Where It All Began...

"Sinead, what ya doing tonight?" My friend Blake asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing special." I mumbled as I took a bite out of my chicken wrap, that tasted disgusting.

Ew! Hospital food...

I pulled a face and slapped it back onto the smeared plate, making him laugh.

"I know, it's horrible, but I've gotta survive, right?"

He had already polished off his plate of vile pasta. The smell still made me gag.

"How much longer are you gonna be here?" I asked.

"Dunno. That fall I had was pretty high up." He sighed.

I nodded sadly.

Yeah...

"But it was pretty cool." I said with a grin.

He smiled back. "It was awesome! I can't wait 'till my leg's outta this cast!"

We high-fived, then laughed. His mum Kelly walked back over to the table. She had to use the bathroom.

"What's so funny?" She questioned.

We hesitated.

Oh, no... She thinks he broke his ankle playing football on the icy field!

"Oh, nothing, Mum, Sinead was just trying to cheer me up." He excused.

"Ah… Right, I see. Sinead, you haven't even touched your food. You need to eat." She stressed.

I shrugged carelessly. "I'm fine."

Suddenly, my hands began to shake uncontrollably. I panicked and quickly hid them under the table.

Oh, no! I haven't used my powers for a while!

Blake noticed that, and panicked too. He made an excuse for me.

"Hey, Sinead, can you go get me a chocolate bar from over the street? You know, the one I really like?"

I nodded furiously, and stood with my shaking legs, hiding my trembling hands in my coat pockets, then ran out of the building.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief, turned invisible, then flew high up, into the sky, and hovered over a large cloud.

Ahh... That's the stuff...

I can't go very long without using my powers, I have no idea why. I have no idea why I have them in the first place!

One day, when I was eight, I wondered why everyone was ignoring me at school, and it turned out, I was invisible! I found out when I was crying in the bathroom mirror, and I couldn't see myself!

That's when I met Blake. Someone had pushed him into the girls' bathroom, as a joke, and he saw me! I was so relieved, but confused at the same time.

Why was he the only one who could see me when I was like that?

I remember exactly what I said to him… "You can see me! Let's be friends!"

I laughed at what I said so many years ago, then laughed harder, because that actually worked!

After that day, we became best friends. He helped me discover my other powers, we had so much fun, but it always ended in him getting hurt.

Like now. This time, he made me fly him onto the school roof, which was the lowest one, and I chose that for that exact reason. Luckily I did.

When I put him down, I told him to keep a hold of me. He didn't listen and slid off, luckily everyone just heard him moan, after he fell. No one saw him actually fall off the roof. He's lucky he didn't break his back!

I felt so guilty, but he loved it! He said it was the most fun he'd ever had. I swear, sometimes I think he's insane, but I love that about him. If he wasn't the way he is, he wouldn't like me, or my powers. He'd think I was the insane one! He'd probably think I was a witch or something!

I have no idea what I am, but I know that I'm special, different, and I'm proud of that.

'But it's so important that I keep it secret', says Blake, 'no one can EVER find out.' The government will want to cut me open, use me as a weapon, and I definitely don't want that.

I shivered as the cold winter air hit me. I sighed then travelled back down, before Kelly got suspicious.

I landed in the hospital car park, luckily, it was too dark to see me. I rushed over the road, bought his chocolate bar, then rushed back to the canteen.

I think I was gone way too long. I better think of an excuse.

When I got to the canteen, they announced that they were closing in five minutes. I saw Blake on his crutches with his mum, I ran over to them.

"Sorry! I got lost! Here." I presented the chocolate bar to him then shoved it in his pocket for him. He thanked me.

"Sinead, it's getting really late, thank you for staying, and keeping Blake company, but can I drive you home now?" Kelly offered.

I shook my head furiously. "No, thanks, I'm fine." I blurted out. Maybe too quickly.

Yeah... I don't have a home… It's a long story...

