Throughout the world, Power Uppers are the hottest drug on the market. A single pill allows any Normie to obtain the power of a Super. The drawback? They're also highly addicting and the cause of most financial ruin.
Tayla wants nothing to do with s...
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Corin pulled another picture out of his desk and handed it to Tayla. It was of him in a hospital with another man and woman. The woman laid in the bed, one baby curled in her arms. Both men held two other children. Pride beamed off both Corin and the woman's face, but the other man had no smile or joy in his eyes. He was a statue in a sea of glee.
"You are the second of three children born to Jin and Tai. She was the first person Jin and I met when we moved to Unity City at a young age. Neither of us was very good at making friends, Jin especially. He's always been standoffish and impossible to break through his wall. Around her, he was a different person. Tai had this aura about her that made you happy in her presence, it didn't take us long to realize that was her power. She could manipulate anyone's aura and even use it to strengthen herself if needed." Corin half chuckled and sighed. "The three of us were near inseparable throughout much of our formative years, all because of Tai."
"You were in love with her, weren't you?" Max asked.
Corin nodded. "She was impossible not to love. Jin and I competed for her affection on many occasions. Ultimately he won. They were married right after we graduated. I'd hoped with her being a Super that might mean he'd heal."
"What do you mean heal?" Tayla asked. Her fingers brushed against the face of Tai. Danika would always be her mom, no matter what, but seeing the woman who gave her life stung in her chest. The way she smiled, her eyes didn't crinkle or bend to the lift of her lips, that smile could illuminate the world. Her dark, narrow eyes stared back at Tayla as if it were a window in her hand, not a picture.
"My brother is a Normie like our parents were. Not only that, but he was picked on constantly for being scrawny, usually by a Super. They'd do simple things like dunking his head in the toilet or using their powers against him. Before Unity City, his school life was miserable. I stepped in to help him, using my power whenever needed, but that only seemed to make him bitterer. We got along, at least as well as any brothers do, but my power always came between us. The things he'd say at dinner about Supers and how much pain we caused, it made for many an awkward family gathering. Often I wonder if my being a Super, not me being moved up a grade, is why we were so competitive even before Tai. With Tai and her aurora abilities I thought that meant he'd lighten his negativity toward Supers."
Max snorted. "Negativity toward Supers. Now where have I heard that one before?" He nudged Tayla's side.
"Bite me." She looked from the picture to Corin. "Jin doesn't look happy in this picture."
"That's my brother in a nut shell. He could be having the time of his life, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. When we were younger, I thought for sure it would be the apocalypse if he smiled." Corin leaned against his desk, crossing his arms. "He was the first to jump at a job with the Pharmaceutical Companies and he convinced me to sign up. Though I've never been sure why he wanted to work with me."
