by Dexx Peay
“OK, guys we’ve established the fact that I should have not gone out, but it was our last chance to all be together. And if you were so worried about me studying, Marcus, why didn’t you say anything then?” I argued.
“Just pull your books out and let’s get to it,” Imani snarled, slapping the desk.
I turned the TV off and cracked open the books. Marcus was explaining things in one ear and Imani was spitting out information in the other. I couldn’t keep up.
“Ughh…” I exhaled.
Marcus stopped reading and glanced up. “What’s wrong, Dylan?”
“Just a little fed up with this history class. Why can’t we just trade places and you take my finals for me?”
“Because I didn’t sit in your classes all semester long.” Sarcasm was really becoming his second language.
“Oh you two bicker like a married couple,” Imani interrupted. We both glared at her. She had no idea what it was like to have a best friend and the type of relationship we had.
Marcus went out to grab us some food. When he made it back, we quickly closed the books and began to chow. Neither one of us had eaten much all day. Marcus yawned and kicked his feet up on the bed. I jumped back into the books and Imani came over and took a seat on my lap.
I was reading and she was writing helpful notes in my books when a buzzing noise broke the silence. I reached for my phone to check it but it was nothing. I turned around and Marcus was waking up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
I went back to studying. Imani got up. I turned around when I heard her speak.
“Is everything OK, Marcus?” Imani said, looking at him intently. He didn’t answer.
Marcus was holding his phone in front of him with two hands like he was cradling a baby, his eyes slowly getting wet.
“Marc, what is it?” I asked, standing to my feet.
He squinted his eyes at the screen and whispered, “Monica.”
“Who is Monica?” Imani asked.
“Is everything OK, Marc?” I walked next to him.
“My dad,” he said, standing to his feet. “My dad just sent me a text saying Monica hasn’t shown up for work in the past two days and can’t get a hold of her.”
My hand trembled. “Wait, that doesn’t sound like Monica.”
“Is somebody going to tell me who this Monica person is?” Imani said.
“I'm going to give her parents a call.” Marcus said, stepping out into the hallway.
“Who is she?” Imani demanded.
“Monica is an old friend of ours, and also Marcus’ ex-girlfriend,” I said.
“Maybe she quit.” Imani shrugged.
“No, she isn’t like that. She would have let Mr. Peterson know if she did. Something isn’t right.”
Marcus ran back inside and slammed the door behind him startling the both of us.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Her parents said she ran away. They haven’t seen her in a couple of days,” he said as he dialed numbers on his phone.
“Who are you calling, Marc?” I asked. He put his finger to his lips and turned around.
“Dangit!” he screamed. “She’s not answering. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Delilah, but I think I need to get home ASAP and help look for Monica.”
“I’ll let her know you had an emergency and had to leave a few hours early.”
“Thanks, bro.”
He headed for the door but stopped to look down when his phone rang. “It’s a message from Monica,” he said. His shoulders tightened, his breaths short and choppy. He turned back around with red eyes and tears running down his cheeks as he stared at his screen. His hands dropped to his sides, his chin falling to his chest.
“What did she say?” I rushed over and took the phone from his hands. He slowly backed up until his backed pressed against the door and he slid down. Imani rushed over and looked at the phone with me.
“Who would …” Imani covered her mouth and her eyes enlarged.
There was a picture of Monica with a scratched, bruised, and bloody face, gagged and tied to a chair. I was mortified and couldn’t think of a soul who would want to hurt one of the sweetest girls I’d ever met. Frost from my free hand started to fill the room.
“I have to go, Dylan.” Marcus stood, ripped the phone from my hand, and reached for the doorknob.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I ran in front of the door. He needed a moment to calm down before he got himself killed.
“Move, Dylan! I’m going to save her.”
“This could be a trap,” Imani said.
“I don’t care!” His hands incinerated as he screamed.
“Marcus, just think, they sent you a picture of her like this to your phone from hers. Whoever it is behind this wants you to rush in unguarded,” I said.
Eyes still on fire, he took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, punching the air.
“Listen, Dylan, if it was you in my shoes and Imani was the one in the photo, what would you do?”
I couldn’t answer. I just stood there in silence. Imani stepped over and took my hand.
“Exactly.” he said.
“Marc, I’ve been trying to tell you, I really think somebody wants you dead. This just proves my case.”
“I’m going.”
I exhaled, grabbed my keys and handed them to him. “Take my car. Just come back and get me when you’re done.”
“I know a faster way,” he said. He walked to the window. “I’ll scope it out and see what I can find. I promise I won’t do this without you.”
“Be careful and I’ll be home soon.”
He nodded and jumped out the window. Imani and I watched as an orange glow took off into the sky.
“What are you doing?” Airez said, standing at the door. “And what was that light?”
We both snapped around.
“Airez,” I stammered.
“What light?” Imani said on top of my words.
“You guys are weird,” he said.
