The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHj1oObFM6
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gM5I0iiHN
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRolvBzwbl
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.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZA1G5Z9jK
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt35YLAeQFm
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNli48g8p9
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K7cB7UL7W
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoh99BqAeic
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsWJyhqV55
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUtlJTzR3O
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz6Enlt6Wf
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeDh0HGYba
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFEXmQVOe8
BOOM.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdi183nQUY
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7SMByZsbU
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3IH1DmgZs
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJmYulrHMO
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLnfBuY4uD
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsIxpIDBSd
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECeZB22UB0
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplS73rlBZo
Both boys immediately stood straighter.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau85S8g4zj
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUUlq5Ko0L
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EuAp4PxSW
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rcRc29JrP
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡko5VrcC6Zi
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbSrbGKegz
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡII47kkKRvo
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoZx8kgbGV
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjQckHzLA4
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8aq8doNPn
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVi3d4MK3T
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVAaWlUOZj
He hated this.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ILXLUj1Ra
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyYPPLqF0a
And Darius?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGAIGk1ymF
Nothing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwGmnBAv4u
Weak.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NvEGJIGiO
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniunFYroL2
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq8UMBWsHS
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkOgWVMUWM
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQogvQcxf1x
“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.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiNvdtEEDE
There was a pause.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2quz27BoPv
“And the outcome?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpV4kgckh6y
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DVnvkaGvJ
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfWfRfQv9Q
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLAjzwrNZ6
His father was silent.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4pbAwiphF
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8v6CyWFJP
“And those dumb guys?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D6H2DEjta
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXUYv36fbF
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHt8ex2Xym
He didn’t even look back.
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