wolf, wolverine, and a canary

8/6/2019 Wolf, Wolverine, And a Canary

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Wolf couldn't summon the happening to his mind. He couldn't recall falling asleep. Not

even how he came to standing in front of Logan, not even why he was there in the first place. He

could feel the warmth coming from the flames which covered his brother's arms and he could

feel it crash against his skin just like the coldness which followed quickly afterwards. But he

simply looked up, stared ahead, and let a smile tug at his lips.

It was like he was staring into a mirror; a mirror which was molded after himself. It was

a real mirror as his name was and as from what he could remember, he had changed his name

exactly how his brother had done. But now, he couldn't even remember his real name; he

couldn't even remember why his brother was called Logan; he could only remember the fact that

he had a fake name, he was sixteen, and the bits of cement and metal moving round him were

controlled by his mind.

They didn't say anything. They only moved, slowly, one backwards and one forwards.

Wolf was fascinated by the fact that the flames didn't seem to burn Logan's skin, instead

wrapping skillfully around them and rising high around his shoulders as some kind of soft, hotmaterial he couldn't touch; although he wanted to reach out and press his fingers against his

brother's arm, he managed to stop himself in time and tilted his head to the side.

Meeting you again, am I? he asked on a soft tone, giggling like a child. I hoped we'd

never meet again under those circumstances.

I hoped the same, said Logan, before scornfully adding the last word, brother.

Before he knew it, the flames leapt at him and the only thing he managed to do was

He woke up, gasping and breathless, realizing he had sat up in an instant as he hadawaken and that he was staring ahead in the darkness. After a couple of seconds of not being

able to inhale or exhale at all, he breathed in sharplyperhaps a little bit too sharpand fell

back on the pillows, clenching his fists around the edge of the blanket and trying to stop himself

from panicking.

The dream was the same as always. He, on the ground and surrounded by the ruins of

some building he did not recognize, and his brother in front of him. Never something more than

that, not even details, though he knew why his name was Wolf and his brother's was Logan and

why they could control the things flying around them and the fire. They had abilitiesspecial

abilitiesand they had begun training them to the point where they could use them to fight sincethey had gotten the flyer to a boarding school somewhere near Sacramento, California, a school

for kids with special abilities.

In other words, a place where the Government was going to train the youngsters into the

arts of the war. Or, that's what he thought it was. What was the point in making a school for

people who had mutations if it wasn't to test, train them and rank them by ability? Questions like


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those wandered through his mind at late night, just like now, after that nightmare; yet he always

seemed to forget them in the morning, together with the dream. The truth was that he had had the

nightmare since four weeks before, since the flyer had arrived at their house and he had first read

it.

He pressed his hands against his face and ran them repeatedly through his hair, his eyesstinging slightly. Frightened. Afraid. Astonished by his own dreams, confused by the fact that

nobody was there to explain anything to him and why he could control everything with his mind;

why he could do that without any energy being lost, why he was even able to see into people's

mind as if there were open books. But ... if he looked deep down, he couldn't admit that he did

not like it. He liked it. He enjoyed to see the thoughts running through the brain, the way people

gazed at him with fear when he replied to the questions seen in their brains.

Arrogance was a word that could describe him entirely in one short and, of course, he

knew that. He knew that as well as the fact that though he was arrogant, he wasn't selfish and he

didn't want things for himself. No, that wasn't the problem at all: he wanted things for him andhis brother. Why? Because he couldn't live without him and, anyway, they were twins, they were

each other's mirrors, they were the reflections of each other; in other words, identical, as identical

as two persons with perfect twin genes could be. Of course, there was indeed a 'but': there were

other twins on the world, maybe so many more than they could have even imagined; why were

they so special, so amazing?

Wolf -- he was already using his name for the boarding school, no big deal, since he felt

like he was in a new, very realistic X-Men movie and like Wolverine, who was his and his

brother's favourite character, he had to have a second name -- and Logan -- again, the same

pathetic excuse of having the same hero -- had powers. Powers which were so rare they weren'teven listed in the flier, together with all the others. Powers which they had always thought to be

unimaginable before discovering that they had them and mediocre afterwards, as every single

person would. But, if Wolf thought more about his power, it was pretty good. How many other

people could be telekinetic, telepathic and basically do every single thing with the power of their

mind? None, except him.

His brother had a great power as well; yes, he had one which could win against Wolfs in

a fight at any time and no, it was simple enough for one to guess. He could control the fire. Both

his and Wolfs seemed and probably were the most common powers in the world which

belonged to the genetically-altered human beings, but in the normal life, they were amazing. Itwas true, probably, but Wolf had no idea and he wasn't going to roll out of his warm bed and

stumble over to his brother's to wake him up and ask him a question which would most likely

earn him a nice punch in the face.

Which he wouldn't block, of course, because he wouldn't do anything to stop his brother

from doing what he thought that was right. He might have been arrogant, but he cared about his


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brother and his opinion a lot and he certainly wasn't going to twist his wrist with his mind

because it was his fault for waking him up and all that jazz nobody really cared about.

So, instead of getting a nice black eye, he turned on his other side with a squeak coming

from his bed, tugged at the blanket and yanked it over his head, then curled up underneath it. It

was warm, cozy and it was making him feel sleepy, but he knew that he wasn't supposed to fallasleep again and to see the next of the dream which he could only remember halfway through.

Hugging his knees at his chest, the panic in his ribcage slowly fading away together with his

strange, mixed-up emotion, and he found himself staring into darkness through a slit in his

blanket.

He raised one hand and flicked it slightly as he thought one singly word, though it wasn't

at all necessary: Phone. It wasn't until he got smacked in his eye that he realized that it was

flying to him and let out a low, exasperated huff as he rubbed where he had been whacked. A

good way to get a black eye without it requiring a brother to annoy at four in the morning, how

the digital clock in the phone showed. Too lazy to reach out and place the device down on thenightstand, he let it simply float over to it and place by itself down with a rather loud thud; in the

other part of the room, he heard his brother stir and snort.

There were less than six hours until they had to go and panic settled again in his chest,

curling up and lying down over his ribs as some kind of big, strange creature which jabbed its

claws into his flesh and didn't let go. They had tickets which had come in together with the said

fliers, and they were going there by plane. Plane. The word echoed in Wolfs mind and he found

himself from trying to make the panic transform into excitement to actually sinking in the feeling

and letting it wash over him, making him frustrated and not calming him down at all. He hated

planes, and that in the true meaning of the word. He hated them with all his heart because everysingle time he was in one, he was near throwing up and was too scared to look any other way

than ahead to sleep of talk with his brother.

Oh, and there was also that time when he controlled the plane without wanting to and

made it land into a tropical forest from Brazil instead of Washington, DC. His brother had to

burn him on the shoulder - he still had the hand mark on it - to make him wake up from his

trance and make him take the plane to Washington, before erasing everybody's memory.

The possibility of waking up his brother early shifted through his mind for one split

second. Maybe his brother wasn't asleep after all, maybe he was just doing the same as Wolf was-- lying down and staring into space, thinking - or maybe he was simply awake and not doing

anything in particular, not even thinking. Wolf leaned on his elbow as he half turned around and

then sat up, hugging the blanket at his chest, sleepily gazing to Logan's bed, wondering if to say

something or not. After a while of deciding whether to say anything or not, his mind telling him

not to, he bit down his lip, frowned, and then cleared his throat slightly.


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Yes, I know that you're awake. Go back to sleep, said Logan from his bed and Wolf

blinked in surprise. I haven't slept at all tonight and yes, you can go eat if you're hungry, he

added as the other twin opened his mouth to say something. It's okay, I'm fine, no, I don't need

anything.

His voice was rougher than Wolf's, as if he had been smoking, though they both knew itwas only a side-effect of the fact that he could control fire. The younger twin cleared his throat

again and prodded the blanket awkwardly, frowning down at it as he listened to his brother

talking about things he didn't really care about.

I was going to ask you if you really want to go to this school, said Wolf, cutting Logan

in the midst of his sentence. You dont seem like it.

I know, said Logan after a couple of moments and Wolf was pretty sure he was

scowling at the ceiling. Youre not sleepy anymore, are you? he mumbled afterwards, and

there was a squeak from the bed and then from the floor and Wolf realized he was walking to therooms door. Alright, Ill go take a shower you go do whatever you want.

Wait began Wolf, but he was stopped by Logans glare and his gaze fell to the floor.

Okay.

