(A/N) Well, I haven't written very much for this fandom yet, and this will be my first Darkest Powers multi-chapter fic, and I hope you guys like it :)

Most of this will be written in first person Chloe POV, but a few select scenes might be written from 3rd Person omniscient.

Lauren bristled slightly as the doorbell rang, the cheerful noise troubling her deeply. Lately, she'd be getting a lot of extremely irritating reporters showing up at her home, desperate to be the first to unearth the secrets her young niece was hiding. She hoped that if she ignored this one, maybe they'd soon go away.

It all started a few months ago, when Chloe got her first period. And along with her first period came with what Lauren had been hoping were hallucinations, though she knew better.

She knew they were ghosts.

Ever since she'd been a young child, Lauren had been exposed to necromancy. Her sister had something of a gift, if you could call it that, and she could speak to those trapped between the afterlife and earthly mortality. She knew it was hereditary, and when Chloe hadn't seen a single spirit in fifteen years, Lauren let herself hope and believe that maybe Chloe was normal.

Chloe would never be normal. Lauren caught her occasionally glancing at something that wasn't exposed to Lauren's human eyes, and she knew she wasn't just spacing out judging by the precise way she would focus on one spot. Sometimes she'd smile, and other times, her eyes would widen in horror and Lauren decided then that she'd be keeping a closer eye on her sister's daughter.

For awhile, Lauren thought that maybe she was mistaken and that Chloe was only feverish, a common symptom of PMS. Then came a call from the school, saying they were very concerned about Ms. Saunders. No one dared to make any accusations, after all, who would want to make their school an enemy of a Vice-Presidential candidate? Lauren knew what was going on, and she had no idea how to stop it.

She could only pass on her sister's necklace to Chloe in hopes all this madness would stop. And when it didn't, she tried everything. Schizophrenia medication, therapy, even hypnosis; anything to let Chloe live in as much normalcy as she could. It was bad enough that she was always in the media's eye being a pretty little thing and the daughter of a famous politician, she didn't need reporters poking their noses in places where they didn't belong.

But after awhile, Lauren caved in. The media had found out about the way Chloe thought she was seeing things that weren't really there, and so Lauren screamed, "She has schizophrenia!" And she slammed the door on their faces, shock throbbing in the air. After that, she felt bad, like she'd betrayed Chloe. But what else was she supposed to do? Tell them the truth when Chloe didn't even know?

The doorbell rang again and Lauren sighed before answering the door.

Much to her surprise, there weren't any adult reporters there. No, there were three teenagers standing outside, their clothing torn. There was one girl and two boys, none of them looking particularly excited to be outside her door, in face, they all looked rushed and slightly battered. "Can I help you?" She asked, forcing patience and kindness into her voice.

"No," One boy replied, a warm smile on his face. "I think we can help you." The adolescent hoped he was going about this the right way, he didn't want to get thrown out of the lady's house before he even set foot inside.

Lauren blinked, a strange sensation settling over her, warning her to be wary of these children. "Oh?"

The Asian nodded seriously before joking casually, "Though would you mind letting us in? It's pretty hot outside." His heart started thrumming, hoping she'd consent.

When he smiled charmingly again, Lauren couldn't refuse as she opened the door a bit wider, indicating their presence was welcomed inside her home.

The girl whistled sharply as her brown eyes darted around, taking in the lovely tapestries on the walls, the crown-molding that gave the mansion a Victorian vibe. It was a beautiful home, and the girl hoped to own a home as beautiful as that someday. "Nice place," She admired before sitting down on one of the plush couches.

"Thank you." Lauren responded almost automatically. She cleared her throat somewhat uncomfortably. "Now, may I ask why it is that you're visiting? Are you friends of Chloe's?"

The two boys exchanged a glance. "You could say that."

Lauren frowned at the blonde's cryptic answer. "Care to elaborate?" She injected authority into her voice and shifted closer to the phone, letting them know if they were a part of some crazy new terrorist group, she could be in contact with her bodyguards in a heartbeat.

There was the slightest of pauses as he contemplated the best way to inform her of the real reason they were there. "Well, this might sound a little insane," He told her, for once a bit of uncertainty creeping onto his face before he shook his head and smiled again, "But we know."

Lauren ignored the instinct to roll her eyes as she decided this was just a group of friends pranking the nicest house in the neighborhood. So she smiled and played along. "Know? About what?"

