by Travis Hall
“I think that we should give a few of these to our clumsy friend over there,” Allora said with a smirk, motioning to Tanner, who was mopping up the last of the goo.
Without warning, a ball of goo smashed into the side of Allora’s face. Her mouth opened and her eyes went wide as Tanner laughed wildly. Allora ran over and began tossing what was left of the goo at him as he ran around the lab desks. Dax and Katie joined in, prompting Mrs. Ferris to yell at her mischievous students. They were having too much fun to stop. After they were thoroughly covered in goo, they were instructed to clean everything up, which took them another two hours. All smiles, they left the Ferris cabin with pockets filled with the strange balloon glue.
When Allora got home, she heard distant muffled voices coming from her mother’s room. Slowly she tiptoed into the hallway that connected to the living room. She moved along the wall to see a lit image of Captain Theus speaking with her mother.
“We caught the elf trying to bypass our exterior shield generator security protocols,” Captain Theus said. He had bags under his eyes and drooping eyelids. “That’s the second individual that we’ve caught trying to infiltrate our security system. I’ve spoken with Bartimus. He has completely overhauled certain key security algorithms.”
“I spoke with General Andar,” Milly responded. “Salazar has been making some serious moves. I think that it’s time we start thinking about making a few of our own.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I think it’s time,” Milly said after a long pause, as if the weight of her decision had been heavy. “After graduation, we will tell them the truth. We will tell both worlds the truth.”
Captain Theus nodded and signed off, leaving Milly to slump onto the bed.
chapter
TWENTY
May Day
Tanner tiptoed through the woods with bent knees, pressing the balls of his feet down slowly, followed by his heels. He wore green military fatigues, black boots, gloves, and a black bandana. His face was also painted black and green. He stalked through the forest like a hunter, with his weapon tucked into his pants pocket. Dax followed closely behind him, sliding quietly behind a tree. Up ahead the faint orange glow of light peeked through the trees. A couple of high-pitched voices carried through the woods.
It was almost two o’clock in the morning, and there was no moon in the sky, allowing them to stay hidden in the dark forest. Tanner motioned with his finger, instructing his troops to move. Dax took a few on the right flank, crawling through the bushes as quietly as possible. Katie moved up on the left, taking Brandon, Marcus, and few others with her. Allora ducked down and scurried forward, pressing her back tightly against the tree next to Tanner. She was dressed in tight black pants, a black tank top, and knee-high boots. She had black face paint, and her hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail.
She took a deep breath. Then she glanced at Tanner and smiled.
“I thought you wouldn’t be interested in this,” Tanner asked.
“This is a tradition,” she replied.
“You’ve got that right,” Dax said, lifting up a carton of eggs Allora had tucked under her arm. “I’ve been waiting four years for this.”
Tanner pulled his carton out of his pants pocket, opened it, and pulled out a fresh white egg.
“All right, let’s do this,” he said, lifting his right hand toward Dax and then his left toward Katie.
They both gave the ready sign. Tanner and Allora led the charge, starting slow and then speeding through the woods like wolves on the attack. The orange light ahead grew larger, and the woods opened up into a field. On the other side was a driveway and a large white house. The driveway in front of the house was filled with about seventy kids working unsuspectingly on their float, which would be featured in the graduation week May Day Parade. Everyone was close behind or attacking from different sides, quickly moving through the forest out into the open field. None of the freshmen in the driveway noticed the oncoming attack until it was too late.
Battle cries rang out through the night as white ovals of ammunition streaked through the air toward their targets. Allora, Tanner, Katie, Dax, Brandon, Marcus, and fifty other seniors kept up the onslaught until their cartons were empty. Nothing was spared. Everything was covered in egg yolk, the float was destroyed, and the freshmen were picking eggshells out of their hair. Upon hearing the screams, the parents inside the house came out yelling. Just as quickly as they had arrived, the seniors disappeared into the woods, running toward the forest road where they had parked. They laughed as they got into their cars and drove out onto the main road.
The rendezvous point was back at Brandon’s house, where the rest of the seniors were busy building their own float. The class that built the best float, as judged by the faculty, would win the May Day Cup, which was a large trophy that sat in the front window case of the school. Every year the seniors would somehow sabotage the freshmen’s float, and every year the seniors would win the May Day Cup. As they drove up, it seemed that this year would be no different. Upon a large trailer sat a very detailed papier-mâché sailing vessel with a lifelike man standing on the bow and pointing forward. His face hadn’t yet been completed, but the rest of his attire was leather and cotton. It was a realistic depiction of one of the pioneers who had settled in Sandy in the eighteenth century and who was the mascot of Sandy High School.
After getting out of the car, Allora went to the sink inside the garage and cleaned the egg yolk off her hands. Then she went to help with some of the other decorations on the sides of the trailer, while the boys reenacted the assault on the freshmen.
“You boys haven’t been causing any problems that I should know about, have you?”
From the garage, Tanya emerged, covered in paint, glitter, and paper. The spritely cheer captain stomped across the driveway, followed by a few other seniors, who looked tired.
“Where have all of you been?” she said, placing her hands on her hips and cocking them to the side.
