Extraordinary

Dedicated to my Mother, Cindy.

For giving me my wings and teaching me how to fly.

Chapter 1 Leta looked at the alarm clock beside her bed. 3:34 A.M. She wasn't much of a sleeper nowadays; and time seemed to pass so slowly that nothing was what it seemed. She looked at the near empty liquor bottles on the floor. As much as she wanted to believe it, there was no happiness at the bottom of the bottle—there was only more sadness. So much sadness. She sat up and glanced around her loft. It was dark and spacious. The only furniture she had was a small fridge, an old stove, an uneven table with a solitary chair, and the ragged mattress she slept on.

The alarm clock was one she had gotten from a garbage bin down the street, and when she brought it home she noticed the only thing wrong with it was the lack of radio. Otherwise, it sufficed for telling her the time.

She lit some candles, trying not to rack up the power bill any more than necessary. She could barely afford it as it was. When she came to New York, she knew she wouldn't have it easy.

Nothing in her life was ever easy. She stood up and looked out the window, never surprised at her mother's face staring back at her. They had the same short black layered hairstyle, and the same fair skin, with the same deep, nearly black, eyes. She remembered a lot about her mother, which said a lot since both her parents were murdered when she was just five. It's been 20 years and she can still remember her mother's scent.

It wasn't odd that she could recall every memory since birth, not for her anyway. For most people, they can't remember what happened yesterday let alone what happened when they were infants. Leta was always different from the rest. She was smart and determined, but also possessed abilities that the Regs didn't. To her, Regs are normal people. People with little or no extraordinary talents, special abilities or what they would refer to as "super powers". Regs were boring... well, except one. *** She could read his thoughts from a mile away. They seemed louder than everyone else's. The first day she saw him on the side of the street, arguing with this prissy blonde thing, she was fascinated by him. His thoughts were louder than his words. He would say things to her like "I'm sorry I couldn't get the reservation" and he'd be screaming in his mind "oh my god this chick is high maintenance!" To be honest, he sounded like a creep. Her thoughts were pretty much the same as her voice. She wasn't a pleasant person at all. From the conversation, Leta had discovered his name was Will Mason.

Aside from reading his mind now, she could read every thought he ever had. But, in order to do that she needed to find a way to touch him. She followed him for days, weeks even, making all attempts to try to see if he was worth her growing infatuation. She thought back to the last time she felt so strongly about another being, and her mind drifted to Niko. As quickly as he came to her mind, she shook him out.

There were many times she wished she had the ability to shape-shift, like some of her kind could. She saw Will always walk into the same coffee shop, so that's where she made her move.

Standing behind him in line, she pretended to accidentally drop a dollar bill. Having read his thoughts, he had noticed her and thought she was beautiful. He picked up the bill and handed it to her, and success. She lightly grazed his hand, and all of his thoughts flooded into her.

Will was raised on a farm in Texas, and had two loving parents that were both still very much alive. He came to New York for work; he worked as a paralegal at a law firm here. He never had much of a bad thought throughout his life; but he has been hurt. She saw him crying to himself in his room, as girl after girl let him down in some way. She also saw that he and Ms. Thing broke up last night, but he seemed less hurt by that one.

He smiled at her, and she realized she had been staring off into space for about ten minutes.

"Are you okay?" He said inquisitively.

"Oh, yea... sorry. Thanks for grabbing this for me. I'm a bit of a klutz sometimes." Wrong, she thought. She was ridiculously well balanced. She had to be.

From there, they started a conversation. She told him that she was an artist, but didn't mention the fact that her abilities gave her any talent she wanted to possess. He told her things she had already known about him, but was still able to fake surprise. They began dating and she knew she could trust him, but she still didn't reveal herself to him. She couldn't tell any Reg, not even just this one, that she was an Extraordinary. See, she wasn't the only one with these abilities. The Extraordinaries were those who walk among the Regs and possess special abilities. Like Leta.

Leta could do most things. As mentioned, she could read minds and histories. She was fast and if she wanted to, she could run around the world at least twice in one day. She was strong, too. She could literally rip human flesh off the bone, and it would be like when a Reg tore a piece of paper. When she was six she had begun her training, like most children would be starting school.

Athos, her mentor had taught her to channel and maintain control of her abilities, but was brutally murdered before he could finish her training. At 17, she was on her own. *** Rain began hitting the window, and she shook back to reality. The alarm clock now read 4 A.M. and she knew another night had passed without sleep. Her body was used to it, though. In her whole life she could count how many nights she had slept at least eight hours. Her mind was on Will, and only Will. This was dangerous. If her mind focused purely on him, she would be unable to protect herself when it came time to face with the Evil One—the murderous monster that had taken the lives of her family and her mentor.

Chapter 2 Later that day, Leta cleaned herself up and walked down the fire escape to the back alley. She placed down a can of wet cat food to Jagger, the black stray cat that frequented the alley and sometimes even her loft. Her backpack heavy in tow, she walked onto the main street and headed to Central Park. People stared at her as she walked; it was something she had gotten used to.

Reading their minds was something that made the stares a little more amusing. Surely, they noticed the symbol burned into her skin on her shoulder. Like a cattle brand, when the Evil One had once touched her, a symbol of darkness burnt through her skin. When Will had asked about it, she was able to blame it on a curling iron incident since it was the simple shape of a crescent moon.

When she arrived at the park, she sat down on the grass and took out her sketch pad. She crossed her legs, closed her eyes and began to let go of her thoughts. Pencil in hand, her hands began to move across the pad in quick, swift strokes. She didn't draw like most people. They drew their feelings, expressions, how they view the world. She drew other people's feelings, thoughts and the one thing no Reg could ever see. She drew the future. Her hands moved quickly, and she sank into the darkness of her mind.

"Leta!" A voice yelled from behind her, catching her off guard. She jumped to her feet in one majestic move and tackled the man that had called her name, completely pinning him to the ground. It was Will.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! You startled me!" She pulled him up and brushed him off.

"When did you become the next karate kid?!" He demanded, a tone of anger in his voice.

"I took a self-defense class not long ago." Lies. More lies. Every time she told him some excuse, it stung the pit of her stomach.

"Anyway, what are you doing for dinner tonight? If nothing, I think we should go to le Capri."

He asked. She sensed something was different about him, so she peered into his eyes just a little deeper.

"I know you are hiding things from me, and I'm tired of trying to figure you out." So this was it.

He was going to break up with her. She looked down and couldn't breathe. What was happening to her? She hadn't had this feeling before, and she'd been stabbed, shot, blown up, and many other things that would generally feel like pain. The world was spinning, and she couldn't focus.

Wait, no... she definitely remembered this feeling. Niko.

"Leta... are you okay?" He asked her, confused.

“Uh... yes. I am okay. I can't meet you for dinner; I have plans. So, whatever you wanted to say, you should tell me now and get it over with." She swallowed hard. He shuffled in his spot for a minute, and she could hear him gathering words. She looked around, hoping to find someone else's thoughts to focus on. There was no one.

"We've been together for a little while now, and I don't know much about your past. I don't know where you came from, anything about your family... it seems like you don't want to volunteer the information either." He explained. She closed her eyes. No, no, no, she did not want to hear anymore. All of the sudden, she didn't have to. He had stopped talking. When she opened her eyes and looked up, he was staring past her. His face had turned pale and he seemed unable to speak. She turned to see what he was staring at, and came face to face with a large, fur covered monster with fangs larger than her very hands.

She jumped back to protect him, kicking the creature in the face. "Get back!" She screamed at Will, who had been pushed onto the ground. The creature stepped forward. She swooped up her backpack and grabbed two daggers that had been hidden inside it. She jumped furiously toward the creature, but it swiped its paw and knocked her about 25 feet away from where she was. Now having a claw mark across her abdomen, she stood up and started to bolt back to the creature but stopped in her tracks when she saw Will. He was lying on the ground covered in vines that seemed to be pulling him under.

"No!" She screamed and dove, but it was too late. He had disappeared completely beneath the surface. She dug rapidly at the ground, but it lead to nothing but dirt. A piercing pain swiped her side as she remembered the creature. It had swatted her again, this time throwing her into a tree.

She staggered up, and was shocked to see the creature was fading. It had been the Evil One all along.

"Now Leta... you know you can't be involved with a Reg... they are inferior in every aspect!" He cackled as he faded to nothing. His voice boomed in the air, "If you want your precious Reg back, I will spare his life for yours." And with that, he was gone. *** The skies darkened with clouds of rain and the droplets began pelting the sidewalk. She ran as fast as she could; with each step, the pavement beneath her feet cracked and sparked. To the Regs she looked like a blur--a shadow that one would think they saw from the corner of their eye. She knew where she had to go since the Evil One had gained strength since their last encounter, and she knew she would need help. Her feet pounded the pavement as she moved faster; gaining enough speed that by the time she got to the ocean she was able to sprint over the top of the water without falling in.

