Warning ⚠️: This book contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

October 26th 2017.

" Alright Miss Lowell are you ready to begin your next test?" Doyle's ever increasingly familiar voice questioned over the intercom which caused Joelee to sigh as she opened her eyes to glare at him.

"I hope you get a flesh eating bacteria." Joelee snapped in response which caused Doyle to release a bark of sarcastic laughter before a surge of electricity caused Joelee to cry out in pain.

" That was a warning. Now, as you know... I've had to keep it cool for awhile due to Axle being suspicious of my actions. So I have to be more careful about... How I go about my work. Which means we'll be changing it up a bit." Doyle paused which caused Joelee to narrow her eyes suspiciously at his words.

"How so?" Joelee questioned suspiciously as she glared at the door leading into the control room.

" For starters..." The silver door to the control room opened as Doyle emerged through the open door, carrying a large briefcase with him which he set on the table next to her.

Joelee felt a jolt of fear as Doyle opened the suitcase, revealing an array of small knives, needles, and other objects that she couldn't begin to know the names of.

"What are you going to do?" Joelee's voice came out a lot shakier than she had originally intended for it to as she watched Doyle pick up a small scalpel.

"You're a smart girl. I think you know.'' Doyle said as he picked up a small knife and carved a single line into Joelee's palm, tracing the lines that extended throughout as Joelee released a shrill scream of pain.

"Why are you doing this!?" Tears of pain ran down Joelee's cheeks as Doyle smirked before carving a line that traced from the edge of her palm, down to her wrist.

"It's a theory that I have, babes. We're here to give you powers so that we can sell you to the military and use the serum to inevitably make a whole army of soldiers. My theory is that we haven't been doing enough. See, what kickstarts evolution?" Doyle paused to allow her time to answer but seemed to grow bored of waiting and instead he carved a smiley face into her unmarked hand.

"What kickstarts evolution is extinction. Living beings are all plagues for the planet, really. Wanting so desperately to survive that they will do anything to achieve their goal! Humans are naturally designed to adapt and change depending on where they live or how they live. If the human body is forced into believing it is going to die unless it evolves... It will. Our bodies are narcissistic in that way. Our genes believe that they are essential to keep our race thriving. That is why I torture you. To unlock something as complex as evolution... One must first suffer and want to die... Then their bodies will adapt so that they do not. But fear not... When I unlock it in one test subject, all it takes is a serum to replicate the effects of the first test. Think of yourself as... A savior. You're saving future children from the pain that you're going through." Doyle gave her a wink as he pressed the scalpel deeper into her hand, causing her to scream in pain at the sharp sting.

"You'll never get away with this. They'll kill you when they find out what you've done." Joelee hissed out through her tears, wanting desperately to clench her fists as if it would alleviate the pain but she knew better.

"Perhaps. But perhaps not, babes. Because despite what you think, you're not important. To anyone. Not to your friends, your parents... Anyone here. Not even to me. You're easily replaceable. Your friends can find someone else, your parents can have another child... And I can find another little doll to play with. You're nothing. Remember that and we'll get somewhere in the future." Doyle smirked at her as Joelee quickly looked away, trying to fight through the pain his words brought as Doyle turned and made his way into the control room.

"Now, let's test out this new serum, shall we?" Doyle's voice said over the intercom before a shock of electricity caused Joelee to convulse on the cold, metal, table.

_-*-_

"He ran after you and that's the last we saw of him." Blake explained from where he sat on the porch next to Joelee who looked almost completely broken, eyes distant and swirling with emotion as she gave a slight nod.

"He found me. The last thing I remember was him telling me to be careful but I ignored him... Then a little later when he didn't answer, I turned around and he was gone." Joelee replied after a moment, finally turning her gaze to Blake who flinched a bit at the realization that she had been crying the whole time and he hadn't noticed.

"Do you think they took him?" Joelee whispered as the tears streamed down her face, running her thumb over the side of her index finger as she struggled to keep her sobs at bay.

"No, I don't think they did. They wouldn't need to. Something else is happening here... I found this." Connor piped up as he approached the two, handing Joelee a white and pink floral printed handkerchief.

"So? This could be my mom's for all you know." Joelee muttered before she leaned down, inhaling the scent with her eyes closed tightly.

"No... Not my mom's... This isn't familiar at all." Joelee arched her eyebrows as her eyes opened, gaze flicking to Connor who gave a nod in reply.

