“No! No! No!” Krystal cried. “Sana, how many times do I have to tell you?!”
It was a regular morning at Ringmasters Training Academy. In the gymnasium, Krystal was directing everyone for a stage rehearsal. The next circus show was coming up and Krystal was made lead ringmaster. Sana, Rey, Prince, Neil, Heer, and Akira were all present for rehearsal amongst other students.
“Krystal, I’m literally doing everything you want me to do,” Sana said.
“No, you’re not!” Krystal exclaimed. “In step three of section one, you’re supposed to pivot your foot to the left. You keep starting with your right! It’s ruining the flow of the routine!”
“It’s really not that big of a deal,” Prince said. “Who the hell is gonna pay attention to her foot going wrong?”
“Well, if I can see it, anyone can,” Krystal said.
“Aww, Miss Perfectionist is throwing a tantrum,” Rey said to Neil, chuckling.
Krystal turned to Rey, annoyed, and said, “Rey, I’m this close to smacking someone, so you better hope it’s not you!”
“At this rate it could be you,” Sana said, quietly.
Krystal looked at Sana, trying to think she didn’t hear what she heard. Akira could see Krystal was getting angry and said, “Okay, Krystal. Let’s not create a scene.”
“What was that you said, Sana?” Krystal questioned.
“Krystal, I really think you should take a breather,” Heer said. “Let’s just get back to rehearsal.”
“No! I’d like to know what she said!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Damn. This is gonna get ugly,” Neil whispered to Rey.
“Krystal, I’m already annoyed. Let’s just move on,” Sana said.
“No! You can’t just say something about me and get away from the situation!”
“This is so unnecessary.”
“Please. The only thing unnecessary around here is your inability to comprehend basic dance steps! One would think a bookworm such as yourself could at least do that.”
Before Krystal could say anything else, Sana smacked her on the head, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Rey looked at the others and could see everyone including the gang were shocked. Krystal immediately got up, appalled.
“How dare you smack me, Sana?!” Krystal shouted as she was about to go up to Sana with her hands ready to fight back. Heer and Prince quickly grabbed hold of Krystal by her arms to prevent her from escalating the scene.
“Krystal, you have to calm down now,” Heer said as she struggled to hold down Krystal.
“Ugh! Let me at her! Just let me at her!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Ugh. Quit embarrassing yourself,” Prince said, rolling his eyes.
“You’re the one who basically asked for it,” Sana said to Krystal.
“Damn, Sana. You seem to go off on anyone,” Akira said.
“Man, this really did get ugly,” Neil said to Rey.
“Okay, everyone! Why don’t we call off rehearsal today?” Rey exclaimed. “Let’s all head out now!”
Rey tried to get everyone else to leave while Heer and Prince took Krystal away.
***
Later on, at lunch, Rey, Neil, Prince, Heer, and Akira were seated at their usual table. Once Zayn arrived with his lunch, he sat down and said, “So, it seems I missed quite the drama this morning.”
“You heard?” Neil asked.
“People couldn’t stop gossiping about it when I was in line,” Zayn said as he took a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich.
“You never said why you didn’t show up to rehearsal,” Akira said.
“I didn’t show up because I didn’t feel like it,” Zayn said. “So, what happened?”
“Krystal got on Sana’s case. Sana smacked her. There was almost a brawl. End of story,” Prince said. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“You’re taking it quite lightly, Prince,” Heer said.
“Well, yeah. Sana smacking people when they piss her off isn’t new,” Prince said. “Just ask Rey.”
“To be honest, I thought she was improving,” Rey said.
“Is it really any different from you and Neil jumping Aiden all the time?” Akira asked.
“Hey! We would give him a heads up before attempting to battle him!” Rey exclaimed.
“Failed attempts are more like it,” Prince said.
It didn’t take long for Sana to arrive at the table. And right after her, Krystal arrived. The two sat across from each other and Rey could see them exchanging scowled glances. To break the awkward silence amongst everyone, Rey said, “So, did anyone do the homework for D’Sena’s class?”
“You didn’t do it, man?” Neil asked.
“Interesting coming from you since you’re not one to do homework,” Prince said.
“But I did do it…last period,” Neil said.
“So, Sana, did you do the homework?” Heer asked.
“Why are we talking to her like she didn’t smack me in front of everyone today?” Krystal questioned.
“The same way no one wants to tell you how annoying and bossy you are,” Sana said.
“You take that back!” Krystal shouted as she got up from her seat. As she got up, she threw her sandwich at Sana’s face.
