A Buried Spark

by P. J. Hoover

  Use Inventory Item

  When I select it, the five pieces of the key are there. Nothing else. The apple and the power it holds is now a complete part of me. No longer part of my inventory. But just to make sure, I pull on it and feel the spark buried deep inside me. It helps calm the fear that washes over me.

  I turn around, making sure no one else is here. It’s only me. But when I look backward, the terror that rolled over me threatens to come back. I feel it like a sentient being. I can’t give in to it. I turn slowly back around and try to figure out where I’m supposed to go.

  I need to find Main Control Room Alpha. That’s the goal. But if Thomas is here, I need to find him.

  You’ll never find him, a voice whispers in my mind. It’s like a thought that drifts along in the air and implants itself in me.

  I will, I think, and I step forward, starting my journey to the end.

  I walk toward the nearest column and press my hand against it. Immediately it begins to glow orange. When I pull my hand back, the glow remains but fades little by little until it finally goes away. But it does light up the world around me. The ground, uneven, looks like it is made up of black stones the size of my fist. Each step I take, my ankles wobble and nearly twist. I have to be careful, because if I rush, I could easily sprain my ankle.

  I access the heads-up display again, trying to find some way to communicate with Zachary or any of my friends, but there is no visible way to break out of the current subroutine: Use Inventory Item. I’m not ready to use the key.

  I continue forward, pressing on the columns as I pass them. Energy seems to transfer between me and them, in both directions, as if somehow I am feeding them, and they in turn are returning that energy to me.

  “Edie?”

  I whip my head to the right at the voice. It’s faint, but I know I heard it. Childlike. Filled with fear.

  “Thomas?” I take a step in the direction it came from, but the vines immediately grow downward at my movement. They twist into my hair, holding be back.

  I stop moving and listen again for the voice. There is nothing but the faint rustle of wind through the vines, making the leaves on them quake. But I know what I heard, and no one is going to tell me any differently. I yank my hair free from the vines and keep moving toward the voice.

  “Thomas?” I say again. If anyone is around, they already know I’m here. My skin crawls at the thought, as if I’m sure I’m being watched. I press my hand to another column, lighting up the path I need to take. But I step wrong, and my knee buckles out from under me. I land hard on it, catching myself with my palms on the hard stones. One cuts into my hand, and pain erupts that radiates up my entire arm.

  “Crap,” I say to myself. Blood covers my palm. And in the distance the howl of some kind of wild animal sounds. Then another. And another until an entire chorus of animals howl in the darkness around me.

  I wipe my hand on my pants and look directly at my palm. It’s nothing but a simulation. This all is. And with the power, I will the skin to heal over. I pull bits from other nearby areas, stretching them, and I watch as it knits together until the only sign left that I was hurt is the smear of blood. At the use of the power, a pulse of energy runs through me, reviving me.

  You start to understand, a voice in my mind says. The voice of the ancient god—the giant snake—as if he is here, watching.

  I seize hold of the power again and light every column as far as I can see. A path forms in front of me, and the rest of the dark world fades. I pick my way carefully down the path until I come to the end. A door stands there with nothing else around. A door in a frame. It’s solid wood, painted black, and has a huge brass knob and knocker on it. I peek around behind the door but see only what I would expect, the continuation of the dark world. The path to nothing.

  I have to go through the door. I place my blood-smeared hand on the giant knob and I turn it.

  XXXVI

  The knob turns easily, and I push the door open. The hinges don’t make a sound. I expect to see the same thing inside the door as what I saw on the other side: the dark world with the black vines and columns. Instead, a lush garden appears.

  I step forward into the garden, and the door closes behind me. When I turn, the door is no longer visible. There is only the garden. My first thought is that it’s the same garden where we first visited, by the volcano. But little by little details let me know this is not the case. The trees around me are filled with leaves of all colors, but no fruit. The ground, instead of being soft grass, is gravel, the color of bone. And the sky above is not blue but orange and yellow, as if it’s on fire.

