Life Light

by R. J. Ross

  “Leave her alone, she’s not worth your time,” one of the girls says. She isn’t sticking up for Alyssa--she’s just interested in Michael.

  “You stay out of this,” Michael says, his attention focused on Alyssa. “Do you really think we won’t follow you?” he demands. “You’re how we’re going to win the nationals!"

  “Get out of my face,” Alyssa snarls. For a moment a look of shock crosses his face before stark, ugly rage takes its place.

  “That’s it,” he says, grabbing her arm. He shoves down her sleeve, grabbing the flesh.

  “Hey--wait--what are you doing?” the girl from earlier asks in shock.

  “Let GO,” Alyssa yells, jerking away from him.

  The door opens and a huge black man crosses the room in three long strides. Michael lets go, taking a step back as Andre moves between him and Alyssa. “Don’t touch her.” This close, the difference in their sizes is obvious. Michael is big for a teenage boy, but Andre is well over six five, and twice as broad as the boy.

  “Mr. Harrison?” Alyssa asks.

  “I said I wasn’t a hero, but I AM affiliated with the Hall,” Mr. Harrison says. “I came to continue our chat from the other day.” He looks Michael straight in the eyes. “But I walk in to find you assaulting a little girl,” he says in a cold tone, “I’ll make sure you and anyone else that dared doesn’t find work in Central territory for the rest of your lives.”

  “Mr. Harrison,” Alyssa says, getting out of her chair and grabbing his arm, “stop. He’s not worth it--”

  “I want to know who else has abused her like this,” Andre says.

  “Mr. Harrison, please,” Miss Vine says, grabbing the arm that Alyssa isn’t holding, “calm down, I’m sure there’s an explanation to all of this.”

  “I talked with Jack. I heard all about what happened last night,” he says, looking from her to Alyssa.

  “Jack?” Miss Vine asks.

  “I think we need to discuss this in private,” Andre says, glancing at the kids that are still staring at them. Michael looks like pale. To Alyssa’s surprise, she can actually hear his heart pounding from where she’s standing. “Alyssa? Are you okay?” Andre asks her.

  “I--I’m fine,” Alyssa says when Andre lays a hand on hers. There’s a gentle expression on his face as he waits for a reply.

  “I think you’re right, Mr. Harrison,” Miss Vine says. “Class, consider this self-study time. Please behave while we’re gone. Mr. Harrison, Alyssa, if you would follow me,” Miss Vine says, leading the two of them down the hall and into an empty room. “I’m afraid this is going to cause a bit of a problem... I wasn’t aware--I mean, Alyssa, what happened?” she asks Alyssa.

  “Nothing,” Alyssa says, looking away. “Nothing that hasn’t happened a million times before without the teachers noticing, anyway.” She can practically feel Miss Vine wince, and she feels a little guilty. It’s true, though.

  “It's possible that it isn’t their fault, entirely,” Andre says, moving to her side. “It's possible they didn't realize what a simple touch can do. My granddaughter is also a healer,” he says quietly.

  “Wait--you mean Life Light is--“

  “My son is in a relationship with Firefly,” Andre says with a little smile, “which lets me claim both Life Light and Divine Justice as my own.”

  “So THAT’S why you came!” Alyssa says, her excitement actually showing for once. She tries to hide it a second later, but it’s too late. “Is she really in the Arctic?” she asks.

  There’s a confused look on Miss Vine’s face as she looks at them. For a moment Alyssa thinks she’s going to ask something serious--and then she goes, “So Taurus and Firefly really ARE a couple? Your son is Taurus, right?”

  Alyssa almost groans, except--“Wait, really?” she asks. "Do you like that they're dating?"

  “Why shouldn't I?” Andre asks. “Liz--Firefly is a wonderful person with a huge heart. I couldn’t ask for a better woman for my son.”

  A huge smile crosses Alyssa’s face.

  “And yes, Life Light is in the Arctic right--“ Andre stops, staring at her sharply. For a moment she doesn’t know why, and then she realizes that something strange is happening. She’s floating.

