“Good,” said Div far below, right next to the main entry. “Stay there and now imagine the square tile right on the floor next to me.”
Again, I closed my eyes and pictured the white marble tile next to the one she stood on. I heard a noise from the front desk and momentarily thought of it. When I opened my eyes, I was standing on a white marble tile behind the front desk.
“Sorry,” I began. “There was a sound so…”
“There will always be a sound! When we are battling Sato, you can bet that there will be a boatload of sounds! You must stay focused!” she screamed. Everyone in the lobby turned and stared at us.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, holding myself.
“Get it together, Sol!” she scolded, clapping her hands. “Go take a break.” She flounced off, leaving me behind in the lobby. I stepped out from behind the desk when I spotted Gadget running in from the entry.
“Hey buddy,” I said, walking over to him. “Where’s your mom?”
He waved at me, smiling with a mouth dotted with missing teeth. “She’s right there.” He turned and pointed just as Fly walked in through the doors.
“Hi, Fly.”
“Hi, Sol!” she waved, seeming a little flustered. “I just brought Gadget back from the park. You had fun, didn’t you my love?” She scooped him up and began swinging him side to side. He giggled, bubbles forming in his mouth. “Go play with Victoria for a second. I’ll be right there.” She placed him down and he took off toward the receptionist.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Sol,” she said, darkness coming over her face. “I had the strangest encounter at the park with Gadget.”
“What happened?”
“We were playing on a swing set when a blonde-haired young woman came up to me. She asked if I worked here at the LARF. When I said yes, she then asked if you were here.”
“Me?” I asked, confused. I couldn’t recall any such young blonde-haired woman.
“Yes. I felt a strange vibe from her, so I lied and said that I didn’t know you. I turned to grab Gadget and head back here, but she grabbed my arm.” She lifted her arm and showed me bruise marks in the outline of fingerprints along her forearm.
“Oh no, Fly!” I exclaimed, gingerly taking her arm to look more closely.
“She then said that if I was lying, I would regret it for the rest of my life.” Fly held her injured arm close to her body. “She made a point of shooting a nasty look at Gadget before letting me go and taking off.”
I looked over at her son. He was running circles around the receptionist, who pretended she couldn’t find him. I looked back at Fly.
“Where did she go?”
“She got into a car and drove away. It looked like the car that Rider described this morning.”
“But how could that be? That car was spotted in New York, not Los Angeles.”
“I don’t know. But it looked like it could be the same, and she was driving it. Poor Gadget had such fear in his eyes while watching the whole encounter,” she said, shaking her head.
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. Thanks for telling me, Fly,” I said comfortingly.
“Not a problem,” she replied with a smile. “See you at dinner tonight!” She then walked over to Gadget.
I headed to Rider’s office to update him. He seemed just as perplexed as I did, so he sent a message out to Fly, warning her to stay indoors for the time being. He then walked over to Stella’s office where he waited until the others joined him for their secret meeting. I headed to dinner and spent the rest of the night thinking about the battle that lay ahead.
#
A week passed as I continued training. I significantly improved my ability to maintain control over my wings. I learned how to accelerate and decelerate smoothly. Div even began showing me a few flight tricks. Everyone’s personal favorite seemed to be dive-bombing. The LARF held an annual dive-bomb contest and the winner of the event won a custom-designed wardrobe by famed angel fashion designer Dax Harrington. The contest was two days away and I was one of the first to sign up. I asked Victoria, the receptionist, what exactly the qualities were that the judges found impressive.
“They want to see a good show, that’s what!” she said excitedly. Victoria seemed to be close to my mother’s age. She had mousy brown hair, freckles and wore glasses. Her wings, on the other hand, were very pretty. Daisy-yellow in color, they twinkled in the light and looked soft and shiny. She had a plump figure and was very kind to anyone who approached the desk.
