Nicole sighed as she walked through the old halls of Jefferson High School, home of the Cougars.
Each new hallway brought fond memories that caused her to sigh even deeper as they flooded her mind.
There was the janitor’s closet where she had been locked in for almost an entire day of school, before Mr. Henderson found her eventually. The principal had thought it to be a horrific experience for the freshman and had granted her the rest of the day off.
There was Mrs. Hollers class, where she had learned some of her greatest recipes and had even been able to weasel her way into the teacher’s good graces with her triple chocolate brownies.
There was the chemistry lab where Georgette Ferris had sent off the sprinkler system with the misfire of her Volcano and soaked the entire tenth grade class including a very disgruntled Mr. Reinstand.
There was the drinking fountain where she had first laid eyes on Joel McCall, the only boy who had captured her attention throughout three years of High School. Here, she froze, gazing longingly at the fountain that had been cornered off with caution tape and a laminated sign that read, “out of order” in big red letters.
She sighed longingly as if possibly staring long enough could cause the boy’s form to appear.
She wondered what had ever happened to him. Was he still playing basketball? Did he go to college? Had he gotten married yet? Maybe he already had a couple of kids by now.
She sighed again, walking past the old fountain and continued down the halls. Once she came upon the cafeteria, it almost took her breath away with just how spectacular it looked. Balloons and streamers in the Cougars green, black and white cascaded down from the high ceiling like a waterfall, while pictures of her graduating class were hung from strings in a zigzag pattern between the other decorations.
Suddenly, the deep green lighting sputtered and fizzled out, white lights replacing them instead.
“Lets give it a rest Charlie. We can figure it out in the morning,” a familiar voice said through the silence suddenly, sending a shiver down Nicole’s spine.
She’d know that voice anywhere.
“Ok Joel,” Charlie called back.
Nicole panicked for a moment, her mind trying to recall a good hiding place, but she was too late.
“Can I help you?”
A voice spoke behind her, causing Nicole to jump.
Joel chuckled before he began to apologize for scaring her, when he cut himself off mid-sentence.
“Nicole? Nicole Weatherton?”
“Yes?” She replied hesitantly.
“I thought you weren’t coming! Man! It’s so good to see you! What have you been up to?”
Nicole shrugged slightly, unsure if her tongue would work for her at the moment. Time had been more than kind to her high school crush, his brown hair and blue eyes just as beautiful as ever.
“We have GOT to catch up! Here, have a seat,” He said as he pulled out a metal chair from one the in-the-process-of-being-decorated tables making a dreadful screech against the tile floor.
As soon as Joel collapsed into his own chair, he was off, asking her questions about the past ten years and insisting that she relay to him every single minute detail which she did more than a little willing to oblige.
“What about you?” She found herself asking during a brief pause from Joel. He hummed thoughtfully, as he seemed to be searching for the right words.
“I got a full basketball scholarship in Florida, but I passed it up for one of the local colleges due to my mom’s cancer battle. I’m glad I did too, since she passed away that same year. But it’s ok, really!” He hurriedly added to keep Nicole’s obviously sorrowful expression from becoming worse.
“I never really have gotten over that, but I still keep going, holding onto her encouragement for me to not walk away from God even though He took her to Heaven,” he sighed deeply. “I think her death is what made me finally turn to God. Sounds kinda funny really. Death bringing me to Christianity! Man, I sound like a sap!” He chuckled, and the sound warmed her heart.
“Tell me more. If you don’t mind of course,” Nicole said, truly interested in this less-cocky, sweeter side of her crush.
“Not at all!”
Maybe this reunion hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
A bright flash of light and a sound like thunder in her ears forced her to close her eyes shut, clenching her teeth in anticipation of the pain to come.
But it never came.
The horror before her eyes shocked tears to her eyes and sent them tumbling down her cheeks. A silent scream scratched it way up Caleb’s throat as his body plummeted to the ground with an earth shattering thud.
His bright green eyes slowly dimmed, the color fading into a sickly shade of grey. Crimson pooled beneath his form and caused the air to be pilfered from Katlyn’s lungs at the frightening sight.
“Caleb!” She called her brother’s name and ran towards him, reaching forth her hands for him to grab. With every step she took however, he drifted farther away into a darkening red sky.
Her tears became thicker and her calls more desperate as he continued to fade until he had fully slipped away from sight, into the red abyss.