  ***

  *Earlier*

  “AUBREY!” Emily shouts as she teleports to the highest piece of ice in the obstacle course. All of a sudden there’d been a hole in the top of the mountain and a glowing form floating out of it. She knows it’s her sister--Liz tends to spark dangerously when glowing, and Tatia doesn’t let off light at all. “Aubrey, what are you doing?”

  Tatia and Liz fly out of the hole Aubrey created, circling the glowing female in the air. Something is off, Emily notices. Without a thought she teleports again, jumping on Tatia's back. “What happened?” she asks.

  “Hello kitten!” Tatia says happily, not fazed at all by her sudden appearance. “We have unlocked a surprising ability in your big sister. I am not quite sure what it does, but it is quite interesting!”

  A pulse of light explodes from Aubrey, spreading out in all directions like a wave. It goes further and further, until it’s out of sight. Emily’s so busy watching it go that she almost falls off as Tatia shoots forward to catch the falling body of her sister.

  “Is she okay?” Liz asks worriedly. They go down, landing on the ground next to where Taurus is waiting impatiently. Tatia reaches up, pushing Aubrey’s hair away from her face.

  “There is a strong, healthy heartbeat,” Tatia declares with a smile. “We have unlocked a new ability--but it is not the one we were aiming for. Still, I think she is deserving of a break, now. We try again tomorrow!”

  “But we don’t know what that light did,” Taurus says.

  “Sure we do,” Superior says. “She sent out a pulse--an instinctive call for assistance.”

  “What?” Liz asks as Superior lands beside them. “To who?”

  “As far as I can tell, other healers,” he says with only the tiniest hints of wonder on his face. “It was slow enough for me to pick up that much... there’s a chance we’ll see repercussions as far as Central Hall territory, at least,” he admits.

  “Repercussions?” Emily asks.

  “The pulse will affect every healer that gets hit by it. What, exactly, were you doing to our granddaughter, Tatia?” he asks his wife.

  “We were merely doing a bit of exercise, my love, it is nothing to panic over,” Tatia says, waving it off.

  “We were going to catch her,” Liz agrees.

  “Catch her when?” Taurus asks.

  “When she fell off the wall, of course,” Liz says. “But then she started floating, so we figured we would see what happened next.”

  “It was very interesting, how the ice melted when she reached it,” Tatia says to Liz.

  “It was! It was like it got hit by a sunspot,” Liz agrees cheerfully. “That’s got to be a form of defense, too, don’t you think?”

  “You are right! I proclaim this lesson a rousing success!” Tatia says.

  “Are we coming at an awkward moment?” a deep, somewhat amused voice says from above. The group looks up, seeing a massively broad-shouldered man floating above their heads. A woman is sitting on his shoulder, her legs crossed as if she were sitting on a couch, her hand resting on his opposite shoulder.

  “Cosmic, Felicia, good to see you,” Superior says, smiling. “We’ve just been working on my granddaughters’ training.”

  “Oh? And giant pulses of light are part of training?” Duplicitous asks curiously. “Is she okay?” she asks, motioning to Aubrey.

  “She is fine,” Tatia says. “Come! We will go in and get comfortable. Clifford, please do put the objects down. We do not need to draw more attention than we already have.”

  Emily watches with wonder as the two newcomers head for the fortress entrance. The ice pieces that were her new playground gently land on the ground. Superior walks over, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Good job,” he says.

&nbs
p; She grins up at him, proudly. “It was a lot of fun--but I never did catch you,” she complains.

  “Of course you didn’t,” he says. “But what you did do was worthy of a compliment.” He walks on past her, leaving her standing there with Taurus--who promptly hauls her into a massive hug.

  “That was amazing--both of you were,” he tells her.

  “Aubrey and me?”

  “I should have said all three of you were,” he says. “Where’s Repeat?”

  “She poofed when Aubrey came out--I’m exhausted,” Emily admits, leaning against his chest and sighing. “I bet Aubrey’s even more tired than I am. This vacation thing is really hard, Dad.”

