Chapter 8

Dear Mother,

The last few days at school have been so strange. Jacob is back after hearing his mum has gone missing, but he hasn’t been himself. He’s distant and almost cold, he usually doesn’t pay much attention to what the teacher is talking about, but he’s not even engaging with what’s going on in class anymore. I’m wondering if he’s going to decide to go home soon because being here isn’t doing him any good. It’s probably hurting him more, with most of our classmates either acting like he personally offended them, or they’re coddling him like a child. It’s ridiculous.

I don’t like that it was announced to our classes that this happened to him, it really should have been kept quiet between Jacob and whoever he chose to share it with. I feel like I shouldn’t know about this, much less the entire student population. He at least seems upset about it, but it’s hard to tell since he hasn’t really talked to any of us. It also seems like he and Asher had a fallout before everything happened since Asher is avoiding Jacob too. Friends are confusing sometimes, but I just feel so bad about everything going on.

I can’t shake the fact that Father knew Jacob’s parents, meaning you probably did too. It’s just such a huge coincidence, especially with how he is here for an exchange programme or something like that, while we just moved here and I have no idea when Father will decide to leave since Joseph is here. I’m not confident about the idea that Father won’t walk into my room and tell me that we’re going to be moving again to who knows where. I’ve gotten my hopes up before, and I know Father well enough to know that he likes to keep moving. My best guess is that we’ll be staying in Rochester for a little longer than usual, maybe closer to four months? Six months?

We will see how everything ends, and I will be okay with whatever it is. We’ve come this far, and as much as I like the people I’ve met here, it’s no different than before.

Annamarie Rose Olson

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Jol stood on the rock he had met the informant two days prior, his blood boiling in the anticipation of meeting the man again. Despite his superiors encouraging him to take the Hecathian’s offer, he couldn’t feel right about this situation. Why would he have reason to give information that would assist them in the destruction of his species?

The man made his skin crawl, even beyond the fact that he was Hecathian. Rinoas was no one to mess with, having a record of killing or driving those he didn’t see as useful to insanity. Anyone who actively sought him out, much less those making deals with the enemy to see him, he didn’t want to interact with.

He agreed with the queen about how valuable the offered information was, though he still could not understand her level of interest in the Allenesaia girl, nor why the man had known she had been searching for her.

Either way, he had risen while the sky was still dark, his path only lit by the magmatic cracks in the ground. His claws had begun to hurt from being extended in preparation for any sort of attack, whether from wild iruqo, or any other creature that would be out looking for food before the suns rose above the horizon.

He was completely unaware of the man’s presence until the slight sound of his boots hitting rock came from behind him. The unmistakable sound of one of the man’s bronze daggers being unsheathed sent Jol whirling around to face the threat, his wings spreading wide.

“Relax,” the man’s face was still covered, but Jol could hear the smirk in his voice as the dagger was flipped in one hand. “You didn’t think I’d come all the way here just to kill you, did you?"

Jol stifled the growl rising in his chest, his claws digging into the rock as he forced his wings to lower.

“Since you’re here, I’m assuming your queen has accepted my proposition,”  flipped the dagger once again. “It would be foolish for you to come here otherwise.”

His jaw locked in anger, his red eyes flashing in barely controlled rage. “Rinoas is waiting for you as soon as you give us the information you promised.”

“I know the deal,” the man slid the dagger back into its arm sheath. His dark eyes glinted, and the black mixed with evergreen made him uneasy, much like the queen’s advisor’s mixed irises. “Which information are you wanting first?”

“The Academy,” Jol said without hesitation, his eyes narrowing.

“Are we doing this here, or do we have others to meet?”  raised an eyebrow, a hand placed on his hip as he watched Jol for an answer.

“If you think I’m bringing you into our headquarters, then you underestimate how gullible we are.” Jol spat, his wings bristling behind him. “You have given no reason for any of us to trust you.”

“Right,” the man let out a bark of laughter. “And you’re not as dumb as I’ve led myself to believe, I remember.”

Jol couldn’t hold back the growl this time, the sound ripping through the air, silencing the Hecathian’s cackling. “Speak.”