"Yeah, Mum, she's fine, it's not THAT dark out." Blake backed me up.

"Fine, goodbye, Sinead." She sighed.

I waved goodbye then walked out of their sight so I could turn invisible.

That was close.

I carefully weaved round the crowds of people, then waited by the entrance door of the canteen for someone to open it.

When they did, I sprinted behind them so the door didn't close on me, then shot into the air.

Whoa! It's so cold!

I shivered, making me lose balance, but I didn't panic. I just rolled into it then flew higher.

Yeah, you can tell, I've had a lot of practise.

I flew so fast, that everything was a blur, but then!

CRASH!

I moaned as I hit the chimney of a house, then slid down the tiles. I quickly grabbed a hold of the drain pipe, to steady myself. I was still flying, luckily.

Phew... That was way too close!

I shook my head in disbelief, then shot further into the sky, up with the clouds.

"Whoa, that was quite a tumble you had there." Someone joked, making me scream!

Ah! Who said that!?

I screamed in horror when I looked to the left of me. A man, maybe a bit older than me, was flying right next to me!

I couldn't believe my eyes. Am I dreaming!?

He had wavy blonde hair, that swung by his chin and vivid green eyes. He wore a smirk on his face.

I stopped dead, making him stop too. We both hovered in the air, above a skyscraper, staring at each other.

"What? Never seen someone else in the sky before? You must be an early bloomer." He commented with a laugh.

I just shook my head.

No, I can't believe this... No one else can do what I can! Wait...

"Early bloomer? What are you? How are you flying like me?" I snapped.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You seriously don't know? Wow, I better get you down to Dad." He said, like he was speaking his thoughts.

My mind was blown! His dad? What is he going on about!?

"No way, I have no idea who you are." I spat then sped off, or at least tried to.

He grabbed me by my ankle and yanked me back. I glared at him.

"You're not getting away that easily." He warned.

I screamed as he dragged me out of the sky. I frantically tried to grab a hold of something, but we were coming down at such a rate, that everything was a blur.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fly out of his grasp.

How strong is he!?

Then, he began to slow down, giving me a chance to escape his grasp, as we came closer to the ground.

I went for it, but he yanked me back again. He trapped me in his arms so I couldn't escape.

He landed with a thud, on the concrete ground and he dragged me inside what looked like a run-down pub. I fought and fought, but to no avail.

Argh!

He kicked the rotten, mouldy door open, and threw me to the tiled floor inside. I moaned in pain as my head slammed against the tiles he drew a sharp breath.

"Damn... Sorry!"

Black spots invaded my vision. I felt like I was moving my head side to side really fast, but I definitely wasn't. He swore under his breath.

I only saw his mouth move, I couldn't hear a thing, which panicked me.

Did I fall that hard?

I tried to sit up, but more pain came, slamming me back down. I cried out for help.

My back!

I felt vibrations in the floor below me, big ones, like people were running towards me, but I was in too much agony to see them. I think I passed out, because when I opened my eyes, I was in a strange place.

Ugh... What happened...?

I slowly opened my eyes, to find some guy staring down at me. A guy as tall as the ceiling!

Ah! Where am I!? Who is that guy!? This isn't my hideout!

I tried to sit up, to see where I was. The guy placed his gloved hands on my shoulders and gently laid me back down.

"Who are you!?" I demanded, whilst eyeing his lab coat, and medical gloves.

Is he a doctor? Am I in hospital? No... What happened...? Did I hurt myself? I can't remember...

"Hello." He said with a wave. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

He didn't answer my question.

"Where am I?" I asked shortly.

He pushed up his black-framed glasses that had slid down his nose and smiled down at me, creeping me out.

"I'm Marcus, Marcus Lawson." He introduced himself, confusing me even more.

"But where am I? Is this a hospital? Did I hurt myself?"

He furrowed his brows this time. "You don't remember?"

