by B L Barkey
“Cephasonians, as a reminder. The score is now two to four, the Vipers leading this phenomenal face-off. However, the game is far from over. The seventh and final round is worth three points to the victor! Also, a surprise twist is always added by our EQ gaming program, chosen from three options: doubling the tiles for each team, doubling the rocks, or doubling the boulders. Which one will tonight bring?”
The Pandas continued to drift towards the Vipers, so slowly that time itself seemed to slow.
“Ready?... BEGIN!!!” The final round initiated. The tiles doubled on each homebase, creating a total of 2,000 red tiles behind the Pandas and 2,000 blue tiles in front of them.
Ammon counted five islands. Jack was already almost at Viper base, having found a boulder, and launched himself with the assist of a gravity shift. Two vipers saw him coming and rushed to meet him. Big mistake. Ammon didn’t need to look to know when they collided. The thunderclap sound of their bodies connecting was enough. Ammon counted those two guys out.
Next, Jay was already positioned on a boulder, hidden from the Vipers. She would be their defense, only acting in the direst of moments. Typically, she would hang back, but this was a practiced audible in case any of them were injured. Mikael and Bastion stayed close together, facing off with two Vipers. They took turns fighting of the players and taking tiles. The Vipers tried to escape, but only one was able to slip away and launch himself towards the Panda base. He was hit just as he did so, now spinning out of control. Ammon had the clock back on his arm. Nine minutes to go.
He pulled his body to the left with the magnets. He then pulled down with a quick burst, sending himself diagonal.
He softened his approach some, using his legs as springs and jumping off of the left wall, all while activating the magnets straight ahead and to the right. He passed between two closing boulders, skimmed a rock, then was on his way to the island of 700-tiles. Chalice intercepted Ammon’s path, surprising him. No one had been able to intercept his diagonal approaches so quickly. The collision slowed Ammon’s approach considerably, though they still were moving towards Viper base. Ammon received two blows to the stomach as Chalice punched him. He then received another blow from the back. It was from a Viper whom Jackson had been fighting. He must have lost him to the magnets¸Ammon thought. And now they’re trying to take out Chief Panda.
Ammon was fine with this. He held onto them, receiving blow after blow. He could see through flashes of Viper uniforms, and blotches of pain, that the Viper base was growing more and more red.
Bastion and Mikael were collecting their tiles furiously. Chalice must have seen it too, for he tried to break away, but Ammon caught his leg. As he did so, he caught sight of a rock flying towards them. He used his last strength to hold them there.
There was a sudden yank towards the right wall. Chalice was using the magnets. Ammon tugged on the opposite wall, balancing out the force. Perfect timing. The rock connected with Chalice, breaking Ammon’s grip on his leg. The other Viper continued to pummel Ammon’s helmet, but Ammon finally got his arms up just enough to block the blows. He gritted his teeth and took the hits. He peered at his watch through squinted, teary eyes. One minute left.
Chalice was out. The remaining Vipers had somehow teamed up on Jack and Bastion, and had them spinning back in the center. Mikael was making his way to more blue tiles. The Vipers made it to Panda base and began taking tiles by storm.
Suddenly, Ammon heard another crash. Another rock flung by Jay towards their own base. Disabling the Vipers. And that was it. They recovered and took a few more tiles, but Mikael finished by taking the last few.
The buzzer rang. The audience erupted. The Red Pandas had won.
Chapter XXV
Glowfish
The magnets pulled the teams back to their doorways. The crowds rioted for the Red Pandas. It was an incredible win. They had claimed the final three points, ending the match five to four, Red Pandas. It was not an easy win. It had taken all their secret maneuvers. They would have to practice some new ones. But it was worth it. The victory was theirs. The walls slowly grew back into an opaque black, and the Pandas shuffled into the hallway.
How they still had energy to celebrate, Ammon did not know. But they did, and they held nothing back. Bastion lifted Ammon up despite his own injuries, and they were surrounded by their team. They all fell to the padded floors, laughing with joy for their victory. They had done it. Their countless hours of practice had paid off.
And now the SG Trials. The thought caught Ammon off-guard. He hadn’t realized it before. This had probably been his last Equilibria game for many years. His heart felt troubled, as if eating bittersweet fruit.
After a few minutes they got up and began cleaning up, Jaqlin leaving for the ladies locker room. She still yelled from the ladies side, reminiscing of the game that had occurred just minutes before.
They made it out of the locker rooms and into the halls. They were greeted with roaring applause, and by the Vipers. They shook hands with their opponents, although Chalice was nowhere to be seen. Back to Maison, Ammon thought. His teeth were clenched, yet he felt new reprieve in his understanding. Though the game was over, perhaps Chalice would still be able to act honorably.
