A couple of hours later, all of them were seated in the smaller family room, the older with a cup of coffee each and the younger with mugs of hot chocolate. The silence was deafening and the tension was so palpable that it could be cut with a knife. "Is there something you would like to tell us?" Phayu asked, wanting to ease the four boys. They were still young, and apart from the tension, the fear in their body language could not be possibly missed. The four younger men looked at each other and nodded imperceptibly. "We will begin a little with our history. To know what we are, you must know what we were," Rain said. "When we were born, they were trying times. Babies born to male vampires was not unheard of, but male vampire offspring born with wombs was a great deal. As such, it put fear in our parents, as this was something they had clearly not expected. The tests done at that point were not complete, as we were very young, but enough was known to ensure that we became 4 of the most highly protected vampire children in the world," Team said.

"We were kept under guards, home-schooled and never allowed to leave our parents' sight. And we let it happen, because we didn't know any better. We had never seen a world outside of ours, and it never made us feel different. We were safe, we were loved and that was all that mattered to us," Pharm said. "And then we stepped out," Sky took up the tale. "We were 4, and we had been exploring the estate. You all have seen how expansive it is, so we were never at a loss for hiding spots, and since we had never gone out of it, we thought that was the end of the world. But during one such day, without realising, we left the walls of the compound. It should have scared us, all those unknown things, but we were happy enough. Until Rain and Pharm felt rogues in the vicinity," he continued.

"Rogues should not have been able to come into our world, so it was clear that we had stepped into theirs. We had moved away from the boundaries set for us, and we were very nearly in trouble. We didn't know where to go, what to do. We were not the targets, we knew that, and we had not called attention to ourselves. But we were close enough to the compound for them to realise that we would be connected. We were in a fix. We couldn't go back in, we were scared to move further away," Rain said. "We couldn't cry, or call out for help. Anything we did, we would be noticed, and that was the last thing we wanted. While we had never spoken to each other telepathically, we knew that this was a possibility. We had sensed our parents doing it," Team continued.

"We had no idea what to do, so we did what we remembered Rain had said about it. Team had mentioned once that it seemed difficult to be able to talk in our heads. So Rain had said imagine talking through a paper telephone, just picture the threads in our head. So we reached out, and surprisingly, it worked!" Sky said. "We decided to start backing up, but unfortunately, that's exactly when the saw us. I don't know what they thought about who we were, but we would make great bargaining chips. We could read that intention in their heads. It was like some energy propelled through us; all that fear, anger, anxiety; it just coursed through us, and the rogues were writhing on the floor," Pharm said. "That's when we started crying and screaming, attracting the attention of the adults. Everyone came rushing and we were scooped up. When we were asked what happened, we didn't know what to say, because we honestly didn't know what had happened. So we just cried and cried. The rogues were taken away, and the guards who had left the gates open were fired. That's when P'Ken and his team of people came to take care of us," Rain said.

"Uncle Vegas explained to our parents why it was important for us to be taken outside the compound and live a normal life, with training that would help us. We were trained like normal vampire children, but we never spoke about our powers to anyone, including our parents," Pharm said. "We trained ourselves on out powers. Learning how to create cloaks and maintain illusions was the first thing we taught ourselves," Sky said. "Our playrooms and our parents' bedrooms were the only areas in the houses that were not rigged with cameras or other listening devices, so we used those places to begin with," Team said. "Then we realised something else. Our powers were exponentially more when we worked together in tandem. So that's what we started doing. We managed to hide all this from our parents for their sake, so that they would not be in trouble," Rain said.

The four older vampires sat shell-shocked during the narrative. They had decided in the beginning itself that they would not utter a word, but once the story started, they realised that they didn't actually have anything to say. It was hard to believe that for 15 years, their Draugs had been hiding in plain sight. "So no one knew? Not even Ken?" Pai asked, wanting to break the silence. "No one P'Pai," Team said, looking a bit downcast, like the rest of them. Rain looked beseechingly at all of them, his eyes finally resting on Phayu. "Are you angry with us Phi Mate?" he asked, his voice soft and sad in the silence that enveloped them. Phayu immediately stood up and knelt in front of Rain. "Never little one," he said, his hands stroking Rain's head. "We are not angry at any of you," he added, looking at the other boys. "How about you show us all your powers?" Win said, standing up and holding his hand out to Team. The others followed suite.