I shook my head slowly, causing pain to shoot across my forehead.

"Ouch!"

He quickly lifted my head and held it in his hands. The pain soon went away. I sighed in relief.

It's gone… Wait, how did he make the pain go away?

I sent him a shocked stare, his smile grew wider.

"You're so oblivious." He said with a laugh.

I started to get annoyed.

"Oblivious about what?" I questioned.

His smile turned into a grin. "You really don't know, do you? I guess Nathan was right." He muttered.

Now I was getting angry. "WHERE AM I!?" I screamed, taking him aback.

"In my lab, okay? Calm down." He instructed.

LAB!? AH! The government got me! They really got me!

Out of panic, I hastily punched him in the face, then shot from the bed. He just threw me back onto it!

I was stunned, especially because my punch didn't even hurt him!

How on earth!?

He seemed amused for some reason as he laid me back down.

"You can't hurt me." He stated.

I scowled. "I know that now! Please, just don't kill me!" I begged.

He wore a puzzled expression. "Kill you? I wouldn't dream of it. I didn't bring you here to harm you. I brought you here to help you, well, Nathan did."

Okay… Still very confused, but okay...

"Who is this Nathan?"

He moved out of the way so I could see him. He was sitting on a bench, playing on his smartphone. I instantly recognised him.

Oh, I'm remembering now! I was flying to my hideout, then I lost balance, and that guy saw me, dragged me to some pub, he was flying! Oh, my god… I met that guy, who can fly like me! And his name's Nathan… Okay... This is a lot to take in- wait, why did he drag me into a pub? God, this must be a dream!

I glared at him, making him look up.

His eyes widened. "What? I didn't mean to hurt you!" He stressed.

I scowled. "Of course you didn't! What is this place!?"

"Shh..."

The guy laid me back down, then stabbed some needle in my arm. I swore at him, and he suddenly stopped then glared at me. My eyes widened.

"No swearing." He snapped.

I nodded furiously.

Okay! Okay! But why...?

"Oh! You just got told!" Nathan remarked. I ground my teeth.

Argh...

"I'll come over there and beat you up!" I yelled at him.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! A girl could never beat a man!"

I gave him a look of disgust. "How can you be so sexist!?" I demanded with a huff.

I thought people weren't like that anymore!

"Don't shout at my son." Marcus scolded.

I sent my glare his way. "I know you don't know me, but how can you let him speak like that?"

Suddenly, my anger just faded. I felt myself relax, and my eyelids began to fall.

W-what's happening...?

Did he sedate me? Oh, no, the government HAS got me!

AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that sedation didn't last long!

He poked another needle into me, making me relax again. He smiled down at me.

"That's it, just relax. I didn't want to do that, but you gave me no choice. I only did it so I can explain to you calmly what's going on."

I'm not okay with this, but at least I'll get an explanation.

He pulled up a stool then sat next to the bench, where I was lying. He took my hand in his, and began to stroke it. I pulled a face.

What is he doing?

"As I said, my name is Marcus, and I'm the head of something called the Council. We help children and adults like you learn your abilities, and give you a safe place to stay. I've committed my whole life to the Council, and it's paid off greatly. I provide any V.I.P I find a safe place to stay, even food, water, and money, and an education, too. Are you getting all this?"

I was amazed.

This must be a dream... I've actually found people like me... Who want to help me… OH, MY GOD!!!

Wait, what did he call me?

"V.I.P?" I asked curiously.

He nodded with a grin. "Yep, that's what we are. You'll learn more in class, if that's something you're interested in."

That's when I hesitated.

He's one, too? This place is full of people like me? Wow… But I can't leave Blake behind, if he wants me to actually live in this magical place.

"It's SO nice to meet someone like me, it really is, but I have a friend who needs me, so... can I leave?" I asked awkwardly.

He frowned. "You want to leave?" He questioned in disbelief.

I slowly nodded, he sighed. "Fine, leave, but I want you back here before sun down, is that clear?"