The act got Rey and everyone else on edge. It didn’t do much to Sana, but Rey looked at her and she was visibly pissed. He watched her stand up from her chair. She looked like she was close to giving Krystal another slap. Instead, she grabbed one of the slices of pizza on her plate and smacked it directly onto Krystal’s face. Seeing this, Rey could see it was far worse. The sauce and cheese were all over Krystal’s face. It didn’t take long for her to shriek, “Not my makeup!”
“Oh God,” Prince said, shaking his head.
“Sana J. Malik, if my face wasn’t melting right now, you’d be dead!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Yeah, right,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
Rey watched Sana and Krystal throw one comment after the next at each other like ammo on a battlefield. He looked at the others and could see how annoyed they all were. Except Heer, she just seemed concerned. He thought he would have to take matters into his own hands.
***
At the end of the school day, Heer and Akira were at their lockers, chatting while getting their stuff together. As they were talking, Heer turned to see Rey was coming up to them. She looked at him and said, “Hey, Rey. What’s up?”
“Can I talk to you guys for a sec?” Rey asked.
“Is this about the Sana and Krystal fiasco?” Akira asked. “Because while entertaining, that whole thing is a mess.”
“I know. And we need to do something about it,” Rey said. “As stubborn as they both are, they’re friends and need to move on.”
“Even I think something needs to be done,” Heer said.
“Did you talk to the guys about this?” Akira asked.
“Yeah, and they don’t want to get involved,” Rey said.
“Even Prince?” Heer asked.
“He said they should figure it out themselves,” Prince said.
“Well, he’s not wrong,” Akira said. “I could expect this childishness from Krystal, but Sana, she’s typically above this…when she’s not being overly aggressive.”
“Well, we should give them a push. That’s why I’m coming to you both,” Rey said. “Can you two plan something to get them to confront each other civilly?”
“That could be a good idea. If we get them together in a calm environment, we could get them to talk things out,” Heer said.
“That sounds good!” Rey exclaimed. “Have fun with that!”
“Hold it! You come to us asking for help and you’re not going to do anything?” Akira asked.
“I did my part,” Rey said. “I was the messenger.”
Rey walked away before Akira’s piercing glances could scare him into staying. Akira shook her head and said, “Boys just love not taking responsibility sometimes, I swear.”
“I think I have an idea that could work,” Heer said.
***
The next day, Heer and Akira set the plan in motion. Well, it was pretty much Heer’s plan. Heer invited Krystal to Sage Park downtown and Akira did the same with Sana. They brought both girls to the park right after school. Once they all ran into each other, Heer could see Sana and Krystal were instantly heated.
“What is she doing here?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I could ask the same to you,” Sana said.
Akira rolled her eyes as she watched Sana and Krystal have a literal glare competition. Heer said, “Now, now. It’s a nice day out and the park is looking lovely. Why don’t we just enjoy the scenery?”
Sana sighed in frustration. “Fine, I’ll be civil,” Sana said as she walked ahead. “I can do that better than some people.”
“Oh, please! You are the last person that should be talking about being civil!” Krystal exclaimed as she started walking as well.
“You sure this will work?” Akira asked Heer.
“We’re in the presence of nature. It should calm them both down,” Heer said and then walked with Sana and Krystal.
“If you say so,” Akira said as she shrugged her shoulders and followed.
As the girls walked around the park, Sana and Krystal were keeping their distance. Heer could feel that there was an unusual amount of silence as they all walked together. She looked at Akira, who was visibly frustrated. She knew she had to do something to get Sana and Krystal to talk like normal. Heer looked at the array of pink tulips in the field. She said, “Aren’t these some beautiful flowers, Krystal?”
“Hmm? Oh yeah, they are nice,” Krystal said as she looked at the tulips. “They’re so bright and beautiful!”
“Do you like them, Sana?” Heer asked.
“Heer, why do you care about her opinion?” Krystal asked. “After all, it’s not like a brute such as herself could appreciate nature.”
“You know, I was going to say they look beautiful,” Sana said. “Maybe I should add that they’re prettier than your face.”
Once again, another argument ensued between Sana and Krystal. Heer began to whimper, seeing her plan was failing miserably. Akira looked at her and shook her head, thinking, They are fighting over flowers. It’s time to put an end to this.
“Okay!” Akira intervened, silencing Sana and Krystal. “Since you guys aren’t enjoying the park, I have another place in mind for us to go.”
***
Sana was stunned, Krystal was shocked, and Heer was surprised. Akira led the girls inside Splash Attack, a paintball center in Daredevil City. Heer would’ve never picked such a place for them to handle the situation, but she acknowledged Akira’s methods were probably going to be different from hers.
“Um, why are we here, Akira?” Sana asked.
“You guys clearly need to blow some steam,” Akira said as she stepped up to the counter. “If you can’t do it peacefully, you might as well come here. Krystal, give me your credit card.”
