These stories are copyrighted to V. E. Lehkonen.
To view a story, click on the link. Stories marked with an asterisk (*) are unfinished.
Links in Finnish lead to stories in Finnish. / Suomenkieliset linkit johtavat suomenkielisiin tarinoihin.
In Mortal Danger was originally a school story, that is, it was written around a title given by the teacher on a school notebook. I was 14 and on the eighth grade when I wrote it. When I was 16, I thought it would be a jolly good idea to translate it into English and put it on Elfwood. Then I thought it would be even better if it had a part two, so I wrote that up as I went. It's been edited quite a lot later, so it won't seem so childish. So, here is the story, in all its glory.
The setting is New York City of the near future.
The third part is coming. Or maybe not.
| Osa yksi Part one |
Luku yksi Chapter one |
The story of Keats. There is room for improvement; even I don't think it would work that easily... but it's been written now. Maybe I can edit it later. |
| Luku kaksi Chapter two |
Kezkyv joins in. Bit weird and short, but I guess it's plausible, to say the least. | |
| Luku kolme Chapter three |
The ending of the first part. Don't laugh. This is a very serious matter. | |
| Part two Osa kaksi |
Chapter one Luku yksi * |
The mystery of Kezkyv's family name is revealed. Please don't mind the unnecessary scene. |
| Chapter two | This is going to be tragic. | |
| Chapter three | The ending of the second part. (Sob.) | |
| Part three | Chapter one * | One whooping paragraph... |
Keats was a normal fella who lived in New York City. He had an older sister, a younger brother and a younger sister. He lived with his quarreling parents. He had a couple of friends he liked. He was almost thirteen and he liked comics and skateboarding. He had always thought that he was normal, like everybody else. That goes to show just how little he really knew.
One evening, Keats was walking home from a comic shop he visited almost weekly. It was rather dark already, especially in the alley Keats had decided to use for a shortcut. At this rate, he would soon know the every little shortcut in his neighbourhood.
Suddenly he saw someone standing threateningly in front of him. He decided to let the person stand there. It was easier for him to go another way than to pick up a possible fight. Keats turned, but someone was blocking the side alley also. He was a bit worried. He turned to go back the way he had come, just to see yet another person blocking the way. Someone now stood on his other side and a second figure had joined the strange person standing in front of him. All of them looked to be close to his own age, possibly younger.
"What?" wondered Keats. "Huh?" The people were quiet. Keats turned to the direction in which he had intended to go originally. "What're you doing?"
"Who are you?" asked the person standing in the side alley. Keats turned his head.
"Where are you going?" asked the person standing next to the wall. Keats turned his head again.
"What do you want?" asked the person in front of Keats.
"What? Huh?" Keats was totally confused and a little scared.
"Where are you coming from?" asked the person behind Keats.
"Who are you?" the person who was standing in the side alley asked again.
"I'm Keats! What on Earth are ya people doing?!"
"I don't give a damn about yer name. What are you?" the person continued.
"Whaddaya mean 'what'? Huh? Ya nuts or somethin'?" Nobody said anything.
"What are you?" the person asked again. Keats was quiet for a while and then said:
"I'm a human! An American! That enough? Let me go already!"
"Where are you going?" asked the person who was standing next to the wall.
"Home!"
"What do you want?" asked the person in front of Keats.
"To go home!"
"Do you?"
"Yeah!" Nobody moved or spoke. Keats, who by now was very uneasy, started walking in the direction he had originally intended to go. He confronted the first guy who appeared to be a year or two older and perhaps heavier than Keats. The young man pushed Keats back.
"What do YOU want?! Why can't cha just let me go?!" Now the persons looked happier.
"I'm Rick", said the guy who had pushed him suddenly. "He's Jack." Rick pointed the person near him.
"I'm Rath", said the person who was standing in the side alley.
"I'm Sean", said the person who was standing next to the wall.
"An' I'm Jean", said the person behind Keats.
"And you are not a human", Sean continued.
"Huh! What?! Howzzat!?" Keats screamed.
"Ya ain't human. Believe it already. We ain't either."
"Well what the hell are ya then?! Freakin' apes?"
"You're a fucking PORRIDGE-BRAIN! An APE! A pile of dry shit!" Keats started feeling that they are sensitive to calling them names.
"Ass-kissers! Poo bits! Plurgs! Damn eggheads!" Keats shouted.
"AAEERGHEEAEEEHH!" Sean yelled. Keats was really scared since the cry did not much sound like a human or like anything else in that matter – terrible it was. Also two of the other persons were scared but the other two not. They all were quiet for a long time.
A little later Rath came to Keats.
"Hi", he said. "You have some strange ability. We don't know what it is, an' probably ya don't either. But ya have it, an' that's not normal. We aren't normal either. You wanna know why Rick ain't normal?"
"Well?"
"He can absorb anyone's memory an' thoughts an' any special abilities. You wanna know why Jack ain't normal?"
"Well?"
"He's a weak telepath. He can read thoughts when he really tries an' he's really agile. An' he's mute too, he can't speak ever. Jean's the same as Jack but she ain't mute. You w– –"
"She?"
"Yeah, she's jus' slow developing. Really."
"Oh. ...?" Keats glanced at Jean. Jean looked a bit frustratingly bored.
"You wanna know why Sean ain't normal?"
"Well, yeah..."
"He's a telepath too an' agile. An' he's just strange. None of us, even he himself, don't know what he is. But we just are here."
"Well why you ain't normal?"
"Well, I'm a bit agile too, an' I'm really strong."
"Just how strong'd that be?"
"I'm stronger than any man."
"Yeah, right."
"Y'll see me ripping car doors some day."
"Yeah, RIGHT."
"Y'll SEE." They were quiet for a while.
"Then why am I not normal? I can't do any of that! An' you said you don't know either! What DO I do then?!"
"We don't know. That's the dangerous part of it", Jean said. "What if yer ability is to explode electric devices?"
"It AIN'T! I've touched th– –"
"Yer ability shows up when you're a teen! Trust me! Got experiences of that!" Everybody was quiet again.
"What on Earth do you want from me", Keats asked quietly and looked down.
"Come to us an' live with us. We can help you when your ability shows up", Rath said.
"I-wanna-go-HOME!" Keats yelled and at the same time, Rath flew away from him towards Jack. Jack stepped aside and Rath dropped on the ground.
"Ya're a telekinetic!" Jean shouted.
"WHAT!?"
"Ya can move things with yer mind!"
"NO!" Keats screamed. He started running at Jack. Jack grabbed his jacket and held him still in a non-violent way. Rath came to him again.
"You could come with us. We can help ya", he said.
"I CAN'T come! I have a family! Parents! An' friends!" And they heard an explosion from the direction of Keats's home.
"What?" Keats said. Jean, Jack, Sean and Rick looked at each other, Rath, and Keats in amazement. They all started running to the direction where the explosion had come from. They heard another explosion.
They came to the place of explosion. One of the apartment houses was on fire and the four upper stories of it were destroyed.
Sean looked at Keats who was about to burst into tears.
"What?" Jean said quietly.
"My HOME! My parents! My friends! They're DEAD!" Keats turned away and started weeping.
"Aahh", Rath uttered and looked at his friends. They stood there for a while, watching the fire.
"Hey, Key. You wanna come with us? You can sleep an' we'll give you food. Can we go?" Rath asked Keats.
"...Wuh... uh", Keats said quietly. The others started walking and Rath led Keats by the hand.
Later Keats woke up. It was morning, about eight o'clock. The sun shone in from the window (in New York City. Unbelievable). Keats looked around him. The youths he had met yesterday slept around the living room. Keats could see the kitchen from the living room. There was no one in there. One wall had two doors. The other one had a sign that read: "Die Rath and leave the freaking door alone". Someone had written "Jane" with an ink pen on the other.
Keats remembered what had happened yesterday and started weeping again. After a moment, he looked at the others. Rath slept on a mattress on the back of a couch. Rick slept behind the couch. Jack slept in the weirdest position under the other computer table. Jean and Sean slept together on a mattress near a wall. Keats thought Jean looked cute and watched her for some time.
After a moment Keats glanced at Jack again and chuckled. Jean started turning over, rolled off the mattress and woke up. She crawled back on the mattress and looked at Keats.
"Hey", she said. "Could you sleep?"
"Well, yeah. Maybe I wouldn't have wanted to wake up though."
"Was your name Key?"
"Keats."
"Well, can we call you Key? It's easier an' sounds nice."
"Well... eh... uh, ...Whatever."
"Do ya know what ya can do with yer abilities?"
"No..."
"Ya can move things with yer mind. Try to pick up my socks."
"Your socks?" Keats said. Jean looked at him and he tried to get a sock up with his will power. And it succeeded! "Yee! Nice!" Keats said and swung the sock in the air.
"Nice", Jean said. Keats dropped the sock.
"Uuh. What... I mean, eh, what do you like... do here exactly?"
"Well, mainly we're waiting to grow up. We ain't really doing anything. We're just here. I try to study too."
"Isn't it boring in here?"
"Nnno. It's not boring in here."
Rath yawned, turned and fell on Rick.
"OW!" Rick yelled.
"Aaahh, damn!" Rath shouted. Sean and Jack woke up. For a while, all the youths tried to get themselves together.
"And these are your morning rituals?" Keats asked.
"Well no. You should see us when Jack wakes up first. Everybody hits the ceiling then", Rath said. "Will ya stay with us?"
"Well, I don't really have an another place to go..."
Keats was not really extraordinarily happy. He got new friends, yes, but the price he paid was high – as if he could do something about it. He was upset for many days, kept weeping and did not have the energy to start socializing with the others. He was mainly bitter and a bit angry with the other youths for indirectly ruining his life.
It was later discovered that the reason the apartment building had exploded was a leak in an oxygen tank. It had ignited, setting off some others. It was still unclear what the person using the oxygen needed it for, but Keats did not care. He was upset and strived to forget about the tragedy.
Now it was night, a week after Keats had moved in with the weird youths. Keats woke up. He saw Jean in the kitchen, eating, and Rath, Rick and Sean sleeping. Keats could not see Jack anywhere.
"Jean?" Keats said. "Jean?"
"What?"
"Where's Jack?"
"He's outside."
"Huh? What's he doin' in there?"
"He's looking for a girlfriend."
"HA? Looking? A girlfriend?"
"Yeah. He's a bit jealous of me... or more like of ya other guys. Y'know at least ya can like 'dream' about being with me, like Rath an' Rick do, heh, but Jack's my brother. So he sometimes leaves an' tries to find some other not-normal friend for himself. An' he's really upset because he can't speak."
Just at the same time, Jack was walking on Broadway. He looked around and did not see much more than the endless mass of people. He kept on walking.
After a while, he ran into a person a bit taller than he. The other literally ran into him.
"Ooowwh!" the person uttered. The voice sounded rather young, a bit weird, and it had a clear accent – probably Russian, though the person obviously knew English. "You could be a LITTLE more careful walking, ya moron!" The youth grabbed Jack's jacket and surprisingly lifted him up. Jack looked into the youth's eyes in a confused shock. The eyeballs were wholly black, only the irises were dark blue. Jack was badly scared and caught the youth's arm. Then he heard a telepathic voice inside his head, and it was not anyone he knew.
"Are you a freak too?" the voice said. Jack quickly glanced at the youth who had lifted him up. The youth did not look angry anymore, but totally amazed.
