Hello all, and welcome to my Fan Fic, Dramatic Effect, an OC driven story based within the show we all know and love, Heroes. I began work on this story over a year ago* and have since completed a Full Volume and have begun work on Volume 2, set to be fully released sometime within the next few months (Or when I just decide to get up and write it, eh?)

This project of mine came about in a way that, I assume, was normal. I got the urge to write a story, and then, well, I wrote it. That's normally how it happens, right? Hehe.

Since I have the content, I am going to set the posting of this story on a schedule. Now this hasn't been finalized, but I plan to post a new chapter each week, every Monday. Today's a special day because I got the urge to just get on Got-Heroes and post my story to see what you all thought about it, so the scheduling will officially start on May 12th, one monday from the time of this post.

Now, until then, I hope you enjoy Chapter 1 of Dramatic Effect: Volume 1 - Fates Crossing.

*Since I started a year ago, my writing has vastly improved, as I've been told by other writers whose opinions I value highly. So, I'm going to ask you, the reader, to go lightly on me in the first few chapters of Dramatic Effect. I was just starting out!

Also, this Fan-Fic has been posted on another Heroes Site that I frequent, and, if you find out about the site somehow, I don't mind if you go and read the whole story for yourself. I would ask though, if there is anyone who wants to read the story as it is posted here on Got-Heroes, please don't ruin it for them. Thank you for listening and again, I hope you enjoy the read!

Dramatic Effect: Volume 1 - Fates Crossing

Chapter 1: Loss

New York, New York

Michael Anselm's life was spiraling out of control. He never even thought he would be in a place like this. Of all the places he could be right now, he chose to go to a church. He sat down in one of the pews and buried his head in his hands.

"Why did this have to happen?" He asked himself…

The scene played in his mind over and over again, the pain always there. He saw in his mind's eye as the bullets ripped his little brother's body apart.

He replayed the whole day in his mind, hoping to find some answers.

October 2, 2006

Michael woke up that day like it was any normal day. He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and took a shower. It was a day like any other.

He walked downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He busied himself with trying to solve the maze on the back of the box. Even though he was seventeen he still found it fun to play the games of children. He stopped eating as he heard a pounding coming from the room above him. He sat still and listened. The pounding continued but moved from the room to the stairs. Michael just smiled as his little brother sat down hard in a chair across from him.

"Well, good morning birthday boy!" Michael said…

"Shut up… I'm 15 now… You don't need to talk to me like that anymore!" He said…

"Geez, sorry for trying to make your birthday a good one… I mean come on Sammy, for a kid your age you're too serious… You need to lighten up…" Michael said trying to stop the day from starting off bad…

"If you knew what I do during the day, you wouldn't be so mellow, Michael…" Sammy spat back…

A loud snorting noise came from the bathroom nearby. Sammy got up to see what it was, but Michael stopped him.

"Stay right there, Sammy and don't move. You don't need to see this." Michael said as he walked towards the bathroom.

He pushed the door in slowly and saw as his mother snorted a line of cocaine.

"Mom!" He yelled out as he slapped the small tube out of her hand. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't do that! Especially this early in the morning. You're pregnant, okay? You do know this right?"

"Of course I know Michael! It helps me cope." She replied back with extremely flawed reasoning.

"Well then if you know then why don't you stop? It may help you cope now, but the baby may die! If you don't stop yourself then I will! I can call dad and have him take care of it."

"I don't want to talk to that… man!" She screamed.

"What's going on?" Sammy pushed the door in slowly.

"Sammy! Get out of here! NOW!" Michael yelled out.

Michael got up and pushed his little brother out of the room. He stood at the door and looked out.

"If you don't stop yourself soon, Mom… I'll get dad, I swear I will." He said without looking at his mother.

He stepped out of the room after a few seconds of silence and grabbed his school stuff.

"What was going on in there?" Sammy asked as Michael pushed his little brother out of the house

"Nothing, don't worry about it Sammy…" Michael lied.

"Oh, come on! I'm not an idiot! I can figure it out of you don't tell me."

"Sure you can… Now why don't you go to school and prove to everyone there you're not an idiot? Eh? Sounds like a plan to me." Michael said as he shoved him playfully…

"Whatever man!" Sammy said as he pushed his brother off of him…

Michael watched as his little brother walked to the bus stop. He was met by a group of individuals all dressed in the same colors as Sammy. One of the guys pulled out a small item wrapped in white rags. At first Sammy didn't accept it. The man pushed it towards him and Sammy took it.

"Sammy… What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Michael sighed to himself as he walked to his high school…

~----------~

Michael walked into the school and headed to his first period class. He normally liked school, but today he just couldn't get into it. The day flew by and didn't stop until Michael got to his sixth period. The reason why: Jalen Weston. He admired her from afar and never let his eyes off of her. She was the most beautiful girl in school, at least in Michael's eyes she was. She had long brown hair, deep and entrancing blue eyes, and the voice of an angel.

