The officer allowed Hanini to sit in the front seat of the patrol car, wanting Hanini to understand that he wasn't in any sort of trouble. But that wouldn't stop the word from spreading around the school like wildfire!

"A cop took that swimmer kid Hanini away!"

"I heard he got caught trying to rob someone!"

"I heard he was a ring leader in the riots the other day!"

"He's probably one of those mutant freaks from the Big Bang!"

Of course, Hanini wouldn't be around to hear any of the vicious things being said about him. He was in for something far more difficult. He and Officer Charles approached the coroners office, Hanini's heartbeat slowing with every pace. By the time they arrived through the door, it had all but stopped.

Sensing Hanini's hesitation, Officer Charles placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's going to be alright." He said, trying his best to be empathetic. He opened the door and walked through first, flashing his badge to the attendant.

In the examination room they entered, were two tables with cloths covering the bodies that lay on them. Hanini was certain he knew the identities of both of the people hidden underneath. But even if he had been bold enough to speak, his nerves had locked his voice away in the compounds of his throat, and seemingly thrown away the key. It was Charles who spoke up first.

"Can you confirm that this indididual is Kalea Mahoe?" He asked as he pulled back the first cloth, revealing Hanini's mother. The slashes over her body had been treated, but her beautiful skin had been damaged from being left underwater for who knows how long. Hanini's chest collapsed when he looked at her, the very air around him forming a vicegrip around his lungs, and forbidding him to breathe in her presence. He didn't deserve to...

"That's her..." He barely managed to whisper. He turned away from his mother, and faced the other corpse, knowing what was coming next.

Sensing the boy's pain, Officer Charles covered her body once more. He hated this part of the job. No child should have to bury his parent. "Who is this one?" Hanini asked, eyes now settled on the other table.

The officer sighed, and walked over to the table.

"We found your in the kitchen of your home, having been slashed to death. This is the an we believe to be her assailant." He pulled The sheet back, and surely enough, it was him; The boy who Hanini had drowned. "We found him only a few feet away from your mother. We were hoping you would be able to help us I.D him as well."

When they had encountered each other the first time, Hanini was driven by terror and fear. Adrenaline ruled his movements. But now that he was calm, he could make out features in the boy that he hadn't before. His facial features suggested some sort of Latin background. His hair was dyed a faint shade of purple. And, like his mother, his skin appeared bleached after sitting underwater for hours. "What happened to their skin?" Hanini asked.

"Your kitchen was flooded when we found them." The officer explained. The age lines on his forehead grew more pronounced as he appeared to share in Hanini's grief. "Your mother had likely passed before it happened. But this guy's cause of death was apparently by drowning."

Hanini knew what that meant. It was unlikely that he killed Kalea and then drowned on his own. The police would be considering his death a homicide as well, and looking for potential suspects. 

"Have you ever seen him before?" The Officer asked. After looking at the boy's face for a few seconds, Hanini shook his head. "I don't think he went to my school." He said, cleverly dodging the question."

"I understand." The officer said, covering up the second body. Hanini hoped that would be the end of his interactions with the Officer, but there was still one thing left to deal with. "Do you have any family that you can stay with?" The officer asked.

Dammit.

"Yeah." Hanini said, eyes fixed on the ground. "I'll go pack up some clothes and go to my aunts house. He started on the way out the door when Charles caught up. "I'll give you a ride. It's not safe out there anymore..." It wouldn't have been wise for Hanini to object, so he got in the car once more.

The streets were quiet, but not as quiet as the inside of the patrol car. Officer Charles seemed like a good guy. He was clearly searching for some sort of words to comfort the boy, who had now lost both of his parents. But his mind gave him no words of condolence to offer, so like Hanini, all he could do was watch the ghostly empty roads. The idea of mutants wandering the streets must have scared everyone into hiding.

When they pulled up to the little blue house, Hanini looked up at it, knowing no one would be there to greet him. "Thanks..." He said.

 But Charles wasn't done yet. "Are you going to be alright? I can give you a ride to your Aunt's if you want..."

"No. I've got it. It's not that far a walk."

"Alright. Take care of yourself, Hanini."

Hanini had a feeling that wouldn't be his last time dealing with Officer Charles. But for now, he was glad to be rid of him. He approached his house, and prepared himself to face the ghosts that lie within.

[The day of the Big Bang]

See the man. He is sturdy and strong-legged, he wears a uniform of midnight blue. He is in a rage, like a fire full of wrath. His voice dominates the vast docks, but when Synn opens her auburn eyes to look for the man in her head, all she sees, for the first few seconds at least, is white. Heaven perhaps? Or a blank sheet of paper. And it only took a moment for her peripheral to be taken by waves; light waves. Sugared lilac, cyan, muted limes, even spring rose. All the colors she knew, and yet she wasn’t painting. Was she? Raising her hand to her head, she rubs her temple, before extending it out.

Red.

On the tips of her fingers. Maybe she was painting after all. Or was it blood? A headache comes with the revelation, cursing herself silently for figuring it out and birthing a migraine, paired with the most annoying sound she had ever had the pleasure of hearing, like static, in her ears. She cradles her head in her arms until she can no longer hear it until everything is silent. A couple walk by, too distraught to notice her before she pulls herself off the ground. The sand, from where she was standing, looked like diamond, it distracts her from the ringing in her head.

