The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Gale work is getting to Goldstar. Iyler too seems to be distancing herself from him. He leaves after a disagreement with her about his secret identity. Vincent, who worked at the Research Centre, talks to him at the Dining Hall. Goldstar is flustered by him when he asks to accompany Goldstar to the South Land. Goldstar is rattled by his argument with Iyler. She doesn't visit him, though he is leaving for the South Land. On the South Land, Goldstar meets Prince Irih'va of Ierne's Hi'er Empire. The Prince offers him help if ever he needs it. He also tells him, "You are in for heartbreak. And then you will do something great. A storm will provide you respite from the scorching heat."  He gets information that the Leadership is blaming the Gale for the blast at the Research center.

---- Ze is restless as he takes care of a class. He finds out that a student of his is in the hospital for an unknown sickness. The boy Xan's friend Vaughn asks him to visit Xan at the hospital as Xan would really appreciate it. 

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****18.2 - Ze****

By the time Ze reached his aunt's home, dinner time was done, but everyone had waited for him. 

The three of them had spent over three hours at the Virtual Game Centre, and Zuri hadn't yet climbed a level in Spaceship Hop. And, she hadn't destroyed the 'alien monster.' Ze felt like Zuri had something personal against that alien by the way she smashed the buttons on the controls trying to destroy it. Aija had to pull her out of the Game Centre.

Ze hadn't been able to visit Xan* yet, so he decided to go after dinner. Dinner was quiet. His uncle was generally quiet, but today he hadn't uttered a single word; neither had his cousin, Volt's younger brother Nova. He wondered if the two of them had fought – it wasn't uncommon. Nova didn't like to study, and it was exam time.

Ze helped his aunt and mother clean up. They all sat talking while Nova was studying; Ze knew he was pretending to study. Nova's ears were on the conversation they were having about the safety of Innermost's residents. By the time everyone settled for bed, it was late.

Ze placed the glass of milk his mother had forcefully given him after dinner on the bedside table using his powers. He hated milk; he often poured it back into its container after everyone had slept.

"Oh, wow!" Nova's voice came from behind him.

Shocked, he turned around to find that he had left the door open, and now Nova was standing in his room looking at the glass of milk, his eyes rounded in surprise.

"What was that?" Nova asked, now going to the glass of milk and inspecting it.

Ze immediately shut the door of his room.

"How did you do that?" his cousin asked, picking up the glass and looking underneath it as if the secret to the floating glass of milk was held at the bottom of the glass.

"Nova," Ze said. "You can't tell what you just saw to anyone."

"So, you have powers?"

"Yes,"

His little brother looked at him, green eyes wide and shining.

Did he do something wrong? Must he have said it was some latest technology? It would have been believable. But, Nova would have asked how to do it, and he would be caught again. Ze panicked.

"That's so cool!" Nova grinned.

What? Ze thought. "You're not afraid of me?"

"Why should I be? It's so cool." Nova said, setting the glass on the table.

Ze breathed in deeply before saying, "You must promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Not even your mom or mine, or your dad or friends."

It was better to be extra specific when it came to Nova.

"Sure. But you have to show me what else you can do." Nova looked excited.

"Nova, first, promise that you won't tell anyone."

"I promise, Ze."

"What do you promise?"

"That I won't tell anyone about your powers. Now show!"

"If I find out that you have, you won't see the light of day, Nova Tally."

"Okay, okay."

Ze used his powers to make things float in the room. He was glad he had practiced; else, he would have looked foolish in front of Nova.

Nova was enjoying it. He wasn't afraid, not even the slightest. He kept pointing at things, and Ze kept pulling them into mid-air with his mind until all objects in the room were hovering above them close to the room's ceiling.

Perhaps not everyone would be afraid of his powers. Maybe people would embrace it like Nova did; perhaps none would be too scared of it like his mother was; maybe he could use them for good, to help people someday.

Nova was laughing as he ran around under the bed, the table and the shelves full of books.

"What's going on?"

Diya Roan had entered the room so quietly, Ze hadn't noticed it in his small revelry.

Everything came down in a loud thud except for the table under which his cousin stood.

Ze brought it down a little distance away from Nova, just as his mother closed the door behind herself.

"Ze," his mother whispered, her shock slowly warming and morphing into anger.

"It wasn't anything, Aunt Diya," Nova said, his voice a little too bright.