"Huh? Are YOU a freak too?" the youth asked. Jack nodded since he could not speak. "Are you mute?" This time Jack spoke to him telepathically:
"Yes, I'm mute." The youth put Jack back on the ground. Now Jack saw him better. He looked younger than Jack even though he was taller – and, on top of that, a girl. Jack got some butterflies in his stomach.
"Ya wanna come with me to my alley, an' sleep?" the youth asked telepathically, not feeling uneasy about this awkward question.
"Eeehh... ...yeah. What's your name?" Jack thought back.
"Kezkyv."
"I'm Jack Sash, eh... do ya have a last name?" The youth said nothing, just grinned and let Jack follow herself.
After a couple of days, Jack and Kezkyv were already good friends. Jack talked Kezkyv into coming with him to the apartment in which his sister Jean and his friends Sean, Rath, Rick and Keats lived.
It was night when they decided to leave. They went in through the apartment door. Everybody was sleeping. Jack's mattress was free and they lay on it together and slept.
In the morning, Jean was the first to wake up. Of course she noticed Jack immediately; he had already been a couple of days away. She noticed also Kezkyv who was sleeping next to Jack.
"At least he found a friend for himself", Jean thought. She turned her eyes at Sean who did not sleep next to her this time. Rath and Rick lay on the couch in a really bad position; they had recorded a movie that had lasted the whole night through. Keats had dropped on the floor from the computer chair.
Kezkyv woke up. She glared at the ceiling for a while and then looked around her.
"Hey", Jean said. Kezkyv turned to her.
"Heyh", Kezkyv answered.
"Who are you?"
"Kezkyv... Hoouuhh..."
"Black eyes?"
"Yeah, got me a li'l pigment disorder. It's really fun walkin' around with these in the daylight. I'm feelin' oo-oo-odd."
"What might be th' reason for that?!" Jean said and glanced at Jack.
"Not the food..."
So also Kezkyv stayed with the strange youths in the small apartment in an apartment house.
Once they all were eating and drinking in a fast food restaurant. Kezkyv was wearing sunglasses so that no one could see her eyes.
At some point the "eating" went so far that Rath happened to push Sean who ran into Kezkyv and dropped her sunglasses. And that was an issue.
Three employees of the restaurant and two customers saw Kezkyv's black eyes.
"What the hell!?" one of the employees said and grabbed her gun. Now everybody was focused on Kezkyv.
"Eeh... uh", Kezkyv said.
Right at the very moment, some terrorists had chosen for their object of terrorism the actual restaurant where the youths were eating.
The terrorists rushed in though the doors and damaged the properties for a few million dollars worth. Rath's sense of self-protection was turned on and he attacked the terrorists. He hit one of them unconscious and crushed the chest of another one.
"My GOD!" one of the terrorists shouted after seeing what Rath could do. "It's some alien or a monster or something! Kill it!" All of the terrorists and a few of the customers of the restaurant pointed their guns at Rath.
"RATH!" yelled the other youths. The terrorists started shooting and in a second, Rath was a pile of bloody pulp on the floor. During the process they had shot a few innocent people who were not intended to be killed – or were they?
"Oh NO!" Jean yelled. She, like her friends except for Kezkyv and Keats, was about to burst into tears. "WHY!? DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM!?" Jean yelled and let her telepathic energy rage around her. Now everyone started to shoot at her, but Keats managed to create a telekinetic field just in time to save her. Keats heard Rick crying next to him. He turned at Rick and looked at him. Rick had been shot in his back and he was barely alive.
"KEE!" Kezkyv yelled to Keats with her Russian accent. "Hurry now! Make a field around all of us!"
"Eh, uh, umm... ummommem..." Keats was a bit confused, terribly scared and Kezkyv's message just could not get through. Kezkyv intended to take control over Keats's telekinesis with her telepathy, but someone managed to shoot first.
The bullet cut Kezkyv's side open but she would not be in mortal danger. It sure hurt though. Now everybody started shooting at her. Kezkyv jumped into the air showing great agility and ducked the bullets. Some of them hit her anyway but not more dangerously than the first one.
Kezkyv ducked the bullets until one ripped her thigh muscle so bad that she could not stand anymore.
"KEATS!" Kezkyv yelled her lungs out. Then Kezkyv's message got through and Keats made a telekinetic force field around them. Kezkyv fell next to Sean on the floor inside the force field. Sean had a really bad wound on his shoulder and he coughed blood. Kezkyv turned quickly at Rick. He was dead.
"Oh no", Kezkyv mumbled to herself. She looked at Jack, who was unconscious. Somebody had probably hit him since he had no visible wounds.
Jean had been hit by a bullet that had got through before Keats had made a telekinetic field around her. It had gone through Jean's right arm.
"Kee! Get us outta here! Lift us up in a bubble!" Kezkyv shouted. "But leave Rick! He's dead!" It took a few seconds before the message reached Keats's consciousness. After that they left and Keats did what Kezkyv told him to do. Later, after they had distracted the terrorists, they arrived in their home.
Jean woke up. She was lying on her mattress and her wounds had been tied. It really hurt. Jean tried to forget the pain and looked at the others. Keats slept on his own mattress. Nothing had happened to him. Jack was also unharmed, though he had a slight concussion of the brain. Kezkyv looked much worse but she was alive still.
Jean looked at Sean. His breathing wheezed badly and he seemed to have trouble with breathing anyway. Jean was really worried. She got up and went next to Sean. She touched his shoulder and woke him up.
"Je... Jean", Sean said with weak voice. Tears were running down his cheeks.
"Sean..?" Jean said.
"I... I, I think I'll... I'll... die here... uh..."
"Nohh", Jean said and started weeping.
After a moment Keats and Jack woke up. They came to see Sean too. He was clearly dying. He would not probably stay alive for even two days.
A little later Kezkyv woke up. It was difficult for her to move, not to mention walking, but she came to see Sean anyway.
An hour passed. Sean's condition just became worse and worse. He seemed to be in great pain.
"J-Jean", Sean said.
"snif What?" Jean said with tearful voice.
"Please... I'm in pain... horrible pain... Make it stop..."
"I know", Jean wept.
"Please, kill me..."
"K-kill? W-eh..?" Jean said and took an army knife from her pocket. She looked at the knife for a while.
"Pl-please! I'm in pain! A-an' I-I'll die anyway... Please! Jean!" Jean held the knife with two hands and prepared to strike it in Sean's chest.
She could not do it. She threw the knife away.
"snif Aah, Sean! snif I can't! whaahh", Jean said and turned her head down.
"J-Jack? Key?" Sean said and turned to them. They did not say anything. "Please", Sean begged. No one did anything.
Then Kezkyv pulled out her knife.
"K-Kezkyv?"
"Sean... I... I... can... I can ...kill you... But... eh..." Kezkyv became silent. She could not speak anymore. Jean had cried herself dry and no one of them had it any easier. Now Kezkyv lifted her knife up and prepared to strike it into Sean's chest. Kezkyv hesitated for a second but did not cancel her decision. She struck the knife into Sean and felt his mind fading away. Kezkyv heard the rips of Sean's mind, before they faded, saying:
"Thank you... Kezkyv..."
Sean was dead.
The following weeks Jean mourned Sean and did not do much more than just slept. Keats had not known Rath, Rick or Sean that well to be that sad whole the time, but it surely was not a happy event to him either, especially now since he had just los his parents. He kept being upset and did not have much energy to do anything else. Jack was very sad also, but at least he was happy for what remained. For a long time, Kezkyv was the one who stole everything for them: food, clothes and money for the bills. It was hard but Kezkyv did it for so long until somebody else could do it too.
The weirdest thing was that Kezkyv never told her family name however hard they tried to get her say it. She must have had a damn good reason for that.
The youths had found out what they are. Their genetic structure had been mutated, and thus it was just a weird coincidence that they got the precise abilities they have and did not die or born deformed. They were mutants of their own species.
Two years after Kezkyv had joined the other youths, she found her twin brother Rejy in a research institute somewhere in Nevada. He was there to be examined, he was like a laboratory animal, the only difference was that the real laboratory animals were treated much better. The scientists had enslaved him and used him for things that are better not to mention. He was in bad shape when she found him, and he would maybe never fully recover. Even if he would recover physically, his mind would never heal.
Three years had passed since Kezkyv joined the other youths. She was watching the news on TV. Every day, she and Rejy watched the news from four or more different channels, checked the internet and read two newspapers. The others did not have a clue why they did that and what they wanted to know, neither did they tell the others, disregarding how much they asked and questioned.
Then, this night, they finally saw the thing they had been searching for. Keats was watching the news with them. The news-anchor spoke: "The two widely known mutant terrorists Jian and Gary Gillian have killed forty-nine people in the city of Toronto, Canada. The deaths occurred when the mutants blew up a mall and later took hostages, but all the hostages were unharmed. The seriously injured mutants died in the mall. It is assumed that the mutants had two children with them, and the children disappeared before the explosion." The TV started showing video of the situation in the mall after the explosion and the anchor started explaining the details.
"That's terrible", Keats said. "Where did their kids – –"
"Shshshh!" Kezkyv hissed. "I wanna listen!"
"...The mutants had serious injuries..." The TV showed a video of the dead mutants who were being put into body bags.
"NOOO!" Kezkyv and Rejy cried. "NO-ho-ho-NOOO!"
"Uh, um, what?" Keats asked quietly. He was quite amazed.
"Those, those two mutants... Jian and Gary Gillian... they're our parents!"
"WHAT?! " Keats screamed. "YOU're the children of Jian and Gary Gillian?! But... But..."
"SHSHSHH! I wanna listen!" Now the other youths had gathered around them also.
"...information of the kids. If you believe you have seen the children, please call this number. It is assumed that the older child, of about age eighteen, is not a child of Gillians. The first children of Jian and Gary Gillian were born in 2009. There are no pictures of them, but their names are Kezkyv and Rejy Gillian and they are currently fourteen years old. Kezkyv is a female and Rejy a male. Their hair and eyes are wholly black and their complexion is dark, and they are North American Indians. If you believe you have seen these children, please call this number. Now, our panel will discuss the situation about mutants and their threat to our country..." Kezkyv muted the TV. The others saw tears running down Rejy's cheeks. Kezkyv hid her face.
"Let's leave them alone", Jean thought to Jack and Keats. "Hey, they just got to know their parents died. Ya remember how ya felt in the same situation? They sure WANNA be alone." The others left. Kezkyv and Rejy continued watching the news from another channel and recorded all news they managed to catch.
They found out that the younger child, who was only four or five years old, was very likely their little sister.
Kezkyv and Rejy had been trying to contact their parents telepathically, but this far, it had not succeeded. It should have been easy, but apparently their parents had been blocking them because while the parents drew the attention, their kids were left alone. Now they were dead and everyone focused on Kezkyv and Rejy and their sister.
Kezkyv and Rejy started trying to contact their sister and the other mutant who had been with her.
After an hour they amazingly found each other. The other mutant had been trying to contact Kezkyv and Rejy.
"Kezkyv? Rejy?" thought the other mutant.
"That's us! Ya found us! Who are you?"
"I'm Ragen Vayre... You've probably seen the news, yer parents are dead... I knew them. They were my friends. They taught me how to control my telepathy. I have your little sister here with me... Where are you? I need to get there... We can't survive without help much longer..."
