Sonora and the Scroll of Alexandria (Book #2)

by T. S. Hall

  “Mom,” Allora said, stopping in her tracks, “if I were gone…if I wasn’t there, would Salazar be as interested in our town as he is?”

  “Don’t you dare even think that. We are a team, a family, and we stand by each other no matter what. And everyone in Sandy is a part of that family. I will not have you thinking that way. Got it?”

  Allora nodded, and then Milly went through the stationary portal back to Sas’s cave. Everyone else followed, leaving Tanner and Allora to be the last ones through. He stopped her before she could enter the blackened doorframe.

  “Hey, what are you doing for Morp?”

  “I totally forgot about the winter dance,” Allora said. “Ah, I didn’t really have any plans.”

  “I was wondering if you wanted to go together,” Tanner said, watching as Allora gave him an inquisitive look. “I mean…I figured if you didn’t have anyone to take you, we could just drive there in the same car or something.”

  “ Um, yeah, that would be fun,” Allora responded, trying to restrain her excitement.

  “Cool,” Tanner said, giving her an odd head bob. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  He quickly stepped through the portal, while Allora remained for a minute, jumping and twirling around excitedly.

  Fourteen

  MORP

  The crumpled piece of notebook paper stared back at Allora. Her chicken scratch had been written ten times over in blue ink. The gravity of her words began to sink in as she thought long about what they meant. Outside her window, snow was falling in the cold January air. She read through her words, trying to make sense of what she was considering.

  The black silk dress hugged her stomach tightly as Allora pulled it down and let it drop onto the bathroom tiles. It was an elegant and sophisticated dress. She brushed and styled her hair and then did her makeup. She could fire an arrow through an apple at one hundred yards, but the simple task of applying eyeliner took a much more concentrated effort. After slipping into a pair of her mother’s black stilettos, she was ready. Tanner knocked at her bedroom door. He was wearing a classy three-piece black tuxedo with a dark-blue silk tie and a blue handkerchief tucked into his front overcoat. His dress shoes were polished to perfection, and his hair was slightly gelled.

  “You look amazing,” he said.

  Allora blushed. “Wait right here. Forgot my lip gloss.”

  Allora went to the bathroom while Tanner waited there in her room. He walked around to her desk, where he saw the crumpled paper lying underneath the history textbook and slowly pulled it out, reading a few lines. He quickly placed it back underneath the book as Allora walked in from the bathroom.

  “Let’s go,” Allora said, noticing Tanner’s change in demeanor. His excited expression had turned toward a look of indifference and frustration. “You good?”

  “Yeah, just fine,” Tanner said, forcing a smile.

  Allora ignored him and went toward the living room, where her mother waited with a camera in hand. Milly took a few pictures, and then Allora and Tanner left. On their ride to the dance, Allora pulled out the sapphire cube from her purse, still trying to discover its secret.

  “You brought it with you?” Tanner asked, looking for a parking spot in the high school lot.

  “It hasn’t left my side. I need to find out where this sapphire orb is located.”

  Tanner rushed around the car to open the door for Allora as she placed the sapphire cube back in her purse. It was a cold January night, and the wind was strong, blowing sporadic gusts. The entrance to the gym was decorated in white snowflakes, with white lights wrapped around an arching wooden entryway. Inside, strings of lights of varying lengths hung from the ceiling like bright-white stalactites. Each corner of the gym had an assortment of winter items, such as papier-mâché snowmen, sleds, and fake snow. There was a DJ on the stage and refreshments on a table near the wall.

  Allora found Katie dancing with Marcus on the dance floor. The night felt magical and was a nice break from the turmoil that had engulfed her life in the past few months. It had been a long time since she’d had any fun. Tanner took her hand, and they spent the next hour dancing together.

  “I’m going to go get something to drink,” Tanner said, brushing the beads of sweat from his brow. “You want anything?”

  “Sure, some water would be great, thanks,” Allora replied.

