"You - where is it!? Where's my ability!"

Avery was with me in an empty classroom, bright lights searing into my eyes. My hands had been tied, as had my legs, and I was lying on the floor, trying to escape. She watched me from her position on a chair, seemingly undisturbed.

I struggled against an invisible pressure that seemed to push back every attempt I made to use my Manipulation. It felt uncomfortable, as though plastic was wrapping my entire body.

"Calm down," Avery said, eyeing my one sided war on the floor. "Bella's given me orders. You're not going anywhere."

I opened my mouth to scream, but Avery was already holding her hand out, her eyes glowing.

"Bind."

My teeth slammed together as something threaded through my lips with a slimy feeling.

Eyes widening, I writhed.

Avery is a Unique Bearer? Since when?!

"Sorry," she shrugged. "But even if I felt like not tying you up, I'd listen to her anyways." I saw her head turn towards the door, and she said,"They're here now, so you'll get everything explained."

Right on cue, Trent stepped in, followed by Bella and Delia, who had run downstairs minutes earlier. Both Bella and Trent seemed fine, but Delia had a slightly sad expression as she looked at them.

"Oh, you tied her up?" Bella saw me, and she nodded in approval, to my surprise. "Good job. I'll take over from here. Thanks, Avery."

She smiled and stood up, backing away towards Delia. Bella took her place, and snapped her fingers, releasing the bind on my mouth.

I swallowed hard as she leaned back, not saying anything.

"Aren't you going to tell me something?" I asked, slightly apprehensive.

Bella's lips turned up into a faint smile. "I guess so. First off, I'd like to tell you that you're a shit heir. How do you expect to carry on the Leandro name with your idiocy? Second, I want the Nine Lives Scythe. Third, you're going to undergo training soon. I don't know what kind of bullshit teaching your mother gave you, but it won't get you anywhere here."

My jaw dropped as I stared at her.

"I-I'm not even trying to be the heir...and the scythe is mine, I said that already."

"It is not yours. It's mine. Your family stole it from mine. It's mine, as the heir to the Uriah family. The Royal Uriah family. Do you understand?"

Her expression was fierce as she demanded the scythe.

"The...the Royal family Uriah? The one that fell with the throne decades ago?"

She snorted. "Of course. Did you really believe me when I said that I had nothing to do with that family, even though my last name is Uriah? I am the Queen Heir, at the moment, unless my mother appears and gives me the title of Queen."

"S-so you're Royal Princess Arabella Uriah?" I stammered.

"Yes."

"And Michael?"

"Royal Prince Machiel Uriah. Michael was just a nickname."

"H-how...what!?"

"Bella, that might be too much information right now," Avery began, her expression concerned.

Bella waved her away. "No worries. That's all I'm telling you, Elizabeth. To compensate for the Scythe, I'll find you something else that's not the Scythe or Ariane."

"But-"

"Sorry. There is no other way around my sister, Liz. She can make you something similar to it, but the Scythe is hers by blood. Your blood isn't compatible with the Scythe at all. I'm surprised you can use it so well. It'd be a lot easier, for both of you, if you'd return it to her."

This was from Michael, and I looked at him, suddenly regretting any sort of feelings I might've had.

Turning my head away, I glanced at my Scythe, lying in the corner of the room, and closed my eyes.

"I...return the Nine Lives Scythe to Arabella Uriah."

Hi. Very short for the first new chapter in months. So sorry. There was only one ability used as well, so the best I can do is give you all that one, then a couple of "fun facts".

Avery Manchester - Bind:

Bind is an odd little ability. Users are shown to implement thin, golden colored strands upon their target that can be used to restrain the target and their movements, such as Avery did to Liz by sewing her lips together. If the threads go through a part of the body, there is no pain felt, just the slimy feeling Liz described. In odd cases, the user can also force the target to tell the truth, and only the truth, if the threads are touching the bare skin, but this has been determined to be a completely different ability.

Fun facts! (?)

1. Bella actually hates guns but they were the only weapon available to her during the fight, so she had to use it.
2. Michael's real name, Machiel, is literally something I saw on Google and decided to use.
3. Avery has been friends with Bella for a long time, and Bella also saved her life once, so she feels much indebted to her.
4. Liz's older sister, Marianne, used to be Gamma before she ran away.
5. Wesley is related to Bella and Michael, as well as Liz, which will be explained later in the book(s).
6. Trent is actually Bella's fiance. (Fiancee? I forget the difference.)
7. Chrissy's engagement story is made up. Although she and Sam do have genuine feelings, they are not engaged.
8. Aarti's a very bold and not at all shy or clumsy person, although Liz may know him as that. Please be aware you have been reading from her perspective, and that her information varies wildly from everyone else's.
9. Delia has a teeny tiny not big at all crush on Trent.
10. Leon enjoys the fact that he's famous and often acts smug because of it.
11. Julie enjoys eating titanium the most out of all the metals Bella provides for her.
12. Ariane is very quiet but isn't shy and can make friends very easily, although she doesn't really associate much with others.
13. Austin has been the backbone of the team for a long time. He and Bella get along very well, and see each other as siblings. Michael sometimes gets jealous of their bond, as he thinks that he should be closer to his sister than Austin should.
14. Snow can be very firm and has beat everyone in the team at least twice before.

Extra fact: Liz does not know the entire story, so as long as you read from her side, you will never truly know how deep it goes.