The Ark of Power

by David Barco

  Harrison sits and grabs his backpack. Pulling the compass and green gem out, he gazes at his friends. "Might as well.”

  Rotating the tiny green gem with his fingers, Harrison examines every fine cut as it shines with each turn. Lifting the compass closer to his face, he gazes at the unknown language written on it. Harrison places the gem on the back of the compass. Suddenly, the gem sticks on the compass as if it is glued to it.

  All of them gasp as they perceive what is happening. Vibration shakes through his hand as the gem glows brightly. Harrison squints struggling to see the intense greenish glow coming from the gem. The gem sinks into the compass slowly, as if it is sinking into quicksand.

  Harrison feels his hand sway gently as the compass pulsates stronger in his firm grip. Finally, the compass sucks the gem into itself, and is surrounded by shiny green energy. Harrison's hand tingles as he clutches the compass tighter. All of a sudden all of the glowing greenish energy expands, covering every inch of their room, painting everything green.

  Instantly, the compass sucks every bit of energy into itself turning everything normal. Harrison's hand stops shaking, and he slowly opens it. Unexpectedly, Harrison gazes at the compass staring back at him with two big green eyes.

  "What's going on everyone?" the compass says, energetically with a giant smile coming from a new mouth formed at the bottom of it.

  Harrison jumps, flinging the talking compass on the floor. JT, Jaylen, and Joseph jump back in fear at the sight of the compass.

  "Oh. My. Gosh. Did that thing just form a mouth and some eyeballs and talk to us?" JT says looking startled.

  "Ouch. How disrespectful” the compass says. "We just met, and this is how you treat new friends?"

  Covering his mouth, Harrison glances over at his friends, who stand there with disbelief on their faces.

  "Okay. I am not losing it. That thing did just talk," JT says.

  Harrison does not take his eyes off of the compass. The jubilant beam shines from it, almost scaring him.

  "Harrison. What the heck are we supposed to do now?" Jaylen says.

  Snatching it up, a soothing warmth radiates from it, comforting Harrison.

  "I don't know. But we will figure something out," Harrison replies as the compass smirks back at him.

  "Well, it is mighty nice of you to pick me up. I mean I was starting to wonder if you had any manners," the compass says.

  A tiny laugh bursts out of Harrison. The compass' mouth enlarges at the sight of Harrison laughing.

  "Wow. You guys do laugh and smile. I was worrying that I was about to be stuck with some depressing people," the compass says.

  Standing next to Harrison, JT forcefully points his long index finger at the grinning compass. The compass goes cross-eyed staring at his finger.

  "Hey. We are far from being depressed people. Just because we are not as cheerful as you are, doesn't mean we aren't happy," JT declares.

  Following his finger, as he bounces it with each word, the compass' eyes spin quickly.

  Harrison shoves JT back behind him. "Don't scare the poor compass JT.”

  A frenzied sound burst from the compass' mouth. Tears squeeze through its tightened eyelids. Harrison and his friends gaze at each other in confusion.

  "He said don't scare...don't scare me," the compass says laughing hysterically.

  "Maybe I should have said crazy instead of cheerful," JT says with a confused look.

  Opening his eyes, streams of tears slide down his face as it tries to gain its composure. Small chuckles escape.

  "Oh man. That was funny. You said he might scare the poor compass. You all are funny. Believe me, with all my adventures with the Supreme Elder and the First Destine Elder, I have seen a lot of scarier things than him.”

  Harrison sits the compass on his nightstand against the bare white wall.

  "My name is Harrison. This is JT, Jaylen, and Joseph. We are the ones that activated you with the First Elder's energy gem.”

  "Well, it is my pleasure to meet you all. But if you don't mind me asking, why would you activate me? You look like young teenagers. What would be your purpose with me?"

  "Well, we need you to help us locate the Ark of Power. Do you know where it is?" Harrison steps closer to the compass on the nightstand.

  "Of course, I do. But what would you want with the Ark of Power?" the compass replies.

  "It's a long story, but my dad went missing thirteen years ago while on a mission to find it. So, if we find the Ark then I might be able to find out what happened to him.”

