‹ Prequel: Move
Risk
Mustering Thoughts
My eyes flickered open. I looked around to see where I was. I was covered with a blanket and I was in my bed. Riley must have been good at not waking anyone. I was even in my pajamas. Riley wasn't at my side so, I figured it was later than we he usually got up. My hand grasped the edge of the comforter and flipped it off of me.
I walked over to my closet and took some clothes out that I knew I would need. Today was probably going to be another action filled day. Every day seemed to be for everyone in my life, except Diane and Bria.
My reflection in the mirror drew me over to it. I looked at myself. My hair was straight and was hanging over my shoulders. I had a tan colored shirt on that was loose on the arms, but was tight on the torso. Over the shirt was a tan khaki cargo jacket. The arms of the shirt weren't visible under the coat. My legs were covered with a pair of jeans that flared out slightly at the bottom. I wore a pair of comfortable
"Not so bad." I said looking at my entire features.
My feet took me away from the mirror and zoomed me down stairs. Wind rushed behind me as I quickly entered the living room.
Riley and everybody else were sitting on every piece of furniture and the floor. They all looked at me except for Riley.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked.
They continued looking at me. Riley turned his head slightly.
"Jack thinks he knows how to stop the disease." Riley said.
I looked at Jack who was sitting next to Eve and Hunter.
"It appears to be that the only way to get rid of the disease is for a source of solar radiation to come down and hit the entire Earth." Jack said with a bit of disappointment.
"Why is that bad?" I asked.
Jack looked up at me with sorry eyes. "The solar radiation can only come from a complete solar eclipse."
"That is bad." I mumbled to myself.
Hunter stood up from the floor. "Even if we did have an entire solar eclipse, it wouldn't happen in the whole Earth. Half of the Earth would be dark anyways. Half of the Earth has died from the disease. They are already evacuating New York. Since we are close to water, they are sailing citizens across the ocean. If they knew any better, they'd stay here. The disease will spread over there in Europe too."
I opened my mouth slightly. My eyes drew back to Jack.
"If the disease gets to the ocean, I believe that it will harden the water. It is a substance I have never seen before anywhere. Not even a bit of it. Without some of my power, I cannot find another cure." Jack said.
Suddenly, it struck me. "The man that took your powers, he was in Europe. Correct?"
Jack nodded and smiled. "He can't give them back, Alyssa. It's power negation. It's not power gaining."
I looked at Jack and at Peter. "Can't Peter help? Can't he absorb some of your power and he can help you find another cure?"
Peter shook his head. "We tried. His power isn't something I can absorb, it can only be taken away. It's just like your powers and Riley's powers."
I raised my eyebrows. "You can't read minds or run fast?"
He smiled. "That's not everything you can do."
"Yeah, I know."
Jack looked at me and then at Riley. "Riley, telepathy just starts at mind reading. Eventually, you'll be able to control the human mind. What it sees, thinks, controls, and you'll even have telekinesis. Eventually."
I looked at Riley. "I thought telekinesis was just one thing on it's own." I said to both of them as I looked at Riley.
Jack rested his arm on his knee. "You just have telekinesis. Riley has everything involving telepathy. You can heal from death. Riley can only heal small wounds, but he can heal others with a touch. You can run, he can fly. You both are very similar, although you have more powers and power alone."
I nodded. "Go figure." No wonder why I was the lioness. I kept getting into a big mess. Riley was always there to back his lioness up.
"What now?" Sam asked.
I looked at him. He was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Brittany.
"We either wait for a solar eclipse or let everyone die." Riley said into his hand. He was slouched into the side of the couch.
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but there was a reason the disease was in their care."
"What?" Sam asked.
Peter looked down at Jack. All of the other set of eyes looked down at Jack.
Jack looked up at me. "Several years ago, Ann's father was going to bring the disease to me so that I could reverse it to make it take away the powers of destroyers and possibly give powers to humans. Her father was caught, even though he was in charge, and he was murdered. That's why Ann is in charge now. Her father figured it all out. He knew that when Ann found out about it, she'd do the same exact thing. She'd come to you with the formula and she'd have you find me. Well, you can tell that didn't work too swell."
We all looked at him. I shifted my weight. "Why would we want to give powers away to humans?"
Jack gave a crooked smile. "Ann's father wasn't the best man. He was going to sell the formula and inject the people himself. that way he could make a profit and use it for something else. Although, now your father is in charge and he doesn't like the idea too much. He wants every last one of us dead. Eventually, he'll reveal our secret and we'll be on the run from everyone we knew."
"Knew?" I asked.
"We won't know very many humans if his plan works. We'll all have to gang up and hide." Jack explained.
"Alright," I said, "so, what do we do?"
