by Jason Letts
Aoi’s open hand met the ground first and then the rest of her capsized. The only things that kept her body from touching the ground were her extended arm and the tips of her toes. She got to her feet and looked up at Mira, who flew out of range of any possible approach. It was unbelievable though, and Aoi couldn’t help but take a moment to stare up and wonder at it.
Mira stared down at the ground below her in disbelief that Aoi had overcome the fall both without injury and without losing the competition. It was incredible. Her mind raced for a new strategy, but nothing came. She couldn’t imagine a scenario in which she beat Aoi.
Staring down, Mira saw something curious streak across the ground. It swept through the grass at blinding speeds. In a second, it slid under Aoi, continued, and disappeared out of sight. Aoi, her legs completely knocked out from under her, felt herself falling onto her back. There was only one thing she could do before she hit the ground—scream.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
She smacked into the ground, covered her face, and curled into a ball. Mira couldn’t hold back a broad smile.
“Chucky! Yes!” she shouted, cheering and hollering for him. She didn’t know where he went or who could hear her, but she took deep satisfaction and found a great deal of courage in Chucky’s long-lasting survival. More than that, Aoi had tormented him all year, and she knew how much it meant to him to get back at her.
Then she heard a loud clink from overhead, and the chick rocked violently back and forth. Along with the smile on her face, she saw a rock dropping through the air. By the time she stabilized herself, another rock struck the spinning propeller. She looked down from her perch among the treetops to see Dot down on the ground below.
Just when Mira thought the rocks wouldn’t be able to damage the spinning blades, one hit the knuckles of her left hand, forcing her to let go and dangle from only one arm. She tried to grab hold of the other handle again, but she missed and looked down at the distance she would fall. She doubted she could handle it as gracefully as Aoi.
“Please don’t! I’ll fall!” she shouted down to Dot.
“That’s the point,” Dot shouted back.
She reached into her bag and pulled out one of the few remaining stones. She felt its smooth surface and oval shape with her fingers while she waited for Mira to twist and give her a clear shot at the other hand.
Dot leaned back and brought her hand behind her head for the throw. As she snapped it forward, Dot floated off of her feet and into the air. She released the stone and it flew straight up. In another second, Dot dropped onto her back while she watched the rising stone. It rocketed upward, and Mira watched it climb up in front of her. It hung in the air, right at eye level, and then gravity pulled it back down. Mira took a deep, relieved breath before swinging her arm up and catching the other handle.
“I couldn’t let you do that,” Vern said to Dot as he stepped into the clearing. “I’ll send her home myself. It has to be me.”
Dot saw the hungry look in his eyes and heard his tense heaving. There was nothing for her to be disappointed about; she had surpassed her wildest expectations. Without a word, she walked back to the forest’s edge.
Vern took a few steps out into the clearing. He gazed up at Mira, hanging in the air above him. He had to laugh at himself for being fooled earlier. But right now she looked like an apple waiting to be plucked.
“You delayed the inevitable as long as you could. But there’s nowhere to run and no way to talk yourself out of it this time. You’ve got to go through me. Now are you going to come down here so we can finish this or what?”
“Make me!” she shouted.
“Oh, I will. Don’t worry, I will. It’s funny how it all came down to this, the same as the Tournament Trial at the beginning of the year. Do you remember that? You ran home crying and I went on to win it all. Maybe you’ll handle yourself a little better, but the result will be the same. Nothing’s changed, Mira. Nothing.”
Vern reached his hand up into the sky at the sun. Mira felt a tug downward, as if she had Aoi attached her legs. She felt the weight tire her screaming arms and her heart pounded through her chest. Her body flushed with emotion, making it feel like she couldn’t breathe. She held down a button with her forefinger, but the bird’s wings spun as fast as they could. Still, she saw the trees rise as she slowly descended.
Mira searched through the woods with her eyes. Her head jerked back and forth until she spotted a streak sliding down a hill. It approached Vern from behind at break-neck speeds, and the hope that it would all be over soon sprung up inside her.
The weight pulling her down suddenly disappeared. Though Vern’s arm remained raised high, she began to climb back up to the treetops. Something was wrong, and she wanted to shout to Chucky, but it was too late. He careened into the clearing, hurtling at Vern’s legs. But Vern jumped out of the way in time and brought that hand down quickly enough to tap Chucky on the back.
Vern laughed as Chucky sailed out of sight. He wiped his hand on his pants and looked back up at Mira.
“Guess you’re not the only one who knows how to trick someone,” he said.
“Congratulations,” Mira replied. “I think second place will suit you.”
Vern laughed.
“Second place? You can’t touch me. And you are thirty feet away from hitting rock bottom. There’s nothing you can do!”
Chucky continued skimming along the forest floor until he reached the edge of the forest and the waiting crowd. As soon as they saw him, and they knew that the battle had come down to the final two, all of his classmates, the other students, the teachers, and the parents raced into the forest to watch with Chucky leading the way.
Only Corey remained on the glade by the forest edge. He held a curious expression and an attentive ear, waiting to hear if the impossible could be done. The crowd swept along the edges of the clearing, entranced by the miraculous spectacle before them.
