The Ark of Power

by David Barco

  "Naw, I think we should wait till the end of the month," Harrison responds.

  "What? Why wait a whole month to go by?" Joseph says.

  "I just think it would be smart to let a couple of weeks go by and let us get our feet underneath us first," Harrison replies.

  "Fair enough, we will do it then," JT says jumping off the washing machine. "Well, we better get going its 10:59."

  "Crap, this place is about to close, and my clothes are just now done washing. I still got to dry them," Harrison says.

  Leaving the room, JT, Jaylen, and Joseph encounter Felix, Sanford, and Edwin.

  "Alright boys, time to get out. This place is closing," Felix the janitor says.

  "Yeah, we know you had to read the sign outside the door that says, no one after 11," Sanford the cat says.

  "I apologize, my clothes just got finished washing. All I have to do is dry them. Can I please do that?" Harrison pleads.

  His friends giggle.

  "Naw, Harrison, you still got some time before you need to dry your clothes," Jaylen says laughing.

  "What are you talking about, you guys saw me put the detergent in and wash them," Harrison asks.

  "No, I saw you wash your clothes with blue raspberry juice," JT walks off laughing. "Guess you shouldn't have had your mom do your laundry all the time," JT hollers in the hallway.

  Feeling embarrassed, Harrison stares at Felix, Sanford, and Edwin with a blank stare.

  "Wow, that's dirty. I think you need to learn how to pick your friends, kid," Edwin the mouse says.

  "Yeah, me too," Harrison replies.

  Chapter 13

  Troubling News

  Approaching the classroom, Harrison feels the temperature trying to switch from hot mugginess to a nice chill crisp. The cool air makes his arm hair begin to rise. As Harrison and his friends get closer to the hut, Mr. Lloyd’s energetic voice reaches them.

  “I can’t believe he is still this excited a month into the school year. All the other instructors lost their excitement weeks ago,” Jaylen says, as Mr. Lloyd bounces, welcoming every student that strolls by him.

  “He is just as excited about greeting people as JT is about the cereal bar,” Joseph says.

  “Well, we know that isn’t going to change,” Harrison replies.

  “You got that right,” JT responds, with half his face inside his shirt, trying to avoid or evade the cool air.

  Going into the classroom, Mr. Lloyd screams at them with excitement, “Good morning.”

  They laugh as they find their seats. Mr. Lloyd rushes to the front ready to start. As he is about to fling his robe off as normal, a student busts in the door, halting him.

  “Mr. Lloyd, may I be excused for today’s class?” the girl says. Standing there sobbing, she is gripping a newspaper, The Tespan Observer.

  Her peach color eyes stand out as the makeup she is wearing runs down her face making it look like she has two black eyes. The bottom of her coffee colored hair is soaking from tears making it look like black coffee.

  “What’s wrong, Layla?” Mr. Lloyd says, walking to her.

  Harrison tries to see what is written on the paper but can’t make it out. Loosening her grip, she reveals to him what the paper says.

  “I can’t believe something like this would happen in my hometown, and to my neighbor of all people.”

  Mr. Lloyd takes the paper from her and reads the front page. Bringing her close to him, he hugs her tightly.

  “Honey, I am so sorry. That is terrible.” Mr. Lloyd responds.

  “I used to swim in his pool every summer, and his wife would bring me lemonade popsicles as I swam. I just can’t believe he is gone now. He was such a good man,” she says.

  Harrison and the rest of the class just sit there as he consoles her for a moment.

  “You are excused, go ahead and go back to your room, and try to calm down,” he says opening the door for her.

  Walking by Harrison to get to the front of the classroom, Mr. Lloyd drops the paper on the floor by Harrison’s foot. Reaching down to pick it up, Harrison stops mid-way, feeling his heart sink down to his chest as he reads the front of the paper.

  The beloved, antique shop owner, Cecil Garner of Dosman, found brutally murdered and shop destroyed.

  “Why did you stop? Are you going to make this old man pick it up?” Mr. Lloyd says, bending down and picking it up.

