A loud scream interrupted Josephine's tranquil thoughts. The girl's mind had been focusing on how she would achieve first chair for orchestra.  For some reason, Anna was ahead of her.  Did the teacher not see the potential and greatness Josephine had? It was abysmal how they disregarded her talent.  She had bene playing piano since the age of three.  It disgusted her as well.  If Mrs. Lyell didn't allow Josephine to try out for it again and succeed, then Anna was going to have a tragic accident.  How she would was not yet thought out.  Nonetheless, it would happen.  No-one, [i]no-one [/i], out did Josephine Gray.  

She snapped back to reality.  Her fingers froze over the newly polished piano keys with her light brown hair stroking the edges of it.  Josie picked up her head.  The scream had emitted from her mother. Why? What the hell was going on? Had her mother finally lost her mind? As she considered the scream, she could hear the agonizing fear and panic behind it.  Josephine knew she hadn't set up any maniacal or diabolic trap that day.  She rose to her feet, sincerely perplexed.  As she crossed towards the room to her door, it banged open and flew off its' hinges.  Josephine inhaled, jumping backwards and glaring.  Four tall figures clothed entirely in black barged rudely into her room.  

Josephine stared at them, and then gathered herself.  "Who the fuck are you - the 2015 Ninja Squad? God, you look awful.  Your wardrobe is shittier than my sister's." 

"That must be the other sister." commented a male.  His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Josephine wondered why her ears were not bleeding yet.

"Damn straight, dumbass." Josie snapped and grabbed her baton from the wall.  "Get the fuck out of my room. No wonder you cover yourselves up - too cowardly and ugly to show yourselves."
"Eliminate her. Now!" A woman to the right of the first male's voice. "She's so annoying."
"Is that the only insult you came up with?" She moved into an offensive position.  Her adrenaline began to rush.  Josephine could feel her heart pounding tremendously against her ribcage.  The noise reminded Josephine of a large elephant running from a pack of lions.  Another scream - Terraline's - filled her ears.  At least someone was going to get rid of the useless girl.  Terry was going nowhere in life. Her mother and sister's screams were announced; but what of her brother, Xander? Had he escaped?  Whatever. She didn't care.  All that mattered was that [i]she [/i] managed to survive.  

The figure to her right lunged at her. Josephine swung out with her baton, the tip making contact with their elbow.  It was then that she realized it was a woman by the high-pitched cry.  The others paused, evaluating their comrade's injury. "Son of a bitch!" She roared in pain, holding her now broken and shattered elbow. The woman's arm hung awkwardly and limply.  

"I'm not a son although my mother is a bitch." Josephine responded and jumped into the air.  She kicked her in the chest with both feet and sent them stumbling backwards.  The woman collapsed on the floor, dazed by the pain.  Josephine landed catlike on her feet and glared viciously.  "Who's next?"  The group evaluated her, immobile.  They glanced around at one another, silently communicating.  "What are you, telepathic?" she taunted, a wicked smile curling her lips.  This seemed to make the male - who was bulky and toned - look at her sharply.  His neck had moved so fast that Josephine wondered why it did not break.  If he didn't do it himself, then she would.
"Get her." The woman ordered, her voice strained by the agony of her broken elbow.  

"Yeah, catch me if you can.” Josephine laughed and avoided the man's lunge.  She wrapped her leg around his and pulled hard, knocking him down.  She composed herself and lunged at him to throw him off balance.  It was successful, because he staggered.  She head-butted him and twisted off of him and onto the floor.  Just then, the unidentified figure grabbed her shirt- her [i]designer [/i] shirt.  Josephine screeched as the individual slammed their fist into the back of her neck.  They threw her to the floor and kicked her aside.  She bit back a cry of pain and rolled onto her hands and feet as quickly as possible.  She was dizzy, but refused to give up.  She was not losing her life because of a few idiots. The tall man and unidentified figure remained. 

"Too sexy and quick for you," Josephine smirked, her blue eyes gleaming with joy.  That's when the man took out a gun and aimed it at her.  The smirk faded, and then pulled back up.  "That's all you brought - a stupid little handgun?  I laugh in the face of danger." Josie quoted, laughing maliciously.  The figure glanced at the man, then began to slowly edge their way around to the back of Josephine.  "Oh I see how it is - tag teaming. Clearly you know I'd kick your ass solo." Josephine kept her eyes on the man with the gun, but was watching the other in her peripheral vision.  The figure was taking out some silver, shining object. 

"Afraid?" the man taunted, waving his gun mockingly at her. Did this man think a gun was going to take her out?  She was tougher than that. 

"Hardly," she replied dryly, keeping her stance and holding her baton.  The figure was out of her view now, which only infuriated Josephine.  She relied on her sense of awareness and hearing.  The man smiled at her; then raised his gun and locked it into place.  She tensed, wondering which way she should move both attacks, if possible.  The gun was more important.  The figure behind her was not as threatening.  They were not as fast as a bullet.  His finger circled the trigger; then fired.  The figure behind her lunged at her as well.

That's when the room exploded into flames from every direction and angle.

_______________________________________________

Josephine's eyes opened.  Her vision was slow to come back.  She discovered she was in a hospital room.  There was something on her face that was uncomfortable. Her breathing sounded loud in her ears.  Her breaths fogged up the oxygen mask, she realized.  This brought her to question why she had an oxygen mask on.  The night's events replayed in her mind slowly, like a faucet dripping water. There was a group of black figures that were murdering everyone in their house.  They had attacked her... She almost was shot... Josephine inhaled sharply, clouding the mask.  The man had shot.  But after that what happened? Josephine couldn't remember the rest; all she remembered was the fire afterwards, the nothing.  

She tried to sit up, but ended up coughing and clouding her mask even more.    There were burns all over her body, and the scent of smoke was strong.  “Whoa, easy there,” A doctor came over and gently pushed her back down.  Sadly, Josie didn’t have the strength to fight and laid back down much to her dismay.  How dare this man touch her! Josephine stared at him and narrowed her gaze.  “You’re confused- I can tell – so I’ll explain.  Your family was attacked by the X-Force agents.  To save you and your siblings, you were transported to Riverwood Academy.  This academy is for people with superpowers – much like you.” He smiled down at her.  “Yours seems to be pyrokinesis, Ms. Josephine, gathering by the sudden fire.  Welcome to Riverwood, we are happy to have you.”  

This man would come to regret his words.