ceiling

"who is that? "eric said

I recognized the girl who had flown through the Mansion ceiling.

"Lisa? "I asked.

"Maddie you know this girl?" Adrian asked me.

"Yes. Her name is Lisa" I said. "She's a hybrid like us. I met her back when I was changing into the uniforms."

I though I could try to reason with her so I took a few steps closer.

"Lisa! It's me Maddie." I said to her as she hovered above us with a menancing look on her face. "How did you get away from Thorne? "

Without any response, Lisa harnessed her pink flames in her hands and released a pink flamethrower at me.

"Look out!" Natalie said.

She then conjured up a massive shield and deflected Lisa's flames from reaching me.

Then Adrian flew in, harden her fist with her quartz and swung as hard she could at Lisa. She managed to knock Lisa straight into the left corner of the mansion. The room began to shake with the unstable shockwaves of the altercation.

"Scorch?" Daryl asked. "That girl was one of the hybrids knocked out by your out lash back in the training room."

"What happened to her?" Rick asked

"Thorne must have gotten her just like she got to you and Daryl back in the laboratory we found" i said." that why i can't read her mind.

I can feel thorne's engulfing her"

Then as we figured out that she was being mind controlled, Lisa emerged from her rubble and released a wild pink flamethrower at Zirocco. Nearly melting the device we used to free him.

He began to lose his physical form and glitched repeatedly until Eric used his telekinesis to shoot two broken pillars at lisa.

Distracted, she quickly burned to a crisp the two pillars will natalie summoned a whip to grab the device mid air.

As she reeled in device, we noticed that it was badly damaged.

"Not good!" natalie said." this device is useless know"

Lisa then shot a barrage of pink fire at us. Fortunately, adrian flew in and created a force field of rubies to block of her flames. But i could tell, she couldn't keep that up for long.

"Perfect!" i said." Without that device, i won't be strong enough to free her and end this."

"Guys!" Adrian said while using every bit of he willpower to keep Lisa at bay." hate to be a pest but if anyone has any bright ideas to stop fire girl here before she roast us like turkey, i'm all ears"

I got an idea but it's a long shot Rick said.

# Chapter 34: The Strategy

We all knew our parts to play in stopping Lisa from burning Seattle to a crisp and quickly placed the plan in action.

First, Natalie ran underneath Lisa and summoned a machine gun to fire multiple rounds at her. Although the bullets exploded when they hit her, Lisa's flames protected her from any impact they would have caused.

But they were enough to distract her from attacking Adrian and turned her attention to Natalie instead.

After Lisa changed targets, Eric used his telekinesis to border up every window in the mansion, cutting off any ventilation.

While he did that, Daryl swung his arms toward Lisa, sending shockwaves of the purplish energy surrounding his arms. Lisa quickly avoided the waves of energy Daryl lunged at her.

Breaking her focus from Natalie, she summoned a huge pink flame and projected it towards Daryl. He was easily able to jump out of her range of fire and it looked like he came out unscarred.

Next, I joined in the action and flew in to distract her from Daryl.

I generated two green tiger shrouds from my hands and shot them at Lisa to attack her hand to hand. It was a struggle to keep her flames in check but I had to maintain it long enough for the plan to work.

"Adrian, Rick now!" I said.

Then as I kept Lisa at bay, Rick summoned the speed of a cheetah to run an around in a circle under me and Lisa.

"Sorry Lisa, I," I said to her. Then i curled up my left leg and kicked her in her stomach. She went falling straight into the ground. But she was still on the attack as if she didn't feel pain.

That's when adrian generated a cluster of ruby quartz around her feet and stopped her from flying off. She was still taking a breather from blocking Lisa's flames earlier so i agreed to stall lisa until she was back in fighting shape.

Rick kept running around her and eventually created a vacuum that drew the oxygen from her lungs. For those of you who are science nerds like

Rick, fire needs air to survive. Rick's plan was to remove her oxygen supply so she could use her flames.

It didn't take long for it to work and Lisa fell to the floor as Adrian' s crystals started to dematerialize, releasing her feet.

It was hard to see a new friend be turned into a monster and felt even worse to have to bring her down. Did Marcy and chad try to sedate me because they thought i would end up like Lisa?

We didn't know what else what to expect but I did know that whatever was happening next we would have to stick together.

# Chapter 35 : The Ambush

We made it pretty badass team working together.

Even though it was against one of my other friends who got traumatized by Thorne, we soon realized that there would be more people after us and it was better working together than being alone.

"That was sick," Adrian said

"Nice work guys. But what are we going to go now? "Rick said.

"Where else is there to go?" Daryl said. "It's no coincidence that scorch found us here so obviously knew where we would be."

"Why did Zirocco only come out here and it's not back in the academy? "Eric asked. "What is it about this mansion? It has to be more to it. "

"Speaking of the friendly ghost computer guy, what happened to him?" Adrian asked.

"Look over there," Rick said. We ran towards the strange objected that Rick pointed to. When we got there, we realized that it was the device that Zirco came out of. It seemed to have scorch marks from Lisa's flames but still seemed fixable.

"It's the device!" I said. "Looks pretty banged up but, it should be able to work"

"Maybe I can help," Rick said." I'm a tech wiz at this kind of stuff. I helped design the training room's technology back at the academy."

"Well while you play tech genius on that thing, we have to decide what we are going to do next" daryal said.

"What do you mean?" Adrian said.

"Now that Thorne is sending traumatized hybrids to kill us, we have to keep moving" natalie said.

"their right" eric said." there is no telling what we're in store for next. We have to act fast and get out of here."

"Question is where?" Adrian said." Thorne found us once, where could we possible hide that she won't find us?"

As we were discussing the possibilities of what forms up to and how you were going to hide from her, a large explosion came through the front door the mansion.

"Oh great! Now what?" Daryl said

Out of nowhere, 12 gas shot straight at us filling the room with gas then home. We tried to escape it but the gas was too thick whoever came for us I didn't want us get away.

The next scene I vaguely remembered I was seeing a bunch of soldiers walked towards us there was at least a dozen of them. But the last picture I saw was one soldier who looked just like my mother.

"Mom?!" I said with my consciousness slipping away from my grasp.

"Hello Madelyn!" Mom said." Welcome home."

I couldn't focus with all that gas rushing down my throat so any hope of using my powers would be thrown out the door by now. My mind became weaker to resist and i soon fell to the floor.

# Chapter 36: The Interrogation

I woke up and found myself tied to a chair in a damp lite room with hollow,glass walls surrounding me. I tried to use my tiger shrouds to get out but the metal that was clenching my wrist were too strong.

What ever type of metal this was, it was unlike anything i ever experienced on earth.

I didn't know what happen to the others and i started to fear the worse. After our battle with lisa, we were tired and caught of guard.

That mansion didn't seem like the hotspot for friendly tourism to begin with. But how did these soldiers know we were in here? What about those smoke grenades they used at us? The smoke moved consciously on its own when the grenades exploded and we couldn't stop it from traveling in our thoughts.

Ever second i spent in that room terrified me to the point of paranoia. I then tried to use my telepathy to get some answers beyond these intimidating walls.

"Your telepathy won't work this time Maddie" a female voice said. Then the door in front of me opened up and there i saw a woman in soldier armour walk towards me.

"Who are you?" i shouted.

"Its me Madelyn" the woman said. She came closer to the light and it turns out that this woman was in fact my mom!

"Mom?!" i said. "What are you doing? Where am i? Where are my friend's?"

"this is a restricted facility within the city" mom said in a cold, emotionless demeanor." We discovered you and your friends trespassing on Vanity property."

"Vanity?" I said in shock! "So it's true. You are an informer for them "

"I wish I could have told you Madelyn "She said as she kneeled in front of me, holding my face.

"This is because of dad isn't it? "I asked.

"Yes. "She answered. "When I met your father, I was already recruited with Vanity. They had instructed me to find out where he and the others came from and relay that information back to my supervisors.

"So why give in now? "I asked her. "Why didn't you give dad up then? "

"It's simple Madelyn "She said to me fighting back the tears in her eyes. "I got to close to your father. We fell in love. "

She placed her other hand on my face.

"Two aliens from two different homes that they could never go back to. For me, it was Italy and for your father..."

"Why did you start working with Vanity then? "I asked.

"I needed the money to live in this country "she said. "But everything changed a year after I met your father. "

"What changed? "I asked.

"I became pregnant with you "She cracked a small smile of joy. "I left Vanity after your father went to stop the alchemist who had enhanced him and the others. But they soon found us in Seattle."

I instantly remembered the interraction my mom had with Agent Morris eight years ago.

"So that agent that walked up to us was with Vanity? "I asked.

"Yes. But I'm afraid that I must go now "She said as she liftd herself from my chair.