"We're in New York... We can come an' pick ya up. Where are you?"
"W-what? How?"
"We got a friend who's a telekinetic."
"Oh! We're still near Toronto... Can you please come right now, we're both hurt an' bleeding..."
"Sure, of course! Wait there an' guide us." Kezkyv got Keats and the three of them left.
It took four hours to find Ragen and Kezkyv and Rejy's sister, and another three and a half hours to get back home. When they got to New York City, they first went to shower, then tied up the wounds, and ate the refrigerator empty.
Kezkyv and Rejy's sister's name was Kyah, and she too had black eyes and black hair, just like Kezkyv and Rejy. She also had the agility and the telepathic powers they had had when they were her age.
Ragen was seventeen and had various powers that were of serious issue because of their dangerousness. Jian and Gary had only been able to help Ragen with her telepathy. Other great powers of hers were the absolute and instinctive control over the weather and matter; telekinesis; flying ability without using her other powers; absorbing of any energy, even life energy; agility and the ability to see infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and electricity. She has had her agility and seeing capabilities from her birth, and she has always been a telepath also, though when she was ten, her telepathy evolved to a level she could not control. She would have died if not for Jian and Gary. They taught her how to control her very powerful telepathy, and when her other powers manifested, she was readier to accept them and keep them somewhat under control, though she actually did and does not know how to use them at all.
Keats: "Whoa. I dunno if I should be jealous or not."
Ragen: "This is not funny! If I lose the control over my powers, ya're all dead in a second! Ya couldn't do this for two seconds!" Keats was scared and though he had something funny to say, he kept his mouth shut. They heard cracking thunder. "See? THIS is what happens when I get angry!"
Jean: "Uh, can ya control some of yer powers?"
"Yeah, my agility, vision an' telepathy. That's not too much is it, eh?"
Kezkyv: "Oh gaah, ya gotta get that weather-controlling power of yers in control. Ya could wipe out the skyscrapers with one tsunami."
"Do ya think I don't know that?!"
"Easy..."
"An' DON'T CHA GO 'EASY' ON ME, YA – –" And then the ceiling flew off and their whole apartment flooded with rainwater. "NOW SEE WHAT – –"
"Kee! Fix the roof! Rejy, Jean, Jack! We gotta – –" Now Ragen lost the control over her telepathy and hit Kezkyv with a telepathic bolt. "Aaarrghhh!" Kezkyv fell down and lost her consciousness. Rejy, Jean and Jack struck Ragen and forced her to sleep. The thunderstorm became stable (now how stable is a thunderstorm?), but Keats had trouble with the upper part of their apartment building which included two more stories, because they did not live in the top story.
Rejy: "Keats?"
"I'm okay... urgghhh... Just don't... speak... to... me... Just don't." Keats was being a bit sarcastic. Rejy went behind Keats and put his hands on Keats's head. Rejy went into Keats's mind, strengthened his telekinetic powers and helped him to put the stories on the right place.
After they had finished, Rejy came out of Keats's mind, Keats dropped on the floor and sat there.
"Thanks Rejy... I probably wouldn't have done it without cha... "
"You FREAKING PIG!" Rejy kicked his stomach.
"Aaagghhh! Uh... huh... aah... oh..." Keats fell on his side and held his stomach.
Jean: "Rejy!? What– – Whatthe – –" Rejy turned Keats on his back and sat on his stomach.
Keats: "AH! Aaah-AAH AHH! My – –! AH!"
Rejy: "Hurts, doesn't it, HUH? Huh?! Huh?!"
Jean: "Rejy! What're ya DOING?!" Jean jerked Rejy off Keats and held him still.
"Lemme go! I saw into his mind! You don't know what he thinks about ya!"
"THAT is HIS business, not yours! He hasn't done anything, right? Unless he IS SURELY going to do something eh ...undefined, I don't care!"
Keats: "What? What did ya saw?"
Rejy: "I saw... you... And ya were... doing SOMETHING to Jean..."
"What..!? Are you talkin' about the dream... where I raped her? "
"Except that was no dream! It was your conscious thinking!"
"Rejy, yer gettin' it all wrong!..."
"Oh, yeah, an' raping is wrong!"
"What?! Is he going to try to rape ME?" Jean laughed.
Keats: "No!"
Rejy: "Yes!"
Keats: "NO! Rejy, shut up! Ya don't know what ya're talkin' about!"
Jean: "Listen now, Rejy, I think Keats's right. Ya don't know what ya're talkin' about."
Rejy: "But... But... – –"
Jean: "C'mon, Keats, tell me what's it about." Keats looked a bit amazed and followed Jean into the hallway.
"Okay, Keats, what's going on?"
"Uh... do ya really wanna hear it all?..."
"Well, don't make it too graphic."
"No no no... I wasn't gonna tell about the dream THAT WAY."
"Okay..."
"Well... I had this stupid testosterone-smellin' dream about raping ya... It was really stupid an' I felt embarrassed when I woke up an' saw ya. An' I thought it would be even more embarrassing if I had to explain it, what I'm doing now... Y'know, you can sense my thoughts an' everything. But, since I'm a stupid teen, I just had to think about the dream seriously... y'know?"
"Yeah..." Jean laughed. "Y'know, I once had a dream about yellin' something really stupid in a movie theater... An' when I next went to see a movie, 'the Matrix', I almost yelled 'Pixel-monster!' when the agent Smiths looked like ones and zeros. I felt embarrassed even though I didn't do it, heh heh. An' that dream was plain stupid."
"But really, I would NEVER rape you, seriously."
"Yeah, I know. Hell, y' COULDN'T rape me. I'd fry yer mind before y'd even get to decide on it. But I might yell something in a movie theater."
"Ha ha! Eh..."
Rejy was really pumped. He had prepared to fight Keats and now Jean stopped him in mid-air.
"He's going to rape Jean!" he yelled at Jack. "She's your sister! How can ya just stand there?!" Actually Jack did not stand, because he had to dodge Rejy who was coming at him. Rejy grabbed his shoulders.
"Leave me be! Rejy, please! Let go!" Rejy felt his shirt being pulled and he poked his hand to the direction he believed the pull had come from. He hit Kyah in the chest.
Kyah: "Ughg!" She fell down and Rejy looked at her with eyes as big as plates. Rejy dove on the floor and caught Kyah in his arms.
"Kyah! Why'd ya..!? I could've..! I could've!.."
"I'm okay, Rejy... I just wanted that ya stop yelling." Kyah hugged Rejy but he saw a few tears running down her cheeks. Rejy put his head into her hair and wept.
After a while, Rejy looked behind him, seeing Jack who was rather shocked.
"I'm sorry, Jack... I..."
"Uh, it's okay. I understand... I think..." Rejy turned his head back to Kyah's hair and wept again.
Jack: "Maybe I should try to wake Kezkyv up."
"Don't touch Ragen yet... I think we should let her sleep."
"Yeah." Jack went next to Kezkyv, touched her face and tried to wake her up.
Kezkyv: "Ah!" She held her head. "Owwhh... My head... What a psi-bolt! Owh. Hey, Jack." Jack smiled to her. "Whoa, the ceiling's back on its place. You sure got the situation in control." A lightning bolt rumbled above them. "Or maybe not. What's that thunder doing without Ragen?"
Rejy: "Dunno."
"Ah! It's natural. Ragen's powers affect the nature an' she doesn't have to keep the storm up, but she has to consciously make it stop."
"What?"
"Ah, I'll explain it later. I didn't even understand my own speech." Kyah ran to Kezkyv and hugged her. Kezkyv smiled.
Keats and Jean came in. Rejy glared at Keats.
Jean: "Aw, c'mon, Rejy! It's okay! Forget it!"
Kezkyv: "Forget what?"
Keats: "Long story."
Jean: "Never mind."
Kezkyv: "...Oookay... Huh, Rejy?" Rejy really glared at Keats. "Hey, maybe y'should stop before yer eyes fall off."
Rejy: "Shit..."
Kezkyv: "Ew, Rejy, shoo! Heh heh!" Kezkyv laughed.
Kyah: "Kezkyv, is Ragen okay? What'd cha do to him?"
"Uh, her. We just made her sleep because she lost the control of her powers."
"I want to sleep too."
"Sure. Come here, y'can sleep on my mattress."
"I want cha t' sleep with me." Kezkyv sighed and her eyes became wide.
"Sure." Kezkyv took some of her clothes off, stripped Kyah and lay on the mattress with her.
Rejy: "That's just too cute..." The others laughed and tried to keep their voice down.
Keats: "Aah, heh heh... Maybe we all should get some sleep."
Kezkyv: "C'mon, Jack." Jack took some of his clothes off and went next to Kezkyv so that Kyah was left between them. Kyah sighed satisfyingly and dug herself deeper.
A bit later the others went to sleep also.
In the morning Ragen was the first one to wake up. The terrible storm was still raging and she sure sensed it. She tried to calm down, focus her mind on the storm and make it go away. She almost did it. The storm became milder and would go away by itself after a day or two. She lied on the floor for so long that Kezkyv woke up.
"Hey, Kezkyv."
"Uuhh... hey..."
"Can I get something t' eat?"
"Sure." Ragen went to the kitchen and started fiddling with the refrigerator. Kezkyv sneaked from the bed without waking up Kyah or Jack and went after Ragen. Ragen was eating a pizza. "Pizza in the morning?"
"I'm hungry y'know! After playin' with that giant storm there, who wouldn't be?" They were quiet for a moment. Kezkyv ate a yoghurt.
"Ragen... Could I somehow help ya to control yer powers?"
"...Uh, yer welcome... But how?"
"I hoped y' would know."
"Ahh..." Ragen opened the door of the refrigerator with her telekinetic powers and got some more juice without even moving her hand. "I can use my telekinesis... But just on one thing at a time..."
"That's a start..."
And, from that day on, Ragen started seriously learning how to use and control her powers. It took a lot of time and a lot of destroyed buildings that Keats had to repair, but she slowly started learning.
Another year has passed. The youths are still alive, and Ragen has gained more control over her powers. Now, she can keep her telepathy and telekinesis almost completely in control. Unfortunately, she still does not control her power over the weather or her flying ability, and she could learn more about her matter controlling and energy absorbing powers and vision. She still has much to learn.
Kezkyv, Jack, Jean and Rejy were walking down the streets. They were shopping; buying anything they would need or want. And money, let's just say a lot of people lost their money that day.
And then, there was a police officer in front of them. Without saying anything, the officer just took off Kezkyv's sunglasses and looked into her terrified eyes.
"Kezkyv Gillian!" the officer shouted, not surprised. The officer grabbed a gun, pointed it at Kezkyv's chest and shot. Kezkyv could not have known it. She was just walking down the street...
Then she woke up into a terrible storm, thunder cracking so close and so often she heard nothing but the thunder. She did not see. She could not speak. Her mind was turned inside and she could not get out. She was inside of her own mind, consciously seeing her memories, thoughts and emotions. She lost her body and it was left somewhere outside. The thunder faded away and now she heard nothing but the voice of her own mind.
And then she felt something alien ripping through her mind, making its way to her conscious awareness. And then it was in front of her.
It was Ragen's telepathic form, her mental body.
"Kezkyv! Kezkyv! Can you hear me? Really, please... I fixed yer body. Ya're okay. Just come out of yer mind, please... I can uh... drag yer uh... whatever, out and..."