“We were welcoming the freshmen to the May Day ceremonies,” Tanner said.
“Yeah, with an egg to the face,” Dax added. “I mean, did you see that little dude get hit straight in the forehead?”
“I’m pretty sure that the same thing happened to you freshman year,” Tanner said.
“That’s right, and you cried like a baby,” Brandon said, laughing hysterically.
Dax pushed Brandon. “I had eggshell in my eye!”
“I don’t care if you guys were saving babies from a burning building!” Tanya said. She stood up taller, with her chest puffed out, pointing aggressively with her finger. “You were supposed to be here helping with the float. I am not losing May Day to those stupid juniors.” Tanya got really close to Dax, Tanner, and Brandon. “And if we do, I’m going to come and find each and every one of you and make your lives a living hell.”
Allora and Katie looked at each other with amusement.
“Remind you of anyone?” Katie said.
“Jenny would definitely be proud,” Allora said, smiling at the uncanny resemblance to her previous nemesis. “I wonder how she’s doing after we erased her memory.”
“She’s in college. No curfew, lots of boys, and tons of people to boss around. I’m sure she’ll be just fine.”
Allora and Katie went to the garage, grabbed a bucket of paint, and helped to decorate the boards on the side of the trailer. After an hour, the float was really coming together. Tanya continued to bark orders at everyone. She seemed to relish the responsibility of bossing people around. Allora got busy applying a base coat of paint on the sideboard of the float, while Brandon was putting the facial features on the pioneer up top. Katie left to get another bucket as Marcus walked up.
“Hey,” he said, kneeling down next to Allora. She ignored him and continued painting. “Need some help?”
“Not from you,” she replied, giving him a fake smile.
“You can be pretty cute when you’re mad,” Marcus said
with a grin.
The comment took Allora aback. She couldn’t help but blush. Marcus was attractive. He had broad shoulders, well-defined muscles, and high cheekbones. His smile was captivating as well.
“Why do I feel like you have another agenda here?” Allora asked, causing Marcus to take a step back.
“Me? Nah, I’m just really attracted to you,” he said, taking a strand of her hair between his fingers.
She swiped his hand away, her eyebrows furrowed, and leaned in.
“Who are you really?” Allora asked unapologetically. She watched his eyes dart as if he were trying to think frantically.
“Marcus,” he answered.
On the other side of the float, another argument was taking place. Brandon had lost one of the pioneer’s eyeballs, and Tanya was giving him an earful.
“How could you lose it?”
“I had it in my pocket when we went to egg the freshmen,” he said while Tanya jumped up onto the float. “It must have fallen out. I’m sorry.”
Tanya examined the papier-mâché man that they had spent the entire day working on. Brandon had placed the one eyeball in the center of the pioneer’s forehead.
“Great. Now it looks like a cyclops!” Tanya said.
Allora suddenly dropped to a knee as she fought against the memory flash. Uncle Ben’s emotions were strong. He was excited about something. The memory transported her to a large metallic room, with large stone pillars on the sides. In front of her was a large mahogany desk that was five feet tall and eight feet wide. It was monstrous, and she could barely see the man behind the desk sitting in an oversized chair. He spun around to face her. The man was gigantic, with one large round eye staring down at her.
“Cy, I need to get in there,” she spoke in her uncle’s voice.
“No one gains access to Zeus’s chambers,” Cy said emphatically.
“I don’t have much time. Someone is following my every move. I know that there is something hidden in there, and it may be our only hope in saving this world. You’ve got to let me in.”
“No,” Cy answered in a booming voice, standing and towering over Uncle Ben.
The tension was palpable, and Ben had to take a step back from the giant.
“All right,” Ben said, putting up his palms in a show of surrender. “Just promise me that you’ll at least look inside.” Ben looked defeated. Cy nodded and sat back down, blinking his only eye. “And, Cy, you must protect whatever is in there with your life.”
The memory began to fade. The image flashed, and the voice became garbled. Pain pierced Allora’s skull, like a nail being driven inside. Her eyes blinked, and a faded image of her friends came into view. She started saying something without meaning to.
“Cyclops,” she repeated three times before realizing where she was. Allora grabbed her head on the sides, as the headache pain decreased. She was on the ground, with everyone crowded around her.
“Back up, and give her some room,” Tanner said, motioning with his arms. “You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t get her to a doctor?” Brandon asked. “That didn’t look very good.”
“No, it’s just really bad migraines,” Allora said.
Brandon got to his feet. Everyone else got back to building the float when Allora got up.
“You kept saying ‘cyclops.’ What does that mean?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know, but we need to find this cyclops now,” Allora said, trying to walk forward and falling to her knees. Her eyes blinked, and she almost fainted again.
“We can ask Mr. Swan about it tomorrow,” Katie said, grabbing Allora’s arm and leading her over to a lawn chair.
“Where did Marcus go?” Allora asked.
“He just took off in his car when you collapsed,” Tanner said, kneeling down next to Allora. “Why? Does he have something to do with your memory?”
“No, but I think he’s up to something.”
