Cade's point of view:
I make my way through the Dome, passing out water bottles, canned food, and blankets to the many people taking refuge here.
I give a word of encouragement to those seeming especially despondent, although nobody really takes kindly to me since I wear a uniform with the insignia of Will's police force on the badge.
I'm almost finished making my rounds through the people when something extremely odd catches my eye:
A raven of all things sits perched on an open windowsill, eyeing me closely.
"Stupid bird," I grumble to myself. "Andrew, finish up here for me, will you? I've got something to take care of," I say, handing the rest of my supplies to the other cop on Dome duty with me.
I go to the window sill to shoo the raven away, but to my surprise, it doesn't even flinch at my appearance.
"Go away now," I tell the thing, but before I can close the window, it tries to peck my hand.
I am quicker, however, and I manage to make my hand as tough as a diamond before the bird can hurt me. The raven reels back and makes a noise of pain that causes me to feel pity for it.
"Ouch, you jerk," a voice says, and I look at the raven in bewilderment and wonder if I'm beginning to lose my mind.
Suddenly the raven begins to morph, growing in size and changing its form to become more human-like. Before I can blink, a sixteen year old girl with black hair and grey eyes is looking at me with an angry scowl.
I back away from the window, feeling sick to my stomach at what I've just witnessed. "The power of Christ compels you," I say to her as I quickly reach to close the window.
"Oh stop it, I'm not an evil monster. My power is that of change; I can turn into animals as well as other people. I came to find you because we need your help," the girl says.
I blink in confusion.
"Ok, slow down. Who are you and what do you need help with?" I ask, confused greatly.
The girls sighs impatiently, glancing around like she's afraid of being caught. "My name is Genevieve; my mom sent me to come and find you. She saw that you would help us," Genevieve says urgently.
"Your mom saw that I would help your family?" I inquire.
"My mom's power is to see glimpses of the future. Her name is Evelyn, my father's name is Caleb, and I have two sisters named Victoria and Jacqueline. My mom saw that we were supposed to help Adam, but the only way we got to him was through a vision she saw that had you in it. Please tell me you understand," Genevieve rambles, looking truly afraid now of being seen by someone else.
Then, I recall an earlier conversation between myself and Cassia where she specifically asked me to find a family, and I remember the parents' names being Evelyn and Caleb.
"You said your mother was Evelyn and your dad was Caleb?" I ask for confirmation, and she nods.
"Yes, I know who you are; my friend Cassia told me about you guys," I tell her, climbing out the window and letting her guide me to where the rest of her family is.
"You know Cassia? Oh that's perfect, I really did find you!" Genevieve says happily as we go down empty streets, pulling me by my hand.
"My family's been in hiding since Will knows that we helped Julia a long while back, but my mom says Will isn't looking for us. He wants his box of powers," she informs me as we go.
I simply nod and follow, gazing at the ruined buildings as we practically run through the streets.
Julia's storm really did a number on this place; the city looks like a complete wreck. Many of the buildings are toppled with stray bricks everywhere, and the ground splits open in some spots. I can practically still smell the electricity in the air from the lightning she brought with her rage.
"This way," Genevieve whispers, taking a swift turn down an alley where a few small structures still manage to stand.
She stops at one of these structures with a gaping hole in the side, stepping in and pulling me with her.
The building must have once been a tool shop, but it's been long since abandoned. The roof is gone, and the wall on the other side by the door is collapsed.
Genevieve leads me to the back of the structure to a small door behind overturned shelves of tools. She opens it to reveal a small flight of stairs leading underground.
"After you," she tells me, gesturing downwards.
I peer down at the dark staircase, a seed of doubt beginning to grow. What if it's a trap? Maybe I should just go back to the Dome....
With an annoyed huff, Genevieve just pushes past me and disappears down the stairs herself, making a point to bump into my shoulder to convey her irritation.
I swallow my second thoughts and eventually follow her down the stairs, but I will my skin to be as tough as marble just in case it is a trap.
When I make it down the stairs, however, I suddenly feel my body go back to normal against its own will. I feel like my insides have been thrown completely off balance, and I lean against the wall for support. Confused, I try to use my power again, but to no avail.
"What the hell..." I mumble, looking up quickly to see who's doing this.
An entire family is staring at me a few feet away, looking as though they haven't seen another person in ages. One of them, likely one of Genevieve's sisters, is holding a hand out in my direction with her palm facing towards me while an eerie feeling emits from them.
"Victoria, let the poor boy have his power back. He's a good one, I've seen it," The mother tells her daughter, and suddenly my system rebalances and I have control over my power again.
"My apologies for that, dear boy, come and sit with us," the mother says, coming over to me and putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Evelyn?" I take a guess.
"Smart one, you are," she says cheerfully, gesturing for me to sit in an old chair. Warily, I do sit, although the decrepit thing looks like it could collapse at any moment.
"Evelyn, he knows Adam and Cassia, I can see the strings attached between them," a man says behind Evelyn, one whom I deduce to be her husband, Caleb.
"How do you know I'm friends with them?" I ask Caleb.
"Power of connection, my young friend. I look at someone and see all the things that tie into their life represented by little golden strings. The string that connects you and Cassia seems to be very bright, but I'll not push that now. There are other things to discuss," Caleb tells me, and I feel heat rush to my cheeks at his mention of Cassia.
"Aw, look how he blushes," the third daughter says tauntingly with glittering mischief in silvery eyes. My cheeks burn brighter.
