Alex Stoneman Author
Author in training. Just trying some character work and getting into the habit of writing daily.
Alex Stoneman Author
Author in training. Just trying some character work and getting into the habit of writing daily.
Author in training. Just trying some character work and getting into the habit of writing daily.
Author in training. Just trying some character work and getting into the habit of writing daily.
“See I think that the perfect murder is one you don’t even need to be there for. Separate yourself out enough that you can’t be a suspect.” Sam explained, the kitchen filled with her once enemies looking at her mortified. “The problem is that so many people want to be there to see the light leave their targets eyes, and don’t get me wrong. I’ve been there. It’s a truly unique experience, if it’s someone you hate enough then it’s also worth it.”
“What does this hilariously gruesome backstory have to do with what we are trying to do?” Zoe laughed, breaking the silence as Sam slowed her talking. Realising that everyone didn’t find the situation quite as amusing as she did.
Kicking herself she decided to take a different approach. “If you want someone dead get someone else to do it. That’s it. Piss off the right people in these circles and powers will fly.”
The group weren’t looking impressed, they probably still didn’t understand the levels of how this needed to play out. Sam took a second, composing herself. Making sure her natural way of talking didn’t make her look too much like she was crazy, which wasn’t far off from the truth.
“Unless you have a way to access the mob bosses base, capture him without causing a scene and then escaping with his body. We need others to do the heavy lifting for us.” Sam explained, making a conscious effort to keep her face calm and not show the excitement at the concept of crashing a mobs hideout.
“That makes sense.” Chloe said, Sam looking between her and her twin who was smiling. Apparently Zoe liked the idea of breaking into a mob base. Ethan always said they would get along.
“Exactly. So the question now becomes how can we, a group of teenagers slash government targets, get different mobs to fight each other to such a violent degree that they escalate?” Sam said, leaning on a nearby counter, looking over an expectant audience. “Oh no no, no that wasn’t rhetorical I’m good with the ideas but the smaller details I need help.”
“Well you’re already a step above Ethan. At least you’re willing to ask for help.” Zoe laughed.
“Stubborn one, that boy.” Sam nodded in agreement.
A few of the group chuckled in agreement. Ethan was incredible at quite a few things but communication outside the battlefield or basic human emotions was basically another language to him.
“So we need to agitate the mob.” Chloe said, “that sounds to me like we just need to do things they don’t like and frame other people for it.”
Sam clapped her hands in excitement, her grin growing into a wide smile. “Now we seem to be getting somewhere.”
“It’s not quite that easy.” Shay interrupted. “To do this we would need to know of the gangs, get into them and then be trusted enough to do these things in such a way that we aren’t the ones caught or suspected.”
“God this is gonna be fun.” Sam laughed, her excitement worryingly visible to the rest of the group.
"I am being serious. This isn't something I would joke about." Ethan explained. "Without a doubt, we could rob a bank. It really wouldn't be hard."
"I don't think that is what Andrew is worried about. Right?" Chloe asked, turning to Andrew who nodded. "Exactly, he is more worried that you literally want us to rob a bank."
"It is a bit out there," Andrew added quietly.
"I quite like it," Zoe said from across the room. "Why shouldn't we, I mean we are already on the run. The agency is after us, the normies want us dead. What's a bank robbery on the long list of our alleged crimes?"
"I hate to say it but these two are right. We need what is in the vault, stealing it is by far the easiest way." Shay agreed. Walking into the room with a whiteboard, snatching a pack of whiteboard markers from a glowing patch of air. "So what we should do is actually work out how we are going to do this."
"First rule, no harming anyone." Chloe said, everyone except Andrew giving each other side eyes. "Guys we can't keep letting our image go down. If we ever want to be seen as heroes again we can't keep destroying things."
"No she's right. No harming anyone." Ethan nodded, "Not even the security or police."
He hesitated. Putting a hand to his chin. "Ok well maybe the police if they try something stupid."
"Agreeable," Zoe said, sticking out her hand to shake.
"Now that we are all on the same page. Who wants to kick off the idea storm? No brain boost. Oh man someone help me here." Ethan asked looking around.
The group all looked at him. Covering their mouths, trying not to laugh.
"No no. We trust in you our fearless leader. He who wants to rob a bank, can't think of a simple iddium." Chloe laughed, the rest of the team joining her.
Ethan swiped the pens from Shay and drew a loose map of what the bank looked like.
"We need to get into box 734. There are two of us in the team who can actually break into the box. Shay and me. So that means you three will have to play distraction." Ethan explained. "Would any of you like to tell me how you should play distraction?"
"I think-" Zoe began.
"No you aren't getting Alex to tunnel into the bank." Ethan interrupted her.
"Why both having her on our side if we don't use her to burrow. We are wasting her incredible powers." Zoe pouted.
"Nope, next." Ethan turned to Andrew.
"We could try to lie and fake our way near the box?"