Rays of sunlight shone down through the clouds on the two remaining combatants. Vern, straining his arms in the air, looked to be holding up a colossal weight. Mira, dangling high above, held on for dear life as she slowly sank down. One could almost see the invisible rope, pulled as taut as can be, linking them together.
“Come to me,” Vern repeated, desiring that moment when he could put an end to this.
Mira kept her eyes on the ground, judging the distance, though she looked pained and depleted. He stood directly beneath her, dragging her down. The ground became clearer and the tree branches around her became thicker. The crowd knew they were witnessing the end, and they couldn’t look away.
Scrunching the muscles in her face, Mira banged her feet together. She smashed the heels of her shoes against each other as hard as she could. She cracked them, and a cloud of yellow pollen spilled out below. It sank quickly, blanketing Vern’s hands, face, and body. Shock and concern took to Vern’s face, but his heavy breathing continued.
While Mira hung above him, just out of reach, he inhaled deeply and unleashed a massive sneeze, doubling him over. In that instant, Mira twisted her arms to unlock the magnets and dropped feet first onto Vern’s back, knocking him flat against the ground as she hopped off.
“WHAT?” she screamed, collapsing to her knees in disbelief. Her hands shook before her eyes. The entire crowd erupted and sprang forth in an instant. The chick still flying high overhead, they surrounded her and lifted her up, cheering and hollering.
“It’s a Mira-cle!” Kevin said.
“Oh, how could you say that?” Jeana said, hitting her husband on the arm.
They scrambled to get closer to Mira, and she scrambled to get closer to them, barely able to touch their outstretched hands for all the people. But they were there for her.
Though he couldn’t be heard, Corey clapped solemnly in his solitude. The crowd carried Mira through the woods and deposited her at his feet. She got up, catching eyes with her classmates who had assembled around her. Like herself, Vern too had burst into te
ars. But he composed himself as best he could. Mira didn’t know how to look at them or how they were looking at her. But she turned to Corey, taking comfort knowing how she looked would play no part at all with him.
“Mira Ipswich,” he bellowed, causing all others to fall silent. “You have been victorious. Leader of this graduating class of Dustfalls Academy is a position that henceforth rightfully belongs to you. May you execute it with wisdom, honor, and valor.”
Corey finished speaking, and Mira looked at the eyes cast upon her. They held wonder and praise, which pleased her, but she also saw signs of doubt and worry now that the reality had taken hold.
“But how will she ever survive The Shadowing?” one voice said.
She tried to stand tall and let her strength show through her, but in truth she did not know what would happen. The crowd around her began to break up. Parents began to look for their children. The young students walked back to town in small groups. Corey and his assistant, Natalie, retired. Mira tried to listen to the chatter springing up to get an idea of what people were thinking, but her classmates quickly began vying for her attention.
“Wow, I can’t believe you did it,” Mary said.
“Congratulations,” Will said. “You outsmarted the lot of us.”
A handful of them still crowded around, hugging her and patting her on the back. Mira wore a big, healthy smile. The payoff for her hard work delighted her. She turned her head to see Chucky standing there with the silver helmet in his hand. He looked as happy as if he had won.
“You were amazing,” she said. “I didn’t see you for so long. I didn’t know what happened.”
“I kept an eye on your egg for you. Couldn’t let anybody mess up your plans.”
She put her arm around him and gave him a hug. Over his shoulder, she saw Fortst waiting, bashfully, for a chance to speak to her. Chucky seemed to notice her attention was elsewhere, and he stepped aside.
“Can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like that,” he said, impressed and even moved. “You put on quite a show. I don’t think there’s anybody who could say you didn’t earn it.”
“Thank you. Thank you, everybody. A lot of things could have happened today, but this is how it turned out. And anything could happen from here, but I think we’ll be ok as long as we stick together.”
Mira looked at the group before her, and she noticed that some of her classmates were not listening to her. A few were talking to their parents or sitting on the grass. She wondered if they were bitter about their loss or if they were unhappy she had won. But even Vern and Aoi gave her their attention.
After she finished speaking, she heard somebody mention how hungry they were, and it reminded Mira of how tired and hungry she felt. Somehow the morning had passed and the afternoon was well underway. Though most of the people had left, Jeana and Kevin remained. They waited patiently for Mira to finish speaking with her classmates, stopping themselves from digging into the sandwiches they’d brought.
When it came time for Mira to meet them, she felt the flush of joy and excitement all over again. Her parents greeted her with a warm embrace, and Kevin brushed her hair back and cupped his hand around his daughter’s cheek.
“We’re very proud of you,” they said.
They sat down to a picnic lunch along with the other students and their parents. Mira told them about everything they didn’t see, but she was careful not to insult or demean anyone with her story. Those around her listened and chimed in at various parts. Aoi mentioned that she couldn’t believe she had jumped from a tree and soared in the air. Most were able to laugh about what happened, even if they wished they had done better.
“I actually slipped on a root and almost put myself out within the first minute,” Vern laughed before sneezing again.
After she had finished her sandwich and spent some time relaxing on the blanket, Mira turned to her parents with a satisfied look.
“Ok, I’m ready to go home now,” she said.