"My angel…" Michael daydreamed to himself…

The bell rang and Michael snapped out of his trance. He got out of the desk and grabbed his stuff. He walked to his next class and groaned to himself at having to sit in a class for another fifty minutes without Jalen.

Luckily though, the class was psychology, and the teacher actually helped them learn. It wasn't just papers and textbooks, but discussions and arguments. Michael loved the class because it was one the few places in the school where he could actually be intelligent. It was a place where he could blow off steam. It was perfect for Michael. A place to test the mind and logic of a teenage boy.

"Alright, kids…" Said Mr. Sholen. "We are going to discuss evolution. And when I say evolution I don't necessarily mean the science behind it, but the controversy the idea caused and so on and so forth. I have found a book with some rather interesting theories and something that might make some of you actually happy to do a project." He said with a heavy English accent.

"What? A project? I've already got about five projects Mr. Sholen. I don't need another one…!" One of the kids said…

"Trust me… You'll like this one. The book I have in my hands is Activating Evolution by Chandra Suresh… Basically, it's about super powers…"

Everyone's head shot up quick. Michael strained his neck to see the book.

"Don't worry Mr. Anselm. There are enough books for everyone to use." Mr. Sholen said as he handed out a class set. "I went out and bought these with my own money so please be careful with them."

Michael grabbed a book and opened it to the Table of Contents. A list of abilities shone out clearly to Michael. His mind basically salivated with the knowledge it would soon devour.

"You see the project I have in mind for you all is simple. Pick an ability in the book and just explain it to me. What is it? What can it do? What do you think you could do with the ability? Also, I want you to put yourself in a mentality of Good VS. Evil. What would a good guy do with this power? What would a bad guy do with it? The choices are all yours. You have the entire period to research the abilities and, if need be you can borrow one of the books. All I ask is that you take care of them." He said as he sat down at his computer and began typing.

Michael tore through the book, trying to find something worthwhile. The first Ability to catch his eye was Fire Manipulation, but that seemed too bland after awhile. He scanned through the book and saw so many different things. Finally, his mind rested on one thing above all: Telekinesis…

"So we can do any Ability, Mr. Sholen?" He asked poking his head from out of the book…

"Any Ability Michael… Anything in there will do."

Michael just smiled to himself as he read on…

~----------~

When the bell rang Michael groaned yet again, except this time it was because he didn't want to leave. He checked out a book from Mr. Sholen and stuffed it into his back pack. He walked out of the school and headed home. As he walked along the streets he daydreamed of super powers and Jalen. He saw himself run into a burning building and pictured himself saving Jalen from the flames. She would jump into his arms and he would look to the sky and fly off into the air.

He got to his house and looked up the steps. The front door was wide open. He ran in as fast as he could. His mother laid on the ground, unconscious. Blood was sprayed all over the welcoming mat. It didn't look like it was her's.

"MOM!" He cried out.

He ran to her side and felt her pulse. She was still alive. He felt her stomach and a hard kick replied back.

"You're okay too…" He said with relief. He looked around for something that might have caused his mother to collapse. Nothing. There was nothing near her that might have caused it. He looked for drugs. There were none.

"Alright, up you go!" He said as he put his mother on the couch…

He sat down in a chair and waited for her to wake up. She stirred about ten minutes later and looked around. Michael shot out of the chair and ran to his mother.

"Mom! What happened?" He asked her.

At first she looked like she didn't even know where she was. Then she saw her son and the tears just poured.

"It's Sammy! He's going to get killed!"

"Mom calm down and tell me what happened, slowly." He said putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Well, the men who I get my drugs from came to the house. They were wondering where I was since I didn't come to buy more drugs like normal. I told them I was done and didn't want anything to do with them." She said through the tears. "These guys pushed their way in and started asking me why I didn't come for the drugs. They started to yell at me and we argued. It was about then that Sammy burst into the house. He was holding a gun Michael! A gun! He shot one of the men in the shoulder and yelled for them to leave. Sammy ran off and the guys chased him down. I think that's when I passed out."

"When did this all start mom? How long ago was it?"

"About maybe twenty minutes ago, I think." She said as she looked at her watch.

"I have to go find him! Mom, call the police and wait here. I'll get him back."

~----------~

Michael ran out of his house, the noise of his mother dialing 911 ringing softly in his ears. He looked around the street for something to show him where his little brother might have gone.

"Stupid kid… He should never have done that… They'll probably kill him if they get their hands on him." Said a homeless guy near Michael.

"Hey! Hey you!" Michael yelled out pointing at the man.

"Oh no! I'm not getting involved with this!" The man said as he ran down an alley.

Michael chased after him, hoping to get some information.

"Just leave me alone! I didn't do nothin'!" The man said.

"Listen to me! I just want to talk to you!" Michael said, reaching out with his hand to grab the guy's coat.

"Let me go! I didn't do anything!" The man said as Michael pinned him to the ground.

"Just tell me where the kid went that you were talking about! This is important!" Michael begged the man.