I nodded again, excited to come back and learn more. I actually smiled at him, taking him aback. "Thank you, I will."

He grinned back and helped me up, then he took the needles out of my arm. "Good... here, you'll need this to get back in."

He passed me some weird spring, but it was flat, I could see the coils, but they were all squished together.

Huh… Weird...

"That's called a Spring, as you can clearly tell, but it does something amazing. Throw it on the floor." He urged.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Why? Does it do something?"

He nodded. I did it out of curiosity then gasped.

It's glowing!

"Now think of a place that you want to go, and it will only work for places you've been to before, then step on it, and it'll take you there." He explained.

My jaw dropped. "Seriously!?"

He laughed and continued to nod. I was in shock.

This IS amazing... Who invented such a thing? Why don't normal people have them and V.I.Ps do? What does V.I.P stand for? So much to ask... So little time… I still can't believe this is happening...

"You don't have to leave, you know, your friend can come here." He offered, but then he quickly corrected himself. "No, sorry, if they're human, they can't come."

I pulled a face. "Why?"

He copied my expression. "Isn't that obvious? Humans can't know about us, they would want to kill us or use us if they knew. Don't tell ANY human, is that clear?" He said sternly. I gulped.

But I can't... I can't do this without telling Blake! Oh, I know...

"They are human, but they're special, they can see me when I'm invisible! No one else can!" I exclaimed.

His jaw dropped. "You can Cloak!?" He questioned breathlessly.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Cloak? Is that what you call it? If it is, then yes."

I was taken aback as he jumped up and down in excitement. He rushed out of the room and yelled out: 'I've found one! I've actually found one!'

Cheering followed, I had no clue to what was going on, until this happened.

He ran back in, picked Nathan up, then hugged him tightly. His face turned bright red.

"Dad!" He complained.

"Son! You did it! You found one! Yes!"

He kissed his cheek, put him down, then shot back over to me. He grinned widely.

"This is brilliant! Just brilliant... You do know that that power is extremely rare." He stressed.

Now my jaw dropped. "It is?"

He nodded, full of excitement. But then he stopped jumping around and pondered on something.

"Did you say your human friend can see you when you're Cloaked?" He asked in disbelief.

I nodded. He practically screamed in excitement that time. My eyes widened.

He shoved a Spring into my hands and danced on the spot. "Go get them! Nathan, go with her! I need to tell Martha!"

He laughed and shot off again. I grinned.

I have a rare power! Oh, yeah! Blake's gonna love this!

I did a little dance, Nathan pointed and laughed at me. I quickly stopped, extremely embarrassed.

"You seem happy, so does my dad, a bit too happy maybe."

He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets then tilted his head to the side. He gave me a smile. "Is this friend a boy?" He asked with a flutter of his eyelashes.

I gave him a strange look. "What?" I gasped.

He sighed and shook his head. "So oblivious..." He muttered.

I scowled. "Stop saying that. Let's go."

He grabbed my arm, then signalled for me to step on it. I warily did, then gasped when we appeared in Blake's hospital room!

Oh, my god!

Blake was as stunned as me, his eyes were as wide as saucers. Luckily, no one else was in the room.

"Sinead!? How the hell!?"

I jumped over to him and yanked him from the bed, I helped him stand as I explained. Well, I hardly explained anything.

"I found people like me!"

His jaw dropped.

I dragged him over to the Spring then jumped on it, Nathan followed.

We appeared back in the lab, where Nathan and I helped him onto one of the benches. His face was pale from shock.

I anxiously waited for him to answer, but he didn't, worrying me. Nathan quickly grabbed an oxygen tank, now I was panicking!

He's not breathing!

Nathan pressed the mask against his mouth and turned the valve thing. I pulled the strap around his head to keep it on, then glared at Nathan.

