Wish by Moonstone

by Vanessa Haberkorn

  It was just her and Joby the pervert. Wonderful.

  After a minute had passed, Samantha asked, "Anything new?"

  "Eh, not much." He shrugged. "I'm still looking."

  "Not you. I meant if the professor found anything new yet."

  "Oh, that. Nope, he's still looking..." Joby's eyes rolled up to a tree, then took a quick flick in her direction again.

  She groaned. "Can you stop that?"

  "It's just..." He snickered. "I always thought ya were flat ― I guess 'cause of those baggy shirts ya always wear ― but now I see!" He started laughing.

  "Gaaah..." Her eyes fell on the lake and lit up.

  "What?" His eyes also moved to the lake. "Whatcha...oh no, ya don't."

  "Oh yes," she grasped her moonstone, "I am!"

  A powerful gust of wind whipped by, building up an escalating tidal wave.

  "Hey, come on!" Joby made for the cabin.

  "Bash him, bash him!" Samantha hopped up and down.

  The surf rushed from the lake. It collided into Joby just as he got to the cabin door, also smashing into the side of the house.

  "Yeow! That's cold!" He staggered back to his feet, soaked and dripping everywhere. "Ya messed up my hair!"

  "Boo-hoo. You look cuter without gel anyway."

  Just then, the cabin door opened and Evan poked his head out. "Sam, stop messing around! The professor keeps getting distracted! ...More than usual, that is." He slammed the door shut.

  Joby snickered. "Timeout for you, princess."

  "You're just jealous."

  "Yeah right. Lightning is so much more gnarly than that fart thing you can do."

  "Your morning thunder, you mean? Yeah, that really is something. Not necessarily a nice something...but it's something."

  Pouting at the cabin door for a second, Joby then grinned and trotted over to her. "You're too feisty today. I don't like that."

  "You should've seen me last night. Ask Evan about it! I just...blew those two Tranludes away." She giggled at her own pun.

  "Last night, huh? Yeah, I guess Evan would know all about that." He nudged her with a wink. "All that blowing... What was it ya gave those guys again? I just can't remember the word! Yeah, that must 'a been something!" He burst out laughing.

  "Ew, yuck. You're all thunder, no lightning. I haven't even seen you do much with your stone. Just make loud noises and flashes."

  "Hey, it's hard to aim with. Ya got this one skinny little bolt coming down at that super fast speed..." He touched his damp hair. "It's like as soon as I start to focus, it's already hit the ground and gone."

  "Yeah... I guess the wind's pretty forgiving. It covers a lot more space. It's not too hard feeling its rhythm."

  "Too bad we can't use every stone. That'd be gnarly! Getting to try out each one."

  "Yeah, that would be. And if you could use them all too, like at the same time. But I still think it's neat how they're fueled by some energy we each give off. I'd love to know more about that."

  "Yeah, me too." He stared up at the clouds.

  Chapter 23

  "Nearly there! Joby said he found it not too far out here."

  "Joby has a terrible sense of direction, sir."

  "Oh, don't worry so much."

  Evan was following Professor Lemmings through the woods. Despite earlier plans having involved leaving the area, the professor was getting all wrapped up in research again. This time, one of the moonstones Joby had found was different from the rest. However, it seemed scraped and burnt. Its misty coloration appeared faded when compared to the other stones. So now Roger Lemmings was intent on finding another stone like this one, to see if it was indeed a moonstone with powers. And Evan was asked to come along, in case the stone ended up being his.

  But Evan had a bad feeling about them wondering so far on their own. What if they were attacked? The professor didn't even have a moonstone of his own, for all his research on the subject. They should've asked one of the others to have tagged along. Isis always seemed confident of herself. He was sure Samantha and Joby wouldn't mind either, but he hadn't seen much of them during the day. Probably off goofing around again. They really were airheads at times.

  "Say, Evan?" Roger Lemmings continued on down the slight path. "After this, remind me there's something special I want to show you."

  Making a twisted and crunched face at the professor's back, Evan simply said, "Okay."

