by S.A. Waters
Dylan nodded. “Only on your last life.” He said. I kept petting him, and he continued to lay on my lap.
Sometime later we got up and we turned on the T.V., which I found played the same shows as Earth. I got two sodas from the mini fridge I found, putting one in a bowl. We were probably in my room for three hours, until Star called us down for dinner. Dylan and I jumped off the couch and ran down the stairs. Dylan got there first.
Just as Dylan predicted: baby back ribs! My favorite!
“Star!” I exclaimed. “How did you know?”
“Me?” she replied. “Eli made it.” I turned to Eli. He just said, “You’ve only known me for a day, kid.” Then he winked at me and I just laughed. I think I was going to like him too. I grabbed my ribs from the table, scarfing them down in a single breath. “Slow down, Kyle!” Star laughed. “We still have dessert!” I immediately put down the rib and watched in awe as Eli brought out a red velvet cake with German chocolate frosting, and then chocolate ice cream! I was literally in Heaven! “Eat your dessert slowly,” Eli snapped. “We must now discuss what you will have to do from here on out.” I put my fork down and looked over at Star, who shot Eli a look not to be so rough. Then she spoke.
“Okay, Kyle. As you know, you are here to bring friendship between the Mystians and Pacts and restore the Lybrian nation to its original state of peace. When Argo died, his first born son took over.”
“Is he still in power?” I asked.
“Yes. His name is Alpha Maximus: Ruler of the Pacts. And he is your arch enemy. Remember the two men on the plane? Austin DeLuca and Timothy Swanson?”
“How could I forget?”
“Well, Austin and Timothy are Alpha’s main hunters. They were on the plane to capture you and make you vulnerable. When they realized the plane was going to crash, they took two parachutes and jumped, fleeing the incident.”
“They were Pacts? THEY KILLED MY FRIENDS! MY GIRLFRIEND! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!” I realized I was screaming and out of my seat. My guardians looked at me, and I apologized and sat down.
“That’s what they were sent to do. They wanted to destroy you mentally, to make you weak.”
“I want vengeance! I am going to kill them!”
“Good. You must kill them to get to Alpha Maximus.”
“And you expect me to do this on my own?”
“No. That would be foolish. We have formed an alliance called The Code of Law to help protect you. They will be your army.”
“Who are they?”
“You’ll see. Oh, before I forget, Kyle, you must understand this. When a Lybrian goes back to Earth, he is seen as a mortal until touched by another Lybrian. So when you go back to Earth, no one will know that you are a Lybrian until they touch you. And you will not be able to see other Lybrians until they are touched. Does this make sense?”
“I guess so. Why are you telling me this?”
“As long as no one touches you, you are safe. Kyle, when you are on Earth, if you see a Lybrian, avoid them at all costs, and whatever happens, do NOT touch them! It will expose you and make you easy to find. Just try not to touch people in general. Is that clear?”
“Yes. But what does it matter? People will recognize me.”
“No they won’t. We are going to change the way you look, and your name.”
“But I like my name, and the way I look.”
“Then you can like your name and looks for the next month.” Eli said firmly. “That’s when we are changing it.”
“Fine. I guess it’s for the better.”
“Good,” Star said. “Now, Kyle, finish your dessert and go off to bed. We start training in the morning.”
Chapter 6
I woke up to a pounding knock on my door. “Get up, boy!” It was Eli.
“What are you doing?” I grumbled back.
“You have training! You have ten minutes to get down here for breakfast!” I rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. It was only six in the morning! Even on Earth, I never had to wake up this early. I grabbed a pair of black basketball shorts and a maroon colored T-shirt with some running shoes. I hobbled down the stairs where Eli, Star, and Dylan were waiting for me. I walked over to them, still half asleep, when a huge flame came out on the side of the wall! It went through the side of my head and then three bullets came at me. I dodged one but the other two hit my chest. I was then drenched with water sending me to the floor! I got up coughing, about ready to destroy the next thing in my way.
“What the hell was that!” I exclaimed furiously. “I could’ve died!”
“Impossible.” Eli shot back. “The fire and bullets were a hologram, but the water was real. It wouldn’t be able to kill you though.”