“CALEB!”
—-
The sweat clung to her face and mingled with the tears resting on her still damp cheeks, her breath escaping from her lungs in ragged and hurried breaths.
Katlyn clutched her now soaked pajama shirt in her fist until her knuckles turned white from the pressure.
She whipped her head around her room, searching for signs of normality and once they were confirmed she threw the covers off herself and bolted through her door, making her way down the hall.
“Caleb! Where are,” the words died on her lips as she gazed around the room that had once been filled with furniture and laughter and... life. Now, cardboard boxes littered the room and lifeless nails hung to the faded green walls.
She numbly walked into the room, picking up a framed picture upon one of the open boxes. Green eyes smiled back at her, underneath a mop of blonde hair and a black motorboats hat, the silver and blue tassel being held back from a smart and handsome looking face.
Katlyn clutched the picture to her chest as the tears began anew. What she had dreamt wasn’t just a dream.
Caleb was dead.
Gone.
The nausea crept up her throat from the pit of her stomach; the realization that yesterday was real.
Caleb wasn’t coming back.
“Exploration Log 472.
Found several new rock formations to the west of amandoned Xindett encampment 12. They seem to have been recently uncovered due to the sandstorm last week and hold some intricately carved pictograms and symbols. Have yet to determine their purpose or meaning. Will require further study,”
Chet closed his journal with a “snap”, wiping sweat from his brow as he attempted to shade his eyes from the unrelenting sun. He stood from leaning against his vehicle and brushed some sand from his hands as he carefully snapped the closure of his journal and wrapped it up in a starched cloth.
He sighed as he gave his Dune-Cruiser a quick once-over, removing piles of sand that had built up and nodding in satisfaction before jumping into the drivers seat and firing it up. The engine roared to life causing the power of it to reverberate though the entire machine.
He slid on his goggles and flipped his ratty scarf over his shoulder and revved the engine, kicking up a cloud of sand as he took off like a shot.
His tires easily manuvered the rise and fall of the dunes, the shifting of the naturally unstable ground not a hinderance to Chet’s vehicle as he expertly traversed the terrain.
Every so often, an outcropping of jagged rocks would appear like a scraggly old hand jutting out of the hot sand, causeing Chet to think fast and turn his steering wheel hard to avoid them. It was these rocks that claimed so many Xindett Outlanders lives in their earlier days. It had implanted fear among the majority of the other inhabitants and caused the Elders to take measures to properly protect them, so each year a few select explorers were chosen to learn from those who knew the territories well; last year, Chet had been chosen and he was taking full advantage of that now.
He skidded across the top of a plateau of flat rock and jammed his foot down hard on the gas pedal, a large outcropping of nasty rocks coming into view through the sandy wind.
Chet serpentined his way closer to the stony edifice, switching gears as he descended into a deep valley and came up the other side. A pair of metal gates came into view and parted for him, the Dune-Cruiser sliding to a sandy stop.
“Ugh! Is it enough to ask for a clean enterance from you?” A brunette boy asked him, brushing the newly deposited sand from his arms.
Chet chuckled, jumping out of his ride and promptly placing his goggles on his head and pulling down his scarf. “You know the answer to that, Mero!” He replied cheekily.
Mero glared darkly at the taller boy, grumbling as he examined the undercarriage of the vehicle. “Kat wants to see you by the way,” Mero said from beneath the buggy.
“What about?”
“How should I know? She’s your sister,”
Chet rolled his eyes at his friend before offering a goodbye and heading further into the rocks. He greeted other inhabitants as he walked until he come to the central building; the palace.
He passed the stoic guards and approached the throne nonchalantly, a woman with long golden hair and warrior garb sitting there.
“Sup sis?”
“Chet,” she groaned exasperatedly.
“Sorry, sorry. Queen Katalia,” He said, bowing dramatically. “Better?”
A small smile came and vanished quickly as she dismissed her guards. “I think you know why I called you here,” she said, standing.
“Haven’t the foggiest,” he shrugged.
“Oh cut it out, Chet!”
“I don’t know, your highness,”
“Chethington!” She cried, her green eyes furious.
“Why are we doing this now, huh? We shouldn’t be arguing about this! We should be trying to find a cure! Not THIS!” He gestured wildly.
“I’m dying Chet. You have to accept that there’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing YOU can do!”
