Love

by Douglas R.

  But her voice is still locked inside his head and maybe, he thinks, if she was just another girl at school who really liked him and his songs, then last night would be different.

  15

  From here all I can see through the windows are the bars of light, illuminating the Battle Room inside. I'm standing in a dim corridor with Rhiannon. Most of the Major Tower is so dim you'd think the Elders are trying to hide something.

  "Gear up," he says.

  I take a breath and by mutual telepathy the Kronite knows I need protection. It begins to seep out of my belt and fill the spaces in between my fabric, sewing itself into my clothes. My blue jeans and grey sweatshirt turn sparkly grey.

  The door ahead of me slides open.

  "Are your buds on?" he asks.

  I reach for my ears and click them on. I have them so he can communicate to me while I'm inside.

  "Good. I'll be in the Control Room with Cinder. All the best," he turns away and I stroll into the light.

  The floor of the Battle Room is covered in ponds of white light as I walk to the center of the dome. It's been neatly polished since the last time I was here. The tube-lights on the wall aim their radiance on me like spotlights. Rhiannon is now in the Control Room, separated from me by a window. He raises his thumb and I raise mine.

  I don't look ahead at the wall. There are no drones in this battle room for me to smash with my orbs. Instead, I look up, anticipating something way more challenging than that.

  Rhiannon sounds in my ear, "Ready?"

  The Kronite spreads to my collar and I can feel the cold grey living metal caressing my neckline. Perhaps a little to intimately. It can sense my adrenaline rush so I understand its overprotectiveness.

  "Ready!"

  A sharp buzz signals the start of my battle session. I throw my arms into the air and draw out an orb over my entire body. Through the aura of my force-field the tube-lights are now visible as blurry patches, sizzling along the walls.

  I hone my senses. My view becomes clear. The first step in any battle is to mark my defense.

  The ceiling of the dome begins to light up with circles of red light, almost the way stars ignite the sky. Without warning, one of the circles spears forth into a laser beam and I spin out of the way as it hits the floor. It reflects, ricocheting off the walls, bouncing around.

  I keep my eyes to the ceiling where another laser escapes and I dodge again. The two laser beams start to chase each other, bouncing off the round walls. Focusing on my hand, I suck my orb into a powerful ball and gaze up.

  A third and fourth laser zap out. I thrust and my orb neutralizes one of the laser beams. In my experience I know it can absorb up to ten before it starts to disintegrate.

  Cinder decreases the timing from the control room and more lasers beam out for me. I dash away and orb again, ducking the red lasers that bounce from the walls. In two swift hooks, I send two more orbs into the air. The lasers are absorbed and I orb again, in time to save myself from a laser attack.

  At this point the Battle Room is glowing red with lasers running loose. My orbs bob in the air like soap bubbles. A few of them begin to disappear from taking in too many laser beams.

  I duck a shot and keep running for safer ground as red strobes of light hit the floor behind me. There are enough to keep this party going on for hours.

  I've gotta keep up.

  Rhiannon watches closely with his arms crossed over his chest as I dash across the room, thrusting orbs at incoming lasers. A beam shoots from the pinnacle of the dome and stabs my orb on my zenith. The red light fights to push through my shield.

  From the corner of my eye I can see Cinder adjusting the power of the laser beam. It presses harder and I can feel the burning sensation, the heat tingling the back of my neck.

  The strands of Kronite licking my collarbone being to flow over my neck and form a shield around my face.

  Cinder pushes a lever and the force on my orb brings me down on my knees. The laser beam is not giving me a chance to slide away. It feels heavy, persistent and merciless.

  I keep my arms outstretched over my head, biting down. The lasers bouncing off the walls find their way to me and I have to add the effort of absorbing them into my orb and using their power against this one laser beam that won't give up. It's not easy because it requires me to focus on two separate functions.

  The muscles in my thighs begin to shake and my core is running out of stamina.

  "What are you trying to do?" says Rhiannon.

  "Test her," says Cinder.

  "Looks like more than just a test."

