Nathaniel:

"Nathaniel." Mike says to me.

I open my eyes. I feel like I am missing something. I felt dirty, but I had only just washed the other night, the night I received my power. Where is Azun?

When did Luke and Mike come home? Why did my body ache all over? Had I been in an accident? My brain had a major headache.

"You are so pale." Mike described my features. "So weak. What happened to you?"

"I just turned fourteen literally yesterday give me a break before you tease me." I told him, rubbing my bruised arms. "Where's Azun?"

"Azun is on a business trip right now."

"Where?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." Luke stood beside my bed.

"So Nathaniel." Mike turned the attention back to him. "What do you say?"

"About what?" I asked, hesitant to hear the answer.

"About the opening in the general position." Luke took the subject into his own hands. "Since Mike and I have taken it in our duties to take Dad's place, we thought you would be the perfect choice for general."

"What's wrong with Dad?" I asked.

"He's dead." Mike dropped the subject like a brick, no expression of sadness in his voice.

"Me as general?" I looked at my older brothers. "I don't think I am qualified for that, I know Ames would make a better choice then me."

"Now you listen to me, my confused little friend." Luke snapped his fingers. "We are friends, right? I use to have doubts and fears for what the future holds, they almost destroyed me. So you must be strong, tough, be a man in the world."

"You got to kick it up a notch." Mike cooed, like he had rehearsed this conversation previously with Luke.

"If you want to reach for the sky." Luke sat beside me. "You can't just sit around and watch the world go by-"

"Your destiny is in your control." Mike cut Luke off, taking my hand and pulling me out of bed.

"So what do you say?" Luke asked again. "All you got to do is give it a go, an attempt, who knows?"

"But what do we know?" Mike laughed, pulling me over to a mirror.

I barely recognized myself. Scars and bruises across my face. My eyes were the only color on my whole body. I was wearing some weird gray hospital suits that the patients wear when they come out of surgery. My brown hair was messier then ever, dropping down into my face. It had grown overnight quite a bit. What was up with that?

"Who do we see there?" Mike asked.

"A boy with extra am confidence and amazing potential." Luke answered, brushing my hair from my eyes. "He also graduated at the top of your class, congratulations Nathaniel."

"Azun taught me how important education was." I commented. "Can I call him?"

They ignored me, like always. Luke patted his black hair down, it was freaky how alike Luke and Azun looked, but their personalities were so different. Mike played with his sunglasses, we had the same blue eyes. I was a mixture of my brothers.

"If you want to be free." Mike stated. "To do what you please, then you must kick it up a notch."

"I want to be a doctor." I told him. "You both know that. I can't leave that dream to become a general."

"But a famous General." Luke grabbed my arm. "Your name on every sign, every pamphlet and feared across the galaxy. Wouldn't that be the coolest thing?"

"Yeah I guess." I debated with myself. "Someone to travel the stars and be the one to bargain for allies. But do I even have what it takes?"

"You want to get where we are?" Mike stated. "You got to take chances, kick it up a notch."

"Why would you settle for less when you could have more?" Luke laughed. "Why be a lousy doctor when you could be like me?"

"I don't know." I shied away.

"Hey!" Mike put his arm on my shoulder. "If opportunities knock and the door, you answer."

"Life is short." I tell them. "And before I settle I want to think all this through. It is the right thing to do, what Azun would have me do."

"It is a big universe out there." Luke laid out the stars in my mind. "Many dimensions, lots of questions. Like, what is the meaning of life?"

"Remember that you only have one body to live in." Mike pushed me aside.

If you want to step it up, kick it up a notch." Luke stared me down. "This is your only shot."

"Umm-" I stammered to find my tongue.

"So here's your choice." Luke laid out the plan. "Continue on with your meaningless position or you can actual do something. What do you say?"

"I...." I paused. This was a strange situation. "I think-"

"Go on." Mike smiled.

"I think I want to take the high road." I spoke.

"There you go!" Mike shouted.

"That's the spirit." Luke high-five with Mike. "Kick 'em!"

Mike pushed me into a chair, spinning me around to face the mirror. My face still looked the same, beat up and ugly.

"Time for a new look." Mike put a sheet around my neck.

Luke placed foils in my hair, wasn't quite sure what he was doing. Mike tiled my head back and rubbed tan cream around in my face. The two together brushed powder into my face, browns, tans and pinks. It was quite strange. Luke removed the foil from my hair and rinsed my head through the water from the sink. Then Mike went away chopping at my overgrown hair.

"This is magic dye." Mike pointed out to me. "Keeps your hair growing this color forever."

Luke blowed hot air through my hair to dry out all the water. Mike snipped a few pieces off, gave me the finishing touches with the creams. Luke tools some gel on his palms to style my hair up. By the time they let me look at my reflection I barely recognized myself.

My hair was bright blond, complementing with my blue eyes. They hide all my bruises, scars and other imperfections with the cream, with the powder they gave me cheekbones and a jawline. They had fixed me up to perfection. My noes was smaller my lips were larger my eyes popped out the most. I had to admit, as much as I liked my brown hair, I look amazing as a blond.

"See if you kick it up a notch, you can't doubt yourself." Luke smiled with his work.

"You look hot." Mike stated. "And if your not, there is not point in living."

"Nathaniel it is time to start." Luke told me.

"Thanks!" I hugged my brothers for the first time, then ran out the door. "I love you!"

"I-uh-love you too." Mike stammered.