THE APPRENTICES

Chapter One Normal

Fear...Death...struggle. all of these I know too well. and the worst part of it all is that I've never had an escape. There is no hope. No change. Nothing but the abyss. Fear will be your enemy.

What is normality ? All my life I've found been normal really peculiar. Not that I would expect anything less. In my world unusual was the normal. However my world is really me, my sister Terra and our Mother Eliza. Me and Terra were different genetically. We possess powers that if used negatively could potentially destroy the world and end the existence of life as we know it. My name is Robin, I'm sixteen years of age and my family own a small farm on the outskirts of our town, Maleskine. We live a pretty simple life here, but it's not as perfect as I would prefer it to be. My Mom works constantly to provide for us and my younger sister Terra. Due to our powers we're prevented from visiting the town centre. Our Mother doesn't have powers like us, but that's the genetic change. Our DNA cells were tampered with and eventually began to change when we were younger. From them in we had grown up with the abilities we have. Learning from them as they became a part of our blood...of us.

Despite our current lives I always seemed to forget the previous chapters of my childhood as has Terra. I've always felt something strange inside of me, something I eventually began to dwell on. I failed to remember the majority of my childhood. Except for one thing. Pain and screams. Even to this day I cannot seem to understand why I can't remember. It's as If somebody slammed a giant door behind me and locked it tight. Sealing memories of my childhood and hiding them from me. Yet Terra felt none of the truely awful feelings that I was exposed to as a child. She always seemed happier than me even growing up away from everyone else. She seemed normal and content in the cat she didn't need people around. She grew independent from this and relied more on herself than other people which I gather isn't a bad quality to have. At least she can defend herself with her power.

Terra has the ability that enable her to harness Geokinesis. She is able to manipulate the earth around her and can allow it to take any shape or form she desires. As a child she would create small animalistic figures out of rocks that she had bonded together. I couldn't imagine a greater source of entertainment as a kid. Unfortunalty The only problem is; she can't control it. I partly believe that's one of the main reasons as to the location where we live is more remote and less people occupy the area. All our lives we've been kept secret. That's how our Mom raised us to be. The root of our powers is another topic, one that Mom never spoke about. Some days I'd see Terra cry because she had killed an innocent animal whilst trying to help it or play with it. Others, she struggled to cope with the stress, she suffers from it quite a bit. The emotional burden she has constantly upon her shoulders, drains me to the point where I would sit and teach her to conceal her ability when our Mom was away from home.

Once on our way home from school, as we walked slowly across the bleak dusty roads that seemed to be lit by the summer suns golden rays. Forever doomed to remain there until the earth decided to move them somewhere else. A silver Mercedes vehicle was boldly approaching us. The very essence of the suns light tracing itself along the vehicles main body. Speeding down the road and ensuring any dust that was layered on the beneath its tyres, was swept up into the air with a dramatic flare, ultimately creating its own golden brown clouds that hovered, then slowly began to drift down. Similar to that of elegant feathers that gracefully would flow on the air with no restraints. Before vanishing amoung the breeze. Terra waved her palms at me over a small joke the two of us had been playing that day. It was sort of like our own tradition in so many words. We would often play games or mess around,play or tease one another on the way home. However on that day we had no idea the outcome nor the impact the acident would have on our lives. After several attempts at pushing and gently shoving each other Terra made a childish gesture and by doing so the road that lay only metres from our bodies,split causing the car to almost spin off course. Fortunately, the crack my sister had bestowed upon the once safe road was not deep nor wide enough for any severe damage to occur. It was then that the reality of our powers could seriously cause harm to others struck us. But it wasn't that I feel had truely frightend my sister; I believe it's the perilous factor that our powers,especially hers could potentially kill somebody. So that's why we moved here, we used to live in the centre of town. A place buzzing eith vibrant colours and voices. Where noise was no stranger and the constant voices or conversations of passing neighbours, just the regular folk around here were normal. Although people were starting to get suspicious about Terra. When we were kids I can remember when she would grow flowers in the town's gardens but people were beginning to notice. When we turned thirteen Terra no longer would allow me to teach her. I desperately would try to help her whenever I could but she just shuts me out. I'm worried that it's all becoming too much for her to handle.

The ever haunting image of my sister been locked away in a cell somewhere handcuffed. Alone and isolated. Allowing her dangerous thoughts to consume her would be too much to. The daunting life of someone tied unwillingly to a cold,foreign, lonely location almost all of their life. Without so much as breathing fresh air again would kill me.Terrified; the thought of her been helpless and unprotected was really a danger to my mind. We began to grow further and further apart as time went on. Feeling as though we were staggers with nothing but happy memories that had seemed to have faded with her invisible scars. She would refuse to come out because she classes herself as a danger to members of the public. Roughly a year after our family had moved into the new house. In which was away from the town centre and away from praying, judgemental eyes of townsfolk. I started to build bridges and our sibling bond back to its original state. There's just one thing, however,that I would be powerless to remove her past. The nightmares. Every night she would have a nightmare about that day of the accident. Only the outcome always twisted in her fearful mind. I would watch as her eyelids darted franticly as she slept. The sheer images that processed through her brain, exceeding her energy far more than her waking life did. She would awake screaming horrified as she believes it was a reality. As she latched onto to me as if she were a leach, holding on for dear life . Beads of sweat growing on her forehead as her eyes still held the images from her slumber. Remember the following mornings when I would arrive for breakfast and I would see nothing but bags under her eyes from the sleepless nights and from the terror. But eventually we would edge her out into the outdoors and I would take her to our place. A place where only our family knew about. Hidden away from curious eyes and distractions. A place where trees were the horizon. Where the vast lake would be still,as it reflected the simple delight of the crystal clear skies with its marshmallow clouds. She becane Terra again. I had my sister back.

Currently were both sixteen. Our life rapidly flashing before our eyes as we deal with issues about our future;College, University, a job. All foreign concepts to us. Life for us would never be anything more than these powers we controlled. Now Terras' nightmares had ended and I watched on,as the smile on her pleasant red lips grew with each passing day. And the nights blissful and quiet, no disturbance existing in our small home.

But what we were undeniably unaware that soon, our lives would be turned upsidedown forever...