by M. A. Torres
Kevin was unsure how to respond. All he wanted was to end the uncomfortable conversation.
Say something nice.
“I saw you at the play. You looked...” he gulped, “really nice.”
Alexa’s frown intensified. “Thanks,” she said sarcastically.
“Okay, students. Now that you’re with your partners, I will reveal the equation. Raise your hand as soon as you think you’ve solved it, and I will come by and check your work. If you’re wrong, you’re eliminated.”
Ms. Chase pulled a banner off her board, revealing a long algebraic equation.
Kevin and Alexa began to work. It was a difficult one, requiring multiple algebraic steps, using methods they had just begun to study in class.
“Do you remember any of this?” asked Alexa.
Kevin had not been stringent with his study because of more pressing issues, but Ms. Chase’s class was one where he had not laxed. He recalled the steps required to solve this equation and was progressing well.
“I do.”
Alexa gazed at his paper. “Wow. Yup, it looks like you do.”
Kevin raised his hand. Ms. Chase walked over and picked up his paper. She stared at it for a few moments, nodding lightly as she scanned his work.
“We have a winner!” she announced.
‘Nooooo!’ ‘Ahhh!’ ‘Shucks!’ The rest of the class complained.
“Congratulations, Kevin and Alexa, you both get an automatic hundred on our next exam.”
Matthew stood, applauding diligently.
Clap, clap, clap.
He waited for others to join, but no one did. He slowed his clap, then sat back down, his face red with embarrassment.
“Okay, students, I’m going to post some more equations. Remain with your partner and work on them together. I will be by to assist you.”
Ms. Chase revealed the rest of the board and the students began to work.
“Thanks for winning,” said Alexa solemnly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”
“Don’t worry about it. Math is my strongest subject.”
They worked silently for a few minutes.
Sometime later, she cleared her throat and spoke. “And thanks again for saying I looked nice. You’re the only boy who noticed.”
Kevin turned to her. She was focused on her notebook, working on the next equation.
“You’re welcome.”
Alexa slid her paper closer to Kevin. “Can you see?”
Kevin smiled. “Yes.”
They started to work on the equations together. There were ten in all—all requiring multiple steps. The duo took turns solving them, and before long, were down to the final one. Alexa’s took her pencil and began to work it out. As she wrote, Kevin noticed her bicep bulging and defined. He glanced at his own and was instantly disappointed.
“Alexa, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes?”
“How many pull-ups did you do?”
“Six.”
Sheesh. Six times stronger than I.
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
“How many did you do?” she asked.
Kevin turned away. “No comment.”
Alexa smiled.
THE REST OF THE SCHOOL day was a blur. Before long, Kevin, Matthew, Olivia, and Jake were making their way to the bike rack, ready to trek north and set the crystal field ablaze. Even Olivia had her bike, ready to ride with the boys and not lose time.
As they unlocked their rides, Robbie approached with Sylvia at his side.
“Guys... we need to show you something,” he said.
The boys glanced up and noticed the concern on their faces.
‘Hi, Sylvia,’ the boys greeted her.
Sylvia forced out a smile.
“What do you need to show us?” asked Jake.
“I can’t say. You need to see. Follow us,” instructed Robbie.
He and Sylvia retreated towards the school. The others followed. When Sylvia noticed Olivia coming along, she paused and shook her head.
“No. Not her.”
“Why not?” asked Kevin.
Olivia spoke before Sylvia could respond. “It’s okay; I’ll wait for you here.”
“Yeah, wait here!” said Sylvia with an angry tone.
“Sylvia, Olivia is one of us,” explained Robbie.
“Yeah, she’s super cool. Why don’t you want her to come?” added Matthew.
“I just don’t!” she hollered.
“Guys, seriously, I’ll wait right here,” said Olivia, doing her best to diffuse the situation. “Go on!”
Sylvia turned and led them away.
Kevin lingered by Olivia’s side. “Are you sure?”
