Jenova

I had to admit, Marisol was quite the catch. When I saw her, our thoughts seemed to connect in a way that I had never connected with anyone. Listening to her thoughts, I knew she could feel it too. Though we did have a seemingly strong connection, it would have been impossible for us to be together. I had long life; Marisol did not. She would age and grow old. I would not.
I could detect her disappointment through my veins and I hated it. I decided to send her a message through our minds hoping Jonas wasn't listening in.
One day, Marisol. One day.
She looked up surprised but she seemed happier. I hoped I wasn't wrong. Another thought thundered into my mind so loudly that I almost clamped my hands over my ears out of instinct.
Leave her alone! Don't mess with her heart! Obviously, it was Jonas.
I won't.
Yeah, right. Just leave her alone and don't you DARE hurt her!
I did not get a chance to respond because Jonas closed off his mind. I sighed and sat back in my chair.
"May I speak with Marisol alone, please?" I asked.
Jonas shot me a frightening glare before getting up. I lifted my hands to create a sound-proof sphere around myself and Marisol. She looked up, pleasantly surprised.
"I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to come with me to the Vault of Keys. I believe you are ready. You have the strength. You see, I didn't want your brother to hear this because he has been itching to go with me for quite some time. I have a task for you, though." I told her.
She smiled excitedly. It was pleasing to know that she contained that excitement; it would definitely come into great use. She frowned suddenly and started to play with her hair.
"Marisol?" I said quietly.
She looked down at her shirt and then at her chewed off nails. I attempted to get into her mind but she had blocked me out. I was amazed; she had already mastered screening her thoughts. Instead, I felt for her emotion and I felt sadness and worry.
She looked up with glistening eyes. She seemed as if she was about to tell me what was on her mind, but when she spoke, it wasn't what I expected.
"Is that your natural hair color?" she asked with a halfhearted smile.
I laughed and nodded.

Marisol

My heart stopped and I couldn't believe the sight that was in front of me. Jenova was enchanting! His hair was a beautiful shining silver that was long and pulled back in a ponytail that he kept over his shoulder. His eyes were deep gold while his skin was white but it looked so soft.
"Welcome! At last, we meet!" he said smiling.
I couldn't say anything. What COULD I say to someone this beautiful? He stared into my eyes for a brief moment and when he looked away, it felt like he had taken part of me with him.
Jonas cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Come in." Jenova finally instructed.
When I walked into his home, it was unbelievable. His house was shimmering with silver and violet. It stole my breath. It was beautiful. The ceilings were high and when I looked up, I saw murals of different elements painted in each corner. I wondered what it would be like to actually live there.
He led us into his living room and we all sat down on his violet suede couch. Jenova sat across from me in a matching chair while Jonas sat next to me. I couldn't look away from Jenova. I couldn't place the emotion being so close to someone like him but it was definitely a good emotion.
Jonas nudged me and I looked away momentarily but when Jonas wasn't looking, I looked back at Jenova. He caught my eye and I felt like I had melted within him. He smiled softly then looked away.
"Okay, well, we should get started. First off, what is your name?" Jenova asked.
"Uh...Well..." I stuttered. What WAS my name?
"Marisol." Jonas said for me, sounding annoyed.
"Pleasure to meet you. As you may already know, I am Jenova."
I nodded and I couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"I'm also going to be your trainer. I'll help you develop your powers to a more advanced level and help you to do things you never thought possible. But first thing is first, you need to know your friends from you enemies. As you may have figured out, the fire circle today was no accident. You have enemies watching you from different worlds. My home is the only secure place in this realm. It's where all of our meetings are held. Never speak of the Protectors outside my home." Jonas coughed nervously. We looked at him.
"Jonas, what's wrong?" I asked.
"N-nothing..."
Jenova stared at Jonas and his eyes widened when he seem to come to a conclusion. I began to get annoyed. There seemed to be some private conversation going on without me.
"Now, here's some information on the Protectors." Jenova continued as if he had not been interrupted. "There are six Guards and one hundred Leaders.We all protect a vault of Keys from the army of Darkness. The Keys are keys to open your worst nightmare. They were locked away two hundred years ago to protect the human race but then Sylvia, the most evil of the Army, found out about them. It is our job to protect the keys from her. The vault is unlike anything you have ever seen. It's made entirely of crystal and the inside is filled with top security. It's nearly impossible to get through but Sylvia could find a way which is what we are trying to prevent."
This was a lot to take in but I believed every word of it. I always knew that I was something more than just a normal human being and now, I was excited. I had always loved adventure.
"Now, I'll tell you a bit about myself so you can feel more comfortable with me. My powers are Truth, comfort through the touch, my ears can hear footsteps miles away, my eyes can see light even in the darkest of darkness, and I can read emotions no matter how hard you try to mask them. I was always granted the gift of long life. I am four hundred years old."
My jaw dropped. He looked like he was eighteen!
"I stopped aging at eighteen." he said hearing my thoughts.
I nodded as if this was perfectly normal. Disappointment also seemed to sweep through me because I knew then that Jenova and I wouldn't have a chance.

