by Jaclyn Lewis
Andrew shook his head, smirking. “Nah, if you want a fight, it’s all of us against you and that stupid hybrid.”
I shook my head. “Not an option,” I said through clenched teeth. “What are you afraid of, Andrew? Are you too much of a coward to go against me alone?”
Andrew shook his head, grinning. “No, it’s just… If I go against you and you alone, I won’t have a chance to kill Amy.”
I was now furious. “Fine, you wanted a battle, you got a battle.”
Suddenly, five Leem appeared next to me. I looked over at them and grinned. “Perfect timing, guys,” I said.
Then I turned to Amy. “Stay away.”
She shook her head. “I want to help.”
“No.”
“Zane,” she whined. “I can do it.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care. We have enough people.” I took a step closer to her and whispered, “I won’t be able to bear it if you died, Amy. You’re too important to me.”
Then, before she could say anything, I turned to Andrew. “Let’s battle.”
Paul, Stewart, Thomas, Jerry, and Greg were the five guys that had appeared. They had been my buddies back on Ellem, the old team, and I’d told them that I might need them later. I had my phone on while I had been talking to Andrew when we first arrived, and they came when I said that the battle was on, and “battle” had been the key word.
Yes, my phone was of extraterrestrial technology, and the signal did reach all the way to Ellem.
As I’d told her, Amy stepped back and nodded to me. I could see she wanted to help, but after what I’d said, I knew she wouldn’t unless it was necessary.
“It’s on,” I said.
“It’s on,” Andrew repeated.
“This is it, huh? This is the final battle, Andrew.”
Andrew snickered. “Yeah, and I’ve waited for this for years.”
Then, the battle began.
Andrew rushed at me with a tree fist, but I turned into air and it passed right on through me, creating flames where his arm passed.
I then hit him in the chest with fireballs, which started to lick up his wooden body.
“That was for the burn on Amy’s cheek,” I shouted.
He screamed, but continued on.
We kept on trying to hurt each other. Andrew had succeeded in successfully hitting me while I was in water form, and my form had sloshed. I didn’t know how Andrew could stand being a Water almost fulltime.
Then I was on the ground, and Andrew was over me. I quickly disappeared into Air form and moved above him, pinning him with my Earth form, becoming rock.
He struggled, but couldn’t get the energy to get fire or anything that could get me off. He turned into human form instead. That was when he looked over at Amy and smiled. “You really care about that hybrid, don’t you?”
“That’s none of your freaking business!” I retorted.
He just laughed, but he was kind of out of breath because I was on top of him. “What do you think would happen if she died, huh? Do you think you’d avenge her?”
I grabbed his throat, squeezing. “I don’t think you can hurt her when I’m about to end you.”
Andrew smiled and turned into a puddle, going into the ground.
I groaned and got up, cursing under my breath. “Amy, look out!” I screamed. “Andrew’s after you!”
She looked at me and had a look of grim determination. She nodded at me and took a defensive stance.
That was when one of Andrew’s Leem came after me. I was so angry that I knocked him unconscious in less than ten seconds. I wasn’t the queen’s best fighter for nothing.
I looked around, searching for Andrew. I couldn’t see him anywhere.
That was when he appeared in his Earth form, right next to Amy.
I immediately ran for him. I wanted nothing more than to save Amy… I couldn’t let her get hurt.
Andrew turned and saw me running. He smirked and charged me at the exact same pace.
I knew what was going to happen. If two Leem charged each other at the exact velocity, and if they had the same mass like Andrew and I did, if they slammed into each other, then they wouldn’t be able to stop their energies. The kinetic energy would tangle and bond and it would continue to draw out both of the Leem’s energy. It would only stop if someone interfered, or when we were both drained and dead.
That was when we slammed into each other.
Chapter 18
Amy
I witnessed as Zane and Andrew collided. They had both been in Earth form.
Something happened.
A giant explosion caused by pure energy erupted, appearing to tangle together the energy from both brothers. There was a giant, visibly blue bubble of energy that only air could pass through. It just kept getting bigger and bigger as it drew the energy from the boys.
They were both there, fighting. I could see the energy leaving their bodies, being drawn out uncontrollably.
No one knew what would happen better than me. My energy had been drained against my will multiple times, and I could tell if it was going to stop or not. This one wasn’t going to.
They’d both end up dead, Zane included.
I knew I had to do something and I had to do it fast. I couldn’t let Zane die for me. I just… I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I looked around. All the other Leem were still fighting, some were unconscious, and two of the bad guys were dead on the ground.
It was like time slowed down, and I saw Zane and Andrew slowly stop fighting as their energy left. They were lying in a pile, Zane on top, pinning Andrew as they both grew weaker and weaker.
I thought back to when Andrew had captured me. I’d said that I would suck all of his energy out and he could see how it felt. He’d replied that the only way that would happen would be if I was fighting against him.