He stood there for a moment, crossing his arms as he contemplated Jol, his hands suspiciously close to the hilts of the weapons he had already threatened him with twice before. “The Academy is on the brink of chaos, the only reason it hasn’t collapsed is because of the man who runs it and exploits it with a blade held to everyone’s throat. All it would take for it to fall is a blow that would finally turn the people’s loyalty away from him.”

Jol’s ears pricked at this information, his interest rising dramatically in what the small amount conveyed.

“He’s surrounded by loyalists, and I’m sure even you could figure out what happens to those who are vocal about their disagreements.” The man scoffed, one hand rising to brush his shoulder absently.

“And how is it that you know this?” Jol questioned. It was too sensitive to be common knowledge, it was highly likely that most living in the academy would buy into whatever the man said. It was common across many of the species he had come across, Hecathians wouldn’t be any different, even if they pretended they were.

The man’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his arms tightening against each other. “Why does it matter? You’re getting the information you want.”

Jol twitched at that, his curiosity about whom this man was rising despite his disdain for him.

“As for the location,” the man continued as if the question hadn’t been asked. “It is near a town called Rochester in the region of Minnesota, located in the United States on Earth. You want more specifics, you will have to find the boundary yourself, but you’ll have the entire remainder of an army on you in an instant.”

“It narrows down where we were looking,” Jol watched the man carefully. “But how do I know you’re being truthful in any of this?”

The man stared at him for a second, one eyebrow cocked. “I came here voluntarily, for my own reasons, to the homeworld of one of the species that was responsible for the destruction of my homeworld and the deaths of most of my people. What reason would I have to lie when anything here could just decide to kill me.” He raised both eyebrows, moving his hands back down to rest on his hips.

“Fair enough,” Jol huffed. It really would be the equivalent of him going to talk to a Hecathian right outside of the Academy borders for a parallel universe where he would give them information about his organization. It would be a death wish to lie, especially with a beast that could decide to just kill him for entertainment.

“As for Allenesaia,”  continued. “She’s in Rochester, they’re planning on sending in a retrieval team very soon to bring her and the others back to the Academy.” He had a strange look in his eye at that idea, though Jol couldn’t fathom why. “If you’re planning on taking her, you may want to do it sooner rather than later. One guardian, who isn’t even that old or experienced, is easier to take on than whatever will happen after they take her.”

The way he said that made Jol wonder, once again, who this girl was to pique such attention. What could one Hecathian really be worth?

“Now,” the man straightened his posture, standing even taller than before. “I’ve given you what I promised, now I want to see Rinoas.”

“Very well.”

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Jacob sat still as the dim light of the sunrise had just begun to appear outside his window beside him, indifferent to the fact that he had sat there, ruminating in his thoughts, instead of sleeping. He was surrounded by a familiar, yet uncomfortable room. The light green walls usually tuned out now gave him an almost nauseating reaction. He sat in the center of the large bed, facing the dresser that was pressed up against the opposite wall, his reflection meeting his gaze. It was the first time he had been able to look himself in the eyes since he had left home.

His eyes were sunken with exhaustion, his skin pale and sickly. He had barely slept since hearing the news, the grief and mental images haunting him until he passed out, forcing him to sleep.

He was filled with more fury than sadness, more than he had felt in a long time. He knew that his mom was gone, he didn’t need the confirmation that so many kept telling him they didn’t have. Like his mom would have left anyone without a word when she wouldn’t even go to work without saying goodbye to everyone in the house, whether they were family or not.

No. He knew exactly what happened, and for the first time since he had come to Rochester, he wanted to go home. As much as he dreaded facing everything that came with going back, he needed to get answers. He knew his days were limited here anyway, especially with his call last week.

He closed his stinging eyes, leaning his chin against his propped-up knee. His whole body ached, screaming in protest at his decision to move. He could feel his body’s need to sleep, but he knew he needed to be at school. In this instance, he wished he could be like his father, being able to sleep amid any dire situation, no matter the context. That was as far as wanting to be like his father went.