As the door thudded after Logan, he bit down his lip and frowned to the carpet,

scrunching his nose up even so slightly. It was pointless, irritating beyond relief that he was

scared of his own brother because of his stupid ability and he knew that he shouldnt have been

like that, he should have persuaded him into discussing the problem about the boarding school;

but it was too late anyway. They had packed weeks ago and they were ready to fly to Sacramento

and meet the said woman who was going to drive them there.

He wondered briefly who was the woman and what she did and tried to imagine her but

his mind, never helpful, kept showing up an image of a Jean Grey which kept fading in and out

of sight. He had no idea what that meant and frustration soon took over him. Gazing round him,

he gave up waiting for the room to give him an answer and fell back on his pillows, arm under

his head, as the lamp on the nightstand opened and flashed warily a few times. It wasnt the best

of his days, clearly, and since it had started with him being scared and annoyed at his brother, it

wasnt going to change from being stupid to being good. It never did.

But he had to get up, he had to eat, he had to shower, he had to dress up and he had tobear with five hours of flying. He could as well skip breakfast because of the amazing fact that

every time he was moving without his legs doing anything he always threw up; so, instead of

huddling up under the blanket, he kicked it aside and sprang to his feet with little enthusiasm, if

not none at all.

At least, he thought as he made his way out of the room, I have a cool mutant name.


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Clutching the sides of his seat and leaning back and down as much as he could, he

refused to look at his brother, who was staring out of the window and talking excitedly about the

view. He didnt even listen; hell, he didnt even care. They were landing and he needed to place

his feet on the ground as fast as possible or he was going to black out because of the panic thatkept building up in his chest. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. His brother was staring at

him as he muttered that in his head repeatedly and then he heard him mumble something about

someone being a coward and scowled at his legs. He had to do it, just once, to prove that really,

he wasnt a coward at all.

Inhaling deeply, he held his breath as he looked to the side just to test himself and

CHRIST his gaze was locked back on his knees, which felt like they were made out of jelly.

Christ, Christ, Chris, Christhis train of thoughts was interrupted by the plane as it landed

softly, yet he still felt it in his mind and couldnt help but wince. Yes, he hated planes and yes,

once more, he felt the urge to run out of the plane, basically jump out of it as it kept runningdown the airport and kiss the ground. Yet, he managed to stop himself in time and closed his

eyes shut until it was all done.

In a corner of his mind, he heard the plane click shut and the first thing he saw was his

brother worriedly bending over to look at him. It really was like gazing into a mirror in which his

reflection moved by itself; he only nodded slightly and saw his brother do the same in response,

before his curly hair was ruffled and his hazel eyes met their identicals as he looked up.

What?

Nothing, replied Logan and shruggled slightly before beding again to whisper, Just

dont fall asleep again, Bradley.

Wolf, hissed the other through his teeth as he stood up. And dont worry, I wont give

you the chance to carry me, dear, he snapped afterwards and there was a small smile tugging at

his brothers lips. Im serious, he added as he worriedly looked at the people staring at them

both. Shouldnt we hurry up? Perhaps shes waiting.

When did you become an Englishman? asked Logan ironically as they made their way

into the said airport, moving a little bit slower because of the crowd surrounding them.

Perhaps. Really? Hey, what happened, what are you

Wolf shushed him with a wave of his hand as he gazed at the woman in red. She looked

like an exact replica of Jean Grey, but older and with eyes so light they seemed almost white; he

knew it was her they were supposed to meet because he could hear her thoughts. Loud, clear

thoughts which strode through her mind easily, but which were too blurry for him to read. But he

knew it was her, as if he had always known her, from when he had been a little kid. The twins


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exchanged a glance and then they began making their way through the mass of people as fast as

they could, with Wolf trying to keep in touch with her thoughts and with Logan being guided by

him.

They halted a few feet away from her and she smiled. It wasnt a pleasant sight, at least

for Wolf, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, being answered by a motion of her hand; sheseemed so alike ole Jean Grey he was close to yelling after her that name, but he bit down the

inner part of his cheek, gulped his words and yanked his brother after him, gripping his wrist so

tightly his knuckles were white and he could hear him wince. Stopping again in front of her, he

let go of Logan and reached down for their bags he wasnt surprised at all to see them there and

he had his reasons as he muttered under his breath loud enough for them both to hear:

I hope we didnt fly through all the US for nothing.

You didnt, whispered the woman, smiling again. Her tone was loud, strident, and it

somehow scratched deep inside Wolfs brain, making him cringe on the inside. The carswaiting. We need to talk first, though, and I bet youre hungry, arent you?

Ten minutes later, Logan was eating like there was no tomorrow, though Wolf was barely

taking anything from the French fries and the steak in front of him, resuming to sipping his soda

repeatedly whilst suspiciously looking at the woman in red. She was drinking her coffee with her

lips pursed and for a brief moment, he tried to break through her thoughts again, but he was

blocked and rejected every single time; with a low huff, he gave up and folded his arms over his

chest, glaring at his brother for a few seconds. He frowned and tilted his head afterwards,

scrunching his nose up in a grimace.

And whats your name, Jean Grey? he asked ironically, a smirk etched on his face.

Woman in Red? Maam?

Perhaps you wouldnt find it so strange if you would eat, she replied, placing her cup of

coffee down on its small plate. Dont you like that food?

Did someone tell you that answering a question with a question is impolite? he said,

trying to be as ironic as possible. Maam?

You just did Wolf cast a glance to Logan, who choked on his food and began

coughing immediately, not even able to drink to calm down.

Now, that was impolite.

The womans tone was low and sweet, but Wolf could sense that she was beginning to

get angry by the way the fuzziness he heard around her mind began turning round in its place. He

straightened his back, tensing slightly. Barely seeing how his brother managed to drink from his

soda and was now staring at their silent fight of minds, he attacked the womans thoughts once


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more. He was blocked, of course, but he ducked and hid his thoughts underneath a strong wall of

iron, which crumpled when he leashed out again, thoughts now seen as wolves chasing a deer.

But the wolves vanished and the deer turned into a snake attacking his mind before becoming

smoke at his will and vanishing

The woman grinned and yanked her thoughts away from his mind, nodding in approval.He didnt know what she was nodding at, why she had attacked him so rudely and ironical for

him to think so impolite. A snake? He wasnt afraid of those, since he could easily avoid one in

the wild and all that, but really, a snake? Snakes were stupid and werent so werent big

enough to make him scream and tremble like a little schoolgirl, before running away. He also

didnt know why she had now an approving feeling and she wasnt irritated anymore, but he

decided not to ask for an explanation and was offered none.

Catching Logans stare, he shrugged it off and turned his attention back at his plate. His

stomach was grumbling, asking for food, but he was too annoyed to make any movement or

force the people in the restaurant look away as he ate without using anything but his mind. Tootired, not annoyed, he corrected himself and bit down his lip as he leaned his head in his hand.

He hadnt had proper sleep in weeks and it was beginning to gather and crash down into him and

onto him and everywhere it could touch, really, because he was too exhausted to block feelings

outside his mind and body. So he let them tumble down, gathered them altogether and kept

himself sane at the same time.

Which was one of the worst thing to do, but he did it anyway.

He blinked. Slowly, softly, he stifled a yawn, stretched, did all of the little things one

needed to do in order to make himself feel better. He cracked his knuckles, moved his head fromside to side and hummed until his brother threw him a fiery glance and he cleared his throat,

looking away, the corners of his mouth twitching. It was good to annoy people, but it was the

best to annoy a brother who was going to get mad and start going into hysterical yelling in the

middle of a populated place, before burning everything down in a few seconds. Of course, it was

risky, but who said that being risky wasnt fun? At least, in Wolfs mind, it wasnt unamusing. It

was funny at hell and he could barely stop his giggles from escaping, though one could say that

he wanted to laugh because of his lack of sleep. Probably, yes, but that still didnt change the

way he felt about annoying Logan.

Whats your name again? he asked the woman, trying to keep his eyes open. JeanGrey?

Close, but not at all, she said. Im Red.

Red? Isnt that a clich?


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I like the color, said Red scornfully, shaking her head. Okay, I dont, Ryan picked it

for me, she snapped and folded her arms over her chest as Wolf cast her an amused glance and

giggled. Youre such a child.

Wolf shrugged as if he was asking what did you expect? And leaned back in his seat,

huffing at his brother, who was still gulping down on food now not only on his food, but alsoon his brothers. It was a strange sight, since Logan had always been scrawny and short; both

have been hobbits, how they liked to call themselves, but with hairless feet and they also lived in

a rather large house, not in a cozy hole inside the ground with a round door and a round, yellow

and shiny door handle planted in the middle of it all. They still were hobbits. Little, tiny hobbits

who didnt really care about other peoples opinion and were rather skinny, though they ate a lot.