  A path leads forward and I start down it. That’s when I hear the singing. I stop moving and listen.

  It’s a female voice, but not the sirens. It’s more like a church hymn, with talk of God and grace and other uplifting things I’ve never found comfort in. But here, in this garden, the words of the song seem to dive into my chest and fill me with hope. I start walking again and when I come around the bend, there is Abigail standing at the edge of a pond as clear as crystal. Her dress is so white, it’s like fresh milk. Her hair is wavy and cascades around her back and shoulders. She looks out at the still water and she sings, and even though I haven’t made a sound, she turns as I walk into the clearing. Like everything else about her, her makeup is perfect, as if she hasn’t faced any peril in the simulation at all.

  “Edie, I prayed for you,” she says.

  He face is sweet and full of concern, and whatever is running through her brain for real, I honestly think that she believes she has prayed for me. I almost bite out a sharp response about how she was probably praying for my death. But I keep the thought to myself.

  The important thing is that Abigail is here. That means the others could be here also. There’s a really good chance of it.

  “Have you seen any of the others?” I ask, not mentioning names.

  She slowly shakes her head. “No. But I know where your brother is. God showed me.”

  I freeze at her words. I thought Abigail killed the god who was helping her, stealing his lightning and his power. And anyway, Abigail and her god have only helped Owen to this point. But I can’t ignore this. If there is even a small chance she can help me find Thomas, I have to take it.

  “Where?” I ask.

  Abigail points into the pond. The water is so clear, it reflects back like a mirror. Like the mirrors back in the labyrinth, where Abigail had been trapped. Thomas could be trapped the same way. I have to get to him.

  “How do you know?” I ask.

  Abigail giggles like it’s a silly question. “God showed me. I told you.”

  I bite my lip and try to believe her. “In the water?”

  She smiles sweetly. “It’s the starting point.”

  I glance back, willing Cole to appear. Or Taylor. Hudson. But it’s just me and Abigail.

  “I’ll come with you,” Abigail says. “Don’t worry.” She raises a hand. My first thought is that lightning is going to fly from her fingers and strike me. But instead she grabs hold of the golden cross necklace and smiles.

  I don’t need Abigail to come with me. I don’t want her to come.

  Without another word, I dive into the water.

  The cold cuts into me like a sharp knife slicing each nerve in my body. I tense up and suck in water then try to cough it up as it hits my lungs. But I’m sinking fast, carried by my forward momentum. I scramble, trying to get back to the surface. Why had I jumped without even taking a breath? It was stupid. Another stupid mistake added to my list.

  No, that’s not right. Since when have I been negative? It’s not me. It’s like a voice in my brain that doesn’t belong there.

  You will fail, the voice says.

  I pull at the water with my arms and finally manage to get myself to the surface. Water spews out of my mouth as I try to ge
t air. Finally I manage to suck in a huge breath that restores my energy.

  There’s a small splash behind me. I turn just in time to see Abigail disappearing beneath the surface. Her white gown billows in the water behind her and then vanishes along with her feet.

  “Crap.” I take a deep breath and dive after her. I have to get to Thomas first. Her knowing where he is could easily be a trap.

  The water is clear enough to see every small plant and fish. I spot Abigail in a second and follow after her, trying to ignore the cold. She swims like she’s part mermaid, like the cold doesn’t affect her. I want to wrap my arms around myself, but if I do that, I’ll never keep up. So instead I pull through the water until I’m right behind her. I hold my breath and keep swimming even though as the seconds go by I don’t think I can make it. I’m not even sure where I’m trying to make it to. And then I still have to get back to the surface, I’ll run out of air. But as these thoughts are going through my mind, my head breaks through a giant bubble.

  The weight of the water disappears, and I fall. I twist my body around and land on my feet, noting that Abigail does the same. Then she puts a finger to her lips and motions ahead.

  We’re inside an underwater bubble. Overhead the water ripples and fish swim by. The ground is covered in sand and small shells. I take a step and they crunch under my feet.