Katie led Allora to the car as Tanya screamed over to them, “Where are you going? The float isn’t done.”
“Allora isn’t feeling well,” Katie shouted back.
“Great. I’ve lost Marcus, and now I’m losing you four,” Tanya yelled, glancing around at her dwindling workforce. Brandon tried to sneak away but was caught by Tanya’s wandering eyes. “And where do you think you’re going? Get back over here right now, and get to work. We only have a few hours, and I’m not going to be the laughingstock of Sandy High.”
The sky began to turn a light shade of blue, and the birds started their morning spring song as Tanner peeled out in his Bronco, heading out toward the school. They kept searching for any sign of Marcus. As they got closer to the school, Katie screamed and pointed down a road that they’d passed. Tanner backed up and took a sharp turn, stopping a hundred feet from a very familiar house. It was the Nelsons’ house, and there was a car parked right near the rosebushes where Allora had hidden a year ago.
Without saying a word, they all got out of the car and snuck around the side of the abandoned house. Proceeding through the laundry room window, Allora unlocked the back door and then inched through the living room, staying near the walls. They could hear a muffled voice coming from the basement. It got louder as Marcus began walking up the stairs. Allora’s eyes grew wide, and she waved her hands frantically for the others to hide.
Hiding behind the curtains, Allora peeked out to see Marcus talking on a communication bracelet. The other image was hidden, so she couldn’t see who he was talking with.
“No, that’s just it. We know that it has something to do with a cyclops, but I have no idea what that would be,” Marcus said, closing the basement door. On his back was a sword. “All I know is that I’ve been compromised. I need to come in for debriefing.”
Just as he said this, the floorboard underneath Allora creaked, causing Marcus to freeze. Allora quickly pulled a knife from the strap on her thigh, ran out from behind the curtains, and lunged toward Marcus, who was spinning around while pulling his sword out. Allora kicked forward, knocking his grip on the hilt and sending the sword clanking toward the other room. Marcus grabbed her wrist and swiped the knife from her grasp. She pushed a hand on his chest as the others joined in. Marcus was able to counter a few of the attacks, but he was outnumbered. Tanner shoved his knee into Marcus’s lower back and dropped him to the floor. He pulled out a knife and placed it against Marcus’s throat, pressing it firmly against his skin.
“Wait, wait!” he screamed, his hands out. “I’m not your enemy!”
“Start talking,” Tanner said, pulling up on the knife. A line of red formed, dripping down his neck.
“I was sent here by the guardian council at Shangri-La.”
“Why should we believe you?” Allora asked.
“Because my parents were killed during the purge,” he said with a determined stare.
Tanner’s grip released slightly. Allora cocked her head back, and Tanner pulled the knife away, pushing Marcus forward. Marcus glared back at him while wiping the blood away from his neck.
“Who were you talking with, and why were you sent here?” Tanner asked.
“That’s classified.” Katie pulled out her Katana and placed it underneath his chin. “The council wanted to know why Salazar had such an interest in this town. They wanted to know what you four were up to, especially after the incidences in Shangri-La.”
“How did they know where to find us?” Allora asked. “That information is supposed to be unknown to the council.”
“You really thought that the presence of a shifter, rover, and wraith in one place would go unnoticed? The energy output that you produced last year when you killed those assassins spiked every piece of detection equipment that we have. We have never seen that much energy in one Sonoran.”
“I don’t think that we can trust him,” Tanner said.
“Look, I don’t blame you if you don’t, but trust me when I tell you that you four need to get out o
f this town immediately. I’ve been tracking the individual who has been sending out communication relays to someone within the royal guard. Those encoded messages came from here. I don’t really know who you guys are, but Salazar seems to want whatever you have.”
“How do we know that you’re not working for Hades?” Allora asked.
“Because Hades was responsible for my parents’ deaths.”
They remained silent, contemplating what to do. Allora looked at her watch. The time was almost eight in the morning.
“They’re going to be starting the parade soon,” she said.
“What about him?” Dax asked, pointing to Marcus.
“We take him with us,” Tanner said, grabbing duct tape from the kitchen drawer and wrapping it around Marcus’s wrists. “We’ll tie him up and put him in the maintenance room until we can verify who he is.”
“Isn’t that a little savage?” Katie asked, sympathetic to the cute, scared boy sitting on his knees.
“Not right now,” Tanner said, lifting Marcus up by his bound wrists.
They walked through the woods toward the football field, which was filled with people and floats. Tanya was busy barking orders, trying to make last-minute preparations. They proceeded to scurry behind the building, entering the school through the back double doors.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing!” Marcus pleaded continuously, trying to make his case as Tanner grabbed rope in the back corner of the maintenance room. The cement floor was a slightly different color of gray, having been newly poured since their escape from the watery crypt below. “We are on the same side. I can help you.”
“Since you’ve been lying to us this entire time, I don’t know that we can trust you,” Allora said, placing a strip of duct tape over Marcus’s mouth as Tanner tied him firmly to a drainage pipe. “If you’re still here when we get back, I may consider your argument.”
Marcus struggled, trying to get himself loose from the tape that secured him.