"There's no DNA traces on it at all... Like nobody except us has touched it. But that's literally impossible... Unless whoever owns it doesn't have DNA that can be traced by my system. It barely registers metas as a DNA source. Let alone someone who goes beyond that..." Connor's words caused Joelee to tilt her head to the side as she stared at the handkerchief with an intense curiosity.

"I honestly thought he got sick of trying to talk to me and just left. I was hurt and angry... We have to find him." Joelee finally looked up at Connor who gave her a sympathetic smile before he stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him... But for now... Go talk to your parents. We'll handle this. I'll let you know what the plan is in a bit." Connor gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before he backed away to give her room to stand up.

"I don't really want to. I used to be so good at hiding my emotions but I guess being around people I know I can trust is making me a crybaby. I don't want to face them after acting like a teenage girl. I literally just threw a fit over them having another child. Like, from an outside perspective people would probably think I'm such a brat..." Joelee gave a bitter laugh as she got to her feet, tracing the scars on her palm as she spoke in a soft voice.

"Oh, don't worry, Joe. The people with an inside perspective already think that." Blake piped up which caused Connor to shoot the younger male a glare while Blake sheepishly shrugged under Connor's harsh gaze.

"I know. That's the problem is I'm not trying to be. It's just... I can't face them. I just... Need time. Let's try to find Nathan... That's more important right now." Joelee muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest, shooting Blake a glare as well before she turned her attention back to Connor.

Joelee's vision snapped to the yard where her eyes began to glow gold, her eyes narrowing as she began to walk down the steps.

"Where are you going?" Blake snapped with an annoyed expression, both males following the shorter blonde regardless as she began to make her way towards the cornfield behind the house.

Joelee gave no reply as she hesitated quite a bit away from the field, eyes focused on a spot just a few feet away from the first corn stalk as she tilted her head to the side.

Both boys quickly covered their eyes as a loud boom echoed throughout the area, a bright golden light blinding all of them momentarily as Connor tried to find his way towards Joelee.

"Are you alright!?" Connor exclaimed as he placed a hand on Joelee's shoulder, fighting away the spots that had formed in his vision as he struggled to focus on her.

"We're not going to have any trouble finding him." Joelee's words turned Connor's attention to where she was staring, his own eyes widening as he realized Nathan was on his knees in a large circle of burnt grass and what used to be stalks of corn.

"Nathan!? Are you okay!?" Connor ran over to the raven haired male, helping the younger boy to his feet as Nathan tried to steady his breathing.

"Woah." Nathan whispered as he met Connor's worried gaze with a large grin on his face.

"I'm a Time Manipulator." Nathan blurted out as he quickly reached into his pocket, pulling his golden pocket watch which he flipped open to show Connor.

"What? How do you know?" Connor arched his eyebrows as Joelee walked towards the two, followed by a much more cautious Blake who stared up at the sky as if expecting more people to fall from it.

"I went to that dimension. The time dimension... It's like a whole dimension dedicated to those who can manipulate time... I'm saying time a lot in this sentence but I don't care. I met someone and he basically told me the rules and now I'm officially a Time Manipulator. He knew everything about me... Guys... This power is so cool." Nathan gushed as he spoke so quickly that everyone had slight trouble understanding what he was saying but they did their best to be supportive of the overexcited male.

"I'm not very good at it yet but with practice... I'll learn." Nathan paused to breathe before waiting impatiently for his friends to speak, deep green eyes flicking to each person expectantly.

"I literally have no idea what to say... That's not the craziest thing I've heard. Did you just now find out about this?" Connor asked as Nathan gave a nod in reply, looking slightly disappointed that everybody wasn't as excited as he was.

"You have time powers?" Joelee whispered as she gave the older male a small smile, causing Nathan to immediately perk up as he nodded once again.

"Dude... That's awesome!" Joelee exclaimed as she ran forward to check out his pocket watch, examining the golden gear patterns within the face of the clock.

"What all did he say?" Joelee asked, handing the pocket watch back to the raven haired male who quickly tucked it back into his pants as he contemplated his reply.

"Well..." Nathan paused as he scratched his head, taking a moment to figure out how to describe his interaction.

"Or a flashback scene could describe it for you, instead. Then it'll probably come back to us with all of the information bestowed perfectly." Joelee interrupted before he could continue, causing him to arch his eyebrows in confusion before he gave a hesitant nod.