Just as she begins to walk off, there is a moment of clarity, pulling her back to her spot, and when she looks down at her bag, she scoffs, cursing herself once more.

Dimwit.

[Current day]

Three days. No school. Constant ringing. No appointments.

Her anxiety had peaked to new lengths since that day, and she had noticed a slight change in her vision. Crystal clear. Everything was so defined, and she hadn’t adjusted yet, causing migraines that wouldn’t still for days. It was all very exhausting and had rendered her mind speechless; the voices weren’t as active, she wasn’t as active. No food also, and it was beginning to take it’s toll on her. The heavy bags beneath her eyes darkened each day; maybe she was an owl.

Synn, the nocturnal owl.

What was happening to her?

Gale was baffled by his change of behavior. He moved to sit on the opposite end of the pool, clearly avoiding her. After a few moments of reflective silence, he reminded her that he was dealing with consequences of the newly found powers as well.

She nodded.

Of course she knew. Although he appeared to be taking it all in stride, she understood that it was still difficult. Staring down at the ripples that marred the water's otherwise smooth, mirrored surface, she sighed. All they could do was play the hand they got dealt. Before she could break the silence, he shattered with a farewell.

Her brows wrinkled in confusion. Did he really think that was what she wanted? To be alone. She recounted her words, wondering if she had said something that could have been misconstrued. They had been uttered with bitterness, something she instantly regretted now that the headache had resided and pain no longer ebbed away at her nerves.

"Hanini, wait-" she started.

Galvin burst through the doors. He was having a meltdown, clearly upset by th we same thing they were going through. Palms pushed down against the pool, propelling her to her feet. She had made it to his side before an invisible weight pressed heavily upon her, keeping her in place.

"Galvin," she murmured, having recognized him from the start. "We have the same thing. Let us talk to you to explain."

The lights creaked beneath the weight, making her nervous. Her lips pursed as her eyes turned upward. They were directly below the lights. If they fell, they would not have to he concerned about the gravity issue for long.

Galvin looked at his hands in disbelief from the even that just happen .Everyone started to whisper under there breath or to other classmates . Not knowing what they where saying would slowly drive him into  a stressful panic . Galvin didn't know what to do but run . He ran through the locker room into the pool area .

While running Galvin looked back constantly to make sure no one was chasing him . Because he wasn't looking where he was going he trip over the pole and fell. He fell pretty hard on the pavement but what happen next sacred him . When he tryed to get up he couldn't move . He felt like the earths gravity was keeping him down . The lights that hang above the pool area begin to straighten downward . The diving boards begin to arch downward into the pool . The plates under the pool made a large crack that cause the water to escape .

Galvin still couldn't move and had no clue what was going on ..

School the next day was quite the experience. As expected, there were instances all over the school of strange things happening. A boy dunked a basketball clear through the ground, A girl set the chemistry lab on fire... While taking a quiz! And then there was Gale

Hanini had spent the grand majority of the day looking for Gale, but had been unable to find her! Usually he would have crossed paths with her at least once in the day! Now lunch was coming up and he hadn't even caught wind of her!

But then, just as the thought crossed his mind, he looked out the open door of the classroom to see Gale walk by! She was clearly in pain. He immediately raised his hand. "Can I go to the restroom please!?" He got up and ran out of the classroom before waiting for an answer. He ran to catch up with Gale, and grabbed her wrist. "Come this way." He told her, leading her to the pool area. "They don't turn the lights on in here unless we're practicing or having a meet. It's probably the darkest place in the school. he explained. The tiny amount of light that permeated the room was just enough to make the water in the pool visible, and the sound of the water filtration system was the only thing that could be heard, until class got out and the hallways filled with students again.

"Is that a bit better?" He asked. Obviously it wouldn't be a permanent fix. But hopefully it would at least help for now.

Gale replied with a shake of her head, beckoning the conversation to a close. His disagreement was not offensive, but she was too confused to speak on the matter. There were so many questions swarming her mind. It was not possible to look this stuff up on an internet search engine. They had to figure it out alone.

The drive to her house was short. She instructed him to stay in the car as she went and got her things. Her foster parents' home was nestled in a bad neighborhood, but nothing exciting would be likely to take place in broad daylight.

After a few minutes, she returned with her things. She put the car in drive and started down the street. She attempted to hide her discomfort, but the sun was too bright and there was no cloud cover. Her head throbbed.

"Back to Liz's then?" she asked as the car came to a stop at an intersection.

-

Monday came all too fast. Gale went to school that morning with a fierce migraine. She was not about to miss class and risk her perfect gpa.

At school, she made sure to keep away from Hydro. It was not exactly a common thing for an athelete to associate with someone from the West end of town. She would hate to hurt his reputation.

As the day progressed, the pain increased. She was in homeroom when it reached its climax. Gale bent over her desk, pretending to be napping with her arms shielding her face. Someone said they thought they had seen something move; maybe a cat, they reasoned. Then, a girl screamed out and her scream was followed by a chorus of ruckus. Gale glanced up and saw nothing but darkness.