"No."
"Well, whaddaya gonna do then?"
"Y'know, just go. I'll come right after ya. An' if not right after, I'll be comin'. Just leave now, okay?"
"Oo-kay... whatever ya say..." Ragen's mental body dissolved.
Kezkyv concentrated and tried to get out of her mind.
She did not know what really happened, but it seemed that her mind turned again. The outer part started to pour to inside, and Kezkyv's awareness was stuck somewhere in the middle.
Kezkyv regained her physical consciousness.
Jack: "KEZKYV!"
Rejy: "Oh, ya're okay!"
Ragen: "Oh, ya're out of yer mind! Hah hah hah!"
Kezkyv: "What, uh, um... m-my... uh, chest?" She had no shirt on, but nevertheless, she did not see a wound and did not feel any pain. She saw Keats sleeping on his mattress next to the couch. She was lying on the table.
Ragen: "Okay, really, y' can thank me. It was the first time I used my matter controllin' power succesfully. I just... umm... fixed yer... uh... heart... lungs, muscles... bones, spine, blood vessels, nerves... Y' KNOW how much WORK that was? Listen to that damn thunder! Oh shit, I'm gonna kill us some'a these days."
Kezkyv: "Well, at least ya're yerself. Thank ya..."
Kyah: "Ah, Kezkyv! Ya woke up! Do ya hurt?"
Kezkyv: "No..." Kyah put her head on Kezkyv's chest and smiled. Kezkyv thought it felt really nice.
Ragen: "Oh yeah. Hey Kezkyv, if it starts hurtin' like hell, just tell me. I dropped one of yer computer chip-part-thingies inside yer chest an' I noticed it when it was too late."
Kezkyv: "Heh heh."
Ragen: "Kezkyv, I'm serious. The whatever-thingie IS there." Kezkyv really gulped. "Look, it's not that bad. It'll probably be there the resta yer life doing nothing an' ya won't know a thing. But it might move so that it'll poke yer heart or something. Oh well, y' can ask me to get it out from there but would cha just wait a few years till I'm able to use my freakin' matter controllin' power again?"
Kezkyv: "Jack, is she really tellin' the truth?! Did she really drop my CPU-chip INSIDE MY CHEST?!"
Jack: "Uh, yeah."
Kyah: "Hey, Kezkyv, what's that?" She pointed at Kezkyv's breast and touched it. "It's funny! It's soft!" Kezkyv really turned red.
Kezkyv: "AGH!" She twitched, put Kyah on the floor and jumped off the table she had been lying on. "AAH, PEOPLE! MY – –!"
Keats: "Uhh... yaaawwwnn... Has Kezkyv put some clothes on yet?" And then he saw Kezkyv. "Holy – –! AH! Sorry!" He jumped up, turned on his tiptoes like a ballerina and pitpatted into the kitchen.
Kezkyv: "Will ya give me some CLOTHES, people?!" Rejy threw Kezkyv's shirt to her and she put it on. "Okay, Ragen, ya dropped my CPU-chip inside my chest? I-NEED-that-chip! It's okay if ya dropped something else in there that I didn't need, but..."
Ragen: "Whaddaya need it for?"
Kezkyv: "It's for the computer I use to check out information on mutants from ultra-secret researches and stuff. This thing will help making the computer completely anonymous so that no one has a chance of trackin' us down. AN' I NEED IT NOW!"
Ragen: "No way. I'm way too tired. I can do it soon, but NOT right now. Tomorrow, I'm gonna try to calm down the storm. The day after that, the same. The day after that, I'll rest an' eat. The day after that... okay, I'll dig it from there then."
Kezkyv: "Argh!" Kyah came in front of Kezkyv and hugged her.
Kyah: "Can I touch that funny soft thing again?"
Kezkyv: "NO! Go touch Ragen's. She has one too. I'll bet she likes it more than I do." Kezkyv grinned meanly at Ragen as Kyah walked to Ragen and tried to reach her chest. Rejy and Jack were so laughing.
Keats: "Whatthe...?" Keats came from the kitchen but he could not figure out what was going on. Kezkyv went to Jean.
Kezkyv: "Ya know why that police officer shot me an' how'd they even know I was a mutant? Did they try to shoot cha too?"
Jean: "Oh yeah. They really tried t' kill us but it wasn't even a challenge t' get 'em stop. But I don't know how they knew we were mutants."
Kezkyv: "If they know that, they must know where we live, too! Why aren't they attacking us?"
Jean: "Well, maybe they don't want to kill th' other humans here or the storm's keepin' them from doin' it. Well... I think we should run."
Kezkyv: "Where'd we go? There's no place for us. Oh fuck, the law is against us, the justice's against us... Hell, EVERYTHING's against us."
Ragen: "The nature's on our side!..." And a striking lightning took out all the lights. The other youths really glared at Ragen. "Yay! Go nature! The more confusion this storm causes, the more time we get to plan our master escape or whatever we're gonna do! Wooo! Yippee! Hip-hurrah!"
Kezkyv: "Wow, ya actually made sense. Don't make the storm go away."
Rejy: "But what're we gonna do? Run? Where?"
Jean: "We could move to another city or town or something."
Kezkyv: "But if they can track us anyway, is there a point in going anywhere?"
Ragen: "Now YA got a point."
Jean: "Well, what the hell can we do then?"
Ragen: "Die? Hah hah hah muhaHAHA heh heh hee!"
Kezkyv: "Yer MAAAD."
Ragen: "No, I'm a realist."
Kezkyv: "That's too real to be real."
Keats: "We could fight." The others glared at him and burst into laughter. "NEVER-MIND!"
Ragen: "Oh hell! Six and a half mutants against a fucking WORLD!? Ya gotta be fucking KIDDING me!"
Keats: "I said, NEVER-MIND!"
Jean: "Oh, waittaminute, that's not a bad idea. I mean, there must be more mutants. We can not be the only ones. When we start it, the others will join us. Because there's nothing else they can do." The others were quiet for a moment.
Ragen: "But can we do it? Can we accomplish anything? WHAT are we tryin' to accomplish? Hell, we're just six frightened kids and a baby who don't know a thing about anything."
Kezkyv: "Well, maybe it's time to show what frightened kids do when all hope is gone."
Rejy: "Well, what do we DO?"
Kezkyv: "No idea."
Next week. The president of the United States of America, the mayor of New York and a whole lot of other "big" people were having a press conference and they were discussing the great problems in the world. All of a sudden, all the other camera people fainted except for one, and a person came in through the guarded door. The guards were down.
The NY mayor: "Are you – – ARE you a mutant?"
Ragen: "Oh yeah. Will ya just please stay put? I won't do anything to ya. Hey, you, cameraperson. Can you put all the cameras on an' adjust them so that they film the all 'a us an' then come here an' sit?" The very frightened cameraperson did what Ragen had asked for and pitpatted to the end of the long table. All the people were muttering and scared.
The president: "What are you going to do, kill us? That won't help anything – –"
Ragen: "Don't cha think I don't know that? If it would help us, y'all would've been dead for some decades already. No-ho, I don't kill. Mutants don't kill. Unless it's their lives they're talkin' about, an' in a situation like that, any sensible creature would do the same. WHY do you want to kill us, that's what I ask."
The president: "You're a threat to our country – – no, to the whole world! Can't you see, my people?" The president was talking to the cameras. "If a child like her can do this, what can the adult mutants do? We must kill them all, at once!"
Ragen: "Why?"
The president: "Because you're a threat!"
Ragen: "WHY are we a threat?"
The president: "By existing! – –"
Ragen: "Why then don't you kill all crippled people?! Or the Japanese, whatever they ever did to the people in USA?! Or the people in Asia an' Africa where AIDS comes from?! WHY?! HUH?! Look at me! I'm just a kid! And, now a totally unrelated comment but I really want to say this... I'm pretty sure I'm the smartest person in this room. Now, could you tell me again why am I a threat?"
The president: "By doing this! By threatening us! By using your devil powers on humans!"
Ragen: "O-kay... right... yeah..." Ragen thwarted at them. "Suuure... ...Now can you tell me why SHE is a threat?" Kyah walked into the room. She was rather scared in front of all those big people and she went behind Ragen.
The president: "No, she-she's not a threat. ...YET. What happens when she grows up? She'll become like you, am I right?"
Ragen: "No. Because her power is agility. She can't possibly do anything else than a normal human could, an' I suppose that makes her highly dangerous an' she should be killed, right?"
Kyah: "Who are those people?"
Ragen: "They're the ones who theoretically run this world. Or at least this country."
Kyah: "So... They're the ones who killed my parents?"
Ragen: "Well, not exactly. Hey you people! Would cha like to tell her why her mutant parents were killed?" She said quietly to Kyah: "Hey Kyah, would cha go to that person in the middle? That's the president, the person who can tell ya why yer parents were killed. Don't be scared, I'll see they don't hurt cha." Kyah walked to the president and sat on the table.
Kyah: "Hi president. Can ya tell me why my parents got killed?" Kyah did not want to cry, but tears started running down her cheeks. She looked into the president's eyes. Ragen came next to them. The president was not going to say anything. "Ragen?"
Ragen: "Yeah?"
Kyah: "Why... why does the president hate ME? Why do THEY hate me? They haven't even seen me before! An' the president said on TV: 'I love all the children everywhere in the world.' But why not ME?!"
The president: "This is a set-up! They're trying to – –"
Ragen: "She's SIX YEARS OLD! SHE DESERVES THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHY HER PARENTS WERE KILLED! Are you so stupid you can't even see the obvious truth RIGHT before yer damn EYES?!" Ragen burst into tears. She ran out of the room.
Kyah: "Ragen!"
Kezkyv: "Ragen? Where're ya goin'?"
Rejy: "You people! Stay put! Please?" Rejy came and got Kyah. Kyah pushed herself against Rejy and kept crying.
The general of the army of the United States: "No! It's Rejy Gillian! And that one's Kezkyv Gillian! We're doomed!"
Rejy: "You know, it's US who're doomed! What can we do?"
The general: "Surrender immediately!"
Rejy: "An' get killed? No thanks. ...Y'know, I had dreams! I had dreams just like everyone else! An' they weren't about conquering the world or anything like that. An' I know I can never fulfill those dreams, AN' IT'S YER FREAKING FAULT!" He yelled at the cameras. "Y'know, president? Y' have arachnophobia? Every time ya see a spider, ya run away screamin' an' ask somebody to kill it an' disinfect the places it's touched. How'd ya feel if y'were walkin' down the streets and there was nothing but spiders? That's how mutants feel when they're walkin' down the streets."
Jean: "KEZKYV! They've surrounded us an' are goin' to blow us into hell! They shot Keats!"
The president: "That's right for you! Our deaths don't matter! We will die as martyrs and the people won't stop until you're dead!"
Rejy: "Same to YOU, fucker!" Then came an explosion. It didn't hit them, but the building would soon collapse.
The president: "And what's to stop you from protecting yourselves and letting us die?"
Rejy: "We can't do it! We're not powerful enough! We CAN'T!" The building was collapsing. Jack, Jean, Kezkyv, Rejy and Kyah gathered together. At least they would die together. And then it hit Kezkyv.
Kezkyv: "RAGEN! You can help us! KEEP THE BUILDING TOGETHER! RAGEN!!! RAAAGEEENN – –" The building collapsed.