"Next scene so it blends better." Joelee yelled up at the sky before she turned her gaze back to Nathan with an expectant expression.

_-*-_

Flashback Scene That Explains Things Better.

Nathan released a loud gasp as he was dropped to the ground, the male quickly rubbing his eyes as he forced his vision to return.

Nathan's mouth fell open as he gazed down where his hands rested on a beautiful golden tiled floor, his own reflection staring back at him before he lifted his head to gaze around.

"Good afternoon." A rather familiar male's voice said, causing Nathan to whip around and stare at the person in front of him.

"Danny DeVito!?" Nathan exclaimed as he stared at the short male that was seated in a beautiful golden chair with a royal blue cushion on the back and seat of the chair.

"I am not- You know what? It's fine. Common mistake. My name is Carl and I'm here to help you through the journey of understanding your powers. Please. Take a seat." The male snapped his fingers, causing a chair identical to the one he sat in to appear behind Nathan, seemingly out of thin air.

"Danny DeVito is a human molded in my image... I am a celestial being. Not an angel... A celestial being. I am third in command of the higher beings, tenth most powerful being in the vast expanses of the realms. And you are Nathan Spencer Stewart... Second son of a woman who... To be completely honest, did not deserve such an honorable son. You were born for greatness should you choose to accept it. You could be a war hero like your father was before you... Or you could tear you friends apart and become the villain of this story. Your fate is not set in stone, what you choose to do in your lifetime can make all the difference. With that being said, you have been gifted with a great power. Time manipulation is not a power that just anyone is gifted with." Angelic Danny DeVito said as he snapped his fingers once again, causing a table to pop up between them. Another snap caused a beautiful white and pink flower tablecloth to unfurl onto the table, revealing a matching tea set that was filled with tea.

"I have noticed that food keeps people entertained longer." Angelic Danny DeVito said as he snapped once again, causing plates of pastries to appear onto the table as well. Carl shot the ceiling a glare as he pointed a warning finger up at the sky before he began to add sugar to his teacup.

Carl flicked his finger, causing the teacup to lift into the air, levitating over to Nathan who took it from the air with a confused look.

"I've found that tea and pastries is a good attention keeper. It's like a barter." Carl explained as Nathan gave a small nod, giving an impressed look after he took a sip of the tea as he realized it was made exactly the way he liked it.

"Do you understand what time manipulation is, Nathan?" Carl questioned as he sipped on his own tea, watching as Nathan took a large bite of a glazed doughnut before quickly looking back up at the older male.

"Yeah. It means I can manipulate time." Nathan mumbled with his mouth full before he swallowed heavily as his eyes went wide.

"Wait, seriously?! Can I time travel!?" Nathan exclaimed as he stared at Carl excitedly while Carl cocked an eyebrow, gently picking up a lemon bar as he took a bite before replying.

"Yes... That is the implication of time manipulation. Any matter involving time you can manipulate." Carl deadpanned as Nathan gave an excited squeal before he began choking on a piece of doughnut.

Carl put his face into his hand with an annoyed look as Nathan coughed loudly before sipping on his tea.

"Nathan, listen very carefully. Soon you will have a very important decision to make. I want you to understand.... No matter how much it hurts. Don't do it. You'll know what I mean when the time arises. If you do... The consequences will be apocalyptic." Carl's golden eyes bore into Nathan as Nathan gulped down his tea, chill running up his spine despite the warmth the drink gave.

"I'll know when the time... Please don't give me a cliffhanger. Just tell me now what the decision is." Nathan begged after he cleared his throat rather loudly, setting the teacup onto the table as he focused his full attention on Carl now.

"Nathan, there is quite a few things in my time that I have known was going to happen but no matter what I did, I could not change it. It is like... A set time event. But it's not quite as simple as being a set time event. It's more... No matter what you do, it will not fix that timeline... Not completely. It may fix a different timeline but a timeline left behind to fix another will just create a double reality. I cannot tell anyone what to do because I cannot tamper with fate but I can push them in the right direction. I have watched empires rise and fall all over a simple decision. Something as small as eating a grape with a person who is supposed to be elsewhere could alter that timeline completely. Tampering with timelines themselves is not something to be taken lightly. You are forbidden from going back in time to alter your timeline. You are forbidden from going to the future to warn others of what is to come although I'm rather lenient with that rule depending on what it could change. You may visit other timelines but what you see there you must keep to yourself... Some people cannot handle the thought of there being multiple versions of themselves... Sometimes better versions of themselves. Do you understand?" Carl warned which caused Nathan to give a hesitant nod in reply, Carl giving a smile as he sipped his tea once more.

