A secret is only a secret until it's told to a second person.

A phrase that I heard all the time as I grew up.

It started off as a lesson at night from my dad but eventually became a common saying among the Archers.

Yet, here he stood. The man who thought twice before he spoke. The man that would selfishly put his family before mankind any day.

He was an apex. The pieces of his image in my mind as my father began dissecting until it shaped into one of a stranger.

By the look of despair on his face, I could tell, he knew what an apex was. He knew much more that.

He stared at me now. An apologetic smile stretching across his lips. "Burn, you should never be ashamed of who you are!"

Soldiers collapsed in an attempt to grab his hands as he screamed across the court. "You're more special than you'll ever know! And- and they're afraid of you because of exactly that-"

Suddenly, as the soldier smashed his fist into dad's face, his face broke into a smile. His hand retracted from my father's nose and sat on to the ground, smiling like an idiot to his himself.

A soldier that stood at the gate, with a dull skull mask, shook into realisation and pointed the gun that wrapped over his shoulder to my dad.

"Daddy, watch out!" I screamed, running to tackle him down.

As the bullet escaped the gun, it shot through the air and hit through the exact spot where he was standing earlier.

Mum had pulled dad out of the way just in time. My body shook violently with relief as I heard a groan approach from the soldier that I was charging towards.

When it was too late, he turned his head towards me as I smashed my knee into his stomach. Only, if I can get my hand on that button to shoot this brat-

I kicked it out from under him and looked towards my parents, just in time to witness several soldiers charging towards dad but sitting like an idiot on the floor one after the other.

How's that psycho doing that? My mind now had similar thoughts that flooded in from the soldier.

Dad snatched mum around the wrist and sprinted over the chairs, towards me. "Mommy, daddy!"

My hand crashed around their shoulders as they fell into my arms. "Dad, how did you do that?"

As I looked over their shoulders I realised that the judge was missing, assuming she was probably taken from her seat as soon as the first shot was fired.

My father ran his fingers through my hair as he spoke gently, "I tried so hard to keep you away from this world- to protect you. Your world separate from mine."

"Mum, what's he talking about? Did you know?"

"Honey, I married this man knowing what he was," her voice came steadily.

The flood of thoughts that poured into my mind from their minds was snatched away as they pulled back.

"I can control feelings- that's my 'superpower' as an apex," he added, probably witnessing an ugly baffled expression forming on my face. "Seems like you got it too."

"How do you do it-"

Bethany's voice interrupted me. "Sorry to break up the family reunion but if we're ever to leave, it's now."

I shot my parents a feeble smile as I picked up the gun that lay by my foot. We ran out of the room and I counted our heads. Eleanor, Tyson, mum, Sebastian- his hair looks amazing sitting like that- and dad.

There was sure to be an emergency lockdown across the building. I also realised that the others had also hit some other soldiers and now held guns.

"This way," I announced as I recalled the memory from Raven's-

Shit, shit, shit. I had to tell Sebastian about what I saw because he might never see his brother again.

But what would I tell him? That I can hear people's thoughts and their memories-

Suddenly dad pulled me by the shoulders towards him as the others disappeared behind the next wall. "Burn, if I don't make it out of here alive-"

"No, daddy, please don't say that," I replied as I slapped my hand over his mouth.

"No- I need you to hear me out," he said, peeling off my fingers. "If I don't make it out of here alive- Burn- don't ever tell anyone about the extent of your powers."

"Promise me that it's a secret you won't ever tell anyone."

I bit down on my lip. "I promise, daddy."