  Silence fills the room. Harrison and the others wait for an answer from the smiling compass. Moments go as the compass continually blinks. Finally, the compass let's out a huge sigh. "Okay. I will help you. I feel like you all have pretty good character and are telling me the truth.”

  Harrison beams. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

  "I just hope you guys are ready for a doozy of a trip," the compass says.

  "What do you mean a doozy of a trip? Where exactly is the Ark right now?" Jaylen says.

  Moving in closer, Harrison and the others focus on the compass.

  "It's inside the Purhara Mountains.”

  Dropping his shoulders, Harrison sinks to the floor in disbelief. JT, Jaylen, and Joseph follow Harrison's reaction.

  "You got to be kidding me. That is like a two-day journey from here," Joseph says.

  "Yeah, that's just great. How the heck are we supposed to leave now without everyone at the Academy knowing we are gone?" Jaylen sits on one of the beds.

  Running his hands through his hair, Harrison sits on the floor, struggling to think. "I don't know yet. That definitely makes it a little bit more difficult. We have to think about it for a little bit."

  "What do we do with this cheerful compass then? We can't leave it in one of our rooms. It is really loud and if we get caught with it, we could get in some serious trouble," JT leans against the nightstand. "Unless it can deactivate itself."

  "Sorry. But if you deactivate me you will have to get another gem with the First Elder's energy," the compass replies.

  Harrison lays his head in between his knees glancing down at the old burgundy carpet. "Great.”

  Lifting his head up, Harrison gazes at the others, sensing their discouragement.

  "Okay. So, this is what we will do to hide the compass. We will place it in the secret room and whenever we come up with a game plan and we’re ready to go through with it, we’ll get it out," Harrison stands to his feet.

  Snatching the compass up, the others jump up. Cracking the door open slightly, Harrison peeks out.

  "Alright. Listen compass. I am going to put you in my bag. I need you to be extremely quiet. Okay?" Harrison says.

  "How disrespectful," the compass responds.

  Harrison places the compass in his backpack. Throwing on a clean shirt, Harrison walks out the door. Students fill the hallway, hurrying to breakfast. Approaching the secret room, the Red Hawk captain stands there talking to Sebastian Darby and the Elder. Quickly halting at the sight of them, Harrison puts his head down and peeks around the corner, watching them.

  "Crap," Harrison hits the wall with his backhand.

  "What is it?" the compass says with a muffled voice through the backpack.

  "Shhhhh. I said you can't talk." Harrison replies.

  "So disrespectful."

  Shaking his head, Harrison gazes around the corner to see if they are still there. Harrison notices they are walking outside. Immediately, Harrison heads over to the secret room and opens it. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices the Red Hawk captain.

  Slinging the backpack off his shoulders, he throws it into the room, slamming the door instantly. As the door closes, the Red Hawk comes around the corner, entering the main the building. Harrison walks by him.

  "How are you doing, Mr. Grady?" the Red Hawk Captain says passing by him.

  "I’m fine. Thanks for asking," Harrison replies, walking out of t
he building.

  Chapter 25

  150 Hours

  Sweat glides down Harrison's face as he stretches with Tommy in their normal training spot. Lightning bugs shine every couple of seconds, following the heat of the lightning brightening up the sky. Wiping his face, Harrison takes a sip of water, tasting the salty sweat from his chapped lips mixing with the water.

  "I thought Spring wasn't supposed to be this hot. This is crazy," Harrison throws his water bottle next to his backpack on the dry ground.

  "It builds character," Tommy takes a sip of water. "Plus, you sound like JT with all that whining."

  "You got that right. He has been constantly complaining that in these last three months we haven't come up with a plan for how to get to the Purhara Mountains without anybody noticing that we are missing. I feel bad that the compass is still in my backpack in the secret room though.”

  Walking to the middle of the cleared area, the wind smoothly blows the fresh green leaves on all the trees circling them.

  "Alright. You ready?" Tommy stretches a little more.

