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    Light poured in through the window on the left side of the bed. It's golden rays brought warmth and life to all creatures, awakening them without a single sound. The air outside was freezing this morning, a result of the incoming air from up north. The sound of a passenger jet engine roared overhead, soon disappearing into the distance. If anyone could think of peace, this was probably not how many would have expected it to look like.

    A black and red haired man found himself staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. He always found it hard to get out of the comfortable bed. He had so much space, with the other half being empty all the time. The alarm clock beside his head went off for the tenth time that morning. He stared at the neon numbers. It was nearly 8 O'clock. It wasn't a surprise. The annoying chim finally got to the final cell of his last nerve. He gripped the clock and drained it of any bit of electricity. He smirked to himself as he sat upright, pushing off the light brown sheet. He straightened out his black t-shirt and rummaged through his tall dresser. Since he had no plans for the moment, he decided to wear a pair of red shorts and threw on some ankle socks. He stretched his arms to an extent where even a contortionist would cry out in pain. He felt his muscles stretch as he took in a few deep breaths and relaxed his body. Today was also a very special day for a very special someone. He looked back at a figure laying above the covers on the opposite side of the bed "Hey, birthday girl." He called. He watched as she stirred in her light sleep. "Wake up." He ordered.

    A female with jet black hair down to her thighs sat upright. Her long locks covered her face as she reached up and uncovered herself. There were clusters in her hair that were just as red as Sash's hair. "You're finally up?" She asked calmly, a cocky look on her face. "I came in earlier to wake you up, but you sleep like a rock. I just decided to sleep in here with you."

    "Rocks can't sleep. They're not even alive." He countered. The look of fake annoyance on her face caused him to laugh. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into an embrace. "Happy birthday, Luna." He said.

    She held on to him and smiled. "Thank's dad." She replied. She let go of him and looked into his yellow eyes. There was something a little off about her eyes. She was born with Heterochromia Iridum, meaning she had two completely different eye colors. One was yellow and the other was red. She hopped off the bed and stretched her arms. She caught her dad glancing at her left arm with a hint of sorrow in his gaze. She could tell he was thinking about her. "Don't stare at it." She held up her left arm, showing him nothing but a stub where her hand should have been. "You always stare. I know what you're thinking, it's not your fault."

    "I know. I know." He said, snapping out of his trance. "I just keep expecting to see another hand there, that's all." He replied. For a girl her age, she was significantly taller than humans in her age category. She stood 5'9, just slightly taller than her mother. One would mistaken her for a really tall 18 year old, which many people did on a daily basis. It was typical of asasikan people to look such a way at a young age. "How does it feel to finally be 15?" He asked.

    She thought for a moment. "I don't know. I have to wait a bit for it to settle in." She replied. "I'll go wake the other late bird." She said. She gave him a kiss on his cheek and left the room.
    Since she was already occupied with something, Sash decided to head downstairs and cook some breakfast. He made a slow advance down the steps, making sure to straighten a picture on the wall before heading down to the bottom. He scanned the living room, noting the fact that the floors had been mopped and swept already. Even the carpet had been vacuumed.The table had been wiped down without a single fingerprint on it. He raised an eyebrow, confused at how the place had been cleaned to such perfection. "She must have cleaned it before coming up here...or did she clean it last night?" He thought aloud. He did remember going to sleep early last night. He shrugged it off and passed by the brown leather sofa to the kitchen. Everything was completely spotless. Too bad, the kitchen was about to get messy again.


    "You hit like a kid." Luna said, taking her birthday punches like they were nothing. She stared at a girl with short platinum blonde hair, a smile on her face. She rolled her eyes, catching the girls punch flawlessly.

    "It's not my fault you're stronger than me." She said. She finally gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled innocently. "Happy birthday, kiddo." She said cheerfully.

    "Kiddo? Adele, you're only older than me by four and a half months." The two shared a moment of laughter before Adele threw a punch at her arm again.

    "One for good luck." She turned around and started making her bed. She felt a foot hit her rear end as she fell over onto her bed. "Oh, you cheap little-" She got up rather quickly and lunged for Luna, the two had a quick wrestling match. Despite her massive disadvantage in everything, Adele manage come out on top.

