“I’m done waiting,” I thought to myself, impatiently. I slowly pushed my fragile body up from the small, rotting chair that resided in the corner of my cell. As I carried myself to the jail bars, I groped the wall, trying to hold myself up enough to hobble along. As my fingers scratched at the cold, wet stone, they brushed across the tally marks I had carved in. The cellar was consumed by menacing black shadows and lacked any trace of light, but I could feel that there were over 70 little scratches sunken into the rock. I had been here for over 2 months.

Finally reaching the door, I pushed my small head through the bars as far as I could and shouted, “Ryan! You haven’t brought me anything in a week!” Tears pooled up in my eyes as I looked down at myself and noticed the transformation I had gone through. I was no longer able to recognize my sweet, melodic voice because it had been devoured by a rough, scratchy mutter. Nor I could I recognize the greasy yellow string that hung limply from my head. My ribs poked through my shallow stomach like knives, while every other bone in my body cracked slightly each time I moved. I was like glass. So thin and extremely easy to break.

My head snapped towards the doorway and broke my trance when I started hearing the distant thump of boots trod down the long staircase that led to the cellar. Ryan. I didn’t hear the swinging of the pail which always carried my rare portions of food, so I assumed that he was just coming down here to make sure I remained in my cage. He rarely came closer than 10 feet away from me. The door slammed open but Ryan quietly skulked through. “Here,” he whispered as he tossed a small piece of bread at me.

Ryan had never been abusive; he was just an extremely heartless 19 year old. He staggered about a foot over my small stature and always let his shaggy brown hair lay loosely on his forehead. Most of the time he wore his boots and an old faded pair of blue jeans, but he never took his shirt off. He always had something to cover himself up.

I slowly reached for the moldy piece of bread that had landed at my feet. Didn’t he see that I had to rage a war with my body every time I tried to move it? “When… When do I get to leave?” I whispered. His eyes shot up at me. They were bloodshot and were screaming for help saying, Let me close, I just need a rest. My suspicions told me that he stayed up each night just to make sure I didn’t try to run away. I would if I could. If I had the energy.

“Kasey, you don’t get how important you are to this whole game. If I’m right, and I suspect I am, you’re the last piece to the jigsaw puzzle,” he quietly informed me. I still couldn’t figure out what he was hinting at. What is so special about me?

“I-I don’t understand,” I replied. I looked down and started playing with the shredded rags of my shirt, but I stopped as soon as the stench entrapped in the fabric wafted up to my nose. It was putrid. I eyed him carefully as he walked right up to my cell door and sat down in front of me. It was the closest we had ever been. He watched me in return, his eyes silently instructing me to have a seat also. I did as they told me.

He reached through the bars and started playing with a string on my ripped jeans. “Tell me. Please?” I quietly murmured. I couldn’t help but notice that this Ryan was different. He was more curious and worn down. He never was this quiet. He never was this mysterious. He considered my plea until I saw his face turn 4 shades darker and his eyes narrowed into slits.

“I think your different Kasey. Other kids aren’t like you,” he replied.

“I’m not a kid,” I retorted,” “I’m 17 and much more mature than you’ll ever be.”
His eyes flashed big, red warning signs at me. I immediately shut up. “You have an important purpose. More important than you could ever dream of. I’m not the bad guy here.” I rolled my eyes. “You may have something that I desperately need.” I stared at him, confused. When he didn’t continue, I took a moment to glance around the room. If I had such importance and potential, then why was I stuck in a cellar, imprisoned by my own weaknesses? When Ryan looked at me expectantly like I knew what he was talking about, I shook my head. He sighed and began his speech once more, “You aren’t ordinary. The powers that you harness have made you, and others like you, targets; targets of bad people, Kasey. However, you aren’t supposed to know about all of this...”

Ryan stared at me, horrified. “I’ve said too much. He started shaking his head in his filthy hands and pushed himself up from the ground. As he ran around the room, slamming his fists into stone slabs, I turned my palm over and looked at the symbol that was tattooed on my hand. It was dark black and was a series of twisting, black vines. The vines all met in the center of my palm to form a jagged star. I never knew what it meant. Could this be related to what Ryan was referring to?

