Love is Dangerous

14

I remember the message perfectly somehow. "Something happened to Jasmine. I'll text you back when we find out." I started panicking, even though I don't know her. She is a gymnast, maybe she got hurt. I sit at the dinner table with Tyler and Corbin. We're having spaghetti, but I just twirl it around on my fork. After a few minutes, I get really hungry so I start eating fast. It's not that I'm nervous for Jasmine; that's only a little of it. Every month, people from the government go around to every house to check everyone out. They have to make sure that no one is illegal. I can tell that Tyler is nervous too. We keep glancing at each other and then away. I know we're thinking the same thing. Three illegal people in one house. After dinner, we go back to his room and close the door.

"Dude, what are we going to do?" Tyler asks me. I stand back, shocked. "This has been happening since before we were born. Why are you so nervous this time?" He looks at me like I'm crazy. He knows something that I don't. He looks uncomfortable and sits down. He takes a deep breath. "Kai, I can read the government agents' minds. They're gonna try their hardest to find everyone like us. And they're gonna throw us into prison cells and insane asylums. And that's the best they'll do. We don't even know how long we'll live." That's when it registers. We really don't know what we're up against. We're in the middle of what could be a war. People will be betrayed. Families will be separated. And I'm not even with mine.

The knock on the door scares us half to death. We run out of Tyler's bedroom. We stand in order from tallest to shortest. The agents are let in and look at us. We all say our full names, starting with the shortest, Corbin. "Corbin Joshua Ballored." "Tyler Robert Ballored." They come to me. "Kai Reid Delorenzo." They look at me questioningly. "My parents are currently in another state so I am staying with these lovely people." I say smoothly. He nods and moves on. Then they stand back and speak. "Our great citizens, to do our country justice, we give you the chance to step forward if you have one of the following abilities: reading minds, a clock, Mind’s Eye, The Ear of Nevaeh, revival, or teleportation. You may step forward now." No one steps forward. The men sigh and they pull out their detectors. They go to Corbin, who stands tall and waits for the scan to begin. It takes one minute and they don't detect anything. Then they move to Tyler. They start at the feet and go up to his head. Halfway up, it beeps rapidly. Tyler breaths out and becomes pale. The agent just leans back and speaks very fast. "You don't have to worry. We are a part of the People of Differences. We support people with differences like yours Tyler. You can read minds, right?" He nods, still really pale. "And let me test you, Kai." They turn to me and scan my brain. "Yep. A clock, just as I thought. Now, I must warn you. The government is trying harder. And they might succeed. But you two need to run. Anyone that you know that has differences like you, you need to take with you. Form an army. Because a war is brewing. And you are our last chance." And with that, they nod their heads and see themselves out.

We went to Tyler's room and talked. We have a plan. But first, we need to see Marissa and Jasmine.