    "Uncle, uncle!" Luna cried out.

    "Good." Adele gave her a quick nuggie before releasing her. She was a tough girl, significantly weaker than her asasikan roommate, but still powerful enough to beat a football player in a fight. She looked at the open door, making sure Sash wasn't on his way to them. She blinked quickly, surprised to see Sash standing there with a stern expression. All that ran through her mind was mild surprise, but still, a cold sweat ran down her back. The look on his face shot the message that she was in some kind of trouble.

    "You two never listen to me." He said, crossing his arms. He looked at Luna especially, knowing what she could do. "I understand a little playing around, but wrestling it something I'm not too lenient about. You already know you could easily crush her neck or break her legs if you use too much of your strength." He scolded.

    Luna hung her head low. He was right about everything. She knew what she was doing wrong, but the urge was too strong in the moment. "But I know how to control it, dad." She said in protest.

    "That doesn't matter. Accident's happen..." He trailed off and looked away. He knew too well about accidents happening. He scratched his head and sighed. "You know what, you're older now. I'm entrusting you to use responsibility with your power." He said. he watched as she lightened up a bit. In a quick flash, he was gone.

    "That wasn't the seven thousandth time I've heard that from him...." Adele said sarcastically. She stood up and finished making her bed. She opened her sun blocking curtains and let in the rays of the sun. She walked over to her dresser and threw out a dark purple off the shoulder sweatshirt and a pair of white jeans. She began taking off her shirt and unclipped her bra. "You just gonna sit there and watch or give me some privacy?" She asked, holding her bra on by crossing an arm over her chest.

    Luna blushed slightly and scrambled out of the room quickly. She decided to head down to the kitchen and help her father cook. The aroma of bacon, grits, and corned beef hash filled her nostrils as she approached the bottom of the steps. She fiddled with her hair as she approached the kitchen. "Do you need any kind of help?" She asked. She received a simple smile and a shake of his head.

    "I'm fine here." He replied.

    "Ok. Don't accidentally cause a grease fire like last time." She joked. She made her way back up the steps to her room. It was clean compared to Adele's, whos was almost alway messy in the morning. Her eyes diverted toward a picture on her nightstand. It was the first thing her eyes looked at when she entered her room. It was a picture of her when she was 4, sitting on Sash's lap with Marina's arms wrapped around his neck from behind. She smiled to herself about the moment. She remembered Sash scrambling to set the camera up for the right angle. It made her laugh to this day. She sat down on her bed and crossed her legs. It was something she did since she was a child. Her hair began to float slightly as she breath and exhaled deeply. Meditation was one of the many ways an asasikan could further his or her power. Just as she neared the point of total blankness, a voice yanked her back into reality.

    "You look creepy when you do that." Said Adele.

    "I hate it when you interrupt me." She said through her teeth.

    Adele gave a cocky laugh. "What are you gonna do? Tackle me and get in trouble?" She asked sardonically. Her tone was just the kind of thing that always edged her on.

    "Actually-" Luna hopped off the bed and readied herself. "I might just do that. Before she could even move, a voice came from the steps. Breakfast was ready to be served.

    The day passed by slowly. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon. Sash was busy reading a book on the statistics of all the known metals to man. He took an interest in it, based on what the UC was planning to build. He admired the fact that humanity was able to set aside their feuds and rivalries for the sake of mankind. Most countries banded together based on the fact that they knew they weren't alone in the universe, and that there were beings out there capable of reducing them to dust. Paradox's invasion was mainly the point that jump started it all. Hundreds of millions were killed, chunks of the land were uninhabitable due to Paradox's energy polluting the area. He remembered standing in front of most representatives from all the nations of the UN. He and a few other nations were the ones who brought up the option of banding together or perishing along with the place they live in.

    Something snapped him from his thoughts. Sash could easily feel a power at the door. He set his book down and aimed his hand at the door. Electricity sparked in his hands as he used his power of magnetism to unlock and open the door. He stood on his feet and approached the figure at the door.