“Ryan.” He couldn’t hear me. “Ryan!” I tried again. He continued to run around the room mumbling about the eternal doom he had placed upon himself. “RYAN!” I bellowed, using up every last speck of energy that was left in my hollow body. He whipped himself around to face me and narrowed his eyes. I swallowed and started talking loudly and confidently. “You have to explain to me what I am. Look,” I flashed him the symbol on the palm of my hand. “Does this explain anything?”

Ryan’s eyes lit up and he began digging in his pockets. Juggling the key ring he pulled out, he placed a key into the lock of my cell and threw open the door. He snatched my hand quickly and closely examined it. His hands were rough and very large. “When did you get this?” He barked, but his eyes immediately softened.

“I’ve had it forever. Since I was a baby,” I said. He shook his head no.

“This wasn’t here before, I checked.” Giving him a confused look, I tried to shove him away from me, but I was too weak to succeed. He continued to twist and scrutinized my hand and began searching my arm for any other signs or symbols.

“There aren’t any more,” I yelled. He dropped his hands and lifted up his shirt a little. On the right side of his stomach, under his ribs, was a black tattooed symbol. I reached out and ran my fingers over the skin, tracing it. It looked exactly like mine.

“What’s going on?” I started crying. “Ryan, please tell me. I need to understand.” Instead of answering my questions, he gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the stairs. I stumbled along behind him because I was too weak to walk quickly. Noticing, he scooped me up and started up the staircase with me. I was nervous because I had never been upstairs in his house before and because he had never been so kind to me.

“Kasey. There have been a few misunderstandings between me and you, and most of all, between why you are here.”

I scoffed, “I’m here because you kidnapped me. I was living a perfectly happy life with my parents and little sister before you came along.” The rudeness seeped out of my mouth like venom. He shook his head at me sadly.

“They weren’t your parents,” he whispered, “I told you, there is so much you don’t understand, but for now, you should know that everything you have knowledge of, is a lie.”

I let a tear roll down my cheek. “Is that why…”

“Yes, that’s why you were blonde when both your parents were brunettes. That’s why they had rich brown eyes and yours were green. It’s the reason they told you that your birth certificate was lost in a fire.”

I slowly shook my head as all the differences and evidence added up. “How do you know that? All that stuff about me and my family…”

“It’s too complicated right now. However, at the time, we should shower and get you a nice fresh meal. You look malnourished,” he said nonchalantly as he picked up one of my boney arms and let it limply fall down by my side. Anger bubbled inside me. He was the reason I was like this. I want information and I want it now.

When we reached the top of the steps, he set me down and I stepped through the heavy oak door. Behind it lied a whole different world. On one long, never-ending wall, guns, bows, and spears were organized and hung up. Four targets and practice dummies fell opposite of the armory and called out for weapons to sink into their flesh. I began to walk to a large, odd looking gun to examine it when a searing pain tore through my wrist and down my hand. I shouted out in pain and collapsed on the rug near his opulent living room.

As I coughed and writhed around on the ground, I heard Ryan shout my name and slide down next to me. He leaned over me to try and grab my hand. He seemed to know that’s what was causing me tremendous agony. He looked at my palm curiously and turned it back and forth, but all of a sudden, he too cried out and started clutching his side. He fought tears back and struggled to sit up.

“Ryan!” I sniffled, “Are you okay? What’s going on?” Since when did I care if Ryan was hurt? I hated him. He kidnapped me. But he was the only one I knew of that held all of the secrets that I desired to learn. If anything happened to him, all my answers would be whisked away.

“I-I’m fine,” he grunted. Battling the pain, he reached over me once more, but he was soon defeated and he fell onto me. We both lied on the ground, slowly losing our consciousness. Before I was yanked away by the darkness, I squeezed out a few words.

“What’s happening?”

With tremendous fear in his eyes, Ryan answered, “He knows about us.”
*****************************

The steady throbbing of my heartbeat in my head caused me to slowly gain back consciousness. It was pitch black again, so I figured Ryan had tricked me and thrown me back into the cellar, but it smelled different. The aroma of decaying flesh and bones quickly woke up my nose again.