When she finally stopped running, she was in downtown Tokyo. She found a disguise, knowing that someone here would surely recognize her and inform the Evil One she was here. With spies

all over the world, it was often hard for her to trust anyone without wondering if they were under the Evil One. Wearing a black leather jumpsuit and a mask which covered half her face, she made her way through the back allies until she found the door she was looking for. She pounded the door strategically; one knock, two kicks and three more knocks. Suddenly, the door pulled open and there stood a face she didn't expect to ever see again.

"Leta? Leta is that you?" The man's voice sounded surprised. Leta took a step back, her heart pounding out of her chest. She flashed back eight years to when she was only 17.

Chapter 3 It was approaching the end of her training, and her rival Niko was the only being preventing her from being top in her class. With just a few lessons to go, she knew she could outdo him at the shape-shift test, and perhaps even the one for invisibility. Their constant competition had been strenuous; both of them were by far the strongest and fastest of all the Extraordinaries at the training camp.

That day at the camp, it was time for final lessons. That morning, she had put on her training uniform and slipped her then medium length hair into a ponytail. She stood in front of a full length mirror, flattening out a crease in her blouse. She thought about how lucky she was that she looked pretty cute in this uniform, since all it consisted of was a black skirt, white blouse and black tie. Naturally the men were to wear black dress pants. She began shifting from the image of herself to the image of a bear, tiger, and then moved on to other people. She concentrated and let herself fade in and out. Her powers were definitely channeled, but she knew this was only temporary so that she could practice. Only when she completed the tests would the ability be tied to her and the rest had been completed yesterday. Unfortunately, Niko had come out on top of half those tests. She practiced a few more times for extra measure. Satisfied that she could finally come out on top over Niko, she grabbed her backpack and headed out the door.

Halfway to the Examination Grounds, she felt someone grasp her from behind. Instinctively, she grabbed the hand and ripped the person over her shoulder landing him flat on his back. With his wrist in a lock and her sneaker on his throat, she let out an exasperated moan when she realized who it was. "Niko!"

"I see you're ready for the examinations." He choked out, smiling.

"You know you shouldn't sneak up on people!" She complained, helping him to his feet. "And for your information, I am ready. Ready to kick you out of the top slot anyway!" She laughed.

For a minute she caught his eyes, which were as blue as Sapphires. Knowing that at any moment he could start reading her thoughts, she didn't think about the way his dark hair swept back from his face, or the way his cheeks turned to dimples when he smiled. Feeling a burning sensation flooding her face, she immediately shook it off and walked on. Catching up to her, Niko took her hand into his palm, and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at his face. Thinking back, she couldn't recall a single time when they had touched before. Most of the time they were sparring, their bodies were moving too fast to actually feel each other. This was different; it was as if they were glued to each other and couldn't move. Like they were frozen in time.

She was lost in his gaze, and a warm wind caught her off guard. She shook it off and playfully shoved him away. "You're just trying to throw me off before the exams. Not going to happen!"

She smiled and walked away.

When she arrived on the grounds, she looked around for Athos. By right, he should be helping her prep for her exams. She walked around the field, noticing all the Extraordinaries in the stands, accompanied by the small group of Regs that knew about them. Back in her parents' time, it was absolutely forbidden to be in love with a Reg and even more forbidden to have a relationship with one. The issue was, aside from the obvious ability differences, Extraordinaries and Regs aged differently. In the life of the average human being, they would age dramatically and die off after an average 100 years. Leta and her kind weren't the same; they would age until 25 and then become immortal. Extraordinaries couldn't marry Regs because it would be too hard to keep the secret of their world, since Regs would all eventually get older and wonder why their spouses weren’t aging.

Leta's parents changed that. Her mother was an Extraordinary and her father had been a Reg, and being ridiculously in love, they fought hard for the right to be together. After much anguish, Master Loki--the leader of their world, much like the American president--discovered a solution to the problem. On the day of the marriage to an Extraordinary, the Reg would go through a transfer ceremony. This meant that a little bit of the ability would transfer into the average person. Not so much that they would gain the "super powers", but it was enough to keep them 25 forever. In other words, they gained immortality. The only one that seemed to be able to kill Extraordinaries was the Evil One, and even the elders were stumped on how that was possible.

Leta smiled at the thought of her parents, who were ripped from her at such a young age. It would be nice to see them here today, she thought to herself. She continued to search for Athos, and sighed in relief when she saw him entertaining the younger classes with common magic tricks. Sensing her watching him, his head rose and he nodded at her.

“You can just have a seat. I don’t think you really need much practice; you have this down.

They’ll be starting soon, anyway.” He thought to her. So, she did as she was told and sat down on the grass.

“Pssst! Leta!” A voice echoed in her head. She glanced around and saw Niko staring at her from about ten feet away. “You look incredibly beautiful, Leta.”

She smirked, unsure if he was serious or just trying to throw her off guard before her examination. “Get out of my head, Niko. You aren’t slipping past me in this just because you call me beautiful.”

“If that were my intention, I wouldn’t be waiting until AFTER the exams to ask you out to dinner tonight.” He thought to her. At that minute, she began feeling things that she didn’t know she was capable of feeling. He walked over to her and took both of her hands.

“Truth is, I’ve always thought you were beautiful. I just didn’t realize how much it really affected me.” He told her. With her fingers entwined in his, it seemed as though the rest of the world melted away. Her heart felt twisted in knots, much like her stomach at this point. She had

always hated how the one mortal trait she got to keep was emotions, but somehow, it felt really good right now. He pressed a finger under her chin and lifted her face. Leaning in, it was as if a hole had ripped in the time-space continuum and suddenly, everyone around them had begun moving in slow motion.

And then the unthinkable happened. The ground began to rumble and quake, and everyone was running around haphazardly trying to make it out alive. In the mess of people, Leta and Niko were separated, and all she could do was gaze around in shock and horror at the sight. The earth was breaking and Extraordinaries and Regs alike were falling in to their deaths. The sky had turned from a pale blue to a fierce red with near black clouds. Frozen in her place, Leta could hear Niko screaming for her, but her eyes locked on the podium where Master Loki was about to start the opening ceremonies. A tornado began building in the sky and dropped down, as if to stand behind the podium. She felt a hand grab her wrist and yank her away, but not before seeing the tornado turn into a man that, to most people, would look as ordinary as anyone else. Leta knew he wasn’t; she knew the face from the past. This was the man that had ripped the flesh off of her parents while she was a small child.

Her mind was screaming, or maybe it was the sound of Niko's voice echoing between her ears. "Leta, over here! Come on! MOVE!" This man did not look so scary; in fact, to anyone who didn't know better, he was almost attractive. He had blonde, near white hair that was short and spiked. His skin was only slightly tanned, and his dark eyes seemed to have no actual pupils. A slender man, but a powerful one-and Leta knew how powerful he was. She had waited her whole life for the chance to face him, but she froze in her place.

The Evil One stood in his place, watching with immense pleasure as people fled from him in a panic. His twisted smile widened when he looked ahead and saw Leta.

"Leta my dear, how you have grown. And my, you look like your mother!" The voice echoed in Leta's mind. In a way it was good that he focused in on her and made contact, otherwise she might not have snapped out of her trance. Fury was building inside of her and she felt strength she had never felt before. Her body began to shake as her hands turned into fists, and her mind scrambled trying to come up with points of attack. Before she could do anything, he charged at her full force. It was as if his outreached fist was going to try to bust through her chest, when all of the sudden Athos jumped in front of her and took the hit instead. As predicted, the Evil One's fist slammed into Athos' chest with great force, and the cracking of his bones could be heard from blocks away. He slipped to the ground before Leta's eyes.

The anger that was budding inside of her boiled out and she was instantly overwhelmed with an overbearing sadness. She felt like it was her chest that had been crushed; she couldn't breathe.

Falling to her knees, tears began to stain her cheeks as she cradled a dying Athos in her arms.

"Le...ta..." He coughed, and blood ran from the side of his mouth.

"Shhh… Don't speak." She sobbed through her tears.

"Then listen... it is NOT your time. You are not to face him today..." He said in her mind.

"But you must be avenged!" Even in her thoughts, she could hear herself sobbing.

“You will do what you will, but even HE knows that today is not the day. Today is not your time.

He will not be able to touch you. Even if he wanted to.” He gasped, his eyes rolled back and clutching her hand to his broken chest, she could feel his heart stop beating.