"What's going on!?" I demanded

He rolled his eyes. "Humans can't survive down here without one of these." He tapped the tank. "Dad made it like that so humans can't dig down here." He explained.

That makes sense. But...

"We're underground? Then how can we survive?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I dunno, that's Dad's stuff to deal with."

I checked on Blake, thankfully, he was breathing now, but he had fallen asleep.

That's weird...

I quickly snapped my head around when I felt Nathan sniff my hair. I sent him a wide-eyed stare.

"What are you doing!?" I gasped, then gasped again when I saw his eyes!

They were glowing! They were yellow!

He stared at me with a tilted head, I stayed motionless, scared of what would happen if I didn't.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and held it to his nose. He took a deep breath in, then slowly breathed out.

I was freaked out, but still, I didn't move.

"Nathan." Marcus scolded as he entered the room, snapping him out of it.

His eyes returned to their normal forest green. He released my hair then glared at him. "What?"

Marcus scowled. "You know what. Don't scare her away."

A woman walked in behind him. She gave me a big smile.

This must be Martha, the woman he mentioned.

"Hello- Sorry, what's your name?" She enquired.

I hesitated as everyone stared at me, waiting for an answer. I blurted a name out, but not my own. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't.

"Alice." I said with a gulp.

"She's lying." Martha stated confidently. My eyes widened.

How did she know!?

"It's safe to tell us." Marcus assured me. I sighed.

Well, seeing as I can't lie...

"Sinead."

They smiled, she wrote it down on a form and clipped to the clipboard she was holding.

"Surname?"

Oh, no, are they going to search my name somehow!?

"Parker." I warily said.

She nodded and wrote that down, too. "Age?"

Why is she questioning me?

"These are just questions we need to ask." Marcus assured me again. I forced a smile.

I'm not looking forward to the upcoming ones...

"Fifteen."

They exchanged a shocked stare, I grew uncomfortable.

No... Here they come...

"Do you have any parents, a guardian perhaps?"

There it is.

I hid my face in my hands, someone patted my back.

"It's okay. Take your time." Martha stressed.

I sighed again. "I have parents, I just don't live with them anymore. I haven't seen them in eight years." I said tearfully. I continued to hide my face.

Please, don't ask me any more!

"They kicked you out?"

I shook my head slowly. "No... I ran away..."

"So, you've been on the run ever since?" They asked, still in shock.

I slowly pulled my hands away from my face, then pointed at Blake. "He helped a lot."

They nodded sadly. She scribbled more information down.

Marcus walked over to Blake and smirked.

"So this is the friend? Why's his leg in a cast?" He asked curiously.

"He made me fly him onto the school roof, and he slipped off." I explained.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, he knows a lot about you and your powers?"

I nodded as I wiped my tears with my dirty sleeve of my top. He offered me a tissue from his pocket. I thanked him and wiped my tears with that instead.

So soft... Much better than the tissue from the public bathroom I always had to use.

"I can heal his leg, and take the cast off, easily, is that alright?"

My eyes widened. "You can?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yep, that's my power. I can heal people."

Wow... So there's lots of different ones...

"He'd really appreciate that." I stressed.

His smile grew wider, he gestured at Martha. "Go with Martha while I heal him. She'll find you some clean clothes so you can have a warm shower. She'll also show you to the canteen, where you can have something to eat."

My eyes grew even wider. "I can do all that?" I asked, stunned. But then I crossed my arms. "What's the catch?"

You don't get something for nothing.

He was taken aback. "No catch, we don't ask for anything." He stressed.

I pressed my lips together.

Yeah, right... But how can I turn it down? He's offering me food! Clothes! A HOT shower! HOW CAN I TURN THAT DOWN!?

I followed Martha out of the lab, and into a huge blinding white area, that made my eyes sting. And the smell! Ugh! It's so clean!

I held onto Martha's arm for guidance, she giggled.

"I know, it's very bright, but your eyes will adjust." She assured me with another giggle. "This is the lab area, basically, we're going to the school part of this Council base, which is where you'll live."

