The beast wailed. Opening her eyes, she saw Mr. Blau taking the red dagger out of the dead beast. The wind stopped and he walked toward her. He pulled her into his arms, then, slowly moving his face to her ear, he whispered, “Gaia.”
G woke up. Her body was shaking, her face was covered in sweat, her head hurt like hell and the necklace felt heavier than ever. She rolled onto her side and checked the time… 5:39 am.
G crawled out of bed and leaned against one of the First Tree’s branches that hung next to her bed. “I dreamt about you again,” she whispered to the tree stroking a branch. “Any ideas why? You know… I dreamt about him too, Mr. Blau… Do you think he’ll help me understand all this?” G smiled at the silly idea of Mr. Blau being nice and useful to her. “Yeah, not likely.”
G tried going back to bed but it was useless, she couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept repeating her dream and the previous day’s events. She tried to remember the name Mr. Blau had called her, but no matter how much she concentrated she couldn’t remember or hear it.
Deprived of sleep and fueled by her astonishing stubbornness, G decided to face Mr. Blau once again. This time she wasn’t going to back off, at least not until she had her answers.
* * *
After school the next day, Mr. Blau, seemingly oblivious to his encounter with a very decided G, was putting essays in his suitcase when she walked inside, slamming the door behind her. Mr. Blau flinched at the abrupt noise and turned to face her. “Couldn’t you slam the door harder?”
G cut to the chase. “We need to talk.”
Mr. Blau proceeded to clean his desk. “I’m not interested.”
Ignoring his terrible disposition, G walked to the desk. “I don’t care.”
“I’m busy,” he said while picking up some books from his desk.
Exasperated, G placed her hands on top of the books and shoved them back onto his desk. “You are always busy.”
Mr. Blau stared at G, his eyes narrowed, his lips pinched. “A quality you should consider working on,” he said swiftly snatching the books away from her grasp.
“Are you always this-”
“Assertive?”
“Infuriating,” she said.
Mr. Blau took a few seconds to think. “Yes, in fact, I am. Is that all?” But he knew better than that, G wasn’t going anywhere until she got what she came for. “What do you want?”
G smiled victoriously. “Yesterday, you called me by a different name.”
He felt a chill down his spine. The campus wasn’t the place to have that conversation, nor was it the right timing. “I didn’t, now leave.”
“Yes, you did,” G responded emphatically.
“Why are you so bloody difficult?” he murmured and took a deep breath. “You hit your head. People with concussions tend to see or hear things. Now, if you would please be so kind as to exit this classroom.”
G didn’t listen, instead she walked closer to him. “You know me.”
“Of course I know you, I’m your teacher. I would be doing a poor job if I didn’t know my students by now, especially a tediously stubborn one such as yourself.” Mr. Blau was clearly uncomfortable by G’s proximity. He took a step back and returned to cleaning his desk.
“No, I mean you know me from before.”
“Impossible,” he scoffed and frowned his eyebrows. “Thanks to your previous obsessive questionnaire, you know very well that I recently moved here.”
G moved forward and pinned Mr. Blau between her and the desk. He had nowhere else to run now. “Say my name.”
“Excuse me?” mumbled Mr. Blau. His usual perfect composure switched for a second to a nerve-wracked state. And she saw it… hesitation.
“Say my name,” she demanded again.
“G,” he answered.
G tilted her head to study Mr. Blau’s reactions. “My other name.”
“Other name?” He crossed his arms in order to create a more needed boundary between them. “Is someone having multiple personality issues?” he mocked.
“Say it!” she said rubbing her head in frustration. She could tell he knew what she was talking about, but she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t telling her the truth. What the hell was he hiding?
Mr. Blau took her stress as a chance to escape the situation. In a fast movement, he grabbed G by the waist and spun her so that she was now the one against the table and he was the one pinning her. “Like I said,” he pressed closer to her, “I don’t know what you mean. Now please leave.” He took a few steps back in order to give her enough space to exit and pointed at the door. Unwilling to move she remained standing there. “What are you waiting for?”
“I have a question about today’s class,” she lied.
“Are you serious?!” he snapped.
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t care.”
“You’re the teacher!” Her head throbbed, something that happened more frequently after talking with this stubborn man for even a few minutes.
“Exactly. And I already taught class today. If you didn’t pay attention, it’s not my bloody problem.”
“You have an anger issue,” she said, her headache increasing.
“And you must have a hearing issue, as I’ve been asking you to leave and you are still here,” he said as he pushed her outside the office.
“But-!”
“Goodbye!” He slammed the door and turned the lock.
G leaned her head against the door. “Dammit!” She was so close and she knew it. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the name he called her. She could see his worried face, feel the warmth of his arms, but she couldn’t hear anything. The more she focused the bigger the headache became. It was as if something inside her brain was fighting to get out.
“So… you do like the teacher?” said Synthia. “That’s so adorable of you to think he likes you back.”
G lifted her head and stared at her underdressed aggressor. “I don’t like him. He’s our teacher.”
“Then why are you stalking him?” she asked while playing with her platinum extensions.