The truth was, they were skinny because they ate once every few days. Why they did

that, they had no answer, but they just did it because they felt so. Now, as he watched his

brother eat, he was happy for him, yet even though he was hungry, he just couldnt eat anything

because he was trying too hard to break through Reds thoughts and also because he was toonervous to shove anything down his throat, no matter how loud his stomach grumbled; it was

already too difficult to eat something from day to day and then skip other two before coming

back to eating each day a little.

He was awarte that the chairs moved, but he didnt quite realized that the sounds were

coming from their table and none other. Only when his brother prodded him in the ribs before

standing up he realized he had to do the same and straightened his back after he had slumped

over; rubbing his eyes with his fists as if he was a small five years old kid who had just been

awaken by his parents. Though he was seeing a little blurry because of the sleepiness, he trailed

lazily after his brother and Red, who were chattering happily, and slumped into the black carwhich was waiting.

The bags were stuffed at his feet and he did not allow Logan to go away from him,

clutching his arm and resting his head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed.

Softly, silently, trying to let out all those little things he had felt in those years of being taught at

home. He was going to be taught at a boarding school and the fact that they were starting fresh

was simply amazing.

At least, it was for him.

WHAT? he snarled rather loudly as his brother yanked him out of the car and barely

managed to bring his arms up in front of his face so he wasnt going to faceplant directly into the

mud, instead covering his shirt with it. What is your problem? he asked on a high-pitched,

pissed off tone as he was helped up. You could have slapped me oror something else!


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He got up slowly, scrunching his nose up as he tried to wipe off the mud, instead getting

his hands dirty, slimy and disgusting. Hissing under his breath profanities which were addressed

to his brother, he then cleaned his hands on his jeans hoping that the hand prints werent really

going to be seen against the dark material and scowled at Logan, who was smiling innocently

and balancing back and forth on his heels. He looked so much like a puppy Wolf forgot

momentarily why he was mad at him, but when he cast a glance down and saw his jeans full of

mud, he scowled at him.

His expression mustve been too fiery for Logan, who shuffled away silently and hid on

one side of Red as Wolf got on the other. Perhaps they were afraid one of the other; or, probably,

Wolf was so near the punching line which meant basically punching anyone surrounding him

that it was actually dangerous to be too close to him. It wasnt as he was fast enough to catch

Logan and punch him in the face, but a flying car could make pretty much big damage, right?

But, as he focused on trying not letting the anger build in together with the frustration, he

saw something that made him stop. And so did his brother. They halted just as they had donebefore Red who kept walking and blinked in surprise, lips slightly parted as they stared at the

building ahead of them. It was huge; it seemed as if it was big enough to overwhelm the Eiffel

tower, with brown bricks which fitted perfectly, raising as walls which curved at the tip to meet

the opposite one in some sort of strange, round roof. Yet, it wasnt the reason why they had

stopped.

It was the fact that there were no windows and only two large doors which swung inside

as Reds immediat approach. In Logans mind, it looked like a prison, like a strange, huge prison

which was going to trap them inside and never let go and in Wolfs mind, it was like a cage in

which they, the birds, were going to be locked for the next couple of years.

They gazed at each other, they blinked, then they shrugged slightly. For them, it didn't

amtter how the said place looked -- it mattered whether there was going to be any food or if they

were going to starve. The latter seemed impossible and, as Red shouted after them to hurry up

and they stumbled comically across the mud, sliding downhill, they were actually quite okay

with the fact that they were going to be locked there. Caged, as a wolf and a wolverine, a flame

and a mind and Wolf was already too tired to make any poetic comparisons in his mind. Strange

as it seemed, but as he rushed after his brother, it was as if he was really going to be into a

family.

The door closed with loud bangs behind them and Wolf couldn't help but flinch. Inching

closer to his brother and balling his hands into fists, trying to stop the urge of grabbing Logan's

hand and not letting go, he looked around the hall which they had just entered. It wasn't big, it

wasn't small, it was large enough to fit in eighty other people -- it seemed as if many of the one

hundred chosen ones had refused to enter into the school. Red moved forward and they followed


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her, meeting only stares and hearing grumbles which were addressed to them whilst passing by

the not so welcoming persons.

Gazing round, Wolf noticed that they all were of the same age, or at last looked of the

same one: sixteen, just like him and his brother; but, instead of hiding their powers, they were

actually showing them. He could see one giant made of stone and one which had ice slowlywrapping round his arms and he could have sworn that he actually saw one with ears and a tail--

but as he tried to turn to Logan and whisper that to him, the sound of Red clearing her throat

made him jump and comically hide in Logan's shadow. That earned a few giggles and he shifted

closer to his twin, muttering lowly into his ear:

"It's not so welcoming."

"Told you," replied the older twin, before frowning. "Oh, look, that dude has wings!"

"Shush," hissed Wolf immediately, his hands clutching his brother's arm as he kept on

muttering, "you're making us look like idiots."

Red cleared her throat again and their gazes shot to her immediately, together with

irritated snorts and glares between them two for a couple of seconds. While they calmed down

and went to stand by the woman's side, pausing a few inches away, Red looked around just as

Wolf had done moments ago and smiled, before speaking:

"As you see, we've got two new friends for you. He's Wolf--" she pointed with one hand

to him, and he nodded, hastily making a few steps forward before returning to his place "--And

Logan."

"What are their powers?" a voice echoed through the crowd, mixing with another one.

"We don't see any other but them being twins."

Wolf noticed a group of five teenagers which looked different and exposed their powers

slowly stepping away from the long, wooden table sititng in the middle of the room.

"Show us," they said, and Red nodded in approval.

Logan hesitated and Wolf knew why he was doing so. He had always had insecurities

about his power, about the fact he couldn't control it that greatly and he had never, ever managed

to do better than blow something up, but he stepped forward anyway. Wolf saw his hazel eyesnervously search the crowd standing next to the table and he saw him bit down on his lip; he was

already sweating and his hands were trembling slightly, but as Wolf mumbled a 'don't give up'

under his breath, there was a spark from which flames erupted and covered his fingertips.

After a second, the flames began growing in intensity and clinging up to his arms,

sticking to his clothes without burning them; Logan's eyes flashed to bright orange and before

Wolf knew it, the flames were gone. Wolf realized it was his turn, and swallowed heavily.


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His heart beat fast as he also made a few steps where his brother had stood -- as he passed

by Logan, he had the feeling that his brother patted him on the shoulder, but he felt too numb

with emotion to actually sense that -- and gazed around. What was he going to lift, crumple or

destroy in any single way? Was he going to just enter their minds and speak to them or was he

going to show them all those things without any problem? And, as he stared at the table and

lifted his hand, he had decided.

With an incredibly loud squeak, the said object rose in the air unsteadily. It swung from

side to side as a couple of boys screamed in surprise and stepped away and he looked around

him, barely feeling any energy go away as he lifted the table. He met his brother's eyes and he

knew from his nod that it was enough, and, as his eyes turned from the shady blue to their usual

hazel, he spoke in his mind to all of those nearby, breaking through the teenagers' thoughts

easily.

'You should be impressed.'

And, as he moved back, he couldn't help but grin at his victory. At their victory.

"Well, that was intense," said one of the boys who had screamed earlier and was now

returning to the table. He was paler than before and his blue eyes kept moving between the two

as he seemed clearly confused; yet, after a second, he smiled.

Red nodded and all of them took their place down at the table. Most were staring at

Logan and a few were glaring at Wolf, the latter knowing that they were more likely afraid than

glad they had him around them, but he said nothing as he slowly looked round the room. The boy

who had spoken earlier was gathering his back contents from the floor and ushering them in with

small movements of his hand as the papers twirled and entered it quickly. It seemed as if he

could control the air and that was pretty much amazing, or that's how it looked in Wolf's mind,

who was glad to approach him with large steps, followed by his brother.

"Impressive," the boy with blue eyes said lowly as he took his seat at the table, joined by

the twins, who had instinctively chosen to sit as far as possible from those glaring at him. "I'm

Cain," he added, grinning widely as he scooped up his menu and looked down it. "Nice to meet

you, Wolf, Wolverine."

"It's Logan," he replied, frowning, and Wolf saw guilt etching on Cain's face.

Instinctively, Wolf stepped down hard on his brother's foot, who jumped and flinched, beforeadding through his teeth, " ... But I like Wolverine. Took the name--ouchstopit--from him."

"Why Cain?" asked Wolf, releasing Logan's foot from underneath him. "Are you

religious or something?"