“Just go,” she said, smiling.
Kevin followed the rest of the boys, reluctantly.
Sylvia led them to the desolate side of the school building—the one by a storage container, where traffic was nonexistent. She looked around, making sure no one else could see or hear them.
“Sorry for not including your friend, but she hangs out with the mean kids,” she said.
“She’s not mean, though,” argued Kevin. “She’s super nice.”
“Yeah, the nicest girl I’ve ever met,” added Jake.
Sylvia shook her head, unimpressed. “Deep down, we are who our friends are,” she argued. “And her friends are those cruelest of kids—the ones who think they’re better than those less beautiful or less cool.”
Kevin and Matthew sighed with frustration.
“So, what did you need to show us?” asked Kevin.
Sylvia cleared her throat. “Something weird has been happening to me lately. It might be hard to believe at first, but just listen to everything I’m about to say.”
The boys nodded.
“Three nights ago, I dreamt that I was sleeping in my bed, and was woken in the middle of the night by a presence in my room. It was a woman. She was standing at the foot of my bed, looking down on me. She was dressed in a black dress; her hair was long and wrapped around her head and face. Only her eyes were visible. I couldn’t move or scream... all I could do was move my eyes. The woman sat on the side of my bed. I felt the mattress sink, and that woke me up.”
“Okaaay...” said Jake.
“The following night I had the same dream. She returned, again dressed in black, her long hair wrapped around her head except her eyes. She sat on my bed, and again I could not move. This time, she grasped my hands. She massaged them with her cold fingers before I woke up with a burning pain in my hands.”
The boys looked at each other with unease.
“And then?” asked Matthew.
“Last night she was back, looking like the other nights—her face wrapped with black hair. She sat on my bed and took my hands once more. Then, she leaned in and blew a warm breath of light into them.”
“Breath of light?” repeated a perplexed Kevin.
“Then she whispered in my ear—‘the young warriors will need you... the power of the dawn is in your hands’.”
The boys’ mouths fell open.
“Show them,” Robbie urged her.
Sylvia lowered her head and closed her eyes. Then she raised her outstretched hands. They glowed faintly at first, then brighter and fiercer, until her hands were radiating suns, lighting their surroundings with warm, bright rays.
The boys stared on with shock, their eyes wide and unblinking.
Sylvia gazed at the boys, her hands still saturated with the dazzling brilliance. “Are you all the ones needing help? Are you the young warriors she spoke of?”
Chapter Twenty-Two:
Agent Law
“Sylvia, if you mean to help us, we’re going to have to reveal our secrets,” explained Jake.
“Before we do that, you’re going to have to accept Olivia, because she’s one of us,” ordered Robbie.
They stood by the bike rack in the foregrounds of their school. Sylvia remained in stubborn silence, her arms fo
lded across her chest, a frown on her freckled face.
“C’mon, Sylvia! Olivia doesn’t like Robbie, so you don’t have to worry about her!” said Jake.
“I do like Robbie!” objected Olivia.
“I meant like him, like him... like a boyfriend!”
“What are you saying? That I like Robbie?” questioned Sylvia.
No one argued that point.
Sylvia frowned and pointed. “She’s one of the mean ones!”
“I’ve never done a mean thing to you!” argued Olivia. “In fact, it was you who threw apples at my head during the food fight!”
There was a sudden silence. The others stared at Sylvia with scorn on their faces.
“Is that true?” asked Robbie.
Sylvia remained silent, gazing at the floor.
“Sylvia, I’m sorry if my friends have been rude to you. They have never done it in front of me. I would have said something if they did,” said Olivia.
“Sylvia, we can’t be fighting amongst ourselves. Please. We need to be a team. If you only knew what we’ve been through,” pleaded Robbie.
Sylvia looked up at the others. “Okay.”
“Okay?” repeated Robbie.
“Yes. Okay. I’ll accept her.” She looked at Olivia. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Sylvia,” she said.
