Charie finished reading the letter to the occupants in the room before looking up. Olivia could not help but notice that after her months of tinkering and playing around with the mechanisms within Charie, she was able to create an android capable of looking human. “Master Charlotte’s letter is finished. What shall I do with her letter?”

“Burn it please.” The inventor replied before taking a sip from her root beer and returning to her work. There was only a little bit of her drink left before she finally sighed and tossed it over to the Great Dane laying on the ground beside her desk. Content with the bottle, the mechanical beast happily chewed on the glass and finally swallowed it whole. Charie smiled to her master and everyone within the room before bowing and exiting the room upon Olivia’s request.

Olivia was sitting behind her desk working on the devices they would need for the upcoming assignment. She had finished with her mobile oxygen retainers (for quick underwater swimming), goggles with night vision (for nighttime wear), communication muffs (to communicate between each other while keeping ears warm), and she was now finishing the recording rings (for infiltration and gathering information). The RLC device that was finished months ago was packed away in her desk with the box of fake stones that Charie would be presenting within the upcoming week.

Xavier was teasing his younger brother the entire letter while Damien turned a shade red because of the memories of his bunny. Xavier never let him live it down when he brought it home to the dorms one day. It was sick and injured and needed someone to take care of it.

“Your days of playing Bunny-boo are slowly catching up to you!” Xavier teased and the blonde reached across his seat to chuck a paper ball at him.

“Shut up!” The blonde was finally fully capable of walking normally and while the male appreciated the concern Charlotte gave in her letter, he still didn’t approve of Andy Nielsen revealing his past stuff so openly. Snow was his favorite bunny, and he was devastated when it passed away a year ago.

“Andy is dead the next time I see him.” The blonde sputtered with a flush face. Aden was sitting on a counter looking out into the distance remembering times that would never come back.

“Damy and Snow, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Leo and Jakob chanted before running around the room. They had just returned from their assignments last week because Olivia requested them back. Sarah was sitting in a chair while Belle and Anna were discussing what they should do for Charlotte when they finally were able to meet again.

Sarah was trimming her nails with a file before snapping at the two goof-balls running around. “If you don’t shut up and sit down, so help me I will castrate you myself.”

The two guys running around gave a nervous reaction before obediently finding themselves a seat next to Damien. He was still red while they poked him in the cheek and side.

“She doesn’t listen to people does she?” Aden, the quietest of the group, said to Olivia as she pulled her goggles from her eyes. Wiping her brow with her gloves she gave him an aloof expression.

“She curious about people’s business if that’s what you mean. That is what I love about her though, she thinks she’s doing you a favor by getting to know you, and having Mr. Nielson there only implicates that feeling.” She raised her ring up for examination and gave the top a twist.

“She doesn’t listen to people does she?”

“She curious about people’s business if that’s what you mean…”

Twisting the top so it shut off, the inventor looked pleased that her recording finally worked. “We have other fish to fry. Since Bunny Boo here—,”

”Hey!” Damien interjected, embarrassed be the nickname.

“As I was saying, since he is fully recovered we will put our plans into action. You three.” She pointed to Damien, Xavier, and Tyler, who had been quietly writing some notes. “Have you gotten control of your powers?”

Xavier nodded, “It was hard at first. I didn’t even know what I could do.” He walked behind Aden and closed his eyes. Aden didn’t appear to be fazed by what his older brother was doing but when he realized he couldn’t move the lower portion of his body, the emerald-eyed male gave a death glare over his shoulder to the tattooed guy behind him. “Look what I can do!” He started flailing his arms and legs like a monkey and Aden, much to his anger, was doing the exact same thing. “I can control shadows, pretty nifty huh?”

“Impressive.” Olivia replied before whipping out a camera and taking a photo. She had taken an appreciation for photography since her last birthday because Charlotte had given her a camera as a present. Whether it was taking pictures of nature or of people, Olivia examined each picture with care to get the creative juices flowing.

“Next.” She replied already bored of the monkey dance.

“So picky,” Xavier teased before releasing Aden from his control.

It was in this moment that Aden gave a roundhouse kick to Xavier’s solar plexus which the eldest brother avoided. Xavier followed Aden’s movements shortly after so he could yank his brother into an affectionate head lock. It took two minutes of scuffling around before Xavier had given Aden a rough styled version of a noogie. Glaring at him with a twitch in his left eyebrow, the youngest of the brothers replied darkly, “You’re going to find yourself in a barrel shipped to Davy Jone’s Locker.”

“Not before I ship you to Liliec.” He smirked and Aden froze. Liliec was the country where the Academy was located. It had also been where he had blown up a cafeteria too.

“Don’t you dare.”

Damien walked forward to the window behind Cheric’s desk before sighing. He didn’t want to show any of them what his power was since he knew it would only intensify the name calling. “You guys can’t watch.” He muttered before Cheric smiled at him. It was a faint one, but it was enough to make Damien jump a little in his spot.