  "I was dying to show you and the others earlier, but I don't think the time was quite right, you see."

  "Uh-huh. Any hints?"

  "Oh, you'll see." The professor laughed.

  What was the point in bringing it up then? Evan wondered. The guy's such a tease...

  "But today's going to be a big day for all of us! Imagine finding your moonstone at long last, my boy!"

  "Are you sure I even have one?"

  "Of course! I haven't found my stone yet either, and it's only made me even more hungry for knowledge. There's still so much we don't understand about the moonstones. But think about it. They could change the world. Imagine, a world where everyone has his or her own moonstone..."

  "A lot more violence, I think."

  "Really? I think the reverse. People will be able to protect themselves without regards to strength. Even the physically frail would be on fairly equal footing with a robber. Children, elderly, the disabled...women too."

  Evan thought back to his sister's earlier comment. About how now, she didn't feel useless and powerless anymore. It was something he'd never really given much thought about, mainly since he was a healthy, if inactive, male on the way to his prime, but now he could see.

  If someone was on their own ― or just constantly dependent on someone stronger for protection ― it wouldn't be a good feeling. Insulting, belittling, and nerve-wracking. He couldn't imagine how it must feel for an old lady to be living by herself. Only the doors there to protect her from the sometimes vicious outside world.

  But, if this same lady had a nasty moonstone, then a burglar would think twice about breaking in. A lightning bolt was a lightning bolt, regardless of who summoned it, after all. They wouldn't be as predictable as a gun, which required a keen eye to begin with.

  Not having his own moonstone was beginning to make him notice things he'd never really thought of much before. Suddenly his years of feeling like Samantha's protector were being turned upside down, as he now felt vulnerable without her being around. It was humbling, to say the least.

  "Look there!" Professor Lemmings rushed ahead.

  With a sigh, Evan followed.

  In the middle of all the green growth a large, almost rocket-shaped stone sat defiantly. Surrounding it were the smaller chips, some with hints of color.

  "This must be where Joby found that moonstone." Roger Lemmings went to the giant stone and knelt to examine the pieces. "Yes, they are all a gold color. Come and look."

  The infamous smiley face stone of lameness? Evan bent down to take a glance. Inside the stones he could make out a misty sea of yellow. The moonstone of urine? he pondered to himself. Great, now I have to pee.

  "Try picking one up," the professor said.

  Looks like pee contained within a rock.

  Forcing such thoughts away, Evan grabbed the first one that caught his eye. To his shock, it flickered at his touch, nearly sparkling like the brilliant sun.

  "Oh, look at that!" Lemmings patted Evan on the back, beaming. "Didn't I tell you? Now you can go show the others."

  Moving it in his hand, Evan watched the sunlight reflect off of it. It didn't seem so urine-like now. "What does this stone affect?"

  "Eh, I'm not sure. I've never seen a gold moonstone. You should try testing it out. We'll need to for my research. We might've just made history today!"

  "How do you...you know...use them?"

  "You visualize the energy, or so I've heard."

  "Hard when I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be visualizing..."

  That famous fountain with the pe
eing boy? Projectile pee?

  I can't wait to really piss Sam and Joby off. A blast of pee in the face, and they won't know what hit them! Evan started to snicker, but caught himself when the professor stared at him.

  "Did you hear that just then?"

  Evan looked around. "Hear what?"

  But then he did. Rustling sounds, with the occasional crunch of an acorn.

  The professor gave him a nudge. They both rose to their feet and started heading in the opposite direction in a low stance.

  Suddenly, a voice filled the air. "You must want her to die."

  Out into the clearing fell Dr. Gemia. Landing on her arms and knees, she moaned before slumping over.

  Feeling his heart jump, Evan stopped, as did Professor Lemmings.

  Dr. Gemia's face was bloody from what he could see. A swollen eye, maybe a busted nose judging from all the blood. The researcher's once proud lab coat now looked more like a butcher's apron. Who would do such a thing to her, and why?

