Coldor City's Cinnamall Fine Dining is one of the most renowned restaurants, celebrated for its mesmerizing cuisine and aristocratic atmosphere. Normally, the place would be packed with classy customers. But today, it is reserved just for a family of five. Most of the staff are also absent, leaving only a few to maintain the quiet privacy for their VIP guests. They are seated next to a large transparent glass window, elegantly and warmly decorated in Christmas style, looking out at the busy, crowded street. Outside, people hurry by in the cold winter air, unable to feel the coziness inside the restaurant.
Anna, the youngest daughter, a 16-year-old girl with sapphire blue eyes and wavy blond hair, speaks first after enjoying the view for a while.
"Should we use the whole restaurant for ourselves on a day like this? It's Christmas Eve, after all."
"Oh? Talking the traditional way now, aren't we?" Kyle, the second son, nudges his sister to tease her.
"So what?" Anna retorts. "I need to practice my voice too. I can't sing by telepathy, after all."
Kyle giggles, loosening up in his brand-new police uniform. Across the table, their father Daniel, a true gentleman, smiles broadly. His grayish-blue eyes sparkle. Looking at him, anyone can see where his children's good looks come from.
"Of course!" Daniel encourages Anna. "My little princess is a rising idol. The Best Young Talent award didn't come for nothing, right?"
"You can relax and do whatever you want here." Mary, Daniel's wife and the children's mother, gently speaks. "I let most of the staff take a week off starting today. They have been working hard all year long already."
"You are right, Mom." Jason, the eldest son, a young man who looks calm and elegant wearing glasses, nods in agreement. "But wait... May and Clara took their vacation too?"
"Yes," Mary answers. "Our housekeepers also need to rest, you know. Or do you think everyone is a workaholic like you, Doctor?"
Feeling a cold breeze from his mother's brown eyes gazing at him, Jason clears his throat.
"Well, the hospital is always open, you see."
Mary doesn't seem happy with that. Her eyes are distant, as if missing someone. Even in her fifties, she remains a beauty, looking like she's in her thirties. Daniel raises his voice, trying to lift the mood:
"Come on, let's have a toast. Anna, congrats on your award! Kyle and Jason, good work this year. And Mary, congrats on your thriving business, ma'am!"
"You too, Daddy. Go for your upcoming re-election!" Anna raises her glass of juice cheerfully.
They "Cheers!" together, talking and laughing. What a happy and perfect family.
They are the Lanes, one of the most prestigious families in the nation. Daniel Lanes, the father, is the mayor of Coldor City. Mary Lanes, the mother, is the chairwoman of Cinnamall, a giant chain of shopping malls and restaurants. Jason Lanes, the eldest son, is a surgeon at Coldor General Hospital. Kyle Lanes, the second son, is a police detective, and Anna Lanes, the youngest daughter, is a famous and popular singer.
The night darkens and deepens. The Lanes finish their party and return home in their luxury car. Looking out the car window, Anna suddenly starts another conversation, but not in words this time, but in thoughts:
"There are some people still standing on the street at this hour, handing out leaflets and cleaning the trash. Are they all 'recessives'?"
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The others are quiet, but it's just them communicating via telepathy.
"Mostly, honey. Unlike us, they don't have special abilities. Therefore, their job choices are quite limited," Daniel answers.
"But there are also dominants who do those jobs. Three-quarters of the population is dominant, after all," Mary adds.
"I know. It's just that... they used to be so above us. I'm still not used to being treated equally or even more highly than them," Anna thinks.
Daniel and Mary quietly exchange a worried look, not knowing how to respond. Roughly 100 years ago, only 25% of the world's population was born with evolved genes. These genes gave them telepathy and other supernatural powers, as well as greater physical strength and longer lifespans. At first, they had to live in hiding and were hunted by normal people. Humans have the tendency to fear and hate the "different," after all. The evolved were brutally suppressed because, despite having superpowers, they cannot kill other people. Should they attempt to do so, their bodies would suffer paralyzing pain. For a long time, the "normal" people tried to control the evolved ones. Little did they know, Mother Nature flipped her hidden card. The evolved genes were dominant and spread like wildfire across the globe. In just four generations, the evolved population increased to 75% and has remained at that rate. Now, as young Anna knows, the 'normal' people are actually evolved individuals with super abilities like hers, better known as "the dominants". The remaining folks, referred to as "the recessives," inherit mediocre traits from their ancestors and have less social influence. These people are now considered "the different."
"Great! Amber accepted me! We are now mindmates!" Kyle suddenly bursts out, breaking the quietness in the car.
"What?" Anna exclaims in disbelief. "Another girl?"
"What's a mindmate?" Peter, their chauffeur, a middle-aged man who is a recessive, joins the conversation as it becomes verbal.
"Someone who accepted the invitation to connect with you on Evo," Daniel explains.
"Evo is a telepathic social network, like Pacebook or Trister, but not on mobile phones or computers, but in our thoughts," Mary quickly clarifies when she sees the confused look on Peter's face.
"I see." Peter doesn't totally seem to get it, but he's obviously not unfamiliar with these privileged, dominant-only things. "No wonder the phones are so outdated now, haha."
His harmless statement startles Daniel, who hurriedly searches for something in his jacket.
"What's wrong?" Mary asks.
"My phone. I totally forgot about it."
"Relax. Don't they always contact you via Evo for work?"
"They do. But I should still check, just in case." Daniel sighs. "It ran out of battery."
The car drives towards the premises of the Lanes' house. The sight of a huge and beautiful villa appears even from afar. The Lanes step out to walk to their home while Peter drives away to start his own vacation.
"Look! The house is all lit up and welcoming. May and Clara are the best!" Anna yells, locking her father's arm. He laughs loudly, putting his other arm around Mary's shoulder. Jason and Kyle walk behind, relaxing and unwinding.
When they come to the main gate, the Lanes stop, spotting someone with their back turned to them. That person wears a black hooded jacket and a light military backpack, holding a phone to their ear, looking towards the lit but empty house.
"Who's there?" Daniel calls out to the stranger.
The stranger turns back, making Daniel and Mary freeze for a moment. A young man in his 20s looks at them, his gray eyes gleam beneath the bushy black hair covering his forehead. As if recognizing them, he lowers the phone in his hand, stops dialing Daniel's unanswered number. He steps forward, showing a sheepish, wordless joy.
"Hm? Mom, Dad, why did you stop?" Kyle asks, walking from behind Daniel to see clearer. Jason goes with him.
"Is that... him?" Anna looks up at her father, bewildered.
The stranger hesitates when seeing the whole family. He takes a step back, as though pushed by some invisible force. In the cold breeze of the December 24th eve, he looks really pale.
"Yes, that's your third brother," Daniel says softly, surprised himself.
"Gabriel, you are back?" Mary looks as if she can't believe her eyes.
Jason and Kyle also stand with their eyes and jaws wide open.
A moment of awkward silence, then the young man, Gabriel Lanes, speaks with a croaky voice and an unnatural smile:
"H... Hi everyone. I'm... home... well... cough!"
All of them are dumbstruck at the appearance of the third son who has been absent for seven years. Now, he has returned.