"About her." One of the boys rumbled, sick of beating around the bush. He waited for her to look at him, ready for the usual reaction that seeing him brought on.

And sure enough, Lauren turned to him and took him in, really took him in for the first time. He would easily tower over six feet, and though he appeared to be overweight, there was something in the way he gracefully paced around that he was hiding some serious muscle under baggy sweatshirts. His face was discolored with several types of acne, and his green eyes were severe and cold. She tried not to turn up her nose in distaste.

"About who?" She asked, though a feeling of dread was beginning to creep up on her, threatening to thwart her calm exterior.

The girl spoke up. "We know about Chloe." She spat out the name. She didn't know the girl yet, but she didn't need to know her to know she didn't like her. Not after what had happened because of Ms. Saunders.

Lauren tried to control her breathing. There was something about the way they all stared at her intently, like they really did know the one thing they weren't supposed to. "What do you know about her?"

The first boy to speak to her cleared his throat, figuring now was the time to fully explain who they were and why they were there. "We know she can see ghosts, but it's not about us knowing."

"What do you mean?" Lauren demanded, careful not to deny the truth. She wasn't sure how well she'd be able to lie to a bunch of children, so she tried to avoid answering in a way that would require her to fib.

Once again, the boys exchanged a glance, still unsure how to explain. "You see, we're… well, we're gifted too. Not like that, but we're different. And we just got away from some people who want people like us, special people. We're afraid that Chloe is in danger."

So they left out a bit of the truth. They left out that they needed Chloe just as much as she needed them, big deal. They needed to convince Lauren to allow Chloe to go with them in order to bring down the Edison Group.

There was no doubt in her mind that they were telling the truth. The moment they stepped inside her house, she knew there was something different about them; she got that creeping sensation she got when she was around Chloe, that they, well, weren't quite normal. Lauren believed them, but what could she do? Allow her niece to run off with a bunch of teenagers she knew nothing about? "I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. She can't just leave, she belongs here." Here with me.

"Chloe will never belong with normal people," The mostly-silent boy said, stopping his pacing clearly not afraid to offend anyone. The Edison Group would be there any minute, they couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Lauren set her jaw. "You say you want to protect her? You're a bunch of kids. Maybe if you get some kind of training, proper training, get used to your… powers and come back in a few years if Chloe is still in danger, I'll believe you." Taking in their tattered clothes, she corrected herself. "No, I already believe you, but I don't believe this is the right thing for Chloe. You need to help yourself before you can help my niece."

The three teenagers anxiously glanced about the room, wondering how they could convince her otherwise. Slowly, the beefy kid leaned over to the other male and muttered, "Forget this, we don't have the time." The girl nodded in agreement.

The other boy who seemed to be the spokesperson for everyone turn to Lauren and told her calmly, "Well, if that's how you feel, we need to leave." The other two teens were already stepping out the door. "But I promise you, at the first sign of these people threatening her, we will be here because she's too valuable to lose."

And then they all left.

The kids outside were milling about. After the tale had been told, one girl who did not go inside smiled and bragged, "I told you me waiting was a good idea. Now I can watch out for her while you guys go home because the woman won't even know I'm a supernatural, she'll just think I'm part of an innocent, teenage friendship."

They all eyed her, uncertain about leaving behind the copper-haired member of their team. "Fine," the Asian said slowly. "You need to keep her safe until—"

"Yes, she needs to keep the precious little necromancer safe," The other girl spat cruelly. "I think she's got it."

They all went over standard protocol, where she was to meet up with them over breaks and any other chance she got before the rest of her team left.

Meanwhile, Lauren stared, somewhat shell-shocked as they all started for the door none too quickly. They left so abruptly, and she wondered if this threat really was a terrible danger to Chloe. She shook her head. Listen to you, getting caught up in their conspiracy.

She couldn't deny that now she was even more paranoid then before. She didn't know what was going to happen to Chloe, but… no. Nothing was going to happen to Chloe, she decided with a steel-like resolution.

Even if she didn't understand what just happened, she did know something: that Chloe was every bit as special as she believed. She picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Yes, this is Lauren. Double the amount of guards on Chloe."

Even if it meant endangering other people, Lauren would keep Chloe safe. And judging by the way the teens seemed so desperate, Lauren wasn't the only one with a burning desire to protect Chloe… at any price.

(A/N) Okay, that's the prologue! The next chapter will take place about a year and a half later :)