I was still severely weak, but I managed to sit myself up and watch the room spin in circles around me until I steadied myself. A big, scratchy hand clawed at my shoulder, causing me to whip around and swing. Instead of smacking someone, I was pulled back down onto my side until my vision cleared and I realized I was face to face with a chest. Ryan’s chest.

“Ryan?” I whimpered.

“Shhhhh,” he gently replied. He hugged me and told me to stay quiet. I had never felt so relieved to be near my kidnapper in my entire life.

“Where are we?” It was eerily quiet in the cage we were in. All we could hear was the slow drip drop of the water leaking from the roof.

“Listen Kasey. I’m going to explain everything to you. It’s going to be hard to understand but just listen. Ok? Everything is going to be alright.” I quickly nodded my head and buried my face in his warm body. He began his explanation.

“I’m Ryan Stratton, a Chosen. You’re a Chosen also. Chosen are part of a special organization which helps protect children who are being targeted by a man named Mortar. Around 16 years ago, Mortar created a machine, that when properly used, injected a serum into a person and would turn them into an unbelievable human life form. Mortar planned on using the machine on himself, to make himself unstoppable, as any evil villain would aspire. However, the machine exploded and sent out trails of the serum all around the world. The serum, which had a mind of its own, attached itself into young children and infants that it felt would be suitable to develop in. These children grew up unknowingly with special powers and strength that no human could possibly wrap their mind around. When the organization discovered these kinds of children, they started calling them Chosens and they were identified by the marks that were left imprinted on their skin.”

I interrupted him and questioned, “Ryan?” he gave me a look that told me to proceed. “So that symbol on my palm... it’s because I’m a Chosen?”

“Precisely,” he softly replied. “The organization has deemed that 50 kids around the world were struck with serum; however, each came in two.” I gave him a confused look as his eyes flickered down to meet mine. “All the symbols that the Chosen got, they were different,” he whispered.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” I wondered out loud. “Me and you both have the same mark…” Suddenly, it registered in my mind. “You said they came in two. Does that mean each kid that has the serum has another kid in the world that has the same mark as them? Does that mean they are paired together somehow?”

Ryan slowly nodded and his eyes scanned the dark room to make sure nobody was among us. “Each Chosen has a partner that has the same mark as them,” he explained, “However, when they find each other, it’s dangerous. The only way that Mortar can obtain the immense powers and abilities is to extract the serum from every child who ever obtained it, and that is exactly what he is trying to do. At this moment in time, every Chosen has been killed and had the serum extracted from them… Except us. The only way we were safe from being found was when we weren’t together because the serum must be taken out in pairs of kids with the same marks. Now that we are together, they were able to locate us and take us.”

I angrily pushed Ryan away from me. He stared at me, hurt. “You idiot!” I screamed.

“Shh, Kasey. Please.” He looked around worriedly.

“If you knew we would be found if we were together, why would you have kidnapped me?” I could still be perfectly happy living with a fake family that I don’t even know how I got…”

“When you started showing signs of the serum and your incredible abilities, your family… they gave you away. That’s how,” commented Ryan.

I allowed my eyes to burn holes into his. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you!”

“I took you for your safety. They were close to finding you, so I hid you were they would never look. I kept my distance from you and that’s what kept us safe for the past two months. When I carried you up the stairs because you were too weak to walk, that’s when we got too close. The physical contact led them to us. I’m sorry.”

I ran back to Ryan and hugged him as I sobbed into his shoulder. How could I have been extraordinary my while life and not known it. I never felt special. I had average grades, no talent for any extracurricular activity. When will the “extraordinary” kick in? “So now what?” I asked. Ryan rubbed my back and whispered in my ear.

“We don’t let him win.”

As I nodded in agreement, I heard a loud, unfriendly cackle echo behind me. I jumped slightly and threw my hands out in front of me. A heavy stream of light shone from my palm where my symbol was engraved. I sucked in my breath as I watched the brightness stream from my hand. I angled it around the room until the beam of light fell upon a tall, mangled scientist. He had black eyes that bore into my soul, accompanied by his stained lab coat and ghoulish appearance.