  Just as Tanner left, the DJ put on a slow song. Someone grabbed her hand and spun her around.

  “Mind if I snag a dance?” Marcus said, pulling Allora in tight.

  “Where did Katie go?” Allora asked, glancing around, feeling guilty for slow dancing with her best friend’s crush.

  “I think you should like me,” he said with a cocky grin, brushing off Allora’s question.

  Allora was completely caught off guard. Her mouth opened and closed.

  “I…ah…,” she said, fumbling around for a coherent thought.

  Tanner moved through the crowd with a cup of water in each hand. Marcus grabbed Allora by the shoulders, pulled her in, and gave her a kiss. He released her just as Katie came through on the other side. Allora saw the look of shock and anger on her best friend’s face. Allora pushed Marcus away as Katie stomped off. Tanner dropped the two plastic cups, walked across the dance floor, and punched Marcus in the face. He flew across the hardwood floor, knocking over a few onlookers, and slammed into the bottom of the stage. Allora watched the curious eyes of the crowd searching for answers.

  “Tanner,” Allora said, trying to grab his sleeve before he could leave the dance floor. He pulled his arm away from her grasp and parted the crowd of onlookers. All eyes were now on Allora. The snickers and whispers grew louder. Hands were cupped to mouths, and fingers were pointed. Spinning around, Allora had nowhere to go and no one to help her get away from this nightmare. It reminded her of the incident at soccer tryouts. She was feeling claustrophobic as the circle of people pushed closer. From behind, a hand grabbed her bicep and pulled her away. Allora spun around to see a blond girl in a red dress dragging her out of the gym. Once they were in the hallway, the girl stopped.

  “I see you are still really good at making a scene,” Jenny said.

  “What are you doing here?” Allora asked, surprised and also relieved.

  “Brandon asked me if I’d go with him. I figured it would be fun to come back and see everyone.”

  “Thanks for getting me out of there.” They walked down the empty hallway, looking to avoid the judgmental eyes of the student body. They made it to the parking lot, pushing out the double doors into the cold winter air. Allora’s exposed arms quickly began to shiver.

  “What are you two doing out here?” a voice asked as a man appeared from the side of the school. “The dance is in the gym.”

  “Hello, Dr. Smith,” Allora said. “We were just heading home.”

  “So early? The dance isn’t even halfway over.”

  “Yeah, not feeling so well,” Allora said, grabbing her stomach.

  “Well, you should be careful out there,” he said, walking back toward the gym. “It can be kind of dangerous on those roads in these conditions.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up,” Allora said, walking into the parking lot.

  “Who’s that?” Jenny asked, peering back at the teacher as he strolled around the exterior of the school.

  “My new math teacher.”

  “Kind of an odd guy, isn’t he?”

  “A little,” Allora admitted, getting into Jenny’s yellow Volkswagen. “Hey, what about Brandon?”

  “Oh, he’ll be fine,” Jenny said, driving out of the school lot. “I told him to stay. Besides, I was also getting anxiety from the dance. I couldn’t help but think about what happened to us during prom last year.” A slight fog had rolled in, minimizing visibility. “My parents make me go to a therapist now. He thinks that the traumatic experience caused me to create delusional images of the event.” Jenny glanced at Allora. Her fearful eyes perpetuated Allora’s guilt, knotting her
stomach further. “Which is also why I wanted to talk to you. I’m not crazy, Allora. I know what I saw that night. The memories are hazy, but I keep having these strange, realistic dreams. I know that you’re holding something back. With everything that happened last year with your hands catching on fire, that beast that attacked us in the woods, and Kim’s death.” Allora tried to talk, but the words wouldn’t escape from her mouth. Jenny leaned over and put her hand on Allora’s. “Please. You can trust me.”

  “Jenny, I….” Allora looked through the windshield, and her eyes enlarged. “Look out!”

