• Aislinn watched the unsuspecting people around her. Their naiviety made her want to laugh but she stiffled the impulse. All of these people had no idea what the world was really like and unfortunately she had too much education on what really hid in the dark corners at night.

    She was sitting at a table in the middle of hte Mall of America food court. No one was with her, who would she invite? She didn't have any friends and she didn't trust anyone enough to go somewhere alone with them. She had been on the run since her parents had 'died,' atleast that's how the police cop reported it as. If only he knew...

    A girl rudely sitting down at Aislinn's table interrupted her thoughts. Aislinn looked up at the girl, her eyes narrowed as she took in the newcomer's appearance. She was as much Aislinn's opposite as anyone else. Her blond hair was left to flow in long curls down her back, as compared to Aislinn's unkempt, brown, frizzy hair that was tied up into a messy pony tail. From the girl's clothes she was obviously rich with her designer clothes and brand name items.

    Aislinn was just going to ignore her until she started talking in an insesently annoying voice, "Hey, I'm Casey. You're Aislinn right? I've seen you around here before around school too. I noticed you were all alone so I decided to take it unto myself to befriend the friendless and take you around the mall for a make over."

    Before Aislinn could even protest Casey had dragged her away from the table and toward a Kohls store close by. They were already in among the clothes before Aislinn got her wits back and yanked her hand away from Casey.

    "What are you doing? Leave me alone; I don't need your pity and I don't want a makeover. Just go away," Aislinn growled and started to walk away back toward her table.

    She hadn't even gone three steps before Casey caught her hand and yanked her back with surprising strength. "Look you, you are going to come with me and let me get you new clothes. Don't for one second think I'm doing this because in some way I like you," Casey said disdainfully. "So be quiet while I do this as fast as possible."

    Aislinn's face set in a scowl as she was forcibly pulled along behind Casey. Aislinn would've just as soon as left even after hearing Casey's little speech but the grip on her hand wasn't something she could break easily. She resolved to disappear as soon as Casey let go, but her resolve quickly crumbled when she first tried it and Casey looked back at her like death reincarnate.

    Finally it was over and Aislinn was now wearing a white three quarter sleeve shirt with a dark blue and purple striped tanktop over it. She was also wearing jean kaprees with some purple slip on shoes. Aislinn couldn't help admiring the nice clothes. She didn't have many nice things anymore, well she didn't really have many things without holes was probably more accurate. Despite all of this she definitly didn't want to thank Casey, not after her crappy attitude about it. She looked over at Casey to see the girl critically examining her.

    "What? Stop looking at me like that, you're the one that picked out these clothes remember," Aislinn said glaring her. She didn't like the way Casey was looking at her. "Why'd you do this for me anyway? You never said."

    Casey snorted, "I don't need a reason. I'm freaking rich and I had money to burn so I took pity on a loser and gave her some clothes. Now come on." Without any explanation she grabbed Aislinn and pulled her down another hallway toward a fire exit.

    Aislinn dug her heels into ground unsucessfully as Casey dragged her toward the door. "What are you doing? Let go of me. You've done your thing, now leave me alone," Aislinn said as she ripped her hand away from Casey right as they made it to hte door. She turned to leave but Casey yanked her back. Before Aislinn could do anything Casey had Aislinn in a headlock and a rag pressed to her mouth. A chemical smell washed through her and she started to pass out. As she slipped away, what remained of her conciousness went cold as she heard the words, "Experiment E has been retrieved."


    Aislinn groaned as she woke up. She could feel the beginnings of a headache forming behind her eyes as she got her bearings. It was pitch black where ever she was and it was freezing. She rolled over and hit the ground, hard.

    "Ow..." Aislinn moaned as she rubbed the spot on her head that had hit the side of the bed. "Well atleast I got a bed this time," Raising her voice she added, "Hey, you out there! I know I'm being monitored. How 'bout some food?"

    She pounded on the wall she could reach, wondering if anyone was going to respond. She stood having a care for her aching body, it seemed that they hadn't been careful when they brought her here. After slowly investigating her surroundings, Aislinn found that she was in a small cell with a low, comfortless bunk and a bucket in the corner she realized after smelling it was where she was supposed to relieve herself.

