She glided gently to the bottom and landed on the water with a small splash. She didn’t realize until later that people were standing on either side of the river, and Coach Penny was there as well. They were all cheering for her and clapping. Coach Penny helped her out of the water, and afterward, she wrote something on a notepad. “You passed,” she said smilingly. “You have exceeded my expectations and surprised me with your abilities. Come now, we must move on to the next test.”
Coach Penny slipped a small, white tablet into her mouth, and immediately began to change. Her red hair turned slivery white, and a blue horn began to poke its way out of her head. Small, gray hairs emerged all over her body, and brown hoofs appeared where her feet were. Thin, silver wings emerged from her back and appeared in the pattern of a dream catcher.
Coach Penny said, “Hold on,” and grabbed Alana by her hooves. Coach Penny took flight, pulling Alana along with her. As they picked up speed, Alana’s heart began racing. The mountains were far below her, rocky and full of cracks and ridges. They gradually advanced toward the bungee domes, gaining altitude. Alana felt limp, and weak, dangling from Coach Penny’s arms. Coach Penny yelled over the wind, “I’m letting go now. You’re right under the bungee domes. I will meet you after you finish this test.”
With that, Coach Penny released her grip on Alana, and she began tumbling downward, falling toward her fate. “This must be how it feels to sky dive,” she said, as she hurtled through the sky.
She continued falling and the experience was exhilarating. Alana was freefalling for at least thirty seconds. She then spread her wings and floated downward. Her landing location was a few hundred feet from the bungee domes so she trotted across the mountains until she reached her destination. The bungee domes were far more astonishing than the view from above. A geodesic structure made up the central frame of the dome. The structure was made mainly out of steel rods, all connected in a triangular formation to create a larger hexagonal shape.
Large carabineers were attached in certain points on the rod, and the carabineers were attached to thick, rubber-coated bungee cords that had waist harnesses dangling from them. The base of the dome was like an inflated bounce house, covered in flexible trampoline material. The dome was partially covered in bulky tarpaulin, and was fitted and matched to size.
Staring at it in wonder, Alana realized that the dome was created to perfection. She walked up to it, drawing closer and closer. A friendly instructor met her near the base of the dome. He measured her height and weight, questioned her as to what type of Transmalian she was, and asked her if she had any health problems. She finished answering all the questions, and got suited up.
She was matched with a waist harness and hooked up to a set of sturdy bungee cords. Once placed on the trampoline, she was given instructions. She began jumping up and down, springing into the air multiple times. She attempted to do a backflip but found it difficult to accomplish. The bungee cords were quite tough, making it hard to move around with them. Alana attempted several difficult maneuvers and eventually executed them with flying colors.
Toward the end of her test, Alana saw Coach Penny standing in the corner of the bungee dome, shaking her head while scribbling furiously on a notepad. Alana had to perform one last trick. However, this trick was not as simple as the others. Alana tripped over the bungee cords in the middle of the stunt. The instructor guffawed, then was silenced by Coach Penny. Alana felt that the feat was impossible. It was a reverse backflip followed by a twist; then a tuck, then landing in a straddle. She attempted it one last time, but still was unable to do it.
She quickly had the instructor unhook her from the cords and jumped off the trampoline, feeling disheartened and disgraced. Coach Penny patted her gently on the shoulder and led her relatively far away from the dome. She tried to take her mind off what had happened and saw something that certainly did. The ropes course was nearby and Alana sprinted toward it, feeling lively once again.
COURAGE
Meanwhile, Sam was being tested, although he was not doing quite as well as Alana was. He was not able to create a spark, let alone breathe fire. His flying was adequate, but not as brilliant as it could have been. Sam was having a hard time maneuvering the skies, his wings flapping unevenly against the wind. His personal coach, Mr. Gram, was less than comforting. He observed Sam in disappointment, writing down note after note.
Mr. Gram was a gruff old man, with ashy skin, a gnarled beard, and a slim frame. Each time Sam failed to complete a task, Mr. Gram coughed, his face becoming more wrinkled and grave. He was not pleased with Sam, and Sam felt that with each passing moment, his coach despised him more and more. Sam could not wait for the test to end, as he became more and more infuriated with Mr. Gram’s snide remarks and snarky attitude. Sam was unable to excel at the tests that Mr. Gram gave him, as they were much too challenging and bewildering for an inexperienced student to understand.