The shadows clung to her as she stood up. It took a moment to figure out how to rein them in and when she did, she saw the entire class staring at her, mouths agape and eyes wide. Without a word, she grabbed her things and left.

She did not know where to go, only that she needed to hide and get out of the sun.

Gale was frowning as he spoke of the darkness from the day before. She hated the dark, how could that be her power?

"I don't care to learn about controlling it," she replied, shaking her head. "I just want it gone."

Why did he seem so okay with it all? Did he not realize that they would forever be outcasts?

She had spent her life being different. After high school, she planned on going to Yale for a law degree and traveling. She had plans that involved blending in and just focusing on herself. Now, her powers threatened everything.

Gale had not realized that she was trembling. She glanced down at her hands and balled them into fists, willing herself to calm down. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her breathing that had gotten more ragged.

"I just need some air," she said, without thinking before speaking.

When she reopened her eyes, she stared at the floor. This was the last thing she wanted to think about. Mike had been murdered by the same toxins that coursed through her blood. It just didn't seem fair for her to have supernatural powers whereas he was dead.

"I need to run home and get some stuff," she said, clearly finished talking about the powers for the moment. "You can ride along if you want."

She chewed on her lower lip as she thought.

"By staying away, we may just be incriminating yourself even worse," she murmured, moreso to herself than him. "We need to decide a plan of action."

However, he left the room in search of water. Liz glanced at Gale and then sat beside her on the couch.

"My father has connections down at the station," she offered, but Gale was not too keen on putting her friend through that. Besides, her parents already did not care for her.

"No, thanks though," Gale replied.

 Liz sighed and stood. "I'm sorry, Gale, I'm exhausted. I'll see you all this afternoons. Car is out front if you need it."

Gale nodded and thanked her.

Once she had left, Gale put her head in her hands. The headache was just getting worse. After a moment, she forced herself up and into the kitchen where Hanini was hunched over the sink. She did not speak as she watched him.

It was crazy to think that they could possibly harbor powers of some type. What would that mean for their future?

Letting the thought drop, she glanced at good job clock. She needed to run by the foster house and pick up an extra change of clothes. Maybe she would run away again. If she did though, it would mean another charge on her file.

She blinked and glanced away after realizing that she had been staring.

"Hey!" Liz shook her arm. "You're holding hands with swim hunk, now? What the hell? We need to talk!"

Gale shook her head, groggily. Her arm felt stiff from having been in one position throughout the night. Also, her body was extremely sore.

"Can you shut the windows please?" Gale asked.

Liz scoffed, thinking that Gale wanted to sleep in. "No. Up!"

Gale groaned and mumbled something incoherent. What sunlight had managed to seep into the windows was enough to make her head throb. She sat up and glanced down at Hanini. Nudging his side gently with her toes, she gave him a small smile that looked more like a grimace through the pain.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, seeing how no one could possibly sleep through Liz's big mouth.

Liz took Gale's hand and pulled her up.

"Kitchen, now," she ordered and tugged her along into the kitchen.

Once there, she put her hand on her waist and looked at Gale with raised brows.

"So?"

"What?" Gale asked.

Liz waved her hand towards the room Hanini was in. "What was that?"

Gale's face hardened. "Liz, please, his mother just died and so did Mike."

Liz sighed. "I know, I know. You're right and I'm sorry."

Gale exhaled heavily knowing the size of bullet she had just dodged.

"Thanks, Liz."

"Do you like him? Is that your secret crush?" Liz pried.

Groaning, Gale left the kitchen with Liz close behind. Liz kept poking her back, but having grown up with brothers, Gale easily ignored her. They both stopped when they came onto the living room and saw the TV.

Liz turned it up as Gale sat on the couch, eyes glued to the screen.

 The news was showing the aftermath of the pervious day's destruction.

Gale's eyes widened at the mention of the bathroom.

Shadows; that's what she had seen. But as for what they truly were...

"Darkness," she answered, denying the shiver lingering at the apex of her spine. "That's what I had seen."

Soon, he dropped the subject in it's entirety and slipped off the couch. She was a bit disappointed, but considering how poorly she slept usually, more space and little disturbances as possible was probably best for her. But she could not bring herself to agree with the thought that he would be a disturbance.

"I am," she said, her shoulders slumping over in defeat as exhaustion penetrated her voice. "So tired..."

But she seriously doubted any amount of sleep could truly lesson the type of exhaustion she felt. She was tired, alright, mentally, emotionally, and physically. There was no way of telling what was to come, but she dreaded the future especially since her past was nothing to be envious of.

"Hanini." She hesitated. Then, she situated herself with her body stretched out on the couch the same direction he lay on the floor.

Without finishing the thought verbally, she reached out with her hand and draped it over the couch. Her hand found his slowly as if he were a strange dog she was trying to feed rather than a possible friend. Smooth at the touch and smaller in comparison, her hand slipped through his and her thumb hooked around his palm.

It was not long before she drifted off to sleep without having to struggle to fall asleep for the first time in ages.