It took the players a while to work through the crowds. The Levitians finally came down and hushed the younglings, sending them on their trek back to High Forest. Ammon had somewhere he wanted to go before this though, hence why he had packed his bag before the game.
“Bastion,” Ammon called out, waiting for a reply. The crowd thinned, and Bastion came towards him while shouting a farewell to Mikael.
“What’s up Chief?” he replied with a huge grin. Such an unreserved smile was rare for the boy. It made Ammon even happier for the victory.
“Hey brother. You guys are releasing the flippers tomorrow, yeah? I was hoping to go say goodbye to the little punks before they left.” Those dolphins had Ammon falling in love.
“Of course, Chief. Just make sure you’re discreet. The ARC keepers may not be too thrilled about you being there without me.”
“I will,” said Ammon, patting him on the back. And with that, he casually made his way through the corridors to grab his bag, then walked out the west entrance. He walked amongst some of the crowds, though most students still had to pack their stuff.
He followed the trail to High Forest for a few minutes, then broke off to the left, working his way south on a small dirt trail down to the ARC. He felt as if everyone was watching him. But then he pushed the thought from his mind, knowing it be paranoia. No one was paying any attention to him. They had their own lives to live.
He continued down the trail, building up a slight jog despite the aching pains in his lower back and shoulders. After about ten minutes he made it down to the beach. He dropped his bags in the tall grass, kicked off his sandals, and stepped into the cool sand. It was late afternoon, the sun beginning to dip behind the horizon.
The breeze that welcomed him was beyond soothing, seeming to carry him to the water, like the magnets of the EQ cube. He stopped on wet sand where the tide had clearly licked the beach, then stepped into the water as it rushed up to his shins.
It was cold. Freezing. And it seemed to drain the aches from his body. He continued up to his knees, then moved towards the ARC nets where the dolphins were kept safe. He could see a white glow beginning to blanket the sands. He looked up to see the waning moon. The nets pulled up to the beach, and then rose up several feet as to prevent the dolphins from jumping over.
Ammon crept back out of the water, walked around the rim of the fence, and entered into the ARC marine habitat. He looked for the little flippers. He didn’t have to look long.
He felt a nudge at the back of his right knee. His preconceived fears gave him a startle before he gathered his wits. It was one of the three dolphins, the female of the group. Of course it was her. This was her favorite trick. There were two males as well, often deeper in the waters goofing off with one another.
She was a beautiful creature, even with the large scar that spanned the upper right half of her body. The injury had healed fine, leaving her swimming finesse unhindered. She swam in front of Ammon and slowed, allowing him to stroke her back. She was oft affectionate, when not mischievous.
Unfortunately, the time would come soon to send the dolphins away. It was not the mission of the ARC to adopt animals permanently, but to nurture them to good health, and then introduce them back into the wild. This was sometimes hard for Ammon, and always excruciating for Bastion. Yet they understood why it had to be done. The animals had their own worlds to live in.
He rubbed Stella on her side one more time before wading from the waters. He started walking west then along the shore. This South Shore served as a hotspot for an abundance of rare fish known as glowfish.
These glowfish had green stripes and a bright blue spot on their sides. They glowed from fluorescence within themselves. They would disappear during the day, and it was speculated that it was then that they would feast on deposited sediments in the depths, storing fluorescent materials to high levels within their bodies, held just below their crystal scales.
The glowfish would also gather in greater concentration near the animals who needed the most help. Some glowfish would lose their lives getting too close to predators in an effort to help them. Whatever the source of the glowfish, they brought not only light, but also peace and healing.
He watched the fish chase each other, then watched how the largest of them guarded an area of the submerged sands, keeping all others out of his imaginary domain. A different world.
Ammon heard a splash behind him. He cursed himself for having let his guard down, then wheeled around expecting to see the faces of the ARC keepers. Yet they were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he saw Sadie. She was standing there in her flowing sundress and blonde hair. Curse my lucid dreams and realistic imagination. He could even see her wavy hair, her natural feminine curves. The way she walked, and especially the way she walked towards him.
She had followed him all the way here. She is real, he tried to convince himself.
“What are you doing here?” was all he could manage to say to the garbed angel standing before him. He could smell her perfume, which filled him with elation.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said with an exquisite smile, holding her tongue to the top of her mouth on the last word.
“I came down to say goodbye to muh.. my new friends,” Ammon stuttered. Sheesh, it’s like I’ve never kissed the girl before. He sighed.
“They said I’d better come say farewell, or else they’d curse me,” Ammon responded.
“Oh?” she asked, tilting her head. “Curse you how?
“Well. They said I’d never catch another fish.” He managed to keep a straight face, watching the last few rays of light disappear from the corner of his eye.
