Warden Fall

by Jennifer M. Eaton

Four of the cheerleaders dropped to their hands and knees. Three girls climbed onto their backs, and two onto theirs. Kelli threw her pom-poms down and climbed to the top of the pyramid.

  “Go-o-o-o-o, Chargers!” she yelled, reaching the peak and thrusting her fist in the air.

  The gym rose to huge applause.

  Kelli’s gaze found Maya, and a sneer formed across the cheerleader’s lips.

  Maya’s eyes shifted to Eric at her side. His gaze was fixed on his girlfriend, his real girlfriend, at the top of the pyramid: right where his attention belonged. An empty hole cut into Maya’s stomach and tore through her heart. Eric had always belonged to Kelli, and Maya had chosen to let him go. Everything had been set right, but Maya missed him already.

  Steeling herself, Maya returned her attention to the configuration and shivered when she met Kelli’s cold stare. The cheerleader’s nostrils flared.

  “What’s up with her?” someone behind Maya asked.

  “Dunno,” the kid beside him said. “Wouldn’t it be funny if she fell?”

  “Yeah. She’s such a bitch. I wish she would fall.”

  Maya giggled to herself. Me too.

  A pang of adrenaline jolted her. What had she done? “Wait! No!”

  The girl on the bottom left of the pyramid sneezed and jiggled the formation. The blonde below Kelli slipped forward, tumbling the head cheerleader toward the floor.

  The world slipped into slow motion as Kelli screamed. Maya’s heartbeat drummed in her ears. This wasn’t what she wanted. Not really. She reached out her hands, willing time to back up, but Kelli continued to fall.

  What kind of monster would do this to another human being?

  Maya would, a girl with no control over dark inner thoughts that no decent person should have. These powers weren’t a gift. They were a curse. A curse not just on Maya, but everyone unlucky enough to be around her.

  A hush fell over the gym as Kelli slammed onto the shiny hardwood.

  Eric stood, gaping.

  The music stopped.

  The crowd rose to its feet.

  A girl screamed.

  “Kelli!” Eric cried out, pushing through the people on the bleachers.

  A deep sorrow crept into Maya’s gut as Eric dropped to his knees beside his girlfriend’s still form. A voice over the PA system called for everyone to sit down, but the students filed down the bleachers for a better look at the carnage.

  Maya reached the gymnasium floor and worked her way against the gawking throng to the doors and out into the empty corridor. The sound of her sneakers squeaking on the tiles echoed throughout the halls. She quickened her pace until she reached the rear doors and pushed through the exit. The security alert clicked, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Everyone knew the smokers cut the alarm wires every morning. Even if they did go off, she deserved to get caught and punished for doing the unthinkable. She’d caused that accident. She was a monster in every sense of the word.

  The sunlight outside warmed her face but not her shattered soul. Had she wanted Kelli hurt? She didn’t think so, but maybe deep inside, she did. Eric had been her universe forever, but did she really want him that bad? Could she want anything so much that she’d hurt someone?

  An ambulance turned into the parking lot, lights atop flashing an eerie glow against the metal edging of the exit sign. What have I done?

  Leaving the door to slam shut behind her, she scooted through the side parking lot to the fence at the end of the property. “Darius! Darius where are you?” A light breeze fluttered the leaves over her head. “Darius!” She pulled her hands into fists, her nails biting into her palms as her arms shook. “Darius, I command you to come to me now!”

  “That was a tad bit brazen, young lady.”

  Maya barely flinched as Darius’s perfectly polished form appeared beside her, leaning against the fence.

  She released her clenched fists. “I need to talk to you.”

  He perused the edge of his fingernails. “I’m here. Talk.”

  His nonchalant attitude boiled away the last of Maya’s reserve. “I can’t control my powers.”

  “Untrue. You have excellent control.”

  “But they make things happen that I don’t want.”

  “Do they? Like what?”