  Two red, piercing eyes appeared in the darkness, shining through the dense fog. The car headlights illuminated a monstrous four-legged beast that stood in the middle of the road. Jenny yanked the steering wheel to the right. The car fishtailed on the icy road, struck the rear of the beast, and flipped over, tumbling into the forest. A large tree trunk stopped the car, causing Jenny to jerk and hit her head on the window, shattering glass throughout the interior. They were upside down and barely conscious. The engine caught fire, spewing smoke into the front seat. Allora coughed and pulled on the seatbelt, trying to get free. Jenny was concussed, moaning incoherently. The fire quickly became larger, engulfing the hood. It crawled along the sides, covering the exits. The seat belt hook finally released, dropping Allora into a crumpled ball on the roof of the upturned car. She got on all fours, yanked Jenny’s seat belt loose, and laboriously pulled on her half-conscious body through the headrests and into the back seat. The car was now consumed with smoke and fire. Allora focused hadrons and shot out the back window. She pulled Jenny’s dress straps, dragging her from the wreck. Realizing she forgot her purse, Allora went back through the blown-out window and grabbed it from the passenger seat. Hearing a sudden hissing sound, she scrambled backward out of the burning car. Instinct took over as she lifted Jenny up. Allora pushed out her hands and formed a hadron shield in front of them as the fire entered the gas tank, which promptly exploded. Allora and Jenny were forced into the air and landed hard in the icy brush.

  They coughed and crawled away, finally collapsing next to each other, as the car burned. Blood covered their legs and arms. The air was filled with the smell of burning gasoline and metal. They sat up and stared at the black, charred car that was still consumed with fire.

  After a minute, a low growl echoed in the foggy night. It was a mix between a lion’s snarl and the sharpness of an eagle’s screech. The sound pierced more deeply than the cold air. Allora got onto one knee, scanning the black forest. Her heart beat faster, the adrenaline pumped harder, and her whole body became a sponge for the hadrons around. She could feel the energy pulsating in the cold earth below. Fear no longer dominated her emotions. It was a secondary feeling that had been beaten out through constant training and preparation for this moment.

  “Jenny, you were right.” Allora knew that what she said next would change this girl’s world, but she needed to get her out of there or else she could die. “Those creatures that you saw last year were real. They are not of this world, and neither am I.” Jenny just stared at her for a few seconds, expressionless.

  “OK, now you’re just messing with me,” she said, getting to her feet. “Seriously, my car just blew up and you decide that now is a good time for ridiculous jokes?” She walked off toward her car to search the charred remains.

  “Jenny, stop.”

  “You know, timing really isn’t your strong suit.”

  Allora noticed something moving through the fog. The red eyes were barely visible, moving methodically, like a hunter stalking its prey.

  “Jenny.” Allora’s voice became tenser.

  “I mean, really? Maybe my therapist was right. At least I’m not as crazy as you. That’s for sure.”

  Allora sprinted, seeing only a small window of opportunity. She tackled Jenny just as the beast with the red eyes leapt toward the unsuspecting girl. The two rolled through the underbrush. The beast struck the black, burning metal, pushing it ten feet through the forest. It squirmed on the ground, trying to gain its footing. Allora’s purse had flown into the street, and the sapphire cube rolled along the icy asphalt, making a clinking sound. A very strong gust of wind blew down through the area, catching the cube and forcing it farther along the road. Strangely, the cube began to glow blue with each gust of wind.

  Allora got to her feet, focused hadrons within her palms, joined them into one large ball, and pushed the projectile at the creature. An explosion of purple light lit up the forest and sent the creature flying through the air. Its body shattered a tree trunk, and the tree crashed into the road. As the wind stopped blowing, the sapphire cube stopped glowing. Allora pulled Jenny from the ground, grabbed the cube, and ran down the road. Both girls yanked off their heels. They didn’t notice the painful sting of the ice-covered ground on the bottoms their feet.

  “What the hell is going on?” Jenny screamed as they sprinted through the dark, cold night.

  “I tried to tell you.”

  “Oh my God, oh my God.” Jenny started to hyperventilate. “I’m going to die!”