  Edie? It’s Thomas’s voice again, but it’s in my mind.

  I nod at Abigail, and we set off toward an alley lined with rocks and trees. The air is warm and arid, and my skin and clothes quickly dry. The alley leads us forward and dumps us out at the edge of a giant circle.

  Thomas is at the center, his hands bound, a blindfold covering his eyes. Standing next to him with a hand resting on his shoulder is a person cloaked in a black veil which covers their face. They reach up with a slim hand and pull back the veil. Sharp green eyes meet mine. It’s Pia.

  XXXVII

  "Edie, I've been waiting for you," Pia says. Her dark pixie hair goes out in every direction. Her green eyes blaze. Her voice easily carries across the giant circle to where Abigail and I stand. She tightens her grip on Thomas’s shoulder, and he grimaces and lets out a small cry.

  “Let him go,” I say.

  “No,” Pia says. There is no question in her voice.

  From somewhere else around the circle there’s another voice I recognize. Cole.

  “Come on, Pia,” Cole says. “Let Edie’s brother go.”

  I look for him and find him standing alone, leaning on a new crutch, the makeshift prosthetic gone. Taylor and Hudson are also there, but they stand elsewhere around the circle, as does Owen. We’re all here. We’ve all made it.

  “I won’t let him go,” Pia says. “Not unless Edie and you both agree to leave the simulation and not come back.”

  Pia’s part in this is full of holes. I don’t get why she would care that much. I haven’t even seen her in Simulation Omega until now. And her being here . . . she could have already made a run for the control room.

  “What about me?” Taylor says. “Don’t I need to leave?”

  Pia laughs. “Please. He’s not scared of you.” But the second the words are out of her mouth, her face freezes.

  She’s said something she shouldn’t have. More than one thing. Chaos must have placed Pia in the simulation in the first place, as a way to trick Cole. To stop him from ever entering Simulation Omega. Meaning Chaos isn’t just worried about the prophecy. He truly fears it. Fears Cole and me . . . because of the power.

  “You work for Chaos?” Cole says. “You actually work for him?” Betrayal covers his face. But if it’s true, the little pieces begin to fall together.

  Pia’s pixie face twists into a smirk. “Of course. And I can’t believe none of you ever caught on. Seriously Cole, I thought you were smarter than that.”

  The muscles of Cole’s face pull together into hatred. “It’s not about being smart, Pia. I wanted to believe you. I wanted to trust you. How long were you working for him? How long did you know?”

  His unspoken question is if Pia knew what was going on before any of the simulations took place? And if so, had she deceived Cole the entire time, since they first met?

  For Cole’s sake, I want the answer to be no.

  Taylor shifts her stance, ready to pounce. “Yeah, well, Chaos should be scared of me. He should be scared of all of us. Now let Edie’s brother go or I will tear your head off.” Her fingers flex, eager to fulfill her threat.

  Power or not, I’m scared of Taylor. I will never, no matter what, cross her.

  A sliver of hope appears in my mind. The fact that Chaos is worried enough about the prophecy and our power to kidnap my little brother is encouraging.

  “I’m not letting him go,” Pia says. “Not until Edie and Cole leave the simulation.”

  The thought is completely laughable. Even if she wasn’t holding my little brother in her hands, I wouldn’t leave. Leaving doesn’t just end the simulation for me. It terminates me. Her here, threatening me only fuels my need to stop her. To stop Chaos. I’ll find a way to get Thomas without playing by Pia’s rules.

  “I’m not leaving,” I say. “And neither is Cole.”

  Pia must be expecting my answer. Maybe even hoping for it. She raises a hand. A giant fireball grows there, glowing with light. Then she throws it directly at me.

  She’s the one who’s been hunting us. The final piece falls into place. Chaos brought her here to keep us out of the simulation, and once that was impossible, to kill us.