"Mom please! "I said to her. "Don't do this. Please. "

"It's completely out of my hands Madelyn but I promise, it will all be over soon. "She said as she turned towards the door with a frown of sadness plastered on her face.

"Mom!" I screamed to her as she walked through the door.

As she left, she dropped a blue ball on the ground before shutting the door.

Leaving me alone with no friends, no powers, and a stomach of conflicting feelings.

# Chapter 37 : The Breakout

The room fell quiet as i was trapped in that cold chair. I couldn't stop looking at the blue ball that my mom had left behind.

"What is that? "I said to myself. I looked closer and I saw that it had a strange symbol on it. It's the same symbol that was on on the device that Zirocco came out of.

What's that doing here and why would would it be here of all places.

Just as I was asking that question, two new guards came in these two were all too familiar.

"Marcy, Chad, what are you two doing here?" i asked.

"Hello Maddie ". Chad said. "We've been looking for you for a long time. "

"what are you doing here?" I asked again

"We're responsible for taking you into our dissection Chambers." Marcy said with an emotionless face.

"Dissection? "I said freaking out. I tried to break out of that chair but my power is still weren't strong enough to do it. It looked like I was about to meet my end. You can't dissect me. It's me Maddie. We're friends we grew up together how can you do this to me? "

"It's nothing against you Maddie it's just for our own Survival" Marcy said. "We can't take any more chances with hybrids running around so we have to make sure we understand their powers and defend ourselves against...."

She said it was a faint pause as if she was going to say something that she knew she shouldn't tell me.

"Against what? "I asked her trying to break out of the chair.

"Marcy we talked about this." Chad said. "We can't tell her anymore. We have to dissect her and her friends. That's the only way we can defend ourselves against you know what."

"Guys please talk to me! "I called them. "I don't know what you guys are afraid of I can help you against it we can help you against it. But please don't do this I'm begging you."

"I'm sorry Maddie I wish this could be different between us I really do. Marcy said fighting the burning tears in her eyes. "Soon, it'll all be over and you won't feel any more pain. "

"None of us will "Chad said with a really disturbing tone to his voice.

The slowly walked up towards me ready to sting me with more those shock staffs from before. Because of that room, I couldn't reach their minds at first.

Just as I thought that I was doomed, I saw that the blue ball that my mom and left was glowing and the insignia that Zirocco who came out of was growing up bright yellow.

"What is that? "Chad asked

"I don't know but my head feels strange. "Marcy said.

Suddenly I could start hearing their deep thoughts. Whatever that ball was, it seemed like it was letting me use my powers again. Was my mom giving me a chance to escape?

I quickly used my powers to override Chad and Marcy's minds. At first, they struggle to keep me out. But soon I was able to mind control them completely.

Now get me out of this chair. I told them.

Marcy quickly uncuffed my arms and legs from the chair and I was able to walk around again. Then and was able to open the door.

"Where are my real friends? I" I said to Chad

"All hybrids captured from the a mansion have been locked into separate holding cell or within the lower half of this facility." Chad said in his trance-induced state.

"Take me there now" I told him.

We ran down hallway that led to a flight of stairs going down stairs and just as we were about to open the door to more guards showed up ready to shoot at us.

"Both of you sleep!" I said as my eyes started to glow green and angry.

"I'm afraid that cannot my dear! "A familiar voice came from the panel above me.

"Emola!" i shouted.

The two guards started to emit the same magenta-color glow Daryl and Rick had in their eyes back when Chancellor Thorne controlled them.

Then an construct of Chancellor Thorne appeared in between the guards as they kneeled down at her presence.

"Hello again Maddie" Thorne said." i see you've been able to gain more experience with your powers! I do wish you and your friends would return to the Academy to properly evaluate your progress"

"You're out of your mind!" I said to her.

"Actually, you are right my dear." She replied." As you can see, I too have the power of Beta-kinesis. Unlike yourself, I have a farther range with this ability. I was even able to use it to breach this dimension!"

"This dimension?!" I said to the mad instructor.

"Why else did you think your phones were useless at the academy?! Didn't seem strange that no place on earth knew of it?" Thorne continued." The realm that houses myself and the academy is in the cross planes of this planet and the remains of Akarrius!"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I screamed while tightening my first, stilling struggling to keep my hold on Marcy and Chad's minds.

"I could sense you had wanted to ask those questions but were too timid to do so. You also have questions about this!" Thorne said as she generated a construct of the same blue ball that helped me escape the interrogation room." Did you think this ball that your mother dropped was by coincidence? My child! There are no coincidences in this world!"

"You mind controlled her?" i said." That room was suppose to dampen out all telepathy."

"True. But i did not need to mind control her." Throne said." I gave her a chance to save you. The way your father could not."

"That's the third time you mentioned my father." i raised my voice."

How did you know him?" Who are you?"

She giggled to herself for a brief second.

"Please Forgive me for my vagueness.....my dear niece!!" 

# Chapter 38: The Bloodline

It's a shame that nobody has the ability to choose their family. At this point, it really sucked that with all the strange powers I slow started to gain, that was one power I would never have.

"what?! No, you're lying. That can't be" I said

"It's true Madelyn" A third voice came from the background." Emola was your father's sister!" The woman from the shadows came out from hiding and it was my mom!

"You!" i said in a anger demeanor.

"Madelyn, i'm not here to hurt you!" she said as she lowered her gun and placed it on the floor.

"That's a load of crap!" I replied." You tried to experiment on me twice!"

"She promised that she wouldn't hurt you." mom said." That was part of our deal."

"Deal?" i said." what deal?"

"Not every hybrid who discover their abilities comes to Zen Academy for help right away!" Thorne said." Many of your friends understand that."

"What do you mean?" i said.

"Like i said before, there are no such thing as a coincidence!" she answered." Do you remember that agent you met when you were younger? Agent Morris?"

"How do you know about him?" I said.

"He was nothing more than a drone under my influence!" she said."

My security drones from the academy are able to refracture light around them to create the appearance of anyone."

Great! On top of aliens, half aliens and secret soldiers, I have to deal with robots that can look like anyone.

Then three drones from the academy floated in front of the Chancellor's hologram and transform into three different people: Agent Morris, The nurse from adrians school, and the social worker that took

Eric's sister.

"You lied to us!" i said feeling

It was necessary my dear period She said I had to manipulate you and your friends to come to my Academy. In fact I have orchestrated countless of hybrids and Academy after they have discovered their abilities.

Why would you do that to us why would you do that to all of us? I said

Hybrid DNA is very essential to my plans. I need it together as much hybrids as possible Under One Roof to examine their powers and to discover how I could utilize all of them together.

Utilize them for what? I asked her.

"You won't need to worry my dear!" Thorne said." after all you have your friends to worry about."

"My team and i will find a way out of here and when we do, we'll stop you" i said.

"I wouldn't make empty threats my dear niece" she replied." Besides, i wasn't talking about your hybrid friends!"

Then two of the drones reached pulled out a pistol and shot several rounds at Chad and Marcy!

Boom boom boom boom

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I screamed in pain and agony. Because i was still mentally connected to both of them, I felt the same pain they did. So shooting them down was the same a shooting me down too!

"I'm glad you kept your uniform Madelyn!" Thorne said." That uniform reduces damage from all telepathic attacks. Even your own.Unfortunately, not the same can be said about your friends!"

Her construct then dissapeared along with her drones. Leaving my mom and I stuned by what just transpired.

I was still connected to them psychically but there was nothing I could do to stop it. It all happened so fast I was coming up. I had to watch my two friends that I spent most of my childhood die within a matter of seconds.

# Chapter 39: The Fallen

For anyone who's ever felt lost before you probably understand what I was feeling at this point in my life. You probably have even better understanding watch the person die in front of him and feeling helpless how to save them. Funny even with all the powers that I was discovering I still couldn't save my two friends.

Sorry if there is not a joke and that one this wasn't really a ha ha moment for me.

I curled up next to me to Marcy's body trying to realize how all this happened.

"Madelyn. I am so sorry!" My mom said. "It was supposed to be this way."

Then without thinking I quickly summon a tiger shroud around my arm and grabbed my mom by the neck pushing her straight into the wall. I had just lost two of the most important people in my life and now the woman who raised me and betrayed me is trying to apologize for it. I wasn't in such a forgiving mood

It's all your fault I said to her while talking to myself. You should have got them involved in this you never should have got me involved in this.

"Madelyn! I know that you're upset but.... "she said

"Upset?" I said to her. "I am past being upset. You are the one who betrayed your own daughter and sold out Vanity. Because of that, I lost my two best friends. "

"Let me make up for it!" she said please allow me to help you save your new ones save all of us

What are you talking about? I said to her

"I know where your friends are being held." She said as she struggled to loosen my grip around her neck. "They're being kept in the underground chambers. They're knocked out but we can free them together. "

"Then what are you waiting for? "I said to her as I dropped her. "Lead the way "

She then pulled out her chair clearance card and opened the door that was cut off from us. And then ran straight through it and once we went through the doors, we saw staircase leads straight to the chambers.

