The boy was right, Spell Bird Lake was only a ten-minute drive away from the compound. I silently say sorry to Daniel for disobeying his orders and going out on our own to get Diana. We're probably about to get ourselves into trouble, but I don't think about that as we walk up to a little cabin that is located just a few feet away from the water's edge. It resembles an old fisherman's cottage, not abandoned, just uncared for judging by the state of the windows and the paint flaking off the walls.

"We can't just walk in, it's not safe!" Says Cassie, staring at the rot on the walls and the termite-eaten boards that were once a roof.

We tried to come up with a plan on the way here, but we were all too nervous or scared to think straight. Looking back, we should have told someone where we were going, and yet we couldn't bear the thought of getting more people involved, of any more people ending up like Anna.

We creep around the house and find that there is a back door that hangs ajar on ancient, crumbling hinges, glass so dirty we can't see inside. Kalen pushes it open, and we all tense as the wood creaks. I hold up my gloved hands defensively, and Jayson trains his twin pistols on the door. But no one comes out, so we creep into the little hut. We hide in the small room connected to the door, what probably used to be a little storage area, and peek out from behind the wall that separates it from the rest of the cabin

"Just think," I hear, a deep scratchy voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, a voice that belongs to a grown man.

Dominic.

"A world where there is no more suffering, no more division. We can finally use our Gifts for good! Don't you see, Diana. It was meant to be!"

So, it looks like our crazy theory is right, he does want to get rid of Gifts! I knew it! And yet how...

"They're here."

Crap, that's the voice of the boy that I saw in my vision. One by one we hesitantly step into the room, taking in the scene before us.

Dominic is flanked by seven Gifteds, all wearing masks, all dressed in black. I can make out a couple of women among them, but the rest seem too big and broad-shouldered to be anything other than men. I spot the boy sitting cross-legged in front of a crumbling fireplace, hair plastered to his forehead as if he had just decided to take a dip in the lake. His eyes, the way they watch me, are unsettling. It feels like he can see anything with those eyes, and I don't like it one bit. When he smiles at me it reminds me of Dominic, like he isn't all there, his head isn't as it's supposed to be, especially not for a little boy.

"Ah yes, come please, join us!" Says Dominic, motioning us forward with a wave of his hand.

For the first time, I get a good look at the man we have been hunting for so long, and I have to say, I'm not impressed. He isn't as tall as his older brother, not as toned, and wrinkles decorate his once handsome face. The scar above his eye sticks out like a sore thumb, the stubble on his chin makes him look unkempt, and his hair is a dull mop on top of his head. He is wearing that strange suit that keeps his Gift in check, covering every inch of his skin, but it looks as old and worn as the man wearing it.

All in all, I am thoroughly disappointed.

I look for the only person I care about in this room, and she stares at me with a mixture of shock and guilt. But something else is shining in Diana's eyes, something I don't like one bit: purpose.

"Diana," I start, keeping my distance from Dominic and his group of thugs.

"You can't seriously be thinking of joining him," I search her eyes for any sign that she is scared, scared, and in need of our help.

But all I find is... nothing, no trace of regret in the pretty blue eyes that stare straight at me, and yet when they look at her uncle they fill with longing, longing, and hope. She is buying his story; she is feeling like one of the heroes in our comic books, thinking she is about to use her powers for the good of all humanity, finally finding her purpose in life. What she doesn't realize is that she is about to become one of the villains.

Dominic must have seen it too, and takes a step closer to his niece.

"What is it this world needs, Diana?" He asks, barely above a whisper. "What is it you and I need?"

He places a hand on her cheek, and I tense at the way she leans into the touch.

"Equality," She says, and her uncle smiles.

"And how can we achieve this?" He asks.

"With no Gifts," She says, a new fire burning in her blue orbs.

I take a step forward, but Dominic's group of masked men and women move towards him as well, keeping an eye on me as they protect their leader.

Dominic notices and steps around his niece, and pins me with a crazed look.

"Don't you see!" He exclaims. "If we just get rid of Gifts, no one will have to suffer! The world will be a better place."

I scoff. Does he really think that? Before Gifts the world was in ruins, suffering war after war. And Diana is thinking about helping him? The words die in my throat, the ridiculousness of it all making me pause, but Kalen has no such qualms and is the first to speak up at the lunatic.

"You don't want a better world," he says, pointing at Dominic. "You just want to get rid of the guilt that's been plaguing you for killing your wife and daughter, by getting rid of the thing that took them away in the first place. If you hate it so much then ask Diana to take your Gift away! But leave the rest of us out of your crazy ideals."

Wrong choice of words.

Dominic reddens, a scowl appearing on his face. He snaps his fingers, and as one, the masked group surges forward.

Jayson holds up his guns and fires, managing to hit one of the attackers' in the arm. Jayson fires again, aiming for the chest but one of the men holds up his hand and stops his second bullet mid-air, making Jay pause. That's all the distraction they need to tackle him to the ground, throwing his guns well out of reach. Gravity loses its grip on me, but in the split second before I float up from the ground it returns, pressing down ten times stronger than before. Jayson is trying to use his Gift, attempting to suck the masked men to the ground. But one of them manages to get to him nonetheless, pinning him down. Now Jayson can't use his Gift or it will affect him as well, effectively trapping him under the two men that are currently pressing him into the hardwood floor.

Mara, having witnessed all of this, brings her staff down onto the head of the man that's holding Jay down as hard as she can. And yet, the man doesn't even flinch. He turns his head to stare at Mara, just as another masked man comes up behind her and uses her staff against her, bringing it against her chest to cage her between himself and the metal rod digging into her skin. She struggles, writhes, but she can't break free.

A loud ringing pierces the air; Mara's desperate attempts at using her Gift to stop these men, but for some reason the only ones who seem affected by it are us. Jayson yells as the man brings a fist on top of Mara's head, knocking her unconscious. The ringing stops, but the fighting continues.

Cassie is doing much better than the rest of us. She has managed to take control of two of the men, and is making them advance on Dominic, who nearly stumbles over his own feet as he backs away, hands held out in front of him. But Cassie has never been good about controlling more than one person at a time, so she doesn't see the other man coming up behind her. I latch onto his neck before he reaches her, driving blow after blow onto his face. But just like Mara's attacker, he doesn't flinch, but instead arches up to pry me off his back, and slams me against the floor, making stars explode behind my closed eyelids. The wood creaks under me, and the shock makes little pieces of the ceiling fall onto my face. When my vision has cleared all my friends have been restrained, and Dominic is staring at us with a smug smile on his face.

Kalen is fuming, smoke coming off him in waves, and if I squint, I can make out a slight red glow under his skin. His captor has a nasty bruise on her wrist and forearm, but she managed to get his hands behind his back and is keeping him at an arm's length away, making sure to avoid every inch of his overheated skin. For a moment, the only thing you can hear in the room is our heavy breathing, shoes scuffling against the wood as we try to break free.

"Now that wasn't very nice." The boy breaks the silence as he rises from his spot in front of the fireplace, coming to stand next to Dominic.

He looks at all of us, first Kalen, then Mara and Jay, then Cassie. And finally, his eyes land on me, and when they do, a smile appears on his face.

"Hello Brianna!" He exclaims, waving. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

I grind my teeth together, struggling to pull my hands out of Mr. Muscles hold.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask.

I had never told him my name, nor had he told me his. Did he get it from my thoughts? Had he somehow learned my name when he was in my head?

Dominic smiles, previous anger seemingly forgotten as he comes to stand right in front of me.

"How wouldn't we know who you are?" He asks.

"You are the spitting image of your father."