“Oh, you’re not really planning on doing that, are you?” asked Nicole.
Alex ignored Nicole and inched backwards onto the branch until his back was flat against the trunk. Alex took a deep breath as he counted to three in his head. On three, he ran to the end of the branch with his hands clasped around the vine. He jumped off the end of the branch and gasped as the wind hit him and he hurtled through the air.
SEVENTEEN
From where the others were standing, it looked as if Alex was going extraordinarily fast, but from Alex’s view it felt as though he almost wasn’t moving at all. He tilted his head and stared up at the treetops. Bright light shone through the leaves and wind whipped past his face. The entire scene was so peaceful. All he could hear was the wind rustling the leaves.
Alex jumped off and landed on another tree branch. He looked down to see if he could get down from the tree, but the problem was still the same. The trunk was bare all the way down. He looked around the forest again for more vines, and he noticed that the vines were everywhere. So much for his powers of observation. Alex made sure he was going the opposite way of the beach before grabbing onto another vine and looking back at the others, who were now behind him.
“Are you coming?” Alex called over to them. “There are vines next to you! Use them to catch up!”
“I don’t know, Alex,” Nicole yelled back. “What if we just head back to the beach? We could wait there! Maybe a plane or boat will see us and rescue us!” The memory of what the man said came flooding back to Alex. “But no matter what your friends think tomorrow, do not go back. They’ll be waiting for you there. Searching for you.”
“Alex?” called Mark. “You okay?”
How did the man know? Alex thought as he stared at the forest floor. How did he know they would want to go back? If that was true, what if his warning about the “monsters” was true? Not a risk Alex was willing to take.
“Yo! Alex! You’re zoning out!” called David. “Earth to Alex! Hello?” Alex snapped back to reality.
“No!” he yelled back. “How would we know if there would be a boat or plane? How would we know if they would be able to see us even if there was one? And how long would it be until we ran out of food? We’re going forward!”
David hesitated before grabbing onto a vine near him. The vine was farther out from the trunk than Alex’s was, so David was forced to crawl out onto the branch to get to the vine. He clasped both of his hands around the vine and jerked on it a bit to make sure it could hold him. It wouldn’t break.
“Whelp. Here it goes.” David jumped up, swinging his legs around the vine and swinging in Alex’s direction. After watching to be sure it was safe the others soon followed, and they swung through the forest like chimpanzees. They stopped at every tree that the vines led to and yet all of them had bare trunks all the way down. Though they had to swing from tree to tree for what felt like hours it was the most fun they had ever had.
“This is awesome!” Brooke exclaimed.
“It’s like I’m Tarzan,” David remarked.
In the distance, a few yards away stood a tree that had branches that went from the top to the very bottom like scattered steps. It was the first one that actually had branches they had come across for hours. One by one, they all swung over and climbed down the tree to the ground. Their legs had lost circulation from swinging from vine to vine, so when they touched the ground their knees buckled beneath them and turned to jelly.
Alex leaned up against the tree and used it to prop himself up. They all tried to walk, but they only made it a few steps before falling back down again. After a few tries, they finally were able to get to their feet and walk again, laughing the whole time. Out of the excitement of the moment, they all walked around the forest deeper into the island laughing and telling stories, completely forgetting their surroundings. They all jumped when a bloodcurdling scream rang out through the woods.
Alex and the others spun around to the source of the scream. Behind them, a tall purplish black creature loomed over Brooke. The creature looked to be made of smoke. It was so tall Alex couldn’t even see past its knee. The strange creature was taller than the trees themselves. Brooke was frozen from shock, and her face was coated in a mix of disbelief and fear, her brows furrowed and her eyes wide. The creature raised its long leg above Brooke’s head, preparing to stomp on her and coming down slowly as though it were fighting gravity.
“Brooke, move!” Alex shouted, lurching forward. She was too scared to move, and all of the others were frozen in their tracks. Out of instinct, Alex dropped his backpack and pulled his sword out of its sheath, running toward Brooke and pushing her out of the way. Alex darted to the left just in time for the humongous creature’s foot to come slamming on to the forest floor. The ground trembled and everything around them jumped before falling back down. Alex circled around the monster before lunging his sword into its leg, creating a large hole with more, even darker smoke drifting out of it. The creature let out a loud yelp and fell to the ground, causing the earth to shudder.
“Come on!” Alex shouted, snatching Brooke off the ground and pulling her along as he ran. His friends shook themselves out of their frozen positions and ran after Alex and Brooke. They ran for a long time, not knowing whether the strange creature was behind them or not, not stopping until they felt they were safe. They dropped to their hands and knees next to a stream from exhaustion, panting for air.
“Since when did you have a sword?” asked Mark, panting. Alex kneeled down beside the stream.
“A while,” Alex replied as he cupped his hands in the stream next to the group and started to drink. All was quiet except for the rush of the water beside them.
“That’s…,” started Mark.
“Awesome!” finished David. Alex choked on the water he was drinking and looked at the others.
“What else can you do besides cut monsters in half?” asked Brooke.
