"Where am I," I moan, placing my hand on my aching head. "Where am I? What is going on?"

I open my eyes for only a second before a sudden bright light blinds me. I scream and shield myself. Trying to get away, I get up but fall back down, rolling down onto trash bags. The bags rip open when I fall onto them, and now I am covered in trash.

I scream again and push myself up. I toss away some trash sticking to me before looking all around.

"An alleyway? What am I doing in an alley?

Feeling weak all of a sudden, I lean against the wall for support. Breathing in and out, in and out, I try and think back to what happened before I ended up. Only, as I try to think back, a weird pain creeps its way into my head. At first, it's small, almost like an itch, but it quickly grows, becoming too much too soon.

"Stop," I scream, forced onto the ground again, my hands squeezing my head. "Stop, stop, stop! Please stop!"

Despite my closed eyes, I can feel tears leak through. The pain is too much to handle. It is unbearable. It feels like my head is being squeezed, yet also being pulled in a million different directions. I am beyond thankful when the headache stop and I can open my eyes again. Despite the headache begin gone, I still feel very sick. I feel like throwing up. My arms and legs feel like they are on fire, but also like they are frozen in ice.

I have to push through the pain. I have to get out of here and get some help. I crawl up the wall and move against it as I walk toward an exit.

"Almost there," I say, everything getting a little bit better. Still breathing in and out, I push myself off the wall and slowly wobble out. Stumbling as I step onto a cold empty street, I look around to see where I am.

"I'm in a city," I say. "What am I doing in a city? What city is this?"

It's nighttime right now. The street I am standing on is being lit up by a row of street lamps.  High above me are skyscrapers, the sides of them dotted in lights. Next to me however are what look like abandoned buildings. Most of them are covered in spray paints, and it appears that almost every window and door are boarded up with wooden planks.

As I keep on looking around, I notice there does not seem to be signs of anyone else nearby. There is not so much as a sound being heard, and there are no cars anywhere on the street. Nevertheless, I try shouting anyway.

"Hello? Hello. Is anyone there? I need some help here. Please."

The headache coming back without any warning, I drop to my knees, my hands crushing my head. Crying now, I think about bashing my head into the street over and over in the hope that I could kill myself and stop the pain. Before I can, however, the headache, the pain just stop. Like when it came, it just stop without any warning. 

"Did you hear that," someone says, coming around the corner of a building. "It sounds like someone is screaming."

"Yeah," someone else replies. "Come on, let's go."

Hearing some footsteps, I smile and wave my arm in the air.

"Over here. I'm over here. Please."

I am glad to see two men run right toward me. A fat one with an orange beard is the first to reach me. When he does, he knees down and helps me sit upright.

"Hey Chris," he starts, "It's a kid."

"Yeah Peter," Chris says, a thin man with long hair. He kneels down in front of me. "What the hell is a kid doing out here in the middle of the night?"

"Who cares," Peter replies, pushing me aside and reaching into my pockets. "I'm starving. Let's see if he had any money."

"What the hell," I say, pushing Peter away. "Get away from me."

I push Chris away, but when I do, Peter himself kicks me in the head and knocks me to the ground.

"Come on," Peter says, helping Chris back up. Once up, the two then try to rob me. I struggle to get away from them, but Chris grabs me by the shirt collar and punches me across the face. Falling back down onto the street, I cannot do anything when the two reach into my pockets.

"Got anything," Peter asks, pulling out my jacket pockets.

"No," Chris snarls, tossing away some pieces of papers he found. "Just trash. Stupid, stupid trash."

"Trash," I thought, looking at the papers as the wind starts to pick them up. "No, I need those. I need them. Get away from me. Get away from me. Get away from me now."

I start to feel something build up in my hands. It feels like something is about burst out from them. Focusing, I pull back my arm. Peter looking at me, I punch him in the chest and somehow, all of a sudden, sent him flying into the air.

"What the hell," Chris shouts before I punch him with my other hand. Yelling as he slides back into the alley where I woke up, I look at Peter just as he drops onto the street. Somehow, I punched him so hard, he sailed through the air before landing what look like ten feet away from me.

"What the," I say, staring at my hands and then at Peter. Strangely, I feel more anger than relief. I push myself up and walk to where Peter is.

The bastard is moaning and groaning as I walk to him. Holding his head, I stomp on his chest as hard as I can. Screaming and coughing now, I place my hands around his head.

"Nooo," he begs, looking me in the eyes as I somehow did the thing again. I fire from both my hands and watch as Peter falls to the ground. Once he does, I turn and walk over to Chris.

Chris:

"What the hell," I scream, clutching my chest. "What the hell did that kid hit me with? My chest."

My chest feels like it was just hit by a damn freight train. I pull back my head and yell into the sky. Lowering my head, I think I see Peter standing at end of the alleyway. Waving at the guy, I yell.

"Hey. Hey Peter. Over here, man. Come on, help me up."

"Help you up," someone else repeats, the voice not even sound human. "Help you up? Help you up."

Stomping his way toward me, each step he takes shaking the ground, the kid picks me up, not even breaking a sweat.

"Help you," he says, sounding like a growling dog. "Like when I needed your help."

Shaking me back and forth, left and right, I grab at his hands and try to pry myself free, but his grip is unbreakable. Out of options, I try punching the kid.

My fist hitting his face, I scream and pull it back. Looking at my hand, I see bright-red bumps all over my knuckles. The kid on the other kid didn't even look unharmed.

Pulling me closer, until we are face-to-face, he places his hand on my forehead.

"Please," I say, clapping my hands together and praying. "No. No. Please. Don't. I'm sorry. We're sorry. We're sorry we tried to rob you. Please. Please don't kill me."

The kid stays quiet for a while, his hand still on my forehead. It felt like an eternity before he says something.

"Where am I," he asks, pulling me closer. "What is this city?"

"What? It's San Francisco."

"San Francisco?"

"Yeah. San Francisco. San Francisco, California."

The kid stays quiet again for some time, looking around.

"Thank you," he says, turning back to face me. He then pulls back his hand.

Mark:

“No one move,” I yell, firing my gun as we enter the convenience store.

Everyone screaming and dropping to the ground, I then aim at the cashier. Tossing him an empty bag, I point at the register.

“All the money in the register,” I say. “Give it to me. Now.”

I fire off a round, destroying a scratcher display behind the cashier. The cashier jumps, he then moves, opening the register and tossing all the cash into the bag.

“You two,” I say, turning to Larry and Kenny. “Get the customers. Grab anything that looks valuable. Come on, it won’t be long before the cops get here.”

Larry and Kenny nod their heads and run toward the downed customers. Snatching whatever they can; watches, wallets, even a few cell phones, they toss the loots into their own bags.

“Move,” I say, slamming the counter with the butt of my gun. “Come on. Move. Faster, faster, faster. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.”

Slamming the counter over and over, I stop when I notice someone standing in the far corner of the store.

“Hey,” I say, turning to Kenny. I point the guy out and Kenny nods his head. He starts to walk over to him.

Kenny:

I turn into one of the store’s pathways, apparently the one with all of the magazines. There, standing and reading what looks like a magazine about travel, appears to be some sort of homeless kid.

The kid is dressed in a grey hoodie and pale-brown, baggy pants, both of which are covered in stains and have holes all over them. His backpack alone looks like it spends years in a dumpster, given how pale it is.

“Is this kid even worth robbing,” I ask, “I mean, he can’t have more than a few bucks on him. Still, we can’t let him out. If he escapes, then the cops will get here a lot earlier and we’ll lose our payday.”

Walking up to the kid, I hit the shelf with my broken pipe.

“Hey kid,” I shout, “Hey. Hey. Oh, for god’s sake.”

The kid ignoring me, I grab his shoulder and force him around.

“Hey. Give me your backpack. Now.”

I push him back and wave my weapon in his face.

“Do you want to die?”

To my surprise, the kid somehow stays calm. He pulls down his hood and moves his pitch-black hair out of the way. Finally, he pulls out a pair of earbuds from his ears.

“Excuse me,” he says, putting the earbuds into the pockets of his hoodie. “Are you trying to rob me?”

Mark:

I lend over and grab the bag once the register is empty. Forcing the cashier to lay down on the floor, I walk over to Larry.

“Where the hell is Kenny,” I whisper, hitting Larry’s shoulder. “How long does it take to rob one guy?”

“I don’t know,” Larry replies, bending down to grab some girl’s phone. “Here.”

Giving me his bag, he follows after Kenny. Meanwhile, I stay and rob whatever the customers have left.

Larry:

“Kenny,” I shout, looking around. “Kenny, where the hell are you man? Come on. We need to get out of here. Kenny, where are you?”

Turning into the pathway where I saw he entered, I stop dead in my track.

“What the fuck,” I say, seeing Kenny completely frozen in what looks like a massive block of ice.

“Holy,” I scream, running to him. “What in the world happened to you?”

In front of him now, I see his eyes and mouth wide open, and his pipe stuck in mid-air. It looks like it flew out of his hand before getting stuck in the ice itself.

“What,” I say, pulling my hands down my face. “What? What? What? What can do this?”

Remembering my pocket knife, I start stabbing the ice over and over again. Nothing more than shards breaking off, I stand back, my knife and my hands wet.

About to just leave him, I start to hear footsteps coming up from behind me.

Turning around as fast as I can, I bring up my knife and lunge forward.

Mark:

“Come on,” I say, tapping my fingers against my legs. “Where are they? Where are they? I got the bags. It’s time to go. Where are they?”

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see one of the customers push himself up and slide against the floor.

“Hey,” I scream, pointing my gun at him. “Do that again and the last thing you see is my bullet going through your head.”

About to pull the trigger, I stop when I hear Larry screams. Turning around, I see him fly through the air, right onto the counter where he slides into everything before falling to the floor.

Seeing Larry with a sunglasses rack on top of him, I think fast and reach down to grab a girl. Putting her into a headlock, I place the barrel of my gun against her head.

“Okay,” I say, looking at where I saw Larry fly from. “Whoever, whatever, you are, come out now. Come out now or I’ll blow this girl head off.”

The girl crying as she begs me to let her go, I aim my gun down at the aisle.

“Come out,” I order, pulling back the hammer of my gun.

Slowly, walking out of the aisle is some homeless guy. No, not a guy but a kid, barely any older than my hostage.

“A kid,” I say, looking at Larry. “No. No way. There’s no way you could have done that to him. Hey, whoever is back there, come out now or your friend is dead.”

Looking back at the dirty brat, I step back when I see him suddenly in front of me, not at the end of the aisle where he was only a second ago.

Before I can do anything, the brat grabs my arm and pulls. He then grabs my hostage and tosses her to the side. Moving my arm so I could shoot him, he moves faster and catches my wrist. My wrist in his hand, he starts to crush it.

The bones in my arm breaking, I drop to my knee.

The Homeless Kid:

Despite crushing the robber’s wrist, he still tries to fire his gun. Moving it all around, he starts to fire rounds after rounds. Seeing the bullets as they fly, I see the danger of them accidentally hitting someone. Quickly raising my free hand, I catch the bullets in mid-air and slam each and every one of them into the tiled floor.

Everyone’s eyes go wide as they watch the bullets disappear into the floor. Even the robber.

“What,” he cries once his gun is empty. “How? What are you?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, turning back to him. “I really don’t.”

The robber lets go of his gun, he tries punching me over and over again. By the time he is done, he is out of breath and his hand is bleeding badly.

Crying and staring at his red hand, I place my open hand against his chest. Focusing, I sent a blast through my hand and into his chest, the robber flying through the air before hitting the wall behind the cashier’s counter. As he slams into the wall and falls onto the floor, everything else on the walls starts to fall onto him; little packages of medicine, some batteries, even some bandages.

“He will most likely need these when he wakes up,” I say, turning around to face all the scared customers still on the floor. Preferring that they do not remember me, I wave my hand slowly through the air. One by one, they all begin to slowly get up, their memories of what happened only moments ago completely gone.

The cashier stumbling past me, I grab his arm and pull him in close.

“Excellent job defending the store,” I say, “But now you must call the police.”

Just staring at me, he then notices the unconscious robber I threw across the counter. Still on the floor, a knife in his hand, the cashier rushes to call the police officer, stopping and screaming when he sees the second robber behind the counter.

Leaving me, I walk out of the store. The seconds I am alone and no one is paying attention, I begin to surround myself in a smoky black mist. The black mist is engulfing my body, eating away at it until it swallows me whole. Once it does, it teleports me back home in a flash.

The Kid:

Appearing out of thin air, I land on the roof of my home, an abandoned gas station, everything from the price sign to the pumps to the building covered in layers of rust and dust.

Walking to the ledge, I sit down, my legs hanging over the side. As I sit, I look up at the sky.

“Two years,” I say to the sky. “Two years since I woke up in that alleyway. A lot had changed since then. A lot hadn't.”

Lowering my head, I look back at the ground. My gas station is surrounded by the sandy desert. Seeing rocks nearby, I use my telekinesis to make them float to me. Catching them one by one, I juggle them. As I telekinesis juggle, I think back to what that robber said.

“What are you,” he asked. The question reminded me of how I couldn't find anything about myself.

“Why can’t I find anything. I searched for two years. I didn't sleep or eat. I just search all over but couldn't find anything.”

I flashback to knocking out Peter and Chris and unfolding the papers I had with me, only to see that they're blank. I then think back to going through missing person pictures, hoping to find a picture of me and even a name. It was fruitless.

I snap out of my trance and grab one of the rocks. Tossing it as far as I can, the rock going quite the distance, I grab another one from the desert.

“And these powers. How did I get them? Where did they come from? I can do so much. I can move things with my mind. I can teleport almost anywhere I want. I can even shoot both fire and ice from my bare hands.”

With my free hand, I summon a block of ice before casting it aside to summon a small blaze.

“That is not normal. That is not a normal thing people can do. So how can I do it?”

I toss a second rock, this one going a little further than the last. I do this over and over again, using my power to pick up rocks and throw them.

“With no memory of who I am or even where I come from here, I am lucky to have found this gas station outside the city. After two years of living here, I still have not seen anyone drive by. Just how I like it.”

About to throw more rocks, I stop and let all the rocks fall to the ground. Looking around once more, I summon the black mist to teleport me into the boarded-up station. Landing right into my chair, only one of the many things I have found and brought from all over the city, I sink into it.

With my mini-fridge on the other side of the room, I use my telekinesis to pull it toward me. Still using it to open the fridge, I mentally grab a can of soda and bring it into my hand.

I let out a sigh and is about to take a sip when, all of a sudden, I stop. I hear something.

“What is that sound,” I ask, putting the soda back and going up to a wall. Putting my ear against it, I close my eyes and listen.

“It sounds like an engine. A car engine? No, that cannot be right. No one drive here. This is an abandoned road. There is no way that can be a car engine."

I listen closely, but I need to know. Pushing myself off of the wall, I teleport back onto the roof. Dropping onto the ledge, I scan the surrounding area.

“It is a car,” I say, seeing a small, red car driving only a few miles away. “What is a car doing all the way out here? Is it lost, or are they looking for something specific? Maybe they are here for a place to set up a shop? No, that cannot be right. This whole place is empty. There are no customers. They have to be lost, but I have to be sure.”

Taking in a deep breath, I teleport onto the car.

Aileen:

“We’re lost,” I say, lending back in my seat and looking around. “Admit it, Diana. We’re lost.”

“We are not lost,” Diana replies, her eyes on the dirt road ahead. “This is a new way to Ian’s house.”

“I seriously doubt that,” I say. “I mean, look around. There isn’t anything for miles around. Nothing but sands.”

I open the window to feel a refreshing breeze but instead get hit by a burning hot wind. As I close the window, I look up at the car’s ceiling.

“Hey D,” I say, “Did you hear that? It sounds like something on the roof.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Diana replies, pulling out her phone. “Come on Aileen. Help me out here. Type in Ian’s address.”

“So I was right,” I laugh, snatching D’s phone. “We are lost. Don’t worry about it. I won’t rub it in. I will however let you do the explaining as to why we’re two hours late to Ian’s house.”

Again, I hear something on the roof again.

“I’m telling you D,” I say, elbowing D in her shoulder. “I’m hearing something on the roof. Come on, pull over.”

The Kid:

Adjusting myself while on top of the speeding car, I look through the roof and directly into the mind of the driver. A thin girl with orange hair, she is wearing a tank top and shorts.

“Diana Fatan,” I say, learning her name. “21 years old, work as a waitress at a bar. Currently lost and is trying to find an ‘Ian Haddy’s’ house. Just as I thought. This car is lost.”

There is someone besides the driver. Slightly shorter than Ms. Fatan, she had long black hair pulled into a ponytail and is wearing a pale blue shirt with long jeans.

As I try to read her mind, my vision becomes blurry. My arms start to shake, and an odd yet familiar pain creeps into my head.

“I know this,” I moan, placing my hands on my head. “It is the same from before. From two years ago. What is going on?”

The pain is getting worst, and before I know it, it becomes too much to handle. I look at the sky to scream.

Aileen:

“What in the world,” I yell, hearing someone screaming. Diana also hearing it, slams on the brakes. As she does, a body drop in front of us, hitting the hood of the car before sliding off.

“Oh my god,” I say, covering my mouth with my hands. “What happened? Where did that guy come from? Is he dead?”

“I don’t know,” Diana shouts. “I don’t know. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“What? No, we can’t just leave him. He may still be alive.”

“If he is, then he’s going to sue the heck out of us. And if he isn’t, then we’re killers. Let’s just go. No one around. No one here. Let’s go.”

Diana backing up, I push open the door.

“Aileen,” Diana says.

Outside now, I run to the man’s side. Only, it’s not a man but more like a teenager, like Diana and me.

The teen is laying on his back, not moving at all. Kneeling beside him, I place my ear to his chest.

“No,” I say, hearing nothing.

Panicking now, I think of what to do. With no real option, I pinch his nose and kiss him.

“Aileen,” Diana screams, grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

“No,” I yell, breaking free and giving him one last breath before Diana wraps her arms around me and pulls me away.

The Teenager:

Feeling a sudden rush of energy, like something had just charged me with power, I shoot open my eyes and get up.

“What,” I scream, looking all over. “What? What happened?

A scream getting my attention, I find myself a few feet from the two girls from before, Diana’s arms wrapped around the one with black hair.

“Uhh,” I think, thinking of what I know about conversations “Hello.”

Thinking of something better, I shoot out my hand.

“You will forget all about this,” I start, “You will forget about all of this and you will leave. You will get back in your car, drive away, and never ever come back here. You will also forget about me. I am no one to you two.”

“I will forget about you,” Diana repeats, letting go of her friend. “You are no one to us. I will get back into my car, drive away, and leave forever.”

Turning away, she, and she alone, walk back to the car. Meanwhile, the black hair girl stays, staring at me. Trying again, I wave my hand at her.

“You will forget about all of-.”

Before I can finish, the girl slaps me across the face.

Aileen:

“What did you do,” I scream, shoving the man. Falling back, I leave him and run over to Diana. Grabbing her by the shoulder, I start shaking her.

“Diana. Come on. Can you hear me? Come on. Say something. Snap out of it.”

Despite how loud I clapped my hands or how close I snapped my fingers, Diana is still in a daze. She’s staring into space and repeating what the man told us.

“What on earth did he do to you,” I say, clapping my hands again.

The Kid:

“How,” I think, “How can this girl resist my powers? Who is she? I have to know.”

I push myself up and walk over to her. However, the second she sees me, she grabs Diana and tries to run. Thinking fast, I slam my hands on the road and turn it into quicksand. The girl stops, she now starts to sink.

“Help,” she screams, waving her arms and trying to get out of the quicksand. “Help! Someone, please help us!”

I feel a sharp pain in my chest all of a sudden. It feels like something is stabbing it.

“What is this,” I ask myself, trying to analyze the pain. It is not like the headaches from before, but still, it hurts very much. I look at the girl, thinking she is the cause of the pain. I discover I am right.

When she turns back to look at me, there are tears in her eyes, and immediately, I feel the pain sharpen. Clutching my chest, I endure the pain and look at the girl.

“I will help you,” I say, shooting out my hands to lift the two girls out of the quicksand. Once out, I transform the quicksand back into a normal road.

Dropping the girls onto the normal road, I want to reach out and help her, but I decide not to. Instead, I wave my hand and pull her friend out of the daze.

“What,” Diana says, blinking a few times and looking around. “What happened? What’s going on? Where are we?”

Diana asks many more questions but the girl ignores them and turns to me. I put my hands up and back away.

“Wait,” she says, shooting out her hand. Stopping, I keep my hands up. The two of us stay still for a while, just looking at each other, waiting for the other one to make a move.

“Thank you,” the girl says, breaking the silence. “We will go, and you will never see us again.”

She turns around and grabs Diana by the arm. Dragging her away, I think fast and instead, scan Diana’s mind.

“I cannot read her mind,” I think, “But I can read your mind. I need to know about your friend. Who is she?”

Sifting through the useless thoughts and information, I finally find what I am looking for.

“Her name is Aileen Elizabeth Howard. She is an old child, with two loving parents. She lived in an apartment building with three other people in San Francisco. I got the address.”

The two driving away, I stay where I am, even after they fade from sight.

“Aileen Elizabeth Howard,” I say, replaying what happened. “She is immune to my powers. I get headaches when I try to read her mind. She is special. Why? What makes her so special?”

Thinking back to when she thanked me, and then when she slapped me, I begin to feel weird things. Holding my hand over my chest, I trace where the car drove.

“I got her address. Would it be wrong if I go and see her at her building? Yes, I think so, but at the same time, I really do need to see her again. For two years, two long years, I have searched for something that can tell me anything about who I am. This may be my first lead. Something about that girl makes her immune to my powers.”

Staring at my hands, flipping them over, and then back again, I look around for a bit to make sure I am really alone. Taking in a deep breath, I gather a blast in my hand. Focusing, I then slam the blast into the ground, an eruption of dust and sand exploding and flying everywhere, rocks and plants getting picked up and traveling for miles.

“I am going to regret this,” I say to myself, walking a few steps before teleporting away. Dropping onto a skyscraper in the middle of San Francisco, I hold my hand over my eyes and scan the city.

“Shoot. I do now know where her apartment is. I never learn the streets’ names. How am I supposed to find her building? It could be anywhere.”

Hitting myself in the head over and over again, I think of what I can do next.

“What do I do? What do I do? Uh.”

I notice something going on in the alleyway below. There is some kid on the ground getting beaten up by two other bigger kids. I am ready to ignore the kid and teleport away but stop. As I look closer at the kid and think it over, I recognize him. I have seen fragments of him in Diana’s memories.

A pale-skin, thin boy with very short, brown hair in a short-sleeves, white shirt with tan shorts, I watch as one of the bigger kids pushes him down. Holding him down, he along with the other kid starts hitting him. As I watch, I remember my first night here, flashbacks of Chris and Peter creeping their way into my head. Clutching my fists and grinding my teeth, I burst into black dust.

Drew:

“Are you happy now,” Spencer yells, kicking me in the stomach. “Are you? Because of you, we lost our job.”

“This is all your fault,” Jim screams, still holding me down. “It is your fault. It is all your stupid, stupid fault.”

Punching me across the face, he knocks me back down to the ground.

“How does begin the ‘hero’ of the day feel now,” Spencer mocks. Looking at Jim, his fist looming behind him, all I can do is close my eyes and hope these guys leave me soon.

The Kid:

Spencer’s fist shooting through the air, about to hit Drew’s face, I grab it before it can.

“What the hell,” Spencer screams, surprise to see me standing beside him.

“Stop,” I say, shoving and knocking him back. Turning to look at Jim, I charge him and push him back too. Quickly reading his, Spencer’s, and Drew’s minds, I learn that the reason Jim and Spencer are beating him is that Drew discovered they have been stealing small amounts of money from the store they worked at. Such small amounts but over many months that if Drew had not been checking the registers, most likely they would not have been caught and have gotten fired on the spot.

“Hey,” Spencer screams, walking right up to me. “This doesn’t concern you so get the hell out of here.”

Spencer swinging his fist hits me right in the face. Staying still for a while, not moving an inch, his fist starts to shake seconds later. I can see tears in his eyes as he screams and pulls back his bleeding fist. Meanwhile, I wipe my cheek.

“What happened,” Jim yells, examining his friend’s fist. As purple as a grape and with blood oozing out of the knuckles, the two look at me.

For some reason, Jim leaves and grabs an empty glass bottle from the ground. Charging toward me, the bottle high in the air, he slams it down on me. The bottle shatters as it hits my head, I cross my arms.

Stun for a while, looking between me and the broken bottle in his hand, he charges once more. Trying to stab me with the bottle, I grab his wrist.

“Enough,” I say, pulling the bottle out of Jim’s hand and lifting him into the air via his short collar. “Do me, Drew, you, and your friend a favor and leave.”

Using my power, I slam Jim far onto the wall on the other side of the alleyway, Jim making a loud thud before falling onto a closed dumpster and rolling off. Groaning and moaning as he pushes himself up, Spencer runs to him and the two of them look at me before wobbling away.

I turn around to face a paralyzed Drew. Walking over to him, I grab and pick him up.

“Now that that is out of the way, I believe it is time for you to help me with something important.”

The Kid:

“Please don’t hurt me,” Drew screams, covering his face. “I swear, I didn’t see anything! I won’t tell anyone what I saw!”

“Of course, you will not,” I say, examining the bruises all over Drew’s body. They are not too bad. Small and only a slight red, I estimate these kinds of bruises would heal in a week. However, I have no intention of waiting a week for answers.

Holding my open hand over Drew, it starts to emit a sort of light. My entire palm glowing, I quickly hover my hand all over Drew and in a few minutes, all his bruises are gone.

“What the,” he cries, looking all over himself, checking his hands over and over. “What did, what did you do?”

“I healed you,” I answer, “And now, I will be reading your mind.”

Entering Drew’s mind, I start to look around for any information on either Aileen or Diana. Any memories that can tell me something more about the two. It takes a while but finally, I find what I am looking for.

“Alieen’s address,” I say to myself, smiling.

Before leaving Drew’s mind, I remember to erase the events of the last few minutes. Once finish, I exit Drew’s mind and let go of him.

He moans as I let him go. Stumbling for a bit, Drew rubs his forehead before finally looking back at me.

“Who,” he starts, shaking his head and rubbing his head. “Who are you? Oh wait, where are these two?”

Looking around himself, Drew starts to jump around.

“Where are Jim and Spencer?”

Drew bringing up his shaking fists turns to me.

“They’re gone,” I say, crossing my arms. “You should be gone too.”

“Uhh,” he says, rubbing the back of his head. “Okay.”

About to leave, I stop him, shooting out my hand and grabbing his arm.

“Wait,” I say, “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure? Do I know you?”

“Kind of. Anyway, which way is Feron Boulevard?”

Still a little confused, Drew gives me some directions and I thank him. Once he is out of the alleyway and out of sight, I take a step before teleporting back onto the skyscraper’s roof. Looking around, eyeing the streets’ names, I think about what Drew told me.

“Let me see, let me see. You take this street all the way until this street and then turn right.”

Teleporting from rooftop to rooftop, I see the apartment building where Aileen is supposed to be living in. A thin brick building, it is a pale blue color and is two-story. Teleporting and reappearing right in front of the staircase, I walk up and knock on the door.

Letting out a breath as I pat down my clothes to try and look presentable, I stop when I hear something on the other side of the door. It sounds like something heavy and made from metals had just fallen, and now there is a mix of people shouting at one another.

“Sorry,” someone says, “So sorry about that. I will, I will clean it up later.”

“Matt,” someone else yells, “I told you to be careful. That was supposed to be our lunch. Now, what are we going to eat?”

“Calm down,” Matt I think replies, “Calm down. I’m sure we can think of something.”

Sensing they have forgotten me since their lunch is no more, I knock on the door again.

“Okay, okay,” a third person says, “You two just please clean this up. I’ll go see who’s at the door.”

A few seconds later, someone opens the door to greet me.

“Hello,” he says. “Can I help you?”

The man, the young man, barely looking any older than me, is wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt with brown shorts. He had very short sandy hair and clean skin.

“Uhh,” I start, thinking of what I could say. “Uhhhh, hello. Hello. Hi.”

“Hi,” the young man repeats.

“Uhhhh,” I say, still thinking. “My name is...A.”

“A?”

“Yes. That is my name. My name is A.”

“Like the letter A? Just A?”

“Yes. Anyway, I am looking for Aileen. Is she here?”

“I’m sorry,” the young boy replies, “But who are you?”

“I’m A,” I answer.

“No, I mean, who are you exactly? How do you know Alieen?”

“She is a friend of mine,” I say. “A new friend. We met a few hours ago and I really want to see her again.”

The young man staring at me, examining me, I prepare to enter his mind. However, before I can, someone else interrupts me.

“Oh you’re a new friend of Alieen,” another young man says, suddenly appearing behind the first one. He laughs a little. “And you really want to ‘see’ her again.”

This young man, also barely looking any older than me, is wearing a black and purple hoodie with long brown pants. He had short black hairs underneath a beanie with the sentence “Have an Awesome Day” written across it.

“Hey,” the beanie man says, offering me a handshake. “I’m Matt. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Hello,” I say, biting my tongue as I very reluctantly shake his hand. “I am A.”

“A,” Matt repeats. “Like the letter A?”

“Yes, and I am looking for Alieen. Your friend here said she left earlier.”

“Yeah, she left earlier this morning with Diana. By the way, my friend here is named Alfred.”

“Hello,” I say, nodding my head at Alfred. Alfred nods his head back at me.

“Okay,” a third person says, appearing behind Alfred and Matt. This time, the person is a young woman. She looks about the same age as the three of us and is wearing a tight blue, short-sleeved shirt with long blue jeans. Her skin is shining and her short brown hair is staying as straight as pencils.

“Matt, you are not leaving me alone with the clean-up. You’re the one who spilled! Now get your butt back in--”

The young woman stops when she sees me, she looks at Alfred and Matt.

“Who is this guy,” she asks, “Get him out of here and come help me clean up.”

“His name is A and he’s looking for Alieen,” Matt says. “Do you remember where she said she would be going?”

“I don’t know,” the girl says, “But I do know this. We really shouldn’t be given this kind of information to a complete stranger! Especially when that stranger’s name is ‘A’. Guys, come on. Shut the door and help me clean up.”

Trying to close the door on me, Matt stops her.

“Hey Lafayette,” Matt says, holding the door open. “Knock it off, okay. Where’s your sense of hospitality?”

“My sense of hospitality is right where it should be,” Lafayette says, “With dear friends and families. Not with complete stranger. Especially one that looks like they’ve been living in trashes.”

Lafayette then starts to point out some stains I have on my clothes.

“These are all kinds of warning signs guys,” she screams, “Signs saying we shouldn’t help this person. Now come on. We have to move fast unless we want our kitchen floor to be sticky.”

Alfred and Matt apologize and nod their heads. They then close the door on me.

“Shoot,” I think, slamming my fist through the air. “There goes my only lead. Now, where do I go? What do I do?”

I refuse to give up on finding Alieen but without anything to go on, I am lost. Looking up at the door, I prepare to use my power to look through it and into the minds of the three.

“I need information,” I say to myself. “And you three are the only ones with it.”

About to look through the door, I stop when it opens all of a sudden, and Matt sticks his head out.

“Hey A,” he says, “Sorry about that. I don’t know why Lafayette was like that. She’s normally calm and collected. In fact, today is kind of the only time I’ve ever seen her mean. Anyway, you seem like an okay guy, despite your stains. If you’re looking for Alieen, I think she said she would be going to the public library today. Okay, see ya.”

Matt’s head disappears, the door closes, and I am left alone again.

“Uhhh,” I say, staring at the door. “Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate it.”

Turning to leave, I walk down the steps and turn to walk down the sidewalk.

“Shoot,” I think, slapping myself on the head. “Which way is the public library?”

A:

“Finally,” I say, slapping my hands against the sides of my body. “Took me 30 minutes and having to read ten different people’s minds but I’ve finally found the public library.”

A massive stone building, square-shaped and looking to be made completely from white marble, I notice tall glass windows that show me the library’s three levels. Focusing my eyes, I look through the windows, hoping to see Alieen.

“Nothing,” I say, my eyesight returning to normal. “Okay, as much as I hate to do this.”

I suck in a breath and walk toward the front doors. Slowly pushing open one out of the two glass doors, I am hit with something I rarely feel; air conditioning.

“Wow,” I say, feeling the refreshing cold air as it hits my face. “I must remember to try and find an air conditioning unit for the gas station.

Walking into the library, I am stunned by the library’s very open lobby and desk with a woman standing behind her. Near the desk is a spinning staircase and as I look up, I see thousands upon thousands of books, all neatly and carefully placed on wooden shelves. I see people walking all around, and I do my best not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. However, a few people look at me as I walk in and I stop.

“Oh no,” I think, “What did I do? Why are people looking at me?”

Since the floor is shiny, I use it as a mirror and look at myself. When compare to the others in the library, I guess I do stand out a little. After all, no one is wearing a hoodie with a rip in the right sleeves.

“I will be here for a little bit,” I say to myself, “And then I will have. I will not spend any more time here than is needed.”

I think about walking up to the woman behind the desk but when she looks at me, I stop and instead, choose to walk up the spinning staircase.

Traveling up to the second floor, I look around. There are a bunch of people sitting around computers and a few sitting at tables with books in front of them, but none of them are Alieen. Having no real option left, I focus my power. I look through the floors and focus my hearing.

“Excuse me,” someone says, “But are vending machines out of order again?”

“Yeah,” someone else answers. “No snacks, but I got you a root beer.”

“Thanks.”

I ignore that conversation and listen to another.

“And as the young boy pulls the sword from the stone,” another person goes on, “He raises it high above his head. The morning sunlight reflects off the sword and everyone slowly bows as they see it.”

“Excuse me,” a little kid’s voice interrupts.

“Yes,” the person says.

“Who is that old man back there?”

“That’s Merlin,” the person answers. “He is one of Arthur’s dear friends. He is also the one that sealed Excalibur into the stone so that only a noble person can pull it free.”

“What are they talking about? Who is Arthur? Who is Merlin? Why did Merlin seal Excalibur into a stone and make it only so that a noble person can pull it free? Nevermind. I have to find Alieen.”

Finding another conversation, this time, the person is talking to themselves.

“What happened,” the person says, the sound of a page flipping echoing in my ears. “What happened? How did he do that? You can’t turn a street into quicksand.”

“Turn a street into quicksand,” I repeat, looking around to find where the person is sitting. Sitting one floor above me, alone at a table, in the far corner, is Alieen.

“Yes, I have finally found her.”

Running up the stairs to the third floor, I stop behind a bookshelf and peek around it. Alieen is sitting alone at a table, her attention completely on a book laying in front of us.

“Okay,” I say, lending back and slamming my head against the bookshelf. “Okay. What to do? What to do? What should I do? What is the correct way to approach this? I imagine walking up to her is a bad option. Maybe I could try and say hello while staying back.”

I play in my head how that could go. Staying about ten feet back and saying hello, I see Alieen looking up from her book and then immediately screaming, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yeah, I do not want that to happen. What other option do I have?”

I look around some more. At the current moment, there is no one, so I can use my power. I grab a book from a nearby shelf and rip out a page. I put the book back and search my pockets for something I can write with.

“Yes,” I say, finding a pen in one of my pockets. Writing a message on the page, I crumble the page into a small ball and throw it into the air. Catching it with my telekinesis, I sent it floating toward Alieen.

Alieen:

“What in the world,” I say, looking up after something hits me on the head. In front of me is a crumpled piece of paper. Looking around, I don’t see anyone. Thinking it over for a bit, I uncrumple the paper. As I pull it apart and flatten it, I see a note written on the inside.

“Hey,” the note starts, “Please do not be scared. I just want to talk with you.”

“What,” I say, shooting up from my seat. Looking around again, I see someone hiding behind a bookshelf. As soon as I see him, he ducks behind it.

“I think I’m a little too old to be receiving hand-written notes asking me out,” I think, walking over to the person. However, as soon as I reach the end of the bookshelf and peek around, I don’t see him.

“Weird. I thought I saw someone here.”

Looking at the note again, another note hits my head and I look up. I think I see the same person hiding behind another bookshelf. This time, I pick up some speed and run to the bookshelf. To my surprise, there isn’t anyone here.

“Am I losing my mind? I could have sworn I saw someone here, but wait. I can’t be hallucinating.”

I look at the pieces of paper in my hands. Another crumpled paper in my hands, I pull it apart and read the message on the inside.

“Hello. I come in peace. I do not want to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

“So talk,” I quietly yell. “Come on. I’m not a big fan of tag. I always hated the game. So either come out now and talk or I’m leaving.”

Crossing my arms and tapping my foot, I look around for a few minutes before turning to leave. As I turn around, I cover my mouth and jump back. Standing right before me is the same person from before. The same person who somehow hypnotized Diana. The same who somehow turned the road into quicksand. It’s the same person from the abandoned gas station.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t what the person who do. I want to scream but quickly cover my mouth.

“If I scream,” I think, “I might be putting someone in danger. I can’t do that.”

The person sees me, he quickly backs away, holding up his hands the whole time. Backing away, the man, the young man, didn’t see the table He bumps into it and when he did, he jumps forward and trips over a chair. Out of instinct, I run to help him up.

“Are you okay,” I ask.

“I am fine,” the young man answers, back on his feet. As soon as he’s back on his feet, I jump back. Meanwhile, the young man holds up his hands again and back away. This time, he checks for tables.

“What do you want,” I ask.

“I just want to talk with you,” the young man replies. “My name is A.”

“A,” I repeat. “Like the letter A? It’s not something like Alan or Adam.”

“No,” A says. “It is just A, and I just want to talk with you.”

“Why?”

“Because as far as I know, there is something really special about you, and I have to know what it is.”

“What?”

“I will explain everything, I promise but for now, will you please guide me outside? I seem to have forgotten where the exits are.”

A:

"Thank you for helping me find my way out," I say, embracing the sunlight as I exit the public library. "This is a very big building."

"You never been here," Alieen says. "Really? It's not exactly the Golden Gate Bridge but the library is still kind of famous. How long have you lived here?"

"I do not live in the city. I lived in that gas station you and your friend stumbled upon."

"You lived there?"

"Yes. That gas station is my home. I have lived there for a little over two years."

"Uhh, well, I lived in San Francisco for most of my life. I know the city very well."

"I am glad. As I stated before, I do not live here so I do not know the city very well. Nor do I want to. I prefer to keep to myself."

"If you prefer to keep to yourself," Alieen starts, leaning ahead of me while we walk. "Then why did you seek me out?"

"Because as I stated before, there is something really special about you."

"And you want to know why," Alieen says, finishing my sentence. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't know what is it you're after. I mean, as far as I know, there isn't really anything too special about me. I grew up in San Francisco, California. I'm an only child. Currently, I'm living with three of my closest friends. We all work part-time jobs to pay for the rent and food."

"That is it," I ask. "That is all. Nothing special you might have forgotten."

"No," Alieen says, "I'm afraid not. Like I said before, there isn't really anything too special about me."

"If there is nothing special about you, then why could I not read your mind?"

"Read my mind, wait, what? You tried to read my mind?"

"Yes. As you may have figured out, I am bad at social interaction. Hence, why I prefer to read people's minds instead of talking to them."

"So when you were reading my mind, what did you learn?"

"Nothing. For some unknown reason, I could not read your mind. In fact, the reason I fell onto the front of your friend's car is solely because I tried to read your mind."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I tried to read your mind, I received a headache."

"When you tried to read my mind, you received a headache?"

"Yes. In the past two years since I woke up, I--"

"Wait, what do you by since you woke up? What are you talking about?"

"Well, I guess I might as well tell you."

I look around for a little bit and see a nearby bench under a tree. Nudging my head toward the bench, Alieen nods her head and follows after me. The two of us sitting down, I start to tell Alieen my story.

"Do you remember what I told you about the gas station?"

"Yeah. You told me less than a minute ago. You told me you've been living in the gas station for a little over two years."

"Well, shortly that, I had just woken up in an alleyway."

I slowly explain to Alieen everything that happened to me over the last two years. I talked about waking up in the alleyway and the headache. I mentioned how Peter and Chris tried to rob me and how I fought back. 

"Oh my god," Alieen says, holding her hands over her mouth.

"Do not worry," I say, shaking my hand. "I did not end them. I simply knocked them out. I did, however, picked their pockets and got away with seven dollars and 86 cents.