Jack looked down at the floor. "Nothing can be done. I'm afraid Riley's right. Everyone's just going to die and half of our kind will be left alone in this God forsaken world."
Everyone looked down at the floor except for Peter, Sam, and Riley. They were all looking at me. Sam ushered the three of us into the kitchen. I frowned at him in confusion. What was he doing?
"Excuse us." I mumbled to them.
The three of us followed Sam and entered the kitchen. Riley and Peter walked behind me. We formed a tight circle and all of us looked at Sam.
"What now?" I mumbled.
"Hold on." Sam said. He moved out of the circle and ushered Cassidy into the kitchen.
She hopped off of the chair and came into the kitchen. Cassidy joined the circle.
Sam looked at all of us. "Okay, now, look. The next solar eclipse is in a week."
"How do you know?" I said.
"I go on the NASA website a lot." Sam explained.
"Nerd." Cassidy mumbled.
I glared at her. She looked back at Sam.
"Anyway," Sam continued. "We are supposed to get a total eclipse towards the equator."
"I passed science, Sam." I said. "I do realize it is going to be south."
He shrugged. "Anyways. If we go south and collect some of the solar radiation during the eclipse, we could expand what we contain. If that works, we can spread it into the air and it will spread over the disease."
"Why are you only telling us?" Peter asked.
Sam looked into the living room. "I don't trust the others."
"You don't trust my brother?" I complained. "Hunter, get over here." I yelled into the kitchen. He came swiftly into the circle.
I looked at him and then at Riley. "Riley, can you transfer the information we just talked about into his head?"
Riley nodded and looked at Hunter. Hunter's eyes stared into Riley's. In a second, Riley looked away. He looked at me and smiled in accomplishment.
"Okay, so," I said, "how do we do this without them knowing? I mean, we do need Jack. We don't exactly need the others."
Hunter looked at me. "To think, I was just about to be one of the others." He glared at Sam.
Sam looked at him. "Okay, I just didn't want them to think we were doing this because we all knew each other."
We all looked at each other. We all did know each other very well in different ways. It was odd. The people I cared about the most were just like me.
"Good point." Cassidy said.
I looked at Sam. "I can supply the tickets."
Sam shook his head. "No, we aren't flying. We are going to teleport to Colombia."
"Teleport?" I said. "But Eve isn't coming. So I thought."
"Alyssa, how many people do you need to tell you that you have every power in the book. Besides, if you don't do it, I'm sure Peter here will." Riley said to me.
"Listen to your fiance." Cassidy said.
I glared at her. "You better watch it."
"Watch what? You walking down the aisle?" Cassidy said.
"Cassidy Greenwood." I said trying to get her to use the new last name.
She nodded. "I'll go with it, only if I can be your maid of honor."
"You're my sister!" I exclaimed.
"So?!" She yelled.
We all looked back into the kitchen. I looked at them.
"Discussing the wedding." I said casually with a forced smile.
I turned back to the circle and frowned again.
"Cass, not now." Hunter said.
"Alyssa," Peter said, "just try to teleport. If you can't, I will try. Tell them we have wedding plans to discuss and it will be a while."
I walked out of the circle and went back to the living room. Riley followed me and the others stayed in the kitchen watching.
"Guys," I said to them. "We have to discuss wedding plans. It'll be a while so, I doubt you want to stay."
"It's fine." Tobey said. "We'll stay and help."
"But we're talking about dresses and tuxedos." I said.
"I love that stuff." Brittany exclaimed.
I frowned. Riley nudged me in the side.
"Not helping." He said in my ear.
"You do something." I mumbled under my breath.
Riley looked at each of them, staring in their eyes. They all were stuck on Riley's eyes. I looked at Riley's face. He was focusing on their eyes. He must have been inside their heads.
"Well," Eve said, "we better go."
The four of them stood up and walked out of the living room and through the door.
"Bye now!" I waved them out.
They shut the door behind them and I turned to Riley. We both let out a sigh.
"Jack was right. It does go beyond reading minds." Riley said.
"Lets not do it on me, ever." I said.
He smiled. "Don't think I could."
The others walked out of the kitchen and stood next to us. They stood slightly behind Riley and I.
"Try it, Alyssa." Sam urged.
I looked at them. "If we end up somewhere in Russia, sorry."
They all grabbed onto my shoulders. Riley's fingers slipped through mine.
I closed my eyes like Eve does. My thoughts circled around the very little things I knew about Colombia. It was in South America and it was hot since it was close to the equator. Adrenaline shot through me. Everyone's grip tightened on my body.
The thoughts escaped out of my mind. I opened my eyes. We weren't in my house any more. We were surrounded by dirt, tropical trees, and a shack was on or right. I looked at it. It was made of brush and bamboo.