Jonas

The expression on Marisol's face told me she must have been experiencing the first signs of her powers. I smiled. It made me proud but I knew she had to be feeling peculiar. I figured that it was the time to tell her of the Protectors of the Keys. I opened my mind to her thoughts.
I'm crazy! Oh my God, I'm crazy! What's going on?
Her thoughts sounded panicked and I knew she needed to know before she really did lose sanity.
"Mari, come with me. Zack, Raquel, Eve, go on home. We need some time alone." I said to the group.
Marisol looked up at me. Her eyes were showing confusion and fear. I gave her a soft smile to tell her to relax.
Raquel looked at me before leaving. Her face was twisted with concern but I nodded to inform her that everything was fine. She left but reluctantly. Zack followed her. He made me sick to be quite blunt. The thoughts about my sister he made...it was disgusting.
I turned back to Marisol.
"Maybe now would be a good time to tell you who and what you are." I said.
She cocked her head, puzzled.
"Well, for one thing you are a member of the Protectors of the Keys. One of the six, that is. You and I are two of the six. I don't know who the other four are but they probably will be discovered soon enough. Anyway, as one of the Protectors, you will develop certain powers. You've already began to develop the power of Truth. You can read minds and see when people are lying. The sparks in your hands however is the power of Electricity. You can use in whatever ways you want. It's Electricity after all."
I looked at her to see if she was following so far. Her face was blank.
"What?" was all she could manage to say.
"I know. It's a lot to take in but I'm telling you the truth. Do you believe me?" I replied.
"I believe you, sure, but I still don't understand."
"Of course you don't but just have faith in me. Now, I think it is time you met Jenova, the Leader of The Six."

We arrived outside Jenova's home. Before we could even knock, Jenova swung open the door.

Marisol

I sighed as I listened to my two brothers bicker over me once again. They continued their bickering until finally, Steven stalked off in the other direction. Watching him walk away for some reason reminded me of my mother. I could still it clearly in my mind as if she were still walking out.

Mom has an orange sweatshirt tied tightly around her waist. She is in the kitchen tapping her foot, obviously irritated. I am not sure why she is so angry this time. She looks beautiful in her white camisole that hugs her curves. She is wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans but it works for her figure. Mom has silver eyes like my brothers and I. She has hair like mine, straight and dark brunette, although hers is speckled with gray. She's as tall as me. People have always told us that we looked like twins. It used to be flattering until Mom started thinking she's old. I have never seen Mom look as irritated as she looks right now. I long to see her smile again. My parents have been arguing a lot lately and we all knew this day would come. But why must it come so soon? Mom leaves the kitchen, storming off to her room, passing by me as if I'm not even here. I follow her and when I enter the bedroom, I see her throwing her belongings into a suitcase. This scares me.
"Mom, where are you going?" I ask, fear making my voice unsteady.
She turns around surprised to see me standing there.
"Oh, Marisol, I'm just going on a vacation. I'll be back." she tells me with a smile that doesn't touch her eyes.
I nod as if I believe her and for now, I do because it's easier than facing the truth. I stand outside the room while she packs, waiting to hear the final zip of the suitcase and the wheels rolling against the hard wood floor.
"Marisol?" says a voice.
I turn to see Jonas standing there, concern on his face.
"Mom says she's going on vacation." I say, feeling tears in my eyes.
Jonas steps towards me and takes me into his brotherly arms and hugs me. I cry into his chest as I hear the final zip and clattering. My brother leads me into the living room just as our mom comes out of her room, walks down the hallway, opens the front door, and leaves.
I curl into Jonas and cry until I feel like my body will collapse.

"Marisol?"
I looked up to see Jonas standing beside me. Had I really just stopped walking? The group was just a little bit ahead of us but they too had stopped.
"Mari?" he said.
"I'm fine. Sorry. I just started thinking about some things." I told him.
I crossed my arms and looked down at the ground. I kicked a light gray pebble across the street and watched it roll slowly into the street drain.
Zack touched my shoulder for comfort but it only made me tense. He pulled his hand away. I thought it was because of my tension but he shook his hand as if I'd hurt him. I looked into his eyes.
What was that?
It shocked me. Zack had not spoken this out loud! It was like I had heard it in my head. Zack studied me with a puzzled expression spread across his face.
What's up with her?
Again, I heard this in my head. My breathing became unsteady and I started thinking that I was being driven into madness. I backed up from him until I was standing on Jonas' toes.
I looked down at my hands. The tips of my fingers were shimmering with silver sparks. My head began spinning and I felt dizzy.
What was wrong with me?

