All of her parents clothes were in there and had remained frozen in time like the rest of the house. She crawled over the shoes and got behind her dad’s old guitar to a small hatch that was hidden in the back. She lifted it up and it dropped into a chute. She fit her small body into the chute and dropped down. She slide along to the entering door to a hidden fallout shelter. It was made about a hundred years before during the Cryptic Crisis War. Most houses had them for when the Cryptic terrorists attacked either with nuclear weapons or if they invaded the city. It was so long ago but the effects still could be seen on the earth. The world government was able to finally able to rid the world of the terrorist group, but not after the thirty years of horror they brought to the earth. Their was not one part of the world left untouched or that did not have members of the vile group, but through unknown means they were exterminated from the planet. For almost the last hundred years the world has lived in peace, but in total ignorance of what exactly happened with the war.

She approached the thick metal door. The material was unknown to her, but she knew that it if a nuclear bomb was dropped on top of it no damage would be done. She gave a eye scan to open the barrier. She remembered so long ago when her parents added her eye to the memory of the security system. They told her only to enter if it was an emergency. She considered this an emergency. She entered the dark chamber. The large door shut with a thud leaving her in the pitch black area. A couple dim lights shot on in the small room.

"Decontamination Activated."

The computer announced. A high pitch shocking sound floated around the room killing all contaminants.

“I wonder if she’s here.”

“She wouldn’t come back here.”

“This is pointless.”

She ran to her bedroom door, cracked it open, and peered out. Down the staircase she could see a couple of government agents in there black suits. They walked silently through the house with there guns held ready to shoot. Thinking quickly, Teli crept out of the door and while they went into the kitchen and study areas, she flew with out a sound down the hall. She made her way to her parent’s room. As soon as she was safely inside and the door shut without noise. She headed straight to the wardrobe. She climbed inside and shut the door softly.

She broke into a run while shaking her head more trying to get the memories out of the brain. She reached her bedroom and slammed the door closed after her as she had done so many times in the past. Her room remained as it was when she was taken away. Her bed was neatly made. Her toys were picked up the only thing out of place was the papers that lay strewn near her desk where they grabbed her and took her from. On top was the picture she had been drawing. It was of a bird sitting on the blossoming tree outside her window. That tree was now barren dieing. The memories rushed back to her. She ran into her bed falling on the oddly clean yellow quilt that covered the soft bed. She put her face into the pillow and started to cry. She could not stop the feelings, the emotion. It had wanted to come forth for so long, but she had withhold it, but now there seemed to be no reason to contain it. She lay in silence crying into her pillow until she heard the front gate rattle a bit. Teli jumped to her feet as she heard faint voices in her mind.

She stood for a while staring at the death place of her parents. She did not know what she was looking for. Maybe to fill the emptiness she felt inside or to find something that was calling her. She crept slowly through her house. It was recognizable. She had known every inch and crevice of the house. She searched for her unknown objective. The kitchen was left spotless. There was an odd lack of dust in the house. The years of old of food were left in its place, but nothing was rotten. It remained as if it was bought from the grocery store the day before. If she didn’t know better she could swear she could smell the scent of fresh cookies in the oven. She shook her head and headed out towards the old staircase. Her mind was playing tricks on her as she climbed the stairs. She could here the sounds of her father’s music being played from her father’s study.

The blood stains remained in there place almost showing her the outlines of where her parents had been killed. Death meant something to her now. Though only twelve years of age, she understood a lot maybe even more than she should have. She had been the inadvertent cause of a couple deaths in the institute, but there was no effect on her from those. A couple of sparks here and there from her strange “disease” as they called it caused a couple of times lethal harm to those who surrounded her. She did not care really. Her brushes with death didn’t stop there. Her mind was a playground for the spirits. They haunted her. The more she resisted their presents the more they would taunt her. She had grown accustomed to their presence. Rarely would they get out of hand, but when they did strange things would occur.

“Mommy!” The six year old petite girl screamed at her parent as she was carried down the stone pathway towards the gate by to strange men.

“Teli! No! Please bring my baby back!” Her mom yelled giving futile attempts to break the hold another man had on her.

