Trouble's Always Watching Volume 1: Volume 1 (The Trouble Series)

by Courtney Smith

  Trouble could be mistaken for a wheel as he performed multiple cartwheels to avoid Hydros’ watery fist. How am I gone 'void dese attacks any longer?...I'm not. I wish I coul' be near Hydros' head to watch all o' dis. The teenager’s legs were dangling in mid-air as he looked hundreds of feet beneath him within half a second. He glanced to his right to see a large, aqueous face with furrowed eyebrows. Oh wow! I can actually teleport! I still do not want the angels to know I have this ability just yet. The juvenile thought about the ground to return to it before gravity took effect upon him, and he found himself back on the ground. Fornax, Vinda, Glacia, and Diamus lined up behind one another and joined their weapons to one another. Suddenly, electrical crackling subtly danced near his ears. I don't have tuh ask who dat is as if there aint enough of dem. Choquer's back!!

  Vinda spun the ball and chain at speeds so great: normal eyes would get the impression nothing was in his hands. Missile-sized arrows exploded into flaming billows as they struck the ground upon missing their adolescent target. Trouble disappeared before the arrows struck the ground he stood upon, two seconds ago. He reappeared in the same place when the flames were only a foot high before dying. A fifteen-foot wall of fire expanded around Fornax’s body with his burning-ruby-red eyes as he watched Trouble evade his attack.

  The flaming angel resembled a burning plane as he flew toward the trainee with his fiery fists like meteors, but smoke only lingered where burning flesh was expected without landing any of the strikes resembling meteors. Trouble glanced to his right to see a clear, blade coming toward him. The nimble warrior dodged the blade and looked over his shoulder for one quarter of a second to see the end of a mace heading for him. He noticed Vinda nearly struck Diamus. Diamus swung wildly and nearly severed Glacia's arms from his body. Where is Fornax?

  Fornax stood in the center of the spears, flying stones, electrical blasts, and windy currents with the flames surrounding his body becoming smaller yet blindingly bright with intermittent white flashes. Heat, waves developed around the whole area. The trainee knew something explosive was about to happen because Fornax had not been ceasing his attacks until now. The surviving La Salle’s hands sweat and shook as he watched the sudden shift in Fornax’s behavior while running, tumbling, and jumping. Fifteen-foot walls of ice moved along Trouble’s sides and made the space between them increasingly narrow with each second.

  The quarry quickly rose to run away, but the walls of ice wrapped around him before he could escape. Trouble heard a sonorous, pounding voice speaking to him.

  “You have caused me to be crushed, and now it is your turn!”

  “I ain’t do that! You have yo’ mentally fros’bite frien’ ta thank fo’ dat!” rattled off the incessant warrior.

  “If you look around, you can see the walls are closing in around you and leaving no space for you to escape.” The adolescent saw a long, concentric, white beam rising in the air from the same spot Fornax occupied. A diamond spear headed toward Trouble’s head, but the fighter leaned to the side with the spear ripping through the icy wall and trapping him. The fighter’s crimson eyes glowed, he broke through the remaining ice shards of ice, and leapt into the air before the walls crashed into one another in the space he occupied milliseconds ago.

  Trouble felt the walls grazing his back, and he turned around to see the point of Glacia’s spear was less than an inch from his face. A quick shift of the head to the left allowed him to avoid the pointed weapon. The superhuman anomaly knew if he leapt into the air, he would make himself an easy target despite his agility.

  Trouble acted as if he got ready to leap, and Glacia immediately threw the spear into the frozen maze directly above the vigilant juvenile’s head. The area the lone warrior created a slight bend in reality before he disappeared. Ten-foot long sheets of ice fell upon the spot. Fornax’s body trembled and glowed with bright-red radiance, and small, electrical sparks emanated from him in one-thousandth second intervals. His ruby-red eyes flashed bright amber for a split second before an ocean of flames with a height of thirty-feet surged from him like a massive flood in all directions with heat intense enough to burn mountains into molecules within a minute. The adolescent leapt on top of the wall of ice created by Glacia.