“I’m not,” she said, her head pounding with pain.
“Then what were you doing in there?” Synthia whined.
Fighting… she thought, but she wasn’t giving Synthia the pleasure so instead, G smirked and bit her lower lip. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“He wouldn’t!” she yelped followed by a frown.
G chuckled at Synthia’s reaction. “Let’s say he’s very… assertive.” G was sure Synthia wasn’t bright enough to understand that word, but quoting him to get her worked up felt like was sharing an inside joke with him.
“Leave him alone,” Synthia demanded with a cry that scratched G’s headache.
“I would, but it’s none of your business.” Having enough for one day, G walked away.
“It is my business.” Synthia followed G and pulled her by the arm.
G slapped her hand away. “Back off.”
“Or what?” Synthia squinted her dark brown eyes in a menacing way. “You will faint from another headache?”
“I didn’t faint,” said G as she walked to the school’s rear patio.
“Nice trick by the way, Mr. Blau was all over you.”
“Unlike you, my life doesn’t revolve around who I’m hooking up with next.” G lifted her head and looked outside. The sun hit her eyes causing her headache to double. She felt like her entire body was going to explode, and the angrier she got, the worst she felt. “Now. if you’ll excuse me, I have a life to get back to.”
“Don’t you walk away from me.” As G turned around to leave, Synthia grabbed her by the necklace and pulled.
“Don’t touch my necklace!”
“You mean this cheap old thing?” Synthia tightened her grip and pulled over and over again. She pulled the necklace so hard G almost fell to the ground.
Suddenly… the chain snapped. For the first time in twelve years, the necklace was off her neck
&n
bsp; Chapter 7
Fire
G FELT AS IF PLASTIC wrap covering her body snapped and a sonic wave flew outward from her body. The blast blew all the snow within a mile radius, creating a perfectly dry, snowless circle. G fell backwards in slow motion. Rather than hitting the ground, her body levitated in the air.
Her eyes closed, her body bent backwards and her bright red hair floated as if she were under water.
The birthmark under her wrist shone with a golden color. Time stood still. It was as if she could breathe for the first time.
Her everpresent headache was completely gone. All she could feel was an empowering sense of freedom; a need to expand her mind.
She concentrated on the grass a few yards from her, and even if she wasn’t touching it, she could feel it on her skin and smell it in the air.
Farther… whispered a voice inside of her.
G took a deep breath and by releasing it, her mind expanded even more. She could feel the people in the street, the forest, the animals, the leaves, every single snowflake hitting the ground, and for a brief moment she felt connected to everything. She could smell the flowers and the fresh air in the mountains. She felt the sunlight on her face, the goosebumps on her skin from the cold fresh air caressing her back. Every single living thing surrounding her became a part of her. She understood them and they understood her.
A small memory of her necklace snapping away from her neck woke G from her trance. Untamed rage filled her. Her body straightened and her eyes opened.
G’s body became warmer and warmer. She looked at her hands; they were shaking so fast she could barely see her fingers. Suddenly, her hands were covered in an aura of hot red flames.
Deep down she knew she should be freaking out, but her mind was blank. Calmed, cold and calculating, G lifted her hands. Elbows to her waist, she turned her palms to the sky and the aura of flames slid from her hands to her arms and to the rest of her body entirely. Her hair lifted into the air.
Everyone who saw her erupted in terror, not understanding what was happening. People screamed, students ran.
G began to descend slowly. When her toes touched the ground, five unique flames came out of her feet and burned the Five Fold symbol onto the pavement, just like the one on her wrist.
Once the symbol was complete, the flames came together and exploded. The fire lept out of control, people were screaming and everything was in chaos. Synthia screamed in excruciating pain as a horizontal line inside a circle burned into her chest.
The students ran in every direction; in fear, confusion and disbelief.
In one quick movement, Edan jumped the school’s fence; he landed on the grass and, with a flick of his wrist, a blue whirlwind of fire wrapped G’s body and made her lose consciousness. Before hitting the ground, Edan caught her and checked her vitals. “Donovan!” Edan screamed at the sight of his friend running towards him.
“Icarus already left. The others will be here any second now.”
“Take her to the house,” said Edan as he passed G into Donovan’s arms.
Donovan left and a tornado surrounded the school. Veter moved both of his hands in circles as he molded the tornado into a wind bubble that surrounded the school preventing the fire from spreading. His body was rock solid, planted in the earth without moving an inch. “Your turn,” he said with a huge childish smile.
Edan waved his hands and the fire G had made extinguished. “Veter, Get the Marked One!” Veter ran and grabbed a passed out Synthia.
Hunter arrived. “Skuggors,” he signed to Edan. "We need to leave”
Edan pointed at the students who were still screaming in panic. “Willow, take care of them.”
Willow lifted both of her hands and at the same time all of the screaming students fainted. “Done.”
“Stop killing humans!” Veter snapped.
“I made them faint.” Willow threw a bunch of seeds, pointed her hand and watched as dozens of white flowers grew.
“Beautiful,” Veter mocked her. “Why don’t we add some roses next time we’re in a hurry?”