“Listen here! You have no right to take our child. I do not care what you found or believe. She is our daughter.” Her bound father’s words did not go unheard, but the men did not listen. Teli’s cries echoed.

“We will get our daughter back! I promise you if I have to hunt you all down myself!”

“Daddy!!” Teli’s voice was drowned out by the sound of the gun shots. She watched as his lifeless form was allowed to fall to the dusty ground. Tears streamed down the little girls face. She didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, but she knew it was bad. Death was something she had yet to comprehend.

“Trent! Please! Don’t do this! Just let us live in peace.” Her mother’s plea reached her ears, but the man’s reply was covered by his fatal shots.

Feelings filled the small six year old, Emotions that she couldn’t explain. It was like jumping into a pool of ice water naked. She felt as if all the joy in the world was ripped from her soul. It was as if she could never be happy again. She stared a little while at the still forms of her parents before they took her out of the gate.

She was close now. The rain soaked her clothes, but any sense of care was not shown on her face. A tranquil breeze bit at her frozen body, but she continued to her destination. A house at the edge of the main road stood in all its majesty. The gate in front of the mansion was locked shut and the chain that was used was rusted and weatherworn. The stone fences that surrounded the site were vine covered. The ancient house appeared to be in a hole in time, held in place by the hands of time itself. It was almost the same way she had left it six long years ago.

Chapter 1

“In International news, a Boy from the United States in the state of Illinois was found miraculously alive after the Light rail system he was traveling on, malfunctioned and exploded causing the deaths of nearly 150 people. There were no other survivors reported. Medics and scientists are baffled that the 17 year old boy was found in the wreckage without injury. “

Teli listened to the news through a shop window. She shook her head at the almost unbelievable report. The day was a dreary gray with a slight drizzle. She walked through the damp streets of the wispy town. The walkways were empty of all usual pedestrians. Only the occasional car would pass by. She remembered the cheer and happiness that was prominent in the city, but the light rain before the depending rain shower caused the townsfolk to take shelter in their homes. As Teli went towards her destination she caught an occasional person watching her from a window. When their glances met the person would hurry away from the window as if to see a monster. She was not a monster; she was just a normal girl. She didn’t harm anyone and wouldn’t do so.

Why did they stare at her? Did they recognize her? How could they? She had not been there for many years. Were they actually scared of her? Maybe it was her long midnight hair that covered her face and her oversized jacket that went over her hands and drowned most of her body that scared people.

Memories flashed through her memory as she continued walking down the avenue. She passed a bread store where she used to come with her mother. She remembered how her mother would allow her to pick out a special treat each time they went. Teli could still smell the faint waft of fresh bread and baked goods.

A thunder clap flashed her back into real life. The rain started coming down harder. It didn’t affect her pace.

Thunder crashed on the scene in the park. They were getting nowhere. She remained under the dark trees in her huddled position as a shadow like figure approached her slowly. She stared at the figure cautiously. She could hear the mud of the park suck at the approaching entities shoes.

“Teli? I am Mr. Kimbal. I want you to come with me.” The man stood over her. All she could see is a dark outline.

“Leave me be.” She whispered.

“We want to help you. Let us help you.” Mr. Kimbal tried to reason with her.

“I do not need help. I need to be left alone.” Her monotone voice died in the rain.

“Why are you angry? Why did you run away?”

“It does not matter. I am out that is what matters.”

“Do you want to hurt people?”

“No I just want to be alone, all alone.”

“If you come with me you will be alone. Do not worry.” He stretched out his long arm to her. A moment passed in the rain.

“Do not trust you. I will not go with you. I asked nicely that you leave me alone. Please obey my wishes.” The pounding of the rain surrounded them.

“Teli, please we just want to help you. “

“No!” she shrilled, her eyes burning green. The man suddenly elevated off the ground, and he let out a scream of fright. Anger shot through her veins as she stared at the shocked man hanging above her in the air. His worthless whimpering never reached her ears. The awed police force stared in silence. The moments of endless rain fall passed as if hours. The dense stillness was pierced by a sharp explosion. As Teli’s head shot a glance in the direction of the noise, the dangling man fell in a heap to the chilled earth. The remaining men were immediately occupied in a bitter skirmish with a foe unseen by the twelve year old. Without a second notion, Teli quickly slipped into the shadows of the tall trees and made her escape.