  “Kelli. I didn’t want her to fall.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “No? Think hard, Maya. You wished for her to fall three times before the boys behind you vocalized it.”

  “No, I didn’t, and how would you know? You weren’t there!”

  He leaned closer. “You felt guilty about Eric’s sudden interest, but deep down, you enjoyed his affection. You wanted him for yourself. The cheerleader was an inconvenience.”

  Maya backed away. “Was an inconvenience? Is Kelli dead?”

  Darius perused his fingernails once again. “You have perfect control over your powers. What you need is control over your feelings.”

  “How am I supposed to control the way I feel?”

  “That is not something I can teach. It is something you simply need to do. If you want it badly enough, you can do anything. You need to want self-control.”

  Maya grabbed her forehead, then let her hand fall. “This is crazy. It’s too hard!”

  “Controlling oneself is not difficult. I believe that the power we wield is simply too easy. You think it, and it becomes reality.” He glanced up from his hands. “The difficulty is deciding what you really want, and focusing your mind on only that.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Not if you wish it to be true.”

  The ambulance pulled out of that parking lot. Maya’s eyes blurred with tears. “I wish I never even thought about her falling.”

  Darius took her hands. “It’s too late for that. Your decisions are final. We cannot undo what has been done. Time only moves forward, not back.”

  Like she thought: no undo button. Mrs. Harris, the cat, and now Kelli. Who was next? Eric? Mom? What good was omnipotent power if you couldn’t erase mistakes?

  Her eyes sprang open. How many times had her mom grounded her? The days were numbered before they had another argument. Would Mom be the next to die?

  Maya shivered, staring at Darius’s fingers still gripped around hers— holding her, trapping her, asking the impossible.

  This wasn’t right. No one could control their anger all of the time. It was too much to ask. She couldn’t keep putting the people around her in danger.

  She lifted her gaze to Darius. “I don’t want this anymore.”

  “You don’t want what?”

  “This power. I don’t want it.” Maya pulled free from his grip.

  “Being a warden is not a case of want or not want. It is what you are.”

  “I never asked for this!”

  The metal door creaked open. Eric leaned out, his brown hair lifting in the breeze. “Maya!”

  She turned back to Darius. “Take the power away before I do something stupid.”

  “If you lose your power, you will lose everything you’ve gained.” His eyes trailed to Eric. “Everything.”

  Maya’s stomach knotted. Eric started to walk toward them, his smile dazzling, his hair shining in the late morning sunshine. In the fourth grade, a group of bigger kids had pushed Eric to the ground, laughing at him. Maya had been the only one with the courage to help Eric up. His beautiful eyes ensnared her that day, and they’d never let her go. She and Eric hadn’t been in the same class since, so she’d watched him, yearned for him from afar.

  This year, being in trig together and having lockers right next to each other had been like a dream come true. But even though they talked almost every school day, it had still taken magic powers to make him notice her. As much as she wanted his attention to be real, it wasn’t. It was an illusion, and she couldn’t cling to her childish fantasies anymore.

  Maya raised her hand, and Eric froze mid-step.

 
; She blinked and appeared a few inches in front of him. His eyes radiated such deep emotion, even frozen in time as they were. It was the perfect expression, the one she’d always dreamed of seeing on his face.

  “But I freed him,” she whispered. “Back in the gym, I let him go.”

  “Did you?” Darius appeared at her side. “Did you say words that you meant or words that you simply thought should be said?”

  Maya knew controlling someone wasn’t right, but whether or not she really meant it, she really wasn’t sure.

  “So he still likes me?”

  Darius tilted his head, peering into Eric’s still eyes. “It would appear so.”

  Maya smiled, taking in Eric’s expression and reveling in it.

  Knowing someone felt so deeply for her that their eyes would sparkle wrapped her in joy, but it was false. Just a few days ago, he’d looked at Kelli the same way.

  She needed to stick with her decision, whether she wanted to or not. It was wrong to force these emotions on him.