Willow rolled her amber eyes. “Shut up, Gigant. They are Silenes, a hallucinogen.”
Veter threw Synthia over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Are you insane?” he snapped at Willow. “These are humans! Rule number two.”
“Both of you! Shut up and run!” ordered Edan.
Veter ran while carrying Synthia’s unconscious body. “Can somebody please explain to blondie that those were humans?”
“Could you please relax? Nothing happens if they burn, it’s the roots that make you hallucinate moron. Besides we need something to discredit whatever they remember or say,” she scoffed. “Why does everybody keep thinking I’m going to kill humans?!”
“Not the time! Two minutes!” screamed Edan. “Veter, get her out of here now.” A massive growl was heard. “How many?” Edan asked, and Hunter lifted two fingers. “Crawlers? Draaks?” Hunter shook his head. “All of you, stick together! Don’t run in a straight line. We will meet at the house. If you can’t make it before it gets dark, meet us at the first camp.” With that, they all ran in one direction while Edan took another path.
Two Skuggors crept to the spot Edan and the rest had been standing. Their intense red eyes saw the team dividing. Each one followed a target using their eight thick legs to climb and crawl through the trees and rocks with impossible speed.
The first Skuggor followed Veter, Hunter and Willow. The three of them ran as fast as they could, trying to avoid running in a straight line until the Skuggor caught up with them. The dark beast attacked Veter first.
He snarled and used one of his three scorpion tails to jump and attack Veter, but he changed his trajectory before receiving the hit. He turned around, punched the wind and a huge fist made out of air hit the Skuggor on its side. The Skuggor smashed against a tree shattering it like a twig. Not two seconds later, it was back on its eight feet like nothing ever happened and proceeded to go after Veter.
Ever since they were chosen to be The Six, Edan had shown them tricks on how to outrun a Skuggor and how to detect other dark beasts, but this time, Veter couldn’t hold it off much longer. The Skuggor was too fast. Every time he switched directions, Synthia’s body rolled on his shoulder making it almost impossible to fight with his full strength.
Willow wielded the tree branches against the beast’s body to slow it down, but her branches snapped at the strength and speed of the bloodthirsty monster. Willow tried again, only this time she wielded thick vines and held them at the other end.
Instead of hitting the Skuggor, it caught the vine with one of its thick scorpion tails, pulling so hard that Willow was catapulted into the air and smashed against a rock. She screamed in agony when her shoulder cracked.
Hunter ran to her while Veter made a tornado around the dark beast, trying to give them time to get away, but the Skuggor moved too fast.
The beast made a third attempt to kill Veter. It swiped its left scorpion tail but, seconds before hitting Veter, a tree’s root curled around the tail and pulled. Veter saw Willow moving her unharmed arm forward, wielding the root to drag the creature away from him.
Veter tried to wield the wind but the dead weight of Synthia interfered with his movements. “Hunter!” Veter screamed.
The teen ran in Veter’s direction and he handed Synthia off. The tension was palpable. “Get out of here,” he barked. Hunter ran away carrying the Marked One.
Veter and Willow worked together to try and kill the Skuggor. It seemed impossible: the creature was too strong, too fast. They ran towards a bunch of rocks and started climbing.
The Skuggor cornered them, smacking Willow with its right tail. She fell to the ground. Veter stepped in front to protect her. The Skuggor gave an ear-splitting screech then attacked.
CLASH! A water wave slammed against the Skuggor milliseconds before impact, pushing him far away from Veter. Invigorated, Veter turned around to see Shui pointing her hands at the water wav
e. “Nice work, babe!”
Willow was still on the ground, but Shui wielded water, making the rocks slippery enough that the Skuggor had trouble climbing up. Veter took advantage of its lack of speed and created another twister. Not able to run, the Skuggor was caught inside the tornado. “Now, babe!” Veter screamed. Shui pushed her arms towards the Skuggor, shooting three waterspouts in its direction. Veter moved his hand and, with the wind, managed to freeze the water creating ice picks.
The ice picks stabbed the Skuggor leaving him close to his end. Veter lifted his hands and lowered them as fast as he could. The tornado mimicked Veter’s movement and slammed the Skuggor, annihilating it against the rocks.
Veter ran to Shui and Willow. “Are you ok?” Concerned over the one he loved the most , Veter took Shui’s face between his palms and gently moved her head in different positions to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
“Yes,” Shui replied, placing one of her hands on the back of Veter’s to calm him down. “You?”
Veter caressed her cheek with his thumb and smiled mischievously. “Is somebody worried about me?” Shui blushed and moved her gaze away from his.
Nauseated by their behavior, Willow gave a loud fake gag. They looked at her. “Can you two stop being disgusting so we can go back to the house?” She turned around. The movement of her shoulder made her grunt in pain.
“Wait, your shoulder is dislocated,” said Veter as he walked to Willow and slowly felt around to assess the injury.
“Did Edan reach the house?” Willow asked Shui almost out of breath.
“The house? I thought he was with you.” Shui lifted her eyebrows confused by the question.
“We got separated,” Willow said.
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