The Pyrokinetic was out of breath, sweat dripping from her temples with the mental strain of keeping the blaze alive.

Helena was puzzled with her action. Esper minds were on a much higher standard than that of normal human’s mental capacities, yet this Pyrokinetic was acting irrationally. We’re in a potentially dangerous situation and she’s using all her Focus and mental capacity on such a useless activity. She doesn’t need to light the area now that she has an understanding of her surroundings. Hasn’t she noticed our Focus is dwindling at an unnatural rate? Every esper should know with the reduction of Focus the mental strain increases upon their psyche.

She silently let loose a soft sigh. Fantastic. I’m stuck in a room with seven children and at least one of them is an Esper, like me. Should I suggest she conserve her strength? She’s wasting an immense amount of Focus by forcing the flame. Since espers mostly use subconscious calculations to utilize their ability, she’s likely experiencing a killer migraine. The more Focus she wastes, the more the flame will drain on her cognitive ability; any more and she’ll collapse from Esper Fatigue.

Every eye in the room snapped to the blond haired boy as he squeezed the Pyrokinetic’s shoulder, just beside the neck. “That’s enough. It won’t do us any good if you faint.” His voice had calmed.

Helena kept a straight face. That didn’t seem right. First, he’s panicking like a normal kid and now he’s completely calm. A normal kid would want her to keep it lit as long as possible, no matter her strain, but he’s taken a swift turn in attitude. What’s made him change so drastically?

Her head tilted with confusion as the Pyrokinetic followed the boy’s suggestion, taking a deep breath and letting it out; the fire dwindled away. Helena frowned as darkness overtook the group again. Did she realize he’s right? And how does he know the signs of Esper Fatigue? Based on her bodily reactions?

Helena’s eyes moved to each member in the room as she traced their positions through the darkness, reading their bioelectrical activity. Why is everyone so silent? Not one of them wants to ask why we’re here, even after realizing it’s a sealed room?

The blond haired boy spoke up again, his voice calm. “Why don’t we tell each other our names?” He paused for a moment in the following silence before continuing. “I’m Tom, anyone else?”

“I’m Rean.” Said the Pyrokinetic. She was audibly panting and Helena sensed her massaging her forehead. She made a costly mistake.

The twin with long hair said. “I’m Liam. My brother’s Tacker.”

Helena’s eyes narrowed as she recognized the twitches in Liam’s heartbeat at each name said. He’s lying about both their names. That’s not something a normal kid would do. The likelihood of more espers being in the room is rising.

“I’m Tamie.” The black haired girl said with a whimper. Helena recognized her wiping away tears. Her voice also held a quiver that spoke of terror. Even her heart rate was elevated to show her panic. This seems like a normal reaction. Maybe there are average children mixed in with us.

Distractedly, the eight-year-old boy said, “Peter.” He let the statement hang and Helena recognized his heart pumping frantically.

She licked her lips. I need to stop straining my mind on bioelectrical calculations and use a little more Focus, my head’s starting to hurt. Conserving my mental strength seems like the best course of action. Using more Focus, she felt her migraine ease. That should help me last longer, but I can’t read the in-depth differences in their nervous system. I can already barely recognize the shifts in their hearts. It’ll have to do for now.

Her attention diverted when Tom’s leg struck the boy still feigning to be unconscious. That’s a violent action to take against a stranger and despite his earlier pleas.

The black haired boy grunted and growled. “Watch it, Kid!”

“Oh, so you are awake,” Tom stated dryly.

Helena shifted. At least he’d gotten the boy to quit playing dead, it was overplayed in any case.

“I am now!” The boy said begrudgingly.

“So … what’s your name, sack of potatoes?” Tom chuckled at his own joke. Tom seems to have a nasty personality. Scared of the unknown and demeaning to others. His earlier action toward Rean could have been a welcome into his inner circle.

“I’m West and watch yourself, pretty boy!” West snarled.

Tom took a step back as his heart elevated but calmed when West didn’t take action. He took a blind look around the room. “Wasn’t there another girl? A young girl with some kind of jewelry.”

Helena’s mind raced for an answer. I’m one of the youngest and most vulnerable in the eyes of the group. Plus he noticed my jewelry. Why’d he choose that way to describe me? In any case, if I want to be taken lightly, I’ll need to play the helpless child, yet that could cause its own problems. The black haired boy might also think I’m smarter than my age entails and conclude I’m an esper. If he comes over to inspect the place I tapped, he’ll become even more suspicious.

Since heightened intelligence is a sign of an esper and espers are widely known around Elestveeve, he’ll suspect me. If he brings it up to the group it’ll raise questions, also the point that I have such precious jewelry and how I received it. Rean will probably drive the questioning forward if it’s even mentioned, but she shockingly she doesn’t seem that intelligent for an esper.

