Chapter 1, Part 4

Cassie folded her wings back so she could walk through the door. The rest of her adopted family was sprawled out in the main room of the apartment. Abigail cuddled her doll and beamed at her. The little girl loved Cassie’s wings. Cassie had found her sitting alone outside of a grocery store about a year ago. From what Abigail had told them, her mom was in a psych hospital and her dad was a drunk. She’d been waiting for someone else like her to come along. Her gift told her there was others like her. It took months before Cassie could believe that Abigail wasn’t reading her mind. The girl could see patterns and relationships and extrapolate them effortlessly to encompass all probable outcomes in a matter of seconds. Probabilities and outcomes spewed from the eleven year old’s mouth as if she were reciting the ABCs.

Caleb was working out again on the gym equipment Sam had scrounged from dumpsters and consignments. Cassie didn’t know another fourteen year old that dedicated to fitness. Of course, not all fourteen year olds were as strong as fully grown powerlifters. His normal growth hadn’t quite kicked in yet, so it was the oddest sight to see a scrawny fourteen year old benching over 500 pounds.

Mariah walked through the counter from the kitchen to the living room. She was such a show off at home. When she wasn’t painting her nails or going on about whatever boy band, she’d sneak through walls, doors, anything and scare the living daylights out of her roommates. Cassie just prayed that she’d never figure out that she could use her ability to walk right into a bank vault and out with wads of cash undetected.

Sam was attempting to spot Caleb as he went for a new weight, but 550 pounds was a little heavy for the young mechanic. His hands began to glow red as they both strained to re-rack the weight. Caleb noticed and gave a last desperate heave to settle the weight back on its rack. Sam nervously wiped his hands on his starched jeans. It wouldn’t have been the first time he had burst into flame. There was a cheap poster tacked over a scorch mark on the wall.

“Come sit by me!” Abigail patted the couch next to her. She moved her ragged elephant to make room for Cassie. Cassie’s shoulders rolled and twitched and her wings folded away into her back. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but she was glad they did. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life locked up.

Now that everyone was gathered together, Sam opened his mouth to start when he was interrupted by a rather loud and persistent knock.

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