The Twelve

Val359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczzLZ0NgpA
Ash sleeps until the sun rises and a sliver falls on his face. He wakes up and accidentally punches me in the face with his fists as he yawns. He jumps as he realizes I'm still here. "What the-?" He nods as he remembers what happened. "You actually stayed?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgS6QZQqDw
I try to hide my blush and shuffle a little away from him. "Uh, yeah, I didn't want to be alone with only my thoughts. Besides, I told you that I wasn't going to leave you. Never, you're stuck with me."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdc7lwnyldW
He grins, "I don't know if I should be glad about that. What time is it?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspdo46H7AF
I look over at his desk and see a quartz clock ticking. "5:41 am. Do you always get up this early?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacoDv4aaQH
He sits up and throws the sheets away from his body. He stands and stretches, yawning as he goes along. I can't help but stare at him. His hair is ruffled up and his eyes are dilated so that his pupils are huge. He's gorgeous in his own sort of way.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExZu4iIO2L
"Come on, it's time for morning workouts." He rubs at the scar on his shoulder and rotates his shoulders. "You don't have to participate but you should come with me. We can play some music and have a grand time."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETZJi1XCYe
"You train in the mornings too? So morning, middle of the day weights, and then afternoon training?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHa4Fr1ZWu
"First of all, I have to hold myself back in weights. I'm honestly stronger than all of them combined, but I needed to do something that went with my profession. So more work outs. That reminds me, it's not training, it's a workout. That's basically crossfit on steroids- no not steroids, on crack. I can't go too hard or I'll be sore whenever I go to school but now, I'm good. Come on, we can practice with your ability today. If you're up for it."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0WTZtwVhI
I stand and elbow him, I've been wanting to see what I'm capable of since last night. I want to prove that I'm not just a sitting duck. "let's go Asahel. Let's go train."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7gpspU9Is
He smiles, "I hoped you would say that." He races down the stairs, his socked feet barely making a soft thud against the creaky old wood. I race down beside him and every footstep I take is like a clanging cymbal. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxyIAr1jiC
When we walk into the secret door and down the steps, Ash leads me into the room full of control panels and security camera footage. He taps absent mindedly on a laptop overlooking the training arena. Equipment and other obstacles begin popping out of the walls and spit out of the darkness. I see a ropes course complete with no harnesses and a fake rock wall. Then a few stations which I'm guessing must be more of a crossfit thing.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50dd0BlCm5
"When I say go, press enter. Play some music while you're at it, it's a good distraction." He points to a different computer which I'm guessing has the music. "Have fun with their music choices." He quickly strips off his socks and throws them at me. I almost incinerate them with my hands. He walks into the training arena and lays on the ground in pushup position.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu6wSmaNzW
I poise my finger over the enter button and wait for his signal. He looks up at the daunting challenge in front of him and sighs. "Alright. Now!" 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2ZcUQIAYN
I slam my finger on the key as a large red stopwatch appears on the training room walls. Five minutes. Five minutes for him to complete this whole thing? No way.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEWioQvu6f
He starts doing rapid pushups and I turn to the other computer, pressing the play button accidentally. A voice blares from speakers. "Stayin' alive, stayin' alive. Ah-" I press a random button. "You ain't nothin' but a hound-" Elvis? Another random button. "If you want to destroy my sweater-" I press another button frantically. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me-" This is getting annoying. "It's the final countdown-"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlCUfwhDYL
"Ash don't you have anything that's not from the 80's?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0tLbxocZ0
He looks up at me from doing crunches. "No. They aren't all from the 80s. Mom and dad haven't ever gotten over their days of youth. Just play something good."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBxM6Kwerm
"I don't know how to work this thing!" I start jabbing every button. "Ain't goin' down till the sun comes up, ain't go-" "You don't have to call me darlin', darlin'-" 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqR7Mx2VNa
"What is Merle Haggard and Garth Brooks doing here?!"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91fnShl2pE
"Keep going, you're in the country years!" He is now doing box sprints at a blinding speed. Next suicides, he's sweating but it looks like he's just took a jog through the neighborhood. That's angering.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqVuuTHTKT
"Whoa, we're halfway there, oh-oh livin' on a prayer-"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDzdbslnx9
"That's a good one but it's overplayed by the parents. So skip."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbeFyYzKzu
"I'm not trying to be a nuisance-" Right now it's Ash's theme song for me. "You can take the one thing I have left, beat me to the ground and take my breath-"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCh2giajSp
Ash motions for me to restart that song. "See, that's an early 2000s song. Don't generalize, all generalizations are wrong." Now he's climbing the rock wall, his red bare feet clinging to the fake rocks as he propels himself closer to the ropes course.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVZrJte715
He's suspended ten feet in the air by the time he makes it halfway up the course. Now he's making me nervous.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDViOtgwTJs
"Can someone please radio for help?" The song blasts out a few lines in a loud melody. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszCHognMuU
He makes it to the ropes course and the timer hits two minutes. He steps out onto a thin rope tightrope and stares at me. Twenty feet in the air, no harness and a very hard floor below him. He bends down shakily and grabs the rope with his hands. He wobbles all over the place but he balances enough to keep him above the rope. Then, he swings himself down and hangs by his arms. He cockily winks at me as he starts moving.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDkxExsgkP
"You can take the one thing I have left, I give it all away for so much less, even take the heart inside my chest-"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73IgvLxaLd
He begins to swing across the tightrope like he's done it a hundred times. He keeps going through the one tightrope and onto the next. He grimaces as if something hurts him. His fingers slip.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbp2HOrRG1
"And I swear we were born to let you down. We scream but never make a sound."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgL3iylQCFU
