Fading Away

Chapter Four

This story is getting good. I'm on the edge of my seat XD. Please comment!!! Or vote. Or just read, whatever. Also I've already finished writing this so I'll be posting quickly. That way the plot twists in store won't ruin your life for more than a couple days at a time... you're welcome.

 He's here. I can hardly believe it. My heart wrenches in my chest. I turn away from him.

"Your hair looks beautiful," he says.

I don't turn to look at him again.

"I wanted to apologize."

Now I look at him, and I do so with wide, surprised eyes. "You're apologizing?" I demand, stunned.

He swallows. "I was a jerk. I know just saying sorry isn't enough, and I'm going to work to prove I really am sorry."

My eyes start to tear up. Before I really think it through I throw my arms around him in a tight embrace.

He holds me tightly. "I've missed you."

I swallow. My throat aches and I want to cry tears of joy. "I've missed you, too."

He pulls away. "What I said before leaving has been tearing me up everyday since I said them. Accusing you of wanting to help Harper because you wanted kids?" He shakes his head. "I wasn't thinking straight. I was being stupid-"

I put a finger to his lips. "Hush. It's true, your words hurt more than anything I'd felt before. But I want more than anything to make us work again."

His eyes flare up with agony and relief and more emotion than I've ever seen before.. The colors swirl faster, and I can't take my eyes off them. He averts his gaze. "We should go. Wonders is gathering us together."

I shake my head quickly to snap back to reality. "Yeah," I mumble, following him out of the room. He leads me through some of the tunnels and we come into what I believe to be the biggest cave. There's a huge fancy table where the others are already gathered. Wonders sits at the head, waiting for us to join the others. Eternity and I quickly take a seat besides each other.

"It's so wonderful to have everyone together again," Wonders begins, his gaze passing over each one of us. "There has been some recent developments. In order for them to make sense, its time for our story to be explained to all of you. The story of how and why we came here."

I sit up straighter in my seat. This is going to be interesting.

He continues, "as you all know already, this is not our home. Our home is a planet that lies nearly desolate, far, far away from here. We escaped its destruction through a portal. The portal brought us to the nearest life-sustaining planet- here. Secrets and I took care of you all. Since our escape we have seen no evidence of there being any life on our old home planet."

His words hang in the suddenly silent air. This is startling news. Our planet, where we were all born, is dead. There's no life there.

"I'm not sure if any of you remember what it was like," he carries on. "It was an incredible place. We lived under fairly peaceful conditions." We listen to his words in rapt silence. "Perhaps the thing that set us the farthest apart from humans was our abilities. It's like what we use now to influence and help people. On our home planet it was so, so much stronger. I had believed that none of you would progress in your abilities until we returned home-"

My head jerks. He was planning to bring us home? It wasn't a thought that had ever entered my mind.

"-but I was wrong." He draws a breath. "You're all changing. It's in your names."

With those few words of vague explanation, everything makes sense. My name, my changing appearance, the way I sense things about people... Eternity's eyes. Secret's hooded face and shadowy appearance. It all makes sense now.

"What can we do now?" I ask in a hushed tone.

A smile crosses Wonders' face. "I'm glad you asked. Secrets?"

She stands up, making no noise whatsoever when she moves. She pulls her hood back. Her eyes blaze electric blue with ghostly white pupils. My breath catches in my throat as I feel as if the walls in my head have been torn down and everything I've buried deep, every embarrassing thing I've said and done, all the secrets I've kept, are open for the whole world to see. It's not the most comfortable feeling. From the way everyone else shifts uncomfortably I assume they're having the same sensation.

"I think that's enough of a demonstration," Wonders says with a smirk.

Secrets pulls her hood back over her head, covering her unsettling eyes once again. I relax. The terrifying sensation is gone.

"Her powers are far more developed than any of yours," Wonders explains. "But even hers have not reached their full potential."

A shiver runs through my body. After all, I've just learned that I'm going to be more powerful than I ever imagined. What will I be capable of? How will I impact others, or the whole world?

I can't wait to find out.