“You didn’t answer my first damn question! What the hell was that, Eli!”
“A start to your training; for reflexes. You obviously failed. The fire hit your mark, which would’ve killed you. The bullets would’ve made you vulnerable, but not fatally harm you due to your source of power. The water, well, in higher amounts might’ve drowned you. Or the force would have crushed you.”
“I see. Can I just have my breakfast?”
“Of course.” Then Eli brought out a stack of about seven pancakes using his talons; he skillfully balanced everything. I looked at Dylan and mouthed to him, Is this poison? He shook his head and kind of snickered a bit. With Dylan’s reassurance, I gobbled the pancakes down. They were all gone in less than three minutes, and they were very delicious!
“Come on then, boy,” Eli started. “To the gym for some conditioning.” He led me down a hall to an indoor gym.
It was filled with a lot of weight training machines, treadmills, bicycles, and more. “This is cool. Now what?” I asked Eli.
“Give me fifty.” I looked puzzled. He noticed, and then scolded at me, “Push ups! NOW!” I rolled my eyes and did as he said. Eli probably saw the irritation in my eyes and flew down to meet me down at eye level.
“Now,” he growled. “Don’t give me attitude, Walton. There are people trying to kill you out there. So either do as I say or you’ll put everyone in danger!” After that I did the push ups. Not because I’d kill everyone if I didn’t, but because of fear. Eli truly scared me. I guess that was a good thing. After the push ups that stupid eagle made me do a half hour sprint on the treadmill, chin ups, and weight training. By the end of the day I was icing in my room watching T.V. before I passed out on the couch. Today’s workout was brutal. I really just want to enjoy myself here, but I can’t when there is a huge freaking bird screaming at me! I didn’t like Eli very much. He was always on my case, and always yelling at me. To be honest, I don’t think he liked me much either.
The next day I was awakened by the same thing. I got out of bed faster this time, and I put a rock in my pocket before I cautiously went down the stairs to try to avoid the flames and water and other things trying to kill me. Before I reached the bottom of the staircase, I threw the rock in front of me to test the motion sensors. Nothing happened. So I walked down the rest of the stairway when once again, I was defeated. A spear at my neck this time, and then I was tackled by a huge boulder! I wasn’t hurt, but I cried for help up. I tried and tried to get up, but all my attempts were failures. Until finally Star, Dylan, and Eli came and pushed the boulder off of me. Dylan chuckled a bit.
“Not funny guys!” I growled.
Star, also laughing, said under her breath, “Just a little bit.” I rolled my eyes and got myself up. I looked over at Eli. No expression on his face. He wasn’t laughing. I went over to the table and slouched in my chair. I was not happy either.
During our breakfast of bacon and egg burritos, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t the rock trick work?”
Star replied, “Because, we have a scanner that only activates to you. It’s exact. No matter what you do there is no escaping it. I’ll have to admit though, the rock trick was very clever. Much better than I would’ve done on my second day
of training. This is the type of technology the Pacts are going to have. You must be careful.” I smiled and nodded. I get it now. Then Eli spoke, “Kyle,” He scolded. “Come now. It is time for training.”
“But I’m not done with breakfast,” I protested. Apparently that was not the answer Eli was looking for.
“I said come!” He yelled like I was a dog. His eyes focused on mine as they turned a bright red. It was super freaky, and I was just hoping he wouldn’t attack. Fear crept into me, and almost made me cry. Then Star jumped out of her seat furiously, and Dylan screamed, “THAT’S ENOUGH, ELI!” Eli’s eyes turned back to black. He looked at me in shock, and tried to say something, but instead just shook his head and flew off. Out the door he went, into the trees and out of site. Dylan paused for a second and stormed off after him.
“GET BACK HERE, ELI!” He shouted furiously. I looked at Star in confusion. I wasn’t breathing. I wasn’t blinking. I could feel my skin go from tan to white. Eli’s eyes were a bright red, like he was possessed or something. It was too much, too supernatural; I was overwhelmed. Star saw my facial expression, and ran over to me saying something. I wasn’t sure what she was saying, because by the time she got over to me, my head hit the floor. I was conscious, but couldn’t move, didn’t want to move. My senses were deprived. I couldn’t hear, even though I could see a blurry Star talk to me. Her paw touched my face, but I couldn’t feel the fur. What was wrong?