Huh... Cool...

"Normally, there's two people to a room, but for your special case, you'll have a room to yourself." She explained.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Special case?" I asked.

She nodded, but didn't explain, I pushed her for an answer. "What do you mean special case?"

She hesitated before answering. "Umm... A lot of parents pay for their children to be here, but the children we find, we put in separate rooms so they can get used to the base. Then they'll be allowed to move into someone's room. If they want to."

Parents pay for their children to be here? Why?

"Parents pay? Why? Is there no school for people like us?"

She hesitated again before answering. "There is, but we provide the best education."

Right...

"Are you Marcus' wife?"

She nodded happily. "Yep."

She didn't say much on that so I asked her another question that was bothering me. "Do everyone's eyes turn yellow?"

She furrowed her brows, ahhed, then shook her head. "No, that's just Helpers. Why do you ask? Oh, you saw Nathan's eyes." She stated.

I nodded, but then stopped in my tracks, making her stop, too.

"Helpers? Is that a different kind?" I asked excitedly. She nodded with a smile.

Wow… That's insane! V.I.Ps and Helpers!

"Yes, it is. You can learn more about that and many other things in class."

This is amazing... I went from on the street, to in a weird base, they call it, full of people like me! Whom are willing to help me! And a lot, too!

"Ah, here we are."

She led me into a dark room, full of rails and rails of clothes. She gestured at them. "Find your size, I know there's a lot, but we've got time."

I wrung my hands nervously.

She frowned. "What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

I sighed. I guess I have to come out with it...

"I don't know what size I am. These are my friends old clothes." I admitted sadly.

Her face fell. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head slowly. She also sighed and began to sort through them for me. "You look about my size... You can try one my size, then if it's too big or too small, we can go from there."

I nodded. That sounds like a good idea.

It took about an hour, to find the right size. After that, she led me to a huge bathroom, full of sinks, toilet stalls, and shower ones.

She passed me some towels from a cabinet then pointed at one of the shower stalls. "You can use that one over there, do you know how to use one?"

I shook my head slowly, she gave me a weak smile. "That's fine, I'll show you."

She showed me how to start and stop it, and how to change the temperature. Once I knew what to do, she waited outside.

I warily stripped off, in the stall, scared of anyone seeing me, adjusted the temperature with the dial, then pressed the ON button.

I screamed as freezing cold water rained down on me. I jumped out of the firing line and reached out to adjust it again.

Phew! That's better!

I stood under it and let out a huge sigh of relief.

So warm... So much better than washing in the river...

I noticed there were bottles of shampoo and body wash in the stall with me. I opened the lid and smelt the shampoo, it smelt beautiful!

Wow... I definitely want that smell of my hair, how much do I need to use, though?

I shrugged and squirted a big blob on my head, then I worked it in. I moaned in pain.

Why does it hurt!?

I continued, to get all the dirt out. My arms were aching by the end of it.

Ugh, I'm exhausted already...

I then washed myself with the shower gel, turned the shower off and dried then dressed myself. Then I stepped out of the stall, where Martha was waiting.

"That's better, do you feel better?"

I nodded with a smile. "It's so nice to have a hot shower, wash my hair, actually wear girls clothes."

She smiled back. "Good. Grab your dirty clothes and throw them in that bin over there. Then I'll take you to the canteen to get something to eat."

I grabbed my clothes from the stall and chucked them in the big bin she'd pointed at. I walked back over to her as she pulled something out of her handbag.

A hairbrush?

"I normally use my fingers." I stated.

She shrugged. "This is easier. Let me."

She stood behind me and brushed my dripping wet hair through.

"Ouch!" I moaned. She's so rough!

She ignored that and continued. When she was finally done, she showed me her brush. I drew a sharp breath.

That's a lot of hair she pulled out.

"Yeah, that looks about right, that hurt like hell."