Mr. Gram hurled insult after insult at Sam, angering him further. “Fly faster!” he screamed. “You’re flying around like a little chicken!” Sam could no longer endure Mr. Gram’s offensive statements. He knew what he had to do. He let loose the dragon that rose inside him. Suddenly, scales began to blast out of his skin, and his body began warming up. Tiny horns burst out of his head, and wings emerged from his back. His face became rock-like, and his throat started burning. Fire began licking at his tongue, and as he took a breath, it rushed outwards, spurting in the air. Mr. Gram took a step forward, yelled ferociously, and stuck a dark red pill into his mouth. His features began to alter, and he swiftly became a Transmalian dragon. He too was a colossal beast, with light red skin, bulky horns, and vast wings.
Sam stormed toward Mr. Gram and dug his horns into his stomach. However, Sam was the one writhing in pain. Mr. Gram laughed scornfully, and playfully tickled Sam with his wings. Sam pushed himself back up and took off into the sky. Mr. Gram followed him in hot pursuit. Sam had one advantage in the air. He was the lighter one, and his wings were stronger than his coach’s.
Mr. Gram had a hard time keeping up with Sam’s pace and the tight turns he was making. Mr. Gram teetered from side to side, unbalanced and uncoordinated. Sam saw his chance and charged toward Mr. Gram, boring holes in his rough skin using his horns. Sam and Mr. Gram went hurtling downward, and Sam immediately detached himself from Mr. Gram. To his shock, he noticed that Mr. Gram was not repositioning himself to fly; he just kept on tumbling through the empty air. Sam feared that Mr. Gram would fall to his death, so he swooped down, flew under Mr. Gram, and caught him. But, Mr. Gram was much too heavy for Sam to manage, and his weight was dragging them both down. However, Sam kept pushing on, knowing he must save his coach’s life. A few feet from the ground, Sam’s back caved in, and he collapsed, with Mr. Gram sprawled over him. Sam couldn’t catch his breath and fainted from exhaustion.
A few minutes later, he woke up, with Mr. Gram staring cautiously at him. Mr. Gram, surprisingly, smiled. “I’m proud of you, kid,” he said gently. He helped Sam up, raising him up to a seated position. “You saved my life, and demonstrated all the characteristics I would expect in a dragon Transmalian. You broke a few bones, but I gave you a healing herb that should take effect soon.” Sam was relieved that he had impressed his teacher. The day went by quickly, and before they all knew it, lunch time had arrived.
Lunch was held in two large gazebos, surrounded by sweeping plains. The coaches and instructors were in one gazebo, while the students were in another. The gazebos were made out of oak planks and covered a vast expanse of land. Small picnic tables were scattered inside the gazebos. Petite checkered tablecloths were used to cover the tables. The students grabbed their lunches at the gazebo and sat outside in the sun, warming under its glowering radiance. The food was similar to the foods they had tried in the Island Mamba restaurant, except that everything was served on plates, and a few Transmalian lunch items were incorporated in the menu. One of Sam and Alana’s favorite lunch items was the tiger tamales, which were
uniquely prepared for Transmalian tigers and tasted like a burrito with hot sauce.
Sam and Alana looked around for Iyesha and Avery and found them sitting with a group of other children. Alana shyly walked up to them, while Sam sat alone in the grass. A few minutes later Alana came back, and she was not alone. Iyesha and Avery were with her, and so was another girl. Sam recalled seeing her somewhere, but couldn’t recall where he might have met her. The three of them began talking about their day, and each of them had done unusually well on their tests. Sam threw in a few of his experiences but did not feel up to talking. Then, he remembered. The girl who was with them was a chameleon Transmalian. Sam observed her carefully and confirmed that her eye color constantly changed. Alana, who noticed Sam’s diffidence, introduced Bridjette. Bridjette had a rare form of eye condition called heterochromia. However, this benefitted her as a chameleon and further enhanced her abilities. When she was in her Transmalian form, her body and her eyes would change colors, and she could easily blend into any pattern.