When we finally made it to the bottom floor we saw a locked door and labeled Chambers.

"It's locked! "she said to me then she pulled out of a shotgun and aimed for the door. "Stand back! "

She blew the door down and then we walked in only to find that my team was still unconscious. But they were each strapped into individual chairs and each one had gas masks on them and kept them unconscious.

I walked over to take the gas mask off their faces and release them.

"Don't touch the mask!" my mom said. "If you remove them the wrong way, it could cause the mask to admit poison to their lungs! I have to hack into the database attached to mask to wake them up.

She ran to the computer at the end of the room and begin to hack into its system. It took a few minutes but she was finally able to deactivate the system and release my friends from the chairs and a gas mask.

"They're not waking up what happened! "I said to her.

"It will take some type of shock to wake them up. "she said to me. "You'll have to enter their minds and force them to wake up. It's the only way. "

"Fine I'll do it! "I said.

I focused all my concentration to enter each and every one of their minds and as soon as I did I went out a metal scream.

The scream was loud enough to wake them up although they were still a bit baffled of what had happened to them.

"Damn! what the hell happened?!" Daryl said as he was waking up.

You were captured by Vanity. I said to him. Then he's working with thorne. She has been using them too intimidate hybrids to join her Academy.

"And they won't stop here!" My mom said.

"Wait a minute, is that your mom?!" Adrian said. "why's she here?!

"how can you trust her?" Eric said.

"This isn't the time for me to explain!" my mom said. "You all have to get out of here now!

"Lady! unless you want me to kick your ass in front of your daughter, you better tell us why you brought us here and why we should kill you here and now! "Natalie said.

"I know that I have made a lot of mistakes!" my mom said. "But I want to help you now on because I was wrong. Thorne won't stop. Seattle will be the first city on her site. After she's taking over this territory, she plans to expand to the entire planet! You have to stop her!"

"And how is she going to use the hybrids still at the academy? "I asked.

The hybrids that she won't use as a personal army will be used as fuel to power her device within the academy.

"What device?!" Rick asked her.

"I don't know where it is specifically but I over some plans of her using hybrids to fuel a device was in the academy. "she explained.

"What the hell is this device do lady? "Daryl ask.

"It's a break from her Academy to our world." My mom said.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling us that her Academy isn't even on this planet?!" Eric said.

But right as we were about to get more answers, a hybrid with super speed bolted in the room around us.

He vibrated his arm and put it straight through my mom's stomach, causing her to black out.

"No!" I screamed.

# Chapter 40: The Distraction

For anyone who's ever felt lost before you probably understand what I was feeling at this point in my life. You probably have even better understanding watch the person die in front of him and feeling helpless how to save them. Funny even with all the powers that I was discovering I still couldn't save my two friends.

Sorry if there is not a joke and that one this wasn't really a ha ha moment for me.

I curled up next to me to Marcy's body trying to realize how all this happened.

"Madelyn. I am so sorry!" My mom said. "It was supposed to be this way."

Then without thinking I quickly summon a tiger shroud around my arm and grabbed my mom by the neck pushing her straight into the wall. I had just lost two of the most important people in my life and now the woman who raised me and betrayed me is trying to apologize for it. I wasn't in such a forgiving mood

It's all your fault I said to her while talking to myself. You should have got them involved in this you never should have got me involved in this.

"Madelyn! I know that you're upset but.... "she said

"Upset?" I said to her. "I am past being upset. You are the one who betrayed your own daughter and sold out Vanity. Because of that, I lost my two best friends. "

"Let me make up for it!" she said please allow me to help you save your new ones save all of us

What are you talking about? I said to her

"I know where your friends are being held." She said as she struggled to loosen my grip around her neck. "They're being kept in the underground chambers. They're knocked out but we can free them together. "

"Then what are you waiting for? "I said to her as I dropped her. "Lead the way "

She then pulled out her chair clearance card and opened the door that was cut off from us. And then ran straight through it and once we went through the doors, we saw staircase leads straight to the chambers.

When we finally made it to the bottom floor we saw a locked door and labeled Chambers.

"It's locked! "she said to me then she pulled out of a shotgun and aimed for the door. "Stand back! "

She blew the door down and then we walked in only to find that my team was still unconscious. But they were each strapped into individual chairs and each one had gas masks on them and kept them unconscious.

I walked over to take the gas mask off their faces and release them.

"Don't touch the mask!" my mom said. "If you remove them the wrong way, it could cause the mask to admit poison to their lungs! I have to hack into the database attached to mask to wake them up.

She ran to the computer at the end of the room and begin to hack into its system. It took a few minutes but she was finally able to deactivate the system and release my friends from the chairs and a gas mask.

"They're not waking up what happened! "I said to her.

"It will take some type of shock to wake them up. "she said to me. "You'll have to enter their minds and force them to wake up. It's the only way. "

"Fine I'll do it! "I said.

I focused all my concentration to enter each and every one of their minds and as soon as I did I went out a metal scream.

The scream was loud enough to wake them up although they were still a bit baffled of what had happened to them.

"Damn! what the hell happened?!" Daryl said as he was waking up.

You were captured by Vanity. I said to him. Then he's working with thorne. She has been using them too intimidate hybrids to join her Academy.

"And they won't stop here!" My mom said.

"Wait a minute, is that your mom?!" Adrian said. "why's she here?!

"how can you trust her?" Eric said.

"This isn't the time for me to explain!" my mom said. "You all have to get out of here now!

"Lady! unless you want me to kick your ass in front of your daughter, you better tell us why you brought us here and why we should kill you here and now! "Natalie said.

"I know that I have made a lot of mistakes!" my mom said. "But I want to help you now on because I was wrong. Thorne won't stop. Seattle will be the first city on her site. After she's taking over this territory, she plans to expand to the entire planet! You have to stop her!"

"And how is she going to use the hybrids still at the academy? "I asked.

The hybrids that she won't use as a personal army will be used as fuel to power her device within the academy.

"What device?!" Rick asked her.

"I don't know where it is specifically but I over some plans of her using hybrids to fuel a device was in the academy. "she explained.

"What the hell is this device do lady? "Daryl ask.

"It's a break from her Academy to our world." My mom said.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling us that her Academy isn't even on this planet?!" Eric said.

But right as we were about to get more answers, a hybrid with super speed bolted in the room around us.

He vibrated his arm and put it straight through my mom's stomach, causing her to black out.

"No!" I screamed.

# Chapter 41 : The Badges

We were all in a panic as we were about to face off against a whole bunch of soldiers from Vanity.

Not scared of whether or not we could take them down. But because in doing so, we might be too late to stop Thorne.

"Hey schoolgirl! "Daryl said as he walked up to me. "Can't you just use your powers to teleport us again like you did back at the academy?!"

"Not without that strange device that Zirocco came out of." I said. "

But Lisa damaged it back at the mansion!"

"Maybe I can help with that! "Rick said

"What do you mean?!" I asked Rick.

"I see some supplies left behind from the guards that brought us in here before." Rick said. "I should be able to see if I could fix the device that got us to Seattle."

"I still have it! "Natalie said. She pulled it out of her pocket and gave it towards Rick.

"Perfect I should be able to fix it if the device to get us somewhere safe! "Rick said.

"Okay! But what if those soldiers break in here and go all call of duty on us?! "

Adrian said still helping Eric stand up.

"I know how to hold a soldier's off to buy you some time! "My mom said.

"How?" Eric asked.

She then accessed a bracelet on her left arm and a digital screen popped out.

"What the bloody hell are you doing lady? "Daryl asked her.

"I'm hacking into the security for the call of this room. She said. "This will be able to buy you enough time for them and to fix it whatever device you're going to use so that you can leave.

Then as she did that, a digital wall covered the door.

"I have to stay here to keep the wall up. I leave this room now and it will shut down for good!"

"Your crazy! "I told her while pushing Daryl aside. "Come with us!"

"Madeline! "She said as she reached for my hands and rubbed the back of my hands with her thumbs.

Told you I wasn't making that up!

"You and your friends have to stop your aunt from getting any closer to her goal. "

My mom said. "Vanity runs beyond me and far beyond Seattle! I can't stop it, but I know that you and your friends will be able to!"

"You expect me to leave you here?!" I said. "Mom no! Don't be a hero!"

She took her hands back and stepped backwards by four spaces.

"Heroes play it safe sweetie! "She said as she reached into her

pocket. "But I don't! "

She then pulled out a silver rod the size of a pencil and as thick as a roll of quarters. She pressed the top of the device and held her thumb tight on it.

"What the hell is that thing?! "I said.

