The Gifted

Dan

I wake up with the sound of the waves from my dreams. Her laughter and her voice mixes within the soothing sound of the ocean.

I sit up and smile knowing that I may not have the ocean next door, but at least I have that contagious laughter. That voice that sends my heart flying with that sweet smile.

If only I could tell her how special she is to me. If only she didn't see me as a friend. At least that's how I feel with her. Just a friend.

But once again, I push that thought aside. It's not like she's shown anything.

I button up my vest. Sometimes I wish I was more like my brothers. Clearly, Dom doesn't even have to try as a line of girls wait for him. I don't understand how he plays around with some of their feelings or just uses them for a one night stand.

Yet, I've noticed that ever since Nikki has stepped into our lives, he's changed somehow. He doesn't pay attention to girls like he used to and he's angrier than usual. I'm still trying to decide if that's a good sign or not.

Then there's Sam. I think Sam is more like me. Quiet and waiting for something. His heart aches though. I can see it whenever he watches Kat or catches her smile. I've got to admit. Kat is special. But not as special as Blake.

Blake is just a person that makes me happy. And if there's something that people have not achieved, not even with technology or money, it's happiness. Blake teaches me to see happiness in the littlest things like the sound of the waves or the glimpse of a smile when she learns something new.

"Dan. Son."

Dad comes over to me with his eyes wide. He's probably discovered something else for our next mission. Some sort of idea for me to use so I don't get caught. I give Dad a small smile and look over at the tablet in his hand. With a swipe of a finger, the diagram becomes 3D and I recognize it as the Forbidden Building.

I copy my dad's surprised expression as I look at the neon hologram. "How did you get this?! I've spent almost a week trying to get this type of--"

"Me, too," Dad interrupts. "But look. What I did was find a type of software that would help the chip we created hack into this system. It wasn't easy, but--"

"Every system has a hole. Yes, I know," I repeat.

Dad follows me into the kitchen as I serve myself a bagel. I don't hear anyone around yet. Kat is probably still sleeping in as she usually does on the weekends, and Dom is probably downstairs training or working out. Whatever he calls it. Sam is out for a run because of his room left open upstairs and the clothes he has separated when he comes back.

What I don't know is where are the other girls. Emms must be training. Blake....

"Remember this, son," Dad says as he also puts cream cheese on his bagel. "There is a pattern in everything. It all falls like a missing piece on a puzzle. All you have to do is put them in order and create the bigger picture." He brushes his fingers through my hair and I chuckle.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't...well..the nerd in between my brothers, but it's moments like these that I'm glad I am. I may not be as tough as my brothers, but at least my brain is the smartest one in here. I give Dad a side hug and walk off into the laboratory with the memory of my father's loving blue eyes.

Down in the laboratory, I was right about Dom. We have organized the oversize room into one section for Dad and I to work at, a section designed into a workout zone with different material and a track, and a section by the wall opening into the basement apartment where you can chose a scene and train as if you were really fighting with someone or running into obstacles.