CHAPTER 1

The odds that my plan was going to work were excruciatingly slim. I had made this same attempt countless times before but always to no avail. I sat up slowly on my cot to minimize the sound of the springs moving, so my brother, Jayden, wouldn't hear them on the other side of the wall between our bedrooms. I walked to my door and opened it quietly, cringing every time it creaked despite my precautions. I stepped over to Jayden's room and peeped in the small rectangular window. I had gotten up five minutes earlier than usual to make sure I could surprise him, and I was happy to see his still-sleeping form on the bed. I held the door knob and turned it slowly until the bolt was no longer in the lock, and I was holding the door in place. Then in one swift motion, I flung the door open, jumped into the room, and screamed at the top of my lungs. I had been hoping to see Jaden wake up in terror and maybe even fall out of bed, but instead, his sleeping figure in the bed suddenly vanished. My real brother suddenly replaced the fake one, fully awake and sitting up in bed with his legs outstretched in front of him and his hands supporting his head from behind. Although we both had powers, I still hated it when he used his against me.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up," Jayden said, smiling mischievously as he suppressed a laugh. I opened my mouth twice to ask the question, but he went ahead and answered. "I could hear your thoughts last night at dinner. You really shouldn't try to plan things out so far in advance," He explained.

"Why didn't you just tell me you knew?" I asked frustrated.

"I was sort of hoping you would try coming through the wall again," He answered jokingly.

"I nearly got stuck last time I did that, and you nearly got crushed! I can move matter, not make it disappear," I explained.

"Yes, but it was quite funny that time I heard a thud when you tried to run straight through the wall," He pointed out.

"I was eight," I retorted indignantly before I turned and left the room quickly.

I could hear Jayden getting up off of his bed behind me, so I looked back quickly and waved my hand, making the door start to swing shut. Unfortunately, Jayden threw up his arm to stop it from hitting him.

"That one was just you being predictable," He explained as I forced the door to close the rest of the way, pushing him out of his bedroom. He briefly jogged to catch up to me, and we were able to walk down the hallway to the living room together.

In order to make our bedrooms seem more like the barracks that the other cadets had to sleep in, there was a long cement hallway separating us from the rest of the house. The plain cement floors and walls and harsh fluorescent lights overhead severely contrasted our parents' living quarters, so stepping through the doorway was like stepping into another world. The sitting and dining areas were combined into one giant room, filled with thick rugs, patterned fabrics, and dark mahogany furniture. The kitchen and front door were on the far side of the room while our parents' bed and bathroom were on the right. Since our actual bedrooms had no closets, Jayden and I each had small changing room on the left.

"Hurry up, and get dressed! Breakfast is almost ready," Our mom called out from where she was setting the table.

"Oh no, she cooked again," I thought, suddenly dreading the idea of having to eat breakfast.

"At least you can turn your taste buds off" Jayden responded by using his powers to place the thought in my head.

The two of us split ways and went to our adjacent closets to get dressed. Like our bedrooms, our closets were mirror images of each other, complete with a wardrobe, mirror, and small stand. I quickly opened my wardrobe and picked out the grey training suit that smelled the best to wear. As I stepped in front of the mirror and swiftly forced a brush through my shoulder-length red hair, I noticed the collar of my jacket. It was light blue, displaying my lower rank and the fact that I was only a cadet instead of a full member of the organization I had been training with most of my life. Hopefully, this would be the last time I ever wore a blue collar. Once dressed, I practically vaulted myself out of the changing room and over to where my mom and Jayden were already seated.

"How did you beat me out?" I asked Jayden in surprise.

"I have shorter hair," He explained matter-of-factly.

"Not that much shorter," I commented, looking at his chin-length black hair that he always kept swept back out of the way. "So what's for breakfast today, Mom?" I asked, changing the subject as I plopped down in my chair.

"I made scrambled eggs," She answered cheerfully as she pointed to a bowl of somewhat watery eggs. "And bacon," She added, motioning to a platter loaded with bacon. Jayden looked at the bacon dubiously before using his fork and knife to lift the entire mass of meat as one unit, revealing that all of the strips were stuck together.

"I'm sure it still tastes delicious," He said politely as Mom smiled sheepishly.

Just then, there was a noise from our parents' bedroom, and Jayden quickly put the bacon bundle down and sat quietly in his seat. Our dad suddenly appeared in the doorway, fully dressed in his black uniform with a red collar. With his great height, broad shoulders, buzzed grey hair, and stern blue eyes, Dad could definitely be intimidating, and he always demanded respect. He walked over to the table and glanced at the food before shaking his head and forcing a smile.