"Fine! He went that way! Just follow the trail of blood!" The man said as Michael got up. "Hey kid! What's your name?" He asked.

"Michael, Michael Anselm." He said.

"Oh, heh heh… My name's Kain Roland. If we ever see each other again, you can just call me Kain." The man said as he smiled back.

"Right! Thanks for the help." Michael said running out of the alley.

~----------~

Michael looked at the ground again. The blood began getting fainter and fainter with each step he took.

"Come on! Sammy where are you?" He said aloud.

He looked around for something else, any sign of where his brother might be. There was nothing near him. He found himself underneath a bridge, all alone. Michael strained his ears for some sound to give away his brother. A faint cough came from behind one of the pillars. Michael ran towards it.

"You… You're Sammy's bro aintch ya?" The man said as Michael stopped in front of him.

"You. You gave my brother the gun didn't you? This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given him the gun!" Michael said raising his arm to punch the man.

"No! Please don't!" He said as he raised his arms to cover his face.

Michael held back. He lowered his arm and looked at the man. He was pitiful. Gunshots riddled all over his body, but none of them looked fatal. This guy was lucky. Michael just hoped that some of that luck had rubbed off on Sammy.

"Tell me where my brother is and I'll call you an ambulance." Michael said.

"He ran off into the warehouses down that way. Some of my boys followed in after him. They saw me get shot and just followed the strongest. I guess they thought I was a goner."

"Right, thanks." Michael said getting up to run to the warehouses.

"Wait!" The man said as he grabbed Michael's arm. "I saw some guys run in there not too long ago. I could tell they weren't with Sammy right off the bat!"

"How many?" Michael asked.

"Oh about fifteen or twenty I think. Hey what about that ambulance?" The man asked.

"I'll call them while I'm running!" Michael said as he ran towards the warehouses.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

"911." A woman on the other end said.

"Yes, I'd like to report a shooting." Michael said.

"Yes sir go ahead." She replied.

He gave her the details and told him what he found out so far. He got close to the warehouse doors.

"Alright sir. I'm going to have to ask you to not go in! Police are on their way now and will handle the situation."

"No way lady! I am not going to sit around while my brother gets shot at!" He said as he slammed his cell phone shut.

He kicked in the doors and ran.

~----------~

The room was quiet. Not a sound could be heard other than the echo from Michael kicking in the door. He hid behind a box and waited for movement. After hearing nothing, he continued on.

"Come on Sammy. Where are you?" He asked.

He walked to a nearby wall and hugged close to it. He slid along it slowly as he got closer and closer to a nearby door. He got to it and pushed it in. The room was instantly filled with noise.

"STOP SHOOTING AT US!" Sammy's voice yelled out.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. You really don't know how the underground works do you? You stop another group's business and that particular group gets VERY… ******… OFF!" Came a menacing voice from the other side of the room.

"Listen, James. I wasn't trying to interfere with your business…"

"BUT YOU WERE! And you did interfere, Sammy!" James interrupted.

A gunshot fired into the air.

"You hear that, Sammy? That's the last thing you'll hear before you die! Oh and it won't be just one bullet." Michael only pictured a sick smile come from the voice.

Michael walked into the room slowly and hugged close to one of the boxes. He peeked out and saw his brother and his crew pinned against their own set of boxes. James and his men were reloading their guns only a few boxes away.

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Sammy said as he cocked his gun.

"No I don't think so kid! Heh, you know for a fifteen year old you're pretty good. It's a shame I'll have to kill you."

James looked to his men and nodded. They ran out from behind the boxes and charged towards Sammy's crew.

"NO! STOP IT!" Michael yelled out as he ran from behind the boxes.

"Michael?" Sammy said as he came out of hiding.

"GET HIM!" James yelled out.

Michael screamed out for them to stop. He couldn't even hear himself over the deafening sound of the gunshots. He looked on as the bullets ripped his little brother's body apart. Sammy fell to the ground and hit hard. Michael fell to his knees as if he were in slow motion.

"Sammy!" Michael yelled out.

"I don't know who you are kid but you shouldn't have been here!" James stood over him.

"You son of a…!" Was all Michael could get out before he was knocked unconscious.

~----------~

Michael woke up in an ambulance. He looked around to find his brother but was pushed back into the gurney by one of the EMT's.

"You've lost a lot of blood! You need to lie down and breathe!" He said to Michael.

"Where's my brother?" Michael asked above all the noise.

"He's holding on but barely. He's in the ambulance in front of this one. You'll see him soon enough."

"Is he going to live?" Michael asked hoping the answer would be yes.

"Just lie still." The man said.

"I'll take that as an 'I think so'." Michael said as he laid back and closed his eyes.

~----------~

Michael opened his eyes. He heard the faint sound of a heart monitor beeping slowly behind him.

"I need to get out of here. I need to see my brother." He said out loud.

"No you don't Mr. Anselm. You need to stay right there and not move." A doctor said in front of him. Her badge read Julia Weston.

