*
And so the afternoon went on. They spent all afternoon reading, getting lost in both time and the book. The thing the five of them were the most amazed about were the extremely detailed drawings that supported the story; they were really good and were drawn very realistically, almost as if they were pictures of actual people.
A funny thing was that they got so lost in the book, that none of the five teens realised what time it as until they’d reached the end of the book and had already finished reading.
“...Wait, was that really the last page?” James said, as he turned the last page and found a blank page on the other side.
However, the page wasn’t completely empty; in the middle of the page there was one word, written in stylized, curly handwriting; “Believe”.
“‘Believe?’” Samira mumbled. “Wonder whatever that’s supposed to mean... I believe we kept on reading a bit too long, guys.”
“A bit too long?” Thomas shouted worriedly, while looking on his watch. “It’s almost four o’clock! I promised my mother I’d be back at two!”
“Your mum’s still got you on a curfew?” Antonio snickered. “Really, Thomas? You’re nineteen, for God’s sake!”
“It’s not a curfew,” Thomas snapped. “She just... likes to check on my whereabouts. She’s a control freak, trust me.”
“That’s what parents do, Thom,” Samira laughed. “Control our lives as much as they can.”
“Yeah,” Bella said. “But they love us though. Otherwise, Dad never would’ve allowed me to pursue my dance career.”
“Didn’t he try to stop you?” Thomas remarked.
“He was scared of the dance I wanted to do, not of the idea of me dancing. But I succeeded in doing both...” She paused, taking a few moments to realise Thomas was trying to get the conversation off-topic. “But that’s not the point!” she shouted.
“Guys, this isn’t the time to argue,” James decided. “Let’s talk about the book instead.hat do you guys think of the story?”
“I think it was kind of bloody, to be honest,” Bella said. “That so-called Master of Nightmares might be a half-human, half-demon, but to me, he’s a full-bred monster!”
“He might be,” Antonio said, “but he’s still an awesomely written villain. You’ve got to admit; he doesn’t take shit from anyone and he makes sure everyone knows it.”
“Would you mind?” Thomas commented, regarding Antonio’s choice of language, but Antonio however didn’t seem to care much for it.
“Why don’t you lighten up a bit, you itty-bitty-Britty-boy,” he grinned.
Thomas didn’t really seem to like the nickname he’d been given “What did you call me?”
Antonio sighed and rolled his eyes. “There you go. He wants to fight.”
Thomas jumped up from the bed and walked over to Antonio while throwing off his grey vest and rolling up the sleeves red sweater.
“I sure do,” he said. “At least, if I have your permission.”
“Guys!” Samira shouted angrily. “I am not in the mood for this!”
“Let’s save this one for later, shall we?” Antonio hissed beneath his breath. “I owe you one.”
“Fine,” Thomas said, and found his seat next to Bella again. “Coward.”
Antonio crossed his arms. “Don’t say that again, or I might rethink my decision.”
James, attempting to get the conversation started again, laughed nervously. “All right, guys,” he said. “So...” He quickly flipped through the book, as if it was going to help him find something to talk about, when his eye suddenly fell on a group picture of the five Guardians of Light.
“The costumes the Guardians are given once they arrive in Keeper’s Cove do look really cool, though,” he said. “What do you guys think?”
His friends leaned over closer to him in order to be able to see the picture he’d mentioned, so James stuck out his arms and held the book more forward so everyone could see.
“I think she looks really cool,” Bella said, pointing at a girl dressed in armour; she wore a hooded cape which had been coloured black with messy, black scribbles, and looked strong, yet mysterious. Her raven black hair was a rather complete mess, and her face looked determined. “Like a knight in shining armour.”
“She sure does have a kick-ass sword,” Thomas said. “I’d like to wield a sword once. You know, a real one. Not some plastic lightsabre from a Disneyland shop or something like that.”
“I think I’d prefer bow and arrow,” Samira said. “It has some elegance to it, I don’t know.”
“Well, this girl here uses a crossbow,” James said, pointing at a fairly small girl, who was seemingly quite a lot younger than the other Guardians, and had curly hair. “So I guess that’s a thing too. But I think I’d prefer a sword, though.”
“Throwing daggers would be my thing,” Antonio said. “Easy to carry, fast and deadly. ...But a halberd is awesome too, I must say.”
“I wanted to discuss costumes, and now we’ve gone on to discussing weaponry,” James chuckled. “Their weapons played a more important role in their surviving anyway.”
“But they didn’t,” Thomas said. “They... just... died.” He paused. “I disagree with the ending. The villain never wins. This is wrong!”
“But the Master of Nightmares didn’t really win, after all,” Samira corrected him. “The Spirits of Light merged with the spirits of the Guardians, so they could help them guide the next Bond of Light until they find the Tenth Generation.”
Thomas threw Samira an uncomprehending look, but James nodded at him. “It’s right here,” he said. “She’s right.”
“Of course I’m right,” Samira said. “I’m always right.”
“Agree to disagree,” James said, while looking at the clock that hung on Antonio’s wall, right above the door. “I think we should head home for dinner. It’s getting kind of late.”
“Maybe we should,” Samira said. “It’s been fun, you guys.”
“If you’re going, I’m going too,” Bella said. “I’ve got four hours of training tomorrow morning. I’m going to need a lot of sleep tonight...”
“I had to be home about two and a half an hour ago, so I think I have to get going as well,” Thomas said. “Or else my parents are going to be pissed.”
Antonio snickered, but didn’t say anything after receiving a killer glare from Thomas. “All right, see you guys tomorrow,” he said.
He walked his friends to the door and they said goodbye. James, Samira, Bella and Thomas walked the first bit of the way together, until they had to part ways.
When James and Samira entered their house, smells of grilled chicken and garlic bread filled the hallway.
“Mmm, smells like Mum’s started to cook dinner already,” James said, licking his lips.
“That’s right!” their mother’s voice shouted from the kitchen. “And it’s ready, so please sit at the table! I’ll be right there in a minute.”
As James and Samira sat down at the dinner table, their mother came rushing in, carrying a big dish of chicken.
“Smells good, Mum!” James said, as Cheyenne began dividing the chicken over three plates.
“Thank you, sweetie,” his mother smiled at him, as she set down his plate. Then, she noticed the book lying next to him on the table.
“James, you know the rules: no books, phones or other things on the table when we’re eating,” she said.
“Sorry Mum,” James said, as he put the book on the ground. “I just picked that one up from the library this afternoon.”
“Really?” Cheyenne said. “What’s it about?”
“It’s either the full version or some kind of sequel to that fairy tale Dad always used to read to us,” Samira said. “It’s really cool, with swordfights, Magic and everything!”
“Yeah,” James said. “It kind of continues with the first Generation of the Bond of Light that’s mentioned in Dad’s fairy tale.”
“I’m glad you’v
e found something you like,” Cheyenne smiled, as they proceeded to eat dinner.
Guardian: Protectors of Light Page 3