The Abnormals: Book One

by Isabelle Sorrells

  “Where are you going with him?” Mark called.

  “This kid won’t remember what happened when he wakes up! Maybe he’ll find better friends in me than he did in those other jerks!” Nathan turned the corner and disappeared.

  Alex stared at the corner where he watched him go, deep in thought. What Nathan described sounded an awful lot like what happened with Alan Moore. Alex looked over to Mark, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  “You know. I don’t think I’m very hungry anymore,” Brooke thought aloud.

  “Let’s just go back to the hotel. I’m tired from dancing so much,” Nicole added.

  They all agreed and made their way out of the alley.

  “Are we just going to let him take Bryan? Won’t he try to go after Nathan again?” Mark asked.

  “Yes, we will,” Jack replied. “He won’t remember anything from the past day so he won’t try to go after Nathan again. At least he shouldn’t,” Jack smirked at Mark. “Unless the same things happen again, which is not impossible. Nathan will have to fend for himself on his own. However, I doubt he ever needed our help in the first place.”

  “What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

  “Nathan was much stronger than that kid. If it comes to it, Nathan can take care of himself,” Jack explained.

  A week passed. There wasn’t as much danger as there had been in the woods, though. Their week had even been fun. Alex had spent most of his days either holed up in the bookstore or out doing something with his friends. Jack helped Darrien out in his store, and everyone else, when they weren’t doing something together, wandered the town in search of something to cure their boredom—which wasn’t very hard. It was now Sunday evening and they all sat at a cheap but crowded restaurant, eating their dinner. Across the street, two hooded figures leaned against the brick wall of a building, discussing plans, keeping their eyes trained on the restaurant in front of them.

  “They haven’t grown very close to anyone in particular,” Jensen reported to his sister. “But one of them, the boy with the sword, seems to have grown much closer to those Pardictors in the past week. That will be useful to us, I believe. Especially since the boy is at the very emotional state in adolescence.”

  “Yes. I see how that may be useful,” Jenna replied. “I too have come across a discovery. Upon following the cloaked one, I have found that he has an extremely close relationship with the cartographer. I can already see a plan forming. A flawless one too. We’ll capture those humans before they even find out what is going on.”

  Jenna and her brother stared at the doors to the restaurant as six figures stepped out. They patiently watched as they walked out onto the street.

  “Tomorrow night, then?” Jenna asked her brother. Their eyes were locked on the figures.

  “Tomorrow,” Jensen replied. A flame began to grow at their feet and slowly engulf their bodies. When the tip of their heads disappeared beneath the flames, the fire extinguished. The fire and the two hooded figures vanished.

  The six of them stepped out of the restaurant, laughing their heads off from another of David’s jokes. They were surprisingly funny. They all knew David was funny, but they didn’t know he could be funny on purpose! Alex’s laughter soon died when he felt a warm presence surrounding him. It wasn’t a good warm feeling either. His friends were unaware Alex had stopped and continued down the street.

  Alex scanned the crowd until his eyes fell on two cloaked figures leaning against the building directly across the street. They seemed to be the source of this strange presence he was feeling. Alex began to make his way toward the figures. The crowd in front of him grew thicker and he struggled to make his way across. Alex tripped over another’s foot and he fell to the ground. Through the thousands of feet padding against the street he could just barely make out a faint orange and yellow glow. He quickly pushed himself to his feet and ran to the safety of the building.

  When he made it through the crowd, he found himself standing where the figures had stood. At least, where they should have been. Alex searched the crowd for the cloaked figures but saw no sign of them. He sighed. Maybe he was just being paranoid. It was awfully strange that nothing dangerous happened at all that week, but then again, maybe he was just overthinking things.

  “Alex! Are you coming? What’s up?” Brooke called from the corner on the other side of the street.

  “Nothing! I’m coming! Thought I saw something!” Alex called back to her and waved before jogging to her side.

  FORTY-FIVE

  They all sat in a circle in the back of Darrien’s store, surrounding his desk. It was eleven o’clock at night, outside was pitch black. Jack leaned up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, standing behind Darrien, who was sitting at his desk and straightening some papers. Alex sat against a bookshelf on the ground with his legs stretched out. David sat on top of a stack of books with Mark leaning against the shelf next to him. Nicole sat backward in a spare chair and Brooke sat criss-crossed, diagonal from her, with Argent pleasantly purring in her lap.

  “So… why are we here again?” David asked. “So late at night, I mean,” he added.

  The room quieted as they waited for someone to answer. Darrien finished adjusting the pile of papers and placed his elbows on the desk. He clasped his hands together and leaned on his fist for a moment before speaking.

  “Jack and I believe it is time for you to learn a little history,” Darrien said through his closed fist.

  “History of what?” Nicole asked.

  “History of this world hidden among the world of men. At first we thought it all to be too dangerous of a risk to take. You are humans after all, and you will be going back to your world. Children, no less. We can’t have you spilling any information to humans,” Darrien replied.

  “We may be young, but we all know how to keep a secret,” said Mark. He looked to each of his friends and they all nodded in agreement.

