The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6VTFNxVfk
Davis was the first to spot it as he jogged back after letting everyone know what was happening.. He stopped dead in his tracks, panting. Behind him came Brielle, then Giselle, and finally their mom—whose eyes locked onto the dome with an expression that could kill.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTSw8khFgT
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTthDdch4n
Davis wiped sweat from his forehead. “I mean… if it looks like a weird rock-egg thing that screams ‘Adan and Julian did something dumb’? Then probably yeah.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlATWbpmfO
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOj8JHDUrl
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZtQQInon0
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Bkw9q6SFB
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunE0mzPIRM
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLgOAZEZYJ
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBupZdKWGj
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5hsuiZa1n
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyI80gxgwt
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZKM7pFlqk
BOOM.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMU9tIneok
The dome exploded. Not like a regular explosion—more like the entire thing flexed outward in an instant, shattering into dust and stone fragments that blasted into the yard like mini meteors.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt2M2Fc2AA
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpchE1KnFof
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMDSCudMzh
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPU9vb4gvP
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphOJdr6hP2
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8CHD2ZlXm
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hTf1vjhyQ
Both boys immediately stood straighter.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa6GjOGX2t
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxf6wY3m7UJ
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOaNDI9VxA
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDna2cdmVp
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRpIZwvfMY
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45DFJtHkVP
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcusd5lcFIG
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWa6cbA95fr
The backyard finally settled into a weird kind of silence. Brielle helped pull Giselle up, who immediately shook dust from her hair like a wet cat.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMleugFIko
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0nHt7mGy7
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTETWTC5kH
From behind the neighbor’s fence, hidden in the shadows of a tree, stood Darius Berithman. His arms were crossed. His eyes locked onto Adan and Julian—still laughing, still celebrating.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MKHIiUKut
He hated this.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgzQooBc30
That Adan guy. That idiot. That clumsy, clueless idiot with his suit, his powers, his jokes. Wind, water, fire, stone. All of it. Julian with his freaky portals, suddenly matching Adan like he wasn’t even trying.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvfKa0r1BE
And Darius?26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlep5tM4yCc
Nothing.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlTgZkFGaj
Weak.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV3Ls0Y4iM
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUakBXiPgP
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4W6ffz5AG
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbquTnxjlP
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JNidjAB6a
“What the hell,” he said. “Davis’s little friends had an accident. They got hit by the experiments. I don’t know what exactly though.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZ3hg1xW78
There was a pause.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJmECS3jvi
“And the outcome?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRt0sJvLX8
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3PHQArPnv
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEMApGwiaj
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTbWqv0Dkx
His father was silent.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6nQk7CVVw
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP89VUiCnt
“And those dumb guys?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PlahJmhpX
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRWDZ4QX3G
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJK6wBfcYU
He didn’t even look back.
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