Chapter 1

Emma,14

My name is Emma Peterson,the fourth of the adopted children of a billionaire whose name I'm yet to....I don't know it.The Peterson's children ,16 of us lived in a classical theatre themed house,it smelled like waxed wood and wet leaves and a pungent smell of wet rotting wood,located somewhere at the centre of a small town.Built in 1953 ,it stood 6 floors high and 70 feet wide.Mega house I suppose.....I should be greatful.But remember the sad truth that all that glitters isn't gold .... that is exactly how our life was.Our father whom I called Mr Peterson,I never adapted to papa,owned us.We were not normal children...we were monsters..super heroes in training if it makes sense.But we never became heroes .Most of us died ,some of us ran away to live separate lives and some of us became prisoners and others succeeded in villain hood as common thieves and coupé d 'etats or ..... The destroyers of the world as we know it.

Pre.. chapter,

It all began on one fateful evening 2003 March 17,at dinnertime,we sat across each other in 2 columns of 8 each ,when the radio was turned on by one of the nuns.A familiar voice spoke ,so proudly..too familiar.It was papa,he was talking about superheroes protecting the world.And for a minute we all stared at each other,was it us?were we finally good enough? Before we could here anymore,the nun quickly turned off the radio..too suspiciously,too quickly as if she was hiding something,as if there was something they didn't want us to know.Papa rarely came home.last time we had seen him was in 1991.And all he did was scold us for not using our abilities to full potential as if that's all that mattered to him and honestly it seemed as though...most times.

My name may sound, American but I'm not.Im from Africa ..that's all I know.My mother sold me to papa as soon as I was born.She was too afraid to go back home with a child that looked like me.I had black eyes like a moth all my early years but they soon became more human.But I guess she too couldn't bear to look at me.Papa made me wear a mask over my eyes for 6 years because I scared the other children.But that's not all I have ..but that's all I'll let on for now.

KAST PETERSON -- ELDEST SON FIRSTHAND OF PAPA.

KAST, my eldest brother , had his monstrous deformities.His skin was wrinkly and scaly mostly in the sun so he rarely went out without a huge overcoat.He was responsible..a little too responsible I guess it's the popular first born syndrome.Kast is Mexican or Latino I don't know the difference very well but he is definitely one of those.He is super smart and good in the kitchen.Whenever it's our birthday,he always stays up to make us a fancy quiet dessert party... sometimes I wish I could do the same for him.Kast however isn't all all nice, especially when mad.He is quite impulsive and passive aggressive but I'm always able to knock him out so we good.

He has deep green lizard like eyes, a stunning jawline, thick,black hair with a white strip at the front left of his forehead.He ,just like papa always keeps his hair gelled to the scalp....a man of class I'd say.Kast wasn't 100% born this way.His mother was part of the Guillaume ship incident in 1988 where a dangerous gas leaked into the air from a fleeing ship carrying toxic fuels to the south border .His mother was unaware of her expectancy then,Poor Kast was thrown into a bin after birth.He believes he is in debt to papa ever since.The chemicals messed with the areas around for years . including the year all 16 of us were born.

IT wasn't until Austin tapped me that I realised supper time was over.My mind was roaming.I had to find out what was on the news tonight.After supper,we washed up and went to bed,well.... Everyone else did except me .I slowly crept out of the room to the outside balcony,threw my shoes and jacket over before gliding down the wall.Putting on the jacket as I walked out into the street memorising every signpost, landmark,cafe , floating in the smell of freshly baked donuts... Mmmmm papa never let us out of the house..EVER!! we played in the yard and that was big enough.The nuns were our teachers and our doctors and that's all we needed, Education and health.

Not paying attention to where I was walking to,I walked into a metal signpost..fell on my butt and twisted my wrist.I heard gasps followed by silent laughter. I was too embarrassed to look up,until a man...boy much taller than I expected came running to me."ma'm are you alright? That was quite an accident!." I looked up to the most gorgeous set of grey eyes,This was my first time looking at a boy who wasn't a mutant.. a monster...a Peterson...and he was beautiful.do all human boys look like this?...

" Eduardo!"

Hmm? I hummed realising I had been staring...lost in his eyes ....why were they so beautiful?

" Eduardo..my name is Eduardo!" He said

Emma, I responded lightly.He looked around then at me.Damn! His eyes were all I could look at! I liked them!." Well.. ..I think you need some first aid Emma ! That wrist and this head don't look too good." He said gently wiping the tiny gravels of sand from my palm,which was grazed with a few minor cuts I was surprised he saw this as a serious injury.If he lived with us he'd know a serious injury like having a knife in your collar bone( me and Veronica fought.....she stabbed me). But I'd do anything to be around him at that moment.Ge pulled me into a cafe,sat me down in a corner,took my coat and placed it on his seat It hadn't returned to me what my purpose was for leaving the house,gone too long and someone would notice.

Eduardo returned with a small kit ,he knelt down before and for a minute I forgot he wasn't a nun...a nun! Oh shit! I have to get back!.I stood up pushing Eduardo to the floor.

"I'm sorry Eduardo,but I must leave now!"

I said helping him back on to his feet. " So soon, atleast let me take care of your bruises,your parents would be worried!"he held my elbow,so kindly,I was used to being pinned down by nuns .. ..used to manhandlement .His words stang...parents...what parents? I didn't even realise he didn't know." I don't have any " I retorted.yanking my arm out of his grasp which was unnecessary since he had already let go halfway,and walked out of the café grabbing a news paper on my way out.

I leaped up to the balcony,went inside unnoticed,took off my coat and laid on my floor .As I read through the papers my heart sank,I couldn't tell if I was mad or upset.There was papa with 6 other children,like us except human, taking pictures for the paper.....with other kids!.Who were these people? why isn't he calling himself Peterson.