    "You have got to be kidding me," Aislinn grumbled as she wrinkled her nose at the smell. She went over to the door and started pounding on it, "Hey, what happened to that food? You brought me back just to starve me? Come on you jerks. Kidnapping a sexteen year old girl is illegal in all fifty states of America!" She went on for another five minutes, spouting studpid reasons about wy they should let her go and how big a cowards they were for picking on a nimor. Despite her arrogant words, Aislinn was on the verge of panic. She still had nightmares about this place: the tests, the pain, the needles. It was all she could do to stop herself from crawling into a corner and crying.

    She stopped her tirade when she heard the locks turn. Aislinn backed away from the door quickly, remembering the tazers and stun guns from her childhood. She froze as a deep, rumbling laugh came through as the door opened. AIslinn looked up into deep brown eyes surrounded by tangled black hair. His angular and deceptively handsome face had been at the forfront of her nightmares.

    "Daniel...," Aislinn whispered the name as if it carried the doom of her world and could shatter it on a whim.

    "Hello sister. It's been along time, eight years infact," Daniel drawled, then his voice became dangerously cold, "You shouldn't have run away. We have much to catch up on. Let's start."

    Electricity flashed at his hands as Daniel reached for her. Aislinn tried to flee or call on her own abilities but before she could move she felt hte zap of electricity and ten she was falling, falling into the waiting darkness. As she faded she could hear her brother's laughter accompanying her into ablivion.



    Aislinn woke up instantly alert. Her body jerked as it tried to sit up only to be stopped by the strps holding her arms and legs down. She struggled against them pulling a muscle in her shoulder from her violent wrenching. She bit back a scream of frustration. She knew her brother was watching, taking pleasure in her struggles.

    She let her body relax again so she could concentrate. It had to be there, that sense of power that seemed to come out of nowhere and yet was always there just beneaththe surface. She was supposedly so much stronger than her borhter but most of the time she was powerless against him. No, this time I've got to do it. Failing isn't an option," she thought(yes i realize it's a horrible cliche but i couldn't think of anything better at the moment...)

    Fear of her brother and of the painful life-threatening tests she would undergo egged her on. She broke through whatever had been locking up her powers and felt a rush as every part of her flet super charged. The table started to rattle as well as the various cubboard doors in the room as if a tournado had entered it. The straps holding her down started to heat up exponentially, leaving painful welts on her wrists and ankles. She screamed in pain as the straps comusted on top of her skin and disintegrated in a manner of seconds.

    Aislinn sat up on the table wincing from her burns. The welts that had risen at first tothe heat had broken open from the fire on the straps and were starting to ooze. But she couldn't stop and take care of them now, she needed to get out of htere. She looked up and the cameraat the corner of the ceiling. She pointed at it and it immediately exploded in a shower of sparks and ice.

    Without eve thinking about what she was getting into, Aislinn touched the doorknob instantly melting it and rushed out of the room. She came out into a narrow hallway that stretched off to either side of her. She could see doors going off in both directions, but she had no idea door led out. She tried to sense which way was out but it seemed as if her moment of power was gone.

    She sighed angrily, she didn't have time to search every door. Daniel was probably on his way right now. She was actually wondering what was taking him so long. She turned toward one of hte doors and listened to see if anyone was behind it. She couldn't hear anyone so she tried the knob but it was locked. She glared at the door and gave the doorknob a swift kick busting the knob and the lock. She opened it slowly and went through the door. It was pitch dark inside just like her cell had been. She only had enough time for that to register before she heard the whoosh of a fist coming at her.

    She managedto duck enought for the blow to cath her over the top of her head instead of full in the face. Aislinn stumbled from the blow andpitched forward as whoever was attacking her knocked her feet out from under her. She landed hard, crushing hte air out of her lungs from the force of it and rolled onto her back to refill her lungs only to have her attacker land on her stomach jamming his knees into her. She could hardly see his features from the combined darkness and shadows cast by the light of the door. The boy raised his fist over his head as if he meant to knock her senseless.