"Go ahead sweetheart! Read my mind! "She said with her voice in fluctuating, as if she was too scared to tell me herself.

I placed my pointer finger and middle finger on my temple to read her mind. But I was shocked by what I had found!

"A deadman switch?!" I yelled out.

"That wall won't hold forever! "She said. "You and your friends are in this mess because of me! If I can give my life to protect yours, then it would have been worth it!"

"You have until the count of ten before we destroy this wall!" One of the soldiers said. He then counted down from 10.

"This isn't a time to pull off some act of redemption Mom! "I yelled as I leaned towards her.

"Madelynn! Believe me! I know it's hard to leave one family behind, but now you'll have a new family! This one will be better for you!"

"No! I said. "I'm not leaving without you and that's final! "

"You over there!" my mom said to Natalie and Daryl. "Please take care of her!

Take care of each other!"

The guard started to count down to four.

"It's ready! Rick said. "I was able to fix the device it should be able to get us out of here!"

"Here take these! "my mom said. She then reached for her pocket on her other and pulled out six badges with the same eyeball design that we saw before.

"These will divert the teleportation process and get you somewhere safe! "She said as she threw each one to us. We all caught each of ours and placed it on our belt buckles.

"How do you know that I?!" Eric asked. "Why give us these now? "

"Madelyn's father gave them to me back when he was alive!" she said. "They were apparently used to teleport your parents to a safe point where Thorne couldn't find them when they went rogue! There useless without close proximity with Akarrian technology"

"Each badge only teleports one person at a time! "she explained as she keep walking backwards to the door, holding the switch tighter.

I stood in utter fear and felt powerless to stop her from doing the unthinkable!

"Madelynn! Everything that I have done, everything decision I've made, I've done it all to protect you! "

"Mom please don't do this!" I said to her as I teared up.

"I've caused enough trouble in your life already Madelynn! she said now

"It's my turn to help you live your life! Even if I'm not a part of it anymore."

"No!" I screamed.

Then Darryl and Natalie ran up to me and they both pulled me by the arms to stop me from staying.

"Ready the device!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"The device is primed!" Rick said. "In about ten seconds, it should get us out of here.

"Maddie! I hope you that one day, you can find it in your big, beautiful heart to forgive me for everything!" my mom said.

"Mom dont do this! Please! "I pleaded to her.

"I love you, my little sunshine!" she called me by my baby name. She shed tears from her eyes.

"Goodbye!" She said with tears racing down her face.

She then blew me a kiss like she did in my memories.

She then dropped the deadman switch behind her.

"Noooooo!" I screamed.

While Natalie and Daryl held me back, a huge explosion came from the door. It had strange white angelic glow to it.

As I watched helplessly as it disintegrate my mother, we began to disappear in the brighter green glow of the teleporter.

In a flash, we were gone.

Our biggest question would be where did the teleporter take us?

# Chapter 42: The Tower

The last thing I remembered seeing in that hell hole was the death of my mother.

The next thing I noticed was the six of us in what looked like was a spaceship pad.

However, I was silently mourning my mom's death and hung my head down in sorrow while Daryl and Natalie still held me by my arms.

"Where are we?" Eric asked.

Then the device we used to escape flew out of Rick's hand and projected a hologram of Zirocco.

"Hello children!" Zirocco said to us. "I see that you have found the Omni- tower! "

"The omni-tower?!" Daryl asked while he and Natalie still held me up by my arms.

"This is one of the few structures left on this planet that is composed from the same material that Zen Academy is made of. It was abandoned long ago by your akarian parents who rebelled against Chancellor Thorne before she captured and attempted to assimilate my programming into the academy."

"What do you know about Vanity?" Eric asked.

"Vanity was a program originally designed to simply hybrid activity on a global scale. However under the Chancellor's command, they have been used to harvest hybrids in an effort to harness and weaponize their powers! "Zirocco said.

"How do you know about our parents?! "Rick asked.

"According to your genetic signatures, each of you who are offspring of an akarrian who rebelled against the colony." Zirocco said.

"Is it true? "I broke my silence and walked to Zirocco. "Is Thorne really my aunt? "

"My scans show that you and the Chancellor do share a common bloodline which in fact confirms your relationship. "

"Dammit. I really am related to that monster. "I said hanging my head in anger.

"Maddie listen "Adrian said. "I know out of all people what it's like to resent your family. But you don't need to hate yourself for who she is. "

"Adrian's right "Eric said. "We all get to choose who are new family is. "

"You guys don't get it" I brushed away my tears. "Thorne took everything from me. Now it's my turn to get even. "

I stormed off further into the tower. Hoping to find a way out.

"Let Chang and I chat with schoolgirl over there "Daryl said.

"You two?!" Adrian said. "Neither of you seem like the Dr. Phil type!"

"We are the only ones who understand what she's feeling right now! "Daryl said. "Sheer stupidity and rage! Bad combo, especially for a psychic who can level an entire training room! "

"It's actually a combination of survivor's guilt, shame, and revenge!" Natalie said as she walked to Daryl's side.

"How do you know that? "Eric asked.

"Because we have both felt the same emotions! "Natalie said.

"We ain't no psychics!" Daryl said. "But we know what a vendetta is when we see it. And school girl down there reeks of it."

Darryl and natalie ran down the hallway that I stormed into.

Leaving rick, eric, and adrian alone with Zirocco.

"Hey schoolgirl!" Daryl ran up to me pulling me aside.

"What?!" I said.

"We need to talk!" Daryl said.

"We know you want revenge against Thorne but this isn't the way to do it!"

"You wouldn't understand!" I said.

"Look into our heads and then tell us that!"

"Are you serious?!" I said clutching my hands.

"It's okay Maddie!" Natalie said as she walked closer and grabbed my hands and mimicked the same trick my mom taught me." We trusted you to get us

to the mansion. Now it's your turn to trust us!"

Reluctantly, I peaked into their minds to see where they were coming from.

Hoping that I'd prove them wrong.

# Chapter 43: The Rebel

A strange request from someone who started off as my enemy during this whole ordeal. But my hatred for Thorne after what she did made me forget the conflictions I felt for penetrating Daryl's mind.

I soon began to see in his mind until I saw his younger self back in London. He grew up with his twin brother, Damian Wailer and raised by his grandmother.

They knew nothing about their mother. But their father was an undercover cop for the FBI. He was reportedly killed in one of the city's biggest drug bust and left his sons in the care of their ill-fated grandmother.

Every morning, he would visit his grandmother's grocery store where many of the local gangs would cause trouble. He and his brother would team up to keep the thugs from robbing the grocery store until it was time to go to school. But one day, his brother vanished without a trace or message. His grandmother reported the disappearance to the cops, but they could never find him.

This caused her to grow even sicker due to the stress of losing both her son and now her oldest grandson as well. She was unable to maintain the shop so Daryl took over by working hours after school.

Sadly, It wasn't enough to keep the bills paid and it looked like they would eventually lose the store. But on night after he closed up shop, his body and mind went through "the change" .

It shocked him throughout his whole body and then caused him to collapse to the floor in the middle of the street.

When he woke up, he found himself in a local hospital with his grandmother holding his hand and praying for his recovery.

Although the doctors could not find anything physically wrong with him, she still had to sell here shop in order to pay for his treatment. This broke his heart and made him hates himself for getting sick.

Then one day on his way to school, he was caught in a car crash by a drunken bus driver that had steered of course. His body was pressed against the totaled bus and the brick-building wall he was pushed in.

When the paramedics placed him in the ambulance and drove off, he found that his body was healing itself until all of his bones and organs were realigned.

Freaking out of what just happened, he jumped off the stretcher only to raise his arms in front of him to feel the strange xenon energy flowing from them. Out of instinct, he swung his arms on the back of the ambulance door, slashing them wide open!

He jumped out of the ambulance and found himself on the outside of a underground UFC training camp in downtown London.

Talk about odd timing, right?

When he approached the training camp, he saw that its walls were covered with flyers that promised cash prizes for any new challengers who would compete and win each round they fought in.

Feeling that his new found powers made him unbeatable, he chose to give it a shot so he could save enough money to buy back his grandmother's grocery store.

Two months passed by and he was an unbeatable champion of the ring.

Even though he never used his zionion energy to kill, it gave him almost unlimited stamina and reflexes to outlast any opponent. He chose to keep everything that happened a secret from his grandmother since he felt it would have her worried and worsen her health.

The day that he earned enough to buy back the grocery store, he rushed home to tell his grandmother the good news. Only to find that his grandmother lying dead on the floor in a pool of her own blood with Damien standing over her.

Something was tragically different with Damien at this point. He wore a masked that only covered his mouth and his arms were glowing with devilish red energy with black lightning surging around it.

Horrified by the sight of his own brother standing over their grandmother's corpse drove him made. He quickly charged up his arms and swung at Damian. But Damien blasted him straight out of the building all the way to the roof of the building across from them.