"Not bad but also terrible. We are all teenagers, there is no way they would believe that we have a box. You smart one. What's the plan?"
"Me?" Chloe asked, acting surprised and doing a terrible job of it. "I have a lot of ideas."
"One." Ethan warned.
Chloe clasped her hands over her mouth, everyone could see her brain whirring.
After a few seconds she slammed her hands on the table.
"Ethan you are so so rude." Chloe laughed.
"I don't know what you mean." Ethan said, sharing the smile.
"If either of you don't tell me what's going on I am going to start throwing furniture." Zoe warned.
"We are trying to get into this box to get an item. We have a picture of the item and a written description of what it does."
"Okay? I still don't think I understand." Andrew admitted.
"We also happen to have someone on our team who can create objects out of thin air."
All eyes fell to Shay who looked scared. She pointed at Ethan, "Look at him, he is the one who wasted our time!"
"I will be honest I just wanted to see who was on board for robbing a bank." Ethan laughed.
“Look I’m giving you the option here. I’m trying to be nice alright.” Sam explained, pacing the empty room.
The boy she had captured was tied to a chair, it was placed in the centre of the room right below the single light that shrouded their face in shadows.
“You need food and water to live, I can provide both. Doesn’t that mean I am the most important person in your world right now?” Sam smirked, the idea amusing to her. Being the focal point of someone’s world, was it possible? She didn’t have anyone in the centre, she had quite a few people who were constant, she wouldn’t say that they were the main focus of her life though.
Dante was a friend, he would appear and make sure she was alright. He was probably the only person she considered a friend, not that she wanted more. More people that could be used to hurt her, like this boy she had captured.
She chuckled to herself, the other person who she found crossing her mind more than most once again forced his way into her head. Ethan Morris, her childhood best friend. Now one of the many people standing in her way, he had been brainwashed by the Agnecy of Power and now it was up to her to make sure that no one else ever ended up like that again.
He would try and stop her again, him and that team of his. They had already stopped her once. That was too much, she wouldn’t revisit that time period.
The boy in the chair groaned snapping her attention back to the present. How long had she been thinking about Ethan? Why, even now, was he the one who kept sticking in her mind.
“You know Ethan Morris don’t you?” She asked.
The boys head moved slightly, he was murmuring. That was good, it meant he was starting to wake up properly.
“One noise for yes and two for no. Three is you want me to let you go.”
The boy murmured three time and Sam laughed.
“Great. You can answer questions, back to my previous one, what do you know about Ethan Morris?”
The boys head lifted and she could she the impact of their earlier fight. Well, fight was a push. She had caught him by surprise and even if she didn’t he was inexperienced, new with his powers.
“Two years above. Met him a few times. Bit of a prick, like you.” The boy said, his voice strained but holding an air of confidence that Sam couldn’t understand.
“You sound very cocky for someone caught so easily.”
“You sound desperate for someone holding all the cards.”
A laugh escaped Sam’s lips, this boy was clever. Not clever enough to escape being caught, but keeping a sense of humour after a beating and interrogation showed a real sense of character.
“He was two years above me, I trained with him a few times and he kicked my ass like I had insulted his mother.”
That makes sense, Sam thought. Ethan wouldn’t hold back in training, it’s how the two of them were raised. Years on Eura training with some of the worlds greatest. You never fight anything below your best, not even while training those weaker than you.
“He was always strong. I knew that, tell me something recent.”
“Well he kicked your ass in the tournament. That was fun to watch.” The boy laughed. “Not only that but when you came back last year with that group of yours they also kicked all your asses.”
“Tell me, how well do you think they would have done if we were allowed to cut lose?”
“Oh is this the whole we didn’t try our best? Come on, you’re better than that.”
“I am better than that, you’re right. Better than all of them, that silly team. What do they call themselves?”
“The hounoured ones.” The boy said, his head rising. As if filled with some sense of pride.
“Ridiculous. What a silly name.”
“You don’t know what it means.” The boy snapped. “You wouldn’t understand, I doubt you have anyone as close to you as they are.”
“ you’d be right.” Sam said, squatting down and catching the boys eye. “It just means that I don’t have the weaknesses they do, you understand how this has all come about right?”
“The battle? Yeah your people are trying to kill ours, we don’t want to die so we fight.”
“You’re so naive. This whole thing started because that group refused to leave each other. They uprooted agency secrets and forced information into the light that made many people unhappy. That bond, the strength you speak of. All that has done is cause pain for hundreds and thousands of people.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t matter to me, I’d do the same for my team. They are everything to me.”
“What’s your name?” Sam asked, now sitting in front of the boy, his blue eyes staring through the dark brown hair that dangled in front of his eyes.
“Sebastian. But my friends call me Seb.” He stopped for a second. “You can call me Seb if you give me some water.”