It was the first day of finals and with the incident last night, there was no way I could concentrate. The whole time I was taking tests, I just kept thinking about Marcus and his safety. When I turned in my last final for the day, I didn’t feel too confident. I talked to my instructors and begged to take the remainder of my finals on Tuesday since I had a family emergency. They agreed with some forged doctor notes the twins managed to muster up for me.
Imani and I spent the remainder of the day studying. I called Marcus every chance I got with no answers. He should already know about my panic attacks from Imani’s little journey when the people I care about are out fighting and not giving me updates. There was nothing more I could do but study and hope he was OK.
The next day of finals was a little better but still no Marcus. I rushed to my dorm after my last test; Imani was waiting outside my door. We walked inside and I immediately finished packing.
“So maybe I can help you pick out some lingerie this summer if you come visit me at work,” Imani joked.
“So not funny.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and spun her around. She giggled and fought me to stop. I stopped spinning and landed a kiss on her cheek.
“I'm going to miss you this summer,” I said.
“You're just one flight away from me.”
“And you’re just one car ride from me.” I continued to throw the rest of my things into my bags. I zipped up my book bag and threw it across my back right as my phone rung. It was Marcus and I answered quickly.
“Hello.”
“What time do you think you can get here,” he responded.
“I should get back to Poughkeepsie a little after eight.”
“I got another message from Monica’s phone saying to meet at 10 Hilltop Ross Circle tonight at 9,” Marcus said.
“10 Hilltop Ross Circle? Isn’t that the—”
“The Safe House, yes.”
“I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“O
h and, Dylan, don’t forget to bring my stuff.”
I exhaled. “Be there in a jiff.”
“What’s going on?” Imani asked. I grabbed her arms and pulled her into me as I sat on the bed.
“Something’s going down tonight. More than ever, we could use you.”
“Dylan, you know how I feel about these types of things. I don’t think I can get involved.”
“Imani, please, just this one time,” I begged. She bit her lips and fidgeted her fingers. I pouted.
“Fine. What’s the address?”
I sent her the address.
“I will meet you there after my dad comes. I’ll just tell him to take my things back and I’ll fly right there. Promise.”
“Thank you. This means a lot.” I hugged her and walked out the door.
I didn’t have time to stop and tell my parents I was home. I texted Marcus and went straight to the Safe House and carefully entered through a window on the first floor. It was dark, quiet, and eerie, and for a second, wished I had Marcus’ powers for some comforting light.
The building still had the broken walls and windows from our last battle here. I stayed low and close to the walls as I duck-walked down the freezing hallways and up the stairs. I walked into a corner room that was fairly larger than the others. There was something in the corner. I walked a little closer.
“Is that her?” a voice said, alarming me.
I turned around and iced my hands up. A fire lit revealing Marcus.
“Marc,” I whispered.
We both eased closer to the figure sitting in the corner. It was Monica. Marcus rushed forward. She fell into his arms when he burnt the rope holding her to the chair.
“It’s OK, I'm here,” he kept whispering to her, even though she was passed out. He stood with her in his arms and I took the lead as we dashed out of the room and down the stairs. We made it to the lobby when the front door covered itself in a glossy coat of ice.
“Put her down, Marcus,” a toneless voice demanded as it echoed the room. We looked around to try and catch where the voice came from.
“Who said that?” I breathed. No one answered.
Marcus walked over with Monica in his arms and placed a hand on the door to thaw it. Monica slowly started to wake.
“Are you OK?” he calmly said.
She gripped his shirt when her eyes opened. “No. Where am I?” she cried.
“Shhh … can you walk?”
Her voice was brittle. “Yes.”
“Good. Take my hand.”
I opened the door to a murky-green sky and heavy winds. I tried walking but a burst of wind prevented that. An even stronger gust came through the door, knocking us all on our backs. The door slammed shut.
“No one told you to leave.” The voice echoed again.
“Yeah, the party has just started,” a different voice joked. A man walked out from the shadows and guarded the door. Next, the lights flickered.
“What’s going on?” Monica cried. She held Marcus’ hand tight. His thumb massaged her hand.
“I wasn’t expecting you, but I should have known you two are joined at the hip.” I almost recognized the first voice.
The three of us regrouped and walked to the center of the room. Three bodies walked in front of us blocking the door. The lights continued to flicker.
“Jessica?” I said. It was Jessica and the two goons that attacked us here the last time.
“You know, it’s a good thing we broke up, Dill Pickle. It just wouldn’t have worked out with you now that I'm positive you have the blood of Xarpore running through your veins.”
I knew Jessica was crazy but this was on another level. I iced my hands up. If it was a fight she was looking for, it was a fight she was going to get. Mind full of hateful thoughts, I rushed her and with one swirl of her hands, a miniature tornado formed between us that grew as it rushed me and tossed me head first into a wall.
Chapter 25
Jessica’s Revenge
Dylan was out cold and my life literally flashed in front of my eyes. Jessica was standing in front of me and the other two guys split a corner behind me. I knew I should have killed them when I had the chance. Monica’s sweaty palms gripped my arm so tight I felt the bruises start to form under my skin.