Bridjette was quiet the entire time, not uttering a word. The other four continued conversing. Iyesha had quite an interesting day. She was tested on a special monkey obstacle course and had to swim through a pool of whipped cream. Avery was at a gymnastics stadium, competing against other snake Transmalians. As they told each other about what had happened in their days, Sam observed Bridjette. She looked like she was hiding something, but Sam didn’t want to be too quick to jump to conclusions. Lunchtime slowly came to an end, and the students went back to their next location with their coaches. They each received their test scores and training gear. The next day, they would begin their combat skills, history, and weaponry.
Instead of going directly to their cottage, Sam and Alana were sent to the main training dome and met with the head principal of the Adventure Island, Mr. Holt. He was pleased to tell them that they were the two children who scored the highest on their tests, and after three weeks of training they, would be ready to go on missions around the world. The two children were enthralled with the news and the possibility of exciting opportunities that would open up for them. But, some part of them reminded them of what they were really there for; to rescue their parents. Their joy suddenly faded away.
They headed home on a bittersweet tone, collecting all their gear and organizing it for the next day. Later, they left for the dinner hall, which was located in the shopping complex that contained the mall. Most of the island’s dining areas were scattered in various directions. Most of the children were still getting acquainted with their new living arrangements and were having a hard time finding the places. But, it kept them on their feet and introduced them to the new aspects of island dwelling.
Sam and Alana were joined by Iyesha, Avery, and Bridjette. They all walked to the dining hall together. A large crowd was gathered in front of the hall, people scuttling from place to place hurriedly. Shrieks were heard among the people gathered there. Sam pushed his way through the crowd to try and see what the chaos was about. Sam was appalled to see his old friend Max laying on the ground, half his body made of metal and the other half skin and bones. His body seemed to be liquefying. The metal was turning into molten lava, and a deathly red color was flowing over his body in pools. Max was coughing severely, and sliver chunks flew out of his mouth each time. Sam collected the chunks, held them in his hands for a few moments, and then realized that Max was coughing up metal!
“STEP AWAY FROM HIM!!” Sam bellowed. The crowd scattered within seconds, frightened. Sam grabbed Max by his legs and dragged him away from the hall. Max was completely unconscious. Iyesha, Bridjette, Avery, and Alana followed him, clearly puzzled. When they saw Max, they were nauseated. Sam didn’t even have to utter a word for them to understand what to do. They grabbed Max from all fours and carried him stretcher style. Iyesha led them to the clinic, which was currently empty. An old lady wearing quirky glasses, pink scrubs, and a powdery white wig greeted them.
She immediately began speaking. “Your friend is a robot; but he was supposed to be a Transmalian,” she said. “I have no idea how this happened, but I think he was involved in an accident of some sort. Anyway, his time is almost up. The key in his heart is burning, and the metal in his body that is keeping him alive is corroding. He is critically ill.”
Sam was confused. He knew about Max’s accident, but how did a key get into his heart? There must be an explanation for this. Max was just an innocent victim at the scene on that Saturday that everything fell apart, and Sam would surely find out what happened soon.
Sam anxiously told her what he had witnessed and what exactly had happened to Max. The lady grabbed Max, held him steadily, and pressed a stethoscope to his heart. “Oh,” she said, laughing. Next, she hooked him up to a body reader, a device specially used to look inside the body of the Transmalians. It worked like an x-ray machine, but was better defined and was in color. She studied the image that was displayed on the reader’s miniature screen. Then, her face grew grave.
The nurse convinced the children to leave the clinic, and promised them that the head principal would have a look at Max. Sam hung his head and walked back to the dining hall. The others tagged behind him, equally perplexed and worried. It wasn’t just Max that Sam was worried about. He had finally put the picture together and realized the gravity of the situation. The locket. It was all centered on the locket. Sam would wait to tell the others. They would need to talk in private. “Hey, guys,” he said sorrowfully, “I don’t feel like having dinner.” They all agreed with him and followed him back to the cottages. Sam dragged his feet on the sidewalk, finally understanding what he would have to do.