  Harrison touches his toes and bounces on them lightly. "I am telling you, I got you this time. You better not take it easy on me.”

  Harrison hunkers down to his stance gazing at Tommy preparing to attack. Harrison rushes at Tommy throwing a punch at his face. Tommy snatches his hand, flinging him to the small nearby tree. Soaring towards it, Harrison sends energy to his feet making them illuminate green. He places his feet on the tree, crouches, and launches at Tommy. At the same time, Tommy runs at Harrison. Harrison extends his arm with a flying fist.

  Tommy rolls underneath Harrison. Flipping through the air, Harrison lands on his feet crouching slightly. Tommy winks at Harrison, making Harrison grin back. Harrison forms a green energy ball the size of a soccer ball in his right hand.

  Hovering above his palm slightly, he takes a couple of steps and launches it at Tommy. As he catches it with both hands, Harrison launches into the air with a spinning roundhouse kick, kicking through the energy ball that Tommy is holding inches away from his face.

  Harrison's kick lands on the side of Tommy's face making him soar to one of the trees. Landing softly, Harrison spots Tommy laying on the ground, rising up slowly.

  "Nice one. I tell you what. Since you landed one, I will let you try your move and if you create it, you can try and hit me with it," Tommy knocks the dirt off his clothes.

  "Well, you just messed up because I am feeling good about it tonight," Harrison smiles.

  Bending his knees, Harrison extends his right arm with his palm facing the sky. Grabbing his right wrist with his left arm, he senses the energy rushing from his Power Flow and racing to his right hand.

  Tiny strings of green energy form from his clammy palm. Harrison feels the pressure of energy ready to explode from his hand, so he lets out a screeching roar. Suddenly, more green energy strings form and starts intermingling with the other ones.

  I can do this. I got it this time.

  Harrison focuses harder.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Harrison notices the amazing look painted upon Tommy's face. Gazing back down, the green energy strings spin faster and expand to about the width of a volleyball. All of a sudden, a burning sensation erupts through his hand and makes the middle of his palm sting with pain.

  Steam rises up through the green energy strings spinning quickly in his palm. Harrison drops down to his knees and stops the process of creating the movement. Sweat pours off of his dirty brow as he takes deep breaths. Tommy walks over and puts his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly.

  "You almost had it that time. That is the closest you got to it," Tommy says with excitement. "I think you will get it down in a couple more tries."

  Harrison stands. The draining feeling flows throughout his whole body. Swaying side to side, Harrison gazes at the trees bouncing around.

  "Dang it. I thought I was going to get it that time," Harrison says disappointedly.

  Harrison glances down at his right palm that has burned a little. "Dang.”

  Tommy pats his back softly, grabbing his bag and giving it to Harrison.

  "You probably want to go and get some ointment for it," Tommy surveys his hand.

  "Yeah, you are right. At least it's not as bad as last time."

  Walking to the fence dividing the Academy and the woods, Tommy seems bothered by something as he places his hands on the fence.

  "What's wrong, man?" Harrison watches Tommy stare at the ground.

  "You know, I have heard you and the others saying that maybe my dad is the one that you and JT thought you saw at that guy's antique shop that night. That would make him the one who killed the owner of the shop," Tommy stares at the ground without blinking.

  Harrison lets go of the fence and gazes at Tommy.

  "Tommy, don't even worry about it. I am sure it's not your dad. We were just talking."

  "Yeah, but we heard the conversation in the secret room that night. That guy who killed the owner wants you dead. We both know my dad doesn't think very highly of you. I mean he made me hit you with my Supersonic Omega Blast."

  Harrison giggles. “Yeah. That sure wasn't fun. But don't beat yourself up about it. It could be either of the three. They were all there that night. So really, it's between my uncle, Mr. Lloyd, and your dad. Personally, I hate to admit it, but I am leaning more towards my uncle."

  Tommy stares back at the ground kicking dirt with his foot. "I just want you to know that if it is my dad, I promise you that no matter what, I will be there to help you. You are like a brother to me now."

  "That means a lot. I consider you a brother also. If you ever need help, I will do my best to be there for you too," Harrison grabs Tommy's shoulder gently.