Soon the fire department, police and the medics were there to clean up the mess of the collapsed building.
Ragen woke up. She was lying under a pile of cement, wood and whatever had been over her when the building collapsed. Her head hurt, but she had instinctively protected herself when the building had started collapsing.
And then her head really hurt. It was like another consciousness had woken up in her mind. Was she going schizophrenic? She went into her mind and left her body totally unguarded. Nobody would find it that soon anyway.
Ragen: "KEZKYV?"
Kezkyv: "Ragen? Aren't we dead?"
"No... At least my body is under some debris an' it's okay."
"I can't find my body! Where is it?! My body?! I can't get out of your mind!"
"Uh... Oh! ... Kezkyv, your... your body might be dead."
"WHAT?!"
"What would you be doing in MY mind?"
"MY BODY! Find my body!" Ragen got out of her mind and woke up into the physical world.
Ragen: "Can you see what I see?"
"No! I can't see! I'm still in your mind!" Ragen assimilated Kezkyv's mind with her own body. THAT hurt. Ragen's body twitched and they both almost lost their consciousness.
"Can you see?"
"Who are you?"
"Which one of us is talking?"
"Are you thinking?"
"Are you / Am I moving your/my body?"
"What?"
Kezkyv: "Lie down!" Ragen's body stopped moving.
"I'm Kezkyv!"
"No, I'm Ragen!"
"No, I'm Kezkyv/Ragen!"
Kezkyv: "Can you separate me from your mind an' body?"
Ragen: "No!"
"Move! I have to find my/Kezkyv's body!"
Ragen did not even move her body, but it moved. She knew that it moved, but she did not tell it to move. She knew it was Kezkyv who was moving it. She tried to go to another direction and fell down.
Ragen: "Kezkyv, let me move my body!"
Ragen got up and looked at herself. She felt weird, but then she noticed it was Kezkyv who was feeling weird. Then she noticed that it was them both, but she herself felt her body familiar, as Kezkyv did not.
Kezkyv: "I... I didn't... I dint know yer body was this powerful!"
"I like it."
Ragen: "Who was that?"
"Me/You. / You/Me."
"Move!"
Ragen's body fell down again.
Ragen: "Kezkyv, let me move my body! Go to passive mode and try to keep away!" Ragen moved the debris and soon came to the surface. She was on the other side of the building where there were no cleaners yet. She switched her vision to infrared and, although it was extremely difficult to see anything through the debris, started searching for her friends.
A little later she found Keats's body. He had been shot before the building even collapsed and the body was really crushed. She left the body and started looking for the others.
She found them too. They were all dead.
Ragen: "MY BODY!"
Ragen: "Kezkyv, shut up! This is MY body!"
Kezkyv: "My body! It's... DEAD!"
It was terrible. Kezkyv was watching, through someone else's eyes, her own body that had been crushed in the debris. It was twisted and mutilated, like her brother and sister's bodies. Her friends were dead. How did she survive by getting stuck into Ragen's body? She did not know.
"The people are searching for us. Shouldn't we leave?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
She/they flew away.
In the Rocky Mountains, there lives a community consisting of mutants. One by one, they had gathered there with the help of their leader, a powerful mutant called Ragen Vayre. Ragen was also the oldest one of them at the early age of twenty-five. They lived in the wild, hunting for their food and surviving without the help of a human community.
Seven years had passed since Ragen left the human habited areas. She has not been the same after Kezkyv's mind assimilated with hers, but along with time, their minds have completely assimilated and Ragen is once again one individual.
Keats oli ihan normaali tyyppi. Hän asui New York Cityssä ja hänellä oli yksi isosisko, pikkuveli, pikkusisko ja vanhemmat, jotka riitelevät. Hänellä oli pari kaveria, joista hän piti. Hän oli melkein kolmetoista ja hän piti sarjakuvista ja rullalautailusta. Ja aina hän kuvitteli olevansa kuin muutkin. Vähänpä hän tiesi.
Kerran Keats oli kävelemässä sarjakuvakaupasta kotiin. Oli ilta ja aika pimeää, varsinkin sillä kujalla, jolla hän käveli. Yhtäkkiä hän näki jonkun seisovan uhkaavasti edessään. Hän päätti että antaa seisoa, hän menee toista kautta. Keats kääntyi sivukujalle, mutta siellä seisoi joku toinen. Hän huolestui hieman. Hän kääntyi takaisin sinne mistä oli tullut. Sielläkin oli joku. Myös vastapäisen seinän vieressä oli joku, ja hänen edessään seisovan tyypin seuraksi oli tullut toinen. He näyttivät kaikki suhteellisen nuorilta.
"Mitä?" Keats ihmetteli. "Häh?" Tyypit olivat hiljaa. Keats kääntyi sinne, minne oli aikonut mennä. "Mitä te oikein teette?"
"Kuka olet?" kysyi tyyppi sivukujalla.
"Minne menet?" kysyi tyyppi seinän vieressä.
"Mitä haluat?" kysyi tyyppi Keatsin edessä.
"Mitä? Häh?" Keats oli ihan pihalla ja häntä pelotti.
"Mistä tulet?" kysyi tyyppi Keatsin takana.
"Kuka olet?" sivukujalla seisova tyyppi kysyi uudestaan.
"Olen Keats! Mitä te oikein hommaatte?!"
"Mä en välitä hittojakaan sun nimestäs. Mikä olet?" tyyppi jatkoi.
"Miten niin 'mikä'? Häh? Oottekste päästänne vialla?" Kukaan ei sanonut mitään.
"Mikä olet?" tyyppi kysyi jälleen. Keats oli vähän aikaa hiljaa ja sanoi sitten:
"Mä oon ihminen! Amerikkalainen! Joko riitti? Päästäkää mut meneen!"
"Minne menet?" kysyi seinän vieressä oleva tyyppi.
"Kotiin!"
"Mitä haluat?" kysyi tyyppi Keatsin edessä.
"Mennä kotiin!"
"Haluatko?"
"Joo!" Kukaan ei taaskaan tehnyt mitään vähään aikaan. Keats hermostui ja lähti kävelemään sinne minne oli alunperinkin aikonut mennä. Hän tuli ensimmäisen tyypin eteen. Tämä oli ehkä hiukan vanhempi kuin Keats ja hieman isompi. Hän tökkäsi kätensä Keatsin rinnalle ja tönäisi hänet takaisin.
"Mitä TE haluutte?! Miksette te voi päästää mua meneen?!" Nyt tyypit näyttivät tyytyväisemmiltä.
"Mä oon Rick", sanoi häntä tönäissyt tyyppi yhtäkkiä. "Hän on Jack." Rick näytti toista hahmoa vieressään.
"Mä oon Rath", sanoi tyyppi sivukujalla.
"Mä oon Sean", sanoi tyyppi seinän vieressä.
"Ja mä oon Jean", sanoi tyyppi Keatsin takana.
"Etkä sä oo ihminen", Sean jatkoi.
"Häh! Mitä?! Miten niin!?" Keats huusi.
"Sä et oo ihminen. Usko jo. Ei mekään olla."
"No mitäs hittoja te sitte muka ootte?! Hitto apinoita?"
"Sä oot helvetin PUUROAIVO! APINA! Kasa kuivunutta paskaa!" Keatsista alkoi tuntua että he ovat herkkiä haukkumiselle.
"Perseennuolijat! Kakkakikkareet! Plöröt! Hiton munapäät!" Keats huusi.
"AAEERGHEEAEEEHH!" Sean huusi. Keats pelästyi pahan kerran, koska huuto ei todellakaan kuulostanut ihmisen eikä oikeastaan minkään muunkaan huudolta – vain kamalalta. Myös kaksi muista tyypeistä oli pelästynyt, mutta kaksi toista eivät. He olivat kaikki hiljaa pitkän aikaa.
Vähän myöhemmin Rath käveli Keatsin luo.
"Hei", hän sanoi. "Sulla on joku omituinen kyky. Me ei tiietä ollenkaan mikä se on, etkä säkään varmaan. Mut sulla on se, ja se ei oo normaalia. Me ollaan kans epänormaaleja. Haluukko tietää miks Rick on epänormaali?"
"No?"
"Se pystyy imeen keltä tahansa sen muistot ja ajatukset ja kaikki erikoiskyvyt. Haluukko tietää miks Jack on epänormaali?"
"No?"
"Se on heikko telepaatti. Se pystyy lukeen ajatuksia joskus ku se yrittää, ja se on kauheen ketterä. Ja se on kans mykkä, se ei voi ikinä puhuu. Jean on muuten samallainen ku Jack, mut se ei oo mykkä ja se on tyttö. Haluukko tiet– –"
"Tyttö?"
"Joo, se on vaan hidas kehittyyn. Oikeesti."
"Ai. ...?" Keats vilkaisi Jeania. Jean näytti hieman tympääntyneeltä.
"Haluukko tietää miks Sean on epänormaali?"
"No, joo..."
"Sekin on telepaatti ja kauheen ketterä. Sit se on kyllä ihan ihmeellinen. Kukaan meistä, ei se ees itte, oikein tiiä mikä se on. Mut me vaan ollaan täälä."
"No miks sää sitte oot erikoinen?"
"No mäkin oon vähän ketterä, ja mä oon ai-ka vahva."
"Ja kuinka vahva sää ny sitte oot?"
"Vahvempi ku kukaan mies."
"Joo, varmaan."
"Sää näät vielä joku päivä ku mä nypin autoista ovia."
"Joo, VARMAAN."
"Kuule NÄÄT sitte." He olivat hetken hiljaa.
"Miks mää sitte oon erikoinen? Emmää osaa mitään tommosta tehä! Ja te sanoitte ettette tekään tiiä! Mitä mää muka voin tehä?!"
"Ei me tiietä. Se siinä onki nii vaarallista", Jean sanoi. "Mitä jos sun kykys on posautella sähkölaitteita?"
"Ei varmana oo! Mä oon koskenu niin – –"
"Se sun kykys ilmenee ku sä oot murrosiässä! Luota muhun! On kokemusta!" Kaikki olivat taas hetken hiljaa.
"Mitä te oikein haluutte musta", Keats kysyi hiljaa ja katsoi maahan.
"Tu meille asuun. Me voidaan auttaa sua kun sun kyky ilmaantuu", Rath sanoi.
"Mä-haluun-mennä-KOTIIN!" Keats huusi ja samassa Rath lennähti hänen edestään päin Jackia. Jack väisti ja Rath tipahti maahan.
"Sä oot telekineetikko!" Jean huusi.
"MITÄ!?"
"Sä voit liikutella esineitä tahdonvoimalla!"
"EI!" Keats huusi. Hän lähti juoksemaan Jackia päin. Jack tarttui häntä takista ja piti paikallaan, mutta ei kuitenkaan väkivaltaisesti. Rath tuli taas hänen luokseen.
"Tulisit meijän kanssa. Me voidaan auttaa sua", hän sanoi.
"Emmää VOI tulla! Mulla on perhe! Vanhemmat! Ja kavereita!" Samassa kuului kova räjähdys Keatsin kodin suunnalta.
"Mitä?" Keats sanoi. Jean, Jack, Sean ja Rick katsoivat ihmeissään toisiaan, Rathia ja Keatsia ja he kaikki lähtivät juoksemaan räjähdyksen suuntaan. Kuului toinenkin räjähdys.