“You’re saying all it would take for me to become your friend is to give you some water?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Seb laughed before wincing, the broken ribs she had given him hours earlier wouldn’t be easy to forget.
“You tell me something else and I’ll think about giving you water.” Sam stood, watching Seb intently. He wasn’t scared or at least he didn’t appear to be scared. No tremors in his voice, no begging. He would have been taking all the fun out of it if he wasn’t as interesting as he was.
“Well my favourite movie is Into the Spider-verse, I love bright colours and I think you’re full of it.”
Sam nodded, walking out of the room. It led down a straight corridor and into another room which held her supplies. She grabbed a bottle of water and a pouch of food.
She thought about how Seb could defend Ethan’s actions so reverently, how he could say he would potentially start a war for a few people. She wanted to uproot the agency but that was for her reasons, not for a single person.
Walking back into the room Seb now had his head raised. He leant in back and in a move that took Sam completely by surprise he smiled at her. Through bloody lips and a black eye he still smiled.
It was a wide smile, crinkling his eyes and exposing his top row of teeth. It was a nice smile, friendly and welcoming.
Sam wondered what her smile looked like, she couldn’t remember when she last smiled. She hadn’t ever even thought about it.
“So you liked my answers then?” Seb asked, his voice weirdly full of positivity. Did this boy not understand the situation he was in?
“I’m starting to think I liked you more barely conscious.”
“Yeah that happens more often than I like. I’ve heard it more times than I think is normal.” Seb smiled, another full smile. Ridiculous.
“Here.” Sam tilted the bottle and poured the water on his face and in his mouth. He gulped thirstily ignoring the blood that was now running down his face with the water.
“Now I just need some food, a trip to a hospital and some new shoes and I’ll feel fresh.”
“Enough.” Sam said curtly. “Tell me what you were doing here, why was Ethan and your classmates doing?”
“What’s your name?” Seb asked, trying to flick the hair stuck to his face away to no avail.
“This isn’t a conversation, you answer my questions or I hurt you more.”
“I think I know you.”
“I can promise you don’t.”
“If I can guess can I have some food, or can you at least move my hair out my face?”
Sam turned and walked to the far side of the room, leaning against the wall she lifted her hand. The water around Seb’s face began to move, tightening around his head in three rings.
“Ow ow ok ow. No games fine.” Seb writhed in the chair. She didn’t stop, he started to rock in the chair and a groan escaped his lips as she watched.
She continued to press the water around his head, considering what to do with him.
“I get it. I get it fine now more jokes. Please stop, Ethan knows you’re better than this. Sam.”
The words rang in her ears, he did know her. Ethan had spoken about her, that idiot. He didn’t know her.
She let the water drop from his face and he gasped, ragged breaths filled the room.
Sam walked slowly over to Seb, his head hanging down. No more comments now.
“I think you’re better than this.” He said, his voice weak. “If you don’t have any friends why not start now. If you don’t do that again I’ll consider you a friend.”
“What makes your think I want friends?” Sam snapped. Grabbing his hair and wrenching his head up. He was smiling again, a big wide smile and kind eyes looked up at her.
“I don’t think you want them. I think it would be good for you to have one though. One that isn’t trying to fight and kill you.” Seb said, barely getting the words out through his ragged breath.
“You don’t understand a thing in this world.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand a lot. But I’ve seen people who are hurting, people who are in need of someone. I don’t know why you have done what you’ve done, I can’t even understand but hey. If you call me Seb that means we are friends, I can introduce you to my team. They’d like you.”
She let his head drop. He was ridiculous, a stupid child who didn’t understand a thing. She didn’t need friends, she didn’t need people who could be used against her. She needed information and for him to stop acting so nice while being tortured.
“I’m done with you. It was a waste to even think someone of your experience would have any useful information.”
“I get it. You aren’t used to people being open with you. That’s why I’m trying to be honest. I’ll even add more to show you that I am serious. My friends are going to be here any second.”
“No they won’t be.”
“Yes they will.”
“We aren’t doing this stupid game.”
“I’m being honest, Sam I’m telling the truth. They won’t leave me, they’re good as well. You may have hidden me from normal means but one of the people on my team has this way about the world. They won’t be happy to see me like this and will attack you.” Seb explained, locking eyes with Sam. She watched his face, he was being serious. There wasn’t any hint of anything but pure honesty.
“That doesn’t scare me, this is a useless attempt at intimidation.”
“It isn’t. If you just leave then I’ll never say it was you. Maybe next time we meet we can talk normally.”
Sam stopped and thought, she hadn’t had time to fully cover her tracks. It was only a matter of time and she had a lot more she needed to do in the coming days, a fight now would needlessly tire her out.
“You’re lucky I have other plans. I’ll take your word but I’m not untying you.”
“I wouldn’t ask you too. I hope we can see each other again soon.” Seb smiled, Sam fighting the creeping urge to smile back.
Walking to the door she opened it, stopping and looking back at the boy tied to the chair.