“Teli, the doctor won’t hurt you. We only want to help you.” “Ok.” A shy eight year old girl followed the old wrinkled doctor. The Doctor appeared to be a kind man, but looks can deceive. His white lab coat flowed in front of her. She looked through her black hair at the adult guiding her. The cold grabbed at her exposed ankles. Her graying white gown swished around her calves. The hall was unknown to her. The truth was that most of the places they took her were unknown to her. The echo of her bare feet slapping against the cement ground snapped at her ears. The moistness in the air clenched her lungs. A door creaked violently open in front of her. She hastily followed her guide into the room before it crashed shut. A strange fear ran through her spine. She was accustomed to fear. Things haunted her in her head. Her dreams were full of things that frightened her. She had been too many places before. Places like this one, but the feeling here was different. She was guided to a metal table in the middle of the room. The cold grew until she could see her breathe. The Doctor motioned to her to stop before she reached the table. She had time to see the usual instruments and tools on a small table next to her. She had been in rooms like these before; they would test her normal vital signs and make sure she was in good health. They did that to all the patients at the institute at least she thought they did. She was never allowed to see any of the other patients. One of the doctor’s assistants approached her and led her to the metal table. She followed directions and laid on the frozen table. The chill went through the thin gown and penetrated to her bones. That is when all went wrong. They bound her to the table. They never did that before. The metal bonds bit at her wrists and ankles. She made no sounds or movements. She allowed the fear to attack her soul. She darted her eyes back and forth trying to understand what was happening. A sharp pinch hit her arm and before she could release a gasp she was asleep

Sirens sounded announcing the approach of the police. She looked up at the lights that pointed at her.

“Leave me alone.” She said quietly.

Soon she was surrounded by a small army of police men.

“Teli, we don’t want to hurt you. Come with us and everything will be fine.” A voice boomed out.

“Just leave me be.” She whispered.

A tense silence filled the park. The hum of the lights surrounded them. The sound of the rain pounding against the metal cars almost drowned out the hum of the lights. In the silence their voices filled her mind:

“She’s going to kill us all.”

“What do we do?”

“I hope they know what they are doing.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“I want to see my family again.”

“May God bless us.”

The chattering filled her mind. All she could hear were their thoughts. They enveloped her not allowing her to escape. Not even one of her thoughts could penetrate the barrier that was created.

“Stop it! Leave me alone! Get out of my head!” Teli let out an ear piercing scream while she gripped her head in frustration.

Her violet eyes glowed strangely.

“No, I mustn’t let it loose.” She buried her frozen face in her knees again.

“Please Teli; we only want to help you.” The voice tried to convince her.

That is what they said four years earlier.

Prologue

The rain fell hard on the small form below the tree. Darkness flowed through the park. There was not a soul within eyesight. The tall trees of the park loomed in the skies like a death sentence. The usual crisp springtime wind was biting and howling. Her body was soaked to the bone. Her oversized clothes clung to her, freezing her more. Her twelve year old face was buried into her knees. Hot tears stung her eyes. She ran from the only place she called home, but it wasn’t really home. Home is a place where you can find people you love. There was no one in that institution that she loved, or that loved her. Why was she there? Why was she alive? She was there for a purpose; she didn’t want to fulfill that purpose nor did she know that purpose. The solitude shrank in around her. They were probably looking for her now. She was supposedly a dangerous being. She was just a girl. There was not anything special about her, or at least that is what she kept telling herself. She brushed her long wet black hair out of her face looking around in the darkness. Thru the haze and tears in her eyes, she couldn’t make anything out. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t find her, she told herself, and even if they did it was not like they could do much to her.

She wished she knew what to do. She had planned so carefully to get away from the place that she didn’t know what to do after. It didn’t matter, nothing did. She was free, free to do whatever she wanted, but they would do all in their power to stop her, to lock her up and never let her out, maybe even exterminate her. Death, the air was full of the essence of death.