Kaylie brushed a strand of hair from his face, “Afton, you shouldn't do things like this. You'll get hurt. You know... you know you're a little brother to...”

“But I'm trying not to be!” Afton protested, but he quickly kept quiet when he realized what he'd just said. He blinked and got up.

“Afton... We meet again,” soldier #2 smirked. He cocked his pistol, the customary firearm. “You'll die at my hands today. Together with that girl if that's what you want. You're both traitors to your countries now.”

Kaylie got up and held Afton's hand. “I'll take care of this.”

“Kaylie, wait! Wasn't this all because you kept freezing time?” Afton hissed, yanking her closer to him, “I won't let you do that again.”

“Don't play around. Everyone here is a witness,” soldier #2 growled, there was no trace of his former attitude. “Kill them.”

But before a thing could be done to harm them,(and yet another cliché...) “There's! There's something from the coast!” someone screamed, riding into Sundance, ruining his poor old horse in the process.

Soldier #2 glared at the interruption, “What is it?”

“Creatures! All different kinds! They take up the form of humans, but they're not really!” the messenger screamed, jumping off and grabbing soldier #2 's feet. “Please! Save my family!”

Soldier #2 snapped back to the two of them, “Get them chained up or something. Make sure they don't escape. Men, this is for your country!” Then, he turned to the white-faced person, clutching at his leg, “Come, let's see what I can do.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much,” he said, getting up.

The man, soldier #2 and a few other soldiers set off, they were safe. But...

“Afton, that guy said 'from the coast', could it be...” Kaylie said.

“I'll go! You have to stay... no! Don't stay here. We'll go together,” Afton said, hurriedly.

“Where do you feisty teens think you're going?” an old man said in a cranky voice, waving his thick walking stick for effects.

Afton sighed, “Come on, Kaylie, let's get going.” He got onto his horse and helped Kaylie up in front. In reality, the residents of Sundance dared not stop them.

“Hyah, hyah,” Afton urged the horse, nudging its flanks. Angry shouts and howls sounded after them, but Afton wasn't about to stop.

Once they were out, Kaylie directed him to the coast. The coast she'd come from.

“So, who are these people, actually?” Afton asked as they were riding.

“They? They're Falconers. My people. I mean... my blood brothers,” she answered.

“Wait! Let me get this straight!” Afton continued questioning, “You're a Falconer. So I'm assuming all those others that guy was talking about all can freeze things?”

Kaylie shook her head. “You'll see, just hurry up and get there,” was all she said on that subject.

Falconers, in fact, came to be from a serum. A mad scientist from earth, the only one to have ever known there was a planet Nexus, landed in Tearigch some twenty-two years ago. He, the mad scientist, Mr. Pokayer, together with his family, had taken refuge at a house of a Tearigion family. They were a happy family, a young couple and their baby son. Unfortunately, Mr. Pokayer would be their ruin.

He tested the harmless serum over thirty times on the little boy until he was half-blood, half-serum. Then, at the thirty-seventh time, it worked. Mr. Pokayer had created the first ever super-human of the little boy, Merulo.

Soon, he'd collected 100 more test subjects for the experiment. One by one, the test subjects gained powers from the Serum F, one by one, they became Falconers, a race of super-humans with powers of all kinds.

They were kept under observation for two months in an observatory made of baobab wood. Mr. Pokayer was as happy as a man could've ever been. It worked! The test subjects could control all their powers well. At the end of the two months, the test subjects, who'd come in empty-handed, walked out with seemingly no change... except for the little tattoo of a claw... or was it a talon, where they'd been injected.

Apparently, the observation had not been complete, for, after a week or two after they were released, there were many cases of super-natural deaths. A person frozen in the lake in the heat of summer, a child gone missing, identified in a heap of ashes, a head detached by means of claws, a leg amputated, eyes gouged out, tongue gone missing. The cases just seemed to get weirder and more terrifying. That wasn't the worst. No one had any idea how it happened and why. The killing was at random.

The government took action after three weeks, when the murders increased. They made a jail of baobab wood and even hotels of baobab for the purpose of detaining Falconers. They even made a law in which the Falconers were to lead a life on bondage in the Haven. The Haven was a hotel for Falconers in which they were to live their whole life with all their needs addressed.

But really, who'd want to live a totally confined life?

When many Falconers died in the Haven, a sense of relief overcame the land in general. It was short-lived, however.

