The room was cold. So cold, Jasper’s teeth chattered despite his thick hoodie. The only light came from a light bulb in the ceiling which left the corners of the room in permanent shadow. He’d never been afraid of the dark, but he could think of a hundred and one reasons to fear this place.

Reason one: Hunter wasn’t here.

He’d never admit it, but having Hunter at the same school gave Jasper enough courage to show up even when his ability was acting up. He knew they’d only become friends because they were the only two ability users in their elementary school, but that didn’t change how close they were now.

“I miss you.” Jasper mumbled into his folded arms.

He was exhausted. He’d spent hours in some sort of gym being yelled at for not turning invisible. He’d wanted to, if just to make the men stop, but he had zero control. He was Broken, after all.

“It gets better.” His roommate, Sebastian, consoled him from the shadows.

Jasper sniffled and wiped his nose. “Really?”

Sebastian chuckled. “No. This place would suck if they served ice cream sundaes for breakfast.” He walked into the light and sat beside Jasper. “My first day, they tazed me if I couldn’t tell what was on their mind. You know how I made it stop?” he paused for dramatic effect. “I said ‘You’re going to shock me again’.”

Jasper cracked a smile. “Mind reading?” He’d heard it was a common ability, but that it was also incredibly easy to control.

“A bit easier to fake than invisibility.”

Sitting side by side, Jasper was aware of how different he and Sebastian looked. The other boy had shaggy black hair while Jasper’s was blond and trimmed. Sebastian’s skin was super pale, possibly accentuated by the lack of sunlight in the compound, and Jasper’s was tan, which he’d inherited from his mother. Even their body types where different. Jasper was scrawny while Sebastian was covered in muscle.

“I wish I’d just get better at it.” Jasper confided. “Or that it would go away. I wouldn’t mind being normal.” He thought of Hunter for the millionth time since he’d woken up in this room. “All I do is cause problems.”

“You got a girlfriend?” Sebastian asked. “Someone you want to be normal for?”

Jasper shook his head. “She’s awesome, but we’re just close friends.” He thought about how Hunter would react if he came home normal. “I guess, with her, I’ve always been normal.” He gave a small smile. “Even when I’m invisible, she never treats me differently.”

Sebastian glanced toward the door, as if checking that no one was there, even though there was no window and the door was closed and locked. He turned back to Jasper. “Use that.” He instructed. “The number one cause for ability trouble is fear.”

Jasper remembered Bryn saying something similar to the new kid. Was it really that simple?

“Hold on to how that girl treated you.” His roommate continued. “It’ll make things easier.” He glanced back to the door and quickly stood up. “But hide it from the guys here. Let them think you’re still broken.”

Sebastian slunk back into the shadows. A second later, the door opened and a man in a military uniform walked in. “Time for class.” He sneered before grabbing Jasper’s arm and dragging him into the hall.