“I really hope you aren’t lying. Your friends better find you. We will talk soon…Seb.”
“Nope not that. No beyond maps or venturing. Venturing means we choose to go. The only thing you have right is that we are all in the unknown.”
Ethan couldn’t understand why. They were lost, the streets were busy and loud.
He couldn’t believe that he got talked into this. Before he even realised what was going on Alex and Olly has whisped the trio into central London. Blindfolded and given only the name of a pub and a street their mission was to make it there using only street signs and the underground.
“You’re always so serious.” Sam chided, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “This should be fun, we are able to be normal. It’s what we have all wanted.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. She was right, as she normally was, but he wasn’t about to just give in so easily.
“You take the lead then.” Ethan said, handing the crumpled map to her.
“I have been waiting for you to ask.” She beamed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek forcing his head away so Shay wouldn’t see him blushing.
“So we are currently at London Bridge, we need to get to a place called Junkyard golf. They say that it’s near Moorgate. Ok that’s easy enough, we just need to find an underground train station.
“A tube.” Ethan said.
“Bless you.” Sam laughed.
“No the underground train. It’s called a tube.”
“Oh. Why’s it called that?”
“I’ve always wondered the same. Chloe laughed at me when I asked.”
Shay was watching the two of them talk about a hilariously pointless topic and smiled. Here they were, two of the strongest Empowered known to the world. Both smiling and jabbing at eachother while trying to figure out a map.
She almost couldn’t believe the situation they were in. More so than any adventure or any trap or any mission, watching the two of them go back and forth about directions made her happy.
They had made it. They made it to the point they had all hoped for. After all the battles and all the heartbreak, finally a life they could call their own.
“Uh oh. Ethan has to let someone else lead. Watch out Shay, I think he is about to start brooding again.” Sam laughed loudly, gently elbowing Shay.
Shay burst out laughing at Ethan’s reaction and the two girls stood, leaning on each other, both racked in laughter.
“Whatever.” Ethan huffed.
This set the girls off even more. Sam dropping to her knees slapping the ground barely able to get a breath in.
“Oh god. Stop please, I can’t.” Sam choked.
“It’s not your goldfish. This is my friend.” Ethan said, looking down on a small child with disdain. It’s lip was quivering and the ballon that was in its hand had begun floating up into the sky.
“But I won that. You can’t have what I won.”
Ethan sighed. How was this his day? He thought it would be a fight at a carnival. Not arguing with a child about a goldfish.
“Why don’t I win you another one?” Ethan suggested.
“No!” The child stamped her foot, “that one’s mine and I want mine.”
Ethan couldn’t understand why children acted the way, he knew when he was a child he wouldn’t be so impudent.
If Shay hadn’t got caught he wouldn’t have to be doing this right now. He glared at the bag, the goldfish inside turned away.
Ethan was astounded. She was giving him attitude after he saved her, he was going to have a serious word with her once the rest of the team found whoever turned her into this.
He gave the bag a gentle shake before returning his attention to the child. They were still staring at him, arms crossed and a mean look on their face.
Ethan sighed, thinking what Chloe or Andrew would do. The two of them were always much better with people than he was.
“I am trying to stop a villain. I am actually a superhero. You don’t want to let the villain win do you?” Ethan said, kneeling down to the little girls level. Meeting her eyes. Doing his best to ignore the obnoxious noises of fair ground noises and blaring music that hammered his ears.
“You don’t look like a superhero.”
“Anyone can be a superhero.”
You don’t have a costume.” The girl said, “or a sidekick. Every good superhero has a sidekick.”
“This is my sidekick. She was stu- silly. She was silly and got captured, now I need to take her back to him so that he can turn her back.”
“What powers do you have? Can I see them? I have never met someone with powers before, one boy in my class said he had powers but then he just farted. Stinky” The girl said, turning her nose up at the memory.
“If I do can I take my friend and you won’t scream?” Ethan asked, hearing a large crash. Knowing without a doubt that it was his friends.
“Yup. But you said you would win me another fish. I want that too.” The girl smiled, she was missing one of her bottom front teeth and through that gap something pink was pushing through. Ethan realised it was her tongue and braced internally. How disgusting.
“Fine, let’s go quickly.” Ethan said turning, raising his hand and the girl squealed in laughter as she lifted off the ground and began floating next to him.
Ethan approached the same booth that he had just been at when he saw Shay get given away and paid the server with the weird eyes some more money to have another go.
“You already got a fish there dontcha?”
“It’s for her.” Ethan said, picking up a ring. Tossing it and landing the first shot perfectly.
“Why don’t ya just give her yurs?”
“Because it’s mine.” Ethan groaned, landing the second shot.
“I don’t rightly feel good about giving away two fish to the same household.” The man said, stepping in front of Ethan before he could make his final shot.