One would have thought that the Serum would wear off as the generations came and went, but it was not the case with Serum F, they soon discovered that the Falconer's children inherited stronger powers.

In a finally attempt to wipe them all out, the government did a flash night-raid to kill off as many Falconers as was possible. The parents, being the average parent, kept off the soldiers as long as was possible and made time for their children to escape.

On that night, many Falconers died and there were only, at most, thirty that escaped to the forest.

They too were scattered when the soldiers pushed them deeper in.... Fortunately, Kaylie had been taken to Chrision before most of it happened, she'd been kidnapped while around four to six years old.

They soon arrived at their destination.... more like they arrived to witness the end of a massacre.

Afton gulped at the sight and he cringed at the smell of blood. Kaylie, on the other hand, jumped off quickly and ran forward.

“Stop,” Afton whispered, but the words caught in his throat.

Shrugging, Afton ran after her, dragging his horse along by the reins.

“Don't you dare step closer!” a girl screamed, “you'll regret it!” She was a black-haired girl with bluish-purple eyes, and a rounded face. Her skin was rather pale and she was sweating profusely in a long sleeved black top and dark blue skinny jeans.

Kaylie stopped, “Does anyone here know me? Know Oasias?”

Afton surveyed the group, it was a small one consisting of slightly more than a dozen Falconers and one animal. A big one too. (Please note that there weren't any animals big enough to be a potential threat to humans in Nexus)

“Oasias?” someone asked, “How do you know him?” The speaker was a dark brown-haired boy with purple eyes like Kaylie's, dressed similarly like the girl.

“I've forgotten everyone else,” Kaylie whispered, “Oasias.... he's my brother.”

The boy hung his head, “I... I'm sorry, I didn't protect him well enough.”

“You... you mean...” Kaylie stuttered, falling upon her knees.

The others around watched Afton suspiciously, a cloud settled upon the brown-haired boy's face.

Afton glared around, “I don't know who you guys are, or what you are. I'm not one of you, but she is. Don't you dare lay a finger on her.”

The girl raised an eyebrow, “Where's your mark?”

Kaylie was too shock to think, she just shook her head, “Gone? Is he gone?” she asked, looking at the boy.

“I... I really don't know, Kaylie, I'm so... so sorry.”

Afton looked at the boy, surprised. How did he know her? How did he know her brother? Falconers were such confusing creatures.

Kaylie pushed Afton's hand off and got up, “Who did it?” she asked hoarsely, swallowing in an attempt to hold back tears, “Who?”

“Francis didn't do anything,” the girl snapped, defending the boy who was speechless with guilt, “he's been helping us get through this. You can't blame it all on him!”

“She didn't” Afton shot back.

“And who are you?” the girl asked coldly, turning to Afton, “I'm not about to let down my guard because you're a friend of a Falconer. Many Falconers have betrayed us.”

“Afton,” he said, nodding to her, “You wouldn't want to start a pity war with me right now.”

“Stop this, Phoenix,” someone hissed, “We're here to survive. We've made it past the ocean so we're safe and you want to make enemies of us again?”

Phoenix smirked and walked back to where the giant black animal (panther) lay.

“Sorry about Phoenix... and about Oasias,” she swallowed, “I'm not about to make excuses, but I hope you will forgive us.”

“Kaylie, what now?” Afton whispered into her ear, “are we going to drag them to someplace safe?”

“I don't know,” she answered hoarsely, “but I'm not about to leave them like this. I'm not about to let that government or any other tear apart my family any more.”

Afton glanced from face to face. There was something in them that he longed for desperately...hope. He swallowed, “I know my way around Isumton. Should we head there?”

They looked at each other and then, one by one, they nodded slowly, all except for Phoenix and the beast.

“How did you guys get across?” Afton asked, “We might have to get to Isumton that way. I'm wanted here.”

“Severus flew over. Agapios and Francis teleported most of the rest over. The beast? He flew over with a couple of us on him,” the other girl said, “by the way, my name's Efrace, but you can call me Evie. I'll let the rest do their own introductions.”

Afton went briefly through introductions and at last, it came to the beast. “Erm... does he talk?” Afton asked.

The girl named Wisteria spoke up, “His name is Rain. He says it's nice to meet you.”

Afton shrugged and was about to pat him when Wisteria spoke up again, “Don't touch him! He doesn't like it!”

