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Awakening through each other

Erratic emotions were overrunning Riley’s mind all in a loud whirl, thus it seemed no other could now fit in it. She was plainly unable to conceive what was going on now, so she could only stare blankly and wide-eyed, waiting to see if she ever comprehended the occurrences. Admittedly, she didn’t even see the exit of the hospital going by at all – she wasn’t particularly aware of the surroundings.


Riley yelped at Alex’s sudden panic, and was puzzled at how he abruptly ceased to speak, as if he were seeing something she could not. “What’s going on? Where are we going?” She raised her voice, but Alex seemed to be looking at her as if she were addressing him in a completely different language. The situation began to sink in when they entered what seemed a private garage, and the cab slowed down as it approached a large corrugated steel roller door, which did not look like it was in the best of conditions. Riley identified what she inferred to be bullet holes, and the rusty pulley chain next to the roller door had something like a bowie knife jammed into the link of the thick chain, apparently in the means of keeping it in place, since there was a very small gap between the door and the ground. Now she was panicking.


She was paying too much attention to trivialities that made for the environment, which was probably the reason why she was so startled as both back car door slammed open from the outside and the two were hurled out of the vehicle. “Aah! A—Alex!” Riley cried out as soon as she heard Alex call out for her repeatedly, “Le—let me go!” She kicked and tussled in a futile attempt to free herself from the grasp of this stocky assailant. “Alex!”


Clambering its way onto the situation, another astounding thing added itself into the situation. Along with the deafening noise of what sounded like a truck colliding against a thick tall layer of iron, the steel roller door was somehow visually altered: it was dented in a perfectly half-spherical shape inwards, as if it had been struck by a wrecking ball by the most flawless angle. Simultaneously, Riley felt as if something was trying to pound an escape out of her chest, and she heard only static reverberating in her head. “Aaah – Alex!” She was not as baffled as she expected that all sound was muted.


Once again, it happened. But Riley didn’t hear it. The man who was hauling Alex into God knows where was ejected backwards a few good yards, as well as whatever thing was surrounding the young man in a radius of three feet around him. However, the strange force did not last longer than half a second, approximately.
 
Alex fiercely fought against the hold of the strange men constricting him, with little success. Riley's form diminished as they separated them. "Where are you taking her?!" He demanded of his captors, his words much braver than he felt in his helpless situation. "Riley!" Suddenly, his ears were pierced by the deafening screech of metal against metal. Alex jerked his hands to his ears, realizing they were no longer detained by the men from earlier. He glanced to either side of him, the men splayed on the ground, groaning in pain and confusion. He didn't bother to wonder what occurred; he had one thought on his mind: 'Riley...' Without a moment to lose, he sprinted to the men holding Riley. They entered the doorway and disappeared from sight, the sound of the door locking shut seemingly louder than the screeching sound earlier. Alex rushed the door, beating his fists futilely against it. "Open this fucking door! Riley!" The rough grip of the men from earlier closed around him, dragging his kicking body away. "No! Riley!"


He found himself transported to a room similar to what you'd see on TV, where the police would interrogate a suspect. A single chair sat in the center of the room with a plain table before it. The walls were plain white, with a single door leading in and out of the room. Opposite the table, a television sat mounted against the wall. The two burly men roughly sat him in the chair, one of them securing a pair of handcuffs to his ankle and the table. "What have you guys done with Riley?!" They ignore him and lumber away behind him to the exit, their heavy footsteps replaced by the clack of wood against the tiled floor. Another had entered as they left, coming into view on Alex's right, circling around to the opposite side of the table. The newcomer, an older gentleman perhaps in his late forties, smiled at Alex, receiving an acidic glare in response.


"Alex, my friend. Don't look at me like that. I am not here to hurt you." He offered a gentle smile to the young man sitting at the table, but did not receive one in return. "What have you done with Riley?"


The man arched an eyebrow. "So he speaks! The brunette is likely with my soul partner by now, at the moment. No worries, she won't hurt your friend. We didn't bring you both here for that..." He voiced as he stepped towards the television against the wall.


"Then why did you bring us here? What do you want from us?" The man motioned with his hand nonchalantly, the screen switching on in response. The image displayed an oddly familiar hallway. 'The bank!'


"Hey, how did you-?" "Shhhh." The man urged with a finger to his lips, his eyes still trained on the screen. The scene played out rapidly, the video zooming through the footage. The bank robber can be seen holding Riley, pulling her down the hall. Alex grit his teeth, but remained quiet. He observed as the vault door opened seemingly at will, the man disappearing inside for a moment before reemerging. The vault door shut in the same way it had opened, without a soul touching it. Alex's own image appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen, confronting the criminal. The gun is raised towards Alex. He doesn't blink as he watches the situation unfold on screen. Out of nowhere, his and Riley's figures suddenly vanish. Poof. Like magic. The crazed man looks around, shrugs, and leaves the hallway. The video ends, cutting to static. The older man in the room turns his attention to Alex's sitting figure in the center of the room.


"As you can see, it would appear what happened in that hallway is something society would likely consider... unnatural. If this sort of information were discovered, the proper authorities would hunt you two down and make you guinea pigs, cutting you open to discover the secret to your power..."


Alex sat in confusion, unsure what to make of the words being spoken to him, if he were even telling the truth at all. "Powers? What are you talking about?" He petitioned. 'Does this guy know what happened to us?'
 
The ones who had been dragging Riley were the first ones to get back to her after the enigmatic collisions, and next there was no major obstacle which delayed their hauling Riley towards the lonely shoebox of a room, however they did have to dodge the clangorous blasts leaving half-spherical scoops in the walls, of different sizes, and trailing small cracks among the sides in their wakes. Riley wriggled and attempted to kick her heel into the stocky shin of whoever was hauling her towards God-knows-where.


Deafened and stunned by the invisible-wrecking-ball blows against the walls, next thing Riley knew, she was being jammed onto a seat and cuffed to a steel table in the center of a dull room. Presently, the two bulky men were gone, and somebody else came in. A woman, clad in a boring gray blazer and knee-long office skirt with plain black heels.


Riley glared daggers at the woman, who bore a tame smile, because of course, she hadn’t just been ambushed by a couple of beasts and cuffed down to a chair. The woman seemed comfortable, seated with one leg crossed over the other as she set down a cup of coffee down on the table in front of her. The woman sat there silently, staring unswervingly at agitated and befuddled Riley.


“Who are you? Where are we? Wha—what are you doing to us?” Riley demanded, speaking almost through gritted teeth, “What have you done to Alex? Where is he?!” She raised her voice and, in an attempt to rise from her seat, was jerked back down abruptly by the handcuffs holding her captive, which only induced more rage to bluster inside her.


“Oh, little lovebird, don’t you worry. We have done nothing to your boyfriend. And we’re not going to hurt you, we would have done it if that was our purpose, darling,” The woman finally spoke, taking a slow noisy sip of her drink after, “I’m only going to show you something, so please keep quiet.”


Next, a flat television plastered to the wall, which Riley hadn’t noticed there opposite to the table before, projected static for a second, then displayed what looked like security camera footage. Riley found the premises shown quite familiar, however. It was the bank – the hallway that led to the vault. Her eyes opened broadly, muddled. She watched what she had been through, but from a different angle, and without a gun muzzle pressed to her temple.


The woman perked up and rewound a few seconds of the footage, right before the vault closed, and paused it. “Right there, see? That’s when you woke up,” The woman said, pointing at the screen, in a matter-0f-fact manner of speech. The video had been paused after Riley had been hurled onto the ground inside the vault, and a fragment of Alex Corbin’s figure appeared on the right bottom corner. That’s when they’d made eye contact. “Let’s take a closer look,” The woman promptly zoomed in the image with the remote control, where Riley’s blurry face had been closed in. Her orbs, or at least the white are surrounding her irises, could be clearly seen brighter, but only a little beat. It was a very faint image, but undeniable all the same. Something had happened.


“There. You woke up,” The woman’s words didn’t make sense to Riley, hence the squint in the young woman’s eyes and the confusion distorting her countenance.


“What the hell are you talking about? Let me go!” She burst out after glaring dully at the woman sitting opposite to her, tussling and struggling to free herself from the cuffs.


“Simmer down, my dear. We’re only here to clear things out for the both of you, that’s all.”


“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about! And who the hell is ‘we’?!”


“That’s not what matters now, Riley. What has awoken within you and Alex Corbin is a very special ability. You want people like us knowing about them, not the proper authorities. Odds are you will only become a lab rat; that is, of course, if they don’t slice you open like a dissected frog.” Another sip of the bitter coffee.
 
"You have awoken, my dear boy." A sly smile crept over the man's face as he slowly paced along the opposite side of the table. He clasped his hands together, his tan fingers intertwined against the backdrop of the grey suit the man wore. Alex took a closer look at the individual, his black hair accented by grey streaks along the side, the golden ring he wore on his left hand, the thin mustache and trim goatee he sported. Alex's mind had a gnawing suspicion he'd seen this man before, but couldn't pinpoint where. Understanding he wasn't going to get anywhere without saying something, he decided to play the little game this man had him in, and perhaps receive some answers.


