by Jade Sánchez
I knew it was my turn to come out of the van. I jumped out to avoid being pulled by my hair. Carson grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards the building.
When we got inside I noticed there was a cage inside a small room surrounded by other doors. The cage had a girl in it. She looked tired, and starved. She had long, dark brown hair that reached down the middle of her back. She was about 5’0. She had green eyes; as green as grass. They threw us into the cage with her, and slammed the door shut.
“So what’s your name?” Penny asked the strange girl.
“Briana Heorne” She said while pointing at each of us. “Your name is Penny Finacale, her name is Tess Turner, and her name is Maddy Webber. You come from Idaho, the home of the potato. Maddy, before you ask, I’m charged for being a Nymph.”
Surprised at her knowledge I asked, “So Briana,you can read minds can’t you? What’s Tess thinking of right now?”
Briana looked at Tess and answered,“She is sad. Extremely sad. Thinking of how much her parents must be worried.”
The expression on Tess’s face told me that Briana was right.
“So where are you from?” Tess asked Briana.
“Montana. Idaho was the only state they hadn’t gotten to yet. I guess they’re done now. I came with two other girls and one guy. The girls’ names were Alexis and Sammy. The guy’s name was Gareth. They’re dead now. Got dissected. I’m the only one left. In fact, they are dissecting Gareth right now. My turn next. But I got a plan, and you’ll see what it is,” she declared.
Tess hugged Briana saying, “I hope you escape successfully.”
The cage creaked.
We were all afraid of what might happen next. We formed a group hug when Briana’s name was called.
She put her plan into action.
Once they opened the cage, she got to her feet and dashed past the guards, who failed to catch her, and got outside. All of the guards went chasing her, except one who locked us back in. Tess started cheering, and we all joined in. The guard who stayed behind told us to shut up, but we didn’t listen to that fool. Briana ran into the street. She ran and ran, until a passer-by hit her with a car.
Tess screamed, “Briana! Briana!”
The guards taunted us even more by dragging her bloody body back to the cage.
We were all in tears.
Briana threw her arms around me as she whispered her last breath; “I really thought that I would get away.”
She then died.
Moments later, they came inside with devilish grins, picked up her dead body and dragged her away.
I guess it doesn’t take too long to dissect a dead body. Half an hour later Penny’s name was called.
She closed her eyes and disappeared. I’m serious, she vanished.
Tess reached a hand out to where Penny
should be, and she reappeared; and proclaimed while walking towards the guard; “Everything has it’s time, And everything dies. It’s my time”
When she left the room we heard her scream, and cry. I started bawling and couldn’t stop.
Tess cried silently.
“They didn’t have to kill her!” I sobbed. About one hour later I heard someone say
“Maddy Webber, come in.”
I gave one last glance towards Tess as she looked at me and whispered, “I have a plan.” I walked towards the guard, who then took me into the other room.
When I got into the room, it was bright. I looked around. Everything was white except the jars. On a shelf on the wall was a jar marked ‘Chameleon’, which had a little blue cube in it. I was certain that the cube had something to do with Penny.
I then saw Penny being taken out, and her dead body being thrown into a dump truck. In tears, I yelled, “Sure, she wasn’t human, but she didn’t deserve to be taken out with the trash!”
Then something really weird happened next. I was covered head to toe in a fortress of water. It sounds crazy, but it happened.
I was ‘in’ water; it surrounded me as if protecting me, extending as far as three feet away from my body in all directions.
All of a sudden a fire alarm went off. I figured out Tess’s plan.
Side Stories I
Weird Things At times throughout this book I’ll tell you side stories. All of the side stories will somehow tie into this book, or at least the characteristics of those involved.
In this one, I’m going to tell you two. My first story is about Tess.
Remember how I mentioned that she’s not
a morning person? Well, one morning she punched someone in the face. Ok, so we went to a lock-in at our school. We stayed up pretty late and had a lot of fun. This girl named Cleo was really getting on Tess’s nerve’s that night.
The next morning I woke to the sound of Cleo screaming.
I found out that Cleo’s issue with Tess got worse. You see, Cleo took an alarm at 5:30 in the morning and played it in Tess’s ear. It was a harmless prank to her, but she had never dealt with Tess in the morning.
What would you do if that were you? Probably slap them, or at least yell at them. Well, Tess really hated it so she took Cleo’s head and started smashing it into the floor.
Cleo screamed bloody-murder and woke everyone up.
The weirdest part was that Tess didn’t even remember doing it. She was probably half-asleep when she did it. That may be why.
Another weird thing is; if we discover our powers when we’re mad, why didn’t Tess discover hers right then? It’s pretty odd. Don’t you think?
My second story is this;
Tess once wrote a story about a year ago or so, about a girl named Briana. Well, the Briana in the story she wrote about matched the description of the girl we just met in the cage, Briana, in exact detail.
Weird right?