Zack

I could tell that Marisol wasn't as excited about the event at school as Raquel and I were. She seemed annoyed...or was it fear? Her emotions weren't quite as obvious as usual through her piercing silver eyes. I had always been dazzled by the unusual color. When I first met her, I assumed she was blind but then I realized she had perfect vision.
Marisol was about about five feet, nine inches, tall for a girl her age. She had beautiful long, tanned legs. She had the perfect amount of curves in all the right places. Being of the male specimen, one could assume where the right curves were. But her face was something that can take some one's breath away, especially mine. She had the sweetest features that made any male want to reach out and stroke her soft skin. It was framed gorgeously by her long, straight, dark chocolate hair. I wouldn't ever admit it but I had been crushing on since the day we met. Of course I could never say that out loud with her brothers disliking me the way they do.
Jonas was especially protective of his three year junior sister after she went through a major stage of depression.
It was two years previously when Maria(their mother) walked out on her three children and Mike, their father. Marisol would constantly blame herself for her mother's disappearance which was ridiculous but no one could convince her that. She just wanted someone to blame so she blamed herself. Jonas was there for her every step of the way. They were all suffering.
Steven coped in a different way. He may have been the one hurting the most but he would never show it not even to his closest friends. He preferred to protect his tough guy image instead of allowing himself to show the pain he must have felt. Steven is the more relaxed brother of the two. He was not as protective of Marisol as Jonas but he still wouldn't approve of me dating his sister.
"Zack, you alright?" asked Raquel bringing me back from my thoughts.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I guess I zoned out a bit." I replied.
Jonas narrowed his eyes at me. Had he seen me glance over at Marisol? I certainly hoped not.
He changed his direction to come walk beside of me. He was quiet for a moment then turned to stop me from walking. He clutched my shirt collar and pierced me with his pair of silver eyes. That was the only thing the Carter siblings had in common.
"Don't you dare try to date my sister." Jonas hissed.
His jaw was set hard and I knew he meant business.
"She's one of my friends. No need to worry." I responded coolly.
Jonas didn't seem convinced but he released my collar.
"Jonas, chill out and take a pill." Steven said to his brother.
Jonas flashed Steven a death glare that could set one's spirit on fire.
I suddenly felt like Steven and Jonas were going to get into one of there fiery arguments so I casually slipped to the other side of Raquel.

Marisol

It was the strangest thing and perhaps the most interesting thing to ever happen at St. James Private High School. My brothers, Jonas and Steven were still dazed. My two best friends, Raquel and Zack, and Steven's girlfriend, Eve, could agree with me. However, I was terrified.
Raquel and Zack were still discussing the event as the six of us walked home. Oddly enough, we all lived fairly close to each other within walking distance of the school. Jonas and Steven had been unusually quiet which made Raquel and Zack seem even more loud and irritating.
"That fire was sweet!" I mean sure it was freaky but now that it's over, it was cool!" Raquel exclaimed jumping in the air with excitement.
"Yeah and then Eve's face when she realized she was on fire...ah, yes, priceless." Zack lowered his voice. "Too it couldn't have burned all of her."
Steven heard then looked at me. I shrugged innocently.
"You have one jerky friend." he sneered.
"Sorry, Steven. My friends picked me out." I joked.
I could still feel his tension and closed my mouth while quickly erasing my grin.

Prologue

"Kamada, enter!" Sylvia commanded.
She was still into the Truth Water at the fire circle surrounding six innocent students at a high school in The Real World.
Kamada came into the Seeing Room with a sheepish look spread across his scruffy face. Sylvia's eyes were glazing with anger and Kamada knew too well that he was in deep trouble. Sylvia, for the time being, was lost for words. Kamada took this time to distract himself with the elegance of this magnificent room.
The ceilings stretched to an enormous height of fifty feet. The ceiling had The Prophecy of Time inscribed across it in bold, cursive, gold lettering. He studied the last line of the Prophecy. "In the end, only the pure shall prevail."
That will change. Kamada thought with a smirk.
He looked around the room a bit longer. There were three sets of bookshelves filled with books on every imaginable subject, all reaching the ceiling. The walls were a deep magenta with gold crown molding. In the center of the room there was a large violet cauldron with the Truth Water bubbling inside. The cauldron sat in the center of a glass table. The Seeing Room would be quite enchanting if it weren't for Sylvia's fiery eyes piercing every soul that entered the room.
"Kamada! you are going to reveal their identities!" Sylvia said in an icy voice.
"I apologize, madam, but isn't that what was supposed to happen?" he inquired.
"No, you idiot! Not all of them, just the girl's brother you imbecile! Get out of my sight!"
Her words simply meant that Kamada was never to cross Sylvia's path again unless summoned or if he had a death wish.
The Chosen Six will not prevail! Sylvia though as she watched Kamada leave the room.