Chet ground his teeth and clenched his fist. “But I should be able to do something!” Tears pricked at the corners of his blue eyes.
“Oh Chet,” Kat descended towards her younger brother, pulling him into a tight embrace. “It’ll be alright. That’s why we’re doing this. I want to make sure that you and Xindett will be taken care of,”
She pulled her brother away at arms length, watching as he sniffled and wiped his eyes.
“Now, you ready to learn how to run a kingdom?” She asked, smiling warmly.
“Yeah. Let’s do this,” He supplied with his own smile.
“Zane!”
I could distantly hear my name, almost as though it was far away. I wrenched my eyes open, my vision hazy and my mind foggy as I tried to bring myself out of the darkness I was in.
I saw flashes of blue and red, colors starting to become clear as I rubbed a hand against my eyes, the digits digging into my sockets.
I was finally able to concentrate on the voices, the cacophony of sounds causing my head to ache and my ears to ring.
I felt a warmth upon my back, urging me to sit up slowly.
“Zane! Are you ok?”
I knew that voice.
“Jay?” My own voice sounded foreign to my ears, sounding vaguely like gravel in my throat.
I blinked and my eyes adjusted, a mop of ginger hair and bright blue eyes coming into focus.
“You’re ok? Tell me you’re ok!”
“Of course he’s ok, Bolthead!” A deeper voice replied sarcastically. That had to be Cole.
“Can we focus here?” A third voice joined the conversation; Kai.
I blinked several times, waking up gradually to the wintery world around us, reminded now that we were in the forest of the Treehorns.
Several of the gigantic creatures lay dormant on the ground around us, the largest of which stood encased in solid ice. “I... did that?” I asked quietly, my eyes trained on the tree-like monster.
“Don’t you remember anything?” Cole asked, his grey eyes filled with concern. I shook my head. All three of my comrades looked between themselves, their expressions worried.
“Let’s get you on your feet buddy,” Kai said, lending me his hand. I stood, unsteadily at first, but gradually regained my balance. My head was still pounding, but I did my best to ignore it.
“Uh, Zane?”
I looked towards the questioning glance of Jay, asking, “What is it?”
“What’s up with your arm?”
I lifted my arm, unaware that I had been injured in the fight with the Treehorn Queen and what I saw in that wound brought back a flood of memories. An older man teaching me everything I needed to know for years flashed in my minds’ eye, causing me to blink several time to try and stop the sudden surge.
I looked at the deep cut again, sighing at seeing the crisscrossing wire and circuitry that could clearly be seen.
“I have something I need to tell you,” I said, my voice wavering.
My three friends looked at me expectantly as I sighed, preparing myself mentally for what I was about to reveal to them.
“I’m,” I swallowed. “I’m a... a robot,”
There. I had said it.
I waited for the onslaught of questions from Jay, the reserved concern from Cole and the subtle apprehensiveness from Kai, but none of them came.
A shared look passed between the trio before they all looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“That’s AWESOME!” Jay exclaimed, grabbing the nearest thug he could for a hug, which just so happened to be Kai.
“You’re... you’re not freaked out? Or worried?”
“Worried?! You’re a robot, Zane! A, a,” Kai tried to find the right words as he attempted to wrestle free from Jay’s deathgrip.
“A ninroid!” The ginger supplied.
“A nindroid?” I tested the word -if you could even call it that- on my tongue. I rather liked it.
“Yeah! And I bet it makes you an even better ninja!” Cole agreed, clapping me on the back. I smiled at him, turning to my other friends who were still locked together.
“Thank you my friends,” I said, causing all three of them to turn their gazes towards me.
“Anytime brother,” Cole added with a grin.
It was then that I understood; we weren’t just friends anymore. We were brothers. And it was because of that, that no matter what ran through me, bolts, screws, gears or circuitry, that I was accepted. That’s what made me a ninja.
I wanted to do a twist on how Zane found out he was a nindroid. I wanted to explore him finding out first and telling the guys later rather than them finding him in Dr. Julien’s house. I imagined Zane unlocking his true potential before the guys even found him. I hope you liked it! Ninjago belongs to the LEGO company.
“I know I should’ve left you behind today,” Jace muttered as he practically shot daggers into his favorite leather jacket, the embroidered patches and ruddy scent taunting him.
He slumped against the cold stone wall, his gaze shifting out of the cell towards the far wall, examining the cracks that resided there. A sigh escaped through his nostrils as his thoughts turned to how he had gotten into this predicament.