If they find out I’m an Electro Master, they’ll be frightened of me. She was told that her ability was extremely rare. Having the aptitude to manipulate electricity, electromagnetism, and magnetism frightened most people. If they found out, I’d be alienated or draw too much attention. I need to play the innocent scared child, for now, gather more information, and lie about my name; if I’m high born then someone could recognize it and it could give me a clue as to what the others already know about me.

Putting a shaky tone in her voice she replied. “I’m Janice.”

“It’s alright, Janice. We’ll get out of this place.” Tom said with a confident tone.

“Wherever this place is,” Liam muttered under his breath.

“Alright, now that we have each other’s names we should decide on rationing the food and water,” Tom said brightly while clapping his hands together. The echo hung in the air for a few seconds.

Helena didn’t trust Tom. He’s taking on a nice cheery leader-type role and separating competition. It’s not natural for a normal kid to take charge and act so quickly. He’s even decided on rationing the food. It’s too rational for the brief scared little boy he played at the start and his age.

Helena warily glanced behind her at the wall. There’s also the possibility of a mole. You can’t get all your data from camera angles and this looks very much like the survival pits I’ve read about in the Deep South, despite my ability placing me somewhere in the north.

Scarce food and water. Locked in a sealed room with strangers and to make matters worse, our Focus seems to be diminishing abnormally fast. I vaguely recall Drake training me for unexpected situations, though not exactly like this. In theory, I recall reading something similar somewhere … is this a part of his plan … I see I’m slowly gaining my memory back.

She knew human behavior was critical; people would do anything to just live another second. Putting your life in someone’s hands meant the inability to accomplish something on your own and that could be dangerous. Enter every situation with caution. Be aware of all the facts, keep alert, and your life close, because it can be snatched away at a moment’s notice. She repeated Drake’s warning he’d given during one of his lectures. How will everyone react to Tom’s take-charge attitude?

“Who died and made you the leader?” West defiantly challenged, speaking the very thoughts Helena had been thinking.

Tom let out a dreary sigh and sardonically said, “I wouldn’t consider what I’m doing leadership, but merely pointing out the obvious.”

West whispered something derisively, yet inaudible under his breath before returning back into silence. Pointing out the obvious? The obvious factor is that we’re all in a strange sealed off place with limited food, water, and air. It makes more sense to try and combine our knowledge … calm down, I need to take the hand I’ve been dealt and chosen, observe.

“I think Tom’s right.” Rean softly imposed.

Helena’s brows knitted together as she glared in Rean’s direction.

Acknowledgment? Why isn’t she tallying in some kind of snide addition to Tom’s suggestion? Is she taking his side to confirm acceptance into his group or more interested in progressing the conversation?

“Thank you, Rean,” Tom said warmly, finding her shoulder and patting it with praise.

Rean giggled nervously before saying. “I’ll try and make some light again.”

What’s with that giggle? Studying them, she bunched her lips to the side. Tom has picked his meal ticket. Rean, being the only person so far that can light the room makes her an excellent choice. She also seems fairly compliant, unless she’s planning to play him from the shadows. This entire situation isn’t rationally evident, so why is everyone acting so calm while in such a dire-looking circumstance? Tom certainly raised the red flag in her mind, but nearly everyone had an oddity that caught her interest.

“Can we get someone to determine how much water there is, while I sort through the food?”

“I can.” Tamie offered quickly, her chest had slowed dramatically and her voice was calm and collected, but her heart oddly fluttered at Tom’s voice. What’s made her attitude change so dramatically? What’s happened to the two girls? Both Tamie and Rean seem compliant to Tom.

Tom followed her voice and finding Tamie in the dark, rubbed her neck comfortingly. Tamie’s muscles trembled slightly at his touch and her heart skipped several beats. “Thank you, Tamie,” Tom said in gratitude.

Helena cocked her head in confusion.

“Yeah,” Tamie stuttered. A strange shake was in her voice that Helena hadn’t heard before. It sounded nervous, but at the same time excited.

Helena’s stomach twisted edgily. What kind of exchange was that? I can’t place my finger on it, but it gives me strange jitters. Going over the past few minutes in her head, she choreographed Tom’s movements. That’s the third physical gesture to the two girls I’ve sensed since he’s awoken. He’s by far the touchiest of the group. No other person has tried for any interactions yet. Four if you count his kick to West. Is he sincere or is there a deeper motive?

West huffed and scooted toward the wall left of Helena, away from Tom and the two girls and outside her perceptive radius. The twins followed his movements soundlessly, almost mechanically. Tom had moved the packets of food from the corner and was waiting for Rean’s light against the opposite wall to Helena.

What is happening in this room? The twins hadn’t said a word since Liam lied about their names and Peter was still silently sitting against the middle of the right wall. Why haven’t they put any input in? Maybe they’re still monitoring the situation like me? The twins might be taking West’s side since they’ve moved with him or they could just be tired? This is not playing out anything as I’d expect.

