the family secret

In a nice house, a family of three was eating dinner at the table: a middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes, the mother, and their teenage son.

"You have surpassed yourself again, Lily. The food is very delicious," said the man.

"Thank you, honey. I'm happy that you liked it. So, Max, is there anything new at your school?" asked Lily.

Max raised his head away from his food and said, "All the same things, nothing new."

John cleared his throat and said, "Good. Hmm, honey, don't you have something to tell Max?"

John raised his head from his food, cleared his mouth, and said, "Son, we found your internet browser history."

The glass on the table cracked and exploded, but luckily no one was harmed.

With a tired look on his face, John said, "Son, how long have you had telekinesis? I just want to know. I'm not mad or scared. My family also has psychic powers. We are not going to do anything that might harm you or give you to the government, just like in the comic books you read."

Max was stunned and didn't know what to do or say. He took a deep breath and said, "It's been a few weeks since I got them."

John nodded and said, "Let's go to the living room and let your mother clean up the mess. When she comes back, I'll tell you about our family."

After ten minutes, everyone was sitting In the living room.

"Okay, let me start. As you see, son, in this world, vampires, werewolves, and other magical creatures are real. Humans with supernatural abilities are called psychics. A psychic might have different abilities, like telekinesis, talking with ghosts, or having visions of the future."

Max interrupted, "May I ask why you are telling me all of this now?"

John replied, "Let me finish first. Your grandfather, my father, is a strong psychic who can see the future, but he was not a great father. The fact that I don't have any powers didn't help me connect with him. I thought that if you didn't inherit any powers, you wouldn't need to know about it. Your grandfather hasn't contacted us in years. Do you have any more questions?"

Max took a couple of seconds before asking, "Does this change anything? Do we have to move to a different city, or should I go to a special school?"

John answered, "Well, In fact, there is a special private school for people who have similar abilities. But it's your choice if you want to go there. I mean, you did a great job hiding your power until now."

Lily laughed a little and said, "It was actually a joke to see your reaction and trick you into revealing something. We just didn't expect you to break the glasses with your mind."

Max quickly changed the subject before his mother could go any further. "Could you tell me more about this school?"

"Of course," John said. "First, it's called Nevermore. It's near a town called Jericho, near the mountains and forest. It contains all sorts of magical creatures like vampires, werewolves, and sirens." And just like that, John kept talking about Nevermore all night.

After a week, I was lying on my bed, looking at the ceiling of my room, thinking about everything that had happened to me in this life—from reincarnating in this world, the new loving family, and the amazing power that I got, to the new supernatural world.

In my old life, I failed to become a doctor and became a nurse instead. I didn't like It at first, but I later loved my new job. It had its ups and downs, but I was happy. If only I hadn't worked overtime, I wouldn't have ended up here. This makes me feel confused. I don't see it as a bad thing, especially with my new family, whichh is very different from the old one.

I am just worried. This Is a supernatural world, and there is even a school for supernatural entities. If movies and comic books have taught me anything, it's that there's a chance of a big problem that might disturb or even threaten my life, my family, or even the world.

I promise myself that I won't be like Spider-Man. I will protect everyone I love, even if that means killing. I decided to go to Nevermore just to keep things under control. I won't let any stupid main character with friendship and love ruin my life. Usually, things go to the worst possible scenario before they save the day.

I hadn't heard anything about Nevermore in my past life. Either I didn't watch it, or this world is completely new.

Let's see what I've accomplished in the last 15 years. My powers started at 5, not including telekinesis, which I got a few weeks ago. I can tell if someone is lying and know the emotional state of the person in front of me. Apparently, my powers enhanced and improved my mind, turning me into a genius. I can remember everything I saw, heard, or smelled. I can process and receive information better than ever.

I also have my newest power, telekinesis, which is very interesting. When I first got it, I was only able to use it like one invisible hand, but now I can use two, and I can change the shape of the hand a little.

I can feel the brain activity of the people around me and have started to learn their brain waves. Apparently, everyone has their own unique brain wave.

The first on my plan is self-control and meditation. The way I revealed my powers was embarrassing and very humiliating. I want to drown myself every time I think of it. From my experience with my mother, she won't let it go. I have a few embarrassing moments, and she remembers every single one of them. This would be the biggest black dot in my two lives.

I closed my eyes and started on my project: the mind castle. If this works, I would get another boost to my mind. In the future, I might need to do more than one thing at the same time. Even though I just started it, I think it will take a couple of months before it's finished.

### A Week Later In the Car

"So, son, are you excited about your new school? I can assure you that Nevermore is not a bad place. After all, I went there. If you don't like it, you can always come back. I don't want to force you, but at least give It a try."