"With that being said... If you need me... Just call for me. I will hear you. Your watch is the key to your powers. It's a stabilizer so that you don't get burned to a crisp when traveling through time. It focuses the energy and makes sure that you go where you need to go. Now, off you pop." Carl winked before he snapped his fingers, a bright golden glow immediately filling Nathan's vision as it felt like his body was being dropped into a hot tub with his breath knocked out of him.

"Remember! Make the right decision!" Carl called before everything in Nathan's vision went dark.

_-*-_

Present.

"...Then I appeared here in a crop circle." Nathan continued as though he had been telling a story the whole time when in reality it's easier to explain in flashbacks then pick back up.

"See, told you'd it'd be easier." Joelee said as she pulled the handkerchief from her pocket, handing it to Nathan who examined it closely.

"This is Carl's then?" Joelee questioned as Nathan gave a nod of reply, Joelee immediately giving an excited smile as she took it back and tucked it back into her pocket.

"It's mine now. I have a celestial being's handkerchief... I'm like the coolest kid in my class now." Joelee exclaimed as she stepped towards Nathan, checking him for any injuries which he allowed, albeit a little awkwardly.

"You don't have a class." Blake piped up which caused Joelee to shoot him a glare before she turned back to Nathan.

"I was kidding, Cheese." Joelee muttered, causing Blake to cross his arms over his chest as he gave her a challenging look.

"That's, Handsome Hunk of Cheese to you, Joe. And if you're going to make a joke make it funny." Blake gave a sassy snap as Joelee turned to look at him with a smirk.

"Blake, nobody can make a better joke than your parents can. They made you and that's the funniest joke I've ever witnessed." Joelee replied before she motioned for Nathan to follow, heading towards the house while Connor and Nathan just looked shook from the sass battle they had witnessed.

"She sounds like she's feeling better." Nathan commented as he followed the sassy blonde, glancing at Connor out of the corner of his eye as he spoke.

"She's not. She's not going to talk to her mom and dad because she feels like she's being replaced before she even dies. You know how it feels to be excited to see someone, only for them to have someone else that they spend more time with now." Connor replied after a moment, causing Nathan to look down as he released a soft sigh before he nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I've had that happen to me a lot and I know she has too. I guess it makes sense." Nathan scratched the back of his neck as he looked up at the setting sun, watching as it slowly began to set on the horizon.

"Gotta admit... Joe's parents have the best view out here. I know that's random but it's been so long since I've seen the sun set and not been worried about someone dying." Nathan admitted before he immediately froze as Alyssa ran outside, tears running down her cheeks as she clutched the phone she was holding to her chest.

"It's Derek." She said through her tears as Nathan's chest began to fill with a sense of dread.

_-*-_

October 27th 2017.

"I'm making excellent progress... Even after the incident with Axle. Patient is beginning to grow more obedient though she still has a very strong will to live... It will be hard to break that. The thing that I find odd is I have done brain scans for mental disorders and she appears to have an acute case of Bipolar Disorder, as well as, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder... Mild Schizophrenia...Anxiety Disorder... Obsessive Compulsive Disorder... As well as what appears to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It seems as though her brain is just an assortment of mental health issues. But my favorite of the bunch would be the Clinical Depression, it should make my job so much easier... But it seems her will to live drives from a deep sense of not wanting to let me win. She's stubborn... It's quite obnoxious but I am sure I can break her. I always do. She is one of my more polite subjects despite her attitude problems towards me... All of my tests should conclude that she would be easy to break but it seems as though she has had experience with hiding her emotions so I'm not quite sure how well my work is progressing..." Doyle paused for a moment as he chewed on his lower lip, dark chocolate brown eyes focused on the door that he knew she would be dragged through soon before he turned his gaze back to his computer screen.

"She is so very stubborn... I am used to my subjects taking a month or so to break but I fear it may take longer with her... I have in fact noticed a distinct change in her breathing. I believe I have cured her asthma with a serum that I had altered. I will present my findings to Magdalene later in the day... For now I will continue my art until this little Lowell submits and loses her will to fight. She will eventually, they all do..." Doyle clicked off the recorder before he tucked it into his pocket, gaze lifting to where he watched Mitchell and another, red headed guard, drag Joelee into the laboratory.

