by Bryan Cohen
"I definitely trust her. I wish the government felt the same way."
Allison put up both her hands. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm all for more help in the situation. The guys up top are just scared of something they don't understand."
Ted definitely trusted Erica more than he did the federal government. After all, he couldn't forget that before he made his summer deal, someone with power had helped to forge the malicious Go Home Alien movement. He turned his flashlight toward Allison's face.
"And what about you?" He moved the beam of light to point up at his chin. "Are you scared?"
"Why should I be scared?" She hopped up and looked down at him. "I've got a lovesick but capable superhero to protect me." Allison offered him a hand. "Just a few more hours to go."
A rustling noise caught Ted's attention. Allison must've heard it too, because she moved her flashlight in that direction. She raised her eyebrows toward Ted.
"You ready?"
Ted nodded and took her hand before moving back into the forest. Allison pulled out a tranquilizer gun. She had told him that each dart had a dose of the knockout drug that could bring down three grizzly bears. Ted hoped that was enough.
They continued to move forward, and the rustling sound grew. It was accompanied by a soft chewing noise. As Ted and Allison approached, the chomping became clearer. It reminded Ted of a room full of people eating barbecue chicken with their mouths open. He had a feeling that wasn't what awaited them.
Allison motioned for Ted to join her behind a tree. She motioned around the trunk and Ted squinted to adjust to the dim light.
Illuminated by a half moon, one of the Lychos beasts leaned back on its hindquarters, enjoying a meal of raw deer.
Allison motioned for Ted to join her back on the other end of the tree. "Remind me not to watch Bambi after this."
Ted nodded in agreement. "What's the plan?"
"I'll hit him with the darts. If they don't knock him out, you'll have to."
"Fun times. I'm ready."
She smiled. "Good. On my mark."
Allison used her fingers to count down from three. When she reached zero, she and Ted leapt out from their hiding place. Three darts came zipping out of the tranquilizer gun and flew through the crisp air. One hit the Lychos directly in the neck, while another got it in the chest. A third one was about to zip wide, until Ted used his powers to snatch it out of the air and plant it in the creature's leg. The beast screamed in pain, its voice filling the forest with a guttural groan. It kicked the deer carcass, sending blood and guts everywhere. Ted put up his hands and blocked the decaying shower from hitting the two of them.
"Thanks." Allison loaded several more darts into the gun.
"Don't mention it." Ted looked at the beast. "Do you think that was enough?"
Since kicking the deer and screaming, the Lychos hadn't done much of anything except for stumble once or twice.
"I think s–"
The Lychos reached behind itself and pulled a 20-foot tree out of the ground with a powerful rip. It took only a moment for the creature to turn the tree sideways and throw it directly at them. The huge projectile made a whooshing sound as it barreled ahead. Allison dove away and rolled down a small hill. Ted put both hands up once again and stopped the massive tree just two inches in front of his face.
Ted moved his hands like he might if he were gripping a baseball bat and the tree moved in the same position. "There's nothing like a good piece of hickory."
The Lychos roared and Ted swung his arms forward. The tree's trunk whipped into the creature's body. The swing sent it at least 10 feet into the air before the beast came crashing down in the distance. Ted relaxed his hands and flew through the air toward the creature. The Lychos had fallen on a small, thick tree, and a sharp branch stuck out of its leg. It was completely motionless. Ted looked inside the creature's mind and found no activity whatsoever.
"If you'd been nicer, we could've signed a treaty. Get it, a tree-ty?"
The dead creature didn't respond. Ted's laugh didn't last long, as he heard a scream back in the direction he'd come from.
"Allison."
Ted flew toward the noise and saw his partner. She was backing away from the other two Lychos, and she was running out of room. Ted eyed the creatures between him and Allison and started flying at top speed. All of a sudden, one of the beasts turned around to face him and raised its arms. As it did, Ted felt himself lose complete control over his body. He tensed up the muscles he usually used for flying. They did nothing. He continued moving incredibly fast with a complete lack of control. Fear washed over his body.