“Well obviously everyone wants that,” I sighed, “but what are some things I can do to really stand out and impress them?” I looked down at the desk and noticed that the signup sheet was nearly full. Only three lines remained blank at the bottom of the sheet. Div and Glinda were both listed, along with Fly and two other angels I did not know.
“Last year Alex won during his first try here. He executed forty full spins while dive-bombing from the roof to the ground. Of course, now that we know what a disgusting, foul, despicable traitor he is, his record has been scrubbed from the record book.”
“Good!” I replied emphatically.
“The year before last, Fly won because she peeled and ate three whole bananas during her descent.”
“What are bananas?”
“Here.” Victoria pulled out a curved, yellow fruit from behind the desk. I took it and sniffed. “They’re really tasty,” she smiled, snatching the banana back and stuffing it into her bag. “And the year before that, Flash won. He went into a handstand at the edge of the rooftop. Fly placed Gadget, who was only an infant at the time, on the bottom of his feet. Flash then let go and dive-bombed the whole way down. Oh you should have seen it! Right as he was about to hit the ground, he flipped and caught Gadget in his arms.” Victoria began fanning herself with her wings. “Oh it was incredible.”
“I don’t think I know who he is,” I shrugged.
“What?!” Victoria screamed. “He’s the most handsome, most educated, most worldly angel to work here!”
“Which department is he in?”
“Defense. Oh you probably haven’t met him yet. I think he left to assess Sato’s east coast damages right before you arrived here.”
I looked at the list and found his name toward the bottom. “Is he back yet? I see his name here on the sign-up sheet.”
Victoria leaned over, almost pressing her nose and glasses onto the sheet itself. “Oh he must be! He must have stopped by while I was at lunch. Silly boy not to say “hi” to me first.”
“What do you think I should do to win?”
“If I knew what would help you win, I wouldn’t tell you,” she winked. “I’d use the trick myself.”
I laughed and thanked her for her time. I was hungry so made my way to the cafeteria. I chose to sit alone, not spotting anyone I knew. After placing my order with one of the servers, I rested my head on the table. I heard a chair pull out across from me at the table.
“Long day?”
“You have no idea,” I replied, eyes still closed. “How about you, Rider?”
“Oh no, that’s my father.”
I opened my eyes and looked up across from me. “Oh sorry. You sound exactly like him.”
The young man across from me smiled and reached out his hand. “Flash.”
I shook his hand and nodded. “So you’re the infamous Flash. I’m Sol.”
“So you’re the infamous Soleil Arch.”
We both laughed. Just then my server brought over my food and a tall glass of Elixir Respite. “Did you order anything yet?” I asked, giving him a quick once over.
“Not yet, but I’m about to.” He turned to the server and ordered several dishes and two beverages.
“Wow you must be starving,” I said in amazement as the server walked away.
“You have no idea.”
“I hear you’ve been away looking at the destruction Sato has caused.”
He opened up a napkin and placed it on his lap. “Yes. I’m trying
to get an idea of what he’s done in the past. Hopefully, that will clue us in to what his future moves will be.”
I nodded in agreement. “I found your dad’s secret room in the library back at the ARC. It was pretty interesting.”
“Ah yes. It was a passion of his for several decades. I think he’s given up on it though. And now that it’s been destroyed, he really has no use for it.”
I felt sad at the mention of the destroyed ARC.
“Oh I’m sorry. It’s still too soon. Everyone loved the ARC.” Three waiters came over carrying the food and drinks he had ordered.
“No it’s ok. I’m just ready to do whatever I can to take Sato out when the weapon is ready.”
“Cheers to that!” He lifted up his glass and held it out to me. I held mine up and we clinked. Flash began digging into his food and I began to eat mine.
“I saw your name on the signup for the contest.”
“That’s right. I am definitely in it to win this year.”
“Funny. So am I,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.
His eyes widened. “And how do you expect to do that?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” I winked.
He smiled and nodded. “Touché.”