He cautiously stretched his limbs, sucking in a breath at the clenching pain in his calves. Through his door, he could faintly hear the TV playing in the dining room, knowing it was Joseph fulfilling his daily habit of watching the news. Charlotte wouldn’t be up for another hour before they would both head to work while he was already halfway through his first class of the day.

He wished he could just curl into a ball and never move again, while at the same time wanting to take a knife and throw it at the wall. His sleep deprivation and days of internalizing his anger were draining him. There was only one other time he had felt like this before, and that was a time he wanted to forget more than anything else in his life. The rage, the guilt, and the grief overwhelmed his senses. He wanted to get as far away from it as he could, but this time, there was no scenario where that was possible.

Going back to school had been like being on autopilot, the classes, and hallways a blur as his thoughts simultaneously shut down and took over at once. His classmates had somehow heard about what had happened, most likely for sensitivity reasons, but it was annoying. He didn’t like talking to most of them, the majority made judgments about him for ignoring them, and didn’t pay any attention to him until they now had a reason to pity him. The way they treated him like he was made of glass, or those whom he knew were judging him for his masculinity just stared at him while he couldn’t care less about how he came across, he just wanted them to go back to ignoring his existence. It made everything so much easier.

His friends had been okay, there was a difference in how they talked to him, but he knew they actually cared instead of that fake sympathy. Rachel had no idea how to talk to him, so she just acted normally, which he appreciated. Ben was providing the silent support that he had always done, just more engaged than before. Anna was awkward, but he knew it was because of her naivete and presence in the office.

Asher was a different story, his interactions distant and uncharacteristic. He was among those giving those judgmental glances, his voice harsher when speaking to him. He had clocked Asher as someone who didn’t give such harsh judgments, someone who had pulled him aside to ask him if he was okay on multiple occasions just because he was being quieter. It made him wonder what was going on in his life, but he wasn’t going to ask.

He couldn’t remember if there was something due today, but he didn’t care either. He had only enjoyed school since it had provided him the means of finding a distraction and allowed him to talk to people that made him feel normal for once. Now, it did neither of those things, making it obsolete in his daily activities.

Jacob sighed, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, and rubbing his right eye absently. The sky was lightening to a hazy gold outside, the sounds of traffic picking up on the nearby highway. His being a night owl, slow to wake up in the morning, wasn’t helping in this situation. His sister could easily wake up at four or five in the morning and immediately start the day; it wasn’t fair.

He pushed himself to his feet, feeling his weight pressing down on his still half-asleep legs. He trudged his way over to the dresser, pulling open one of the drawers to reveal the black tee shirt he wanted to wear. He traded it for the plain white shirt he usually wore to bed, pulling his favorite black jacket overtop. He knew it was too hot now for long sleeves, but he really didn’t care much, it was cooler in the school anyway.

He shoved off the light gray sweatpants in exchange for his roughed-up blue jeans; there were no holes yet, but he was pushing his luck. His eyes fell on the golden rod on the top of the dresser, a gift he didn’t deserve. He lifted it in his hand anyway, the solid metal heavy in his hand. He tightened his grip on it, fighting the temptation to leave it behind.

He closed his eyes for a moment before shoving it in his pocket, not pausing to debate further, he grabbed socks that he wasn’t sure matched or not and rolled them onto his feet.

He left his room, heading straight for the door. He had no desire to eat anything. The last time he had tried, he barely ate any before he had begun to feel nauseous. He shoved his feet into his combat boots, kneeling to tie them tight until his feet felt like they were being suffocated by a boa.

He reached for his bag, not making a sound as he went toward the door. He wasn’t trying to avoid Jisuph, but he didn’t want to talk to him either. He had had enough of the older man checking in on if he was okay, the answer hadn’t changed: he wasn’t.

He closed the front door behind him, knowing that Jisuph heard it, but would just leave him to make his way to school in peace now that he was out of the house. If Jelare was awake, she would have dragged him back in to stuff something in his face for breakfast.

He took a deep breath, turning to follow the street toward the school. He was forever grateful that during his time in Rochester, he had remained close enough to everything that he could easily walk about anywhere.

