The Betting Ring

[Gifted]

"Kill? I... I... I don't know... How could you even ask such a horrible thing of a person? I honestly don't know... I'd try, but that's so awful..."

[Raven]

"I pity the person who lands her," Austin said, shaking his head.

"Thank you Isobel." The screen went dark and Julian left the room.

[Gifted]

"Her power is adequate." Jade said a little more critically. "And we all know how much things change once the people are actually in there. Still, she would be a bit of a long shot."

[Raven]

The screen came back on to show an older teenage boy, with his eyes downcast. He looked distinctly like his father, though his hair was longer than Adam's, despite seeming about the same length, since Kailen's hair was wavy where Adam's was straight as an arrow. "Hello, Kailen," Julian greeted. The boy looked up and his father's hair fell into his mother's eyes. There could be little doubt so soon after seeing them that this was Adam's and Isobel's son.

"Tell us about yourself."
Kailen rested his head back against the wall, pursing his lips as he considered a silent rebellion. Just as it was getting to the point when they thought he simply wouldn't answer, he started to speak, "I'm a high schooler who just got abducted by some woman to get put in some kind of sick battle to the death." Something evidently happened behind the camera, because Kailen shifted and gave a less cheeky answer. "I like playing video games, and I don't have any friends because either they do drugs or they think I do... My favorite color is green. I'm a cat person." He sighed and rested his head back again, watching the ceiling.

"Can you fight at all, Kailen?"
It shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. "Fight?" he repeated. "I haven't really ever..." He let his voice dwindle off, fully realizing how screwed he was. "I guess not."

"You must have some reason to want to win. Do tell us," Julian prompted.
Kailen averted his eyes. "I don't want to die."

"Are you willing to kill instead?"
"I don't know." He was going to become like his sister after all. "But it's in my blood. I guess it's meant to be. And I can't be the only one who doesn't know. I'll win against them, at least."

[Gifted]

"Well, he's a moderate second or third choice." Jade said when the thing was done.
Amber snorted. "Oh spare me."
Tyler wrote out a question about the boys power, wanting to hear it in Kailens own words.

[Raven]

"And what's your power, Kailen?" Julian asked.
"I can look at people's memories by listening to a song that means something to them, and I can change them to seem good or bad, if I want to."

[Raven]

"That sounds familiar," Austin said, speaking mostly to his aunt, though he pretended to be confused as to why it sounded familiar, and also to be speaking to the room as a whole. The screen went dark yet again. Next on the list was Leia Belacqua, the last of the Belacquas.

[Gifted]

Jade snickered. "Yes, yes it does."

Leia was leaning back against the wall casually with a look in her eyes hat suggested if Julian touched her, she just might kill him. Other than that she seemed almost bored, sitting there and pulling cards from her deck, one of every suit and a Queen.

[Raven]

The screen came back on, and Julian spoke. "Tell us about yourself," he prompted.

[Gifted]

"Well," Leia sighed. "I'm a sociopath and I enjoy other people's fear. I go by Queen. Myself and my friends Joker and Jack are very skilled fighters and have been fighting together for more than ten years. Is that the sort of thing you wanted to hear?"

"Doesn't miss a trick, that one. Leia catches on quickly." Jade smirked.

[Raven]

"Exactly. What's your power?" Julian asked

"I swear she keeps us out of a million kinds of trouble," Jack said, grinning.

[Gifted]

"Well you're probably going to have some competition if you're betting on her. I'd snatch her up quickly if I were you." Jade advised him with a dark smile.

"That's a little complicated. Best keep up." Leia replied, and set the five cards on the table. "My power is primarily adapted for me to select a victim and, should they choose to accept, play a memory game with them. If they can pull the heart, they get what they desire from me, and if they pull the spade they get nothing. If they pull the club with gives me access to a very limited target-oriented telekinesis which I use to beat them within an inch of their life. Finally there is the diamond which allows me access to the persons mind in order to cut out memories or create crude ones. I can use both the club and the diamond without the game on the condition that the card disappears after I use it, and once I run out of a suit I am forced to hand-paint an entire new deck of cards."

[Raven]

"Mhm. And are your cards your only way to fight?" Julian asked.

[Gifted]

"Well, I'll admit I'm not in practice anymore, but I trained with a knife when I was a child. I know all the most painful laces to cut you. Never had much use for that knowledge, but I suppose I'll need it now, won't I?"

[Raven]

"Perhaps," Julian answered. "What do you fight for, Leia?"