“Ethan anytime now would be great. I don’t know how long we are keeping him fighting in this tent.” Chloe’s voice blared to life in his earpiece.
Leaning around the man Ethan tossed the final ring, landing his shot. Using his power he levitated a fish from the wall to the girls outstretched hands.
“Don’t try and take it from her. She is really stubborn.” Ethan said, flashing the girl a smile. She beamed back before running off, so Ethan did the same.
“You tell anyone about this I will let a cat get you.” Ethan said, holding up the bag with Shay the Goldfish in it.
Finally. After years of conflict and emotions riding so high neither fully could understand them the two stood.
The battlefield was little red with bodies and craters. It was a battle neither expected to survive, a battle neither expected the other to survive.
But now here they stood. Alone, finally.
Clouds of dust lifted high in the sky, obscuring the sun painting them in a shaded gloom.
Both were panting, their training not allowing their bodies to relax despite their brains begging for release.
One took a step closer at the exact time the other did. Both stumbling into each others arms, feeling trembling bodies and shaking breaths they looked at each other.
The last time they had been this close was when she had saved him from being tortured.
“Ahhhh the violence of devotion.” A man said, stood in an observation room as Sam, teeth bared and bodies at her feet, looked towards Ethan whose head could barely lift to see her. She crouched low and cupped his face, the two sharing a look only they could. The feelings more prominent now than they ever had been. She broken his bindings and heaved him onto her back, not a single thing in heaven, hell or anything in between would stop her getting him out of here.
Ethan, in his delirium, let his mind wander. Knowing he was safe now he was with her.
He was holding her much like this. They had just killed a dragon. An actual dragon.
And while they didn’t do it alone, the two of them alone held the power to deal the final blow. As they fell, Ethan reached out with his powers desperately yanking her close.
Their bodies slamming into each other, the first time they had touched in a moment that wasn’t a battle. The first time since their childhood.
A lifetime ago the two raced around a beautiful garden. A lifetime that was ripped from their minds and hidden away in their minds.
Sam managed to catch Ethan, gripping his hand and spinning him in place. They had been fighting and chasing for far too long. Their bodies ached but their smiles were wide.
The two stopped, panting. Smiling. Happy.
One took a step closer at the exact time the other did. Both stumbling into each others arms, feeling trembling bodies and shaking breaths they looked at each other.
They were happy, because they were together.
“I’m just saying…we are staying in their village. Shouldn’t we maybe try to follow some of their customs?” Andrew asked, falling a few steps behind Sam who, as always, confidently stride forward her balance not even shaking on the uneven dirt ground.
Either side of them were tiny houses that went as far as Sam could see. They had been lucky enough to find this place while on the run and had met a nice couple who allowed them to stay at their hut, the only problem was all the huts looked near identical. Red/orange clay walls, a single window and a wooden door made of a type of wood Sam had never seen before.
“Look if you want to go a write a wish and send it up in a lantern I am not going to stop you. I am trying to find a shop for you as we speak.”
Andrew’s head tilted as Sam finished her sentence. It didn’t make sense, it felt like she was shutting him down but there she was asking locals about where to find a lantern.
He didn’t understand her at all. At least with Zoe he knew she was mean but would be nice when no one was around. At least with Ethan his bluntness and general lack of knowledge about people matched Andrew’s.
Sam was a mystery to him. Even after all this time they had spent together. She was impulsive and thoughtful. She was passionate while detached. She had so many powerful emotions that Andrew was jealous of.
Having not realised it Sam had stopped while Andrew was lost in thought. She was kneeling by a small child who was crying over a broken lantern. Before Andrew could see what was wrong Sam had done something and given it back to the girl who beamed at her, laughed a thank you before running off.
“What?” Sam asked, turning to see Andrew staring. “I can’t be nice to kids?”
“It’s just…” Andrew’s voice died as he remembered the day before. A vivid image in his memory of Sam tearing through trees, water swirling around her, ripping into agents of the earth murdering them without a second thought.
“You think because I kill those who deserve it I can’t be kind as well?” Sam smirked, confident eyebrow raised. She read him like a book.
“Weird. It’s weird to see.” Andrew said after a long break.
“Look you know better than anyone. I made mistakes in the last few years but I have been trying to get better. Just because I’ve killed some bad people doesn’t mean that’s all I do.”
Andrew nodded, she was right. More than once she had saved his life and the lives of his whole team. She wasn’t the same girl they had met years before, hell bent of destroying them and plunging the world into chaos.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have looked at you like that.” Andrew said, his head dropping.
“Ahhhhh don’t even worry about it.” Sam laughed going to punch him in the shoulder before catching herself. “Oh yeah right, no touchy touchy.”
She carried on walking this time taking the next left.
“Where are you going?”
“That little girl pointed to where she got hers. You want one and it is rapidly getting darker.” Sam explained.
The two were able to find a lateen each sold to them by a wrinkled old mad. Making their way back to their hut the two sat outside watching the sky move from blue to purples and oranges.