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"No, not at all," said the other with a shaky laugh. "I just killed my brother." He paused

and blinked as Wolf threw him a strange look. "By accident," he added quickly, before looking at

the menu again. "I tried stopping a tornado.

"Why the menus?" mumbled Logan, and even though Wolf appreciated his try of

changing the subject, he wasn't helpful at all. "I mean, we're not at a restaurant."

"I arrived a couple of days ago," said Cain as he threw the menu at one of the twins. "I

don't know why, though, but it's funny because it always arrives in another way."

"What arrives?" asked the twins on a confused tone and Cain laughed.

"The food, you just need to say loud and clear what you want to order."

"Oh, okay," they said once more and looked down the menu Wolf was holding as Cain

ordered his food and then leaned back into his chair.

"Steak, fries, and soda," said Logan after a couple of seconds. "Two sodas."

"What about you?" questioned Cain, shifting the way he was sitting to look directly at

Wolf, who seemed uneasy. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I don't eat that much," he mumbled in response, scratching awkwardly at his arm. "I

don't feel like it, I just need some coke."

"Coke--?"

"Coca Cola," clarified Logan, frowning. "He doesn't like food that much. All he does is

drink, read and annoy people."

Cain laughed as Wolf threw his brother a murderous look before gazing away andmuttering a 'yeah' under his breath, which was barely heard by the two, who began talking abouttheir favourite books, not paying any attention to the younger, skinnier twin. Just as he was about

to ask something, he caught a glimpse of a white, bright light which flew into the hall--

There was a loud noise and it exploded into blue birds which flew round the table,carrying something which seemed just like huge plates and which partially fled in front of their

beaks. Wolf heard Logan gasp and the chair screech as he pulled away from the table -- he knew

that his phobia of birds was big and he had always thought it was going to kill him one day and itwas probably happening -- but he, himself, did nothing but watch contently as the otherteenagers took their food away from the birds, which vanished into thin air quickly afterwards.

Wolf gladly took Logans from the bird which then disappeared just as its comrades, then put theplate in front of his terrified twin.

Bird phobia, he answered Cains questioning gaze as he popped open his soda can. Hegenuinely hates birds.


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Logan mumbled something both of them couldnt hear and Cain blinked in confusion, butdidnt ask anything.

Whatdyou say? questioned Wolf after he sipped a few times from his soda. Didnt

quite catch that.

I said yes, thats true, mumbled Logan as he slumped into his seat. God, I hate birds.Christ.

Hes a kind of a scared cat a mouse, said Wolf, snickering slightly as he placed hiscup down. A mouse who likes steak.

Youre still afraid of darkness and shadows wile youre in a library, snapped Logan,

barely managing to stop his hands from shaking and shuddering slgihtly. Did you see thosebeaks? They can jab your eyes out in a second and

Thanks for the mental image, but that wasnt needed at all, dear brother, hissed Wolfsarcastically, rubbing his right eye. I wouldnt like those beauties he motioned to his eyesironically to be ripped out.

Are you sure youre brothers? asked Cain quietly as he munched on his food. Youdont behave like them. Youre like you fight always, dont you? Thats what I can gather

from there, he continued, pointing his fork at them both and made a quick movement, a strandof slightly curly hair moving agaisnt his forehead as he did so. Youre not so close, are you?

Yeah, they said at the same time and twirled their cans, Logan absently gazing at his

food, without being able to bring himself to eat anything. Were never the same way. Were

against each other.

They shrugged and slowly sipped from their cans, frowning at each other while they

glanced alongside to meet identical, large, puppy hazel eyes which seemed annoyed at the sametime as before. They didnt notice Cain staring at them until the last second, when they looked

up, and saw him with his lips parted, evidently in surprise, and they said, swallowing whateverthey had in their mouths, What?

Do you practice doing that? asked Cain excitedly after a few seconds, his voice havinga really high pitch before he cleared his throat and said on a softer, calmer tone, Either way, its

amazing.

Your voice is really nice, said Wolf, after he had giggled at Cains reaction. Its just,like, erits nice. Seriously. I like it. Im not joking, he added, flailing his hands in front of

him. Its, like, calming, you knowdo you sing?

I sang once or twice, said Cain, his icy blue eyes brighter than before. Very nice ofyou, thank you, nobody told me that before. Thanks. He seemed visibly flattered and Wolf

couldnt help but smile and raise his eyebrows.


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Nobody told me that before? he quoted, visibly surprised and shocked. But itsamazing, just

As much as I would love listening to you two lovebirds, said Logan while chewing on

his fries, Shouldnt you be aware that there are people staring at you two?

Were not

I know, Wolfie, but they dont, said Logan on the same ironic tone as he pointed at the

guys across the table, who turned away and asked one covered in ice to cool their sodas.Icedude there is pretty popular, why dont you run along and befriend him? he asked, nudging

the cola can to Wolf, who stared at him. Come on, you know Id melt him if Id get closer thanthis. Instincts, he excused himself to his twin, who grabbed his can and scowled.

Youre such an ass.

Im the king of the world, said the other one sarcastically, leaning on one hand. Youshould apologize.

Oh, Im sorry, I didnt know I was dealing with a royal one, snapped Wolf as he

pushed himself away from the table and stood up. A royal ass, if you havent guessedwhat I wasreferring to, he added, giving his brother a nice elbow in the back of his head as he passed by.

He hated doing stuff for his brother; he hated being asked by anyone do to stuff which

involved getting up and not using his ability; he basically hated getting off of his butt andwalking round a long table to get to a guy who didnt seem pleased to see him approach. He

moved slowly, sneaking through the various people which were getting up and grouping up,

changing seats, and halted besides the Icedude how they were going to call him for many days and smiled.

Hey, mind if you

But he stopped when he saw the glare addressed to him and narrowed his eyes aswell,

gritting his teeth as he muttered, visibly getting annoyed as the anger problems began building upand beginning to be a hell lot heavier to ignore:

give my brother some ice?

Im not an ice machine, snapped Icedude, his tone harsh.

You look like one, said Wolf, amazed at the way how his tone was calm. And icemachines never work properly.

With those words, he suddenly turned away and before he kenw it, he was flopping down

his chair with a grunt and handing the can to his brother, who scowled at him. He ignored, him,though. It was amazingto see how every single one had stared at him in disbelief and snorted as


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he had passed by them on his way back, gripping the said can as hard as he could. Of course, hehad smashed it a bit, but it didnt really matter since he was excused because of the anger he felt

bubbling in his chest.

Instead of letting it out, he folded his arms over his chest and shrugged at Cains question

which he didnt hear at all and he frowned at his knees. It had happened so fast, he, going tosee the dude with the ice wrapped around his head as if he was made of big blocks and carvedinto the said ice by a great artist, and then he being rejected, arriving at his seat and sitting down.

It had been like a race course; like somebody had made him rush so fast he hadnt noticedanything at all on his way to and back from the second royal ass of the world, after his brother.

But it was okay. He had hoped to start a new life with new friends and nice, big,

welcoming smiles, but instead, glares everywhere. Everywhere except Cain, who was chatteringhappily with Logan, moving his hands around and gesturing repeatedly as he spoke. He had a

nice way of talking, at least thats how it looked in his point of view. He spoke excitedly, eyesbright as if he had never talked with someone so openly before, and he kept glancing from his

brother to him, worry shining for split seconds in his eyes as he asked him wordlessly if all wasalright. He, also wordlessly, answered him with nods that it was all okay, and then smiled as he

went back at explaining his brother about the dorms.

Wolf had the feeling that he, his brother and Cain were going to be friends for a long

time. Or, at least until Icedude was going to get him for telling him that he looked like an icemachine and he didnt work properly. Which was going to be pretty soon, after what he could

notice at him from the murderous glares he kept throwing Wolfs way. Not that it was very, very,worrying he actually didnt care at all because he could win against him in a fight with both

of his hands tied at his back and blindfolded, and also, he didnt look too intelligent. Intelligentas a gorilla, if he was allowed to add something. The fact that his IQ was the same as his

shoesize could be seen because of how unfocused his eyes were and of how he mumbled, notspoke, his words. It was as if he wasnt intelligent enough to form coherent ways of producing

sounds which Wolf could barely call words. If he was to rename the stuff pouring out ofIcedudes mouth, he would have named them incoherent babblings of a babboon with a little IQ

or none at all, who cant even realize someones joking with him not even if the said joke woulddance Macarena naked in front of him. The most proper naming of said mumbles Wolf could

produce at the said moment.

