by Dee Benson
"Take it," Serloyd snapped.
Axel took it from him.
He folded his arms across his chest. "Go on. Make it quick."
"Here?" the hottie asked.
"Right here."
The hottie shook his head. "That seems a little extreme." He looked at Prince Drake.
Prince Drake rose to his feet. "Let her do it in privacy."
Serloyd's face darkened with a frown.
"I insist," Prince Drake added.
"To find the girls' restroom go down the corridor and through the double doors," Trojan said in a small voice. "Third door on the right."
"Silence," Serloyd roared. He glared at Axel. "Go! And make it quick!"
Axel hurried out. She was blind with tears as she rushed to find the restroom. Once inside, she entered a stall, locked it and leaned her head against the door. It cooled her heated skin. She allowed the tears she'd been holding back to fall.
She heard the door to the restroom bang open. "I'd suggest you hurry up," came Dynamo's voice. "This is a gross interruption of my class."
Axel quickly took the sample and then stepped out. Back in the classroom, Serloyd was waiting with a face like thunder. The class was so quiet the faint ticking of the clock at the front of the room seemed loud in the silence.
An array of odd instruments was set out on Dynamo's table. Serloyd took the cup from Axel and set it on the table. Then he picked up one of the instruments and dipped it into the cup.
Everyone waited in silence while Serloyd stirred the instrument around in the cup. After an agonizingly long few seconds, he removed he instrument and stared at it.
"There is no sign of any of our drugs in this sample." Serloyd's gaze narrowed. "That means they've been neutralized somehow."
Since Serloyd's accusing gaze was on her, Axel didn't look at the hottie. But once Serloyd looked away, she glanced at him. He was the image of calm control.
"Unfortunately, it's still too early to tell what neutralizing agent she was given," Serloyd said. "But somebody has given her something."
Axel's gaze was still on the mysterious stranger, so she let out a yelp when Serloyd suddenly grabbed her arm and stabbed a needle into it.
Many of her classmates winced.
Axel held still. Serloyd's face was inches from hers. A snarl curled his lips. When he finished he yanked the needle out unceremoniously. "Get back to your seat," he growled. "If Dynamo, or any of your teachers, ever has reason to summon me again because of you, I'll see to it that you regret you were ever born.
Axel was seething as she returned to her seat. She watched Serloyd and the handsome stranger walk out. She was going to find that stranger before the end of today and demand to know what was going on.
Dynamo apologized to the rest of the class for the interruption. Then they continued introducing themselves. Axel was glad that she was left out.
After all the introductions had been made, Dynamo gave an overview of what they were going to learn today. They were going to learn about the royal family of the Super Land, and the aristocrats.
She played a video about The Firemaster's history and banishment. Axel found herself more interested than she wanted to be. Maybe it was the drugs kicking in, or maybe it was her desire for answers. Somehow, she had the impression that her parents had told her only half the story—if that.
She was shocked when The Firemaster's image appeared on the screen. She didn't know what she'd expected him to look like, but she most definitely hadn't expected a tall, elegant man with slightly long, golden blond hair. His eyes were the same sapphire blue as his son's. Each of his features was perfect.
Axel held her breath as she watched footage of him exhibiting his firepower. He was like a human dragon, even breathing fire from his mouth. He could also beam it from his eyes, and throw it from his hands. He also had super speed and flight, among other powers. His powers were diverse and well-balanced.
Firemaster power passed down through generations from fathers to their firstborn sons. The Firemaster had inherited the gift from his father, the king. It was evidence that he was supposed to become king. Every king had to be a Firemaster.
Axel's brows lifted slightly at that. Really?
She watched as The Firemaster fought evil Supervillains, protecting the Super Land and becoming celebrated enough for his father, the king, to make him Commander of the Armies while still in his teens.
The video talked of the injustice of his father selecting The Firemaster's younger brother to be his successor and to reign in his stead after his death.
The Firemaster is the elder brother? He's the rightful heir to the throne? Axel's parents hadn't told her that.
It doesn't matter, Axel told herself. There must have been a reason why his father chose his younger brother.
She refocused on the video, not wanting to miss anything.
Kings had never assumed the name The Firemaster, preferring to be called by their real names. But after his father died, The Firemaster assumed the name in protest of his younger brother's coronation. His younger brother wasn't a Firemaster so he couldn't be king.
When The Firemaster tried to take his rightful place as king, he succeeded. However, traitors across the land enabled his younger brother to overthrow him a few months later and The Firemaster was banished. He had lived in exile for seventeen years, but now he was ready to take his rightful place as king.
"And he has chosen you to help him," the voice over said. "You will fight with him. And when he becomes king, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."
The video ended. The class was silent.
Dynamo exhaled. Her eyes were slightly shiny with tears. "We all know the gravity of this situation, don't we?"
There were nods around the room.
"Unfortunately, the vast majority of our citizens have been brainwashed by our current king, so The Firemaster has been unable to recruit many followers. He is now focusing on quality rather than on numbers. Each one of you is here because you have incredible powers. If you don't know what your powers are yet, rest assured that you have the potential to be incredibly powerful. You just don't know it yet. The Firemaster wouldn't have chosen you unless he knew something special about you."