“You’ll show us, won’t you Damien?” The emphasis of the last part of the sentence gave the blonde goosebumps before he opened the window with a sigh. He peered behind his back feeling awkward that a whole bunch of people were watching him.

He took a whistle from his pocket out before blowing on it. A shrill sound and a second later a huge hawk flew into the room. There was a huge ring the hawk was carrying in its talons. Landing softly on Damien’s extended arm, the blonde reached up to scratch the bird under its wing.

“I can communicate with any type of bird.” He blushed before turning back to his new pet and handing it a treat. “You’re such a good hawk,” The bird chirped happily as it received its treat before nuzzling its beak into Damien’s hair.

Olivia snapped a couple shots, much to Damien’s chagrin, and turned to her secretary. “How about yourself Tyler?” Damien walked his hawk to the window before lovingly telling it goodbye. The hawk didn’t want to leave but after some cajoling it did. Closing the window, he turned around to see a very nervous Tyler in the center of the group.

“I can…” He started before shaking his head. His glasses were sliding down his nose and he was sweating slightly. “Lady Olivia, I don’t think I’ll be of any use to you. It’s completely silly.”

Olivia got up from her seat and pointed over her shoulder to Damien. “I’m sure whatever power you have is ten times better than Bunny boo’s here.” Damien indignantly huffed before stalking over to where Aden was. Crossing his shoulders the middle brother fumed while Tyler fidgeted some more. “I’m just kidding Damien; you know your powers are amazing.” Olivia replied and scratched her Great Dane’s head with some affection. “Everyone has a power specialized just for them, no need to be shy Tyler.”

“I’ll need someone’s imagination for a second then.” He looked around hoping someone would jump up and volunteer. When no one did he sighed. “I just don’t know what to do.”

Anna jumped up from her seat when she saw his disgruntled expression. “I’ll help, what can I help you with Tyler?” He turned to her before smiling.

“Thank you! Actually, we need to go outside the room. That way it’ll have more of an effect.” He kindly ushered her to the door, much to everyone’s curiosity.

When the door shut closed they all stood in silence.

“Wonder what it could be?” Sarah questioned before yawning.

“It’s Tyler.” Belle started, “He’s always excelled in everything he did. Besides Lady Olivia of course.”

Olivia was tapping her fingers against the oak before walking over to the side. She had a feeling something was going to happen.

Sarah was trimming her nails still when the lights went out. The dim light from outside the window gave the room an eerie feeling and everyone snapped their attention up to the ceiling.

“Why’d the lights go out?” Xavier croaked as he finally caught his breath.

“Shut it Shadow.” Aden replied in the same head lock position and for good effect kicked him. “It’s not like the mermaids are going to eat your brains.”

“You shut your mouth; they could be waiting for these types of things!”

“Right, just like how one impersonated Dean,” Aden shoved his way out of his older brother’s grasp when he loosened his arms. “and almost ate your face off.”

“How can you not be scared shitless from that?!”

“Oh geez,” Damien sighed and turned his attention to the door then shook his head. He thought he saw something by the door, but when he felt his eyes adjusting, there was nothing there. “Aden.” He pointed to the door regardless. “There’s something in here besides us.”

“Hm.” The male replied while straightening up and scanning the room.

Leo and Jakob were playing some child’s hand game with a long piece of string before they felt a chill run down their spine.

“Did you feel cold all of a sudden?” Leo asked Jakob.

“Did you feel that chill?” Jakob replied back to Leo.

Suddenly Belle screamed bloody murder jumping from her seat. She was swinging her hands around her before collapsing in a heap on the floor. Tears were in her eyes while she shook. “There was a ghost!!!”

When Belle announced what it was the room instantly erupted with ghosts, ghouls, demons, dreary looking monsters, and bloodied fiends. Olivia gave an involuntary shudder looking at the scene before becoming aware of what was going on.

“Oh my god there’s a mermaid!!” Xavier yelped in fright and backed up into his younger brother Aden by accident. The momentum of force was enough to knock the emerald-eyed male off of his feet and on the ground. Meanwhile Damien had tried to catch his brother’s from falling, which caused all three to drop to the floor in a jumbled mess.

“Relax,” Olivia spoke up and reached her hand to calm the barking of her Great Dane. The only ones freaking out in the group were Xavier, Belle, Sarah, Leo and Jakob. “It’s only an image projecting life-like images. Tyler, Anna, please come back in.”

The projections died away and like before the room became lit and normal. There were no ghosts or demons prowling around them. The door opened to reveal an amazed Anna and a nervous Tyler.

“It was amazing!” Gushed Anna, “He just closed his eyes and said that whatever I told him he would make happen in this room! I didn’t believe him at first so I thought of the most horrifying and demonic things I could, but there it was! I heard poor Belle scream! I’m so sorry sissy!”

Anna ran over to her twin to comfort her while everyone else in the room instantly thought, ‘Tyler Marklin should not be messed with’.

۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