"Thank you, Mitchell... Gordon. Hope she wasn't too much trouble for you." Doyle picked up his notebook, not really interested in their reply as he wrote down which serum he would be using.

"She was. Surprised she's still alive with that kind of attitude. A lot of patients get the bad end of the syringe when they have the attitude she does." Gordon commented but Doyle gave no reply as he began to prep the serum.

"You're still here?" Doyle's eventual reply caused Gordon and Mitchell to exchange glances before the two turned to exit the lab.

"Rude." Mitchell murmured to Gordon who quickly nodded in agreement at Doyle's harsh words.

"How are you today, babes? Feeling better? Let's have a look at those hands." Doyle grinned as he forcefully pried open her palm, ignoring her hiss of pain as he examined the now reopened marks.

"Healing fairly well." Doyle smirked as he turned to flip open his briefcase.

"So much room for art... I will have to take my time so that it isn't noticed." Doyle murmured as his fingers trailed over the items within the briefcase, resting on what Joelee recognized as a thumbscrew.

She'd studied historical torture devices for a class, she knew exactly what it did and how much it was going to hurt.

"You're not going to break me." Joelee whispered after a moment, eyes filling with tears at how tired she already was.

She was sore from sleeping on a bed that didn't allow her the rest she desperately needed to heal and every time she closed her eyes all she saw was Doyle looming over her with a scalpel.

"I believe you're wrong there, babes. Sooner or later... They always break. You're no different." Doyle smirked as he secured the device onto her thumb, looking mildly interested when it already drew blood as he tightened it into place.

"You're wrong." Joelee hissed out, trying her best not to show that he was hurting her as she narrowed her eyes.

"We shall see, babes. We shall see..." Doyle winked before he tightened the device once again.

_-*-_

Present.

"What did the police say?" Joelee questioned as she rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the tears that were forming as she spoke.

"They'll do their best to catch whoever did this but they're mostly suspicious of me. Since I was gone for three years and when I came back someone immediately dies. So... They're basically doing nothing." Esther murmured as she pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she struggled to keep her voice calm.

"David did this?" Nathan's fists clenched as he spoke, angry at himself for letting one of his friends die while he was off eating doughnuts with a celestial being.

"Yes. He said he was doing it to protect me... I didn't know what to do... He had a gun pointed at me and Derek was sitting behind me... It was so loud... I... I'm sorry I didn't do more..." Esther whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself, tears running down her pale cheeks as she lowered her gaze.

"It wasn't your fault." Joelee reassured as Alyssa slung her arm around Esther's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the older girl.

"It was. He said he needed only one of us... I think he picked me to be the one... He's killing everyone around me... And I'm powerless to stop it." Esther sobbed as she buried her face into her knees, shoulders shaking as she ignored Alyssa's attempts to comfort her.

"We need to stay together. We're all we have now... We all know what each other went through. We're family, family sticks together..." Joelee paused as she wiped her tears from her cheeks, placing her hand on Nathan's shoulder as she gazed at her remaining friends.

"We're not a family. Look at us. We're a bunch of broken freaks with nowhere left to run. Esther's a suspect in Derek's murder... Nathan's got a huge destiny that none of us probably even have a part in... Kai and Kevin aren't even a part of our original group, Alyssa is... Here. We don't even know if we can trust Connor... And you... Well you're just straight up crazy. Like to be completely honest, Joe... The fact that you're trying to make us a family when in reality you don't even care about the one you have is laughable. You're on the verge of needing to go to an insane asylum. We're no family." Blake snapped as everyone turned to look at him, the hollow and dead looks to their eyes only proving his point as they contemplated what he was saying.

"Sounds like a family to me. Nathan is the prodigal son that actually got into college, Alyssa is the supportive mom, Kevin and Kai are those relatives that nobody actually knows who they're related to or where they came from, Esther is the artsy aunt that has gotten into quite a bit of trouble with the law, Joe is the dad who has PTSD from the military, you're the annoying older brother that always causes trouble at family events, and I'm... The sketchy uncle. We really are a family. Very dysfunctional... Yes... But a family." Connor's words caused Blake to narrow his eyes but he gave no reply as everyone chuckled quietly at what Connor had said.

"Then what do we do?" Alyssa whispered as she gazed from person to person expectantly.

"We stay together. We form a plan... We kill them first." Kai murmured which caused everyone to turn their attention to him with shocked expressions.