  This wall ain't gone last fo'ever!!. The slippery surface along the wall made it difficult for the teenager to keep his footing. He looked above his head to see a large, clear blade rushing toward him along with a spiked ball and chain. Glacia busted through the wall where their target was standing in an effort to destroy him for making a mockery out of his maze. The freezing angel missed his lunge with his spear, turned around, and flew toward the young man for another assault with Diamus providing assistance.

  Electrical sparks formed above the human’s head, and he did not know how he was going to escape this; however, something did come to mind: If the body of flames is so intense, wouldn’t Glacia and Hydros have some diff'culty withstandin' it considerin' what makes up dey bodies? Surely enough, Hydros' knees buckled, and he collapsed facedown and returned to his original form as water. Vinda and Glacia rushed toward the boy with their weapons poised at blinding speed. Trouble leapt into the air one foot above the flames.

  He was not sure where he was going to land since the wall was gone with a sea of flames waiting to engulf him when he landed. I might as well be in Hell right now because I am getting an unwanted head start! He began to descend as the flames were getting closer before Hydros' body extinguished the flames, involuntarily. The survivor stuck his head above the water to see Fornax ascending quickly into immeasurable heights with an amber, fiery streak following him. Glacia, Choquer, Diamus, and Vinda flew around one another like hornets before forming a line behind one another and moving toward Trouble like a spear.

  He proceeded to freeze the surface of the water with the spear as he did, previously. Glacia charged the boy to skewer him, but he dodged the attack and shattered the angelic snowman’s weapons with Diamus spear. Trouble leaned to the right before a lightning bolt nearly grazed his back. A powerful wind blew him off of the patch of ice before he had a chance to respond. A large, clear blade was headed for him. Dis da end?!! Diamus swung his blade faster than a plane’s propellers to see it being stopped by the spear he held.

  Lightning bolts fell around Trouble in a manner resembling bullets from a machine gun. I can't do what I did las' time tah defeat 'im. Dis angel uh strategist. He gone expec' dat. The surviving La Salle knew the invisible angel was tracking his movements and waiting for the most favorable time to attack. Crackling sounds above his head informed Trouble he had company, and the team of one noticed the vibrations above his head and knelt beside the edge of the water for half a second before disturbing it by throwing a ball of ice near the lake’s edge.

  A strong blast of water shot thirty feet in the air, creating electrical sparks surrounding a human shape that was writhing and bending in pain. He knew the battle was far from over despite his victory over Choquer. I ain't complainin' but where Fornax go?

  Large, clear stones suddenly shattered the icy wall like glass as they ripped through it like bullets. The angels’ nemesis jumped, dodged, and flipped faster than visibility. A spiked mace with a ball and chain smashed through the surface of the water. Hydros attempted to make tidal waves, but the young man grazed the water’s surface with the spear and froze it before another move could be made by the watery titan. The water rippled with waves crashing into one another, and ice patches rose into the air along with the underlying water in a massive twister. Trouble immediately leapt off of the ice as he leaned away from Vinda's mace, ducked Diamus' sword, spiraled away from Glacia's spear, and spun away from Choquer's lightning bolts.

  Glacia, Diamus, Vinda, and Choquer held hands with their backs to one another and spun until they looked like a tornado. They suddenly separated and surrounded the boy. They flew much too quickly for normal eyes to see them; however, the anticipating teenager was able to follow their movements, very carefully. The group surrounded
their quarry. Hydros swelled upon thinking about another attack against his human opponent as well. The adolescent was suddenly able to perceive their thoughts after not being able to access their minds, initially. Trouble also noticed very subtle yet sharp distinctions in each angel’s thinking patterns.

  He immediately vanished in one-thousandth of a second before the angels collided into one another. A massive explosion shook and overshadowed the horizon with a blinding half-second flash. A solid-white-thousand-foot mushroom cloud emerged in the midst of the area. A wave of white mist quickly swept over the area with small particles of ice, diamond, and electricity spewing from it. Trouble jumped behind a clear boulder seconds before it reached him. The fog that formed afterwards slowly dissipated.