  She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his. A tear streaked her cheek. “Goodbye, Eric.” Choking back a sob, she turned to Darius. “Take the power away. I don’t want it anymore.”

  His lips thinned. “I can’t take your power away, Maya. No warden has control over another. That is why time has stopped around both of us. You cannot affect me.” He strolled back toward the fencing, and Maya followed.

  “So how do I get rid of my power then?”

  Darius visibly tensed, and he lowered his gaze. “Like anything else. If you want it badly enough, it will happen. But you need to remember, you have this power for a reason. I doubt you have completed what is expected of you yet.”

  Maya took one last look behind her, taking in and absorbing the wonderful expression on Eric’s face. “I don’t care. I want it gone. Now.”

  A car honked in the distance, and Eric broke into a sprint. “There you are,” he said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Maya glanced about her. Darius had disappeared.

  Eric’s arms encircled her. “I was worried. No one knew where you were.”

  She shifted him away. “You don’t have to hug me.”

  His brow furrowed. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it.” His eyes emanated a sorrow that dug at her heart. “I thought we were past this.”

  His expression faded into a blur as Maya’s sight, or lack of it, returned to normal. She rubbed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  Eric pressed his palm to his forehead. “Geeze, Maya, why are you making this so hard?”

  “Making what so hard?” She blinked, trying to focus without her glasses.

  “All right. No more beating around the bush.” He took a deep breath. “I like you. I’ve liked you for years.”

  “What?”

  His blurry form shifted from side to side. “You are the only constant in my life. Everything else has changed, and I’m not all that sure it’s all for the better.”

  Maya gaped, searching for words until he continued.

  “Before I won that stinking track championship, I was a joke. They all picked on me. Then I brought home the trophy, and the next day, I had the head cheerleader in my lap.”

  “You looked like you were enjoying it.”

  Eric folded his arms. “I was enjoying it. It was great to be one of the in crowd, but it never felt right. They are all so into themselves and full of it, you know what I mean?” His warm fingers stroked her chin. “I was serious about what I said yesterday. The only conversations I looked forward to were the ones I had with you.”

  Maya drank in his touch, reveling in his words, before reality struck her. He was saying everything she wanted him to say. And cute boys went for cheerleaders, not bookworms. This couldn’t be real.

  A bird flew from the trees toward the school. Maya wished it dead, but it kept flying. She wished for lightening, but the clear blue sky still hung overhead.

  She was normal again, but here Eric was, standing alone with her behind the school, baring his heart. Was this actually happening?

  “What about Kelli?”

  “Huh? Oh, she’s fine. She probably broke a few bones. They took her to the hospital.”

  “She’s not dead?”

  Eric hesitated. “No. Of course not.”

  A rush of relief overwhelmed her as a huge discomfort lifted from Maya’s heart. “Shouldn’t you go to her? You’re her boyfriend and all.”

  His hands grasped her shoulders, gently filling her with his warm strength. “I told you, she and I are over. I’m done with them. All of them.”

  Maya fought back the tears building up inside. Her arms began to tremble.

  “You’re squinting a lot. Are your contacts bothering you or something?”

  “Contacts? Oh, no. I-I lost them. They fell out.”

  His eyes widened. “So are you, like, blind right now?”

  “Pretty much. I have my spare glasses in my locker.”

  Eric’s right arm slipped around her waist. “Come on. I’ll make sure you get there without falling.”

  Eric maneuvered her through the blurry hallway, and she completely relinquished her trust to him. If this were anyone else, she would have cautioned every step, questioned every turn, but she knew she didn’t need to. Eric beamed strength and fortitude, her knight in shining armor. For the first time in her life, she was glad she was almost blind.

  Eric’s grip on her loosened. “What’s your combination?”

  “Thirty-six, twenty-four, twelve.”

  The dial clicked, and her locker opened. Eric placed a case in her hand. “Here you go.”