We spent the rest of dinner discussing our upbringings. His mother was killed giving birth to him and he was roughly one hundred and fifty years old. He still looked to be about my age. The more I learned about him, the more interested I became in befriending him. He was as handsome as Victoria had described, but not in an overstated way. His eyes shone with gentility and care. His golden wings and amber aura were a definite match with Rider’s. The more we talked, the more I wished I had taken time to ask Rider about his life story. We talked until the dining room cleared. He promised to come visit my training sessions with Div. We then parted ways for the night. I was happy to have made a new friend.
#
I spent the following day working with Div on my dive-bomb strategy. We sat in the combat room by ourselves, throwing out ideas that could wow the judges.
“Why don’t you dive with a plate strapped to the top of your head, but flip upright before landing?” suggested Div.
“Wait. Why are you even helping me?” I asked suspiciously. “Aren’t you technically my competitor?”
“Not any more, actually,” she frowned. “I’ve been asked to be a judge so I can no longer compete. But don’t tell anyone! The judges are supposed to remain anonymous.”
“Then won’t you get in trouble for helping me?”
“You’re probably right. I know! Fly! She can come help you.” Div flew out of the room with speed I could hardly believe. In moments she was back with Fly.
“Hi Fly. I’m so sorry, but I really need you right now.”
“Hey Sol! I told you, anything you need, I’m here to help!” She was grinning and I could tell that she was excited to help.
“I’ll leave you gals to it then.” Div flew back out of the room.
“Do you have any ideas so far?” asked Fly.
“None that are good,” I said. “Everything that comes to mind is just a different version of what’s been done by previous winners. I know you’re probably busy working on your own stunt, but I have no clue where to start.”
“No don’t worry about me,” she said. “I have an idea. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
I did as she said. Twenty seconds passed.
“Now open your eyes.”
“What was that for?” I asked.
“Tell me every emotion or physical sensation you experienced while you held your breath.”
“I felt my lungs begin to spasm, I started seeing spots in my eyelids, and I started to develop a headache.”
“Perfect. Now pick one of those sensations and think about what it reminds you of. Incorporate that memory into your trick. That’s the kind of stuff judges want.”
I slowly nodded as what she said began to make sense.
“Ok. I think that reminded me of when I first began weapons training with Div.”
“Then make a unique dive-bomb trick with the added element of weaponry.”
I thought about it for a few minutes. “I know! I know exactly what to do now!” I began jumping up and down.
“There you go!” she clapped. “You only need to do what comes naturally, yet unique to you. By the look in your eyes, I think you have yourself a winning trick, Miss Arch.”
I jumped up and hugged her.
“Thank you so much, Fly.”
“Any time, Sol.”
I made my way outside and to the back of the LARF building. I spent the rest of the night practicing my trick using my golden sais and a few apples.
CHAPTER 24
Excitement flowed through the air the following morning. At breakfast, the servers started everyone off with orange refresher beverages in glasses shaped like diving angels. An overhead announcement revealed that the judges for the event included Stella, Div, Rider, and Victoria. A total of nine of us were competing, and we were all seated together to eat with one another. I only knew Fly, Glinda and Flash, so the others took time going around the table to introduce themselves.
“I’m Christian,” said an angel with fluffy white wings and a silver aura. “I cover the reception desk when Victoria is on break.”
“My name is Lady Bug,” said the next angel. Her wings were solid red with black dots all over. She seemed very nice and had a soft, soothing voice. “I work in the Nursing department.”
“You guys can call me Gary,” shrugged a depressed looking angel. “I work in the back of the kitchen cleaning up everyone’s mess all day.” He looked down when he spoke and kept his arms crossed the entire time. His wings were gray and he emitted a gray aura. Looking at him made me feel like crying for no reason.
“Hi I’m Bitty!” chirped the next angel. She looked exactly like a butterfly: her wings were deep ginger with black trim and detailing throughout. She never stopped smiling and seemed perpetually happy. I didn’t find her annoying though, just fun to watch.