"Suppose I buy into the bullshit you're spewing, what do you mean I've 'awoken'?"


The man didn't hesitate to reply. "Exactly that, that you've been brought out of the darkness of your own ignorance and regular humanity into the light of the next stage of human evolution." He made grandiose hand gestures as he spoke, as though addressing a captive audience to some self-esteem seminar. It just seemed weird to Alex. "You've discovered your catalyst, that girl, which has awakened in you a glorious gift. A gift that the rest of humanity will not understand, but fear, and look down upon. I have taken you in to offer you an opportunity, a chance to change the world's perspective. You see..."


The gentleman snapped his fingers. Alex snapped back as the table shuddered under his arms, trembling in the air for a moment before the metal folded on itself, creaking and bending, changing shape and form. It floated behind the man as he walked forward, bending his knees and dropping down. The metal tucked under him, now in the shape of a seat, catching his descent.


"... there are others like you out there with special gifts. We need to work together, you see, for the sake of our future."


Alex's mouth stood agape, astonished at what his eyes had just perceived. "H-how did you... I mean... I can't-"


"It is my gift, Alex. And your gift saved you and the girl's life. Now had I known you were a special child, I would have made sure that Grayson not threaten you, but it was assumed you were there as a simple human attempting to stop our operation."


Alex slowly realized the meaning behind his words. "Wait, so tha-that lunatic, he works for you? The man that nearly shot me and ended my life?!"


"Oh dear..." The man smiled apologetically. "It was a lack of judgment on his part, that is all. We didn't expect any resistance, what with his ability. However, your bravery has shown us how valuable you can be, an asset to our cause. Perhaps bygones can be bygones in the future, for our cooperation."


"Cooperation in robbing banks? I'm not gonna be some criminal, you twisted freak." Alex spat back.


The man offered no smile, but simply stood up and began pacing once more. "Oh Alex, Alex, Alex... Perhaps you need some time to realize this is your only hope in this ignorant world. We are not criminals, we are survivors. Understand that you will not be accepted, you will be shunned for your gifts. You can hide them, yes, but what good will that do, when you can offer so much to the world? They will not accept you, they will not understand, but we here do." He sighed, his dark eyes seeing only animosity in Alex's. "I am not a callous man, young Alex, so I will give you time to decide, let the world show you their true cruelty should they discover you." He walked over and placed a black card into Alex's hand. "Should you change your mind, break this card, and we will come to you and bring you back here, where you belong. We do hope you reconsider our offer."


With a snap of his finger, one of the ruffians from earlier opened the door and entered the room, removing the cuffs on his ankle. "You are free to leave, the taxi is still waiting for you to take you wherever you need, fare paid. I know not if your lady friend will accompany you, for she has received the same offer. Though it is preferable for you two to come together. You are bound now, and it is of our interest that such bond is not severed."
 
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Riley bore a skeptic expression, slightly narrowing her eyes as she examined the woman’s features, as if there was some legitimacy to find in her appearance. Her hair was straightened, much like Riley’s, but did not reach lower than her collarbone, and the canescent hue bathing her non-natural-blonde hair did not provide a visual smooth texture like Riley’s hair did.


“Ability? I don’t know what you’re talking about; I don’t feel much different than just a few hours ago, other than very confused and pissed because I’m cuffed to a chair with some woman speaking nonsense,” She stated, in a very earnest and rather stern manner.


“Oh, my dear, I comprehend that you are startled about this all. Also, I apologize on Grayson’s behalf for being too tough on you, but he simply needed a hostage to carry on the operation successfully. I hope you understand,” The woman tendered an apologetic smile, as if what she had been through would be mended and shrugged off with a half-hearted apology. The gears were starting adjusting now, and began spinning – everything fit.


“That crackhead – the man in the bank, you sent him?!” Riley inquired ballistic, once again attempting futilely to rise from her seat and being jerked back in descent.


“That’s not what matters now, darling,” The woman retorted, with a sharp look in her eyes, in a condescending manner, as if teaching Riley not to interrupt with unimportant matters. “I was simply offering you an apology, since you still have the little circle on your temple,” She said, as if pitying her, pointing briskly with her finger and an unpleasant look; this led Riley to bring her uncuffed hand up to probe her temple and check her fingers, as though half-expecting to see traces of anything smeared on them. “And… your nose…” The woman added, pretending discretion, like one would notice a friend in public. This displeased Riley, and her expression sunk into what seemed like insecurity. This woman had no filter.


“But you don’t have to worry about that from now on, dear. Your ability has awoken, thanks to that other young lad. Very brave, if I do say so myself – standing up to a man with a gun, that’s some natural boldness right there. Don’t forget he was still a common citizen when he decided to walk into the bank and save the day, it’s not like he was aware of the things he was capable of.” That was the first thing Riley deemed interesting that came out of the woman’s mouth thus far. Next, the older female slowly brought herself to her feet and approached wall. What seemed rather odd was how the woman walked towards the wall, facing it as if there was no concrete layer blocking her way. But, of course, it couldn’t be odder than what she witnessed next. The woman placed her heel carefully against the wall, then the other; she began pacing up the wall, in perfect balance, with her body perfectly perpendicular to the wall. She sauntered up until reaching the ceiling, and repeated the process to stand upside down facing Riley, right above the table. There were a few inches of a gap for their faces to be completely opposite to each other, inasmuch as Riley was sitting and hunched down, and the woman was not exceptionally tall.


Riley bolted up, studying in utter bedazzlement the image of the woman standing firmly on the ceiling as if it were the ground, with her wavy canescent blonde hair cascading down under her head. “H—how… y—you…” She had no words to conjure. She had watched the woman climb up the wall and onto the ceiling, and was now hanging from it, like it was nothing.


“See? I have a gift of my own, too. You have one, Riley. You may not be able to climb walls and walk on the ceiling like me, but you can do something of your own – something nobody else can do. Your ability is unique, and now it has awoken. There is only one way to make the right use of it, and to know for certain that it is in good hands, and that is helping us ensure that it is only used with its most primal purpose. We are the foot in which evolution stands, my dear; without us, we will remain a pathetic and unavailing species. You need to understand that it is our predestined mission to use our gifts to support the progress of human kind. We are the quintessence of mankind, Riley. We cannot show the world what we are capable of, because that will only give them the right to isolate us, for the greater good. They’ll believe we are dangerous – a threat to the commonfolk.” The woman’s elaborate words were carefully tucked and neatly folded into Riley’s cognizance, as if it was essential that she comprehended the situation. Riley flinched slightly in her chair, still squinting up at the lady in a fazed state.


“It is primarily of our interest, but I will suggest this for your own sake: Stick around that young man, Alex. You are bound to him, as he is to you. Both you and I want your abilities to remain intact and active,” The woman’s earnest tone and confident smile tugging at the corner of her lips gave Riley the message that she wasn’t messing around. “Now, you will be allowed to leave, safe and sound, on your own. The taxi is waiting for your right outside; it will take you wherever you need – I’d highly recommend the hospital, given the way your nose is noticeably bent a little bit to the right. Alex is free to leave as well, so I’m presuming you will do so together,” The woman dug onto an inner pocket of her blazer and pulled out a card, in what seemed like a black envelopment and held it out for Riley between her index and middle finger. This was when Riley caught a glance of the woman’s golden ring on her left ring finger; she then, though hesitantly, took the card. “Here, I will give you as much time as you want to process all of this and meditate your decision, and if you happen to choose to come to us, who will do nothing but help you, rip this card and we will come to you in no time.” The woman paced over to the edge of the ceiling and walked down until the middle of the wall, hopping down to the floor afterwards. She fixed her clothes, straightening the wrinkles, and combed her hair briskly with her fingers. With the snap of her fingers, the door opened, and the two stocky men from some minutes ago came into the scene. “I advise you keep your abilities in secret until you have made your decision, for your own safety.”


The men approached Riley and unbound her from the chair and table, escorting her over to the door, in a non-violent-and-forceful way this time, thankfully. Before Riley went through the threshold and stepped out, the woman spoke for the last time. “Choose wisely, Riley Hackett. We hope to see you again.”
 
The man's words echoed in his mind as he was ushered to the taxi. 'He said "You two... are bound now..." What does he mean by that.' It was one of many questions that plagued his thoughts, leaving the man with two more questions for every one he answered.


"Can you believe that?" One of them escorting him remarked to the other. "Yeah, she's a wild one, that's for sure." He turned to see what they were talking about. His eyes widened, contemplating a series of large, half-circle indentations in the asphalt and on the concrete walls of the structures, as though some meteor struck in geometric perfection. 'She's a wild one? Are they talking about Riley? Did she do this?' He searched for no answer then, the reminder of Riley jolting him into a state of concern, her presence suddenly sorely lacking.