Everything after that didn’t matter. As if in slow motion, the Evil One drifted over and attempted to grab her shoulder only to be slammed back by an invisible force. A crescent burned into her skin and she cried out in pain. She laid Athos’ body down gently and rose to her feet.

“Leta, just run!” It was Niko yelling in her mind from somewhere nearby. She couldn’t believe how cowardly he was. She knew they could take on the Evil One. From the corner of her eye, she saw him bolting from the field and at that point, she didn’t care if she ever saw him again.

Her heart broke to pieces as she realized that even in his last breaths, Athos was right. Her battle with the Evil One would wait for another day. Another time. Decades, maybe even centuries from now. At that time, she had no idea when she would face him again.

Chapter 4 “Leta… oh my…god… it is you…” The man’s voice was definitely one she knew. She sighed, hiding the emotional punch in the stomach she hadn’t counted on.

“Hello Niko.” She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. The intensity of them pierced through her like crystals on glass, but this wasn’t about him. It was about Will. She pushed past him nearly knocking him over, entering a long dark hallway. At the end of the hallway, she entered a room full of computer screens and equipment, heavy artillery and a few familiar faces.

“Leta…” Raine was surprised to see her. Across the room, sitting in silence was Dominik. Leta was familiar with these people; they had once shared a trainer. She thought back to their actions that day: Raine hurried to get the young ones away from the grounds and Dominik was responsible for clearing the Regs out.

“Is this everyone?” She asked, looking around the room.

“No.” The voice behind her. She shivered as she could feel Niko’s breath on her neck. “Sloan and Kaia as well, but they are out gathering intel. We’ve been working at this for years, Leta. All trying to find the answer to the universal question.”

“Why me…” Leta knew the question for years. It was one she had always asked herself. Why was she the target? It was Dominik that had broken the silence.

“What brings you here? Weren’t you happy and content in America somewhere?” His voice told her that he was obviously irritated at her unexpected arrival. Before she could answer him, Raine was already scurrying through her mind.

“Will is probably already dead, you know. No Reg could ever stand up to the Evil One. He’d be lucky, though, to have a quick and painless death. The Evil One has been known to pick the flesh off human bones as a slow and painful torture.” Raine said calmly, her voice drunk with a sultry tone. Leta shivered at the thought.

“I don’t care. He told me he would spare the Reg’s life for mine. I must go to him and at least try. But I know I can’t do it alone; I know I need help.” She said, a tone of pleading in her voice.

“I thought I sensed a familiar vibe,” Sloan said as he entered the room.

“My oh my, it’s Leta.” Kaia came in behind Sloan. Kaia had dramatically changed her appearance since Leta had seen her last, and now sported a vicious scar across her neck and up the side of her face. Though her beauty radiated through it, Leta could tell that she was sensitive to it.

The air in the room had changed as Leta looked around. It appeared as though some new relationships had formed in her time away. Sloan and Kaia were near inseparable, and there

seemed to be an unspoken bond between Raine and Dominik. Leta wondered if Niko had ever found a mate, but it wasn’t long before his thoughts told her everything she’d missed in the last few years. As it turned out, he hadn’t been with anyone since that day. Not romantically anyway.

It seems his whole life has been strategizing, gaining strength, and lying awake waiting until he could come face to face with pure evil. Leta was careful not to say anything in her thoughts that could incriminate her; she’d become very good at blocking out anyone trying to enter her mind.

She could sense that Niko was trying to get in, but as if struggling against a lock with an infinite amount of numbers for a combination, he couldn’t.

“If you could all follow me into the debriefing room, I will inform you of the situation.” Leta said solemnly. This is what must be done. She must be emotionless, not careless. They all followed her in and took their seats. Leta stood at the front, considering her thoughts and the way she could explain them.

“As most of you know I have been in New York City for the past few years. While there, I came in contact with a mortal man by the name of Will Mason. The last time I saw him, we were in the park and a beast appeared. I am flashing you all a vision of the beast now.” She focused on each of them, letting them into her mind to get an image of the beast. “While I was fighting the beast, something from the underworld grabbed Will and pulled him under.” Again, she focused on their minds, planting the seed image of the vines that had grabbed Will. Leta moved on to explain the appearance of the Evil One and his last words to her.

“He must know the time is nearing.” Niko thought, accidentally not blocking the thought from the others. Leta’s eyes darted to Niko.

“What do you mean the time is nearing? What do you know? What have you found?” She demanded, stomping over to him and pushing herself in his face.

“Before Athos died,” he began, and Leta shivered at the sound of his name, “he sent a mind spike to me.” A mind spike is like an email in the mind, it sends a message that can be stored for a long time and no matter how long you’ve had it, it cannot be erased from your mind. “He gave a specific date that would bring the Evil One back, and told of a great battle between the two of you.”

“When was the date? When do I face him?” Leta looked into Niko’s eyes, searching for anything he was hiding. She sensed something, but couldn’t find it.

“It’s um… this Friday.” He answered. Leta lowered her head and considered his words. She turned her back to him and tried to reason with herself. “I’m not ready. I couldn’t even defeat the creature in the park. I couldn’t even save Will.”

“How did Athos know for sure?” She asked in a lowered voice.

“We’re still trying to figure that out.” Sloan responded.

“We’ve been searching through the ruins of the grounds, questioning elders, but everyone is tight-lipped and no one wants to get involved.” Raine added.

“We even searched Osaka…” Kaia started before Dominik coughed, Sloan shot her a look, Raine grabbed her arm and Niko groaned. Leta began to shake as the words set in.

“You went… to Osaka…” She fumed. No one said anything. Giving Niko a look of distinct betrayal, she shook her head and stormed out of the room. *** Leta made her way to an empty bedroom and locked the door behind her. Her thoughts were in complete disarray as she tried to process everything. They went to Osaka. They went to her hometown, and they still had no idea. Though she wasn’t pleased that no one had contacted her to help with the search, and that they had gone ahead to Osaka without her, she was irritated that they hadn’t found the answer yet. She sat on the bed and for the first time in a long time, put her head in her hands and cried. She remembered that day in Osaka.

Chapter 5 The air smelled sweet, like a mixture of lilac and sugar cane. The sun had been in the sky for a couple hours now, and the heat radiating from it brought a reddening to Leta’s five year old cheeks. The field she played in was behind her modest home, and while it was large and seemed unending, she knew she was safe. Mother was in the kitchen, no doubt making her famed biscuits and Father was reading the Sunday paper in the den. Leta giggled at the thought of her picture perfect family.

At five, she was already smarter than most of the children her age. Mother had told her she was special every night before bed, but only a few weeks ago did she realize why. Her fifth birthday had past and she was becoming a big girl, but other things were happening too. She started hearing what people were saying in their heads, and that was only the beginning. When she was called in for dinner, it took her literally two seconds to get from the middle of the field to the kitchen. Sure, it seemed fun to outsiders looking in, but she would become very upset when she would play with a toy and it would break because of her rapidly growing strength.

The sun was hot that day. Leta was chasing a couple of butterflies around in the field and became very thirsty. She made her way to the back door which led to the kitchen.

“Mommy, may I have some lemonade? I’m thirsty.” She called from the screen door. There was no response. She opened the door and entered the kitchen, calling out again. “Mommy?” She looked around the room, but her mother wasn’t there. Leta shivered—something wasn’t right.

She tried to feel for her mother’s presence, using one of her special talents. As soon as she tried, she felt a mysterious pressure pushing all over her body. Somebody was blocking her.

At that point, she should have ran out the door to get help, but she couldn’t. She needed to make sure her Mother and Father were safe. She walked into the den where her father should have been, but he wasn’t there. She checked both bedrooms but found no one. The last place to look would be the family room. Maybe Mother and Father are watching television, she thought to herself.

“Mommy? Are you in there?” She thought at her mother. The pressure returned; someone was still blocking her. She walked into the family room and froze in fear. Her mother and father were completely incapacitated; both trapped within a shadow bubble, both unable to move or speak.

Hovering between the two of them was something that appeared to be a gaping hole of darkness, surrounded by some sort of electrical current.

“Mommy!” Leta ran to try to free her mother, but was only jolted back by a severe shock. She whimpered in pain a bit and rose to her feet. The gaping hole made a sort of rumbling noise and began taking shape into that of a human man. He stood before her, the height of what she considered a giant compared to her small stature, and snickered.

“This tiny girl… this is her?” A voice from the abyss he came from began to whisper inaudible words. This would be her first encounter with the Evil One, and from the feelings in the air, she

knew it would not be a pleasant one. Too scared to move, tears dropped from her eyes upon seeing the anguish on her parents’ faces.