When he came to, he saw police tape over the crime scene and the officers holding pictures of his face as their prime suspect.

Feeling unable to prove his innocents without revealing what he really was, healed from home and went to the old grocery store after it closed for the day to steal some rations for the road.

When he got to the store, he saw a letter underneath the door with his name on it. It was his invite to Zen Academy and it seemed to have known everything about him. He followed the directions of the invite to an abandoned library that actually houses the canceled entry point to the train to the academy.

He hopped on the trained without question, hoping to find the answers of why did he have these powers, how to clear his name, and how to avenge his grandmother.

As soon as he made it to Zen Academy, Chancellor Thorne request him specifically come to her office. But the minute he entered her office, she held his hand and her eyes glowed with that same, terrifying magenta color and everything before that point went blank!

# Chapter 44: The Dreamer

I slowly started to enter Natalie's mind. To be honest I was almost scared of what exactly I would fine based on how we originally met.

I soon found out that Natalie didn't start her life as a soldier or a mercenary. At first she was just a farm girl or who worked on a small or territory that her family had owned. She grew up never knowing about her mother but her father was a soldier for the Vietnamese Army.

Along with her uncle, they had chosen to separate themselves from the Vietnamese government in an effort to create a private task Force for international affairs.

But then one day, Natalie had gotten a letter or from her uncle telling her that her father had been killed in action. This caused her to become dark and angry at the world, nearly shutting off every other person and her Village.

She mostly spent hurt I'm doing extra chores around the village to take away the pain of thinking about her father. But one day while she was planting vegetables in the local Garden, she went through the change.

Her body immediately collapsed to the floor and she felt painful surges of energy going straight through her mind and her body. The local farmers had no idea what this was but apparently her uncle did.

Her uncle had requested her to be transferred to a secret training camp where people like her work took in for observation. When she woke up, she had no idea why she had been captured or what had happened to her. Her uncle then informs her that she knew that she had special abilities even if she didn't know what they were herself. The only way that he could see if she would be a threat or an asset to her was for her to train at the camp and discovered what her powers.

He then sent to soldiers to chase her and instructed them to kill her if she did not fight back.

The guards then pulled out too machetes reading 2 kill him. She was able to grab one of the blades before it could be used against her.

Then she felt a strange surge orange energy. Then out of nowhere, she was able to generate her own shit out of that same orange energy. Even stranger was that she knew exactly how to use machete where are prior to this meeting, she had never used it before

The guards both struck in to attack her. But she he quickly used her newfound skills to strike back. In the process, she killed the two guards.

The combination of having these new strange abilities and the fact that she just killed two guards had sent her mind into a state of panic. It was at this point, her uncle revealed himself to be a powerful telepath that could manipulate the fears and hatred in others.

Apparently, the initial hatred from me came from the abuse of her uncle. Telepaths became something she secretly despised.

Throughout the years, he had used this to train Natalie to be one woman killing machine. Deep down, she never wanted to be a mercenary period but she knew that her uncle would never let her live a normal life.

During one of her final missions, Natalie had discovered that she had a second ability.

By relaxing her state of mind, she could freeze time around her or slow it down for short. Of time. However whenever she did this, she would be mentally drained soon after.

On her final mission with her Uncle, she was given the order to kill oh a local representative of the Vietnamese government on a private jet. But when she got there, she found that the local representative was flying home with his five year old daughter after a long on trip.

Feeling truly conflicted chilling in a little girl and her father after the death of her own, Natalie helped the representative and his daughter escaped the jet before it took off. She had then set at the bomb that was intended to kill the representative.

Then slowed time around her as the bomb exploded so that she could Escape.

Leaving all of her personal belongings and her communicators or with her uncle all in the Jets, she had successfully made the appearance that she had failed the mission and died and the Jets.

The only thing that she had kept with her was a letter from Zen Academy that she had forgot she had kept.

Feeling that her uncle would eventually find out that she was alive, Natalie follow the directions of the letter that took her to Zen Academy.

She was nervous of being able to blend in and was immediately introduced to Chancellor Thorne who had the same effect that she had on Daryl.

The rest is history.

# Chapter 45: The Plot

I slowly began to exit Natalie's mind. Feeling compelled after what I have seen, I started to rethink how I was going to go about fighting thorne.

Now do you see where we're coming from? Natalie said folding her arms at me.

"Wow guys" I said to them completely baffled of all of the earth things that they have been through. I had no idea!

We'll just don't be making of bloody headliner. Darrell said. Those thoughts that we let you see aren't really most favorite

Then why did you let me. I asked him as I arch my back.

Because schoolgirl! You you might be one hell of a telepath but you still live in la-la land half the time. Darrell said. We've worked for Thorne and we know what she's capable of. Going in half baked with no plan and it's just playing suicide not to mention stupid as hell.

Then what am I supposed to do? I asked clutching my hands.

"Stop trying to get yourself killed!" Daryl said as he folded his arms and pulling his head back.

"We all want to kill the people in our lives who caused us the most pain. But we can't do that alone." Natalie said, placing her hand on my arm." We'll stop Thorne from hurting anyone else! As long we go about it the right way!"

"Guys! We need you in here now!" Eric shouted!

"Well I guess group therapy is out for today! Let's go!" Daryl said, sprinting back into the other room.

"Natalie!" I said, pulling her arm as she tried to leave.

"What is it?" Natalie said.

I pulled out the picture of her parents that she dropped back at the academy and gave it to her. She slowly started to shed a tear in her left eye.

"Thank you!" Natalie said while wiping away her tear.

We then ran into the other room after Daryl. But when we arrived, we saw a hologram of Chancellor Thorne floating in front of the others!

# Chapter 46: The Choice

At this point it seemed like there was no place on Earth that we wouldn't be free of this woman.

"What the hell are you doing here Thorne?! "I yelled. "How the hell did you even find us?"

"My dear niece! "Thorne said. "I was one who really created Zirocco. I know all of his secrets including the little rebellion camp where he and your parents plotted against me."

"Against you?" Natalie said as she he squeezed her hands tighter." You mean to tell me that our parents when's chose not how to go along with your little plan to kill off Humanity?"

"Indeed Miss. Chang! "Thorne said as she folded her arms. "They had the nerve to try to stop me from using the anomalies full power recreate our world and repopulate our people. "

"The Anomaly?" Eric asked. "What is that? "

"It is the collective consciousness of our people's most powerful telepaths who lost their lives during our Escape to this galaxy!" Thorne said.

"so all those voices!" I said while staring to the ground. "That's what was possessing me back when i fought Natalie?!"

"That is correct Miss North!" The chancellor said and turning her attention towards me. "You have a very unique connection to the Anomaly. That connection is what I needed it to wipe out humanity and restore our people to the fruition that it had once known. That is until your parents foolishly try to oppose me. I, unfortunately, had no choice but to punish their betrayal with death."

"Wait a minute! "Rick said as he tightened and his muscles and tensed up. "Are you telling me that you killed our parents for that? "

The room started to tense up with our combined hatred for Thorne knowing that she was the cause for us growing up not knowing about our heritage.

"It is not something that I am proud!" Thorne said as she scowled hold away from us." The very same people who had helped me create the siphoner, my own brother, my twin chose to defy me just so they could protect people like your human parents. Especially your mother Madelynn! "

"Don't you dare talk about my mother! "I said as I ran straight towards her only to be stopped by a Darryl.

"Easy schoolgirl! "He said pulled me away from Chancellor Thorne.

"Save it for the real thing!"

"I understand why you all would hate me! "Thorne said. "But everything I have done on in the past and in the present has been to restore our species to the status that it once knew. To do, that I need all six of you help me!"

"Wait a minute! Why would you need all of us?" Adrian said as she yelled at Thorne." Plus, If we didn't want to completely kill you, how would we even be able to help?!

"When I was forced to execute your parents, I had to use the siphoner to abstract energy from the Anomaly. However, during my battle against them, it was damaged and I required the genetic samples of the six Akarrians who helped me create the device. Since you are their children, your genetic samples will be adequate enough to unlock it!"

"What about the other students that you've been inviting to your academy? "Natalie said as she raced towards the image of Thorne. "Why have you been siphoning energy from those who didn't pass training?"

Chancellor Thorne then summoned a strange chest piece that had the same eyeball symbol as our badges.

"what the hell is that thing?!" Daryl said.

"This is the main console of the siphon or that allows me to extract the life energy from others!" Thorne said.

"Life energy?" Adrian said.

"As I'm sure Madelyn's mother told you, the Academy is housed in another dimension caught between the middle of yours and the one where Akarrius once was." Thorne explained." when I approached this dimension, I soon realized that my physical form here was soon dwindling much like that of your parents. Its requires Life force in order to sustain my physical form. Which is why those who did not survive training at Zen Academy where used as fuel to sustain my body!"

