Chapter 001 - Envy

Envy - Envy (invidia) is characterized by an insatiable desire like greed and lust. It can be described as a sad or resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else.

Fifty years ago, scientists from several countries designed a drug that is able to give humans the ability to do extraordinary things, like become bulletproof, run at the speed of sound, and even fly.

Since then, the drug has been used almost exclusively to wage war. Millions of super-powered soldiers were created around the world with less-than-ethical levels of efficiency.

Thats exactly where my problems began.

My father is of the first generation of super-powered individuals, the 'Enabled'. He was lucky enough to develop mind controlling and reading capabilities. I suppose that's why my brother, Rio, was born with telekinesis. You know, making shit float? The only difference is, he can catch bullets.

I never met my mother, but I learned that she was payed by the government to have my father's child, which is how my twin brother and I came about. After that, she took the money and left. As for me, I was born with no power, looked down upon by everyone in my life. The military still has hopes for me, which is why I'm currently only a few miles out from the battlefield that both my father and my fifteen-year-old brother fight at daily. I'm currently in temporary housing, sitting around, doing nothing, and being bored.

I so desperately wished I could be like one of any of the hundreds of kids my age in the same camp as I. Outside our small military-assigned shack, I could see some of them gearing up, with one group flying in the direction that my father and brother had gone just a few hours before. Another group touched hands and was instantly transported away. The remaining groups followed suit, doing their own bullshit before going off.

Every day I had dreamed of being like them, praying to the gods and trying my hardest to make something float.

But nothing ever changed. I was 'Disabled'. There was nothing special about me, no reason for me to exist. If I died, no one would care. Sometimes I longed for the release of death, but just as my other prayers, there was no god to answer me. How could there be? How could there be such a being to play such a cruel joke on me, such a being that could be so heartless as to make my life so miserable? To make my brother have everything he ever wanted, but to cast me aside as though I had never been there?

Then came the sound of gunfire. While I had heard it many times before, it had never been that close. As of the moment, we were several miles south of the border between Mexico and the United States. In the years since the Power-providing miracle drug had been released, bordering countries had slowly gone into constant war with each other, and nearly all Enabled were sent to the front lines, with those who didn't go acting as home defense. To put it simply, they were pretending to be superheroes, flying around the cities doing jack-shit and getting featured in movies and starting their own lines of merchandise.

Back in my reality, the gunfire had gotten even closer, to the point it was right outside of camp. The noise was nearly deafening. We were stationed out here to fight and anti-Enabled terrorist organization, hence the bullets instead of fireballs.

A loud boom outside made me rethink that statement.

Suddenly, through the doors of our home, came my brother, stained with blood and crying tears that I hadn't seen since he was five.

"We have to go. Father is fighting while we evacuate." As he spoke, he levitated me and carried me through the doorway, landing me next to him as we took off running.

"What the hell's going on? Why are they this close?" I tried to ask this question as I was quickly running out of breath.

"Their numbers seemingly doubled overnight. We were overwhelmed. I'd like to say we retreated, but most of us died trying to return to camp." He wiped more tears from his eyes.

As we ran, my brother pulled me behind him and caught several bullets aimed at us with his telekinesis. More and more came, but it was like an unseen, solid wall caught all of them with ease. I knew that using his power like this would drain him quickly, so I ran to cover, and he followed suit.

The run was only a few feet, but clearly it was too much for my already exhausted brother. A bullet caught him in the leg, and another in the side. He dropped next to me, finally behind cover.

He had saved me, instead giving his life. As he lay next to me, he looked pathetic. This was what I had dreamed for all those years? No, I wanted more. He deserved more. He didn't deserve to lie here until he was captured, and then interrogated painfully for days on end. The least I could do was put him out of his misery.

I reached for the knife located in his tactical vest, pulling it out and holding it over him. "I won't let you live in pain." Tears stained my cheeks as he gave me a weary smile. "I'm sorry, Rio."

"To think after all the fighting I did out there, I would be killed in my own camp by my Disabled brother." He smiled from ear to ear, closing his eyes.

I drove the knife into his chest, right above his heart.

Then came the visions. They were of many things, some of us riding bikes around camp as children, another where we were eating together. Some memories weren't mine. One was of the battlefield, bodies around me and my hands stained with blood. I was crying tears. These weren't my experiences; these were my brother's. As the knife drove deeper, more and more memories flooded in, to the point that his entire life flashed through my eyes. Perhaps I had Imagined it, but I even felt his pain, a burning in my chest, leg, and side. The pain nearly drove me mad. Was he screaming, or was I? Everything blurred together.

Where was I? Who am I? Why me? Everything had gone by so fast; my shitty life had only gotten worse.

I felt the last bit of life drain from my brother's body, and everything stopped. it didn't matter, I was already going to die.

A man came around the corner, burly, and dressed in a uniform I had only once seen the likes of. It was in the memories of my now dead brother. He was my enemy; he was the one I had to kill. As he aimed the barrel of his weapon at me, it felt like time had stopped; I lifted my hand as though to shove him, and as I raised it, the man was launched backwards with enough force to shatter every bone is his body. I turned to peek over the wall I was behind, and the world resumed. There were terrorists still fighting, but they were lessening in numbers. It seemed like the rest of the Enabled had regrouped, using their powers as a team to fend off the attackers.

I was unsure of what I had done to the man that was now dead several feet away from me, so, cautiously, I raised my palm to face a nearby group of terrorists, and I exerted all my mental force in attempt to kill them. Nothing. Had it been a fluke?

After all I had done, after all I had lived through, was it all for nothing? Was I truly still powerless? Why? Why? WHY? Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy?!??!? Why, after the hell I had lived through, was I still put through this? I hated everyone, the terrorists, the government, and even the enabled. I wished they would just DIE.

As my anger came to a climax, the same group I had failed to kill earlier was crushed. Some were pulled apart, limb from limb, others were launched backwards, their bodies hitting the wall with a sickening crack. After I had calmed down from the shock of the sight, there was still one soldier remaining. Now understanding, I looked at him, exerting my will upon his body. His neck began to stretch with great force, and he clawed at it as though he were being choked, until his head tore right off. His lifeless body fell to the ground, and the other battles around me had nearly finished as well.

With the camp slowly quieting down, occasional gunfire aside, I came to a beautiful realization;

My dream had come true. There was nothing left to wish for. I no longer wished to have what my brother did, I already had what he did; and more.

After all, what's to envy of a dead man?