“This little girl…” he snickered again, before cackling in high-pitched hyena laughter. Leta could read his mind, and knew he was acting cocky and arrogant to the whole situation. This could potentially be his downfall, she thought. Blocking his thoughts from her own, at least to the best of her ability, she mustered the courage to ask a simple question.

“Why are you hurting my mommy and daddy?” She asked meekly. The Evil One stopped laughing and stared at her, with a smug look on his face.

“You won’t have the privilege of that knowledge until you are much grown, my dear girl.” He told her in an infuriated, almost annoyed voice. He blasted her with a force-field that she wasn’t yet strong enough to break, and started with her father. He broke each of his bones, one by one, ignoring the screams of pain that broke from his throat. After her father fell weak and broken, but somehow still alive, the Evil One began to work on her mother. As horrible as the torture to her father had been, Leta watched him do far worse to her mother. Her mother made her last effort to look Leta in the eyes, and mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to her daughter. She died from the pain and obscene loss of blood. Looking back to her father, she cried to see that he was crying.

“This bores me.” The Evil One replied in a slightly irritated tone. With one swift movement, he snapped her father’s neck and turned back to Leta. “Your time will come, but it’s not today.

You’re too easy and I like a challenge. Your parents were weak; immortality doesn’t stand against me. I am Death, and I shall seek you out until your time comes and I will destroy you just the same.” More voices whispered from the hole from which he came, but he ignored them. He disappeared, as did the hole, leaving only the lifeless bodies of her torn, shredded and broken parents.

Leta held onto her mother’s face, her tiny hands grasping her cheeks. Tears hadn’t stopped falling from her eyes, and she doubted they ever really would.

It was days before anybody came to check on the broken family. In fact, it was Athos that had come first. When he knocked on the door the first time and no one came, he tried again. Still no answer, but this time the door opened slightly on its own. He walked in quietly at first, and then called out to see if anyone was there. He entered the main room where he stopped in shock. Leta was lying in a pool of her parents’ blood; the blood was caked all over her, and there were stains on her face from where she had been crying. She was silent, as if unable to really speak. He touched her timid hand and saw everything she had seen. He picked her up into his arms and walked her outside. With great speed, he brought her to the nearest infirmary and got her cleaned up. The Reg police did what they could to get her to speak, and they investigated her family home to no avail. They would never catch the monster that did this.

It would take Leta six months before she spoke, and even then it was mostly pure screams.

Chapter 6 “Leta!” Kaia nudged her awake. Leta blinked, her hands gripping the bed sheets tightly. She sat up quickly, realizing that for the first time in days, she’d fallen asleep. Crying, no less. She looked up at Kaia, her old friend. A beautifully innocent girl who was known for the size of her heart as well as her giving generosity. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the out.

She sat on the edge of the bed, flipping her long red hair away from her face and frowned at Leta.

“You were screaming in your sleep.” She said, sounding worried. “I thought the nightmares had subsided.” Leta thought about telling her, since they had once been so close.

“They have. Just forget about it.” She pushed the covers away and got out of bed. “Why didn’t any of you tell me you were going to Osaka?”

“Niko didn’t want to bring you,” Kaia began, “but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. He just didn’t want you to start having nightmares again. He knew it would affect you badly. Trust me, Leta… he really cares about you.”

“Give me a few minutes to get downstairs for a briefing and I will formulate a plan.” Leta changed the subject, like she always seemed to do when she talked about Niko. Probably having read her thoughts and knowing to stop pressing the matter, Kaia simply nodded and left the room. Leta sat there for a minute, thinking things through. These were her friends—are her friends—and if the Evil One wanted nothing but to destroy her, he would go about it by any means. Even if it meant taking this group out to get to her.

“I can’t risk it. They cannot die because of me.” She thought to herself, sensing that no one was listening to her mind. The decision was made; she needed to leave and leave alone. She would need supplies, at least, more than she currently had in her backpack. She would need some money for food, and possibly a gun of some sort. Back in the old days, it would have been laughable to use a gun against an Extraordinary. Nowadays, she knew that there were Regs working for the Evil One, and you most definitely could use a gun on them.

Leta snuck out of the room and listened. Hearing all their voices in the same room, and noticing the door was closed over, she crept into the armory room and looked over all the weaponry.

AK47’s, rocket launchers, every type of gun available down to a standard 9mm. She slipped a 9mm around a strap on her ankle, and one in the back of her belt for safety. She loaded her backpack with a few grenades, two newly shined machetes and for a moment, she considered the rocket launcher. There was no way she could conceal it, so she thought it best to leave it.

Walking over to the safe on the wall, she thought about what the password would be. She knew an alarm would sound if she got it wrong, so she thought she’d try a trick she had picked up along the way. Waving her hand over the lock, she closed her eyes trying to see which buttons had been pressed the most.

“It couldn’t be…” she thought. Pressing the numbers, the lock popped open and the door to the safe had cracked open. It had been her birth year. She took some of the emergency cash, making sure to leave enough for her friends, and stuffed it in her backpack. Closing everything off, she exited the room and crept back to the room she had slept in. Making a final check over everything, she left out the window and down the fire escape. She knew at this point, her only goal would be to find the elders and find out why she was the one he wanted. *** “Leta left.” Niko told the others. “She climbed out the window in her room.” Dominik slammed his fist down on the table, making Kaia jump. Dominik was a burly man, built tall and very strong. His voice was booming, and his short, spiked hair often changed color with his mood. It was black right now, and everyone knew black meant furious.

“Is she stupid? She’ll get herself killed and then where will we be? No better off than dead ourselves!” He said angrily. Raine walked to his side and placed a tiny hand on his brood shoulder. Her stature was much smaller than his, as she stood about five feet tall and had a size zero waist. Her hair was blonde and hung long down her back. However, with Raine it wasn’t what you see is what you get. She had the brute strength of a thousand regular men and was swift in her movements. Plus, her small stature made it easier for her to get past people without being noticed. Niko had been sure her appearance had something to do with that as well, but Raine hated being considered only for her appearance.

“Calm down, Dominik.” Sloan said, holding Kaia’s hand to steady her shaking body. Sloan was lanky, but was far from a stick figure. He had more of an athletic toned body than muscular, and had impressive shape-shifting skills. He had shoulder length brown hair that was often kept in a ponytail and his deep brown eyes were so intense that each time Kaia looked into them, her knees got weak.

“Sloan’s right. We need to stay calm and focused,” started Niko, “Leta is blocking many of her thoughts and feelings, but I know she left to protect us. She doesn’t realize she isn’t strong enough to fight this on her own.”

“She needs to hear the prophecy Niko. She needs to know why this is happening.” Kaia blurted out. Everyone remained quiet, looking at Niko for a reaction. He considered what she had said, and couldn’t find any reason to deny that she was right. “She’s already looking for answers; she’ll find the elders eventually and they won’t keep it a secret. They can’t.”

“This is true.” Dominik added, now a little calmer. Raine slid down his side and sat on his lap.

“Still, we should look for her and let her know that we aren’t backing down.” She told Niko.

“She doesn’t want to be found. It won’t be easy.” He contemplated the situation further and made a decision. “How long do we have before the prophecy tells of the war?”

Raine looked at her watch. “It’s four in the morning; today is officially Wednesday.” Niko pressed his lips and turned his back to his colleagues. “Leta, please keep safe…”

Chapter 7 Leta walked through the dark streets, aware that she would need to be on guard for anyone who might be working for the Evil One. It was very early in the morning, so the streets were pretty bare. Finding the elders would be a difficult task, but she needed to know about the prophecy.

She needed answers. Why her? What happened so long ago to make her a target? And then there was the one question she had never even thought of until now—why did he kill her parents?

She considered the Evil One. How he came to be was a tale passed down through many generations of Extraordinaries. She found a quiet corner and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Pulling her sketchpad out of her backpack, she began to draw the legend both as she remembered it, and as it was told to her.

Her hand moved swiftly over the paper, and she sat there for an hour just sketching everything she saw. The story that was writing itself on paper was more disturbing than even she could have imagined. The Evil One, even though one of the most powerful beings in this world, was only 25 years older than she was, and very much younger than her parents had been when they died.

Sure, to the Regs, 25 years was a significant difference, but in her world—let’s just say he’s still a spring chicken.

The story folded before her and she was shocked to have drawn a man that looked similar to the Evil One, but somehow different. He stood over a pile of bloody corpses with a crooked grin on his face. A name, she thought to herself, give me a name. She knew she would need to locate the elders for answers. The elders were Extraordinaries that were thousands of years old but still looked young. Leta flipped the page of the pad and started sketching again. This time, the man similar to the Evil One had a look of anguish on his face. He stood in front of two figures that appeared more powerful than he was. Leta closed her eyes and tried to focus, but the two figures remained shadowed drawings. She put the pieces together—this Evil being was not the man she knew to be the Evil One, but he looked strikingly similar. Brother? Father? With their ageless looks, it was hard to tell. The elders would know for sure. She concentrated on where to find the elders, and her hand moved over a new piece of paper. She recognized the alley that was appearing before her, and she knew where to find them.

