The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcTPHlfTQF
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFsVvUsUvl
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7DGm10YYf
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.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuOPhsoSfT
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa8L8AnPk7
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQSBPBD6Wv
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGewWPfOLY
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvfM8UZxBQ
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxOmoXmvpn
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CKHaVjr9M
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuloZJKI6aW
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXI57ge2xEd
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgqTmO1zKT
BOOM.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqvWgbugkQ
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXD35nHRpRP
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6kB5mwNE7
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfi1KOONBM
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qpDMUYB2c
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qATGXTBj7
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKF7a9MV4B
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3TZnk45ma
Both boys immediately stood straighter.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIh0eLQdnW
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE4hSrKi5E
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n9aoPEyWI
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkbOXrPGxy
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW67wuBwkCU
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QEH50V1sT
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycwkHkbg2W
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4djsI4DfV
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshy0WYi2NO
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPOpnd2yj4
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01V7fwf27O
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIO0bsN9YP
He hated this.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgd8lwB00y
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0juY7dQZo7
And Darius?17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDk8J9h5ILs
Nothing.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXFyeIxx8g
Weak.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxC20nTJNoW
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXBpUxqYW5
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BGtvsdy6r
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKqbWhn2xB
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvrTB9YGpi
“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.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJRT2m98T9
There was a pause.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZRT9Ern1P
“And the outcome?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzUEzEZToJ
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0IAD4PTCm
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBENqEibgtZ
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNej7JqfjJg
His father was silent.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGj9qe1qi6
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkMLueDZj3
“And those dumb guys?”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8ZKgOOxKk
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sKwsHG8ri
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoNsmnuMhO
He didn’t even look back.
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