  Trouble walked through the mist very slowly upon his toes before pausing in disbelief. Vinda lay upon the ground with several icicles standing vertically inside of his open chest. A familiar juvenile materialized near the water’s edge and splashed the water vigorously with the spear before the watery titan noticed his enemy’s presence. Vinda and Glacia flew erratically around one another. A large, watery fist rose from the lake as if ready to smash into its human adversary as a tsunami positioned to destroy an unsuspecting coast.

  The angels attempted to surround and close in on him, once again. However, the resourceful fighter utilized his new ability to teleport out of the situation, knowing Hydros’ fist headed for the same collision point the other angels approached. The watery obelisk accidentally trapped his brethren within his tremendous body as a result of trying to strike the mortal warrior. The lone conscript immediately reappeared in the area and froze it without hesitation, leaving the angels trapped within Hydros’ massive hand with the exception of Fornax. Trouble glanced upward to see a large, aqueous face glaring down upon him with furrowed brows glowing eyes. I’m not out of the woods, yet.

  Trouble gazed briefly at Hydros with a puzzled expression: What am I going to do about...? A fiery mushroom cloud rose upon Hydros’ fist, causing the tidal wave to fall, apart. The boy immediately recognized the weapon’s effect; he knew this could only be Fornax. This ain't just happen, overnight...Fornax been plannin dis uh while! He been waitin' tuh do dis fo' uh long time, now. Pro'bly fo hun'reds o' years since they angels. Sheets and blocks of ice immediately rained throughout the area as the body of water became disturbed like the waves of a storm. The adolescent immediately jumped off of the ice to a clear spot on the crystalline surface of the ground.

  Streams of water shot up from the angelic lake. Most of the water stopped after reaching hundreds of feet. Furious currents twisted into lively whirlpools and vortexes. The water formed tides and collided upward. Mist formed around the ground and virtually saturated the whole area. Humidity permeated the entire place until the mist cleared.

  The dissipating thickness revealed the towering angel standing over them all with the shape of a man. Fornax did not consult his team with the massive fiery attack he launched earlier, which jeopardized the other angels, especially Hydros. There was another matter concerning Trouble: Fornax was not alone. Hundreds of effervescent, white spheres like stars flew around every inch of the titan. Their gradual deceleration revealed hundreds of tall, glowing-white figures flying around the aqueous giant like wasps with their fiery bows drawn for the slightest provocation. This group of angels could not have gathered here just to defeat me although I have been fortunate enough to survive this so far.

  The young man quickly glanced at his sides and beneath him before glaring up at Hydros. Trouble noticed the giant's eyes were locked onto Fornax, and the entities circling around him like flies. I really don’ think Hydros is really concerned ‘bout me, right now! The watchful teenager immediately looked upon both Hydros and Fornax. Dis woulda been uh good except fo’ one thing: if dey started fighting each other, there ain’t no place fo’ me ta hide, and I coul’ still get caught in the crossfire. I might as well continue ta fight dem without taking sides since both parties ‘re still assigned to assault me fo’ ‘training purposes.’

  I gotta do somethin' long 'nough tuh survive. He kept his mind clear to prevent Fornax or any of his followers from intercepting any of the information. Joinin' wit' Hydros may be da only way fo' me tuh survive, but how c'n I be sure he won't betray me during the alliance? I don't know, but I don't have too many options. Besides, I think he less concerned 'bout me dan Fornax.

  The company of angels surrounded Hydros like Christmas lights on a tree, releasing enough arrows to fall like rain. Some of the arrows flew toward the terrestrial, but Trouble used Diamus’ spear to deflect them despite their very potent concentration of heat and power by spinning the weapon like the blades of a helicopter.

  Arrows flew toward Hydros from all directions, and Trouble immediately blocked some of them. However, there were too many angels in too many places to defend against them all. He knew he was going to become a major party in the conflict as a result of acting in Hydros’ favor. A large accumulation of arrows flew toward the fourteen-year-old, and Hydros blocked them with his massive, watery arm. The giant buckled slightly upon blocking the assault. The Louisiana native knew Hydros would not keep protecting him, especially in this manner.

  Hydros formed a shield out of the water within his body, but he knew it would not be enough to ward off the penetrating arrows. The resourceful ally warped to the shield, plunged the spear into the side and completely froze the whole thing. Hydros smiled and gave his creative partner an approving nod.

