The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKVnxdMkVq
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqmxgkCH7K
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbsGHsLxpi
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.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9OjWTXy6M
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJxWUQRXJW
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdP7mqsAx3F
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmn0kRhY9Fx
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEocBJqEs6X
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpICP6F3PP
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtptiuKh6I
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj6PPtl1rw
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNtQBTpkdn
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRtV3nziSz
BOOM.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8NjIhdUtP
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRIgBsvLkR
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl4O93ZLqj
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QFcajqZ11
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9sHNI5LRa
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEClb8fXfJX
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9qw62FKBo
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5yf2HE2zO
Both boys immediately stood straighter.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DCr5A23uX
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklNouQM6MU
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrMtunNzAg
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlogq5D5UK
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OhdTw1ECK
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywGJislcZA
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9AHu73QHG
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeTe6kQkNH
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQN6SXM25F
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxk4ZcS9kc
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrceZlDAeh
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z4wUYKXej
He hated this.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEV4bdaHByj
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ9UIkEo1c
And Darius?34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxQtrSJjuY
Nothing.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP36aTJNce9
Weak.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7AoOayvsU
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJpNB4xChB
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6en7LmAbl
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RN2bTTKY8
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvsVEovhDo
“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.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yzXUb2Xm7
There was a pause.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwIEVb5Yx7
“And the outcome?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZjVfd6If5
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotR4gNYyYS
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPws5jHHXv
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Vkv9OVkqz
His father was silent.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqzOKsbLSu
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtX58OEjkO
“And those dumb guys?”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YDtg58SoV
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLWKai38bg
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYuqf1bMXI
He didn’t even look back.
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