“I… didn’t cut…him in half..,” Alex replied. They all started to ask Alex multiple questions all at once, but Alex didn’t seem to be listening. This certainly wasn’t the type of reaction he had expected.
“Why aren’t you angry?” Alex asked. Everyone shut their running mouths and stared at Alex blankly.
“Angry? Why?” Mark asked.
“I forgot to tell you I had a sword,” Alex replied. “What if I tried to kill you with it or something?”
“First of all, if you were going to kill us you would have done it already. Plus, you have no reason to do so, as far as I know. Second, I know you well enough that you couldn’t kill anyone. Yes, you have skill and enough courage to wound someone. But I saw you when you fought that thing. I saw the look in your eyes. You couldn’t kill anyone or anything even if your life depended on it,” Nicole said as the others nodded their heads. Alex looked up from his friends and noticed that the sun had started to lower in the sky.
“Let’s take some time to eat before we head out again. The sun is starting to set,” Alex said. Later that night, they sat in a circle around the fire to keep them warm through the night and told stories before it became too dark. Alex shrunk away from the fire and sat against a tree trunk. His eyes traveled up to the canopy.
At the very tops of the trees were gigantic colorful balls. Alex squinted his eyes to try and make out what they were. Suddenly, he realized they were fruit! Alex jumped up and quickly climbed up the trees, grabbing as much fruit as he could and stuffing it in his jacket.
“Anybody hungry? I’ve got dinner!” Alex called as he walked toward them with both of his hands raised and full of bunches of fruit.
“What’s that?” asked Nicole.
“Fruit!” Alex replied. “Eat up!” Alex dropped the bunches of fruit onto the ground, letting some tumble away.
“Whoa! Where’d you get these?” asked David, grabbing a piece of fruit. “Wait! Did you check to see if these ar
e poisonous?”
“I saw them in the trees! And, yes I checked if they were poisonous and before you ask, yes, I know the difference between safe and dangerous foods,” Alex grabbed a fruit and bit into it. Flavor flooded into his taste buds in one single bite, and the juice splattered around his mouth as he bit down.
“These are delicious!” Brooke exclaimed, having taken one as well.
Alex walked away from the pile of fruit and sat down in an empty space of the circle the others had formed around the fire. Mark and the others continued their conversation, leaving Alex to eat his piece of fruit alone. Alex bit into it once again, and the juice splattered all over the edges of his mouth. Alex wiped his mouth on his sleeve and stared into the blazing fire.
The flames danced around and around, trapping Alex in an inescapable trance. All sounds were drowned out over the crackling and popping of burning wood. Alex stared so intently into the fire that the burning sensation that had begun to well up into his eyes hadn’t even caught his attention. All of his senses had focused on the fire. Alex’s fingers went numb, and the piece of fruit he had been holding tumbled to the ground with a thump.
EIGHTEEN
Alex’s eyes fluttered open to the all-too-familiar scene of light peeking through the trees of the canopy. Dazed, Alex stayed there and stared, confused as to where he was. What were those trees doing here? Why was it so cold? Alex sighed when he remembered. Slowly, Alex turned his head to look next to him, where the charred remains of the fire lay. A dim orange light glowed beneath the ashes.
Alex stood up and stomped onto the ashes until the orange glow disappeared and flurries of ash and smoke drifted into the air. Alex stood motionless as he watched the smoke float into the sky then mold itself with the air around him. He shuddered. Why was it so cold? Realizing he didn’t have his jacket on, he scanned the area for it.
The jacket was hung on a nearby branch just a few feet away. Alex sauntered over to the tree and pulled the jacket down. When had he put this over here? More importantly, when had he taken it off? Alex didn’t remember doing any of that. He pulled the jacket on and walked over to the others, who were still sound asleep. He bent over and started to wake Mark.
“Alex? Is it morning already?” Mark murmured groggily as he slowly propped himself onto his elbows. “Why is it so cold? It’s still summer, isn’t it?”
Alex laughed. “Yes. It is still summer. It’s just cold. Get your coat on and let’s wake the others. It will probably warm up soon.”
Mark stood up and pulled his coat on before going around and waking up the others. Once they started walking again, Alex found himself behind everyone else. Alex watched as the teens talked and laughed, clutching their coats close to their bodies to keep warm. His breath created clouds in the crisp air. Alex watched his breath create the clouds while he walked, not paying any attention to the others.
“What are you doing?” asked Mark as he stopped to wait for Alex.
“Walking,” Alex replied as he drew his attention to Mark.
“I can see that. Why are you so far behind?”
“My attention was somewhere else. I didn’t even realize you were so far up.” Alex looked up ahead at the others, who were now much farther away. “Come on! We should try to stay together. Race you!” Alex took off toward the threesome.
“Hey! Foul start!” Mark yelled as he ran after Alex. Before Mark could get too far, he stopped abruptly. Not hearing Mark’s footsteps coming up behind him anymore, Alex turned around to see Mark leaning against a tree.