As he passed each house, he wondered how many days he had left of making this path. He had started this journey six months prior and had felt free and normal for the first time in his life. Now the clock was ticking louder each day, reminding him that he was going home. He would see his friends, his sisters, and his father, but not his mom. The only person who had consistently shown him love and listened to what he had to say was gone. His mom had arranged the opportunity for him to leave home and experience something different at a time he couldn’t bear to be in the same place he always had been.

He wasn’t sure if home would be home with only her memory present.

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Anna’s gaze flicked up from her lunch, today being a bag of crisps with ground beef dumped haphazardly inside, to look at Jacob across the table. He had just sat there, staring at his food without touching it since he had sat down over ten minutes ago. It was beginning to become unnerving, him barely moving as his golden eyes were locked on the abomination of a meal that had been served to them that day.

She could see how tense his muscles were, even with the table cutting off most of his body. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought, his mouth curved in a fed-up frown. One could mistake it as him being offended by the food, but she knew better.

The entire table was strangely silent, the banter between any of them absent while they picked at their food. Even Rachel was quiet, her dark eyes darting from person to person as she bit into the sandwich she had managed to pick up by making it to the lunchroom early enough. Asher was sitting further away from them than he had before, shooting borderline harsh glances toward Jacob.

Anna drummed her fingers on her thigh, her foot itching to begin tapping on the tile under her shoes. She took her plastic fork, scooping some of the crisps and beef into her mouth, only to be assaulted by the amount of salt that was in that small amount of food. She chewed and swallowed it quickly, taking a large gulp from her water bottle to wash the flavour away; it only worked halfway.

A heavy breath directed her gaze back to Jacob, he had moved to grip the edge of the table, his arms tense. This wasn’t what caught her attention, however. His normally rich golden eyes which resembled a light brown on occasion, now sparked with a familiar-looking light.

Her eyes went wide, her breath leaving her as she stared at the boy. It was identical to the light she had seen in her own eyes that night in her uncle’s loo.

His intense gaze shot up to meet hers, causing her to blink in reaction to the direct light. In an instant, Jacob pushed himself up from the bench, swinging his legs over and immediately making his way out the doors on the far side of the cafeteria.

Anna just sat there for a moment before her muscles jumped into action. She followed his actions, ignoring the confused exclamation from Rachel behind her. She caught the door as it was closing, carelessly shoving it to hit the hinge. Her pulse rang in her ears, her thoughts fixated on the answer that was just out of sight.

Ahead of her, she could see him slow by the lone tree, just to the side of the small blacktop. He stood tense, looking over to the road across the field where she could see the normal movement of traffic and people getting out of cars. She continued toward him, her nerves spiking as she approached his now-frozen form.

Even as she moved into position beside him, her eyes burning into him, he just stood there, his eyes distant, looking straight ahead with an emotion that rivaled dread.

Anna could vaguely hear the tell-tale sounds of three sets of footsteps approaching, no doubt Rachel, Ben, and Asher. She followed Jacob’s gaze, finding a plain tan minivan at the end, with four people unloading the trunk. She looked back at him, confused at what he found so horrifying about such a sight. Behind her, she could hear Asher make some sort of coughing sound.

Jacob’s eyes were almost forcibly dragged away from the road, turning to meet her stare with his now dimly lit eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She could hear that now familiar voice in her mind, though this time there were no distinguishable words, rather just a mess of a thousand statements all placed on top of one another. He took a step forward, toward the field of open grass, his eyes moving back to focus on the group now beginning to move toward the school.

In a blur of motion, Jacob was suddenly knocked forward, the boy seamlessly rolling free of the disruption before spinning back to face his assaulter. Anna stumbled back as she watched Asher loom over where Jacob had stood, his expression of seething rage out of place on the normally jovial boy.

Her legs had a mind of their own as she slowly began to back away, her eyes watching Jacob’s bright, narrowed eyes as he crouched in a clear defensive position. She was just barely aware of the other students around them directing their attention to what was going on.