  Harrison and Tommy climb up the fence and head toward their rooms.

  The fresh paint smell from the walls in the hospital clogs up Harrison's nostrils as he walks down the hallway. He waits patiently for his name to be called by the nurse. Dwindling his thumbs, gawking at the drying mopped floor, he hears the nurses mumbling through the door. He looks up to see the poster still hanging on the wall from the time he saw the girls put it up last time he was waiting.

  The Cerdic class presents The 150 hours of Remembrance. The Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Destine Nation.

  No Classes for 150 hours.

  The whole 150 hours will be designed as a time of celebration of the First Elder creating our nation...

  Starts in 1 day!

  All of a sudden, Sebastian Darby steps out of the door with his right arm in a tight white sling. Standing up, Harrison walks over to him, noticing Rena Rush standing behind him.

  "Mr. Darby. What happened to you?" Harrison says concerned.

  Rena slides beside his good arm, stepping in front of him.

  "Picking fights with people he shouldn't be,” she grabs Harrison's files.

  Sebastian giggles, moving his arm in the sling slowly.

  "Yeah. What she said, young Grady," Sebastian replies sarcastically as he walks off.

  Harrison walks into the room. She glances at his chart. He sits down on the elevated chair, folding up the thin crisp paper covering it.

  "So, you got a slight burn in that same palm again, huh?"

  "Yeah. But at least it's not as bad as last time.”

  She tosses the small tube at him. Catching it, he looks at her as she opens the door.

  "You might as well just take the whole tube with you. I am sure you are going to burn it again somehow.”

  "Thanks. I appreciate it. But hopefully, you are wrong."

  Wind from Rena closing the door makes the paper on the wall flap at the bottom. Harrison glances at the poster, pushing it back on the wall.

  "Hey. How long are one hundred and fifty hours?" Harrison says.

  "I think it is like six days,” she puts the clipboard back on the shelf. "But I won't be here. I am heading to see some family at that time. So, don't get hurt when you are party
ing. We both know what happened the last time you were at a party."

  "Yes, ma'am. You got it," Harrison replies slightly grinning.

  Smiling back at him, she walks into another room.

  Harrison stands in deep thought, as he reads the poster again.

  I got it. This is our chance to leave. Nobody will be keeping attendance during these six days. Nobody will know that we are gone.

  Slapping the wall with excitement, Harrison rushes down the hallway leaving the hospital wing. He hits Rena Rush with a huge smile as she walks out of the room

  I can't wait to tell the others.

  ◆◆◆

  Harrison hears an annoying screech from his door. Stuffing clothes into his backpack, he glances over his shoulder and sees JT, Jaylen, and Joseph.

  "Guys. Listen. I got something I want to tell you," Harrison struggles to zip his backpack shut.

  "Let me guess. You are moving out?" JT replies with a confused look on his face.

  "What? No. Why would you say that?" Harrison responds.

  "Oh, I don’t know. I mean, you’re putting a lot of clothes in your backpack there." JT says.

  Finally, he zips the overstuffed backpack up. Joseph lifts the bag up.

  "Dude. How much did you need to put in this bag?" Joseph lifts it up and down.

  Harrison snatches his bag from him and throws it by the door.

  "If you guys would just shut up and listen, I would be able to tell you what I need to," Harrison says. "I know when we can leave and find the Ark."

  A form of excitement and confusion comes over all of their faces.

  "When?" Jaylen says.

  "Tomorrow morning."

  "What? How the heck are we supposed to do that?" Joseph sits on the bed.

  Harrison glows with excitement. "The school-wide celebration of the anniversary of the nation starts tomorrow. It lasts for about six days. That gives up plenty of time to go find the Ark and come back."

  JT, Jaylen, and Joseph gaze at one another with a confused look.

  "Ummm. You sure that is a good idea?" JT says.

  "It's our only chance. If we miss this opportunity, we may not have another one. This may be our only shot." Harrison says. "We are doing this. Go pack up and do whatever you need to do. We leave early in the morning."