Quick question: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Ethan

As opposed to what everyone around thought of me, I wasn't exactly free.

Maybe I did appear so, but it just felt like I was somewhat programmed to show the world that I was having the best time of my life, all the time.

I honestly didn't think it would be this huge. The whole other dimension thing; and I most definitely wasn't expecting this responsibility. I knew moving to this dimension was going to come with a handful of duties, but not this kind. It didn't even help that my mother was blinded by the fact that I wasn't interested in the whole political aspect of this. She wanted me at her side at all times. I didn't want to be bothersome by telling her that I needed the breathing space to just think and actually recover from the accident.

But that was exactly what she didn't want to give me... time to think.

My eyes scanned through the paper Silas had passed on to me the minute I joined them in the general training room, it contained our schedule for the new week, and I could already feel the stress of the meetings we were to attend at the state level institutions.

The only reason I tried to tolerate it, was because I didn't trust Dean enough to let my mother handle him on her own, he was a sleezy and cunning man. I would have depended on Silas to help too, but he was mostly messing around with anyone willing to mess with him, so I couldn't exactly rely on him either.

I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder, and I didn't have to turn to know who it was. "It'll be fine." She said.

My head fell back as I exhaled. "She's killing me, Navya. She knows how I feel about stuff like this, at this point I'm convinced all the freaking board members see me as some kind of pest warming up the last seat at the table, nodding to whatever they say."

She chuckled, coming to stand right in front of me, her lips pulling up at each side, showing that smile that got me smiling almost every time. "You can just tell her, Ethan... I'm sure she'd understand."

I shook my head. "No, she'll just end up feeling bad, and then try to occupy my time with something else, she always does that."

"Then man up and sit through the damn meetings, I mean—how hard can it be?"

"Well, they speak English but it just sounds like a completely different language in my ears. Last night was basically the only time I got to—feel free... if it hadn't been for Silas, she wouldn't have let me out of that meeting to attend the party."

"She just loves you, I guess."

"If you ask me, I'd say she's obsessed." Henry chipped in from where he sat.

"If you ask me, I think you should mind your own fucking business." Navya shot back.

"Yeah dude, why were you eavesdropping?" Milo directed his question to Henry.

"I didn't mean to? I just thought Ethan was finally going to give her that letter."

At that, I furrowed my brows. "What letter?"

"The one in your hands, the one where you finally grow the balls to ask Nav on a fucking date?"

My eyes widened. "God, Henry, it's a schedule plan, not a love letter."

"Why would it be a love letter?" Silas asked, looking around the circle.

"Yeah, why?" Navya asked, looking quite clueless.

Oh God.

Henry leaned back into the bean bag, as the silence dragged on, waiting for someone to break it.

And of course, Dylan.

"Fucking pussies. Navya, Ethan fucking likes you and wants to ask you out on a date, Emmitt and Henry advised him to write you a letter since he's too chicken to ask you out, Oliver thought it was a bad idea, but didn't have a better one, hence, Henry thinking you both were finally breaking the egg."

Well, fuck.

"Oh." Navya blinked, her attention coming back to me.

"It's nothing serious," I assured her. "I just—I'm not taking you on a date, I mean—I don't want to? It's not like I wouldn't want to, I would but—it wouldn't be through a—"

"What the hell is he saying?" Freya asked, her attention off from her phone.

"No fucking idea." Gwen muttered in response.

I let out a breath. "Just—ignore Dylan... I think he's on something." That was what I settled on.

"I'm not on anything, we legit had this conversation last night. Navya, would you like to see?"

"What the fuck? no she wouldn't— just shut the hell up, Dylan." I snapped at him.

Navya chuckled. "It's okay, Ethan... really. We can talk about it later when we have less—listening ears." she smiled shyly at me, before resuming her position beside Freya.

I watched Freya whisper something in her ear, making a chuckle escape her as she sneaked a glance at me, smiling. I couldn't help but return the smile before looking back at the paper.

