The odds that my plan was going to work were excruciatingly slim. I had made this same attempt countless times before but always to no avail. I sat up slowly on my cot to minimize the sound of the springs moving, so my brother, Jayden, wouldn't hear them on the other side of the wall between our bedrooms. I walked to my door and opened it quietly, cringing every time it creaked despite my precautions. I stepped over to Jayden's room and peeped in the small rectangular window. I had gotten up five minutes earlier than usual to make sure I could surprise him, and I was happy to see his still-sleeping form on the bed. I held the door knob and turned it slowly until the bolt was no longer in the lock, and I was holding the door in place. Then in one swift motion, I flung the door open, jumped into the room, and screamed at the top of my lungs. I had been hoping to see Jaden wake up in terror and maybe even fall out of bed, but instead, his sleeping figure in the bed suddenly vanished. My real brother suddenly replaced the fake one, fully awake and sitting up in bed with his legs outstretched in front of him and his hands supporting his head from behind. Although we both had powers, I still hated it when he used his against me.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up," Jayden said, smiling mischievously as he suppressed a laugh. I opened my mouth twice to ask the question, but he went ahead and answered. "I could hear your thoughts last night at dinner. You really shouldn't try to plan things out so far in advance," He explained.

"Why didn't you just tell me you knew?" I asked frustrated.

"I was sort of hoping you would try coming through the wall again," He answered jokingly.

"I nearly got stuck last time I did that, and you nearly got crushed! I can move matter, not make it disappear," I explained.

"Yes, but it was quite funny that time I heard a thud when you tried to run straight through the wall," He pointed out.

"I was eight," I retorted indignantly before I turned and left the room quickly.

I could hear Jayden getting up off of his bed behind me, so I looked back quickly and waved my hand, making the door start to swing shut. Unfortunately, Jayden threw up his arm to stop it from hitting him.

"That one was just you being predictable," He explained as I forced the door to close the rest of the way, pushing him out of his bedroom. He briefly jogged to catch up to me, and we were able to walk down the hallway to the living room together.

In order to make our bedrooms seem more like the barracks that the other cadets had to sleep in, there was a long cement hallway separating us from the rest of the house. The plain cement floors and walls and harsh fluorescent lights overhead severely contrasted our parents' living quarters, so stepping through the doorway was like stepping into another world. The sitting and dining areas were combined into one giant room, filled with thick rugs, patterned fabrics, and dark mahogany furniture. The kitchen and front door were on the far side of the room while our parents' bed and bathroom were on the right. Since our actual bedrooms had no closets, Jayden and I each had small changing room on the left.

"Hurry up, and get dressed! Breakfast is almost ready," Our mom called out from where she was setting the table.

"Oh no, she cooked again," I thought, suddenly dreading the idea of having to eat breakfast.

"At least you can turn your taste buds off" Jayden responded by using his powers to place the thought in my head.

The two of us split ways and went to our adjacent closets to get dressed. Like our bedrooms, our closets were mirror images of each other, complete with a wardrobe, mirror, and small stand. I quickly opened my wardrobe and picked out the grey training suit that smelled the best to wear. As I stepped in front of the mirror and swiftly forced a brush through my shoulder-length red hair, I noticed the collar of my jacket. It was light blue, displaying my lower rank and the fact that I was only a cadet instead of a full member of the organization I had been training with most of my life. Hopefully, this would be the last time I ever wore a blue collar. Once dressed, I practically vaulted myself out of the changing room and over to where my mom and Jayden were already seated.

"How did you beat me out?" I asked Jayden in surprise.

"I have shorter hair," He explained matter-of-factly.

"Not that much shorter," I commented, looking at his chin-length black hair that he always kept swept back out of the way. "So what's for breakfast today, Mom?" I asked, changing the subject as I plopped down in my chair.

"I made scrambled eggs," She answered cheerfully as she pointed to a bowl of somewhat watery eggs. "And bacon," She added, motioning to a platter loaded with bacon. Jayden looked at the bacon dubiously before using his fork and knife to lift the entire mass of meat as one unit, revealing that all of the strips were stuck together.

"I'm sure it still tastes delicious," He said politely as Mom smiled sheepishly.

Just then, there was a noise from our parents' bedroom, and Jayden quickly put the bacon bundle down and sat quietly in his seat. Our dad suddenly appeared in the doorway, fully dressed in his black uniform with a red collar. With his great height, broad shoulders, buzzed grey hair, and stern blue eyes, Dad could definitely be intimidating, and he always demanded respect. He walked over to the table and glanced at the food before shaking his head and forcing a smile.

"Thanks for cooking, honey," He said, addressing Mom before he started unenthusiastically scooping eggs onto his plate.

"So are you two excited for the physical examination today?" Mom asked as she started pulling the pieces of bacon apart with her fork.

"Excited isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it," Jayden answered uncertainly.

"I'm sure you can handle it, and your sister can spot you if you get into trouble," Dad said without looking up from his food, and Jayden frowned slightly.

"You know Dad, Jayden's actually an excellent fighter on his own," I pointed out, but he simply nodded his head. I looked over at Jayden, but he just started helping Mom with the bacon. "Hey Dad, did you see the score report from the written examination yesterday?" I asked excitedly.

"As a matter of fact, I did," He replied, beaming with pride. "Both of my children are currently in the top ten ranking cadets, and you only had to be in the top 40 to pass," He said in a both congratulatory and somewhat boastful way.

"Top ten?" I asked in disbelief, and Dad looked up at me in surprise. "Dad, Jayden is in the first place!" I announced before Jayden could silence me.

"Isn't that normal?" Dad asked after a pause.

"Yes, but it's still fantastic," Mom said, congratulating Jayden, who took the compliment humbly.

"The test was mainly on subjects like foreign policy, politics, and etiquette. It just required simple memorization," He explained as Dad slurped up some of his egg thoughtfully.

"Well if the test was so simple, why didn't your sister do better?" He asked Jayden suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Jayden responded, even though he could have read his mind to know.

"You literally remember everything, and the two of you can communicate telepathically. Why didn't you help Amelia on the exam instead of leaving her with the risk of not passing?" He asked.

"I didn't want his help. I wanted to be able...