"Where are we?" I asked.
Riley's mouth went to my ear. "We are in Colombia."
"They have bamboo?" I asked.
"How would I know?"
I walked over to my closet and took some clothes out that I knew I would need. Today was probably going to be another action filled day. Every day seemed to be for everyone in my life, except Diane and Bria.
My reflection in the mirror drew me over to it. I looked at myself. My hair was straight and was hanging over my shoulders. I had a tan colored shirt on that was loose on the arms, but was tight on the torso. Over the shirt was a tan khaki cargo jacket. The arms of the shirt weren't visible under the coat. My legs were covered with a pair of jeans that flared out slightly at the bottom. I wore a pair of comfortable
"Not so bad." I said looking at my entire features.
My feet took me away from the mirror and zoomed me down stairs. Wind rushed behind me as I quickly entered the living room.
Riley and everybody else were sitting on every piece of furniture and the floor. They all looked at me except for Riley.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked.
They continued looking at me. Riley turned his head slightly.
"Jack thinks he knows how to stop the disease." Riley said.
I looked at Jack who was sitting next to Eve and Hunter.
"It appears to be that the only way to get rid of the disease is for a source of solar radiation to come down and hit the entire Earth." Jack said with a bit of disappointment.
"Why is that bad?" I asked.
Jack looked up at me with sorry eyes. "The solar radiation can only come from a complete solar eclipse."
"That is bad." I mumbled to myself.
Hunter stood up from the floor. "Even if we did have an entire solar eclipse, it wouldn't happen in the whole Earth. Half of the Earth would be dark anyways. Half of the Earth has died from the disease. They are already evacuating New York. Since we are close to water, they are sailing citizens across the ocean. If they knew any better, they'd stay here. The disease will spread over there in Europe too."
I opened my mouth slightly. My eyes drew back to Jack.
"If the disease gets to the ocean, I believe that it will harden the water. It is a substance I have never seen before anywhere. Not even a bit of it. Without some of my power, I cannot find another cure." Jack said.
Suddenly, it struck me. "The man that took your powers, he was in Europe. Correct?"
Jack nodded and smiled. "He can't give them back, Alyssa. It's power negation. It's not power gaining."
I looked at Jack and at Peter. "Can't Peter help? Can't he absorb some of your power and he can help you find another cure?"
Peter shook his head. "We tried. His power isn't something I can absorb, it can only be taken away. It's just like your powers and Riley's powers."
I raised my eyebrows. "You can't read minds or run fast?"
He smiled. "That's not everything you can do."
"Yeah, I know."
Jack looked at me and then at Riley. "Riley, telepathy just starts at mind reading. Eventually, you'll be able to control the human mind. What it sees, thinks, controls, and you'll even have telekinesis. Eventually."
I looked at Riley. "I thought telekinesis was just one thing on it's own." I said to both of them as I looked at Riley.
Jack rested his arm on his knee. "You just have telekinesis. Riley has everything involving telepathy. You can heal from death. Riley can only heal small wounds, but he can heal others with a touch. You can run, he can fly. You both are very similar, although you have more powers and power alone."
I nodded. "Go figure." No wonder why I was the lioness. I kept getting into a big mess. Riley was always there to back his lioness up.
"What now?" Sam asked.
I looked at him. He was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Brittany.
"We either wait for a solar eclipse or let everyone die." Riley said into his hand. He was slouched into the side of the couch.
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but there was a reason the disease was in their care."
"What?" Sam asked.
Peter looked down at Jack. All of the other set of eyes looked down at Jack.
Jack looked up at me. "Several years ago, Ann's father was going to bring the disease to me so that I could reverse it to make it take away the powers of destroyers and possibly give powers to humans. Her father was caught, even though he was in charge, and he was murdered. That's why Ann is in charge now. Her father figured it all out. He knew that when Ann found out about it, she'd do the same exact thing. She'd come to you with the formula and she'd have you find me. Well, you can tell that didn't work too swell."
We all looked at him. I shifted my weight. "Why would we want to give powers away to humans?"
Jack gave a crooked smile. "Ann's father wasn't the best man. He was going to sell the formula and inject the people himself. that way he could make a profit and use it for something else. Although, now your father is in charge and he doesn't like the idea too much. He wants every last one of us dead. Eventually, he'll reveal our secret and we'll be on the run from everyone we knew."
"Knew?" I asked.
"We won't know very many humans if his plan works. We'll all have to gang up and hide." Jack explained.
"Alright," I said, "so, what do we do?"
Jack looked down at the floor. "Nothing can be done. I'm afraid Riley's right. Everyone's just going to die and half of our kind will be left alone in this God forsaken world."