I ignore the fact that Alieen is shaking her head and go on with my life story.

"Afterward, I tried to find out who I am. I searched and searched and searched, but so far, I have always come up empty. In my search, I stumbled upon the gas station and realizing I would need a place to stay, chose to live in it. I do enjoy it. It is quiet and peaceful. Most of the time."

"Yeah," Alieen chuckles. "Sorry about that. We didn't mean to disturb you. We just got lost. Really, really lost."

As Alieen chuckles, she also smiles, and when I see it, I feel something in my chest. It feels fine.

"No," I say, "It is okay. As odd as it may seem, I am a little glad to have been disturbed by both you and Diana."

I let out a sigh when upon realizing that is the end of my story.

"So that's it," Alieen asks. "That's everything?"

"Yes. My whole life. The two years I can remember. Everything before that is nothing. I cannot remember my name, or where I come from, or anyone I care about. Assuming there was someone I cared about."

My hands close in on each other, the fingers brushing against one another, my thumbs then start to battle.

"That is why I sought you out. I figured since your mind seems immune to my power, there had to be a reason why, but if it is true what you said that there is nothing special about you, then this whole thing had been nothing more than a waste of our time. And for that, I am truly sorry."

I look at Alieen and nod my head. Her smile disappears when I nodded my head, and I now know it is time for me to go.

"Thank you for everything," I say, getting up and walking about. About to teleport away, I am startled when Alieen grabs my hand. Immediately, I feel her soft hand, and strangely, I feel my face gets hot.

"Wait," she says, "You said you've been living in that gas station for two years, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, this may be assuming a little too much," Alieen starts, "But am I right in assuming that your little gas station had no power?"

"Yes, you would be correct."

"So can I ask you something?"

"Uhh, sure. What is it?"

"How was the last time you had something hot to eat?"

"Excuse me?"

Alieen lets out a sigh.

"Before you return to your dusty gas station, come back to my and my friend's apartment and enjoy and a hot meal with us."

"No," I say, shaking my head, and pulling free of Alieen's hand. "No. I cannot do that. That, that would be wrong."

"Why not? What's wrong with that?"

"Well, for one, I am very uncomfortable around people. In fact, I am very uncomfortable around a person."

"It will just be me and three of my friends. I'm sure you'll survive one afternoon with four people."

"Also, I am a stranger, and while I am not entirely sure what it means, I have heard the phrase stranger danger."

"If you really were a danger, I mean, an actual danger, then you would have done something by now. I don't think you're a danger. I think you're just lost and confused. And one of the best remedies for when you are lost and confused is a hot meal with some decent people."

"Are you sure? That does not sound right."

"Believe me, it helps. It will give your mind some time to rest and gives your stomach something to work on. Come on, we have to hurry before the bus leaves without us."

"Wait," I say, "Did you not hear what I said? I feel uncomfortable around people. Take my hand and I will show you a shorter way to your apartment building."

"You know my apartment building," Alieen says, taking my hand.

"Uhh. No. Please tell me which way to go. Also, please hold on."

Looking around, I see that we are alone. In this one second, before anyone can see us, I teleport Alieen and me back to her apartment building. At least, I try to. For some reason, I could not teleport Alieen and me back to her apartment building.

"What are you doing," Alieen asks, looking around.

"I was trying to get us back to your apartment faster," I answer. "I guess that is something else I cannot use."

Having to bite my tongue, I look at Alieen.

"I guess I am taking the bus. I cannot wait."

A:

"Why are you holding your breath," Alieen asks as the two of us walk up the sidewalk toward her apartment building. Holding onto a street sign before I collapse, I finally open my mouth and let out a big breath.

"So many people," I pant, thinking back to how crowded the bus was. Despite sitting next to Alieen, I still felt very uncomfortable on the bus. There were just so many people. There was someone directly behind me who kept on breathing on my neck. Near the end of the bus ride, he started to cough loudly and fearing for the worst, I started to hold my breath.

"I miss my powers," I think as I push myself up. "I could teleport, and I had no need to take the bus."

Rubbing my back, Alieen then guides me up the stairs to her front door. She pushes open the door and steps to the side.

"Welcome to my home," Alieen says, waving her arm.

Hesitate to enter, I take in a deep breath before stepping in.

Alieen:

"So what do you think," I ask as I close the front door. "Not bad for four part-timers uh?"

The apartment building is small but it still comes with a second floor. On the first floor are the restroom, our kitchen, and the living room. There are some stairs that lead to the second floor and on the second floor are the bathroom and the two bedrooms; Alfred's and Matt's bedroom, and Lafayette's and my room.

"This is wonderful," he says.

"Thank you," I say. I open my mouth to say something but stop.

"Hey, it's you," Matt says, greeting us as he walks into the narrow hallway with us. "Hey, Alieen. Hey A. Glad to see you again."

Matt then rises his hand. I think Matt is waiting for A to high-five him, but A just stands still. He looks at me before turning back to Matt.

Matt says, raising his hands. I think Matt is waiting for A to high-five him, but A just stand still. He looks at me before turning to Matt.

"Uhh, glad to see you too."

A's hands stay at his sides, and eventually, Matt lowers his hands.

"Yeah," Matt says, clearing his throat. "Anyway, congratulations on finding Alieen."

"Wait," I say, "You knew he was trying to find me? You know A?"

"Uhhh," Matt starts, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I may or may not have told A where to find you."

"You morons," Lafayette says, walking in behind. The second she can, she slaps Matt on the back of his head.

"Ouch," Matt moans, rubbing the back of his head once more.

"Matt, what did I say about giving information to complete stranger. Come on, get this guy out of here."

Walking right up to A, Leia starts to push him out but I stop her.

"Leia," I say, "What are you doing? Knock off it."

"Alieen," Leia says, "This is all sort of bad news. Inviting complete strangers into our apartment. Especially considering that complete stranger's name is A."

"I am not a complete stranger," A says. "Leia."

"My friends called me Leia," Leia interrupts. "You are not my friend, so you have to call me by my full name. Lafayette."

"Lafayette," A repeats. "Well, Ms. Lafayette, know that I do understand your reasons for concern. For what it is worth, I promise I am not here to do any harm. In fact, it was not even my intention to come here. Alieen invited me. For lunch."

"Alieen," Leia says. "Why?"

"Because it had been a long time since A had a hot meal," I answer. "And I wanted to help him."

"Ahhh," Leia moans, rising her head while her arms fall to her sides. "Ahh, fine. A can join us for lunch, but afterward, I want him out of the building. Deal?"

"I understand," A says, nodding his head.

I bump A in his arm after Leia turns away.

"You don't have to leave right away," I say, "You can stay if you want."

"No," A says, "I am okay. What is for lunch?"

"Hmm," I start, thinking it over. "If I remember correctly, I think today's lunch is supposed to be big. It's one of the rare occasions where we all have the day off so we decided to cook something fancy."

"Hmm, about that," Matt chuckles as the four of us walk through the living room and into the kitchen. From the living room, I can see Alfred standing by the kitchen counter. On the kitchen counter are four plates with sandwiches and potato chips on them.

"Oh hey Alieen," Alfred says, putting down his sandwiches to wave at me. "And hey you. A, right?"

"Hello Alfred," A says, waving back at him. "Uhh, how are you doing today?"

"I'm fine," Alfred replies. Looking at the counter, he nods his head and walks over to a cabinet. In only a few seconds, he pulls out another plate and places it on the counter before throwing some potato chips on the plate.

"Give me a few minutes," he says, now running over to another cabinet. Pulling out half a loaf of bread, he grabs two slices and put them into our toaster. "For the record, next time we have guests, I would appreciate a head-up. Believe me, when I say this, it's uncomfortable to eat ahead of people. And that goes for both parties."

"It is okay," A says, "I do not mind waiting. Thank you for including me."

"Don't mention it," Alfred says, returning to his seat.

"Hey," I say, taking my seat next to Alfred and Leia. "What happened to the big and fancy lunch we were planning?"

"Yeah," Matt says, chuckling. "About that. As I was about to tell you before, III.."

"Matt accidentally spilled the soup," Leia answers, tossing a chip into her mouth.

"What," I laugh, turning to Matt as his face turns red and he looks away.

"It was an accident," Matt yells. "I was stirring the soup when I heard someone knocking. I went to answer it, and well, that was when it happened."

"I know," Leia says, smiling. "I was there. I had to clean up most of the spilled soup, you clumsy bastard."

"Okay," I say, gripping my sandwiches with both my hands. "I know what happened to our fancy soup, but what happened to that pizza we all worked to make."

"That," Matt says, smiling, "I am glad to say is not my fault."

Matts swings his hands around in circles before pointing at Leia. Leia rolls her eyes before throwing a potato chip at Matt.

"Thanks," Matt says, smiling and eating the chip.

"I lost track of time and accidentally left the pizza in the oven for a bit too long. By the time I remember, it was, well, it was..."

"Basically charcoal," Alfred finishes. "No, not basically charcoal. It was indeed charcoal. In fact, I think if we had a grill, we could actually use it to have a barbecue."

"That would be awesome," I say, smiling and laughing. "Hey, you guys want some barbecue tonight? Come on, where's that charcoal pizza?"

"It's in the trash," Leia yells, "And it is staying there."

A:

While I listened to Alieen, Alfred, Matt, and Lafayette laugh, talk, and eat, I cannot help but feel uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as when I was sitting on the bus, but still very uncomfortable.

"This look like," I start but stop. I am having a hard time trying to find the right word. "This looks like fun. Is that right? I have never been a part of anything like this before. It is very noisy, and very crowded, and yet, as I look around, I see people smiling and talking with one another. It seems a bit odd, and yet, still a little fun."

"Oh hey," Alieen says, getting up from her seat. "Your toasts are ready."

"I can get it," I say, but Alieen stops me.

"No, no, I got it," Alieen says, putting up her hands. "Let me do it."

I watch as Alieen runs to grab the toasts and put them on another plate. Opening a fridge, she then grabs a bunch of stuff and prepares me a large sandwich.

"Enjoy," Alieen says, sitting down again.

"Thank you," I say, grabbing the sandwich. As I hold it in my hands, I can feel the hot toast.

"It had been a while since I had something hot to eat," I think. "In fact, I cannot remember the last time I had hot food." 

I turn to look at Alieen.

"Thank you."

A:

"Please let me do this," I say, taking the plates from Alfred and Alieen. "You fours have offered me so much, this is the least I can do."

"Knock yourself out," Matt says, shoving his plate toward me. The second his plate falls onto the two I am already holding, he runs into the living and jumps onto the sofa. He places his hands behind his head and kicks up his legs.

"That may not have been a soup and a pizza," Matt sighs, "But that was still amazing."

Matt lets out a burp and, once again, Lafayette throws a potato chip at him.

"Thanks again," Matt says, smiling as he throws the chip into his mouth.

"Don't mention it," Lafayette says, before unrolling and bag and dumping everything on Matt. Screaming as potato chips rain on him, he shakes uncontrollably and rolls off the sofa. Landing in a pile of chips, he looks up.

"Really," he asks.

"Yes," Lafayette replies. "Really."

As I watch from the kitchen, I place the plates in the sink and turn back to Matt and Lafayette. I hold out my hand and am about to use my power to clean up the mess when Alieen steps in. She grabs my hand and pushes it down.

"Hey," she says, looking me in the eyes. "Uhh, do you think you can clean the dishes later?"

"I believe so. Why?"

"There's something I'm wondering if you could help me with. Please follow me to my room."

"Your room," I repeat, my head feeling hot all of a sudden. Almost immediately, I feel sweats start to form, despite being in an air-conditioned room. My hands and my legs go numb, and I nearly trip just from standing.

"Uhhh," I say, clearing my throat over and over. "Uhhhh, sure. Yeah. Sure."

I put the plates down in the kitchen skin before following Alieen up the stairs.

"Hey," Lafayette says, stopping us halfway up the stairs. "Where do you think you're going?"

I have no clue what to say, but very luckily, Alieen answer for both of us.

"I'm just going to give him some clothes before sending him away."

"Some clothes," Matt says while picking up some broken potato chips. "No offense or anything, but from where I'm kneeling right now, A looks a little bigger than you. I don't know if your clothes will fit him or not."

"My aunts and uncles gave me some old clothes a while back for donation," Alieen says, "And luckily for A, I haven't been able to donate them yet. Come on, from the look of it, you could use a new jacket."

As Alieen said those words, I look down at my jacket.

"I think my jacket is okay," I think, "But then again, this is my only other jacket besides the one I was wearing when I woke up. Maybe it would not hurt to have some other jackets."

Once more, I follow after Alieen as she guides me to her room. When I am following after her, I can hear Lafayette growling.

Leading me through a small, narrow hallway, Alieen pushes open a door and holds it open for me. As I enter her room, I immediately make notes of everything hanging on her yellow walls. It seems to be one list after another of things to do. The lists are all side-by-side with colorfully marked calendars.

"Buy foods," one of the lists starts. "Cook dinner. Help Matt and Alfred with their car."

There is a date at the bottom of the list. It seems to be a year old.

"Help Leia with Franklin's fish," another list starts. "Study at the library (don't forget charger for laptop). Need to pass test."

The date at the bottom of this list is only a few months old.

"You are one very busy person," I say, turning to Alieen as she walks past me.

"What," she asks, before turning to her walls and seeing all the hanging lists. "Oh, those. Yeah, I never have a day off. Even if I did, I would probably use it to get rid of some of these lists. Some of them are old and I really need to take them down."

Alieen makes her way to her closet, she slides open the door and a mountain of old clothes comes falling out. Jumping back, Alieen trips but I catch her in time. Falling into my arms, I stand completely still for some time.

Alieen feels very soft, and she smells very sweet. Once more, I feel my face starts to go heat up. I feel something inside of me bumping rapidly.

"What is going on," I think.

"Sorry about that," Alieen says, clearing her throat as she pushes off of me. "I forget just how about T-shirts and jackets I have to give to donation."

Laughing as she walks toward the pile, she drops to her knees and starts to sort them. Throwing away a few old shirts, she grabs a black and purple hoodie and hands it to me.

"Here," she says.

Lafayette:

"I don't like the idea of Alieen being alone with that guy," I say, crossing my arms as I look up at the ceiling. "Am I the only one? Please tell me I'm not the only one."

"You're not the only one," Alfred says.

"Yes," I say, raising my hands into the air. "Come on, let's go kick that guy out."

I step toward Alfred but he puts up his hands and steps back.

"No, no, no," he says, his hands shaking. "I'm not crazy about the idea of Alieen being alone with some guy we barely know, but I know Alieen. You do too. She's a smart person, and she wouldn't let some complete stranger into her room. At least, not without some sort of explanation."

"What would possibly explanation would that be," I ask, my arms crossing themself again. "What possible explanation would there be to let some complete stranger in a dirty jacket into her room? Especially if that stranger's name is A? What kind of name is A? I'm telling you, this is bad. We should kick him out now."

I turn around and prepare to walk up the stair to Alieens' room but stop when I see the two of them walking down the stairs. A is holding a few jackets in his arms.

"Thank you for the new jackets," he says, nodding his head as he walks down the stairs.

"Don't mention it," Alieen replies, also nodding her head. A looking at me as he walks past, he places the jackets on the kitchen counter and starts to wash the plates from before. After a few minutes, he washes, dries, and places the dishes away before grabbing the jackets again and walking up to the front door.

As he opens it, he turns around and looks at the four of us.

"Thank you for everything," he says, once more nodding his head. "I really appreciate the food and the company."

With that, he walks out and closes the door.

"Finally," I say, turning around.

A:

Walking down the stairs, my five new jackets swinging in my arm, I reach the sidewalk. Turning and walking down the street, I walk for a while to make sure I am out of everyone's sight. Looking around, I find myself a quiet and empty spot in the shade of a building. Once more, making sure there is not anyone around, I teleport away.

Appearing back home, directly in the gas station store, I walk up to the corner of the station where I sleep. My "bedroom" is just a bed, a large desk, and a lamp on the desk. It may not seems like much, but it is more than I need.

Placing the jackets on my bed, I start to examine them.

Besides the purple and black hoodie, there is also a thick blue jacket with a picture of a white tree on it, two identical thin grey hoodies, and a sand-color vest. As I examine the jackets, my mind starts to fill with imageries of Alieen. I see her smiling as she helps me. I hear her voice when she's talking and laughing. I remember the softness of her skin when she tripped and I caught her.

"She is special," I think. "Even if she does not know it, she is special."

Examining the jackets one last time, I neatly fold them and put them in the drawer of my desk. Closing the drawer, I then sleep.

A:

My eyes opening, I push myself up and look around. I scan the store. As far as I can tell, there is no one else here.

"Strange," I think, getting off my bed. On my feet now, I start to walk.

"Something is wrong. Something is off. I sense something incoming, but what it is?"

I close my eyes and focus my listening. I cannot hear anything out of the ordinary. I hear the wind blowing. I hear the crickets chirping. I even hear the sound of worms as they wiggle around.

"Wait. That cannot be right. There is something wrong. The worms wiggling around. They sound louder than normal. They sound bigger. Also, it does not sound like worms, but just a worm."

Focusing my listening, trying to pinpoint where this one worm is exactly, I turn around when I hear the floor explode. An eruption of dust and sand breaks through and my bed is sent flying into the ceiling.

"What in the world," I say, watching as my bed frame and mattress fall on the floor. Looking at the massive dust cloud, where my bed should be, I wave my hand and move all the dust out of my store. The dust flying out of the window is all gone in a matter of seconds. With the dust gone, I can clearly see a worm wiggling around. Only, it is unlike any other worm I have seen.

For one, this worm is massive. It is blacker than the night sky, and it had a mouth. As it opens its massive mouth, I see five, maybe even six tongues all pouring out. Even the tongues have mouths. I try to get away but one of the tongues finds me. It bites down on my leg and pulls me the worm.

"Come on," I say, pulling my leg and trying to free myself. However, as soon as I pull myself free, three other tongues latch onto me and quickly pull me in. Before I even know it, I am in the worm's mouth and it is trying to swallow me whole.

"What is going on," I think, grabbing a slimy and wet tongue. "Why can I not teleport? Something must be blocking my powers. But wait, can it be this worm? How can this worm be blocking my powers? What is this worm even?"

As I try to think of an answer, any answer, I realize something. I am sinking, further and further into this worm's mouth. Its many tongues are pulling me down, and even if I manage to pull one off, another one will wrap itself around me.

"Get off of me," I scream, grabbing a tongue and pulling it off my shoulder. As the tongue struggles to break loose, I encase my hand in fires and watch as the tongue starts to sizzle. It screams, and so did the other tongues and even the worm itself.

"Wait. I cannot teleport away, but I can still use fires. That must mean some of my powers I cannot use, but some I still can."

Despite one of the tongues burning, I am still sinking deeper into this monstrous worm's mouth.

"I have to hurry. If I cannot just teleport out of here, then this may be my other chance of escape."

I grab two more tongues and burn them. The worm shrieks and opens its mouth just a little bit. I take the opportunity and slam both my fists down. Breaking free of the tongues, I shoot out of the worm's mouth and through the ceiling of my home. Breaking through the ceiling, I find myself hovering in the cold night sky, the full moon is my only company.

"I do not know where it is you came from," I say, staring at the worm as its many tongues swing wildly around. "But I do know this. You are done."

I focus my power into the palms of my hands. Once it is fully charged, I throw the telekinesis blast at the worm. I watch from above as the blast hits the worm. I thought the worm would explode and parts of it would fly everywhere. I already ready myself to buy some cleaning supplies in the morning with what little money I have.

The worm did indeed explodes, but instead of parts of it flying everywhere, the worm turns into ash and scatter itself all over the floor of my home.

"What in the world was that," I ask, staring at the leftover ash. I did not have much time to think. Once more, I start to sense something incoming and turn around. As I turn, I see a shadowy and blurry figure flying toward me. Before I can do anything, the figure punches me and sent me flying through the sky.

I scream as I hit the sand. Having to actually dig myself out, I look up to see the shadow figure hovering above me.

"You are flying," I say, looking at the figure. "And you hit me. And I felt it. Who are you?"

Not wasting a second, I jump into the air and hover only a few feet away from the figure.

"Who are you," I ask again, "Tell me. Who are you? Why are you attacking me? Do you know who I am?"

The figure stays silent.  He refuses to say anything.

"I do not want to hurt you," I say, raising my fist. "But I will unless you tell me what is it you know."

The figure stays silent. My fingernails are digging into my palm.

"Fine then."

Launching myself forward, I try to punch the figure but the figure moves back and I miss. Before I can react, the figure punches me again and knocks me toward the sandy desert. However, I steady myself before I am buried again. Looking up, the figure is charging toward me. He is at a remarkable speed.

I look to my right and see the sand.

"Let us see how you like this," I say, using my telekinesis power to grab some sand. I wait and watch until the figure is close enough for me to swing my arm. As I swing my arm, a large pillar of sand shoots out and hits the figure. Knock to the ground, he tries to get up but using both my hands, I slam two pillars of sand right into him.

I can almost hear him screaming as he tries to escape the avalanche of sand.

"Are you ready to talk," I yell, still throwing sand. "Are you? Uh?"

Amidst the growing sandstorm, I step back when I see the figure breaking through and flying into the sky.

"No," I yell, running and following after the figure. "I cannot lose you. You know something. You know something about me."

Flying toward the figure, I am about to grab him and before I can, he flips over me. Hitting me in mid-flip, I recover fast and look at the figure as he tries to escape. He tries to fly away but I stop him. Using my telekinesis power, I grab him and keep in him the air.

Trapped now, I fly toward him. The figure struggles the whole time as I approach him. On the verge of reaching him, he manages to free one arm. Reaching behind himself, he pulls out a bottle of water.

Throwing the bottle at me, it opens while spinning through the air and hits me. Before I know it, the water, or whatever this is, is burning me. Screaming as I see white smoke coming off my arms, I lose my focus and watch as the figure breaks out of my telekinesis grip. Once free, the figure flies away.

Meanwhile, whatever was in that bottle is still burning me. My arms and chest feel like they are on fire. Even with the cold night sky, and my ice power, they help only a little.

I try to keep my mouth closed, but it is near impossible. I feel sweat forming on my forehead and within seconds, it is falling onto my face. I look around for anything I can possibly use, and notice all the sand from before. An idea forming in my head, I fly into the sky before turning around and throwing myself into the sand.

A:

Dusting the last of the sand from my clothes, I look toward the sun as it starts to rise. The night sky turns light orange. With the added light, I can search now.

"Where is it," I ask, "Where is it?"

I replay all of last night in my head.

Using my telekinesis power, I had just grabbed the mysterious figure. Trapped within my grip, I flew toward him. He struggled and struggled to get out but my grip was strong. However, the figure managed to pull out one arm. He then reaches into his pocket and threw a bottle of something at me. The something, whatever it is, burn me so badly that I lost my focus. With the focus gone, the figure broke free of my telekinesis grip and flew away. Meanwhile, in order to stop the burning, I had to through sand and rubbed it off.

"He was there," I say, holding out my hand toward the sky. "And I was there. I was then flying toward him, and then he threw the bottle. So the bottle should be around here somehow."

Once more, looking at the desert ground, I wander in circles for a bit before finally finding it. There, laying on the sand, open and spilling is the plastic water bottle. Running over to it, I grab the bottle but the second my fingers touch it, they immediately start to burn and I have to stand back.

Screaming as the fingers burn once more, I jump to the floor and rub my hand through the sand.

"What is that," I say as I shake my hand. The burning feeling fading, I reach for the bottle again but stop.

"I did this once already and I did not end well. Why am I doing it again?"

Pulling back, I use my telekinesis power to levitate the bottle. Still standing away from it, I narrow my eyes and focus. Zooming in on the bottle, I do my best to examine it.

"This does not look like any special," I think, rotating the bottle. "It looks like any other water bottle anyone can buy. But if that is true, how did it burn me?"

While studying the bottle, I notice some sunlight reflecting off of it. Only, it is not reflecting off the bottle but the liquid.

"The water," I say. "It is the water or the liquid. Whatever it is. It is all over the bottle, and that is why it burns me. Well, that is one mystery solved, but there is still the big mystery of what the liquid is. It looks so much like water. It flows like water, but it cannot be water. Water had never hurt me before. Could this be some sort of special water?"

I shake my head.

"Special water? I must be insane. Still."

As I think it over, I look at the remaining water inside. Most of the water is already gone, spilled either during my fight or onto the desert floor. At the very most, there is about one capful of water still inside. Looking down, I see some wet sand.

"I will come back for that," I say, disappearing into a black mist. Teleporting directly into the gas station, I carefully and gently place the bottle in my fridge. Once the bottle is secure, I look around for another container.

"This will work," I say, finding an old paper cup. Teleporting back outside, I use my power to pick up the wet sand and dump it into the paper cut. Picking up the last of the wet sand, I teleport back into my gas station and place the cup on my fridge.

"What are you," I ask, looking at the sand. Wanted to examine it closely but not wanting to get burned again, I have no choice but to pull my hand back.

"I cannot do anything with this now," I think to myself, "So I guess I will just leave it here."

Turning away, I look around my room.

My room is still a mess from last night's fight. My bed and dresser are still turned over, and there is a giant hole in my floor. About to put everything back in order, I stop myself.

"The figure knew where I lived," I told myself. "He knew exactly where I lived. Why? Hardly anyone knows I lived here. Hardly anyone ever come here, so how did that person know about this place? That person. That person is like me. He had power too. He is special. Or she is special. Alieen."

I raise my head.

"Could the person from last night be Alieen? No way. It cannot be, but who else? Who else knows I lived all the way out here? Who else had powers? When I tried to wipe her memory, she resisted me. She is special. She does have power. But why would she try and destroy me? And why would she not use any of her power before? This is too much. I have to see her again."

Shooting my arms down, I walk a few steps before teleporting. Walking out of the black mist, I look up to see Alieen's apartment building.

"I am sorry about this Alieen, but you and I need to have a very serious talk."

Walking up the stair, I am about to knock on the door but someone stops me.

"Hey," Matt quietly yells from behind me. Turning around, I see him running up the stairs down me. While he is still wearing his beanie with the phrase "Have An Awesome Day", he is not wearing his purple and black hoodie. Instead, he is wearing a dark-blue, short-sleeved shirt with a name on it.

"Shooting Star Video," the name read.

"What are you doing here," Matt asks, "So early in the morning. Wow, you are a real morning person."

"Hello Matt," I say, nodding my head. "I am here to see Alieen."

"Ohhh," Matt says, nodding his head. "You're here to see Alieen. I get it."

Matt then winks at me.

"Yes," I say, nodding my head. "I am here to see Alieen."

I wink my own eye.

"That felt weird," I think as I open my eyes. "I am never winking again."

"Well, I'm sorry to say this," Matt starts, "Like, I am really sorry to say this. I'm a big fan of romance. Don't tell anyone this, but I have this app on my phone, it's called Lovestruck."

Matt clears his throat.

"But I'm afraid I can't let you in."

Stepping back, I place my hand behind my back and begin to focus my power. Preparing a telekinesis blast, I wait for it.

"What not," I ask.

"Because it's way, way too early," Matt answers. He points toward the morning sun. "It's barely six in the morning, and minus myself, no one in this apartment gets up until seven. It doesn't matter if there's a fire or an earthquake or it's raining bacon. Nothing will get the others up this early."

I turn my head and look up at the apartment.

"Matt is right," I say, focusing my hearing. I do not hear anything. There are no footsteps or voices anywhere in the building. The only sound I hear is snoring. Well, actually I do hear a voice. I think it is Lafayette.

"Hmm," she moans, "No. Nooo. That's my Krabby Patty. Go away Plankton. Go away."

"What is the world is she dreaming about," I ask, still looking up.

"Hey," Matt says, reaching for me. "What do you have behind me? Let me guess. Is it a big box of chocolates?"

"What," I say. Before I can react, Matt grabs my arm and pulls it forward. As he pulls my arm forward, my telekinesis blast goes on and hits right in his chest. Screaming as he falls down the street and onto the sidewalk, I chase after him.

"Matt," I yell, grabbing his head and raising it. Matt is still breathing but it is not normal. It is quiet and slow. I am no doctor, but even I know this kind of breathing is bad.

"Oh no, no, no," I say, looking around. Because it is early in the morning, no one is around, and hence, no one had seen what I had done. Still, that does not mean I can leave Matt behind. As strange and annoying and weird as he is, he still needs help.

"Hold on," I say, grabbing Matt and throwing him on my back. "Please help. Please help."

Focusing my power, Matt and I disappear into a mist.

Matt:

"What, what happened," I say, opening my eyes to see the blue sky. As I open my eyes, I immediately get a headache. Moaning as I push myself up, I look around. "What in the world?"

Shaking my head, to be sure I'm not going crazy, I look around again.

"Am I," I say, pushing myself to my feet. "Am I on our roof? Why am I on our roof? How did I even get here?"

Thinking back to the last thing I remember, I was talking with A. We were down on the staircases, and when I reached for something behind him, something hit me.

"Oh my god," I scream, looking down. I didn't see anything examining my chest, legs, and then my arms. I'm not bleeding, and I don't see any holes. A didn't shoot me. He didn't shoot me, but did he hit me? Is that why I'm blacked out?

"Why would A punch me," I ask. "I mean, yeah, I tried to take a peek at whatever gift you got for Alieen but that doesn't mean you have to punch and knock me out?"

"I did not punch you," someone says from behind.

Screaming and jumping, I look to see A standing right before me, with crossed arms.

"Hello Matt," he says, nodding his head.

My survival instinct kicking me, I bring up my fists and start to bounce away.

A:

"Okay," Matt yells, jumping up and down. "I don't know what you did, but know this. You made a big mistake just now!"

"I know," I think, looking at Matt moving his hands up and down. "I know I made a big mistake."

Still jumping up and down, Matt looks ready to punch me. He shields his face with his hands and jumps toward me.

"I should know, I have seen so many action films and kung-fu films, and have copied some of their moves! You don't stand a chance!"

I shake my head.

"Matt, for what it is worth, I am sorry about this."

Walking up to Matt, he jumps to the side and punches me but I block and grab his fist. Letting out some sort of strange battle cry I guess, Matt screams and flattens his hand before hitting me on the neck. Matt screams again but this time, it is not a battle cry. Instead, it is a cry of pain.

"Ouch," he yells, shaking his hand. "Ouch. What is your neck made out of? Iron?"

Still shaking his hand, I shake my head again and grab Matt's hand. My hand wraps around his wrist, I breathe through my nose and make my hand glow. The glow travels to Matt's hand, it heals his hand, and the purple bruise vanishes seconds later.

Matt's jaw drops open, he looks right at me with wide eyes. He stutters over and over again until finally he practically throws up his words.

 "Wow," he yells, louder than anything he previously yelled so far. "Oh my god. Oh my god."

Rubbing his hands against the sides of his head, Matt starts to walk in a small circle.

"Matt," I say, holding out my hand. "I can examine."

Stopping, Matt then looks right at me with the same wide eyes.

"Well, actually I cannot examine. You see, I have no memory of who I am or how I got these powers."

"These powers," Matt repeats, "Wait, you have more superpowers? More than super healing? Oh my god, oh my god."

"Matt," I say, taking a step forward. As Matt keeps on saying oh my god, he places his hand over his heart. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay," Matt repeats, pulling back his head. "A, I am beyond okay. This, this right here, this is beautiful. It is so beautiful."

"Beautiful," I repeat. "Okay. I am lost."

"A," Matt says, putting his hands on my shoulders and I immediately slap them away.

"A," Matt repeats, stepping back. "Answer me honestly. Are you a superhero?"

"No," I answer. "No, I am not a superhero."

"You're not a superhero, but you have superpowers. Wait, are you, a supervillain?"

"No Matt, I am not a supervillain. I am not a superhero or a villain. I am just someone with a lot of different powers."

"Like what? Like what? Like what? Tell me. Tell me. Tell me."

"Uhh," I say, stepping back. "Uhh, I have the power of telekinesis."

"Telekinesis," Matt repeats, "Like you can move things with your mind. That's awesome. What's else? What else?"

A little scared now, I take another step back.

"Uhh, I can also teleport. In fact, that is how we got up here."

"Teleportation. The power to quickly move from one spot to another. What's else?"

"I can shoot ice and fire from my hands. I can fly. I can read and erase minds. Wait."

Slapping myself in the face as I lower and shake it, I look back up at Matt. About to enter Matt's mind, something happens and forces me back. It feels like I had just run into a brick wall and now, that brick wall is pushing me back. Despite my best effort, I cannot enter Matt's mind.

Dropping to my knee, I start to feel a headache coming on.

"Hey," Matt yells, "Were you trying to read my mind? You know, reading other people's minds is very rude. It's up there with saying please and thank you, and not eating with your mouth open, and, and, and how are you okay?"

Matt runs toward me, he helps me to my feet. My head stays aching as I stand, I stumble a bit but Matt catches me.

"Okay," Matt says, "I'll ask. What happened? What's going on? I mean, did I miss something important? Why can't you stand all of a sudden?"

"It is your fault," I answer. Steadying myself, I can finally stand on my own two feet.

"My fault? What did I do? I don't have any superpowers. At least, not yet. I have my fingers crossed, but until then, I don't have any superpowers."

"If you do not have any superpowers," I start, "Then why can I not enter your mind?"

"Because the mind is a private place," Matt answers, tapping his head. "And people, and superheroes, should not enter a person's mind. At least, not without permission."

"I am not a superhero," I correct.

"And I didn't give you permission to enter my mind," Matt says, crossing his arms. "But for now, let's put those aside. What do you mean, you can't enter my mind?"

"I mean what I said. For some strange reasons, I cannot enter your or Alieen's mind."

"Wait, wait, wait," Matt says, shaking his hands. "You tried to enter Alieen's mind? Wow, that sounds bad."

"I only did it because she learned where I am living and of my powers. When I tried to enter her mind, I suddenly got a headache. The same thing happened when I tried to enter your mind. It was not as powerful as the one I received when trying to enter Alieen's mind, but it was still strong enough to knock me off balance."

As I finish talking with Matt, I realize something.

"Matt," I say, "When I tried to enter your mind, I got a headache. I got a headache."

"Do you want a Tylenol?"

"No, that is not what I am talking about. When I tried to enter either your or Alieen's mind, I got headaches. What is that? Matt, please tell me. What is so special about you?"

A:

"Uhhhh," Matt says, staring at me. "Uhhhhhhhhhh."

He goes on and on like this for a while.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

It gets very, very annoying after a few more minutes. I do not want to be rude, considering I need to know more about him and Alieen, but again, this is starting to get annoying.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh," Matt moans.

Finally, I lost it and clap my hands in front of his face. Matt blinks his eyes and closes his mouth. He shakes his head left and right before looking at me.

"What happened," he asks. "Did I miss something?"

"No," I answer. "I asked what is so special about you and then you just stand there with your mouth hanging open."

Once more, Matt's mouth falls open and he starts to moan once more.

"Uhhh," he says before I clap my hands in front of him again.

"What happened," he asks, looking around. "Did I miss something?"

"No," I answer, placing my hand on my head as I feel a new headache slowing coming on. "Matt, please listen to me, and please do not go into another trance."

"I went into a trance," Matt asks.

"Yes, you did. Anyway, Matt, please I need your help. I am trying to learn who I am. Two years ago, I woke up in an alleyway with no memory of who I am or where I came from, or even how I got all these powers. I have searched and searched for any leads that could possibly tell me anything but I have always come up empty. Until recently, when I meet Alieen."

"Alieen," Matt repeats, "Wait, the headache when trying to read her mind thing. And now you're telling me the same thing happens when you try to enter my mind."

"Yes. Exactly. Matt, please, is there anything unique or special about you or Alieen that would make you immune to my powers?"

"Uhh," Matt says but this time, I quickly clap my hands.

"Matt," I yell. "Stop doing that."

"I'm sorry, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what exactly it is that makes me or Alieen immune to your mind powers. I mean, Alieen probably told you already this, but there's really nothing special about the two of us or even the four of us. You know who the other two are, right?"

"I assume Alfred and Lafayette."

"Exactly," Matt nods. "There's nothing really unique or special about the four of us. I mean, Alfred and I are cousins. We knew Alieen since high school. The three of us wanted to try and live by ourselves but we didn't have enough money so we sought out a fourth roommate. That's actually how we met Leia. She was looking for a place to live too. Since then, the four of us have been living here, working our part-time jobs, and doing our own things. Literally, nothing special."

"That does not make any sense," I say, "If there is nothing special about you or Alieen, then why can I not enter your mind? No. There had to be more. There had to be something there."

"What exactly," Matt asks. "We're just part-timers, not even full-timers. At least not yet anyway."

"Nothing special," I repeat to myself, "There is nothing special about us. Even if that is not true, I cannot enter Matt's or Alieen's minds to be sure. This is another dead end, only one in a thousand."

I push Matt to the side and walk to the ledge of the roof. Slamming my hands down, I try to hold my breath but am having difficulties.

Matt:

As I watch A from a distance, I start to hear him crying. At least, I think he's crying. It sounds more like he's breathing in and out heavily but I think I actually see some tears falling. Looking around, trying not to stare, I look toward the rooftop's door. About to walk toward it, I stop when I definitely hear a sniffle.

Turning back, I see A brings one hand to his face. He then shakes his hand and places it back down on the ledge.

"Okay," I sigh, "Here's goes nothing."

Taking a deep breath, and preparing for the worst, I walk up to A and tap him on the shoulder.

"What," he cries, not even bothering to face me. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see if you're okay," I answer.

"I am fine," A replies. "I just need a moment to think."

"You need a moment to think," I repeat. "Okay. While you have your moment to think, do you want me to bring you something?"

"No," A snaps back. "I just want to be left alone. Please leave."

"Okay," I say, turning to leave. Heading for the door, I look back at A one last time before closing it.

A:

I wipe my eyes and my nose. There is water flowing out of them for some reason but I do not care. All I care about was the hope that I could finally learn something but it turns out to be nothing more than a waste of time. All of this, meeting Alieen, meeting Matt, meeting Alfred and Lafayette, coming to their home, was nothing more than a waste of time and me being creepy.

"There is nothing more for me here," I say, pushing myself up. "I might as well go back home. I still have to fix the inside."

As I prepare to teleport away, I hear the sound of the door opening again.

"Matt," I say, "I told you I do not want anything."

"That's lucky because I didn't bring anything," a different voice answers.

Turning around, I see Alieen standing before me.

"Alieen?"

"A? What are you doing here?"

I am about to answer Alieen, but before I can, I notice Alieen is wearing a thin shirt with no sleeves and long pants. She looks so different, especially with her hair down and messy and not in a ponytail. Despite all of this, she still looks amazing.

"A," she says again, waving her hand in front of me. This time, it is me who snaps out of a trance.

"A, what are you doing here? Why are you here?"

"I am sorry," I answer, clearing my throat. "I was attacked last night and--"

"Wait, wait, wait," Alieen says, cutting me off. "You were attacked last night? By what?"

"I do not know. Some sort of giant worm-like creature with many tongues."

"A giant worm with many tongues," Alieen repeats. Even without my power, I know Alieen is thinking about something. I can see her mind at work.

"This is going to be a stupid question, but by chance, did this giant worm come through the ground?"

"Yes. I feel like that is an obvious answer."

"And by chance, did this worm try to eat you by pulling you into its mouth with its tongues, which by the way, also have tiny mouths?"

I pull my head up.

"Yes," I say, "That is true. Wait, you know the creature? Did you send it?"

"What," Alieen screams, "Of course not. I can't do anything like that. I can't summon graboid."

"Grab-what?"

"Graboid," Alieen repeats. "It's from the movie. Wait, are you telling me that last night, a graboid, from the Tremor movies, attacked you last night?"

"I guess. I do not really know. I lived in an abandoned gas station and have very little money, so I do not watch movies much."

"Well in that case," Alieen says, grabbing my hand. "I think there's something you need to see. Follow me, and please be quiet. Most of us are still asleep."

A:

"Is this what attacked you last night," Alieen asks, stepping away from the television. I watched from the sofa the whole time as Alieen placed a CD in the player and grabbed the remote control. Hitting a series of buttons, she shows me a scene from a movie.

The scene shows two men running through a desert. Clearly, something is chasing after them, but whatever it is, it is hidden underneath the dirt.

"It is hidden in the dirt," I think to myself.