“You really are pathetic,” Asher’s voice came out more of a growl than speaking. “A poor little boy, sniveling while pretending to care about anyone besides yourself.” He lunged forward, kicking out toward Jacob’s centre in a clearly practiced manner.

Jacob dodged, rolling to the side in an equally smooth action. His face was blank in focus, his body moving seamlessly out of a crouch to lunge at his attacker, grabbing Asher’s upper body and flipping him over to slam the other boy into the ground with an arm pressed over his chest. “You don’t want to do this,” he warned through his gritted teeth.

“I think I do,” he spat out with a level of animosity Anna couldn’t understand. She could have blinked and missed how Asher kicked Jacob’s legs from under him, turning the tables and grabbing him by the throat with a snarl.

By now, the fight was turning the heads of nearby students, and a teacher on the far side of the blacktop beginning to head over to the action. Though they were out of view from the cafeteria windows, some people had begun to leave the building to see what was happening outside. Jacob and Asher, too focused on each other, didn’t acknowledge the building’s attention.

Jacob lifted his head against the pressure, bashing his skull against Asher’s face; the latter reeling back with a hand against his now bleeding nose. He rubbed a hand against his neck, coughing once with a glare that could have drawn blood on its own. He pushed himself up to his feet, standing tall over Asher on the ground.

Jacob’s gold eyes were alight with darkness and danger that made her want to turn and run. He looked almost feral while he pushed his hair away from his face, his breath heavier than usual. “Yield,” he growled.

“Why would I do that?” Asher grinned, rising to a more upright position before springing back up to his feet. “You are a coward,” he hissed, eyes flashing.

Jacob narrowed his eyes further, one hand itching to his side as they stared each other down. “And you are not who you present yourself to be,” he muttered out, much to Anna’s confusion.

Asher grinned, though it wasn’t the toothy smile she had seen him do before. It sent a chill down her spine, his eyes full of hatred and his grin speaking threats that she couldn’t fully understand. It was then that his form lit a pale green haze, growing bigger and transforming to grow elongated and lizard-like with long legs that’s claws dug deep into the earth. His skin darkened, shifting from smooth pale beige to haunting yellow-green scales. Then his head began to rearrange itself, his neck stretching while its skull appeared to split into thirds, the sides of his head peeling off to copy the reptilian head in the centre.

Anna felt her stomach stir in a mixture of horror and disgust at the scene in front of her. On the other side of the creature, she could see Rachel and Ben frozen in twin stances of disbelief. Meanwhile, Jacob was unfazed, his hand buried in his pocket as he stared down the beast.

“You know,” Jacob’s eyes sparked with what could only be described as delighted rage. “I’ve really been waiting for this.” He removed his hand from his pocket, a small golden rod gripped in his hand. If she blinked, she would have missed how the small bit of gold in his hand expanded. The tip sharpened, shooting out to create a blade as long as her arm. The hilt blackened around the large red gem at the centre, curving back around his hand to arc in a way reminiscent of a crescent moon, similar black markings trailing up the blade to the very tip.

Around them, the students that had gathered to watch the fight now ran away, some screaming, while others ran in panicked silence. Even the teacher, who had been approaching with a hard look on his face, was rooted in fear. Anna could feel her own terror building, but she couldn’t bring herself to run. Rachel and Ben stood together on the other side of the action, Rachel gripping Ben’s arm with wide eyes as they too, stood frozen.

The monster recoiled, a loud hiss erupting through the schoolyard. Its six slanted green eyes regarded its opponent, the head on the right opening its mouth to reveal the many rows of ridged, jagged teeth. It lunged at Jacob with its left head, teeth snapping while he whirled to the side, cutting a stripe in the side of its elongated neck with his blade.

A high-pitched scream rang out of all of its heads, the middle immediately dipping under the left to strike at Jacob. Unprepared, Jacob attempted to block the attack but was still knocked back, landing beside Anna. His gaze went to hers after a split second, widening once recognition set in. “Get out of here!” He snapped, his tone harsh, but holding panic as well.