  "Do you have a problem with pushing her potential a little further? Wouldn't that be a win for all of us? And for Pandor?"

  "Not like this. Those lasers are—"

  "Are not lethal."

  "Potentially lethal," Rhiannon beams down at him. "And with the power in that beam..."

  "It won't kill her."

  "Then what!" Rhiannon spits.

  Cinder sighs, "It does have a painful tasing effect on the subject."

  "You want to electrocute her?"

  Cinder ups his tone. "If she fails," then shoots him a glare. "It will tase, not electrocute. There's a difference."

  "This isn't the kind of training she needs."

  "Don't be a fool, Rhiannon. She needs a push. The Elders know it. So do you. Stretaka is right outside our front door, waiting on us. Waiting for any opportunity. For any mistake. Anything to find its way in and kill us all."

  Cinder points to the window, his finger on me. "And if she's not ready to face him. You know what will happen to her."

  "I understand. But this..." He points to me as I struggle to hold my orb under the laser. "There has to be some better way."

  "Really?" Cinder turns to the lever and gives it a nudge. "Tell me? You like to play pretend, don't you? That's why Myla likes you so much. You fantasize with her. You make her feel like it's all clear blue skies and sunny weather. You're fooling her. Just like how the Elders are fooling everyone in Pandor."

  Rhiannon cannot muster a reply. He takes a deep angry breath. The kid has got to him and he hates it.

  "I don't care what you think. This is how a real Lebra is trained," he pushes the lever another level higher.

  The laser is double its power and eating its way into my orb. Closer and closer to my face. I can feel the heat. My palms are sweaty from supporting my orb. The Kronite has now found its way to my forehead, working down my eyebrows.

  The red light is all I see. It splashes over like a red sun. With blurred vision I see the door of the Battle Room sliding down. Someone is running to me.

  I see Blake.

  My heart melts. The sorrow returns. Everything I've tried so hard to forget is racing back to my mind. I crammed the Hypnotic tones to my ears right after I woke up this morning, hoping that they would erase such an unforgettable dream. He lingers under the strobes of lasers bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Blake is clearly trying to get to me but I have no idea why. Why is he even here? To apologize? To help?

  The sad hungry hole inside consumes me. I can't take this kind of emotion. Especially when I've been trained to be emotionally unavailable. No, this can't torment me. I can't accept to feel this way. It hurts so much and it wants to come out. I don't want to cry. I can't... it wants to come out... it wants to—I can't handle this rage.

  "Aargh!"

  With superhuman strength I get on two so fast it feels like I'm flying. My orb leaves my body and travels up the length of the laser, speeding and absorbing it without fail until it crashes into the pinnacle of the dome.

  The red circles explode. A display of fireworks come forth from the ceiling and I stand in awe at the work of my own sheer strength as the sparks streak through the air.

  I turn my gaze ahead to see the boy again but he's not there. Or it wasn't him. Rhiannon dodges the sparks raining from the ceiling while trying to scurry under the other lasers bouncing around. He crawls on the floor and I bolt aft
er him. I feel different. I feel reborn.

  A laser zaps and I barely need to orb my whole body. I stretch my hand and release a small orb to capture it. I release three more around me and athletically spin in the air to dodge a fourth. Before I hit the ground I leave two orbs to take care of what's behind me and continue to sprint for my trainer.

  This clearly wasn't part of my training. Rhiannon isn't supposed to be in the Battle Room until my session is over.

  A laser bounces off a window and beelines for his neck. I hurdle an orb to intercept the blow and the laser gets trapped in the bubble of energy.

  Rhiannon gazes up at me, a hint of surprise in his look.

  "Keep your head down," I warn him as I send another orb to flank away the next laser. "I got you!"

  "Behind you!" he yells.

  I spin quickly and the energy flows off my arms so easily it's like breathing. The two lasers in the air explode into a bubble of sparks and I turn to Rhiannon. I drop to his side and scan the room.