  “I know,” he says, picking her up and sitting her on his forearm like a child. She leans against him, perfectly content to be carried. “You were just complimented by the biggest hero in the world, though,” he whispers. “I think it’s worth it, don’t you?”

  “I like that game,” she says, yawning hugely and only barely covering it with a hand. “It was fun enough that I tried my very hardest. Repeat and I never even got within twenty feet of him, though," she admits with a sigh. Her eyes are on the fortress. “That was Duplicitous,” she says.

  “I know,” he says.

  “Think she’ll like me?” she whispers.

  “I know she will.”

  ***

  “Isotonic?” one of the black suits says. Isotonic glances up from his computer, “We’ve had another ping from the Arctic,” she says.

  He groans, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “What is it this time? If you say it’s another spaceship sighting--“

  “No, sir, this time it’s a bright ring of light. We estimate it came from the Arctic Circle--there have been several strange occurrences following it,” she says.

  “What do we know about the ring of light?” Isotonic asks.

  “It seemed to cover a few miles, heading southward at a steady speed,” the black suit says, looking at the folder in her hand. “After being touched by the light, there are reports of a handful of people who reacted strangely. They began to float, their eyes started to glow, in some cases the victims started to scream.”

  “How many is a handful?” Isotonic asks.

  “Five known cases in our district, sir--all norms.”

  “Find out what they have in common,” he says, “age, gender, race, anything that might link them to each other and to the light. Also, arrange a jet for me.”

  “Sir?”

  “There have been several strange reports from that area for the past few months,” Isotonic explains patiently. “I really doubt that it’s Cosmic messing around--he’s been retired for years.”

  “Then who do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know--that’s why I’m going up there,” he explains, as if to a child.

  “Should you consult the other Halls?” she asks.

  “Really, do you think a simple reconnaissance mission is beyond my abilities?” he asks her darkly. “You’re dismissed.” He waits until she leaves to pull out his phone and tap on the screen. “Julian, I need to ask a favor--can you and your wife take care of my daughter for the weekend? I have a quick trip to make.”

  “Sure,” Hard Knocks says, “but where are you going?”

  “Up to the Arctic Circle. Someone’s been causing enough trouble to get reported by the norms.”

  “Sounds interesting, will you need backup?”

  “I’d rather you keep an eye on Olivia--it’s my weekend. She’s been having little hiccups more often lately. She had one in school the other day, turned into linoleum and couldn’t change back.”

  “You need to look into Cape High.”

  “I know. I just hate the idea of Mastermental lording it over me,” he says irritably. “That is his little pet project, after all.”

  “Have you thought about starting up a school of our own?” Julian asks. “I’ve got two boys that will be getting their powers any day, now.”

  “I have. I’m working on it. Unfortunately I don’t happen to have a Superior hidden in some dark corner to pull out and put in charge of it,” he mutters.

  “We could bring Liz back in,” Julian offers. His tone is amused, showing he knows exactly how Isotonic will reply.

  “Never again,” Isotonic says. “You’re already on the list of people that can pick her up, and she goes to your sons’ school, the middle school division, but you know all of that. Tell her that Daddy’s going to call tonight, would you?”

  “Sure,” Julian says. “Are you going to tell your ex?”

  “She can find out like the rest of the Hall,” Isotonic says darkly.

  “You could just have her keep her for the weekend.”

  “And give her the privilege of saying I failed in my fatherly duties? I think not. She’d happily make it so I could never see my little girl until she was ready to join the Hall, herself.” It hadn’t been a pretty divorce. He’s still fighting just to keep her in the North Hall, so he can see his daughter on the weekends.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Julian says. “Say hi to Cosmic for me, would you?”

  “If I see him, I’ll do that,” Isotonic agrees.

  “Sir, your jet is ready,” the black suit calls from the door.

  “Coming. Thanks, Julian, I owe you one.”

  “You owe me several, but who’s keeping track?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Something is off… I can't figure out what. Granddad Jake and I are heading through the park for the store. Just last week his doctor told him that he couldn't drive anymore, so we're walking to the grocery store a few blocks away. It's beautiful out, thankfully. There's a nice breeze and clouds that keep crossing over the sun, but I'm still worried. I need to get my license. I can't, though, not until I finish Driver's Ed. Once I get through that class I'll go out and get my license, then we won't have to walk all the way to the store.