"I didn't bring him here to gush over his love life, Jacqueline, I brought him here so we can do something productive for once and take this city back," Genevieve scolds her sister, and I turn my attention back to Evelyn as she sits across from me.
"Cade," she begins, and I'm surprised she knows my name. "The situation is dire; I knew bad things were going to happen when we fled from our city to take refuge here, because wherever Julia goes, Henley follows. I've had visions of her and I know that she can't help us from where she is. I did, however, have a vision of all of us going up against Will, and I saw you, one of his officers, helping us. Genevieve is the only one who can transform and so I sent her to find you. Now, I need you to tell us where Cassia and Adam are so we can plan with them," Evelyn encourages me.
I feel that seed of doubt growing again, wondering if I should tell them where they are. I've never betrayed Cassia secret to anyone, but she did mention this family.
It still doesn't feel right though.
"We know them, son, we're trying to help, not hurt," Caleb reassures me, and I take a deep breath before I begin my explanation.
"They're hidden underground like you guys are, but it's at the foot of the headquarters building, so it's not like I could get you guys in any time I wanted to. Will is already suspicious of me, and trying to sneak you guys in late at night wouldn't do any good either. I would need a diversion to sneak you guys in, and I have no way to contact Cassia and Adam to tell them what we planned," I tell them.
"A diversion, you say?" Jacqueline pipes up, looking at me with proud eyes.
"Do you know how to make one of those?" I ask her in return.
She smiles at me mischievously, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don't see how such a loving mother and father could have such diabolically good children. "Illusion is a beautiful thing, Cade. I can make anyone see anything I want," she offers, and I actually feel impressed by this.
"Anything?" I ask for confirmation, and she nods her head.
I think about this for a moment, wracking my brain and trying to formulate something that could distract Will and the rest of the guards long enough to sneak Evelyn and her family down to where Cassia is.
"Ok, I've got something," I say after a few minutes, and they all look at me with eager eyes.
"If you can do what I think you can, then this should work," I say, referencing Jacqueline. "I need you to make the guards see some form of overwhelming chaos. I don't care what it is...make the Dome look like it's on fire, make it look like the ground is opening to swallow them up, make it look like everyone's rebelling again, whatever you want. While the guards are preoccupied, I'll get Will's attention by showing him what's going on. While I'm talking to him, I need you to fool him and make him see that box of powers that he wants so badly. That should keep him occupied while I sneak you all down to where Cassia and Adam are. Adam will make the plans from then on," I tell them, feeling a bit proud of myself.
This should work, right? This should go off without a hitch.
"Give me tomorrow to make sure everything will go over smoothly and accordingly, and then the day after is when you start the illusion," I tell them, and they nod as if they've been waiting for their moment to enact change.
Looking at them, this family, it's easy to see that they have. I can see that sitting on the sidelines doesn't bode well with them, and I make a point to tell Cassia that she really knows how to pick her allies the next time I see her.
"I'm sorry you'll be going from hiding spot underground right into another, but it's the best I can do for now. Adam is-" I get cut off when Evelyn finishes for me that she knows he's working with the box of powers and that they'll take what ever hiding spot they can if it means they're helping. She fascinates me a little, her power raising a million questions I want to know; however, I know that I probably shouldn't intrude.
"I should get back to the Dome," I tell the family, and Evelyn rises to escort me back to the stairs while everyone else just shifts back to their normal routine. Broken glass and other building fragments crunch under our shoes as we walk.
"I don't suppose you can tell me if we win this thing or not," I ask Evelyn with a slight laugh before I head back above ground.
"I would if I could, but I don't know if we'll win anymore than you do. I don't know everything about the future, just parts of it. Hoping for the best is a nice substitute though," she complies, a smile crinkling her face that has begun to age with her.
I turn away from her and raise one foot as I begin to go upstairs, but her next words prevent me from doing so.
"My husband says you and Cassia are connected," Evelyn taunts me, causing me to turn back to her in slow embarrassment.
"Does your family enjoy talking about that kind of stuff blatantly?" I question as my cheeks turn red again.
"Oh lighten up, there's so little to get excited about these days," she presses, and I put my hand to my forehead.
"She's my friend," is all I tell her before I bolt upstairs, my cheeks ablaze and my heart thumping.
I reach the ground above and close the door behind me, glancing in all directions to make sure no one saw.
Heaving a sigh of relief, I crawl out of the hole in the wall and head back towards the Dome, dragging my feet against the pavement and going over the plan.
Jacqueline I will distract the cops, I'll get Will, then she'll distract him, too. Get the family down the bunker and then it's over. Simple.
But a small nagging remains at the back of my mind, reminding me that nothing goes off without a hitch.
*******************************
I stand at the stone above the bunker, anxiously clutching a note as look all around me.
I was so careful this time, taking all the precautions I could think of to make sure nobody sees. It's three a.m., I haven't made a sound, and no one is around. There aren't even any lights on at the headquarters building.
I glance at the note one last time and skim over my words, hoping that someone down there gets it and that it's thorough enough.
Steeling myself, I quickly lift the stone the tiniest bit and practically throw the note down there, hastily putting the stone back after and darting for the shadows.
Heaving, I look everywhere for any sign of life, but the only thing I can register is the sound of crickets chirping. I sigh in relief.
I begin to walk back to the Dome, not wanting to take any chances though.
Will is not going to find them and that's that.