“Now, can you guys please tell me what’s happening with my hands?”
The others looked on with bewilderment.
“How do your hands feel when they light up?” asked Kevin.
“They feel warm, but they also feel intense... like I’m holding a bomb that’s about to go off,” she said while staring at her hands.
“Can you control it?” asked Jake.
Sylvia turned her palms forward, and her hands began to glow. “Yes, I can,” she said.
“Wow!” Olivia’s eyes widened.
Sylvia placed her hands inside her pockets. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Did the woman in black tell you anything else?” asked Matthew.
“No.”
“Sylvia, can you shoot the light out of your hands?” inquired Kevin.
Sylvia looked around. Beside them, the school grounds were empty. She pulled her hands from her pockets and concentrated.
Her hands started to glow—brighter and brighter until her palms gleamed like headlights in the dark. She raised them, and the glow expanded then merged, forming a barrier of light before her. She moved her hands to her left, then to the right, and the shield of light followed.
“I don’t feel like I can shoot it,” she observed. “It feels like this is what it's meant to do.”
The others stared on, contemplating silently.
“Wait, what about the woman who gave you the power? Who the heck could that be?” asked Jake.
Sylvia shrugged. Matthew and Kevin exchanged a glance.
“Sylvia, if she returns, try your best to find out who she is,” said Kevin.
“I’ll try, but when she comes, I’m unable to move. I can’t even speak.”
“Oh, right.”
“So, what’s going on, everybody? Why is this happening to me? Why did she call you all warriors?”
The others looked at Kevin.
“Sylvia, it’s going to be difficult to explain. It would be easier if we got together at Robbie’s. We can tell you everything there,” he said.
The others nodded.
Sylvia’s look of concern had not been quenched.
“My mom will not let me go to a boy’s house,” she said with a condescending tone.
“Okay, let’s meet at my house, then,” offered Olivia. “From there, we can just cross over to Robbie’s.”
Sylvia thought for a moment. “My mom doesn’t know you, Olivia. Wait... you and Robbie are neighbors?”
Olivia nodded.
“Ugghh,” she grunted. “Okay. I’ll tell my mom we’re working on a school project. She’ll want to drop me off and meet your parents before she leaves, though.”
“Done!” smiled Olivia. “Everyone down for Friday?”
The others agreed.
Just then, a small blue car drove up, and the passenger window descended.
“Hi, Honey-Bun! Ready to go, Cupcake?” Sylvia’s mom’s voice was high and shrieky. She was small and petite, with short hair as red as Sylvia’s.
“That’s my mom; I have to go. I’ll let you know tomorrow if the woman comes again.” Sylvia grabbed her backpack.
“I’ll walk you; that way, I can meet your mom,” offered Olivia.
“Well, okay.”
Olivia followed Sylvia to her mother’s car. She leaned by the passenger window and spoke with Sylvia’s mom for a few minutes. Then she returned, a smile on her face.
“Well, that went well,” she informed. “She’ll drop Sylvia off at my house on Friday night.”
‘Awesome!’ ‘Yeah!’ ‘Way to go!’ the boys cheered.
“By the way,” mentioned Matthew. “I know how we can add Olivia’s whip to our handshake!” Matthew walked over to Jake. “Give me your hand.” He and Jake began the Crimson Knight Salute.
‘Sword! Hammer! Spear! Arrow!’
“How about we hook our fingers and flick our thumbs... like this?” Then, Matthew hooked his fingers with Jake’s, and they pushed their thumbs together and flicked them apart.
“Whip!”
Olivia and Kevin smiled.
“I like that! Come here, Kevin!”
Olivia and Kevin joined hands.
‘Sword! Hammer! Spear! Arrow!’
Then they hooked their hands and flicked their thumbs.
‘Whip!’ They both hollered.
‘Yeah! Awesome!
The group cheered.
