• Chapter Two
    Zellal was pacing back and forth in front of a door in a dark living room. “Where are they? I should be able to detect them by now. Something is wrong.”
    Zellal couldn’t read their minds which meant they weren’t in his range. He could expand his power to quite a distance. His worry was growing so he tried to expand his range even more. He closed his eyes and slowly began pushing himself past his limit. It made him feel dizzy and his head hurt yet he continued to push. Any sign of their security would calm him but he still couldn’t find them.
    Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he pulled out a hidden pistol. He pointed it to where something had moved behind him. Nothing was visible in the darkness and no sound was made yet he pointed the pistol at the unseen enemy. Towards the ever expanding darkness he said, “Let’s not try that, shall we?”
    He crossed the room and turned on a light. He hadn’t even realized that night had come; his mind was more focused on the safety of his friends. In the back corner of the room three people squinted at the sudden entrance of light. They had some resemblance, suggesting they were related. They all had light brown, curly hair and emerald green eyes. The little, clueless, 9 year old boy was held protectively by his 15 year old sister. The boy had short hair while his sister had long hair that was drawn back into a lose braid. In front of them stood their 17 year old brother, who was glaring at Zellal. His hair was slightly longer then his little brother’s.
    “You have no right to keep us here like this,” the oldest boy said in a defiant tone.
    “Now, Lawite,” Zellal started to say.
    The oldest boy, Lawite, stepped back. Shock was plainly seen on his face. Lawite’s voice shook as he asked, “How do you know my name?”
    “I know all your names.” Zellal pointed to the youngest boy, “You’re Shiro and…” his gaze and finger moved towards the girl, “You, my dear lady, are Hanna.”
    “That doesn’t explain a thing,” Lawite growled.
    His short temper had drowned the shock he felt moments ago. “I’m like you,” Zellal replied calmly, Lawite’s harsh tone showing to have no effect on him.
    Lawite and Hanna looked at each other. Their confusion mirrored by the expressions on their faces.
    It was the innocent Shiro that spoke next. His voice shook with excitement. “You can see the different lights around people too?”
    “Hush, Shiro,” Hanna hissed at him as she pulling him closer to herself.
    “But Hanna…” Shiro cried out as he tried to break away from his sister’s firm hold. “I saw it earlier, his light is the same as ours! It must mean something! He might know why they are dimmer when we are with Lawite and why you’re magic doesn’t work when you’re with him!”
    Shiro’s joyful exclamations had turned into desperate cries as he tried to make his sister see what he saw. “It does mean something,” Zellal tender voice broke through the excitement. “It means, like me, all of you have a power.”
    Shiro’s eyes, which had recently been on verge of tears, shinned with excitement.
    “Really?”
    “Don’t feed him those lies! There is no such thing as powers,” Lawite said to both Zellal and Shiro.
    Zellal examined Lawite’s face. He couldn’t read this boy’s mind for some reason but he could tell, from his facial expression, that he truly believed what he just said. He looked at Hanna and Shiro. Shiro’s face showed retaliation, he wouldn’t believe what his brother said. Hanna looked away, her face showed her uncertainty.
    Zellal was quite sure that both she and Shiro suspected that they might have a power. It was only Lawite who denied it. At first, Zellal had rejected the thought that Lawite had a power but the more he tried to read Lawite’s mind, the more he came to doubt himself. “It’s true,” Zellal said; his voice was firm. “I believe, from what I’ve heard, Shiro can see people’s auras. Each color represents something different in a person. That would be why we have the same auras. We all have a power and thus are all alike in that aspect.”
    Shiro was staring at Zellal; his eyes were full of curiosity. He asked, “But why can I only see Lawite’s at certain times and why is it harder to see the lights when he is with me?”
    “It’s just a thought but-” Zellal tried to say but Lawite cut him off.
    He lashed out at Shiro. “You can’t believe this crap!”
    “Lawite,” Hanna yelled back, covering Shiro’s ear. “There is no need to yell at him like that. He’s just curious!”
    Lawite turned his anger towards Hanna. “Don’t encourage this Hanna. He can’t run away from reality like this. This isn’t real!”