Chapter Five Into the Woods
I reacted quickly to what was happening. I ran out of the room and found the cage on fire. I saw Tess standing by the door, her hands on fire. I was still surrounded by water. I ran up and hugged her. Our powers united for the first time, unscathed.
We heard footsteps behind one of the doors.
It seemed as though Tess had mastered her powers. She shot flames out of her hands, aiming for that one door, setting it on fire. She said to me, “I guess once we figure out our powers we have total control! Try it.”
I shrugged, and held my hand out, creating a water ball.
I dropped the water ball and grabbed Tess’s hand. We ran out of the building! We started dodging cars that appeared to be coming right for us, being careful not to be hit by one like Briana did. We heard sirens behind us. We kept running.
“Go to the woods!” Tess cried.
We must’ve had a lot of adrenaline because we ran fast and far away from what seemed to be cops on motorcycles chasing us as we headed into the woods. We split up. Tess hid in a bush and I hid under some leaves in a small pit. We stayed dead silent, being careful not to move an inch.
After what seemed like an eternity they left, probably to go look somewhere else. Tess sighed a breath of relief. “We’re safe. At least for now anyway.”
Truth is, we were nowhere close to safe. Here’s a list of reasons why WE’RE NOT SAFE:
1. The cops are looking for us.
2. Sometimes Tess has no control over her powers, and could set the woods on fire any minute.
3. There is probably going to be a reward for catching us dead or alive.
4. We have no idea where we are, or where we are heading.
5. We have no food, and no shelter.
6. With two friends dead, we are afraid of what might happen to us.
7. Neither of us know what berries to eat, or not to eat.
8. Neither of us are very outdoor smart.
9. We are vulnerable and weak.
10. Neither of us have a clue about what’s going on.
So don’t go telling us it’s safe.
Side Stories II
U.S. Mission A long time ago
the U.S. government started a mission; to find mythical creatures. The idea was to evolve the human race further than it is now.
They believed that there was a plausible reason as to why mythical creatures worked the way they did. They thought that if they could figure that out than they could give some of those powers to humans.
Well, that little blue cube inside the “Chameleon” jar in the white room was the cube that held the secret that gave Penny the power to turn invisible and visible at will.
The government thinks that the little cube is all they need to give humans that power.
But they are so wrong.
That’s only half the story.
You also require the right kind of emotional, mental, and physical body to harness and control all the potential that each certain elemental power gives; whether it be from the air, earth, fire, or water elements; A perfect balance of proportions of one’s body and the chemistry of life-force to hold that power.
That is something they have never understood, and may never truly understand.
Personally, I think it’s pretty obvious; somehow, someway, I have felt it all along.
I mean, it’s like saying;
You can give human beings wings
So that they may fly so high
by cutting them off the bird that soars in the clear blue sky.
So not true.
Chapter Six Forest Fire
“You know, this reminds me of how we would walk and talk around the elementary school yard during recess,” Tess recalled.
I nodded affirming. Except back then we didn’t have powers. Or did we?
“I can tell you a riddle to pass the time like we used to,” Tess expressed, trying to lighten up the mood.
“Okay, what is it?” I enquired, accepting the challenge.
“Okay;
Riddle#1
So there were two best friends. They go to a restaurant and order the exact same thing; Duck Soup. After finishing his meal, one of them goes to the roof, and jumps off. Why did he do that?”
I knew this riddle from somewhere! I knew the answer. “He thought that since he was eating Duck Soup, he could fly,” I answered.
“Good answer. Ok, next challenge,” Tess countered. Riddle #2
A king is in his round castle. He has a personal clown, maid and cook. One day the king is murdered. The cook said he was busy cooking breakfast for the king. The maid said she was busy sweeping corners. The clown said he was busy making up jokes for the king. Who did it?”
I thought about it for a bit. “Did the clown do it?” I answered uneasily.
“Nope,” she replied.
“It has to be the butler, the butler always does it!” I yelled, confident in my answer.
“It was the maid. There are no corners in a round castle!” Tess revealed.
After about 10 minutes of silence we heard sirens behind us. We turned around just in time to see a cop coming towards us through the trees. It was a female cop who yelled, “Please just listen to what we have to say, we don’t want to hurt you.”
Grabbing my hand, Tess frowned and answered back, “I wish we could say the same.” She turned to me and said, “Get ready to run!” I knew her plan already and I didn’t approve; but it was the only way. Tess let go of my hand and set her own hair on fire.
“Stop, drop and roll!” I yelled.
Tess did exactly that; creating a fire. She got up, shook her head, and put her hair out.
We grabbed each other’s hands and began running, as the forest burst into flames behind us. The fire began traveling towards us, faster and hotter! I wanted to look behind, but we had to keep running.
Chapter Seven The Getaway
We ran for hours. Tess even timed it. We began running at about 2:37 in the afternoon and stopped at 8:28 in the morning. When we reached the edge of the woods, we looked behind us. I didn’t see any fire. “How long have we been running from a fire that is no longer behind us?” I uttered, catching my breath. We turned around and headed forward.