  Then a small band of Tranludes stepped out. Each one's face was more hardened and narrow than the last's, except for the one at the front. His eyes peered out from their tiny sockets, like those of a caged, rabid beast full of insanity and rage. His lips were flat and pressed tightly together, as if also restraining their own demons. Everything about him, from his tight shoulders down to his black military boots made Evan think of someone tense and explosive. He didn't even need a psychology degree to sense this.

  Their leader spoke slowly. "Mister Roger Lemmings...?"

  The professor could barely peel his eyes away from Dr. Gemia. "Yes, that's me."

  Evan internally cringed. Why admit it...?

  "Jaliesha told me so much about your studies." The leader stared down at Dr. Gemia. "How you know even more than she does about moonstones, and how you might even be a world expert on them."

  A pause.

  "However...she was foolish to resist. You see where that got her." The Tranlude's red eyes focused on the professor. "And you know where that will get you." He took a few steps, extending a hand. "So, instead, be wise and come along peacefully. I have no reason to harm you if you cooperate."

  Evan felt as if he were trying to catch his breath inside a vacuum. He had to do something. But what?

  Professor Lemmings glanced at each of the Tranludes and took a peek at Dr. Gemia before turning back to the leader. "Well...seems I have no choice."

  "But sir!" Evan said.

  "I'm sorry, Evan. But I knew I was taking a chance every time I decided to pursue moonstones. There's no reason to put you and the others in danger anymore. This one's for me and me alone."

  Evan didn't say anything.

  "You do understand, Evan?"

  "Yeah but..." His eyes jerked in the direction of the Tranludes. "I still don't like this."

  "Go back to the others, and don't worry about me." Now avoiding the student, Professor Lemmings took a few steps to the Superiorists. He hesitated when he was just a few feet away. "Evan, please... If something happens, don't blame yourself. But tell my wife and daughter that I love them, and my biggest regret was not spending more time with them."

  The leader snickered at this. "Regrets are for the weak. If that's all, come then."

  Professor Lemmings left with the five Tranludes, disappearing into the depths of the woods to face the unsure future alone.

  Evan felt sick to his stomach.

  Roger Lemmings always knew what was going on; he was the first one who ever even suspected the Tranludes when trouble had started two and a half years ago, and now he was the only one who took moonstones seriously. He wasn't just a college professor, but the light of hope and answers when all seemed murky and confusing.

  And he was Evan's friend.

  Losing him wasn't an option.

  Evan turned around and took off, calling over his shoulder to Dr. Gemia, "I'm coming back!"

  Somehow, despite all his earlier difficulty with the rough paths of the wilderness, Evan found it within himself to race the entire way back to the cabin. The scene kept replaying itself over and over: Dr. Gemia's swollen, bloody face; the Superiorist leader's crazed eyes; Professor Lemmings' slumped shoulders and request.

  He got angrier with each repetition.

  Something needed to be done.

  Finally, he found himself bursting through the door of the cabin. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting: to see the others hard at working doing something.

  But no, instead Samantha, Joby, and Isis were all seated at the table, moonstones shoved off to one side, and plastic bowls of ramen noodles in front of each of them. They were all grinning and chuckling about something, but looked up when he entered.

  "Guys! We have to go." Evan struggled to catch his breath, much less speak clearly. "S-something happened."

  Joby still had that shit-eating grin on his face. "Can it wait till after lunch? Need to eat Noodles while she's still toasty. Oh ho ho!"

  Evan slapped the bowls right off the table. "Forget lunch. Lemmings is in trouble."

  On their way back to Dr. Gemia, Isis had her handy phone out, making a not-so-handy call to the police department.

  "But this is an emergency! ...Why not?" She drummed her fingers on her crossed arms. "Uh-huh, uh-huh..."

  Evan stuck his head over. "Tell them they could kill him."

  She waved him off. "Eh, oh, that? Really? Damn, someone planned this... Uh-huh, uh-huh..." Her eyes rolled up. "Right. Well, can't you spare a small team?" She listened, then groaned. "Well, thanks for everything. Not." She snapped her phone shut and into her pocket. "Assholes."

  "They won't come?" Samantha asked.