He was longing for another can of soda, but he didnt quite want to bear with anotherterrified, screaming like a little schoolgirl Logan. He also didnt know how was his brother going

to bear with the fact that he was going to be served food by birds for a couple of years or evenmore if he was making the exact calculations as he needed to, though he never did since maths

wasnt exactly his best point and had never been but he knew that it wasnt going to be pretty.He was probably going to scream and run miles away through the school, get lost, call Wolf and

make him save him from the oh so scary closed places which they were both afraid of, yet thatwas another story.

He waved Logan away as his brother leaned in his direction to ask something andfrowned at him. He wasnt exactly in the mood for talking stuff about people who talked stuff


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about people who talked stuff and yes, he indeed knew he was babbling and all that, but heneeded to think about stuff thinking about other stuff to keep himself sane. It was his way of

living, just like Logans was of avoiding birds as much as he could and ignoring his brotherswords. Always ignoring his words because hey, thats how the branch of the Morgan family

worked. The branch being actually a twig and the only leaves clinging to it being the two of

them. They had never really blent in the background.

One of the reasons was because, of course, they were twins. The other reason was that

they had mutant powers but who cared about that stuff, really? Not the Morgan family. It had astrange, strange background, coming from the ancient Colin family, but that was another story

involving dragons which Wolf was very, very fond of and elves. Just like in Eragon, butbetter, since they were going to defeat the Icedude dragon of yes, he was babbling even in his

own, private, sheltered by mutant powers and big walls of steel mind.

And the fact that Cain kept balancing his chair on its hind two legs and it was prettymuch annoying. No, not annoying, he corrected himself, worrying, since he didnt want his

newly found friend to break his head and die in a stupid hall. But he also knew that if Cain wasgoing to fall, he was going to be there to stop his fall with his super amazing yes, he also liked

to brag a lot, mind you mutant powers. He still had no idea how to call his power other thanmindbending which wasnt even a word, or thats what the thought, and, also, it was too weird. It

seemed like Avatar. Too much like Avatar for his own good and his own want, but he guessed itwas okay.

His brain had always and still made weird connections between fandoms, huge, amazing,awesome fandoms of books, TV shows, cartoons, comics and Disney movies and usual day by

day real life things. Well, thats how his whole person worked, not only his brain, but he guessedit was okay. It was cool, actually, but he really hated the word cool and never used it in real

life. It was too stupid and for those with low IQ for his like.

Theyre going, said Logan in his ear and he jumped slightly, nearly falling off of hischair. I think we should go too, Cain said hell lead us to the dorms, he added slowly as they

got to their feet and grinned, winking at him.

Why did you just do that? asked Wolf, deeply disturbed as they waited for Cain to takehis stuff before leaving. Thats disturbing.

Twas a dare, muttered Logan, running a hand through his black curls. Doesnt reallymatter.

Dare? For what? asked Wolf again, staring from him to Cain as the other teenager

finally got up and laughed slightly at his Wolfs expression. Dont tell me you played truthor dare, he groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead and then frowning. I toldyou notto play

that again, you and your stupid dares


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Calm down, I didnt make him stuff TNT around Icedude and blow him up, snappedLogan, before huffing. Youre such a child sometimes, I wonder how Cain would deal with you

at times.

It would be pretty easy, my brother was kinda the same, shrugged Cain from

somewhere in between then, making them jump slightly. They hadnt noticed him, although hewas taller than them with at least one inch, and they looked surprised as they looked at him.What?

Didnt notice you, said Wolf, shrugging slightly. Sorry, we tend to be all up in our

thoughts and we just speak and dont notice stuff such as you he paused, swearing at himselfas Cain looked slightly unpleased, before he added quickly, not like youre not awesome,

really, youre great, youre one of our friends, right?

Right, nodded Logan in response with a grin. Ignore Wolfie here, hes in love.

I am not, snapped the other, smacking him in the head. Its just weird to have a home.I mean to, like, we dreamed about having a home just like this with a true good friend and wefinally have a place that we always wanted, he said, before inhaling, since he had spoken all of

the words in one breath.

Impressive, I say that once more, said Cain softly, smiling as he lifted his strap-on baga little bit more. Youre good at words.

Im good at everything, said Wolf, his tone slightly playful, though, in his head, hewasnt joking at all. Anyway, where do we have to go? And why arent any windows here? he

asked, motioning with his hnd at the torches around them, on the walls, as they moved through a

rather huge hallway. I havent seen any of those buildings either.

We have lotsa earth quakes here, answered Cain with a little shrug. I guess they did

not want any broken glass to fly round here, he went on, nodding to the classrooms they werepassing by. Its pretty good, actually. And you have to come with me to the dorms, we share

rooms.

We as in you and us? asked Logan, smiling. Great! he said as Cain noddedenthusiastically. We can watch Disney and read Harry Potter in the middle of the night and

Oh, reading baby stories, are we?

Wolf recognized the English accent in an instant and turned around the second he saw theice bits flying to them, lifting his arm and basically jumping in front of Cain. The bits stopped

midway and melted as the flames slowly became a solid form and created a burning ball whichslowly spiralled above his palm. Casting him a glance, Cain made a couple of steps back at

Wolfs flick of hand and frowned slightly at the Ice dude who had just wanted to kill them all


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with ice. Ice wasnt good enough to make something colder, perhaps thats how it was put inIcedudes stupid small mind, thought Wolf as he straightened his back and glared at the rather

tall and bulky teenager who grinned back stupidly, raising his hand to let other bits grow out ofit, ready to be thrown.

We have to deal with douchebags every time we change our school, sighed Logan,looking at his brother, who shrugged, but said nothing. I advise you to turn around and runaway unless your sorry ass wants to be beaten to dust, he then snapped, the fireball growning

bigger and beginning to touch his fingertips. Or are you melting?

I knew youd be troublemakers and Im only making this school a service, saidIcedude, snorting slightly. Yer too weird to be here.

What are you Wolf paused, bringing a hand to his head and cupping it as if hecouldnt hear well. What is that accent? Are those even words? Thats just a noise!

He grinned. Of course. He always grinned when he pissed people off because hey, thatwas his job and he had always enjoyed it, even when he had been close to being beaten until hewas dead by some guys at his older schools. Okay, he was exaggerating a bit, but it was okay

because he had never been able to see well after one of his eyes was almost jabbed out and hewas practicly blind in that one. He saw some things with his left eye, but the only one he could

actually see well without squinting was his right one; and right now, as he eyed the sharp thornscoming out of Icedudes hands and swallowed the lump in his throat, he wasnt as ready to be

blind as he was when he made fun of him.

He looked around. Slowly, easily, only a fraction of second but neither Red nor anyother professor was there. Just them four: Icedude, the massive, bulky boy made out of ice and

who kept grinning like an idiot and staring like a madman at the twins; Cain, the taller of the triohe was a part of, seeming scared, yet his hand raised as if he was ready to summon enough air to

fling Icedude away; Logan, who was straightening his back just as his brother had done and wascasually throwing the ball of fire from one hand to another, and Wolf, hunched over, his arms

spread to the side and hands wide opened, a continuous rumble in his chest which resembled asnarl coming from him, and his eyes burning from hazel to the gray like the pelt of a wolf.

Everyone could sense the tension building up in the air to the moment when the four weregoing to begin the actualfight. Yet, instead of doing anything and beginning to throw the thorns

at everyone around him, Icedude let the thorns retreat into the shell of ice and backed awayslowly, the same grin on his face. He seemed as if he was planning something and for a split

second, Wolf felt the urge to leap forwards, clutch his arm and smack his head against the flooruntil he was going to tell him what he was palnning. But he didnt and he felt awful when

Icedude turned around and began running back to the hall, but he still relaxed, gray eyesbecoming the softened hazel again.

Well, that was intense, said Cain and Wolf couldnt help but laugh at his innocent

words.


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You scared him away with your manliness, said Logan, ruffling his twins hair with agrin. You big, big man. Im so proud of you. Then, without a word, he began clapping and

Cain followed. Yay for the King of the big, big men!

Though he was slightly confused a moment ago, both his brother and his new best

friend were tensed up and pissed off and he could have sworn they were near bursting into yells,and now they were happy and laughing at their own jokes, which yeah, they were a little funny he bowed lowly and moved his hands around in the air as if he was accepting their praises.

Before he even knew it, the three of them were laughing, Cain leading them down the hall tosome kind of giant doors which opened as they got near.

When they saw what was inside, they stopped.

