TEN YEARS LATER...

"Are you coming downstairs any time soon, or what?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow. I looked him up and down in his police uniform—neat and tidy, and clean shaven with a mix of mom and dad's blue eyes, muscular with a chiseled jaw, and a charming smile.

That was my family.

"It's five in the fucking morning, Derek," I snapped, pulling my hoodie over my face.

"It's actually ten minutes until seven, so I recommend that if you want to help me stop bad guys this morning and make it to class, get your ass off the roof and get ready for school."

I threw a pebble at him and looked at the sunrise—bright orange with a hint of pink.

Then, I carefully peeled myself from the roof and shoved my brother to the tiles.

"Umm, ouch?" he growled, kicking me in the shin. I didn't feel it due to my invincibility and invulnerability, but he still tried every single time.

"You do realize you could have killed me, right?"

"You do realize I can fly, right? I would dive after you if you fell off the roof," I snapped as I extended my hand.

My father met us inside, eyes glazed over at the sight of Derek's already dirty cop uniform. "You boys having fun on the roof?"

"If you call nearly falling twenty feet to your death, then sure," Derek snarked, dusting the last bits of debris from his chest.

Then, Derek gave me a little shove into my bedside and I shoved him back harder into my dresser next to him.

"Jerk," He muttered under his breath.

"Asshole," I muttered back. With smirks bubbling across our lips, we briefly glanced at each other just to make sure everything was okay.

"I want you to take your brother to school this morning. Also, no police chases or anything," Dad instructed. "Understood?"

Derek and I both bowed our heads in unison. Little did dad know, or maybe he did know, that Alpha would make an appearance anyway. Either way, that didn't really matter.

∆∆∆

Derek's police scanner murmured in the background as he drove, but he turned down the volume to prevent the noise and chaos from overwhelming me. However, some instinct within me kept me attuned to it. "Don't feed into Mark Reignson's bullshit today," Derek warned. "I know he's a bully and an asshole..."

"Derek!" I interjected, meeting his gaze through the rearview mirror. "I can handle myself. You don't have to remind me every time." Despite Derek being like a third father figure to me and always protecting me from trouble, his constant reminders were grating on my nerves.

Derek grunted in annoyance, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. Suddenly, a voice crackled through the scanner, prompting Derek to increase the volume and grab the intercom.

"Ten-four," Derek replied.

The voice belonged to Officer Garrett Reignson, the police chief's brother-in-law, who typically handled calls from the station. "Two-Eleven, approximately ten minutes ago," Garrett reported. "An armed robbery. License plate: YDS-1134. Black Bentley with tinted windows. The suspects are wearing black masks. The witness described them as inexperienced delinquents, last seen heading down Torto Avenue."

"Roger," Derek responded with a sly grin, parting his tight lips.

As we merged into the line of cars and sped off, the flashing lights and blaring sirens of multiple police vehicles filled the air. Derek took the lead, maneuvering through the traffic.

Cars on either side of us quickly made way, but a bullet ricocheted off Derek's side reflector, shattering the glass as the two young men in the fleeing vehicle discarded trash out the window. Undeterred, Derek sped up, guiding the car to force the suspects off the road and into a wall.

"James, stay in the car and don't use your powers. I mean it," Derek instructed, his gaze fixed on me before unholstering his gun. Our father was nowhere to be seen amidst the sea of cops. Ignoring Derek's command, I returned to the unfolding scene.

"Come out of the vehicle with your hands up and slowly walk back towards my car," my brother demanded. One boy complied, extending his hands through the passenger window. A row of six police cars lined the path, with a dozen officers aiming their guns at the young men. The suspects emerged from the vehicle. One dropped his firearm, and the robbers exchanged glances before fleeing in opposite directions. Derek cursed under his breath and took off after one of them.

As I pulled up my hoodie, covering half of my face, a memory flashed in my mind, as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. A young boy wandered into the laboratory, where Sam watched over me. His eyes fixated on me playing with a superhero action figure, pretending to make it fly around the room.

Samual sat in the background, wearing headphones and typing on his computer. I paused when I noticed Maximus standing there, observing me with curiosity. I greeted him with a toothless grin, waving enthusiastically. The boy shyly hid his face behind his hands but gradually revealed it as I approached.

"Hello!" I greeted him with enthusiasm. "What's your name?"

Max looked nervously at Sam before answering. "I'm, uh... Max. Who are you?"

"I'm James," I introduced myself. Max stared at my toy in awe, seeing nothing like it. Being the selfless kid that I was, I offered it to him.

"This is Skye... He's a superhero," I explained, handing Max my toy. However, to my surprise, it slipped from my grasp and floated effortlessly two feet above the floor. I giggled, and Max took hold of it, making it soar around the room.

Suddenly, a man who would later become my greatest enemy burst into the room. Sam looked up, removing his headphones, and his expression turned to shock upon seeing the intruder.

"MAX! Go to your room NOW!" the man commanded, and Max dropped the toy, his smile fading. His eyes pleaded with me and then with Sam. "Now, Max! Hurry, before I have to call security," the man snapped. Max cast one last pleading look at me, tears streaming down his face, before being escorted away.

"You were in the alleyway," The robber sneered in an Australian accent, flicking his hands by his sides.

"So what?" I murmured, grimacing as I scrutinized the teenager standing before me, returning my presence. The robber stepped forward, puffing his chest out and trembling with clenched fists. He had quite an inflated ego if he thought he could challenge me.

The Australian boy chuckled, his smile fading as he controlled himself, his tongue flicking across his straight teeth. I devised an escape plan, watching his eyes widen behind the mask. Impatiently, he lunged at me, slamming my back against the concrete floor. I gasped, momentarily breathless.

"That hurt," I muttered, peeling myself off the ground, dazed and confused. I could usually dispatch villains in the blink of an eye, superhuman or not. But this guy was different, stronger, and a worthy rival.

The boy roared, his hand gripping the front of my hoodie, lifting me off the ground. "Where is Samual Jonathan Knight?" he shouted. It baffled me how he was connected to my uncle.

"I-I don't know," I stammered, uncertain how he knew about my family, about Sam.

I felt a hand grab my shirt as the other reached for his mask. But before I could catch hold of his disguise, the boy quickly pulled back. Suddenly, another figure appeared in front of me. The second boy spoke in an American accent, but with a more subtle Australian-style drawl, trying to disguise his voice. He told the first boy to leave me alone and urged him to leave.

I dropped to the ground as the two boys vanished into the alleyway, leaving me speechless and defeated. A few officers glanced my way, but my hoodie still obscured my face as the sunlight beamed directly at me. Derek leaned against his cruiser, observing me, swinging his keys in a circle as our eyes met.

"You okay?" Derek inquired. I glanced at the other officers and cleared my throat, altering my voice.

"Yeah," I reassured him, my tone a few octaves deeper than usual. Derek and I exchanged glances, and he gestured toward the significant police presence and the gathering of bystanders under the flashing camera lights. Shielding my face with my arm, I nodded, feeling a nervous twinge. And with a swift leap, I soared past my brother on my way to school.