She got up and packed her things, when all of the sudden a thud hit the ground in front of her.

Leta jumped back and immediately kicked the face of the person who stood before her.

“Ouch!” Niko grunted as her foot collided with his face, sending him spiraling backwards. He landed a few feet away from her, his hand rubbing his cheek where she kicked him.

“Oh! Niko! I… I… well, what are you even doing here anyway!?” She said and scrambled to help him up. She looked up and the rest of the group had followed him. “Can you give us some privacy please?” Leta asked them impatiently, and Niko motioned for them to wait. The crowd walked out of the alley, leaving him staring into her eyes.

“Why’d you leave? You think you can handle this on your own? He’s far more powerful than even you.” He practically scolded her.

“I can handle it myself, but first I need to know what ‘it’ is.” She looked calmly past him. “I know where to find the elders, and they won’t keep secrets from me. They can’t, it’s against their code.”

“Leta it’s not that simple. If it was, we wouldn’t have spent years trying to figure out a way in.

It’s not safe for you here, you need to go back to New York and let us protect you.” Niko got close to her; he was so close, she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. They’d had a few moments like this in her lifetime, and she knew he had strong feelings for her. She also knew she had strong feelings for him, but could never admit it to him. It wasn’t the right time or place to do so, and if the Evil One knew, he would surely use this to get to her.

“Niko…” She raised her hand to his chest to push him away, but as her hand touched his chest it was as if an electrical shock shook through her body. He had obviously felt it too, because they were both suddenly very red in the face. She wished her mother was alive at this moment, so she could tell her why she felt this way. Was this love? Was this what real love felt like? Leta had an overwhelming urge to pull him close, kiss his mouth and tell him to never leave her side. It was also at this moment that she was glad she was blocking her thoughts from him.

“I can’t let you do this alone. If anything were to happen to you, I don’t know what I would do with myself.” He told her, and she sensed his honesty. This wasn’t pure competition; this is pure and genuine concern for her safety. Leta considered it for a minute. His skills matched hers in many ways, and while they had never tried anything together, she knew they would potentially be unstoppable given the right direction. She also knew that it would be stealthier to have fewer people tag along than it would to have the rest come too.

“You can come, but under my terms.” She told him firmly.

“Such as?” He asked.

“Dominik, Sloan, Raine and Kaia must not follow. We’ll be easily spotted in a group.” She told him. He thought it over and agreed. “Next… the minute you step out of my instructions, I will drop kick you so fast you won’t have time to feel it.”

He smiled, “same old Leta.”

The others came to join them, and Leta knew they had overheard her words. Dominik and Sloan were furious, Raine and Kaia remained quiet but she knew Raine would have an opinion.

“We don’t need to be all together,” Dominik reasoned. “We can hide in shadows, in different buildings or something.”

“You know that’s not possible, the Evil One has a stronger sense than most of us. He knows where we are if we are close enough. He could do it with his eyes closed.” Leta shot back. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t Raine that spoke up.

“Fine, Leta. You can leave us out of the loop but don’t you DARE come to us for ANYTHING!” Sloan raised his voice to her, a trait she had only seen from Dominik thus far. He turned and stormed off, the rest of them following behind him. Even Dominik seemed shocked at Sloan’s newfound spine.

“Don’t worry, deep inside, we all understand.” Kaia thought to her. This didn’t make Leta feel any better, but she knew they wouldn’t be pleased. Sure, she felt bad about angering them since that was never her intention, but she couldn’t risk any more people dying for her. She waited until they were out of view before turning to Niko.

“I know where the elders are.” She told him.

“So do I.” He responded, knowing full well she would be furious that he knew all along and kept it from her. She didn’t scream at him, she just sighed a heavy breath and muttered, “it figures.”

Chapter 8 They didn’t speak the whole way to the alley that held the secret passage to the lair of the elders.

When they arrived in front of the door, Leta raised her hand to knock but before she could touch the door, she felt a tingling sensation spring from the door to the palm of her hands. She simply had to wave in front of the door and it sprang open. Shooting a quick glance at Niko, it looked as though he knew it would happen but hadn’t said anything. They stood before the open door and peered inside, only to find a long dark hallway. Taking a deep breath and not wanting to show any fear, Leta led the way.

Walking down the dark hall, the two of them both jumped when the door behind them snapped shut, leaving them in total darkness.

“Do you have anything to make some light in here?” He thought to her, almost afraid of making too much noise.

“If I did, don’t you think I would have pulled it out by now?” She said, irritated.

They reached the end of the tunnel and the wall in front of them began to move. It swung open like a door, and entered into a large candlelit room. In a large circle stood four gray haired men in long black robes, their faces in a blank stare. Leta walked over to the first elder, but before she could speak, the four men dropped to their knees and bowed before her.

“They don’t speak; at least, not in the usual way. You need to communicate with them through thought.” Niko told her. She placed her hand on the man in front of her, and helped him to his feet.

“You know why I am here.” She thought to him. The old man nodded. “Tell me what I need to know.”

The old man looked at Niko and then back to Leta. Staring into her eyes, almost to the very depths of her soul, he began the tale that she had come for. However, it was a tale she was not prepared to hear.

“The Evil One, as he has been long since called, is known originally as Airon. A name so common, but carries with it so much power. You must know first, that this battle… this war… hath begun far before your time, Princess.”

Wait, what? Princess? She was completely thrown off guard. “Niko—why is he calling me ‘Princess’?”

“Wait for him to finish. All your questions will be answered.” He told her. She swallowed hard and waited for the elder man to finish his tale.

“Airon’s father, Auralius, was one of the most powerful beings, aside from your parents. At the time, he wanted so badly to take over the world… but not here, on Earth. My Princess, we come from a place so far out of this galaxy that no human being hath ever heard its name. Pacem, the planet that we are from, translates to the human English as ‘Peace’, but it was far from peaceful.

Your parents were the King and Queen of Pacem, and that’s why you… you are the Princess.”

Leta couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Looking down at her clothes, and thinking of her whole life, she couldn’t believe she would ever be a princess. Sensing that she could possibly faint, Niko comes to her side and puts his arm around her waist. The elder continues.

“The prophecy came from nowhere. No one to this day knows where it came from, but it suddenly echoed through our skies. One young child would become the most powerful being in all the galaxies. That child would be born to the King and Queen of Pacem. That child… is you, Princess. Princess Leta of Pacem. Well, needless to say Auralius was furious and sought to kill your parents before you could ever be conceived. A battle raged for a long time, but eventually your parents killed Auralius.

Your parents, significantly weakened thus more of a target, fled Pacem and found shelter in a quaint cottage on Earth. It wasn’t long before some of the kingdom followed, as loyal as they were and set up their own community. Earth was chosen for only two reasons, one being that it was not the Queen’s first trip there. If you may recall, she picked a husband on that planet, and he became the King of Pacem. Naturally, this angered Auralius, thus sparking the fury. When the prophecy came, his anger enraged further and our tale began.

What no one encountered was that Airon was training to take over his father’s place. He hunted searched throughout the galaxies to find your parents, but looked so much like his father that many assumed Auralius had come back from the dead. By this time, you were born and your powers were already starting to show. In your fifth year, Airon found you but was far too cocky.

He killed your parents, but spared you so that he could battle you at your full power to once and for all prove he was even more powerful than anyone in the galaxies.”

Leta listened and thought back to that day at the training grounds. He could have taken her there, but his own pride stood in the way. He’s giving her time to reach her full strength and power; to learn every aspect that she is capable of before facing him. This, she thought to herself, will be his downfall.

“Athos, your parent’s most trusted friend and confident, was alerted of his plan to kill your parents but arrived too late to stop him. Knowing you needed protection, a new protector was appointed to protect you throughout your life. This man would follow you all through your life and keep you safe from harm, at least, until you reach the point of which the prophecy speaks.”

She considered his words, and looked at Niko. “That’s impossible. I’ve been on my own for as long as I can remember. No one…” she cut off mid-sentence and looked into Niko’s eyes. “How old are you…” By right, he should only be 25, the same age as she is. Unfortunately, this isn’t the answer she got.

“I look 25, like all of us do once we stop aging. In truth, I’m over a hundred years old.” His words hit her like a ton of bricks. She knew the elder had more to say, so instead of storming out, she turned her back to Niko and told the elder to continue.

