The backyard looked like a battlefield. Scorched grass. Cracked dirt. And, right in the middle of it all, a large, awkward stone dome.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrzqr0U8xg
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHD0w7RYm7
“…Please tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirDgIRSvlb
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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dtIw8wFmk
The twins stared at it, wide-eyed. The dome looked solid, like someone had sculpted a boulder and decided to make it a house.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4IVTIugzf
“Are they in there?” Brielle asked, whispering.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUr2koZvEF
“I dunno,” Giselle said. She stepped to it and gently tapped it with her knuckles. “Hello?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBO1alNML1
From inside, muffled voices could be heard.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5MoLdRV7L
“HEY, get your butt out of my face!”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbPVb89mul
“Well, get your face out of my butt!”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO0VfH0ABE
Brielle snorted, then burst into laughter. Davis blinked in disbelief.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzSr4gBrFu
Their mom muttered something under her breath in Spanish. “Ay Dios mío…”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cv4KHvS5r
Giselle leaned closer again. “Uhh… guys?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD8FJ7xg73
BOOM.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk5swAN5nH
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh4EUWWydp
Giselle was blown backwards with a startled squeal, flipping midair before landing in the grassy area with a WHUMP.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtDOKdWI7T
Davis ducked and shielded Brielle with one arm. “GISELLE?!”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cC9LwiRdS
“I’m fine!” she said laying on her back with a thumbs up.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnsOqoqqFP
Smoke and dust cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage were Adan and Julian—beaten, scraped, dirty, and absolutely grinning.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83LrE86gdc
Their mom marched forward like a storm in human form.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7JNlKVtvx
“WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. WERE. YOU. THINKING?!”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4QVfX6nCh
Both boys immediately stood straighter.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2JXDrADUN
“You could’ve killed each other! Or yourselves! Or—” She looked around. “The house! You could have destroyed the house!””23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCoYNND6DX
Adan raised a shaky hand. “In our defense… we didn’t plan the whole power thing.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCEa7qiGjx
She looked ready to explode. Then Julian started to laugh. Adan followed a moment later, wheezing as he leaned on his knees.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDV4moRoX6
“Bro…” Adan gasped, “We have powers.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt70sxFzbVN
“And we didn’t die!” Julian beamed.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNMHMnh9Wt
They gave each other a wobbly high five, barely standing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLPzgwr3hp
“Estoy rodeada de locos,” their mom muttered, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. “Insane. All of you.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmUibMyVRE
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriLcYHICMB
“Ten out of ten explosion,” she said with a thumbs up.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv09ux4YJ5
However, unknown to them, someone else had been watching.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRxaFaZYNY
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCjlq3hDfK
He hated this.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgskWivyj0d
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiZlPAwxIf
And Darius?23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeRR0ST932
Nothing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0cbLwozFS
Weak.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ahJCBAiEP
Just like the feeling he had when he lived with his mother.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2Z8u3szYs
He stepped back, pulled out his phone, and dialed.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwhY8o8aKn
After a few rings, the voice of Dr. Fredrick Berithman crackled through. “Yes?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBSyWsLMnH
Darius began walking down the street, away from the backyard.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ598ivH1eFT
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0sWRrcK9w
There was a pause.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFTwn8m79i
“And the outcome?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKd9AIRbAP
“They survived. They’re… stronger.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3Vx7hyQqM
Another pause. Longer. Tighter.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSn4EIDZz5X
Darius swallowed. “Why didn’t you make something for me?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQt0ZA1X2E
His father was silent.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHi10GLoAsa
Then, his voice returned. Cold. Sharp. “I will. When I return in two days. You’ll have everything you deserve.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAPx7eA6vK
“And those dumb guys?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8z2SnBVEb
Fredrick’s tone darkened. “We’ll deal with them. All of them. Eventually.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7FU822tCF
Darius hung up. He didn’t smile.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIPJaHxYfF
He didn’t even look back.
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