Suddenly, she gave me a death glare, taking me aback.

"Don't swear!" She scolded.

I scowled. "Hell isn't a swear word! This is. ****."

Her jaw dropped, she shook her head furiously, then took a deep, shaky breath.

"You can't swear here, it's forbidden." She stated shortly.

I laughed. "Seriously?"

She nodded, her expression did look quite serious. I begrudgingly nodded.

What a stupid rule...

"Ready now?"

I nodded again, we left the bathroom, and headed right. She eventually stopped me, outside some huge double doors. Noise erupted as she opened the door, nearly deafening me.

Whoa! Why so loud!?

I was really nervous, around all those people, who were exactly like me. She sensed that and grabbed my hand, she sent me a smile.

"It's okay." She assured me. I forced a smile and let her lead me to the line, that was moving really fast.

Whoa! Good service!

When it came to us, I was amazed at the delicious food in front of me. I wanted to eat it all!

I chose nearly everything, the tray Martha picked up was full of my favourite foods!

I was so excited when we came to the end of the queue. Sadly for her, she had to pay for it all, but I didn't really care!

I rushed over to a free table, sat at it, then waited impatiently for Martha to follow.

When she finally came, my stomach was growling like a monster's. It echoed through the canteen. It was that loud!

I ate EVERYTHING. That's right. I ate EVERYTHING! I ate chicken, pork, beef, potatoes, rice, pasta, and everything else, along with the best part... CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Martha wore a stunned expression. I laughed and wiped the chocolate away from my chin with my sleeve.

She pulled a face. "Use a tissue." She sighed. I laughed harder.

I don't care! I just had chocolate! Yay! This has got to be the best day of my life!

I jumped up from my seat, excited for where we were going next. She looked exhausted.

"Where are we going now!?" I asked excitedly.

She forced a smile and begrudgingly stood. That's when her phone rang, she quickly answered it. "Yes? Oh, Marcus... Yes, she's clean... Yep, she's full alright, she ate a bit of everything." She said with a laugh, but then her face fell, worrying me.

"What?" I urged.

She ignored me and continued to listen to whatever he was saying. "He is? You've got to be kidding me..." She breathed. My eyes widened.

Is she talking about Blake!? What happened!?

"What!?" I freaked out.

She shushed me and tried to listen to him. "Okay... I'll bring her now."

Yeah! You better!

She rushed me back to the lab. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw Blake was okay.

He's fine!

I shot over to him and jumped into his arms. He held me tightly, I suddenly noticed he wasn't wearing that mask anymore. But I wasn't worried about that now.

He's breathing, he's fine...

Suddenly, I heard a growl and looked behind me. We both backed away in fear.

Ah! Nathan's eyes are yellow again! And he's growling!?

He gave Blake a death stare, making his eyes widen.

"Whoa! What's with the growling, man!?" He gasped. He continued to glare.

"Nathan." Marcus scolded. He snubbed him.

"Let go!" He demanded.

Blake quickly let go of me then backed away, with his arms in the air. I noticed his leg had been healed.

That's amazing... But I shouldn't be focusing on that!

"What's your problem!?" I yelled at him.

His head tilted to the side, his right eye began to twitch. I gulped and backed away myself.

He's scary... Is this what Helpers do...?

"Nathan... I'm warning you... Pull yourself together!" Marcus also yelled with a huff. He still didn't listen.

He held out his arms, like he wanted me to walk into them, then began to walk closer.

I froze like a statue, absolutely terrified.

Please don't hurt me… Oh, wait, I know what to do!

I turned invisible right in front of him. His eyes widened, everyone but Blake gasped.

That woke him up!

His yellow eyes faded and his arms fell. He bowed his head and held it in his hands. He stared blankly at where I was standing.

Marcus was gobsmacked, but that soon faded, he grew excited again.

"She disappeared! Amazing!"