"You're dying!" I said.

"It's far more complicated than that! Thorne said. But it is imperative that I require a consistent amount of life a force where's to keep me in tact which is why your connection to the anomaly along with your friends is exactly what I need to survive!"

"Why the hell shouldn't we just let you in fade away? "Daryl said.

"Because Mr. Wailer!" Thorne said as she he lifted her hands to us. If you all choose to join me, I can bring back your Akarian parents!"

We all held our breath after hearing what she had just proposed to us.

We were still in a sense of disbelief that she could do such an impossible!

"What do you mean bring back her parents?!" Eric said and while bowling his fist. "You killed them! you said it yourself! How can you possibly bring them back?"

"While I did have to unfortunately slay your parents, the Anomaly will grant me the ability to bring their minds to this dimension. And with the power of my beta kinesis, I can even construct them new bodies." Thorne said with an angelic smile.

Of course, by this point, we knew there was nothing holy about her.

"But what if we you choose not to help you? "Natalie said.

"Then I would have no other option but to kill off the remaining friends and family that you have on Earth!" Thorne said as her angelic smile turned into a devilish scowl.

"What are you talking about? "I said as I had my eyes reeled wide open an incomplete fear and turmoil.

"I still have the ability to who possess multiple beings from this dimension to yours thanks to the life force that I have collected so far. Thorne said as she gave a sinister grin. I could easily use my power is too find and mentally he murdered everybody you hold dear.

You may not be interested in helping me prolong my life, but you may be interested in saving Eric's little sister, Rick's tribe, Daryl's former coach and teammates, Natalie's entire Village, Adrian's mother and former basketball team, and even your friend Marcy's mother, Ms. Willis!"

As she listed off all of the people that we held near and dear to us, we saw pictures of their faces hovering around us. Although Adrian still had conflicting feelings about her mother the same way that Rick did about his grandfather in the rest of his tribe, I could still see them intense up incomplete fear and concern for them.

After come they were still there family.

As powerful as we were, there's no way we could stop her from killing of everyone simultaneously.

"In exactly one hour, I will be programming a portal similar to the one that you used to escape the academy to bring you back. "Thorne said as she he squinted her eyes at us staring down on us if she was an all-powerful Overlord. "You have two options, join me and be reunited with your Akarrian heritage or oppose me and watch very few people you still care about on this is infested planets be slaughtered. Choose Wisely!"

The construct of Thorne then disappeared. Leaving the six of us with an impossible decision to make.

# Chapter 47: The Team

It was the ultimatum from hell, and we all knew it.

Chancellor Thorne's words were swimming in my head.

Submit yourselves to me, and you shall see your loved ones resurrected. It is only logical.

Where do your loyalties lie, anyway? With a human planet that abhors your kind, or with me, who has only ever been on your side?

Argh! Thorne was at it again, using twisted logic to try to control us. If you didn't know better, you'd think siding with her was the moral thing to do.

But I had seen too much.

She was a monster, and her blood flowing in my veins was poison to my heart. I would give anything to get my dad back—almost anything, that is—except for joining any cause with THORNE written on it.

Dread began to block my throat as I realized the others didn't see from my perspective.

I glanced at Rick. I hadn't known him for long, but I knew his story.

Thorne's ultimatum wasn't just a decision for him; it was a battle of identity, with roots that spread deep in his heart.

In the visions I saw of his past, he harbored acrimony for his tribe, and in particular, his grandfather, for disowning him. If he joined Thorne, not only would he unite with his father, his tribe's approval wouldn't even matter to him anymore.

I chewed my lip. Rick was in a dangerous place. Even before our chaos with the Chancellor, Rick had been pushing himself to his limit trying to succeed as an inventor and engineer, for the same reason he contemplated giving in to Thorne.

Don't fall for it! I wanted to scream.

In my rising desperation, I peered at my other friends. Could none of them see Thorne's byzantine scheming? How she was using our emotions against us?

Before I could even say anything to Adrian, the wing-woman I could count on, her brows knitted. Just by reading my face, she knew where I stood on this matter—and we were at odds.

"How aren't you on the same page as the rest of us, chica?" She crossed her arms.

"Don't you want to meet your dad?!" She yelled.

"It's more than about that!" I pressed my hands to my face in frustration.

It's one thing when your best friend disagrees with you; it's entirely something else when you are standing between the thing your best friend desired more than anything else.

Stay strong, Maddie, I tell myself. For their sakes, I had to.

Like Rick, Adrian's future was vested in Thorne's offer. She had suffered years of abuse while living with her mother, and she hungered desperately to meet her dad, perhaps in the hope that he would complete her broken identity.

"I understand what your dad means to you, Adrian," I say, squeezing her hands,

"but this is more than about us. If we let Thorne have her way, we're handing the entire world to her. Thousands, if not millions, will die!"

She stared at me, contemplating my words. For someone who was normally bouncing with cheeriness, her silence was unsettling.

Without waiting for Adrian's response, I searched the room for Natalie. She was just behind Eric, who was murmuring with Daryl. I marched past them and called out to her. Natalie was curled in a ball and wouldn't even look at me.

"You don't understand," she whispers. "The only normalcy I've ever had was when I was living at home with my family." She closed her eyes. "I used to work the family garden. It was the only thing that could help me get over my father's death for years."

I shake my head. Is this the same girl that tried to kill me not all that long ago?

"Maddie."

I glance over my shoulder.

"We're going to surrender to Thorne," said Eric, his face serious.

My brows knotted in disbelief.

"Listen," I said, struggling to contain my desperation, "I get it. You're afraid to lose McKenzie—"

"It's nothing personal," Eric coughed, glancing around to make sure the others we're listening. "I'm trying to look out for us."

I stamped my foot. "Just admit it! You're scared to lose your sister."

I switched my gaze to Daryl. "And you're—"

"I'm about ready to give in to Thorne's request, yeah," he declared, without shrinking.

"Every time I resist a tough decision, terrible things happen to the people I love. Why is this decision so hard for you? Aren't you human?"

I clench my fists. "You're not seeing the bigger picture. If we—"

"I see the bigger picture. I don't want my friends in London getting hurt. I want to meet my Akarrian mother. The only way for all of us to get what we want is to join Thorne."

"It isn't just about you," I say, trying to rise above his voice, or about us—"

"And you're outnumbered," Daryl continues. "So I say we stop wasting time and just get this bloody thing over with."

"Will you stop that?" I exclaim.

"Stop what?"

"Interrupting me!" Heat burns the corner of my eyes. I can't cry in front of them.

"Listen," I raise my voice so the rest of them can hear, "I understand you're all personally vested in Thorne's ultimatum. I am too. I..." My voice shakes, but my fists loosen. "All my life, I've been isolated from my father's side of the family. You can't imagine how much I want to meet him. But the world is at stake.

If we give in to our own desires, we're turning our backs on countless innocent lives. You know Thorne. You know what she's capable of."

The room collapse into silence. All of them are staring at me. I've never liked attention, but tonight, bravery swells my heart until I feel twice my size.

Abruptly, Adrian bounds to my side. "Ay, all of you! Chica's right.

Let's get over ourselves and think about someone else's family we might save!"

Natalie lifts her head a little.

The boys exchange glances, uncertain. Adrian turns to look at me, and smiles break from our faces. Thank you, I silently tell her.

"Alright," Eric whispers.

The whole room blazes with energy, and then I know the others are with me. In that moment, Zirocco turns back online. His static voice charges the air.

"Please be advised," he hums, "that the schematics provided by Mr. Ardmore have been processed. Your new uniforms are ready."

Adrian whoops, and in the next few seconds, we're huddled together in a circle, embracing each other, crying, laughing, shouting.

We might all be dead by morning, I might have lost my old family, but I'm wasn't afraid anymore.

I have a new family now.

# Chapter 48: The Uniforms

We each took our own uniforms and changed into them as quickly as we could.

"Whoa! Check me out!" Adrian said.

She came out wearing a red uniform with gold streaks around it and an oval going across her chest.

"Looking good!" I said as a walked up to her sporting a green uniform with pink streaks on the side and pink butterfly outline on my chest.

"Same to you Medulla!" Adrian said.

"Medulla?" I asked.

"Since we are going to be bad ass super heroes, I'd figure we should each have a bad ass name to go with it!" Adrian said." On the field, call me Energygrid!"

"Great! Five seconds of wearing these "backstreet boys" costumes and she's already dishing out the nicknames!" Daryl said as he entered the room wearing a dark turquoise uniform with black imprints on the side. He also wore a pair of black visors.

"What?! You can't give us these cool threads and not have a cool name to go with it!"

"Fine I'll play along!" Daryl said." Call me Vicegrip!"

"Vicegrip?" I asked.

