by M. J. Sewall
Ariana was going to be late. She had already texted her friends to go ahead without her as she rushed out the door in the morning sun. She finished her text and looked up, nearly running into Lucas.
She stopped, surprised. “What… what are you doing here?”
He put out his hand, “Hi. I’m Lucas. You know why I’m here.”
“Ariana.” she shook hands awkwardly, then she lied, “I have no idea why you’re here. I don’t even know you. I do know we’re going to miss the first bell.”
“We better hurry then,” he stepped off the sidewalk to let her pass. “We have to talk about yesterday.”
Ariana side-stepped the question, “Umm, Lucas, right? I don’t even know you, so what is there to talk about?”
“We’ve been going to the same school since like third grade,” said Lucas.
“Yeah, I’ve seen you, I guess.” she dodged. “But I really have to get to class.”
He appeared in front of her again, “Come on... stop for a sec. How did you do that yesterday? How did you make Jonesy throw up? What else can you do?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, “Get out of my way, please.”
He let her pass; something like a bow with a wave of the hand, which should have made him seem weirder. For some reason, she thought it was nice. Ariana focused again. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, sorry Ariana, but you have to. Do you know how crazy I used to think I was? Now I find someone else in my own school can do stuff.”
Ariana whispered, “Listen Lucas. I don’t want to talk about any of this, and neither should you. These weird things are not something you, like, want to draw attention to. A lot of people already think you’re… well, no offense…”
“I know what people think of me, Ariana,” she smiled inwardly when he got the subtle accent of her name right. Lucas continued “But I need to know I’m not alone.”
“Hello.” Zacke was standing on the corner, right where they were about to cross.
“Umm, hello,” said Lucas. They continued walking, but the look in Zacke’s eyes made them pause.
“Wait,” said Zacke, “This is going to sound really weird, but I had a dream last night. You were both in it.”
They stopped. “What?” Ariana asked.
Zacke said, “And not just you. There were two other kids from our school.”
Lucas asked, “Your name is Zacke, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” Lucas said, “this is getting awesome.”
“Awesome? I don’t want any part of this.” Ariana denied her own curiosity. “I have to get to class.”
Zacke blurted out, “I can hear people’s thoughts sometimes, well, a lot of the times, lately. I think we’re supposed to meet.”
“That’s enough! I’m leaving…” Ariana stepped into the street and didn’t see the car approaching. She whipped her head and saw the car was only a few inches away. She gasped, and instinctively put her hands out in front of her.
The car came to an immediate stop, but not because of the brakes. It stopped cold, like time was frozen around it. Lucas looked closer and saw the front of the car was low to the pavement from slamming on the breaks. The look on the driver’s face was stuck in an expression of shock.
Zacke scanned the scene, but no one else was around. They all crossed in front of the car, shooting amazed looks at Ariana, and each other. Ariana made sure they were all clear of the car and flicked her hand. The car unfroze and the sound of skidding tires sounded. The vehicle ended up a few feet passed where Ariana had been standing. She would have been hit.
The driver’s head whipped around, scanning for the girl he was sure he had hit. He spotted the three teens a few feet away. Ariana rushed over to the driver’s door, which was just opening. She closed his door back on him before he could say anything. Her words were a blur. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. But I’m okay and I have to get to school. I’m fine. But I, like, really gotta go. Thanks.”
She bolted from the scene as the befuddled man tried to speak. Lucas looked at the driver and wondered what a few seconds of missing time felt like. It must have been like cutting a few seconds out of a movie. He pondered how the man’s mind would adjust to that missing moment.
Ariana was halfway down the block before Zacke and Lucas could catch up with her. They heard the car drive away. The boys found her sitting on a concrete bench, just in front of a small store that hadn’t opened yet. She wiped her eyes as the they approached. “Just leave me alone!”
“Did you just freeze time? That was amazing! Can you freeze me?” asked Lucas, but Zacke shook his head. Lucas shut down his excitement. Ariana was sobbing. Zacke touched her arm, but she shrugged it off.
“Don’t!” she yelled, “Sorry, I’ve... I’ve never done that, nothing so big.”
Lucas said, “So you can do stuff!”
“Cool it, dude,” said Zacke, “she’s scared.”
Ariana yelled, “That’s right, I am scared! I don’t want any of this. Why is this happening?”
Zacke touched her shoulder and this time she let him, “I have no idea, but it is happening. That wasn’t our imagination. Something is going on and we have to figure out what it all means.”
Ariana stared, “How? Call the doctor? Talk to a priest? They would throw us in crazy jail.”
“Crazy jail?” Lucas smiled.
That changed the tone. Ariana attempted a smile while she wiped her tears. “You know what I mean.”
“Then we should help each other,” said Lucas, “It can’t be a coincidence. Three of us in a town this size? Maybe more, able to do weird stuff?”
Zacke agreed, “I don’t know about you, but for me it’s getting stronger.”
“Yeah, me too,” confirmed Lucas.
“Well, obviously, me too,” Ariana said, pointing back to where the car had been, “I just froze a stupid car.”