Upon reaching the taxi, as if on cue, from a dark doorway several yards off a door opened, revealing Riley guided by the same men from earlier back to the taxi. His heart fluttered in brief joy, though like everything else that had happened, he could not understand why. They took their seats in the taxi, Alex looking Riley over to see if she was hurt. One of the men that accompanied Riley knocked on the driver side window and gruffly uttered "Hospital" before walking off towards the building. Without hesitation, the cabbie shifted the vehicle into drive and circled around to the exit.


Alex wanted to say something, anything, afraid if he didn't, he'd burst from everything inside him. The meeting with the man, who transformed the table into the chair... 'Is this all a dream? This day has been too fucked up to not be a dream.' He sighed and sunk into his seat, his mind's constant need to make sense of the nonsensical exhausting him physically.
 
“Yep, that’s a minor fracture in the nasal bones. This blow jerked the cartilage down here out of place a bit to the left,” Dr. Hemsworth asserted as he leaned away to stand upstraight before Riley, who sat on the hospital bed patiently for her diagnosis. He removed his glasses and perched them on the edge of the chest pocket of his robe.


“Now, I can fix this right here, but it’s gonna hurt a bit. It’s going to be only for a moment, though, I promise,” And with this, Riley squinted her nose frantically, anticipating the excruciating pain that awaited. She clenched her eyes shut and inhaled deeply.


“J—just… Just get it over with quick, please. Now – do it now,” She pleaded, keeping her position, with her hands tightly clutching the edge of the bed. The doctor was reluctant, but promptly obeyed. As quickly as he found possible, he placed two fingers in each side of her nose firmly and hitched her cartilage suddenly to the right, with an instant unpleasant crack noise, triggering a sharp grunt to crawl out of Riley’s throat through her gritted teeth. Dr. Hemsworth knew Riley since she was around twelve years old, since he had worked as her father’s physician nearly every time he needed the service, and he has never seen Riley in such suffering before, even for a brief moment.


“Alright, alright, I know. It hurts, mhmm. But it’ll go away soon – you’ll get better. I’m gonna have to put a small cast here on the bridge of your nose. You can come check in next week and we’ll see how it’s going; I’ll give you a cast for one more week if necessary, all right?” The physician suggested, rummaging through a cardboard above a counter with clusters of emergency kit items strewn across it, and returned to Riley with a small proper cast and paper tape. He held the cast to the bridge of her nose and carefully attached it to her face, streaking the tape a cross. “There you go. You may notice the area below your eyes begins darkening, which is very normal; it’s only the blood vessels that are blocked with the swelling that try to find a way to create a hematoma somewhere nearby, so it starts spreading. But don’t worry, it’s nothing make-up can’t fix.”


“Okay. Thank you, Dr. Hemsworth. I’ll… go get the appointment in reception,” Riley was rather quiet and withdrawn, due to the mix of the sequel to the shock and the sore lump of her fractured nose.
 
He checked his phone upon pulling away from the hospital. 'Dead. Great.' Knowing his girlfriend, there were likely multiple voicemails waiting, and not likely with lovey-dovey messages. He sighed, wondering how he was going to explain his absence. 'Well, I went to stop a bank robbery, was magically transported into the vault, then to my dead grandparent's house, kidnapped by some unknown man who could magically transform a table into a chair, who then inexplicably let me go, and then I had to drop off the girl I experienced all this with at the hospital because her face got kicked in. She'll buy that, right?' Even his thoughts turned sarcastic on him. The game was likely over by that point, so he asked the tax driver to take him to his apartment complex instead of trying to find Emilia.


The car came to a stop shortly. Exhausted, he thanked the cab driver for the ride and closed the door. The apartments were nearly entirely rented out by students, so it was a virtual ghost town at that moment. Apparently the football game was still going on, the lights from the stadium lighting the atmosphere in a white glow in the distance. In spite of everything that had happened today, he had one thought on his mind: sleep. He closed is eyes in his zombie-like state, shuffling slowly forward through the empty walkways, his thoughts focused on the sweet escape he was to experience on his wonderful bed. He could almost feel the softness of the sheets, the plush pillows against his cheek. As a matter of fact, he could.


His eyes open, finding himself suddenly lying on his bed. "Wha-... how?" His thoughts couldn't contemplate the situation much, since sleep overtook him near instantly, the exhaustion compounding exponentially in mere moments.


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*BANG BANG BANG BANG*





The knocks at the door echoed loudly throughout the small apartment. Alex stretched out on the bed with a labored yawn, his hand going to his forehead and rubbing it roughly. He shaded his eyes from the sunlight peeking through the window, eyes squinting in the confusion associated with being suddenly woken. The noise of the banging exacerbated the headache that pained him, so he stood up and walked tiredly to the door to confront his torturer. The door opened slightly and he peered out, Emilia waiting with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her lips.


"Oh, shit..."
 
Halfway trudging down the hallway leading away from the elevators on the first floor and out towards the lobby, Riley came across somebody she had quite plainly forgot she was supposed to expect, and beside said individual, came an unwanted authority. There, to the rescue, came Mr. Teagan Hackett, and to only make things worse, a police officer with a notepad in hand, ready to drain as much data as possible from the young female victim. Her stubbed-out eyes bore nothing but fatigue and reluctance as she watched them approach clad in frantic expressions and accelerated paces. Riley expected a thousand questions to come sailing out towards her, which was more or less what happened. But first, however, came Papa’s great alleviated hug, which she promptly accepted and corresponded. “Oh, my baby, thank goodness you’re okay!”


“Mrs. Hackett, what can you tell me about the susp – And what behavior did he present duri – Any recognizable features you can descry – Is there a chance that you can identify the weap – So, in hindsight, you estimate he might have taken an approximate amount of – Very well, thank you very much, Mrs. Hackett, you have been of great help.” The ceaseless interrogations that came ruthlessly drilling into her head were muffled by the rewinding scenarios of everything had happened in this eventful day. The robbery, the kick, Alex Corbin, the unknown house, the taxi, the dull shoebox of a room, the woman hanging upside down, ‘You are bound to him, as he is to you. The quintessence of humanity,’ the ER visit, a new cast. It was too much for her to conceive. Riley was undeniably in desperate need of rest, preferably for several days without snack breaks.


Presently, much to her relief, she was laying back against her father’s Mercedes passenger seat, enjoying of the enveloping warmth of the AC and the subtle purring of the vehicle pulling away from the hospital exit and into the frost-adorned city streets. Not much was said during the trip towards Teagan Hackett’s apartment building, since he could sense Riley’s lack of energy to engage in conversation. “You’re staying over at my place tonight, okay?” Undoubtedly, Riley has her own room over at her daddy’s penthouse, out of the other spare five that there are. She silently nodded her head, which was tiredly hanging to the left, with her eyelids weighing themselves down, close to dozing off. It’s not like she really cared particularly where she was going to sleep, just so long as she did so. “And your brother is probably coming over tonight as well, so don’t be surprised if he turns up.”


“All the way from Odgen?” She questioned feebly with a scowl, which softened pretty much instantly, due to the ache it caused in the bridge of her nose.


“Yes.”


“What’s the occasion?” Landon Hackett was, as of currently, quite busied with his law studies in the city of Odgen and the job he had acquired in one of his father’s franchises over there, so he found very few opportunities to come visit the family.


“I called him today and told him about what had happened. I… hope that’s not a problem. He’s just coming to see how you’re doing,” Teagan glanced at her, growing a bit distraught in fear his daughter might not have been very pleased with having to narrate her experience another time around. Thankfully, Riley did not seem to show much demur towards his notification. She didn’t really mind seeing her brother, knowing he definitely wouldn’t be one to push anything onto her. In fact, she hadn’t seen him for a while, and it’d be a nice visit, especially after the rough day she had been through.


_______________________________


The large sommier welcomed the haggard weight of Riley’s body and the covers embraced her welcomingly like the queen she was; she snuggled into the softness of freshly changed bed sheets and the plush pillow and sailed off onto the real of slumber in less than a couple of minutes. Such relief; such bliss. A faint smile was planted on her face among the dimly lit room to sleep off the trash that was her day.
 
"Good morning, Alex."


His thoughts only repeated his misspoken response. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.' His mind raced. His eyes clenched tightly as he spoke, the headache feeling more like a skull splitting sensation at that point. "Emilia, come inside." He closed the door behind her as she sauntered in. Nervously he turned to face her, opening his mouth to speak. A finger immediately shot up in reply from Emilia, not wanting to hear any excuses jut yet. She sighed heavily.