Jace raked a gloved hand through his ash blonde hair giving it that freshly woken up look that somehow worked for him. He tucked his helmet under his arm as he dismounted his 2007 Kintama Katana, the chrome and black and blue paint job shining under the lights.
The diner bell dinged as he enter the building, nodding when the middle-aged waitress told him to “Take a seat anywhere, Hun,”
He chose a booth in the far corner, a menu tucked against the wall.
“What can I getcha?” The waitress asked, pulling out a pen and pad of paper from her apron. “You serve breakfast this late?” He inquired after a beat of silence.
“All day hun,” she replied, blowing a bubble with her gum.
Jace nodded, ordering blueberry pancakes with sausage before returning the menu to its designated spot. “And coffee please. Black,”
“You got it Hun. Have those out for you in a jiffy,” She said with a smile, punctuating her words tearing a paper from her pad.
He thanked Phyllis -her name poorly printed on her nametag with fading letter stickers- as she headed back towards the kitchen.
He downed two cups of coffee before his meal arrived and enjoyed it in silence. The dingy diner might not look like much, but he would take it any day if he could get pancakes like this.
He was almost finished when the bell chimed again, a group of three what looked to be like teenagers sauntered in, their feet scraping against the floor and their eyes shifty.
Jace wasn’t receiving a good vibe from this crew. Phyllis came out from the kitchen and asked what she could do, the words that came from the shortest of the three freezing the blood in his veins.
“Yeah, give me all da money in da register,” a handgun followed, Phyllis’s eyes widening in terror, her southern drawl coming out in a stuttered mess.
Jace’s feet carried him before he could even fathom what he was doing - or back out.
He placed his empty plate on the counter with a clink causing all four people to look at him; exactly what he wanted.
“Best pancakes I’ve ever had,” He said with a tight smile.
“Th-thank you,” Phyllis stuttered.
“Hey man, this ain’t got nothing to do wit you!” The “leader” exclaimed angrily, pointing the barrel of his gun towards Jace.
Jace put up his hands in a passive manner, a bored expression on his face and a prayer racing through his head, thankful these thugs couldn’t hear his heartbeat.
“Hey man, put down the gun. No one wants to get hurt here,”
The “leader” sneered at Jace spitting as he used more incorrect grammar to try and intimidate him.
Jace saw his opening when the guy brandished his weapon high in the air. He aimed low, sending a solid punch into the guys gut and sliding his leg up against his lower body. Jace slammed all his weight forward causing a gunshot to go off and eliciting a scream from Phyllis who ducked under the counter.
The fight became a blur of punches and kicks, Jace managing to wrestle away the two guns within their possession and hold all three off until they gave up, retreating through the door and shouting threats as they left.
Jace wiped some blood from his nose, a hysterical Phyllis running to him and thanking him repeatedly, saying she had called the police while she demanded to look at his wounds.
The police came, but despite Phyllis’s pleadings and his own to his innocence, they took Jace into custody, his leather clothing not helping and now here he was, stuck in a cell.
“You’re free to go,” an officer said as she opened the cell with a creak. “Sorry for the mixup,”
“Thanks,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket and shouldering past her. He mounted his newly released bike, shoved on his helmet and revved the engine.
“Everybody wants to judge, but nobody wants to listen,” he thought sourly as he drove away.
Tanya took a deep breath through her nose, trying her hardest to sustain some form of composure despite the awkward situation.
She had come to FledgeCorp for an interview, simple. What wasn’t simple was that Stone Devers had also come for an interview, sitting in the waiting room in a tailored suit and - were those, sneakers? - looking as calm as Tanya was nervous. To make matters worse, the power had fizzled out of the building just as they were leaving and stranded them in one of the many elevators, stuck between the fortieth and forty-first floors. Trapped with your mortal enemy in an elevator without power? Perfect.
She had already called for help on her cell and had tried to keep her cool, but it had become increasingly difficult as the minutes ticked by.
Eventually, she gave up trying to keep up her professionalism and opted for comfort, removing her cream colored heels before joining Stone on the floor in a very unladylike fashion.
“My feet are killing me,” she muttered, eliciting a chuckle from Stone. “What?” She demanded coldly.
“Just surprised it took you this long to take those off,” he replied through the darkness of the elevator. “So, why are you here? You own a share in the company?” He asked snarkilly.