“You have been told that this Friday marks the date when the final battle will take place, but that date is wrong. It has been misinterpreted. The actual date is more distant in the future, and you should be training more before getting to face him again.”

“That’s impossible. I did the calculations myself—there will be a battle on Friday.” Niko told the elder, irritated.

The elder ignored Niko. He peered into Leta’s thoughts, pursing his lips before thinking to her again. “The human being that you search for is not who you think he is. He has been manipulated by Airon, sent as a distraction.”

Leta laughed out of pure disbelief. “There’s no way that’s true. I read him before even speaking to him. Will is just a boy from Texas. He isn’t a pawn of Airon.” Another of the elders stood forward.

“I can show you where to find Airon, but you will not like what you see.” He waved his hand and a sphere appeared before them. Within the sphere, the Evil One’s face dominated over his followers. He was plotting her demise, pacing and calculating. Suddenly, there was Will. He was not in any kind of shackles or handcuffs, and did not appear to be scared at all. He didn’t exactly look happy to be there, but he didn’t look uncomfortable. Leta clenched her fists at her sides, still not believing what she was seeing.

“There’s another explanation. There has to be. The last time I saw him, in the park… he was thinking about breaking… losing contact with me.” She stammered, hating the feelings she was having. Still watching the sphere, it was remarkable how many Regs he had under him. They appeared military trained and always on guard.

“You can find him on the Isle of Fear.” The elder thought to her. Leta had only heard about this place in the nightmares of children. The Isle of Fear is a supposedly fictitious place where all of your innermost fears are brought forth and you are made to face them as opposed to the alternatives—death or madness. “As for the date, Friday marks the date of a battle, but not the war.” The elder already knew; in fact, everyone in the universe already knew that Leta would go and try to find Will. She couldn’t fight the feelings she had for him, not even the ones that clouded her mind about Niko. She reasoned everything in her head as to why he would be so untouched in the grasp of the Evil One. “Leta, you have to consider that it’s a trap. They are luring you there when you aren’t ready.

Maybe Airon has decided to let the island take you instead.” Niko tried to reason with her.

“No,” she said firmly, “he’s far too cocky.”

“But they didn’t say you would fight the war, Leta! You are fighting the battle. You could die!”

He appeared distraught in a way that Leta had never seen him before. She knew how he felt about her; she could sense it for as long as she could remember. How could she believe it, though? He lied about who he was. “To protect you…” Oops. She didn’t quite block this conversation from his mind. It didn’t matter; she was too caught up with everything happening to even bother worrying about his possible affection. Maybe it was just a part of the act he played.

Leta took one last look at the elders, bowed toward them and turned to leave. Without a word, Niko followed her out. Arriving out into the sunlight, she held her face up to feel the sunlight on it.

“You can’t go alone, so don’t think about it.” He told her.

“I’m fast—faster than you. I can run and you’d never catch up… old man.” Her words stung him.

“Not that I would ever stop looking for you.” He grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him. “I would follow you to the ends of the galaxy.”

“Because it’s your job.” She stung him again. He knew she was stubborn, but that was one of the things he liked about her. Still, her words weren’t ones that made him feel good.

Leta knew her words hurt him. Aside from hearing it in his head, she could see the pained expression on his face. How was she supposed to trust anything anymore? Her whole life had been so unclear, and now it was all out in the open and Niko… he knew and didn’t tell her. She was too angry to bother with him right now.

“There’s something you should know.” He told her. “We need to stay under radar, so no super speed. No running. Anywhere we go, we are on foot like the Regs do.”

“Lame” She thought.

Chapter 9 By the time they arrived at the docks just off of Kurosaki, it was 2am Friday morning. Against Niko’s request, she let her legs work a bit faster than he would have liked. She peered in the distance and all she saw was fog—a constant fog that always settled here.

“It’s there… beyond the fog.” He thought to her. She looked at him, wondering how they were going to get across the water if they couldn’t run across. He read her thoughts, and pointed at a creaky old canoe that was floating in the dark water.

“This is going to take forever…” She exasperated. She started toward the boat when Niko grabbed her arm and pulled her below the dock. “What the…!” He put his hand over her mouth to silence her, and that’s when she heard it. Footsteps. At that moment, Niko did something she was never aware he could do. He waved his hand and made a bubble around them. Unaware of what it did, she looked into his eyes.

“It blocks our thoughts, but you must remain really still. They may still see us.” He thought to her. She listened and heard voices.

“The Evil One can sense things. He’s a powerful being, and has promised immortality to all of us who help him.” One boy said.

“But who is he? How can he promise such things?” Asked the other boy. That’s all it was. Two Reg boys in military attire. They were carrying guns, but guns weren’t her concern. Never in her life has Leta ever been able to harm an innocent being. These boys weren’t evil; they were promised something they couldn’t refuse and they took it.

“I know what you are thinking, but you must stay on guard. These boys may seem innocent, but they’ve made very real choices and won’t hesitate to try to kill you.” Niko thought to her. She knew he was right. The boys stopped on the docks just above them.

“What’s he like?” The obviously new boy asked.

“He’s a little scary, not going to lie. But, you aren’t the first person crossing this ocean.” The leader boy told him. The other boy must have been confused, because the leader boy continued to explain. “You see the line out there where the water becomes instantly darker? Once you cross that line, all of your innermost fears start coming at you. Very few people can make their way across, but trust me. If you do, it’s worth it.”

“I’m not sure I want to do this anymore…” The second boy stammered. Leta heard the cock of the gun and knew who the real innocent was. Niko knew what she was thinking. “You can’t stop this. They’ll alert the Evil One that you are here.”

“But he already knows I’m coming!” She pleaded mentally. But she knew he was right. He knew today was the day of confrontation, but he didn’t know what time. Maybe the boy was right, and

he could sense her already. She didn’t have time to react. The scared boy climbed into the tiny boat and began paddling across the water. Once he crossed the line of fog and darkness, he was out of view. For a few minutes it was quiet; even the crickets had silenced and unless she could feel it, she wasn’t even sure she was breathing. And then the screaming started.

It was shrill, piercing and agonizing. Leta couldn’t even begin to imagine the horror. She put her hands over her ears, as flashes of her own screams echoed in her mind. Suddenly, she couldn’t take it anymore and just as she was about to collapse into broken sobs and tears, the boy’s fearful screams became quiet. She knew without any explanation that he hadn’t made it across the water. She looked at Niko with utter pain in her eyes, and burst through the bubble and sped up to the docks.

She grabbed the leader boy around his neck and before he could scream, she snapped it. The boy’s limp body fell to the ground, and she instantly realized what she had done. Niko raced to her side and slipped his arm around her to prevent her from collapsing to her knees. No tears slipped down her face, no scream escaped her mouth, not even the slightest bit of her wanted to shake and weep. She killed this boy; murdered this young boy who was no older than twenty one in Reg years. And yet, felt no remorse. Leta considered the situation for a moment, and while she had initially felt the urge to drop, she felt more stronger than she’d ever felt. However, she also felt scared—could she really kill without any remorse? She searched inside of herself for the answer—some small speck of caring for the life she just took—but found nothing. Nothing but strength.

“You feel strong, not because of the kill, but because in killing him you took in any strength he may have had. I heard rumor that it was possible, but never confirmed it until now.” Niko explained to her.

“What does it mean?” She asked, her stare still frozen on the lifeless body.

“It means that if you kill someone, no matter how small or strong, you gain their energy and strength. That must be how the Evil One is taking in so much power. He’s killing the Regs and anyone that gets in his way, or anyone who isn’t of use to him, and taking their strength.” Niko told her. “That ability is a forbidden one, never taught at the academy in training. It’s not even supposed to be taught in theory, but the rumor floats around. The Evil One, Airon, must have toyed with it and discovered the truth.”

Leta stood firmly in her spot and stared into the fog. Something was coming out of the darkness, floating towards them. As it got closer, they didn’t even have to squint to see what it was. The tiny canoe had made its way back to the dock and latched itself back in place.

“I have no problem crossing this lake. Are you coming?” She asked him firmly. His hesitance made her laugh. “Oh come on… Niko, the supposed protector, has a fear that could kill him?

Really?” She climbed into the boat and turned to him.

“I’m coming.” His face didn’t lose the look of concern, but he climbed into the canoe and they began to paddle towards the fog. As soon as they reached the brim, the air became tight and she

realized that her adrenaline was running out. Throughout her life, she had feared nothing. So, she couldn’t imagine what kind of supposed fear the fog would produce for her before she even set foot on the island. They rowed into the fog for a few minutes, when something began to happen.

She was staring ahead because the fog was becoming very bright. She turned when she felt Niko grasp her arm, but when she turned he had completely disappeared. Leta searched every which way for him but saw and heard nothing. His screams filled the air like boy from before, and her breathing became shallow.

