"W-WHAT?" Clark asked incredulously, his expressions, reactions, and attitudes obviously meaning something to Emily; he had been caught off guard. "Emily, what are you talking about?"

"You're capable of messing with our feelings, aren't you? You've had this ability for a long time; that's why, when we least expect it, we end up doing something out of nowhere. You make us act this way."

"He does?" Helena began to think, and not just her; with Emily's comment, the whole group started reasoning, and this was a huge problem for the angel.

"Guys, I would never do that. Trust me."

"I trust you." Stuart said obediently. "I can't see Clark doing that."

"I admit I've always suspected Clark." Lysa said, seeing dark and almost faded colors emanating from the man's skin. "Even now he gives me chills, but something in me tells me to trust him."

"That 'something' is Clark." Emily said. "I also feel this need to trust him; when I look at him, I don't see any malice, I see nothing wrong, I feel like I could leave my life in his hands. But when I stop to think, it doesn't make sense; that's what he wants me to feel. Clark has never given me any reason to believe he would be there, so that feeling doesn't make sense. The same can be said for Pedro; he's never done anything to be hated by us, so why do we feel all this hatred?"

"But I have no reason to make you hate him."

"No reason? I wouldn't say that."This time it was John who was thinking calmly. "I've never been around you guys often enough to notice this, so I thank you, Emily, for clarifying my reasoning."

"And what reasoning is that?" Stuart asked.

"Clark, you obviously like Helena, that's not a secret to anyone, and I always saw her interacting only with you and your uncle... that is, until Pedro arrived. Helena gives Pedro attention all the time, arguing with him, and when she tried to make him feel better, that was the last straw for you."

"So that's how you see me, John?" Clark's tone was not that of an innocent person frustrated or scared to be accused. It was the tone of someone suffering an inconvenience and trying to stay calm. "A crazy obsessive who uses people as he wishes? Helena is never kind to Pedro; why would I be jealous of that?"

"You know my niece as well as I do" James retorted. "That roughness of hers is the closest she gets to showing affection."

"To me, you all are being irrational. For God's sake, you're listening to Emily, of all people, the slowest minded girl in camp. Lysa, who is smarter than her, still says some nonsense and gets in our way all the time, so Emily will be better?"

Lysa started crying; Emily was also hurt but didn't feel like crying. The girl knew these were just empty words, just a false angel of light trying to blind them with the glow of its lies. She then hugged her friend to comfort her, and that didn't have a good outcome.

After all... why? Why? Why was Emily so calm? Why was she so... mature? Where was that stupid child who used to cry with Lysa? Where was that dumb girl who thought she was invincible and was completely clueless about everything?

Why was she suddenly more useful than Lysa? Lysa was the one with the damn powers; Lysa should be the one who is useful, but no one believes she can be. All because she acts like a child, all because she completely loses control. Before, she could say it was normal for every child; she had Emily by her side, but now Emily seems to be better than her... Unforgivable, unacceptable. Lysa couldn't accept that at all.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Lysa shouted, pushing Emily away. Again in pure rage, in pure shame. "Don't touch me, leave me alone, Emily."

"Lysa?" Emily was about to cry... if she didn't start looking calmly at the expressions, behavior, and voice. "Oh Lysa, you're no less than anyone for being a child; you can help..."

"STOP! STOP TALKING LIKE YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME. LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"See?" Clark continued. "Those two brats are obviously insane and lose their composure easily. Are you going to tell me that anything either of them says matters? They're nothing but delusions-"

Clark only stopped talking when a very strong slap turned his world upside down. Helena's hand mark was left on his face; it was the first time she hit him for real.

"Clark, you bastard... don't tell me you used your power on me?" Helena asked furiously. Clark looked at her without words, and John still didn't understand the question.

"Helena, he used it on all of us."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Clark, tell me the truth or I swear I'll beat you up myself. Did you use your power to make me like you? You wouldn't dare, would you? It's not because of your power that I get all flustered around you. Or is it?"

He said nothing, just continued to stare at her. In his mind, various thoughts came and went. For Lysa, the colors around him were confusing; for Emily, his expression revealed his thoughts, and with a deep sigh, the man spoke:

"You really choose when to use your head, don't you?" His expression changed; Clark sat on the ground, sighing. Stress was what coursed through his mind; everything had gone awry overnight. "Now I doubt my power will continue to work on you; you'll constantly doubt your own moves while I'm here. It's a drag, but what can I do? It's the truth, yes, I have powers, and I've had them for a long time."

"How long?"

"Helena, since before I met you. I think I was 13 when I awakened them; it's a long story, I don't think it's relevant to the moment."