  Quite a number of lasers still crisscross the arena. By instinct, I raise my palm out and close my eyes. Rhiannon's teachings are to draw the energy out. Maybe the reverse is true.

  Feeling the vibrations in the room: the lights, the lasers and the sizzling sensations in the air, I reverse the spell to draw it all in. Slowly, then faster as I befriend the atmosphere. When I open my eyes a laser is headed for me. But it's slow. And it enters my palm. No stings, no burning sensations. Another beam follows and soon I have red streaks from all directions, coming into me and flowing to my core.

  Rhiannon gawks as the room is cleared of lasers. My worn out core is now rejuvenated like a fully charged battery.

  "Myla..." He looks around as if there's a word inside this room that can describe the feat I pulled off today.

  "That. Was. Wonderful." We both spin around to the voice and see Thea walking over to us in her white robe. "You're a good trainer, Rhiannon."

  Rhiannon's face lights up. His cheeks blush and I have something to tease him about. "Thank You."

  "I would like to have a word with you."

  "That's fine," says Rhiannon. "Myla is done for the day. We have enough time to talk."

  "Actually," she turns her gaze to me, "I'm interested in speaking to Myla."

  16

  They always sit at the same table. The one beside the door. Right to the glass wall framing the beautiful landscape: beyond the parking lot a blanket of grass flanking the road and reaching the clouds in the distance. With the heater above their heads, Matty, Sherri and Blake have claimed the coziest booth at Five O'clock.

  And that's literally the name of the joint. Sherri's mom decided to give away a package of snacks to one lucky customer every day at five o'clock.

  Matty is all on the new Alita comic on his iPad, ignoring Blake's questions about Charlie and only opening his mouth to tell him how Alita is building her new empire in space.

  Sherri gets to the table with donuts smeared in brown, yellow and pink and white, some croissants and three coffee lattés . She works their part time. Sometimes just for the fun of it.

  "So, when's your mother coming back?" says Sherri.

  "Don't know," says Blake, sipping his juice. "Maybe when she gets bored of her Zen trainer."

  "Or maybe when she misses you," she says with a smile. She turns to her brother.

  "I've been trying to get his ass off of that ever since we got here," says Blake, "I dig the comic too but he's spitting spoilers. So do you mind if you could sabotage his entertainment?"

  "With pleasure," Sherri grins.

  Matty barely sees it coming when Sherri grabs the iPad with both hands.

  "Hey!"

  "Sorry, bro. I was reading Divergent before you stole this."

  Matty pulls back. "Sherri, cut it out. When I'm done with Alita you can read all you want."

  "A little help, Blake?"

  Blake slides a few inches under the table and sends a sharp kick up Matty's shin. With a jolt he let's go of their shared iPad.

  Sherri grins. "Yes!"

  "That was Alita, man."

  "I think we were talking about Charlie."

  "Yeah, you boys do that," says Sherri, opening up her novel from her iBooks library.

  "Still working it out."

  Blake leans in, "And that means?"

  "She doesn't like Sherri as much as Sherri doesn't like her. So when I'm with one, the other disappears."

  "Like Harry Potter," and Blake feigns a dark sinister voice. "Neither can live while the other survives!"

  "Dude, I'm working it out."

  Sherri jumps in. "In your free time. While you fix up your new girlfriend and while you won't be reading Alita, why not make a comic of your own. Creativity is good to keep you distracted."

  "Alita gets me distracted!" Matty argues. "And you're robbing me the pleasure."

  "It distracts you in the wrong way."

  "Is there any right way to be distracted?"

  Sherri flips her iPad around to show him the cover of the book on the screen. "Divergent." She whispers.

  "I could use a distraction," says Blake.

  Matty laughs. "What happens the next time you see this girl in your dreams? Bang her?"

  Sherri shakes her head.

  "What? Never dreamed of sex?"

  "There's a difference between dreaming of it and hoping to dream of it."

  Blake furrows his brows at them. "I don't have any siblings. Is this is a weird conversation for a brother and sister to have?"

  "You know what's weird?" says Sherri. "The very fact that you dream of this Myla girl and you can exchange stuff."