  Maya slipped her glasses on, and the world came into focus. The hallway seemed brighter; the tiled floors seemed a touch shinier than they had that morning, and Eric’s grin dazzled more than ever.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “It’s just kind of nice, seeing the old you again. I mean, you looked beautiful without the glasses, but you look kind of cute like this, too.”

  Warmth coated her like maple syrup over fresh pancakes before a tall, dark figure appeared beside them.

  “Shouldn’t you two be in class?” Vice Principal Seston’s knotted brow warned the answer that he wanted to hear.

  “Yes, sir,” Eric answered. “I was just helping Maya out. She lost her contacts and needed help getting back to her locker.”

  Maya nodded, grabbing her late-morning books.

  Mr. Seston grimaced. “Fine, but get back to class. Party time is over.”

  “Yes, sir.” Eric took Maya’s arm and led her down the hallway, stopping as soon as they were out of view. “So, I’ll see you at the game later?”

  The football game. She’d already told him no, but Miss Cheerleader was out of the picture now, and– she could hardly believe it herself– Eric actually wanted to go with Maya.

  Wishing away her powers had been the best decision of her life.

  But now she needed to make the most of her choice, and start living the life she wanted, not the life she dreamed of.

  Maya stood a little taller. “Yes. I’d love to go to the game with you.”

  Chapter Five

  The Chargers fumbled the ball amidst groans of disgust from the home team stands. Maya and Eric sat huddled together in the tightly packed bleachers, their legs touching. Eric’s hand lay in her lap, massaging her palm. The cries around her barely made it through the puffy haze of perfectness that surrounded them.

  Eric leaned his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that blew across the stands. She’d freed him, but he was still here, with her, on what seemed more and more like a date every minute. A tiny smile crept across Maya’s lips. This might just be the greatest day in the history of mankind.

  Someone in the crowd screamed, and Eric’s eyes sprang open. He stood, pulling Maya up beside him. It took several seconds for Maya to comprehend the
huge object in the sky, partially covered in flames, hurtling toward them.

  Eric’s grip on her tightened, and he pulled her toward the edge of the bleachers. Maya’s heart scrambled to beat out of her chest as she struggled to keep up with him. The howl of jet engines stung her ears as a plane came into focus, slowly descending.

  Slowly?

  The plane stopped falling. The massive frame hung in the sky, even the flames frozen in time.

  Maya turned toward Eric, and to the panicked, motionless faces around her.

  Everything had paused, but she hadn’t done this. She hadn’t even wished time to stop.

  “It’s a shame, isn’t it?” Darius appeared beside her.

  Startled, Maya jumped before collecting herself. “What are you talking about?” Her heartbeat continued to rage within her chest.

  “All these people are going to die, and so senselessly.”

  Maya pulled out of Eric’s frozen grip. “What? Aren’t you here to stop it?”

  “Stop it? No, of course not. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. This is not my task to undertake. I have no power to stop this from happening.”

  Maya pointed to the plane hanging above them. “What do you mean? You already stopped it.”

  “Stopped? No. I simply slowed it down considerably. Time still advances. Not even a warden can stop time forever.”

  “Then what can we do?”

  He glanced up at the spectacle looming above them. “We can watch and feel sorry for the casualties.”

  “What are you talking about? We have to do something.”

  Darius walked around the frozen people clamoring toward the stadium exits. “There is nothing to be done. Without their appointed warden, their fate is sealed.”

  Maya brought her fingers to her lips. She was their appointed warden, and she’d abandoned them.

  “You know what the worst part is?” Darius pointed to the game field, where Tommy had just thrown the ball downfield. “Thomas Moore was slated to be one of the greatest scientific minds of our time.”

  “Tommy Moore? But he’s an arrogant jerk.”

  “Yes, and his arrogance is what would have pushed him to march straight to the network news when his research team discovered the cure for cancer. You see, the medical community would try to stop him, because the funding for research and development is a huge source of revenue. If he had lived, he would have taken the formula straight to the world and saved millions of lives. He won’t be part of that team now, and the cure will go undiscovered.”