"Clark." This time, it was James who spoke, with a voice and face that were anything but friendly. "You no longer have any right to decide anything here. How did it started?"

Clark was silent for a moment, and seeing that there was no way to avoid it, he began.

"I was with my parents; they weren't exactly the best parents in the world. They treated me more like a slave and a burden than as a son, and their eyes were so full of hatred towards me. People always say that a parent's love for a child is unconditional, so I always wondered what they felt. Until one day, while my father was hitting me much harder than usual, I saw, I started to contemplate the emotion inside their hearts. And, ahahaha, what a surprise when I saw that they loved and hated me, a twisted way to mess with the feelings of a poor boy."

"And what happened to them?" Stuart asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I ran away from them when I saw there was nothing for me there, but hey, now I had powers, the ability to see people's feelings. Not long after, I learned that not only could I see, but I could also control what they felt. Not only that, but if I want, I can control someone else's body against their will."

"That's extremely powerful." James's expression became more closed, and the older man grew increasingly enraged as Clark spoke. "You've had such a useful power all these years? And never said anything? Used it only for your own benefit."

"Yes." The redhead replied without any shame. "If I had spoken, you would have become completely dependent on me. This power is exhausting, you know? It's like a two-way street; when I access someone's private or free will, I kind of create a connection with them. I feel what they feel, and I can even make others feel what they feel if I allow it."

"Is it true? " James said, reaching his limit. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails cut into his palms. The man's fury was palpable, the energy forming his barrier exuding a bit of his being. "Did you use your power on Helena?"

"The most precious diamonds are found deep in the mines; don't get me wrong, I genuinely care about Helena, but she was the first girl who wasn't interested in me. That shook me a bit, to tell the truth. How good is it to know what someone thinks of you if you don't have the power to alter it? But wait, I did."

Amidst James's fury, calmness came. And the man no longer felt anger.

"And you used your power on me now, didn't you?"

"Of course, Uncle James. If I hadn't, you would have tried to kill me right now." Clark's smile was cynical; he showed no guilt or shame, only frustration at being discovered. His gaze then turned to Emily. "Now what I don't understand is how a slow girl like you, Emily, managed to notice. You've never thought like a decent human being; why now?

"I... am I different?" Emily asked herself. The euphoria she always felt throughout her life was not present; the girl didn't feel excited or impulsive; she was calm and thinking more clearly. "Maybe, it's my power. Wise as the blue hermit, maybe my power grants me intelligence."

"Haha, look at that, it's a much more concrete and useful power than Lysa's. Who would have thought the useless one in the duo would be the snob?" Lysa was still crying on the floor, and it seemed Clark's goal was truly just to vent all his frustration on her, knowing exactly what would hurt the child.

Another punch from Helena hit the boy's face, knocking him to the ground. She was ready to strike again when her own uncle stopped her.

"LET ME GO! I'M GOING TO KILL THIS BASTARD!"

"Helena, as much as he deserves it, this is not the time. I thank him for calming me down, or I would be attacking him with you. The fact is, we need him; we have a much greater danger to face. But don't get me wrong, when this is over, you'll have to deal with the consequences, Clark."

"Okay, whatever that means."

"Helena, go cool off." John advised. "Even if Clark uses his powers to make you calmer, you'll get stressed again thinking you're calm because he forced you to."

-"AND AM I WRONG?"

"No. But this is not the time for that. Go cool off." With strong and angry steps, the woman did as she was told.

-"Lysa! Emily! The same goes for both of you; get out of here, please." James ordered. Lysa didn't want to leave, but after the other girl took her hand and lifted her up, she reluctantly went, apparently the other was more useful than her now. The least she could do to avoid being a hindrance was to obey.

"Now, we're dragging this out too much; we need to focus on what matters." Stuart commented. "With that, only John and I still don't have powers."

"But I find this strange, Emily broke the pattern; she didn't awaken her powers in a life-or-death situation, and they're not a reflection of her desires."

"Well, for every rule, there is an exception." James deduced. "As far as we know, this rule applies here too."

"But what if this is the exception to the rule?"

"Well, then I think we have a paradox on our hands. The fact is, six of us have powers, but only three are for combat: mine, Helena's, and Clark's. The girls, besides being children, have more passive powers, and Pedro, well, he has nothing of his powers available to use."

"The problem is that there are 20 of them." Clark said. "How are we going to isolate them? Even if we have a chance against one of them, against 20 it will be impossible."

"I don't know what's more important at the moment."John confessed. "Should we gather information about them? Should we train? What should we do against these guys?"

"Hope they're dumb, or that they don't get along."

IN THE DEN OF THE DECEIVED

"Okay." Fernanda said cheerfully with several papers in her hand. "Operation Friendship starts now. I hope we all get along."