"Are you related to a Jalen Weston?" Michael asked.

"Yes. She's my daughter. How do you know her?" She replied back.

"I, uh, I know her." Michael tried his best to not say he loved her. He was unsuccessful.

"Why is it that teenage boys are the worst liars in the world?" Julia said as she smiled back to Michael. "Don't worry I won't tell her. That is, unless you want me to put in a good word."

"Uh… Sure I guess. But, why would you be willing to do that? I mean I was just clocked over the head by a big time mob boss. You'd be willing to put in a good word for me after hearing that?"

"Don't worry, Michael. I can tell you're a good guy. Besides, Jalen talks about you at home all the time."

"Really?!" Michael asked suddenly.

"Heh heh… No not really. I'm just trying to ease you up a little. Don't worry. If I do my job right, and I will, she'll want to meet you before she even knows your name." Mrs. Weston smiled at Michael.

"Wow… This has to be a dream. Why would you go to all that trouble just for me?" Michael asked.

"For you? Why would you think I was doing it for you? I'm doing this for my daughter. I just figured I could kill two birds with one stone this way."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, Mr. Anselm. Just go to sleep."

~----------~

Michael woke up suddenly. Was all that a dream? He looked around. No Julia Weston could be seen. He was alone in the room. He grabbed the remote in his hand and signaled the nurse.

"Yes?" A small woman asked as she walked into the room.

"Yes. Is there a doctor here named Julia Weston?" He asked her.

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" She said looking at him strangely.

"No reason. I thought she worked here. Thank you though."

"No problem. Here, might as well check you out since I'm here." She said as she walked to Michael's bed. She began to unroll the bandages around his head. "Oh my!" She exclaimed


"What?" He asked.

"Your head is healed. It's only been an hour and you're healed completely." She said as she looked down on him strangely again.

"How is that possible?" He asked.

"Its not." She said.

"Okay… So does this mean I can go?"

"Looks like it." She said. "Here are your clothes." She said as she pointed to a chair.

He looked up and saw his clothes folded neatly together in a nearby chair.

"Thank you." He said.

She nodded at him and walked out of the room. He got out of the bed and dressed. He stepped out of the room and looked around. He found the same nurse and asked where his brother was.

"He is in…" She said as she looked at a clip board. "Room #200A"

"Thank you." He said as he ran to the elevator.

~----------~

He stepped out of the elevator and walked along the halls. He looked up at the signs pointing to his brother's room. He followed them and stepped in front of the door. He opened it and looked in. The room was dark and the only noise that could be was the heart monitor.

"Oh Sammy. I'm so sorry. I wish I had done more to help you." Michael said as he walked closer to his brother's bed. He couldn't see his brother's body at all.

"I wish you hadn't done anything to help him!" Michael's mother called out. "If you hadn't tried to save him he might not be in a coma now!" Michael looked up and saw his mother sitting in a chair.

"Mom, I…" Michael started to say.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled out. "YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU CAUSED?! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!" She said as she flipped on the light switch.

The light erupted into the room. Michael looked down and saw his little brother's mangled body. His face was wrapped in bandages. His left arm was thrown into a sling and his right hand was covered heavily in bandages. And those were just the minor injuries.

"If it wasn't for you Sammy would still have all his fingers! If it wasn't for you he would be able to breathe on his own! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU HE'D…" She started to say but broke down and fell to the ground sobbing heavily.

Michael walked to his mother and tried to hug her but she slapped him.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME! DON'T EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN! DON'T EVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO THIS FAMILY AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?" She slapped him across the face and pushed him out of the door. She slammed it hard in his face.

~----------~

Michael was shocked. He had never seen his mother act like that. Tears welled up in his eyes. He walked to the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor. The doors closed and he slid down the wall. He was breaking down. His life had never been this bad. Not even when his father left the house.

The doors opened and he got up slowly. He walked out of the hospital dazed. The faint calls of 'Are you alright?' sounded in his ears. He never looked back. He just walked and walked. Suddenly, he found himself sitting in a church. He buried his head in hands and sobbed slowly.

He looked around and hoped no one would be looking at him. There were a few people in the church but it seemed like none of them noticed him. Michael sat back in the pew and looked up. A large and ornate cross hung limply above him.

"What would my family do if that cross just fell on me? What would they do if its strings just snapped and it came barreling towards me?" Michael thought to himself. He looked up at the strings and focused on them. He just looked at them and nothing else. He focused hard and put all his willpower behind the strings.

The cross began to swing violently back and forth. The strings seemed ready to snap at any given moment.

"I'm ready…" Michael said to no one.

"Umm, excuse me…" A boy said next to Michael.

Michael's focus broke and the strings snapped. The cross slammed into the pews and broke in half. The top flew at Michael and the boy. The boy acted quickly. He jumped at Michael and pushed him out of the way of the cross.

The cross flew past the boys and slammed into the entrance of the church.

"Oh my dear Lord!" The boy said slowly. His heart was beating so loud even Michael could hear it. Or was that Michael's own heart beating loudly with life?