I focus on the movie as the two men keep on running. Eventually, they jump into what looks like an empty canal. A second later, the canal's wall breaks open.

"What," I say, accidentally jumping back.

As I calm myself down, I see Alieen sitting nearby. She's trying to hide behind her hands, but I can clearly hear her laughing, even without my enhanced hearing.

"Not funny," I say, climbing down from on top of the sofa.

"I'm sorry," Alieen laughs, now crying a little. "I'm sorry. It just, that was so funny. I didn't expect you to jump up so high."

I shake my head as I look back at the movie playing. The dust cloud clearing away reveals a large monster covered in orange slime. It had a large mouth and appear to have many tongues in its mouth.

"Stop the movie," I say, looking at Alieen. "Stop it now."

Alieen moving fast stops the movie. With the movie frozen, I look at the monster.

"That is it," I say, pointing at the monster while turning to Alieen. "That is it alright. That is what attacked me last night. What did you call it?"

Stepping forward, Alieen crouches down beside me. The two of us side-by-side, we look at each other.

"That's called a graboid," Alieen answers. "It's the signature monster of the Tremor movie series. You know, funny enough, the four of us actually watch Tremor last night."

"The four of you," I think. "Oh. You, Matt, Alfred, and Lafayette."

"You can just call her Leia."

"I do not think Lafayette would be happy if I did. Anyway, Alieen, what can you tell me about this monster?"

"Uhh, it's a graboid," Alieen starts, "It travels through the dirt. It eats people. Well, actually, I think graboids also eat animals. I can't really be safe. Matt knows more about graboids than me. Hold on, I can grab him."

"Wait," I say, grabbing her hand. Alieen stopping, I pull her down. "Please, do not get Matt."

"Why not?"

I think back to when Matt and I talked on the roof.

"Uhhhhhh," Matt said, staring at me but at the same time, not staring at me. "Uhhhhhhh."

"Please," I beg, "Please, do not get Matt."

"Okay," Alieen says, crouching down beside me once more. "So, a graboid is what attacked you last night."

"Yes."

"A graboid," Alieen repeats, "From the movie, Tremor."

"I believe so."

"A graboid from the movie, Tremor, directed by Ron Underwood, staring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, attacked you last night at your gas station."

"I guess. I cannot say for certain because I do not know who Ron Underwood, Kevin Bacon, or Fred Ward is."

"All of a sudden," Alieen says, smiling, "I feel happy Matt makes us watch the end credit."

"I really need to start watching movies," I say, looking back at the screen. Looking at the, as Alieen tells me, the graboid, I place my hand on the screen. "So wait, just to be sure, you are telling me that what attacked me last night was from a movie? Yes?"

"Yes," Alieen says with a nod.

"So, if it is from a movie, then it should not be real. Right?"

"Maybe. Then again, I've been recently seeing a lot of things that also shouldn't be real."

"Putting myself aside, what I am trying to say is that what attacked me last night is a monster from a movie. However, that cannot be right because this is a fictional movie. This monster should not exist, and yet, it is what attack me last night. What is going on?"

"I want to ask the same thing," someone says. Alieen and I turn to see Lafayette standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. At the current moment, she is wearing a long sleeves shirt and pants that are covered with tiny white rabbits eating carrots.

Alieen:

"Hey Alieen," Leia says, rushing in to grab me. Dragging me out of the room, she looks inside our living room before facing me.

"Alieen, what in the world? Why is he back here?"

"He needed some help," I say, thinking carefully about how to talk. "Something happened last night, and he came here asking for help."

"I don't care what happened last night," Leia says, "I care about what is happening right now, and what is happening right now is that there is a complete stranger in our living room. Suspiciously staring at our t.v."

Leia peeks into the living room.

"For the record, he's still staring, and the movie is paused."

"A is not a complete stranger," I say.

"Alieen, please. Come on. Listen to what you just said. 'A is not a complete stranger'.

She repeats herself but only slower this time.

"A is not a com-plete strange-r. I mean, come on. He even said his name is A. He couldn't think of a better fake name."

"Leia," I say, "I'm sorry, but what is wrong with you recently? Why are you being so mean to A? It's not like he has done anything to you."

"Believe me when I said this," Leia says, "I'm just trying to watch out for you. I'm trying to watch out for all of us. There's something off about that guy. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but something about that guy sends a shiver down my spine."

Leia then shivers. She rubs her hands together before blowing into them.

"Hey you two," Alfred says, greeting us as he walks down the stairs. "What's going on? Why are you talking in the hallway?"

"They talking about A," Matt answers, walking in with a bottle of orange juice. He takes a quick sip before greeting all of us. "Morning Leia. Morning Alieen. Alfred."

"A," Alfred repeats, running down the stairs and looking into the living room.

"What is A doing back here? And why is he staring so intensely at our t.v.? Is he watching Tremor? Wait, the movie is paused. Okay, what's going on? What am I missing?"

We all look at each other. I guess we're all waiting for one of us to answer, but instead, we all just turn our heads. While Alfred is staring at us, waiting for an answer, the first person to say something is A.

"Hello Alfred," A says, walking out of the living room and nodding his head. "Hello, Lafayette. I just want to say thank you to both Alieen and Matt for everything."

"Matt," I repeat, turning to Matt as Matt looks at me.

"Anyway, there is nothing more for me here. I will leave now. I will try my best to stay away from the four of you. Bye."

A:

I hear a mixture of voices as I close the door. I think Alieen is saying I can stay, but Lafayette is saying she is glad I am gone. Meanwhile, Matt and Alfred are still asking what is happening. I cannot answer them, nor do I want to cause Alieen and Lafayette to fight, so as much as it pains me, I shut the door.

Hearing footsteps approaching, I wrap myself in a black mist before teleporting away. I drop back onto the roof of my gas station home.

"Home sweet home," I say, walking to the ledge of the roof where I drop down. Sitting on the ledge, my legs dangling, I let out a sigh before using my power to grab some rocks. The rocks floating into my hand, I juggle them before throwing them far, far away. I watch as the rock, now only a dot, falls into the horizon.

"What was I expecting," I think to myself. The only reply is the sound of the rocks banging against each other as I juggle them. "What was I expecting? Huh! To finally have answers? To finally know who I am after two years? To know where I came from? Where my home is? I guess that is too much to ask."

I stop playing with the rocks and let them fall into my hand. Without any effort, without even breaking a sweat, I crush them into dust, the dust filtering out of my hands.

"There is something special about Alieen. And Matt. There may even be something special about Alfred and Lafayette. But I do not want to bother them anymore. They have shown me kindness. They offered me food and clothing. They even offered me help, and I bring nothing but chaos to their lives."

I cover my eyes and slam my fist into the roof. As I lower my head, I think about Lafayette.

Alieen:

"Will you please stop staring at me like that," Leia asks, putting down her piece of toast. "You're making it hard to eat, and I have to go to work soon. I don't want my growling stomach to draw attention."

"I'm sorry," I say, putting down my spoon on the rim of the bowl. "But I can't help it. I'm still mad at you."

"I'm not sorry," Leia says, "I'm sorry Alieen, but I am not sorry in the slightest. I regret nothing. A is a stranger, and I think there's an old saying. What is it? What is it? Oh yeah, stranger danger."

"A is not a stranger," I say.

"He is a stranger," Leia says. "I mean, come on, he wouldn't even tell us what his name is."

"His name is A," Matt says, joining in. He stops eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"A? Really? Guys, no one on this Earth is just named A. Come on Alfred, help me out here. You didn't get any strange feeling from 'A'?"

"I'm still trying to figure out what happening this morning," Alfred replies, "Please, give me a few more minutes to process what I saw."

"I don't get it, Leia," I start, "You're normally a kind person. You and I do volunteer work all the time. We picked up trash. We feed the homeless. We cleaned pets at the animal shelter. I just don't get it. Why were you so mean to A?"

"Because A seems like bad news," Leia replies. "That's probably not the answer you were expecting, but that's just it. A seems like really, really bad news, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to us."

I sigh before shaking my head. I don't have much of an appetite left but I also don't want to waste food. I eat the last of my cereal and drink the milk before putting everything into the bowl.

"I'll wash," Leia says with some toast in her mouth.

"Thank you," I say. I walk out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "I'm going to head out for a bit, okay? I'll see you guys later."

"Don't you have work soon," Matt asks.

"Yeah, but it's not for a few hours."

"Alieen," Leia says, "Please, don't go looking for trouble."

"I'm not looking for trouble," I say, nodding my head before heading out. Walking up the sidewalk for a bit, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cellphone.

"Hello, Diana. Can I borrow your car for a bit?"

A:

With my power, I twirl some sand in the air, drawing a circle with my finger. After a few laps, I then draw a few irregular shapes with the sand. I make some bumps, some spirals, and even a few zig-zag. As I keep on drawing with the sand, I stop when I hear another familiar sound. It is a sound I have come to hear quite often, given my recent city visit.

The sand falling, I stand up and look around. Placing my hand over my eyes, I see a car driving not too far away. The car looks strangely familiar, and it only takes a few more seconds before I recognize it.

"Diana," I think. The black mist wrapping around me, I disappear and reappear on top of the approaching car. Landing right on it, I'm about to peek inside but before I can, the car comes to a stop and the door opens. Still crouching on the roof, I am a little embarrassed to see Alieen gets out.

"Uhh," she says when she sees me. "You know, you really do need to stop doing that. Landing on top of cars. It's kind of annoying."

"I am sorry," I say, climbing down. Alieen steps back as I climb down. Once my feet are on the sand, I smile and nod my head.

"Alieen," I say, "Hello."

"Hey A," Alieen says, smiling back. "How are you?"

"I am fine," I answer. "But wait, Alieen, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I came here," Alieen stutters, "Because I guess I was worried about you. I mean, you didn't exactly look the best when you left."

"Again, I am fine. Alieen, please listen to me. Go back. Go back home. Go back to your peaceful life. Forget about me. I am just some stranger."

"What is it with you and Leia," Alieen shouts, "A, you're not a stranger."

"I am a stranger," I say. "You do not know anything about me."

"You don't know anything about yourself either. Besides the fact that you have powers and woke up two years ago. Listen A, you're right. I don't really know anything about you, and you barely know anything about yourself, but I'm guessing the reason you want to know more about yourself is to learn who you are. Right?"

"Of course Alieen," I say, "I mean, what am I without a past? What am I if I do not know what my name is? My real name?"

"You are who you choose to be," Alieen answers. "The past is important, yes, but it doesn't determine the future. A, you have these amazing powers. You don't why or how, but you have them, and even if you didn't, that doesn't mean you can't make a future for yourself. I mean, what was the plan? Just camp all the way out here and hope to stumble upon the answers?"

"Not exactly," I say with a shrug. "My plan was to camp here until something came."

"What," Alieen asks.

"Okay. Yes, that was basically my plan, but Alieen, I cannot just make a future for myself. I can do a lot of things, but that is one thing I cannot do."

"What not? What's stopping you from, I don't know, leaving the gas station?"

"For one," I say, "I like the gas station. Despite the rust and the sand, I have made it my home. It is actually quite comfortable inside. There is a bed and a chair and even a small fridge."

"Okay. Still, A, give it a thought. You can't remember your past, but that doesn't mean you can't make a new future for yourself."

Alieen smiles as she places her hand on my shoulder. I feel her warm hand on my shoulder. I smile as I place my hand on her hand.

"I will try," I say, "I will give it a shot."

As Alieen and I stare at each other, we begin to feel the sand shake. The shaking sand knocks Alieen around, she almost falls but I catch her in time and hold onto her.

"What's going on," she yells, "Are you doing this?"

"No," I reply before the sand erupts and someone flies out.

Alieen:

"What's going on," I scream, watching as a flying person bursts from the sand. A lets go of me and push me back. He shields me from the sand.

"Stay behind me," A say, holding out his arm. Keeping me back, I watch as the flying person shoots into the air and hovers. I can't be sure, but from where I'm standing, the person appears to be black and blurry. It's like someone had taken a picture of him, but the person taking the picture had accidentally moved the camera.

"A friend of yours," I ask, looking at the person as he holds out his hand. Right away, I see something shoots out toward A and me.

"Hold on," A screams. He turns around and grabs me. Jumping into the air, A carries me away before the sand erupts and flies away. Holding onto A as he flies, I look back at the person as he just stays still.

"A," I yell, trying to be louder than the wind. "What's going on? Who is that?"

"I cannot lie," A replies, flying to the gas station and dropping me off there. "I do not know, but I will not let him get away."

"What," I say, hoping for an answer, but instead of one, A just flies away.

A:

"I should be grateful I can still fly," I say as I fly back to the floating person. Now, it is just the two of us, hovering face-to-face.

"You can hurt me all you want," I say, pointing a finger at the person, "But when you hurt her, expect a fight."

Swinging and pulling my arm behind me, I gather power in it before throwing it with all my might. A telekinesis blast shoots out, I watch as the floating person crosses his arms and takes the attack. However, my blast is still enough to knock the person away. While stumbling around, I push against the air and rocket toward the person. Reaching him in only a few seconds, I grab the person by his shirt and punch him over and over across the face. As I punch the person, I see that the shadow around him flies off. With one final punch, I knock part of the shadow off and see a mouth.

"What the," I say, stopping. I watch as the shadow quickly gathers around and covers the mouth. The person grabs my hands and places his feet against my chest. He breaks my grip and pushes me away. Flying away from me, I chase after the person. While flying through the sky, he drops toward the ground and flies close to it.

I stop flying and look at the person as he flies along the ground. Focusing, I teleport, appearing right in front of the person as he keeps flying.

"Head up," I say, jumping and punching the person in the head. Knocking him into the sand, I watch as he is buried after only a few seconds. I watch the sand. I keep myself ready. I know he is waiting beneath.

"What are you doing," I ask after some time. Still watching the sand, I see it is moving, but the person is not coming out of it. He is staying underneath the sand for some reason. He is quite literally a snake in the sand, hiding and moving until I come close enough.

"I am not going to fall for that," I think, holding out my hand. Shooting out another telekinesis blast, the sand erupts and covers the area. Since the sand is blanketing the area, I cannot see and have no choice but to wait.

As I wait, I see movement from the corner of my eyes and throw another blast. The sand erupts again and now it is even harder to see. There is so much sand in the air.

"I cannot fight here," I think, jumping and flying into the air. Flying straight up, I stop only when I am above the dust cloud. Looking around while hovering, I see a shadow moving toward the gas station.

"No," I yell, once more using my power to teleport.

Alieen:

"What is going on," I yell, looking at the massive dust cloud. Covering the whole area, it makes impossible for me to see anything. Including A. "Where are you? Where are you? What is going on here? There's another person with powers like A?"

Still looking all over the dust cloud, I let out a sigh when I see A approaching me. Only, it's not A but it's the other person! The person is flying close to the ground, and he is flying straight at me.

Falling to the floor, I push myself up and start to run away. I only take about three steps before the shadowy person grabs the back of my shirt. He pulls me back and I fall down. Looking up, I see him standing above me, his face hidden in a blurry shadow.

"Who are you," I ask.

The person doesn't answer. Instead, he raises his hand and slams it down. I cover my eyes.

"Do not," A yells while my eyes are closed. Opening them, I see A pulling at the person's hand. A and the shadowy person stare at each other before the person throws me behind him.

"Do not hurt her," A yells as he punches the shadowy person in the stomach before punching him across the face. "Do not hurt her! You will not hurt Alieen!"

A brings his hands together and slams them against the shadow person, the person flying through the air before hitting the old signpost. As he hits the signpost, the metal bends and the price sign starts to fall over. I watch as the price sign falls and before I know it, I'm in its shadow.

"Alieen," the person shouts. He gets up and flies toward me. A also flies toward me but the person throws a bottle of water at A. The bottle opens and the water instead gets all over A. I watch as A screams when the water covers him. He drops to the ground and starts smoking. While he rolls around, the person grabs and carries me away just before the price sign hits the ground and collapses on itself.

"You," I stutter, looking at the shadowy person as he carries me away from the gas station. "You saved me?"

The person ignores me as we fly into the air. As much as I want to kick and push him away, I also don't want to fly out of the sky. I look down to see the water right below us.

"What," I say, wrapping my arms around the person. "Is that the ocean? Wait, is the San Francisco Bay? Are we flying over San Francisco Bay? Where are you taking me?"

The person still ignores me. I hit the person in the chest.

"Answer me," I say. "Where are you taking me? Where are we going? Who are you?"

The person moves his head and I feel my heart stops. The person is looking right at me. He staring right at me. I want to say something but whatever I want to say, the words get stuck in my throat. I cough, trying to get them out, but it's no use.

The person, still staring at me, stops flying and starts hovering.

"Oh no," I say, looking at the bay still right below us. Assuming I don't die from the impact, since we're hovering in the middle, it would take far more energy than I have to swim back to shore. "I regret not finishing my breakfast."

I expect the worst. I expect the person to lets me go any second now. I expect to hear the wind as I drop down. Only, I don't. I don't hear the wind. I still feel the person as he holds me. Nothing happens.

I look up to see the person still looking at me. He wipes something on my cheek before flying again. He seems to be flying a little slower than before. It takes a while but eventually, we make it to dry land. Dropping onto a patch of green grass, he lets me go and I step away.

"Uhhh, thank you," I say, looking at the shadowy person as he stands. "But why? Why did you bring me all the way here?"

The person doesn't say a word. Instead, he pulls out a slip of paper from thin air and hands it to me. I don't know why, but for some reason, I take the slip of paper. As soon as I have it, the person shoots into the air and flies away, leaving me behind.

A:

"Come on," I say, looking around. "Come on. Where are you? Where are you?"

Flying as fast as I could, I search up and down for either the mysterious figure or Alieen. I scan the white cloud in the sky while focusing on the land and sea below.

"I cannot believe I let that happen," I think as I fly. "How could I have let that happen? How could I have let Alieen go?

I have no idea where either of the two are or where they could have gone. All I have to go on is the direction I saw they fly away.

"I do not get it. I just do not get it. It is nothing more than water yet, somehow, it burns me. Why does that water burn me? No! I cannot focus on that now. I have to find Alieen before anything terrible happens to her. I managed to quickly clean myself using the sand so the two should not have gotten far, but still. Where are you? If anything happens to Alieen."

As horrible images fill my head, I can feel my fingernails dig into the palms of my hands. I can feel my teeth scratching against one another. It feels like my head is about to explode. As I keep flying, I see the bay, and there, standing on the bank is Alieen.

"Yes," I shout, feeling some water forming in my eyes. "Please. I had enough water."

I wipe the water from my eyes and fly toward Alieen.

"Alieen," I say as I land on the bank. As soon as I can, I grab Alieen and look her over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"Okay," Alieen says, pushing me back. "A, calm down. Please. Just calm down. I'm okay. I'm not hurt. I am okay. I'm fine."

"You are fine," I repeat, looking around. "Really? Are you sure? You are not seeing things?"

"I'm not seeing things," Alieen answers. "At least, I don't think I'm seeing things. Then again, I was kidnapped by a flying person and now I'm talking with a man that can read minds. Maybe I have gone crazy."

"You are not crazy," I say. "This is, all of this, is just new."

"New," Alieen repeats.

"For lack of a better word, yes. New. It is new for you because of me and that person."

I stop to look around once more. Alieen and I are alone. As far as I can tell, there is no one here. I close my eyes and focus my hearing. I can hear the waves splashing from the ocean. I can hear the birds flapping their wings. I can even hear the wind as it blows. However, I do not hear a heartbeat. I do not hear someone breathing.

"It is new for me because," I go on, "Well. I am usually by myself. I have not really been with people before. It is, I hope this is the right word, it is uncomfortable."

Alieen crosses her arms as she looks at me.

"Thanks," she says.

"No, no, no," I say, waving my hands. "Uhh, not uncomfortable, but more like, strange."

"Strange," Alieen repeats.

"No. Strange is also not the right word. It is. It is. It is. What is the right word? What is the right word?"

"It's fine A," Alieen says, laughing as she hits my arm. "You're right. This is new and uncomfortable and very, very strange for me. Actually, it's beyond strange. Speaking of strange, are you okay? What happened earlier? What did that person throw at you?"

"Water," I answer.

"He threw water at you and you started to smoke?"

"I do not think it is simply water, but from what I have gathered, I cannot be sure."

"What you gathered? You have some of the water he threw. Can I see it?"

 "I guess that would be okay but why?"

"Well. Maybe I can help you figure out what exactly it is. I mean, two minds are better than one."

"That does make sense," I think, "But I ask that you be careful. After all, this water-like burn me. I do not even want to think what it could do to you."

"I understand."

With a nod of her head, Alieen steps back and spreads out her arms. I smile, nod my own head, and step into Alieen arms. Wrapping my arms around Alieen, I fly Alieen and myself back to the gas station.

Upon landing in front of the door to my home, I grab it and pull but the door stays where it is.

"Excuse me for one second," I say. Using my power, I rip the door right off and hold it in my hand. I stare at the door for a bit before turning to face Alieen. Her mouth is hanging open and her eyes are wide. Stepping back, she covers her mouth with her hands.

"I normally never use the door," I say, putting the door down. "I have to remember. Fix the door and also fix the sign. This way."

With a nod of my head, I walk through the empty doorway with Alieen following after me. I guide her to my mini fridge, where I open the door and telekinesis grab the cup with the wet sand.

"Again," I say, placing the cup on the top of the fridge. "Please be careful."

"I will," Alieen answers, bending down to examine both the paper cup and plastic bottle. Standing over it, she peeks inside. "Is that sand?"

"It was the only way to collect it," I say. "A few nights ago, I was attacked by the same mysterious person, and as before, he threw water at me."

"You were attacked," Alieen yells, turning to face me.

"Yes. Do not worry. I am fine. I was able to rub it off in the sand. Anyway, this is water. It is all I have collected. As far as I can tell, it is water. It is clear. It flows very easily. There is nothing more to it. It is water."

"Just because it's clear and flows easily doesn't automatically make it water," Alieen says, bending down to look at the bottle. "It could be something else. It could be, wait hold on."

Alieen stops talking and pick up the paper cup. She brings it close to her face and then sniffs it.

"What are you doing?"

"That's weird," Alieen says after sniffing the paper cup again. "I think I know this smell."

"What?"

She sniffs the cup for the third time.

"No, I'm serious. I think I know this smell. I think it's lavender."

"Lavender? Is not that a flower?"

"It is a flower. Assuming this is water, it's lavender-scented water."

"I was attacked and burned by lavender-scented water," I say. "I am so confused."

"You know the funny thing. Matt actually had some lavender-scented water in his room."

"Matt?"

"Yeah. That's why I recognize the smell. He doesn't use it a whole lot but still."

"Matt had lavender-scented water," I think. "What does this mean? What does that mean?"

A:

As I step through the front door of Alieen's apartment, I cannot help but think something.

"Why do I keep coming back to this building?"

In the last week alone, I have spent more time in this one building than I have spent in all of San Francisco in the last two years. Walking into the hallway, I immediately see the same t.v where Alieen showed me the giant worm that attacked me. Walking a little further, I see the countertop where I shared lunch with Alieen, Matt, Alfred, and Layafette. I think back to the hot sandwich.

"Come on," Alieen says, hitting my shoulder and running up the stairs. "You said you wanted to see Matt's secret stash."

"Yes I did," I answer, nodding my head. "You said that Matt had lavender-scented water. That is why you recognize the smell."

"Yeah. Matt showed it to us a few months before hiding it under his bed."

"Where is Matt anyway? In fact, where is everyone? I do not see Alfred or Layafette anywhere."

"Uhh, let me think. Let me think. If I'm remembering everyone's schedules correctly, I think Matt and Leia have work today. Alfred on the other hand, I think he's in class."

"Alfred had class? With all due respect, I think Alfred is a little old for school."

"You have heard of colleges, right?"

I can hear Alieen hides a laugh.

"Yes. Yes, Alieen. I have heard of colleges. As far as I know, I have never been to one but I have heard of them."

Once more, I hear Alieen hides a laugh.

"Alfred is going to SF state university. Well, actually, all four of us are going to SF state university but we have different classes."

"What are you studying for?"

"History. We're here."

Stopping at a door at the end of the hallway, Alieen grabs the doorknob but she does not turn it.

"Are you okay," I ask. "Why did you stop?"

"I feel a little bad about this," Alieen answers. "I mean, it's an unspoken rule but it's still a rule nonetheless."

"An unspoken rule," I repeat. "What are you talking about? What is the rule?"

"The rule is that none of us can really go through each other's personal things," Alieen says while shaking her head. "I mean, if it's out in open, like in the kitchen or the living room, we can use it. But in our rooms, it's a different story. I feel wrong going in without Matt's permission."

Despite my lack of common sense and human emotion, I can still tell Alieen is feeling uneasy. I may not have known her very long but from the short time I have known her, I can tell she is a very caring person. She cared about her friends. However, if Matt does have this lavender-scented water, then I need to know.

"I can do it," I say, placing my hand over Alieen's hand and pushing it down. "You do not have to do it."

Alieen looking at me shakes both her head and hand.

"No," she says, "No. No offense, but I think you being in there alone would be worse than the two of us snooping around together."

Taking a deep breath, Alieen opens the door to Matt's room.

Alieen:

"Wow," A says as soon as he steps into Matt's and Alfred's room. "This is messy."

"Yeah," I say, looking around. "Believe it or not, this actually isn't Matt. It's Alfred."

"You are kidding. Alfred seems like a calm and organized person. Matt otherwise seems loud and not-so-organized."

I watch as A steps over a field of crumble-up Hostess wrappers. Having made it through the Hostess wrappers, A now find myself surrounded from all sides by empty yellow and brown M&M wrappers. Nearly slipping on them a few times, he manages to catch himself before making it through. The final field is a bunch of empty cereal boxes with paper bowls.

I can see A coughing and maybe even crying a little when he accidentally steps into one of the bowls. Sucking air through his teeth, A finally makes it to one of the beds.

"I am here," A says, looking around. "Wait, why are you not here? Why are you still by the door?"

"Because that's Alfred's bed," I say, pointing a finger at the bed A is next to. I move my finger to the bed I'm standing next to. "This is Matt's bed. As I said, the room's messiness is because of Alfred. He's a big snacker. A really big snacker."

A slams his fist into the palm of his hand.

"Forget it," he says, waving his hands. "I only have one pair of shoes and they are already stained with green milk. Alieen, stand back."

I stand back and watch as some sort of black mist begins to circle around A.

"What," I say, still watching as the black mist suddenly dispenses and A is gone. "Where did you go?"

A black mist appears beside me, I jump back and watch as A walks out of it.

"What was that? What did you do?"

"Teleportation," A answers.

"You can fly and teleport," I say. "That's a little overpowered, don't you think?"

"I do not know," A says with a shrug. "Anyway, the water."

"Right."

Dropping to my knees, I search under Matt's bed and find his secret stash. Pulling out a small wooden treasure chest, I try to open it but there's a lock on it.

"You keep this locked," I say, grabbing the lock. "Really?"

"I can handle this," A says. He pushes me aside and grabs the lock with both his hands. In one swift move, he pulls the lock apart, the hook swinging open.

"Oh come on," I say, hitting A on his arm. "You know Matt is going to see that. How am I going to explain that?"

"Explanation later, water now."

A flips open the chest and we both look inside. There are all sorts of things in here; garlic, crosses, silver-colored bullets.

"What is all of this," A asks, grabbing a cross. As he grabs the cross, he screams and drops it.

"A," I say, reaching and grabbing A's hand. For some reason, his hand is red and smoking slightly. "What happened? What did you do?"

"Nothing," A replies, blowing his hand. "Nothing. I just grabbed that."

Pointing at the cross on the floor, I pick it up.

"I don't get it," I say, holding the cross in my hand. "This isn't hot. It's cold and wooden."

"I do not know what to tell you," A says. "That burns me when I held it."

"A cross burns you when you held it," I repeat to myself. "Hey A, I need you to hold this again."

"What?"

"Please A. Just hold it again. I have to be sure."

"My smoking hand is not enough for you."

"Just, please."

"This is going to hurt," A says after a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, A grabs hold of the cross, and once more, it burns his hand. He grips onto it for only a few seconds before dropping it. Catching the cross and putting it back in the chest, I look at A. He's crying a little.

"Oh my god," I say, looking at his red and smoking hand.

"Are you sure now?"

"Holding a cross burn you, A?"

As soon as I said those A, A forgets about his hand.

"Holding a cross burns me," he repeats. "What?"

Looking away from A and his red hand, I check the chest again. Moving some things around, I find what I'm looking for; Matt's lavender-scented water. Only, the water is in some sort of silver-colored flask with a cross on it.

"This is it," I say, showing A the flask.

"Are you sure?"

Thinking it over, I unscrew the cap and sniff the flask.

"Yeah. It's lavender-scented. Let me see. Let me see."

Turning around, I see a paper cup on Alfred's drawer.

"A," I say, "Can you grab me that?"

"Of course," A answers, holding out his hand. I can't tell if I'm surprised or not, but the paper cup hovers from the top of the drawer into A's hand. Once in A's hand, he hands it to me.

"Thanks."

Tearing the cup, I hold up a small piece of it. Pouring some of the water onto the piece of the cup, I look it over.

"It looks like water," A says.

"Maybe," I say, looking at the flask with the cross on it. "Maybe it is water. Holy water."

"Holy water," A repeats before we hear the front door open and seconds later, a familiar voice.

A:

"We need to get out of here," Alieen says, closing the chest and sliding it underneath Matt's bed. She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door.

"Come on," Alieen says, "We need to get out of here before--"

As soon as we open the door, we see Alfred standing before us.

"Alfred," Alieen shouts.

"Alieen," Alfred says, "And A? Why are the two of you in my room? Wait, why are the two of you in my room? Oh my god. Did, did you--"

"No," Alieen cries, pushing Alfred back. "No. Whatever you're thinking, it's a no. A and I, we did not do anything."

I cannot be sure why Alieen and Alfred are thinking but I am guessing from how fast Alieen's face turns red, it is something embarrassing.

"Well if you guys didn't do what I think you guys did," Alfred says, "Then what did you guys do in my room?"

"It is also Matt's room," I add.

"Okay," Alieen starts, "First thing first, I just want to say sorry for breaking the rule. I didn't want to, believe me, but there was a chance Matt had something A and I really needed to see."

"Wait, what," Alfred asks. "There was a chance Matt had something you and A needed to see? What on earth would that be?"

Alieen looks at me before letting out a sigh. She raises her hand and shows Alfred the silver-colored bottle with the cross on it.

"This," Alfred says, looking at the bottle and then at us. "This is what you two really needed to see. Matt's flask of holy water."

"Wait," I say, stepping forth. "What did you say this is?"

"It's Matt's flask of holy water," Alfred repeats. "From his supernatural apocalypse survival kit."

"His supernatural apocalypse what?"

"His supernatural apocalypse survival kit," Alfred repeats again. "I think Matt brought it off Amazon. It's supposed to be filled with a bunch of things needed to fend off supernatural begins. I'm guessing since you have his flask, you went through it."

"Yeah," Alieen whispers while lowering her head.

"Then I'm sure you two have seen the garlic and the silver bullets and even the wooden stake."

"We have seen the garlic and the silver bullets but we did not see a wooden stake."

"Oh. Well, still, it's everything you would apparently need to defeat vampires or werewolves or anything else."

"Vampires or werewolves or anything else," I repeat to myself. "Vampires or werewolves or anything else. Does this mean?"

"Hey wait a minute," Alieen says, looking up. "Alfred, what are you doing here? Don't you have class right now? Why are you home so early?"

"The professor had a doctor's appointment he couldn't reschedule," Alfred answers. "So he taught the class for as long as he could before he had to go. He lets us students leave early. That's why I thought I could go to sleep for a little bit. Now I'm wondering why two people are exiting my and Matt's room while holding Matt's supply of holy water."

"As Alieen said," I say," We just needed to see it for a bit. We will give it back. Go to sleep."

I nod my head and grab Alieen's hand. Pulling her away, I thought Alfred would go to his room but I'm wrong. He starts to run, pushing past Alieen and me and stopping us before we could reach the stairs. Spreading out his arms and legs, he stares us down.

"Okay," he yells, "That's enough. What's going on? What is going on here? Who are you?"

"Uhh," Alieen stutters, looking between A and Alfred. "Uhh, what are you talking about? He's A."

"Yeah, no offense or anything, but A may be the worst fake name I have ever heard."

"It is not a fake name," I say. "It is the only part of my ID I could make out."

"What," Alfred says.

"What," Alieen asks. "An ID?"

Both Alieen and Alfred look at me as I reach into my pocket. Alfred and Alieen jump back when I reach into my pocket but relax when they see me pull out a crumpled piece of paper. The piece of paper is not only crumpled but it is also burnt and falling apart. As carefully as I can, I show them the paper.

"Alfred," I start, "I have put too much on Alieen. It is time I tell you the truth. At least, as much as I can tell you."

"The truth," Alfred repeats. "Okay. What's that?"

"The truth is that I am poor."

"You're homeless," Alfred asks.

"No. I am not homeless. I do have a home. I am just poor. I have very little money. I almost have no memory of my name."

"You have amnesia? How?"

"I do not know how. Again, I have no memory of anything. Including my own name. In fact, because of my memory loss, this is why I choose to be called A."

I dust the paper off and point to the only visible letter. It is a black, burnt A.

"An a," Alfred says after staring at the paper. "Okay. Honestly, things are more confusing than when we started. For now, just please follow me."

Alfred tosses his backpack into his room before walking down the stairs. Alieen and I look at each other before following him. For some reason, Alfred leads us into the kitchen. There, he grabs three large cups and a pitcher of apple juice.

"When I get nervous or confused," Alfred says, drinking one whole cup of juice. "I get hungry."

"Hmm," I say, thinking back to all the wrappers around Alfred's bed. "You must get nervous and confused a lot."

"Yeah, I do."

Moving fast, Alfred pours himself another cup and drinks it all in seconds.

"Do you want mine?" 

Alieen pushes her cup toward Alfred. Alfred takes her cup and drinks the whole thing in one swallow.

"Thanks," Alfred says, wiping his mouth.

Seeing this, I offer Alfred my own cup, and once again, he takes and drinks it all.

"Okay," he says, slamming the cup down. "I feel a little better. So, just doing a little fact-checking, making sure I've heard everything right. You have amnesia. You don't remember anything, including your own name, and because of that, you have decided to call yourself A because of a single letter on a piece of paper."

"Yes," I say, nodding my head.

"Also, you're homeless."

"No," I say, shaking my head. "I am not homeless. I am poor but not homeless."

"It's true," Alieen says, rising her hand. "A lived in an abandoned gas station. That's kind of his home."

"An abandoned gas station?"

"Yes," I shout, "I lived in an old abandoned gas station outside the city. I lived there. It is my home. It may be lacking such things as running water and electricity and well, cleaning, but nevertheless, it is my home. Can we please move past that?"

Alfred pours himself another cup of apple juice before going on.

"Okay. I guess those jackets you gave A makes some sense now."

"Yeah," Alieen says while nodding. "Since A is homeless--"

"Poor," I correct.

"Since A is poor, I gave him a few jackets I've been meaning to donate."

"Okay," Alfred says with a nod. "Okay. One last question before I pass out."

"What's that," Alieen asks.

"Why do you have Matt's flask of holy water?"

"Oh," Alieen yells, looking down and realizing she is still holding the flask. "Uhh. We kind of need it."

"You need holy water," Alfred says, shaking his head. "For what exactly? Fighting ghosts? Seriously Alieen, give that back. That's not yours."

"No," Alieen says, lending back. "We just need to borrow it for a bit. Just a little bit."

"Even if that is true, it's not yours. Give it back. I'll put it back in Matt's room."

"No!"

"Alieen, give it!"

Before I know it, Alieen and Alfred have the bottle in their hands. They struggle for it, both Alieen and Alfred fighting for the flask. While they fight for the flask, Alieen pulls it back suddenly, ripping it from Alfred's hand. As she does, the flash opens and water pours out. Before I can get out of the way, the water gets all over me. It burns me, my skin sizzling as I fall to the floor.

"A," Alieen yells, throwing the flask and dropping to her knees. "A? Are you okay?"

I cannot answer Alieen. Despite how little water there is, it still burns and the only thing that comes out are screams.

"Alieen," Alfred says, running around but stopping when he sees me. "What is going on? Why is A burning and smoking?"

Alieen:

"Alieen," Alfred says, running around but stopping when he sees me. "What is going on? Why is A burning?"

I can't answer Alfred right now. Right now, at this very second, A is burning. He is on the floor, rolling around, burning, and smoking. The holy water is like fire to him.

"Wait," I say, turning to look at the kitchen sink. "The holy water is like fire to him. Maybe, just maybe, I can put it out like it is fire."

Not wasting another second, I run out and grab the sink's faucet. Pulling it out, I turn on the sink and spray A with the water. Surprisingly, it seems to be working. The normal sink water washes away the holy water and after a few seconds, A stops smoking. He pushes himself up before shaking his head.

"Thank you," he pants. A stays still for a while, but without any warning, he walks up and grabs the sink faucet right out of my hand. The faucet is still on so he pours water into his hand and starts to drink it. Literally pouring the water from his hand into his mouth, Alfred stops him after his third handful and gives him a water bottle.

"Here," Alfred says, "Take this. Meanwhile, here Alieen."

Alfred give me the sink faucet. The second I grab it, I turn it off and place it back. While my back was turned, Alfred wandered away somewhere. About to go looking for him, I stop when I see Alfred come back in with a mop and bucket in his hand.

"Okay," he says, dropping the bucket. "I have so many questions right now, but I'll ask them later. Right now, right, right now, I am going to clean this up. While I do this, you two think of how to explain what I just saw. Got it?"

"Got it," I say with a sigh. I look toward A as he finishes the water bottle.

"Got it," he says while panting. "We, well I will try and explain everything. I seem to be doing that a lot lately."

I could tell Alfred is confused about what A said. There is literally a question mark floating above his head, but he puts it in the back of his mind and starts to mop up the kitchen floor. It takes a while but eventually the kitchen floor is clean again. It's sparking, and better yet, it's dried.

"Okay," Alfred says after wiping his sweaty forehead. "I'm done with that."

"Awesome," I say while sitting at the counter with A. Lending over, I hit A on his arm. Turning back to look at me, I nudge my head at our fridge. "Come on A. We talked about this."

A looks at me before turning to Alfred, and then back at me. He lends closer to me.

"Are you sure about this," A asks. "I mean, seeing me burning up because of holy water is one thing, but seeing me use my telekinesis power. That is something else."

"I know," I reply, "But at this point, there's really no point in hiding it. I mean, how can we explain the whole holy water mess?"

"I could try and erase Alfred's memory."

"Please don't do that. Please just leave Alfred and everyone else's memory alone. Just, use your telekinesis to grab what I asked for."

"Fine. I am still a little confused why you asked me to grab this but okay."

"Alfred," I say, "Watch this."

Alfred watches as A opens his hand and starts to make circles with it. This time, I can see Alfred's eyes shoot out as the fridge door opens by itself. He stares at the fridge as the milk and eggs start to float in and out.

"Where did you say it was," A asks, moving some leftover lettuce in a bag.

"Second shelf from the top," I reply. "It's behind Leia's soy milk. Oh, that reminds me. The soy milk expired soon so Leia had to finish it fast."

The two turn to look at me and I clear my throat.

"Uhh, yeah," I say, scratching the back of my head. "The leftover pastrami fries are in there. Can you move them to the microwave?"

A nods his head and pulls the cold fries out before opening and putting them into the microwave. He set the timer for a minute while putting everything back into the fridge. Five minutes later, there is a takeout container filled with steaming pastrami fries.

"You hungry," I ask.

Alfred nods his head and grabs a fork. He turns the container around and starts to eat the fries while drinking cup after cup of apple juice. While he eats and drinks, A and I look at him. By the time Alfred takes a breath, we're out of juice and there isn't even a handful of French fries left.

"Better," I ask.

"A little bit," Alfred says after swallowing a mouthful of meat and French fries. "Okay. I can think clearly. Well, not clearly but I have an open mind now."

"And it all took was meaty fries and juice," A says, pulling back his head.

"Alieen," Alfred yells, finishing the fries. "What exactly did I see? A, what exactly did you do and how exactly can you do that? Also, what was that earlier with the holy water?"

"Apparently," A starts, putting up his hands. "Uhh, holy water burns me."