“That sounds awful. And plausible,” Sadie said, her forehead scrunched together. “Good thing you came down here.” Her hidden smile slowly appeared.
“Yeah. Good thing you came down here. I mean, good thing I came down here.” He cleared his throat, as if the mix up were an accident. She gave him a sideways glance, unconvinced. He turned towards her, obeying a force stronger than gravity. They raised their arms and held one another by the shoulders. The glowfish had cleared some, though they remained nearby.
“I saw the game today. You guys were amazing! I thought you had it from the beginning for sure. And then to be down by two points, and then win the game by taking the final round? It was so exciting to watch!” Her speech grew faster and louder, excitement mounting.
Ammon chuckled. He kissed her cheek as she continued talking. He noticed her eyes began to shine. She pulled her head away slightly then, craning her neck and looking into his eyes. For so long, Ammon had admired her. For so long, he had wanted to call her his own. But over the last three years of feeling these undeniable passions, it had never felt completely right to progress to the next stages of a relationship together. He wasn’t sure what it felt like to love a woman, but if he had to guess, this was it. He loved her. So why couldn’t he commit to her? Gazing into her eyes, he saw a piece of her true self. And this time, he did it without the Lake of Light. It was better for it.
Enthralled, he pulled her close, to see more. And somewhere along the way, as he tried to look deeper into her spirit, their lips met. His eyes were closed, though his heart was opening like a blooming flower. He hadn’t even realized it had been closed. But here it was, opening up for this girl. After an eternity of bliss had passed, they parted lips and began to tease and taunt once more.
They swam around and talked about life, playing with the idea of growing old together. Neither knew that the other was serious, yet they both also shared the feeling that something was keeping them apart. Destiny? Ammon kissed her again, passionately. And again, his heart was in flames. He wanted her now and forever. Nothing else in the world mattered. But then she stopped kissing him.
“Ammon, I feel like we will end up together one day. But I don’t know if it is right now.” She had just read his mind, though he had never planned on putting the thoughts into words. Saying it aloud made it more real. It made it true. Unfortunately for them both, she spoke it and sealed it. At the same time, though, this brought a certain relief to his soul.
“I know,” he said, sighing and hugging her tight. Her warmth remained, despite the chill of the waters. The only lights were the glowfish and the moon, with the blue in her eyes.
“Can I just tell you what I see right now?” He asked with the softest voice he could summon, though he now felt very vulnerable. He searched her face for emotion. A brighter gleam in her eye told him to go on, that he had her.
“Your hair is long and bright like the most beautiful summer day.
Your body as smooth and peaked as the waves of the ocean.
Your smile and eyes, though sometimes unseen, are as missed as the Sun
On a cool middle-night.
But your beautiful spirit and warm sense of venture brings joy to the eve, and reminds
One who looks upon you that happier times are still ahead.
Any being who walks with you walks with an angel.
So you should walk beside someone who can see clearly your halo.
Not a ring of perfection, but a promise.
That once again,
Like sunlight after night,
All things will be alright.”
With the final word, he breathed it against the smooth nape of her neck. A soft whimper left her lips and made home in his memory.
She slowly pulled away from him then, looking deep into his eyes. Never had anyone looked at him like that before. Like he was too good to be true. She peered into eyes, back and forth, for any hint of hidden lies.
It was more strange and wonderful than if he had discovered a second moon in the sky. It caused waves in his heart to the likes of which no tsunami could ever rival. She gave him a wry smile, then ran for the sands. He followed her after a moment, laughing and splashing her with water.
Could this day get any better? he thought to himself. She stopped at her sandals, where he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Her yellow sundress was wet, yet soft against his cheek.
They kissed one last time. Then she began to walk away. “My friends are waiting for me. But you’ll be at the bonfire tomorrow night, yeah?”
It was a rhetorical question. He nodded his head and smiled at her, his cheeks fighting to close his eyes. His eyes were fighting back to see every breath that this girl had to take in this life. And then she walked away.
Ammon waded into the water and stood there for another few moments. The glowfish began to surround his legs after a time, growing brighter as they drew closer.
He had a thought then that they were doing this to heal his aching heart. Whether it was true or not, it certainly was a nice thought. The glowfish continued to pulse in the water.
His heart continued to throb. At times the two were in sync. But then the consistent luminescence from the fish would slowly pull ahead, only to later hold his heart again in rhythmic empathy. I don’t want to leave this spot until I figure out how I feel about her.
After dazing off a little while longer, he walked out from the surf on numb legs, found his sandals, grabbed his bag, and stepped back into the river of life.
Chapter XXVI
Family Night
Mikael and Bastion were waiting for Ammon. Krystal was nowhere to be found, though she arrived another ten minutes after Ammon had come, picking up her pace within the last couple feet.