  “Sorry, Mr. Lloyd, I was going to,” Harrison says.

  Harrison notices JT trying to get his attention secretly. He glares over at JT.

  “What’s wrong?” JT asks.

  “Mr. Garner was found dead,” Harrison whispers in disbelief. JT’s eyes enlarge as they hear Mr. Lloyd beginning to teach.

  ◆◆◆

  Sitting in their dorm room, Harrison, JT, Jaylen, and Joseph all stay quiet. Gradually looking at each other, they each wait for the other one to speak up.

  "Listen, guys, you can't keep thinking and feeling this way. His death isn't on us," Jaylen says.

  "Yeah, it is unfortunate, but he was messing with a crazy guy from what it sounds like. It was probably bound to happen," Joseph says.

  Resting on his stomach, Harrison picks at the beige carpet, trying to pull it out. JT sits up quickly, looking directly at Harrison.

  "C'mon Harrison, we can't pout over this. Yes, it's tragic that Mr. Garner died, but who really knows if it was really because that blueprint is missing. It's not our fault," JT says.

  "Then who’s fault is it, JT? We are the ones that broke into his shop at midnight and stole the blueprint. His death is on our hands. And that should bother you. I mean, it bothers me that it doesn't bother you," Harrison says getting up and looking out the window.

  "You want to know what bothers me?" JT asks, standing behind Harrison.

  "Yeah, let me know since I sure can't tell what is bothering you. I guess I do need a little help, Harrison replies.

  "What really bothers me is that if that crazy robe guy did kill him, then we both know that the killer is at this place working here right now," JT says.

  "What if that guy that killed Mr. Garner is the one who sent you the letter and tried to kill you? If that's true, then apparently according to the letter, that crazy robe guy knows the truth about what happened to your dad. We can't sit around anymore," JT says.

  Getting up, Jaylen walks over to Harrison and grabs his shoulder.

  "Hey, what JT is really trying to say, is that maybe it's time we start trying to find out some answers," Jaylen says.

  "Dude, you been waiting your whole life for this opportunity. You always wanted to find out what happened to your dad. Don't get distracted now. This is not the time for cold feet," Joseph says.

  "Tonight, is the night we go take the blueprint and see if it really works," JT says.

  Rubbing his face, Harrison stares at his friends, noticing their concern.

  "You guys are right. I just don't want anybody else to die. I don't want you guys losing your lives by helping me," Harrison replies.

  "What are you talking about? We are the squad that people shouldn't mess with. We can do this. And we will find out what happened to your dad once and for all, together," JT says.

  "Alright, let's get the blueprint and see if this thing works," Harrison says.

  Opening his green backpack hiding in the corner, JT pulls out the giant blueprint, folding it up tightly.

  "Remember we have to take it to the library to work," JT holds the blueprint with care. “Let’s go find these secret rooms.”

  ◆◆◆

  The dim lights make tiny circles of light that fill the hallway in the main building. The quietness seems odd and makes Harrison feel uneasy. Every step he takes seems to echo even more than the last one. Harrison is as nervous as the time they went to steal the blueprint.

  The library is towards the exit leading to the Kyler's building. Walking to the door, Jaylen tries to open it. He shakes the doorknob. It doesn't open.

  "It's locked,
" Jaylen whispers.

  "You got to be kidding me. What school locks a library? I mean, who would want to break into a library anyway?" Joseph rubs his chin. "Oh yeah, don't answer that,"

  "What do we do now?" Harrison asks.

  JT leans against the wall, tapping the wall with his fingers as if it will help him think. Standing there for a couple moments, JT straightens up.

  "We can go take the key from the janitor. He is sleeping now. We just go into his room and take it. After we get done, we will put it back," JT says

  "Are you crazy? You know how difficult that will be?" Joseph says.

  "Yeah, that's too dangerous. If we get caught, we would be in so much trouble," Jaylen replies.

  "And what if the cat or mouse wake up? Those two are crazy," Joseph says.

  Standing there, Harrison rubs his forehead.