  I worry about Granddad. Ever since my parents died in that car wreck a year ago, he's gotten more and more fragile. He's also called me my mom's name more times than I can count. Sometimes when I look into his eyes, I can tell he's wondering who I am, and why I'm calling him Granddad. It's terrifying. He's all I have in the world, and I know I'm losing him.

  I force a smile, wrapping my arm around his as we walk down the street. "Granddad, why don't we get one of those sandwiches from the grocery store for dinner?" I ask. "You said it was good last time, right?"

  "That sounds good," he says, walking along slowly. He seems to be slowing down with each step, I notice, trying to match my step with his. A shadow passes over, making it dark for a moment.

  Granddad reaches up, grabbing at his shirt and stumbling. I grab for him, trying to keep him from falling. "Granddad?" I ask, worry starting to hit me. We're not alone—there are people walking their dogs, or playing with their children, but no one seems to notice as my grandfather stumbles. His face looks wrong—like it's falling on one side. I think he's having a heart attack.

  "Help," I say as he slowly falls to the ground. "Someone help," I say a little more loudly as I drop to my knees on the ground next to him. I don't know what to do—I dig for my cellphone with my right hand, taking his hand with my left and praying that the ambulance can get here in time. "Stay with me Granddad—stay—"

  His hand tightens on mine, and it happens. The world suddenly goes white. I can't see--at least I can't see his face. Instead I'm staring at what looks like a—

  It's a heart. I've seen them in biology class. It's acting wrong, I think, no longer really hearing the world around me. Vaguely on some level of thought I know people are asking questions, even more vaguely I realize my hair is doing something strange, but my attention is on the heart.

  I reach for it. I think it's with my mind, but I can't be sure. All I know is that I know what to do. The heart shudders and starts to react to whatever it is I'm doing. It gets firmer, pulsing once and changing from dull pink to a healthy, strong red color. I watch
it for a moment, checking to make sure the beat is right, and move on. Bones are strengthening, plaque hidden in veins dissolves, the brain—I head for the brain in my vision, running over it and fixing this, fixing that. There's a small tumor that I don't think anyone knew about. I get rid of it.

  I have no sense of time. I don't know what's happening outside of this. My entire focus is on healing Granddad. It seems like only a moment before I'm slowly slipping back into reality, but by the light I know it's been hours.

  "She's back," someone says. I look around, staring blankly at the people that surround me. Right in front of me is a paramedic. She's standing next to a stretcher, but she hasn't done anything. "You're a super," she says when she sees me looking at her. "You're a healer, aren't you?"

  "I—I don't—" I say, not able to come up with anything. "Why didn't you take him?" I ask. "How long have I been—" I motion to myself and Granddad, not capable of saying what I think just happened.

  "I started to, but it became obvious that what you were doing was working," she says, kneeling down in front of us. "I've seen the old videos of healers in the past," she says. "We've been trained to watch for them—and if they're working, we're to keep out of it unless it doesn't seem to be working. You're amazing."

  The people surrounding us start cheering excitedly. I can tell they think it was some sort of miracle. I look down at Granddad, seeing the color in his cheeks, seeing how much stronger he looks. His eyes open and he looks at me, a hint of confusion on his face. "Aubrey? Honey, why am I on the ground?"

  "You had a heart attack, sir," the paramedic says, "but don't worry—your granddaughter healed you."

  "She did?" he asks with wonder.

  "She did," the paramedic says.

  The world seems to twist. I see glimpses of local newspaper reports, of people staring at me at school, of crowds of news reporters cluttered together on our yard. In a small town in the middle of nowhere, I'm the biggest thing—

  I'm standing in our front room. A part of me knows it's been at least a few weeks since the scene in the park, but another knows it JUST happened. I look around, wondering why I feel so nervous. "Granddad?" I call, heading for the hallway. "Granddad, are you ready to go to the doctor?" I call up the stairs.