As they were about at the top of the driveway, Allison put the kickstand out so her bike stayed upright and Atlas left his skateboard on the porch by the door.
The dark brown door opened up to a young boy with shaggy brown curly hair and icy blue eyes who was slightly chubby with a phone in his right and a speaker in his left hand.
The boy pressed play on his phone and the sound of violins started playing in the beginning creating a graceful intro. Once the intro was completed Blake did a playful spin and lip-synced the first line
"At Laaassst (Atlas)..." Blake got on one knee in front of his two friends holding the hand with his phone to his chest "My looovee has come alonggg."
Blake opened his arms wide as he tilted his head to the sky with eyes closed "My lonely days are overrr."
Atlas's eyebrows twitched at the reference that Blake was trying to make with the song.
"Give me that!" Atlas yelled grabbing the speaker and pressing the power button to turn off the classic song.
"Heeyy," Blake said pretending to be offended by Atlas turning off the song.
"You're a clown," Atlas answered giving a small laugh.
"Nuh-uh, I'm Blake Griffins," Blake said standing up from his kneeling position. He looked over at Allison checking her up and down.
"Allison."
Allison rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Blake."
Blake walked to the door and gestured for them to come in dramatically as he stood to the side.
Atlas and Allison entered the house while Blake closed the door behind them.
To the right of them was the living room where Blake's mother was watching tv with Blake's younger twin sister and brother.
Atlas and Allison briefly greeted them before Blake led them toward the stairs. However, before going up Blake asked if they'd want something to drink.
"I'll take a water," Atlas answered
"Same." Allison followed after Atlas answered
"Same." Blake mimicked Allison in a girly voice as he headed to the kitchen to get some water and came back with two cold bottles of water.
"Here you go," Blake said handing them their beverages as he had a cup of apple juice, which he took a couple of sips from. Atlas and Allison thanked him and followed him upstairs toward his room which was currently a bit messy with toys and games on the floor and an unmade bed. Decorated on the walls were posters on the wall with the Marvel superheroes.
"Still messy, huh," Allison said as Blake walked in and closed the door to his room. Her face created a frown with her nose slightly scrunched.
Blake glared at Allison and looked at Atlas pointing at Allison with his thumb "Why is she here again?"
"To help," Atlas replied while raising his shoulders as he took a seat in the middle of the room. He opened the water bottle and took a couple of gulps before closing the bottle back up with the cap.
"Uh huh," Blake responded taking a seat taking a couple of gulps of his apple juice and sitting on the floor to the left of Atlas while Allison sat to the right of Atlas as he removed his book bag.
"With what? Summer break homework?"
"No, I finished that 2 weeks ago," Atlas said looking at Blake. He narrowed his eyes at Blake as he continues "You haven't started have you."
"No, it's only the 6th of July bro, and aren't you hot with that hoodie?"
"Not really," Atlas answered but decided to take off the hoodie anyway since it was a bit hot. Leaving him in his white t-shirt. "How about you Allison? Have you finished?"
"Uhhh, not yet," Allison said twirling her hair around her finger.
"See!" Blake raised his hands toward Allison feeling good that he wasn't alone for hadn't started yet, but Allison quickly added.
"I did start it though."
"Ugh!" Blake turned his hands toward Allison in a motion of wanting to choke her for her betrayal of not having his back.
"Anyways," Blake began finishing up his glass of apple juice and setting it down. He then placed his hands down leaning back and looking at Atlas. "What did you need help with?"
"Well, I don't know honestly," Atlas said taking out the obsidian cube from his backpack, along with the cookies Allison made. He took one that was red with white chocolate chips, and took a bite.
"What's that?" Allison asked as she looked at the black cube Atlas pulled out, while her cheeks slightly turned red when Atlas savored the taste of the red velvet cookie.
Atlas swallowed before he answered,
"A gift left behind by my biological parents."
"Really?! Isn't that like, I don't know, good?" Blake questioned looking at the object that Atlas took out as he reached for a cookie but before Blake can take one Allison smacked his hand away shaking her head. She squints her eyes at Blake and mouthed 'those aren't for you.'
Blake took back his smacked hand and looked at Allison with a slight glare and pout.
"I guess, but..." Atlas sighed "I don't even know what this is." Atlas pointed at the obsidian box
"Are you some alien hero like Superman or something?" Blake randomly asked as he looked between the cube and Atlas rubbing the stinging spot that Allison smacked.
"No, why?" Atlas answered furrowing his eyebrows together in confusion.
"I mean," Blake starts as he points to Atlas. "You're adopted," points to the black cube "you have some unknown object left behind from your parents," points to his unique made sunglasses, "and you always wear sunglasses like Cyclops from the X-men and if they're not on, your eyes are closed. Almost as if you're scared you might shoot lasers from your eyes at any moment. Also, who the heck looks like a cute girl but is a boy."
"Huh?! Cute what now?" Atlas was taken aback by the last part.
"Blake has a point for once," Allison said holding her chin between her thumb and forefinger.
"I do?" "He does?" Blake and Atlas say at the same time.
Allison nodded her head "I'm shocked as well. It's Blake after all."
"Wow, thanks." Blake rolled his eyes.
"And I don't remember you ever getting sick or anything."