Umm...yeah...still awesome. .

If you're reposting this, maybe this time I can read from the beginning and actually read the whole thing. I got up to like five chapters in before stopping last time. I never like to have a big backlog to read through.

You mind if I put a link to this in my siggy for the others in the RPG forum to check out, since this fan fiction subforum isn't the most highly frequented part of GH?

You most certainly can post a link of this story in your sig if you want Dez. I'd prefer actually. If this part of the site isn't frequented all that much, then I can use all the help I can get!

And I'm glad you like the story! This way, I know I'll get you hooked finally!

Chapter 2: Killers

New York, New York

"Harland? What is it that you want son?"

Samson Harland stood in the coach's office of his high school. A tall boy, dark black skin and short, but wild dread locks.

"Coach… I don't know how to say this but I'm fast. Really fast." Harland said sitting in the chair across from his coach.

"Well, duh… We all know you're fast Harland. You don't have to tell me." His coach said…

"No coach. You don't get what I'm saying. I mean I'm fast! Faster than what I've been showing you in practice." Harland said hanging his head low.

"You're holding back? You mean to tell me you've got more than you've shown me? I highly doubt that's possible. I mean you run a 4.1… That in and of itself is amazing!" Coach said proudly.

"Please don't be proud of me coach… What I can do isn't natural! I think I may have been drugged or something!" Harland said loudly.

"Calm down Harland! Being fast isn't unnatural; it's a gift from god! You've been blessed Harland. Respect that." Coach said patting Harland on the shoulder.

"I don't know if I believe all that being blessed by god stuff coach, but I understand what you're saying. I still feel uneasy about what I can do though. I think I'll go get it checked…" Harland said.

"Fine. Whatever it takes to make you feel better, Harland. Still, don't let this eat away at you. Enjoy your life while you can." Coach said encouragingly.

"Right." Was all Harland replied with.

He stood up and walked out of the office. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

~----------~

New York, New York

"Come on honey! Open the door! Please? Will you at least talk to me?"

"No, dad! We are not going to talk about this! I am not going to open that door!"

"Jalen! Please! I only want what's best for you!" Johnathon Weston knocked on his daughter's bedroom door.

"No! You do not want what's best for me and don't even act like you do!" Jalen threw some clothes into a bag. She was leaving this house. For how long? She didn't know.

"You can't go out with that boy tonight! He's bad news for you!" Johnathon pleaded.

"Oh? And how would you know that!? You been spying on him or something?" Jalen screamed.

Shouting matches like this one were a regular occurrence, though it was always Jalen who started them, and ended them.

"Jalen! Why would I be spying on him?"

"Well how else would you know he's bad news, huh?" Jalen said rhetorically.

"Jalen, baby please talk to me!"

Jalen's phone rang in her hand. She flipped it open quick so her father couldn't hear it.

"Hey Jalen! Dan should be outside your house right now. You alright?" The voice on the other end asked as it heard her breathing hard.

"No, Harland I'm not alright. Don't worry about it I'll be fine once I'm out of my house!" She said as she zipped up the bag quickly.

"Alright. I'm here for ya if you need me, kay?" Harland said.

"Yeah, I know you are. Thanks." She replied simply.

"Yeah…" Harland said as Jalen hung up the phone.

"Is everything alright Jalen?" Her father asked as she walked to the door. "You're a little quiet in there."

Jalen said nothing. She ran to the door and slammed it open. She didn't want to hurt her father but knew that if she didn't make a quick and clean break they would be talking for hours and hours. The door barely missed him. She ran down the stairs and out onto the street.

"Jalen!" Her father called after her as she jumped into Dan's car and sped away.

"Jalen…" He said sullenly as the smoke from the exhaust clouded around him.

~----------~

New York, New York

Kain Roland stumbled along the sidewalk, the brown paper bag holding his booze crumpling in his hand. He took a swig.

"15 bucks for this? What a load of crap!" Kain said as he stared at the bottle. "Meh..." He said as he shrugged his shoulders and took another swig.

Car tires squealed in front of Kain as he took a step onto the road.

"Dang kids! The streets aren't just yours!" He said as he shook his fist madly in the air. "Almost made me drop my bottle too! Stupid kids."

Kain Roland was once, and he still thought so in his mind, a very successful young man. He had the money, the cars, the wives. He even had mansions for his pets. He was the definition of success. Open a dictionary and you'd find his face. But now, that life was gone. Bad business deals and customers who wouldn't pay destroyed his life. The wives left him one after another. The cars were impounded, stolen, destroyed, and scrapped. And the money.

"The money was spent on this bottle sloshing around in my hands!" Kain said drunkenly.

He continued his drunken stupor. Sometimes stumbling, sometimes falling completely. He would walk into restaurants demanding a seat, but was only turned away because of his terrible smell.

"Don't you know who I am?! I'm Kain Leonardo Roland, my good sir!" He would scream out, hoping for some food.