"How dare you, Ze?" she spoke between clenched teeth.

"Mom, Nova won't say a word."

"I warned you, Ze, about using those cursed powers of yours."

"Ma..."

"Shut up!" she yelled. "You were supposed to never use them. Ever. Let alone in front of someone."

"It's Nova."

"I don't care who it is, Ze," his mother's voice grew louder.

Nova looked betrayed.

"We can't run from here, you silly boy. This was our last place."

"We don't have to run. There's no need to hide."

"And what do you know of the world boy?"

"That it can be accepting."

"'Can' is a heavy word, Ze. They need not accept you as well. This world destroys anything different. People won't acknowledge you; you will have nowhere to go." Diya said, trying her hardest to not raise her voice now.

The two of them stared at each other, both consumed by anger. Nova looked between them, upset.

"I can do good for the world. And you want to stop me."

"The world will only kill you, boy. The world doesn't need superheroes with powers. It needs better leaders and humans who truly care for other humans and the world."

"You say that for yourself."

"I say it because it's true. I need you alive, Ze. I am nothing without you. This family needs you. You do not know the things I've been through to get you here. Do you not know why I don't work? I am not registered as a resident of Innermost. You are registered as living with your aunt and uncle; you're under their care in the records. I left everything and came here – for you. Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if the Leadership finds out I'm here? This is my last warning Ze."

Ze stared at his mother. He hadn't known why she didn't work. He didn't know he was under his aunt's and uncle's care. Why had she hidden all this from him? It made him furious.

"I'm leaving. Now." Ze snapped at her walking out the door past her and Nova.

"Ze!" she called out, walking after him, careful to not raise her voice too much.

"Ze, no," Nova said, running behind him.

He walked out of the house, picked his hovercycle, and started it.

"Ze, don't!" Diya Roan pleaded. "It's late, it's not safe. There are too many kidnappings going on. Please, son."

"I need to cool this anger," he growled, leading the hovercycle to the road.

"Do it at home," Nova said.

"I need to go." Ze insisted. He stopped in front of Nova, who was blocking his path and held his face in his hands. "Thanks for not being afraid of me."

Nova nodded. "Please stay. We can go play Spaceship Hop or Round the Earth tomorrow."

"We'll play them tomorrow for sure. Let me go now."

Nova moved, and he climbed his hovercycle.

"Ze, don't." his mother pleaded.

"I have to go," he said without turning around.

"Please come back home," she said. "Please come back to me."

He left without another glance towards her or Nova.

He turned left at the end of the street and continued straight. He felt the anger coursing through his veins. All he wanted to do was something good for the world. And, more importantly, he wanted his mother to acknowledge that the powers were an integral part of him; that he couldn't just stop using them or let them go.

He wandered aimlessly for a long time consumed by anger before he remembered he was supposed to meet Xan Ae Lee. He turned the hovercycle around and headed to the Hospital. He wasn't sure if he would be allowed to visit so late – it was already midnight. But he liked having a purpose, so he decided to give it a try.

The hovercycle glided smoothly over the paved roads as he guided it to the Hospital. He entered the Hospital approximately forty-five minutes later. He slowed down in front of the entrance; it looked fairly busy inside.

The last time Ze had been to the Hospital was when Nova had been born nine years ago. He had taken one look at the tiny infant and had fallen in love.

He continued on and reached a hovercycle parking space. It was a small one at the back entrance of the building. He locked the hovercycle to the stand and walked towards the back entrance – it was closer to the main entrance now that he had gone all the way to the back.

A few of the lights were out, and it was rather dark. Ze found it strange for the lights never went out. As he neared the entrance, he saw colored lights hovering above the ground. He stopped and narrowed his eyes as they adjusted to the dark, trying to discern the colored hovering lights. It was unlike anything he had seen, and as his eyes followed the lights, he froze.

What was she doing there?

She seemed to be in trouble, so he followed the two people he had seen. He saw them get into the car, followed by two others, and drive away. It looked like she had been forced into the vehicle. The only way he would get to the car was if he used his hovercycle.

Ze ran back to where he had parked the cycle, unlocked it with a tap of his finger, and rode it in the direction of the car. He was glad he followed an exercise routine. All that running in the mornings had helped strengthen him. He spotted the vehicle driving away towards the massive gate, he increased the speed of the hovercycle – it had once belonged to Volt – and followed them. 

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*Character reference

Xan Chr/In 2.a