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A Matter of Trustmature

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My brain was fuzzed. Apex and Visp had been taken away on stretchers, and Lorrie had gone to her room. I had no idea where Taimone was, but I planned to have a serious word with him. 

We won, yes, but the only good thing that came out of that was our lives. Seriously, killing other kids who are just the same age as me made me feel ill. I know they were trying to kill us too, but that's because they didn't want to die either. For me, it was a lose-lose situation, whether anyone survived or not. It was the worst thing I had ever had to do in my life, and it sickened me to think that this was what I would have to do if I wanted to live. 

Taimone was right, this place was dangerous, I should never have come. And that was another thing - Taimone. My own brother who I admired and looked up to turned out to be one of the bad guys. I didn't know what to do: go with the other guys because they were right, or support my brother because... well, he's my brother. That second option seemed pitiful, but when it came to my family, I would get very defensive. An option between the right thing, and what could be classed as betrayal.

And then my powers. During the match, I had helped Lorrie snap an opponents neck, and I hadn't even meant to do it. It hadn't been rehearsed, but I guessed everyone else had just accepted it as some sort of lucky impulse. It felt weird. I had no idea what I was doing until after I'd done it, and I wasn't even sure what I'd done. People seemed to think it was a kind of hypnotism, but I had this niggling feeling that it wasn't. I would stick to that feeling; I didn't want anyone I cared for getting hurt by something that I couldn't control.

The time control was a one-time thing. It had  worked the necessary way in combat, although in the brief moment I had got alone in the training area, I discovered that I couldn't control this power to save my life. Ironic figure of speech, but there it is. It seemed as though if I wasn't in dire need, when I stopped time it literally stopped for everyone else except me. When I figured out how to restart it, nobody noticed that anything had happened, and they continued like time hadn't been stopped at all.

The only thing I could do properly was project thoughts into people's minds and, to be honest, I didn't think that was the most helpful.

Shaken by what I had just witnessed and caused, I managed to drop a whole tray of cups of tea on the short walk to the table. It spilled everywhere, scolding my leg as it splashed, and the cups shattered into what seemed like a million pieces.

"Are you all right?" Taimone was at the kitchen door. I wondered how long he had been standing there. 

"Yes I'm fine," I responded hastily, dropping to the floor to clear up the mess I had made.

"No you're not," he said, spotting my practically unconcealed lie instantly.

I didn't reply while I wiped the floor and collected up the shards of porcelain onto the tray. Then I stood up, placed the tray next to the sink and moved my hair out of my face. "Yes I am."

He looked me squarely in the eye. "You have blood on your face," he noted, striking the nerve I had been trying to avoid. 

"I know I've got blood on my face!" I exclaimed. "Of course I've got blood on my face! I just &^!*ing killed loads of innocent people, and you're just casually pointing out that their  lifeblood is smeared on my cheek!?"

"Like I said," there was a trace of amusement on Taimone's features, but other than that he responded to my outburst rather calmly. "You're not fine."

I gritted my teeth and picked up a cloth, wiping the stain from my face, at which point Lorrie walked in. She didn't say anything, but immediately noticed the tension and left quickly.

"No," I said quietly. "No, I'm not fine."

"Why would she be fine?" Visp asked, taking a biscuit fro the packet and stuffing it whole into his mouth. He had recovered quickly. "What?" He swallowed. "I'm starving, OK?"

Taimone walked over to me and wiped away a spot that I'd missed. "There. Nothing to remind you now." 

Visp frowned as he watched this happen, then said, "As I was saying, why would she be fine?" he turned to me. "I'm sorry, but your brother is evil. And what's more, he has you wrapped around his little finger."

"He isn't evil," I mumbled, not sure how true that sentence was.

"Yes he is," Visp insisted. 

"Listen to Arianne," Taimone nodded. "I know her, and she knows what she's talking about. She knows people, and she knows me. She's not stupid."

"Arianne, think about it," Visp urged. "He's on the bad side, he doesn't care. If you had died in that battle he wouldn't have given it a second thought."

"He... he would," I said. "He would have cared."

"Of course I would have cared!" Taimone exclaimed, stepping in front of me. It sounded truthful, and I was ready to believe it. "She's my little sister! How could you even suggest something like that?"

"Arianne, listen to me. If he cares about you so much, why would he have let you fight in the first place? Think about it, he's working with them. I'm pretty sure he could have got you out of it somehow."

"Ignore him, sis. He's just trying to turn you against me. Remember what I said about them not knowing?"

I nodded, and then shook my head. Why was I always stuck in the middle?

Visp looked at me. "I think you should go now. If I hurt your brother I don't want you to see it."

Then Lorrie walked in and took my arm, leading me out of the room before I could object. "I wouldn't take what he said literally," she told me. "He's just annoyed. None of us like this."

I opened my mouth to say something to her, but instead I burst into tears.