“Mortar,” said Ryan with clenched teeth. I was still fixated on my hand which continued to allow light to come forth from it. “It’s a power,” whispered Ryan as he nudged me.

“After years of hunting, I finally found the last two Chosens I’ve been waiting desperately for,” sneered Mortar. With a swipe of his hand, he transported us to a squeaky clean white lab.


“I thought he had no abilities,” I asked Ryan.

“I guess the serum from the others has been enough,” he murmured in return. I felt a weight on my back as I was pushed into a tall, cylindrical tube. I glanced to my right to see Ryan being locked into one also. Everything was happening so fast. This isn’t how it happens in the movies, I thought. Aren’t the good guys supposed to put up a fight and win? It was just minutes ago that I found out who I really was. Who Ryan really was. It can’t end now.

I looked across the room at Ryan’s tube with pleading eyes. What can we do? I wondered. “Use our powers. Together,” were the words that entered my mind. But they weren’t my words. I skeptically looked over at Ryan who smiled and nodded as if to say, “Yes, we really just communicated using telepathy.” I returned a huge grin back.

I stepped away from the opening of the tube and put my hand up. Mortar saw me and hunched over, cackling.

“As if you could do anything to save yourself,” he breathlessly laughed out.

I closed my eyes in concentration. I tried to gather anger, anger that would help me spit out powers so demonic that they could take down Mortar himself. Horrible memories came flashing back to me. The day my dog died. The day my best friend humiliated me In front of the whole school. The day when Ryan kidnapped me, when he took my whole life away.

My hand started to tremble and a rush started surging through my whole arm. I fell back but still kept my arm up and palm aimed at Mortar. Through my peripheral vision, I saw a huge tidal wave racing towards him. Ryan. I immediately thought. I smiled to myself.

The next moments came in a blur; I don’t understand how superheroes do these kinds of actions every day and still recall every single one of them. I felt myself becoming weary as my powers sliced right through Mortar. He screamed in agony as his skin started to burn up and boil. As I finished searing a word into his skin, Ryan’s tidal wave slammed into him and washed him away. I collapsed on the floor of my tube, knowing that I was safe. Knowing that Ryan was safe.
We did it. We won. And then I saw black once more.
*************************************
“…strange man washed up on the shores of Venus Beach. There is no lead or clues to what may have occurred to lead to his death. The only start is the word ‘Chosen’ which seems to have been burnt into his skin. Stay tuned to Channel 6 for more updates.”

The faint chuckle from the room and the dashing voices of the news reporters on TV seeped into my ears. I stirred and eventually opened my eyes. That was Ryan’s laugh. He was ok.
“Hey, sleepy head,” cooed Ryan from across the room. I was lying on a soft, cushy red couch, but I could see the armory wall from across the room. We were home, or as home as I’ll ever be.
“We won?” my voice spurted out softly. Ryan chuckled and nodded his head. He stood up from the armchair and plopped himself down on the couch I was laying on. “Come closer,” I whispered. Ever since the cage that we were stuck in together, I felt safe when he was near me. He scooted closer, lifted up my tiny head, and gently placed it in his lap. He started playing with my raggedy hair and trying to braid it. The silence invited in a warm, comfortable feeling.
“Are we safe now?”
“Of course we are safe, Kasey. We are partners and we protect each other. Always.” I smiled and looked away, distracting myself with the palm of my hand. I’m glad I was able to keep my symbol. It’s part of me, part of who I have become.
“What do we do now?”
Ryan chuckled but then looked at the ground somberly. “I don’t really know. I’ve never experienced a carefree, happy moment like this before. I’ve always been on the run or tracking you down so we could be safe. I don’t how to proceed now.” As he spoke his last words, we both received a little jolt. Mine in the palm of my hand, and Ryan’s on the right side of his stomach, under the ribs. We both glanced down at our symbols which were glowing. In the center of my star, outlined by the heavy black vines that made it up, were three letters. I glanced over at Ryan’s symbol, which also had three letters glowing in the center of it, but they were different for once.
Mine said “Him,” and his said, “Her.”