“I’m… still here… go on… stay focused… none of it… is real…”

“Leta…”

The second voice came out of nowhere, but it was familiar. She fought the tears that wanted to fall and kept paddling. The light became so bright that she had to close her eyes just for a second, and when she opened them she was no longer in the tiny boat. She wasn’t even in the water. Leta was standing in a wide field where the bright sun was beaming down on her. It was hot, and it made her wonder how she could feel anything if this wasn’t real. She looked around and instantly knew where she was.

The little girl playing in the field gave it away. She was in Osaka, and she was watching herself play in the field.

“No…” She thought to herself. The little girl started towards her home…her home… in search of her mother and father. Leta ran towards her younger self and grabbed the girl’s arms and held her back. The little girl pushed onward with amazing strength, and instead of pushing Leta completely away, she took her by the hand and began leading her inside.

“NO!” Leta screamed at the girl, and tried to pull herself out of the child’s grasp. She looked down where their hands were entwined and wanted to scream. Vines had erupted from the girl’s skin and wrapped tightly around their joined hands. Her younger self pulled her into the scene she had taken years to block out.

“Leta…”

They walked through the kitchen and into that very same room to the very same scene. But it wasn’t the same scene. Not completely. When they entered the room, she stood face to face with her parents in agony. It wasn’t Airon holding them. It was Will.

Chapter 10 Leta looked at Will in complete disbelief. Feeling her younger self release her hand, she watched as the young girl began to fade into non-existence. She wasn’t the only thing fading, the whole scene was fading. The sound of her parents’ agonized screams filled the air, as the scene turned into an eerie version of Central Park. Will was now in front of her, talking to her.

“You aren’t the girl I want, Leta. You’re too secretive and you hide things. Worst of all, you lie.

Nobody is ever going to be able to love you; you are just going to walk the galaxy alone for all of eternity…”

She shook her head and couldn’t help but feel herself slipping away. It wasn’t something she felt like she could stop, she was losing herself in this horrible nightmare.

“Leta…”

The voice shook her out of her submission. The voice that had been calling her name all along, that sounded so familiar, kept echoing in her mind.

“Leta…”

It was distorted, but there was no mistaking it. Suddenly, park was fading as well. Something had grabbed her arm and pulled her out of it. She stumbled onto a dark beach, falling into Niko’s arms. They had made it across the water.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He held her tightly. She moved away from him quickly, still unsure if the whole thing was still happening or not. Catching her breath and coming around, she saw Niko’s ragged appearance and wondered what he had been through.

“Wha.. what did.. it use on you?” She stammered. He looked like he’d been through hell, but for as long as she’s known him, he never once feared anything.

“Nothing. We’re both here, let’s press on. That won’t be the only thing we face in here.” He stood firm and was trying to hide the relief in his voice. Leta nodded and pushed ahead to lead the way.

There were no trails, and fallen trees blocked the way. Picking them up and pushing them out of the way was no trouble, but trying to do so without making much noise was near impossible.

Leta remained curious over what possible fear Niko had that would tear him up so badly, and considered many different scenarios. All of them seemed foolish and absurd. She knew not to ask, but searched his mind for any ideas only to realize he was blocking his thoughts from her.

As they got closer to the middle of the island, she figured out that the fog containing the fear delusions stuck to the water instead of being on the island itself. The only thing on the island they had to watch out for were the ones hired by Airon. It was strange calling him that, since Airon is such a simple name. But, she refused to give him any more of an ego by still referring to

him as ‘the Evil One’. This was something she decided as she fell into Niko’s arms back on the beach.

Niko stopped her in her tracks and put a finger over his lips to signal quiet. She shut down her body to remain still and closed off her thoughts. Sinking to the ground, the two laid perfectly still as a group of three came slowly in their direction.

“Get up!” A voice boomed. It took Leta a moment to register that the voice was talking to them, and immediately, she shot up furious.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She demanded furiously. Niko sighed and took to her side.

Dominik and Raine came slowly into view. Sloan was standing behind them looking solemn and, for lack of better word, dead.

“We weren’t going to let you face this alone, Princess.” Dominik spoke first. Leta wasn’t sure what made her more furious, the fact that they all knew her history before she did, or the fact that they obviously didn’t trust her to do this alone. “We understand how you feel, but it’s not that we don’t trust you.”

“Quite the contrary.” Raine chimed in. “We know you will lead us to a victory here, but you are just one person and Airon has many with him.” At this point, Leta couldn’t take her eyes off Sloan.

“You have nothing to say? You had plenty to say earlier!” Leta fumed, but caught the pained look on his face and stopped herself from really tearing into him. And then it struck her.

“Where… where is Kaia?”

“Kaia didn’t make it past the fog.” Dominik’s words echoed in the air for a few minutes.

Everyone became silent. Leta knew Kaia, and while it was hard to believe any physical force could take her down, Kaia wasn’t the most headstrong individual. She was soft spoken and kind, and probably had many killer fears. She understood now why Sloan was so quiet and withdrawn.

Kaia was his first and only love, and now she was gone. Ripped from his life just like many people had been ripped from hers. Leta knew that she couldn’t take the time to mourn now, and instead of feeling sadness, she only felt more hatred for Airon.

“How close are we?” Leta asked, turning to Niko who was obviously pained at the news of Kaia’s death.

“Look over there in the distance; do you see that faint glow?” Niko turned her attention to a little ways ahead, and she saw something flickering and nodded. “That’s a force-field similar to the one you and I set up under the docks. That’s why we aren’t hearing a million voices all around us.”

“Can we get into it without detection?” Leta’s question seemed stupid, even to her, but it was one that she needed answered.

“The Evil One, Airon, already knows we’re here.” As soon as he said that, Leta knew that if Airon knew they were here, they weren’t safe at all. This place was probably swarming with guards hunting them at this very second. “You’re right. We need to move. Is he going to be able to fight?” Niko asked Dominik and Raine, motioning to Sloan.

“He’ll fight, but he’ll be hasty. He could be irresponsible during battle.” Raine thought to everyone except Sloan. This was what Leta didn’t like about bringing others to fight what was her battle. Irresponsible meant potential accidents, and how could she battle Airon if she had to babysit fellow Extraordinaries too. “You really think you need to babysit us?” Raine had heard what she thought. Perfect.

“I just don’t need to worry about you when I need to be focused on Airon.” Leta tried to explain, but Raine wasn’t taking any of her words.

“You really think you’re that much better than us? Like we have no powers and you are just the all-powerful being that…” Raine was cut off by Dominik’s glare at her.

“She is the Princess. You are not to be insolent. You know our job is to protect her, and we can’t do that if you are at each other’s throats.”

Leta pretended to ignore his thought, and turned toward the direction of the force-field. When she got close, she pulled the notepad from her backpack and holding a flashlight under her chin, she let her pencil move across the paper. When she was finished, they were looking around the in and out of the compound. Taking out her machetes for easy access, she gave the outline to the others.

“We need to be fast. There are too many of them to try a sneak attack, and Airon won’t attack us while we’re taking out his minions. He won’t… he’s waiting for me.” She told them. “Once we enter, it’s every man for himself. Slaughter everyone who stands in your way. Do you all have weapons?”

Dominik’s own hands were his weapons, and really he could do more damage with those than he could with anything else. Raine had a slick and sharp sword that she was spectacularly trained with, and Niko had two long, extremely sharp daggers. Daggers, Leta thought.

“Switch me. We know those machetes are too large for you to handle properly.” He took the machetes from her and equipped himself with them. She put the daggers in her belt and gave one last look to her group. Her eyes focused on Sloan, who seemed to not have any weapons at all.

“Sloan, what are you fighting with?” She asked him directly. For a minute, his eyes focused on Niko’s. It was obvious that they were blocking a conversation, and this made her very uncomfortable. Niko went to him and hugged him. Like brothers hug when they aren’t sure when they will see each other again.

“I have a weapon. Don’t worry.” Sloan finally told Leta. Still unsure, she thought it best not to question.

“Okay, let’s do this.” And with that, the group ran through the force-field and were immediately confronted with hundreds of military dressed men.

Chapter 11 Blood splattered everywhere, and bodies were starting to pile up. Reg bodies cut so easily, and none of them heal fast enough to survive the deadly blades that are swinging at them. Hundreds dead, in just a few minutes. Leta jumped over a group of men and swiftly swinging the daggers, decapitated the whole group. Bullets were flying at her, piercing her skin but barely making a dent. She had a second to wonder why she was ever really worried that the Regs had guns.

Raine’s sword pierced through multiple bodies and Dominik was literally tearing people to pieces with his bare hands.

