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Eight Fairies Gone Missing
I stared at the headline and then at the small block of photos gracing the front page of The Brozek Ledger. In all of my time on Turgor, I had never seen a crime make it to the front page of the local newspaper. I skimmed the writing until I saw:
Local authority officials have concluded that the missing fairies might have been connected to the terrorist group that are calling themselves “Akearman Stars.” Warrants have been issued for arrest.
Terrorist group?! The stupid ancient legend gave us that name. We didn’t appoint ourselves the saviors of this planet just for giggles. I slammed the paper down and closed my eyes, willing myself not to panic. It was official. We were public enemies of the Council and the planet. What were we going to do now?
“No sense in worrying about that drivel,” a soft musical voice warned from behind me. I didn’t bother to turn around to face Mimi. “This is just the beginning. They want to make you out to be horrible beings set on destroying our way of life.”
“But what does that mean for us when it’s all over?” I asked her, opening my eyes to find her hovering right in front of me. Mimi’s translucent wings fluttered slowly as she hovered.
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes.” She moved to my left, hovering at eye level. “In the meantime, let’s train.”
“In what?”
“You need to be faster at Awakening things. The faster you are, the stronger you will become. Your skills will definitely be needed should you have to fight amongst your friends again.”
Mimi gestured for me to stand up and began to float towards a broken-down little bus nestled between two trees. It was sickly grey and rusted on the bottom. “I want you to try to Awaken this bus.”
“Easy-peasy,” I replied, wiping my hands on my jeans.
“In thirty seconds.”
I stared at Mimi. “You’re...kidding.”
Mimi smiled. “You can do it.” She held up her hand. “On my mark...”
Sweat sprung up on my forehead. Mimi was crazy. Yeah, that was it.
“Get set...”
I mean, who’d asked her to train me anyway? I’d proven my Awakener skills time and time again. I was even good at faking my Awakenings!
“Go!”
I sprinted towards the bus, ignoring the pain in my calves. I was a lot of things, but athletic wasn’t one of them.
“You are strong, camouflaged,” I muttered as I pressed my hands along the side of the bus. The loud sound of metal searing together echoed in the forest. For a brief second I worried about someone hearing us.
“Twenty-seven...”
I rushed to the tires. “You are brown, rubbery, able to hold the bus’ weight.” Now that the bus was upright and solid, I quickly pushed open the door and ran in.
“Fifteen...”
The musty smell of stale air hit me hard, causing my eyes to water. I swiped my hand across them and then touched the dashboard. “Your system is complete and capable of working.” I turned to the seats. “You are repaired, also camouflaged and comfortable.”
“Time!”
I let out a sigh of relief and instantly regretted it as the dusty air made its way into my lungs. I emerged from the bus, coughing and gagging.
“Well done, Awakener.” Mimi popped in front of me, turning to survey my work. “You almost got everything.”
“That was the fastest I’ve ever Awakened anything,” I croaked.
Mimi beamed. “A very solid first run. Let’s get you some water and something to eat.”
My stomach grumbled in appreciation as we made our way back to the cabin. I stumbled inside and slumped in the nearest armchair. Mimi headed straight for the kitchen, humming as she clanked pots and pans on the stove. Soon, delicious smells began to fill the air. My eyes closed. That Awakening session had taken a lot out of me. Just as I began to doze, I heard a noise that sounded like a smothered sigh mixed with someone clearing their throat.
My eyes popped open to focus on dark green irises peering down at me. I let out a sigh of my own. “What do you want?”
“I want to know what you know,” Kris answered, making himself comfortable on the floor in front of me.
“Go. Away.”
“Not a chance.”
We sat in silence for a few seconds before I sighed again. “What do you want to know exactly, Kris? You seem to know more about this planet than I could ever know.”
“Tell me about your life on Earth.”
The request took me off guard. Since when was Kris interested in anything outside of saving himself? Sensing my suspicion, he inched forward on the floor. I instinctively shrank back in my chair.
Kris ignored that. “What’s your family like? Mother? Father?”
I swallowed and cleared my throat. “Um, my parents died when I was young. My grandparents raised us.”
Kris’ face remained neutral. “How did they die?”
“Car accident.”
“Any other siblings?”
“No, just me and Nia.” I relaxed a little. “We go to a normal high school back on Earth.”
“What do you do in your spare time?”
I paused to think. Since discovering Turgor, my time had been spent either on the magical planet or at school on Earth. I had no idea how Nia managed to be a Creator and the straight-A earning head cheerleader at our school. My sister truly was a freak of nature.
I shrugged. “I don’t have too many, I guess. I like to read.” A few more seconds of silence passed. “What about you?”
Kris looked surprised. “What about me?”
“Do you have friends? Did you go to school? How did you learn how to control your powers?”
He smirked. “Technically, I’m a hundred fifty years old. I don’t need to go to school.”
I started to open my mouth to tell him that since I had Awakened him, the clock might have restarted his aging. Even though he was technically a hundred fifty years old, he’d died when he’d been seventeen and was now alive again at the age of seventeen. But my gut suggested that bringing up my Awakening him might ruin this bonding moment, so I kept quiet.
Kris shifted on the floor. “I have some...alliances. My original friends all still slumber as Death Walkers.”
A twinge hit my heart. “You’re still a Death Walker.”
He looked away. “That remains to be seen.”
“So what are you doing while we’re back on Earth?”
“Since I do not require sleep, I train and try to garner support in the city for you and your sister.” Kris stood up and stretched. “We need more allies if we are to win this war.”
“Do you think that we can?”
He peered down at me. “Can what?”
I cleared my throat. “Do you think we can win?” Kris studied me for a few moments and was about to respond when Mimi popped in between us, trailing a light glittery substance behind her.
“Lunch is ready!” she trilled, looking extremely pleased with herself. “I made stew and crusty bread.”
I sprung to my feet and almost ran to the kitchen to grab one of the piping hot bowls sitting on the counter. After taking a deep sniff, I whirled around, bowl in hand, and grinned at Mimi. “Smells delicious!”
Mimi smiled back. “I’m glad. Here, sit and enjoy.”
While I was digging in (with spoons in both hands), Kris walked back outside to inspect the bus I had Awakened. I slurped another spoonful of stew and watched as he circled the bus slowly, touching where I had touched. For some reason, I now felt a faint connection to him. Maybe our moment of sharing had been good for us.
“Hurry up and eat, young Awakener,” Mimi trilled, flying up to my eye level. “We have more training to do.” I nodded, swiping a piece of bread around my bowl to collect the leftover gravy before popping it into mouth. My pocket vibrated and reminded me that I hadn’t looked at my DiGi or even read the news in a while. I wiped my hands on my jeans and reached for my small device, laying it flat on the table. A running list of messages popped up including:
Awakener Class Section 230B
8:00 a.m. Turgorian Time, 7:00 p.m. Earth Time
Detention - Missed!
Report to Senior Creator Layane Immediately!
I let out a huff of frustration. Was it so much to ask for one quiet day on this planet with no one yelling or trying to kill me? Just one?! I closed my DiGi and got up to put my bowl in the sink. Mimi was laughing at something Kris had said, which surprised me. Who knew he could be funny? I shook my head and headed outside. Break time was over. It was time to get back to work.