    Hanna hesitated. In a hushed tone she asked, “What if it is?”
    Lawite stared at her in amazement. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He shook his head. He hissed, “Are you kidding me?”
    “You should listen to your siblings,” Zellal chimed in.
    Lawite turned back to him and glared. Lawite yelled at him, “And just what do you know? You’re just spouting lies!”
    “They are not lies, they are the truth.” Zellal’s face and voice remained cool and collected.
    Lawite demanded, “Then what’s your power?”
    “Later.” Zellal turned away from him. He was finally able to sense Safron and Giotto’s thoughts.
    Zellal thought to Safron. ‘What’s going on? Where are you two? What happened?’
    ‘We’re being chased at the moment. We just barely entered town. Mr. Dantes and his team were already there when I went to pick up Giotto. He spotted me while I was waiting, so it took me some time to get away from him. Apparently, it wasn’t any better for Giotto. They found him and he fought his way out but he’s hurt pretty bad. He over used his powers in that fight. I’m starting to feel the effect of all the times I used my power as well. I had to command too many people, Giotto couldn’t fight, and his injuries were too great. Zellal this is bad, Giotto’s badly hurt. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it to the barrier.’ Safron thought back.
    Safron was talking about a trick Zellal had devised a couple years ago. He discovered that Safron could set a command around a certain perimeter. It took time to prepare and left Safron bed ridden for a week so she could only manage one command. They decided, “You will lose all trace of any of us after this point,” was the best choice. It was set about 10 meters around their house.
    ‘You can do it,’ Zellal encouraged her. ‘Stay calm and focus. You’re almost here. You can rest when you’re safe. You can do this’
    Safron didn’t respond. Zellal knew her total focus became focused on getting inside the barrier. Zellal waited anxiously for some response. It came five minutes later with a knock on the door. Zellal opened the door, in front of him stood an exhausted Safron holding the limp Giotto. There were dark circles under Safron’s eyes and her legs shook from the strain of Giotto’s weight. Giotto hung beside her, he was unconscious yet his face was twisted in pain. Zellal quickly reached out to help Safron bring Giotto inside. They gently laid him on the couch. Shiro broke away from Hanna’s grip and ran up beside the couch before Hanna got the chance to grab him again.
    Shiro was concerned but couldn’t keep the wonder out of his voice as well as he asked, “What’s wrong with him? Why is he hurt?”
    In a soft tone Safron asked, “Who are you?”
    “I’m Shiro,” he replied as if that explained everything. He turned to his sister. “Hanna, he needs your help. Please, say your magic spell. It can help anyone. It will make him better.”
    Hanna didn’t move. She looked at Giotto then glanced at Lawite. He was still glaring at her for what she had said earlier. She looked away from him. “Please,” Shiro cried out to her.
    Hanna looked at Giotto once more. She stood up and slowly walked over to him. She gasped when she got closer to him; she hadn’t realized how bad he really was. Her heart went out to him. She knelt down by the couch. She gently touched his face. His skin was almost white and was icy cold. She turned to Zellal, “He’s lost too much blood. He needs to go to a hospital.”
    “We can’t do that,” Zellal calmly explained as he knelt down beside her. “That would put him in more danger. If you can stop the bleeding with your “magic” then we can take care of his lack of blood. Can you do that for us?”
    Zellal’s tone was soft and sweet. Hanna took on a serious expression as she nodded her head; she was determined to save him. She softly placed her hands on Giotto’s chest. It barely moved beneath her hands. His breathes were short and labored. She spread out her fingers and closed her eyes. A warm and soft yellow light began to come from her hands. Slowly, it enveloped Giotto’s body. Giotto’s breaths slowed and his body began to relax. The pain he showed in his face was slowly beginning to disappear.
    Zellal stood up and left the room. Safron watched closely as Giotto continued to improve. His wounds had been closed and were slowly fading away. When all the wounds had disappeared the soft yellow light began to fade. Hanna hunched over when all of it was gone. Sweat ran down her neck, plastering her hair to her face and the back of the neck. She breathed heavily, as if she might not be able to again if she didn’t take in as much air as she could now.