"Holy crap!"
Ted covered his face as he whipped through several branches. The wood scratched his arms and cheeks, leaving sharp prickles of pain on his skin. As he was about to make impact with the ground, he uncovered his face to learn of his final destination. He slammed into a bush, the impact rattling Ted's brain and causing some of the branches to punch through his clothing and into his skin. The adrenaline kept him alert when he got to his feet. A gash on his arm throbbed and he held his hand to it. When he took his palm away, it was covered with blood.
"Oh, man."
Ted could feel the wooziness from the blood loss battling his adrenaline. For now, the latter was winning, particularly when he heard another scream from Allison. He ripped off his shirt and tied it tightly around the gushing wound.
They blocked my powers. They're not just hairy and ugly. They're dark souls, too.
Ted tried to access his powers again to lift off the ground. It was no use. He ran toward the noise.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way."
22
Natalie pulled into Travis' driveway. His house was located next to the old Torello home. Jason and Phil's parents had moved out after the collapse of the GHA. Natalie considered coming inside, but when Travis walked out the front door, she was happy to be spared the awkward parent conversation.
Travis was more dressed up than Natalie. He wore a tight, grey button-down that exposed his thick arms and round chest. She imagined herself ripping the shirt from his body as buttons scattered across the car floor.
Travis got in the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt. He didn't reach over to kiss her like normal. Then again, today was different. It was their first public date.
"You alright?" Natalie pulled out of the Conner driveway. "You're not your usual annoying self."
Travis cracked a smile. "I feel like I'm headed to a firing squad."
Natalie made the turn out of Travis' neighborhood. "Dead man walkin'."
"Just so you know, I plan on completely embarrassing you."
She slapped his leg before returning her hand to the steering wheel. "I want Dhiraj off my back. If you're not on your best behavior, I'll delete your number from my phone."
He rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't."
"You wanna try me, football?"
Travis grunted. "Fine. What do you want me to talk about?"
"Anything other than the GHA or how you tried to punch Dhiraj in the face."
"Hey, Travis, remember when your cult gave Ted's mom second degree burns and you and your friends cornered me in the bathroom?"
Natalie peered out from behind her menu and gave Dhiraj the evil eye. She'd been to O'Malley's multiple times with her family, but on this visit the lighting seemed dimmer, the laughter from the conversations around her more ominous.
Dhiraj ignored her glances and stared straight ahead at Travis, despite Jennifer's efforts to get his attention.
"I hear the chicken is good." Jennifer pulled on Dhiraj's shoulder. "Are you gonna get the chicken?"
Dhiraj gave one last stare to Travis before he nodded to his girlfriend.
Natalie heard Travis' breathing pick up its pace. She put her hand on his leg and held it steady, hoping its presence would calm him.
"They aren't my friends anymore." Travis looked back at his menu. "I think I'll get the chicken, too."
Dhiraj grumbled. "Fine, I'll get the fish."
"Seriously?" Natalie put down her menu and crossed her arms. "Are you really not going to get the chicken because he got the chicken?"
The evil eye she gave seemed to make a little progress on wearing down Dhiraj's angry veneer.
His eyes darted away from her. "It did look good."
Natalie shook her head. "Can we talk about something else?"
Jennifer presented the date's first smile. "Great idea. Are you excited for Southern Ohio?"
"Of course," Natalie said. "Christina says there'll be some debauchery."
The comment piqued Travis' curiosity. "Really?"
Dhiraj sneered at Travis, but the other three ignored him. Particularly Natalie.
"So she claims." She tapped her menu on the tabletop. "I'm probably just going to watch." Natalie gripped Travis' thigh. "Probably."
After a several second lull, Jennifer piped back up.
"And Travis, what're your college plans?"
Travis looked at Natalie as if he was unsure he was allowed to participate. She glared at him until he started speaking.