I finally went unconscious.
Chapter 7
I woke up in my bed. I looked over and checked the clock. 4:30 pm. I got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. No one was in the kitchen. There was some yelling outside though. I explored the house until I saw Star on the couch watching T.V.
“Hey, Star.” I muttered. She looked over at me and exhaled as if she was holding her breath the whole time I was passed out.
“Kyle,” She said. “I’m so glad your awake. Sit down here.” I took a seat next to her on the couch. “
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I am now. Don’t mind Eli. He will warm up in the morning.”
“What about Dylan?”
“He’s talking to him. Calming him down you could say. I wouldn’t even step outside if I were you.”
“Got it. What’s Eli’s problem anyway?”
“He just got frustrated. We will continue your training tomorrow. I suggest you go work out in the gym or something, get prepared.” I nodded and exited the room to the gym. I did a few bench presses and some treadmill work which helped clear my mind.
Then I went in my room and climbed up to the second story. I opened my computer, knowing that I could still find Earth articles, and typed in the search bar, “Kyle Walton.” Shockingly I didn’t even have to type in the “l” in Kyle. The results came up like a wildfire. “Kyle Walton escapes plane crash,” “Kyle Walton the terrorist,” “The death of Kyle Walton,” “Kyle Walton commits suicide.” And so many others. It was all bull. They don’t know the true story. No one was around to tell them. I wish I could’ve told Jenise that before I saw her so she doesn’t go around thinking her long lost cousin was a terrorist. I wish I could tell her. But I can’t. In the pocket of my shorts I pulled out the picture of Kody, Dakota, Drew, James, and me. I picked up an empty picture frame next to the computer and put it in there. I teared up a bit and then went back to my research on the computer. I clicked on, “Kyle Walton the terrorist.” Then I read the top article:
“Unfortunately, there has been another terrorist attack in the United States. But this time by a citizen with the name of Kyle Eilam Walton, who took the wheel of a plane by killing the two pilots. The plane was headed for the island of Catalina in the city Avalon, California. Walton stormed into the pilots chamber and shot them both. [Their names were Joey Garcia and Savitt Kern.] He took control of the plane and crashed it into the island, killing everyone but himself on the plane. Walton was then found, cared for in the hospital and brought to a holding cell in an FBI facility. We have been asked to keep the name quiet for security reasons. There, the criminal committed suicide by jumping out of the prison window three stories down where he burned to death by a raging fire. The fire seemed to be caused by a broken lantern. Two men, Austin DeLuca and Timothy Swanson, who were on the plane *went missing that day. They were recovered under a tree three days later and brought back to their home in Rockfrett, Colorado. We talked to the families of Garcia and Kern. ‘I’m glad he’s dead,”’said Joey Garcia’s wife, Haley Garcia. ‘I wish I could’ve seen him jump, I wish I could have sliced his neck open! No one deserves to die the way Joey or Savitt did. They were so innocent! Why did they have to suffer for what that boy did! I wish I could’ve killed him! I hope he is rotting in Hell!’ However, not everybody believes Walton was the one responsible for this unexpected act of treason. On Avalon, we found Walton’s cousin, Jenise Maynard. She told us, ‘I do not believe that Kyle would do something like this. He was coming over to the island to meet me. There is no real hard evidence that I know of that proves my cousin guilty. Until there is, I do not think that he is a terrorist or committed treason for that mater.’ Until this case is truly solved, we will keep you all updated.”
The article was sending me mixed emotions. I was upset that the Garcia lady was happy I was dead. But you can’t really blame her. I feel the same way about Austin and Timothy. I was kind of happy that Jenise knows I didn’t do it. I was furious that they thought I crashed the plane and committed suicide. That part was Eli’s fault, as he was the one who pushed me out the window to make it look like I had jumped. I was also feeling vengeance. I now know where the bastards live. After my training is over, I was going to track them down and kill them. Colorado. I needed to be there, because I didn’t crash the plane, I didn’t kill innocent people. The true terrorists did. Austin DeLuca and Timothy Swanson did. It’s all their fault! I went into a stage of rage and anger. I’ve been missing that big point all along! I didn’t deserve to have this happen to me or my friends. Austin and Timothy were going to die. And then I would focus on reuniting the two worlds. But for now, killing them was my number one priority. I looked at the picture, laid my head in my arms and cried.