He tulivat räjähdyspaikalle. Yksi kerrostaloista oli tulessa, ja neljä ylintä kerrosta olivat tuhoutuneet.
Sean katsoi Keatsiin, joka oli aivan pillahtamaisillaan itkuun.
"Mitä?" Jean sanoi hiljaa.
"Mun KOTI! Mun vanhemmat! Mun kaverit! Ne KUOLI!" Keats kääntyi pois ja alkoi itkeä.
"Äähh", Rath äännähti ja katsoi kavereihinsa. He seisoivat siinä hetken aikaa katsellen paloa.
"Hei, Key. Lähetäänkö meille. Sä voit nukkuu ja me annetaan sulle ruokaa. Mennäänkö?" Rath kysyi Keatsilta.
"...Noh... yh", Keats sanoi hiljaa. Muut lähtivät kävelemään ja Rath talutti Keatsin perässään.
Keats heräsi myöhemmin. Oli aamu, kello oli noin kahdeksan. Aurinko paistoi sisään ikkunasta (New Yorkissa. Uskomatonta). Keats katsoi ympärilleen. Eiliset nuoret nukkuivat ympäri olohuonetta. Olohuoneesta näki keittiöön. Siellä ei ollut ketään. Yhdessä seinässä oli kaksi ovea. Toisessa oli kyltti, jossa luki: "Kuole Rath ja jätä se hiton ovi rauhaan". Toiseen oli joku kirjoittanut tussilla: "Jane".
Keats muisti mitä eilen oli tapahtunut ja alkoi taas vetistellä. Hetken kuluttua hän katsoi muita. Rath nukkui sohvan selkänojalla patjan päällä. Rick nukkui sohvan takana. Jack nukkui tosi kummallisessa asennossa toisen tietokonepöydän alla. Jean ja Sean olivat kahdestaan seinän vieressä yhdellä patjalla. Jean näytti Keatsista söpöltä ja hän jäi hetkeksi katselemaan tätä.
Hetken kuluttua Keats vilkaisi Jackia uudelleen ja naurahti. Jean alkoi pyöriskellä, vieri pois patjalta ja heräsi. Hän kömpi takaisin patjalle ja vilkaisi Keatsiin.
"Hei", hän sanoi. "Pystyiksää nukkuun?"
"No, joo. En ehkä kyllä ois halunnu herätä."
"Oliko sun nimi Key?"
"Keats."
"No, voiaanko me kuttuu sua Keyks? Se ois helpompi ääntää ja kuulostaa kivalta."
"No... öh... eh, ...Siitä vaan."
"Tiiäksää mitä sä pystyt tekeen kyvyilläs?"
"En oikein..."
"Sä voit liikutella esineitä tahdonvoimalla. Koita nostaa mun sukat."
"Sukat?" Keats sanoi. Jean katsoi häneen ja hän yritti saada sukan nousemaan tahdonvoimalla. Se onnistui! "Jee! Kivaa!" Keats sanoi ja heilutteli sukkaa ilmassa.
"Kivaa", Jean sanoi. Keats tiputti sukan.
"Uuh. Mitä... Siis, öh, mitä te niinku teette täällä?"
"No pääasiassa me odotetaan kunnes me kasvetaan vanhemmiks. Tai no ei me tehdä mitään. Me vaan tosiaan ollaan täällä. Mä yritän opiskellakki."
"Eikö teillä oo tylsää?"
"Eei. Ei meillä vaan oo tylsää."
"Mmgagaaahhh", Rath huokaisi, vierähti ja tipahti Rickin päälle.
"AI!" Rick huusi.
"Aaahh, hitto!" Rath huusi. Sean ja Jack heräsivät.
"Ja tässä on teiän aamurituaalit?" Keats kysyi.
"No ei. Näkisit vaan ku Jack herää ekana ja sen jälkeen kaikki on katossa", Rath sanoi. "Jääksää meiän luokse?"
"No, enhän mää voi kyllä minnekkään muualle mennä..."
Keats ei ollut mitenkään erikoisen onnellinen. Saihan hän uusia kavereita, mutta sen hinta oli vähän turhan kova – ihan kuin hän siihen voisi jotenkin vaikuttaa. Hän mökötti vielä monta päivää, vetisteli, eikä jaksanut vielä kunnolla tutustua muihin. Hän oli lähinnä katkera ja vihoitteli muille nuorille elämänsä epäsuorasta pilaamisesta.
Keatsin kerrostalon räjähdyksen syyksi selvisi vuotanut happipullo ja muut happipullot, jotka vuotanut pullo räjäytti. Oli vielä hieman epäselvää, mihin niitä hallussaan pitänyt henkilö niitä tarvitsi, mutta Keatsille sillä ei enää mitään väliä ollut. Hän vain mökötti ja yritti unohtaa asian.
Oli yö, noin viikko sen jälkeen kun Keats muutti omituisten nuorten luo. Keats heräsi. Hän näki Jeanin keittiössä ja Rath, Rick ja Sean nukkuivat. Jackiä ei näkynyt missään.
"Jean?" Keats sanoi. "Jean?"
"Mitä?" Jean vastasi.
"Missä Jack on?"
"Pihalla."
"Häh? Mitä se siellä tekee?"
"Se ettii ittelleen tyttökaveria."
"HÄH? Ettii? Tyttökaveria?"
"Joo. Se on mulle vähän kateellinen... tai oikeestaa teille muille, koska te voitte sentään niinku 'unelmoida' siitä että olisitte mun kaa, niinku Rick ja Rath tekee, heh, mutku Jack on mun veli. Se sitte lähtee aina välillä pihalle ettiin jotain toista epänormaalia. Ja on sillä muutenki aika hankalaa ku se ei voi puhuu."
Jack oli juuri silloin kävelemässä Broadwaylla. Hän katseli ympärilleen eikä nähnyt juuri mitään muuta kuin lisää ihmismassaa. Hän jatkoi kävelyä.
Hetken kuluttua häntä vain hiukan pitempi tyyppi törmäsi häneen ja lujaa.
"Uuoooh!" tyyppi äännähti. Ääni kuulosti aika nuorelta, hieman oudolta, ja tyypillä oli aika selvä aksentti – luultavasti venäläinen. "Kattosit VÄHÄN etees, älykääpiö!" Nuori tarttui Jackiä takista ja nosti ilmaan. Jack katsoi hänen silmiinsä. Ne olivat ihan mustat, vain värikalvot olivat tummansiniset. Jack pelästyi pahasti ja tarttui nuoren käteen. Sitten hän kuuli äänen päänsä sisällä, eikä se ollut kenenkään hänen tuntemansa.
"Ooksääki vai kummajainen?" ääni sanoi. Jack vilkaisi äkkiä hänet ilmaan nostanutta nuorta. Tämä ei enää näyttänyt vihaiselta vaan todella hämmästyneeltä.
"Häh? OokSÄÄki kummajainen?" hän kysyi. Jack nyökytteli, kun ei voinut puhua. "Ooksää mykkä?" nuori jatkoi. Tällä kertaa Jack lähetti tälle telepaattisen viestin:
"Joo, mää oon mykkä." Nuori laski Jackin maahan. Nyt Jack näki hänet kunnolla. Hän näytti nuoremmalta kuin Jack, vaikka oli hieman pitempi – ja kaiken lisäksi vielä tyttö. Jackillä alkoi hyrrätä pahemman kerran.
"Haluuksää tulla mun kujalle nukkuun?" nuori kysyi telepaattisesti.
"Eeehh... ...joo. Mikä sun nimi on?" Jack ajatteli takasin.
"Kezkyv."
"Mä oon Jack Sash, öh... onko sulla sukunimee?" Nuori ei sanonut mitään, virnuili vain ja antoi Jackin seurata itseään.
Parin päivän kuluttua Jack ja Kezkyv olivat jo hyviä kavereita. Jack sai Kezkyvin ylipuhuttua lähtemään mukaansa siihen kämppään, jossa hänen siskonsa Jean ja kaverinsa Sean, Rath, Rick ja Keats elelivät.
Oli yö, kun he päättivät lähteä. He tulivat asunnon ovesta sisään. Kaikki nukkuivat. Jackin patja oli vapaa ja he menivät yhdessä nukkumaan sille.
Aamulla Jean heräsi ensimmäisenä. Hän tietysti huomasi Jackin heti, olihan tämä ollut jo pari päivää poissa. Hän huomasi myös Kezkyvin, joka nukkui hänen vieressään.
"Viimenki se löys ittelleen kaverin", Jean ajatteli. Hän käänsi katseensa Seaniin, joka ei tällä kertaa nukkunut hänen vieressään. Rath ja Rick löhösivät sohvalla tosi pahassa asennossa, koska he olivat nauhoittaneet elokuvaa, joka oli kestänyt koko yön. Keats oli pudonnut lattialle tietokoneen äärestä.
Kezkyv heräsi. Hän mulkoili kattoa vähän aikaa ja vilkaisi sitten ympärilleen.
"Hei", Jean sanoi. Kezkyv kääntyi häneen päin.
"Heih", Kezkyv vastasi.
"Kukas sää oot?"
"Kezkyv... Hoouuhh..."
"Mustat silmät?"
"Joo, pigmenttihäiriö iskee. Tosi kivaa kulkee ympäriinsä näitten kanssa päivällä. Mulla on ökö olo."
"Mistäköhän se vois johtua?!" Jean sanoi ja vilkaisi Jackiä.
"Ei ainakaan ruuasta..."
Niin Kezkyvkin jäi asumaan nuorten kummajaisten joukkoon pieneen kerrostaloasuntoon.
Kerran koko porukka oli pikaruokaravintolassa syömässä roskaruokaa ja juomassa limsaa. Kezkyvillä oli aurinkolasit, jotta hän voisi piilottaa silmänsä.
Jossain vaiheessa "syöminen" tietenkin meni niin rajuksi, että Rath tuli vahingossa tönäisseeksi Seania, joka törmäsi Kezkyviin ja tiputti hänen lasinsa. Siitäkös tuli melua.
Kolme ravintolan työntekijää ja kaksi asiakasta näkivät Kezkyvin mustat silmät.
"Mitä helvettiä!?" yksi työntekijä sanoi ja tarttui aseeseensa. Nyt kaikkien huomio kiinnittyi Kezkyviin.
"Ööh... uh", Kezkyv sanoi.
Juuri sillä hetkellä terroristit olivat valinneet seuraavaksi terrorismin kohteekseen juuri sen ravintolan, jossa nuoret olivat syömässä.
Terroristit syöksyivät ovista sisään ja vahingoittivat kiinteistöä parin miljoonan taalan edestä. Rathilla iski itsesuojeluvaisto päälle ja hän hyökkäsi terroristien kimppuun. Hän löi ensimmäisen tajuttomaksi ja toiselta hän murskasi rintakehän.
"Hyvä LUOJA!" yksi terroristeistä huusi nähtyään, mihin Rath pystyi. "Se on joku alieni tai epäsikiö tai jotain! Tappakaa se!" Kaikki terroristit ja muutama ravintolan asiakas alkoivat tähdätä Rathia.
"RATH!" muut nuoret huusivat. Terroristit alkoivat ampua, ja hetkessä Rath oli kasa veristä mössöä lattialla. Toimituksessa oli kuollut pari muutakin tyyppiä, joita ei ollut tarkoitus tappaa – vai oliko?