They all sat down in Iyesha’s cottage, which was relatively larger than Sam and Alana’s. Bridjette was there as well, and her presence gave Sam a bad feeling, but he decided to not say anything, and let her stay. They were going to need all the help they could get. “I need to talk to all of you,” he said. “So talk,” said Avery sarcastically. “Max is no ordinary Transmalian...” Before Sam could finish his sentence, Bridjette interjected. “He’s not a Transmalian. He’s a robot,” she corrected.
“OK.” said Sam in frustration. He continued to finish his sentence. “He is the one that they are looking for. He has the key to the locket. The locket that they have been fighting for.” Avery was clueless. “What locket?” she asked. “This one,” said Alana, holding the green jewel up. “That’s why the WAR force let us escape!” Sam exclaimed. “They wanted us to open the locket and lead them here. They want power over us and power over our strengths. They want the locket so they can have what we have. We have something that they are missing.” Iyesha, Avery, and Bridjette had no idea what Sam was getting at, but tried to make out what he was saying. “And, they want all our secrets. We had to bring the locket here for a reason. And we had to open the locket too. There’s something that we don’t know, that they know about the locket, and we have to find out.”
They pondered over the situation for a few moments, and it struck Alana like a bolt of lightning. She jumped up from her chair and hollered. The rest of the children tried to calm her down, and at last succeeded. “OK,” said Alana breathlessly. “I think I might have the answer.” She paused for an instant and began whispering hastily. “Max’s parents must have known our parents. Our parents got the locket, and his parents got the key. Somehow, the key got into Max’s heart. Maybe the locket was created at the island and could only be destroyed here as well. We likely needed to bring the locket here in order to destroy it, so it doesn’t fall into the hands of evil men. But first, we all have to learn how to use our powers. Then, we have to find and save our parents.” They all tried to grasp what Alana was referring to. Many things were unclear to all of them. What had really happened to Max? Was there a connection between all the events? They all knew that with each minute, Max would get sicker and sicker. He was deteriorating, and they had to do something about it as fast as they could.
MISSION
The children ta
lked late into the night, discussing their approach to the principal, what they would say to Max, and how they would solve the problem that loomed over their heads. They soon dispersed, taking small strides toward their individual cottages. Sam was unable to sleep, wondering about his life. He felt as if he was trapped in a story. So many mysteries, not enough explanations. He didn’t even understand himself. All he could picture in his mind was the day he would be reunited with his parents. He would have a real family. The fact that his parents had hidden a secret world from him, a world filled with magnificent beings, traumatized him the most. Why? Why had they done this to him? What was this all going to lead to? Sam’s mind was restless as he tried to understand whether they were protecting him or betraying him.
Sam did not sleep a wink, and he was worried sick with all the mysterious happenings. The next morning, he awoke dreary and sluggish. He was hungry, but was in no mood for breakfast. He gathered Alana and the others, and they strolled down to the principal’s office. They requested extra training sessions for practice. Their goal was to get adequately trained in less than two weeks. The principal was surprised with their request, but he arranged multiple additional courses. Instead of attending regular training sessions, they were placed in the advanced category, which enabled them to surpass all other students in every program. Their first day was extremely rewarding.
They reported to the main training dome. Each of them was given remarkable suits that were unique to their abilities. Sam began sparring with Mr. Gram, and was amazed at how protective his gear was. Alana morphed into her Transmalian form and practiced flying to avoid obstacles in the practice course. Iyesha was given a strength test, and Avery was given a stealth test. Bridjette’s tests were the oddest of all. She was given invisible gear so she could still change color and deceive opponents by appearing unarmed. She was required to climb trees, fight using simulators, and walk on dangerous, crumbling structures. Each day, the children would keep practicing the same moves, study battle strategies, take exams, and learn about the AL, its multiple islands, and the hidden bases around the world that were associated with it. Soon their training was complete, and the children had reached the zenith in their island education. The next day was exam day, and none of them knew what was in store. If they passed they would travel to bases around the world, and if they failed they would take an extensive crash course for the next few years. In their anxiety to be well trained as quickly as possible, they had forgotten all about Max and their late-night discussion a few days prior. None of them could fathom their future and what lay ahead. It certainly would be complicated and dangerous.
The Transmalians Page 9