  "Okay, JT and I will go to the janitor's room and get the key. You two stay here and just keep watch. Look for us, so when we come back you can give us the signal if it is clear or not," Harrison replies.

  Harrison and JT take the stairs to the basement. Every other light works down in the basement hallway. The buzzing sound from the barely lit lights makes it seem like they are dying. Harrison and JT walk slowly.

  In-between every step, the darkness seems to snatch their feet away. Getting closer to the end of the hallway, Harrison spots the Janitor sign dangling halfway on the door, barely hanging on.

  "Okay, be super quiet," Harrison whispers, slowly opening the door.

  Harrison enters first. The smell of citrus invades his nose from all the cleaning products spread out through the tiny room. Felix, Sanford, and Edwin each are sleeping in three different beds, side by side but each one built for their own unique size.

  Snoring in unison, all three of them blow their nightcaps up and down as the massive white cotton ball at the tip goes up and down with each snore. Looking around, Harrison searches for the keys. He finally spots them hanging on the wall by Sanford. Harrison signals JT to stay there.

  He begins to tiptoe cautiously. Reaching the keys, he looks down at Sanford scratching his face with his hind leg.

  "Shut up, just shut up, Edwin, and take out the trash," Sanford says, sleep talking.

  Lifting the keys, he slowly takes them off the hook on the wall.

  "What are you doing," Sanford says.

  Harrison squints his eyes, knowing he just got caught. He looks down to face Sanford.

  "I told you to take the trash out. I swear you are a good- for- nothing," Sanford says.

  Oh man, that was a close one.

  Exiting the room, Harrison takes a deep breath as he closes the door. Heading back up to the main building, Jaylen signals them over.

  "Dude, I am so glad you guys made it back," Jaylen says.

  "Yeah, me too," Harrison replies, looking for the right key.

  Spotting a silvery key that has the word library written on it, he puts in the doorknob and turns the lock. The books all look depressed and lifeless. JT pulls the blueprint out and rolls it onto the long rectangle table in the middle of the room.

  "Okay, so how does this work?" Joseph asks.

  "Ummm, I really don't know. I never heard that part," JT says, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

  "Interesting, so we just stole some keys from a poor old guy to get in here and we don't even know how to make it work? We must be the smartest squad then," Jaylen replies.

  "So, what do we do now?" Joseph asks.

  Harrison glares around the library trying to think what to do.

  "I got it. You guys keep a lookout and I will go check and see if there is a book in here that mentions the legend of this blueprint. I mean being a Destine legend and being at the Destine Academy's library you would think maybe there is a book here about it," Harrison says.

  "Well worth a shot I guess," JT says. "Hurry up."

  Harrison paces the aisles looking at all the categories. Scanning the history section, he sees one that says Destine Legends. Pulling it out, another book falls down on the ground.

  Bending over, he picks it up. The book is open to the middle. As he begins to close it, he notices the checkout log. The second name from the top says, Douglas Grady. The pages are faded and sticky, making them hard to read.

  Chapter 2: The Compass of Destiny

  Underneath that he sees handwritten initials spelling out A.O.P

  Did my dad write that? And if he did what does it mean?

  "Harrison, hurry up! Someone is coming," JT says.

  Harrison rips the page out of the book and stuffs it in his pocket and puts both books back on the shelf. He returns to the table, seeing JT, Jaylen, and Joseph looking through the glass. The blueprint is in JT's hand.

  "It's Sanford, his cat," JT says.

  They listen closely with their ears up against the glass.

  "I can't believe he gets up and goes to the bathroom, and sees his keys aren't on the wall. He forgets them somewhere, and he sends me on the search for them. Why couldn't he send Edwin?" Sanford says coming up to the library door.

  Nervousness fills the room.

  "Lock it, JT," Joseph says.

  "I can't now, he is too close. If I do it now, he will hear it and know someone is in here," he replies.

  Sanford approaches the door. Harrison holds his breath. Suddenly, he hears Sanford take his hand off of the doorknob.

  “You know what, we didn't even clean the library today, so we were never in there. Boy, I really must be tired," Sanford says, heading down the hallway.