The room as large, larger than any they had ever seen; there were tables and armchairsand there was also a little fireplace Wolf heard Logan squeal slightly when he saw the said

fireplace and he knew why; he had been a big fan of those since he had been able to control his

ability and a red carpet and

I guess you liked it, then, said Cain, giggling as Logan raced past him and planted

down on an armchair. Yes, he liked it, he added and Wolf had the urge to grin and couldntstop himself. Yeah, you like it too, Wolf, continued Cain, nodding. Nice.

They strolled through the room in which everything seemed miniatural because of the

height of the ceiling, with Wolf shoving his hands down into his pockets as he played with thekeys there rather absently. He was happy to see his brother be also happy because he was happy

because Logan was happy because Cain was happy to see him excitedly and happily inspectingthe fireplace from the armchair, but everything was a fuzzy mess in his head and he gave up

trying to unknot them quite easily. Not that he didnt like knotting things such as thoughts, no,but unknotting them after knotting them was too hard for him to try.

Something happened? asked Cain as they slumped well, Wolf slumped lazily intheir armchairs next to Logan, who was muttering to himself as if he was a madman. You seem

all up in your head.

Just stuff, I guess, said Wolf, running his hand through his hair before leaning hishead in it and propping it against the back of his armchair. Its gonna be hard to get used to all

of this.

Youll do it, your brother already did it, laughed Cain, but stopped as he saw Wolfsexpression. Youll be fine, I promise, he added, patting him on the knee. Everybody is.

Alright, its he checked his wristwatch as Wolf made the phone float in front of his eyes ashe checked the clock himself, ten forty and I bet youre tired.

Havent slept well in a couple of wedays, said Wolf, managing to stop himself fromsaying weeks just in time. I guess school really starts tomorrow.


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Yeah, said Cain, nodding.

Were going to be caged a canary with a wolf and a wolverine, murmured Wolf,twirling a curl around his index finger. Dangerous for you, canary.

Oh, I know, whispered Cain, leaning forwards slightly. But wolverines can be tamed.

What about wolves?

A little bit harder, but its possible. Cain smiled and Wolf grinned back, nodding inapproval to his words. Alright, guys, lets go to our room

Butmy fireplacey! yelled Logan as Wolf stood up and put his hand on his shoulder.

I dont want to leave Skies right now. We were talking.

Wolf exchanged a glance with Cain, who shook his head slightly and sighed, before

motioning to the younger of the twins to get Logan. With yells and struggles to escape, the latterwas finally dragged away from his dear fireplace as night fell over the domain of the boarding

school neither of them knew much about.

When he woke up the next day, Cain was prodding him repeastdly in the ribs. Shakinghis head like a dog and leaning on his elbows for support, his hand shielding his eyes from the

light which burst into the room because of the many torches on the walls around them he stilldidnt know why they refused to use electrical light since it was basically the same , he only

realized it was seven in the morning when he looked at the clock in his phone. And, of course, he

jumped up, got caught by Cain, who was luckily fast enough to prevent Wolf from smacking hishead against the floor because he fell, turned on the spot and noticed the uniform.

It was plain; black trousers, a little bit too tight for his own pleasure, a blazer of the same

color and with a big letter S on the right side of the chest, of the size of his thumb, colored inbright blue, a shirt well, his shirt, white shirt with a collar which he hated from the depths of

his soul and a tie colored in black and blue. Not a perfect combination of colors, but he went tohis uniform anyway and took off his shirt, beginning to undress himself rather sleepily.

After trying to put his pants instead of his blazer for the tenth time and being helped for

the tenth time by Cain, who was speaking to him slowly like he was a five years old and he had

no idea how to dress himself, not if that wasnt too far from reality, he tied his tie hastily and puton the nearest shoes he could find and which didnt fit at all with all of his costumation: big andbright, loud, as if he was shouting to everyone in he school to beware because he was there; they

were the only things which didnt fit at all, of a bright pink and black color. He looked like hewas someone who didnt have any other shoes than those and even though he seemed strange, he

quite enjoyed the way the violent shade of pink stood out more in his black-and-blue uniform.


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It made him feel confident about himself. And, with Cain shrugging and nodding slightlyat the way he looked together with Logan, who had fortunately found adequate shoes, he grabbed

his things, stacking them into his strap-on bag with a movement of his hands. The things werenttoo many: a notebook in which to write some things and a laptop, which he had found in a box

under his bed the night before, together with a message that it was free from the school.

Hell, that message even had a smiley face attached to it, colored in pink. His brothershad none. It had been kind of cute and it had made him grin widely, and when he had unpacked

the laptop and seen that there was a Mulan figure stuck to its back, as if she was kicking the crapout of the half-eaten apple, he had squeaked like a dying animal. Which was his way of showing

that he was happy as hell and that he was pleasantly surprised if something happy happened. His brother had Mu-Shu on the laptop, which was the coolest thing ever in Wolfs mind yes,

indeed, he had said that he hated the word cool, but sometimes, it applied too much to beignored and he actually enjoyed it but Mulan was a tad better because hell, everyone loved that

movie, right?

Cain guided them down the hall. He was walking with confidence and Wolf tried to dothe same, catching up with him every time he didnt feel as if his brother would have laughed,

but nearly every time he did, so he gave up easily. Trailing at Logans side with small steps, histhoughts a fuzzy mass of blurry things not even he understood, he saw various people gather and

move after them. Of course, Cain knew where to go with them since he had been told everything one could say that the twins had been the latest to arrive and he leaded them into their first

classroom. Nothing interesting, just a couple of shelves and many desks scattered around. Thethree of them chose the ones in the very far back, placed their laptops on their tables, and waited.

Since the professor didnt seem as if he was going to show up ten minutes before theactual hour was beginning to start, Wolf, after Cain had given him and his brother two identical

lists of their classes for the rest of the semester, crossed his hands on the table and leaned hischin on top of them.

He was still sleepy. He had woken up in the middle of the night because he had heard

something or someone call his name, but he had been sure it had been only his stupidimagination which was still trying to play tricks on him, so he had turned on the other side and

had fallen back to sleep, not really caring about what was going on around him. He hadnt had agreat sleep, if it was for one to describe his night in a couple of sentences, and the shower at four

in the morning hadnt helped at all. After he had exited the shower, dressed in his pajamas again,he had received a pillow on fire smacking against his head which he had rejected after a split

moment and then he had put out the fire and crashed. On the bed. Not his bed. Cains.

Because he had accidentally mixed the two of them and then he had forced his newestfriend to sleep in his bed. It was pretty embarrassing if you thought of it, but Cain had assuredhim that it was okay and he had slepy better in Wolfs bed than in his own.

The door opened and he straightened his back, dragging the laptop closer. He had never

been the written on paper notes type of guy and he was actually pretty happy that he got to writeon a laptop and wasnt going to have any more blisters because of the damn pencil. Wrist


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problems, yes, but it was better his wrists to hurt rather than not be able to grip anything at allwithout swearing in pain. Not like he was going to become a violoncist or a surgeon anyway.

The teacher walked into the room and the first thing he noticed was his hair, which was as curlyas his in his mind, he fistbumped the air happily because yay, curly headed people and then

hazel eyes. Well, they werent as rare, and he was kind of expecting that. The teacher was also

pretty young and he presented himself as Ryan as he walked to his desk, seeming prettyoptimistic.

Alright, class, said the teacher as he placed his things down onto his desk. Todaywere going to talk about your abilities. You will all he motioned around the class with his

hand say something and Im not accepting any I dont knows or something like that. Whowants to go first?

The silence was awkward and Wolf hunched over in his seat once more as the teacher

turned round on the spot and moved his hand in front of his blackboard, words appearing on it atonce. Wolf pondered for a second writing on his own and actually using his hands for something

other than eating and turning pages of books he read not like he did that, though, to be serious,if any would have had that ability, none would have done anything with their hands but he

gave up typing easily and cracked his knuckles as the keys began tapping the title: Types ofmutations and their ranks.

As you all know, youve all got mutations, the teacher began after he cleared his throat.Theyre by ranks. The fifth rank is the lower and the first rank is the higher. None of you might

have mutations of rank three or higher, maybe rank two if weve got lucky ones. Alright.Anybody? There was another pause and Wolf slumped in his seat once more. Im gonna pick,

then, warned Ryan, then, as nobody said nothing, pointed his hand at the guy in the front seat.

Who looked pretty normal, Wolf allowed himself to add, grinning.

The guy was called to the front and he went with large steps which thudded against thefloor loudly. He seemed normal, just as Wolf had said, yet, when Ryan nodded at him while

leaning against the wall, his whole body became a mass of spikes and ig shields of metal whichcovered him in less than ten seconds, making him look like a huge knight of metal. The teacher

whistled lowly and few in the class laughed slightly, and, as the knighty boy went back to hisseat after he had transformed into his scrawny self again, the giggles ended.