"Voi EI!" Jean huusi. Hän, kuten hänen kaverinsakin Kezkyviä ja Keatsiä lukuunottamatta, oli aivan pillahtamaisillaan itkuun. "MIKS!? OLIKO SE PAKKO TAPPAA!?" Jean huusi ja antoi telepaattisen energiansa riehua ympärillään. Nyt kaikki alkoivat apua häntä päin, mutta Keats ehti juuri ja juuri tehdä telekineettisen suojan hänen ympärilleen. Keats kuuli vierestään Rickin huudon. Hän kääntyi katsomaan tätä. Rickiä oli ammuttu selkään ja hän oli juuri ja juuri elossa.
"KEE!" Kezkyv huusi Keatsille venäläisellä aksentillaan. "Äkkiä ny! Tee meiän kaikkien ympärille suojakenttä!"
"Öh, uh, umm... ömmummum..." Keats oli vähän hämillään, kamalan pelästynyt, eikä Kezkyvin viesti oikein tahtonut mennä perille. Kezkyv aikoi ottaa telepatiallaan Keatsin telekinesian hallintaansa, mutta joku ehti ampua ensin.
Luoti viilsi Kezkyvin kyljen auki, mutta hän ei ollut hengenvaarassa. Se kyllä sattui. Nyt kaikki alkoivat ampua häntä. Kezkyv hyppäsi ketterästi ilmaan ja väisteli luoteja. Osa niistä kuitenkin osui häneen, mutta ei sen pahemmin kuin ensimmäinenkään.
Kezkyv väisteli luoteja, kunnes yksi niistä viilsi hänen reisilihastaan niin pahasti, että hän ei voinut enää seisoa.
"KEATS!" Kezkyv huusi minkä kurkusta lähti. Silloin Kezkyvin viesti meni perille ja Keats teki heidän ympärilleen suojakentän. Kezkyv kaatui suojakentän sisällä lattialle, Seanin viereen. Seanin olkapäässä oli pahan näköinen haava ja hän yski verta. Kezkyv kääntyi äkkiä Rickiin päin. Tämä oli kuollut.
"Voi ei", Kezkyv mutisi itsekseen. Hän vilkaisi Jackiin, joka oli tajuton. Joku oli kai lyönyt häntä, kun hänessä ei kerran ollut haavoja.
Jeaniin oli osunut yksi luoti ennen kuin Kezkyvin viesti oli mennyt perille Keatsin aivoihin. Se oli mennyt hänen oikeasta kädestään läpi.
"Kee! Hommaa meijät ulos täältä! Nosta meiät ulos kuplassa!" Kezkyv huusi. "Mut jätä Rick! Se on kuollu!" Kesti taas pari sekuntia ennen kuin viesti saavutti Keatsin aivot. Sen jälkeen he lähtivät pois ja Keats teki sen mitä Kezkyv käski. Myöhemmin, terroristien harhauttamisen jälkeen, he tulivat kotiinsa.
Jean heräsi. Hän makasi patjallaan ja hänen haavansa oli sidottu. Siihen koski hirveästi. Jean yritti unohtaa tuskan ja katsoi muihin. Keats nukkui omalla patjallaan. Hänelle ei ollut käynyt kuinkaan. Myöskään Jackille ei ollut käynyt juuri kuinkaan, joskin hänellä oli lievä aivotärähdys. Kezkyv näytti paljon huonommalta, mutta oli hänkin elossa.
Jean katsoi Seaniin. Tämän hengitys vinkui todella pahasti, ja hänellä näytti muutenkin olevan vaikeuksia hengittämisen kanssa. Jean huolestui pahasti. Hän nousi ylös ja meni Seanin viereen. Hän koski tämän olkapäähän ja herätti hänet.
"Je... Jean", Sean sanoi heikolla äänellä.
"Sean..?" Jean sanoi.
"Mä... mä, mä luulen, et mä... mä vielä... kuolen tähän..."
"Eihh", Jean sanoi ja alkoi vetistellä.
Hetken kuluttua Keats ja Jack heräsivät. Hekin tulivat katsomaan Seania. Hän oli ihan selvästi kuolemassa. Hän ei varmasti pysyisi elossa edes kahta päivää.
Hieman myöhemmin Kezkyv heräsi. Hänen oli vaikea liikkua, puhumattakaan kävelystä, mutta hän tuli silti katsomaan Seania.
Tunti kului. Seanin tila vain paheni ja paheni. Häneen näytti myös koskevan kamalan paljon.
"J-Jean", Sean sanoi.
"snif Mitä?" Jean sanoi itkuisella äänellä.
"Pliis... Muhun koskee... ihan hirveesti... Lopettakaa se..."
"Kyllä mä tiiän", Jean itki.
"Tapa mut sitte, pliis..."
"T-tapa? M-öh..?" Jean sanoi ja otti taskustaan armeijan veitsen. Hän katseli veistä vähän aikaa.
"Pl-pliis! Muhun sattuu! Ja m-mää kuolen muutenki... Pliis! Jean!" Jean piti veitsestä kaksin käsin kinni ja oli valmis iskemään sen Seanin rintaan.
Hän ei kuitenkaan vain pystynyt tekemään sitä. Hän heitti veitsen pois.
"snif Ääh, Sean! snif Emmää pysty! Yyyhhh", Jean sanoi ja käänsi päänsä alas.
"J-Jack? Key?" Sean sanoi ja kääntyi heihin päin. He eivät sanoneet mitään. "Oikeesti, pliis", Sean aneli. Kukaan ei tehnyt mitään.
Sitten Kezkyv otti oman veitsensä esiin.
"K-Kezkyv?"
"Sean... Mä... mä voin... Mä voin ...tappaa sut... Mut... öh..." Kezkyv hiljeni. Hän ei pystynyt enää puhumaan. Jean oli itkenyt itsensä kuiviin, eikä muillakaan ollut sen helpompaa. Nyt Kezkyv nosti veitsensä ylös ja valmistautui iskemään sen Seanin rintaan. Kezkyv epäili hetken, mutta ei perunut päätöstään. Hän iski veitsen Seaniin ja tunsi, kuinka tämän mieli alkoi kadota psyykkiseltä tasolta. Kezkyv kuuli Seanin mielen rippeiden, ennen kuin ne katosivat, sanovan:
"Kiitos... Kezkyv..."
Sean oli kuollut.
Seuraavat viikot Jean suri Seania eikä tehnyt juuri mitään muuta kuin nukkui. Keats ei ollut tuntenut Rathia, Rickiä tai Seania niin hyvin, että olisi ollut surullinen koko ajan, mutta ei se tosiaan mikään iloinen tapahtuma hänellekään ollut, varsinkin kun hän oli juuri menettänyt vanhempansa. Hän jatkoi mököttämistä, eikä jaksanut tehdä juuri mitään muuta. Jackkin oli hyvin surullinen, mutta hän oli sentään iloinen siitä, mitä hänelle jäi. Kezkyv oli pitkään se joka varasti heille kaiken: ruuan, vaatteet ja rahan laskuja varten. Se otti koville, mutta Kezkyv teki sen niin kauan kunnes joku muukin pystyi tekemään sen.
Todella omituinen asia oli, ettei Kezkyv kertonut sukunimeään vaikka sitä miten udeltiin. Siihen oli varmasti jokin todella hyvä syy.
Nuoret olivat nyt saaneet selville mitä he oikein olivat. Heidän geneettinen rakenteensa oli mutatoitunut jo ennen kuin he edes olivat ihmisolentoja, ja niin oli vain kummallinen yhteensattuma, että he olivat saaneet tarkat kykynsä eivätkä olleet kuolleet tai syntyneet epämuodostuneina. He olivat oman lajinsa mutantteja.
Kaksi vuotta sen jälkeen, kun Kezkyv oli liittynyt muiden nuorten seuraan, hän löysi kaksosveljensä Rejyn tutkimuslaitoksesta jostain Nevadasta. Rejyä tutkittiin siellä, hän oli kuin joku laboratorioeläin, ero oli vain, että häntä kohdeltiin paljon huonommin kuin oikeita laboratorioeläimiä. Tutkijat olivat orjuuttaneet hänet ja käyttäneet häntä joihinkin asiohin, mitkä on paras olla mainitsematta. Hän oli huonossa kunnossa, kun Kezkyv lyösi hänet, ja hän tuskin koskaan parantuisi täysin. Vaikka hänen ruuminsa parantuisikin, mieli ei kuitenkaan niin tekisi.
Kolme vuotta on kulunut, kun Kezkyv liittyi muihin nuoriin. Hän katseli uutisia telkkarista. Joka päivä, hän ja Rejy katsoivat uutiset vähintään neljältä eri kanavalta, tarkistivat internetin ja lukivat kaksi sanomalehteä. Muilla ei ollut hajuakaan, miksi he sen tekivät ja mitä he halusivat tietää. Kezkyv ja Rejy eivät myöskään kertoneet sitä muille, viis siitä kuinka paljon muut siitä kyselivät.
Sitten, tänä yönä, Kezkyv ja Rejy viimeinkin näkivät sen mitä he olivat odottaneet. Keats katseli uutisia heidän kanssaan. Uutisankkuri puhui: "Kaksi laajalti tunnettua mutanttiterroristia, Jian ja Gary Gillian, ovat tappaneet 49 ihmistä Toronton kaupungissa Kanadassa. Mutantit räjäyttivät ostoskeskuksen toistaiseksi vielä tuntemattomalla aineella ja ottivat panttivankeja, joita ei vahingoitettu. Vakavasti haavoittuneet mutantit kuolivat otsoskeskuksessa. Oletetaan, että heillä oli mukanaan kaksi lasta, jotka katosivat ennen räjähdystä." TV alkoi näyttää videota tilanteesta räjähdyksen jälkeen, ja ankkuri selitti yksityiskohtia.
"Karseeta ", Keats sanoi. "Minnehän niitten lapset – –"
"Shshshh!" Kezkyv sihisi. "Mä haluun kuulla!"
"...Mutanteilla oli vakavia vammoja..." TV näytti videota mutanteista, joita pistettiin ruumissäkkeihin.
"EIII!" Kezkyv ja Rejy huusivat. "EI-ei-ei-EIII!"
"Öh, um, mihä?" Keats kysyi hiljaa. Hän oli aika hämmästynyt.
"Noi, noi kaks mutanttia... Jian ja Gary Gillian... ne on meiän vanhemmat!"
"MITÄ?!" Keats kiljaisi. "TEKÖ ootte Jian ja Gary Gillianin lapset? Mut... Mut..."
"SHSHSHH! Mä haluun kuulla!" Nyt muutkin nuoret olivat kerääntyneet heidän ympärilleen.
"...tietoa lapsista. Jos uskotte nähneenne lapsia, soittakaa tähän numeroon. Oletetaan, että vanhempi lapsista, noin 18-vuotias, ei ole Gillianien lapsi. Jian ja Gary Gillianin ensimmäiset lapset syntyivät vuonna 2009. Heistä ei ole kuvia, mutta heidän nimensä ovat Kezkyv ja Rejy Gillian ja he ovat nyt 14-vuotiaita. Kezkyv on tyttö ja Rejy poika, heidän tukkansa ja silmänsä ovat kokonaan mustat, ihonvärinsä tumma, ja he ovat Pohjois-Amerikan intiaaneja. Jos uskotte nähneenne nämä lapset, soittakaan tähän numeroon. Nyt paneelimme keskustelee mutanttien tilanteesta ja heidän uhkastaan maallemme..." Kezkyv mykisti TV:n. Muut näkivät kyynelten valuvan alas Rejyn poskia. Kezkyv piilotti naamansa.