  "That's Harry Potter type weird, by the way," adds Matty.

  "Hey, I didn't ask for this."

  "Of course not," Matty sips his juice. "You're the chosen one." He and Sherri share a laugh. "So what's gonna happen tonight?"

  "I don't know if I'll see her again. I said goodbye. Got my iPod back."

  "Maybe she'll come look for you. Just in case you show up again."

  "Which doesn't sound like a good idea," says Sherri. "It's weird enough it happened. We don't need to continue it."

  "Hey, I got an idea," says Matty. "Since Myla is our only proof there's life on other planets why don't you give her a camera so she can take pictures of herself. And maybe even Pandor."

  "Uh..." Blake stares blankly. "You really think that's a good idea?"

  "You traded iPods and panties. What harm will a camera do?"

  "Don't do it Blake," says Sherri. "Call it quits. I don't need the FBI up in our house."

  "I think I'll..."

  "Yes," Matty begins to grin.

  "Or maybe I should not..."

  Sherri smiles. "’attaboy!"

  "... lose the opportunity to..."

  Matty snaps his fingers. "Now you're talking!"

  "Oh no," Sherri sinks back.

  "...Save myself from..."

  Sherri lights up. Matty crosses his arms.

  "... from a lack of adventure."

  "You're the man!"

  "Really?"

  "What's the worst that could happen, Sherri?" says Blake.

  "I don't know. Maybe this Myla will trap you in a comma so you'll never leave her again. Maybe she'll use you to transport alien battleships to earth!"

  "Sounds like Transformers. And by the way when's the next movie coming out?" says Matty.

  "As long as Blake keeps this going, I wouldn't be surprised if Rock City ends up like Chicago."

  "You're joking, right?" says Blake.

  Sherri beams,"I hope I am."

  Matty reaches for his backpack and pulls out a slim camera. He slides it over to Blake. "Only one way to find out."

  17

  "What did Cinder say?" says Thea. Her eyes are fixed on the glowing pyramids, on top of the mountains that etch into the sky. We're on the outdoor platform, where I usually have my orb practice with Rhiannon. The elements of air and nature help me with the exercises.
<
br />   "He said my performance was impressive," I say, still dumbfounded that an Elder like Thea would want to speak to me privately in a place like this.

  "Anything else?"

  "No. That was all."

  Her fingers are curled around the railings as she looks over the beauty of Pandor: the tracks that swirl into the jungle, the pathways propped over the treetops and the buildings jutting out of the green.

  "How do you think you performed?"

  "I think I did what I never did before."

  Thea's lips curve into a smile. She looks up, "I noticed you seemed a little frustrated in there."

  I look down the Tower. I don't want her to know about my secrets. Even though it's over with Blake I still feel the urge to protect whatever I had. Whatever could have been.

  "Training. And lifestyle. The usual stress."

  "Our Hypnotic tones take care of all your stress. If you've been listening to your sessions as you should then you should be fine."

  "I do listen to my sessions." I lie. I know they record how long I listen but my bedroom has no cameras. Ever since Blake came around I've been listening to them for barely five minutes. To cheat them I leave the headphones playing on my bed.

  "Then what else could be bothering you?" Thea turns to me so I can't hide my eyes. "I'm curious. You used anger to draw out the best of your potential. What upset you?"

  I break contact and look away. I cross my arms on the railings and steer my eyes to the mountains.

  "Something personal?"

  If I don't come up with something Thea will get suspicious. So I tell her the one thing they probably already suspect.

  "My family. I haven't seen them for too long. I don't even know where Mylo is."

  "Your little brother," she rests her hand on my shoulder. Which is like lowering her hand because she's freakishly tall. "He's alright. And safe."

  "Could I at least talk to him?"

  Thea sighs, then tightens her grip on my shoulder. "Myla. You're in a very important stage of your training right now. It's not right to focus on—"

  I whack her hand off my shoulder. "Not right to think about my own brother?"

  "That's not what I meant—"