Pick somebody, said Ryan, motioning around the class again as, on the blackboard,other words were written:Metal mutation, rank four. Anybony, he added, shrugging when the

guy threw him a questioning look. Just do it, or Im going to make you stand up the wholeclass.

And, from then on, every single kind in the class including Cain, who showed he could

make the temperature change, could control the wind and could make it rain out of nowhere, rainwhich didnt touch any of the devices at all and he scored rank four, and Logan, who had

transformed in a giant of fire, tall as the ceiling and had scored rank three showed off theirabilities. There were three main categories, body mutation,outer-body mutation and inner-body


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mutation, the last one meaning they could make themselves become someone else inside out,together with thoughts, organs, and all that Lawryn, how he had told them all his name was,

had that power, and he had scored rank two, earning a couple of claps, together with Recka, aguy who could do the same, but as an animal and Wolf seriously had no idea where he was

supposed to fit.

But he got up, walked to the front, and froze. His confidence slipped through his fingersas water through grass and he found himself staring ahead, breathless, because everybody was

staring. Simply staring at him. Some with disbelief, some with disgust, some with strangeexpressions he couldnt understand because he was too occupied to try and break through

peoples thoughts and see why they were disgusted.

Go on, then, said Ryan, waving his pencil slightly. Show us all that youve got.

Wolf nodded hastily and, hunching over even so slightly as he always did, he allowed his

eyes to turn from their hazel to their wolf-like gray. Many laughed, but laughs turned to gasps as

the desks raised he gazed to the teacher, who was contently watching the desks float as therewas no gravity in the room, and then let them back down as he surrounded their minds with histhoughts and broke in as fast as he could, using their shock as a help.

I like to sneak into your minds, if you dont mind. Now, jump and turn around at the same

time.

As if he had made a command, everyone, including Ryan, began jumping and turningaround at the same time; they screamed and flailed, but couldnt stop because of Wolf, who was

too content doing that. He heard his brother yell at him to stop and flicked his gaze to him andCain, who were hopping and holding to each other as they tried to stop, and something broke

into him. He didnt like his brother being that close to Cain and he had really no idea why, so hejust stopped them all. Cain coughed and inched away from Logan and Wolf was smiling again,

more to himself, a smile which vanished when he saw his teachers worried and concernedexpression.

You have one of the rarest talents, he murmured, turning his gaze away from the class,who was listening to his words. You have all of the categories in one power. Yes, even the

inner-body category, because you can become invisible or seem like someone else if you can try,because trust me, I met another man that had the same power as you, exactly the same, and he

could do this.

The chalk began writing again. In front of Wolfs shocked eyes pleasant shock, at leastthats how he was putting it in his head and two new words were formed: lonerscategory.

Its called the loners category because the persons who have been indentified with

such great mutation usually left every social place and went to live on their own after a certainpoint in their lives. Nobody knows why, but this power has strange secrets which are revealedonly to those who are to listen and those who are to be taught the secrets by the power itself,

said Ryan, speaking more to Wolf than to the class. The man I met said the power is stronger


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than any other thing he felt and it was slowly taking over him. I do believe that he was talkingabout one of the secrets of this power. Scientists havent discovered the cause of those having the

power in loners category running away from all the places involving people, but there aresecrets. Dark secrets, as they said.

The man told me that the power always takes over. In other cases, such as your twins, itdoesnt, because its too small and too easy to control. But when its the mind used the most in amutant ability, the man told me that the power cant be controlled anymore and breaks into your

thoughts and just controls you until you manage to fight it. And he never knew what he had donewhen the power had taken over, Ryan went on, as the class took notes. As more of the secrets

are revealed, the mutant part of the mind slowly takes over and becomes stronger and strongereach day, thats what Alexei told me, finished the teacher, before motioning to Wolf to sit back

down at his desk. This power might be the only and the strongest one of the world, its rankone, he added after a moment of thinking, writing that next to the categorys name on the table

in front of a shocked Wolf, who couldnt believe that he might have been the strongest on theworld.

Alright, he said as there was a buzz outside the classroom, Take your stuff and leave.

Now thatwas intense, said Wolf as soon as they got out of the classroom.

His hands had been shaking too much for him to pack his own stuff and he couldnt evenuse his ability anymore because of the shock he had felt and still did at the things Ryan had told

them all. Cain had been there, together with Logan, and had helped him to put on his bag andguided him out of the room and though there was fear making his heart curl, he still tried to crack

a joke to which neither of them laughed.

Do you think its true? asked Logan suddenly, and, as they both looked confused, he

rolled his eyes and said, You know, your ability secrets thing. It doesnt seem so. I think he just babbled and all that, he moved over as they made their way to their next class. I mean,

Alexei? Whos Alexei? I bet he made that name up just to sound cool, muttered Logan,running his hands through his hair with a huff and rolling his eyes at the lack of encouragement

of the two.

Look, I think it is Wolfs decision whether to believe it or not and no, dont interrupt meor I will slap you, said Cain harshly to Logan, making him shut his mouth, before continuing,

You dont have that ability, I dont have that ability, he haves it and he will believe what hewants. Its his choice.

They both turned to the younger twin, who clutched the strap of his bag tightly, just so

they couldnt see his hands trembling because of the fear which bubbled now even more into hischest as if he was a star and he was going to implode at any seconds. Then, on a soft, low, andmaybe too calm for what he felt tone, he spoke.


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Seems real enough for me.

Mr. Morgan? Mr. Morgan!

What?

It took him a while to focus his gaze on the teacher, who looked as unhappy and angry as

one could; the way she stared at him made him clear his throat and shift uneasily on his chair,only then realizing that the whole class was staring at him. From smirks to horrified looks

thrown at him, he could notice ironic curls of the lips and raised eyebrows. He had no idea whathed done, but when he noticed the chalk floating allof the chalk floating and blinked.

Oh, sorry.

The chalk landed safely back on where it was supposed to be and he looked up at theteacher, flashing one of his bright, puppy smiles. It died down almost immediately when the

woman wrote something on a piece of paper while talking:

Detention, Friday, Morgan. A good start at this school, isnt it? she said on a sicklysweet tone and Wolf found himself scrunching his nose up in disgust.

The day had really started nicely. Really smooth, really amazing, really everything you

could say he had discovered that he was slowly going to be mental because of his mutation andhe was still panicking every time he thought about it, and now, he had gotten detention! The

worst part was when Icedude laughed ironically from the front of the class and bent down to

whisper something to the one sitting next to him, who shot a strange glare to Wolf. He leanedback and down into his seat as much as he could, hiding his face behind the open laptop, but hecalmed down a little when Cain patted him on the back reassuringly.

He couldnt recall making the chalk float; he couldnt manage to bring the effort back. Itwas always a little bit hair to control things and he needed to focus, but while he had raised the

chalk unconsciously, he hadnt felt any rush of energy or any vigor slipping away from him.Were the secrets beginning to be revealed? Was he beginning to be bad? His mind was beginning

to sound a little bit like the fifth book from the Harry Potter series and even though he had reallyenjoyed the book, it was too much angst for his own liking.

Perhaps it had just happened. An accident, only an accident; though he felt like he neededto be worried, as he cast a glance to Logan, who was silently typing, he felt relief make the panicbubbles burst and disappear. Either way, if he had done it on purpose or not, at least he knew that

his brother was going to be with him and help him through all those secrets. They were brothers,twin brothers after all, werent they? And twin brothers always stuck together until the very end.


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You already got detention, said Cain as they rushed down the hall to their next class.He seemed both amused and worried at the same time, a glimpse in his eyes showing that he was

concerned about the way Wolf only looked at his own shoes. What happened?

Wolf mumbled something under his breath and the three of them halted. Waves of people

passed by them and they did nothing to go forth, standing there next to the youngest of the twins,who seemed close to breaking down because a reason neither Logan nor Cain knew. Wolf felttheir stares fixed upon his head and looked up, striking them with identical glances, before

gazing back down and breathing in slowly. He seemed as though he was trying to say something,but he couldnt, because he could not find the words he needed to express what he was feeling.

I dont know what happened with the chalk thing today, he admitted at last, biting his

lip slightly. I didnt notice it float. I think its happening, he added more quietly, barely awhisper.

Whats happening? asked Logan, his confused expression identical to Cains.

The secrets, whispered Wolf, moving closer to his brother out of instinct. What if thatpart of my brain is beginning to show up? Maybe theres a glitch in my brain and its all starting

because Ryan told us about this power and

Calm down, said Cain, and frowned. Youre okay. Youre not trying to kill us orwhatever. You arefine.

