Prolouge

Nine of the ten sat in the activity room. Rhaella, the girl who possessed the ability to bring life and take it when she pleased, sat next to Jasper, the copycat, her legs over his. Rhaella scratched at her tattoo labeled '01' on her wrist. Jasper read the pages of the story he's been re-reading for years, his elbows propped on her legs covered in baby blue scrubs.

The door opening directed all of the attention. A guard pushed a girl with black hair into the room, Hazel, the girl who could bend and create light "08!" They called. A boy with silver hair stood to his feet, Rickard, the boy with ice powers. He walked to the guards and they grabbed him, pulling him down the hall to the Robot Room. Everyone went back their own things.

Hazel walked over to Harper, who sat alone. Harper had empathy, the ability to feel other people's emotions. Hazel sat next to her and gave her a smile, Harper returning the smile. Her short brown hair fell over her shoulders as she looked back down to the paper below her, sketching the outline a flower, "That's really good, Harp," Hazel complimented, Harper's smile grew.

"Thank you," She replied quietly. Hazel smiled and pulled out a piece of paper from the desk behind her.

"I can't wait to get out of here," Rylee said, throwing down a card. Jerome smirked and threw down his card, taking them all and setting them to the side. Jerome was the kid who could move things with his mind, and Rylee was a tempered redhead with fire powers.

"I can't help you with that doll, but I just won, again," Jerome said. Tommy groaned in reply, picking up the cards around him. Jerome handed him his cards, Rylee and Emilia did the same. Emilia sighed as Tommy shuffled the cards.

"I thought Tommy would be winning more, since he can read our minds of course," She said.

"Says the girl who could alter the game whichever way she wants," He delivered his card to the floor, laying it atop Jerome’s.

"Illusions aren't always the answer to winning," She said with a smile. Tommy laughed in reply.

"And Telepathy is?" He asked, Emilia threw down her own card.

"Maybe," She said. She picked up her hand and pursed her lips. Jerome's face lit up at his, and Tommy sighed. Rylee laid her card down and took the deck, smiling wide as she set it to the side.

Jason sat alone by the window, the boy who can control and create water. He stared at the book in his lap, solving math problems as he went along the textbook. His blonde curls fell over his eyes, his head leaning back. He could hear the other people talking and listened subtly. He knew Rhaella and Jasper were on the couch near the door, Harper and Hazel were sitting at the wooden drawing table doing exactly what it's used for, Jerome, Rylee, Tommy, and Emilia were playing cards on the floor, and Rickard was in testing. He caught on too much more than people thought he did, mainly because he didn't talk. He knew he could, just chose not too. He liked listening, being a silent threat. Hearing everything about everyone.

The door opened once again and Rickard was pushed in, "09!" He called. Emilia froze in her place, turning around to look at the men waiting for her, Rickard walking away and straight to the window. She walked to the guards and tucked a piece of golden blonde hair behind her ear. She looked back before being pulled away by the guard and the door shut and locked. A quiet sigh left Jason's lips, his fingers tapped the window sill.

Rhaella slid her legs off of Jasper's, Jas glancing up from his book to see her walk over to the large window and rest her elbow on top of the sill. She stared into the evergreen trees, a slow sigh leaving her lips "Homesick?" Rickard asked as he approached her. She looked to the right of her to see him.

"For six years," She replied. Jasper stopped watching, refusing to let jealousy get the best of him.

"We'll get out of here, I know it," He told her. Rhaella looked over at him then back at the window, brown curls falling to hide her red eyes.

"I'm don't think they're letting us out anytime soon," She told him. She pushed herself off from the window sill, leaving Rickard alone and walking to the bookshelf.

•Two Years Later•

The nine sat in the activity room, silent. Rhaella laid next to Jasper on the brown couch near the door, dry tears staining her tan cheeks. Her arms were thrown around Jasper tightly, desperately. Jasper rubbed his hand along her back, trying his best to soothe her tightening muscles.

Rylee laid in a ball curled on the floor, she laid on a few blankets and had one over her. Red, orange, and black butterflies floating in front of her face. Above her Emilia's pale hand floated above her, Emilia kneeled behind her with her eyes closed and vine like patterns appearing on the ends of her fingers. The butterflies were simple illusions, but they helped.

Jerome played checkers with Tommy, both of them silent as they moved their pieces around the board. The silence between them was deafening, the silence in the room was. So far Jerome was winning, he did that a lot.

Hazel and Harper sat on the wooden floor, hugging each other tight. Harper shook in her arms, Hazel's hand hovered in the air, light dancing around her fingers. Harper stayed quiet, short caramel hair tied back into a ponytail. She kept her eyes on the dancing light trails, taking long breaths in attempt to calm her nerves. She hasn't been in yet, when Jason comes back they'll be on 04, Jerome.

Rickard sat alone on the chair near the window, his eyes were fixed on Rhaella on the couch, face scrunching at the groans of pain that arose from her throat; he wasn’t excited to go in, much like the whole room. He looked away and back through the window and overlooked the trees of the miles and miles of forest. He chewed on his nails, his icy eyes glued to the outside.

The door opened and faint screams could be heard, Jason being dragged away to his room due to being in too rough of a shape to come back "04," A guard called. Jerome stood from the table, walking bravely to the guard who grabbed him, he pulled away from his grasp, putting a hand up and the guard was knocked backwards, hitting the floor and sliding a few feet back. The second guard pushed him along and he continued walking. The door was shut and locked. Everyone simply ignored it, except for Harper.

Harper put her hands on her head and curled into a ball, whimpers leaving her lips. Tears fell from her eyes, her head falling onto Hazel's lap. Hazel ran her fingers over her forehead gently. Harper had a throbbing migraine, it happened often, on bad days like this. An overwhelming amount of pain, stress, anger, sadness.

A trickle of blood left her nose, Harper gripping her hair and clenching her jaw. Hazel began humming, the light dancing around the fingers moving to the rhythm of the tune. She opened her eyes to watch the light dance and hear Hazel sing. She loosened her grip until another wave came, shutting her eyes tight again.

The lab downstairs was busy, bustling with life. A man walked through the limited aisles, five if you’re counting. Stocky, tall, and wearing a long lab coat, he supervised the scientists as they dropped chemicals carefully into tubes. A serum, not a cure, not a breakthrough; instead a weapon, meant to be injected into a human; “I want these done by next week! If they’re not, you’re fired!” The man roaming yelled out, like he was some kind of military sergeant.

Weaponized Humans; the beginning of an era.

Author's Note

Help me find other words than these simple ones i keep using!! I need emotion!!