The five stood back to back fighting, but just as they could see the last of the guards coming at them, hundreds more poured out of the compound to attack them.

“This is the last wave; there are no more guards inside!” Leta yelled above the noise.

“There are too many of them!” Raine panicked, clinging to Dominik.

What happened next seemed unbelievable. Niko began to focus and a protective force-field surrounded the group. It was one that Leta had tried many times to master, because you couldn’t possibly penetrate it. She looked around, and it seemed everyone was safe. Except Sloan who was still outside of it.

“Niko! Get Sloan!” She screamed, but Niko didn’t listen to her. He remained focused, and the remaining four had to watch as hundreds of men surrounded them. Sloan glanced at Leta and lifted up his shirt to reveal an otherworld explosive that would wipe out everything within a hundred feet radius. Instantly, Leta knew what was going on, but was powerless to stop it. The explosion was loud and powerful. So much so that even in the force-field, a ripple could be felt amongst the group. By the time Niko lowered the protection, they stood surrounded by pieces of bodies and bones. Sloan’s had vaporized in the blast.

As mentioned before, not many things could kill Extraordinaries. An otherworld bomb could kill anything. Leta felt stunned. She couldn’t move her arms or legs and wasn’t hearing anything around her. She felt like she was sinking into herself, but Niko shook her out of it.

“Block what just happened and focus! You need to focus!” He screamed at her vacant glance.

“Focus! For your parents! For Athos! For Kaia and Sloan and everyone who has died directly and indirectly by his hand!”

His words made her blood boil. She felt something strange, and understood why Sloan chose to focus his eyes on her when the explosion happened. Niko’s earlier words came flooding back to her.

“You feel strong, not because of the kill, but because in killing him you took in any strength he may have had.”

All these men that had died, as well as Sloan… all of their energy, strength, and power, was now surging through her veins. Niko, Dominik and Raine stepped back and were staring at her with a strange look.

“What…?” Leta questioned, but caught a glimpse of herself in Raine’s bloody sword. Wiping it clean with a scrap of fabric from one of the men’s uniforms, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her hair now had silver tips, and her skin was glowing. She felt the power and could understand how easy it would be to get carried away, but she knew that she had more love inside of her that it would never get away from her. She knew it was time to go find Airon. *** They burst into the compound, which from the outside appeared like a rundown gymnasium, and the inside did not disappoint. Airon stood at the far end in front of a makeshift throne that he had no doubt had crafted when he arrived here. Leta wasn’t scared, and wasn’t even thrown off guard when she saw Will standing beside him. No shackles, no pain, no bruises or anything to say he was tortured.

“Ahh Leta, has our time come already?” Airon’s voice cackled a wicked laugh. “It’s just you and me, sweetheart. I’m sure your Reg wants nothing to do with you.”

“You shouldn’t have waited for me to be so powerful, Airon. It will be your downfall.” Leta smiled at him, a sweet knowing smile. She glanced at Will again and knew something was odd about him. She felt it instantly. “He’s not a Reg at all. He’s an Extraordinary, just like us.” It made sense to her now. How he knew how to make her become unhinged, and how this whole set up was staged knowing she would come find him. Still, he said nothing to her at all.

“My dear, it took you this long to figure it out? Silly girl… still that same little girl who couldn’t stop me from slaughtering your parents, think you can get me now?” He laughed again. Leta no longer hesitated.

She dove at him only to be cornered with a blast of air that threw her to the back of the room.

She jumped back up and raced back to him quicker than she’d ever run. He raised his hands and electric chains tied Dominik, Raine and Niko together. Will left his place by Airon and went to tend to the others, but Leta did not change course. She stopped just short of ten feet from him, raised her hands and released all the power she felt running through her body. A bright beam of light exploded from her and annihilated anything he was trying to throw at her. He was blown backwards, crashing into the back wall making a large dent.

“No no no no NOO!” He screamed, sounding like a spoiled little boy who was just told ‘no’ for the first time. He shot up and jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. His hand firmly around her throat, he squeezed as tight as he could. Gasping for air, Leta fought with everything in her. She fought the urge to blackout, and took a second to focus. The beam of light that had come from her hands was now radiating out of her entire body, causing him to fly up and hit the ceiling with a large crash.

For a minute, it seemed as though he had disappeared completely. Leta stood up and looked at the others. Will was doing something to Dominik; Will was holding his hand over him while a pale light was rising out of Dominik’s head and all of the sudden, he fell to his knees and passed out.

Unable to understand, the wind was knocked out of her from behind and Leta realized Airon had come back for more. She blasted the beam out of both her hands, aiming one at Airon and the other at Will who was knocked away from the group.

“You won’t defeat me, Leta!” Airon screamed at her, as if he needed to convince himself of it.

“YES I WILL!” Leta began to shake with fury, her whole body vibrating as she kicked off the ground causing the floor to burst into rubble beneath her. She was floating in mid-air and the glow around her was intense. Airon backed up, astonished at the sight. Leta’s hands began to build up bubbles of light and as she clapped them together, the beam shot directly at Airon’s chest. The light took him over, and he turned into a cloud of darkness and drifted through a hole in the ceiling just before vanishing.

Leta turned her attention to Will, who was standing up again. For the first time since she got there, he spoke.

“He will return, and when he does it will be the end of you.” And then he vanished. Leta landed on the ground and her body became normal again. She took a few minutes to register what had just happened and looked towards Niko and Raine who were now free and tending to Dominik.

“What did he do to him?” She questioned.

“I didn’t think it was possible. This must have been how he killed your parents, Leta.” Raine told her. “Will is an elder. Obviously corrupted by Airon, but still an elder with all the power of one.

Like they can make Regs into Extraordinaries, they can take that away from them as well. He’s turned Dominik into a Reg.” Niko stood up and helped Dominik up. Still weak and unable to speak, Dominik lurched over Raine as she pulled him from the building. Niko moved beside Leta and explained further.

“Dominik will never get his abilities back. He will age and die off like any other Reg.” His words hurt Leta, who had now felt responsible for the death of three of her friends. “It’s not your fault, don’t ever think that.”

“But it’s not over. He’ll return and no one is safe.” She felt like for the first time since that day on the training field, she was about to cry and never stop. Niko lifted her chin up and wiped a tear from her eye.

“Do you know what had me so worn out after our stint in the fog? What scared me so bad that I look so ragged and broken?” He asked her. “I was afraid of losing you again.” His lips touched hers gently. She had considered this moment for what felt like forever, but instead of questioning

it, she gave in and kissed him back. She knew that one day, Airon would return and they would once again fight side by side. She knew this was not the end, but the beginning of her war against an Evil that would need to be defeated once and for all. But for a moment, everything in the worlds combined‌ seemed perfect.

Epilogue Getting off the island had been much easier than getting on it. Leta was rundown from the battle, so Niko had put her on his back and began ran her all the way back to her loft in New York City.

She passed out on her mattress as soon as she arrived. Days had passed— she wasn’t sure how many—but each time she opened her eyes just the slightest bit, Niko was still there watching over her. As much as she wanted to get out of bed, she couldn’t.

When she finally sat up, wide awake, she noticed her loft was very different than she had left it.

There was furniture, fully stocked cupboards and fridge, and a little dish full of food with the name “Cat” on it.

“He just kept coming to the window, so I figured we could keep him.” Niko said, noticing her awake. The cat was sitting on his lap, enjoying the gentle strokes of Niko’s hand on his back.

Leta smiled.

“His name is Jagger.” As soon as she said his name, he hopped off of Niko and snuggled in next to her. “Where did all this furniture come from?” She looked around her very modernized loft.

“I bought it. I figure if we’re going to live here, we might as well make it a home.” He told her, smiling. Live here, she thought. Together. Biting her lower lip, she got off her bed and walked towards him.

“I think I could get used to that.” She said, leaning in to kiss him. Kissing him was nothing like she’d ever imagined. As soon as their lips touched, it was like they were the only two in the whole universe.

“Ahem.” A voice from behind them made them both jump apart in a defensive stance. It was Will. “Seems you have moved on, Leta. Can’t say I blame you; you finally have someone you don’t need to keep secrets from.”

Niko blocked her behind his body. “What are you doing here?” He demanded.

“Nothing to cause harm, I assure you.” A crooked smile curled his lips. He turned his attention to Leta. “In fact, I have glorious news! Your mother and father are ALIVE.” Her head felt woozy and she needed to shake herself to focus. “You’re lying. It’s not possible.”

“Oh my dear, I assure you it is very possible. But I must run. Things to do, worlds to conquer, you know how it is.” And with that, he winked at her and transformed into a puff of smoke and was gone.