Several minutes earlier, before Riley was covered in a pool of blood.
"We're lost, Hannah."
"No, we're fucking not," Hannah snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut through the bustling streets. "Can you just shut up for once?"
"We should have let Adoptive Father take us," Riley replied, his tone as calm and unbothered as ever. "Adoptive Mother also told you not to curse."
"What did I say about shutting the fuck up?" Hannah hissed, glancing at him with a glare sharp enough to pierce through steel.
"And you're not even supposed to be here! I only brought you because Mom's been on my case. Once we get there, act like we don't know each other."
"But we do know each other, Hannah. You are my sister."
"You're adopted."
"That does not change the fact that we know each other."
"Ugh, just shut up, you albino freak!"
The crowded streets of Massachusetts paid them little mind—at first. Hannah stormed ahead, dragging her brother along with a scowl etched on her face. Riley, however, remained unaffected, effortlessly dodging her attempts to push him away by simply pausing his steps.
Unfortunately, the quick movement caused his hood to slip down.
And suddenly, people did notice them.
The sunlight seemed to bounce off Riley like he was made of glass, drawing every pair of eyes toward him. The siblings couldn't have looked more different—Hannah, with her fiery brown hair and sun-kissed skin, contrasted starkly with Riley's ghostly pale complexion. His hair shimmered like freshly spun silk, his skin as smooth and pale as paper, and his crystalline eyes reflected the world around him like mirrors.
But it wasn't just his albinism that caught people's attention—it was him. Riley's ethereal beauty wasn't of this world, more like a storybook character brought to life. Surreal, inhumanly perfect.
The only thing that could be considered deformed or even stranger were his lips that were wider than normal.
Surreal… and strange enough to stop people in their tracks.
"What the fuck are you guys looking at!?" Hannah's voice sliced through the murmurs, snapping heads away. She threw up both middle fingers at the gawking crowd. "Never seen a person before, huh!?"
Grumbling, she shoved Riley's hood back on and threw an arm over his shoulder, dragging him down the street.
"I swear, these fucking people, bro." She whispered before taking him inside the first coffee shop they saw, which in today's world, was in every block.
She dragged Riley inside, sitting him down at the first free table she saw.
"This is exactly why I didn't want you coming with me!" she barked, crouching down in front of him and grabbing his face roughly. "Did you even put on sunscreen today?"
"I did, Hannah," Riley replied without blinking, his tone as flat as ever. "SPF 150."
"Ugh, why is your skin so fucking smooth? It's not fair!" Hannah groaned, rummaging through her bag and pulling out a bottle of sunscreen. Without waiting for permission, she began slathering it across Riley's face, neck, and hands with borderline aggression. Riley, for his part, sat still and obedient, tilting his head and raising his arms to make the process easier.
"There. Done. Such a baby," she huffed, tossing the bottle back into her bag.
"Would you like me to lather some on you too, Hannah?" Riley asked, tilting his head in genuine curiosity.
"Oh my God, please don't say 'lather.'" Hannah rolled her eyes, her lips twitching in frustration. "And no, dumbass, I'm immune to the heat of the sun, remember? Tch. If only you had powers too, you wouldn't be so fucking helpless."
"I apologize for being powerless, Hannah."
"Shut the fuck up. Never apologize to me."
She stood up, immediately glaring at the people still sneaking glances their way before turning her focus back to her brother. "Since we're already here, we might as well get something to drink. What do you want?"
"I—"
"Lol. Fuck you," Hannah cut him off, not waiting for Riley's response before stomping toward the counter, leaving him alone at the table. Riley watched her retreating back for a moment, then quietly straightened his posture, placing both hands neatly on the table.
He didn't pull out a phone. He didn't glance around. He simply sat there with an empty, neutral expression, waiting for Hannah to return.
Of course, this stillness only made him stand out more.
"Pfft, look at this freak."
And naturally, people Riley's age—who are often the dumbest creatures in any room—noticed him and what he was doing. A group of boys in crisp white school uniforms gravitated toward him, their laughter drawing attention.
They surrounded the table, leaning in close to gawk at his face.
"Oh, shit! You're white as fuck, boy!" one of them cackled.
"Take a load of this guy!" another joined in, pointing rudely.
"Were you shat out by a goose or something?"
Insults. A pathetic attempt to solidify one's position as the higher being without physical contact. Unfortunately for them, their insults are nothing compared to my sister's. They don't even register at all.
Riley only glanced at the air around the students, not even bothering to respond as he remained completely still—he didn't even sigh. And of course, the hormones of these growing students did not like that at all.
"Pfft, how old are you? You look, like, 12 and 60 at the same time!"
"Hey! We're talking to you!" one of them growled, reaching out to yank down Riley's hood, revealing his snow-white hair. The boy ruffled it roughly, sneering.
"I do not appreciate you touching me, Male Student," Riley finally spoke, his monotonous voice cutting through their childish chaos like a blade.
"Or what?" The boy smirked, "What are you gonna do?"
The group chuckled at Riley's face. One of them stepped closer, his hand curling into a fist that suddenly hardened, turning to stone. He shoved it close to Riley's cheek, forcing him to tilt his head away ever so slightly to avoid it.
"Yeah, that's right!" the boy with the stone hand sneered, basking in the approval of his friends.
"Hey, hey! Quick, take a picture of this guy!" another boy laughed, pulling out his phone. The group started posing with Riley, snapping photos and laughing like hyenas.
The other customers in the shop glanced over, disapproving but unwilling to step in. After all, these boys wore the uniforms of Mega Academy—the prestigious school that trained young people with superpowers to use their abilities for good.
But as everyone could see, some of its students still had much to learn… or didn't deserve to be in the academy at all.
The boys continued their antics, completely unbothered. Riley didn't fight back. He didn't move. He simply sat there, silent and motionless.
Until the temperature in the coffee shop suddenly spiked.
The change was instant and intense. Customers gasped, dropping their coffees as steam began to rise from the cups, the liquid inside bubbling and boiling. The boys paused, their laughter faltering as they looked around in confusion.
"W-what the…" one of them muttered, sweat beading on his brow.
The source of the heat quickly became clear.
Hannah.
She was marching toward them, her eyes glowing an eerie, blinding white. The air around her shimmered and distorted, heat waves warping the space as she glared at the boys with pure, unfiltered rage.
"You have three seconds to leave my brother alone," she said, her voice trembling with fury as her fists clenched. The temperature spiked higher, forcing the boys to take a step back.
"Or I burn each and every one of you right here and now."