    "Aislinn threw up her arm to sheild herself screaming, "Stop, stop. I'm not one of htem. Don't hit me, I can't afford another dent in the head."

    Her assailant stopped and looked down at her, his gray eyes catching the light seeming as if glow. "Then who are you?" the tension in his voice was almost tangible. He kept a firm grip on Aislinn as he waited for her response.

    "I'm like you, um, sorta. I was kidnapped and woke up strapped to a table," She omitted the part about her being Daniel's sister; this kid probably would jump to conclusions. She showed him her oozing wrsts and contunued "I escaped and got these for my pains. I was looking for the way out when I came upon your cell."

    "I thought the door was locked," The guy said suspiciously as he examined Aislinn's wrists.

    "It. I just um..unlocked it," she shrugged and looked back at the busted knob. "But can we do this later wenned to get-"

    The lights shut off out in the hallway and she assumed in the rest of the building as well. BOth of them forze, listening for sounds of approaching enemies. Her new ally quickly gott off her and helped Ailsinn up, suspicion forgotten for now. All that mattered now was getting out of there, before her brother caught them. A deep rumbling laugh drifted out of the hall and Aislinn went cold. Their chances of leaving had just left.

    Aislinn froze next to her companion as her brother's laughter echoed down the halls.

    "Quick,"Aislinn grabbed his hand and headed for the door. She didn't know what they were going to do but she couldn't face her brother, she didn't have the control he did.

    She started to head down the hall but her companion grabbed her hand and pulled her the other way. "No, it's this way," he muttered to her quietly, not wanting to be heard.

    "How do you know that?" Aislinn whispered as she yanked her hand away.

    "I just do. We don't have time for those kind of quiestions," he whispered back. "By the way my names Eric."

    "And we have time for that? Just go, we need to get out of here before he finds us," Aislinn gently shoved Eric foward in the direction he had pulled her.

    "Come out come out where ever you are. Aislinn, come now you know I'm going to find you eventually," Daniel said arrogantly(condescendingly?). She could see the shadows dancing around a far corner from Daniel's electricity. She was now glad for Eric's hand that pulled her along, otherwise she might've stopped and stood there in a blind panic for Daniel to catch her as soon as he had turned the corner. She stumbled and got herself undercontrol. If she didn't concentrate on escaping now she might never have the chance again. She matched her pace with Eric's as he slipped through an open door.

    The door opened into what looked like a lobby or a teachers' lounge. It had a table, some couches, and even a counter and TV. Aislinn didn't take the time for further examination as she saw the stairs. She dragged Eric after her as she took the steps two at a time. It just couldn't be this easy, could it? Aislinn reached the top of the stairs as this thought crossed her mind. She suddenly heard a whoosh and felt more than heard a dull thud as something connected soundly with her stomach. She felt the breath rush out of her and dropped like a rock. She heard Eric leap over her and grapple with whoever had hit her. In a manner of seconds she heard a thump of someone hitting hte ground and a clatter at the pipe falling from a hand. Aislinn raised her head as breath finally came back into her lungs.

    Eric knelt down to help her up, but Aislinn pulled away from him wheezing, "I'm fine, lets just get out of here."

    Aislinn stood, determined not to recieve any help. She saw Casey lying on the floor with a bloody lip and a nasty lummp begining to form. Aislinn shook her head as she went out the last door. Wonder what he promised her, Aislinn thought fleetingly as fresh air hit her face. She wanted to just sit there and revel in the outside but Eric pulled her into the stream of people at the bottom of the front steps. Claughstrophobie hit her hard and she would've bolted for the nearest alley if not for Eric's forceful grip on her arm pulling her forward until they reached the corner.

    Aislinn chanced a look back at the building that they had come from. Daniel was standing at the door on top of the frontsteps. He was scanning the crowd, no doubt for her and Eric. Daniel's eyes moved toward her and held. Aislinn's eyes widened and she rushed forward dragging Eric with her as Daniel charged into the crowd after her. He would'nt dare use any of his powers in public or risk exposure, and there was no way that she and Eric were gong to go anywhere Daniel could take them away easily. The question was who could run faster and disappear in a crowd better.
    The chase was on.