    Zellal emerged from a different room with a packet of blood that you would find at a hospital. Carefully and precisely he inserted the needle into Giotto’s arm. Hanna looked up, her exhaustion showing plainly on her face. “How did you get that? I thought you could only get those in hospitals?”
    “I asked and they gave them to me,” Safron replied mimicking the tone Shiro had used when introducing himself to her.
    Zellal looked a Safron like a father who would look at his little child who said something cruel. “That’s no way to treat someone who will be staying with us.”
    Safron looked away from Zellal, a definite pout on her face. Lawite interrupted their little skit. “No,” he said defiantly, “we will not be staying.”
    “It’s your choice,” Zellal said coolly, not facing him. Lawite gave him a questionable look; that was not what he was expecting Zellal to say. “But I’ll offer you this warning.” Zellal turned and faced Lawite. “If you don’t, you’ll be in danger. But it won’t be just you that is in danger, your sister and brother will be as well. The people that did this to Giotto, the very same people, will do the same to you. They will show no mercy for a woman or a child.” Lawite turned and looked at Shiro and Hanna when Zellal said this.
    The disturbing image of seeing them, beaten and bleeding, lying on the couch, instead of Giotto, entered his mind. It made him feel cold and distant. Zellal continued, “Are you willing to put Shiro and Hanna in that kind of danger. Do you want to see them lying here on this couch instead of Giotto?”
    Lawite looked dead at Zellal. Hearing what he had just imagined made it ten times more real. He shrunk back. His voice shook yet he still managed to ask, “And what makes staying here so safe?”
    Safron turned to Lawite. She was glaring at him furiously. “We have been dealing with these people for four years. Obviously, we know how to avoid them and protect ourselves from them,” she hissed at him.
    Lawite looked down. No words escaped from his mouth, for once. He desperately wanted to leave, to not be drawn into this world but even more he wanted to protect his sister and brother. They were all he had left in this world.
    “Do it, to protect you brother and sister,” Zellal encouraged him.
    Lawite looked at Zellal in shock again. This man doesn’t need to be able to read minds, he can read people, Lawite thought to himself. He looked away, fighting himself.
    “They will hunt you down. They want your powers,” Zellal tried to push him to stay.
    Lawite cried out in frustration, “I don’t have any powers!”
    Safron was feed up. “Then get out.”
    She glared at him only to receive an equal as harsh glare from Zellal.
    “No!” Lawite hesitated, “I can’t put them in danger and I can’t leave them.”
    Lawite stood his ground. Zellal and Safron, especially Safron, looked at Lawite in shock.
    “I command you, get out!” Safron pointed to the door, her voice was more then a yell.
    Lawite yelled back, equally as loud, “No!”
    A silence fell across the room. The only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the house. “Impossible,” Safron muttered. No one had been able to resist a command from her.
    A light bulb turned on in Zellal’s head, he had finally pieced all the pieces of the puzzle together. “It makes sense now. That’s why I was having trouble reading his mind all the time.” He turned to Safron. “It’s his power; he can nullify our powers. That’s why Shiro could only sometimes see people auras when he was with his brother. The same goes for Hanna but because he didn’t know of his powers he can’t control it. Sometimes he uses it while other times he can’t.”
    Lawite’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he asked, “I…what?”
    “You prevented us from using our powers on you. It’s a very useful power,” Zellal explained.
    Lawite struggling to stay calm replied, “How? You’re the ones with the powers. How is me stopping those powers at all useful?”
    “You will see in time. For now, what’s more important is keeping you away from Mr. Dantes. He would be ecstatic to get you on his side; we would be powerless if you were with him.”
    Zellal’s voice was soft and seemed distant to Lawite again. He felt like the room was spinning. This was too much for him to take in all at once.
    “Wait, you mentioned Mr. Dantes before. Who is this?” Lawite closed his eyes and tired to calm himself.
    “The man who is hunting us, the one who’s team hurt Giotto.” Safron’s voice still remained cold.
    Safron turned to Zellal, her voice was even now. “More importantly, who are these three?”