Dynamo pulled a tissue from a box on her desk and dabbed at her eyes. "Sorry, class. The injustice of this whole situation angers me. These are angry tears. Some of you already know this, but most of you don't: The government sent officials to evict us from our territory last week. Since The Firemaster's banishment was forever, he is not allowed to be here, much less set up a territory. They have given us until next week Friday to leave, or they will attack us and try to forcefully seize this territory. We are not leaving. We are training, preparing for their attack. It will be the first stage of our battle against the unlawful government that is currently reigning. We have just under two weeks to prepare."
Dynamo looked around at each of them in turn. "The Firemaster is depending on you. He's counting on you to be focused, to activate special powers and hone existing powers, to take this seriously and fight with him.
"If the government defeats us next week, they will wipe us out. Prince Darius—and I call him Prince instead of the king, because he is an unlawful king—will kill The Firemaster, his elder brother and the rightful king. Prince Darius, as most of you are aware, is an evil, hideous beast who deals with prisoners of war as though they're cattle. He rips open pregnant women and slaughters children. He has no right to be king. We must fight with all that is within us to end his reign."
Axel cringed at the images Dynamo's words invoked.
Candy, the auburn-haired girl with laser superpowers, raised her hand.
"Yes?" Dynamo said, nodding at her.
"Do we have any chance of winning? Realistically?"
"Of course!" Dynamo snapped. "This class is just one of dozens of classes that are being trained for combat. We have many excellent Supers on our side. We will defend our territory and then we will mo
ve to attack Temsah City, the capital city."
"But Prince Darius has all the aristocrats on his side," Candy said. "Without any aristocrats we have little chance of winning."
"Only a handful of the aristocrats are trained for combat," Dynamo replied.
A guy who looked like a Netherling raised his hand. "What's special about the aristocrats?" he asked.
"Good question." Dynamo smiled. She began to walk around the room with slow dramatic steps, as though impersonating an aristocrat. "The aristocrats are special among Supers. Their bloodline is especially gifted. They can access the Gifts and Graces."
Every Netherling in the room looked confused, except Trojan. Axel wondered how Trojan knew so much.
"Those of you who are familiar with Super history know that we get our powers from sources called Omends and Philimnes. They entered our bloodline millions of years ago. However, our aristocrats are also able to tap into other powers called Gifts and Graces. You will be introduced to the power sources, or forces as some prefer to call them, as part of your combat training, in the hope that you will all activate more powers." Dynamo stopped walking. "And for your information, Candy, we have somebody from an aristocrat bloodline on our side. Only one, but we believe that one is enough."
"Who is it?" Candy asked.
"A defector from Prince Darius?" a Super guy near the front of the room asked
"No." Dynamo shook her head. "This aristocrat has never been loyal to Prince Darius." Dynamo spun in Axel's direction and pointed at her. "That is our aristocrat."
Everybody frowned instantly. Axel felt like sliding lower in her seat. Aristocrat? She was no such thing.
"Her mother was the daughter of Lord Frankel."
The Supers in the room all looked impressed.
"But I shouldn't be the one introducing you, Axel, should I?" Dynamo asked. "Why don't you introduce yourself? If you're feeling better, that is."
Axel felt paralyzed with embarrassment.
"Are you feeling…okay?" Dynamo asked.
"Yes."
"Then stand up and tell us about yourself."
Every eye was fixed on Axel as she rose to her feet. "Uh…I'm Axel, and I, uh…" She trailed off not knowing what else to say.
"What are your powers?" Candy asked.
"I don't have any."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Candy began to laugh.
Axel felt silly. Why had Dynamo set her up to be ridiculed like this? Didn't Dynamo know that she didn't have any powers? Hadn't Desmond relayed the information that she didn't have any powers?
Soon, more people were laughing.
Dynamo clapped her hands. "Order. Order. She may not have discovered her powers yet, but she definitely has them. They're in there somewhere."
The laughter continued.
It stopped when Prince Drake rose to his feet. He turned to look at the rest of them. "This battle is serious. Please do not ridicule somebody who is here to activate. We all must activate as many powers as we can. I am trying to activate Firemaster powers as The Firemaster's firstborn. We are all in the same boat."
Axel wasn't sure what to make of him defending her—especially after she'd spouted off about The Firemaster killing her parents.
What game was he playing?
Chapter 11
ANGELO SMOOTHED A HAND through his hair, his lips puckered in a pout. He batted his eyes. "This battle is serious," he said, mimicking Prince Drake. It was a poor imitation of Drake's snobby accent since Angelo's Spanish accent was so thick. "I am a fake Firemaster, a Firemaster who has no fire power; so I must defend the new girl when others mock her so that nobody will dare mock me for my fakeness."
Axel snorted with laughter. She felt a vague sense that nothing that was going on here was funny and that she was trapped—recruited into a battle that she didn't care about—but a strong calmness snuffed it out.
Angelo lifted his shirt and flexed his pecs. "Everybody here loves me," he said in a low gravelly voice. "The señoritas can't get enough of me. But none of them loves me as much as I love myself."