"You don't have to worry about anyone seeing you, since the whole area is shrouded. There will be no eyes on you," Dean said. "What are your powers?" Phayu asked. "We can command the elements. Rain has water, Sky is air, Team has fire and I control the earth," Pharm said. "We will start with that. Is that okay?" Sky asked, sounding hesitant. The older vampires nodded. Then they watched in amazement as the four boys simply controlled the elements as it they were it. Soft drizzling rain fell on glorious flowers that bloomed. As those settled, small fires popped up and air rushed through putting them off, a little playful dance that seeped into the senses. "What else can you do?" Win whispered, the awe clear. "We are stronger together. Would you like to see?" This time it was Team who sounded reluctant. As soon as they got their affirmation, the four of them raised their hands and lightning burst out of them. When that calmed, Phayu and the others watched as the boys in front of them used their powers to create weapons out of the world around them, and their element tied into those weapons. They created illusions and showed them different kinds of cloaking tricks. Their eyes changed colour again, a weirdly shimmering bluish silver, as they powers peaked.

"Do you realise your eyes change colour?" Dean asked. "Yes, as we used increased powers. But since we avoid using them in public, no one can see them," Pharm said. "All of you have these phenomenal powers. And you have been hiding them all this while. So, you used your powers even in the Uni bathroom, isn't it?" Pai asked. The four boys nodded. "That's why Pai couldn't exactly feel you lying. Because you used your powers and then hit them on the head so that you could tell us that," Win said. "Not just you, our parents and guardians too," Rain said. "No one was supposed to know anything Phi Mate," he continued. "And no one would have, if today had not happened," Sky said. "Did you not plan to tell us?" Dean asked, displeasure clear in his voice. "We did. We did intend to tell you, and we were wondering how to, but the choice was dragged out of our hands," Team said.

There was silence after everything had been said. The older vampires were in turn awed and scared of the power their mates had, but what was harder was the fact that the young ones had no one they could share their burden with. They had lived for nearly 15 years, suppressing their sheer strength. They were much smarter, and much stronger, than anyone gave them credit for. "So your ADHD?" Phayu asked, as he looked at Rain. "It was a way to keep his powers hidden Phi," Sky said. "But why don't you all have the same problem? Did any of their parents point it out?" Phayu asked his brothers. they all shook their heads. "Because Rain's powers are the hardest to control. He has the most of it. And trying on focusing to stop it from erupting at inopportune moments is why Rain tends to lose focus sometimes," Team said. "Actually, while all of us control one element each, Rain can control all for to some extent, although water is his strongest," Pharm said.

"Show us little one?" Phayu asked him gently. Rain was almost as red as a tomato with all the attention concentrated on him. He looked at his brothers and they nodded, urging him on. Rain snapped his fingers four times. And each time, a single element pulsed into the air around them. A drop of water, a small flame, a tiny eddy of air, and a blooming flower stayed suspended in the air in front of them, much to the shock of Phayu and his brothers. "Our Draugs are not just special, they are extraordinary!" Pai said, his voice in the heads of the others. "Of course we are P'Pai! And that's why we got you all as mates," Sky's voice echoed in, making the older vampires startle in surprise. "How did you do that? How did you touch our channel of communication?" Dean asked. No one, not even Pakin and Chai had been able to do that. Ever! "Another of our powers. We can touch literally any channel of communication, as long as it is in our vicinity. Another reason why Rain's parents feel he has ADHD. He can read human minds too, so he tends to lose focus," Sky said.

"I have no idea how you managed to hide such important things from your family for 15 years. But we would really like to thank you for telling us today. But this still the begs the question. Do you really not want to tell anyone about this? And why?" Win asked, echoing the sentiments of the other men. "Initially it was because we were not sure what was happening to us. As we grew older, there were things we felt changing. There was fear in our parents' hearts because of what we were," Sky said. "Just like I can read minds of humans, Sky has the power to read emotions in them. So while he might not be able to hear what they might be saying, he can sense what they are feeling," Rain said. "When it comes to the people around us, there was something in the under currents, and that did not sit well for any of us," Pharm said. "Eventually, we decided that we would hide it. If we found mates who could handle it, then we would tell them," Team said.

"And well, we found you. Even behind that closed wall, we could feel your power emanating. We could feel the threads that bound us holding us in a grip we have never felt before. There was truth and purity in it, and we knew that our mates would understand how it was to have the kind of power we had. It would not be a free fall into the abyss," Rain said. "Even then, in the beginning we were hesitant to tell you, especially Rain," Pharm said. Phayu looked at him and raised a brow. "You can't blame him Phi. He felt it would put you all in danger as well. And while we do agree with him, we trust you and know that you can bear the consequences with us," Sky said.