James' eyes felt heavy. Looking around, the others were also lying on the ground next to him. His head was spinning, and he felt like someone was banging on his brain. He was bolted awake by Pia racing towards the old woman, cracking her right leg. The rest got Jeff gagging from the brutality. Pia lifted her from the wall, smoke pouring from her whole body. "What was that!?" She laughed, kicking Pia in the side. She dropped her. "Kill me now or kill me later, it doesn't matter anymore." Pia's hand burst into flames, sparking a small explosion. James said, "We can still use her for help." Jeff cut in, "She seems like a threat." Mason responded, "That doesn't mean we kill her." Pia looked at them, saying, "She wishes death; why not complete her wish?" The old women blew dark green dust in their faces as they were all outside. They looked around the birch forest. Pia yelled out, "Coward!" The bright midday sun hit them hard.
Soon, the day turned to night as they all sat around the fire, looking into it, before Mason spoke, "We were never done with what we saw in our memories." Everyone was quiet as the buzzing of bugs and the crackling of fire filled the air. Mason looked up, seeing the moon-less sky above, then sighed, "I was left alone for years before finding people, gods to help me out. Then you came, and you all filled the void that was left in me. My abilities take away everyone I love for only a moment in their mind. They came back, but I was never the same." Jeff hugged him. "So sorry you had to deal with that," They all hugged each other except Pia. James then spoke, "In my memories, it was when my mom got my dad arrested. It was a nice day, so I thought my mom and dad were going through a divorce, but they had very different ideas about parenting me. My mom wants me to be with her. She was very protective of me. My dad was not having that they fought day and night for me. That night was worse on my eighth birthday. He surprised me unexpectedly since they lived in two different cities . They were fighting, trying to hide it from me. I pretended it wasn't happening. During dinner, she fell to the ground in seconds, and police said it was poison later on. We called the cops, and they came in and they believe my dad did it because it was the only evidence. He said it wasn't him, but with all the evidence, he was charged as an attempted murderer of her. When she got out of the hospital, she picked me up from my grandma's house, and she told me that my dad was insane. She keeps me inside more often, making me do daily exercises. I saw Houston one day, my old boyfriend. He changed my life. But then my abilities were active, and they were both gone. I was alone with my new foster parents until I found all of you." A low growling came from their stomach as they all were still lost in thought. Pia pointed at Jeff's diamond reflecting the fire and moonlight. "What about that?" Jeff replied, "I recalled the day I left the house to clear my head after hearing my parents decided to split up, and coming out to them. My mother was happy, but my dad said he was a mix of confusion and shame towards me. I heard him say, 'No son will be a homosexual, what next, a girl vile. You already act like one!' As I ran deep in a forest nearby, falling down a large hole, my legs felt like they were broken from it. I looked around, hearing a voice going towards it, cave and crawling towards this diamond that was fixing me. I agree that the power the diamond gave me was a trick; it tried to use my body, but I won or they gave up. I won the fight, yet this voice is still stuck in my head. They were nice, and their name is Atlas. They mostly like watching us right now. At first, I hated them but grew to call them family." Tears fell on his face, saying, "I'm sorry, I am getting so emotional all of a sudden." James smiled, "It's fine for you to feel this way." Pia looked around. "James knew that I didn't have a great childhood, but I always had my younger sister with me until now." She paused then continued on, "My mom tried to be the best single mother she could. One day, she told me the news. I was going to be sent away for a new space program made by the military. I just turned 16 years old. I got mad and upset at her and left the house. I found someone just like me. His name was Jacob. We talked. He was also going to the program. I want to go back home. I didn't really talk with her. Next week I will be gone. I was wondering where he was…. He was killed on a mission when his ship exploded, but he gave a letter."
Tears streamed down her face. "He wrote to me to always look for the best in people and- and-." James held her hand, saying, "Breathe slowly now." She did a large exhale and inhale before it slowed down. Saying, "Three months later my dad went to prison for a serious violation with the William Foundation company executive directors and CEO." Jeff said, "I got some sleep." They all agreed that James and Mason made a tent, and they all went to sleep.
