(Mitch's POV)

It scares me that my parents have a reward set for my capture. I'm just now beginning to see how they used me, and I'm not sure that I want to go back. Vikk and I have had lots of time to talk over the last few days. I've told him about how my family treated me, and I could tell how he tried to word it nicely, but he thinks my parents used my abilities to get whatever they wanted. I think that I believe it, too. And then there's Michael. We definitely don't have the simple sibling bond. Vikk thinks that he's just as bad as my parents. I don't believe that part. There was a time when I was little, so little that I doubt that Michael thinks I remember when he used to play with me. Before the lab, even. There's something about being around my dad that made us both turn cold.

And Vikk's seen so much of the world. He's learned all about survival in the wild, and living with his abilities. I've never been told to really practice mine, probably because they were afraid, but Vikk's mastered his powers. He's been trying to teach me to use mine better. "If you can defend yourself without puking, then do it", he scolded me, handing over a short sword out of his back. I'm pretty sure that backpack is actually a bottomless pit in disguise. I've seen about a cart load of different things popping out of all the zippers. And it weighs the same as a building's worth of bricks. No wonder Vikk's strong for his size.

     I yelp when I go flying into the air, hitting a branch and clinging to it. "What the Neather was that!? You didn't tell me you could do that!", Vikk yells up at me. "It's only my second time, and the first didn't go so well", I awkwardly laugh. The jump pad appeared while I had my eyes closed, but it's gone now. Vikk quickly discovered that seeing both words at the same time would drain my energy faster. Either one made me puke when I first got my abilities, but Vikk says that he could only teleport a few times a day in the beginning. Now he can run circles around me as long as it's close.

He suddenly appears next to me on the branch, making the entire thing dip with our combined weight. "No! Get off", I wine, trying to swipe at him. "Find a way down yourself! Think outside the box", he fires back. Vikk teleports again, this time standing right over me. I gulp and quickly close my eyes. Everything instantly turns to pixels with the glowing outlines. Vikk is even colored in a light purple. Along with my own red outline, a green pendent is around my neck. There's a small bar on it, about three/fourths full. It's something that I actually thought up. I can't tell if I'm gonna pass out while both my eyes are closed, but the necklace shows me with the little bar. Half is when I start to get tired, a forth is when I puke, a little less is fainting, and I haven't gone farther than that.

My powers are all about finding the right words. I never know if something will work until it happens. Break is hammer, sword is just a sword, jump is the jump pad, and energy is the necklace. Vikk jumps and the branch and makes the entire thing shake. I flinch back and look around. Ground is too far to jump, I'm not sure if I can land a jump pad. That's what got me up here in the first place. How do I get down? At that word, an orange strap snaps into place across my chest. I look back underneath me to see the orange shape grow into a small parachute. An invisible wind tears me from the branch and flings me up into the air. I can see Vikk teleport away in surprise, but I'm not sure where. I land on the ground with a small thud and I scurry to my feet. It's not a moment later when I'm being tackled over. Vikk's gone again right after. Shield, please! The green outline appears on my arm, and I move to block the rock being flung in my direction.

I block a few more from different directions, taking the hits with my shield. I can't even see Vikk through the trees. He just keeps on moving. Just one hit, then we can stop. I'm too slow. I need to be fast enough to get him. My pendent hits 50 as I suddenly fly forwards. Looks like I found another word; fast. I'm sent flying forward and into Vikk. We both crash to the ground, and I wrap my arms around his waist, keeping from teleporting. "Take that! I win this time!", I yell, finally opening my eyes. Vikk's laughing, trying to shove me off. "Five, four....", he trails off, smirking. "What?", I ask in confusion. That is until I slump over to the side, exhausted. Vikk gets up, grinning. "Looks like a ten minute nap for you!", he laughs. I just groan. Vikk pulls me back up after a few minutes of me feeling sorry for myself. "Better then last time at least", I say. "You are getting better", Vikk agrees.

     "When do you think we'll get to the capital?", I ask Vikk. "Maybe tomorrow? The sun is setting now, and we should probably stop. But we might get there by tomorrow night", Vikk thinks out loud. "And then what? 'Hello king, we're from a lab that stole all the children 12 years ago? Who will believe us?", I wonder. "We have to convince them somehow", he sighs, "Something's going on, and we might be the only ones who know about it". He's right. Nothing is adding up. Why did the scientists from the lab not come for me until now? How did they know where to find me? I have a bad feeling about all of this.