Tanya sent a glare in the direction she guessed her adversary to be. “No. I had a job interview today. Lead Project Manager,” she replied proudly. She had accomplished a lot, why shouldn’t she flaunt her talents a little?
“No kiddin’?”
Tanya cringed at his bad grammar.
They grew quiet before Stone shattered it with sudden laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Tanya demanded.
“I just remembered when you were head of the prom committee and were insistent on blue and silver balloons. I’ll never forget the look on your face when they showed up with pink and forest green!” He laughed again.
“Don’t remind me,” she groaned. “Those colors were atrocious!”
“I thought they worked great. It was like seaweed and coral that way. Made it feel like we were actually underwater,”
A small smile came to her face for a mere moment before she shook it away, reminding herself who she was talking to.
“What happened to your glasses?” He asked suddenly.
“Contacts. What happened to your white hair?” She shot back.
“Hm, figures bosses would prefer something more ‘natural’ looking,”
“Blonde suits you,” she commented.
“Tanya Eastman, did you just give me a compliment?” He asked, an air of excitement in his tone.
“N-no, I,”
“You did! The apocalypse is upon us! Every man for himself!” He teased.
For the first time, Tanya was grateful for the darkness as it covered up her blush.
“So, why do you wanna work here?” Tanya asked, quickly changing the subject.
Stone was stunned but quickly recovered enough for a hasty reply of “Good benefits,”
“Should’ve known,” she muttered.
“And, to kind of, stick it to my parents,”
Now THAT surprised her.
“My parents wanted me to go to law school and take over the family firm; but when I told them I was going to college for business, they scoffed at the idea. They didn’t think I could make it on my own, so I wanted to prove them wrong by landing a really good job and I thought this might just be the ticket,”
Tanya stared in his direction, amazed at his vulnerability.
“I wanted to show my sister that I can be just as happy with a job as she is with a family. I don’t need a boyfriend to feel fulfilled,”
“I hope you get it. I know you’ll do great with all your organizational skills and lists,” Stone replied truthfully. “Besides, Stone doesn’t sound like the name of ‘Lead Project Manager,’”
“I’ve always wanted to ask, why is your name Stone?”
“My parents were ‘flower children’ and they wanted all of us to have names that would help ‘preserve the earth’,”
“That’s... different,” Tanya said hesitantly.
“That’s not even the half of it! My sister’s name is Tide, my brother’s is Dune, and my middle name; Shadow,”
Tanya couldn’t contain her laughter, the lights flickering to life suddenly. Stone helped her to balance as she rose from the floor and the elevator resumed moving
“You should laugh more often,” he admitted, as he left through the now open elevator doors, suitcoat slung over his arm and looking sorelaxed.
Maybe Stone Devers had grown up to be a decent human being after all.
I slammed my bedroom door behind me, leaping onto my sprawling bed and allowing the soft mattress to consume my body.
I had been sent to my room - without dinner mind you - for speaking out of turn and expressing my personal thoughts towards trade; again
Being the third son of the king and queen of planet Gilldon was certainly a more bothersome task than I could have ever imagined, considering that my opinion mattered far less than those of my two older brothers.
Gideon was the eldest, heir to the throne, and currently engaged to the pompous daughter of the king and queen of planet Val-dern. He also believed that being the eldest allowed him special privileges such as putting me back in my place when I had stepped out of it even for a mere moment.
Hilden was far kinder to me in the way of brothers, and yet he still managed to gently correct me when I had spoken too much or too soon. Still, he always apologized to me later and would bring me sweet rolls from the kitchen after all the lights had been put out.
What about myself you may ask? I was the “rebellious” Prince, the one always choosing to lash out with my tongue rather than hold it, making my opinions and standings very clear.
My parents, King Lawrence and Queen Vinia, were benevolent to us children as well as their subjects. Unfortunately, they were also quite blind to the goings-on of other planets and their rulers, hence my reasoning for loathing the monarchs of Val-dern. It seemed as if their only goal in life was to suppress the weak and gain more power and prestige for themselves.
When I was a mere ten years old I had uncovered a plot to assassinate my father and had suspected from the beginning that the royal family of Val-dern had been behind it. My suspicions were proven to be correct, but all evidence had been completely erased from all the data files and no convictions were made.
Since that day, I vowed to protect other people from their tyrannical rule and watch over my family from the shadows.
