“What’s wrong?” Elysian asked. “You should be happy. After all, your brother’s been asleep for nearly an hour.”
“Just how dense are you?” I asked. “There’s a game in…” My gaze went to the nearby clock hanging on the wall. “Only forty-five minutes or less!”
Elysian waved it off. “It’s too hot out to play, anyway.”
“Football players are tougher than that!”
“Sheesh, calm down, would you?” Elysian muttered. “What’s the problem?”
I glared at him murderously. “I can’t leave Adam here with no one in the house – no human, anyway,” I added as an afterthought. “Cheryl’s apparently dilly-dallying around with Mr. Boss or Mrs. Booze at the moment and can’t seem to remember this game is imperative!”
“For you, maybe,” Elysian sighed, “Anyway, why don’t you just call Adam a babysitter?”
“I can’t do that! Mark and Cheryl would kill me for throwing him with just any babysitter.”
“Can you take him with you?”
“And what? Let him roam the stadium by himself? I can’t do that – what if I have to go get him in the middle of the game? I’ll be benched for sure.”
“You really are the most self-obsessed person I’ve ever met,” Elysian grumbled.
“I am not,” I retorted. “I’m thinking of everyone else. Everyone’s counting on me. Imagine how all my fans would feel if I didn’t come!”
Elysian rolled his eyes. “There’s always next year,” he grumbled. “Besides, it might not be a bad thing you’re stuck here. Remember the last time you were at a football game? If you had any common sense, you might be worried about what could happen tonight.”
I stilled for a moment, remembering the people who had been just blankly staring off into space. I thought about the half-daydream I had while I was working on my homework in my room; Maia had been plotting something. But she didn’t seem too eager to work.
“I don’t think it will happen tonight,” I said. “I didn’t have a premonition about it that took place at the arena like last time.”
“You mean you can see them coming? You have been given visions?”
“Sometimes, I guess.” I glared at him.
“Kid, that’s extraordinary. You haven’t accepted any duties or conditions to your intended role, but the Prince is giving you power and letting you see glimpses of other portions of time. This means,” Elysian said with wide eyes, “you have maintained the promise of free will.”
I snorted. “That’s absurd. He’d have to be outside space and time for him to be able to control everything that happens to me.”
When Elysian just looked at me with an expression on his face, I rolled my eyes. Of course this Prince guy was all powerful. Elysian needed something big to tie his little stories all together.
“But you don’t always see them coming, even with the visions, right? So it could still happen.”
“Well, that’s great to know. Anything could be a trap, in that case. Sounds like you’re just paranoid,” I remarked. I didn’t want to talk about it.
Elysian tilted his head to the side. “How long has your back been hurting?”
“Since last Thursday, probably because I was hurled into a school window. And into a tree,” I reminded him. Elysian was studying my face and starting to smile. “So before you go and get any ideas about it, you can forget them. I’m a normal, sixteen-year-old student at Central High. Nothing more – unless you count my awesome skills and sports ability – and nothing less.”
“We’ll see… we’ll see,” Elysian muttered. “You know, there’s a way you can tell if there’s something going on. If you look at the mark under your wrist, you should be able to tell.”
“What do you mean?” Remembering the incident with Gwen’s arm, I froze.
My cell phone rang, making me jump. “Hello, Cheryl?” I asked (For once, I desperately wanted my mother to be the one calling me.)
“No, it’s Gwen.” The voice on the other side of the phone line sounded amused. “I was calling to tell you my arm is better –”
“Gwen!” I interrupted her as a brilliant idea skid lightning across my brain. “Gwen, you babysit kids, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“Can you meet with me in twenty-five minutes?”
“Yes. Why? What do you want?”
“I need you to do a huge favor for me,” I grinned, glancing up the stairs with a bright gleam in my eye. “Call it your way of thanking me for saving your life.”
18
Assaulted
I seriously doubted I had ever run faster in my life as I headed towards the school. With my little brother clinging to my shoulders, I sped up as I caught sight of Gwen. We’d agreed to meet in Shoreside Park, where she would take Adam off my hands for the duration of the game, and I’d get to walk to the game with her (It’s an unofficial way for football players to announce they had a date.)
“Gwen!” Her auburn hair was shining in the over-heated sun as I waved. But then I faltered.
Someone was with her. And that someone was none other than Tim Ryder.
Well, this should be interesting, I thought.
I knew I didn’t have long, so I’d better hurry Tim along. I jogged over even more quickly, and a moment later I was close enough to where I could hear their conversation.
“You’ve been avoiding me all week,” Tim was saying.
I slowed as I groaned. What a baby. Can’t be away from his stairway to popularity a week without feeling neglected. Doesn’t he know fame is fickle?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gwen told him.
Tim touched her arm. “Are you mad at me?” he asked. “Did I do something to make you upset? If you tell me, I’ll be able to straighten it out.”
Ha! He couldn’t straighten out a ruler, I thought.