"Where were you last night? I imagine you know I was worried sick, not being able to hear from you..." Her countenance softened somewhat, though still remained stern. She refused to let his boyish charms sway her. She sat down on his couch, her arms holding each other in front of her. She'd been in this sort of situation before, when Alex allowed himself to be dragged away by his friends, unable to say no to anyone. It partly wasn't his fault, his doltish friends in their tomfoolery hiding his phone while she worriedly attempted to reach him. She didn't men to become angry, but her worry for him seemed to fall on apathetic ears at times. And yet, she'd fall back into his arms eventually. They'd been together for so long that she found it hard to ever truly leave him, to escape that comfortable familiarity out into the world, alone. But she had to remain strong; she refused to let her feelings be walked over by Alex's obliviousness.


"Listen, Emilia, you don't understand, my phone died, and was stuck out in the middle of nowhere..." He didn't know how much he could tell her, the truth of last night's event not likely to mend the situation; it would more likely make it worse. He didn't want to lie to her, but the truth seemed just as absurd. 'There's no way I can tell her about the bank robbery and the kidnapping and the.. teleportation, or whatever it was. That's just gonna lead to a slap on the face and her storming out.'





"I swear, Emilia, trust me, I wouldn't abandon you for some stupid reason." But he had, before, letting his friends have their way, dragging him along to parties or events, Alex offering her apologetic glances as if that handled the issue. But they'd been together for so long, he'd taken her for granted, assumed she'd always be there. A kiss and a few charming lines and things would go back to normal. There are times when he actually was a good boyfriend, but he realized there were times when he didn't give her the attention she deserved.


She laughed in disbelief. "But Alex, you have abandoned me, and I-I'm just tired, exhausted by it all." She stood up and approached him, placing a hand on his cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "Alex, I love you, but I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry.." Her touch left his face, turned to the door and left. The apartment had never felt more lonely.
 
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The subtle sound of the bedroom door opening peeled Riley off her slumber, which had been, for now, enough rest to remain another couple of hours awake – perhaps not fully alert, but awake. Next, one of the very few people Riley could tolerantly withstand after just waking up approached the bed, where she slowly straightened herself to a seated position and rubbed her eyes with an elaborate yawn, and stood humbly over her, hands tucked into his pockets and a faint smooth smile stroking at his lips. “Hey there, little sister.”


Riley chortled briefly as she dropped her hands to her lap and looked up at Landon, returning the same smile. She then tiredly outstretched her arms, reaching towards him, just like a child would when requesting to be picked up. His smile widened as he sunk his weight on the edge of the bed and engaged in a mutual embrace with his haggard younger sister. Now Landon Hackett was never the emotional type of human, but the tears that caught up in his eyes were being propelled from the depths of his guts. Only when he pulled away did Riley notice the water welling up in his orbs, and could broad her eyes in puzzlement. His smile however, never abandoned his face. “You could’ve been shot, little sister…”


She nodded her head a few times and wiped the tears from Landon’s eyes carefully, before they could set sail down his cheeks. “But I wasn’t, see? I’m fine,” Riley was able to hold them back, making her eyes sting a tad. She placed one hand delicately on the side of Landon’s face in an attempt to provide some solace. He was now peering at the cast lying on her nose with his brow slightly furrowed.


“Dad told me the guy who robbed the bank did that to you,” He said with affliction making its weight on his voice. She nodded her head in agreement, pursing her lips lightly. “What came to your head when he pulled a gun on you?” Landon’s voice remained gentle and careful, as if they were speaking inside a hospital room where they were to be shrouded by quiescence.


“I feel like a terrible person for this, but… My mind was blank, actually. I feel like deep down I was thinking about my family and my loved ones, but it wasn’t really ‘flashing before my eyes’ like everyone says. I really do feel terrible about that…I feel heartless; do you think it’s wrong?” She scowled with the inquiry.


“Not really, I don’t think it’s bad. I mean, your life was in the line – all I would’ve thought of was begging him not to shoot me. We all probably become cowards when a gun is pulled on us.”


“Yeah… I—I don’t know. Everything was a blur. When he threw me into the safe and started getting all the money, I think that’s when it hit me all at once – you know, what was going on. I started thinking about everything. I didn’t last very long though, because then I was so relieved somebody had come to do something. I really can’t believe how brave that guy was, the one who came to interfere.”


“Alright, little sister, enough of thinking about all that,” Landon ruffled her hair and planted a quick kiss on top of her head, “Come on, Alma is making paella – it’s almost done.”


“Oh, my favorite!” Riley bolted out of the bed, tucked her feet onto her slippers and followed her elder brother towards the diner.
 
Alex hadn't moved from the spot he stood upon since hearing Emilia's final words to him. He felt empty, as though any movement on his part would collapse his frame, revealing he was nothing but the skin around him, hot air inflating his very being. The clock hanging on the wall changed to read ten o'clock. He knew not whether a minute or an hour had passed. The laws of physics didn't apply to him in this state. He could live an eternity in a moment, though it would be filled with questions, regrets, and unending scenarios of 'what if...' He stared blankly at the floor. His cheek was cold where her hand had pressed against it.


His phone rang in the bedroom, snapping him out of his paralyzing melancholy. 'Emilia?' He rushed to the room, flipping the pillow of his bed off to the side to reveal the device beneath it. He grabbed it clumsily, nearly falling out of his hand as he pressed the green button to accept the call. He pushed it to his hear, breathlessly answering.


"Emilia!" His voice full of hope.


"Umm, no. Alex, it's Trey. Did your screen break again or something?" Alex's shoulders dropped, a sigh escaping his lips.


"No, it's fine, I was just... expecting to hear from her." He cursed his buoyant expectation.


"Anyways, Alex, listen. The guys were planning on going to the lake today, and you know we need our boy wonder there! Emilia can come to, it'll be great, we ca-..." His friend's voice trailed off, becoming muted, unintelligible, as if he were speaking underwater. His thoughts revolved around Emilia. He could almost hear his name on her lips. 'Alex. Alex!'





"Alex! You hear me?" Trey's annoyed tone called out.


"Yeah, no. Sorry, Trey, I can't. I... have things to do." The voice on the other line remained quiet for a moment. "Alright, Alex, you do what you gotta do. We'll be there til around five if you change your mind."


"Thanks, Trey. Later." He pressed the END button and dropped the phone onto the bed. He sat down, burying his face in his hands for a moment. 'If Emilia was here, she wouldn't have wanted to go. She sunburned too easily, and couldn't stand my friends. Would I have let myself be dragged along? I... I don't know...' He wrestled with the thoughts, eventually coming to the conclusion that it was pointless. He knew going after her now would be fruitless. Both of them would be too emotional to make a good decision. He needed time to think, and he hoped she was doing the same.


He threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, slipping on some comfortable moccasins afterwards. 'Fresh air will do me some good...' He escaped the cabin fever inducing apartment, the gentle breeze of the day feeling wonderful on his skin. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and letting the stress leave his body. He was beginning to feel a bit closer to normal, or at least to a point he could objectively evaluate his situation.


"Hey!" He opened his eyes, taken aback at the abrupt presence of a person standing in front of him. "Where's the girl?" A peculiar figure stood before him: a shockingly pink pixie cut rested upon a small, rounded face, large blue eyes staring up at him. Barely up to his shoulders, she really did have to look up at him. An assortment of bracelets wrapped around her wrists, and her tattered black t-shirt exclaimed "Vive Le Punk" in a color to match her wild hair. Startled as he was, the words to reply failed to reach his lips.


"Hello? Anyone home?" She said, resting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side.


"Yeah, sorry. I-I don't know where she went." He replied, the memory of Emilia closing his door painfully resurfacing.


"Well, it should be pretty easy to find her. You are bound after all." Her word choice arched his eyebrow, his mind attempting to dig up where he'd heard the phrase before.


"Wait, who are you? And why are you looking for my girlfriend?" Her eyes lit up at his words.


"Aww, she's your girlfriend already? That's adorable! I wish I had been bound to a cute guy like you. I mean, don't get me wrong, my partner is my best friend, like the sister I never had, but... aww, too cute. You must introduce me!" Her bubbly demeanor threw him off. 'Am I going to experience a normal day anytime soon?'


She continued, her hands flying about with her exaggerated gestures. "I saw you and her in my dreams. You guys were together, but then I saw her in the hospital, and you entering these apartments. We didn't find her, but we found you. But ohh, that's so exciting you two are dating! What's it like, being with your bound partner? Is the sex, like, uh-may-zing?!"


"What? What are you talking about? My girlfriend wasn't in the hospital, Riley was, and-..." He stopped suddenly. "Wait, bound? Partner? You sound... you know...?"


The girl smiled widely. "Oh, you're still fighting it. No worries, we'll help you out. But does that mean she's not your girlfriend? Pooo, you two looked so cute together in my dream, too." Alex moved closer to her, his head turning side to side to see if anyone was nearby.


"So you saw us... in a dream? Are you...?" He whispered to her.