Right before I’d gained consciousness though, I’d heard the words “not stable”. They’d been talking about me. I wasn’t stable—I knew it.
Stability was a word I’d heard whispered around me ever since my birthday. Zane had even murmured it in his sleep once. If it was so important, and I was so different, my guess was that they assumed that I was unstable.
I figured that stability was what kept the Leem alive. If you weren’t stable, all the powers inside you were malfunctioning.
I was unstable. I’d known that for a while, but I never had put it together that the result would be death.
I knew I was going to die anyway, no matter what. I just wanted to save Zane from death.
It was just a theory, but it was either me or Zane, and that was one of the easiest choices of my existence.
I ran as fast as I could.
I turned into Air form so I could pass through the giant bubble of pure energy.
When I was through, I turned back into my normal self.
I then crashed into Zane, causing him to lose contact with Andrew.
Once he was away, I pushed him back, manipulating the air with more energy than I thought I’d had.
“No!” Zane screamed. He was now in his Air form again, unable to hold the Earth one after his energy was drained.
With the last of my energy, I manipulated the air to push him even farther away, so that he was beyond the bubble. At the same time, I held Andrew down so he couldn’t escape.
Then the giant bubble of energy imploded.
It hit us both, and it felt like I was being ripped apart, being turned inside out, and getting stung by fifty bees all at the same time. It was worse than any pain I’d ever felt as I felt the effect of having no energy.
The energy ball didn’t make us look any different—the real pain was internal.
It was now draining my energy, and very quickly at that. I was just about ready to succumb to the peaceful blackness that threatened to surround me, but then Zane was there, distracting me with his handsome, human-looking features.
Andrew had less left than I did. I
had enough energy to say goodbye.
Zane ran up to me, getting energy from the grass, making it turn brown, so he could hold me in his arms.
“Amy,” he cried. “Why?”
“Zane,” I gasped. I didn’t feel any pain; I was just numb now.
“Amy, you’re going to be fine,” Zane insisted, grabbing my face in his hands.
I shook my head. “No, Zane, I’m not going to be fine.”
I stretched up and pressed my lips to his. “You know, you’re the one that helped me be strong. If you hadn’t come into my life, I would have never stood up for myself or have talked. Thank you.”
I looked around, thinking back. “You were there? Weren’t you? My… fifth birthday… you told me to remember, and I do.”
“Amy…” he said, sobbing. I’d never seen him so upset, but I knew I couldn’t spare him what came next.
I closed my eyes, knowing I would never open them again.
“No!”
It was too late.
Peace… I finally had that peace…
Chapter 19
Zane
“No!” I screamed when her eyes closed. I couldn’t handle it.
She looked so peaceful, so at rest. It tore me apart.
I looked at her and cried. She would never open her eyes ever again. I’d never see her staring daggers at Andrew or hear her beautiful, melodic laughter. I’d never get to see her sad smile or her happy smile, her scowl or her grimace. I’d never see her alive again.
I looked over at Andrew. He was dead too. His eyes were open though, and I could see their radiant green color, but they were just as lifeless as I assumed Amy’s were, but he’d died as his old self.
Unlike Amy, he’d died alone. No one would hear his final words or hold his hand as he died. It was better than he deserved, but he was still my brother.
I looked back at Amy.
I loved her, and now she was gone. I never had a chance to tell her. I never got to say how I felt. I knew she’d felt the same because she’d worked so hard to piece it all together in the very end. I just hadn’t known what she’d been thinking while I was fighting.
She hadn’t been stable; that was one reason why she did what she did. She’d figured it out. She would have died either way, but she helped me.
“You were always so smart,” I whispered.
Gently, as if I didn’t want to disturb her, I set her down in the grass. I kissed her forehead and got to my feet.
I could see her essence. It was coming to the surface, giving her skin a faint glow. I knew the essence would disappear in an hour or so, floating up into the depths of space, and if anyone took it, they’d end up imploding since it was so unstable.
I hit my watch, appearing on Ellem, in the palace. I walked into the throne room.
I bowed to the queen and walked up to her, forgetting about turning into my natural form. “Amelia Saunders and Andrew Ellen are both deceased, Your Majesty.”
She nodded, looking slightly irritated at my appearance. “Okay, so Mr. Ellen is no longer a threat? You’re sure?” She searched my face, making sure I wasn’t lying.
I nodded. “I’m positive, Your Majesty, and Amelia’s essence is unstable, so there is no threat.” imploding
Then, right in front of the queen, I teleported back to Earth and destroyed the device.
“I’m on my own now.” I said to myself. I knew the others had reported back to the queen and wouldn’t come back anytime soon. I knew they might even choose never to come back, but it didn’t matter.
I walked off, looking at Amy one last time. “Goodbye, Amy Saunders. You were the perfect friend.”
Then fire appeared, covering her and turning her into ashes that blew away in the wind.