Five years later, I’m still determined to do so, my fury only rekindled after I had overheard that the king, Xander, had been smuggling illegally trafficked slaves to his planet to work in the palace kitchens and dungeons; an offense that is punishable by death in most quadrants.
It had angered me to the point where I almost went after him myself; but while I am outspoken, I’m not stupid.
Instead I have been watching and waiting, keeping my senses tuned for any kind of slip up. Suddenly, the light crystals are extinguished and I jump from my bed to retrieve my “evening” attire. Once fully prepared with my dual ion pistols, several laser cartridges, my stealth suit, and my grapple gun I make my way down the secret staircase behind my book shelf.
I smirk as I descend and pull my hood over my black hair. “Prince Garrem of Gilldon moonlights as the renegade, Nightshade. Whatever would mother and father think of me?”
“You want me to do what?!” I asked, jumping from my seat in shock.
“Run for the presidency miss. Your credentials all check out and your last speech really envigrated the public. Plus, your numbers in all of the polls have been rising steadily. If you were to enter the race against Phillips and Sorensen, I’m certain you would succeed brilliantly,” my secretary Olivia said very matter-of-fact-ly.
I paced around my office, contemplating the proposition she had placed before me.
Ever since the Third World War had ended with a nasty skirmish that spanned across much of Asia, the United States has decided that a new strategy of electing our governing officials had to be put into place; the people who had the most business, tactical and anilytical thinking would automatically be considered for those positions, and those who tested highest would be put instantaneously into the running for President. Eventually, the status of power was spread to other countries such as Canada, Mexico, Spain, France and unlimately the United Kingdom. Within ten years, the position became unanimously accepted as the President of the World.
So for my secretary to suggest such a lidicrus idea seemed rather far fetched, even for me. I had been in business for nearly half my life now, running and eventually owning Vanguard Industries and supplying the world with the every day items that they needed to function.
“Olivia, I know you have faith in me, but this suggestion is a far cry from being the CEO of a company!” I exclaimed.
“I beg to differ,” she rebuffed.
“Huh?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
“You run this company with the presicion of an army. You have one the most tactically sound minds I’ve ever seen and you never back down when it comes to making the right decision; for all of us. I believe you are the perfect person to run the world, ma’am,”
I sighed again, pondering Olivia’s words. She had made some good points, but I still had many doubts floating through my head. After much deliberation I finally spoke.
“I will continue to think about what you said Olivia,” I replied, taking the seat behind my desk again.
“Wonderful, ma’am. What would you like me to do first towards your potential campaign?”
“Hold all my calls and cancel my meetings,”
“Yes ma’am,” she said, heading swiftly towards the door to my office.
“Oh, and Olivia?”
“Yes?”
“Get my brother on the phone. If I’m going to run for such a high position in the world, then we had better have a chat,”
“Won’t he be rather busy at this time of day?”
“The President of the world would never be to busy for a chat with his little sister,”
Olivia nodded and left, leaving me to my thoughts.
My phone rang moments later.
“Ryan? How are you! It’s been too long! Now before we talk about how everything is, I have an interesting proposition for you. Oh don’t worry, it will most certainly be worth it,”
The spell broke, and just like that, she could see everything with fresh eyes, almost as if a haze had lifted from around her.
“It cannot be!” A crackly voice screamed, drawing her attention to a hooded figure merely a few feet away from her own position.
The hooded figure leapt towards her, her hands sparking to life on instinct, throwing the person - or thing - against a rock wall of the dark chamber.
The fog in her mind continued to clear up, an oddly familiar name coming to the forefront.
“Mergina,” she ground out, a determination to stop the enchantress coursing through her veins. Belinda gazed around the stony room, remembering all that had transpired; her fiancés kidnapping, Mergina’s trap, and the nasty Spell of Frogetfulness she had placed on Belinda.
“You could not possibly have regained your memories! That enchantment was unbreakable! Only you would find a way out of my spells, Belinda Harrington,” Mergina cried.
“For the future, you should refrain from capturing those dearest to me,” Belinda replied, readying another blast of magic.
“Belinda?” A groggy voice called her name from somewhere behind her. “Andrew,” her own voice felt almost soft as she spoke her fiancé’s name, whirling around to meet his brown eyes with her own.
“Foolish girl!” Mergina called, a sudden blast of lightning throwing the younger woman to the ground. She groaned in pain as she slammed into the rocky floor, every nerve of her body aching.