"Don't you remember schoolgirl?" Daryl said. "That was my nickname back when I did UFC in London! No one could ever break out of the headlocks that I'd give them!"

"Clever!" Rick said as he entered the room with Eric.

Eric was wearing a black and white uniform with a Ying Yang symbol in the middle and hold a helmet with two triangles slanted to the sides.

While Rick was wearing and orange and brown uniform with a bear claw on the left side of his chest. Rick was holding helmet that would only revealed his hair and his mouth.

"My names pretty obvious by my armor, Ying Yang!" Eric said.

"Nice rabbit ears!" Daryl joked about Eric's helmet.

"It's designed to help him focus on his telekinesis." Rick said.

"While you, Maddie, and Natalie were gone, he told me how it was a strain to focus when using it so I thought this would do the trick."

"Armor?" Adrian asked.

"I based these uniforms on the Zen Academy battle suits that we wore during training and used the tech in the tower to design them."

"That's incredible Rick!" I said.

"Zirocco did most of the work! By the way, you guys can call me

Primal!" Rick said.

"Fitting!" Natalie said.

She entered the room with her ponytail pulled back and a light violet headband and a purple mask that covered her nose and mouth. The rest of her uniform had purple plating covering her torso, ankles, forearms, feet, and back. The remaining parts of her body was filed with black and orange streaks.

"Wow!" Adrian said." Check out Warzone over here!"

Natalie pulled down her mask showing a scowl at Adrian.

"Oh boy! She's totally gone hit me again!" Adrian thought to herself.

"Actually! I like it!" Natalie said.

"Huh?!" Adrian said.

"Warzone! I like that name. Thanks!" Natalie smiled completely surprising Adrian!

"Uh- no problem! Say, doesn't this remind you guys of some TV show that use to be a big hit back in the 90′s?" Adrian asked.

"What do you mean?" Rick said.

"It was about six teenagers fighting some evil witch from space!" Adrian said." I mean it started of as five kids wearing different color suits. But then another one joined in after being super evil!"

She started scratching her head struggling to remember.

"I remember them being really powerful!" Adrian said.

"Focus guys!" I said." We still need to figure out a way to defeat Thorne!"

"Too bad we don't have a bunch giant robots to fight her with!" Adrian said.

"Adrian!" I screamed at her.

"Sorry Chica!" Adrian said.

"I might have an idea!" Eric said." But first, would you be able to shield our minds from your aunt when we face her Maddie?"

"Yeah! Sure!" I answered.

"Good! Then here's the plan!" Eric said.

# Chapter 49: The Machine

We all knew what the plan was to stop Thorne but we still had our doubts when it came down to it. We shortly made to front of the Academy within the time frame that she gave us.

"We're here!" Ying Yang said.

Thorne then floated towards us in her lab coat, carrying the siphoner attached to her chest and a over clouding sense of superiority.

"Hello Children!" Thorne said." I am so glad that you were able to come to the proper decision! Hm, and with a interesting new wardrobe!" She teased at our uniforms.

"Did we really have much of choice?" Energy Grid said as she turned her head to me.

"There is always a choice my dear" Thorne said." I only wish your parents had shared the same sentiment"

"You better keep your end of the bargain Thorne" Vice grip said.

"No need to worry Mr. Wailer" Thorne said." After this process has tooken place, I will my promise and resurrect your parents"

"How will you that? And why would wait till now to us the siphoner again" Ying yang said.

"My brother harnessed the life force energy of all of your parents and tried to overpower me. However, i had already absorbed too much life force from the last remaining survivors of our species and killed him and the others. But with my niece's powers, I can constructs of you parents and transmit their conscious into each one."

"What do we have to do?" Primal said.

"Each of you simple have to place your hand on this tablet." Thorne explained as she approached us while holding a tablet that was shaped like a wheel and a strange crystal ball." After the device is primed, Madelyn must hold this sphere. It will activate her connection to the Anomaly and I will be able to siphon it's power to revive your parents and finally leave this realm."

She then handed her tablet to Ying Yang. We all placed one of our hands on the tablet and it instantly started to glow. The same scriptures that I say in the academy appeared around our arms. The tablet began to glow with a cringing barrad of starlight.

We were all scared out of our minds not knowing what would really become of all of this.

"My hand is stuck" Energygrid said as she tried to lift her hand.

"Mine too!" Vicegrip said." What the bloody hell is this?"

"The process requires prolonged exposition to your DNA" Thorne said.

"After it is finished, it shall release your hands."

The tablet stopped glowing and we were able to remove our hands from the tablet.

"The tablet is officially primed" Thorne said.

"Now what?!" Warzone said.

"Now my niece will hold this sphere to access her unique connection to the Anomaly" Thorne said.

I walked over to her to hold the sphere. But before I did, she placed her hand on my face and whispered to me:

"Your father will be so proud when he meets you. I only wish your mother could have understood!"

"Just give me the damn ball!" I said as I wiped her hand off my face.

She gave me the ball and suddenly, I felt the Anomaly' influence taking over. The same dark green energy from before returned and I felt a thousand different voices enter my mind.

"Ahhhhh! It's too much!" I screamed in pain.

"You have to stop this, otherwise she will die!" Ying Yang said.

"It's only temporary!" Thorne said with a diabolical grin." Once the siphoner is at full power and the Anomaly's power is mine, she will be free to go."

The device on her chest began to glow and part of the Anomaly's power started to course through Thorne. She then started to levitate above the Academy and while she did, multiple tubes filled with the hybrids she had captured shot out of the school and began to float all around her.

"This is it!" Thorn said." After spending years trapped in this accursed realm, I will finally escape and remake Akaruis in my own image."

Then a portal started to form in front of her and she slowly started to gravitate towards it.

"Farewell humanity!" She said

"Warzone, Energygrid, now!" I said.

Then warzone grabbed Energygrid's hand and uses her second power to freeze time for a brief moment. Energygrid then flew up while carrying

Warzone towards the test tubes holding the hybrids.

Warzone then summoned a bow and arrow. Energygrid flung warzone towards them and then she shot multiple arrows at the tubes, linking them together.

"There! I'm done." Warzone said. She then feel towards the ground

and started to fall towards the ground. Only for Energygrid to catch her in mid air. Time returned back to normal.

"Vicegrip! Primal, now!" Warzone said.

"Let's do it!" Vicegrip said.

Then Primal grabbed Vicegrip and threw him towards Thorne with the strength of a gorilla! Vicegrip began to spin clockwise like a football spiral and charged up his hands.

Thorne quickly sensed Vicegrip's presence as he was rocketed towards her.

"No! You won't stop me" Thorne said.

She then harnessed the dark energy she was stealing from the Anomaly to hold Vicegrip in place.

"Foolish boy!" she said." You couldn't even stop your own brother!

What makes you think you can stop me?!"

"This time I'm not working alone!" He said." Ying Yang, now!!"

Then Ying Yang used his dark energy beams to blast himself in mid air above Thorne and then fired a massive energy beam from both hands.

The blast was too powerful for Thorne to contain and blasted her straight through the Academy roof.

Ying Yang was then able to use his telekinesis to catch Vicegrip and Energygrid was able to catch Ying Yang from falling. They all made it to the ground and met up with Primal and I.

I felt everyone else pause around me. They all knew that we would lose any chance of meeting our parents. Throughout this whole adventure, we all desired to because of our upbringings.

"Medulla!" Warzone said pulling out the picture of her parents and placed her hand on my shoulder.

I looked up to her for a brief second to see her wipe away her tears.

"Do it Maddie. Make our parents proud!" She said.

I smiled to her fighting back the tears in my eyes and focused on taking back the power from the Anomaly that the sphere was draining from me.

I then took the sphere and slammed it to the ground, cutting Thorne off from my connection to the Anomaly. The sphere cracked wide open and released a gigantic flash of green light.

When the huge flash simmered, we each were face to face with what appeared to be our Akarrian parents!

They appeared to be green and purple apporations. They couldn't speak but each one were smiling at us as we all stood there happy yet sad.

"Dad?!" I said with tears flowing down my eyes.

He then blew me a kiss just like my mom used to before he vanished along with the other apparitions. Most of us kneeled to the ground, overwhelmed with finally meeting our parents even if for just a minute.

Then a large energy wave the color of magenta shot straight out of the academy, causing the academy to begin to crumble. In the middle of the energy wave, Chancellor Thorne flew up and had a vengeful frown onher.

We all stood up instantly, knowing that this fight was not over.

"Damn you filthy, ominous halflings!!" Thorne said in a huge limits of pure rage."

I gave you a chance to know your heritage! To live as conquerors!

Yet this is how you repay me?!"

"Time for us to finish were our parents left off: taking you down!" I said.

"Silence bastard child!" Thorne said." You are no family of mine!"

"Feelings mutual!" I said." Alright guys, let's take this bitch down!!"

