The house hallway followed the same pattern as my room too large, with a massive spiralling staircase in the middle and a bright red crystal chandelier hanging in the centre of it all.
"I hope Britta made the eggs sunny-side up like I asked her," Elise says as she slides past me. "She always scrambles them before I have a word" She glides down the massive staircase like it's her own personal slide. The house was adorned with Red furys pictures, her accomplishments plastered all over the house, a symbol of her dedication, but also of her narcissism as there were no photos of her daughter anywhere to be found.
By the time I reach the bottom, Britta's already at the dining table, arranging breakfast. Britta was the only working maid of the fury household, chubby looks with dull eyes, eyes that look down on the adopted kid.
"Good morning, young miss," she says as Elise lands with a triumphant grin.
"Good morning, young master," she adds quickly after spotting me behind Elise.
-Peculiar- psycore notes from an unfamiliar situation
"Yes, indeed," I think as a strange uneasiness washes over me. Psycore must sense it too.
Before Elise can say anything, I speak first.
"Sunny-side-up eggs, Britta? I thought Elise expressly told you she likes her eggs scrambled."
Elise, sitting to my left with a puzzled look, opens her mouth to speak I gesture for her to stay quiet.
"Apologies, young master. I will make them again." Britta looked as if she commited a grave mistake as her hands start to hover over the plate of sunny side eggs.
Purple tendrils shoot from my body, hovering inches from Britta's eyes.
"Who are you?" I ask, my blade-like tendrils curling in all directions.
"Pardon, young master?" The maid or the imposter still feigns ignorance.
"Drop the act," I say coldly. Britta has worked here for four years and not once has she called me 'young master.' She always looked down on me . That wasn't a issue. But her tone, suddenly switching up is.
"What are you saying, Tenny?" Elise asks, her tone sharp with confusion. She probably hasn't understood the scope of the situation in hand, but I've got no time to explain.
"She's not Britta, Elise. Battle stance." Is all i could muster before the false britta trys to squirm away.
At my command, Elise's white frock burns away, revealing a black skin suit lined with intricate red patterns.
-The oxygen levels have been dropping ever since you found the imposter out-Psycore warns.
"On my mark, Britta."
My tendrils lash forward, coiling serpent-like and aiming for the intruder's eyes. But a phantom shield bursts into existence, blocking the strike gleaming with an unnatural green metallic sheen.
Elise's flames flicker weaker by the second. Oxygen's thinning fast. The outside's blocked my tendrils already confirmed that.
"Last warning," I growl. The imposter doesn't move. The shield remains, pulsing steadily.
"No choice, then."
My tendrils whip forward again, not to strike this time but to wrap the imposter entirely, forming a cocoon of dark purple. A plan devised in haste and panic, as i see brittas flames become dimmer.
-You're bleeding from your ears, boy, Psycore murmurs. You're pushing your abilities too hard.-
"A little more," I grunt, breath ragged.
"Elise! Heat him , the cocoon!" I shout.
"But the man inside.."
"Now!" I snarl. The oxygen's nearly gone.
"Combustion!" Elise screams, unleashing a blast of fire. Calling out technique names always sharpens focus a mental bridge heroes rely on.
"Either you drop the force field, or your companion gets boiled alive!" I roar. "Let's see who lasts longer us or your friend!"
A few tense seconds pass as i spot elise's fire power begin to waver.
"Ahhh! Stop! Stop!" A woman's scream echoes from outside.
The air rushes back. My tendrils surge outward, reaching beyond the walls. One lifeform detected.
Elise collapses, and I catch her before she hits the ground.
"I didn't even get to enjoy my sunny-side eggs," she mutters with a wink. Elise is naive, but that dosnt mean she is dumb, maybe a little slow i muse to myself.
The eggs were sunny-side up my comment about her preferring scrambled was a deliberate test. And it worked.
"The crop this time is a nasty one," rasps a voice from the figure who used to be Britta. His face twists and cracks bones shifting, flesh rearranging until nothing remains but a blank, featureless mask.
"You were almost roasted alive, Shifter," says a new voice a girl floating in a green force field outside the broken wall.
"Hello, kids," says the woman short, cropped green hair, and a neon-lined super suit glowing faintly.
"Lucky for you, kid," the faceless man rasps at me how does he even talk without a mouth? "we were told not to attack the new students."
I stay silent. Without that force field, I could have killed him.
-you underestimate Pro heroes too much boy, he probably had orders not to use any offence against you- psycore notes after contemplating the lack of offensive maneuvers Shifter showed.
"You must be Red Fury's daughter," says the green-haired woman, floating toward Elise.
"You look just like your mom just cuter," she adds, pinching Elise's cheeks.
"Nice to meet you," Elise says politely, though I can tell she hasn't forgotten how this woman nearly suffocated us.
"And you" she floats closer to me now, smirking, "you must be the Miracle Kid. The one who survived. Mmm, a handsome one at that."
Force-field ability, Psycore notes. She covered the whole house while protecting the faceless man. Strong. Must be new — I don't remember her from my time.
"Care to explain what all this is about?" I ask, voice steady.
The faceless man answers first. "You're rude for a little brat, kid."
"Enough, Shifter. He's still young," the woman says. She smiles faintly and tosses two badges into the air — they float toward us, along with two small bags.
"Welcome to Unite. You pass."
The badge is the size of a penny , a silver 'U' studded with blue and white gems. Inside the bags: uniforms, custom-made for our powers.
Fortessa that must be her name gestures to Elise. "Go on, try it."
Elise channels her flames. The fabric resists, glowing but unburned. Impressive though I doubt it could withstand her true strength.
The uniform's sharp,a white shirt with the Unite symbol, a blue blazer, and dark trousers. Elise's version swaps the pants for a skirt.
"It's a little tight," I mutter, adjusting the collar.
"What? Your measurements were exact!" Fortessa exclaims, floating near me.
"How did you manage to grow in one month, Tenny?" Elise teases.
"These teens and their growth spurts," Fortessa sighs. "I'll have another uniform ready for you at the academy."
She gestures toward the waiting car. "You two beat the test faster than expected. That means you've got time to settle in before the real trials begin."
She turns, a grin spreading across her face.
"So are you ready for the first step toward heroic glory?"