"Thanks for cooking, honey," He said, addressing Mom before he started unenthusiastically scooping eggs onto his plate.

"So are you two excited for the physical examination today?" Mom asked as she started pulling the pieces of bacon apart with her fork.

"Excited isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it," Jayden answered uncertainly.

"I'm sure you can handle it, and your sister can spot you if you get into trouble," Dad said without looking up from his food, and Jayden frowned slightly.

"You know Dad, Jayden's actually an excellent fighter on his own," I pointed out, but he simply nodded his head. I looked over at Jayden, but he just started helping Mom with the bacon. "Hey Dad, did you see the score report from the written examination yesterday?" I asked excitedly.

"As a matter of fact, I did," He replied, beaming with pride. "Both of my children are currently in the top ten ranking cadets, and you only had to be in the top 40 to pass," He said in a both congratulatory and somewhat boastful way.

"Top ten?" I asked in disbelief, and Dad looked up at me in surprise. "Dad, Jayden is in the first place!" I announced before Jayden could silence me.

"Isn't that normal?" Dad asked after a pause.

"Yes, but it's still fantastic," Mom said, congratulating Jayden, who took the compliment humbly.

"The test was mainly on subjects like foreign policy, politics, and etiquette. It just required simple memorization," He explained as Dad slurped up some of his egg thoughtfully.

"Well if the test was so simple, why didn't your sister do better?" He asked Jayden suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Jayden responded, even though he could have read his mind to know.

"You literally remember everything, and the two of you can communicate telepathically. Why didn't you help Amelia on the exam instead of leaving her with the risk of not passing?" He asked.

"I didn't want his help. I wanted to be able to do it on my own," I explained, and Dad sighed in exasperation.

"Don't be afraid to work together, you two. You are a unit, a team," He said, preparing to go into some sort of speech.

"But I didn't want to cheat," I insisted.

"Don't think of it as cheating. Just think of it as using a resource, like an encyclopedia," Dad replied, somewhat jokingly.

"I believe she prefers to think of me as her brother," Jayden remarked, and Mom dropped her fork in surprise, causing it to clang against the plate.

"Boy, I expect to be respected in my own house," Dad said, sternly looking down at Jayden.

"Technically speaking, the FLA owns this house," Jayden thought, and I struggled not to laugh. Dad must have noticed though because he glanced between the two of us angrily.

"I see what's going on here. You two are communicating mentally again, aren't you? Well, I can do that too," He stated as he started intensely staring at Jayden. Although he really didn't have to, Jayden did as he was supposed to and read Dad's mind. I could tell because Dad's expression minutely changed during the mental scolding while Jayden's face remained completely blank as he steadily gazed back at him. The silence as Mom and I sat there quietly grew ever more tense until I thought I was going to have to scream to end it, but Jayden ended it for me.

"Yes, Father," He said suddenly with reverence, signaling the end of another argument.

Our parents weren't allowed to accompany us to the training yard where the physical examination would take place, so Jayden and I had to leave them behind as we walked down the dirt path toward the center of the compound.

"I still don't see why they can't come with us, considering they can see the training yard from our house," Jayden commented as he glanced back at our mom, who was still waving at us from the doorway. I waited until she had gone back inside the house before I began venting my frustration.

"Why is Dad always so hard on you?" I asked angrily.

"He has high expectations," Jayden answered, picking his words carefully.

"That's no excuse. He has "high expectations" for me too, but he doesn't give me a mental scolding when I talk back to him," I argued.

"That is because he can't give you a mental scolding," Jayden pointed out, smiling teasingly.

"Well it's not fair," I responded, still fuming.

"What's not fair?" An easily recognizable voice asked. I looked over to see our friend William running over to us, and I instantly started smiling.

"Hey, Will," I said a bit quickly as he fell into step beside me. Will was of average height with medium brown hair and hazel eyes that always displayed his emotions brightly.

"Father was yelling at me again," Jayden answered for me when he saw that I was momentarily having a hard time speaking.

"Mentally or verbally?" Will asked.

"Mentally," Jayden admitted, and Will grimaced.

"I'm sorry. From what I've heard, those are worse," Will said apologetically. "On the bright side, you're number one right now," He added smiling.

"As if Dad even cares," I remarked. Will looked confused, but Jayden simply motioned that he didn't need to worry about it.

"So are you guys ready for the physical examination?" Will asked, trying to change the topic. I nodded, but Jayden looked down worriedly.

