Chapter 43: I Got One More, One More Problem

0 0 0
                                    

      The one and a half hours weren't that long when you're joking around and getting to know your new friend. Aaron and me got to know each other way better and he got me. And I was even able to explain my whole life on the surface, and how I ended up in the ocean. " . . . you think you're so funny." I grin,"I am." "I think I have a better joke," he challenges. I give him an oh really look and he clears his throat as if about to announce big news. "I asked my friend to pass me a leaflet and he responded saying-" the van stopped with a head-aching bump and I swam up to see what happened." What's happening? Why'd we stop?" Island stared confused into the ocean, I gazed out too and saw a black blorb of something far out. " Just for precautions." He muttered under his breath. I squinted but still couldn't make it out. Island grabbed his phone and slid to the side gaining camera access. He zoomed in way closer than I thought any phone could, then stared at it and gasped. "What is it, why'd you gasp?" He gave me the phone which was slick with sweat. I tried not to look disgusted and wiped it off as subtly as possible before I looked at the phone and saw the same black blorb." I don't get it, what is it?" Aaron swam forward and his face went pale with horror. " Those are the Night Terrors. And whenever they come you're always supposed to be inside with certain smells that linger so they ignore you. They eat anything that isn't." I inhaled sharply and grabbed Aaron's arm by instinct he looked at me a red tint spreading across his cheeks.
    "Do you think we could fight them?" Island and Aaron both looked at me like I was crazy, which I am not by the way. I looked at them and narrowed my eyes," You two better stop looking at me like that or else we'll have an offering to give to this," I waved my hand toward the blorb," thing." They both quickly looked away." Sorry," they both muttered. I nodded," Now I'm going to ask this again and you're not going to look at me crazy, okay? Now do you think we could fight them, I mean I can turn invisible." Island shook his head," I don't think it's that easy, if just one of those tentacles touch you, you could die. Sorry, I did I say could, you will die. The venom slowly starts seeping into your blood the moment you're touched." " I could still do it." Island and Aaron both frowned. " We're not taking that risk, Zayana. I know you want to be tough-" I couldn't help but interrupt,"I am tough." Island nodded,"-but we all need to protect you, you're the last possible living heir. So for all our sakes, we need you not to fight." Now it was my turn to stare at Island like he was crazy. "That's impossible to ask of me. I am not going to float by doing nothing while one, you guys risk your lives for me, and two . . . you'd have all the fun." Aaron smiled softly,"I know you like adventure and you're like a killer machine but Island's right." Aaron looked away," We can't lose you." I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I was unable to speak and color flashed across my face. Island looked back and forth between us with suspicious eyes." Are you two . . . " We panicked and I shook my head,"No! I mean, well, we're not what you're thinking," I said. "Yeah! Really, we aren't," Aaron finished. "What am I thinking, then?" Island smiled mischievously. I looked at Aaron for a quick second and looked away, flushing. Neither of us said anything.
      "Fine, I'll stay behind." I crossed my fingers behind my back, I mean what's the point of having invisible powers if you can't use them? Exactly, so that's why I'm lying to them. For their own good. I want to be able to protect them. I can't do that by watching. How does their logic work? "She's crossing her fingers!" Someone screamed from the back of the van. I looked back and stared at Rylie,"Seriously?" I whispered-shouted. "What does crossing your fingers have to do with this?" Island asked. "Zayana, told me that on the surface crossing your fingers is a sign of breaking your promises. Isn't that right?" Aaron asked, knowing the answer. He smiled smugly and I whispered-shouted,"Seriously?!" Island put his hand up. "Follow after me," I moaned. "Do we have to-" "Follow after ME!" Island yelled. "Just follow after him," Aaron said. I put my right hand up,"I, Zayana." Island looked at me expectantly,"I, Zayana." "Will not-" "Guys, they're getting closer!" Aaron said and they were. So close I could see their ugly faces and bodies. And the tentacles were even worse they were so . . . what's the word, horrifyingly ugly. "Just promise you won't leave the van. Put both your hands up," I put both my hands up," I promise." I crossed my tongue. No one would have to know and no one would have to get hurt.
      Island explained the problem to everyone and he, Aaron, and Rylie grabbed weapons like knives and pans. Island gave me a fist-bump and Rylie left hugging me. Atlantic and Oceana sat in the back and glanced nervously at the boys and Rylie leaving. Aaron stopped when it was his turn, he looked at me awkwardly. "If I don't make this, find my dad for me, okay?" He nervously smiled,"I promise nothing bad will happen to you," I said." I would love for that to be true, but it's not your choice," he inhaled a shaky breath. "Well, I can't wait to see the surface." My eyes teared up,"I can't wait to show you everything." Aaron stared for a bit longer then left the bus. I glanced at Kai for a second but forgot about him completely when Aaron burst through the bus doors and embraced me in a hug. I felt startled at first, then wrapped my arms around him too. I felt I had developed a friendship with everyone on a deep level and losing any of them would hurt me so horribly. Island walked through the door. Well, I was not going to lose anyone, I went over to Kai and hugged him. "Stay with us, Kai. For me."