Why are the girls being so submissive to Tom? The circumstances are flowing too smoothly. Yes, everyone is confused, but that should imply more resistance than a closer bond. The girls were near Tom when I woke up and he’s touched them both. Does Tom have some kind of manipulation ability and if so, why am I not being affected? It could have to do with physical contact and that’s if he has an ability at all.

Helena pursed her lips. This is a difficult situation to fathom. I can’t understand the girls’ actions. Why can’t I figure out what’s passed between Tom and Tamie? It bugs me. Her head jerked up as Peter crawled toward her. “Mind if I sit next to you?” Peter whispered politely.

He’s making a move. Now maybe I can determine something about him. He’ll probably figure out about the fake wall panel in just a second. I should be able to get something out of this exchange. Keeping the nervous pitch in her voice, Helena said, “I don’t mind.”

Peter took a seat against the wall and lightly rapped his knuckles against the fake wall panel. A dim light filled the room as Rean’s flames once again lit in her hands. Blinking, Helena put a worried expression on her face and glanced sideward at Peter. He was grinning broadly with two gaps where he was missing teeth.

He trained his green eyes on her, his voice saturated with excitement as he whispered, “I see. You’re quite the little vixen, good instincts.” Peter said with admiration. His eyes darted back to the others but found them more interested in their personal tasks. West was studying the girls with a frown as he rubbed his hairless chin.

Vixens are female foxes. They’re fierce, clever, sneaky, wary, and crafty; often outsmarting their many dangerous predatory neighbors. So, he knows I’m smarter than I look, but he also seems vastly more intelligent than a normal eight-year-old. However, I still need to play my role. “What do you mean?” Helena asked innocently, going with the safest route.

His eyes bore into hers. “Has anyone told you—your eyes are gorgeous? Lime green, fierce, penetrating, calculating, they go well with your jewelry.” He broke away, moving toward Tamie with the declaration. “Can I help you, Tamie?”

Tamie directed a warm smile to Peter. “Thanks.”

Helena’s eyes followed Peter as he helped Tamie check the waters depth and quality. I have to assume everyone in the room is an esper at this point and especially given how Peter reacted now. It makes it all the more likely; he doesn’t have a child’s behavior or use a child’s vocabulary and he wanted to make that clear. Will he expose me to Tamie?

Her eyes moved to the twins. They seemed to be passively watching Rean’s flames, not a muscle twitching in their bodies. Could Peter have done something to them? They’re the only three that haven’t participated in the commotion with West and Tom. Both twins have had no contact and they’re passively staring into Rean’s flames as if dead.

Momentarily increasing her receptive range and strength, she eased it back. Their brain isn’t sending impulses to their muscles … how can that be? Only their vital organs seem to be functioning and at an accelerated pace. Blood is coursing through their bodies at a rapid pace, gushing to their brains. This kind of reaction is similar to an adrenaline rush, but their bodies aren’t shaking at all and their brain is a flurry of activity. The only possibility I can think of … is a Telepathic penetration; converting all their bodily functions to neural activity.

Peter might be a Telepath, which explains his early inactivity and interest in me, besides the wall. Being an Electro Master gives me a resistance against Telepaths. They can’t infiltrate my mind, while my natural electrostatic barrier is active.

Sudden images flooded Helena’s mind; the events that had transpired before she’d been knocked unconscious. She played through the event with increasing confusion:

“It’s alright Lin,” Drake had said reassuringly. Helena disliked the nickname.

A short overweight man exited the foliage and approached them. He had a round face, light skin, receding black hair, green eyes, a toothbrush mustache that sat above his pudgy lips and crushed nose.

A large white button-up shirt stretched over his body, the buttons bulging slightly to show a black tank top underneath. His lower body was covered by white thigh-high shorts and soft-sole white shoes. He was more than a little fidgety as he awkwardly approached Drake and her. His eyes darted between them. “Drake, I got your message and I’m a little stumped about the requests. I assume you’ve received the confirmation?”

“I’m glad to hear that, Ventre.” Drake said cheerfully. “I’m sure you’ll take fantastic care of her.”

The man seemed to get even more anxious. “So—how are we going to—proceed?”

Helena found issue with what was transpiring. Turning to her brother, she asked. “What’s going on, Drake?”

Drake turned to face her and placed both hands on her shoulders saying. “I love you, Lin.” She felt his right hand lift and then swiftly strike her jugular vein. Confusion was the last of her thoughts before she swayed and blacked out.

Helena’s mind raced. Drake knocked me out and apparently gave me to that man, Ventre. Obviously, it was deliberate. Is Ventre a part of a prominent House? No, I’ve never heard of him or seen his strange apparel. Has Drake given me to an enemy? If so, then there must be a reason? Helena’s eyes narrowed. I can’t determine anything with my current information. I’ll need to gather more evidence before I can make a conclusion.