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*** A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO ***
"Alright guys, settle down. We have two new additions with us this morning and I would not want them to feel unwelcomed here. So, behave yourselves." Miss Saydee announced.
"Yes, Miss Saydee." The guys echoed all at once.
"Very good. Now, I'll introduce our latest additions to the orphanage." Miss Saydee beckoned on Agnes, her assistant, to bring in the new kids.
"Guys, I'd like you to welcome Yooni and Yani as part of you." Miss Saydee said.
The teenagers all murmured their welcomes to the delight of Yooni and Yani's nonchalance.
"Now that that's done, shall we go back to our various chores?" Miss Saydee dismissed them and handed Yooni and her sister over to Agnes.
"Please, take them to their rooms and get them updated on the activities in the orphanage. By tomorrow morning, I want them ready to join the other kids properly in their activities. It's evening already, I need to go now"
"Yes ma'am"
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Miss Saydee was on her way to her office when Agnes stopped her and whispered in her ear.
"Excuse me, ma'am. How do we go about uhm… you know... their powers?" She asked, trembling.
"Agnes, I told you what to do before, didn't I? Keep a close eye on the kids and report any abnormal behavior to me as soon as possible. Don't make me say this again, ok?"
''Yes ma'am." Agnes always wondered why Miss Saydee always left the orphanage every night but she concluded that she probably had personal errands to run.
Months later, Yooni and Yani had settled well into their new home and got along quite well with the other kids; they even made a friend, Reggie, who was often referred to as a science freak because he was obsessed with
technology and innovation. Reggie was always coming up with new inventions and showing them off to the sisters, usually because he wants to impress Yooni. On this particular day, Reggie saw Yooni walking along the corridor of the dormitory and called out to her."Hey, Yooni! Wanna see my latest invention?"
"What is it this time, Reggie? You're always making things that end up getting destroyed. Miss Saydee won't be happy if she sees it. You always make her scream at the top of her voice."
"Well, I'll bet even Saydee will love this when she sees it."
"What's this one called? A speed boot, perhaps? Or laser googles, maybe?"
Yooni was being sarcastic; none of Reggie's inventions had ever impressed her, and she was sure this would be no different. Reggie smiled and shook his head.
"It's a surprise. First, we have to call Yani. Where is she?"
Yooni groaned.
"Urgh! Did you have to mention the mood wrecker? I'm sure she's probably somewhere practicing how to create a bomb with her mind or something."
Yani, apparently standing behind them, replied with a cold voice, startling them.
"I heard that."
Yooni was used to being startled by Yani, but Reggie was not. Even though they had become friends, Reggie couldn't help but shriek each time he heard Yani's cold voice unexpectedly.
"Yani! You are here. Great! Let's get moving."
"If you were here, you should have just come out and joined the conversation like a normal person would. Oh, I forgot, you're not normal, but a pain in the ass. You must enjoy scaring Reggie."
Reggie hated being dragged into any fight between the sisters. Yooni was the energetic one, always full of vibes and life, but has no sweet words for her sister who doesn't talk much but gets annoyed pretty often by Yooni. Reggie tried to change the topic to ease the tension.
"Can we just go and take a look at the surprise?"
The trio went to an abandoned basement in the orphanage which Reggie had turned into his lab. They saw an object covered with an old rag. Yani was the first to speak, much to Yooni's irritation.
"So, I'm guessing that's your newest baby?"
"Even the dumbest person would know that, Yani. Didn't he tell us it was a surprise? What else looks like a surprise in here?"
"Yooni, I am trying very hard to be composed right now. I promise you the next time you get on my nerves, you're going to get what you deserve." Yani retorted.
Reggie stepped in to calm the situation before Yooni could get her ass kicked.
"Hey guys, come on. Let's deal with why we're here before anyone gets anything, all right?"
He moved over and stood by the side of his newest invention with a big smile that said 'I can't wait to unveil this.'
"Now, guys, allow me to present to you my latest addition. I call this ‘the glider’. Ta-da!!"
The covering was finally removed and the sight of the glider made Yooni and Yani open their mouths and eyes wide in amazement. For the first time, Yooni was ecstatic.
"Whoa! It's beautiful. Can I test it?"
Reggie grinned.
"Well, yeah. Technically, it's made for you but you have to be a bit careful with it."
Yooni jumped in excitement.
"How do I get on?"
"One foot at a time and ensure you're well balanced on the glider, else, you might fall off once I turn it on. One more thing, you can turn the glider into any direction of your choice once you've gained balance."
"Let's do this!"
A happy-go-lucky Yooni responded. Reggie turned on the glider and gradually, it lifted from the ground. Yooni screamed with excitement.
"Whoa! It's levitating. Incredible!"
Yani was concerned.
"Yooni, be careful. You don't know how to control it yet."
"Got it, Yani."
Yooni answered her sister halfheartedly; she was having so much fun that she didn't hear what her sister. Soon enough, Reggie shouted out a warning, asking her to get off the glider. The glider had developed a wiring issue and it could injure Yooni if she stayed on it any longer. Before long, the glider crashed and Yooni was down on the floor. Both Yani and Reggie were relieved when she got up.
"Ouch! Guess it still needs one or two touches before it's fully ready."
Yani decided it was time to leave.
"I don't mean to ruin the moment but we have to go back before someone realizes we're missing. You both know what that means, right?"
The trio quickly packed things up and rushed to be with the other kids. After they left, Miss Saydee got out from where she hid; she had been monitoring the sisters ever since they were sent to her by the Cosmos and informed of their abilities and mission on Bannica. She kept a close eye on them to know if they would be a threat to the other kids but, so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. If anything, to her, they were more ordinary than most kids in the orphanage.
At dinner time, the girls went to the dining hall but could not find Reggie.
"Have you seen Reggie, Yani?"
"No, not since we got back from the basement this afternoon. Why?"
"It's time for dinner but he's nowhere to be found. If he doesn't show up on time, those big-for-nothing gluttons will finish everything."
"Let's go find him."
Yooni and Yani quickly went in search of Reggie but he was not in any of the places he requented on the premises. Rather, he was at the playground. Reggie went to the playground each time he wanted a clearer picture of a new idea for his next invention. That evening, he had spent a long time on the playground and was lost in thought that he lost track of time. As soon as he checked his time, he was surprised at what time it was. He quickly packed his notes, his drawing sheet, and his pencils and ran straight to the dining hall. On his way, he met with Bryan and his minions — the ones no kid ever
prayed to have an encounter with."Well, well, if it isn't the science nerd. Watchu got there?"
As Bryan spoke, his minions stripped Reggie of his bag and dropped everything in it. Reggie pleaded as he was held in between Bryan's boys.
"Bryan, please just let me go. I don't want any trouble this evening."
"Are you saying I'm trouble? I don't like the sound of that. Let's see what you have here. Hmmmm, a sketch of your next invention, I see. And I'm guessing it's for those two little demons. They really got you under their control, Reggie. Have you ever stopped to think they could be using your smart ass to their advantage, huh? Think about it. They have powers and they're hiding them from everyone, including you! Now imagine how powerful they'll be with you as their pawn – technology plus superpowers."