Though Wolf wasnt agreeing with Cain at all, he shrugged slightly and then nodded,disapproval shining in his eyes, even if he was trying to hide it as much as he could. His mind

was fixed on the fact that, perhaps, his brain was beginning to shut down. At least the part of the

brain which he could still control. Perhaps the part which was still wild and unknown to him wasof course beginning to be bigger and bigger, just as Ryan had told him, and he was beginning tonot be able to control it at all. Thus the chalk, thus the fact that he couldnt remember how he had

made it float, thus the everything and the fuzziness going through his brain. Or maybe he wasgoing mental and he couldnt remember anything at all but the facts that the teacher had told

him, and which he had written down on his laptop his mind had written them down on hislaptop, since he had been too busy to think and freak out on the inside to do anything but gulp

down and breathe heavier because of the panic curling his rib cage and pressing his lungs andprobably, the latter was the cause.

He was going mental, and he knew it.

Yet, the fact that he knew that he was mental wasnt stopping him from opening the

Word document in which his mind had written the important things about his ability. Just as hescrolled down after the first three paragraphs, the thing he saw made his breath hitch

thisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntrealthisisntreal


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He couldnt remember writing that down. He couldnt remember writing anything of theparagraphs down about his mental mutation, yet he could recall Ryan talking about every single

word except the sentence which made no sense. He scrolled down even more and saw paragraphs, coherent paragraphs which actually were grammatically correct and not just three

words written so many times he was beginning to question if the words were typed correctly or

not.

This isnt real.

Maybe it was just a stupid joke pulled by his brother, maybe it wasnt, maybe it was a

stupid joke pulled by his own brain, maybe it was just an illusion. None of the options his brother, his mind, even Cain seemed real. They seemed as unreal as shadows at night and

creaks from the floor were; but as he re-read the words, the world seemed to turn upside down.Whatwasnt real? Who wasnt real? He had no idea how to ask himself the question because he

didnt know what this was. A human, maybe, a memory, maybe, the world he was living in,maybe, but the last one seemed to have such high improbability he cut it off right away and

threw it into a corner of his mind.

He wasnt going to take any decisions about who or what was not real. Improbablity,

probability, those words made no sense in his mind as he closed the Word windows while thePhysics teacher passed by and pretended to listen. But he wasnt listening because his brain

didnt allow him and sure enough, he was concerned by other things rather than listening to theexplanations of the professors from the first day of school. It wasnt normal to be taught stuff

from the first day of school, or thats how it was in his mind; at his old schools it had never beenlike that, but who cared? He, for instance, he didnt and still didnt know why he was thinking

about such ordinary things when he had to ponder about others.

Such as his mind.

Was his mind pulling jokes on him or whatsoever? Was it trying to convince him thatnothing was real in order to take over his thoughts and make him do crazy, unimaginable things?

He thought so. And he took care of it in an instant. He simply stared ahead, not even hearingwhat his brother was answering to a question and the laughter which followed, and began

creating barriers around his mind.

It was a hard and slow process. He needed to visualize each single barrier as a metal,

before surrounding his own mind with it. He wanted to make it unbreakable from inside out andfrom outside in, because he wanted to block all the concens outside and if it was for the

madness to break into his thoughts, he was going to slowly make his way out and to the outsideof the barriers, letting the insanity rot inside it. It was like a game of hide and seek, in which he

feared the moment the other part of his mind was going to find him, because he knew what washappening.

The process was slow because he didnt want to block all of his ability outside. He

wanted it inside the barriers, he wanted himself to be strong and not worry about using hismutation without realizing it, and just as he was trying to figure out a solution, the first walls


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broke down as his focus went to hell when he felt the quick blow in his shoulder. Groaning onthe inside in frustration, he shifted on his chair to look at the back of the class they had moved

to the front, where there were seats available, though neither of the three had really wanted togive up the safety of the back of the room, but it was full there, every single desk occupied and

noticed Icedude waving at him in his stupid way, with a smirk on his face.

Wolf really wanted to punch him, but he was too far away, so he just waved his hand andsnickered as the books smacked him in the head. Cain gazed questioningly at him, but he said

nothing and just grinned back while turning attention the blackboard on which were writtenthings he had unconsciously typed down into the laptop. His grin vanished when he noticed that

his concentration had slipped away just like water through his fingers and he clenched his fists.

He really hated when someone interrupted him from doing what he did best: thinking.Just like his brother hated being told that he was too much of a pyroman and that he deserved to

be thrown into a pool full of ice. Not that somebody had told him that before except Wolf, buthe had thought that but he was sure Logan was going to get pretty annoyed.

There was another buzz and he leapt to his feet, stuffing his things into his backpack witha glance as he checked the class list Cain had given them. They were going to lunch he heard

Logan murmur something excitedly as he read the list over his brothers shoulder and Wolf felthim place his chin on his shoulder and then they had Physical Education. Two hours. And there

was a smaller note written next to it which explained what they were going to do: fight. Fighting.For a second, Wolf thanked whoever was up in the sky guiding them that he had accepted to

fight with his brother for several weeks in the back yard to train for whatever they were going toencounter at the school. And they had had a great idea.

Im going to be sore for the next weeks, complained Logan as soon as they were

heading to their dorms, rubbing his bruised arms. That kid made of metal crushed me.

You tell me? asked Cain. He was limping slightly and could barely feel his right leg

after he had been almost killed by a flying dinosaur. I think my legs broken or something, headded, wincing slightly as he let himself fall into an armchair. That freaking kid transformed

into a dinosaur just to make fun of me.

Wolf was silent. Yes, he had bruised ribs and he couldnt feel most of his left arm and hewas probably sure that he had a blackeye, though neither his brother nor his best friend wanted to

tell him if he did or not, but he didnt say anything. He was moving slowly and he grimacedslightly while sitting down and leaning on his back, because it hurt so badly he could barely

breathe properly while motioning; but he was also thinking about something else.

They had been all and he was serious afraid to fight him. He had won several timeswithout even moving from where he was standing, but the last time, he had woken up squishedagainst the wall, feet away from where he was supposed to be, and barely able to inhale or

exhale. It hadnt been pleasant, it hadnt been fun, but for those in the class had been probably


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amusing. They had laughed as Cain had rushed to his side after he had slid down and onto thefloor, before blacking out again.

He had only woken up five minutes before the class ended and he had watched silently

Logan fight with the metal boy, who crushed him as if he was a bug. The teacher hadnt said

anything, and now, as Wolf frowned at his knees once more, he decided that it had been unfair.Why pair someone who could use fire with someone who was made out of a metal which couldbe only won against if one was like Magneto or could crumple him with his mind?

Wolf? Are you okay?

He barely heard Cain and looked up in surprise when he patted him on the knee. Hm?

Are you okay? You dont seem with your mind here, said Cain. He actually seemedworried and Wolf pondered for a second the possibility of lying and saying that he was funy; but

he knew that Cain was going to somehow see through his lie.

Not really.

His tone was neutral and he looked another way while answering, only realizing that it

wasnt that great to look away from someone while saying a half-lie. The real answer wasprobably in between I am angsty, I cant breathe, my back hurts and Im so worried of what my

mind can do and Im going to lie just to save you from being worried because you lost yourbrother and I think I know how much that would hurt, sorry for lying. Of course, he wasnt able

to settle between one and he just simply said not really, not expressing what he felt at all, butjust trying to be fair to both him and Cain.

Youre thinking about the secrets, arent you? asked Logan quietly, leaning to hisbrother. Listen, we dont care if youre going to transform into a killing machine.

Like you would be able to do so after I accidentally murder you, replief Wolf on thesame neutral tone, though there was a little moment of hesitation before saying the word

murder. I dont want any of you to die for me or something.

You sound so angsty, said Cain, rolling his eyes, but he still kept his hand on Wolfs

knee, which was rather calming. Listen, well always be here. I know you for one day, really,but youre you two are one of the nicest persons Ive ever met. Ill stick with you like glue to

fingers, he added hastily, shifting his position and taking his hand away from Wolfs knee.

And I dont think youll be able to catch me, Im too fast for you.

Really, Wolfie, said Logan after he chuckled at Cains words, Well support you. Just

dont get mental and yelling at us. Dont close yourself in, itll just be worse.

Promise? asked Wolf after a moment of hesitation, his heart beating a little faster thanbefore.


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Promise, said the other two at the same time and, as Wolf extended his hand fo

wolf, wolverine, and a canary

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