I felt Silas' eyes on me, but I didn't want to entertain anything he had to say. When he didn't stop staring, I sighed, meeting his stare. "What."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but shook his head. "Nothing."

I ignored that, looking back at the paper, sooner or later he would— My thoughts paused the moment the doors to the training room pushed open. And like yesterday, I felt it... uncoiling from deep within me was a fuzzy warm feeling that seemed lost within myself. I couldn't place it but—I knew what I felt, there was something missing.

"The Rebel-lions." Oliver piqued up.

I looked towards the door, and I found them. I'd been told they would be joining the meeting too, seeing as they were somewhat involved in what my mom and other board members wanted to address.

But...

Looking at each of them, I couldn't help but let my confusion take over me.

There was something familiar.

It was the same feeling I got when I bumped into that girl at the party, it felt like I'd seen her before... no... it didn't feel like I had seen her, it felt like I knew her. She was—

She's here.

Staring at me, were eyes I knew I had seen countless times before... not at the party yesterday, but somewhere else.

It was probably this moment I realized I found the solution to my problem. Because right now, I knew what complete meant.

I did know her, and she knew me. she wouldn't look at me like that if she didn't.

Pained. Hurt. Angry.

I couldn't help but let my let my eyes wander. Looking at her satisfied everything incomplete within me.

Why are you so familiar? What am I missing?

I let my eyes wander to the guy at her side, holding on to her like he was trying to protect her from something, someone? I met her gaze again, and I couldn't help but notice how strange my whole body felt, it was like a soft whirl... it felt like I was melting, melting back into my head. The small ache I felt in my head, had me taking my eyes off her.

"You good?" Silas asked, eyeing me.

"Yeah. The girl from the party's here."

"That's Ivy Fisher." Silas informed.

Even your name sounds familiar. I thought to myself.

"Oh... how do you know that?" I asked him.

"Who doesn't? she's the whole mind behind the Rebel-lion's movement."

My brows shot up. "Is she?"

He nodded.

"Didn't expect the leader to look like that." I couldn't help but say.

Silas raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Like... normal."

Silas stared at me for a really long time before speaking. "Why don't we go over there? See how normal she is."

I blinked. "What?"

He got to his feet. "Come on."

"Are you serious?"

"When have I ever not been."

"All the fucking time?"

He grinned. "I love that you know me so well, Ethan. Come on."

I exhaled, following behind him.

Strange but, I was nervous... their whole circle seemed so— I can't quite place it. 

"Caramel... you're one of them Rebel-lions?" I knew he knew she was part of them, but Silas was his own kind of person.

My gaze moved towards where Caramel stood, a bored look pulling down her brows, funny how I knew that was the exact look she was going to pull.

Silas placed a hand across his chest. "I feel like you used me. was last night even real."

When Caramel raised a brow that clearly showed how uninterested she was, I knew she was about to dish him something savage. "Yeah, unfortunately, I fucked a 7-year-old... in a God knows how old body."

"Ouch, age is really a sensitive topic for me." his gaze moved from Caramel to Ivy, who I noticed had suddenly gone a bit stiff. "Oh hi, Ivy."

Something really is off.

I noticed how each of them seemed to steal glances at me. they looked at me like they knew me, but were scared to look at me for more than a second.

My mother had told me a little about them... she said they were a group who came together to stand against her. She also said it was pretty bold, and that she had always admired their leader, she had a look on when she said their leader reminded her so much of her young self. Determined, fearless and driven.

"I've heard a lot about the Rebel-lions, a real pleasure finally meeting you guys, Silas tells me the gang's legendary."

"We're much more than a gang." A girl said from behind them. "We're family."

I blinked, feeling all wrong for calling them a gang. "Right. Family." I said awkwardly, my gaze shifting to Ivy. "You're that girl from the party, last night, right?"

I would be a complete ignorant fool if I missed the way everything fell silent. A sudden tension filled the space around us.