"Yup. I'm special, just like you and Riley, you said? I love finding new friends! So can we meet her?" Her excitement was contagious, a confused smile forming on Alex's lips. "Wha... I mean, we could, but I don't know where she lives or anything like that. I just met her yesterday."


The small girl rolled her eyes and paired it with a look of playful disappointment. "A teleporter that can't get to his partner? We have a lot of work to do..."
 
Dinner was, somehow, healing. They didn’t talk about anything related to the robbery, as to leave Riley to suppress however she felt about it on her own. Even Riley’s mother showed up; this was proof of how mature Teagan Hackett and she were so mature about their divorce (which had executed four years ago as of today) for the sake of their son and daughter. It had been quite a while since they’d had a proper family gathering, and truth be told, it was dismal that it required such a tragedy for them to feel compelled to assemble.


Landon decided to stay for the night and return to his spouse in Odgen the morning after breakfast. After exchanging goodbyes with her brother, Riley’s mood sunk as if tied to an anchor in the high seas. She was not feeling particularly dreary about anything, since she’d had her due time the night prior to meditate the odd occurrences of the day. Somehow, she had an odd yet confident assumption that it was a foreign negative emotion, as if it came from somebody else and it was being directly transferred onto her. A subsequent strong headache ensued. She saw herself forced to take a few pain killers in order to be in adequate condition to assist to work.


As soon as her mood began to gradually improve and the depression began dissipating Riley drew the spare formal attire she always kept in the closet of her father’s apartment and called for a taxi. Thankfully, not many people had watched the news the night before, therefore only a few had enquired about anything regarding the robbery and the dreadful experience as a hostage.


Seated idly on her desk at the clinic an unbidden thought bounced onto her head and sat there, capriciously demanding to be regarded. It was Alex – Alex and being ‘bound’ to him, or so she’d been told. It was the thought of the woman hanging upside down from the ceiling, and how real it was. Teleporting? Those strange half-spherical indentations in the walls? It all whirled in her mind, frustratingly unanswered. She needed those answers, for the sake of her own sanity.
 
'Just where did this girl come from??' She was certainly unlike anyone he'd met before, almost an exaggerated caricature of a normal person. 'Does everyone that becomes 'special' just refuse to act like a normal person?' He thought, recalling the strange man from the night before. It all seemed like such a distant memory, with how much thing had happened in the last twenty four hours.


"Okay, listen, now is just really not a good time..." Alex began, still reeling from the break-up earlier. The only thing he wanted right now was to get his thoughts together.


"Now is the perfect time. It's a Saturday morning, we have the whole weekend to hang out! Ohhh, I just love meeting new bounders!" She hopped giddily in place, her balled fists tucked under her chin.


"Bounders?" Alex asked. "Is that what we are?"


"Well, it's just the name me and Veronica decided upon. Special people just seemed so blah." Her tongue stuck out exaggeratedly. "Oh! I just realized, you don't know my name yet, ha! I'm Chloe." She curtsied clumsily, nearly tripping over her own feet. "Come on, you need to meet my partner!"


She grabbed his hand and dragged him along. Alex wasn't sure what to say; she was not a normal person, that was for sure, and if he refused, who knows what she was capable of, having abilities as he did. 'Well, I'd have no luck trying to talk to Emilia now anyways... and I am curious how Riley is doing...' They arrived at a quirky, lightblue hatchback parked on the side of the road.


"Hop in!" Chloe implored, Alex hesitating to agree. 'I'm just going along with this, but can I even trust her? Just because she doesn't seem as menacing as the suited man from last night, does that mean I should just listen to whatever she says? What if this is all a trap?'


"Hey, earth to dude. Let's go!"


'Well, with all that's happened recently, could it get any worse?' Opening the door, he hops in.
 
After scheduling a few chemotherapy sessions of distraught patients for future weeks, it was Riley’s time for her lunch break at 1pm. She headed to the break room at the end of the hallway in the ground floor, then subsequent to the brief for wait for the coffee to brew she leaned against the counter underneath a lining of cupboards. She took a deep inhale and indulged herself with the compelling scent of the steamy coffee inside the warm mug her hands enveloped.


The door opened to allow the entrance of one of her superiors.


“Oh, hi there Riley.”


“Ah, hello Dr. Creighton,” She responded politely, bowing her head with a kind smile.


“Please, just Wade. ‘Doctor’ is for my patients,” He said as he approached the small fridge and rummaged through one of the shelves for a small Tupperware he’d brought in the morning. “I heard something about a bank robbery last night on the news, and they said something about a young woman named Riley. It couldn’t have been you, right?”


“It was, actually,” She casted her eyes to the ground as she took a small sip of the coffee afterwards.


“Oh, well, what a tragedy… I’m very sorry for what happened to you, I wouldn’t imagine what it would’ve been if it happened to me or somebody dear to me,” Dr. Creighton stated whole-heartedly with one hand pressed to his chest.


‘Quite frankly, that’s the exact same thing everybody has said to me the entire day, thank you so very much,’ Is what she wanted to say, but of course, she genuinely respected this man, and he also technically held the choice of prescinding from her services, thus she had to do with the next apathetic response: “I know, it was… quite shocking.”


Several moments of uncomfortable silence later, Riley stepped forward upright and left the empty mug on the sink of the counter, “I’m going to the mart across the street to buy something to eat – I didn’t bring anything since I wasn’t feeling very well, so I assumed I wouldn’t have much of an appetite by this time. Seems like I was wrong,” She announced, and headed off.


She didn’t make it very far, though.


Walking amidst the large parking lot of the oncology clinic, she was brought to a halt by a hand clutching her shoulder as if to draw her attention. “Here you are, we’ve been trying to locate you the entire morning, for Christ’s sake, lady.”


Riley turned with a startled frown as she peered at the female to absorb the flavor of her appearance. She had jet black hair that dropped down to her shoulders, with a gleaming dyed lavender streak on the left side, and perhaps an excessive amount make-up. She was a few inches shorter than Riley in heels, and was clad in what most folks would consider a ‘goth look’, but it was quite simply black clothes with some netting attachments and buckles.


“A—and you are…?”


“Oh, don’t worry. I know about your ability, you have nothing to hide. Now let’s go, we already tracked your bound partner, there’s no time to lose,” She hustled her, tugging at her clothed shoulder to head somewhere East to the parking lot. Riley, however, subtly shrugged her off.


“I’m sorry, but I—I don’t know you. I think you may have mistaken me for someone. Perhaps you can tell me who you’re looking for and I can help you fi—”


“No, I don’t think so. Riley Hackett, right? That’s gotta be you, plus I can sense it,” The young woman crossed her arms and spoke as if she could not be proven wrong in any way.


“I—I, yeah, that’s…”


“UUh—yeah—me, aa-gooh, are you gonna be done stuttering anytime soon? We don’t have all day,” She rebuked impatiently, rolling her eyes in a way Riley deemed somewhat rude. It seemed to be hitting her only now. “Are you still gonna play commonfolk or what? Tell me so at least I know what I’m doing wrong.”


“Is this about… what happened yesterday? About that weird woman standing from the ceiling, and what happened with Alex in the bank?” Riley questioned with a quizzical scowl on her face.


“Oh, you mean Mrs. Prescott? Yeah, she can be a bit quirky sometimes, it’s kinda scary. But whatever, are you coming or not? – Actually, it’s not a question, I need you to come with me now.”


“B—but, I have to continue my shift in half and hour, I can’t—”


“Ugh, what a shitty boss you have, making you work on a Sunday afternoon? Jesus fucking Christ. Alright, I’ll be on that; I need you to tell me who he is or what he looks like”


“What? What are you going t—”


“Come on, Riley! I’m not gonna hurt him, I told you I don’t have all day!” She hustled. Her fretfulness was startling to get on Riley’s nerves.


“Alright, alright! He’s Dr. Creighton: tall, white undercut and glasses. He’s in the… in the breakroom.” Riley was half-hesitant, uncertain to decided whether this girl seemed dangerous or not.


“Okay, give me two minutes. And don’t you go anywhere!” She warned her raising her voice and pointing almost menacingly at the befuddled brunette. Next, she scurried into the clinic and didn’t take any longer than promised. Riley was still afraid of what she might’ve done, knowing that if she was special as well (even while she was not sure if she entirely believed this whole thing) she could have a hazardous ability. “You have a free week, and he’ll pay you double for every day that you’re absent; you’re welcome, and that better do enough for you to just do as I say from now on,” She announced as she hopped down the small staircase at the feet of the entrance door. Riley was still as mazed.


“You didn’t…”


The other young woman, however, predicted her question since she was unaware of her capability.


“No, I didn’t hurt him. I control minds girl, but I didn’t make him bang his head against the desk in case that’s what you feared I would do,” She said, yet again with an eye-roll. This still scared Riley – she’d never know if this girl ever controlled her mind, and what she was capable of if she did so. “Come on, follow me.”