"I'm sorry sir but you have to leave. You're disturbing our other guests!" Was always how it would end.

"Fine!" He yelled walking out of the restaurant in a huff.

He walked along the sidewalks. He stumbled yet again, but the cause for this stumble was different.

Kain slumped onto a nearby wall. His depression kicked in.

"Where's my money? Where's my family?" He cried out.

"You killed them Kain! That's all you're good for!" He would tell himself, half hallucinating, half serious. He never knew which part of him was talking.

"What?" He asked.

"Killing! That's all you're good for Kain! Can't you see it?" He told himself.

"No… I'm not a killer!" He said.

"You sure? I mean look up if you don't believe me…"

Kain looked up as he was told and saw a small little pigeon fluttering its wings above him on a telephone pole.

"What am I seeing?" He asked.

"Watch!" He told himself.

The little bird continued to flutter its wings. Its head shooting all around. Then, suddenly, it stopped. It made no noise. It made no movement. It just stopped.

"What is this?" Kain asked half believing what he was seeing was real.

No answer. Was that all in his mind? Was he just talking to himself? He didn't have the answers. He got off the ground and walked underneath the bird. It slowly fell off the pole and landed in his hands. Kain could hardly believe his eyes.

"It's dead!" He said surprised.

He threw the bird on the ground and tore off down the street, leaving his beer bottle behind, hoping it was the last time he would see it.

~----------~

Jalen stepped out of the car in a huff. She slammed the door hard.

"What is wrong with you Jalen?" Dan asked from the other side of the car.

"You! You almost hit that guy and brushed it off like it was nothing!" Jalen said angrily.

"Hey… You're the one that wanted to get out of there in a hurry!"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to hurt anyone! God Dan, you act so stupid sometimes!" Jalen throwing her arms around furiously.

"What's going on babe?" Harland stepped out of his house quickly. He wrapped his arms around her lovingly. She hugged him back reluctantly.

"Nothing is wrong Harland… Let's just get to the club before we can't get in okay?" She said as she unwrapped his arms from her body. She walked up the steps and into his house.

"What did you do?" Harland asked Dan quickly.

"Nothing Harland… Seriously man. All I did was drive past this homeless guy. She got P'oed 'cuz she thought I almost hit him." Dan said easily.

"That's it?" Harland asked questioningly.

"That's it…" Dan said.

"Whatever let's just get ready for the club…" Harland said as he walked into his house.

~----------~

"Dad! We'll be back later tonight." Harland said an hour later from the front of the house. Jalen stood next to him along with Dan.

"Now where are you kids going… and dressed like that!?" Mr. Harland said as he saw Jalen.

"Its just a party dad… We'll be with friends I promise." Harland said trying to win his father over so they wouldn't have to sneak out of the house.

"Fine… I trust you Harland, but be sure you're careful! I don't want another dead son because he wasn't careful…" Mr. Harland said seriously.

"Don't worry dad… I won't drink, smoke, or do any drugs. I learned my lesson." Harland said as serious as he could.

Harland's brother had been killed 6 months ago in a car accident. His friend had been driving drunk and crashed head on into another car.

"I trust you Harland. Don't abuse my trust." His father said sadly.

"Right." Harland said as he walked outside.

The three of them got into Dan's car and drove off.

~----------~

Harland and Jalen stepped into the line to the club surrounded with friends. The popular kids at school. Dan was left behind to park the car.

"Come on Jalen… You can tell me what's wrong, it won't kill you!" Harland asked trying to figure out what was wrong with Jalen.

"Harland, you don't want to know…" She said angrily.

"Jalen…" Harland was cut off by the high pitched squeal of police sirens followed swiftly by a group of ambulances.

"Man, they were driving fast! You think it was some kind of shooting?" Dan asked as he got into the line.

"Who knows?" Jalen said as she walked up a little in the line.

~----------~

Kain ran down the sidewalk. His heart was beating so fast he couldn't believe it.

"I killed that bird! Without even touching it!" He thought to himself.

He slowed down and looked around himself. He stood outside a club. A club he knew!

"I used to own this place!" Kain said loudly. He pushed his way through the line and stood in front of the doorman. "I want in!" He asked forcefully.

"Man you can't just come and go as you please! Get outta here before I throw you out!" The doorman said.

"My name is Kain! I need to see the club owner!" He said loudly.

"I said get outta here!" The doorman said as he lifted Kain high into the air. He threw him into the street and walked back to his post.

"You should have let me in there…" Kain said slowly to himself as he focused on the man.

~----------~

"Jalen… I'm here for you once you're ready to talk." Harland said to Jalen. He had been repeating the same thing over and over all day except in different words, and all he ever got back was…

"I know Harland."

Harland sighed to himself. He sat against a nearby wall as they waited to get in. Suddenly, Harland was pushed out of the way of an older man.

"Hey watch it!" Dan said who had also been pushed.

"I want in!" The man yelled to the doorman.

Harland looked on as the man was lifted into the air and thrown into the street. He got up and walked off grumbling to himself.