  “Good. If you didn’t, we would have to wipe your memory completely. But neither of us have that kind of skill, so then we would be forced to kill you,” Jack cut in bluntly.

  “Indeed. However, you seem to have powers of your own, so that won’t be needed. That is the main reason why we have decided to tell you this. Now bear with me because this may take a while. We may not cover everything tonight. And please, keep all questions and comments to yourself.” Darrien paused and waited for anyone to oppose his words, but no one spoke.

  Darrien continued, “There is a separate world that we call Equelibreiangeria. A handful—I know. This is the world we live in, although it is not separate from yours. For the most part. Heltiana is one of the largest kingdoms in this world. The other is called Lenonium. Lenonium and Heltiana have been enemies since the moment they were formed. Exact opposites. Long ago, we had many wars. As time progressed and countries and governments were formed, humanity grew larger in numbers, with scientific discoveries being made in rapid succession. We learned to keep away from each other. Citizens of these kingdoms have had clashes where they fought long battles, but always in secret. Although we manage to stop ourselves from creating wars, we still seem to despise eachother to the very core and find other ways to overcome the other.

  “You see, mankind bases everything on science. They have to understand everything. If they can’t make sense out of it, they think it is evil and do their best to rid the world of it. Or, they try to use it. No matter the costs, no matter who they hurt. So, many millennia ago, these kingdoms decided to come together for the first and last time in history. They worked together to destroy any evidence of their existence. They wiped memories, burned books. When they were done, nothing was left. Then, they scattered about the world and into entirely different dimensions, in order to create new lives for themselves. Only a small percent remain on Earth. But to you, that small percent may seem like the whole of our kind.”

  “How many
of you are left on Earth?” Brooke asked, her voice thick with skepticism.

  “Roughly three hundred million. But that is only five percent of the whole. We live much longer than humans do. But we have not lost connection with the others. There are gateways and rifts in the universe we dwell in that lead to others of our kind. I’m not planning on getting into the whole science and magic of it all,” Darrien replied with a wave of his hand.

  “While our people are hidden away in islands unknown to mankind and landforms that we have kept from their knowledge, we also live among them. Many of us hide among them to gather information or to create new lives. Many prefer the lives of Heltiana because life is so much easier. Dangerous, but easy. Hiding away is but a small price to pay,” Jack added.

  “Yes, and while there are many people among Equelibreuangeria there are also creatures. Many we know of but many we don’t. They are just as mysterious as we are and seem to have their own agenda. When you are born among us, you may be born with the magic or you may not. You simply need to learn how to use it,” said Darrien as he paused for breath.He glanced at the watch on his wrist and sighed. “It is late. We will continue this conversation tomorrow night.”

  “Yes, it is probably best that we retire for the night,” said Jack as he pushed off the wall and uncrossed his arms.

  “Aww. We just got started. How about we come back in the morning?” David asked eagerly.

  “No, I am a working individual, as you are well aware, I hope. I must tend to my shop during the day,” Darrien laughed at David’s joy in the topic.

  “So, who runs these kingdoms of yours?” Brooke asked as they stood up from their seats.

  “That, my dear, we will discuss tomorrow night,” said Darrien. He placed his ink-covered gloved hands on her back and began to lightly push her through the curtains that connected the room to the shop. “Until then, please rest.”

  Darrien pushed Brooke through the shop with Jack, Nicole, Mark, David, and Alex at their heels. When they reached the door, they exchanged their goodbyes before walking out.

  “Oh, and Jack?” Darrien called.

  “Yes?” Jack turned around to face him.

  “Do me a favor and pick up a package from the carpenter for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you, Jack. I will see you all again tomorrow night!”

  With those final words, they departed into the night.

  It was Monday evening. They had just left the carpenter’s store and were on their way to meet with Darrien again. They were only two blocks away when they smelled something burning in the air, and spotted a tower of smoke looming over the buildings. Fear struck through all of their hearts as they realized where the smoke was coming from. They could only pray that they were wrong as they ran the rest of the way. Jack was the farthest in the lead.

  Their fears were proved correct when they arrived at the cartographer’s shop. The entire building was ablaze with fire. Multiple people in uniform and street clothes stood in the street, aiming their hands toward the burning building. Water sprayed from their hands and onto the flames, but they refused to go out. Jack burst into the building, fear and concern covering his face entirely. No one made a move to stop him.

  Darrien was still in there! The fire was still too strong for anyone to go in. But that wasn’t going to stop Jack. His overwhelming concern for his friend clouded all of his judgment. If he had been thinking, he may have thought of some other way to get inside. Something safer. But he wasn’t thinking. And that’s not what he did.

  Jack aimed his glowing gloved hands in front of him and swept them to the side. The debris that had covered the door turned a black purple, the same as the glow around Jack’s hands, as it was thrown to the side. Jack kicked the door furiously and the hinges splintered as the door flew inward. He dashed inside the burning building, desperate to find his friend and bring him to safety. He didn’t seem to notice the beam that had fallen outside and the glowing letters etched into the wood.