  Fornax’s eyes ignited with red flames surrounding his yellow orbs, and his body burst into a fiery ball before aiming large beams of white flames at the boy. Trouble immediately went behind the shield for protection. The group of angels released a barrage of arrows at the fluidic obelisk like rain, but the thick, solid shield of ice managed to ward off the fiery flames. Fornax flew around Hydros’ head like a buzzing gnat while firing arrows at the giant’s summit. The teenager looked at the situation: If Fornax wants Hydros so badly, then give him more than he can handle.

  Trouble teleported in midair with his new ability, and he tossed frozen, canon-sized balls of ice at Fornax. The frozen spheres smashed into the side of Fornax’s head, and his flames subsided before he plunged to the ground. Trouble teleported upon his ally's right shoulder. The impact disoriented the flaming angel, and Hydros struck him with the shield. The angel fell to the ground with a massive watery foot pressing its owner’s overbearing weight and power into the being’s body until he was completely still.

  A barrage of flaming arrows exploded in vengeance of their recently dispatched leader. Hydros' knees buckled. He collapsed and finally fell upon his face with the projectiles striking the side of his head. The obelisk grunted and strained before standing upon his feet. Hydros’ resourceful, unexpected ally deflected some of the arrows and set a trap for the avenging angels. He teleported himself to the base of Hydros’ foot with the knowledge the angels would respond by following. The legion had their bows extended, ready to release a barrage of flaming hell upon their human adversary. The watchful fighter looked upward for a brief second and saw Hydros clench his massive fist.

  The cunning human teleported himself to Hydros’ hand, and he immediately froze the watery angel’s fist. A flaming trail of arrows exploded around Trouble’s feet that were moving at blinding speed until a massive sound followed by a thunderous shake sent the angels flying into the giant’s massive, watery chest. The company of angels struggled like fish in an aquarium without being able to make large movements from within the aqueous titan. The purpose for their alliance had ended; therefore, Trouble knew the most likely Party's over...he's gettin' ready ta uhttack!!

  Dere really ain't no place to run but looks like I won't have to. He shoved the spear nearly all the way into one of the supernatural obelisk’s legs and retrieved it, quickly. Layers of ice traveled from the giant’s foot to his hip until the whole limb was completely frozen. Trouble leapt thirty feet per second as he continued dodging fists a
nd scaling his enemy. Hydros attempted to shake some of the ice off of his leg, but the whole thing was frozen solid. A large, watery fist attempted to knock Trouble off, but the climber avoided the massive blow by teleporting himself to the other leg before freezing it.

  A few random glances at Hydros’ limbs revealed the frowning faces of trapped angels glaring at him. Trouble saw large, watery fingers headed toward him before dodging them within an inch of his face. He finally made it to the center of the angel’s body. He suddenly witnessed the royal-blue eyes focus upon him with furrowed eyebrows. A large spinning funnel formed around the titan’s crown with mist descending upon Trouble, but the persistent warrior shoved the spear into the middle of the frustrated angel’s back with all of his strength, giving it enough force to travel hundreds of feet until it reached the center.

  The massive being became completely still with all attempts to move being futile. Hydros shifted his massive eyes one last time before they were frozen in a single position. The angel had the appearance of a giant, ice sculpture. Trouble scrambled upward until he reached the summit of Mount Hydros and wiped the sweat off of his head, triumphantly. He slowly lowered himself upon a boulder when a white, blinding flashed startled him. The vigilant warrior immediately stood upon his toes with peeled eyes, clenched fists, and slightly bent knees until he recognized the figure.

  “Relax and calm down: it is over and you have won. Well done.” Medius waved his hand and restored the angels to their previous conditions, including Fornax. Trouble slowly walked toward Medius. The very unlikely victor saw the clothes he used as a decoy had returned to his body. The teenager looked up at the radiant being and scratched his head as the other angels’ gazes were fixed upon him as though he were fireworks. Wait a minute! I have my clothes back on, and the wounds on my body are healed?!!! Where was this when I was getting whippins?!!