“What are you writing in yours?” Sam asked, peering over to Andrew’s lantern.
“What? No you can’t read them. Doesn’t that mean they won’t come true?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s birthday wishes. Come on, I can tell you mind first if you’d like?” Sam offered.
“I wished that Alex and Ethan are safe, that they will stay safe until we get to them.”
“What about after that?”
“We will be with them. We can keep eachother safe.”
“That’s sweet.” Sam smiled, always in awe of the compassion that Andrew had. She couldn’t fathom how he could care so deeply for so many people. For her caring about a few took all the strength she had and even then it sometimes wasn’t enough.
“What about you?”
“Oh. Mine seems silly in comparison. Don’t worry about it.” Sam said, covering her red slip with her hand.
“Oh…ok.” Andrew said, looking up to the sky. The darkness now seeping across the sky, the retreating purples fading.
“Urgh fine.” Sam said. Not wanting to hurt Andrews feelings. “I want to have a normal day. I wrote down a few things that normal people have told me about that i have never got to do.”
Andrew smiled, Sam looked st him concern.
“Don’t tell me you are going to laugh. I don’t think that I could handle that.”
“No. No not at all. Its just.” Andrew sat, thinking. Wanting to choose his words carefully. “Ethan and I spent quite a while trying to do the same, after the tournament and the mission. We wanted exactly the same. I think it’s sweet.”
Sam sat. Stunned.
“Huh. I guess that makes sense. We all had our childhoods robbed. Funny isn’t it. Most people on this planet wish they had powers like ours. But here we are, just wishing for one day like them.”
“It’s what we deserve, just because we have more responsibility because of our powers doesn’t mean we can’t also want what others have.”
“Like always for us. We just have to work a little harder for it.” Sam smiled. Taking out a lighter and lighting it.
Andrew help his latern up for Sam to light, holding it while she did the same.
The two stood, look up to the once dark sky. Now glittering with hundreds of red lanterns.
Both reached up towards the sky letting their wishes fly to the heavens. Hoping one day soon they would come true.
“Why in gods name am I here?” Zoe groaned.
“Well it was recommended that once we leave the academy that we try and meet normal people.” Chloe started.
“Normal people,” scoffed Zoe, looking around the room. It was a drab room with scuffed wood floors and a dozen sets of chairs sat in fours. The walls were pasty white with cracked paint and there was a small cork board with blue felt with flyers about events in the locks area none of which would have interested Zoe so she didn’t bother looking closer.
“Oh you know what I mean.” Chloe shushed as more people filed into the room.
Chloe had made sure they were early so that the duo could ‘get chairs’ but in reality Zoe knew her sister was nervous. Having never been on a real date before she thought this speed dating shtick would be her way to find that.
If only she realised the boys at the academy and how so many swooned over her. Or maybe she did and wanted something different. Nah, her sister was smart but not smart in that way.
A duo of unimposing men sat across from the twins.
“I would like to thank you all for coming to our speed dating extravaganza” the unassuming woman in the middle of the room said.
Chloe elbowed Zoe in the side who hissed and scowled at her twin.
“Stop with that face,” Chloe said. “You’ll scare anyone who sits with us.”
“If they get scared by a look they won’t survive seeing you first thing in the morning.” Zoe laughed as Chloe huffed.
“Well I guess your right.” Chloe said, placing her hands in front of her mouth.
Her sister knew she was now racing through questions, ever since they were little this pose was Chloe’s ‘thinker’ it would also muffle her voice to which Zoe had started making a game of how many different ways she could tell her sister to move her hands.
“Stop thinking about it.” Zoe ordered, slapping Chloe’s wrists causing her head to jolt down. Laughing internally Zoe knew that was her favourite way of interrupting her sisters train of thought, despite there being many other options.
“You’re right,” Chloe nodded. “Let’s just enjoy it.”
“Unlikely.” Zoe smirked.
The woman blew her whistle and the shrill noise sounded the start of the three minute window to talk to the other pair.
Zoe couldn’t contain her boredom and yawned widely barely five seconds into the man’s introduction. He faltered and she smiled, he wasn’t going to be the one for her sister.
The first pair were painfully boring, Zoe had hopes for the second pair until she look at their haircuts and rolled her eyes. It looked like one firm slap would shatter the brittle hair on their little heads.
Zoe couldn’t believe there was so much hair product in the world to make hair look like that. But Chloe kept trying bless her, asking interesting question and getting bland responses.
Zoe was sick of these boys and their answer so shushed them mid sentence.
“Neither of you would be able to handle my sister. Sit in silence until we are done.”
“But-“
“Ah ah ah. Sweet silence from you.” Zoe hushed.
“Stop scaring everyone, I want to actually talk with someone.” Chloe complained.
“If they would stop shrinking away from me maybe they would have a chance.”