THE RIDE TO THE FORESTED region north of Robbie’s house took about twenty-five minutes. They dismounted and continued on foot once their bikes were no longer treading the terrain.
They leaned their bikes against the dancing tree. Robbie removed some brush from the ground nearby, uncovering a large gray duffle bag. He lifted it and hung it over his shoulder.
“What’s inside?” asked Matthew.
“It’s the chemicals we’ll need to burn the field.”
“Oh.”
They followed Robbie further north and west, deep into the maze of pines. The earth beneath their feet was wet, and a light fog hung lazily on the path ahead. Minutes later, Robbie paused and signaled the others. He crouched and resumed his approach in a stealthier manner. The others followed suit, and moments later, they were overlooking the crystal field from the cover of the thick, green brush.
The field was swarming with people dressed in white coveralls, their hands gloved to their elbows, and their feet wrapped in plastic. They wore white medical masks, and their coverall hoods covered their heads. Most labored in the field of crystal saplings, taking samples while others worked the lab tents erected by the far end of the field.
“Looks like someone else has found them too,” observed Robbie.
“Who are those people?” asked Matthew.
Jake scowled at Matthew. “Don’t you ever watch movies, Matt Bratt? They’re probably from some secret government agency. They’re trying to figure out where these crystal trees came from.”
“Oh no! What if they spread the crystalline trees even more? They’re probably going to take the samples to other parts of the country, into secret government labs or something! How are we supposed to keep Raven’s minions from gaining more power now?” cried Matthew.
Robbie crept closer.
“Robbie, what do you think you’re doing?” whispered Olivia.
“My camera is down there!”
“So what? We’ll come back for it some other day,” she said.
“No, what if they find it? It’s got my name and address written on it.”
‘What?’ the others chorused.
“I label all my stuff, okay? I hid it well, but these guys are being very thorough!”
&nb
sp; Kevin had his hands up to his face. “Robbie, where did you hide it?”
Robbie pulled out his binoculars. He scanned the area, then handed them to Kevin. “Over there, to the right. It’s strapped to that horizontal branch that looks like a fork.”
Kevin looked through. “I don’t see anything.”
“Good. I camouflaged it well, then. But if you get close, it’s more noticeable.”
“Wait, I see it now. Little black square.”
Robbie’s eyes widened. “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Robbie, there're tons of lab men walking nearby!”
“About ten yards away, to be exact,” informed Robbie. “Now you see why I must get it back.”
“Dude, what if they find you! What do you think they’ll do to you?” said Jake. “I say we leave it there and take our chances. I’m sure they won’t find it!”
“They found it,” informed Kevin.
Robbie swiped the binoculars from Kevin’s face and glanced through. “Oh no! I’m dead.”
The others looked on. Some of the lab workers gathered by the forked branch to inspect the camera. One of them turned to the tent and waved an agent over.
“I say we leave,” suggested Jake.
Robbie lowered his binoculars. “I think you might be right.”
Robbie stood and grabbed his duffle bag. “Let’s get our bikes.”
He stood and gasped. “Guys!”
The others turned. Standing before them were three field agents, blocking their escape path.
“Stay away! I can scream really loud!” threatened Jake.
The agent in the middle removed his medical mask. He was a middle-aged man with a mixed complexion, slender nose, and brown eyes. He had an amused smirk on his face.
“Well, howdy, kids! What are ya’ll doing here?” he inquired.
Kevin was the first to explain. “Nothing, we were just...”
“This is public land; anyone can be here without having to explain!” interrupted Robbie.
The agent turned to his companions. “Yes, you are correct. However, if I deem you’ve seen something that’s been classified by my agency, I have every right under United States law to question you. If that means detaining all five of you and bringing you to my office, I will do just that.”
“Okay, sir. We sometimes come to this forest to camp. We forgot some of our gear last weekend and came to retrieve it. Then, we noticed all those lab workers, and wanted to see what the heck was going on,” explained Jake.