Her fist collided with the floor sending an rangers pulse surging through the rock and knocking the enchantress off balance. “You insolent little welp!” Mergina seethed, forcing her lightning to grow in it’s strength.
A cry of pain was ripped from Belinda’s lips as the second wave of electricity hit her with all the force Mergina could muster. She tried to rise to her feet, but was continuously pushed down by the emense power, her sight and motor functions beginning to wilt under the pressure. And more exposure would surely mean the end for Belinda.
“Get away from her!” Andrew cried, rising from the expiremental table he had been lying on and rammed into the side of the enchantress. Belinda took the opportunity to muster every ounce of magic still coursing through her and blasted her with an attack of blue energy, the old hag screeching in pain as she was incinerated into ashes.
Belinda collapses to her knees, Andrew rushing to her side. He cradled her face in his hands, Belinda using her little bit of strength to cover his hands with her own.
“I love you so much you crazy woman you!” Andrew said joyously, kissing her full on the lips.
“We... were... supposed to save... that kiss... until the wedding... silly!” She replied between breaths.
“I don’t care. You matter more than some ridiculous tradition,” he pulled into his strong arms. “I’m just released that you’re safe,”
“Me too... glad you’re safe,”
Many questions were asked by the townspeople once Andrew returned, carrying his fiancé in his arms. Not all of them were answered, but two things were for certain; Mergina had been defeated, and Belinda had been the one to do it.
The wind whipped through Kyleena’s hair, the blonde tendrils blown in every direction. She would never tire of the sensation that riding Sinia would give her, the feeling of gliding through the air as if she had her own set of wings.
“Don’t think you’ll get away from me that easily!” Dyviss called after her, his own dragon not far behind her’s.
“Think again dear brother!” She called back, urging her dragon forward. Sinia put forth a surge of speed, leaving Dyviss and Flint far behind, Kyleena laughing gleefully at the sight.
After a few moments of pure, undiluted quiet, Kyleena started to get suspicious, turning in her saddle to get a better glimpse. She was unable to locate her brother, her brow furrowing in confusion at his sudden disappearance.
“Eyes forward if you please,” a voice said suddenly.
“Dyviss!” She yelled, whirling around to see the smirking face of her younger brother.
“Were you worried about my well-being? Oh! I’m touched!” He said dramatically, feigning surprise.
“I wasn’t worried for you, but rather for myself. I can’t have my little brother beating me at flying, now can I?” She replied haughtily.
“Oh yes. Of course,” Dyviss said, rolling his eyes. His sister had always been a terrible lier.
Dyviss took a sudden plummet towards the ground, maneuvering his way between the tall trees, Flint tucking his wings and rolling to the side without even needing the prompting from his rider.
Kyleena watched from higher above, her eyes shifting their aim between her brother and the sky before her, marveling silently at how much better Dyviss had gotten at riding.
“He truly has gotten better Sinia,” she whispered into her dragon’s ear. “But I’m sure we can still beat him!”
Another nudge of her heels sent Sinia barreling forwards at an even more rapid pace than earlier.
“We will show him who is the superior both in birth and in training,” she muttered, a smirk twitching her lips upwards.
——-
All that week and the next, Kyleena attempted to best her younger brother in every area of flying, and yet at each and every turn, he surprised her.
They raced day in and day out, Kyleena demanding that they do it again, only to be beaten soundly once more.
Finally, she decided to approach her brother and inquire as to how he had become so fluid and dexterous with Flint.
Dyviss was currently sitting in front of the fireplace, whittling a tiny figurine.
“How do you do it?” Kyleena asked, taking a seat beside her brother and brushing a tendril of hair from her brown eyes.
“Do what?” He asked, his eyes still trained on his wooden project.
“Flint. How do you get him to listen to you so much and trust you?”
“By listening to and trusting him,”
“What?”
Dyviss put down his knife and wood, sighing. “Listen Leena, I don’t have some magic formula or secret technique, I simply pay attention to Flint. His likes and dislikes, his wants and needs. Just like you would with a person,”
“Can you teach me?” She asked hestitantly.
Dyviss smiles warmly.
“Of course I can. Anytime you want,”
Kyleena smiles back at her brother, the warm light of the fire lighting up his blue eyes. Maybe she could learn a few things from her little brother after all.