  Abigail and I jump apart barely in time. The fireball smashes into one of the huge rocks that make up the alleyway behind us. Pia fires again. And again. Each time the fireballs get closer. Each time I evade them and look to make sure Thomas is okay. He’s still clutched against Pia’s side, like an appendage. He twists and tries to get away, but she is not letting him go.

  Another fireball comes again. I dart to the side, but Pia shoots of another right where I’m moving to. I’m not going to make it. Then Abigail jumps directly in front of me, blocking the path of the fireball.

  It hits her directly in the chest, electrifying her. But instead of killing her, she extends her arms outward and tilts her head back and absorbs it. Pia’s mouth drops open in disbelief. Then in immediate retaliation, Abigail points her hand out at Pia.

  “Stop!” I shout, but it’s too late.

  Lightning laced with fire flies out from Abigail’s hand. It’s going to strike Thomas and I’m going to have to watch him die. But I’m not giving Abigail enough credit. It’s a perfect shot, like it never had a chance of going anywhere else. The lightning strikes Pia directly in the chest.

  Pia turns bright yellow, and sparks crackle off her, like a massive ball of electricity. Thomas falls to the ground, out of her perimeter. Abigail sends out more electricity, increasing the size of the barrier of lighting. Pia shouts but with the crackling of the lightning, I can’t hear her. Her scream seems to go on for an eternity. Then Abigail pushes her hand out, palm forward, and shoots a ball of fire directly into the center of the mass of lightning.

  Pia’s eyes go wide just before the fireball hits. Then she collapses to the ground.

  “Wait there!” I yell to Thomas and I run toward him. But the second my foot hits the inside of the circle, the entire thing lights up like a pie graph with a bunch of different segments, all different colors. A monster appears on the path directly ahead of me, a giant scorpion. It’s keeping me from getting to Thomas.

  XXXVIII

  The scorpion spots me and curls its tail, poised to strike. Its pincers reach out, gripping and releasing in preparation to attack.

  “Don’t move, Edie,” Cole says. I glance over quickly and see him facing off to a monster also, a giant ram with horns that curl around in spirals. It glows purple and pink, and smoke comes out of its nostrils.

  Acros
s from Taylor is a huge crab. Owen faces a giant of a man with a huge bow pointed directly at him. Hudson faces a lion. Each of us is here. And each faces a monster.

  This is the final challenge. The test inside Zone Digamma. I have to get past the scorpion if I want to get to Thomas.

  I pull on my power, but I’m shaking and it slips away.

  Focus. I have to focus.

  “Edie, it’s like the zodiac, like Mom used to tell us about,” Thomas says, his blindfold now discarded. His voice barely carries toward me as I take a step back away from the scorpion. But he’s right. It is like the zodiac. Like each of us is facing off to a different sign. Six of us so far.

  Maybe that’s it. I can jump to the next segment of the pie and dash around the scorpion. I run and when I’m close enough, I jump. The second I do, a giant jar appears, and water pours from the mouth of it. I barely have time to jump back into the piece with the scorpion before the water floods over the area where I just stood. It cascades in a never-ending stream. But the scorpion takes this moment to attack, and it comes at me, pushing me back. I dive under its pincers, hoping to get to the other side, but the tail blocks my path. I rush to the side instead.

  It turns so quickly it’s like a blur. Then it snaps out at me once more. Again, I dive underneath, and I’m back where I started. But I’m breathing hard, and the scorpion acts like we’re playing a game. It has infinite energy, and if this keeps up, soon I’ll be too exhausted to move.

  “Don’t you remember his nickname?” Thomas shouts.

  Nickname. That’s right. Mom gave each of the signs a nickname to help us remember them. To help remember their strengths and weaknesses. And Scorpio, just like every other sign, has a weakness.

  What was it? My mind spins as the scorpion attacks again. I evade it . . . barely, then I rush to the edge of the circle and try to think.

  Single-minded Scorpio. That was it. The scorpion is intense and focused, almost to a fault. And that fault is my only chance. I have to give it something to focus on. It’s the only hope I have to defeat it.