“Come down, Kyle!” I heard Star call. It must be time for dinner. I wiped my eyes and hurried down the stairs for some pizza. Casual, but delicious. It was silent and awkward for a little while until Star soon broke it.
“Kyle,” She started. “We have mentioned this earlier, but I doubt you’ve given it much thought. Before you go back to Earth, we have to come up with new name and look for you. That way people will have less of an urge to touch you, keeping your true identity a secret. Do you have any ideas?”
“No. Like you said, I haven’t given it any thought.”
“Well, you have to start. How about Jordan Paley?”
“Nah. I’ll get some paper and a pen. Then we can see the names we like.” I got up to open a drawer, finding a very elegant pen with some parchment. How classy.
“Got it,” I said, sitting back down.
“Good. Let’s start with first names. Cory?”
“I’ll put that one down.”
“Kyler?”
“That’s cool. I like that one.”
“Tyler Jack. Then we can call you T.J.”
“No. I kind of like the idea of the double name thing though.”
“Alright then. Thomas?”
“No.”
“Gabriel? Oh! I got it, Alex Gabriel!”
“That one is definitely up for consideration. Nice one!”
“Erik?”
“Not bad. I’ll add it.” Soon our first name list filled up the whole page. We put fifteen names - seven of them were combination names. There was Cory, Kyler, Alex-Gabriel, Erik, Asher-Bennet, Fabian-Blane, Adain, Ari-Blaze, Connor, Elias-Kail, Ivan-Garrett, Andrew-Kolton, Christopher-Jonah, Daniel, and Liam. Then we moved to the middle names.
“Nigel?” Star asked.
“No. Ho
w about Owen?”
“I like that. Or Peter?”
“I do like that name. I’ll write it down too.” Soon Star and I had another fifteen names on the list. Owen, Peter, Ricky, Roy, Samuel, Ben, David, Spencer, Luke, Josh, Bear, Jay, Drake, Jacob, and Dane. Finally, we wrote down the last names. These took forever to come up with. We came up with names like Wence, Harris, and Johnson. One name I did like though was Breese. I don’t know why, but I loved that last name.
“I think this is the last name I’m going for. I really love it.” I told Star.
“If you’re happy, I’m happy,” She said. “But remember, once changed, that’s it. So be one hundred percent sure you like it. Go upstairs and sleep on it. We have a busy day tomorrow. Goodnight, Kyle.”
I nodded at Star and jogged up the stairs to my bedroom. I sat on my couch and checked the time. It was already 10:30 pm. I didn’t realize how much time Star and I had spent on the names. I yawned and changed into some pajamas. Blue and silk. I liked them. I climbed into bed, and slowly dozed off.
The next morning I was awakened by the same loud knock on my door. Eli was back to normal. I did my same morning routine, but I had a new idea of what to do about the weapons down stairs: dodge whatever came at me. I walked down the stairs, ready for anything. Today the surprise was ten ninja stars, three bullets, and what looked to be about eight tons of rock. Believe me, I didn’t count, Star told me later. As planned, I successfully attempted to dodge seven of the ninja stars and one of the bullets. I jumped, then ducked, then swerved. I guess I got pretty lucky. Unfortunately, the rocks came at me unexpectedly and threw me to the floor. Of course it didn’t hurt, but I would’ve been dead if they had been real.
“Well done,” Star said. “but it was not enough. Be aware of everything at anytime. Now, eat your breakfast. We have work to do.” I rolled myself out from underneath the rocks and sat down. Eli and Dylan were back too. I helped myself to a cinnamon roll or two before Eli lead me outside.
Eli flew on top of a tree at the park in the backyard.
“Climb,” He commanded. The tree he was on didn’t have branches until a quarter of the way up. I looked up, sighed, and grabbed a thick piece of bark. I knew I couldn’t argue with him. I hoisted myself onto the next thick piece of bark unsuccessfully as I fell to the ground.