The voices of the others had also stopped, and Alex turned to see that they were also leaning against a tree. A wave of heat hit Alex, almost knocking him over. He staggered over to a tree to regain balance. His vision started to blur as the world started to spin. Alex covered his eyes and started to breath heavily through the heat. When his head finally stopped spinning, he brought his hand down to discover visible heat waves surrounding him. As the others recovered, they pulled their coats off, shoving them into their bags.
“How is it suddenly so hot?” Nicole asked, looking at David. “Just a minute ago it was freezing!”
“Don’t ask me! I’m not the weatherman! I know about as much as you do,” David replied, throwing his hands up.
“This place is strange. We should probably expect things like that from now on,” Alex remarked, wiping sweat that had formed on his forehead. “Let’s get moving.”
David opened his water bottle and continued to pour water on top of his head. After hours of walking in the relentless heat, Brooke collapsed to her knees. “I’m sorry, guys. The heat just makes this whole walking thing even harder. Can we take a break?”
“It’s beating us up a lot too. A break doesn’t sound so bad,” Nicole said.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to try and see where we are.” Alex grabbed onto a branch and swung himself over onto the branch above it. “I’ll also see if I can find any sign of… well… you know what.” Alex continued to swing himself up the tree until he burst through the leaves and into the cool fresh air. Strangely, it wasn’t as hot above the trees as it was below.
“Hot down there, isn’t it?” said a voice, startling Alex. Next to Alex was a dark shadow in the shape of a man.
“Have you been following us?” Alex asked.
“Yes. I have,” replied the man.
“Can I ask you some things?”
“Depends on what your questions are. I may not want to answer them.”
“First, where are we? What is this place?”
The man sighed, ”Devil’s Haven.”
“Devil’s what now?”
“Devil’s Haven. Do not be afraid. It is simply a name the humans call it. Its real name is Alsijn. I thought you might know what I speak of if I used that name to refer to it. I was wrong. It is one of the many landforms that the citizens of Heltiana inhabit. No human has ever survived as long as you have. Honestly, I’m impressed,” the man explained.
“Thanks…? Second, what is your name? I’m pretty tired of thinking of you as ‘the man in the shadows.’ You don’t have to give me your real name, but at least give me something.”
“Just call me Jack. That’s my real name,” Jack said in a hushed voice. Alex hadn’t expected him to answer that question. Alex tried to think of something else to ask, any one of his millions of questions, but oddly, his mind was blank. So, he waited for Jack to speak, but he too remained silent. Alex turned his head to look out at the trees as an awkward silence filled the air.
“You met one of them,” said Jack.
“I met one of the what?” Alex turned his head to look back at Jack.
“A creature of Heltiana. Humans may not see them unless they have seen the Alsijn moon. The Alsijn moon is different from every other for it grants those who do not originate from Heltiana the ability to see what other ordinary humans may not.” The shadowed silhouette of a finger emerged from the dark figure and pointed upwards. Alex looked up at the sky where the faint gray outline of the moon rested in the clear blue sky.
“Isn’t the moon just the same as anywhere?”
“No, Alsijn’s moon is different from the moon from the outside world. It is coated by a barrier that surrounds this entire island. All the way beneath the water and plates beneath us. It is filled with an energy that comes from deep within this land. The creature you faced recently goes by the name Clandestine Brobdingnagian. There are many of them out there. Not even I know how many there are.”
“This clanddi-whatever is the thing that attacked us?”
“Yes. Its body is nothing but pure dark energy, and the only other color on its body is its eyes. No one knows what the color of their eyes are because that creature of the dark is so tall it’s almost impossible to see them. If anyone’s ever seen their eyes they never lived to tell the tale. Have you heard of the saying ‘the eyes are the window to
the soul’?” Jack explained.
“Yeah, it’s a common phrase. What about it?”
“Whatever you do, do not look into the eyes of the creatures on this island. Each different kind of creature can do something incredible with their eyes on this island and this island only.”
“What other creatures are there on this island?”
“Too many to keep track of. There could be billions of them that I am not aware of. For all I know, I’m aware of barely a handful,” Jack replied.
“What about humans? Are there any others here?” asked Alex.
“Good question,” observed Jack. “Not exactly. Many millennia ago, Heltians lived peacefully with ordinary humans. Then history happened. Ever since then, humans are seen as enemies.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“Well, to make matters worse, the ordinary Heltian looks pretty much like an ordinary human. Sure, there are countless fantastical creatures. But Heltiana and its typical residents will look like humans to the untrained eye.”
Jack paused before adding, “If you have any more questions and such, you may meet me in one of these many trees. It’s just more convenient. Our time together has reached its limit for today. Go. Join your friends now.”
Before Alex could ask anything else, Jack was gone.
Alex sighed and continued to climb down the tree. The farther he went the hotter it got. When he finally reached the forest floor, his hair was thick with sweat.
“You were up there for so long! What did you find?” asked David. His friends were all soaked with sweat. Their hair was plastered against their skulls and their clothes clung to their bodies. Alex thought back to his conversation with Jack. Should he tell them?
“The weather up there was much cooler. I may have lost track of the time. Otherwise, the whole thing was a bust. All I found was that we ventured far enough away from the coastline that I couldn’t see it any longer,” Alex replied.
The Abnormals: Book One Page 11