“What do you want with her, Jessica?” I screamed, keeping one hand on Monica, the other free for attacks.
She snickered. “It was never her I wanted.”
It clicked.
They were right.
It was a trap.
She knew that Monica was the perfect way to draw me out.
“Why me?” I asked.
Monica’s fingernails pierced my arm as her grip got tighter. The two guys standing behind me started to pace, boosting my anxiety.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” I whispered to Monica.
“Relax, Mr. Ferrari,” she said.
I flinched. “How do you know that name?” I lost focus on Monica and shifted it to Jessica.
“I've been keeping an eye on you for longer than you know, Macchiato. I just had to make sure you were really who I thought you were,” she said, admiring her fingernails. “But there was something different about you that made me wonder.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“You had no markings, that is, until now.”
I looked down and through the flickers, caught a glimpse of ink magically etching itself into my skin around my right wrist and up my arm.
“What the heck?” I gasped then focused back to her. “You still didn’t answer my question?”
“See, my father and your father go way back — your biological father that is. My dad was hunting your dad for the longest time, but your father was a pretty powerful Xarponian from what I heard. They’d been fighting for months and once word got out that he had a son on the way, the hunt was taken up a notch. My dad wanted you dead, Marcus, lots of people wanted you dead I heard. But your father didn’t want anybody coming after his precious boy. He gave you up and hunted my father down. Your father murdered my father before I even got the chance to know him, and now, I will finish where he left off.”
“How did you even find me?” That part still didn’t make sense.
“You see, my father wasn’t the only one hunting your father at the time.”
“Then who else?”
“I was only a few months old when Mother got the news.”
“Your mom is Qihar?”
“Both of my parents are Qihar.”
“And what about Dylan?”
“Dylan … he’s a bonus. I had to do a little snooping to find out who he really was which was shocking to say the least.”
“It was you who broke into his room, and you all this time sending maniacs to kill me!”
“There’s more to this story than you know.”
I needed a plan to get the three of us out of here. But Dylan was still out and Monica was too terrified to move.
“Count to three and duck,” I whispered, never taking my eyes off Jessica. I counted to three in my head.
Monica ducked.
I extended both hands, releasing fire at the guys. One blocked it with an ice wall while the other took one to the chest. Monica stood back up and so did the guy. The three of them taunted me as they circled us.
“There’s no way you’re walking away alive from this, Marcus,” Jessica said, creating two funnels in her palms. Iceman powered up and the one who controlled lightning sparked.
“We’re gonna die.” Monica sobbed and clawed down my arm like an animal.
“I won’t let that happen to you,” I said.
Jessica unleashed both cyclones at us, sending us crashing through the door. Monica was no longer next to me when I opened my eyes.
I crawled to her.
The three of them walked outside.
I didn’t stand a chance.
“Marcus, we’re here now.” I turned over on my back and Hudson and Hachi landed next to me with water swir
ling around their bodies.
“Who are they?” the lightning guy said.
“It doesn’t matter, kill them all!” Jessica screamed followed by a gust of wind.
The intensity in the air grew thick.
“Get Monica out of here!” I shouted.
Hudson grabbed Monica and Hachi stood right in the middle of both the goons, ready to take them both.
I jumped to my feet and flew past the two goons, right into Jessica. With her in my grip, we flew back into the house, crashing into a moldy wall. When I stood up, a force of wind knocked me back down.
“I'm not done with you, Marcus,” she grunted, standing to her feet. Her pupils and irises faded white. Five miniature tornadoes formed on the floor and circle around her creating an earthquake effect. Old hospital equipment, bricks and wood crashed around us. Dust consumed the room, yet she remained grounded. I flamed my hands; my feet flamed on their own.
“Let’s just end this now, Jessica. Nobody has to get hurt.”
She groaned like it was her way of communicating with her abilities and all five cyclones raced me, spiraling me into the air and through a wall. Dylan’s lifeless body swirled into the darkness. Jessica was the first I’ve encountered with this ability. It was dangerously impressive.
I struggled back to my feet and stepped through the wall I was wearing. I launched a beam of fire at her. She stuck her arms out, creating a vortex that ate my fire.
Two fireballs formed in my hands. I threw them at the ceiling over her creating more balls as I threw them. She crouched and held her arm over her head to block the debris.
She screeched as the roof collapsed on her. I threw the wood off of Dylan’s body and staggered towards the door with Dylan at my side.
Hudson was in a defensive stance next to Monica near a tree. Hachi was dodging attacks from the ice guy; the lightning one was nowhere in sight.
I rested Dylan’s body on the side of the building. When I turned around to get in on the fight, Hudson was struck from the back by a bolt. The strike barely missed Monica’s body. She rolled over and hugged the tree with her face planted on the bark. I conjured two fireballs and ran to the lightning guy. He threw bolts towards me when he noticed me coming for him, but I jumped, flew and rolled to evade them.