Hurt and something else I couldn't quite place, flashed in her eyes before she met my gaze, a sudden fire I hadn't noticed, took over her whole form. "Right, I thought I recognized you as the rude stranger who assumed I was deaf after emptying his beer in my bra."

Whoa what?

I was not expecting that response. At all.

I fought back a smile, feeling suddenly comfortable.

"Don't do it." I heard Silas say. "Don't do it, Ethan, don't—"

Too late.

"If it's the bra you're worried about, I'm an expert in selecting those, I could get you a new one but, I would need to know," My eyes dropped to her chest. "The size you wear."

"Wow." Said a familiar voice. My gaze shifted to him... as expected, he looked really familiar too, honestly, the only person who looked unfamiliar was the guy standing beside Ivy.

Her boyfriend? No... I just don't see it but—it wouldn't hurt to fish for the answer to that.

"I'm sorry, I hope the boyfriend wouldn't mind?"

"I'm not her boyfriend but I'll happily punch you in the face for that comment."

Oh, will you now?

"Wow, I'm so scared." I said with a chuckle instead.

He took a step forward, and I was just about ready to punch his face back to sleep, but Ivy stepped forward. "I'll handle this." she said, and I was amused.

She sounded like she knew how to handle me.

"Okay, mummy's boy." The fuck? "I feel like you're trying to flirt with me, but I'm afraid you're getting it all wrong, then again, I don't blame you... inexperience sucks."

Something in the way she spoke, thrilled me, and I could go back and forth with her like this till I mastered her every single response. I could stare at those overly familiar eyes all day, till I got my feel which I knew would be impossible.

It had never been.

I knew this because, though I don't remember, I knew for sure that this girl is something to me.

I went closer, until I was in her face. She didn't flinch, didn't back away, didn't shy away... but the emotions dancing in her eyes told me she wouldn't even mind if I moved even closer.

You don't look at a stranger like that.

A word burned at the back of my head, but I held myself back.

I'm on to something.

"Funny, I feel like we both know who the inexperienced one is between us." I couldn't help but take in her reaction which confirmed all that I felt. I'm not seeing things, or being paranoid over meeting the one woman my mother told me she admired. I really do know her. This isn't the first time I'm meeting the Rebel-lions. Nor is it the second or third. They didn't just look familiar. They felt familiar.

My lips pulled up in what I know would look like a smirk as I said the one word that had been burning in my head since I got so close, the one word I knew would either lock this whole theory or do the complete opposite.

"Ponytail."

She sucked in breath, staring wide eyed at me. Those wide eyes began gathering tears as she took a step away from me. "Eth—"

The door to the training room opened, cutting her off.

I turned slightly towards the door to see my Mom and other board members, Including Dean, walk into the training room.

My Mom's eyes found mine, but it was quick to shift to Ivy. I saw the fear flash through her eyes as she looked between us.

I furrowed my brows, slowly looking back at Ivy whose gaze held my mother's. Contempt, hate, anger; were all I saw, but when she looked back at me, I saw helplessness.

It was slow, but I did put two and two together.

The tension in that room, the smug look on Dean's face, the Rebel-lions wearing looks similar to Ivy's, Silas looking everywhere but at me. And then, my mother whose eyes shined with fear and caution.

The only clueless people in this room were me and the other superiors who just watched the whole scene unfold, probably thinking what I'm thinking.

They all knew something we didn't.

Something big.

Something important.

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Vote and Comment;)

Whoa... I don't know but—I feel so bad for Ethan... I mean are we thinking of the fact that Ivy wasn't the only one who basically suffered for one whole year. Ethan has basically lost a whole year with the people he loved, and he doesn't even know it. I'm crying.

Okay. I wanna hear your thoughts!

Extremely sorry this update is coming quite late. But I'm glad I beat the Friday schedule, even though it's just one hour to Saturday, and almost half of you are asleep. Lol.

See ya 'all next Friday though!