“It’s Bruno,” grunted a particularly cocky angel. His wings were a tri-color ombré. His feathers went from black at his shoulders, to blue in the middle, and red at the tips. He was large and could easily pass for a soldier in Matthews’ army. He had an arrogant smirk on his face and narrowed his eyes at me. I rolled mine and shook my head, laughing to myself. I was not intimidated by him at all.
Glinda and Fly went on to introduce themselves, and it was finally my turn.
“My name is Soleil Arch,” I said plainly.
“Wait! As in the Soleil Arch?” asked Bitty. “Descendant of Solomon Arch?”
“Um…yes,” I replied, now blushing as everyone stared at me.
“Wow! I knew you looked unique, and I knew Soleil Arch was in the LARF, but I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!” Her hands flew up and covered her mouth in astonishment. The others nodded while smiling at me and Fly laughed.
“Calm down,” said Fly. “Let’s not get her worked up before the competition. There’ll be plenty of time to get to know her better later.”
“Thanks, Fly,” I said, relieved that everyone was now clearing the table.
“Don’t mention it,” she winked.
“Once people hear your name at the contest, brace yourself for an onslaught of new fans,” warned Glinda. “But no one is as big a fan as I am.” She gave me a quick hug and left with Fly. Flash gave me a pat on the back and followed them out. I took a deep breath and went outside to the contestant tent that was set up on the roof.
#
The grounds had been sectioned off into stadium-like seating outside of the LARF. Metal bleachers surrounded one of the building’s outer walls, where we would be diving off from. At ten stories tall, the building provided ample diving distance, yet was also quite daunting. No mat or net was placed on the ground. If you failed to stick your landing, serious injury was likely. My mother and Luke were in the bleachers and
I saw Stella, Div, Rider, and Victoria sitting at a judges’ table. A hologram sat on the front of the table where our scores would be displayed. A larger version of the score screen was projected onto the wall where we were diving.
Rider grabbed a microphone off of the ground and it screeched loudly. All of the angels and Espials in attendance ducked down and covered their ears.
“I don’t know why that always happens,” he shrugged. “Anyway, welcome to the sixth annual dive-bomb contest!”
Everyone cheered and applauded, some audience members blowing into whistles and vuvuzelas.
“Here’s our host for the event, Stella!” Stella stood and took the microphone from Rider.
“Welcome Everyone. Today’s order of contestants will occur from oldest to youngest. First, we begin with Glinda!” The crowd rose to their feet at the mention of her name and applauded loudly. Glinda immediately took her spot on the ledge of the building. She waved at the crowd below.
“Three, two, one!”
Glinda began spiraling rapidly as she descended down the side of the wall. After a few seconds, she then switched to somersaults. Several stories before landing, she went into a straight dive and began dispensing her pink-gemmed daggers into the ground. They quickly formed a smiley face and she landed right in the middle of it, as the nose. The crowd lost control and began screaming and cheering. Her scores went up on the screens.
“9, 10, 9, 2”
“Next we have Lady Bug!” announced Stella. The crowd broke out into screams and cheers as Lady flapped her wings from the rooftop. We all leaned over to get a view of how she would be diving. Stella counted her down. “Three, two, one!”
Lady jumped over the edge legs first, keeping her wings close to her body. I held my breath as she plummeted towards the ground. Right before hitting the ground, she did a quick flip, landing in a handstand. The crowd went wild. The judges entered their scores, which flashed onto the screen.
“8, 5, 8, 2.” Again, Stella and Rider had the same scores. Div looked like she expected better, and Victoria yawned as if her “2” indicated that Lady’s dive bored her.
“Next up, Christian White!” Christian made his way to the edge and turned his back toward the crowd. Once Stella counted him down, he fell back off of the roof. He spiraled over thirty times while diving head-first before I lost count. He flipped and landed on his feet at the bottom. Again, the crowd went crazy while applauding him. His scores quickly appeared.
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