  Her paced slowed, and she bent over and threw up. Allora rolled her eyes and went back.

  “We don’t have time for this,” she said, yanking at Jenny’s arm. Another growl sounded in the night. This one was deep and loud, as if it were a call to others. A second later, a chorus of animal noises responded. “We need to go now!”

  The sharp gravel was cutting their feet, and the frigid air took their breath away, slowing their progress. Allora glanced back and saw bobbing red lights in the woods behind them. There was also something moving in the forest ahead. They were surrounded. Jenny and Allora stopped, unsure of what to do next. Allora got into a fighting stance, preparing herself for the inevitable confrontation. She had never fought this many before, but that wasn’t going to affect her resolve. She focused the hadrons into her right palm and pulled it back.

  Jenny’s mouth dropped. “You’re an alien!”

  Allora shook her head and pushed Jenny into the ditch to get her out of the way. Eight sets of eyes were converging on the purple light. As the beasts came into view, two of them launched into the air. Allora noticed a figure in her periphery launching upward as well. The glint of a sword caught her attention. The figure sliced down into the body of one of the creatures, halving the attacking beast. Blood and guts riddled the forest floor. Allora struck the other with her hadron burst, knocking it sideways into a tree. The figure in front of her was dressed in black, with a long ponytail tied tightly.

  Three more beasts came at them. The woman leapt up, launching a barrage of yellow hadron bursts into the creatures. The woman spun wildly, flying over one beast while attacking from above. A dark-red liquid streaked across the ice as the creature went limp while sliding on the road, stopping at Allora’s feet. It was the first time Allora noticed its features. Its black fur was long, and it had feathers covering its back. The lion-like creature was huge, measuring about eight feet long and five feet high. Looking up, Allora watched the woman elegantly fighting off the remaining three creatures. They circled her, looking for their moment to strike. Allora squinted her eyes, trying to make out the woman’s features.

  She had a skin-tight bodysuit with a helmet and mask. The bodysuit seemed to have scales, which would make it effective against the slice of a sword or other types of weaponry. The mask looked menacing. A black visor allowed for her vision, and the sleek helmet gave further protection. The sword began to glow yellow, illuminating the battle. One beast lunged forward. The woman did a backflip onto the creature’s back, puncturing its heart with her sword. The other beasts attacked. Allora ran forward, shooting her own hadrons and hitting one of the creatures before it had a chance to bite down on the woman.

  The remaining creature paced back and forth, surveying its prey, and then took off into the forest. The figure in black got down from the dead beast and walked up to Allora. The visor slid up, the mouth guard slid down, and then the helmet ro
tated back into the shoulder plate, revealing a familiar face.

  “Mom?”

  “Are you hurt?” Milly asked, prodding and picking at every one of her daughter’s limbs. Allora was covered in blood, cuts, and ice burns. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “What about her?” Allora asked, pointed to the shocked blond girl who was hiding in the ditch and shaking uncontrollably.

  “You’re not going to harvest my organs, are you?” Jenny said, shaking from both the fear and the cold. “If you even get near me with a probe, I’m going to scream!”

  Allora chuckled at the thought. She even debated whether or not to have a little fun with Jenny, but her mother’s disapproving glare made her think otherwise.

  “Everything is going to be fine, Jenny,” Allora said. “We are not going to hurt you. Trust me. We are the good guys.”

  Jenny slowly inched out of the ditch, maintaining some distance. Milly led them to her car and quickly sped off toward their home. After they got to the house, Jenny sat on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea. She didn’t take her eyes off them, though. Allora ignored her and went to the kitchen.

  “Mom, you were amazing!”

  Milly smiled slightly, handing her daughter a cup of tea.

  “I mean, the way that you flew through the air and how you took down those things was just so incredible. What were those nasty animals?”

  “Sphinx,” Milly said, walking into the living room and motioning her daughter to take a seat. “Somehow they were able to get through a hole in our perimeter. A few were taken out, but that pack slipped through.”