When they trudged towards the end of the parking lot onto the street, there was an obsidian Lamborghini Gallardo flaunting its gleam as it sat parked by the sidewalk. The stranger woman hopped in and called for Riley. “Go on, get in the car.”


Right, mental manipulation. It all made sense.


Yet bewildered by it all, Riley obeyed. Her butt admittedly enjoyed the fancy leather of the seat and just plainly being inside of such a vehicle was overwhelming. “Oh, right, name. I’m Veronica. But I like to go after V-my.”
 
"So where are we going?" Alex asked curiously as they entered the car. Immediately, the smell of lavender and... 'What is that, coconut? And that other smell...' He turned to Chloe, checking her hair in the rearview mirror. "Is that bubblegum?"


"Oh yeah! I couldn't decide on air fresheners, so I just bought all the ones I wanted and put 'em in. There's Bubblegum, Lavender, Coconut, Vanilla, annnddd... Key Lime Pie, that's it!" She was certainly something else, Alex thought, but rather enjoyed her ridiculous personality. The absurdities seemed to be piling higher and higher with each passing moment; he'd forsaken any hope of things returning to normal anytime soon.


"Let me put on some jams!" The girl exclaimed. Depressing a button on her steering wheel, the radio came alive with the rhythmic beat and rattling drums of some new age punk song. She bounced in her seat, singing along to the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Alex squinted, hoping to survive the deafening ruckus that assaulted his ears. He retreated to staring out the car window, it's tint slightly darkening the passing scenery. The familiar green and brick of the college campus faded away, replaced by the ever towering structures of downtown Salt Lake City, dwarfed still by the mountains in the distance. He'd lived here all his life, yet the sight of the mountains in the distance always awed him. He always felt so small passing under their stretching shadows, a mote of dust to in comparison to their awe-inspiring splendor. However, now, with the discovery of what he could be capable of... the mountains felt only the tiniest bit smaller, but smaller nonetheless.


Turning away from the window, he suddenly realized the music had stopped. "You're a quiet one, huh, Alex?" She said, phone in hand. She pressed a key and put it to her ear.


"Vee! Hey, I'm pulling up, did you find her?.... Oh yay! Okay, we'll see you inside, whore." She hung up, turning to Alex. "Oh, you're gonna love Veronica."


They pulled into a parking garage near the shopping district, managing to snag a parking spot on the bottom floor. They popped out of the small vehicle, Chloe skipping ahead while Alex trailed behind, still questioning his decision to tag along with this girl he just met. He followed her into a yellow building, the sign reading 'Market Street Grill'. They were led to a booth almost immediately.


"They'll be here soon, order what you like! My treat."
 
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Riley was so dumbstruck when Veronica actually pulled into a Wendy’s drive-thru for a strawberry frosty. “Do you want something?” She asked, looking over with a blank half-lidded expression at her co-driver. Riley stared with broad eyes, as if alarmed, but only shook her head quickly and turned back to peer outside the window, attempting, as if possible, to infer where they were bound. Next, instead, she decided to voice it. “So, where… where are we going?” She inquired, glancing at Veronica for a short moment.


“I already told you; we’re going to meet your bound partner, that Alex guy,” She replied as she drove forward to the next window of the drive-thru to collect her order. Upon the mentioning of the young savior’s name she had a cluster of entangled feelings, including restlessness, apprehension, stupor and a little spoonful of what she would not admit was flutter. ‘Ough, I’m on my work clothes… Wait, where did that thought come from? Why would I care about that?’ She scowled to herself, shaking the thought off upon the realization of how inverse it was to her usual personality. She was not very certain as to how she felt exactly about seeing this young man, considering the inexplicable connection these odd people claimed was embedded between them.


Veronica was cursing under her breath now, complaining about how there were no empty parking spots in the groundfloor of Market Street Grill. Riley had developed a Pavlov behavior towards this restaurant in particular due to the special occasions when the Hackett family visited this place, for instance Landon’s scholarship, Riley’s graduation, and others as such (or whenever Riley pleaded for an hour-or-so straight). Thus, whenever this MSG was approached, Riley would smell the seafood from a radius of five hundred feet and, oftentimes, even begin salivating.


As a parking spot for the Lamborghini was finally found, the two women followed into the large building. Veronica seemed to be visually rummaging through every head she could spot, until she located a distinctively bright light pink head and promptly sauntered over with Riley walking right behind. She felt the blatant stares for her partner’s peculiar attire.


“Ah, Vee, hey! Took you long enough, you prick,” The petite pink-headed’s reaction upon identifying Veronica seemed welcoming yet an inkling vexed.
 
Alex looked up expectantly upon hearing his new acquaintance welcome her partner over. He searched for a sign of Riley, her quizzical figure trailing just behind her. Alex unwittingly smiled, catching himself quickly. 'Why am I so excited to see her? I just broke up with my girlfriend!' He blinked away his thoughts, the smile fading into a thoughtful grimace once they finally arrived at their booth. He did his best to conceal his inner turmoil, greeting Riley and Chloe's partner thoughtfully, the former taking the seat next to him.


"So I see she got you too, huh?" He remarked to Riley. Any reply she had attempted to make, however, was disrupted by the boisterous pair sitting across from them.


"I stopped for a frosty, hoe. You know I need my frosty fix." The raven haired girl replied rather loudly to her partners odd welcome. The couple definitely stood out in comparison with the usual crowd at an establishment like this. Still early in the day, few patrons could be found in the restaurant, though the few that were threw subtle glances at the booths direction.


Chloe turns to Alex and Riley across from her. "She knows we're meeting at a restaurant, and picks up food before arriving. So typical!" She rolls her eyes with a smile, shaking her head at Veronica. "At least you should've brought me something!"


"You scold me for getting food before arriving at a restaurant, then scold me for not bringing you food when you are at a restaurant? What am I going to do with you." Veronica said with a sigh. Chloe crossed her arms and pouted. "Anyways," continued Veronica, "you don't need to hear us arguing, you likely want to know what the hell's going on right?"


The Alex and Riley nodded in agreement.


"Well! First off-" Chloe began excitedly, but the arrival of the server cut her off. "Waters for all of us, no lemon." Veronica said dryly, her tone brooking no room for argument.


"Ooookay, let me get those out for you." The server responded in forced cordiality, bounding off. The restaurant seemed even more empty by this point. Alex craned his neck behind him, only catching a pair of men sitting alone in separate booths behind them, but the few other people that were there had left. 'That's odd.' Alex thought.


"Anyways, Chloe, we agreed I would do the talking. You get too excited." Chloe's shoulders slumped and her arms fell to her side as she let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh, fine!"


Veronica continued. "Okay, so you guys are special, we know that, you know that; that's out of the way. We wanted to meet up with you because you are being watched. I can't say who's sent us, but you've already met. We have to be careful, there are always ears listening..." Her voice had trailed to a whisper. The four leaned in closer to the center of the table.


"The government's caught wind of you two. The stuff at the bank yesterday, well... they have an Esper working for them. They scanned an employee that happened to be hiding nearby and saw the whole thing. Magnus was worried after realizing that, and sent us to get you."


"Magnus?" Riley asked. Chloe nodded as if there was a spring in her neck.


"You met him, yesterday. Older man with a ridiculous goatee. I mean, come on, he looks like some super villain. I've tried to get him to shave it, but Mrs. Prescott happens-"


"Chloe! Focus." Veronica admonished in a hushed tone. "Anyways, that puts you at risk, and the government getting a hold of a teleporter and an enforcer was too big a risk. We have to-... oh shit." Her eyes were focused behind Alex and Riley now. Alex turned, seeing the two men from earlier standing up, firearms in their grasp. Alex gulped loudly.
 
Oh Christ, again?


“Hands up, all of you stand up,” The taller of the two commanded firmly as he beckoned them out of their seats and watched them slowly rise to their feet and walk out of the booth. “And you,” He turned specifically towards the raven-haired female, “Don’t you try anything. You can’t.” This induced a wry chortle to sneak out of Veronica, because, of course, with the power of mental manipulation, like hell she would care to have a shotgun up her throat.


“Ahah, my dear Haring, like you would even know,” She sneered, lowering her hands to rest them on her hips, triggering a tighter grasp on the two men’s firearms. Veronica’s countenance dropped bemused after a few moments of silence upon the realization that the commands she was embedding into their minds was not boring any effect. Haring’s lips were tugged onto a smirk as one of his brows raised and he shared a glimpse with his partner, who remained very quiescent.


“Oh, I don’t think so, Albring,” He mustered, cocking his head subtly to one side with a faint squint of the eyes, “Not with my partner here, at least.” Haring’s companion stayed leering at Veronica with unwavering concentration, thus no mental command she futilely attempted to impose would seep through any rifts of their minds. “There’s no time to waste here, ladies, now you step back and let us take these two. Agreed?”