She barely managed a nod, swallowing and edging to her left while Jacob pushed himself up once again, spinning his blade in his hand in preparation for the next attack. Her brain was screaming at her legs to move, yet they didn’t, watching in stunned horror as the beast swung at Jacob with its front claws this time, his blade catching them before they struck. An ugly scraping noise grated her teeth when he pulled it free, the beast whipping its tail in frustration.

It turned as Jacob dove to the side, managing to slice through its defences again. The creature roared in pain, ringing out across the schoolyard, and echoing off the side of the building. Anna’s breath hitched in panic as the large tail lashed out, its approach towards her fast and unavoidable.

It slammed into her shoulder, the force knocking her to the ground with a yelp of pained surprise. Her head bounced off the ground on impact, her breath escaping her as she tried to reorient herself.

Another roar ripped through the air, Anna blinking up blurrily to see what was happening. There, lodged in its right head, a large silver arrow glinted in the midday sun.

She stared in uncomprehending confusion for a moment, before another whiz of an arrow buzzed through the air, this one hitting right beside the other, prompting another scream from the creature. She followed the invisible line the arrow had made, landing on four approaching figures that she vaguely recognised as having been across the field before the fighting had started.

In the back of the group was a blond boy, lowering a large silver bow that was almost the same height as him. He was in all black, so dark it appeared to swallow the light from around him, even his hands being covered in gloves that only exposed his fingers.

Ahead of him, his companions continued to approach, wearing the same black clothing that appeared to swallow the light around them. Her eyes were drawn to the tall albino girl in the front of the group, obviously close to six feet tall, with a sword in her hands that spanned most of that height. The girl’s colourless eyes glinted with the same chilling rage as Jacob’s, though accompanied by a chilling smirk upon her lips, sharp black markings stood out on her face, while something glinted in the sun atop her snow-white hair. Without hesitation, she threw herself at the beast, slamming the tip of her blade straight down into the top of its clawed foot.

The other two had skidded to a stop, exchanging words just outside of the perceived danger zone. Both had dark skin, but the similarities stopped there. The girl was facing away from her, but her short and small frame screamed child; making the sharpened spear strapped across her back seem even more out of place. Her rich brown hair was pulled back in a wavy ponytail, yet still fell to her lower back, the shade only slightly darker than her tawny skin. She was dwarfed by her companion, having to tilt her head back to look him in the face.

He was the oldest in the group, most likely already graduated from high school. He was over six feet tall, with angular features that didn’t belong to any single heritage. His angular, dark eyes darted about, almost calm even as Jacob and the albino girl were waging war against the large creature, cutting streaks down the side of the monster that continued to snap at them with its two good heads.

Meanwhile, the blond boy had slung his bow over his shoulder and had begun moving toward the lone tree, where Rachel and Ben had moved. While she watched him go, she was vaguely aware of the tall boy taking off in the direction of the cafeteria doors. The blond grabbed each of them by the arm, his mouth moving in words she was too far away to hear. Neither Rachel nor Ben could be described as particularly strong, but the same could not be said for Rachel’s attitude as his touch sent her elbow into his gut and her knee to be shoved into the one place no one wanted a knee to go.

The boy’s pained yelp was a mouse squeak under another roar from the beast, the albino girl perched on its back with her sword buried halfway into its rough skin. Jacob had slid under its body, slicing at its legs and vulnerable underside. He regained his balance on the other side of the creature, only to have its clawed foot slam into him from behind, sending him flying, his sword falling to the ground. The albino girl called something out, pushing down harder on the blade in retaliation.

Anna’s eyes bounced between the multiple events happening around her, her mind trying to comprehend as the world she had known turned inside out before her. She didn’t acknowledge the short girl, who had moved to her side, just as the blond, who was getting back to his feet, had gone to Rachel and Ben.

“Come on,” Her features still held the innocence of a child, her vivid green gaze holding the same innocence. She was most likely a couple of years younger than her, maybe even more. It was almost calming in the pandemonium around them. “We need to go.”

Anna’s focus was drawn back to the monster as a click and an inhuman scream rang out. The albino girl had a satisfied look on her face as she pulled the sword out of the beast’s back, standing as she did so. Anna’s mouth opened in horror and disgust as the flesh around where the blade had gone in began to fold back and rip as curved spikes that Anna definitely didn’t remember being there were revealed with a coat of blood and bits of flesh hanging from them.