Nodding, smiling sheepishly, and replacing his hand, Afton addressed them all, “I know you all have powers. I know you all have been chased out of your own land. I know you all... you made it over here alive.”

“A little note,” Wisteria put in, “We barely made it here. The soldiers had tracked us all the way to the bank. They'll send people over soon.”

“Ok, thanks for that. We should get going soon then.”

“Erm, Afton, was it? Some of them... may go poisoned soon.”

“Poisoned?” Afton asked, turning around. He saw a few of their eyes flicker red, Agapios's and Severus's to be exact.

I've got a bad feeling about this...

“What happens when they go poisoned?” he stuttered.

What happened next occurred so quickly he had no idea what was going on,until... he saw Kaylie.

When he looked over her shoulder, he saw the Falconer's pinning someone... no, it was something to the ground.... Severus had grown claws.... long claws.

“Don't look,” Kaylie whispered, tears in her eyes. She held him closer and tried to blink them away, “Don't look.”

The growls and snaps of an animal with nothing to lose came from behind them. The reply came as, “Severus, get a hold of yourself,” “Can you hear me, buddy?” “We're going to be alright.” Some gasped as a claw escaped from their grasps and traced a deep cut through Phoenix's cheek. Muscles tensed and nerves strained to pin it back down.

A tear drop fell... the teardrop of an accursed Falconer. “Don't look, Afton, promise me you won't!”

Afton turned his head and concentrated on Kaylie's face. She was staring... staring straight ahead at nothing, her lips closed tight with the exception of the occasional times she'd tell him not to look.

Another teardrop... yet another. What's she thinking about?

“Severus!”, “Agapios!”, “It's us!”... they continued yelling from behind.

Afton wasn't looking now, but he could roughly tell what was going on from making out the sounds.

Severus had somehow shaken off all their grasps and was getting up... staggering to his feet, by the grunts and snarls he made.

Kaylie bit her lip and brushed the tears off quickly. She plastered a smile on and said with a shaky voice, “He... he went poisoned.”

From behind, Severus was attacking the Falconers. He roared and swiped at their throats. Afton didn't see what happened next, and it was a good thing too...

Phoenix, daring warrior that she was, stepped before him while the others formed a semi-circle behind. “Severus?” she asked, calmly, “are you there, boy? It's me. Phoenix.” The cut on her face had healed and there was a hint of a scar.

Severus grunted and stumbled toward her.

“Severus.... look me in the eye, buddy,” she said, looking at him straight. Severus stopped and looked at her, both of them inching forward slowly.

“Phoenix...” someone whispered.

“Do you know who I am? Come on, Severus....”

“Phoenix,” now Francis spoke, “he's tensing his muscles.”

“Did I scare you?” Phoenix asked, still looking at him straight.

There was silence... a silence filled with suspense..... Hearts skipped beats... hearts rates soared... this was a dangerous game.

Phoenix looked Severus in the eye and he flinched.

“Phoenix...” Wisteria said again... then she screamed, “Careful!” but it was too late.

The claws sliced her neck into three and her head fell. Wisteria screamed, Francis gasped, the others just stared wide-eyed or pale-lipped. Kaylie hugged Afton so tight that he couldn't breath...

Then, her head on the floor dissipated, a new one grew instantaneously.

A few Falconers bit their lips as they watched Severus's claws retract... a few others sighed with relief.

“Phoenix! Did I hurt you?” Severus asked, running toward her.

Phoenix stretched her neck and a few cracking sounds could be heard. “That hurt... seriously. Ouch... it hurts a lot, Severus,” Phoenix glared.

“Em.... I'm... sorry,” Severus stuttered.

“You'd better be,” Phoenix said, “let's go.”

Kaylie let go awkwardly and Afton got up to look at them all. Yes, they were stained with dirt. Yes, they looked tired and all, their clothes and gate spoke for it. Yes.... they'd survived. Together.

Now this failure of a person... is going to lead them all.

“What are you thinking about?” Kira asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I'm just letting you know before you think of anything stupid. I won't allow it. We got thus far together, we can make it through anything. Even you,” Kira said. “That's what we accursed Falconers are good for.”

A few Falconers laughed at the emphasis accursed and the whole group walked away... away from the land they hated.

**show stolen**

"Don't forget ush!" a girl squealed running after them all.

"Carol and Coral! We's been healing som'un!"

Kira picked up one, Francis another... and they continued on.