  Harrison exhales a sigh of relief.

  "We will wait a couple of minutes and head out. Just toss the keys in the middle of the hallway so he will eventually find them." Harrison says.

  "Yeah, I got you," JT replies.

  Minutes go by. Exiting the room, JT tosses the keys near the stairs that lead to the basement. They run quietly to their dorms.

  Chapter 14

  The Architect's Plan

  The dew on the soft grass dampens Harrison’s khakis. He puts his EFG on and off continually. JT looks at Harrison, Jaylen, and Joseph.

  "It's been a week since we were at the library. Maybe we should try it again tonight.”

  "Man, I really don't feel like sneaking into Mr. Crane's room again to get that key. We have to figure out another way to get into the library," Harrison replies.

  "You won't have to sneak into his room again. I got this covered," JT hops to his feet.

  “How is that?" Jaylen stares at him.

  "I took the library key off the keyring before I threw it the other night," JT replies.

  "You did what?" Harrison responds. "Do you like stealing now?"

  "It’s not really stealing. I see it more as borrowing," JT scratches his head. “I’m gonna give it back.”

  Mr. Drake walks onto the field. The students form a straight line.

  "Alright. Let me see everyone show me their EFG. Let's see who still has it.”

  Holding it up, Harrison dangles it from his hand. Mr. Drake paces slowly, inspecting each student. Stopping abruptly, he looks at a student without one.

  "Mr. Kevin Wilson, may I ask where your EFG is?" Mr. Drake paces. “If you’d bothered to look at the board in my classroom you would’ve known you needed it today. I wrote a note about it two weeks ago!”

  "I apologize Mr. Drake. I was up all night doing my language homework. I was so tired I accidentally forgot it in my room," Kevin shivers in fear.

  "You know what I am tired of, Mr. Wilson?” Mr. Drake shakes his head. "I am tired of students who want to be future Destine warriors not being responsible. How can I rest at night knowing that the future generation that is supposed to protect our people are so irresponsible?"

  Harrison notices the tears forming in Kevin's eyes.

  "You fail," Mr. Drake paces slowly again. "You may leave the field, Mr. Wilson.”

  Bursting in tears with his head down, he slowly walks off the field.

  "Okay, every
one else put on your EFG. It should go on your dominant hand, as most people harness energy better with their hand they usually write or eat with."

  Pulling the thick glove on his right hand, Harrison squeezes his hand a couple of times to loosen the tight grip.

  "Now, the ways these things work is simple. They are all programmed to only allow a certain amount of energy to form in your hand. If you accidentally try to bring forth too much energy from your Power Flow, the glove will automatically stop the energy. The EFGs only allow you to form small energy balls. That will be what you focus on this year," Mr. Drake stands still. "So, go ahead and partner up with someone and stand facing them."

  Harrison moves next to JT, partnering with him. Everyone forms two lines facing their partners. Mr. Drake paces in-between the two lines.

  “We will work on learning how to channel your energy from inside you. We want you to learn how to bring your energy into your EFG. When you properly do it, the glove should glow whatever color your energy is. This way we can distinguish what color your energy is," Mr. Drake puts his hands behind his back. "So, what you want to do is focus and clear your mind. Everyone starting out has to learn to focus and feel their Power Flow within them. After that, you want to direct the energy from your Power Flow to your hand," Mr. Drake smirks. "Everyone close your eyes and relax. I want you to clear your mind and just focus on your Power Flow."

  Relaxing, Harrison closes his eyes and tries to figure out what his Power Flow feels like. Minutes go by, and the quietness on the field shows how much everyone is focusing. Finally, he feels a tingling sensation in-between his stomach and his chest. Breathing slowly, the warm tingly sensation starts to grow stronger.

  I can feel it. It reminds me of what I felt at the skating rink that night.

  He concentrates, feeling the energy creep through his arm.

  "Okay, everyone should have an understanding of what your Power Flow feels like, and hopefully you have started trying to bring it into your hand," Mr. Drake says. "If you did it properly, when you open your eyes your hand will be glowing with the energy from your Power Flow."