I scream as he falls. He tries to grab onto something with telekinesis and flails his arms like one of those cartoon characters trying to fly. He screams and tries to maneuver so he'll fall on his knees, but it won't matter. I thrust my hand out more out of instinct. Suddenly, Ash is suspended inches above the ground. A throbbing pain pulls at my temples as I pull away my arm and he drops. The throb stops immediately. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeh8PYVslES
"Don't wanna be the same. Cause we point the finger, act like everyone else is to blame! Blame-" I press the off button for the music.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkk6oHtX7W
Ash sits on the ground staring at me with unbelief. I hurry out of the control panel room and sit beside him. "Are you hurt? What happened?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65p0JGRUiS
His eyes stare at me in unbelief as he sits back and rubs at his shoulder. "How did you do that?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANsRhOprmr
"I don't know." I furrow my eyebrows. "I'm not sure, I just instinctually threw my hand out to catch you. It was like in the movies where the character tries to grab something out of reach before it falls. It felt weird. Why what's wrong?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iKsNM1CkK
He stares at my eyes and shakes his head. "Val. You're a receiver right?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPPk8PVgNB
I nod. "Yeah. What are you trying to say?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6OdZxWeya
"Receivers only get one ability. You set the school on fire and saved me. That means you have-"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYea6Ooy5Qi
"Two abilities? That can't be right." I stare at my hands, "it was purely instinctual. It can't be right that I have two abilities. Maybe you caught yourself."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSVHXQtVju
"There's only one way to find out." He marches off into a closet to our right, appearing with a few large knives. I don't like where this is going.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKc8KhlzAF
Suddenly, he throws a knife into the air and sends it hurtling towards my face. I yelp in surprise and put my hands in front of my face to defend myself. I peer through my fingers and see the knife drop to the ground as if it hit a hard brick wall. Ash sends the last two knives sailing towards my head, I take away my hands and bat them down by moving my eyes. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpGpz8AIJM
Ash's eyes are wide in surprise, "that's strange. Okay, now light something on fire."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RSYnYfLoe
I look around but there's nothing to catch on fire except the ropes course and a few orange cones. I pick an orange cone up shakily with my own telekinesis and set it down in front of me. I feel sweat bead on my forehead at the immense concentration I had to use. My brain hurts. "I don't know if I can set it on fire, moving it zapped me."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecrh5zBmcX
"Try it anyways."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeQm5iSOCa
I take a big breath and stare at the cone. I feel stupid for just staring at it. Catch on fire, I mentally urge it, do something. Come on! Do something! The cone still glares at me, laughing. Burn! Catch on fire you stupid cone! The cone's edges begin to move and then they melt together and collapse in on the other walls. A thin smoke rises from the dead cone as if a white flag of surrender.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEPKkswPfn
"Well…" Ash trails off and shrugs. "We should go get mom and dad, they can explain what's happening. 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoI2lFtSFoR
I pick up the melted cone and toss it into the air and try but fail to catch it. "I guess. Because I know about as much about being a Socius as this cone. So… I'm not waking them up."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruhaQNPxNZ
"Stay here then, see if you can do something. Practice, just don't strain yourself." He turns and I start failing at juggling his knives. I can throw them and make them hover in the air, but complex maneuvers hurt my brain.359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgtg3U4djA
But what does this mean? Did this mean that they lied to me? The words of the Inimicus pop into my head. "Don't believe the Socius, they're lying." What if this proves her right? What if they're purposely tricking me into helping them destroy my own people? What if they've already brainwashed me?359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW8xWHr0g7
Another thought races across my mind as I bat it away a little slower than I should. What if the Inimicus aren't the bad guy? What if I'm the bad guy?359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJDkGDVcEi
Ash runs back down the steps with Kara and Heath right behind him. They don't look pleased to be up. Ash points to me. "It's not possible!"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNEAR4epE4
Heath rubs his face and then through his black hair. "Hello and good morning. So, Ash said that you can suddenly move things with your mind."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPQmdZ8Krm
I nod and pick up a knife to show him. "I caught Ash before he could fall and I don't know what happened."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ksCouad6T
"See," Ash says triumphantly, "I want's lying." Or was he? Is this all a scheme?359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYuJRSV5Qi
Heath steps forward and takes the knife from my hand and stares at my face with a skeptical look. "Kara? You're the real Socius here. Go for it."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3KGOsrxIV
Kara shrugs and stretches out her arms. "Well… we might've been wrong or you might be an exception to the rule. In case you can't tell, there aren't many sources to get any info on our kind. The only way I know what I know is handed down generation to generation and written down in journals. So that means you're a flaw in the system and lucky you, or you're normal and I forgot something about the receiver's gifts."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMEIcVXxXC
"Oh," I look down kind of disappointed. I thought there would be a better explanation. I don't know what I was hoping for. "Why doesn't this hurt like the other though?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwp0gNINqV8
"It's called an emergency ability. It pops up whenever there's a situation where it would come in handy. It won't hurt you." 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybR7FlLWBC
I nod and sigh deeply. "Well… I feel better. Should we start training?" 359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8kklqe0hp
Kara flattens her hair and shakes her head. "I love your enthusiasm, but in case you haven't realized it, it's six in the morning. Go to sleep or something. You've had enough excitement for the day here. Asahel, don't ever do any cocky stunts like that again. You're lucky you didn't break your face."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDqhOeu3l6
He shrugs, "you wanna go on a walk in the woods?"359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtuIFQsgJr
I look down at his bare feet and shrug. "I'm up for it, as long as it doesn't involve bodily injury. I know you and everything has to be an adventure where death and injury is a distinct variable."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4uuHi3nis
He pulls on his socks and his smile widens even more. "You know me so well."359Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGpuz6Omt7
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