    “Hello, Sash.” Said a familiar voice.

    “Hello, Marina.” The two looked at each other, not exchanging any kind of words except for a simple greeting. He eyed the bag in her hand and waved off toward the table. With everything now officially in place, Sash called everyone downstairs. He quickly hid the bag in-between the counter and the fridge and pulled out the cake hidden underneath packs of frozen vegetables. He knew how much Luna loved Ice cream cake, so he decided to get one for her. He knew Adele and Luna would take a moment to get down the stairs, so he had enough time to light the candles. A single ray of heat from his finger was enough to ignite the two candles that read 15. Due to his energy having an influence on the fire, it turned white. He glanced at Marina, noticing her impatience. “You can at least act like you wanna be here for our daughter.” He fired at her.

    She simply brushed him off and placed her hands on her hips. She looked in no mood to be there. "I don't have all day." She muttered. The moment Luna walked around the corner, she put on a deceitful smile.

    "Hey, mom. How have you been?" She asked, giving her a powerful hug.

    "I'm fine." She rubbed the back of her head a bit and diverted her eyes over to Adele. Her emotions went back to bland as she stared into Adele's eyes. There was always a deep tension between the two. They struggled to make even the smallest of small talk, and they would most likely kill each other if they were stuck in the same room for more than ten minutes.

    "Good evening, Marina." She murmured. She leaned against the wall, waiting for them to finally start the celebration. She wanted Marina gone as soon as possible. Luna may not be able to see through her fake smiles, but Adele was always able to see her rotting core. Marina sickened her the more she saw her. She huffed and looked away, feeling Marina's cold eyes on her.

    "Go ahead, blow out the candles." Sash urged, a smile on his face. He watched his daughter bend over, make a silent wish, and blow out the candles. It warmed his heart to see her happy. There were a few times during her childhood where he couldn't even afford a cake. They were poor, just like the billions of others on the planet who were jobless and homeless.

    "I got you this." Marina said. She walked to the side of the fridge and pulled out the plastic bag from between the fridge and the counter. She handed it to her daughter, still showing off the fake smile on her face. She watched her flesh and blood pull out a pair of black jeans and an black shirt with orange stripes going down the middle.

    "Wow! Thanks. How did you know I wanted this shirt?" She asked, a pleased smile on her face.

    Marina shrugged. "I have my ways of knowing things."

    Sash snickered inside his head. He remembered telling Marina that she was eying the shirt hard when they were last at the mall. If he didn't tell her about it, she probably wouldn't have gotten her anything. Regardless, it was the fact that she showed up that counted, even if he had begged her several hundred times about it. He smirked and placed his hand on her shoulder. Out of thin air, her entire body was covered in a high tech suit of armor. There was no helmet on her at the moment.

    "Is-is this mine?" She asked. She'd never been given something like this before. She knew her father was constantly upgrading his armor, but she never knew he was making a second one. She looked at her entire body, feeling the strength of the suit as she bent her arms and clenched her fists. It took her a moment to register that she now had two hands.

    "I know its a weird feeling to have two hands. The suit is linked with your nervous system so you can use the second hand unit. When you decide to disengage the armor, it will absorb into your body as energy, so you can summon it whenever you want. If you don't want it stored inside you it'll disengage and stand wherever you put it." He said. He winked at her as she tackled him and hugged him tightly. He alway promised her he'd give her what she was missing. It just took him some time to figure out how to do it.

    "It's kinda heavy..." She said.

    "I know, but as you get older, it'll start to feel lighter. You should have no problem moving that two ton armor around once we're done training you in it." He snickered. He could feel death digging into the side of his head through the sight of a certain woman. He glanced over at her, noticing the fire in her glare. Everyone saw it, even Adele who was looking out of the corner of her eye. He decided to ignore her for the moment. Certain things would be taking place later, he could feel it.

    'Mom's really giving dad the death stare...' Luna thought. She'd only ever seen her stare at him like that eleven years ago. She let go of Sash and disengaged her armor. It stood behind her, ready for use at any time.