“I just… well, I’ve been a little confused lately. And I don’t think my dad likes you, to be perfectly honest.” (That was a gracious understatement. After Gwen and her parents had all arrived at home from the hospital, her dad had complained that his daughter liked a wimpy ballet boy, while she had the high school football champ saving her life, and they liked me much better as a potential boyfriend. Gwen told Laura this to Samantha who told some other girls who told Mikey who told me.)
Tim smiled weakly, still looking down. “Oh, I see,” he remarked. “You like Dinger.”
Heck yeah she does. Loser.
“I used to like him a lot,” Gwen (finally!) admitted. “I had a crush on him when I was on the cheerleading squad. Don’t look at me like that, Tim! It’s practically a rite of passage for a cheerleader! And he did save my life. Twice.”
“So… you want to date him?”
I stopped briefly to catch my breath – I didn’t want to look weak in front of Gwen or Tim now. I could’ve really used a hero’s entrance.
“I don’t know. There’s a part of me that says Ham’s too much of a ham, if you know what I mean. But I don’t want to be in a relationship where you leave me when there’s trouble.”
“I didn’t leave you at the auditorium because I was scared,” he told her. “I left because you told me you were coming. I respected your wishes. I’m sorry if I didn’t do something right.”
“I know you’re a good person,” she remarked. “I’m just a little…” her voice trailed off. “Hammy.”
Tim was shocked to see me there. “Hi there, Dinger,” he waved politely, anger subtly lacing his words.
Oh boy, this was going to be fun. It really was the most inconvenient time for Tim to be here, I thought bitterly. Still, I put on that fake smile able to fool a lie detector test and waved back. “Hey guys. Am I coming in at a bad time?” I asked, somewhat hopefully.
“No,” Gwen smiled,
ignoring the crushed looked on Tim’s face. “We were just talking. What’s up?”
“I need your help, Gwen,” I explained.
“What for?” Tim asked.
I felt like punching him or telling him off, or doing something to make him go away. Too bad I didn’t have any real supernatural powers, or Tim wouldn’t be feeling too well at the moment – especially if he was prone to airsickness.
Tim was lucky Adam was there, and young enough to be impressionable. “I was just about to explain,” I said impatiently. Turning back to Gwen, I continued on. “Since I was so helpful to you in saving your life and everything, I was wondering if you could help me with –”
“Wait a minute,” Tim interjected. “You can’t manipulate her into helping you!”
So Tim was capable of being smart, how exciting, I thought sarcastically.
“That’s not right. You shouldn’t force her to do something because you saved her life. If you’re going to do it, why not just make her your slave?” Tim asked, his voice starting to rise.
Tim wasn’t a very good actor, I decided. Tim’s face had jealousy and anger written all over it. “I haven’t even told her what I need for her to do,” I reminded Tim. “It’s not terribly unreasonable –”
“Unreasonable to you, maybe,” Tim muttered.
“You know, if you want to make it into the next play, you might want to work on your acting skills,” I sneered, my anger and impatience getting the better of me.
“Stop it!” Gwen interrupted. “Tim, it’s fine; don’t get involved here. Geez, relax, would you?”
“No! You’re my girl and I have to protect you,” Tim insisted as he took her by the shoulders.
“I’m sure it’s just an expression, Tim –”
“What if it’s not?”
“You’re getting on my nerves. And you’re embarrassing me!” Gwen told him through pursed lips. “Let me go.”
“Yeah, why don’t you let her go?” I asked, looking at the time. “The game’s going to start in fifteen minutes. I’ve still got to get there and get my jersey on. We can deal with your pathetic issues later.”
Tim whipped around. Before he said anything, Gwen cleared her throat. “Wait!”
Both of us turned and looked at her. “What is it?” I asked, trying not to snarl.
“Didn’t you come here with your brother?”
“Yeah. That’s what I was trying to ask you about before I was so rudely –”
“Ham! Hold on,” Gwen threw up her hands. “My goodness, you are both so annoying today. Anyway, he’s gone.”
“Who?” Tim asked.
“Hammy’s brother. He’s not here anymore.”
I jerked around and looked. Gwen was right. I groaned loudly. “No, this can’t be happening! There isn’t enough time for this! I’ve got to get to the game!”
“You’re so selfish,” Tim shook his head. “Don’t you think your brother is scared? I can’t imagine how he feels right now, all alone and frightened.”
Yeah, frightened of your ugly face, probably, I wanted to say. “We’ve got to find him, fast. I need someone to watch him while the game is going on so I can play.”
“All right. You go look over in that direction,” Gwen instructed me, pointing. She turned to Tim. “Will you help us?” she asked.
He should. It was his fault Adam was lost in the first place.
As Tim nodded, Gwen tugged on his sleeve to one end of the park, while I turned towards the nearby woods.
I normally would’ve been sick at Gwen’s egregious generosity if I hadn’t been so worried about my brother – and by extension my life. Cheryl would kill me if anything happened to him.
“Adam!” I called out. I swear, if that kid wasn’t my brother, I’d probably kill him myself.
Elysian poked his head out of my backpack. “Your backpack’s starting to get wet from your sweat,” he complained.
“Elysian! I don’t have time for your whining,” I snubbed him. “Adam decided to get lost. I don’t know where he went. He could be anywhere.”