He then looked over at Blake with a beaming grin. "Can you see her?"

Blake warily nodded.

"Point at her. Then Sinead, you reveal yourself." He instructed breathlessly.

He pointed right at me, I revealed myself. Marcus practically screamed and jumped up and down, ecstatic.

Whoa... I know I have a rare power now, but I think he's overreacting quite a bit.

"Marcus, calm down!" Martha sighed.

He just wouldn't stop grinning. "This is excellent! Extraordinary! Ha, ha!"

He jumped over to me and brought me into a hug. I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Wait, what's that?"

I furrowed my brows in confusion, then panicked and covered my scar with my hand.

I completely forgot!

He frowned and smacked my hand away so he could get a better look, then he shook his head in disbelief.

"Who hurt you?" He demanded. Tears filled my eyes, Blake huffed and stepped in.

"Don't talk to her like that." He spat and pulled me away from him. I hid my face in his chest.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Marcus questioned.

He scowled. "Look, I don't know who you are, and I don't care if you're special like her, just don't speak to her like that."

I peeked to see Marcus raising his eyebrow, his arms were crossed.

"Are you her boyfriend?" He repeated.

Blake pulled a face. "No. Why?"

"Good." Nathan grumbled from the corner of the room. I tried to ignore that comment.

"Just curious. And I wasn't talking to her like you think. I'm worried about how she got that scar."

"Well, she obviously doesn't want to tell you. Why do you care anyway?" He hit back.

Marcus narrowed his eyes at him, I looked away again.

I don't know why, but he seems so scary all of a sudden.

"Has she been living with you?" He continued to question.

Blake shook his head slowly. "No, she lives with her parents." He lied for me. I drew a sharp breath.

I appreciate him doing that, but I've already told them that I ran away...

I tugged on his shirt, to make him look down at me. I mouthed: 'I've told them that I ran away.'

His eyes widened in shock. "Why? Are you crazy?" He mouthed back. Martha and Marcus exchanged a puzzled expression.

"I couldn't lie, that woman over there could sense that I was lying somehow." I whispered.

His eyes widened even more. "Seriously?" He gasped. I nodded slowly.

"We can hear you." Marcus stated shortly. I gulped. "And she's not crazy, I'm so glad Nathan found her because she's obviously going through a rough time. I know you've been helping her, but I think it's time for us to take charge."

We narrowed our eyes at HIM. "Time for you to take charge? I'm not a little kid." I snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. "You said you're fifteen, you are a child. And it's my responsibility to look after you now. It's also my responsibility to look after you, too, Blake."

"What about my mum!?" Blake argued.

Marcus shook his head exhaustively. "I don't mean I want YOU to stay at the base, I just want security around your home, to make sure nothing happens to you."

"But you healed my leg somehow!" Blake exclaimed.

"We'll put a fake cast on. Martha, can you take him to the human protection program?"

She nodded, grabbed his hand and led him out of the lab, despite his complaints.

Human protection? At least he'll be safe…

"Did you eat well?" Marcus asked me. I nodded.

Yeah, I think I ate enough!

"Had any sleep?"

I shook my head with a yawn. He smiled weakly, and pointed at the bench I woke up on. "You can sleep in here for now. You should have a room by tomorrow morning." He promised as he led me over to it.

He helped me jump up, and he even fetched me a pillow and blanket!

This is luxury!

I sent him a shocked expression, confusing him.

"You haven't used a blanket and pillow? For how long?" He asked softly.

I frowned. "Since I ran away, I've been sleeping on the floor of my hideout." I confessed. He also frowned as he laid the blanket over me.

"You don't have to live like that anymore." He assured me.

I smiled weakly. "Thank you for helping me."

He smiled back. "You're welcome. Now get some sleep."

I nodded slowly and laid my head on the feather pillow. I let out a huge sigh of relief as my head sunk into it. I fell asleep very easily, thinking about all the questions I was going to ask tomorrow.