"Uhhh...haha yeahhh?" Atlas nervously chuckled.
"It's just...I was born with weird eyes, and it makes people act weird around me when they look at me. " Atlas said giving a half-truth. He was born with weird eyes but he just couldn't show them because of their passive ability.
"Can we see?" Allison asked curiously looking at Atlas
"Now I'm curious too," Blake said leaning in to grab Atlas's sunglasses.
"No, wait!" Atlas stops Blake from grabbing the sunglasses with his hands.
"Come on man." Blake tries to force his hand towards the sunglasses but wouldn't budge.
"Fine! I'll take a selfie or something. You just can't look directly at them. So both of you must keep your eyes closed until I give the okay. Alright?"
Blake relaxed leaned back with a grin and answered "Alright," while Allison nodded.
'Gosh, I hope this works.' Atlas thought as he pulled out his phone. He had hypothesized that the rotation of his irises is what causes the mind compulsion effect similar to the hypnosis black and white spiral. If he took a picture then the effect shouldn't be there if someone were to look at his eyes. Since the irises of his eyes will be still.
Atlas raised his phone and turned on the selfie option of his camera. He looked at his two friends and saw they were still looking at him.
"Bruh! Close them and turn around." He said putting the phone down.
"Jeez, fine!" Blake responded while Allison already followed the instruction turning around with her eyes closed and Blake followed suit turning around as well.
Once Atlas confirmed they wouldn't turn back around he took off the sunglasses created by James. Looking at the camera, Atlas took his left hand bringing the dreadlocks in front of his face back so that his Earth eyes were in view.
He let out a breath and pressed the shutter for the camera creating the click sound. He quickly placed his glasses over his eyes and examined the photo he had taken.
As he suspected, the irises of his eyes stopped rotating in the picture. He brought his phone close to his chin with the screen facing his chest, so that his friends wouldn't see the picture yet.
"Alright, you can turn around now," Atlas confirmed and they both turned around with expectation in their eyes.
To say he wasn't nervous about what might happen would be an understatement. Would his mind compulsion still take effect?
Atlas turned the phone around and they stared at the image frozen in place. After about a minutes went by they had yet to say anything. He looked at their eyes and let out a breath. At least their eyes hadn't gone dull and lifeless.
"Uhhh, guys? You there?" Atlas worriedly asked as he turned the phone off.
"Holy heck!" Blake exclaimed surprised by the image.
"Pretty." Allison's eyes sparkled after she saw the picture.
"Huh?" Atlas was confused by their reactions.
"So you got your name from your eyes?" Blake asked
"Yeah, I guess?"
"And you've hid them 'cause they look like the planet," Allison asked
"Yes?"
"Why? They're unique, honestly." Allison wondered
"Well, there's that, and well..." Atlas let out a sigh and looked at Blake. He pondered if he should tell the truth and before he realized it he already continued "because Blake might have been half right about why I wear these."
"You shoot lasers from your eyes?" Blake's eyes went wide
"I said half right Blake," Atlas answered with a slight frown
"You have a superpower?" Allison asked and Atlas nodded his head
"I think so." He responded
"What can you do?" Blake asked with his eyes practically twinkling.
"Command people without them knowing what happened," Atlas seriously admitted
"No way." Blake seemed skeptical and didn't believe Atlas. "Prove it."
Atlas sighed and turned on his phone to record what he was about to do because Blake wouldn't remember doing the action if he didn't. Turning a bit to the side so Allison didn't see his eyes. He faced Blake and pressed the record button on his phone.
"Why are you recording m-"
Atlas lowered his sunglasses feeling a slight headache as he looked into Blake's eyes which turned dull.
"Fix your bed and tidy up," Atlas commanded and the headache got stronger causing him to groan and hold his head.
Allison gasped from behind Atlas when she saw Blake stand up immediately like a robot and started making up the bed and cleaning up the room. Atlas recorded the whole thing on his phone and when Blake was done he sat back down next to Atlas who stopped recording.
His vision went back to normal and he looked around his room in confusion.
"Who cleaned the room?"
"No way." Allison was wide-eyed with her mouth open.
"What?" Blake wondered raising an eyebrow.
"I commanded you too," Atlas said as he turned his phone and showed Blake the recording.
"No freaking way, dude." Blake couldn't believe what he was watching. His best friend commanded him to clean his room and he didn't even remember ever doing it. When the video was played to the end Atlas deleted it along with the selfie from before.
"Believe me now?" Atlas asked his friends while he rubbed both the side of his temples.
"Yeah," Blake responded slightly creeped out that that just happened for real.
"You okay?" Allison asked when she saw Atlas rubbing his temples
"Yeah, I just get a bad headache afterward is all. It'll go away in a bit." Atlas replied massaging the sides of his head.
"I wonder what this cube thingy is though," Blake said as he picked up the cube and looked at it again. Not expecting anything to happen, Blake just for the heck of it twisted a side of the cube as if it was a Rubik's cube and the side he twisted shifted and made a mechanical click sound.
With his eyes closed Atlas was able to see a reaction from the cube which caused the glowing white and black flame in the middle to get a bit brighter when he heard the click.
Atlas opened his eyes surprised by the sudden reaction and sound from the cube.
"Was that a click?"