"Jayden?" I asked surprised.

"Well, it's just that my powers can make fighting in large groups complicated. With so many people thinking and fighting around me, I often read their minds by accident. Even my mind can become overwhelmed by the complexity of their thoughts," Jayden admitted after a pause.

"Don't worry about it. I'll watch your back," I assured him, bumping him with my arm.

"Can you watch my back too? I'm ranking 31 right now, which doesn't leave me a lot of wiggle room," Will explained awkwardly.

"Sure," I blurted out far too quickly.

"I have no idea why, but he doesn't suspect a thing," Jayden thought teasingly.

"Shut it" I ordered, trying not to look embarrassed.

The three of us reached the neatly-trimmed grass that marked the edge of the training yard together and approached the massive circle that had been painted on it. Cadets were milling around the circle nervously, being careful to avoid stepping over the line. In the center of the circle, Captain Morrison was already standing with perfect posture as he surveyed those around him judgingly. Jayden glanced at him briefly before running his hand through his hair, which I knew meant that something was wrong.

"Jayden, unless you plan on getting knocked out in the first 30 seconds of the fight, you have already passed the examination," I whispered, leaning toward him.

"I am well aware of that, but it's not really me I'm concerned for" He responded mentally while also pointing at Will with his eyes. "He is in 31st place. Unless he manages to make it into the final round of the examination, he is not graduating" He explained. I tried to intervene, but he quickly continued. "Statistically speaking, he might not even make it through the first round," He added hurriedly.

"I'll watch him" I offered, and Jayden looked at me doubtfully.

"Isn't that cheating?" He reminded me.

"I am perfectly capable of protecting him without getting caught," I thought stubbornly.

"That's great thinking" He responded dryly.

"Oh sure, have another mental conversation without me. Leave out the normal guy because he can't hear you," Will suddenly cut in jokingly.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, and Jayden raised his eyebrows at me as Will looked confused. "I mean you didn't miss anything," I amended. Before I could make a further fool out of myself, a voice managed to silence us.

"Attention!" Captain Morrison called out, and 40 bodies instantly stood up straighter. "It is time to begin the physical examination. Please take your positions around the exterior of the circle," He ordered, and we all rushed to find a place to stand. "Yesterday, 80 cadets started the examination to become full members of our proud organization, The Future Leaders of America," He announced.

"Please tell me he is not going to give a speech," Jayden thought, and I could tell by Will's smile that he had let both of us hear it.

"But after the written examination, that number was cut in half," Captain Morrison continued.

"Yeah, he's giving a speech," I realized unfortunately.

"Today, the physical examination will be conducted, and we will be left with only the best quarter of our cadets, who will be allowed to graduate. With a few more years of training, these elite FLA members will be able to contribute back to society by applying for different government positions or proudly serving their country in organizations like the FBI, the CIA, and even local police forces," Morrison explained, but I was barely paying attention anymore. I was looking around the circle at our competitors. Since each cadet was allowed to participate in the exam four times, the range of ages stretched from 18 to 22 years old with my brother and me on the young end of the spectrum. "The rules of the physical examination are simple. Each round will include ten cadets, and the five best cadets will move on to the next level in the tournament," Morrison continued.

"Tim received a letter from his mother yesterday, and he's still worried about her," Jayden informed me as he started trying to analyze the other cadets for weaknesses.

"Anyone who steps outside of the circle or is knocked unconscious is eliminated from the tournament," Morrison continued.

"Rikki sprained her arm last week. It's not fully healed yet," I thought, knowing well that Jayden was listening.

"Although it is better to stay in the tournament longer, elimination does not mean automatic disqualification. We have judges that will be evaluating your fighting skills throughout the examination," Morrison assured us.

"That group of older cadets on our left have formed a pact to work together," Jayden pointed out with a slight nod of his head.

"They still won't be as good as us," I replied, and he smiled lightly.

"At the sound of the gun, the top ten ranking cadets will enter the circle and begin the first round of the physical examination. I wish you all the best of luck," Captain Morrison finished as he turned to exit the circle. His footsteps sounded like loud echoes to my heightened senses. Each step created rumbling tremors in the ground that could have started an earthquake.

"Hannah's pulse is increasing; she's nervous," I explained as Captain Morrison reached the edge of the circle, and cadets instantly parted to let him leave.

"John wishes he had remembered to go to the bathroom," Jayden thought.

"Poorguy," I responded, but I didn't have time to elaborate because the gun signaling the start of the round fired.