“Oh, no. You won’t be going home at all tonight,” Jeana countered.
Chapter 14: The Synthesis
“What? Why not?” Mira asked.
“Because you’ve got your graduation ceremony tonight. You can’t miss it. It’s very important, especially for you since you won. We’ll see you tomorrow though.”
“You can just fly home whenever the sun comes up,” Kevin said. Even though she knew he was joking, Mira’s disappointment prevented her from responding in kind.
“No, I can’t. The batteries are dead.”
Kevin and Jeana started to pack up the blanket and the containers as they prepared to leave. Mira didn’t want them to go unless she went with them. The other parents followed suit, and soon they waved goodbye and started back to town. Mira saw that this didn’t bother her classmates at all, but Mira wanted her parents to be a part of her celebration. So her eyes welled up with tears when they finally announced their departure.
“Thank you for being here today. I love you,” she said when they hugged her.
She watched them take to the path back home and disappear among its curves. In another moment, all of the parents had gone, and only the fifteen students and their teacher remained on the grassy glade.
“So what is this ceremony,” Mira asked Fortst and the other students.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Rowland said. “No one who goes through it is supposed to talk about it. Only thing I know for sure is its name, The Synthesis.”
“What are we supposed to do now?” she asked.
“Sit tight and wait for Corey to return,” Fortst said, cloaked in his long trench coat and sitting against a tree.
“All my life I’ve only ever seen Corey on Final Trial day, so it must be a big deal,” Aoi said.
“One more question. What do we do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow The Shadowing will begin. We each go our separate ways in search of a mentor to guide us, and we become their shadow,” Will said.
“Wait, “synthesis” means coming together, so we come together only to separate right after? That doesn’t make sense,” Mira said.
“If it doesn’t make sense then at least it fits in with everything else we do,” Will said, shrugging.
“How does it work, finding a mentor? Who will be my mentor?” Mira asked.
“You find someone who has a similar power as yours. Like Roselyn is going to be Corey’s shadow, because he controls sound and her power comes through her voice. Do you see how that works?”
“It’s going to be awesome!” Roselyn interjected.
“Some of us have had these arrangements for years. You are a special case, so I have no idea what you’re going to do,” Will said.
Mira didn’t know either, and this seemed like just one more thing she would have trouble figuring out because she was different. She didn’t want to let her friends down, so she would have to be good at it, whatever it was.
The sun hung low in the sky and already had an orange tint. Some of the students slept on the grass, others played silly games and talked to pass the time. Like Fortst, Mira surveyed them from a nearby tree. She tried to think of what it meant to be a leader. She tried to figure out what she was supposed to do. It seemed difficult and tricky. None of the answers she thought of seemed exactly right.
The sound of crickets and chirping birds echoed through the dusky sky. The temperature cooled, and the students started a small fire. A few of Corey’s men appeared with heavy logs in their arms. They dumped them in an open space on the ground, and then asked Mira for help before going back for more.
“Me? Sure,” she said, catching up with them. They walked to a small lumberyard, where an imposing stack waited to be carried. Thinking it would take forever, Mira hefted a log and wrestled with it all the way back. She dropped it on the ground and went back for more, but this time Vern and a few others followed her. They each deposited a log on the pile, and this time the rest of the students got up to help.
They all grabbed logs from
the pile, and it only took a few trips for the stack to be completely moved to the pile in the glade. Corey’s men adjusted it a little, standing the logs on end and building them up into a spire. By the time they finished, no light from the sun remained. Instead fifteen torches formed a semi-circle around the center, but only one on the end had been lit.
“I think it’s going to begin. Each of you get to a torch,” Fortst whispered, pointing Mira to the one on the end. She stood by the pole under the light of the flame. Everyone could see her, but she couldn’t see anything. Hushed voices murmured around her, and Mira felt as nervous as she did before the Final Trial.
The voices stopped suddenly, and only a slight breeze swept into their ears. Mira looked into the darkness, thinking she saw something. The pitch black seemed darker, and she guessed that Corey had come. Knowing that the only light shone on her, she maintained her poise and kept silent.
A bass sound, low but deep, charged into their ears. They looked to that spot in the darkness like it would birth the coming sun. The low rumbling grew louder and transformed into a hymn. A meditative sound of hope and faith rose up to the web, and each of the fifteen students felt compelled to join in. The sound echoed among them and amplified until a single note, solemn and true, washed over them all.
They held the note until their lungs expelled the last ounce of breath. Though silence resumed, the space they inhabited felt less lonely and less fearful. They inhaled the clean, refreshing air, and waited for Corey to proceed. When he spoke, they all felt in their hearts that they could see him. Though no light shone on him, they could see the cloak, the bandage, and the prickly, grizzled face in their minds.
“The end of the beginning. You’ve made it this far despite pain, fatigue, stress, and sorrow. And this road has not been easy. At times, your bodies have been injured, your minds have been confused, and your spirits have been dampened. What’s more, you have long inflicted these miseries on each other. Ruthlessly, selfishly, and heartlessly, you have subjected each other to the greatest torments at your disposal. And it’s only natural that grudges and grievances developed as a result.