Everyone looked down at the floor except for Peter, Sam, and Riley. They were all looking at me. Sam ushered the three of us into the kitchen. I frowned at him in confusion. What was he doing?
"Excuse us." I mumbled to them.
The three of us followed Sam and entered the kitchen. Riley and Peter walked behind me. We formed a tight circle and all of us looked at Sam.
"What now?" I mumbled.
"Hold on." Sam said. He moved out of the circle and ushered Cassidy into the kitchen.
She hopped off of the chair and came into the kitchen. Cassidy joined the circle.
Sam looked at all of us. "Okay, now, look. The next solar eclipse is in a week."
"How do you know?" I said.
"I go on the NASA website a lot." Sam explained.
"Nerd." Cassidy mumbled.
I glared at her. She looked back at Sam.
"Anyway," Sam continued. "We are supposed to get a total eclipse towards the equator."
"I passed science, Sam." I said. "I do realize it is going to be south."
He shrugged. "Anyways. If we go south and collect some of the solar radiation during the eclipse, we could expand what we contain. If that works, we can spread it into the air and it will spread over the disease."
"Why are you only telling us?" Peter asked.
Sam looked into the living room. "I don't trust the others."
"You don't trust my brother?" I complained. "Hunter, get over here." I yelled into the kitchen. He came swiftly into the circle.
I looked at him and then at Riley. "Riley, can you transfer the information we just talked about into his head?"
Riley nodded and looked at Hunter. Hunter's eyes stared into Riley's. In a second, Riley looked away. He looked at me and smiled in accomplishment.
"Okay, so," I said, "how do we do this without them knowing? I mean, we do need Jack. We don't exactly need the others."
Hunter looked at me. "To think, I was just about to be one of the others." He glared at Sam.
Sam looked at him. "Okay, I just didn't want them to think we were doing this because we all knew each other."
We all looked at each other. We all did know each other very well in different ways. It was odd. The people I cared about the most were just like me.
"Good point." Cassidy said.
I looked at Sam. "I can supply the tickets."
Sam shook his head. "No, we aren't flying. We are going to teleport to Colombia."
"Teleport?" I said. "But Eve isn't coming. So I thought."
"Alyssa, how many people do you need to tell you that you have every power in the book. Besides, if you don't do it, I'm sure Peter here will." Riley said to me.
"Listen to your fiance." Cassidy said.
I glared at her. "You better watch it."
"Watch what? You walking down the aisle?" Cassidy said.
"Cassidy Greenwood." I said trying to get her to use the new last name.
She nodded. "I'll go with it, only if I can be your maid of honor."
"You're my sister!" I exclaimed.
"So?!" She yelled.
We all looked back into the kitchen. I looked at them.
"Discussing the wedding." I said casually with a forced smile.
I turned back to the circle and frowned again.
"Cass, not now." Hunter said.
"Alyssa," Peter said, "just try to teleport. If you can't, I will try. Tell them we have wedding plans to discuss and it will be a while."
I walked out of the circle and went back to the living room. Riley followed me and the others stayed in the kitchen watching.
"Guys," I said to them. "We have to discuss wedding plans. It'll be a while so, I doubt you want to stay."
"It's fine." Tobey said. "We'll stay and help."
"But we're talking about dresses and tuxedos." I said.
"I love that stuff." Brittany exclaimed.
I frowned. Riley nudged me in the side.
"Not helping." He said in my ear.
"You do something." I mumbled under my breath.
Riley looked at each of them, staring in their eyes. They all were stuck on Riley's eyes. I looked at Riley's face. He was focusing on their eyes. He must have been inside their heads.
"Well," Eve said, "we better go."
The four of them stood up and walked out of the living room and through the door.
"Bye now!" I waved them out.
They shut the door behind them and I turned to Riley. We both let out a sigh.
"Jack was right. It does go beyond reading minds." Riley said.
"Lets not do it on me, ever." I said.
He smiled. "Don't think I could."
The others walked out of the kitchen and stood next to us. They stood slightly behind Riley and I.
"Try it, Alyssa." Sam urged.
I looked at them. "If we end up somewhere in Russia, sorry."
They all grabbed onto my shoulders. Riley's fingers slipped through mine.
I closed my eyes like Eve does. My thoughts circled around the very little things I knew about Colombia. It was in South America and it was hot since it was close to the equator. Adrenaline shot through me. Everyone's grip tightened on my body.
The thoughts escaped out of my mind. I opened my eyes. We weren't in my house any more. We were surrounded by dirt, tropical trees, and a shack was on or right. I looked at it. It was made of brush and bamboo.
"Where are we?" I asked.
Riley's mouth went to my ear. "We are in Colombia."
"They have bamboo?" I asked.
"How would I know?"