Axel screamed with laughter as Angelo ran a hand over his abs and licked his lips. Heads turned in her direction, but she couldn't stop laughing if she tried.
Trojan nudged her. "Looks like those drugs are working a little too well."
"Somebody give me a mirror," Angelo continued in that low voice. "It has been too long since the last time I saw myself—"
"Stop it, Angelo," Axel said, slapping his arm. Prince Drake was only a few tables away, surrounded by girls again.
Angelo released his shirt and picked up his knife and fork. He winked at Axel. "I'm glad you're laughing. What Sensus did to you was shameful."
Axel grinned. "It wasn't that bad."
Trojan and Angelo exchanged a look. "The drugs are definitely working too well," Trojan said.
Axel started on her meatloaf, potatoes, and roasted vegetables. The dishes here were larger than back in Netherling and everyone seemed to eat extra-large portions. No doubt they needed the extra calories in order to supply the energy to go around doing Super things.
"So, do you think Prince Drake is a god like all the other girls here?" Angelo asked Axel. "Do you want to join the harem at his table?"
"I think you're way hotter than he is."
Axel expected Angelo to be embarrassed, but he grinned. "Ah, gracias, chica."
Trojan rolled his eyes. "Stop digging for compliments, Angelo. You're as vain as Prince Drake. It takes one to know one."
Angelo grabbed Trojan's plate.
"Hey, give me back my food."
"When you take back what you just said, tonto."
Axel left them to get a drink. She joined the long line at the drink fountain.
She watched Prince Drake from the corner of her eye as the line crawled forward. Many of the girls in the room had their eyes on him. Lots were looking at Angelo, too. They were both gorgeous, but she was more interested in the mysterious, dark-haired guy who'd drugged her this morning. He was sitting alone at a table tucked away in a corner of the room.
Axel glanced at him. She allowed her gaze to linger since he wasn't looking her way. There was something a little moody about him. And something slightly hardened. Dangerous. He really wasn't the kind of guy she should have a crush on. He was way out of her league. Older. Probably worldlier—
Axel froze as the guy looked up and looked straight at her.
Caught staring. Again!
She snapped her gaze away from him. Don't look at him again. Never look at him again. Unless, of course, he's right in front of you, or he's talking to you…
Once she got to the front of the line, she grabbed a cup and poured herself some water. The other options were oddly colored drinks: bright purple, green and yellow. Having filled her glass, she hurried back to her table. She kept her gaze straight ahead of her even though the temptation to look in that mysterious guy's direction and see if he was still watching her was intense.
When she got back to the table, a bunch of girls had joined them. Angelo was in his element, flirting, while Trojan was wolfing his food hungrily.
Suddenly, silence descended over the cafeteria. Axel looked around, wondering why. She noticed the figure in the doorway. His blond hair caught the light. Even from across the room, she could see the vivid blue of his eyes. Axel's heart dropped to her toes. The Firemaster.
Everyone rose to their feet and bowed their heads as he entered the room.
Axel was about to stand too, but something within her resisted the idea of standing for The Firemaster. She wouldn't. And she most definitely wouldn't bow her head to him.
He nodded to people on his right and left as he walked through the room. In his dark uniform and peaked cap, he looked every inch an army commander. An air of authority emanated from him. His boots made a clicking sound on the floor.
Axel's unease increased the closer he got to her table. She shrank backwards, hoping to stay out of view. She couldn't se
e him anymore, but she could hear his footsteps getting closer. Closer.
Axel fixed her gaze on the floor. A few seconds later, one of his boots appeared.
Walk past, Axel begged internally, as his shadow fell over her.
He stopped.
Axel looked up slowly.
He was looking down at her.
Axel felt like her insides were crumbling as she rose to her feet. She bowed her head slightly. She tried not to freak out at the fact that she was standing just a step away from The Firemaster.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked softly.
Axel cast a glance in the general direction of his face. She couldn't look him in the eyes. "You're The Firemaster." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
When he remained silent, Axel looked up at him, making herself look into his eyes. Pain flashed through her chest. This was the man who had been a menace to her parents, who had stolen everything from her.
He opened his mouth slightly and fire gushed out.
Axel didn't have time to react. The fire rushed to her hands. She expected it to burn her, but it didn't. Instead, her hands were swallowed with intense heat and began to tingle.
"Activate, Axel," The Firemaster said softly.
Then he continued on his way. He gestured with his hands and everyone sat down, except for three people: Prince Drake, Serloyd, who Axel hadn't even realized was in the room, and the mystery guy. The three of them were saluting, backs straight, chests puffed out.
The Firemaster gestured to them to follow him. They fell into step behind him and the four of them marched through the doors at the other end of the room.
I bowed to The Firemaster.
"Are you okay?" Trojan asked, looking up at her from his seat.
Axel realized that everyone was talking and eating again. She plonked down into her seat. I bowed to The Firemaster.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Axel?" Trojan asked.
She stuffed her mouth with food so that she didn't have to respond.
Trojan sighed and continued to eat.
Axel chewed her food, not tasting it. What would her parents think of her if they were still alive? They'd be sorely disappointed.