Chloe gathered boldness to object to two armed individuals “No, it’s not like that! What’s with you giving them time to decide and then—”


“Well there’s the issue: there is no more time! We’re not here to hurt anybody, but you need to co-operate. Do not interfere with us; we are following Magnus’s orders. The government is keeping track of what’s happened and there’s no time to wait for the lovebirds to decided whether they want to look away from their abilities or not,” Haring explained. As his sentenced trailed onto silence, giving the two females the opportunity to absorb the situation, he clutched onto Riley’s arm and stepped away, hauling her with him; Haring’s partner followed, proceeding similarly with Alex.


“What do we do, Vee?!” Chloe whispered frantically to her bound partner across from her, as they both casted their gaze towards the four as they trudged outside of the restaurant, half of which were reluctantly doing so.


“Nothing. What can we do?”


“What the hell happened just now? Why didn’t you make them go away or something?” The pinkhead reprimanded.


“I couldn’t! Don’t you think I would have if I could, you punk-ass dumbshit?! That other asshole that came with Haring must’ve had something that blocked my powers,” She quarreled back with a raising voice.


“… Alright, you don’t have to talk to me like that…” Chloe pouted as her voice trailed lower in bashfulness.


“I didn’t really like that Riley girl very much, anyway,” Veronica commentated dismissively as she crossed her arms and sunk back onto the seat, pursing her lips. “She looked like one of those chicks who can completely ruin a guy’s life if she wants to.”


“I don’t know, I didn’t get to talk to her – but Alex, though, he’s sooo cute!”


____________________________________


In the unintelligible string of muttering the two partners were caught up in among the front seats of the vehicle, Riley decided it was pertinent and secure to cast her eyes away from her lap and murmur a comment. “I… I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of tired of getting dragged everywhere,” She muttered, sheepishly peering at Alex’s lonely eyes, hoping he would return the gaze. There was a unique feeling roaming through her whenever they shared eye contact for long moments – it was something she could not fathom into words, not even within the freedom of perception of her mind. “I feel like there hasn’t been a single hour where I can enjoy of some normalness.”
 
The whole situation occurred in a blur, as though the whole event was passing by his eyes like a filmstrip, and he was just watching, unable to change the outcome. It wasn't long before he found himself thrown yet again into another vehicle, taken from his once normal life. Each moment seemed a distant lapse from the former, as though he were living out a weeks worth of life in one day. His mind raced and jumbled and fell over itself, wondering if this was all truly just a dream and he'd wake up eventually, or if this was his reality now. A voice, Riley's voice, pulled his consciousness out of his introspection, like being yanked out from underwater.


He caught the latter half of her plight, one he was all too familiar with. He faced her, brown eyes meeting hazel. He felt better just simply seeing her, a solid foundation among the churning tides of his life. "It starting to feel more and more like this is our normal now..." His gaze returned to the window, not wanting to reveal his uncertainty of it all. He wanted to be strong for her, though truthfully he felt like he was more likely to lean on her for support. They both suffered the same troubles, worse in her case, yet she appeared more put together, while Alex struggled to not fall apart. 'Moping about won't help any. I need to stay focused.' He inhaled deeply, repeating his assurances to himself mentally.


He turned his attention back to Riley, offering a tired smile. "Listen, we just have to remain-" His thought was immediately cut off, and his eyes widened instead, staring behind Riley through the window. Rapidly approaching, a black SUV charged towards their vehicle. "Look out!" Alex shouted. He pulled Riley into himself and braced. The SUV impacted the back of their vehicle with a crunch of metal and fiberglass, sending them spinning along the street. Their momentum was stopped by another car unfortunate enough to be nearby on the road. A few pained groans went up among the passengers. Alex looked Riley over before anything. "Are you alright?" Before she could answer, however, their two captors began hurriedly chattering.


"It's the DHS. We need to move, Bershov." He eyed the motionless SUV that had struck them, a few car lengths away.


"The Esper must be near. Chyort voz'mi! We have to lose them before heading back. We have no choice, Haring." He said in his thick, Russian drawl. His hands gripped the wheel tightly.


The other grimaced, but accepted his partners words. "Okay, let's go." He shoved his foot into the accelerator, turning the wheel sharply. The vehicle careened in a tight semi-circle, racing down the road. Alex and Riley peered behind them, the black SUV roaring to life, following suit. The two weaved in and out of the traffic, the near collisions shoving Alex's heart into his throat.


"Bershov, they're gaining! Move! Move! Move!" The one man, urged, the other gritting his teeth anxiously.


'There has to be something we can do...' Alex thought urgently.
 
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Riley’s stomach sunk at the abrupt distortion in Alex’s countenance that spread to hers and the rapid expectant fear that overcome her seemed to hop into her like a ghost leaping among bodies, trying to find its host, even though she hadn’t visually absorbed the approaching danger. The impact and the swiveling of the vehicle across the concrete were a blur of skip-framed images and the blare of the collisions abusing her ears. As the rear side of the vehicle grimaced, Riley was thankfully uninjured –only for a few lucky inches –courtesy of Alex’s reflex reaction to yank her away from the hazard.


Her mind subconsciously dismissed his frantic question due to her focus assembling all into a throbbing pain onto her nose, for the lump under the cast on her nose swelled once again with the strong collision. Riley’s hands were clutching onto Alex’s chest as she huddled up distraughtly within his protective embrace. The desperate screeching of the wheels rapidly climbing out of the cracks on the concrete and the indentations induced on the shell of the other innocent wrecked car tore Riley off the stupor and she bolted upright, darting her sight towards the SUV who’d tackled their vehicle. Her eyes opened even more broadly as she saw the wheels resumed their charging motion and the vehicle began chasing after them.


The offhanded entwining among the traffic of the streets during the pursuit seemed no different from how it was portrayed in any action movie Riley’s ever watched, from whichever perspective you’d wish to look at it. However exciting it may seem from a reader’s omniscient point of view, but within the young woman’s introspective, it was a scared-half-to-death-holding-onto-dear-life scenario.


Riley somehow managed to cling to a string of boldness to turn around in hopes of finding the absence of the SUV trailing tightly behind them, but what she saw instead shattered whatever thin glassy layer of expectation she had. Through the windshield of the bigger vehicle chasing closely behind, Riley caught sight of a man pointing a large firearm towards them. The perception of this visualization triggered a subconscious response in her brain, which would wind up bringing them a significant advantage. The co-driver’s side of the windshield and hood of the SUV dented inwards spherically with an incredibly loud blast that probably echoed throughout two or three blocks surrounding the inexplicable rupture.


Thick threads of smoke slithered skywards out of the SUV’s battered hood as the direction of the car wavered clumsily until it diverted off onto the opposite lane, darting towards the curb missing an oncoming car by strands of thin air.


“What in the hell—? Did you see that, Bershov?!” Haring remarked, peering frantically into the side rearview mirror, scowling quizzically.
 
"Vhatever it vas, is good for us..." Bershov replied stoically, too focused on driving to care about the fate of their pursuers. In spite of their miraculous escape, the DHS would not be deterred so easily. The discovery of Alex's ability could be seen as a threat to national security, one which could not be easily contained. If he couldn't be captured, extermination was the only other option, either him or his partner.


Alex loosened his hold on Riley now that they were in relative safety. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief as the wreckage disappeared in the background. He looked over Riley, who seemed to be relatively okay. He suddenly felt awkward, aware of their rather close proximity. "It-it seems you're okay. Thankfully no one got hurt..." He attempted to act casually, hoping no one would notice the redness in his cheeks. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I acting like this, after just having been broken up with, and barely escaping with our lives?'





Flustered, he shook his head; he preferred to have a brain devoid of thought than filled to the brim with them, too occupied with his own introspection to take note of others.


"Yeah, your friend there did a number on them. Magnus really hit gold with you too." The man in the front seat spoke nonchalantly. "Unfortunately, this is just a small inconvenience for the DHS, so the sooner the big man can get you guys controlling your abilities, the better."


'My friend? Does he mean Riley?'





He turned to the girl that sat next to him. "Riley, did you do that to the SUV?" Amazement and surprise colored his expression; he'd never known she could be capable of such a thing. 'So at the warehouse, that was her... it's no wonder they're after us.'
 
Riley was evidently dumbfounded at receiving accusations of being responsible for such bizarre occurrence, stuck voicelessly into Alex’s gaze. Her broad eyes were lost; she couldn’t blink. “I—I, no, I couldn’t have! What a—are you talking about?! That wasn’t me!” She abnegated the responsibility out loud, clutching her knees with her fingers tightly as she craned her neck to follow the trail of the smoke left by the wrecked SUV growing thinner and dissipating.


______________________________________


“I apologize for the inconvenience once again, young Alex. We are reluctant to have to take it to such a forceful level, but we considered it urgent that you came immediately,” Magnus, in his immaculate black suit and one hand behind his back, voiced steadily, referring to the male who was seated in the same chair as the last occasion – unbound this time. Bershov stood silently in the corner, facing the room, blocking his ability with his Psychic Shield. Riley, however, had her hands buckled tightly together behind her back, and her balled fists tucked into some sort of leather pouch. Her shoulders were hunched forward as she glared haggardly at the man who paced back and forth opposite to the table before them.