      I willed myself to be invisible and I swam out. The Night Terrors looked smaller from afar but I still floated there. I noticed the bigger one in the front and guessed that was their king . . . or queen honestly there was no way to tell. Leader, was my point. I floated by Aaron and while I did he looked around like he could feel my presence. I stared and observed the ugly black things. There were about a dozen of them. Then I stared past the Night Terrors and into the ocean. Not far away was my home where Auntie A was waiting for me to come home. I just hoped nothing bad had happened to her.
      I looked up and suddenly I heard the most terrifying scream in my entire life, I shrieked and everyone else around me was startled too. All of the Night Terrors charged toward us. I looked at Rylie and thought what is she going to use to defend herself? I panicked and almost grabbed her arm and yanked her as far away as possible. Then I noticed the small vials in her pouch. She had maybe three colorful vials in both hands. I wondered what they did. A Night Terror came charging toward me and I dodged its thrashing tentacles and then quickly shot it with spike ice spheres, but my ice spheres didn't do anything but spare a few cuts, that wasn't helping at all. Then I remembered when me and Kai were recovering from our injuries from Agua. Atlantic had said all the blood was attracting sharks and they had to lure them away to get to us. What if we did the same? I was about to yell out to everyone but realized that if I spoke everyone would tell me to go back inside the van. I would distract them and they would get hurt. I had to do this myself. I threw as many ice spheres as I could at a time. I looked around for a second and saw Rylie throwing spells around everywhere at the Night Terrors. Blue, pink, and purple powder was either turning them to ash, or making them pass out and sink to the deep depths of the ocean. I swam closer to Rylie and saw she was running low on supplies.
      It would take such a long time for enough blood to attract the sharks, I couldn't rely on them. I sped toward the van and grabbed a bunch of things to throw at the Night Terrors. I grabbed all the utensils we had. Forks, knives, plates, and bowls. I stuffed them all in the little pouch I had. Then I noticed Vlad sitting in the back of the van typing madly on a computer,"No, no, one's down ready! Send out more!" Vlad shouted, I ignored him thinking he was playing a video game and headed for the Night Terrors again. I bumped into a small robot shooting balls of ice at a Night Terror. I wonder how water technology works.
    I gripped one of the sharp knives in my pouch then ripped through the Night Terror, it shrieked and lashed one of its tentacles at me. I sliced through it and just in case I dodged all of the purple stuff that exploded from it. I slashed through it a few more times until the knife started eroding in my hands and the Night Terror started slinking away. I dropped that knife and gripped another.
    "Zayana?" I turned around and saw Aaron looking around where I was. Oh no. " I saw you flickering, Zayana." He must've been paranoid. I wasn't flickering. I looked at myself and saw that I was flickering. Apparently, my invisibility powers had a time limit.
I looked back at Rylie for a second and saw she was panicking. She had run out of vials. She had nothing to defend herself! I sliced through the other Night Terror that had come for me but didn't finish it. A Night Terror's tentacle thrashed out at me and I grabbed a bowl made of shell in its way and twisted it then grabbed a knife and sliced it off. I charged toward Rylie and slit a Night Terror's head, Rylie looked completely confused and then gasped at exactly the same time Aaron shouted,"Zayana, we told you to stay in the van." I looked at him and his face had pure anger written all over it. Then it was pure fear. He sped toward me though when he got to me he pushed me to the side and he faintly smiled when he caught my eye. Afterward his eyes turned completely black for a quick millisecond and he threw his head back, his face contorted in pain. He screamed . . . or maybe I did. When I saw the black and purple vein scorch in his back, I fell faint. He dropped in my arms and Rylie choked back a sob when she saw. I carefully passed him to Rylie. I had let this happen, all because I was too stubborn to not stay in the van. I couldn't bare the thought of not being a part of the action. Aaron had to save me and he was now paying the price. This was all my fault. Again. My tail felt heavy and my chest started heaving. My lips got tight and I clenched my fists. I faced the Night Terrors and it floated still as if surprised by my reaction. I felt my hair flare up for a second then float down. It happened many more times. "I'm going to make you pay," I pressed my fist against my open palm and I started glowing, just like at the cave. I was being activated. My hair flew up fully this time and it was pure white, same with my eyes, and tail. The Night Terrors all shrieked and tried to swim away. They had seen this before, they knew what was coming. But instead I focused all my energy on them and a burst of power I never knew I had made me technically invincible and I blazed around obliterating all of them. They blew up leaving white puffs of smoke behind. I huffed then looked around to see if I got them all. My eyes toned down to their normal brown and I slowly turned toward the boy who had offered his life for me and sunk down and cried.

My Weird Secret LifeWhere stories live. Discover now