"A lot of it comes down to football. If I don't get a scholarship, I might not go."
Natalie narrowed her eyes. "This is the first I'm hearing of this."
Travis chuckled. "That's because we don't usually talk that much."
"Ugh." Dhiraj made a face like he'd just eaten rotten eggs. "This is not dinner table conversation."
Natalie was getting the hang of ignoring Dhiraj. "So you might not go to school?"
Travis scratched the side of his head. "My parents don't really have any money saved up. I kind of need a full scholarship if it's gonna happen. It's not like I haven't been planning for this for years."
A waiter came by and took their orders. All four of them got the chicken. Natalie leaned down on her hand and rubbed at her temple. She couldn't believe she'd been dating someone for several months without knowing something so important.
After giving the final order, Dhiraj creased his forehead.
"What do you mean, you've been planning this for years?"
Travis cleared his throat. "You know. When I dropped all those honors classes freshman year. I wasn't in the top 10 percent of smart kids like you and Ted. I had a better chance of getting money for college if I focused on football. So that's how I've spent all of high school."
Natalie had essentially known she'd be getting a full ride for the last few years. But, if something had ever happened, she knew her parents would be able to pay for her education. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be financially dependent on her hoops skills. And anything she could come up with felt scary.
Judging by the silence, Jennifer and Dhiraj didn't know how to respond, either. Travis took the opportunity to continue.
"It sucks, though. I had good friends in those classes, but not anymore. And half the football team was in the GHA. Ever since I gave Ted that tape and got Cobblestone locked up… I'm not exactly their favorite person. Now I've got nobody."
Travis shifted away from Natalie and stood up. "Maybe it was a bad idea to do this. I'll walk home."
Natalie reached for Travis, but she wasn't the first to get to him. Dhiraj stood up and used his arm to block Travis from leaving.
"Wait, man." Dhiraj let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about all of that."
"It's ok. I'm sorry for trying to beat you up and everything the GHA did."
Dhiraj nodded. "Why don't you stick around?"
"You want me to stay?"
"Want is a strong word."
Jennifer socked Dhiraj in the side.
"Ow!" Dhiraj rubbed at the forming bruise. "What I'm trying to say...." He looked at Natalie. "Maybe if we talk it out, I can figure a way for you to go to college with a partial scholarship."
Travis gave Dhiraj a dubious look. "You'd do that for me?"
Dhiraj looked back in her direction. "If Natalie's willing to give you the benefit of the doubt… then so am I."
Natalie realized she was holding her breath and let it out all at once. Travis smiled at her and extended his hand to Dhiraj.
"Thanks."
Dhiraj hesitated but eventually accepted the gesture. "You're welcome."
Everybody sat back down, and the next three hours were much lighter in comparison. As Natalie watched Dhiraj and Travis laugh together, she let all the tension melt out of her.
This is how it's supposed to be.
She looked across the table at Jennifer, who raised her eyebrows and smiled. Natalie grinned back.
One more year. And it's gonna be a good one.
23
Yoshi watched as Erica stared back at her parents' house. She looked every bit the teenage girl whose body she inhabited. He could hardly believe she'd bested him during their bedroom tussle. Yoshi wondered if Erica had felt the same attachment to the people around her when she died in Kikuchiyo's body so many years ago. After all this time, a part of her was still the best friend he ever had.
Yoshi pulled the car out onto the highway. "You've gotten soft."
Erica chuckled. "Can I blame it on being a teenage girl?"
Yoshi had gone years without hearing a single joke, but the last couple of weeks was starting to warm him back up to humor. He almost smiled. "No."
Erica looked at her phone before tucking it away. "I was part of a family, Yosh. If it hadn't been for the attacks, I might've kept up this lie for good."