"I understand. Don't worry about me. I will be fine. I am more than capable of taking care of myself," said Max.

Lily turned to Max and said, "We know that. Just don't get some girl pregnant. I am not comfortable with you being away from my sight. Don't forget to eat and don't dare to ignore my calls, or I will drive all the way just to see why. I don't think you want that, do you?"

"No, no, I don't. I will answer your calls the second I can."

"And call me at least once a day." And just like that, the worried mother kept talking to her son.

### An Hour Later at Principal Weems' Office

A nicely dressed woman with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes had a beautiful, calm, welcoming smile on her face.

"Welcome to Nevermore Academy. You must be the Grey family. Please take a seat."

"I have to say that Max's academic record is quite impressive. It's good enough to get into any school he wants. We are glad that you chose Nevermore, but may I ask why you want to attend here?"

"I want to meet Interesting people who share abilities like mine. I want to be in a place where I can be myself without worrying about people thinking I'm weird or different In a bad way," Max said with a smile.

"In that case, I think you will find Nevermore to be the perfect place for you," Principal Weems said with the same smile that never left her face.

"You can receive your uniform and everything else in the registration office. From there, you can get the keys to your room. You can leave now; I have another family to meet."

### An Hour Later Near the Gates of Nevermore

"Remember to eat three healthy meals every day and drink a lot of water. Anything else doesn't count, like coffee or cola. Don't stay up late; always get a full eight hours of sleep. Call me if you get sick, and I will send you soup," Lily said.

"Mom, enough. I understand. You don't need to repeat this every time. I'm not five," said Max.

Before he finished, he felt two arms hugging him.

"I will miss you, Max. Please take care of yourself and don't make me worry. Always remember to visit me."

"Mom, I'm not going to college. It's just private school."

"And when you graduate, you are going to college," Lily said with tears In her eyes.

"Mom, please don't make this very emotional. Dad, please help me here."

"I can't do anything, son. It's her job to be emotional. She's your mom, after all," John said with a smile, apparently enjoying Max's suffering and embarrassment.

Lily wiped her face, composed herself, and smiled. "I finished. Your turn, John, to be the emotional parent."

John, who knew this was going to happen, said, "Let's get this done. We have a long road ahead. Okay, son, take care of yourself and don't get into trouble. Keep your daily exercise, and the most important thing is not to get some girl pregnant. I'm not in a hurry to be a grandfather. That's It. Let's go."

"STOP! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? YOU ARE NOT LEAVING UNTIL I SEE YOU HUG HIM

John stopped moving, turned back, walked to his son, and gave him a quick hug before heading to the car.

After a few minutes, Max stopped waving at the leaving car. "Let's go to my room. I still have to unpack my stuff and meet my new roommate."

When he opened the door to his room, he saw a nice, well-kept space. On the left side of the room, there was a kid about his age. The second the boy saw Max, he stood up and said, "Hello, my name is Eugene. I suppose you're my new roommate." He raised his hand as a sign that he wanted to shake Max's hand.

Max shook his hand and said, "Hi Eugene, my name is Max Grey. You can call me Max."

"Do you want me to help you unpack?" Eugene offered.

"Thank you, but I can handle it by myself. However, you could tell me what you know about this place while I unpack my stuff," Max replied.

"Sure! Let's start with the history. Nevermore was founded in 1791 by a group of visionary intellectuals and outcasts who sought to create a sanctuary for those with unique and supernatural abilities."

And just like that, Eugene never stopped talking until it was dinner time.

"Look at the time! Let's go to the cafeteria. I'll show you the way. It's Italian night."

They took some pizza and sat down to eat while Eugene kept explaining the social dynamics at the academy.

"There are four main groups: Fangs for vampires, Fur for werewolves, Scales for sirens, and Stoners."

"What about psychics?" Max asked.

"Well, first, there aren't a lot of them, and each one may have a different power from the other, so it's more like a very exclusive group."

"I understand. So, what are the interesting things that you learn at Nevermore?"

"A lot, actually! From the biological structure of werewolves and vampires to the life cycle of carnivorous plants and how to find and take care of them."

### Later That Night

Max was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

If this world was a movie or TV show or a book, Nevermore is most likely the place where the plot happens. Now, I need to find the main character, find out what the future problem is, and solve It, fix it, or prevent it from happening in the first place.

There are many stories about high schools for people with special powers and abilities, and in the majority of them, this place is likely to get destroyed. Some people might even die.

I will not let the worst possible scenario happen and wait for some hero to save the day.

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