They all laughed nervously. Only two blocks from school, they heard the bell sound; school was about to start.
“Crap, that’s second bell. We’re already late,” said Ariana.
Lucas said, “Guys, this is more important than school. We have powers.”
“Calm down. We’re not X-men,” said Ariana. “Whatever this is, we should at least act normal, right?”
Zacke nodded, “You’re right. But we need to meet. Can you all come to the game tonight? We can meet under the home team bleachers.”
“Isn’t that where the pot heads go to smoke and drink?” asked Ariana.
“Good point. We’ll meet behind the east side visiting team bleachers. No one should bother us there.” Zacke elaborated, “It’s usually deserted over there when the game starts.”
They all agreed, Ariana reluctantly. But she promised to be there.
Zacke added, “And I’ll try to find the others from my dream.”
Ariana walked off on her own, but the two boys walked together onto the campus. They compared a few notes just before they broke to go to their separate classes.
Lucas asked, “Really? Ambushed you outside your work?”
“Yeah. They said they could help me,” said Zacke, “but something wasn’t right.”
“They could show up anytime, anywhere. How did they find you in the first place?” asked Lucas.
Zacke just shrugged as they walked to class. It was the beginning of a very eventful day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - DAVID
John took another sip. “Thank you. Good coffee.”
Pete sighed, “You should thank me for more than the coffee. I told you the Sect doesn’t like to get directly involved. I shouldn’t have let you two in.”
“I’m glad you did. I never thought I’d get away,” said the Witness.
“You were really a prisoner for more than ten years?” asked John.
The Witness said, “Yes, they grabbed me out of the train station in Chicago. I wasn’t paying attention, letting my mind wander. I was
so relieved to be away from my family, at first.”
Pete gave a quizzical look.
The Witness clarified, “I know that sounds cruel. But, I had to leave to protect them. I was getting flashes of things that terrified me. I was a late bloomer, my powers only surfaced after my kid was born. Then I had a bad accident with my main power. Almost killed us all. I thought I couldn’t tell my wife. I thought I was protecting her.”
John said, “All the women I’ve known, I doubt your wife would have felt that way.”
The Witness nodded. “You’re right, of course. That’s the horrible irony; I had decided to go back to Tarzana, to my family. In that huge train station in Chicago, I realized that I couldn’t live without them, no matter what. But then the brothers cornered me in that bathroom, and they’ve made me work for them ever since.”
“I don’t mean to pass judgment,” said John, “But didn’t you try to resist?”
“Of course I did. Their elder has some finding talent of his own that he augments with his foul magic. That’s how they found me. They knew I would be a strong natural finder, so they put that charm on me. It doesn’t interfere with my finding ability, but it knocks out my other power.”
“You’ll have to join us in the Amartus. We think of them as talents, not powers.”
The Witness continued, “Then they started punishing me when I refused to help them. There was a potential breakout in Russia. They found two teens, talented kids. I refused to find them. They beat me first, but I still refused. Then they made me watch as they brought two passenger planes down. One exploded in mid-air right in front of me.”
“Monsters,” said Pete, “Crap, I keep forgetting to be neutral.”
“Yes they are, but that time there were two teams. They found the teens anyway. They tried to recruit them, but they couldn’t and killed them instead. They started to put the numbers on the wall of my cell; all the deaths they claimed I caused. Then came December 2004.”
“The Sect believed the 2004 earthquake and tsunami was one of the Rageto, but they couldn’t prove it,” said Pete.
John added, “I’ve lived through a few Caron-made earthquakes. But he’d never managed anything like that before. Just horrible.”
“Not as horrible as watching.” said the Witness, “I saw that tsunami sweep onto the land. I was there as they killed all those people because I wouldn’t help them find new recruits. They were trying to find four teens in Sri Lanka; three ancients and one possible new birth. Because I wouldn’t help them, they killed over 200,000 innocent people that day. They made me watch news reports night and day for the next month.”
“Now, these two ancient warriors are in my town, looking for you. Great. I’ve got to call my boss again.” Pete left the room.
John put his hand on the shoulder of the Witness, “They made you Witness horrors, but that’s over now. Time to reclaim your real name, David.”
David accepted his name back. “Feels good to be a person again.”
John knew there was no lasting comfort for David. He had seen too much. John focused on the present. “Now there are five more hidden warriors, here in this place. You’ll have to help me find them before they do.”
“Five? Strange. I can only feel four. But this town is small; there’s only one high school. They contacted two last night. You saw the girl; she talked with them willingly. They’ve probably already poisoned her mind and recruited her. The other one, a boy, got away. You are just one warrior against two ancients, John. You said you encountered the brothers before.”
“I have,” John said grimly, “and I’ve fought their elder. Now, we are two. We have four, possibly five, very powerful warriors to activate. The girl we saw last night was already half way there. I just have to reach the rest of them first.”
David countered, “That doesn’t mean you can activate their warrior selves and convince them to join your side. The Rageto don’t try recruiting for long. They give a choice, join or die. They will kill these kids if they have to, no hesitation.”
John nodded, “I know. We must find them quickly.”