"Holy water burns you," Alfred repeats. "What are you, a vampire?"

"I do not think so. I have never felt the need to drink human blood, and whether it is daytime or nighttime, I can leave my gas station."

"Gas station?"

"A lived in an abandoned gas station outside the city," I answer.

"Okay."

"About your other questions, what you saw is me using my telekinesis power. I used the power of my mind to get you your meaty fries and heat them up. By the way, those look very greasy and bad for you. I imagine it cannot be healthy to eat these."

"Uhh, hey Alieen," Alfred says while clearing his throat. "Uhh, can you come here for a second?"

Alfred waves his fingers and walks over to the side. I look at A for a few seconds before walking over to where Alfred is.

"So yeah," Alfred says with a clap of his hands. "I'm still a little lost. No. That's a lie. I'm still very lost. A had the power to move things with his mind but he doesn't have any memory of who he is. What's that about? Also, judging from your somewhat calm and not at all shocked face, I'm guessing you already know about this. How do you fit into all of this?"

I open my mouth to try and answer Alfred but nothing come out.

"How do I fit into all of this," Alfred asked. I turn my head and try to think.

"How do I fit into all of this," I ask myself. I mean, I barely know A. I meet him about a week ago and already, I feel something I'm part of something bigger. Something massive. Between A himself and that mysterious shadowy figure that kidnapped me and then let me go, I feel so confused.

"Not to mention," Alfred goes on, "And this isn't me being mean or anything but I'm wondering what A talks the way he does. Have you noticed A never seems to use contractions? What's that about?"

"Uhh. I'm sorry Alfred. Did you say something? I got lost in thoughts."

Alfred sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Alieen, just answer this. Should we be, I don't know, concerned about the man in our kitchen with telekinesis power?"

"Listen Alfred. Despite not knowing anything about A, or about the full extent of his powers, I--"

"Wait, powers? With an S? Plural? A had more powers?"

I cut Alfred off with a swipe of my hand.

"Despite not knowing anything about A or his powers, I think he's safe. I mean, if he wanted to hurt us, he could have done so any time before. No. I think A is just lost and confused. He doesn't really know anything and needs a little help getting around."

"And somehow that responsibility falls onto you."

"I wouldn't say it falls onto me but I think I'm the only one that can help him."

"I wouldn't say the only one," Alfred says. He lowers his head and covers his eyes. "You dragged A here into our apartment and you're one of my greatest friends. You also tend to have a sense for these kinds of things. If A really is harmless and he does need help, then tell me what I can do to help?"

Alieen:

I can't be sure what I've just heard.

"Did Alfred just offer to help A? Why would he do that? Why would Alfred offer to help A and me?"

I can't be sure but I think I just stood there with my eyes wide open. The only thing I can be sure of is that after Alfred clapped his hand in front of me, I could move and talk again.

"Alieen," Alfred says, clapping his hands in front of me again. "Hello? Are you okay? Are you doing this?"

"No," A says, shaking his head. "Strangely, Alieen seems immune to my powers."

"Wait, immune? What does that mean? She's immune to your powers?"

"Uhh," A starts, "It means I cannot use my powers on Alieen. Well, I cannot use some of my powers on Alieen. I cannot seem to read her mind."

"You can read minds," Alfred shouts. "Okay. If I'm going to help you two, then there are some conditions. One, do not read my mind. In fact, don't read anyone's mind. Mind reading is very rude."

"I cannot make any promise," A replies, "But I will try my best. I do not try to read minds, but sometimes, I have to."

"In what situation is mind reading required?"

"When one is lost and needs to find the public library."

Alfred is about to say something but I stop him.

"Okay, okay, okay," I say, getting in between A and Alfred and spreading out my hands. The two staying quiet, I turn toward Alfred.

"Alfred, we really appreciate the offer, we do, but for now, I think it would be for the best if I try and figure this out by myself."

"Why," Alfred asks. "Why can't I help? I mean, do you even have a plan?"

I open my mouth to say something but I don't hear a single word. My mind goes completely blank as I tried to think of an answer.

"You got nothing," Alfred says, "Do you?"

"No," I say with a sigh. "No. I don't have a plan. I don't really know what to do next."

"Here's an idea," Alfred suggests, putting up a finger. "Ask for help. I mean, besides you and me, there's also Matt and Leia. They can help us too."

"No," I say. "No. I don't want to drag Matt or Leia into this. I still think it's bad you know about A."

"Uhh," A says. Alfred and I turn to see A stepping forth while putting up a finger. "I do not know if this is the right time or not, but Matt already knows."

"What," I shout, staring at A. "What do you mean Matt already knows? How does Matt already know? A, what did you do?"

"Nothing," A replies. He steps back and rises his shaking hands. "Nothing at all. Well, I did accidentally use my power on Matt. I blasted him off the stairs."

"What," Alfred and I shout.

I slap A on the top of his head. I don't know if A felt it or not, but he still flinches and rubs his head.

"Why did you do that? A!"

"Like I said," A starts, "It was an accident. Anyway, immediately afterward, I healed Matt. He is fine. He is okay, but he does know of my abilities."

"So that means the only one that doesn't know about A is Leia. Why don't we tell her? I mean, at this point, why not? Already three out of the four of us already know."

I lower my head and sigh.

"Alfred, I told you. I don't want any of you to help me."

"Why not?"

"Because this, all of this, is dangerous, and I don't want to put any of you in danger! Alfred, just a few days ago, someone else with powers picked me up and carried me away."

"Wait, wait, wait. Someone else? Did you just say someone else? Who?"

"I don't know. The person was basically a giant shadow. He or she or it was just one big black blob."

"And this mysterious blob just kidnapped you and carried you away? He, she didn't do anything else?"

I clear my throat while patting my pockets.

"No," I say.

"So just to be clear," Alfred says, counting off his fingers. "A had a lot of special abilities, but he had no memory of himself from before."

"Yes," I say.

"You're trying to help him."

"Yes."

"And the reason why you don't want me, Matt, or Leia to help the two of you is because it's dangerous on account of the fact that a shadowy blob kidnapped you. I'm not missing anything, right?"

"Uhh, no. Not really."

Alfred nods his head before pulling out his cell phone and putting it to his ears.

"What are you doing," I ask.

"I'm calling Matt and Leia," Alfred answers. "They need to know about this."

"What?"

I rush ahead to try and grab Alfred's phone and he steps back while shooting out his arm and keeping me at bay.

"Alieen," Alfred says, running around the corner and trying to stay away from me. "Alieen, you need to stop this."

"What are you talking about?"

I chase after Alfred but he was using the car trick. The one where, since there's something between us, all Alfred had to do is run in the same direction to avoid me catching him.

"Matt," Alfred says, still running around. "Hey, are you free? You're free, right? Okay, get back here now! Group meeting!"

"No," I shout, trying to be louder than Alfred. "Matt, no group meeting! No group meeting!"

"See ya," Alfred says, ending the call. With a swipe of his finger, he starts to call Leia. I can hear the dial tone.

"Oh no," I say. Thinking fast, I jump and climb over the counter.

"Leia," Alfred screams, stepping back as I swipe at him. "Leia, hope you're not busy! Group meeting now! See you soon!"

With that, Alfred hangs up the call. Still swiping at Alfred, my hand slips and I fall off the counter.

"Alieen," Alfred says, trying to grab me. However, he's too late. I fall on the kitchen's floor.

"Alieen," Alfred says again, kneeling beside me. "Are you okay?"

He tries to offer me his hand but I slap it away.

"No I am not okay," I answer. "Alfred, why did you do that? I told you I don't want any of you involve in this."

"There you go again," Alfred says, getting off his knee to step up. "Trying to do everything yourself. Well, too bad."

He points at me with a stern finger.

"Not this time. Not this time. This time, we're all helping. You know why? It's because you brought A here. You brought A here into our apartment, and already, it affected all of our lives. Not just yours. I'll see you two later."

With that, Alfred leaves both the kitchen and me still on the floor.

Leia:

"Do you know why we're here," Matt asks, leaning to the side.

"No," I say with a shake of my head, "But I hope it's really important. I was in the middle of something when Alfred called me."

"It should be," Matt says, leaning back. "We normally don't call group meetings unless it's life or death."

"So last month when you called a group meeting, that was life or death."

Matt pulls back his head and looks at me.

"Yes. It was. I almost died."

"You didn't almost die," I correct.

"Yes, I did."

"You ate expired chocolates and got a stomach ache. It wasn't that bad."

"I had to go to the hospital. You were there. So were Alfred and Alieen. You all heard the doctor."

"We all heard the doctor ask why you ate chocolates from last year."

"Chocolates had a long expiration date."

"No. What was long was waiting for the doctors to pump your stomach."

Matt lets out a chuckle.

"Yeah. You know, I thought it would hurt for a while after getting my stomach pumped, but surprisingly, it wasn't. Right after we left, my stomach felt better."

"No kidding," I say, playing with my short hair.

"Hey guys," Alfred says, waving at Matt and me as he walks in.

"Hey Alfred," we both reply.

"Hello Matt," Alieen greets, walking in after Alfred. "Hello, Leia."

"Hey Alieen," we both reply.

"Uhh, hello," A starts as he walks in after Alieen.

"Hey A," Matt replies. "Wait, A!"

"Oh come on," I shout, getting up. "What are you here? Why are you?"

No one answers my questions. Instead, Alieen walks over to me and hits me in the arm.

"Leia," she whispers. "You're being rude."

"I'm being rude," I repeat, looking at the guys as they all stare at us. "Private conversation here. Please don't listen."

The guys all look at each other before they shrug their shoulders. They then all gather in a circle and talk among themselves.

"Alieen," I say, "Why do you keep bringing A back here? I mean, come on! Where's your common sense? Where's your stranger danger alert sense?"

"My what?"

"Your common sense and stranger danger alert sense. Okay, yeah, that last one sounds dumb but still. You don't have to look at me like that."

Alieen shakes her head and crosses her arms.

"Leia," she says while sighing. "I still have my common sense and my stranger danger alert senses."

"You don't have to say that," I add.

"Nevertheless," Alieen says with a chuckle. "Both of them are telling me A is fine. They're telling me he's not a threat. In fact, he needs our help."

"He needs our help," I repeat, "With what exactly? Oh no. Alieen, I'm telling you this now, and keep in that I'm normally not this rude, but A cannot stay here. It's already crowded enough with the four of us."

"That's not what A needs," Alieen says, "And besides. He could always sleep on the couch."

"There goes movie night," I say. "Aww, and just when we were really getting into the Tremor Series."

"Again, A does not need a place to live. He already had one. Sort of. Anyway."

Alieen lends to the side and claps her hands. Immediately, Alfred, Matt, and unfortunately, A too, all raise their heads.

"Okay," she says, walking to the center of the living room. All eyes are now on her.

"Thanks to Alfred for calling this group meeting, I guess there's really no point in hiding this anymore. Also, apparently, most of us already know."

"Know what," I say, sitting back down.

"Wait, you know now too," Matt asks, looking at Alfred.

"Yeah," Alfred answers with a nod of his head. "I, uhh, I learned about A earlier this afternoon."

"What happened?"

"He made me pastrami french fries."

"That's it? He hit me with his mind and knocked me down the stairs."

"What," we all yell, looking at A.

"Hey, hey, hey," Matt says, raising his hand. "It's okay. It's okay. Afterward, he healed me and we talked for a while."

"Wait," I say, now raising my own hand. "He blasted you with his mind and then healed you? What does that even mean?"

"A had powers," Alieen yells, now taking over. "A had superpowers."

"They are not superpowers," A correct. "At least, I do not think they are superpowers. They are just powers."

I stare at A for a while, before moving on to Matt, Alfred, and Alieen.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"A had powers," Alieen repeats. She turns to A and draws a circle with her finger.

"What does that means," A asks.

"It means, you know, show Leia. Show Leia your powers."

"Yeah," Matt says, joining in. "Use your mind. Lift the sofa with your telekinesis."

"Don't lift our sofa," Alfred interrupts. "Go with something small. Something that won't be so expensive to replace."

"We brought that sofa at a thrift store. It wasn't that expensive. Besides, are you saying A can't handle it? I beg to differ."

"I'm not saying A can't handle it. I'm saying please don't lift our sofa. Go with something smaller. Like the lamp over there."

Alfred points to a tall and thin black lamp stand.

"Hey," Alieen says, "Don't. I like that lamp. It was a gift from my aunt."

"Alieen, it's not even plugged in. Even from here, I can see the tip of the cord laying on the ground."

"It's not plugged in," Alieen shouts, running over to see for herself. "Who unplugged it?"

Matt, Alfred, and I all shrug our shoulders.

"Okay," A says after Alieen plugs her aunt's lamp into the wall. "So am I raising the lamp or no?"

"No," Alieen answers. "It's plugged in now anywhere. Here. Lift these."

She disappears into the kitchen for a bit before coming back out with some plastic dishes. Placing them on the floor in front of me, she then steps to the side. Now with a clear target, A being the show. He breathes in and out before spreading out his hands. As he does, the dishes start to float.

Seeing this, I scout back.

"Oh wow," I say, my eyes still on the floating dishes. "That--That's something. That is something alright."

A nods his head before using his telekinesis power to carry the dishes back into the kitchen. The whole time without once even touching them.

"And the three of you already know about this," I ask.

The three all answer, saying yes and yeah.

"This is only one of my many powers," A says. "I can do many more things."

"He can," Alieen says, "Trust me about this. The problem is, A had amnesia."

"He had what?"

"Amnesia. For some reason, A can't seem to remember who he is or where he even came from."

"You can't," I shout. "You don't remember anything. Not at all."

"No," A says, lowering his head. "I cannot remember anything about myself. Every time I try, I get these horrible headaches."

"Horrible headaches?"

"Yes. My head starts to hurt to the point where I will faint from the pain."

"Wow," I say. "That's sucks."

"Yes, it does suck. Having no memory does indeed suck."

"That's where we come in," Alfred says.

"We?"

"Yeah. We. We're all going to try and help A remember his past."

"Oh yeah," Matt shouts, jumping up and joining in. "Let's do this. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

He cheers and raises both his arms. I, on the other hand, still sitting.

"Okay," I say, putting up one finger. "Just one slight question. How exactly are we supposed to do that?"

Leia:

I can literally see question marks floating above the heads of all my friends. And "A". The question marks are all shaking left and right, a lot like everyone's head.

"Uhhh," Matt says.

"Well," Alfred goes on. "You see, uhh."

"The plan is for us to," Alieen starts, making small circles with her hand. "To do something. The plan is for us and A to do something. And."

This goes on for a while. At some point, Matt, Alfred, and Alieen all start making sounds instead of forming actually words. It isn't until A speaks that they all stop.

"We do not have a plan," A shouts with crossed arms.

"Yeah," I say, coughing to clear my throat. "I figured."

"Hey," Alieen says with a swing of her hands. "Yes, we may not have a plan, per se, but that doesn't mean anything."

"It doesn't," I ask.

"It doesn't," all the guys repeat.

"Yes," Alieen says with her head bobbing up and down. She's not nodding. Her head is just bobbing up and down like one of those old figurines. "Yesss. The fact that we do not have a plan or an idea of where to start or even where to begin doesn't mean anything. We will come up with all of that later. For now, for now, for now."

Alieen's head is still bobbing up and down.

"Okay," I think, "I can't watch this. I have to do something."

I get up and take over.

"For now," I say, pointing firmly at the floor. "For now, we will just go on with our normal lives. Our normal, every day, before A came in and mess it up, lives."

"Leia," Alieen says but I put up my hands to block her gaze.

"Until we have something to go on. I mean, what else can we really do? If A doesn't remember anything about himself, then how are we supposed to jog his memory?"

"We could try taking him to places he had already been," Matt suggest with a raise of his hand.

"How would that help me," A asks.

"It's something done in movies and television shows," Matt answers. "You see, the notion is that by taking you to places you have already been, places you're familiar with, it could trigger something in your head."

"Matt," Alfred says, "This isn't a movie."

"And yeah, standing in our living room is a man with dozens of literal superpowers, his favorite appearing being telekinesis."

 "Okay. You got me there."

"I vote we try that. Who's with me?"

"I," Alieen says, raising her hand with Matt.

"I," Alfred says, raising his hand with Matt and Alieen.

"Nah," I say, raising my hand against Matt, Alieen, and Alfred, "But not for the reason you guys think. I have somewhere I need to go so I can't go sightseeing with A."

"Shoot," Matt screams, slapping his face with his hand. "Oh shoot. That reminds me. I have a study session I have to go to. Oh god, I'm going to be late. Listen, I'll, we will help later but for now, we have to go. Come on, Leia. We can take the car. Where do you need to go? I can drop you off."

"It's fine," I say stepping back. "It's fine. You go to your study session. I can walk. It'll be fine. See guys later, and best of luck with the whole visiting old places thing. Bye."

With that out of the way, I nudge my head and Matt follows after me as we leave the apartment.

"I'll see you later," Matt says as he jumps into the car and drives away.

"Hey," I shout, cupping my mouth with my hands. "Slow down! You just ran a red light! I'm not helping you pay another speeding ticket!"

I shake my head and ignore the people honking their horns. I pull out my phone while walking down the street.

"Hey," I say, "Yeah, it's me. No. No, nothing yet, but I could use some advice. Got time?"

A:

"So where to," Alfred asks, clapping his hands together.

"What do you mean," I ask.

"Where to," Alfred repeats, "Where are the three of us going?"

"I do not know," I answer.

"Were you listening to Matt? He said we should try going back to a few of the places you have been. So, where have you been lately?"

"Here," I answer. "I have been coming here almost every day this week, and with all due respect to Matt, nothing here is really reminding me of anything."

"Okay," Alfred says while nodding his head. "So our living room isn't helping you. Hmm, I have an idea."

"It's not based on a movie," Alieen asks, "Is it?"

"More or less," Alfred says with a shake of his hand. "It's based on Matt's idea."

"You mean his idea to take me back to the places I have already been to."

"Yeah, that idea. A, listen. You can't remember anything about your past, but what is the first thing you do remember?"

"The first thing I remember," I repeat to myself. "The first thing I remember. That is easy. That is when I woke up in an alleyway. Shortly, after two men attempted to rob me."

"What," Alieen and Alfred both say. "Two people tried to rob you?"

"Yes, but it is fine. While they were trying to rob me, I discovered my telekinesis power and blasted them away."

"Wow," Alfred says. "What happened afterward?"

"Well, after knocking them out, I just wandered around. I search for any information on myself to no anvil. I found the gas station. I discovered I had a few more power and learned how to master them. Nothing special."

"Nothing special except for the power," Alieen whispers.

"Come on," Alfred says with a nudge of his head.

"Where are we going," A asks, following Alfred as he opens the front door.

"To the alleyway," Alfred answers. "Like I said, more or less. That alleyway could hold some answers for you, A but we won't know until we check it out. Do you remember where it is?"

"Yes, but are you sure? It had been two years since I have woken up in that alleyway. Even if there is an answer there, it could have been taken away by a person simply digging around."

"Or maybe something could still be there," Alieen says, closing the door. "You never know. Either way, we're going. Lead the way. Come on. Matt took the car, but there's a bus stop nearby."

"The bus," I repeat, stopping almost immediately. "Nooo. Not the bus again. I hate the bus. I hate the bus."

A:

“I hate the bus,” I say as Alfred, Alieen, and I all walk together. “I hate the bus so much. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.”

“Will you calm down,” Alfred asks. “So someone spilled some soda on you? That happened to me once and it wasn’t even the worst thing.”

“I am afraid to ask what the worst thing was.”

The sun is setting as the three of us walk on an empty street with what looks like abandoned and forgotten buildings on both sides. There is trash all along the streets and graffiti pained all over the walls and buildings. There are a few lights already on but most of them are flicking, not staying on.

“Enough,” Alieen says, quieting the two of us. “A, are we here? Is this the alleyway where you first woke up?”

Stopping in front of a narrow and dirty alleyway, I look around the said alleyway. I walk in and look around some more.

“This is it,” I say, more than halfway into the alleyway. “Yes. This is definitely it.”

“Not to doubt you or anything,” Alfred says from the sidewalk, “But how can you be sure? I mean, this doesn’t seem any different from the other alleyway San Francisco had. What makes you so sure this is the right alleyway?”

"Believe me," I say, looking at Alfred. "I would recognize this place anyway."

I look toward the end of the alleyway. There, I see a similar trash pile to the one where I woke up two years earlier.

"Well," Alieen says, spreading out her arms and she and Alfred walk into the alleyway with me. "Anything? Is any of this sparking any memory?"

"No," I answer, looking around the dirty, narrow alleyway before looking back at Alieen and Alfred. "No. None of this is bringing back any of my memory. At least, not any memory I do not already have."

"Okay," Alfred says, looking around. "So if this place is a bust, then where to next?"

"I cannot answer you," I reply.

"Why not?"

"Because besides this alleyway and my gas station, there is no other place that holds any value to me."

"There are no other places," Alieen replies.

I nod my head and explain.

"As I told you and the others, shortly after waking up here, I simply wander around. I had no place to go or go back to. I did not know what to do or where I could stay until I stumbled upon the gas station."

"Well, I guess we need another plan," Alfred says, winding up his foot to kick an empty car on the ground. Kicking the can into a nearby trash pile, the same can then shoots out and hits me in the head.

"Hey," I say, rubbing my head. I look at Alfred who is stepping back with both his hands in the air.

"I swear," he says, "I did not do that. At least, I don't think I did."

Still eyeing Alfred while rubbing my sore spot, I turn when I hear something. The nearby trash pile starts to move.

"Get behind me," I say, pushing Alieen and Alfred behind me. As they get behind me, the trash pile bursts open and the shadowy figure appears.

"Get out of here," I say, now pushing Alieen and Alfred out of the alleyway. Alieen grabs Alfred's hand and together, the two run. I turn back to see the shadowy figure flying toward me.

I cross my arms as the figure kicks me into the wall of the alleyway. The figure flies toward me again with an arm pulled back. Stepping to the side, the figure punches the wall instead, breaking and leaving behind a hole.

Now, with an opening, I slam my hands together and blast the figure with a telekinesis blast. The blast knocks the figure into the air and while in mid-air, I jump and grab the figure by his neck. Slamming him into the ground, I keep him there.

"Who are you," I yell, tightening my grip on his neck. "How did you know where to find me? Tell me. Tell me!"

The figure doesn't answer me. Instead, he tries to pry my hand from his throat but my grip is unbreakable. I pull back my fist and send it flying forward.

Punching and cracking the ground near his head, I force him to look back at me.

"I will not miss again," I say, "Tell me who you are."

I pull back my fist and look right at the figure. The figure still does not answer me. With this, I cannot hold back anymore. I send my fist flying forward. However, I stop, my fist only inches from him.

"Alieen," I say, hearing the sound of Alieen screaming. I cannot ignore Alieen's scream but I cannot ignore the shadowy figure either. Especially when I have him trapped.

I growl and grind my teeth.

"This is not over," I say, throwing the figure back into a trash pile. With that, I run over to where Alieen and Alfred are.

Alieen:

"Alfred," I scream, helping Alfred up as the teenager with ripped jackets and pants approaches us. He, along with his four friends corner us.

"I'm fine," Alfred says, pushing me away. "Listen. I'll try and hold them off. You go back to A."

"Alfred," I whisper, grabbing his arm. "Don't do this. You're not a fighter."

"Maybe not," Alfred says, rubbing where he was hit, "But I can be one heck of a distraction. Go!"

Alfred pushes me once more and charges forward. He tries to punch the teenager in front but the leader teenager punches him first, knocking Alfred to the ground.

"Alfred," I scream again, running to him but the other teenagers get in between and stop me.

"Do yourself a favor," the leader says, "And leave. You can't fight the five of us."

I step back, watching as the four boys step forward. They all crack their knuckles and slam their fist into their palms. 

I feel my legs shaking. I feel my throat go dry. I want to run, but I can't. Alfred needs me.

About to run through them, hoping I can surprise them with a sudden tackle, I stop when I hear a familiar voice.

"She cannot fight the five of you," A says, walking up from behind me. "But I can."

A grabs my shoulder and pulls me back.

"I don't need your help," I say, looking around. "Besides, aren't you busy? Where is that person before?"

"I had no choice but to leave him," A answers. "After all, you and Alfred need my help. Am I wrong?"

"No," I sigh. "Listen. Please, try not to hurt them too much."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Just try and hold them back. I grab Alfred and we'll all leave."

"Fine."

"Hold us back," one of the teenagers says with a laugh. "Oh yeah. Try and hold this back!"

The teenager swings his fist and tries to punch A but A easily catches it. The teenager's fist stuck, A pulls him back and throw him behind us. He flies through the air before landing on the street.

"What the hell," the teenagers say, stepping back when A turns to face them.

"I am stronger than I looked," A says, stepping toward them. While A handles them, I sneak over to where Alfred is. Still laying on the ground with a sore cheek, I'm about to reach him but before I can, the leader stops me.

"Not so fast," he yells as he pushes me back. Falling onto the ground, the leader of the teens pulls out from his jacket a switchblade. "Get out of here! All of you! Get out of here now or get sliced!"

"A," I shout, pushing myself up.

"Alieen," A says, seeing the knife. He steps forward but with his back to them, all the teens pile onto him, forcing him down.

"I don't know who the hell you people are," the teen leader says, swinging around his weapon. "But I do know this. None of you are leaving without a few cuts."

The teen leader takes a step toward Alfred who is crawling away. He raises his blade but as he does, someone appears behind him.

"The figure," I say, watching as the same shadowy figure that fought A and kidnapped me rises up from the ground. He grabs the leader's hand and crushes it, forcing him to drop the switchblade.

"Leave them away," the shadow figure shouts, grabbing and turning the leader around. The figure spins and throws him far away.

Shadowy Figure:

Spinning and throwing the so-called leader into the air, I watch as he hits the street, at least 20 feet from where I'm standing.

"What the hell," one of his flunkies says. He gets off A and runs toward me. When he gets close, he pulls back his arm and punches me. However, as he punches me, his hand bends behind and his knuckles turn dark purple. The young teenager shakes with wide eyes as he pulls his hand back. He stutters for a bit before screaming at the top of his lung.

"My hand," he cries, dropping to his knees. He cries and screams as he stares at his bloody hand.

"That's something," Alieen says, stepping back after seeing the crying teenager. We hear screaming and turn to see A burst out from underneath the three teenagers on top of him. They all fall to the ground, moaning and groaning.

"Alieen," A screams. He looks at Alieen before turning to me. The second he sees me, he steps back. "You! Alieen, Alfred. Run!"

A then jumps into the air and punches me in the face as he lands. Hitting and flipping me over, I fall to the ground. While on the ground, A grabs my neck and pins me down.

"Leave them alone," A shouts, splitting right in my face.

I grab A's hands and place my feet against his stomach. Kicking and throwing him over me, A skids against the ground, leaving behind a trail in the street. By now, all of the teenagers that tried to fight us have left, crying and limping. They shouted a few things at us as they leave but it doesn't matter. What matters the most is that Alieen and Alfred are gone.

"Wait," I think, looking around. "Alieen and Alfred? They are gone, but where? This is a bad place to be. Especially at night! Those bastard teens already prove that. I have to find them before something can happen."

I prepare to teleport away but before I can, A screams and charges right into me. He wraps his arms around my stomach and before I know it, the two of us are teleported onto the rooftop of a building. We roll around, grabbing and punching each other. Stopping with A on top of me, A grabs my neck collar and slams me against the rooftop.

"Enough," he yells while looking around. "We have just teleported, and I did not do it! You have the power of teleportation! And I saw you throw that young boy! You also have the power of super strength! I am willing to bet you have many more powers! Exactly like me. Tell me who you are! Who are you? Wait. No. I have a better question. Before, you kidnapped Alieen but then just left her alone. Now, you appeared out of nowhere once more. You tried to fight me, but when you heard Alieen and Alfred scream, you left me to go help them. Who are they to you? Do you know about the others? Do you know about Matt and Lafayette?"

Before he could ask me any more questions, I slam my hands against the sides of his head. Accidentally letting me go, he screams and stumbles away. While he shakes his head to get rid of the ringing, I use this small opening to run. I push myself up and run to the ledge of the building.

"Hey, wait," A says as he chases after me. However, it's no use. As he reaches the ledge, I teleport away, disappearing out of sight. Disappearing and reappearing to the street, I land on my arm and scream. However, it wasn't the landing that hurt. It was A.

"Even without his memory," I think as I push myself up. "Or his full power, A is still too strong. I know I should've called for help, but I can't let the others know about this. I have to handle this quietly. Before it draws some unwanted attention."

Holding my arm as I look around, I scan for any sign of where Alieen or Alfred could have gone.

"The punks went that way, so Alieen and Alfred must have gone the other way."

I look at the street the punks went down and turn around. I then follow that road.

Alieen:

"Are you okay," I ask, leaning Alfred against a wall.

"Yeah," Alfred replies, sighing while rubbing his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm fine. In case you've forgotten, I wasn't the one that got beaten up."

"Oh please," Alfred laughs, "This isn't beaten up. Beaten up is when Leia throws me over her. Remember that?"

I laugh as well.

"Yeah, I remember. It was about a year ago. You never would think by looking at her, but she sure is strong."

While Alfred and I laugh for a bit, I look around. I managed to carry Alfred a few blocks away but I still don't think we're safe. The street we're on is empty and most of the street lamps are off. This looks exactly like the street we were on before. The street where we were attacked by those teenagers.

"Ahh," Alfred moans. He shakes a little and I'm about to do something but stop with my hands frozen in mid-air.

"What to do," I ask, "What to do? What to do? I'm studying to be a social worker, not a doctor. I have no idea what to do."

I look all over Alfred again. He's covered in bruises and his arm is bleeding a little. I search my pockets for anything useful but all I have on me is my wallet and half a package of chewing gum. I'm about to chew the gum and use it as a bandage but Alfred stops me.

"I know what you're thinking," Alfred says, grabbing my hand. "Please don't."

"I don't have any bandages," I say. "This is the only thing I have that is even remotely close to a bandage."

"If you want to help me, then just give me the stick of gum."

I waste no time and give Alfred all the gums I have left. He only takes one and throws it into his mouth.

"I feel better already," he moans. I shake my head as I pocket the rest of the gum.

"I told you," I say. "I told you I didn't want you or anyone else involved in this. I told you it was dangerous."

"And I told you we're all helping you," Alfred moans back. "Whether you want us to or not."

"But--" I try to say but Alfred cuts me off.

"No," he shouts. "No. No more. No if, and, or but. Alieen, you are one of the most caring people I know. You cared about everyone and everything but you don't care about yourself. We do. Matt, Leia, and I care about you. And, while Leia may not show it, I'm sure she also growing to care a little about A like Matt and myself."

"A little," I repeat.

"A little," Alfred repeats. We both laugh again, but Alfred's laugh turns into a panic scream. "Behind you!"

"What?"

I turn around and see the shadowy figure from before, standing almost directly behind me. I jump and fall back down.

"You," I cry.

The figure ignores me. It seems like he was focused on Alfred. He grabs Alfred and lifts him up.

"What are you doing," I shout, pushing myself up. I run to his side but he stops me with a raise of his hand. He then points to the bruises around Alfred. As he is showing me the bruises, the figure holds out his hand.

Alfred and I watch as a small ball of light forms right in the figure's hand. He slowly moves the ball of light toward Alfred, until it presses against his chest and then disappears into me.

"What the," I say, almost falling back down. However, the figure catches me and pulls me back up. Once I'm standing again, he shows me the bigger bruise, the one on his arm. I watch as the cut on Alfred's arm being to heal itself. It takes only a few seconds before the cut is completely gone.

"You," I stutter, trying to form the right words. "You heal Alfred?"

The figure nods his head.

A:

I move from building to building, appearing, disappearing, and reappearing repeatedly until I can find the mysterious shadowy figure. I search the buildings' rooftops and scan the streets below but I don't see him anywhere. At least, not until one last blast of teleportation. The black mist swallows me up, eating me entirely until nothing is left. It splits it out on a nearby building and there, I see the shadowy figure holding Alfred. Alfred is glowing for some reason.

I watch from above as the figure steps back from Alfred and raises his hand. A bright, glowing orb slowly flies out from his palm, I keep watching as the figure swings his hand. The glowing orb then hovers toward Alieen.

"No way," I shout. I jump into the air and use my power of teleportation. Disappearing and reappearing right beside the figure, I grab his wrist and pull him away. Spinning and throwing him through a chain-linked fence, I look at the others.

"Are you two okay?"

I turn around and look at the two.

"We're fine," Alieen answers. She runs up to me and grabs my shoulder. With a quick pull, she forces me to turn around. "What are you doing?"

"Uhh, saving you two?"

"He was helping us," Alieen says.

"He was helping you two," I repeat, looking at Alieen and Alfred.

"Yeah. Alfred was hurt during that fight with those people. The figure helped Alfred by using some sort of glowing orb to heal you."

"That cannot be right," I say, looking at Alfred and Alieen. "Why would he heal Alfred? Why would he heal you? Why would he attack me if he is an ally? No. It must be some sort of trick."

I turn to face the figure as he pushes himself up.

"I do not know what you are up to or planning," I say as I walk up to him, "But I do know this. I will not let you near these two!"

With the figure back on his feet, he puts up his hands. He is telling me he is ready for a fight. It is more than okay with me.

I scream as I jump and fly into the air. Flying directly into the figure, he grabs my jacket and tries to throw me over himself but as I fly over him, I grab his own shirt collar and take him with me. The two of us break right through the chainlink fence and bounce up and down onto the street for a bit.

I am able to recover faster than the shadowy figure. I push myself up from the cold street and run to the figure. As I run, I pull back my arm and punch the figure across his face. The sound of my fist hitting the figure echoes throughout the empty night sky. He falls to the street, rolling over and holding his face.

I grab the stunned figure and throw him over me, slamming him onto the street. Cracks appear all around the figure after I slammed him down.

"I do not care about what information you may or may not have on me," I shout, putting my face over his face. "But I will not let you hurt my friends! What did you do to them? I will not believe you just heal them! What was that orb of light Alieen described? Was it some kind of poison? Tell me!"

I lift the figure into the air with both my hands and shake him.

"Tell me," I repeat. "Tell me!"

I pull back my arm and am about to punch the figure when someone stops me.

Alieen:

"Enough," I yell, running up to A and grabbing his arm. "A! Please! That's enough!"

A tries to punch the mysterious figure but I keep his arm back.

"Enough," I repeat, pushing myself in so I stand between him and the mysterious figure. "Enough! A, that is enough! You need to stop this! A, stop."

I look A right in his eyes. He's staring right back at me. We look at each other, and at that moment, it feels like everything is just quiet. It feels like the only people in the world right now are A and myself.

"A," I say, clearing my throat. "Listen to me. Please stop this."

A is panting. He's breathing heavily as he looks past me and at the figure still in his hands.

"I think there had been enough fighting for tonight," I go on, looking between A and this mysterious shadowy figure. "We go our way. You go yours. Let's just stop for tonight. Okay? Okay?"

A doesn't let the shadow go but he does lower his arm. I let go of his arm and move to his hand. It's a struggle but I manage to pry A's fingers from the shadow's throat. The shadow holds his throat as he backs away. He stumbles for a bit before looking up at A and me. He nods his head at me and disappears, leaving the two of us alone.

"Well that was something," Alfred says from out of nowhere. Jumping a little when I hear Alfred's voice, I turn around and see him standing behind A. "What was all of that about?"

He spreads out his arms as he starts to yell.

"Seriously, what was all of that about? I mean, what happened? What literally just happened? One minute, that creepy, shadowy figure is fighting A. The next minute, he's healing me, and then, suddenly, you talked them out of fighting each other. Alieen, you were right. This is dangerous."

"I told you," I shout before Alfred puts up his hand.

"Let me finish," he says. "Alieen, you were right. This is dangerous and very hard to follow."

Alfred inhales deeply before exhaling.

"Okay. Well, you were right about one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Let's stop for tonight," Alfred answers. "Let's go home, eat some food, take a refreshing shower, and then go to sleep."

"Wait," I say, stepping forth. "Alfred, you don't want to stop by a hospital or something?"

"Believe me when I say this. I am fine. Surprisingly, and also confusingly, I am somewhat fine. I don't have any cuts or bruises. The only thing I have is a headache, and frankly, I don't think that from the fight with those punks."

"Don't call them punks," I say as I look toward A. "A, can you get us home?"

"Of course."

A opens his arms and Alfred and I step into them.

"So wait, what are you doing?"

"I am flying the two of you back home," A answers, flying into the air.

"Oh," Alfred yells over the wind as it runs past us. "Okay! Thank you! Hey, a question. If you can fly, even with Alieen, then why did you take the bus?"

"Courtesy," A answers with a shrug of his shoulder. "I mean, you two offered and I did not want to be rude. I have some social skills. Not many but some."

"My turn," I say as A moves a little to avoid a pigeon. "A, do you want to stay over for the night?"

"What," A screams.

"Do you want to stay over for the night," I repeat.

A:

"Pigeon," Alfred yells. His yell snaps me out of it. I turn my head and see myself flying into a pigeon. It is too late now. I accidentally fly into the pigeon, feathers flying all over. A few feathers get in my mouth and I have to stop flying to split them out.

While I am splitting out disgusting feathers, the pigeon that I hit by accident starts to beak at me.

"Ahh," I cry, trying to hide my head. I am about to slap the bird away but then I remember I am holding Alfred and Alieen. So instead, I blow the bird away. The bird shakes uncontrollably as I blow it away, more feathers falling out. It recovers after a few minutes but by then, it is flying away. I cannot be sure but I think the lousy bird shoots me a mad glare as it flies away.

"Sorry about the late warning," Alfred says.

"Do not worry," I reply. "It is not your fault. I was simply surprised by Alieen's words. I am sorry, but what did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to stay over for the night," Alieen answers. I turn away from Alieen and to Alfred. He shrugs his shoulders and we both turn to Alieen. Seeing this, Alieen clears her throat and makes circles with her fingers before she starts explaining. "Clearly, something more is going on here."

"You don't say," Alfred interrupts. When I hear this, I shake Alfred a little. While his eyes are rolling around, I nod my head.

"Please go on," I say.

"Anyway, like I said. There's more to this than meets the eye. I mean, that shadowy figure attacked you, what three times now?"

I nod my head once more.

"Well, you told me the first time, it was when you were by yourself at your gas station. He attacked you with a graboid, but you managed to break free. You two fought and you almost had him but then he threw that holy water at you. The second time he attacked, it was when you and I were at the gas station. Once again, you fought and he threw holy water at you. You were stunned but instead of fighting, he choose to take me and then just leave. This time, the third time, you two fought but he stopped to help Alfred and Alieen."

"Where are you going with this," I ask.

"I'm only asking because judging from all of this, he will leave you alone if you're with us. So I figure, after a long and somehow, active night, you could use some sleep. At our apartment. Where chances are, you won't be attacked."

"That does make some sense," Alfred says, his eyes staying still now. "I mean, we don't have any spare beds but you could sleep on the sofa. Assuming, of course, you're okay with all of this A."

I look down at Alieen and Alfred. The two of them are looking right at me with wide eyes. I want to say no but for some reason, I cannot.

"Uhh," I start, trying to find the right words. "Uhh, thank you but I think I have caused the two of you enough trouble for one night."

Alieen lets out a puff of air and a wave of her hand.

"Matt caused us more trouble than this," she says. "Come on, A. Say yes. When was the last time you slept?"

"About a week ago," I answer with a shrug. "So?"

Alieen nods her head.

"Back home we go," Alieen says, pointing in the direction of the apartment.

I nod my head and fly the two back to their apartment.

Lafayette:

"Oh my god," I cry, shaking my lowered head. "Oh, my god. Oh my god! Alieen. Alfred. Are you two serious? I mean, are you two, really, really serious about this?"

I stop talking and lean back. Thankfully, it doesn't look like A had me. He's still laying on our sofa, tossing and turning and throwing the blanket we loan him all over. I straighten up and look at Alieen, Alfred, and Matt.

"Guys, for real. I think this is going a bit too far. I mean, giving him food and clothing is one thing, but now, we're letting him sleep here. Am I the only one who's freaking out?"

"I'm freaking out a little too," Matt says. He leans out and watches A for a few seconds before returning. "I have the morning shift tomorrow. What happens if A tosses and turns all night?"