Elysian jumped out of the backpack and onto the ground. “I’ll go and help look for him over this way.” He hurried off before I could tell him Gwen and Tim were already looking over there. Elysian is too fast for his own good sometimes, I thought, half in admiration, half in aggravation.
I was just about to go over and rifle through the bushes when a prickly feeling on the back of my arm spiked my nerves. “Huh?” I looked down to see the four-point star on my wrist was glowing. It was an unfortunate confirmation. “Oh, great, what’s going to happen now?”
A moment later, I heard a familiar scream pierce the evening skies.
There’s no time to think. “Gwen!” I yelled.
A rustling sound behind me caused me to look up; Elysian poked his head out of the bushes. “Your friend is in trouble,” he announced.
“Is she okay?” I asked, a little hesitant to know the truth.
“She won’t be if you just stand there!” Elysian huffed at me. The small dragon started to transform into his larger self. “Come, we must go!” His wings popped out of the scaly sea on his back, and he took off.
I nodded and started to run, following the shadow of the flying dragon.
It was not long before I saw Gwen’s bright tresses through the trees.
“No, please, no!” Gwen was screaming. Another one of Maia’s hideous monsters, no doubt.
I could see Gwen blink the sweat out of her eyes as she dodged another attack. She tripped and fell, rolling over the ground.
“Gwen!” Tim shouted. “Let’s run for it!” Pulling on her, he practically dragged her across the grass.
I watched as my run slowed to canter, and then to a walk, and then to nothing at all; Maia suddenly appeared, blocking their path. “Augh!” Tim yelled. “This way!” he redirected his steps, heading back the other way.
I almost had to laugh; if the danger wasn’t real, it would’ve been hilarious to watch him tug Gwen around the park. He wasn’t doing himself any favors, treating her so roughly.
“Oh, pardon me,” Maia grinned as she called forth her power. A nice-sized sizzling ball of energy began forming in her hand. “I hate to be in your way.”
Tim and Gwen, now on her feet, stopped in their tracks. They knew they were in serious danger now; they had the one ugly thing coming one way, and the blue lady staring ominously at them from the other.
“Do you remember me?” Maia called out with a smile.
“Do you know this lady?” I could barely hear Tim ask.
“She’s the one who attacked all those people at the play!”
Maia laughed. “Of course it was me; all those people were very helpful –but I never did get a chance to collect your contribution to my grand purpose.”
“Leave her alone!” Tim scowled, taking out his cell phone. “Or I’ll call the police.”
Maia laughed harder. “You stupid boy! There is nothing you humans can do to stop me!” With that, Maia threw her energy ball at the two of them.
Tim pushed Gwen back just as it hit.
“Tim!” Gwen screamed as he convulsed, the power tearing at the flesh of his chest. “No!”
I couldn’t see him from my angle, but I could just make out a rasping, “Gwen…” before he slumped over.
“Tim!” Gwen hugged him to herself as she started to cry.
And while this was happening, I stood there, paralyzed to the point where it hurt to breathe. I watched through the trees as Maia’s power continued to gravitate around Tim.
I couldn’t feel my legs, I noticed. And did I pee myself, or were my legs just uber sweaty all of a sudden?
Apparently, I’d arrived just in time to overdose on fear.
“Hamilto
n!” Elysian huffed. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
“Uh…” I couldn’t even seem to speak. It’s like my tongue was swollen or my voice had been swallowed. My body started to shake as Maia continued to taunt Tim and Gwen with her power, this time hitting Gwen as well.
Gwen screamed again, this time with pain more than surprise.
I was stuck; salty water had gotten in my eyes somehow, and I still couldn’t seem to move. Someone had to do something, I thought, but there was no way I could.
I didn’t know the first thing about my so-called supernatural abilities! What would happen if my powers weren’t enough? And how would I stop them anyway? Would I have to kill them? I didn’t really want to kill anything, even if they are killers themselves. What could I do?
“Hamilton!”
“I… can’t! I can’t do this, Elysian!” I finally blurted out. Ashamed of myself, I turned my back on my friends and started to run away.
Elysian sighed. He looked up heavenward and asked, “Is this some kind of test!?” before he slithered out of the bushes in the opposite direction I was headed. “Fine! Even if my sad excuse of charge wouldn’t fight, I will!”
I ran until I couldn’t see. Tears were welling up in my eyes uncontrollably. I finally stopped running all together as they poured down my face.
I slumped over in the grass, trying to block out the sound of Gwen’s screaming and Tim’s whimpering. This was not what I wanted, I thought desperately. It had to be another bad dream or a hallucination. This can’t be real! I screamed in my head, still unsuccessfully able to hear.
I felt the fear shake through me, convulsing all through me, painfully, guiltily, stirring me up all the way from my head to my fingertips.
I didn’t want to fight, as much as I knew I should’ve. I didn’t want this to be real, as much as I knew it was. The ominous shadow of light was hovering closer.
There was nothing I could do. I was done for. I would just die.
I cuddled up on the grass and hit the ground with my fists, angry at things for not being as I wanted them to be, or at least how I’d thought they were supposed to be. “This isn’t fair!” I cried.