The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8EnIvJvOW
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.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnowiuqDgf
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡua80Pt7tjn
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.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwz0Mbcx1kV
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZMwujLVHl
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYlwxKRIgH
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdjvuFF85X
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgAJxu0EDl
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKGDYORWIt
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWLxuBLGW8
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBuPXoEA3D
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYuru1RBsN
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSpjpvaSXZ
BOOM.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfQr624IOi
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.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHrPTJdSlZ
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkOqvjxYmu
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvayniwCP5
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0kYv4IuaC
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqVeJH0MjM
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHgKmWDr4w
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPVPHMVZWI
Both boys immediately stood straighter.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AATOtUMd4
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeE82eNcym
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb4LdZiDtU
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gTyqv6UKV
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO59or4iBQ
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb5mCB3Ipl
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqegREO28jf
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrhGurMFmG
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.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbjLblCqzy
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiE0QQcfLO
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwB9m07qwN
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.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhf0KBpXtC
He hated this.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhjX0CFrMV
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.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBzMNUWsx9
And Darius?30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEHQmp1DM5
Nothing.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdJSP3HkgJ
Weak.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1pectq5Ah
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPkRVCg2Wx
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXWAYnPy4x
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7nBPuWIMK
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqau885Aqyx
“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.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4OEtzK5A7
There was a pause.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYolT6pBx7
“And the outcome?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFHK5UUwFt
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotN0bh08PV
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnnwE6kcuR
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTnqQFevgj
His father was silent.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2tgPmsogQ
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXSuD62KOf
“And those dumb guys?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsELM2rAeDX
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWp3oD3bOG
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5loU6uExqx
He didn’t even look back.
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