I roll my eyes and slap Matt's arm.

"I'm serious," I say.

"So am I," Matt says while rubbing his arm.

"Leia," Alieen starts. "I promise if what I said means anything to you, A will only be here for a few days."

She holds her hands over her chest. Seeing this, I roll my eyes and sigh.

"Fine," I say, "But I'm with Matt on this one. If A tosses and turns all night, I'm getting a bucket of ice water and throwing it on him."

"I think you should do that anyway," Alfred says. "You two didn't see what we saw a few hours ago. It was crazy."

"Based on what you three told us," Matt says, putting his hands down on my counter. "I know. Those crazy people. That shadowy figure again. You getting beaten up. Hey, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," Alfred answers. "I'm fine. Whatever that person did, it completely healed me. I checked myself when we got here. No cut. No bruise. Not so much as a drop of sweat."

"But wait," Matt says, "Why would the person heal you and Alieen if he wanted to fight A? I mean, seeing the three of you together, wouldn't that cause some confusion? Make it seems like you two are friends of A and hence, enemies of Mr. Shadow Man?"

"Who knows what Mr. Shadow Man is thinking anymore," I answer. I walk to the fridge and pour myself a cup of milk. I then put the cup of milk in the microwave and wait with crossed arms. "It's late, and I have trouble thinking when I'm tired. For now, let's just call it a night and all go to sleep."

The microwave beeps, and I drink the whole cup in one swallow. A yawn escapes and I stretch my arms.

"Leia is right," Alfred says. "It's late and I think we all have things we need to do tomorrow. We can talk more at dinnertime."

With that, we all wish each a peaceful night's sleep and head to our rooms. The second Matt and Alfred close the door to their room, Alieen ambushes me. She closes the door and crosses her arms.

"You know something, Leia," Alieen says, pointing a finger at me. "I am getting really tired of how you've been treating A."

"Excuse me," I say, dropping onto my bed. "How I've been treating A? How exactly how I've been treating A, the complete stranger with dangerous powers? The complete stranger without any memory of himself? The complete stranger with someone hunting him!"

"Exactly Leia," Alieen says. "Someone is hunting A down. He doesn't have anywhere else to go. He doesn't have anyone to rely on. Even if he does, he doesn't have any memory of them. A needs our help. We can't just throw him to the street."

"But Alieen, letting him stay with us? That's going too far. Don't you think?"

"Maybe," Alieen says, "But that doesn't mean we can't go the extra mile."

"And exactly how many more 'extra miles' do we have to go for A? Alieen, I really think you should stop for a second and step back. Just think this through."

"I have thought this through," Alieen says, "I'm going to do everything I can to help A, and if you're not with me, Leia, then, then.."

"Then what," I ask. "Then I can leave. Then I can go. You know what. Alieen, if then what you really want, then fine by me. I glad to know I'm the only one with enough common sense to know not to sleep with a stranger under the same roof."

"No way," Alieen says but I clap my hands and cut her off.

"Tomorrow," I say, pulling my hands apart. "Tomorrow. Don't expect to see any more of me."

Alieen:

As I wake up, I yawn and stretch my arms and legs. I crack my neck before pushing myself up. Once up, I look around, my head turning to Leia's bed.

"Hey Leia," I say, rubbing my eyes. "Leia? Hey."

I push myself off my bed and walk over to her bed.

"Leia?'

Leia's bed is empty. Her blanket is crumpled and thrown at the end. Her pillow had a dip right in the middle of it. As I look over her bed some more, I remember last night.

"Then what," she said," Then I can leave? Then I can go? Fine by me! Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Don't expect to see any more of me."

"No way. Did Leia really leave? Judging by her bed, she must have gotten up early."

I shake my head at the thought of Leia just leaving like that.

"No. No, there's no way Leia would have just left like that. Yeah, we got into a fight, but that doesn't mean anything. Right?"

I start to check around the room. I open Leia's drawers and notice a few of her shirts and pants are gone. Running out of my room and down the stairs, I check for Leia's shoes but they're gone as well. Finally, I check the kitchen and the drawers. Our car keys are still there, meaning Leia didn't take them.

"She walked out," I thought. "Leia really did just walk out. I can't believe it."

I walk out the door and down the apartment's stairs. I look up and down the street, but I still couldn't see Leia.

"I know she didn't take our cars, but she's not that slow of a walker."

Still, I couldn't give up. I can't. I may not have known Leia very long, but she's still one of my best friends.

"Alieen," someone shouts. I turn around and see A standing in our doorway. "What are you doing?"

I run up the stair to A.

"Leia's gone," I answer.

"Gone," A repeats. "Wait, what do you mean by she's gone?"

"What do you think I mean by she's gone," I yell. "Leia is gone! She took some clothes with her and then just left like that! Did you hear anything? You slept on the sofa. In order to get to the front door, you need to walk past the living room. A, did you see anything? Did you hear anything?"

A doesn't answer me right away. It looks like he was thinking about what to say at first before answering.

"No," A says slowly. "No. I did not hear anything. I did not hear Leia walking past me. That is strange."

"Strange," I repeat. "Strange? A, even since you came into my life, even since you came into our lives, every day had been strange. No, it hadn't just been strange. It had also been dangerous! And now one of us is missing!"

When I finish, I hear myself panting like a dog in the summertime. While trying to catch my breath, I look up and see A with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, A," I say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that, but, but I just have to go now. I need to find Leia. Excuse me."

I push past A and walk into our kitchen. I grab a set of keys and walk back out. I jump into our car and drive away.

Matt:

While walking down the stairs, I hear the sound of a car's engine coming on. I rub my tired eyes and look through the front door just in time to see one of our cars driving away.

"Hey," I shout, the sleepiness vanishing. I run down the stairs and through the front door, only to stop when I run into A. A feels like an iron statue. As I run into him, I bounce off of him and falls onto my butt. "Ouch!"

"Oh," A says, helping me up. "Sorry about that, Matt. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I lie, rubbing my sore bottom. "A, what are you doing? Who was that that stole our car?"

"That was Alieen," A answers. "She is looking for Lafayette."

"Lafayette," I repeat. "Wait, Lafayette is missing? Where did she go?"

"I do not know," A answers. "According to Alieen, she disappeared early this morning."

"Leia disappeared early this morning," Alfred says from the stairs. He runs down the stairs and joins us. "What happens?"

"I cannot be sure," A starts, "But this much I do know. Alieen had taken one of your cars and is searching for her. I will do the same."

"You can drive," Alfred asks.

"No, but I can fly and teleport."

A is about to leave but before he does, he turns to look at us.

"Do either of you two know where Lafayette could have gone," he asks. "It will be a waste of time to fly around aimlessly. I need a clue to go off of."

Alfred and I look at each other and try to think of where Leia could have gone. I could literally hear the gears in our heads turning as we think.

"Does Leia have any family nearby," Alfred asks. "I mean, besides us."

"No," I answer. "I don't think so. As far as I know, I don't think Leia ever mention anything about her family before. Wait, what about her job? Doesn't she have a shift today?"

"And class," Alfred says with a snap of his fingers. We nod our heads and look toward A.

"A listen," I start. "Even if Leia had run away."

"Which we doubt," Alfred adds.

"Yeah. There's no way she would run from her responsibility."

"Her responsibility?"

"Her responsibility at work and as a student. Leia works as a gas attendant at the USA gas station on South Town  Ave. She's also a student like Alieen, Alfred, and myself."

"What is the college?"

"What else? San Francisco State University."

"Okay," A says, "I'll go to the university first, and then to the gas station."

As A prepare to teleport or fly away, I run ahead and stop him.

"Uhh, maybe you should just try the gas station. I'm not so sure how you, a completely random, non-student person, could explain why you're walking around a university's campus searching for someone?"

"But if I cannot go search, then who can?"

"Us," Alfred answers, pointing at himself and me. "We're students that actually go there. Not suspicious in the slightest."

"Very well," A says. "I will go to the gas station. You and Matt go the college. Be sure to call Alieen as well. She must be worried."

"Of course."

With that, A disappears into a cloud of black smoke while Alfred gets the car key. Meanwhile, I call Alieen and tell her the news. At least, I try to call Alieen.

As I hit the green call button, I hear music coming from up the stairs, on the second floor.

"Can't help but get the feeling Alieen forgot her phone," I say, ending the call.

"We'll talk with her later," Alfred says, slapping my arm. "Come on. Let's go to SFU and find Leia."

Alieen:

"Darn it," I say after searching all my pockets. Of course, since I'm still wearing my pajamas, I don't have many pockets to search. "My phone. My phone! I was in such a rush, I must have left my phone back at the apartment! I hope I don't miss any important calls."

I stop at a red light before taking a left turn. As I drive all around the city, searching for Leia, I can't help but wonder where she could have gone.

 "She took some of her clothes with her," I think, "So she must be staying somewhere, but where? It can't be too far away. She didn't take either of the cars so the place she's staying at would have to be within walking distance. Unless she took the bus! Darn it! If she took the bus, then who knows where she could have gone!"

I drive and drive around, keeping a constant eye out for Leia. I almost get into a few accidents but I simply apologize and go back to searching.

"Where are you? Where are you? Ahh, Leia, why did you have to run away like this? What do you have against A? Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I should've listened to Leia a little more instead of just inserting A into our lives as I did. As much as I hate to think this, Leia is right. We don't know anything about A, including why he is being hunted or why he had power. Was A some kind of secret government experiment that escape from a secret facility? Is that's why he being hunted? Or maybe A discovered something from space? Like a meteoroid? A meteoroid that traded his memory for his power? No. No way. I've been watching too many movies. Thanks, Mat."

While turning onto a narrow street, I look left and right for Leia and finally see her! She's wearing a large coat and beanie with a scarf. As she walks down the street, she swings a small suitcase. A small Anakin Skywalker suitcase. I would recognize that suitcase anywhere.

"Leia," I scream, driving up to Leia and opening the window. Leia jumps when she sees me. She starts to run away. "Hey, wait! Ah, darn it!"

As much as I don't want to, I park the car halfway on the sidewalk and halfway on the street. I then get out and lock it before running after Leia.

"Leia," I yell again. Leia ignores me and keeps running. She turns a corner and disappears. I turn the same corner but stop. The corner leads to an empty street, with no Leia anywhere.

I turn my head up and yell.

"Leia," I cry. I should be thankful the street is empty. If I yell like that on a busy street, a few people would be staring at me and wondering. Turning back around, I take a step toward the car when all of a sudden, a pair of hands grab me. Even before I could scream, I am quickly covered by a black mist.

The black mist disappears, the arms let me go and I fall onto the ground. Only, this isn't the ground. Judging from the surrounding windows and the top of a tree, I would say I'm on a rooftop. Flipping around, I see the shadowy figure from before, standing before me.

"Hey," I say, crawling back and putting up my hand. "What do you want? What do you want?"

"Did you not read the note," the shadowy figure asks.

"The note," I repeat. "Wait, what note?"

The shadowy figure shakes. His fingers are twitching. Without any warning, the figure jumps into the air before punching the rooftop. The whole rooftop shakes as he punches it. He pulls his hand out from a hole. Upon seeing some pieces of the rooftop on his hand, he shakes them off.

"The note," the figure repeats, "The one I gave you when I took you away from him."

"That note," I say. It takes me a few minutes but I finally realize what the figure is talking about. "The note! The one that said I need to get away from A because he's a danger!"

"Exactly! Why are you still with A? Why did you defend him last night? I almost had him!"

"No. No, you didn't. I remember clearly what I saw last night. A had you by the throat. If it wasn't for me, who knows what A would have done?"

"I would have figured something else," the figure yells, his arms swinging wildly. "You need to stay out of this! You and Alfred and Matt!"

"Me," I repeat. "Alfred? Matt?"

"Yes," the figure shouts. "All of you. All of you just need to stay out of this. You don't understand what is at stake here."

"All three of us," I repeat. "Not all four of us?"

"What? What? No. I mean, yes! All four of you need to stay out of this. Leia too."

As the figure screams this, she is shaking, and despite not seeing any, I'm sure she's also sweating.

"Leia," I say, stepping forth. "Leia. It's you, isn't it? You can lose the shadow or the mist or whatever that is, but that's you. Isn't it?"

"No," Leia shouts, pointing a finger at me. "No. I am--"

I gently and calmly grab Leia's finger and pushes it down.

"Leia," I start, "It is you."

Leia growls before sighing. She steps back and shoots out her arms. As she does, the shadows that cling to her disappear. They run into the rooftop before vanishing.

"No way," I say.

Layafette:

"Hey Alieen," I say, crossing my arms as I look around. I sneak a peek at Alieen as she holds her hands over her mouth. Her eyes are wide as she stares at me. I sigh and lower my shaking head. "As I said, there's more at stake here than you know."

"Wha--Wh--What," Alieen manages to say before I put up my hand. Alieen sees my hand and stops. She just stares at me.

"Alieen," I say, "I know you must have a thousand questions, but for now, for now, I just need you to listen to me. For what it's worth, if our friendship, and the last two years, mean anything to you, then, please! I am begging you! Please, get away from A."

It seems Alieen had snapped out of her trance. She lowers her hands and starts talking.

"Leia," Alieen starts, "Our friendship, and the last two years, mean everything to me. You are one of my closest friends. The second I saw your bed empty and some of your clothing gone, I literally drop everything and ran to find you. I'm wearing slippers!"

Alieen points down and shows me her dirty blue slippers.

"Leia, under normal circumstances, I would listen to you without so much as a second thought, but this is not a normal circumstance. Leia, you need to tell me what is going on. What are you? What is A, and why is he so dangerous to Alfred, Matt, and me? What is going on here?"

The questions are stabbing me in the heart. I turn around and walk away. Walking up to an air conditioning unit, I pull back my hand before punching through the sheet metal.

"Leia," Alieen shouts before running up to me. Grabbing my hand and examining it, she looks at me. "Your hand. It's--"

"Fine," I say, taking over. "My hand is fine. Come on. How many times have you seen me and A fight?"

I pull my hand from Alieen and walk away.

"Alieen, there are things I can't tell you. At least, not yet."

I keep walking. I don't even change direction or even slow down. I just keep walking toward the ledge.

"I have to go now," I go on, "But know this. If you or any of the guys, and I'm not including A, need my help, I'll be there. See ya."

"Wait," Alieen says.

I walk off the ledge of the building. I fall but only for a few seconds. Bouncing against the wind, I take off and fly into the sky.

Matt:

"No," the student says. "No, I haven't seen anyone like her."

"Thanks," I say, shooting the student a wave before he turns and leaves. I sigh as I return to Alfred's side after he was done talking with another student. "Don't suppose you had better luck?"

The student shakes her head before turning and leaving as well.

"No," Alfred answers with a shake of his own head. "No luck. No one had seen Leia all day."

"I guess that would make sense. I mean, Leia doesn't have class today. Does she?"

"I don't think so, but I think she does have work right now!"

"The gas station," I say, snapping my fingers. "A. He must have found her by now. Let's call him!"

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. However, I stop only a few seconds later.

"Uhh," I say, trying my hardest to think back. "Uhh. I don't suppose you know A's number."

"I don't even know if A had a phone," Alfred answers.

"Yeah," I sigh, putting my phone back into my pocket. "Wow. We all left really unprepared."

"Yeah," Alfred says. "There's no point in us being here anymore. Let's go back home and wait for everyone to return."

I nod my head and Alfred and I walk back to the car. While walking, I bring up my crossed fingers and show it to Alfred.

"Fingers crossed A is having better luck," I say.

Seeing this, Alfred crosses his own fingers.

"Fingers crossed," he says.

A:

"Sir," the cashier at the gas station says, putting up his hands. "Sir. Sir, please, leave the store now!"

"I am leaving," I say, pushing my way out of the door. However, as I leave the store, the cashier chases after me. He gets in front of me and blocks my way.

"Hold on," he says. "Before you go, I just want to say thank you. The manager may not understand, nor the police, but still, thank you for what you did."

"No problem," I say.

"And about Leia," the cashier goes on. "According to the manager, she called in sick today. That's why I'm right today."

"Fine," I say. "Thank you for nothing. Now move. Unless you want me to do to you what I did to that theft."

The cashier nods his head before stepping back immediately. Walking past him, I hear him shout I'm sorry before I walk around a wall and teleport away.

Teleporting, I reappear in the air and fall onto a rooftop. Landing on my feet, I walk to the ledge and look over. I do not what I am hoping for. Maybe I believe I will be lucky and see Lafayette from all the way up here but I do not. I do not see Lafayette anywhere. I do however see a familiar car driving down the street.

I summon the black mist once more, the black mist eating me up before throwing me back up on the sidewalk. Walking out onto the street, I wave my hand in the air. The car seeing my signal pulls up beside me and I get in.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," Alieen says. Instantly, and even without any of my powers, I can sense Alieen is unhappy. She gives a weak nod to me as I close the door and she drives again.

"You could not find Layafette."

"No," Alieen answers. "I couldn't find her. Could you?"

"No. I searched the gas station where she work but there was someone else there. Well, there were actually two people there."

"Two people," Alieen repeats.

"Yes. There was the cashier and a man who was attempting to steal a lot of snacks and drinks."

"Oh my god," Alieen cries. "What happened?"

"Apparently, the man had shoved the cashier. He then started grabbing things and throwing them into a bag. After the bag was full, he tried to run out but ran into me instead."

"A, what did you do?"

"Nothing too bad."

"Nothing too bad?"

"After he ran into me, he tried to push me to the side but I grab him and lifted him up. He hit his head on the ceiling and was knocked out. I cannot be certain but I do believe after thanking me, the cashier will be calling the police."

"Wow," Alieen says. "That was lucky. I mean, it was lucky Leia wasn't there. No, wait. What I mean is that Leia can handle herself. She can more than handle herself."

"What?"

"Nothing," Alieen says with a sigh. "Uhh. Hey, listen. I didn't find Leia but I did get a text from her. She told me she's fine but she'll be gone for the next few days."

"Oh," I say. "Okay."

Once more, I cannot help but sense something is off. I am using any of my powers, but it is like I can sense Alieen is lying.

"No," I tell myself, "Alieen is not lying. She is no liar, but something is off about her. I do not know what is it but something is certainly off about her."

The ride back home is strangely uncomfortable. I feel like the Alieen I have grown to know is different from the Alieen that is driving me. When I compared the two in my head, the Alieen that I first met is unbelievably caring. She gave me, a complete stranger, food, clothing, and even housing. This Alieen, however, is distant and quiet. She had not said much and is not smiling. I cannot be sure but for some reason, the distance and quietness are spreading to me. I do not want to say anything. I do not want to smile. All I want to do is focus on the road ahead of me. By the time Alieen and I arrive back at the apartment, Matt and Alfred are already there.

"Hey you two," Matt says, stepping out of the kitchen. "Did you two find Leia?"

"No," I answer, "No we did not. But she did send a text to Alieen."

"A text," Alfred says, also stepping out of the kitchen.

"Yes," Alieen answers. "A text. She told me she's fine but that she'll be gone for a few days."

"How could you have gotten a text from Leia," Matt asks. "You were in such a rush this morning, you left your phone here."

"What," I ask.

"Matt," Alieen screams.

"What," Matt shouts with a shrug of his shoulders. "Alfred and I tried to call you but we couldn't because you left your phone here."

"You left your phone here," I repeat to myself. I turn my head and look at a shaking Alieen.

"I can explain," Alieen says. "Yes. I didn't have my phone on me but-but-but--"

Alieen does not finish. Instead, she just turns around and runs upstairs. The three of us can hear the sound of her slamming her door follow by the sound of what I can only guess is crying.

"Alieen is crying," I say, "Why?"

"I don't know," Alfred answers.

"Better question," Matt says, interrupting. "Why did she lied about getting a text? What's happening?"

A:

"Are you sure we should not go up there," I ask, looking at Matt and Alfred. "I mean, are you positive it is right for us to leave her?"

"Yes," Matt shouts while putting out a pizza from the microwave. He sets the pizza down on a plate before carrying it over to the kitchen counter where Alfred is eating hamburger after hamburger. Alfred only stops for a minute to put fries and chicken nuggets in his hamburger before taking a massive bite. Matt and I look at him as half a nugget is hanging out.

"What," he asks after hitting his chest and swallowing. "I'm nervous. Okay? Leia is gone somewhere, and Alieen is lying to us for some reason!"

Alfred tries to take a sip from his soda cup but all we hear is ice cubes and air. Sighing as he shakes the empty cup, Alfred places the empty cup with the others. He then reaches for his phone.

"Alfred," Matt says, taking Alfred's phone away from him. "No! You already ordered more than half the menu from McDonald's."

Matt points at all the empty boxes and wrappers on the kitchen counter. The whole counter is covered in them.

No more," Matt declares, stepping back when Alfred tries to take his phone back. "No more! Garage day is three days away and already, our trashcan is filled. I don't even know where we can put all of this."

"Come on, Matt," Alfred cries out with a mouthful of meat, lettuce, and buns. "Let me eat while I try to figure things out."

"Perhaps you should finish eating this before ordering more food," I suggest, pointing at all the extra burgers, fries, and what I am told is called McFlurries. When I offered the suggestion, Matt and Alfred stop eating suddenly. They both raise their heads and look at me.

"What?"

Alfred grabs a napkin and wipes his mouth. He swallows his mouthful before speaking.

"Maybe this is wrong to say," he starts, "But you know, all of this started because of you A."

"What," I say, not believing what Alfred had just said. The second I hear those words, it feels like someone had just shoved me out of my own body. I have to fight my way back in so I can speak again. "Wha-What are you talking about?"

"Yeah," Matt says while snapping his fingers. "I mean, I'm sorry A, but ever since you came here, our lives have been getting weirder and weirder. Before you came, it was just the four of us. We lived together in peace. There was no issue. At least, no big issue. Now, with you here, it's a completely different story. Leia's missing, Alieen is lying to us, something she had never done, and, apparently, there's another superman out there who is strangely friendly to us."

"Hey," I shout, slamming my fist onto the counter. As I do though, I accidentally break off a small part of it. I look shamefully at the hole in the counter as I raise my fist. This time, I gently slam my open hand on the counter.

"Now it was all of you that wanted to help us," I start, looking Matt and Alfred right in their eyes. "Alieen never wanted any of you to help but you did. Listen, I do not know what is going on. I do not know where Layafette is or why Alieen lied to us. If I could tell you, then please believe me when I tell you I would tell you. But despite my powers, despite everything I can do, there are still so things I cannot."

With that said, I step back with both of my hands in my pocket.

"But if it will help," I say with a sigh. "Then I will leave."

Prepare to walk through the front door, I eye the hole in the counter.

"I will fix that later," I say with a nod as I walk toward the front door. Matt and Alfred put down their dinner but they do not stop me. They only watch as I grab the front door and open it. I look at the two once more before closing the door. Walking down the stair and a little down the street, I stop.

"I cannot go back to the gas station yet," I think to myself, looking up at the night sky. "There is something I must do."

I decide on a plan first before jumping and flying into the sky.

Alieen:

As I lay in my bed, my blanket over my head, I peek out and stare at Leia's empty bed. No matter how many times I replayed it in my head, I still can't explain it.

"I saw Leia flying. She jumped off a building but instead of hitting the ground, she instead took off and fly away. And that's only one thing. Apparently, my best friend, my roommate, the person I have been sharing a bedroom with, can control shadows. She can also heal bruises and cuts like they're nothing. Why did she hide that from us? What does she know that A doesn't know? What is she? What is A? How many more of them are there?"

I ask myself so many questions, my head starts to hurt. It feels like my brain is pushing against the inside of my head with every question, and soon, it reaches its limit.

I cry out as I turn around, away from Leia's empty bed. I stare at my wall and ceiling instead. However, even with the blank ceiling, Leia is still screaming inside my head.

"I have to go now," Leia said, "But know this. If you or any of the guys, and I'm not including A, need my help, I'll be there."

These were Leia's last words.

"We need you," I say. "Come on Leia. We need you. I need you. I need you to tell me what's going on."

Layafatte:

"Is something wrong," Jacob asks.

"What," I say, turning my head back from the window. I clear my throat and look at the fries and milkshakes between the two of us. "No. No, there's nothing wrong."

"You know you can't lie to me," Jacob says as he reaches down to grab a french fry. Throwing the fry into his mouth, he stares at me.

"Right," I say, "Sorry. It's just, I thought I sense something out there for a second."

"Another one of your human friends," Jacob sighs. "Leai, I told you. We all told you it was dangerous to be down here for so long. If we stay down here too long, then we start to form connections with the humans, and you know we can't do that."

"I know, I know," I repeat. I only stop to take a sip of the chocolate milkshake. As I drink my milkshake through my straw, I lean back and smile.

"I still can't believe you convinced me to meet you here," Jacob says with a small laugh. He grabs another french fry and pops it into his mouth. "I mean, I know how bad this stuff is but I still can't get enough."

"Sadly," I add, "Unhealthy human foods are the best."

Jacob's small laugh quickly disappears. It's replaced with a serious look and tone.

"So it's really him," Jacob asks. "You really find him."

"Yeah, I did," I answer. "Thought, it seems he doesn't remember anything. He goes by A now, and is only using a faction of his powers."

"That's lucky," Jacob says. "That's really lucky. If only he knew the full extent of his power, we wouldn't be able to enjoy these delicious fries and milkshakes. It seems the fight between us and him wasn't a total loss."

"I wouldn't go that far. A may not be using his full power but he's still strong. Too strong for me to beat by myself. The only reason I was able to survive my fights with him is because of holy water."

"Shoot."

With a fry in his hand, he taps it against the table.

"Do you want me to help?"

"I guess at this point, I have other no choice."

A:

"No sign of Lafayette," I tell myself as I soar high above the city of San Francisco. Despite all the stunning lights coming from the glowing skyscrapers, I ignore them and narrow my eyes. I zoom in on the streets below, scanning for anyone that even remotely looks like Lafayette. However, because it's nighttime, there are fewer people walking around.

"I should try again in the morning. I may have better luck."

With no real other option, I sigh as I focus my power. The familiar black mist appears all around me. It consumes me before vanishing but not before leaving me in front of my old, rusty, gas station home.

"Home sweet home," I say as I approach the empty store bedroom.

The moon is high in the night air as I walk through the empty, abandoned parking lot. The air is cold. Everything is quiet. Everything is very quiet. So quiet, in fact, I cannot hear a single thing. I stop walking and look around. I do not see anything. I do not see any bugs or insects. I do not hear anything moving in the dry bushes. Even the wind is quiet. I sense something is off.

Holding my hand behind me, I focus my power and form a telekinesis blast. I give my surroundings one last look before walking toward my store bedroom. While walking, I start to whisper. I whisper an out-of-tune song but I still whisper. Reaching the forgotten store that is now my bedroom, I reach for the boarded-up door. I grab the door handle and pretend to pull.

The second I pull, I see a cactus shakes. I stop whispering and turn toward the cactus. Like a baseball player, I wind my arm before throwing the telekinesis blast. My blast goes through the chain-linked fence and hits the cactus.

It erupts and flies up from the ground. I watch the cactus as it falls but someone behind it keeps going up. The shadowy figure flies into the sky for a few minutes before flying back down. The figure dives toward the sand before taking a sharp turn toward me.

I see the figure flies toward me at an incredible, almost impossible speed. Holding out my hand, preparing a second telekinesis blast, I stop when I hear a sound coming from behind me. Turning around, I see a strange animal crawling around the store. Tall and black, it had a long head, two arms, two legs, and a sharp tail. Upon seeing the strange animal, it leaps from the store and onto me.

Screaming as the animal grabs onto me, it opens its mouth in front of me. I feel my eyes go wide as I see a second mouth on the animal's tongue. The second mouth roars as it opens itself. It shoots out and almost bites me but I pull my head back in time.

Trying to break free of the strange animal, I turn my head when I hear the wind. It's the shadowy figure. Still flying toward me, he runs right into me and pushes me through two abandoned gas pumps and a pillar. Almost flying through the chain-linked fence, I scream as I watch the roof above the gas pumps fall in on itself.

"My home," I yell, watching as a whole entire part of my home is destroyed, the only thing left behind are scrap metals and dust. As I watch it all fall down, I immediately feel something inside of me burst. It feels like my very blood is burning up, and energy is flowing throughout me.

With one scream into the cold night sky, I heat things up. The animal roars and snarls as I feel myself burning. The animal is forced to let go and shields itself with its thin arms. The second I see this, I grab its chest and pull it off of me. I then throw it at the shadowy figure as he comes flying toward me.

The animals and the shadowy figure hit each other and then fall onto the ground.

"You destroyed my home," I shout as I stomp toward the shadowy figure. "Enough is enough! What do you want! Who are you! I do not care if I have to rip--"

Before I could finish, someone grabs me from behind. I feel an arm go around my neck and a hand on my arm. I look behind me and see another figure.

"A second shadowy figure! What the hell!"

The second shadowy figure is stronger than the first. I cannot seem to be able to break this person's grip.

"Who are you people," I shout, struggling to get out. The second person manages to keep his grip but he makes one mistake. He only had one of my arms.

Power flows into my hand as I aim at the ground. Shooting a telekinesis blast, the blast knocks both me and the person behind me into the air. While in mid-air, I break free of the man's grip and shove him to the ground. Flipping and landing on my feet, I look at the second person as he pushes himself up.

He, along with the strange animal, and the first shadowy person all gather together. Side-by-side now, they bring up their fists and ready themselves for a fight. I bring up my own fist.

"Bring it all," I say, waving my fingers. "Either one, I will get one of you to talk."

Matt:

"Seriously man," I shout as I look at all the empty boxes of McDonland burgers. "You must have eaten a whole ocean's worth of fish!"

Throwing all the empty boxes onto the already-formed mountain sitting in our trashcan, I use my foot and start to stomp on it. I try to push it down as much as I can but 'Trash Mountain' is putting up one heck of a fight.

"Okay," I say after using some nearby paper towels to clean the lettuce and mayonnaise from my shoes. "That's it."

I stomp my way back into the apartment and right into the kitchen.

"You sir," I say, pointing a finger at Alfred. "Owe me a new pair of running shoes."

Alfred, who is sitting at the kitchen counter drinking a Mcflurry completely ignores me. Instead, he nudges his head to the side.

"What," I ask, turning slightly to the side. As I turn, I see Alieen sitting with Alfred. "Ohhhh. Alieen. You're right. In the kitchen."

"Yesss," Alieen says, nodding her head. "I'm here in the kitchen, talking with Alfred. What happened to your shoes?"

I look down and see my mayonnaise-covered shoes.

"Alfred ordered McDonald," I answer. "Anyway, Alieen, what are you doing here?"

"I came down here hoping to talk with A," Alieen answers.

"Sorry to tell you this," Alfred says, taking a break from his Mcflurry, "But A left about 20 minutes ago."

"Oh," Alieen says, adjusting her hair. "Well, it's probably for the best."

"For the best," Alfred and I repeat. "What do you mean?"

"I think it would be for the best for us all if A stopped coming here."

A:

One shadow grabs my right hand while the strange animal grabs my left. With my hands stuck at the side, I could not do anything when the second shadow shoots out both his hands. I watch as some sort of magical light shoots out from his hands and hits me. It knocks me to the ground and I skid against it. My face burns as it rubs against the asphalt. I do not even have time to get up before the strange animal jumps on top of me.

Its long black tail swings wildly in the air before shooting down toward me. I barely manage to get my head out of the way, the tail going deep into the asphalt. However, since the animal missed, its tail is now stuck in the asphalt. It screams and shouts as it tries to pull it out. With this small opening, I shoot out my own hands and place them right against the animal's slimy chest.

Bright, burning flames shoot out from my hands and right through the animal. The animal does not move as dual fire spirals shoot through it, leaving behind a wide hole in its chest. The two shadows freeze as well. They do not do anything when I launch myself up and throw both my hands through the hole in the chest. Screaming as I pull my hands apart, I rip the animal in two, both halves flying somewhere to the side.

Layafette:

I couldn't believe my eyes. I would rub them to be sure I wasn't seeing things, but I can't move. It's like A had frozen me, but I know he hadn't. For some other reasons, I can't move. All I can do is watch as the xenomorph I summoned is ripped into half.

"Lafayette," Jacob telepathically says to me. "You're right. Even without using his full power, A is still quite strong. Be careful."

"I will be," I answer, looking at Jacob and nodding my head. "You too."

Jacob nods his head as we snap out of it. We both look at A as he growls like a guard dog when he sees an intruder. His hands are encased in fire, the fires burning so bright, they light up the gas station.

A steps back and bends his knees before launching himself at us. He pulls back his burning hand and then throws it forward. Jacob crosses his arms but the force is still enough to knock me back a little. His feet scrape against the ground as A pushes him, Jacob keeps one arm up while pulling back his other arm. He sent it flying forward but A must have seen it.

A blocks the incoming attack with one of his burning hands. He pushes Jacob's hand back before grabbing Jacob's head with both his hands and slamming his own head into Jacob's head. The impact clearly stuns Jacob as after it happens, he stumbles around, rubbing the front of his head.

Though it looks like the impact stuns A as well, he's still able to run forward and punch Jacob with his burning hands. Jacob can't do anything as A punches him over and over.

"That's enough," I say, coming up from behind and grabbing A. Holding both his arms back, I look at Jacob as he drops to his knee. His face is burnt, bruised, and red and he's breathing heavily.

"I got him," I telepathically say. "I got A! Disappear and recover!"

"No," Jacob yells. "I'm not going to leave you with him!"

 "Jacob, go--"

A jumps into the air with me on his back. He flies high into the air before flying back down. Slamming into the ground, stuck between a hard place and A, I accidentally let go of him. A pushes himself up while I'm still laying on the ground. He grabs me by the neck and lifts me. His hands are still on fire, and the heat from them is almost unbearable.

I feel sweat beads pouring down my forehead and face. My throat goes dry almost instantly. I'm almost blind from the light.

"Who are you," A says. "Tell me. Tell me now! Or I will do something very, very bad."

A holds his other hand in front of my face. The flames on it intensify as he brings it close to my face.

"I will not be attacked anymore," A tells me. "Nor my friends."

"Friends," I repeat. Immediately, I think of Alieen, Matt, and Alfred.

"Tell me who you are," A orders. "Tell me what you are attacking me! I know you know something about me! Tell me now! Tell me!"

With each scream, A brings his burning hand closer and closer to my own face. By the end of it, there are flicks of fire that hit my eyes.

"Tell me," A repeats. "Tell me! Tell me--"

Jacob grabs A from behind and lifts him into the air with both his hands. He then throws A onto the ground. With A on the ground, Jacob walks over to me.

"Are you okay," he asks, putting his hand on my shoulder.

Rubbing my eyes and blinking them a few times, I look back at him.

"I'm fine," I answer, standing up. Jacob stands up as well, and we both look back at A as he pushes himself up.

"As much as I hate to say this," Jacob says in between his breathing, "I think we need to retreat."

"I agree," I say. Jacob and I both start to step back. However, after three steps, A, who is still on the ground, shoots out his burning hand. He raises his hand and as he does, a large crack appears in the ground. It grows before shooting out flames and stopping us.

"No one is leaving," A shouts as he gets up. "No one is leaving."

Layafette:

Jacob and I watch as fireballs form right in A's hands. Giant, massive fireballs burning so bright, they brighten the night.

A screams as he throws the fireballs. They fly through the air toward us. Even before they reach us, I can feel the intense heat.

Crossing my arms just before one of them hit me, the impact is more than strong enough to knock me off of my feet. My arms burn as I fly through the sky and I only stop after hitting the surrounding fence.

Jacob:

Shooting out both my hands, I struggle to hold back the fireball. My feet skid against the ground as the fireball and I push against each other.

Exactly like A, I scream as I throw the fireball into the air. The fireball erupts after a few seconds, the whole sky burning as it does.

I look at my shaking hands as they burn red.

"Okay," I say, inhaling before exhaling. "I guess it's time to go big."

I close my eyes and start to focus. I feel my power spread out from within me. It starts at my heart before flowing like a river. I feel myself growing stronger. When I open my eyes, I see myself glowing.

A:

"What the heck," I think as I rise my burning hands and shield myself. One of the shadowy figures had finally lost his shadow and is now a man. A tall man with black hair and a short beard, this man is also glowing. He's glowing so bright it beats my burning hands.

As the man's glow intensified, I have no choice but to step back. Through the cracks in my fingers, I get a peek at the man as he stands before me.

Seeing his face triggers something in my head and I fall to my knees.

"The headaches," I cry as I feel the pain comes back to me. It feels like something is crushing my head, squeezing it to the point of near-explosive. I close my eyes and slam my hands on my head as I scream. Despite the darkness I am seeing, I am also seeing flashes of something else.

"What is this," I cry as I see pictures of the man and me. "Is this a memory?"

My apparent memory shows the man and me fighting each other high in the sky, surrounded only by clouds. He is glowing once more, and once more, I have my hands on fire.

I bite my tongue as I fight through the relentless, aching headache. Opening my eyes, I see the glowing man charging toward me. He jumps into the air and rockets toward me.

It takes everything I have just to bring up my hands. As I do, the man grabs them and pushes me back. We both fall onto the ground and roll around until we both land on our feet.

"He is stronger than before," I think as he pushes me back. "It must be the glowing light. What is that glowing light?"

I do not have time to think about the answer. With one final push, the man knocks me off my feet and pins me to the ground. He places one hand over my chest and holds me down. Pulling back his hand, he then punches me over and over again.

As he prepares for his fourth punch, I regain enough of my sense to grab his hand. He is surprised by this and does not do anything except try to pull back his hand. With this small opening, I slam my hand against the side of the man's face and unleash a firestorm.

The glow fades and the glowing man quickly becomes only the man as he gets up and holds his face. Screaming as he stumbles around, I see my chance and run up from behind him.

This time, it is me who holds him. I wrap one arm around his throat and hold one of his arms behind his back.

"Tell me now," I say, staring at the man's smoking, sizzling face. "Tell me everything you know! I know you and I have met before! We had this exact fight before! You know who I am! Tell me! Tell me now! Tell me or I'll do this!"

I hold my burning hand over the man's face. He struggles to break free but cannot. As it seems, without the glow, I am much stronger than he is.

"You don't need me to tell you who you are," the man answers. "Just look at yourself now!"

"Look at me now," I repeat. "What?"

While wondering what the man could mean, the first shadowy man yells from the side. I turn my head and see him flying toward us. Before I could do anything, he tackles and knocks the two of us to the ground. There, the three of us struggle with each other.

"Let him go," the shadowy man says. He grabs my burning hands and pulls. I can hear the sound of sizzling but despite it, the man is still pulling. "Jacob! Move!"

The man, apparently named Jacob, jumps out of my grip. With him free, the shadowy figure can finally let go of my hands. Screaming as he falls to the ground, he cries and rolls as he looks at his red hands.

The shadows around his hands are gone, most likely burn away by the fire.

"Those are small hands," I think as I push myself up. "Wait, those are really small hands. Too small for a man. The second shadowy figure is a woman. It is a man and a woman. What does that mean?"

I do not have much time to think about it. Jacob hovers over the shadowy woman as she cries. He pulls out a bottle of water from his pocket and washes the woman's hands. Afterward, he swings the bottle and throws the water around.

I take a step before the water can hit me.

"Holy water," I think, "No doubt."

I watch from behind the line of spilled water as Jacob throws the woman's arm over his neck. They both look too tired to fight anymore. With both of them tired, I walk around the holy water. and approach them.

With my hands still on fire, and the whole gas station still surrounded by walls of fire, a power even I do not I could do, I look right at them.

"I do not want to fight anymore," I start, the fire on my hands dying down and my hand returning to normal. "But I will not be attacked anymore, nor will I live in secret. I demand, for your lives, that one of you tell me everything you know. Either you, Jacob, if that is your real name, or you, woman, tell me everything you know about me. If not."

It is like a click. I click something in my head and immediately, my hands go burning.

"If not," I repeat, "Then we will fight, and you will get burned. Badly."

Layafette:

"It looks like we're out of options here, Jacob," I say. "I'm so sorry about this."

Alieen:

“Are we there,” Matt asks. As soon as he asked that question, Alfred slaps him on the back of his head. “Ouch. What was that for?”

“Stop asking that,” Alfred says. “We weren’t there the first time you asked. We weren’t there the second time. We weren’t there the third or fourth time, and we’re still not there.”

