My Sister, Skylar

Seventeen

While they sat at the park edge, Leigh looked up at Six. When he didn't think anyone was watching him, he seemed way softer. He looked a whole world away from this one. She wondered where his head was. What was he thinking about?

"What was your life like? Before... well, you know," Asked Leigh. Six shrugged, looking left and right before answering.

"I don't really remember much. I mean, I was taken when I was four. I remember..." He stayed quiet for a moment. "I remember my grandparents. I called them Nan and Pa. She was always kind and sweet, but also cold and strict. Pa was always laughing about something. He always snuck me chocolate..." Six stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his grey eyes staring into the distance, into a past that was filled with nice things. 

"My father was just like Pa, only Pa was always nicer. And Father was always working. Mother was always baking, so the house always smelled like something fresh and delicious. I had an older cousin who was like a brother to me. His name was Carlos. He was fourteen. And good. So good. He was almost like Pa actually. And I had a friend... her name was Sadie. We called her Tigger. She was five. We did everything together... I remember we had a stream and a clearing in the woods we would go to." Six's words got quieter and quieter until she had to lean into him to hear him. His whisper was like the breeze, gentle and waving.

"I miss her. And Carlos. And Pa, Nan, Mother, Father... we had a dog. His name was Scraps. And cats. An endless amount of cats - so many we couldn't even name them anymore!" He smiled, but it was sad and distant. 

Leigh hugged his arm, trying her best to comfort him. 

"I'll bring you back. I promise. You'll see them all sooner than you think!" 

Six beamed at her, a twinkle lighting up his shining eyes. 

"That would be... the best thing ever!" 

"When we travel back home to Jasper, we'll take you back home," Leigh promised. Six gave her a small smile. 

"Thank you," He whispered to her. Leigh bumped her shoulder against his. 

"Of course."

Silence stretched over the again, but it was comfortable. Twelve lay on the grass, hand over his stomach, eyes moving rapidly left and right. He was looking for her friends, and that comforted Leigh. It felt good to know someone else was doing it instead of her. 

"Six," Leigh started. "Can I ask you some questions? About the powers."

"Sure, Leigh. What do you want to know?"

"I know I can only mimic others peoples powers. Does that mean I'm as powerful as they are, or less?" She flipped her long hair behind her. 

"Hmm." Six didn't answer for a long time. "It kind of depends on the situation. The more danger, the more adrenaline feeds your power."

"So your power feeds of adrenaline?" Leigh asked, furrowing her brow. 

"Yes and no. I mean, if you have superpowers, so to speak, you have them. The more you practice, the more you refine them. However, adrenaline works for it like it works in a situation where you might need it. When you're panicked, you use adrenaline to keep yourself safe, right?"

"Right."

"Exactly. So in a way, the more dangerous the situation, the more adrenaline is used, the more powerful you could be. This works especially for mimics."

"I see," Leigh responded, thinking on this. 

"Now I have a question about the guards at the Facility, and the kids. Why don't they just plan a mass breakout? And why do the guards... keep their own kind trapped?" 

"Good question. See, the guards get perks if they keep us trapped. They get literally anything they want. And lots of money. And they're brainwashed. As for the kids... it would be really hard to plan a breakout because you can't really talk to each other, unless you're cabin-mates. And there's this fence... this electric fence. It keeps us in, because once you touch it, it could kill you, or suck your powers away. It would take many or some very powerful Electricity Twists to take it down. And... when the guards think the kids are getting too... rebellious the fence can take away everyones power for a while. It's scary. It kills some of the weaker ones."

Leigh thought about that. There was one more thing that was bothering her...

"This whole thing with the Facility confuses me. I mean, there's got to be Electricity Twists, and all sorts of things, so why can't they break themselves out? Sorry, I'm just curious. I mean, obviously, you broke yourself out..."

Six shifted for a minute before answering. "It's difficult to explain unless you know what I'm talking about. See, they've got this system. The powerful ones, the ones that could actually break themselves out, are considered Superiors. They are to set an example, and each Superior has one Minor attached to them. A Minor is someone with a weaker power. Normally, the attached Minor is a relative, a sibling, cousin, best friend, lover and so on. Anyone you've known in your past life, before you were taken. The Minor and Superior are supposed to become close, an inseparable bond. This way, if one tries to escape or misbehave, the other will get punishment."

Leigh let the words play around in her mind. What kind of a grotesque system was that?!

"See, my Superior died a while back. I was about to be signed with Nine, so I had to escape quickly, while I didn't have a Minor or Superior. Nine didn't have a Superior or Minor for a long time, because they couldn't classify her as either. But because she is so powerful, and all the other kids love her, they made her the overall Superior. Meaning that most punishment would fall on her. If she tried to escape, the rest of the kids would die. That's why she sent me instead. She couldn't break out if it meant killing the rest of kids."

Six glanced up at Leigh then, at her horrified face. How could this happen? To Skylar, her own little sister...

"Leigh," Six said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok. We're going to get her back, ok?" 

She nodded. "I'm just thinking about that system... that's awful."

"I know." Six leaned on forward on his legs again, a deep thoughtful look mesmerizing his eyes. 

"Six?"

"Yeah?"

"Who was your Superior?" 

He went silent.