“You scare them before they can even get there, look next time just don’t say anything.”
“Fine,” Zoe huffed. Still not sure how Chloe managed to convince her to join her here.
“And no staring them down either.” Chloe added, Zoe shaking her head.
“No fun.”
The twins sat through several more pairs to no avail. Chloe had some fun talking to one man but she decided not to pursue after Zoe had convinced her she could do better.
“Urgh, what a waste of time.” Chloe moaned.
“Yeah it was,” Zoe agreed as Chloe looked to the floor in disappointment. “But, you still put yourself out there. That’s important.”
“What?”
“Ah ah. Don’t ruin the moment. You’ve done well, next time you meet people out and about you’ll remember your standards, at least you better.”
“Ha ha. You care about meeee.” Chloe smiled, bumping into her sister as they walked.
“I hate you.” Zoe said, bumping her sister back harder.
“You want me to be happyyyyyyy.” Chloe laughed bumping her sister even harder as the two returned home. Slamming into eachother harder and harder until Zoe knocked into Chloe bouncing her over the hood of a car. Both sisters laughing as Chloe got off the floor.
Chloe has just finished cooking herself dinner. She had tried a new recipe from one of her favourite websites and after several alterations and questions to search engines about what to do and how to make it she was just about to sit down to eat.
Her phone buzzed and she saw a message from the agency. They were still searching for Alex and Ethan, she wondered how they were doing and hoped they had found each other. A third message popped up and Chloe looked closer.
It was Sam. Ethan’s old friend now turned enemy. The two had their memories wiped before the first year at the academy and Chloe had so many burning questions she wanted to ask but knew would be so inappropriate.
This was the first time seeing Sam as a young adult. She still had the same ocean green eyes and dark brown wavy hair. She couldn’t stop imagining what the girl had gone through, from what Ethan had said she had some of her memories revealed but not all of them.
Which memories were shown? How did they convince her of everything without abandoning Ethan? Chloe realised she had been stood standing and shook her head.
It didn’t matter now. She needed to focus on helping Ethan and Alex however she could. Sam was the least of her worries.
Knock knock knock
That was weird. She wasn’t expecting anyone this evening.
Chloe got up and tip toed over to the pad on her wall. Tapping the screen, while still eyeing the door, the camera activated and stood outside her door was Sam.
Sam was staring straight ahead, a hood hung off the back of her head. It was pulled off enough to show her face but it would be easy to put on if someone came by. Chloe couldn’t help but recognise the similarities between Sam and Ethan already.
Their posture was identical, straight backs, shoulders straight, chins up. Chloe thought what she would look like on a camera like this before shaking herself back to the problem at hand.
Sam knocked again.
Chloe weighed up her options.
Sam had tried to kill the President of the agency and her friends a few years ago. However since then they had all worked together while in Portugal and Shay seemed to have taken a liking to her. Sam had also seemed to take a liking to Andrew which Chloe never saw coming.
Chloe walked to the door and opened it. Knowing that if Andrew trusted Sam then she could as well.
“You answered?” Sam asked, the surprise clear on her face.
“Of course.” Chloe replied. “People on my team trust you, that means I do too.”
“Right.” Sam nodded, “I get that. May I come in?”
“Yes?” Chloe said.
“Are you certain or are you asking?”
“I’m just battling a dozen questions I’m dying to ask.” Chloe said, stepping out the way of the door waving Sam in.
Chloe watched closely as Sam entered. She was looking all over the room checking for any traps or tricks. Chloe understood, Ethan had explained what she had been going through so it was understandable she was jumpy. Especially in someone’s flat that she only met in life or death circumstances.
“Do you…want a drink or I ummm. I just cooked some dinner?” Chloe offered shutting and locking the door. Hoping that Sam would take it as a sign of her keeping them safe and not locking them in together.
“Water please.” Sam smiled. Her smile made Chloe warm inside, it felt so genuine. Chloe nodded and heard a stomach rumble, placing a hand on hers she realised it wasn’t her.
“I’ll get another plate.” She said as Sam looked away, acting as if she didn’t hear anything.
With two freshly reheated plates of dinner and two glasses of water the women sat across from each other. Both eating in silence.
“Do you like music?” Chloe asked.
Sam nodded, shovelling food into her mouth as if Chloe had threatened to steal it.
Nodding Chloe went on her phone and turned on a jazz playlist that was from one of her favourite games. Hopefully it would calm her racing mind. She had some many questions for Sam, not only about the current situation but also about the tournament. The earth. What happened in Portugal.
“Probably wondering why I’m here. Well from what I’ve heard about you you’ve probably been listing question after question in that noggin haven’t you?” Sam smirked, taking a sip from her water. “I won’t go into detail but I am after Ethan. He is going down a path he doesn’t want to, he is going to find something that doesn’t want to be found.”
“Ominous.” Chloe smiled.