“I’m only asking because we’ve been on the road for nearly two hours ago, and I swear, I swear, that is the third time I’ve seen that rock formation over there. Look. Look! Right there! It starts with a small rock, then onto a middle rock, and finally a big rock.”

“You know,” Alfred says, “Now that Matt mentioned it, I think he’s right.”

“Told you,” Matt shouts before slapping Alfred on the back of his head.

“Ouch,” Alfred cries before rubbing the back of his head. “Listen, Alieen. Are you sure you know which way you’re going? From what you told us, you and Diana only stumbled upon A’s gas station by luck. There were no signs or landmarks or anything to point him toward his home.”

“I’m not going to keep telling you two,” I start as I keep looking out the window at the almost pitch-black desert. “I know which way A’s gas station is. Even if Diana and I only stumbled upon it by chance, I had a feeling I would come back to it so I made some mental notes. I just thought I would never I would come back for this reason though.”

As the three of us keep driving through the desert road, Matt again starts to scream.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he says, tapping the window. “Alieen! Alieen! Alieen!”

“What,” I say, turning to look at Matt. “Matt, I’m driving. I can’t look away from the road.”

“Alieen, we’re driving in the middle of the desert. Our car may be small but I think it will have a problem running over a cactus. Besides, you two, look over there.”

Matt points out the window and Alfred and I see some bright lights not too far in the distance.

“What are those,” Alfred asks. He pushes himself closer up to the window to try and gets a better look. “They look like lights.”

“Oh god,” Matt says, “I have this in movies before. We stumble upon something we shouldn’t have, and now we’re going to be hunted. Pick off one by one. Like that family in Alien Abduction.”

“I think we already stumble upon something we shouldn’t have,” I whisper as I turn the car and head straight toward the light.

Jacob:

“I can create an opening in the firewall,” I telepathically say to Leia. “When I do, I need you to fly out of here. Got it?”

“Absolutely not,” Leia answers. “I am not leaving you here!”

“Leia, this is not up for discussion.”

“Glad we’re on the same page. You wouldn’t leave me and I am not leaving you. That’s not how we do things.”

Leia looks me straight in the eyes. As I stare at her, I sigh.

“Sometimes, it’s annoying being us. On my mark, fire a blast.”

Leia nods her head and we both watch as A gets closer and closer toward us. With each step A takes, it feels like the fires on his hands are growing bigger and bigger. Despite the distance and the cold night air, I can still feel the immense heat.

"One," I whisper.

A, less than ten feet from us, holds out his hands in front of himself.

"Two," I think, giving Leia one last nod.

Though not as planned, A shoots out the fire from his hands. They head toward Leia and me.

"Thre--" I say but stop when I hear what sounds like a car pulling up. I turn my head and through the flames, I see a small red car.

Layafette:

"Guys," I think when I see the familiar red sedan. Through the intense flames and the dirty, unwashed windows, I can see as clear as day Alieen, Alfred, and Matt.

"It's them. What are they doing here? Seriously, what are they doing here! And now, of all times! Ahh!"

I don't even think. It feels like something had taken over my body and all of a sudden, I leave Jacob's side and run to my friends.

"Wait," Jacob says. "What are you--"

Before Jacob could finish, he is hit by A's hellfire blast. I only stop when I hear his scream from behind me. I turn around and see Jacob engulf by the fire. He screams as he falls to the ground.

"Nooo," I cry. Looking to the side, I use my telekinesis power to pick up some sand and throw it all over A. The sand doesn't stop the fire but it does distract A. A stops shooting and pulls back his hands. While he shields himself from the sand, I run over to Jacob who is still surrounded by little bits of hellfire.

I do my best to avoid the hellfire and pick up Jacob.

"Jacob," I say, looking at my friend. My friend is red and smoking. He's twitching and the only sound he can make are weak moans. "Jacob. Jacob! I am so sorry about this! I didn't mean to! I swear, I didn't mean to but, but--Ahh!"

I didn't know what to do. I have no idea what to do. I couldn't leave Jacob, but I couldn't leave my friends either. I felt trapped. I drop to my knees and watch as A approaches the two of us.

A:

With a wave of my hand, I pick up all the sand in the air and throw it to the side. Now that I can see, I see Jacob and the shadow woman in front of me. Jacob seems unconscious. His eyes are closed and one of his arms is over the shadow woman's head. As for the shadow woman, she is on her knees, crying.

"The two are defeated," I think. "Now, they will answer me."

I close my hands as I approach the two. As I walk, I bring up one of my burning hands. About to shoot fire, I stop when I hear a familiar voice.

"A," someone shouts. "A! That is enough! Stop! Please, stop!"

It takes only a few seconds for me to recognize the voice. I turn and see Alieen, Alfred, and Matt. The three of them are all standing there, on the other side of the fire wall. The fire wall I somehow summoned. As I look at them, I see their eyes.

Alieen's, Alfred's, and even Matt's eyes are wide. I cannot be sure but I think they are terrified. They are scared of me.

"Just look at yourself now," Jacob said to me. I stop and look at my hands. There, I see a pair of burning hands. As I look at my hands, I feel a lump form in my throat. I swallow the lump and look around. As I look, I see my gas station, my home in ruined. The fence is torn. The signpost had fallen. The roof and gas pumps are destroyed, and worst of all, there was a fire wall all around my home.

"This," I say, stepping back. "This is not what I wanted. I do not want this."

I look back at the three. It seems they are frozen. I cannot be sure if they are frozen with fear or are just too confused to understand what is going on. Frankly, I do not know what is going on myself, but I do know this. I do not want this.

I take a breath and, with a wave of my hand, I make the fire wall disappears.

"How did I even do that," I ask, looking at my hand again. "I did not even know I could do that."

With the fire wall down, I walk right up to Jacob and the shadow woman. I pick up them and push them back.

"Get out of here," I say, pointing away from my ruined home. "Get out of here. Now!"

I do not have to say anymore. The shadow woman holds Jacob and flies away. As the two disappear, the sun rises. It blinds me and I hold my hand over my eyes. When I can see again, I see that the two are completely gone.

A:

"I am not saying I do not appreciate the visit," I start, turning to Alieen, Alfred, and Matt as they stand beside their car, "But what are you three doing here so early in the morning?"

"Right now," Matt starts, "At the moment, I'm wondering what I just saw."

"I cannot answer you," I say. "As I do not have any answer myself."

"I thought you had to worry about only one shadow," Alfred says, his finger moving side to side. "Why was there a second?"

"Again," I say again but only slightly louder. "I cannot answer you as I do not have any answer myself. All I can tell you is that I was attacked by those two late last night and that apparently, our fight lasted until morning."

"That's a long fight," Matt says.

I turn behind and look at the ruins of what was once my gas station home. Even with my power, it will take a while to fix.

"Well, thankfully for me," I say, turning back to the others. "I do not have any plans at the moment."

"You're going to hunt those two down," Alieen says. She turns back toward me after staring at the sky.

I look at the sky myself, precisely at where the two disappear.

"No," I answer. "No, I am not."

"Really," Matt asks. "You're not going after those two. I mean, even after all of this?"

"No," I answer.

"Why not," Alieen asks.

"Yeah," Alfred goes on. "Why not? You told us you wanted answers to who you are, and I'm guessing those two have answers. Why don't you go after them?"

"Because my home is in ruins," I answer. "And before I go chasing shadows, I want to fix my home."

With that said, I turn around and look at my destroyed fence. Focusing on my power, I use my telekinesis the raise the fence, or at least the parts of the fence that can be raised. Now that the sun had risen, I can see the full extent of the damage.

"It is worst than I thought," I tell myself. Besides most of the fences being torn, the gas pumps are ripped from the ground and all over the place. The signpost with the price is also ripped from the ground but unlike the pump, it is not all over the place. It is on the side of the store, along with part of a wall and the roof. The ground is covered in holes and scorch marks.

I drop down to my knee and examine the scorch marks.

"Strange," I think. I think back to last night when I summoned literal walls of fire to trap those two shadows. "I did not know I could do this. How did I do this?"

I rub the blackened scorch marks and soot gets on my fingers. I sniff the soot.

"Strange," I repeat. This does not smell like regular soot. It smells, I cannot explain, but it smells different.

"What are you doing," Matt asks me out of nowhere.

Almost jumping, I calm myself down and turn to Matt.

"Matt," I slowly say.

"Yeah," Matt says. "What's up?"

"Please, unless you want me to use my power, step back."

"Actually," Matt laughs. "That sounds kind of awesome."

I shake my head and stand back up. I do not use my power. Instead, I just walk away from Matt. Matt, however, does what I did. He drops onto his own knee and rubs his fingers against the scorch marks. However, the second he touches the scorch marks, he screams and falls back.

"Matt," we all yell. Watching as Matt screams and rolls around on the ground, we all run to him.

"Matt," Alieen screams. She grabs and holds Matt. "Matt! Are you okay? What happened?"

Matt does not answer Alieen. Instead, he screams as he rolls back his head. Tears roll from his eyes as he breathes heavily through his closed teeth.

While Alfred and Alieen tend to Matt, I notice something. Matt is holding his fingers. I grab Matt's fingers and pry them away.

"Matt," I say, seeing his fingers. Two of Matt's fingers are burnt. I cannot be sure how badly but they are red and there seem to be some blisters on them.

"Matt," Alieen says. She must have noticed the burns too. She grabs Matt's fingers and examines them. "This is a second-degree burn!"

"A second-degree burn," Alfred repeats. "What? But how?"

No one says a word. The only person who is talking, or even making noise, is Matt. He is not screaming anymore but is sniffling. Despite not one of us saying a word, Alieen looks at me and I do not even need to use my power to know what she is thinking.

"Easy there," I say. I take Matt's hand from Alieen. "Matt, I am going to heal you."

"Just stay calm," Alieen says. "Matt, just stay calm. Okay? A got you."

Alieen looks at me and I nod my head. I hold Matt's hand in my and start to heal it. Quickly, the blisters fade away and Matt's skin returns to its normal color.

As I heal Matt, I accidentally look toward the car the three used to get here. In the back of the car, I see what looks like a pile of clothing.

"What are those," I ask. I do not give it much thought since by now, Matt's hand is healed and he is back to his normal self.

"Ahh," Matt sighs. "Oh god. Oh god! That hurts! That hurts so much! What was that! What was that?"

I would be lying if I did not say I slightly regret healing Matt.

"Matt," Alfred yells. "Matt! Matt!"

"What?"

Matt stops and turns to Alfred. The moment Matt stops, Alfred hugs him.

"Oh man," Alfred says. "I'm glad you're okay. What happened?"

"I don't know," Matt replies. "All I did was rub my fingers against that. When I did, it felt like I was suddenly on fire."

Matt points at the scorch marks on the fire. As he does, he, Alieen, and Alfred all take a step back.

"The scorch marks burn Matt," I think. I look down at my own fingers. The soot is still there. "My fingers feel fine. In fact, they feel more than fine."

I rub the soot even more, the soot going deeper into my fingers. As it does, I feel strangely energized.

"Come on," Alieen says. She starts to walk back to the car. "Let's just give A what we want and then go. We can go to a doctor afterward and see about your fingers, Matt."

"Uhh, yeah," Matt says. "Sure. Alfred, come on."

Matt nudges his head and Alfred follows him. Together, the three of them walk to the car and open the back seats. I watch from a distance as the three carry out a bunch of boxes. They carry out the boxes and drop them in front of me.

"What are these," I ask. Once more, I use my telekinesis power to open the box. Holding out my hand, I move the flaps to the side. "Canned foods? Box of Ritz crackers?"

I move to another box. This box is filled with jackets, pants, and even two pairs of shoes.

"These are for you," Alieen says. She sighs at first. She then turns around from me. She stares at nothing for a few seconds before turning back to me.

"This," she starts, pausing to take a deep breath. "This is the last time we can meet. I'm sorry, A."

"Wait, what? Alieen, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry," Alieen repeats. "But when you think about it, isn't this what we all wanted?"

I cannot be sure but it starts to sound like Alieen is crying.

"I mean, isn't this what we all wanted," she repeats. "You wanted to be left alone. I didn't want my friends to be involved in all of this."

"Wait, wait, wait," I say. I take a step forward Alieen steps back. She then shoots out her hands.

"Stop," she shouts. "Don't come near!"

"Alieen," I say, "Why?"

Alieen tries to say something but I cannot understand a word. She is stuttering non-stop. I try to take another step but Alieen quickly back away.

"Stop," she shouts again. She points a finger at me and I take it as a sign to step back. "Just know that I'm sorry. A, I really am, but I think this is what is best for all of us."

With that, Alieen turns and leaves. She gets in the car with Alfred and Matt and the three of them quickly drive away without so much as a look back.

I am left there, alone with nothing but boxes of food and clothing.

A:

“Stop,” Alieen shouted. “This is the last time we can meet. I’m sorry, A.”

As I stand in the desert and stare, I replay all of Alieen’s words.

“I mean, isn’t this what we all wanted,” she said. “Stop! Don’t come near! I’m sorry, A.”

I then start to see Alieen before my eyes. She was the first thing I saw after falling off Diana’s car and waking up. She was the first person to welcome me with open arms. She gave me clothes and food, despite not knowing me. No, despite knowing me. Despite knowing me and what I am capable of, she still offered me help.

“You are who you choose to be,” Alieen once told me. “The past is important, yes, but it doesn’t determine the future.”

I remember clearly the sound of Alieen laughing as I watch that ‘Tremor’ movie.

All of these memories are running through my head, flashing before my eyes at an unmatched speed. I keep staring into the empty desert. I keep looking at where the van was. I keep waiting for something to happen.

“Maybe I will see the van again. Maybe the others will come back.”

I keep watch. I keep standing. I keep waiting, but nothing happens. It is like time had stood still. The wind is quiet. The sands are not moving. Everything is stuck in its place. Finally, I sigh. My shoulders drop and I feel so tired all of a sudden. All my energy is gone without any warning.

“Alieen is not lying,” I think. “She is telling the truth. No, it cannot be! She would not just leave me. Would she?”

Voices are battling each other in my head. They are all screaming and shouting at each other. Some of them are telling me that Alieen had not abandoned me, that she will come back. Others are telling me that Alieen had abandoned me and that she will not come back.

I scream as I slam my hands against my head.

“Ahh! This is worst than the headaches! All of you! Shut up!”

I raise one of my hands before slamming it down into the sand. This causes an eruption that shoots sand everywhere. As the sand rains down, I look around and see all the boxes Alieen left me. They are tipped over, with some clothing falling out.

“Oh no.”

Getting up to my feet, waving the sand away, I run to the boxes. I first put the boxes back into their upright position. The box with the canned foods is fine but since the box with clothing was opened and some of them fell out, I decide I have to do something.

“Come on,” I say, grabbing one of the clothing. As it turns out, the box is filled mostly with spare shirts and even more jackets. “Come on! Come on!”

I shake the shirts and jackets around, trying to get rid of the sand. Despite how much I shake the shirts and jackets, there is still sand in them. I look up and see the sand from the eruption.

“It still raining!”

My teeth push against each other as I watch more sand fall onto the clothes. I scream and swing my hand. I grab all the raining sand with my mind and throw it away. I then shake the shirt again.

“Come on,” I repeat. “Come on! Why do you still have sand in you!”

Even without the raining sand, there is still sand in the shirt. It keeps on falling and falling, no matter how much I shake the shirt.

“Sand! Sand! Sand! Nothing but stupid, stupid sand!”

I scream as I rip the shirt in two! I scream as I grab all the jackets and shirts with sand in them and rip them! I tear them to shreds and throw them onto the sand. Inhaling deeply, I then pull back my hand.

I feel the power flowing into the palm of my hand. It combines into a fireball that I throw at the shreds of clothing. The sky once again erupts with sand but this time, there are bits of burning fabrics and glass mixed with it.

As I stand there in the rainstorm of sand, glass, and burning wool, I realize there is nothing I can do. Even with all my powers, with everything I can do, this is something I have no control over.

I breathe in and out as I look around. I am still alone. A single boy living in a destroyed gas station. I exhale again before using my power to carry the remaining boxes inside. I walk over the fallen chain-linked fence, past the scorch marks, and through the dusty door. I close the door, set the boxes down, and start to look through them.

Matt:

I scream when someone claps his hands right in my face. Stepping back, I trip over something and fall onto my butt.

"Ouch," I cry, looking up. There, I see Chris standing in front of me. "Chris? What was that for?"

Chris rolls his eyes and shakes his head before offering me his hand. I take it and Chris pulls me back to my feet.

"That," Chris says, putting up his finger. "Was for not answering me despite calling your name five times. Come on. I need your help. I can't move all these CDs by myself. Grab a box."

I watch as Chris grabs a large box before walking out of the storage area. I grab a large box and follow him. The two of us walk over to the romance section of the video store. As Chris opens the box and starts to stock the shelf, I start to do the same.

"Matt," Chris says. This time, he snaps his fingers in front of me.

"Will you please stop that," I say, slapping Chris's hand away.

"Matt," Chris slowly says. He reaches forth and grabs one of the CDs I stocked. As Chris holds it in front of me, I realize why Chris is mad.

"This isn't 'The Fault in Our Stars'. This is 'Assassin's Creed Unity'."

"Opp. My bad."

I chuckle as I take the game and put it back into the box. I then carry the box to the right section, the video game section, and stock them there.

Alfred:

I sigh as I slam my head into my knuckle. I tap the butt of my eraser against my desk as I stare at the piece of paper in front of me.

"What to do," I ask myself. "What to do? What to do?"

With everything that happened, I practically forgot about my homework for class. The design for a pretend city block is due in only a few days and I barely have a house down.

Sighing again, I take a deep breath through my nose. I then exhale, blowing away all the eraser dust before drawing a building. It takes a few minutes but when I'm done, I examine it.

"Oh," I say, realizing what I drew. It was a gas station. It was a boarded-up gas station with a rusted fence and out of services pumps.

I curse myself as I erase the gas station.

Alieen:

"Hey Alieen," Diana says, tapping my shoulder.

"Hmm," I moan, looking up. "Oh, hey Diana. What's up?"

"Nothing much," Diana repeats. "Except, what is up with you lately? I'm sorry to say this, but you have been looking like absolutely awful for a while now. You've been dragging your feet all half-paying attention to everything."

"What are you talking about? Diana, I'm fine."

Diana rolls her eyes at me. She then points at something. I look down at where Diana is pointing and seeing a big bag of dog food.

"Oh shoot," I say. I look nearby to see all the dogs of the animal shelter barking and climbing up their pens. I slap myself on the face.

"Oh sorry about this little guys."

I open the cages and give the dogs their breakfast. As I feed the dogs, Diana joins me. Together, we feed all the dogs and put the bag away.

"I'm serious," Diana says after locking the closet door. "You've been acting weird since that day we got lost in the desert. What's happened out there?"

"You were there," I answer. "You don't remember."

Diana stops for a minute and taps her chin.

"For some reason, I can't. I remember accidentally driving into the desert but after that, it's like someone wipes my memory clean. Weird, right?"

"Yeah," I say, "Weird."

Diana sighs again.

"Fine. Don't tell me, but maybe you'll tell her."

"Her?" Her who?"

"Go to the front desk. I'll take the dogs for a quick walk."

A little curious now, I walk out of the back, through the double doors, and to the front desk. There, I see Leia sitting in a chair in the waiting room.

Leia:

The second I hear the doors open, I look up and see Alieen.

“Alieen,” I say. I smile and step toward Alieen. I expected her to do the exact same. I expected Alieen to smile and step toward me too. Only, Alieen didn’t.

Instead, she just stands where she is. She looks at me with a blank expression. I don’t see the usual smiles or twinkling eyes. In fact, I don’t see anything.

“Leia,” Alieen says so coldly, I feel a shiver run down my spine. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh yeah,” I say, clearing my throat and stepping back. “I, uhh, I came here to ask you something.”

I look around the pet shelter’s waiting room and eye a few cameras. Also, despite how Diana said she would walk the dogs, I can still see her through the double doors with her ears open.

“Can we go somewhere else to talk in private,” I ask.

“Sure,” Alieen sighs. “I can’t leave the shelter but I do have an idea.”

Alieen disappears through the double door for a few minutes. She then returns with a small dog in her arms. The little guy barks and wiggles as he runs around in Alieen’s arms.

I feel a smile growing as I watch the little dog. He seems so happy and playful. However, Alieen seems the complete opposite.

Alieen is frowning, and instead of looking at me or even the dog in her arms, she’s staring at the tiled floor.

“I told Diana I would take Henry out for a short walk,” Alieen says. She then places Henry the dog on the floor. The second his paws hit the floor, Henry starts to run around. In fact, if it wasn’t for the leash Alieen is holding, Henry would probably run around the whole room.

“Come on. There’s a Starbucks nearby. We can talk there.”

“Sure,” I say, walking to the door. I hold it open for the two but Alieen is moving slowly. She’s practically had to be dragged out of the waiting room by Henry.

We walk for a short distance before finding ourselves at Starbucks. Buying some drinks for ourselves and a few snacks for Henry, we find a table away from everyone.

The second we sit down, I immediately ask.

“Alieen, why were you, Matt, and Alfred at the gas station last night? I thought I asked to stay away from A.”

“And I am staying away from A,” Alieen answers. As she answers, she keeps looking away from me. It’s not she can’t meet my eyes.

“I was just dropping off some food and clothing,” Alieen goes on, her eyes focus entirely on her cup of iced coffee. “That’s it. After the three of us dropped them off, I told A it was probably for the best we never see each other again.”

Alieen then looks at me. For the first time in days, Alieen looks at me, but when she did, I didn’t see the sparking that is supposed to be there. I didn’t see the girl that always was hopeful and always willing to help people. It felt like I was looking at a completely different Alieen.

“After all, isn’t that what everyone wants.”

“What everyone wants,” I repeat. “Wait, what?”

“Isn’t this what you wanted,” Alieen says. “For us to stay away from A. Well, it’s exactly what we’re doing. And while we’re at it, maybe we should stay away from you too.”

“Wait, what! Alieen, what are you talking about--”

“I don’t know what A is,” Alieen says, cutting me off. “I don’t know what you are. Honestly, I don’t even know if the last two years of my life were real or not. Maybe it was an illusion or a hallucination. I know A had the power to erase and alter memory. Do you too? Did you alter my memory so I think we were friends?”

“No,” I shout, getting up. “I didn’t--”

I stop when I realize some people are looking at us. I clear my throat before sinking back into my seat.

“No,” I quietly shout. “I didn’t! I promise. Alieen, you know me.”

“Do I? Do I really know you? What do I know? What do Matt and Alfred know? When you disappeared, we all search for you. Even A. We all search for you but that’s when it dawn on me. I don’t know anything about you. Wait, no. That’s wrong. I know three things about you. One, you worked at a gas station. But then, again you’ve been missing so maybe you got fired.”

“I didn’t get fired,” I say. “I called my manager and asked him for some days off.”

“You didn’t use whatever power you and A shared to get these days off.”

“No! I really asked him and he said yes.”

“Sure. Of course. You really did ask him and he said yes. Fine, I believe you. Happy?”

With each word Alieen says, I feel a stab in my heart.

“Two,” she says, counting her fingers. “You go to San Francisco State University. I know that’s true because the three of us have actually seen you there a few times and we went to the cafeteria altogether."

"Those were some of my best times," I say. Alieen stops when she hears me say this. She freezes and looks at me. A single tear falls down her face as she looks at me.

"They were some of my best times too," Alieen says, putting down her hands. "Do you remember Matt asking you and me if we could scream so loud we could break glass?"

"Yeah," I say, letting out a small chuckle. "It was for one of his stupid Youtube videos."

"Do you remember what Matt did to try and get us to scream?"

"Yeah. He put some fake bugs in our drinks. I still remember the looks on his face when we throw not only our drink but our food at him."

"He had tomato eyes, lettuce hairs, and a bunch of flies for friends."

We both chuckle at the memory. It's a quick chuckle, however.

"Third," Alieen says, her hands staying down. "You have powers. Powers I never knew you had."

"You were never supposed to," I sigh. "It was supposed to stay a secret."

Alieen opens her mouth. She tries to say something but stops.

"What," I ask. "What are you going to say?"

Alieen opens her mouth again. She tries to say something but stops again.

"What," I ask again. "Say it. Say whatever you want."

Alieen opens her mouth for a third time. This time, she says something.

"Then maybe it should stay a secret," Alieen says. "If you never come back, then it will stay a secret."

"Never come back," I repeat. "No, no, no. Alieen, what are you saying? If I never come back? You can't be serious."

"I am," Alieen says. Her head drops and she looks back at her iced tea. "I'm telling you, Leia. For the sake of Alfred, Matt, and myself, please never come back. You wanted us to stay away from A because apparently, he's dangerous. Then, what about you?"

I want to say something, anything to Alieen. I want to tell her that I don't want to leave the apartment. I want to tell her that that apartment is my home. The apartment with the three is home, but I don't hear anything. I open my mouth but I don't even hear a whisper.

"Bye Leia," Alieen says. With that, Alieen takes Henry and leaves. She leaves me alone at Starbucks. She leaves me alone at a table at Starbucks. She doesn't even bother to finish her drink.

As Alieen leaves, I stare into space. I try to make sense of everything that happens but nothing makes sense.

"Alieen just told me never to come back," I tell myself. "Alieen, the same Alieen that made me so happy to live down here, just told me never to come back."

I can't be sure how long I stay sitting at Starbucks but after some time, I finally get up and leave.

A:

Sitting on the rooftop of my gas station home, I carefully place a small rock on my finger. It balances on my thumb before I flick it into the empty desert.

I watch for a bit as the small rock flies through the air. It disappears from my view after a few seconds but I can still hear the thud as it hits the sand.

"I went further than last time," I tell myself.

With my telekinesis power, I pick up another small rock from the pile beside me. I place it on my finger, balances it on my thumb, and flick it into the desert once more.

"Not as far this time," I say, rising my ear and listening to the thud.

I sigh as I mentally pick up another rock. About to flick the rock, I stop. I sigh again and watch as the rock falls from my fingers. I listen as the rock falls toward the ground and thuds.

"I cannot stay here. I have to go somewhere else, but where."

My thoughts go back to the apartment with Layafette, Alfred, Matt, and Alieen. Especially Alieen.

"No," I say, shaking the thoughts away. "Alieen told me to stay away. I must respect her wishes. Still, I cannot stay here. It is too much."

With really no other option, I close my eyes and teleport away. Opening my eyes only a second later, I find myself in an alleyway in the city.

"Maybe this is what I need. A walk in the city."

Taking a deep breath, I peek out the alleyway before picking a random direction and walking down it. I walk and walk down the sidewalk, through an intersection, past a few dozen stores, until stopping all of a sudden.

"I do not feel better."

I sigh again as I look down.

"Why do I feel so sad? Why am I even feeling sad, to begin with? I have my life back. I should be happy, or at least what I consider happy before. No more interaction. No more having to deal with people. This is what I wanted. Right?"

I slap myself on the face as I try to make sense of what is going on. As I weigh the thoughts in my head, of having peace and quiet versus having Alieen and the others, I stop when I hear people screaming.

Turning my head, I see people running off the streets as a red car runs right through the crosswalk. It doesn't stop or even slow down. It just run right through the crosswalk, almost hitting a man and a woman. Even after crashing into a building, the car doesn't stop. Instead, it turns and now runs down the sidewalk.

I keep on watching as more and more people run out of the way. It is not until I see a tall woman pushing a baby stroller out of the way that I do something.

Using my teleportation power, I disappear and reappear in between the tall woman and the oncoming car. Now using my telekinesis power, I grab the baby stroller and roll it back into the woman's arms. With the baby back with its mother, I turn back toward the car. Stomping my feet on the sidewalk, I brace myself as the car runs right into my arms.

Despite catching and stopping the runaway car, it still would not stop. Looking at the two front wheels as they keep spinning, I reach over and rip through right off.

Throwing them to the side, I place the car down and walk over to the driver's seat. I expected to see a man with his mouth open considering what I did, but instead, as I approach the driver's door, I see an elderly man with his hand over his chest.

Even with my lack of social skills and knowledge, I can tell something is wrong. The elderly man's eyes are closed. It looks like he is sleeping but every now and then, he will suddenly shake.

I first try to open the door but it appears to be locked. With no other choice, I pry my fingers into the cracks before ripping the door off.

"Sir," I say, unbuckling the elderly man before gently placing him down on the sidewalk. "Sir! Are you okay?"

The elderly man does not answer me. Instead, all he does is gasp in and out.

"What do I do," I ask myself. "What do I do? I should call an ambulance but I do not have a cell phone."

I look around but it seems everyone is staying away from me. They are either too scared or too stunned to come near me but they do however form a circle around me.

"Fine," I say. "I can heal you myself."

Holding my hand over the elderly man, I close my eyes and start to focus. My palm glows with energy as I focus. The energy travels from my palm onto the man. It takes only a few seconds before the man stops gasping. Now, he is breathing.

His hand falls to his side and his eyes snap open.

"What happened," the elderly man asks as he pushes himself up. "Wh--Who are you?"

"I am...no one," I answer. "Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?"

"I--I was driving my car," the elderly man starts, rubbing his head. "When my chest started to hurt. Then, my arm went numb. I tried to stop driving but I think I pass out."

"Hmm," I say. I turn around and look at the elderly man's car. "It seems you will be okay, but I do hope you have insurance. So long, sir."

With that, I stand up and disappear. While the black mist surrounds me, I can hear the sound of the crowd as they gasp and shout. A few people quickly take out their cell phones.

"Why are they taking out their phones now? I have already healed the elderly man."

I shake my head as I teleport away.

Jacob:

"No way," I say, watching from a distance as A saved the elderly man. "He saved him. A saved that man, but why?"

I didn't have much time to think about it. As A uses his power to teleport away, I see a bunch of people taking out their cell phones and aiming them at A.

"Oh no," I say. "A, you idiot."

Stepping back into the alleyway and making sure there is no one around me, I close my eye and focus. I then open my eyes and look into the mind of one of the people in the crowd. Through his own eyes and ears, I can see what he sees and hear what he hears.

"Oh my god," the person says, staring at his screen. On his screen is a video of A healing the elderly man. It clearly shows A with his glowing palm. A few seconds later, it shows A in the center of the black mist before he and all the black mist disappear.

"Oh my god," the person says again. "What the hell was that? Oh, man! Other people need to see this!"

Almost immediately, the person starts to try and upload the video online.

"Nooo," I cry out. "I have to do something fast."

Pulling back, I find myself back in my own body, seeing the moral world through my own eyes and ears. Stepping out of the alleyway, I look both ways before running across the street.

Running right into the crowd, I squeeze my way through and start to erase a few memories.

"Sorry about this," I say, gently placing my hand on a man's arm. He turns around when I do and the moment he sees me, I wipe his memory of the last few minutes clean. I then grab his cell phone and delete the video of A.

I do with the whole crowd until I'm sure no one remembers A or his grand show.

Placing the last cell phone back into the woman's hand, I look both ways again before running back across the street into the narrow alleyway.

"Lafayette," I telepathically shout. "Lafayette! Where are you?"

It takes a while for Lafayette to answer.

"Jacob," she starts. "I'm sorry. What's going on?"

"Big trouble. A was seen using his powers."

"Oh no. Was there a crowd?"

"A big one. Luckily, I'm here. I wiped their memory clean and delete the video, but this is getting out of hand. We need to stop A now! Before we're exposed! Do you have it?"

"Have it? Oh yes! Yes! I have it!"

The second I hear it, I stop walking.

"Lafayette," I slowly say. "I told you already. You cannot lie to me. You don't have any of it, do you?"

"No," Lafayette sighs. "I'm sorry. I--I just had to do something first, but I'm on my way now."

"Okay. I'm counting on you. We'll meet up at A's gas station. Hopefully, this will be the end of it all."

I cut off the telepathic and teleport away.

The Mother:

"Ahh," I say, shaking my head as I try to steady myself. "Ahh, what happened?"

I look around and see a large crowd of people surrounding an elderly man and a car with no front tires. Before I could even wonder what is going on, I look down and see my sweet baby boy.

"Hi sweetie," I say, smiling as I lean in closer. "Hey, is that my phone in your hands?"

My baby boy is playing with my cell phone. I try to take it back but my baby isn't willing to give it up yet. An idea sparking in my head, I reach into my purse and pull out an Oreo.

"Trade?"

My baby smiles as he gives me my phone and takes the Oreo. While he chews on the cookie, I look at my phone. For some reason, my phone is recording. About to go back to the home screen, I stop.

"What's this," I ask, seeing a strange video. Having no memory of recording anything too recently, I tap the video and start to watch it.

Alfred:

"I give up," I say, throwing down my pencil. No matter what I do or how hard I tried, I can't stop drawing a gas station. The ghostly outline of an abandoned gas station is permanently drawn onto my paper.

I sigh as I rub my forehead and lean back.

"I need a snack," I tell the ceiling of my and Matt's room. Getting up from my chair, I walk out of my room and down the stairs. Heading straight for the kitchen, I search the cabinets and the fridge for anything to snack on. However, as I look at the trash can, I'm reminded of my binge eating.

Over the top and falling out of the kitchen's trash can are empty candy wrappers, empty Cup Noodles cups, and empty cereal boxes. All of which are only from three days ago.

"Ahh," I say, slamming my hand over my face and dragging it down. "No wonder why I can't find anything to eat."

I think about going to a nearby store to buy some quick snacks, maybe a bag of chips and some hotdogs, but with Matt at work and Alieen volunteering, our two cars are already gone.

I sigh once more and shake my head. With no snacks or even juice available, I settle for a big cup of milk. Opening the fridge and grabbing the milk, I pour myself a cup before throwing away the empty container. Sitting at the counter, I slowly drink the last of the milk.

As I sit there alone in the kitchen, drinking a cup of milk, I can't help but think about Alieen.

"Alieen. What were you thinking? Why did you just leave A like that? I mean, yeah, we gave him some food and clothes, but still. We just left him. We just left him alone. And after all that talk of wanting to help him. I'm surprised A hadn't come to come us."

As I think this, I hear knocking coming from the front door.

"What the hell? Aww, man. Is A reading minds again? I thought I told him mind reading is very rude."

Running to the front door, I swing it open, expecting to see A. Only, it's not A standing there.

Leia:

"Hey Alfred," I say, nodding to my old friend.

Upon seeing me, Alfred's eyes go wide like in one of those old cartoons. His mouth hangs open and he stands completely still.

I clear my throat as I give Alfred a few minutes.

"Oh fly," I say, noticing a tiny fly flying near Alfred. "You might want to be careful--Nevermind."

Before I could finish, the fly flew right into Alfred's mouth. It seems the fly manages to snap Alfred out of his stance, however. As the fly lands on Alfred's tongue, Alfred closes his mouth and swallows. He then starts to cough while stumbling.

"Alfred," I say, rushing forward to grab Alfred. Patting his back, I decide to give Alfred a few more minutes.

"Did--Did I just eat a fly," Alfred asks.

"Uhh, no," I answer. "No."

Alfred looks at me before straightening himself up. He hits his chest a few times, coughs, and then looks back at me.

"Leia," Alfred says, "You're here."

"Yeah," I say, looking away. "I am. Is Alieen here, by chance?"

"No. She's at the pet shelter."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Uhh, can I come in?"

"Yeah," Alfred says, stepping to the side. "You don't really have to ask. This is your home too. I mean, as long as you pay your share of the rent."

"Home," I repeat. "This is my home too. Is it?"

I push the thought away and focus.

"I need to focus," I tell myself.

"Leia," Alfred says after letting me in. He steps forth and hugs me. Surprised by this at first, it felt strangely comfortable. I hug Alfred back. We stay like this for a few seconds before Alfred suddenly pulls back.

"Wait! No! I'm mad at you! So is Matt! And I think Alieen is too but don't quote me on that."

"Oh believe," I say, looking at the floor. "I know Alieen is mad at me."

"Leia," Alfred says with spread-out arms. "Oh my god! Where have you been? We have been worrying non-stop about you for days now! We're on the verge of filing a missing person report!"

"No need," I say. "I'm not missing! I'm standing right here."

"But for how long," Alfred asks. He pulls his arms in and crosses them. "I can't help but get the feeling this is a visit. Not a return."

"I'm sorry but you're right, Alfred. This is a visit. I can't stay here anymore."

"Well fine there. Grab your stuff and leave."

"You're," I say, stopping to take in a few deep breaths. "You're not going to stop me. You're not going to even ask."

"Leia," Alfred says with such a low voice, I can barely hear him. "What do you want? What is it you want? Do you want to go? Do you want to stay? Seriously, what is it you want?"

"I want to stay," I shout without realizing it. As soon as I hear those words, as soon as I shout them, I immediately feel something. I feel movement in my chest. I hear something beating in my chest.

"I want to stay," I repeat. Slowly, very slowly, I hold my hand over my chest. "I want to stay."

As I repeat the words over and over again, I feel something like a jump in the beating. With each jump, I see myself re-living an old memory

I see myself in the living room, watching everything from cheesy, horror movies to heart-felt, romantic movies with Matt.

"I'm telling you all of this, right now," Matt said while the four of us were watching Alien. "I am never, ever going into space! At least, not deep space. Mar? Yes. Jupiter? Yes. Saturn? Maybe. Pluto? No! Pass Pluto? Hell no!"

I move from that memory to another memory. In this memory, I see myself sitting with Alfred. We're sitting at the kitchen counter. I'm eating spaghetti and meatballs right out of the package while Alfred is trying to design a mall for class.

"Okay, okay," Alfred said, slamming his pencil down. "What about this? How is this?"

Alfred shows me a drawing of a mall. As expected, there are dozens of stores along with a few escalators and one elevator.

"Not bad," I said, looking at the drawing. However, as I examined the drawing, I can't help but notice something is off. "Wait, what's that? Is that a swimming pool?"

"Yeah," Alfred answered. "Why? What's wrong with a swimming pool inside a mall?"

I take a few minutes to carefully answered Alfred.

"There's nothing wrong with a swimming pool inside a mall," I start, "But do you really think it would be okay to have it right next to the escalators? Think about it. Wet, slippery feet on a moving escalator?"

Alfred turned his drawing over and examined it. He sighs a few minutes later before erasing the whole thing.

"You want my spaghetti and meatballs," I asked. I pulled down my fork and slide it toward Alfred.

"Thank you," Alfred said, taking my dinner. He re-drew his mall while chewing on long pasta strings. That memory ends and a new one starts. This time, it's with Alieen.

This memory of Alieen wasn't in the apartment. It was us at a thrift store. We were shopping for new clothes.

"Are you sure this is where you want to shop," I ask, watching as Alieen goes through a rack of used shirts. "Aren't these all used?"

"Leia," Alieen says, smiling. "Let's face it. You and I are not rich, and we lived in an expensive city."

"Okay," I say. "Thank you for the strange reminder. What's your point?"

"My point is," Alieen says, stopping and pulling out a dark-blue hoodie. She places the hoodie on her chest and smiles. "It's not about the money. It's about who you spend it with. Hey, what do you think?"

Alieen lined the sleeves of the hoodie along her arms.

"Not bad, right?"

I chuckle as I push past Alieen and grab my own jacket. Exactly like her, I place the jacket on my chest and line my arm up with the sleeves.

"No," Alieen says, shaking her head. "Absolutely not."

I look down at the jacket. The jacket is covered in golden flakes. It's sprinkling and shiny.

"Okay," I say, putting the jacket back. "Yeah, too flashy."

We both laughed and go back to shopping for some new clothes.

"I want to stay," I repeat. I stop repeating the words when I hear someone claps their hands. Looking up, I see Alfred with his hands in the air.

"Leia," Alfred says, lowering his hand. "Hello? Did you forget about me?"

"No," I say, feeling something starts to pour out of me. I wipe my eyes as water falls out of them. "No. I didn't forget about you. I can never forget about you or Matt or Alieen. Or Diana or Drew or even Ian, and you know I hate Ian!"

"Ian apologized for what he did," Alfred says. "And he even brought you a new bed. You have to stop being mad at him."

I shake my head and put up my hand.

"Listen, Alfred, I have to go"

"Of course you have."

Alfred said this with a roll of his eyes. I roll my own eyes before slapping him across the face.

"Ouch," he screams "What was that for?"

"I have to go," I repeat, "But I will come back. After all, this is my home, and I want to stay. Listen, please don't tell Matt or Alieen about this. Okay? Promise me you won't."

I grab Alfred's shoulders and shake him.