We were all ready to end this damn nightmare. It was six teenagers with strange powers against an evil alien with even stranger powers to decide the fate of our world.

One thing remained clear: losing was not an option!

# Chapter 50: The Unity

It's hard to imagine that going up against a power hungry alien could get any scary then this.

We were all staring at the monstrous display of power that Thorne was about to unleash. With the partial energy that she had siphoned from the Anomaly, we have all had our doubts if we could stop her.

"You children should have joined me when you have a chance!" Thorne said." Especially you my dear! You inherited your father's weakness.

You're pathetic belief in human righteousness blinds you from the power that our race is truly capable of."

She continued to surge with rage as the remains of the academy circled around her, adding a thunderstorm like presence to her.

"I didn't want to kill your parents but it was the only way I could ensure of Utopia for the Akarrian race. It's a shame that neither them nor any of you could have seen the true vision of New Akaruis!"

"Guys we have to destroy that thing on her chest!" Primal said."

If we do that, it should cause break her connection to the Anomaly for good!"

Thorne then summon a massive ball of energy composed of magenta lights and fired it straight towards us.

"Die you ominous scum!" She shouted that she released her massive energy ball.

"Time to move! "Ying Yang said" Let's go!"

Ying Yang ran towards the blast and used his blackout beams to blast the energy ball, causing it to explode before it reached us and giving off a huge flash of light.

With the energy ball destroyed, Energy grid and I flew over him while the others ran follow on foot.

But then, Thorne clutched her hands together and fired a beam of energy at us.

"I got this!" Adrian said.

She coated her entire body in Ruby quartz and then stood infant of the blast. When the beam hit her, her body absorbed the attack. Energygrid was then able to refocus the blast through her crystals by pointing her arms towards Thorne and unleashing it on her.

"You fools!" Thorne said. She brushed off her own attack by creating a yellowish force field around her. She then used her telekinesis to hurl large debris from the academy at us.

"I'll take care of this!" Primal said. He harnessed the speed of a cheetah and then the ability of a hawk to pick himself of the ground.

As he maneuvered straight towards the boulders through flight, he summoned the fire breath of a dragon to burn the debris to a crisp.

"That won't be enough to stop me!" Thorne said. She then opened two portals side by side, summoning two Zen Academy goliaths to attack us from above

"You two keep charging!" Vicegrip said to Warzone and I.

He then jumped towards robots and and slashed his arms in mid-air. The energy waves that he admitted from his arms sliced straight through the goliaths, causing them to explode seconds after contact.

War zone and I were getting closer and closer to Thorne. While we did, I noticed that her device started to glitch. It looked like she could hold on to the power she took from the Anomaly for long.

"No! I can't let the siphon overload!" Thorne said in a panic.

She then used the remaining debris revolving around her to form a force field to keep us out.

As we got closer, Warzone looked up as Thorne as she struggled to finish her blockade from us.

"I see an opening!" Warzone said." Give me a lift!

"Are you sure!" I asked her.

"Don't make me regret it!" War zone said.

I picked her up and flew straight towards Thorne.

Before she could finish ceiling us of from herself, Warzone used her time manipulation powers to slow down the process of thorn completing her force field. We were able to fly within a small gap between the debris.

Once we made it through, I summoned a tiger shroud while Warzone summoned a sword. We were able to pierce Thorne's chest, destroying the siphoner in the process.

When Warzone's time freeze came to an end, I then grabbed her by the hand and flew us as far away from Thorne as possible.

"This is unacceptable." Thorne said as the destroyed siphoned spouted energy from the Anomaly out of its core.

Thorne then looked at her hands only to find multiple cracks racing from her hands through the rest of her body!

Warzone and I landed on the ground to meet up with the others as we saw Thorne lose her grip in this plain of existence.

She then turned to us with a furious look on her face.

"Damn you halfings!" Thorne shouted to us while curling up floating above the remains of Zen Academy.

Her body was decomposing at a quick pace as she pointed at us with a desire for vengeance.

"Mark my words!" Thorne shouted as her body started to have rays of yellow light shot out of it." I promise to find a way back and then I will kill you all!"

She then exploded into a large, yellow and magenta flash of light.

The explosion had sent a huge gust of wind that blew us all back a couple feet.

As the dust cleared, the six of us stood within the barren wasteland all in one piece and triumphant.

# Chapter 51: The Finale

The six of us stood there at aw of what we had just accomplished. For a second, It felt like we were in some corny comic strip where the good guys win and the bad guy dies!

"Whoa!" Adrian said jumping in the air." We totally saved the world!"

"Did we?!" Daryl said folding his arms.

"Uh yeah!" Adrian said to him." Evil pink chancellor gone! Hello?!"

"He's right!" Natalie said." Whenever one war ends, another one is bound to happen soon after!"

"Yeah you two are seriously bumming me out!" Adrian said.

"I see where their coming from" Eric said while walking alongside

Rick and I three feet towards the academy." The hybrids that were transported back to earth aren't safe. Vanity is still out there."

"Oh right!" Adrian said." Kind of forgot about them!"

She and the others then walked toward the academy to catch up with the rest of us.

"So you guys think we should do something about that?" Rick said."

We did work pretty good as a team."

We all looked at each other with a sense of comradery linking us together.

"Anyone have a name for our team?" Natalie smiled.

"Oh I know!" Adrian smiled." How about we call ourselves..... The Sensational Six?"

"Please don't make me have to fight you again!" Natalie said as she instantly frowned at Adrian's idea.

"What you think you can make one better Joan of Arc?" Adrian replied.

"Wait a minute!" I said." That word that Thorne kept using to describe us. What was it again?"

"I think she said that we were ominous!" Eric said.

"That's perfect!" I said.

"Wait! What's perfect?" Daryl ask.

"Our name!" I smiled." How about we call ourselves.....The ominous?!"

"Catchy! I like it!" Darryl said.

"Definitely! I can see us calling ourselves that!" Rick said.

"Fine! I guess it's a cool name!" Adrian said." Still think my name was better!" She pouted.

"Fine! We'll call ourselves The Ominous!" Natalie said." Better than Rodriguez's name!"

"Hey!" Adrian said.

"So it's settled!" Eric said." Here on out, we'll call ourselves The Ominous!" 

# Chapter 52: The Ominous

So there you have it!

The story of how six teenage outsiders with these freaky powers came to be champions of the hybrid race.

There was still alot we didnt know about this new phase in our lives.

Like who were are alien parents? Why did Thorne create Zirocco? Whydid The Akar choose earth? How many hybrids were still out there?

Would we face Chancellor Thorne or someone like her again?

The list goes on but I felt this story was long enough.

"Medulla! We have trouble. Let's move" Ying yang said"

"On my way Eric I mean Ying Yang!" I said.

Whatever the future holds for us, the six of us knew that we would be ready to face it together. Whether it was Vanity trying to hunt us down. My crazy aunt or another person like her trying to use hybrids as their own power source / Army. Or even a threat that we don't fully understand, a few things about us are true but need to be explained :

We are dangerous. But only to those who seek to eliminate us.

We are threatening. But only to those who threaten the defenseless.

So please don't call us Heroes! Heroes play it safe, but we don't.

Heroes back down when the going gets tough but we can't!

We are Defenders. We are protectors, we are.......

The Ominous.

# After Book

Two months pass....

A hooded figure walks upon the collapsed pieces of Zen Academy. The baron landscape takes on its intensive desert like appearance as this mysterious adversary walks through the eradicated institution.

Enter Prince Axel Marshack (Lord Ethos):

"So there is a team of hybrids who was able to defeat Thorne!" . The mysterious man said in a dark, observant demeanor as he picked up the cracked sphere used to draw out the Anomaly.

"They call themselves The Ominous!" Lord Ethos said." Claiming to be the protectors of our race yet still feel the need to protect the human filth!"

As he continued along with his speech, several hidden figures gathered behind him. All of them kneeled before him like knights bowing towards a king.

"We shall show them and the human garbage they've sworn to protect that we alone are meant to inherit this world!" He said shattering the sphere in his hand as a huge gust of wind circled around him.

The wind was soon accompanied by a spontaneous flame that appeared from under his feet while simultaneously floating the shards from the sphere around his body. Along with the flame arouse water particle from the air around him that transformed into a stream of water floating between the flames and the wind. Finally, the ground around him broke from the surface and lifted him ten feet from the ground.

"This planet is our to command!" Lord Ethos said as he raised his voice." If these Ominous refuse to join us, they too shall be slain by the hands of The Allegiance!"

The crowd around him were in an up roar! Vigorously cheering him on as he tilted his head back and stretched his arms side to side, basking in his follower's cult like devotion as they chanted:

"All hail Ethos! All hail Ethos! All hail Ethos! All hail Ethos!"

End of Book I

Book II :

The Ominous: Dawn of the Allegiance
