The Secret of Eleven

Chapter 9

I see them, all of them. I see John Smith, the three girls from Spain, another guy who I assume is one of them. They're in  fancy house, with what I can only assume to be government agents, as well as a kid that looks out of place, nervous. But definitely not Garde. 

Next I see a girl. She's pretty, flirting with two other guys on what looks like a beach. This must be Twelve. I look all around her, for a clue, anything that could possibly help me find her. She looks carefree, and I envy that. I'm also confused. How could this girl be Garde? She playfully punches one of the guys in the arm, and he grimaces slightly, quickly covering it up with a smile. She says goodbye, and they walk off, laughing at each other. She turns towards me, looks me in the face. Except...not quite. It's almost as if she's looking at me and through me, seeing me and not. I notice she's wearing a lanyard, a card connected to it. A high school ID.

I try to walk closer but I can't, and she does it for me, coming closer, so close I should be able to hear he breath but I can't. I read her ID, and it surprises me. It's in English, and in big, bolded letters it reads Miami High School.

I say this out loud and suddenly I can move, I can speak. And I can hear her. She's screaming. Reaching for me. Pulled back by an invisible force. No, wait. She's not reaching for me. She's pushing herself away from me. Slowly backpedalling away from me. Running. Scared. Of me.

Why? Why is she scared? Why is she running? Why, that's the question, the question I can't answer no matter how much I try. 

The landscape changes. I'm in a dark room, and can barely see anything. A monster stads before me, large and pale, a vivid purple scar pulsing on his neck. He doesn't know I'm here, but I know who he is. Setrákus Ra stands before me, the man who took my family, my planet, my people. The man responsible for Thirteen's death. I stare at him with bloodlust, and he turns his head ever so slightly, looking at me. 

He speaks, his voice calm and collected, soothing, a stark contrast to his appearance.

"You, girl. I've seen them all, all ten. You aren't...How are you..." he stops, trying to regain his composure. I stay silent as his eyes fall on my pendant, suddenly glowing bright blue. He smiles, although I can see he's shook by the realization.

"There's more. I see. No matter. We're too far ahead. You realize you can't stop us girl. We're too powerful, too strong. You are a speck looking at God. You have no chance."

I lose my self-control, running at him with all I have. Cara, Thirteen, the other Garde, I see them all in my charge against him. He looks surprised for a second, but once again covers it with a look of boredom. I jump up, my fingers sparking with electricity, aimed for his heart. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up, the lady beside me already gone as people move past the aisle, leaving the plane. I jump up, adrenaline still running through me from my dream. I've revealed myself to Setrákus Ra, the killer of my world. A fatal mistake. I need to find Twelve fast, and then we need to join the others and finally finish this fight. I run out of the plane, no longer wasting any time. Miami, the girl's lanyard said. That's where I need to go.

I manage to catch one of the rushing people, asking them where the flight to Miami was. They told me there wasn't one until the next night. I internally suffocate my frustration, instead leaving the airport to relax. It's been so long since I had done that, since I had been with Thirteen. 

It was time to let go. It was time to focus, focus on getting revenge for Thirteen instead of sulking. I wander through the city, somehow getting to a forest. I don't know where I'm going, but I feel like I can't stop and I keep walking to my unknown destination. 

Olivia chatters, reminding me that she's still there. I forgot all about her. She must have fallen asleep and just woken up. I silently put her down and she transforms into a bright red bird, flying into a tree and following me as I walk. I finally come into a clearing, and what I see surprises me. Mog ships scattered everywhere, them milling about like normal people as another ship lands. 

A young Mog steps out of the ship, yelling something. He is the definition of spoiled brat, even worse in Mog terms. I stay in my hiding place, wondering my chances at taking on so many Mogs at once. A tall female Mog steps out of the crowd, then suddenly hits the younger Mog with her blaster. I hear the word traitor, and my head somehow manages to give me some hope.

She makes some speech, and a bird flies over the crowd. I look back at Olivia, who is staring at the bird with curious intensity. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the turret moving. Must be the wind. But then it stops as it faces towards the crowd of Mogs, and the warrior suddenly looks up with fear, staring at the ship that landed. The turret starts firing on the crowd of Mogs, and the bird dive bombs, heading toward them to attack.

The younger Mog is free, but the turret explodes. One girl appears from mid-air. It can't be...it's the girl from Spain! they're here! 

The younger Mog pound his fist into the ground and suddenly I'm knocked clean off of my feet. It's almost as if he used a legacy. Rain starts to fall, and I remember the invisible girl from Spain, controlling the weather. 

She still can't use lightning, however, I can tell that. I add some electricity to the clouds, forcing it from my fingers. I look over and see the rain turn to hail right before it hits the remaining Mogs, and the other girl hiding behind some crates. I smile.

The taller Mog runs, the only one left from the giant crowd of Mogs. She comes near me and I hide behind a tree, only later realizing I should run after her. I lose her, however. She had too much of a head start. Olivia lands on my shoulder, turning into a monkey.

She makes a weird sound, pointing towards the clearing. And then I see it, surprised I didn't notice the towering figure before. It's a giant pyramid, old and crumbling but also the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I feel different when looking at it. I feel at home. This pyramid is Loric, a sanctuary. 

The Garde and the Mog grab chests and what looks like a body. They walk towards the pyramid until a shimmering blue wall of light appears. That's why there were so many Mogs before. They were trying to get through but couldn't. 

My pendant starts glowing blue, but I stifle it with my hand. It fights against me, trying to float towards the pyramid. It knows what's happening. The girls walk through, one after the other, static popping loud in the otherwise quiet surroundings. 

The Mog is next. He looks scared, for good reason. He can't possible go defile the Loric Sanctuary. But he does. He walks through. There's more static popping than there was with the girls but it let him through.

What is this? How can the Mog get through? 

I have no time to worry about it, however. It's almost time for the plane to Miami. It's almost time to meet Twelve, and to finally get to the others. I teleport short distances until I get back to the airport, appearing in a thankfully empty bathroom stall. I exit, turning into the face of another vacationer. 

I get on the plane with no trouble, and make sure there are no Mogs on it before sitting down and preparing myself. The flight to Miami won't take long. I don't sleep, just think about the Garde fighting while I'm in hiding. As soon as I find Twelve, we're done hiding.