David said, “The brothers were talking about the high school. They could be there already. But they mentioned that this high school has over 1000 students. It will be hard for the brothers to find them without me.”
John glanced at his watch, “It’s Friday. In a small city in September, that means football. It will be our best shot to find most of them, maybe all of them.”
David agreed. “Makes sense. The elder was convinced one of them played sports. Are you sure you can activate them?”
“Maybe. My best talents are fighting and stealth. Very few can detect me if I don’t want to be found. I only have a small talent as a finder.”
David said, “I’m the best.”
John nodded. “That’s why I was so shocked you spotted me. David, you know I have to ask…”
“You want me to go with you.”
“Yes.” John said, “But I will keep you safe.”
“No, John. I can’t. I’m sorry, I won’t be responsible for any more deaths. If they see me there, they’ll kill this entire city just to punish me.”
Pete walked back in, fresh from conferring with the Sect. “Okay, I’ve talked to my people and they have moved up the timeline. We’ll transfer these nasty books to the next station in two days. That’s about all I can do for you.”
“Funny you should say that,” said John, “I must ask one more favor.”
Pete stared at John. “I just said…”
“I know, but it’s just a ride I need,” said John.
“You are bad mojo, John. I’m putting another layer of security around the books tonight.”
David asked, “What books?”
Pete answered, “Books that needn’t concern you, sir.”
“I had a flash about a book coming in to the city. These aren’t books taken from Elder Zamma, are they?” asked David.
“Maybe.” Pete eyed their new visitor. “That’s why they’re being transferred to the next station.”
“What are the odds that those books are here while all this is going on?” asked David.
“The River never makes anything easy,” lamented John.
***
In the small rented house, Ehrhardt’s cell phone rang, an ominous ring tone resounding. “Guess who.” Derek saw the name of his cell phone screen and handed the phone to Ehrhardt.
The German paused before speaking, “Yes, Elder Zamma?”
“Say hello for me,” Derek said in a whisper, smiling.
Ehrhardt made a sour face and shook his head, trying to focus on the call. “Yes… I see… but, it is only a matter of time…”
Ehrhardt did everything except roll his eyes. Derek whispered again, “Say hello.”
Ehrhardt hit the end call button.
“You didn’t say hello for me.” said Derek, fake hurt in his voice.
“He wanted to remind us to hurry, before they become activated and remember how dangerous they really are.” Ehrhardt put the phone back on the table.
“Thank you, Elder Obvious,” said Derek, stretching out on the bed.
“Also, little brother, he wanted to remind us not to use overt force that would cause undue attention,” said Ehrhardt, sitting on the other bed.
“Like 2004.”
“He’ll never let me live it down. Fires to cover our tracks, fine. Building collapsing to hide a kill, no problem. He’s a micro-managing pain in my arsch.” Ehrhardt slipped into German cuss words.
“A tsunami that killed a quarter million people and he just won’t let it pass,” Derek remarked, sarcasm dripping, “Gotta break some eggs to make omelets, after all.”
Ehrhardt looked at his brother, “Do you think you’re being funny?”
He ignored the question. “I noticed you didn’t tell him about the girl we contacted. Or that we lost the Witness.”
“I will tell him when our mission is done here,” said Ehrhardt, “W
hen we have five new disciples for him.”
“Aren’t we the confident one. We don’t even know who’s lurking inside these kids. There are lots of ancients unaccounted for. They could all be un-swayable ancient adversaries hiding in teenage bodies. We’ve made a lot of enemies over the ages.”
Ehrhardt made sure his gun was loaded. “We can handle it. Do you think the girl will be of help?”
“Hard to say. Don’t think she’s one of the new births. Hopefully she has no awkward history to worry about. She’s fifteen and seemed convinced by my smooth talking last night. I think she’ll help, and our elder will have his first disciple. Not that we’ll get any credit for it. Zamma’s been in a bad mood lately.”
“He’s old. He knows this is his last body. His inner sanctorum was raided by thieves, valuable books stolen. He still blames us for that too, like we are his personal body guards,” said Ehrhardt, “His fear is showing as anger. I’m tired of him taking it out on us.”
“I’m with you, brother,” Derek agreed. “Let’s get going then. I want to get a hot dog before the game starts.”
Ehrhardt shook his head. “More meat. Disgusting.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE BIG GAME
Cody laced up his cleats, tying the special lucky loop just like always.
“Good game, man. Go waves!” said a teammate as he passed.
“Yeah, good game,” Cody replied, but his head was anywhere but in the game. He was getting so many flashes tonight. It had never been this strong before. He always relied on his mental gift to know what the other players were about to do. No one could understand that’s what made him so fast, so able to know what everyone would do next on the field.
Another teammate called over, “Good game, Cody. Let’s smash those Jack Sparrow little bitches!”
Cody laughed. They were playing the Pirates from a rival school, and they would never live down the Johnny Depp film-inspired nickname. Cody closed his eyes and concentrated on putting his random thoughts away. He had to focus, let just enough of the glimpses in to win the game. He kept flashing on random people from his school. Four other people he’d seen around, but didn’t know, including that black kid from the restaurant. Weird.