It was, without a doubt, the most terrible thing she had witnessed in her life up to this point. The creature swayed, the girl somehow keeping her balance. Anna’s ears echoed with the anguished noises that it made as it struggled to stay on its feet, her body beginning to shake as her legs threatened to give out from under her.

A yellow glow flashed out across the schoolyard then, all signs that a monster had been before them disappearing in an instant as the albino girl plummeted to the ground with her now clean sword still in hand.

Everyone was still then, the only sound being the police sirens that rang out over the city. Jacob hadn’t moved from where he had landed down the hill, but she somehow knew that he was still alive. The tall boy had returned at some point, his breaths coming fast as he scanned the aftermath of what had occurred, looking just as confused as the rest of them.

“We need to go now,” the tall boy managed. “Elaine, grab Jacob. Take them to the van,” he gestured around. “I wasn’t able to get the other, security is too tight. We’ll have to come back for him.”

The three strangers gave their acknowledgments, beginning to do as they were told. Anna shivered as she felt eyes on her again, almost like something was prodding at the edges of her consciousness. She looked around, trying to identify what was causing the feeling. The short girl grabbed her arm, trying to pull her in the direction of the others. Her line of sight lifted to the roof of the school three stories up, a dark figure visible against a grouping of clouds that was passing over. She hissed, ducking her face as a spike of pain drove into her head, but once she looked up again after the pain passed, the shadow was gone.

Behind her, she could hear people speaking, but the words blended while her eyes darted to look for what she had seen. Her eyebrows furrowed, her muscles tense. She reached out with her mind, the way she had in the loo. She winced again, though this time it was from the sheer amount of noise that entered her mind.

Both her hands pressed against her temples, she knew her eyes were glowing gold, though concealed as she closed her eyes. She tried to focus on each individual voice at a time, but it was too much. They shifted constantly, words blending, pictures of faces that were vaguely familiar flashing behind her eyelids, darkened classrooms with students hidden under their desks, a toilet stall with its single occupant breathing short and fast as he stood atop the toilet seat to hide his feet from an unseen threat. She could physically feel so many sensations. Hands on her shoulders, the fabric of a skirt she wasn’t wearing fluttering against her thighs, the cramping leg muscles from crouching in a confined position, and the ache of a freshly bruised leg. Emotions cycled through her, anger, fear, worry, confusion, acceptance, bloodlust, frustration, determination, shock… 

It was consuming her, surrounding her as she cowered in a crouch on the grass. She couldn’t tell if she was screaming or if it was someone else doing so, the sound piercing through the others, the tell-tale burn in her throat. It was impossible to distinguish what was real, even when her heart leapt in her chest at the sensation of being lifted off the ground.

She opened her eyes, revealing the ground five or six metres down. It took her a moment to comprehend the large claws wrapped around her torso, turning her gaze up to the large four-legged beast lifting her into the air. Rather than the feathers one would expect, this creature’s legs and curled paws were coated in fine, silky brown fur. Its body hunched over her, the head a bizarre mix between a bat and one of a small wildcat. The wings stretched out of its back, each wing three times the width of the creature itself, tan skin stretched out, its greenish veins visible in its naked state.

She screamed once her brain had caught up with what was happening, thrashing in the creature’s grip as they continued to rise. An arrow whizzed by, sending her panic even higher. She could feel something building inside her, though it barely registered as they crossed the school field.

She kicked and punched at its legs, stopping only when she saw the haze of a glow that was beginning to become familiar. She closed her eyes, reaching inward to that power she knew she had in her. At this moment, it didn’t matter that she didn’t know what it was, or why she had it. It didn’t matter that she had no idea how they worked or how to even use or control them.

She felt heat across her body, a deafening bang as her body dropped. Even with her eyes closed tight she could see the bright light that was visible even in daylight. She felt herself falling, her body going limp as it plummeted toward the grass below. She didn’t open her eyes, nor did she make a sound until she hit the ground.