"I got it," Alfred yells. "I got it! I won't tell Matt or Alieen! Stop shaking me!"

"Thank you," I say. I wipe my eyes again as, for some reason, more water falls out. I let go of the shoulders and give Alfred another hug. I let him go before turning and running down the stairs. Once on the sidewalk, I run down the street until I'm sure Alfred can't see me anymore. With that, I use my power to fly into the bright air.

"A, I might be getting ahead of myself, and there's no way Jacob will approve of this but it's time you learned the truth."

Leia:

Rocketing out of the city, I look down and see A’s gas station. Slowing down as I glide toward it, I land right in the center of the parking lot.

“A,” I yell, looking around. “A! Hey A, are you here? A?”

As I look around the parking lot, I notice something off.

“Strange. The fence is still down, and there are potholes everywhere. The price sign is also still down. Why didn’t A fix these?”

Walking over a few potholes, reminders of what happened only a few days ago, I feel a sudden sharp pain in my arm. I rub my arm while walking right up to the gas station’s door.

“A,” I say, knocking on the door. “A! It’s me! Lafayette! Come on. Open up."

I knock and knock but the door stays closed. Taking a step back, I use my power to look through the wall.

"A isn't here," I say, my vision returning to normal. I spin and look around. "If A isn't here, then where is he?"

A:

The man screams as he charges toward me. He pulls back his fist before throwing it forward. I stand still as he punches me in the face. I watch as the man's hand folds in on itself. I can hear the bones in his hand crack as they all slam into each other. He stands still like me for a few seconds, just staring at his now purple hand. After those few seconds, he starts to scream.

"Ahhhh," the man cries as he pulls back his shaking, purple hand. He cries and screams and yells as he stares at his broken hand. Completely distracted by his broken hand, he does nothing as I grab him by the shirt collar and pull him back.

Pulling him past me, I throw the man into the air. Turning around, I see him fly through the air before hitting a tree and then falling onto the sidewalk.

"Hmm," I say, turning back around. With the thief unconscious now, I approach the car with the broken window. The car, as far as I can tell is nothing really special. It is not fancy, nor does it looks expensive. I take a quick peek inside the car but see nothing but a few half-empty water bottles, some jackets, and some loose changes. I shake my head and hold out my hand.

Making circles with my hand, I use my power to fix the broken windows. I pick up the little shards of glass from the sidewalk and the driver's seat and carefully place them together like a puzzle. I solve the window puzzle before placing it back in the car's opening.

With this thief down and the car fixed, I once again use my teleportation power to vanish in a mist of black smoke. Disappear and reappearing a few blocks away, I look up and down the streets for any sign of trouble.

"Nothing so far," I think as I shove my hands into my pockets and walk down the street. Using my power of increased hearing and sight, I stay on the lookout for any sign of trouble.

"No, no, no," a man in a shirt and short pants says. He is sitting at a table on the outside, staring down at what I think is his cell phone. "Come on, give me the right card. Give me the right! Noo! Ahh, over 21. Darn it."

The man in short then shakes his head. I switch over to another person. This time, it's a woman in a restaurant.

"Hey, hey, hey," the woman says, launching forward to grab a bottle of soy sauce from a young boy's hand. "No more soy sauce. You added enough already."

"Come on, Mom," the young boy says. "Just a little more. I like the taste."

"No," the mother says. She pulls the bottle of soy sauce from her son's hand and places it back on the table. "Too much soy sauce is bad for you."

"Everything is bad for me," the son says, crossing his arms. He stares at his mother as they eat their bowls of noodle soup. I look around from the mother and son and focus on someone else.

Standing in front of a store, a bakery to be exact, I see a tall man with short, wavy black hair. He had a short beard and is wearing a very thin jacket and shorts that go a little past his knees. I try to listen in on what the man is saying but I do not hear anything.

"Strange," I think. I close my eyes and focus harder. I try to hear something from the man but I do not anything. I do not even hear him breathing. "What is going on?"

I open my eyes and look at the man again. He is smiling and nodding his head as he enters the bakery. As I watch him disappear through the bakery's door, I cannot help but shake the uncomfortable feeling I have seen that man somewhere before.

"You look familiar," I tell myself, "And I cannot hear you breathing. Why?"

Immediately, I follow the man into the bakery. As I enter the small bakery, I see display cases filled with all sorts of pastry. I see muffins and cupcakes. I see long sticks of bread right next to giant stacked cakes. I even see some grilled sandwiches side by side some dozen of ice cream favors.

"If only I could afford any of this."

I dig through my pocket and pull out all the money I have.

"One dollar and 42 cents. In loose changes."

I shake my head and look around for the bearded man. Luckily for me, it is quite easy to see him. Unluckily, the reason I can see him so easily is because the store is almost empty. Besides the two of us, there are only two other people inside, and they are already sitting down.

"Hey Moses," the baker says, smiling as she hands the bearded man a small pink box. "Here's your usual."

"Thank you," the bearded man, whose name is Moses, says. Once again, he smiles and nods at the baker.

"Moses," I repeat to myself. As soon as I say the name, I start to hear voices in my head.

"Moses," someone said to me. "You have to be careful when dealing with Moses. He's a lot stronger than he looks, and learned a few new tricks"

"I understand," I said, bowing my head.

"Is this," I say, a headache coming on. "Is this...a memory?"

This headache is not as severe as the previous ones but it is still enough to knock me off my feet. I almost fall but manage to catch myself on the doorframe.

"Sir," the baker says, "Are you okay?"

I try to answer the baker but I am having trouble. My throat goes as dry as the desert around my gas station and because of this, I cannot answer her.

"Sir," the baker repeats. "Sir, can you hear me?"

Moses turns around. The second he sees me, his smile disappears and he drops the box.

"You," he says.

A:

The man, apparently named Moses, drops his box of doughnuts and charges toward me.

"Hey, hey, hey," I say, holding out my hand but Moses ignores it entirely and runs right into me. Wrapping his arms around my back, he throws me against the window of the bakery before turning around and throwing me onto the floor.

"Ahh," I cry out, pushing myself up. "Why did you do that?"

Moses does not answer me. Instead, he raises his hand before lowering it. As he does this, the bakery's shutters move by themselves. They roll down and cover the windows and door. Immediately, I realize what Moses has done.

"Telekinesis," I say, bringing up my fists. "You used telekinesis. You have powers!"

"What," the baker yells. I look to the side to see the baker frozen and stuck to the wall. Her eyes are shooting between Moses and me.

"I'm sorry about this," Moses says, holding out his hand to the baker. "I, uhh, I fix all of this later. For now!"

Moses turns back to me and jumps. As he jumps into the air, Moses pulls back his arm. He is trying to punch me but I move out of the way and grab Moses's arm. He screams as, this time, I throw him into one of the display cases.

The glass shatters and the cakes flatten as Moses pushes himself off the display cases. Back on his feet, he charges toward me once more.

Moses throws one of his fists forward but I dodge it. As I pull back my own fist and throw it forward, I thought the man called Moses would dodge it. However, I am wrong.

Moses slams his arms together and blocks my punch. I, along with the baker and the two customers are knocked back by the shockwaves.

Screaming as my feet slide along the tilted floor, I look back at Moses as he steps toward me with both his arms risen. I swing my arm but he easily blocks it by rising one of his arms. With his other arm, Moses throws a punch and it hits me right in the face.

I stumble back while holding my nose.

"Ahh," I cry out again. Thinking fast, I start to throw telekinesis blasts at Moses but Moses somehow is able to re-direct all of them. With swings of his fists, he blocks all my telekinesis blasts, sending them into the walls, the floor, and even a few of the equipment.

"Again," Moses says, looking at the baker as she holds her hands over her mouth. "I am really sorry about that! I will fix it later! I promise!"

Moses looks back at me just as I pick up the cash register and throws the whole thing at him. He screams as the cash register hits him and loose changes and dollar bills rain all over him.

Moses, however, recovers faster than I expected. Shooting out his hands, he then pulls back them in.

"What the heck," I say. It looks like he is trying to use telekinesis but what is he trying to grab? I turn around and look behind me only to get hit in the face but a cake.

Crying out as the cake hits and blinds me, I feel all sorts of other pastries and baked treats hit me as well. Before I knew it, I was covered in frosty and whipped creams.

As I wipe my face and shake off all the whipped creams, I hear a scream and turn back around.

"I'll be back to clean up," Moses yells as he charges toward me. Before I can do anything, Mosese once again wraps his arms around me and teleport me away. The two of us are in a whirlwind of black mist before disappearing and reappearing.

As the two of us fall outside the whirlwind of black mist, I immediately start to burn. My skin is set on fire and white smoke starts to come off it.

Screaming as I fall to the ground, I start to look around.

"Am I," I say, doing my best to look through the white smoke. "Am I in a church?"

I see long rows of wooden seats, one lined up after the other. I see stained glass windows with a grand piano underneath it. I even see a wooden cross.

Screaming as the burning intensified, I try to use my own teleportation power to escape but no matter how hard I focus, I do not see any of the black mist.

"Now what," I say, looking at my hand as it shakes. I try to stop the shaking and hold my hand out but it is no use. My hand is shaking. No, it is twitching. It is snapping left and right and no matter what I do, I cannot stop it.

"I have to get out of here. I cannot stay here. I have to get out of--"

A yell cuts my thought off. Looking up, I see Moses as he runs toward me. I try to use my power. I try to get up. I try to move out of the way, but everything fails. As Moses runs toward me, he jumps into the air and pulls back his arm. Sending it forward, Moses hits me right in the head and before I know it, all I see is a black void.

Moses:

"I-I can't believe it," I say, looking at whipped cream-covered Aaren. "I was able to knock Aaren out. But how? Aaren should've been stronger. Even if in a church."

I shake my head at the thought.

"No," I say, stepping back. "You can figure that out later. For now, you need to call Jacob. Tell him the news."

I place my two fingers against my forehead and focus.

"Jacob," I say, "Jacob. Are you there?"

"Moses," Jacob starts. "Is that you? With all due respect, why are you calling me? I'm in the middle of something."

"Is it finding and stopping Aaren before he can destroy anything and anyone else?"

Even though Jacob is somewhere else, I can easily see him stopping in his track, his eyes going wide and his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Don't tell me," Jacob says but I do tell him.

"Yeah, I find Aaren. And fought him."

"You fought him? Are you okay?"

"Strangely, yes. I don't know why, but for some reason, Aaren isn't as strong as he once was. Do you know?"

Jacob:

"I'll tell you later," I say, using my telepathic to speak to Moses. "Listen, for now, just tell me where you are. Leia and I will meet up with you and we'll take A away."

"A," Moses repeats.

"Again," I say, "I will tell you later. There's a whole story going on here."

"Okay," Moses says slowly. "Sound like an interesting story."

Moses tells me where he and A are. I thank him before ending the telepathic call and now calling Lafayette.

Lafayette:

"Come on," I say, tapping both my fingers against my arm and my foot against the wall. "Come on. Come on! A, where the heck are you?"

I look left and right but all I see is sand, sand, and more sand.

"There's no way A would go to the apartment," I think, "And I doubt there's anywhere else he would or even can go. I mean, no offense or anything, but A is broke."

As I keep leaning against the wall with my arms crossed, I start to hear a voice inside my head.

"Lafayette," Jacob says. "Lafayette!"

"Jacob," I say, pushing myself off the wall. "Yeah. I'm here. Uhh, sorry. I still don't have any of the stuff we need, but I will have it before tonight."

"There's no need," Jacob says.

"No need," I repeat. "Wait, what? What happen?"

"Moses captured A. The two are in a church in the western part of the city."

"Moses captured A? What! Wait, Moses? What is Moses even doing here in San Francisco to begin with?"

"I don't know but Lafayette, come on! This is the chance we have been waiting for! Once we capture A, you can leave this city! You can come back with us! After two long years, you can finally come back."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I say, coughing a little. I scratch the back of my head. "Uhh..."

"Lafayette, I'm going to teleport to that Church now. I expect to see you there."

"Wait! You can't go there yet!"

I cross my fingers and hope I manage to stop Jacob before he teleports away. Thankfully, it seems crossed fingers do work.

"Why not," he asks, still using his telepathic power to speak to me.

"Uhhh," I start, hitting my hand against my head over and over again. "Come on, Leia. Think of something. If Jacob captured A, then you'll have no reason to stay here. And I can't leave Alfred, Alieen, and Matt. At least, not like this."

"Lafayette," Jacob says. "Why can't I go the church yet?"

I hit my head with my hand until finally, an idea sparks.

"Because you can't go there empty-handed," I answer. "Think about it. We fought A many times before and even in a church, he's strong. Moses may have knocked A out but I think that's only because A doesn't remember Moses. On the chance that A wakes, we may need some extra protection. Besides Moses."

"I guess that is true," Jacob answers. "Okay. I'll wait, but whatever it is you're doing, stop it now! Grab what we need and get over here. We have been here too long now, and are drawing too much attention."

"How much attention is too much attention," I ask.

"Lafayette," Jacob starts, "I just spend the last hour wiping clean the memory of a panicking baker and her two customers while at the exact same time, wiping the bakery's floor to clean it of cakes, doughnuts, and melted ice creams. Moses owes me for this."

"Okay," I say, ending our telepathic call.

I don't even ask. I have something more important to do. Using my powers, I quickly teleport to the church to rescue A.

Lafayette:

Appearing in a puff of black smoke, I drop down on one of the rafters in the church’s ceiling. From high above, I can see A still on the ground. He’s curled into a ball. A sizzling, smoking, shaking ball on the church’s floor. Sitting in one of the church’s pews, not too far from A is Moses.

“He’s keeping a close eye on A,” I think, silently walking on top of the rafter. As I walk along the wooden rafter, I realize something.

“I’m walking with my knees crouched down and my hands at my side. Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah. Ezio Auditore. From Assassin’s Creed. Man. Who would have guessed all those times playing video games with Matt would have come in handy?”

As I keep walking along the rafter, I stop when I’m right above Moses.

“I can’t attack Moses. He’s one of my friends, and even if he isn’t, Jacob and everyone else would hate me if I did attack him. Also, he’s one of us and not an enemy. Unlike A. Who is an enemy. That I’m rescuing. From a friend. Okay. My head is starting to hurt.”

Feeling a slight headache, I shake it off and look back down.

“Moses is watching over A,” I think, “I could easily teleport A out of here but to do that, I need to reach him. And I rather do that without Moses knowing I was me who teleported him away. I need some way to distract him.”

I look down, not at Moses, but at my feet. I then look at my hands.

“Thank you, Matt,” I say after an idea sparks in my head. “And Assassin’s Creed.”

Spotting the confession booth against a wall of the church, I bring up one of my hands. Wiggling my fingers while making circles with my hand, I make myself a magical smoke bomb.

Winding my arm up, I throw the smoke bomb at the confession booth. My smoke bombs hit the curtain, going right through it before exploding and unleashing a thick, black smoke cloud. The black smoke spread out from beneath the curtain, and it doesn’t take Moses very long to see it.

“Ahh,” Moses says, jumping up from his seat. “What in the world?”

Running out from between the pews, Moses runs over to the confession booth and examines the smoke. He grabs and pushes open the curtain and the second he does, a wave of black smoke hits him right in the face.

Moses screams as he backs away from the confession booth.

“Sorry Moses,” I say, still watching from above. “I’ll be sure to clean your clothes afterward.”

Still watching as Moses coughs, he waves his hand and pushes the smoke back. While he does this, I jump down and teleport to A.

“Lafayette,” A says, still sizzling as I put my hands on him. “What--What are you--”

“Shh,” I say, putting my finger against my mouth. “Be quiet. I’m in enough trouble already, and the last thing I need is for Moses to see me helping you.”

“Help me,” A repeats. “Wait, Moses? You know that man over there? How? And--And you teleported! Just now! You teleported! You have powers too! Wait. Was it you? Were you...that shadow person? That explains it. That explains why you stopped fighting me at the gas station and took Alieen away! That explains why you stopped fighting when Alieen told us to stop! It was you! It was all you!”

“A please,” I say. I turn around and luckily, Moses is still distracted by the smoke. “A, please. Stop talking! I’m trying to help you here!”

“Help me,” A yells back. “You tried to kill me over and over again! Why would I--”

“Because Alieen is my friend,” I say, cutting A off. “At least, I think she still is. And right now, I think what Alieen need is to see you.”

A looks right at me. He looks at me as my words sink in. I can see the gears in his head turn as he still tries to make sense of everything. I turn around again and see the black smoke flying out.

“Moses is pushing the black smoke away. I have only a few seconds before I’m busted.”

“A,” I say. “It’s now or never. Take my hand.”

A looks at me and then at my hand. He nods and takes my hand. With that, I teleport away.

I teleport us back to A’s gas station. Screaming as he falls onto the ground, I stand with crossed arms and watch as A pushes himself up.

“I am...home,” A says once he’s back on his feet.

“Yeah,” I say. “Welcome back to your gas station.”

“I am surprised you have not destroyed it yet.”

“I’m--I was only after you. My mission was to find and capture you.”

“Your mission? What is your mission? Who are you? Who am I? Are we...human?”

“Yes,” I yell. “Of course, we’re human. At least, at one point, we were.”

“We were,” A repeats. He screams and slams his hands onto his head. He starts to pace back and forth.

“We were humans. Oh! Oh yeah! That makes total sense! We were human! And now! Now what are we?”

“I’m an angel,” I answer. As soon as A hears my answer, he stops dead in his track, with his foot in mid-air. Slowly, very slowly, A turns to face me.

“You’re a what?”

“I am an angel,” I answer.

Jacob:

Teleporting into the church, I see Moses kneeling on the floor in front of the priest’s stand. As I approach him, Moses stands back up.

“What happened,” I yell, looking around. “Where is A?”

“Gone,” Moses answers with a sigh.

“How? I thought his powers didn’t work inside the church.

“They don’t,” Moses says. He points at something behind me. I turn around and see the church’s confession booth. “Something happened and smoke started coming out of the confession booth. When I went to check on it, A disappeared all of a sudden.”

“Smoke started coming out of the confession booth,” I repeat, turning back to look at Moses. “Odd that it happened just as A is finally captured.”

“A,” Moses repeats.

“Oh yeah. I owe you an explanation. Meanwhile, you owe me for cleaning that whole bakery and for wiping the baker’s and her customers’ memory clean.”

“Hey, that wasn’t entirely my fault. Besides, I just wanted some doughnuts.”

I shake my head and explain that, according to Lafayette, for the last two years, he had been going by A.

“Speaking of Lafayette,” I say, looking around. “Where is she? In this whole world, there are only three of us that knew about A’s location. You, me, and Lafayette. And both A and Lafayette aren’t here.”

“Jacob,” Moses says. “You can’t be serious. Do you really think Lafayette would betray us?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” I answer. “Follow me.”

A:

“I do not think so,” I say. “You are no angel. You were quite harsh to me when we met for the first time. And many times after that.”

“The apartment wasn’t the first time we met,” Lafayette says. “We met almost a century ago.”

“A century,” I repeat. “How old are you? How old am I?”

“I can’t be sure how old you are, but I’m over 500 years old.”

“500 years old?”

“Yes. I was born in Bordeaux, France in the year 1508. I died about 20 years later. I was then reborn--”

“As an angel,” I finish. “You are not lying. Are you?”

Lafayette lowers her head and sighs.

“Yes,” she says. “I was reborn as an angel and granted special powers.”

“Like telekinesis and teleportation?”

“Those are the most basic powers.”

“Basic?”

“Basic,” Layafette says with a smile. Looking to the side, Lafayette shoots out her hand and lifts the whole price sign. She then slams it back down.

“Please be careful with that,” I say. “That is a part of my home.”

Lafayette shrugs her shoulders.

“So wait, I’m an angel. From up there?”

I point up before looking at the big, blue, bright sky.”

“No,” Lafayette says. “A, you’re actually from the opposite place.”

“The opposite,” I repeat, looking back down. As I look down, Lafayette points at the ground.

“A. You’re a demon from Hell.”

Lafayette:

2 Years Ago

Screaming as he grabs the sides of my head, he knees me in the head before using his telekinesis power to push me back. I scream again as I fly through the air. Rocketing through the air, I would have fallen back into the moral world but luckily, Jacob catches me in time.

Flying through the sky myself, blasting and destroying some demon minions on his way, Jacob pushes against the wind and shoots up, grabbing me.

"Lafayette," Jacob says, slapping me over and over. "Lafayette! Come on! Wake up! Wake up! Lafayette!"

"I'm awake," I say, pushing Jacob away. "I'm awake! I just..have a massive headache."

"I think we all do," Jacob replies. We turn around and see the sky filled with other angels and demons. In the middle of a raging war, Jacob, I, and the rest of us angels are doing our best to guard the gate of Heaven. However, the demons appear endless, and their leader seems almost invincible.

The demons' leader, with dark red skin, two massive horns, and dead eyes, knocks back a group of angels as they attempt to attack him. With a simple swing of his wings, he shoots out a wave of hellfire that pushes all the angles back. Screaming as they catch on fire, Jacob and I fly over to help them.

"Help the others," Jacob yells. "I'll hold him off!"

I nod my head and leave Jacob's side. While Jacob crashes into the leader and enters a fistfight with him, I fly toward the angles.

"Hold on," I say, reaching them as fast as I can. Their once white wings are now black and burning. Moving fast, I reach into my pocket for a bottle of holy water. I basically rip the cap off and then start to sprinkle their wings with the holy water. Their wings return to their original color, and the angels stop screaming.

"Are you okay," I ask. The last angle I helped didn't answer me right away. It takes a few minutes, the whole time, he's struggling to catch his breath.

"He's too strong," the angle pants. "I'm...I'm not sure how much longer we can keep them back!"

As I pat the back and try to comfort the angle, I hear a dinging sound and look up.

"Oh no! The gate!"

The demon minions, with similar red skin but smaller horns and no wings, had reached the gate leading to Heaven. Gathering together, they bang against the golden gate over and over.

"Stay here," I say, leaving the angle to recover. Flying to the gate before the demons can force it open, I shoot my hand into the sky and transform.

As a shining holy light overtakes my body, I feel myself grow in power. Beautiful white wings shoot out from my back and my shirt and pants are gone, replaced by a stunning white grown. Around my head, a golden crown appears. Once the transformation is complete, I use all my power to banish the demons.

Now shooting both my hands at all the demons, I unleash a beam of pure holy light. As it shines, it burns the demons, turning them into dust before the wind blows them away.

Dropping a little after using all that energy, I snap back up when I hear Jacob screaming.

"Jacob!"

I turn my head and see Jacob now flying through the air myself. Even in his upgraded form, a white knight with shining wings, Jacob isn't strong enough to defeat the leader. I watch as the leader flies toward Jacob. He grabs Jacob by the throat and strangles him.

"Noo," I yell. Placing my feet against the golden gate, I shoot off it and toward the leader. About to punch him, he shoots out his hand and grabs me by the throat. Now, the demon leader is strangling Jacob and me.

We both try to get out but no matter how hard we try, we can't break the leader's grip. Squeezing my fingers in between the leader's hand and my throat, I try to pry his hand off but it's no use.

"You cannot beat me," the demon leader states. Despite his mouth being sealed shut, his voice sounds like thunder as he talks. "Give me what Lucifer seeks, or I will bring more demons. Do you want to see your fellow angels harm?"

"We will never give it to you," I struggle to say. "It stays with us!"

The demon leader tightens his grip and now, I can't even talk anymore. Feeling the breath being squeezed out of me, I look the demon leader in his eyes.

"Angles or demons," the demon leader says, angling his head as he looks back at me. "Immortal or mortal. This will hurt quite a lot-"

Before the demon leader can finish, Jacob pulls something out from behind him. The thing turns out to be a dagger with a cross at the end of it. Rising the dagger into the air, Jacob stabs the demon leader in his arm.

He screams and lets both of us go.

"Lafayette," Jacob shouts. "Quickly! The holy water!"

While catching my breath, I reach into my pocket and pull out the bottle of holy water.

"There are only a few drops left," I say.

"It'll have to do! Come on! Throw it!"

I nod my head and throw what's left of the holy water at the demon leader. As the water hits him, he screams and skins as his red skin burns.

"Now," Jacob says. "Blast him with everything you got!"

Once more, nodding my head, I shoot out both my hands and focus as much holy light between them as I can. Jacob doing the exact same, focusing much more holy light than me. Together, we both blast the demon leader.

As we blast the demon leader with our combined attack, an explosive erupts that forces both of us to fly back. The demon leader screams as a bright light swallows him whole. It eats his wings, his horns, and turns him back into his human form. The bright light dies down a few minutes later and the demon leader starts to fall.

"Catch him," Jacob yells.

"On it," I yell, flying after the demon leader. Diving through the air, trying to catch the demon leader as he falls, something starts to happen. I feel myself grow tired. The world around me becomes blurry and very soon, I can't see anything. I try my best to ignore it but as I do, everything turns black.

"Ahh," I moan. I open my eyes and see color. It's all blurry and mashed together but it's still color. Rubbing my eyes as I push myself up, I'm surprised to see Jacob and me in our human forms.

"Jacob," I say. I start to push myself up but fall back down.

"Easy there," Jacob yells, running to catch me. Catching me in time, he slowly sets me down. As he does, my vision returns to normal and I see the two of us are in a city for some reason.

"Jacob," I say, shaking my head. "Ahh. What happened? Are we on Earth? Why are we here?

"You pass out," Jacob answers. "That blast we did took a lot of our powers. Luckily for me, I still had just enough to grab you and carry you down here."

"Down to Earth? Why Earth?"

"Because while trying to save you, I was also trying to grab the demon leader. However, I lost sight of him, and now I have no idea where he is."

"Shoot," I say, slamming my fist down. "We lost him."

"We lost him," Jacob sighs. Jacob lets me rest for a few minutes before helping me to my feet. "Come on. We should get back to Heaven and help the others."

Jacob jumps and hovers in the air. About to fly off, he stops when he sees me.

"Lafayette. What are you doing?"

"Go ahead of me," I say. "I'm staying behind."

"What!"

Hearing this, Jacob falls back down, his feet hitting solid ground.

"What do you mean you're staying behind?" Lafayette. You can't stay behind."

"No, I need to stay behind. It was my fault that we lost the demon leader. I need to fix this."

"Lafayette, we will fix this but not this way. You know the rule. We angels cannot stay here on Earth. It's too dangerous."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know the rule and the danger but the demon leader is a bigger danger. Even in his human form, he's incredibly powerful. Listen, Jacob. You're needed in Heaven. I'll stay here and see what I can find. I'll report to you daily. Okay?"

Jacob doesn't answer me at first. He shakes his head all over before finally saying it.

"Fine," he cries out, "You're right. The demon leader needs to be taken down before he can do any major damage, but promise me you will be careful. Here, on Earth, we angels or demons cannot harness our full powers. You'll be at a disadvantage if you fight the demon leader."

"Even at my full power, I'm still at a disadvantage."

"You're not exactly giving me confidence," Jacob says.

"Just go," I say, pointing up. "And don't worry, I'll be fine. Talk to you soon."

"I hope."

With that said, Jacob flies back up to Heaven. Meanwhile, I look over the city.

"Okay," I think, "Where to start?"

For the rest of the day and many days afterward, I wandered around the city, looking for any sign of the demon leader. I walk and fly and teleport all over but no matter how hard I look, I can't find him anywhere.

"Maybe he went back to Hell," I think as I walk down a busy street. "But no. If he had, then Heaven would be under attack, and Jacob would have called me. Maybe he left the city. No, that can't be it. Why would the demon leader leave this city? I mean, it's not like he had anywhere else to go. Come on. Think. Think!"

As I hit my head over and over, trying to think of any possible answer, I stop when I look up and see the setting sun.

"Shoot," I say, my hands falling to my sides. "Another day lost. I guess I should try and find a place to rest for the night."

I sigh as I look around for a bench to sleep on. When I see one and head straight for it, I accidentally bump into someone holding some bags. As I bump into her, her bags rip and all her stuff fall out.

"Oh shoot," the girl, medium-height with long black hair with tanned skin, says. She drops to her knees and grabs some rolling cans.

"Oh my god," I say, dropping onto my knees as well. I grab some boxes and some rolling cans myself and give them back to the girl. "Oh my god. I am so sorry!"

"No, no, no," the girl says. "It's fine. It's fine!"

We both scramble to grab everything before it can either roll away or be stepped on. Luckily, since it's the two of us, we manage to grab everything in a few seconds.

"Sorry," I say again, handing the girl a box of macaroni.

"No, it's fine," the girl says again. She smiles and takes the box of macaroni. "It was my fault. I brought a whole of food but only two bags. I was practically asking for this."

I laugh when I hear this. The girl laughs too.

"Hey, thank you for the help. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it."

I nod my head before leaving for the bench. Laying down on it as soon as I reach it, I jump when I hear a familiar voice.

"Wait," the girl says, suddenly appearing in front of me. "Do you...not have a home? Are you homeless?"

"Uhh," I start. "No, no, no. I'm not homeless. I just... can't go home at the moment."

"What?"

"I'm here to do something really important, I mean, really, really important, but I guess in my 'haste', I never thought of finding a place to stay. Oh wow. I can't believe I just now realizing that."

"Hmm," the girl says. As she says this, I see a smile grow across her face.

"Would you like to stay with me and my friends," the girl asks. "I mean, we're renting this apartment building but even with the three of us, we're still short a few hundred dollars. We need at least one more person. Care to fill the spot?"

I open my mouth to say something but strangely, nothing comes out. It feels like the words themselves got stuck in my throat. I have to close my mouth and clear my throat.

"I'm sorry about this," the girl says. "I know this may be a bit sudden but, I don't know, you seem like a decent person."

"A decent person," I repeat. "I hope so."

"I mean, you helped me pick up my food," the girl goes on. "You didn't have to but you did."

The girl smiles and offers me a handshake.

"My name is Alieen," Alieen says.

I don't know why but, for some reason, I feel like I can trust Alieen. I smile and shake Alieen's hand.

"I'm Lafayette," I reply. "So how much is the rent for the apartment?"

A:

"I--I--I'm a demon," I repeat. "From Hell?"

Lafayette nods her head.

"Yes," she says coldly. "You're a demon from Hell. I'm an angel from Heaven."

"And the reason I am even here is because of you?"

"Yes," Layafette says, nodding her head. "Two years ago, you led a charge against the Heavenly Gate. I, Jacob, and a few other angels all banded together to stop you. It took everything Jacob and I had just to knock you out. After we did, you fell from Heaven back onto Earth. I tried to follow after you but lost you. I've been looking for you since then."

"I--I cannot believe it," I say. I stare at my own two hands before staring at the ground. "But that would explain everything. My powers. Your powers. Even the holy water! I am a demon! I am a demon from Hell."

My legs feel weak. Unable to support me any longer, I drop to my knees

"A," Lafayette shouts. She runs to help me but I push her away.

"Why are you helping me," I shout. "You are an angel! I am a demon! We should not be talking with one another. In fact, we should be fighting one another! After all, this is why you are here! Is it not? Because you want to take me away! Well, come on then!"

I climb back onto my feet and stomp my foot, making a small hole in the ground. I raise both my hands before throwing a punch at Lafayette.

"A," Lafayette screams, jumping to the left. Dodging my punch, my fist instead goes straight to the wall of my gas station home. However, I could not care less. I pull out my fist and follow after Lafayette as she steps back.

"Come on," I yell again. "Fight me! Fight me!"

"A," Lafayette screams while dodging my punches. "Knock it off! I don't want to--"

Whatever Lafayette is about to say, I cut her off by throwing a telekinesis blast at her. She crosses her arms to block it but clearly, my power is stronger than her. My blast knocks Lafayette off her feet and to the ground. Even before she can get up, I run to her and grab her by her feet. Spinning around, I drag Lafayette across the burning-hot ground before throwing her to the side.

Despite all of this, Lafayette is not fighting back. Instead, she is trying to crawl away.

"What are you doing! Fight me! Fight me, you angel!"

Digging into the palm of my hand with my fingernails, I grind my teeth against each other as I stomp toward Lafayette. Lafayette does nothing as I grab her shoulder and pick her up. Pulling back my hand, about to shoot it forward, I stop when I see Layafette's face.

Layafette looked beaten. Her face is sweaty and red. Her hair is messy. She is breathing heavily as if she is exhausted. As I look at Lafayette, I start to feel my hand shaking. Turning my head, I see my fist is indeed shaking. It is not moving forward or back but shaking up and down.

"What--What is this," I ask. "Why is my hand shaking?"

I try to move my hand forward. I try to punch Lafayette but I cannot. As I look back at Lafayette, I lose the urge to fight. It is like the urge just vanishes. As it teleported away, and now, in its place is a feeling of...regret.

"Layafette," I say, letting go. "I am...I am so sorry."

As I let go of Lafayette, she falls to the ground.

"Lafayette!"

Dropping to the ground, I pick her up, my hand holding her head.

"Lafayette! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Lafayette does not answer me. All Lafayette does is moan.

"No, no, no," I say, looking at my hand. "No! Nooo! You may be an angel and I may be a demon, but nevertheless, you need my help."

I close my eyes and focus. I focus my power, channeling it into the hand. When I slowly open my eyes, I see my hand glowing. With my glowing hand, I wave it in front of Lafayette. As the glow moves from my hand to Lafayette, I watch as Layafette's face is restored to its original color. Her hair is combed and she is not breathing heavily anymore. She is breathing normally.

"Lafayette," I say, gently shaking her. "Lafayette! Please. Tell me you are okay. Please. Lafayette."

I keep shaking Lafayette until her eyes snap open.

"Oh my god," Lafayette screams, pushing me away. As she pushes me away, she gets back up onto her feet. "Please tell me we didn't kiss."

"No," I say, crossing my arms. "We did not kiss. We are enemies, and even if we are not enemies, you and I are not close."

Lafayette lets out a sigh as she wipes her forehead.

"Awesome," she says.

I shake my head as I look at Lafayette. Seeing that Lafayette is fully recovered, I feel like I can ask an important question.

"Why did you not fight back," I ask. Lafayette stops as soon as she hears this.

"What?"

"Why did you not fight back," I ask again. "The whole thing, when I was attacking you, you did nothing. We have similar powers, and I know you are not shy when it comes to a fight. So why did you not fight me? Is that not your mission? To capture me and take me back to Heaven?"

I hear Lafayette sighs again, only it is not a sigh of relief. She looks away, trying to hide her face by brushing her hair in front.

"Called it a leap of faith," Lafayette answers, still hiding her face.

"A what?"

"A leap of faith," Lafayette answers. "I wanted to see what you would do. What would happen if we fought and you won?"

"Why? Why would you do something so risky like that? I do not get it."

"I wanted to see if you would destroy me," Lafayette answers. She moves her hair aside and looks right at me. I look back at her and I can tell Lafayette is not lying. "I wanted to see if, somehow, being down here changed you. Like it changed me. A. The last time we fought, you were a merciless demon. You destroyed without so much as a second thought. You used your power to knock us angels around like we were bowling pins. Whenever we would see you, we fear for our lives, and we angels have close to eternity life."

As Lafayette goes on, I lower my head.

"Was that me?"

I only raise my head when I hear Layafette say next.

"But that's not you anymore. A, you changed. You didn't destroy me. You stopped. In fact, you not only stopped but you also healed me. I helped me, and I really appreciate it."

Layafette then nods at me. I cannot help but chuckle.

"Do not mention it," I say, nodding back.

With that said, Lafayette and I just look at each other.

"So now what," I asked. "Your mission is to capture me, right? Are you going to take me to the Heavenly Gate?"

"I have absolutely no idea what to do next," Lafayette answers, slapping herself on her forehead. "But I do know this. I need to talk with Jacob fast. Before he does anything else."

"Okay," I say. Lafayette turns around and bends her knees. About to fly off, I run and grab her hand.

"Wait, before you go, I have to know one last thing."

"What's that?"

"What is my name? Like, what is my real name?"

I am expecting an answer. I am expecting to finally learn my name. I am expecting something big. However, Lafayette only shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know,' Lafayette answers. "We just always called you the demon leader. Frankly, I don't even know where you came up with A."

"I found some papers in my pockets," I answer. "I could not make sense of the writing on them. The only letter I could make out is A."

"Oh. Well, yeah. I don't know your name."

I sigh and shake my head. Letting go of Layafette's hand, she flies into the air. I watch from my gas station as she flies and disappears into the city.

Alieen:

Hearing a knock at the front door, I put down my spoon and head toward the door. Grabbing and opening the door, I see a tall young man standing there. He had short brown hair and is wearing a red coat with an orange undershirt. He smiles and nods when he sees me.

"Excuse me," the young man starts. "My name is Jacob. I don't suppose, by chance, Lafayette is here. Is she?"

"No," I say, shaking my head. "Leia--Layafette isn't here. She left a few days ago and we haven't seen her since. I'm sorry."

I try to close the door but can't. Somehow, the door is now stuck. I throw my whole weight onto it but it won't move an inch.

"What the heck," I say. As I keep trying to close the door, I see Jacob still standing there. Only, he's not just standing there. Looking down, I see Jacob waving his hand around. The way Jacob is waving his hand, I recognize it almost instantly.

"A waved his hand like that when he used his telekinesis power," I think. "Oh no."

Now pushing against the door, trying to shut it, my feet scraping against the wooden floor, I look back up at Jacob.

"Oh my god," he says, his smile disappearing as he looks at me. "You know. Don't you?"

I give up on the door and turn around.

"Matt," I yell, running up the stairs. "Alfred! Call the police! We have an intruder!"

As I run up the stairs, I see the door opening and then Matt and Alfred coming out. Alfred is holding his cell phone.

"Alieen," Matt says. "What's going on?"

Reaching the top of the stairs, I'm about to tell the two about Jacob but before I can, I feel something grab my leg. Screaming as I fall to the floor, I'm then dragged down the stairs. Hitting each step until I reach the bottom, I push myself over and see Jacob standing in our hallway.

"Alieen," Matt shouts. He runs down the stairs after me. About halfway down, he places one hand on the wall and his other hand on the railing. He then throws himself into the air.

"Take this," Matt screams as he tries to kick Jacob but with Jacob's power, he catches Matt in mid-air. Now hovering, Matt looks down at me before looking at Jacob. "Oh boy."

Jacob looks up at Alfred as Alfred calls the police. Placing his finger on his thumb, Jacob flicks something invisible at him. Whatever it is, it hits Alfred and knocks his cell phone out of his hand. Alfred's phone breaks as it falls onto the stairs.

"I'll owe you a new phone," Jacob says, now picking up Alfred. Alfred tries to hold on by grabbing the railing but it's no use. Jacob's telekinesis is too strong. He pries Alfred's fingers from the railing and brings the three of us together.

"You all know," Jacob says. "Don't you? Lafayette, you reckless idiot."

Jacob turns his head around and whispers something to himself. As he whispers to himself, I turn to Matt and Alfred.

"What do we do," I ask. "We can't move."

"I would say cross our fingers," Matt answers, "But I can't even move my fingers."

"Just stay calm," Alfred says. "Just stay calm."

I nod my head as Jacob turns back to us.

"You three are coming with me," he says. "We need to have a long talk."

With that said, Jacob waves his hand in front of us. As he waves his hand, my eyelids start to feel heavy. I can't keep them up and before long, they close and I see nothing but a black void.

Lafayette:

Flying through the night sky, looking down at the busy city street, I slow down when I see my apartment building. At least, I hope it's still mine.

"Alfred and Matt don't know yet," I say to myself, "But I'll tell them. And maybe, just maybe, they'll forgive me."

I can't help but think about Alieen.

"Out of the three of them, I hope she forgives me."

Making sure there isn't anyone around, I fall and land directly in front of the stairs. Running up the stairs, I raise my hand and knock against the door. As I knock, the door slowly swings open.

"What the--," I say, stepping back as the whole door slowly swings itself open. Looking left and right but seeing no one, I prepare myself and step into the apartment building.

"Hello," I say, hiding a fist behind my back as I look around the empty hallway. "Alfred? Alieen? Matt? Anyone?"

No one answers me. The lights are still on and I see a bowl with mac and cheese on the kitchen counter. Walking over to it, I place my hand against the bowl.

"It's warm. Why would they leave a bowl of mac and cheese like this?"

I turn around and look at the hooks on the wall.

"Wait, they can't be gone? The car keys are still here."

I take a step toward the car keys but stop when I hear something crack. Feeling something under my foot, I step back and look down.

