"Is he awake yet?"

"I don't know, Adela."

"He should be by now. It's been four hours."

"It's not like I can magically make him wake up."

"Austin, you know we can."

"The Master told us to wait for him to wake up and that's what we're going to do."

"You are so annoying sometimes."

"Right back at you."

The voices were echoing in my head, bouncing around like they owned the place. I wanted to scream at them to shut up but I couldn't do anything. It was like I was wrapped up like a Egyptian mummy, arms and legs pinned.

"Look he's moving."

"I can see that Austin."

"Just saying."

"Well you don't need to. I have eyes. I'm not like the twins."

Their bickering was so annoying. It was like two children fighting over their mother's attention. I just wanted to lie there and sleep. Let me rest for God's sake. How were they speaking anyway? Oh right, they were using me to speak to each other. As one speaks in my head, the other listens at the same time. Wait, how did I work that out?

"Wakey wakey Josh. Rise and shine. We've got a special surprise for you."

"Shut up Adela."

"I think you're jealous, Austin."

"Am not."

"Oh yes you are."

"It's just a test to see if we cracked him."

"Didn't we say, Josh, that we'd use your darkest fears against you?"

"Now you're just being patronising."

"That's the point."

"We need to work with him not totally tear him apart."

"Doesn't mean I like him. To me, he's just a piece of modelling clay."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're looking forward to this."

"Maybe I am. I've watched Erin for years and absolutely loath her. She's so innocent and naive. She doesn't know anything. I want to get back at her for stealing my glory. What better way to do it?"

"Adela that is really-"

Suddenly I was on my feet, my eyes wide open and muscles tense. Adela and Austin were standing in front of me. Adela was smiling cruelly while Austin just stood there with no emotion in his face but tiredness.

The door to the arena was open. I tried to take a step forward and make a run for it but my legs wouldn't obey me. I tried to look down but nothing happened. I had completely lost control of my body, only stared blankly ahead.

"Oh don't try and move, Josh," Adela said without her lips moving. "You are now part of T11 which means you have no control. Everything is either from the Master's orders or...well... The nature of your dark side."

I wanted to scream that no one controls me but I carried on staring at them. Adela looked like she was having fun but the Master said they had no emotions other than hate. How was she happy?

"The answer to your question, Josh, is you," Austin said. "We are all connected now, so when we went in, we drew out your emotions. We now can use them, as long as we're close to you, and can actually feel and be human. It's our reward from the Master. Oh and you were right when you said Adela and I can communicate though you if you wanted to know."

"Such a clever boy," Adela teased. "Let's see if he's clever enough to resist our teachings." I saw Austin sigh and click his fingers.

They both looked towards to the door. I felt my head turning that way too. Inside I was hearing warning bells and panic alarms but by now I'd realised that on the outside I was emotionless.

Right there in front of me was Erin, her thick luscious hair framed her face and her gold eyes shone like the sun. She was wearing a white, flowing dress, trimmed with gold and with white straps.

She looked gorgeous.

Normally I would just stand there and enjoy the sight but I wasn't exactly normal right then. There was something seriously wrong with me because I sprang at her, wrapping my hands around her throat and wrestling her to the ground. I got up and kicked her in the stomach, sending her rolling across the floor then bent back down and slowly applied pressure to her windpipe.

"It was always your fault," me but not me hissed through my teeth. "I was always the one to get hurt for you. And how did you repay me? By going straight for Hunt when you had the chance. I hate you, Erin! I suffered so much for you! Did you ever do anything for me? No! You take me for granted. I hate you I hate you I HATE YOU!" I was screaming now. I wanted to hurt her as much as I could.

But this wasn't me. On the inside I was crying, trying to desperately fight for control. I would never hurt her. Never. At least I was still myself on the inside. At least there was a chance that someday, if I did see Erin, I could convince her that it was me.

"Enough Adela," Austin suddenly said to break through. "We've tortured him enough."

The vision melted away. I found myself on my knees trying to strangle someone that wasn't there. Surprisingly, there were tears in my eyes. I had some control then.

"You had to ruin the fun, didn't you Austin?" Adela said, pouting.

"He passed the test," Austin said. "There is no need to do anything else." Adela just huffed.

"We must go now and pair him up," Austin continued. "We can't risk Erin trying to contact him."

That filled me with hope as I was forced to walk out of the arena, Adela and Austin right behind. My legs seemed to know where they were going so that have me plenty of time to think.

What had just happened to me in there? Was that me or what Adela and Austin made me do? What the hell was pairing? Questions swirled in my mind as I tried to send my thoughts to Erin. I couldn't hear her but just maybe she could hear me. At least she was alive...but for how much longer with the likes of Adela and Austin running around?

I turned to a metal door in the left and waited for Adela to open it. We stepped inside and came face to face with four other teenagers. I made a quick assessment.

Two boys were sitting together at a table in the middle. They looked like they were a pair but they were so mutilated, deep scars of Triples logo looked like they had been branded into their skin in exactly the same place. Their eyes were pure white when they looked in my direction but not directly at me. They were blind.
Another boy was leaning in the left well, tapping his metal hands on a patch of metal on his ribs. Parts of his skin was metal the other parts normal flash.

Lastly there was a girl in the corner. She appeared to be normal looking enough but there was something about her that made me want to shrink away. She was just pure evil, I was sure of it. Unfortunately for me, it was this girl that Adela beckoned over.

She glided across the floor, her piercing black eyes never leaving me.

"This is Lucy," Austin said. "She'll be your new partner now."

"So kiss Erin goodbye," Adela sneered.

"Unfortunately we still need Erin," Austin said. "We may be able to take your gifts but Erin needs to be alive to do that. She dies, you die. Lucy will be in control of you while we do that then, you and Lucy can really be partners. But for now, we'll have to be content with what we have."

"What I don't get, Austin, is why the Master doesn't want Erin any more?" The metal boy on the wall said. "Lucy and Josh will never be as powerful as Erin and Josh, so why take Erin's powers and lock her away forever? Can't you guys just do your voodoo thing and control her like this puppet over here?"

I didn't know what Austin's own response was but Lucy whispered in my ear: "it's because they can't control the both of you; they are not strong enough. And the fact the Master hates Erin. She was never cold hearted enough to kill. You are, Joshy dear. A cold hearted killer." If I could move, her voice would send shivers down my spine.

Adela and Austin had moved back as well as all the others, making a loose circle around Lucy and I. "The more you fight me," Lucy said in her quiet voice, "the more painful this will be." She suddenly dissolved into a black smoke that filled my mouth and nostrils, burning me from the inside. I could feel her in my mind, engulfing all my own thoughts and taking complete control.

Whatever hopes I had to contact Erin were completely gone now. Unlike Adela and Austin, this girl could make her thoughts my own so I would be a completely different person.

My last thought was of Erin's face as I prayed that I wouldn't have to watch myself hurt her for real as the smoke crashed down like a wave on the little spark of life I had left before I lost myself and everything I valued to the smoke.

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Oh I feel so evil for doing that to you guys... please don't kill me...

What did you think of Adela and Austin??? I wanted to give them a little more life for reasons you'll find out about later on in the story. And what about the newer characters??? I'll be giving more information on those in the coming chapters. So no more Josh chapters for a while because you know he's not really himself, is he? Instead I'll be putting in some Austin chapters as well as Charlie and Erin chapters. Hopefully the Austin chapters will be interesting for you.

So as always comment and vote because they mean the world to me!

Love y'all,

CricketCat