“You really are free now,” I whispered.
Then I disappeared into the air, literally.
I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I’d figure it out eventually. I had a debit card that would never run out, and I had a whole planet to explore.
I floated into the sky, emotionless and empty. I’d never be the same again.
I’d never have Amy back again.
Chapter 20
When I got back to the apartment, and I saw all of her stuff, I shifted back into my human form.
My face hardened and my eyebrows scrunched.
I was just a shell of a person now.
I grabbed a bag, grabbing some clothes and everything.
Then I left, knowing I would never, ever return here again. It would just be way too painful.
I was going to travel the Earth, seeing all the things that I knew Amy had always wanted to see before her time was cut short.
“I didn’t do anything, but I know I’m probably going to end up dead by the time this is all over,” her voice taunted.
“No, you won’t end up dead if I can help it,” I’d replied.
I shook my head, covering my ears against the memories.
I’d lied to her.
It was my fault she was dead.
“It should have been me!” I screamed.
I grabbed my hair, my eyes turning black.
That was when another memory popped up.
It was the look of fear and near-death desperation that was on her face every time my eyes turned black.
I took a deep breath and calmed down.
I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me. I wanted her to know that I could be as strong as her.
I looked at the picture of Amy that I’d brought.
She was eleven and so cute. She still had that childish look to her, and I’d gotten a picture of her when she was reading a book—deep concentration was on her face as she stared at the pages.
I smiled a little at the memory of it.
I had a few other pictures of her, some during her childhood and some from her teen years. I didn’t have one of her smiling.
It was so nice to see her without the burns. Those burns had always reminded me that I’d never really protected her.
That’s not true, that annoying voice in my head whispered. You helped her a lot. You were her friend when she had no one.
I shook my head.
I didn’t know what the future held. I didn’t really care, honestly.
I didn’t know what life would be like without protecting Amy—it had been what I’d been training for a year before I’d started, and then I’d watched over her for eighteen more years. She had been my life.
She had been my love.
I remembered hearing once that it was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
What if you lost your love, but you didn’t realize she was your love until she was lost?
Epilogue
I closed my completed notebook and smiled a real smile for the first time in a long time. It wasn’t too bad. I figured it was emotional enough, but it was also good enough to read again, and Zane was a good enough character to obsess over.
I knew I’d have to revise it a bit and tweak it. Nothing was ever good when written for the first time. There were always improvements to be made, and it could always get better.
This had been so much fun to write. I hadn’t had that much fun in years.
It had taken me three weeks, going from school to home and working on it almost nonstop.
It made me feel so accomplished to have it completely done right in front of my eyes. I’d never had that feeling, and I hoped it never went away, even though I knew hope was futile.
The last bell of the day rang, and I got to my feet, ready to be home.
I walked outside and breathed in the fresh air. I hated being stuck inside for eight hours.
Kids snickered and whispered about me as they passed, but I didn’t give them a single thought. Something else had my complete attention at the moment.
I looked down at my notebook again, wishing that I could have someone care about me as much as Zane cared about Amy. I wished it with every fiber of my being th
at the story could somewhat follow me into my life.
I'd made Amy die in the end because it would be cool to have someone you cared about enough to die for. She wasn't certain that she would die if she was unstable, but she didn't want Zane to die, so she gave her life for him.
When I looked back up, I saw it.
In the parking lot was a shiny, new motorcycle. On it was a guy that definitely didn’t go to our school, even though I couldn’t even see his face because of the giant motorcycle helmet he wore.
He climbed off his bike and started walking toward the school, searching the clusters of students for someone in particular.
I looked away and turned, not giving the strange biker another thought. I had better things to think about, not a random guy with a shiny motorcycle.
I began my two mile long walk home.
Suddenly though, I felt a tap on my shoulder, which was weird since no one would ever dare to tap me on the shoulder, especially in a place with as many witnesses as school.
I turned and there was the guy from the motorcycle. I couldn’t see his face because he still had on his helmet.
That was when he took it off, and I stopped breathing. My heart stuttered and stopped for a second before it restarted a bit unevenly. At least, that was how it felt. I knew that it didn’t really do that.
He looked exactly like Zane. He had the same hair, face, eyes, height, and everything. He looked just as I’d written him, imagined him. Not a single detail was different between the two.
“Are you Annabelle Saunders?” he asked. He was studying my face intently, as if he would know if I was lying.
I nodded. I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to.
My heat-rate tripled, and my knees felt weak. It felt like I was about to hyperventilate.
How did he know my name? How was it even possible?
Was I dreaming?
“I’m Zy Elle,” he introduced, holding his hand out for me to shake. “We need to talk.”
All I could think was… I think I found my Zane.
Then I ran away.
END OF BOOK 1
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank a few people here, so just bear with me.
First, I would like to thank Rhonda Simon, for giving me a time limit on this. If you hadn’t done that, this would have never happened.