"Ha-ha! That was great!" Dan said as the group got to the front of the line.

"Wow… That was pretty good." Harland said to the doorman.

"Don't try to get on my good side right now kid! If you want in you'll have to wait awhile longer." The doorman said angrily.

"Come on man… There's no need to be angry with us." Harland said as he put his hand on the doorman's shoulder.

The doorman became stiff and ridged. He stopped breathing instantly and fell backward slowly. Harland looked at his hands sickly.

"He's dead!" Dan said as he checked the man's pulse.

"Did I do that?" Harland asked himself.

~----------~

Kain looked on as the man fell back slowly. He hadn't meant for anyone to get involved, but at least someone else would take the blame for the man's death.

"Maybe I am a killer." Kain said. "And, strangely… I'm fine with that!" A sick smile came across his face.

For the few of you that may be reading this Fan-Fic, I'll soon be posting chapter 3! Hope you enjoy it!

[Posts Merged]

Chapter 3: Out-of-body Experiences

New York, New York

"Tell me how last night was…" A soft voice asked Broderick Klemens.

"Just like always… Hallucinations, nightmares, daydreams… I never know if what I'm seeing is real or just being made up in my mind…" Broderick sat in the psychiatrist's chair. He laid in it like anyone else would, hands locked together on his abdomen, face looking up, feet shooting straight out.

"What about the night sweats? Have they gone?"

"No Sue… They haven't…" Broderick said darkly.

"Rick… Tell me, what was the last dream about?" Sue asked.

"Do you need to know?" He asked.

"I'd like to." She replied.

"Fine… It was about my wife." He said after a long while.

"What was happening?"

"Well, I was lying in my… room, if that's what you'd call it, and I just looked up. There she was. I got up and ran to her as fast as I could. It was like she was there! For real! I wrapped her in the biggest hug I could." He said quickly with a big smile on his face.

"Well… It doesn't seem like it was a bad dream." Sue said.

"Heh, yeah, for now at least…" The smile faded away from Rick's face.

"What happened next?" She asked worried.

"After I hugged her the room became dark. I was back inside the bedroom where it happened." Rick said sadly.

"Her murder?" Sue asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah… I can't believe it's been six months. The gun was still smoking when I got to her. Like an idiot I picked up, in the dream and when it really happened. We all know what that led to…" Rick said with a sigh.

"Yes we do, but let's not talk about that. What happened next?" She asked again.

"That was it. I woke up in my bed sweating like usual." Rick said as he sat up in the chair. He looked at Sue quickly. "What do you think it means?" He asked.

"I don't know. It could be that you are trying to tell yourself to get over it. Maybe you are telling yourself it's not your fault. All I know is… we are making progress." Sue said with a smile.

"Hey Klemens! Time for bed!" Came a knock from the door.

"Time already?" Sue asked looking at her watch.

"Thanks doc." Rick said as he got up and walked out of the door. "You don't need to be so loud when you come to get me Halloway." Rick said as the guard put the handcuffs on him.

"Yeah yeah… Just keep walking, lights out is in fifteen minutes." Halloway said without meaning to be rude.

"Right…" Rick said as he stepped forward.

~----------~

Rick laid down on the bed in his jail cell slowly. He rested his head on his pillow uneasily, knowing what would come once he fell asleep.

"Please be a good dream." He asked no one in particular.

"LIGHTS OUT!" Came a call from one of the guards.

Rick closed his eyes slowly as the lights disappeared. He fell asleep instantly.

~----------~

Rick opened his eyes. He wasn't in the jail anymore. He reached to get off the ground but recoiled quickly. He looked at his hands and saw them drenched in blood. He jumped to his feet. He looked down and saw a young girl, her head split open like a can of green beans.

"Oh no! What is this?" He asked as his heart beat loudly.

"He looked around himself and saw a shadowed figure dressed in all black, face shrouded in mystery. He stood over the young girl.

"What is this?" Rick called out to the man.

He replied with a blank stare. His left hand slowly rose up and pointed at Rick's forehead. The world around Rick slowed and he felt his head being split open.

"RARGH!" Rick screamed out.

Rick's eyes flashed open. The world around Rick changed. The girl was gone and so was the shadowed man. He felt his forehead for any sign of injury. He breathed a sigh of relief when there was none.

He looked around himself and saw a strange sight. He was on a subway train. Around him were many people and yet they weren't moving. It seemed as though the world were frozen in time except for one man.

"Excuse me?" Rick said to the man. He didn't seem to notice him. "Can you tell me what is going on?" Rick tried again.

The man turned around and walked past Rick. He got to the opposite end of the train and jumped at the sound of a pounding above him. Rick jumped as well when a small Japanese man carrying a sword walked slowly past Rick.

"What is this? Are you doing this?" The man asked quickly.

"Peter Petrelli… I have a message for you…" The small Japanese man said.

Rick strained to hear what he said next but was unsuccessful. The world around Rick changed yet again. He was inside his jail cell.