"What do you think you are doing child?!" A nun had found me awake and reading a news paper.She grabbed it out my hands and read through it." Why must you be such an indiscipline little brat?" She asked hitting my head over and over with the paper .I couldn't lift my hands to stop her ,I just sat staring at the floor " This is why your father will never pick you,your indiscipline,stupid ugly little creatures.nobody wants to be saved by something as hideous as you!" Every word she said stabbed deeper and deeper into my soul.I got up and ran into my closet locking it from the inside .

The nun ,Mrs Higgins banged and banged against the doors but I wouldn't budge . infact I got soo mad I yelled at her to leave,The was a massive vibration while I yelled for her to leave me alone and after The place began to shake ..then suddenly silence.I felt woozy .I didn't care what had happened I stayed inside the closet and drifted off to sleep.

"Emma!,Emma! Emma! Where are you?" I couldn't hear Ezekiel calling me.Rays of light peeped through the cracks on the cabin door.the cabin doors never had cracks,what happened last night?I stepped out of the cabin to a bloody room.There was blood everywhere.On the floor lay pieces of flesh and Mrs Higgins head was dangling from the lampshade.

Ezekiel ran to me , trying to get me to look away.It was disgusting and scary.Ezekiel cupped my cheeks and pulled me to look at him," what happened?" He asked holding me still so I wouldn't look away .I was shocked,I had so many questions to ask ,I wanted to cry,to crumble there an the floor and scream .All what slipped from my throat were ," I dunno!"

The nuns had the cleaners come and clean up every drop of blood and mess made .They wrote to papa to return home as soon as possible.which he did in a couple of days . I was locked in the underroom that Paid would be locked in if he went wild.I was chained to the walls and blindfolded for days before papa came home Nobody was allowed to come see me ,not even Kast.I didn't do it and I knew it but nobody believed me .I had no such abilities,or did I.?

Back upstairs.March 18 ,9:30 am.

" Dont you think we should wait for papa before locking her down there all by herself.Whatever happened, happened! We can't assume she did it After all she was locked in the closet by the time Ezekiel got found her!" Said Last as he paced around the room trying to convince the nuns to let me out.

" The blood was half dry .that means it was done last night.She probably did it , panicked and locked herself in there.i mean wasn't the closet locked from inside" Veronica retorted.

" I hate to admit but V has a point,Kast." Austin said sitting down on the couch beside Fiona who had cradled herself rocking back and forth to ease her Nerves.She feared the sight of blood which papa called it out as a dumb phobia and an excuse for failure.

KAST sat down finally.Tears in his eyes,balling his fists .He could not believe that his whole family had given up on their Emma.Little Emma who barely spoke ,read all day and was the only one who took care of him as much as he took care of her.Kast despite being ugly and unlovable,Emma loved his scaley skin and cocky attitude.She loved reading as much as him,if they weren't family,he would have considered her a love interest but father condemned it considering the age and luck of understanding and the fact that they were family,INCEST! He yelled.

Kast 14,

Nobody seemed to understand where I was coming from.I grew up with her .I knew what she could and couldn't.Yes, murder she can commit but not in this way.She would have tried to clean up if it was her . Wouldn't she?.No! I can't let them trick me into believing that she didn't.Papa would know, wouldn't he? Just then Elijah walked in,skinny stout and sedated as always .He clearly didn't get the memo and he didn't matter now." I heard what happened you know,! Whatcha gonna do about it?" His speech was slurred and sloppy I could barely make out what he was saying." You gonna kidnap her and take her to Paris ? I mean I heard dad the night he found you practicing a proposal..idiot!" He said.I didn't know anyone else knew .I hope he didn't tell anyone else.I wouldn't want Emma to know ...it's ridiculous.Its clear I'm just her older brother ...that's it...right?...

" No! I'll wait for papa to fix this." I responded walking out of the room .I wanted to see her atleast to let her know I was going to help her but what was the point of giving her false hope.I knew deep down father wouldn't take this lightly ,not again ...

As I stood there,the room got dark and damp,I felt my vision go blurr .I could hear screaming from everywhere.I looked up only to see a reflection of me in the piano room,everyone was running around .I could hear children crying .Michael was on the floor wailing.I ran to him and picked him up and ran with him outside.As I opened the door, everything stopped.I looked around, nothing was going on.. it was a flashback of past 3 years.I could feel my pulse thumping .I was outside in daylight.My skin hurt a little but it wasnt that bad.Infact it was better than before but ppl were staring.

"Oi! kiddo! get off the street , Halloween isn't until October" a police officer shouted pointing to the date on the news paper I was used to such remarks from everyone.Id leave at night on birthday eves to go gift shopping .Strangers would make faces and point even my own family,all except Austin and Emma ,they were kind on the insults.I find myself smirking at the thought of Austin and Emma. These two loved each other from when we were kids but as we got older they drifted apart.Papa kept us apart from each other most of the time .We would only see each other during study or breakfast but later the halls were divided into two,the more human like on one side the monster looking on the other.I wondered how Emma was on my side .She looked like a normal human being. Beautiful brown skin,soft curly hair she'd braid into twists,short in height ,funny African accent.......hmmm ."Oi! Boy get off the goddamn road unless you want me to shoot you!" Oh shit I had been standing here the whole time.I went back inside and stayed in my room the rest of the day ,most of us did Austin and Fiona taking the advantage to spend time together since father had not arrived and the nuns were praying all-day for their lost sister. I lay on my bed and looked up at the ceiling.Emmaahh.… I exhaled before drifting off.