“Ah, and you, my young lady,” He slicked back a rebellious short strand of his dark hair that fell over his forehead. The man sauntered around the table and behind their dull metal chairs, settling his fingertips atop Riley’s head delicately, setting off an instant light shudder to move through her body and the clenching of her eyes. “I must say we have struck it lucky with your ability, Miss Hackett. You will be a great leap forward in advantage for us, undoubtedly.”


The dark-haired man came once again to be facing the two bound ones, now studying them down closely with condescending onyx eyes. “Oh! My, where are my manners?” He shook his head at himself, “I am Mr. Myerscough; I believe we hadn’t met before, young Riley. My wife was the one to have a word with you last time you paid us a visit, Mrs. Prescott – I’m sure you remember.” It did not even strike her how he knew her name, assuming he quite probably also had her address, birth certificate, driver’s license, bank account password, and hell, even a copy of a key to her apartment in his possession.


The female hopped back in her chair astounded after witnessing in first hand as the iron table before them shrunk and shriveled like paper folding like origami into the shape of a chair, much like their own, and caught the man’s descent adjusting itself beneath them. Riley’s eyes widened like saucers, and her lip quavered in befuddlement. Truthfully, she couldn’t have possibly been as shocked as Alex when he first witnessed it, especially after all the crazy shit they’d been in presence of recently.


“I presume you would like to know why you were brought here after being given the chance to meditate your situation and contact us whenever you decided you were prepared to acknowledge and address your ability,” Magnus began steadily, “But worry not, we do have a justification for that,” He said, holding up his index finger. “It so happens that the government has gained possession of a copy of the footage where young Corbin’s ability is displayed faster than we managed to destroy it, unfortunately. We could not afford to wait any longer before you decided to address the awakening of your abilities, which is pretty clear you have both embraced pretty well. Agent Haring briefed me about your little number back in the pursuit with the DHS a while ago; I must say I’m impressed, and quite frankly proud, Miss Hackett,” He smirked rather condescendingly at the female who only glared with slightly squinted headlights.


“That was not me, I couldn’t have possibly caused any damage in that SUV,” She objected behind gritted teeth, choosing not to speak very loudly. “Even if I wanted to, because this whole thing is non-sense and quite frankly, sir, I think I speak in both of our behalf when I say we wish to be left in peace,” She stated firmly, giving Alex a short glimpse as well as Bershov plastered in the corner of the room as she addressed towards the entire situation as ‘non-sense’.


“Speak all you want, Hackett, we are quite acquainted with the phase of denial through this entire process, and believe me, it doesn’t last as long as you think it will. You two youngsters do look like the kind of bound partners who will comprehend the significance of the possession of your abilities and will embrace it soon enough,” At Riley’s gesture of turning her head to decide as to avoid eye contact and pretend to refuse to listen to his reply, Magnus chortled and laced his fingers over the tabletop, taking a brief moment of tense silence to examine the duo once again. “Come on now,” He spoke suggestively, “We are all adults here – we should quite acting like children, shouldn’t we?”
 
Alex quietly listened on, attentively watching the exchange unfold between Riley and Magnus. She adamantly opposed Magnus's initiative to, for all intents and purposes, kidnap them, and yet, Alex understood his actions. His mind resurfaced the memory of their dangerous collision earlier that day. He could recall the sinking feeling that enveloped his insides, the dread of Riley possibly getting hurt, or worse. 'And those guys that brought us here said this was just the first attempt of many...' The thought caused a shudder in Alex, unsure of what would happen to them if they were captured by their pursuers. Veronica and Chloe had warned of them as well. To Alex, they were in way over their head.


"Riley..." Alex finally spoke, cutting the tension between his partner and the man before them. "I'm... I'm staying. This isn't something I'm confident in tackling on my own, even if we have these abilities they saw we do." Hi eyes pleaded as they stared at Riley. "We could've been seriously hurt today, or worse. If we can be safe here, then I think... I think we should take this chance." His confidence in his decision was near nonexistent, but to him, it was a lesser of two evils. At the very least, he reasoned with himself, this man had a control over his abilities, and if that was something they could learn and apply, then the sooner they could be on their own.


The sound of the man's voice appealed for their attention once more. "I am glad that at least you, Alex, understand the severity of this situation. It is no longer safe for you two to remain, for the moment, mingling in the normal world. Should you both decide to stay, your job and coworkers won't even remember you worked there. Your school, Alex, won't have record of your attendance. Your living arrangements will be taken care of, and any family members will have an appropriate excuse for your sudden absence. Trust me, there will be no issues that will arise if you stay, and you will be in the best of care. But we need both of you to stay; your bond is the key to your power, and broken, it will whittle away like a wax candle under a burning flame. And...' He stood with a heavy sigh, staring at the floor as he slowly paced. "we can't afford to allow you to leave freely this time. Your powers are too dangerous to fall into the hands of the enemies, so with a heavy heart I must tell you that you either you stay with us, or..."


"Or you'll kill us?!" Alex sneered incredulously, suddenly not so sure of his decision.


"No, no, no! Of course not... but you will have, perhaps, considerably less of your brain function intact, enough so as to avoid any threat of your powers being used against us in the future." He offered an apologetic smile, the tips of his fingers against each other in a delicate, almost menacing gesture.


"You're not giving us much of a choice, then, huh..."
 
It took the man in grayscale a few pensive moments to formulate an eloquent assertion to at least get Riley thinking, and reconsidering. Through the thick string of his haughty stare clung his next words, sliding over to the young woman. “I presume you are aware that our organization counts with one company for each state to conceal the true purpose of it. Here in Utah, the headquarters are located in Salt Lake City. For instance, in Texas you can find the office supply chain store Avielle & Huth’s™ in Odessa; there’s the men’s formal apparel shop SilverCoast™ in San Diego, California; Virreyes™ bookstore in Baltimore, Maryland…” Myerscough’s mouth broke into a subtle wry grin, careful and cautious, “Now, of course, to young Riley’s knowledge, we have the Hacketech™ appliances in Salt Lake City.”


Riley’s countenance was plastered like cardboard – a grimace of utter puzzlement and disbelief, as if it were impossible. Her brow was furrowed and her lip slightly upward. She did not find the grayscale man legit, not one bit. Magnus’s face eased with a hint of mendacity, “Oh, don’t play silly now; 20 years of coexisting with Teagan Hackett – I genuinely do not believe he never revealed whatever we masked behind the distribution of appliances. Do you really think he wouldn’t be acquainted with the reason behind your unusual delays and absences? You have no idea how eagerly yet at the same time apprehended he has been waiting for your powers to finally awaken. But who am I to judge him… it must be a blessing to have both your children be gifted with such abilities.”


As Magnus attempted to cram in more piles of verities into her vulnerable and grimaced head, Riley snapped into a struggle fit, tussling and clenching her arms as she strove to free them from the leather pouch bracing her hands. The underneath of the paws of her chair shrieked and beat against the floor as it jolted with Riley’s commotion. With the beckoning of the grayscale man’s hand, the door of the shoebox room opened to allow the summoned entrance of a familiar buff man – yes, the one from last visit—who proceeded to unhesitantly haul Riley’s jostling body out of the room towards whatever Magnus’s command happened to be. “Take her with Dr. Sheriman. Tell him she is newly bound, a light sedative will do. Proceed with caution; she has a highly offensive ability. And she’s prepared for the track embedding. We’ll send her bound partner right after.”


“Let me go, no! I—I’m not going anywhere!” Riley’s desperately pleading voice was soon muffled by one of the bulky man’s hand pressing against her mouth to hush her.


_________________________________


Strapped to a cold white seat in a room which appeared to be mantled in glass – crystal tables with test tubes and silver trays, pane walls and shelves, was Riley, alone. Alone in a roomful of glass. Her ears were muted, as if expecting to be abruptly assaulted by the blaring of exploding glass. Sooner than she would’ve preferred, the steel door opened to reveal a rather cringe-worthy being: a scientist that looked as if pulled out of a Stephen King tale. Immaculate lab robe, broad frames like magnifying glass before his loony eyes and long menacing fingers. He was intimidating like an eerie dentist or a clown from the sewers.


The doctor waddled over with a stool closer to the young woman, which caused her to lean to the opposite direction with the inkling of a grimace. He seemed to talk to himself – mustering beneath his breath, his breath which stank a dead giveaway of a heavy smoker. Underneath Riley’s seat were tucked small drawers, which the doctor slid open swiftly. He pulled out a syringe and took no longer than a couple of seconds to fill with the sedative. She struggled futilely before the needle inserted itself onto her arm and consciousness drained teasingly out of her as the sedative made its effect. “No… n—no…”
 
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