  "Well, apparently a school bus of kids is being held ransom right now. So they're entirely focused on that right now."

  "Ransom for what?"

  "Ransom for a wish stone, obviously. Lord Visero must be hell-bent on finding those things. He'll get one one way or another."

  "What would he do with one?" Evan asked.

  "Whatcha think?" Joby held out his moonstone. "Hurt people." A lightning bolt came down for effect, hitting a bush. "Gah, I was aiming for that tree..."

  "Neither that bush nor that tree did anything wrong," Samantha said. "Save it for Lord Visero and his egocentric followers."

  "His eagle what?"

  Samantha, Evan, and Isis didn't even bother responding to this.

  "What are we going to do?" Evan asked.

  "Take Dr. Gemia back to town for help," Isis said. "And then...well, we're going to have to figure out what to do about Lemmings."

  "We have to do something," Evan said.

  "And I know that. But nobody is leaving that school bus until those kids are freed first. Nobody cares about some random college professor. Except us, his family, and his friends, of course."

  Evan sighed. "I still haven't heard the answer yet."

  "And that's because I don't have one yet. Please...chill out. One rescue at a time."

  The group eventually found Dr. Gemia and brought her back to town. She was in poor condition and said little, outside of apologizing for bringing up Roger Lemmings to the Superiorists. Since this was done through apparent torture, nobody bothered her about it.

  After dropping her off at the small local hospital, they then had a difficult decision to make: what to do about Roger Lemmings?

  "If we waited a day or so, the ransom situation could be over by then," Isis said. "They could spare some help in our cause. However, it could also drag out for days. And that's assuming nothing else comes up."

  "I don't get it," Samantha said. "One ransom, and every cop is busy?"

  "Well, think of the effects of that ransom. Most people don't distinguish between the Superiorists and the Pacifists. To them, all Tranludes are the same. And so, tension between people and Tranludes is going to get high in the next few days. Some people might react violently to innocent Tranludes. Or maybe the Superiorists have more planned. Either way, the cops want to all be on standby, in case riots o
r something else happens. Imagine if the kids are killed. The public would go ballistic."

  "Would they really hurt kids?" Joby asked.

  Isis snickered. "Lord Visero?"

  "There's something wrong with that guy," Samantha said. "You could see it in his eyes. They were so intent, yet so twitchy... Creepy, really."

  "Had no problem torturing Dr. Gemia," Evan said.

  "Yeah, and putting those braces on us, and snapping Samantha's finger." Joby frowned. "I'd love to drop a lightning bolt on his head."

  "So," Isis said. "Are we waiting, or are we going to find the professor ourselves, and risk a run-in with Lord Visero and his so-called 'creepy' eyes?"

  Just then, a familiar voice said, "Lord Visero?"

  Evan and the others glanced around. He knew that voice...but was it...?

  And then who came over but Oliver himself. With him was his glorified city girl of a girlfriend Beatrice.

  "Oliver! What are you doing here?" Evan asked.

  Beatrice answered for him. "We're camping." Dropping her bag, she winked at Samantha and giggled.

  "Out here? No way," Samantha said in disbelief.

  "The truth?" Oliver sighed, shooting Beatrice a look. "After you guys left, I felt bad. What if something happened to you, because you didn't have my awesome fire power around? And so, I talked to Bee-Bee and ―"

  "Ollie, that was hardly talking. You yelled at me about how they were your friends from high school, and how you'd be a disloyal jerk if you abandoned them for 'some girl I met four months ago'," she air-quoted.

  Evan's mouth hung open. "He said that?"

  "Yeah, yeah." Oliver waved his hand. "Something like that. Anyway, I told her I had to follow you guys, to make sure you didn't get yourselves killed."

  "And if I broke up with him, then so be it," Beatrice added.

  "So...you guys broke up?" Samantha eyed their bond bands.

  "Oh no!" Beatrice said. "After hearing him go on, I realized he wasn't playing hero anymore. He was just trying to keep you guys safe."

  "Aww!" Joby chuckled. "Warm fuzzy-wuzzy!"