    “I discovered them yesterday, almost right after you left to pick up Giotto. I spotted them being watched by Mr. Dantes’ men. I was going to wait until you two got back but Mr. Dantes’ men were going to make a move before then, I had no choice if I wanted to save them.”
    Zellal paused and seriously looked at Safron. Her eyes were half closed and he legs shook, struggling to support even her own weight. “I’ll explain more tomorrow. It’s been a long day. Everyone needs a good night’s rest.” He turned away from Safron and faced Lawite. Politely he asked him, “Can you help your sister and Safron up the stairs?”
    “No!” Safron and Lawite yelled at the same time. They turned to each other, both glaring.
    “Now, you two, this isn’t such a radical idea that you need to protest in unison. Lawite, your sister and Safron are exhausted. As much as you dislike Safron, can you really leave her like this? She’s in the same state as your sister. Won’t you help her?” Zellal’s words had a slight demand to them.
    He turned to Safron, his voice remaining the same, “Safron, please let him help you. I don’t want something you to get hurt. You’re too weak in this state.”
    They both signed and reluctantly nodded. Lawite walked over to Hanna and helped her up. Gently, he leaned her against his shoulder. She grateful accepted his help. He held his hand out to Safron but she swatted it away.
    She walked past him. “Just walk behind me and catch me if I fall or if something happens.”
    Zellal rebuked her, “Safron!”
    She turned to him. “What? This way we both get what we want.”
    Zellal sighed and closed his eyes. He waved her off. “Why must you be so stubborn we you are in this condition?” Zellal sighed again. “Just get to bed.”
    Zellal took a deep breath to release his stress. Turning to Safron, he smiled at her softly, “We have a lot to do tomorrow so sleep tight.”
    Safron smiled back at him. “Okay. Good night, sleep tight. ” She turned towards the stairs and began walking up them, painfully slow. ‘What you want is in the car,’ she thought to Zellal, she was too tired to even talk. Zellal nodded his head, he got the message. Safron continued to walk up the stairs with Lawite and Hanna following not far behind. Each step was harder to get up then the last. Her legs felt like lead. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on walking up the stairs. Without noticing it, she had stopped walking, her legs refusing to move.
    Lawite asked cautiously, “Are you okay?”
    Safron’s eyes snapped open. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice sounding weaker then she wanted.
    She raised her tired eyes and began walking again, slowly. When they had finally reached the top of the staircase she pointed to the left. “You three can sleep in the room down this hall.”
    Without another word she turned to her right and walked away. She stumbled into her room. Dropping onto her bed, she sighed with relief. If felt so good to sit down and relax. She didn’t even have time to swing her legs around and lay properly. She instantly fell asleep, welcoming her dreams.
    Lawite walked blindly into the room. He felt along the walls for the light switch and in the process stubbed his toes on quite a few different objects. Hanna grew heavier and heavier as she became more and more tired. It was growing harder for him to hold her up. He cursed under his breath, “Where is it?”
    Just then the lights flickered on. He closed his eyes to shield them from the sudden light. Once his eyes had adjusted a little he looked around to see who had turned on the light. No one else was in the room so he turned to the doorway and saw Zellal. “The light switches are outside the rooms,” Zellal said as he gently pushed Shiro into the room.
    Lawite looked at the two in surprise. He hadn’t even heard them come up the stairs which was strange because when it was this late Shiro usually complained. He always said he was too tired to walk up the stairs. Hanna usually gave in and would carry him up to his room which was why they never liked letting him stay up this late.
    Yet he had made no sound while walking up with Zellal. Instead he walked into the room and climbed up onto a bed. “You’ve had a busy and stressful night, get some well deserved rest,” Zellal said softly.
    Lawite place Hanna on the other bed. There were no other beds so he glanced around the room to find another place to sleep. He saw a huge chair and decided it would be good enough for tonight. He sat back in the chair which was more comfortable then he thought it would be at first. “Sorry about the lack of beds, we’ll get it worked out tomorrow.”
    Lawite hardly heard Zellal say this. He didn’t realize how tired he really was. He body melted into the form of the chair. His eyes fell like curtains, today’s show was ending. Before he slipped into slumber he heard the soft click of the light switch turning off.