“Purposely. If those two find each other and try to complete the mission Alex is on. We might have a war on our hands. One very few of us are capeable of dealing with alone.” Sam explained.
“How do you know all of this?” Chloe asked.
“I am part of the Earth remember.” Sam laughed, stopping when she saw Chloe’s worried look. “Oh but I’m not a threat to any of Ethan’s friends. I would never hurt you guys. I can see that you understand me.”
“Well. Doing my best considering how vauge you’ve been.” Chloe nodded, thankful that Sam wasn’t looking to hurt any of their friends. She had watched a lot of footage of Sam fighting and she was a genuine force of nature.
“Back to what I need. I have to follow the path Alex and Ethan went on, I can’t get to those in the academy because obvious reasons. But you, for some reason, were allowed to come back to your flat.”
“At first I opposed Ethan chasing Alex.” Chloe said, shaking her head. She had let her logical side get the better of her. But not this time. “But now I’ve been given another chance to help. So let’s do it.”
Sebs jaw dragged along the gangplank as the trio walked up the steep slope towards the cruise ships entry way.
He had never been on a boat this large, he doubted he had ever been on anything this large ever.
He looked down to the water below and felt his vision spin and laughed rocking back nearly crashing into Bryony whose knuckles were white on the handles.
Harri was behind her dragging a large suitcase that she refused to let the stewards down below take. Seb looked behind them at the annoyed faces of other boat goers waiting for their holiday.
“Sorry!” Seb called down. Grabbing Harri’s suitcase as well as Bryony, throwing them both over his shoulders and marched up the gangway. He laughed placing the two down on the shiny wooden deck.
“If I didn’t feel so violently ill I would smack you up and down this deck. It looks smooth enough you should only get a dozen splinters.” Bryony warned, her legs shaking as she rose to her feet.
“Thanks Seb.” Harri added giving him a gentle tap on the back before pulling up the handle of the suitcase. The sight making Seb chuckle, the suitcase was almost as large as Harri and with the handle up it came up to her shoulder.
“Right.” Seb clapped his hands. “To the room then to the buffet!”
Seb had never been on a cruise before. He had never actually even been on a boat before. Now here with his two favourite people in the world they would finally be able to relax for a while and just enjoy some time together. And hopefully get a tan as well.
The ship was absolutely massive and Seb couldn’t quite believe how it stayed afloat. On the main deck there was a wave pool, a regular pool, a bar, another bar, three hot tubs and a snack vendor. Walking past all that the trio ascended up the stairs towards their room.
Through either luck or good graces the trio had been offered the trip now that the war had ended and the bulk of the fighting afterwards was over. There team was one of the luckiest having not lost a member through the course of all the fighting. Not that it hadn’t been close, Seb, Bry and Harri all had scars to remind them of that fact.
Half dragging Bry along Seb opened the door to their suite and bruised his jaw as it hit the floor. The room was massive, with sectioned areas that would serve as a living room and a designated changing area.
Doors led to bedrooms as big as Seb’s Appartment with beds as fluffy as a cloud. Leaping across the room with the strength of an Olympian and the grace of a man falling from the sky Seb slammed into the pillows like a WWE wrestler and groaned in comfort.
“Uhhhh Seb.” Bry said from the doorway “we might have a problem.”
“Nope. No problems allowed” Seb replied his voice muffled by pillows.
“This is the only bed.” Harri said, leaning against Bry in the doorway.
“It’s the only what?” Seb shot up from the bed. Looking at his friends, both shared the same disappointed look.
He waited. Surely they were going to say this was a joke any second now.
“Only one bed?” Seb murmured.
“Sound familiar?” Bry asked, fighting a smile.
“You little fan fiction freak.” Harri laughed.
Seb laughed falling back on the bed. The two girls broke out in laughter and leapt onto him the three all holding eachother tight. A feeling they had come do to more often over the last few years, over the war there had been times that it felt like they would never be able to do this again. So now any chance they got they let the others know how much they mattered.
After disentangling themselves the three donned swim suits and made for the massive pool deck. Seb wearing trunks with cartoon watermelons on them that made the girls cringe, both claiming he was giving off “dad energy” making him only laugh more.
Harri wore a black bikini with frills and a large black lace sun hat. Bry wore a blue and white one piece with a beige sun hat.
“Now begins the toughest and biggest adventure of our whole career.” Seb began. “Not only must we conquer all of the pools, but activities are common place and we must master several of them while also attending the dozens of buffets with food from around the world.”
“Not to mention the shows that are on nightly.” Harri added.
“Oh and there are some clubs and apparently they stop at some island!” Bry excitedly said.
Seb was happy to see her now adjusting to being on the boat.
The three deserved this nice trip. It was time to relax, they had saved the world and helped clean up the mess afterwards. Now it was time for their reward, not that they did all they did for a reward. But it was nice none the less.
And then a giant sea monster attacked
Nah just kidding.