"No," I say, dropping to my knees. There, on the floor, is Alfred's phone. Picking it up, I turn it over and see a cracked screen. Besides the cracked screen, the phone still works. Pushing the power button, it comes on but what's on scares me.

"9-1-1," it reads.

"Alfred was calling 9-1-1," I tell myself. "Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. No!"

I shoot up to my feet and run up the stairs. Practically breaking through both of the bedroom doors, I look around for anyone but the two rooms are empty.

"They're gone," I say. "They're missing!"

I slam my hands against my head and fall to my knees. I can hear the sound of my panicking voice as I try to figure out what the hell happened.

"Where did they go? They should be home but they're gone. Someone must have taken them but no! That can't be right. There is no sign of a struggle. Everything is still neatly in its place. Also, from the looks of it, nothing was taken. All the drawers are closed. All the doors are shut. It couldn't have been a robbery. Could it have been A? No. No way. A, at least the current A, wouldn't do something like this. Besides, even with all his powers, he can't be in two places at once. And I left him at his gas station. So what? What happened here?"

I look at Alfred's phone still in my hand before letting my hands fall to my side.

"Could I have stopped this," I ask myself. "If I was here, then could I have stopped this?"

I ask myself this over and over, running through all sorts of different scenarios.

"Maybe," I start to think. "Maybe it would have been better if I never met Alieen."

I think back to the box of macaroni. I think back to the day I met Alieen. I think about what would have happened if I said no.

"What is the point of being an angel if I can't protect the people I care about?"

"Have a little bit of hope," a voice says, startling me. Hearing the voice, I jump to my feet and turn around. Prepare to swing my fist, I stop when I see the voice belongs to A.

"A," I shout, looking at A as he stands in the doorway. "A! Oh my god! Why are you here! Did you do this? So much for my leap of faith. Where are they?"

I take a step toward A but he quickly puts up his hands and backs away.

"Easy Lafayette," A says. "It was not me."

As A puts up his hand, I stop walking. It was weird to see the demon leader not wanting to fight.

"A really had changed," I think, lowering my hand. "But wait, if this really wasn't you, then why are you? Did you follow me here?"

"No," A says, shaking his head. "I did not follow you. Instead, this did."

A reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crumpled slip of paper. He hands it to me and I read it.

"Lafayette," the message starts. "I know it was you. I have them. You know where to meet me."

"In case you are wondering," A says, "That message fell from the sky above my gas station. Do you know who it is?"

"Yeah," I say, crushing the slip of paper in my hand. "I know who it is."

"Then lead the way," A says, stepping to the side.

"A. I can't have you following--"

"Alieen is missing," A says, cutting me off. "Alfred is missing, and as much as I do not like him, Matt is missing as well. Also, as much as I do not like you, I sense you will need help. After all, this is for you. It is not for me."

I look at the crushed slip in my hand.

"You're right," I say, sighing. "Aw, man. I can't believe I'm now working with the demon leader."

"I cannot believe that after two long years, I finally know who I am," A says. "But as Alieen told me, with or without my past, I choose who I want to be, and right now, I want to be the one that saved my friends. Our friends. So again, Lafayette. Lead the way."

Lafayette:

It feels different this time. I come here all the time to meet up with Jacob but, today, it feels different. As I push open the glass door, I hear the bell ring and the first thing to hit me is the smell of greasy foods. Normally, I would be a little happy to be here. Despite the meetings with Jacob to discuss my lack of progress in locating A, I would still use this as an excuse to order myself a milkshake with extra whipped cream. This time though, I don't want a milkshake.

I turn my head and as expected, Jacob is sitting in our usual booth, the one closest to the end of the small dinner. Walking toward the booth, I turn left and right but don't see anyone else. It makes sense considering it's so late at night. According to the schedule posted on the door, the dinner will close in less than 10 minutes. Still, I thought I would at least see Samo, the owner and chef of the dinner. Every time Jacob and I would come here, I would see Samo standing behind the counter, grilling or frying something. The fact that he isn't here this time scares me.

"Hello Lafayette," Jacob says as soon as he sees me. He looks up from his order of french fries in a foam container. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Really," I ask, taking the seat opposite to Jacob. "You're surprised to see me? Wasn't that the point of kidnapping my friends and leaving that note?"

Jacob shakes his head as he takes another French fry and throws it into his mouth. I have to wait as Jacob chews on his fry.

"I told you," Jacob says after he swallows. "I told you it was dangerous to be down here for too long. I never should have allowed you to come down here to begin with."

"Yeah, well it's too late now," I say. "You did allow me to come down here, and for that, I am beyond thankful. Now, tell me where Alieen, Matt, and Alfred are!"

"No," Jacob says, pushing the French fries out of the way.

  "Jacob," I yell, standing up and slamming my fist onto the table. I guess Jacob must have seen this coming, hence why he moved the fries. "This isn't like you! Why did you take them to begin with?"

"It's because they know too much," Jacob shouts back. "You told them!"

"I never told them anything!"

"You can't lie to me Lafayette!"

"I'm not lying! They...know about A but they don't know about me. At least, not Matt and Alfred. Alieen knows a little."

"What do you mean by 'a little'?"

I sigh as I sit back down and rub the sides of my head.

"Alieen knows I have powers but that's it. She doesn't know anything else. Still, that's no reason to kidnap them!"

"What is the rule, Lafayette? What is the rule? Did you forget?"

"No. I didn't forget."

"Then tell me. Tell me what the rule is. Tell me what is the one rule we angles must all follow whenever we come down here to Earth?"

"It's--," I start, looking away. "It's--"

"What is it," Jacob yells. "Tell me."

"It's don't get close," I say. "The rule is not to get close to the humans."

"And you broke that rule," Jacob says. "That's why you're leaving. You're going back to Heaven. You, me, and A."

"And what about my friends? What will happen to them?"

"Those three will have their memories wiped," Jacob answers. He said it so coldly that I shivered. "Alieen, Matt, and Alfred will have their memory wiped. The last two years will be nothing but a blank for them. They won't remember you, A, or anything about you two."

As I let Jacob's words sink in, I raise my head. I stop looking at the table and look Jacob right in his eyes.

"No," I say.

"What?"

"No," I repeat. "I am not going back to Heaven. And you will not erase anyone's memory. Jacob, I am sorry, but I cannot let any of that happen."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Jacob's hands shaking. His mouth is closed but I can still hear the sound of his teeth as they grind against each other. Staring Jacob right in the eyes, I see a hint of red.

"Again," I say, "Jacob. I am so, so sorry about all of this. I really am, and I will never forget anything you have done for me, but I just can't. I can't go back to Heaven. At least, not yet."

"So that's your choice," Jacob whispers. "Fine then. I wanted to do this peacefully. I didn't want this to lead to a fight but I guess it can't be helped."

While still looking at Jacob, I notice the glass window behind him. I see Moses quietly getting up from one of the booths. He's quietly walking toward me with his hands open.

"Yeah," I say. "I guess it can't be helped. Jacob."

"Lafayette," Jacob says with a nod.

Moving fast, I shoot out my hand and pick up the foam container with all the French fries. Throwing them at Jacob, he raises his hands to shield himself. While Jacob is busy shielding himself, I get up and turn to face Moses. Cupping my hands together, I throw a telekinesis ball but Moses quickly deflects it. Literally swinging it out of the way, my telekinesis ball hits the counter, knocking off a bunch of napkin holders and ketchup bottles. Cupping his own hands together, Moses makes a telekinesis ball too, and throws it at me. I try to deflect it like Moses but his power is stronger than mine. I scream as Moses's telekinesis ball kicks me out of the dinner.

I moan as I push myself off of broken glass. Struggling to catch my breath, I turn to see Moses and Jacob flying out of the broken window. They land only a few feet away from me. They both watch me as I push myself up with shaking arms, standing there with crossed arms.

"You can't beat me or Moses," Jacob says. "We're both stronger than you. Just give it up, Lafayette. You lose."

"Maybe I will lose," I say, pushing myself onto my feet. "But I think we at least have a better chance."

"We," Jacob repeats.

"We," I repeat with a weak smile. Seeing behind the two, I jump onto the ground and lay flat against it.

Jacob:

Watching as Lafayette jumps onto the ground and lays on it, I turn around and see a whole lamppost swinging toward us.

"Watch out," I yell, flying out of the way.

"What," Moses says, turning around. As he turns around, Moses sees the incoming lamppost and tries to fly out of the way too but it's too late. The two of us are hit by the lamppost. Screaming as I roll through the air, I manage to flip through it and catch myself, my feet landing on the parking lot. I look up and see A standing with a lamppost in his arms.

"You have our friends," A says, grabbing and helping Lafayette back to her feet. "And we want them back."

Looking at Lafayette as she stands side-by-side with A, I shake my head.

"I can't believe you," I say.

"I'm sorry Jacob," Lafayette says, "But as A said, you have our friends. And we want them back."

A:

Jumping and flying into the air, Jacob and Moses charge toward Lafayette and me. I swing the lamppost in my hands but Moses flies underneath and uppercuts me. I drop the lamppost as I am thrown into the air. While Moses follows after me, Jacob tackles Lafayette, pushing her to the ground before rolling and throwing her somewhere.

"Lafayette," I shout. I want to go and help her but I cannot. Hearing a battle cry, I look down to see Moses approaching me from below. Pulling back his fist, I pull back my own fist and throw it forward. Our fists collide and send a powerful shockwave throughout the cold night sky. However, I am only slightly pushed back. Moses, on the other hand, is sent falling down. He lands back in the parking lot a few seconds later, disappearing in a massive dust cloud. Flying toward the dust cloud, I stop myself from entering it. Instead, I swing my hand, grabbing and throwing all the dust away. As I throw the dust away, I see a large empty pothole.

"Empty," I yell. "Where did he go?"

I snap left and right, searching for what the man known as Moses could have gone but do not see him anywhere. I close my eyes and listen. As I focus on my listening, I hear the sound of someone grunting. Following the sound, I turn around to see Moses picking up a whole truck. Standing underneath the truck, raising it with both his hands, Moses then throws the red pickup truck at me. Using my telekinesis power, I grab the red truck and throw it to the side. Turning back to Moses, I see him once again charging toward me.

I swing my arm, trying to punch Moses but Moses jumps into the air, flying right over me. Now, hovering behind me, Moses wraps one of his arms around my neck. Strangling me, I grab Moses's arm and prepare to throw him but before I can, Moses shoves something against my back. Whatever he shoves against my back burns my skin.

I scream as the sound of sizzling is burnt into my ears. Biting my lips, I shake right and left before throwing Moses off of me. Moses flips through the air for a few seconds before stopping. Turning around, I can see what Moses is holding.

"A cross," I say, eyeing a medium-sized, yellow cross right in Moses's hand. He clutches the cross tightly in his hand as he brings it up. "Shoot."

I rub the still-burning spot on my back. As my fingers touch it, it shoots out an almost unbearable pain. To stop myself from screaming again, I have to bite my tongue. Breathing in and out through my nose, I cross my arms as Moses charges toward me again.

Lafayette:

Screaming as Jacob punches me, I fall to the parking lot ground, skidding against the cold stone. Even before I can push myself up, Jacob grabs and raises me up. Holding me face-to-face with him, I can see red in Jacob's eyes. Jacob doesn't even hesitate as he places his hand against my chest.

Shooting out a telekinesis blast, the blast carries me back into dinner. Falling onto the counter, I slide along it, hitting all sorts of things like ketchup bottles and napkin holders. I, the ketchup bottles, and the napkin holders all slide along the counter until we hit a wall and fall onto the floor.

"Ahhh," I sigh. Shaking some ketchup off my hand as I push myself up, I look up to see Jacob slowly flying in through the broken window.

"You choose this path," Jacob shouts. "You made me and Moses do this. You had a mission but you chose to abandon it!"

"I didn't abandon the mission," I yell, pushing myself back onto my feet. Once I'm back on my feet, I wipe my mouth. "My mission was to find the demon leader and bring him to you. I find the demon leader."

"And what," Jacob says, cutting me off. "You brought him to me?"

"No," I say. "I found the demon leader but he's not the demon leader anymore. He's A now, and he's not a bad person. Come on, Jacob. You must have seen it yourself!"

Jacob doesn't cut me off this time. Instead, he puts his hands together before throwing another telekinesis blast at me. I cross my arms and manage to block it but Jacob's blast is still powerful. My feet slide against the tilted floor as I hit the wall again.

"Yeah! I've seen it myself! I've seen 'A' very stupidly use his powers in public! Public! People saw him! They saw him, and if it wasn't for me, we all would have been exposed! Do you know what would happen if people found out angels and demons are real! The world would be thrown into chaos! A may have tried to do something right but that does not excuse what he also almost did! A, no! The demon leader had to be taken in. And your friends. They must have their memory wiped. That is final. You should be lucky that Moses and I haven't told anyone about this yet!"

"Yeah," I say, uncrossing my stinging arms. "I feel so lucky right now."

Out of breath already and barely able to stand on my shaking legs, I look at Jacob as he stands in front of me. His eyes are still burning red and he looks more than ready to throw another telekinesis blast. He's not panting and his legs are like stubborn trees.

"Just give up," Jacob says. "Did you forget? I was the one who taught you how to use your powers."

"Yeah," I say, dropping onto one of my knees. Slamming my whole hand down onto the floor, I start to shake it. Looking up, I face Jacob.

"Yeah. You were the one that taught me how to use my powers."

I keep my head straight but I look a little to the side. To Jacob's left side, I see something slowly rise up from behind the counter. It pulls itself back, waiting for my signal.

"But it was Matt who picked the movie, Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Have you ever seen it?"

"What?"

The giant green and black snake, the anaconda, answers Jacob for me. It lunges at Jacob, biting his face before wrapping itself around him. Jacob screams as the anaconda forces him onto the floor.

Jacob:

"Ahhh," I cry as the giant snake tightens itself around. Forcing the breath out of me, I use my power of flight to get myself back onto my feet. Once back on my feet, I try to pry the snake off of me but it's stronger than it seems.

"What is this," I yell. "Is this...a giant snake?"

"It's called an anaconda," Lafayette yells. I look back to see Lafayette back on her feet. As she climbs back onto her feet, she puts her hands together and prepares a telekinesis blast. I try to break free of the giant anaconda but it's no use. Lafayette throws the telekinesis blast, knocking both me and the anaconda back.

The two of us fly through a booth and table before hitting the floor. As the snake and I hit the floor, I see the broken table. More precisely, a sharp edge where the top of the table had broken off. Even without my hands, I can still use my telekinesis power. Using my telekinesis power, I pick up the table and use the sharp edge to impale the snake's head. The metal goes right through the top of the head, through the mouth, and out the bottom.

I can finally see everything again as the anaconda fades away. However, the first thing I see is some sort of tall, green humanoid with long black hair and a large silver helmet.

"What are you supposed to be?"

"Another movie favorite of Matt," Lafayette answers. "Jacob. Meet the Predator from the Predator movies series."

I don't even have time to ask. The predator, whatever it is, growls something before something else shoots out from his shoulder. The thing, looking like some sort of sci-fi laser gun, fires.

"It is a laser gun!"

I cross my arms as a large blue and white laser beam hits me. I scream as I push my skidding feet against the floor. As if the laser beam isn't annoying already, now Lafayette is using her telekinesis to pick things up and throw them at me. I cry out as a whole seat is thrown at me.

"That's enough," I shout. Pulling everything in, I curl into a ball before shooting everything out. Unleashing a shockwave, I destroy the Predator and knock Lafayette back. As I unleash the shockwave filled with holy energy, it causes the whole dinner to shake uncontrollably. The windows are all shattered and glass flies everywhere. The counter is completely destroyed and what booths and tables aren't destroyed are now nothing more than torn leather, broken metals, and bits of firewood 

"That is enough," I shout again, walking over to a down Lafayette. Glowing with pure holy energy, I grab Lafayette by the throat and raise her up.

"Lafayette," I say, bringing her close to me. "I taught you everything you know but I have never taught you how to do this."

I'm still unable to transform fully but I can still use this enhanced form to slowly pull the holy energy right out of Lafayette's body.

A:

Screaming as Moses punches me across the face, I stumble back while holding my chin.

"Ahh," I moan, feeling the burning on my chin. I look back at Moses to see him still holding the yellow cross. Still looking at Moses as he puts his hands together, he pulls back one of his hands before throwing it forward. Recognizing the move, I cross my arms and brace myself. As expected, Moses threw a telekinesis ball.

The telekinesis ball hits me, almost knocking me off my floor. However, despite skidding against the ground, I stay on my feet. Copying Moses, I put my own hands together, summoning my own telekinesis ball. Pulling back one of my arms, I throw it at Moses. Moses copies me and crosses his arms but unlike me, he can't withstand it. Moses is knocked off his feet and thrown onto the ground. As he is rolling away, I hear Lafayette screams. Turning my head, I see both Lafayette and Jacob in the dinner.

From where I am standing, Jacob is doing something to Lafayette. His hand is in her stomach. It looks like he is trying to pull something out of Lafayette. Running but stopping, I turn to see a small car. Placing my hand underneath the front of it, I throw it at Jacob. The car flips through the air as it crashes into the dinner. As the car crashes into the dinner, breaking all the windows and knocking down the roof, it grabs Jacob's attention and forces him to back away from Lafayette.

With Jacob away from Lafayette, I use my power to teleport, appearing right in front of Lafayette.

"Lafayette," I say, dropping down to my knees. Whatever Jacob did, it knocked Lafayette to the ground. As I try to help her up, I can see she is exhausted. She is breathing heavily and sweating. "Lafayette. Are you okay?"

Lafayette tries to answer me but she doesn't. Instead, she is gasping for air. It takes a while but finally, Lafayette can answer me, but it is only in small breath.

"Jacob," she starts, "Jacob...took...my power..."

"Jacob took your power," I say. "Your angel power?"

Lafayette nods her head.

"Can you still fight?"

Still time, Lafayette shakes her head. She points at me and then at Jacob and Moses. I do not even have to read her mind to know what she is saying.

"I am on my own," I say. I look at Jacob but he is still somehow buried beneath the car. Seeing a small opening, I grab Lafayette's arm and put it around me.

"I am teleporting you out of here."

"No...," Lafayette moans. "The...The others...Alieen...Matt...Alfred...Need...us..."

"Exactly. They need us. That means you cannot be captured by your old friends. Hold on."

As I prepare to teleport away, Lafayette and I jump when the car I threw explodes. Scrap metals and glass flying toward us, I stand in front and hold out my hands. Using my own body as a shield, I protect Lafayette from any of the shrapnel. Waving the smoke away, I see Jacob walking through the two halves of the broken car.

"You," he says just before jumping and flying toward me. I look to the side and see one of the broken dinner chairs. Quickly picking it up, I grab the end with the metal pipe and swing it, hitting Jacob with the seat.

Screaming as he flies out of the dinner, Jacob bounces up and down before stopping inside the parking lot. Dropping the dinner chair, I look back at Lafayette.

"Come on," I yell. I try to grab Lafayette but she pushes me away.

"No," she yells, startling me. As I step back, Lafayette falls back onto the floor, once again gasping for air. "I...I'm...I'm not leaving..."

With shaking arms, Lafayette pushes herself up and crawls behind the counter. I follow her, hiding behind the counter as Lafayette slams her back against it. I do a quick look around and see a bottle of soda. Using my telekinesis, I make the bottle fly into my hand. I practically rip off the cap and give it to Lafayette.

"Here. Drink this."

Lafayette takes the bottle from me and drinks it. I wait until Lafayette is finished before talking again.

"Lafayette," I start, taking the empty bottle and throwing it to the side. "I need help. I cannot do this by myself. Moses and Jacob. Maybe I can handle them one at a time, but together, that is impossible. I need your help."

"No," Lafayette moans. "You...You don't need...my help. A...You were...No...You still are...the Demon Leader..."

"The who?"

"The Demon Leader...One of...the most powerful demons we have ever faced...You have unbelievable powers...You need to use them..."

"I have unbelievable powers," I repeat. "Wait, what? Lafayette. What are you talking about?"

"You're not just a demon," Lafayette shouts. "You're...a Demon Leader...Remember...what I told you? You lead a charge against the Heavenly Gate?"

As Lafayette talks, I think back to what she told me before. She told me I lead a charge against the Heavenly Gate. How Lafayette, Jacob, and a few more angels had to band together just to knock me out.

"If what Lafayette is telling is true," I think, looking at my hands. "And I hope what she is saying is true, then I have to remember how to use my powers. My true power."

I look back at Lafayette but she appears to be sleeping. All the talking must have drained whatever energy Her eyes are closed and she's leaning against the counter.

"Stay safe," I say, "And do not worry. For what it is worth, I will get our friends back. You have my words."

I reach into my pocket and pull out a slip of paper. Grabbing Lafayette's hand, I place it in her hand. Getting back up, standing now, I use my power and teleport outside. As expected, Jacob and Moses are standing outside, waiting for me.

"Are you ready to surrender," Jacob asks, he and Moses bending their knees and bringing up their fists. Seeing this, I bend my knees too and bring up my fists.

"No," I answer. "I am not ready to surrender. Not until I have my friends back."

"Your friends," Jacob repeats. "Demons don't have friends."

"I am not just a demon," I say. "Apparently, I am a Demon Leader!"

Pushing myself off the ground, I jump into the air before slamming my fist down. Jacob and Moses jump out of the way, and I make a hole in the dinner's parking lot. While down on my knees, pulling my fist out of the ground, Moses grabs me from behind.

"Jacob, catch!"

Moses throws Jacob the crosses before grabbing and holding me from behind. Jacob charges forward, and with the cross in his hands, slams it against my chest. Immediately, I feel the cross burning against me.

Screaming and shaking as the cross burns me, I raise both my legs and kick them against Jacob. Kicking Jacob away, I also managed to push Moses back. Rolling onto Moses, I knock him down before rolling off of him. Landing on my feet, I hold my chest.

"Ahh," I cry, looking down. Almost my whole chest is red and burnt with smoke coming off of it. Having to fight through the pain as I lower my hand, I look at Jacob and Moses as they pull themselves up.

"Jacob is still holding the cross," I think. "He is the bigger threat. Unless Moses had another cross or some holy water, my best bet is to defeat Moses first."

As I watch Jacob and Moses prepare for another round, I stare at my hands.

"That is, unless, I can remember how to use my hidden powers. Come on. Come on."

I stretch my fingers, hoping to trigger something, but no matter what I do, I cannot seem to use whatever powers I had before.

"Shoot. Okay. I guess I will use what I already know."

Looking back at Jacob, I shoot out my hands and fire a white mist at him. Swinging one of his arms out in front, Jacob tries to shield himself but instead, gets covered in ice.

"What the--," Jacob yells as he tries to get free. While Jacob is stuck in ice, I fly toward Moses. Flying past him, I summon a telekinesis ball and throw it at Moses's back. Moses seeing me jumps into the air. He jumps into the air, dodging my attack. While in mid-air, I look up to see Moses start to glow.

"Oh no," I say, landing on my feet. Moses landing on his feet shoots out his hand. Seeing a telekinesis blast incoming, I shoot out my hand to try and catch it but this blast is stronger than before. As I try to catch it, the blast pushes my hand back and into my chest. I can feel my own breath begin forced out of me. Out of breath and sliding along the cold ground, I only stop when I hit a curb.

As I push myself up, I see Jacob glowing, and a few seconds later, he breaks right free of my ice trap.

"Oh no," I say again.

The two charges toward me. They reach me in seconds and immediately start throwing punches. All I see are flashes as I bounce in between the two. Barely seeing Jacob as he uppercuts me, I fly into the air before landing with a loud thud.

As I lay still on the ground, I feel a familiar burning pain beneath my face. Biting my tongue as I move my hand, I rub my chin and scream. It takes almost everything I have left to pull myself up. Sitting on the ground, I look at Jacob with the cross in his hand.

"He's defeated," Moses says. "Come on. Let's grab him and take him away."

He and Jacob walk over to me and pick me up. As the two grab my arms and pick me up, I try to shake them off but Jacob slams the cross against my back and burns me, draining me of all my powers.

"I'll go and get Leia," Jacob says, letting go of my arm. "She must pay for what she did. And I must remember to erase the memories of Leia's friends."

As I listen to the sound of Jacob's footsteps getting further and further away, I start to grind my teeth.

"Lafayette," I think. "Lafayette. She was a horrible person to me. She hated me. She wanted me to leave. She attacked me over and over, but she is important. She is important to Alieen. And Alfred. And Matt. Lafayette is important to my friends. And I gave her my words."

Jacob:

As I walk back to the dinner to get Leia, I hear the sound of Moses screaming and quickly turn around.

"What the--," I say, seeing Moses begin thrown into the air before landing on the ground with a thundering thud. Moses, now lying in a crater, loses his heavenly glow. A few seconds later, he drops the cross I gave him. I'm about to run and grab it but before I can, A stomps his foot and stops me.

A, who seems different now, picks up the cross. Despite the smoke coming off from A's hand, A still picks it up. He picks it up and throws it to the side. Looking at the cross as it flies through the air, I rush to grab it. Flying to the cross, about to catch it, A appears in front of me and grabs me by the throat. He then raises me high into the air before slamming me down into the ground, exactly like Moses.

A lets go of my neck and then grabs my leg before swinging me around.

A/N Happy holiday everyone. I hope you enjoy this present.

Jacob:

I scream as A swings me through the air. Pulling back my hand, about to blast A with a telekinesis ball, he must have seen it coming. A lets go of my leg and even before I realize it, I'm skidding against the parking lot, leaving behind a massive trail.

Moaning as I push myself up, I hear the sound of heavy stomping. Still pushing myself up, I turn to see A walking toward me, leaving deep footsteps on the ground. Reaching me before I can get up, A kicks me into the air. While flipping through the air, A shoots out his hand and grabs me.

Squeezing me now, forcing the breath out of me, A then pulls his hand behind him. I follow, flying higher into the sky. As A throws his hand back in front, I'm being thrown back onto the parking lot.

Despite the headaches, back pain, and everything else, I still raise my head. I now see A swinging his hand back and forth. As he does this, I'm now being dragged against the cold black ground. As A drags me around, I scream into the air.

Powering myself up, encasing myself in a holy glow, I shoot out my arms and break out of A's telekinesis grip. Quickly pushing myself up, before A can do anything else, I turn around and face A.

A is slightly red and steaming. I am glowing a pale yellow and white. As we stand and stare at each other, we both pull back our hands. Throwing our hands out, we both unleash attack.

Even with his memory loss, A somehow shoots a blaze of fire at me. I fire a beam of light at A but the fire quickly eats it. Seeing the blaze as it gets closer to me, I change plans and stomp my foot on the ground, cracks appearing all around me. I slam my hands into the cracks and pull out a large piece of ground.

Throwing the piece, it travels through the fire and at A. The piece of ground hits A, knocking him back a little. It forces A to pull back his hands and stop the fire. The second the fire stops and I can see A, I charge toward him. Screaming as I charge, I pull back my fist before throwing it forward.

A flips through the air after I hit me. He bounces up and down a few times before catching himself. I follow him, pulling back my arm. Throwing it forward, hoping to punch A again, A moves faster than expected.

A steps back and dodges my punch. As he steps back, A turns around and swings his arm. I shoot my arm up and block A's swing. A turns counter-clockwise and jumps into the air. He shoots out his hands and unleashes another blaze of hellfire.

To dodge the hellfire, I jump and fly into the air. I try to fly away from the hellfire but A grabs my foot before I can and throws me into the hellfire. Immediately, I feel the effect of the hellfire as it burns its way through my glow.

I scream and shake as the hellfire cooks me.

"Ahhhh!"

A:

I scream as I shoot fire from my hands, burning Jacob. As the hot flame hits me, Jacob loses his glow and starts turning red.

"Ahhh," he screams, his skin catching on fire. He shaking and twitching uncontrollably. He screaming so loud, it is the only thing I can hear. As I watch Jacob burns, I could not help but smile.

"Hahaha," I laugh. "Hahahahaha!"

There is something oddly satisfying about this. The more I watched it, the more I could not stop laughing.

"Why am I laughing," I ask myself. "I have never laughed before. And why am I laughing at this? Jacob. He...he took Alieen. He took Alfred. He took Matt. He hurt Lafayette. He is my enemy but still. I should not--I should not be doing this!"

I try to stop. I try to take a step back but it feels like something is keeping me still. It is keeping my feet glued to the ground. It is keeping my hands out. It is telling me not to stop.

"A," someone yells. "A!"

I turn around and see Lafayette standing in the destroyed dinner. She is standing but barely. With one hand on her hip, Lafayette is using her other hand to grab onto a seat for support.

"A," Lafayette says, looking right at me. "Stop."

"Stop," Lafayette tells me.

"Stop," I tell myself. "Stop!"

I do not know what it is but whatever it was, I break free of it and stop. I stop shooting fire at Jacob. I pull back my hands and take a step back. As I step back, away from Jacob, the fire around him dies down. However, even with the fire gone, Jacob is still red. He is smoking and shaking uncontrollably.

I waste no time and run to Jacob. Dropping to my knee, I hold my hands over Jacob and heal him. Jacob is encased in another glow but this time, it is mine. The glow slowly heals Jacob's wound. His skin turns back to its previous color. Jacob stops shaking. A few seconds later, his eyes snap open. When they do, I step back.

"Did you," Jacob says, pushing himself up. "Did you heal me? Why?"

"It is because you are important to her," I answer, pointing. Jacob follows my finger and sees Lafayette. "Despite what you did, you are still important to her. She told me to stop and I did. And that is the only reason."

I turn when I hear something and see Lafayette limping toward us. She stops by my side and I act as a support for her.

"Jacob," she says. "Please. Listen to me. Even if you have no reason to."

Jacob, now back on his feet, prepares a telekinesis blast. He pulls back his hand and holds the blast but does not throw it. He looks at me but I do not move. My hands are busy making sure Lafayette does not fall over.

He looks at me and then at Lafayette for a few seconds before sighing. His hand opens and the telekinesis blast vanishes.

"I'm listening," Jacob says. Lafayette looks at me and then at Jacob.

"I know I broke the most important rule," Lafayette starts. "Bonding with people. And even worse, I worked with a demon. And not just any demon, but a demon leader. But even with all of that, I need you to stop everything. I need you and Moses to stop everything. Leave A alone. He's not a threat anymore. And I need you to let go of our friends. And not erase their memories. I want them to remember everything."

"Leia," Jacob says. "You know I can't do that. A. He is--"

"He is not the demon leader anymore," Lafayette shouts, cutting Jacob off. "If he was, then he would have destroyed him, but he didn't. A stopped. He stopped and healed you. I don't know what happened but A and the demon leader from two years ago aren't the same person. A is someone else. He chooses to be someone else."

"Maybe," Jacob says, "But even if that is true, I can't just let him go! We both know what the demon leader is capable of! He was one of Lucifer's top demons."

"I was?"

Lafayette puts up her hand. I think she wants me to stay silent so I do.

"Then I'll watch over him," Lafayette says. "I'll stay here and watch over A. He...He trusts me."

Lafayette turns to me.

"Do you?"

I look right back at Lafayette. I then look up and meet Jacob's eyes.

"I do," I answer. "I trust Lafayette."

Seeing this, and hearing my answer, seems to ease Jacob. He lowers his hands and stands up.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jacob says with a shaking head. "But fine. Your mission was to find A to begin with. Now, Lafayette, your mission is to watch over him and make sure A stays A. Got it?"

"Yes," Lafayette nods.

Jacob turns but stops. He looks at Lafayette. As Jacob looks at her, he raises his hand. A bright glowing ball appears, hovering over Jacob's hand.

"Here," Jacob says, throwing the ball. It flies through the air and into Lafayette, hitting her in the chest. As soon as it hits her, Lafayette glows. She glows brightly and can stand up fully now.

"What happened," I ask. I take a step toward Jacob but Lafayette stops me.

"No," she says. "It's not what you think. Jacob just give me my powers back. Thank you, Jacob."

"Don't mention it," Jacob says. "I mean, like literally, don't mention it. To anyone!"

Lafayette nods her head. We watch for a bit as Jacob walks over to Moses. He shakes Moses and wakes him up. The two talk for a while before Jacob helps Moses onto his feet. The two then start to walk away.

"Wait," I shout. "What about Alieen and the others? Where are they? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Jacob answers. He nudges his head toward the diner. "They're in the cooler."

"The cooler," Lafayette repeats.

"Don't worry. They're in the cooler but they're fine. A little holy protection, if you will."

Lafayette and I turn our heads to the dinner. When I turn back, I see that Jacob and Moses are gone. Whether they flew away or teleported, it does not matter.

"Come on," I say, running toward the dinner. Lafayette follows me and together, we run through the giant hole in the side and around the counter. Now in the back, we come across a large metal door. About to grab the door and rip it off, Lafayette stops me. She leans forward and grabs a metal stick with a chain attached to it.

"It's not locked."

Pushing me to the side, Lafayette grabs the metal door and pulls it open. The second it is open, we run inside and see the three.

"Alieen," I shout. "Alfred! Matt! And you?"

For some reason, with the three is an elderly, bald man with an apron, a white shirt, and striped pants.

"Who is this?"

"That's Samo," Lafayette answers. "He's the owner and chef of this dinner."

"Oh. Well, uh..."

I step over the owner and kneel in first of Alieen. I did not see it at first but now that I am right in front of Alieen, I see a strange glowing coming off of them. As I place my hand on Alieen's shoulder, the glow vanishes and Alieen wakes up. Lafayette places her hands on Alfred and Matt and their glows disappear too.

"Ahh," they moan. "Lafayette? A! Wait, what's going on? Where are we? Who's this guy?"

"His name is Samo," I answer. "Apparently. I cannot be sure."

"A," Alieen says. "And Lafayette! Wait, are you two--"

"We're okay," Lafayette answers. She looks at me and smiles. I smile and nod my head.

"Wait," Matt says, pointing at me and Lafayette. "Are you two--"

"No," Lafayette shouts. "No! Oh, come on Matt."

"Okay," Alfred says, using the frozen shelves to climb up. "Cleary, we're missing something. So, before the three of us freeze to death, let's grab this guy, carry him out of here, go home, and then you two can explain what the heck is going on. Deal?"

"Deal," Lafayette says. Lafayette and I then carry Samo out of his cooler. He wakes up when we pick him up but Lafayette does something and he is sleeping again.

"I'll explain back at the apartment," she says as she and I gently place Samo down in one of the booths. After we place Samo down, Lafayette sighs and looks around the diner.

"Aw, man," she says. "I like coming here."

She sighs again before we all teleport away.

A/N I just want to say thank you to all of you. I know I haven't exactly been "consistent" with the uploads but the story still got so many reads and I am so very happy for it. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy The Gods Among Us. Also, Happy New Year's Eve.

A:

"We still want an explanation," Matt says while sitting at the counter.

"I know," Lafayette says after paying the pizza delivery man and returning with a large box. Placing the box on the kitchen counter, Lafayette flips it open and reveals a large pepperoni pizza. Lafayette is the first to grab a slice. "But for now, I just want to celebrate. I'm just so happy. I get to stay here."

"You get to stay here," Matt repeats.

"Yes," I say. "Lafayette gets to stay here."

"Okay," Matt slowly says. He looks at Alfred but Alfred shrugs his shoulders. The two then grab a slice of pizza for themselves.

"What about you, A," Alieen asks. "Can you stay too? Or do you have to go?"

"I can stay too," I answer with a smile. As soon as Alieen hears this, she smiles too. Seeing Alieen smile, I feel something inside me warm up. I do not know what it is, nor do I care. All I care about is that I am here.

Alieen and I both reach for a slice of pizza. Together, the five of us all talk and eat.

"This is a wonderful moment," I think. I look around, seeing the smiles of people I have grown close with. "Is this...happiness? Are these people...my friends now?"

"Ouch," Alfred cries, rubbing his arm. "What? What was that for?"

"I couldn't have also paid for some soda," Lafayette repeats. "You know I've been busy for a while now. I haven't been to work for almost a week now. Oh my god. I haven't been to work for almost a week now. Do I still even have a job at the gas station?"

"You better," Matt says. "The rent is due soon and you need to pay your share."

"Darn it," Lafayette says, throwing down her slice. "Well, there goes my appetite."

"Ouch," Matt yells.

"Ouch," Alfred cries again.

The two rub their arms after Alieen hits them.

"Thank you for ruining this pizza party," Alieen says. Seeing Matt and Alfred rub their arm while Alieen stares at them and Lafayette picks up her slice of pizza, I could not help but laugh.

"You can laugh," Lafayette asks.

"Yes," I answer after clearing my throat. "And no one is in pain. At least, not too much pain."

Lafayette narrows her eyes as she looks at me. As I turn my head away, we hear knocking on the front door. It takes only a few seconds for the knocking to turn into pounding.

"Sheesh," Matt says, throwing down his pizza slice and wiping his mouth. "Who is that? I'm coming! I'm coming!"

"Stop," I say, shooting out my hand. I stop Matt from getting up. For some reason, I sense something coming from behind the door. I turn back to Lafayette. When I do, Lafayette nods her head.

"She must sense something too," I think. Putting down my slice of pizza, I wipe my mouth and get up. Holding my hand behind my back, I prepare a telekinesis blast. I walk over to the front door and open it.

"You," I say, stepping back.

Jacob:

"We need to talk," I say. "You, me, and Leia."

A must have known it was serious. He didn't ask. He didn't even bother to stop me. Instead, he steps aside and lets me in. I walk into the apartment building and A guides me to everyone in the kitchen.

"You," Matt says. He, Alfred, and Alieen all jump up when they see me. "You! Oh my god! It's you! A! Do your thing!"

"My thing," A repeats. "What is my thing?"

"Calm down," I yell. I look around and see half a pizza on the counter. "Sorry to be interrupting your celebration but I need to talk with you and you. Now!"

"What's going on," Leia asks. "What happened?"

Getting everyone on one side of the counter, I pull out my cell phone. Turning it around for everyone to see, I tap it and give it to them.

"Did you know about this?"

On my phone is a video of A carelessly using his powers for everyone to see. It shows A catching a whole car, ripping off both the front tires and the door, and then healing the man. The man is glowing brightly as A heals him.

"No," Leia shouts. "Jacob, I swear. I didn't know about this."

I slam my fist on the counter and snatch my phone back.

"You did it now," I say, looking at A. "Congratulations. You did it now. You just brought all of Heaven and Hell into San Francisco."

"Brought all of Heaven and Hell into San Francisco," Alieen repeats. "What does that even mean?"

Python:

I turn my head when I see one of my demon minions running down the alley toward me.

"Prince Python," he shouts, stopping in front of me. "You need to see this."

My demon minion hands me his cell phone. On the screen, I see a paused video. Tapping the video, I see a face I haven't seen in a long time.

"You," I say. I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not seeing things. I rewind the video just to be sure and sure enough, my eyes aren't playing tricks on me.

"Where is this," I yell, grabbing my minion and slamming him against a dumpster.

"It is San Francisco," my minion answers. "San Francisco, California."

I let go of my minion, my minion dropping to his knees. Throwing his cell phone onto the ground near him, I turn around and walk away.

"Inform the others," I order. "Tell them we finally found him. I'll meet all of you there."

A circle of hellfire appears around me. A few seconds later, a portal opens up beneath me. It takes me to San Francisco.

Vanessa:

Humming to the music coming from my radio, I quickly stop and turn it off. I stop my van, making sure to put on the emergency brake before getting out of the driver's seat. Thankfully, despite how early it is, I can still see the sign as clear as day.

"Welcome to San Francisco, California," the sign reads. "Population: 793, 700. Elevation: 61."

Moving as fast as I can, preparing the camera and the timer on my cell phone, I run to stand in front of the sign. A few seconds later, I hear a snap.

"Awesome," I say, smiling when I see the picture. Immediately, I sent the picture to my girlfriend.

"Here in San Francisco, California," I text. "Miss you."

It doesn't even take a full minute before she replies.

"You're in San Francisco?!?! That's one of the places I always wanted to go to! Get me a souvenir."

"I'll bring you back a key chain," I answer.

My girlfriend texts me a smiley face. A few seconds later, she sent me a picture of her and everyone else.

"Miss you," she texts. "Can't wait for you to come back."

"Try and be back as soon as I can. I promise."

I put my cell phone back into my pocket and grab my outfit and gear.

"Okay. Time to hunt down some demons."