Fade

9

   They caught up to us. Now we're going to die. Both the scientists and our old comrades stood before us. Christian slowly let me go. I was tense, and my body slightly trembled. They were here. They were going to really get us this time. "Amber. Why do you look so scared?" The girl asked me. She looked different. Her eyes...Their eyes were blood red. What had happened to them? "Their souls are now mine. I control their entire being." The main scientist spoke up. She stepped forward and smiled at me. She pushed up her glasses and put her hands behind her back. "All of this is for you, Amber." I shook my head. No. She's wrong. But she's also right. This woman terrifies me. She was the one who helped start all of this. Her blonde hair was tied back and she had bags under her eyes. Dr.Trina Zullbur, the woman I hated with all of my being. "This was your dream." She continued. I stared at the girl. At her face. At the faces of the others. Their faces seems void of life. Their parents didn't want this life for them. But because of me, this was their fate. "Who are you? What do you want with her?" Christian growled. Failure. "She needs to come back home. She ran away with her little friends all those years ago but never returned. So I'm here to pick you up." Dr.Zullbur explained. Failure. My friends. Failure. Where are my friends? I turned around and saw them fighting both wolves and our own. My eyes widened. My body took action on its own. I lifted the enemies twenty feet into the air and they dropped to the ground. Failure. Not this time. I won't lose them. They watched as I ran to them. "Amber!" I ignored my mates and reached my friends. Zeke suddenly turned to me and the earth vibrated. Tree roots shot out and held me down. A burst of light hit me and I flew back like a rag doll. I rolled onto the ground. I landed sprawled on my back. I stared up at them, wondering why I had been attacked. My head slightly spun from the impact. "Guys! What is your problem?!" Tobias yelled at them. A combination of air and water swirled towards him and he used lightning to stop the attack. He dodged a surge of light and joined my side. "Amber. Their eyes." My friends faced me. Zeke. Reese. Celia. Dante. Their eyes were the same as the girls'. They were being controlled.

"Why are you acting surprised? They were the ones who attacked you two weeks ago." Tobias looked to me in shock. I touched my temple with a shaky hand. "Oh? Oh! This is just precious!" She laughed. "You don't remember, do you! Haha! He was the one who erased your memory in the first place!" She pointed to Dante, who joined her side. The others did as well. Realization hit me. When they were shot with something and were complaining. That's what it was. "Did you put the puzzle pieces together? Amber, this is all for you! All of it!" She laughed hysterically. Failure. Failure. Failure. I swiped my hand in her direction and a giant current of wind hit them. Reese stepped forward and cancelled it out with air. I frowned. Their powers were being used against their will. Each of my friends has one Awakening and one Origin power, but I got them all. Reese is air, Zeke is earth, Celia is water, Tobias is fire, Dante controls light and dark, and I can use all of them. As for Origin, Celia's taste is heightened. For Zeke it's touch, Tobias is sound, Reese is smell, and Dante is sight. Celia stepped forward and water blasted towards us. I used flames to combat her. Both of my hands pushed against her wall of water. I struggled a bit as another water user stepped forward and helped Celia. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Celia crying. She was still conscious but completely unable to fight against the control. My feet began to slide back. Tobias jumped in to help. Meanwhile a giant hoard of wolves emerged and attacked. It was like a movie was happening right in front of me, except I wasn't having any fun. Or was exactly on a certain side. Wolves tackled our old companions and fought against them. Each person only had either Awakening or Origin, so they were partially at a disadvantage. Maybe I could actually get away this time. Someone began to clap their hands. "Alright everyone, wrap it up! Play time is over!" I lost focus and was blasted into the ground.

My body flipped against my will over and over and I cried out as I felt something crack. I managed to somehow land on my knees but struggled to stand. I held my ribs as I panted. "Mate!" "Amber!"

Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

     I lifted my head and felt the shivers travel up my spine. "There she is. The one and only." Oh my gosh. We really are going to get captured. They brought him along. Tobias helped me stand. I stared at the man before us. He was the one who made everything possible. No, he started it all. All of it. Including making me a part of it. My mates joined my side and growled at Tobias. This was not the time to be jealous. The man's face was extremely kind and comforting, yet he was anything but. He wore thick rimmed glasses and had long blonde hair that was tied back and green eyes. He was in his late twenties, with pale white skin. His smile made my eyes widen. No. I won't. I won't succumb to him. Not anymore. "Amber. Come here." My body was in pain, but I managed to shake my head. "You don't want to be a bad girl, now do you?" "What business do you have with my mate?" Nikolas demanded. "My Amber is your soul mate? That shouldn't be possible." "She's my mate too." Christian angrily declared. "Two soul mates? My. This is certainly unpredictable. My Amber is all grown up, it seems."

     "She's not yours!" All three males shouted in unison. "Amber. Did you not tell them what you truly are?" I lifted my hand and flames surrounded them. They were extinguished with water and air. "My quiet little Amber here is not who you think she is." He doesn't have it with him. Meaning I stand a chance. I gently pushed Tobias away and stepped forward with wobbly legs while holding my stomach. "Isn't that right?" He smirked. What I said next shocked the guys. "Father."