After walking for a while longer we found an archery shop. “If we get a bow and some arrows we can defend ourselves!” Tess squealed. Tess loved shooting a bow.
“How do you plan on getting one?” I asked.
“With your help” she said while pulling me into the shop. She whispered to me, “Ok, so here’s the plan…”
I thought to myself, Uh-oh…another plan. “…you use a water ball to drown the guy for a bit. I’ll grab a bow, and a set of arrows, and then we’ll dash out of there!” she declared; proud of her plan.
“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked.
“We’re running away from the cops already, c’mon let’s just do it!” she nudged me.
I gave in.
We walked into the shop. The guy at the counter was young. Why did I have to drown someone young? I decided that I wouldn’t do it until the very last second. I started to talk to him. “Hey, my name is Maddy. What’s your name?” I asked.
“My name is Bill,” he answered with a smile.
“Hey, we’re kind of lost, do you mind telling us where we are?”
“Sure, you’re in the great state of North Dakota; Bismarck, to be exact.”
Tess was finished getting what she wanted, and was now behind me. “I’m so sorry about this,” I told him. I put my hand up, and created a water ball. Surrounding his head, the water ball started drowning him. Tess dashed out of the shop. Watching him faint, I let the water ball go. I left the shop and caught up with Tess outside.
“You are crazy! What you made me do in there was insane!” I yelled at her. She ignored me. Sometimes Tess can really get on my nerves. But nevertheless she is my friend.
After Tess un-wrapped the bow she looked back towards the shop. “Be right back, stay here,” she whispered to me.
She came back out five minutes later with a back pack. She put the bow and arrows in the back pack, threw it over her shoulder and said “Okay, now we can go.”
After walking for about ten minutes we heard sirens around us. “Crap, they found us already!” I said. We were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of cop cars.
“Act natural,” Tess said simply.
A cop got out of one of the cars. It was the same woman that Tess almost burned to death in the forest. “Stay where you are!” she said, pulling out her gun.
“What do you want from us?” I asked, feeling sweat running down my face.
“We just want you to come with us, back to Washington D.C.,” she pronounced.
“What? So we can be killed and dissected? No way!”
“No, we won’t hurt you. I promise.”
I looked at her, noting every detail. She had long blonde hair that went down three fourths of her back. She was wearing a black turtle neck, with long black leggings. Tess then asked, “What’s your name?”
She glared at us for a moment and then said, “Addie Xconveret.”
“Well Addie, swear on your life that we won’t get hurt.”
“I swear on my life.”
Tess and I looked at each other. We had come such a long way from Washington D.C. We shrugged. Tess nodded; which was something that was very uncharacteristic of her. Giving in to the enemy was very unlike her. If she had a plan, I’m sure I wouldn’t be happy about it. Tess dropped her backpack. She was really serious. So I too, gave in.
We climbed into the cop car. We were cramped in the back seat. Tess gestured me; somehow, someway I read her mind.
She was thinking, “When I say absurd, burst out some water.”
Then I heard a voice that sounded like Briana’s. It said good luck.
Tess sat quietly. It had been about thirty minutes since I got the mind message. Randomly, she said “So how impossible would it be for a person to escape a cop car?” She scooted closer to me, almost sitting on my lap.
“Very impossible, it’s never been done,” Addie replied.
Tess was sitting on me now. “Oh really, that’s absurd!” Tess sai
d. She lifted a hand and set Addie’s seat on fire. I burst out some water and Tess took in a deep breath. In no time, the car set on intense fire.
Addie slammed on the brakes, coming to a halt. Tess melted the door handle and stepped out of the water shield as she kicked the door open and jumped out. I turned my water powers off. Tess was soaking wet but, strangely, I was perfectly dry.
While cops got out of their cars to help Addie, Tess jumped into the driver’s seat of one of cars. Following her lead, I went into the passenger seat.
She started the ignition. “Do you even know how to drive a car?” I asked her in a panic, because some of the cops began to notice.
“Nope, and I don’t plan on learning today,” she exclaimed. I turned on the sirens. She stomped her foot on the gas pedal and started screeching away.
Side Stories III
Rattlesnake Shake This story is to give you a little background on Tess and I.
Yeah, I know it seems a little out of place to tell you now, but I really think you should know before we go on.
You see, Tess and I have known each other since first grade. We’ve had our fights at times but we always got over it. I’d trust Tess with my life…most of the time.
One time she almost killed us both.
It was in fifth grade. I went over to her house and we were in her backyard. It was all going well until we saw the thing.
It was a rattlesnake.
It started wrapping around my leg, and Tess screamed, but she didn’t leave. She took it by the tail, (a very stupid thing to do) pulled it off my leg and threw it over her fence. After that, we both ran into her house.
She saved my life and almost killed herself. She gained my trust that day.
She blushes and leaves the room every time I tell that story, and says it isn’t true. But it is.
She saved my life even thoughshe didn’t think it was that heroic. She says, “If your best friend was in trouble, you would do anything to save her, wouldn’t you?”