From the tree line, a soldier spoke, "My king, we got them surrounded. Do you want us to engage?" The king replied, "No, not yet. Tell me if they get closer, I want to be ready to kill them with my bare hands." The next morning, Jeff was the first one awake. He unzipped the tent, looking around, feeling like someone was watching. Thinking to himself, "I never thought that two months ago I would be sleeping in a tent with three other people." As he was about to move towards the forest. Whispering to himself, "Atlas, do you see anyone?" Mason touched his shoulder. "Hey I was wondering where you were. You seem stressed, is every feeling right?" Jeff smiled, looking at him, "Of course, I thought-" He stopped saying, "No, it was fine, it was just my nervous acting up." Mason looked at him, "Are you sure?" Jeff smiled, "Of course," then leaned in his face, "Jeff I need to confess about something." Mason looked at him, smirking. James walked up to them and spoke: "Hey, guys." Jeff's face went red nervously, saying, "I'd better start the fire and breakfast." Walking away from the two of them James looked at Mason, "Y'all two dating?" Mason replied, "No, not yet." James then looked at Jeff, trying to start making a fire. "Why don't you both really like each other, and you are pretty bold?" Mason looked down. "I don't know, it is not the right time yet." James scoffed, "It was never going to be the right time." Mason looked at James, "No, you're the bold one, you one to say that?" James looked at him, perplexed, "What are you saying?" They look back, seeing Pia helping Jeff, she made a spark in her hand. Mason then said, "You like her." James blushed in surprise. "I do not," Mason smirked at him, "I guess we have people we both like, but that could be our little secret." He winked at him, walking over to the other two. James blushed a little more looking into the forest, though he saw someone in a cloak, who waved to him. He looked again, and they were gone. Anpu looked at him and said, "James, don't get distracted from the mission."
The rest of the day, they recharged and explored the area, not seeing anything useful for them. James said to the group, "I am going to the bathroom." Jeff got up, saying, "We should go together to make sure we don't get ambushed." No one in the group disagrees; they left the group going deeper into the forest. Jeff said, "I feel like someone is watching us." James replied, "I agreed, but how do you know?" Jeff responded, "I have a feeling from Atlas and my gut." James stopped looking at him, "I think I saw someone in this direction, now they are gone." Jeff said, "We need to talk to each other." James hastily said, "I do want to continue this conversation, but I really need to go to the bathroom." Jeff replied nonchalantly, "I saw you pee before." James went quiet. Saying, "Oh, I can get over there, turn away." James unbuttoned his pants as Jeff did the same, going ten feet from him. Turning there back from each other. Later, they looked at each other, washing their hands in a nearby river, Jeff saying, "We are never going to talk about this." James nodded his head in agreement. They walked back, Pia saying, "You two were gone for a while." Mason cut in, "They probably were just talking without us." James nervously said, "You will never know." They went back to their task of setting up. Pia and Mason were training, and she was mainly using her knife. Mason trying to control his power of death occasionally Life abilities.
The waxing crescent moon started to rise. They sat around the fire, and Jeff looked at the group sharpening a wood knife. "I know you guys already have a plan to kill the King." James piped up, "Do you guys really want to kill the king?" Pia looked at him, "If we don't, we still have to deal with him and his followers afterwards, we can't take that risk. Or worse, a country wide civil war." Mason looked at them, saying, "I agree if the king is still alive, we still have to deal with the issue." James looked around the group, thinking to himself. Before getting up from the rest of the group saying "I need to clear my head." Pia looked at the rest of the team, saying, "Here's the plan."
Jeff was pulled from his body, still hearing the conversation but now quieter. He spoke, "Atlas, hey," he went for a hug, but Atlas stopped him. Atlas simply said, "Did you mean what you said about me?" Jeff didn't even think about it, saying, "Of course, we have been together for over a year. In all this time we spend together, not really talking to each other but still." Atlas looked distressed, as if they were shaken by something. Atlas let out a hard cough. Jeff walked closer to the asking. "Hey, are you good?" Atlas brought back their confidence, "Yeah am fine, Jeffy, stop worrying about me." Jeff didn't look pleased. "But you were couching," Atlas put their hand around his shoulder, "You never saw me couch." Jeff replied, "No! I thought that wasn't possible for you." Atlas smiled, eyes now glowing a purple, "You need to calm down, you need to be in the right headspace before meeting with Niumal and Austin King." Jeff looked confused, "Who?" Atlas looked down, rubbing their hand against a wooden table, playing dumb, "Never mind all that in the future. At that point, kill King Augustus." That didn't help Jeff, who was even more confused. He was pulled from the dimension to be unable to bother Atlas, seeing everyone once more. Pia said compassionately in her voice, "Are you fine, Jeff?" Jeff replied, "Yeah I'm fine, just shaken." They looked at one another by shaking it off themself. Pia looked back at James, thinking to herself, "Hope he's okay, I should go and talk to him."
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