  David, Nicole, Mark, Alex, and Brooke ran after him. They all ran through the door, but Alex stopped before he could step inside. His friends disappeared through the door but he held back. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He jogged over to a beam and froze where he stood. In the wood, a message was carved out of fire, the letters still aflame. It read, The bookworms are next. If anyone else had found this particular beam and this particular message, they would have just been confused. They wouldn’t understand what the message was implying.

  But this message wasn’t meant for them. It was meant for one person who would know exactly what it meant. Alex knew what it meant. He hoped that what he thought it meant wasn’t what it actually did mean, but he had to know. He couldn’t just shrug it off and hope it was just a coincidence. It could be, but what if it wasn’t? Alex wasn’t going to take that chance. He didn’t want to leave Jack to deal with this alone but he had no choice. He knew Jack could handle himself. Alex took off running down the street, leaving the burning building behind him.

  The five of them rushed into the building. The heat hit them immediately and sweat formed on their skin. The air was suffocating and they struggled to breathe. Tears dripped from the corners of their eyes from the heat. The room was an endless fire. The only colors were shades of orange and black. Bookshelves and maps were burned to a crisp but even their ashes continued to burn. Jack saw them follow him in but he didn’t have time to argue with them. He scanned the room around them. Most of the shelves had fallen and few remained standing, but debris and pieces of the building’s structure blocked their path. Jack thrust his hand above his head to form a shield around him and the teens in time for a beam to fall from the ceiling and break on the shield around them. Jack kept the shield above them as they rushed to the back of the room. They searched desperately but Darrien was nowhere to be found. If he wasn’t there, they only had one more place to look. Jack tore down the burning curtain that separated the store from Darrien’s study. They found him.

  Darrien was sprawled across his desk, face down. Jack was unable to see the condition he was in, but he could tell that he was unconscious. A fallen beam crushed his back, pinning him to the desk. The fire around them sizzled and cracked. Jack used his powers to lift the beam off his friend and tossed it to the side. He rushed over, keeping the shield above all of them. He lifted Darrien and slung him over his shoulder. Jack could feel his friend’s sweat from the heat drip onto his shoulder. He spun around to face the entrance, but as he did so the ceiling collapsed, blocking their way to freedom.

  Alex skidded to a stop when he saw the bookstore engulfed in flames. His eyes widened when he saw the burning building. This can’t have been happening. But it was, and his friends were still inside. The street was empty and not a soul was in sight. Where was everyone? Why wasn’t anyone trying to put out the fire? The fire in this building was so much bigger compared to the one he just witnessed. He threw the doors open and flew into the library. He found Ethan and his mother on the ground. The long wooden check-out desk had fallen on top of them. They were struggling to push it off them, all the while coughing and hacking from the smoke. Alex swooped down and pulled the desk off them almost effortlessly.

  He was amazed at how easily he removed the desk, but he didn’t have time to wonder about that. He quickly made his way to Ethan’s mother, but she held up a hand. Alex ignored the hand and continued to walk toward her. She struggled to get out words.

  “NO!” She finally croaked. “Ethan…first.” She pointed weakly to Ethan who was struggling to stand, his leg broken.

  Alex nodded and swept Ethan up, flying him out of the door and onto the safety of the street. Ethan stared wide-eyed at Alex as he flew back into the building, only to return with his mother in his arms.

  “I… I thought… you were human?” Ethan rasped as Alex set his mother down beside her son.

 
“I am human,” Alex looked quizzically at Ethan before returning his attention to the situation at hand. “Where are your grandparents?”

  Jack cursed and spun back around. He thrust his hand out toward the wall and it burst outward. A massive hole was all that was left. On the other side, they could see the night sky and people watering the enflamed building. They all rushed out, grateful for the cooler temperature.

  Sadly, their excitement faded when they saw Darrien’s condition. Jack had laid him on the ground, kneeling at his side. Some parts of Darrien’s skin had burned raw, and he was covered in soot. His clothes were torn, and his eyes were seared shut. But that wasn’t what scared them the most. A large, jagged knife protruded out of his chest. Blood pooled around it and onto the ground. Jack’s cloak, shoulder, and shirt were soaked in his blood from when he carried him. The body before them was motionless.

  Jack extended his hands to the knife but quickly pulled back. He slowly inhaled as he brought two fingers to Darrien’s wrist. He waited a moment before pulling his hand up to his neck and doing the same thing. He stared at the dead man before him. He took in a deep breath before turning to face the shocked teenagers. He couldn’t afford to feel sad now.

  “Where is Alex?” Jack asked worriedly, finally noticing the boy’s absence.

  The four teens looked around them quickly.

  “I didn’t see him come in with us,” Brooke noted.

  Jack brought a small group of the uninformed citizens that were previously trying to put out the fire to take care of Darrien before making his way back to the front of the burning store. He searched the growing crowd but could not find the boy he was searching for. He turned back, catching sight of a burning beam that lay a few inches away from the building. He walked toward it to find the bright orange letters etched into it. He read the message over and over again, unsure of what it meant.