"Jätetään ne yksin", Jean ajatteli Jackille ja Keatsille. "Hei, ne sai just tietää että niitten vanhemmat kuoli. Ette varmaan muista miltä ittestänne tuntu samassa tilanteessa? Kyllä ne tahtoo olla yksin." Muut lähtivät. Kezkyv ja Rejy jatkoivat TV:n katselua toiselta kanavalta ja nauhoittivat kaikki uutiset, jotka onnistuivat nappaamaan.
He saivat selville, että nuorempi lapsi, joka oli vain neljä tai viisi vuotta vanha, oli erittäin todennäköisesti heidän pikkusiskonsa.
Kezkyv ja Rejy olivat pitkään yrittäneet saada yhteyttä vanhempiinsa telepaattisesti, mutta ei se ikinä onnistunut. Sen olisi pitänyt olla helppoa, mutta ilmeisesti heidän vanhempansa torjuivat heidät, koska kun he itse vetivät kaiken huomion, heidän lapsensa jätettiin rauhaan. Nyt he olivat kuolleet ja kaikki keskittyivät Kezkyviin, Rejyyn ja näiden siskoon.
Kezkyv ja Rejy yrittivät saada yhteyttä siskoonsa ja siihen toiseen mutanttiin, joka oli ollut hänen kanssaan.
Tunnin kuluttua he ihmeellisesti löysivät toisensa. Toinen mutantti oli yrittänyt ottaa yhteyttä heihin.
"Kezkyv? Rejy?" ajatteli toinen mutantti.
"Joo, me! Sä löysit meiät! Kuka sä oot?"
"Ragen Vayre... Te ootte varmaan nähny uutiset, teiän vanhemmat kuoli... Mä tunsin ne, ne oli mun kavereita ja opetti mut hallitteen mun telepatiaa. Mulla on täälä teiän pikkusisko... Missä te ootte? Mun pitäs päästä sinne... Me ei kyllä selvitä ilman apua pitkään enää..."
"Me ollaan New Yorkissa... Me voiaan tulla hakeen teiät. Missä te ootte?"
"M-mitäh? Miten?"
"Meillä on täälä yks kaveri joka on telekineetikko."
"Jaa! Me ollaan vielä Toronton lähellä... Voittekste tulla aika äkkiä... Me vuodetaan täällä verta ja ollaan loukkaantuneita..."
"Joo, tietenki! Oota siellä ja ohjaa meitä." Kezkyv haki Keatsin, ja he lähtivät kolmestaan.
Meni neljä tuntia löytää Ragen ja Kezkyvin ja Rejyn sisko, ja toiset kolme ja puoli tuntia ennen kuin he pääsivät kotiin. Kun he tulivat New Yorkin kaupunkiin, he menivät ensin suihkuun, sitten sitoivat haavansa ja söivät jääkaapin tyhjäksi.
Kezkyvin ja Rejyn siskon nimi oli Kyah, ja hänelläkin oli mustat silmät ja tukka. Hänellä oli myös samat voimat, ketteryys ja telepatia, samalla tasolla millä Kezkyvin ja Rejyn voimat olivat olleet kun he olivat hänen ikäisiään.
Ragen oli seitsemäntoista, ja hänellä oli monia, hyvin vaarallisen tehokkaita voimia. Jian ja Gary olivat pystyneet auttamaan häntä vain hänen telepatiansa suhteen. Muita hänen mahtavia voimiaan olivat ehdoton ja vaistomainen sään ja materian hallinta; telekinesia; erillinen lentotaito; minkä tahansa energian imeminen; ketteryys ja kyky nähdä infrapunaa, näkyvää valoa, ultraviolettia, röntgensäteitä ja sähköä. Ketteryytensä ja näkönsä hänellä on ollut koko ikänsä, ja telepaattikin hän on aina ollut, tosin kun hän oli kymmenen vanha, hänen telepatiansa kehittyi tasolle, jota hän ei pystynyt hallitsemaan. Hän olisi kuollut ilman Jianin ja Garyn apua. He opettivat häntä hallitsemaan hänen erittäin voimakasta telepatiaansa, ja kun hänen muut voimansa ilmenivät, hän oli valmiimpi hyväksymään ne ja pystyi suurin piirtein pitämään ne hallinnassa, vaikka hän ei tiennyt eikä tiedä ollenkaan miten käyttää niitä.
Keats: "Huh. Enpä tiiä pitäskö olla kateellinen vai ei."
Ragen: "Ei oo kivaa! Jos mä en hallitte mun voimia, te kaikki kuolette sekunnissa! Et itte pystyis tekeen tätä kahtakaa sekuntia!" Keats oli peloissaan ja vaikka hänellä olikin jotain hauskaa sanottavaa, hän piti suunsa kiinni. He kuulivat ukkosen jyrinää. "Näättekste? Tätä tapahtuu kummä tuun vihaseks!"
Jean: "Äh, eksä pysty hallitteen yhtään noita voimias?"
"No, kyllä mä mun telepatiaa, ketteryyttä ja näköö hallihen. Se ei paljo oo, onko?"
Kezkyv: "No pläh, saisit ees ton säänhallintavoimas kuriin. Yks tsunami riittäis pistään pilvenpiirtäjät halki poikki ja pinoon."
"Ihan kummää en hei tota tietäs?!"
"Ny, ny..."
"ÄLÄ NY NYNNYTTELE SIINÄ SENKI – –" Ja sitten lennähti koko katto kerroksineen tiehensä, ja koko asunto lainehti sadevedestä. "KATO NY MITÄ – –"
"Kee! Korjaa toi katto ja äkkiä! Rejy, Jean, Jack! Meiän – –" Nyt Ragen menetti telepatiansa hallinnan ja iski Kezkyviä telepaattisella salamalla. "Aaarrghhh!" Kezkyv kaatui ja menetti tajuntansa. Rejy, Jean ja Jack iskivät Rageniin and pakottivat hänet nukkumaan. Ukkosmyrky vakaantui (onkohan sellainen kovinkin vakaa?), mutta Keatsillä oli ongelmia heidän kaksi ylempää kerrosta sisältävän kerrostalonsa yläosan kanssa.
Rejy: "Keats?"
"Kyä tää tästä... urgghhh... Kuhan et vaan... puhu... mulle... Pliis älä." Keats oli hieman sarkastinen. Rejy meni Jackin taakse ja pisti kätensä tämän pään päälle. Hän meni tämän mieleen, vahvisti hänen telekineettisiä voimiaan ja auttoi häntä pistämään kerrokset oikealle paikalleen.
Kun he olivat saaneet sen valmiiksi, Rejy tuli pois Keatsin mielestä ja Keats lässähti lattialle istumaan.
"Kiitti... Emmä varmaan ois saanu tota tehtyä ilman sua... "
"Senki HELEVETIN SIKA!" Rejy potkaisi häntä mahaan.
"Aaagghhh! Uh... huh... ääh... öh..." Keats kaatui kyljelleen ja piteli vatsaansa.
Jean: "Rejy?!? Mitä– – Mitähel– –" Rejy käänsi Keatsin selälleen ja istui tämän vatsan päälle.
Keats: "AIH! Aaah-AAH AHH! Mun– –! AIH!"
Rejy: "Sattuksua, HÄ?! Hä?! Hä?!"
Jean: "Rejy! Mitä sä TEET!?" Jean kiskoi Rejyn pois Keatsin päältä ja piti hänet paikallaan.
"Päästä! Mä näin sen mieleen! Sä et tiiä mitä se ajattelee susta!"
"No se on SEN asia, ei sun! Ei kai se mitään oo tehny, onko? Jossei se varmana AIO tehä mitään epämäärästä, mua ei kiinnosta!"
Keats: "Mitä? Mitä sä näit?"
Rejy: "Mä näin... sut... Ja sää tota... teit niinku JOTAIN Jeanille..."
"Mitä..!? Puhuksää siitä tyhmästä... unesta... jossa mä raiskasin sen? "
"Paitsi että toi ei mikään uni kyllä ollu! Se oli ihan tietosta ajattelua!"
"Rejy, sulla menee ny kaikki ihan väärin!..."
"Joo, nii, ja raiskaamine ainaki on väärin!"
"Mitä?! Aikookse raiskata MUT?" Jean nauroi.
Keats: "En!"
Rejy: "Joo!"
Keats: "EN! Rejy, turpa kii! Sä et kyllä tiiä mistä puhut!"
Jean: "Kuuntele ny, Rejy, Keats on varmana oikeessa. Et tosiaan tiiä mistä puhut."
Rejy: "Mut... Mut... – –"
Jean: "Noni, Keats, kerros mulle mitä se sitte on." Keats näytti aika hämmästyneeltä ja seurasin Jeania käytävään.
"Noni, mistäs on kyse?"
"Äh... Haluuksä tosiaan kuulla sen kaiken?..."
"No älä tee siitä turhan 'graafista'."
"Ei ei ei... Emmä ny SILLÄ tavalla siitä kertois tosiaan."
"Okei..."
"Noh... Mulla oli tämmönen tyhmä testosteroninlöyhkänen uni jossa mä raiskasin sut... Se oli ihan sairaan tyhmä ja mä olin niin nolo kummä heräsin ja näin sut. Ja mä ajattelin että ois vielä nolompaa jos mä joutuisin selittään sen sulle, mitä mä teen ny... Kato ku sää aistit vielä mun ajatukset ja kaikkee. Mut, tyhmä teini kun satun oleen, ni totta kai mun piti sitä unee tosissaan miettiä..."
"Joo..." Jean nauroi. "Tiäkkö, mä kerran näin unta että mä huusin jotain totaalisen tyhmää elokuvateatterissa... Sit kummä menin kattoon 'Matrixia', mä melkein huusin 'Pikselihirviö!' sillon kun ne Smithit näytti ykköstä ja nollaa. Mä olin nolo vaikka mä en ees tehny sitä, heh heh. Ja toi uni oli totaalisen älyvapaa."
"Mut oikeesti, emmää sua raiskais, en IKINÄ."
"Kyä mä sen tiiän. Hitsi vie, et sä ees PYSTYIS siihen. Mä käristäsin sun mielen ennen kun sä ehtisit ees päättää siitä. Mut mä saattasin huutaa jotain elokuvateatterissa."
"Hah hah! Äh..."
Rejy pomppi seinille. Hän oli valmistautunut tappelemaan Keatsin kanssa ja nyt Jean pysäytti hänet keskenkaiken.
"Se aikoo raiskata Jeanin!" hän huusi Jackille. "Se on sun sisko! Miten sä kehtaat vaan seistä siinä?!" Jack ei tosiaan seisonut, koska hänen piti väistellä Rejyä, joka tuli häntä päin. Rejy tarttui häntä olkapäistä.
"Anna mun olla! Rejy, pliis! Päästä irti!" Rejy tunsi, kun joku veti hänen paitaansa, ja hän heilautti kättään siihen suuntaan, mistä uskoi nykäisyn tulleen. Hän osui Kyahia rintaan.
Kyah: "Ughg!" Hän kaatui, ja Rejy katsoi häntä silmät lautasen kokoisina.