"Klemens! Go to sleep man!" Called out one of the other inmates.

"Right…" He said as he lay down on the bed. "What was that?"

~----------~

October 3, 2006

Rick woke up, for the first time in a long time, without sweating. He smiled to himself as he walked out of the cell for breakfast. He neared the cafeteria but was stopped suddenly by one of the guards.

"Hey Rick! You got a visitor!" He said loudly.

"Can it wait? I have to eat breakfast." He said.

"No… Trust me, you want to see this!" The guard said as he handcuffed Rick and led him away from the group.

~----------~

The guard led Rick past the visitation room.

"I thought you said I had a visitor?" Rick asked concerned.

"You do, but they aren't in there… I might as well just ruin the surprise now. You're getting out of here!" The guard had a huge smile on his face. This guard was one of the many who actually got along with Rick. He had few enemies in the prison.

"I'm getting out? What's going on? What do you mean?" Rick asked quickly.

"You'll see." He said as the guard led him to the front of the prison.

~----------~

"When is he supposed to get here?" Rick heard a strong female voice speaking around the corner.

"He will be here soon, Ms. Brenton…" The receptionist said.

"You can call me Cynthia." She said.

"Cynthia!" Rick said as he rounded the corner.

"Rick! Thank god you're here. Come on; let's get you out of here." She said nodding to the guard to uncuff him. He did.

"I don't understand. How is this happening?" He asked not believing what was going on.

"I'll explain in the car. I've already signed you out and you're stuff is in the car. Let's go!" She said forcefully.

"Okay…" He said not wanting to spend another moment in the jail.

They walked out of the jail and towards Cynthia's car.

"Now will you tell me how you got me out of there?" Rick asked her as they got into the car.

"I finally convinced my superiors that the evidence of Samantha's murder didn't match up. I told them to check out the evidence again and voila! All signs point to… not you." She said as she started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"Wait, they don't know who killed her?" Rick asked angrily.

"No. The evidence could only prove it wasn't you. There going to declare it a cold case soon enough if no more evidence is found." She said.

"Great. Just great!" Rick said angrily. He slammed his hands down hard.

"Hey calm down Rick. It's better than nothing right?" Cynthia said trying to console him.

"Yeah it's all fine and dandy! My wife's killer is still on the loose! He could be out there right now waiting to go after someone else!" He said loudly.

"You don't know that! He could be dead or out of the country for all you know!" She said trying to talk and keep her eyes on the road at the same time.

Rick calmed down. She was right. This wasn't a time to be angry.

"You're right. I'm sorry I yelled at you like that." He said staring at Cynthia.

"It's alright, Rick. Don't worry about it." She said easily. "You got a place to stay?" She asked him.

"I was going to try my old house, see if I could handle it." He said looking out the car window.

"You sure? You can stay with me 'til you get back on your feet." She said kindly.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have to do this. If I can't handle it then I'll call you." Rick said firmly.

"Alright." Was all she said. They drove the rest of the way in silence. She stopped outside his house.

"Thank you." Rick said before stepping out of the car.

"No problem. What are friends for, huh?" She said as he walked into his house.

~----------~

Rick dropped his stuff on the couch. He looked around. The place was exactly how he left it. He looked down the hall leading to his bedroom. He took a step forward. Another. Another. And another. He continued on and on not noticing the sun rising and falling in the blink of an eye outside the windows. All he saw was the door leading to the room where his wife died. He stepped in front of it and pushed.

~----------~

Rick looked around. He wasn't in his bedroom. He was back on the subway train. The frozen people were all too easy to remember.

"This… is what you've been waiting for." The small Japanese man said.

The scene flashed around Rick. He clutched his head in pain.

The Japanese man's mouth moved but no words could be heard. The small Japanese man walked past Rick and stopped. He turned and looked down on Rick who had fallen in pain.

"Can you do it? Can you save her?" He asked Rick.

Before Rick could answer the scene shifted. He looked around and saw a girl running. She wore a cheerleader's outfit. She ran up stone steps and was followed by a man in a tan trench coat, the one from the train. The shadowed figure walked slowly past Rick after the two.

"Get out of here!" He yelled after the two. They didn't hear him. He ran to go after the shadowed man but the scene shifted yet again.

Rick stood in what seemed like the school's hallways. He looked around and saw two teenagers, both of which seemed to be seventeen years old. They were running from something that Rick couldn't see. One seemed sad but strong. The other looked almost too nice to be in that situation.

"What's going on?" Rick asked aloud. Rick started to run after the two but was held in place by the invisible force. He turned around to see what it was. He saw… Nothing. The world changed and Rick was laying down on the floor of his bedroom sweating intensely.

He uttered a single sentence.

"Save the Cheerleader, save the world!"

So, in remembrance of those who died for us so that we could have our freedom, I'll not be posting a chapter of Dramatic Effect this week. I'm observing Memorial Day (or well, did observe it) if you hadn't realized it. Have a good week everyone!