    "I know this is a bit much for your 15th birthday, but I'm trusting you with the responsibility to use it only when you need it. Got it?" He asked sternly. She nodded and hugged him again. She was good with not letting him down. There were times where she broke his trust, but she could gain it back after proving her responsibility. Teenagers would always mess up; he'd rather have her make mistakes now instead of when she gets older. He walked over to the cabinet drawer and pulled out a knife. He quickly cut the cake into equal slices and served them to everyone. While bringing a slice to Adele, he pulled her into the living room and placed his free hand on her shoulder.

    "I know, I know. I just..." She began with a whisper, but Sash cut her off.

    "I feel the same way about it too, but try and keep your anger in for just a while. I'll have her out of the house in a bit." He whispered back. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead, receiving a smile back. The moment he handed Marina her slice, she pulled him in close and whispered something in his ear. He sighed lightly and pulled away from her, looking into her eyes. "Every single time." He murmured. There was a moment of tension between the two before he shook his head and walked off into the living room with his daughters.

    "I hate it when they argue..." Luna said, sitting on Adele's bed. She crossed her legs as she fiddled with her new hand. It was obviously metal, but the inside was made of a muscle type material that made it feel more genetic. She clenched it, then unclenched it. She could even channel her energy through it. Despite messing around with her new limb, she was listening more about their argument. Marina didn't seem too happy that Sash would give Luna a two ton suit of armor. Her new limb was pretty heavy itself for human standards, but she had no problem lugging it around.

    Adele plopped down on the bed beside her and leaned against the wall. The night air breezed into her room through the cracked window. She never really felt cold outside, even in temperatures below freezing. She sighed and listened to their argument along side her roommate. "I can't stand Marina." Adele blurted out.

    Luna wasn't too surprised. "I can't stand it when she throws those fake smiles around. I just want to see her smile for real."

    Adele was somewhat surprised by her comments. She never Luna was that observant of her. Just a few months ago, she was talking about how happy she was, but with age came knowledge. Perhaps she was beginning to underestimate her observance

    She pulled her legs up to her chest, remembering that day eleven years ago. "I wish I didn't have to choose...I never wanted to hurt her and destroy our relationship..." She felt a hand lightly grip hers. She felt her heart jump a few beats as their fingers intertwined together.

    "Forget about them." She whispered in her ear. She easily maneuvered in a way that pinned the stunned asasikan against the wall, her fingers still intertwined with her's. "I was saving the best gift for last." She whispered seductively before pressing her lips against Luna's. Her world seemed to twist and bend with every passionate second. She could feel Luna's body heating as she kissed her again, and again, and again. "Happy birthday." She said between passionate kisses.

    After a few moments of enjoying the feeling, she broke away and looked into Adele's eyes. "We can't be doing this. Think of how dad would react if he found out his two daughters-" She felt a finger on her lips, silencing her.

    "You forget that we're not sisters, not by blood at least." She giggled and ran her fingers through Luna's hair. Adele had a story behind her that she never ever spoke of. Sash knew it all too well, but Luna was still left out on a few bits and pieces of it.

    "Yeah, you're right." She leaned in for another kiss before she heard footsteps at the door. She quickly kicked Adele off the bed. The door opened just as Adele hit the deck with a loud thud.

    "Wrestling again?" Sash asked, his eyes half open. "You two never listen..." He felt someone brush rudely past him, opting him to yell at her. "You could at least say bye to you're children!" He screamed. He heard the door slam shut downstair, knocking a picture off the wall somewhere in the kitchen. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the two. “You two should get to bed. You've got school tomorrow.” He urged. His head was pounding hard at the moment. He hated how every time she came over, they always argued. Apparently, Marina had a problem with accepting things someone else’s way. He hated the way she thought. He waved to the two and made his way for his own room.

    “Well then, I guess I've got to get to bed.” Luna said, winking at Adele as she stood up and walked to the door.

    Her hips swung in a way that drove Adele crazy. Who would have known Luna was capable of such provocative actions? "Good night Luna." She said through her trance.

    “See you in the morning.” She murmured and slowly closed her door.