Yoshi had been beside Kikuchiyo's body when the protector crossed over into his friend's life. There was no need for keeping secrets among the members of the Academy. They knew all there was to know about the Realm of Souls and the ongoing war. Yoshi's mind went back to the battle that pulled them apart. He thought of flames, blades of ice and the charred flesh of his dearest friend.
"Do you remember Japan well?"
Erica leaned her head back into the chair. Yoshi still hadn't gotten over the fact that this skinny teenager held the memories of over a dozen lives.
Yoshi felt Erica's eyes upon him.
"The memories of my other lives come in and out of this one." She took a deep breath. "Ever since you came here, I'm remembering a lot more from Japan. You fought well that day."
Yoshi felt the regret bubbling up to the surface. "Not well enough to save you."
Erica leaned her elbow against the passenger side window. "I was there to protect all of you. By sacrificing my life to save others, I achieved my mission. It's part of the job description."
Yoshi stared out at the cars ahead of him. "I knew you'd return in another form. I thought the only way I'd ever see my friend again was if I was chosen as the living soul." His blood simmered. "But Ted received the power. Not me."
Yoshi glanced over at Erica. He could tell she weighed her words carefully before responding.
"The light souls chose well with Ted. They would've chosen well with you, too."
Yoshi looked back at the road. "Who would you have chosen?"
Erica smiled. "Thankfully, I'm not involved in such high-level decisions."
Yoshi let out a small laugh. It felt good to do so.
Erica cleared her throat. "So, what'd the school think of you leaving?"
Yoshi thought about his dozens of requests to leave the Academy and the equal number of refusals. He remembered the crimson that covered his blade after he'd slit the throats of two Academy guards. He'd wiped the sword on fresh snow before he took a path along the side of a slick mountain to get away undetected.
"They begged me to go. They knew my skills could help your mission."
Erica nodded. "We're glad to have you on board." She turned on the radio and blared music for the rest of the afternoon.
Later that night in the room of a four-star hotel – Erica told him her parents would accept nothing less – Yoshi watched as his friend emerged from the bathroom. He wondered what he would have thought if Kikuchiyo had come before him wearing all pink
with a suggestive phrase printed on the backside.
Erica took the toothbrush out of her mouth. "What?"
Yoshi realized he was staring. "It's nothing."
She finished brushing and spat into the sink. "I know. I'm a girl." Erica began speaking in Japanese. "But remember, I'm also an old friend. I'm glad we can take this journey together."
Yoshi grinned. "Me, too."
After Erica fell asleep, Yoshi took a long walk out on the balcony. The warm air reminded him of the Academy's heat training room, where they would fight with sweat dripping from head to toe. Yoshi wiped some perspiration from his brow just as his phone buzzed against his thigh. Yoshi noted the familiar number and walked far out of earshot of their hotel room.
"Yes?" He paced in the parking lot. "Everything's going as scheduled." Yoshi nodded as if the person on the other side could see it. "I won't let you down, Senator Kable. Goodnight."
Yoshi hung up and looked into the sky. "It won't be long now. I'll have Kikuchiyo. I'll have the power." He looked back at the door to his hotel room. "And there's only one person who can stop me."
24
Ted brushed the dirt off his clothing and felt the sting of sweat pouring into another unwashed cut. His bleeding arm pulsated, but he did his best to ignore the pain and dizziness. He tried to levitate himself off the ground to see if his powers were still blocked. Ted strained his muscles and visualized himself soaring through the air. Despite his best efforts, his feet stayed firmly planted.
Back to average.
One of the Lychos let out a large growl and swiped in Allison's direction. Ted couldn't see her clearly in the darkness, but he heard the pop of her tranquilizer gun. A yelp of pain shot through the forest as a dart made a direct hit. But as with the first creature, the substance inside the dart seemed to make little difference.
"Ted!" Allison ran further away from the beasts, darts shooting over her shoulder as she went.
Ted dashed off in her direction.
Think. What would Erica tell me to do?
Ted passed by a three-foot long tree branch.