The End
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Author guidance for This exercise

chimerakiller2 topic for story exclusive only to authors involved or potential authors. Thank you.
http://www.protagonize.com/group/collaborative-corner/topic/5357

Apex Runiake
Age:19
appearance: After treatment his hair went a mettalic silver, and his eyes a fury orange. Before hand he had blond hair and honeybrown eyes. Is slim with a nice muscle tone, however he packs more punch then what he is capable of. Stands at five foot five. Wears a torn red coat that is as low as his ankles, with light armour on the arm and shoulders. Black shirt, shorts and shin pads. Is tanned and has a small amount of oriental heiritage.
Power: Explosions, Flash agility( literally will be rate in front of you then behind in you in the blink of an eye)Ice ( he is horrible with since this is on the lower range of his abilities but can form weapons with it)
History: His father worked to help build the colony and was paid very little, his mother commited suicide shortly after they began living on mars. Grew up on the slums and had got into multiple fights with the richer kids, the reason that he hungers for power is because he wants to protect his friends. Didn't do that well at school.-chimerakiller2

Name: Lii Rohan
Age: 17
Appearance: hip-length, electric blue, hair which is wavy and falls into tight curls at it's tips. Pitch-black eyes. Around 153cm tall(SHORT), curvy and slim. Despite her lazy-looking appearance, she's an incredibly fast short-distance runner. Usually wearing a white tank top, black knee-high socks, denim shorts and nike hi-tops. Never ties her hair back. She's a slacker by nature, but can be helpfull when she wants to be. Sucks at endurance, but is ridiculously amazing in a 5 minute space - after that her energy is drained.
Power: 5-minute-superhuman adrenaline rush(like, impossibly strong and fast.), human electricity-conductor(can absorb for power and use for defence or attacks).
History: Average middle-class family, intelligent but lazy. She wanted something exciting to happen in her life, for her existence to actually mean something of importance to the world. She was, simply put, incredibly bored! - Ichigoringochan

Lorander 'Lorrie' Snow
Age: 18
Appearance: Before the change her hair was blank but after it becomes so impossibly black it makes people not even able to comprehend its existance. Her eyes are a silvery grey where as before they were dull. Her skin is pale and she has a scar on her stomach from her belly button round to her left hip, no one knows how she got it. She looks small and fragile but she knows how to fight dirty.
Personality: She is quiet and barely talks usually yet she has a fiery temper. If someone attacks her or someone she loves she'll fight back. She is very loyal and only trusts people she knows are trust worthy. She can read people like a book.
Powers: She has hypnotism which is partly linked to the fact she can see what someones gonna do before it happens (but not immediatly before) and how see can hear peoples thoughts (which drives her nuts since sometimes if she's stressed she cant turn it off. Also it gives her headaches). She has telekinesis but its weak because it depends on her strength of will (she can only use it when she's angry).
History: She lived a guarded life yet when her parents started fighting she ran away and ended up fighting in the slums. She was originally thought as a rich kid but after a fight with Apex she changed sides becoming part of his group of friends. She has some feelings for him and when he went missing to Powers Incorporated she ended up going after him. -Crystalrose

Name: Visp
Age: 17
Appearance: A tall male standing at 6' 4'' with short kinda spiky white hair, and green eyes. He looks like you average human being, and well he is... almost.
Powers: He is your modern day Jedi-Master (didn't see that coming did you :D) For this setting he wont have a lightsaber, but is very much in control of the force. Both sides. Want to know the full extent of his powers? Watch Star Wars. ;)
Personality: A sarcastic, mischievous teenage boy. He has a strong will, and won;t refuse a challenge no matter what the result will be.-Starwarsfreak117

Aqua Azelis
Age: 18 (she's older, but she looks 18)
Appearance: Silver blonde, siver-gold eyes, slim, 5'2", she dresses professionally, in a pressed button-down shirt and suit. Wears glasses to make her look older, pulls her hair
Power: Youth (not really a power but it's beneficial), heightened intelligence and sight. Not very violent, but they help her work
History: She doesn't talk about her childhood. She's been with the corporation for years, maybe since it started, she's also one of the first to be "powered-up" so her powers aren't very strong. Doesn't agree with what the corporation is doing with the volunteers -Mcayla

Whisper Blue
Age: 18
Appearance: Straight, bright, ash (Mixed red, grey) hair, that falls just below belly-button. Coal grey eyes. Is skinny, and regular height, approximately 5'4. She usually wears short shorts, dull colored shirts, and her hair pulled back.
Power: She can control every elements. (Rock, Water, Fire) Sometimes when she's angry with you, she can make you catch on fire, but then she'll quickly find a source of water and bring it to you.
History: Her parents died shortly after they began to live on Mars, and lived by herself for a long time. -ButterflyCourtney

Arianne
Age: 16
Appearance: A little on the short side at 5 foot 3, slim. Brown eyes. Before the transformation her hair was simply brown, long and curly. Now it's shinier, redder, and more artificially curled.
Power: Time control (which she actually can't control to save her life) and speaking into people's minds. She also has a strange third power which she picked for the colour of the label and which no-one can seem to work out. It makes people blank out and stare at her, and it happens completely spontaneously, but doesn't seem to do much else really.
Personality: Is generally sweet, but can sometimes get very defensive of her family and people she is close to. She also seems rather dopey, but that's mainly when she's nervous. She looks up to her brother, Taimone, and aspires to be like him, but this just normally annoys him. -AutumMay

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