“What?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Why would I give you my credit card?! This wasn’t my idea.”
“That’s true, but if you don’t want me to smack you harder than Sana did, you’ll give it to me,” Akira said.
Terrified at the thought of Akira smacking her, Krystal quickly handed her credit card to her Akira handed it to the receptionist. After paying, they were directed to a room to get their gear and suits. As Sana and Krystal went ahead, Heer asked Akira, “Are you sure about this?”
“They want to be aggressive,” Akira said. “This is how you get out aggression.”
The girls got suited up and loaded up their paintball guns. They went outside to the actual park where people were already commencing in paintball fights. While Sana and Krystal were in the field, Akira went in blazing. She was having a grand time, striking one person after the next. She took a moment to stop as she looked at Heer, who looked like a frail deer amongst a pack of lions. She went up to her and said, “Heer, why aren’t you shooting?”
“Um, I’m not sure if this is my scene. I don’t really like hurting people unnecessarily.”
“Oh, come on, Heer. They’re just paintballs.”
“I know. But this is pretty aggressive.”
“That’s the point. Hey, we should check on Sana and Krystal.”
Akira and Heer went further into the field to look for Sana and Krystal. As she squared off with a few people amidst the lookout, Akira stopped upon seeing Sana and Krystal engaging in a shootout with each other. Aside from them having bad aim, it seemed like they were both pretty angry.
“You know, I should thank Akira after this,” Krystal said.
“After what?” Sana asked.
Krystal struck Sana in the stomach three times with her paintball gun and said, “That.”
Sana immediately got up and started hitting back. This time, she hit Krystal at her shoulders. They both started angrily shooting at each other. Heer was afraid of what would ensue, and Akira was borderline amused and annoyed.
“You know, only someone as immature as you would resort to smacking people for everything!” Krystal shouted at Sana.
“Immature? That’s rich coming from you. You’re the spoiled crybaby that whines whenever Prince doesn’t want to wear a stupid matching outfit with you.”
“That has nothing to do with this! And you wish you had my sense of style!”
“Oh, please. I don’t need fashion advice from a designer brand billboard.”
“You take that back! You’re just jealous! No wonder you ruined my dress at Headmaster Devil’s birthday party!”
“Oh, get over it. You took it to the dry-cleaners.”
“Yeah, but the resale value plummeted thanks to you!”
Sana and Krystal continued to argue and strike each other with paintballs at the same time. Heer looked at Akira, who was more frustrated than ever. Akira handed her paintball gun to Heer and walked up to Sana and Krystal. She took both of their paintball guns and they turned to her, saying, “Hey!”
“What are you doing?” Sana asked.
“You know, I should smack both of you right now,” Akira said. “But I’m not going to stoop to your level.”
“I haven’t done any smacking this whole time,” Krystal said. “I was the one that was wronged here.”
“Honestly, you both need to shut up,” Akira said. “I’m gonna say this to your faces, so that you two can stop embarrassing yourselves. Sana, you don’t need to smack every person who pisses you off for the slightest thing. It’s unbelievably childish.”
“Um, Akira,” Heer said.
“And Krystal, you’re bossy, rude, and you shove your perfectionist ways down everyone’s throat to the point where it’s annoying,” Akira said. “Heer and I took it upon ourselves to help you guys make up since Rey asked us to. Now we understand why he didn’t want to get involved because you two are irritating as hell. I’m done dealing with your stupidity. So, do everyone a favor and just shut up and sort this out yourselves.”
Akira walked out, leaving Heer, Sana, and Krystal. Heer could see Sana and Krystal were speechless and in disbelief.
***
After some time passed, Sana, Krystal, and Heer got cleaned up and sat in the lobby. After storming out, Akira went back to the field to play some more paintball. Heer figured she needed it to blow off some steam from her earlier lecture. Heer looked at Sana and Krystal, who were awfully quiet and clearly down. She wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but thought it was better to wait and see if one of them would talk.
“She really went in on us,” Sana said.
“I’m not bossy and rude,” Krystal said. “Am I, Heer?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have framed the way Akira said things so bluntly,” Heer said.
“So, you agree with her?” Sana asked.
“I agree with the notion she was going with. You both are wrong in this situation. One of you wants to feel more justified than the other, but neither of you are,” Heer said. “I know you’re both better than this. You two have been friends for so long that you can’t let something like this drag on.”
Sana couldn’t help but think that what Heer was saying was true. She couldn’t believe how far things had gotten. She looked at Krystal and could tell she was feeling the same way.
“You know, if it was put this way, it probably would’ve landed better,” Krystal said.
“Maybe. But Akira’s method certainly made you guys listen,” Heer said.
Sana and Krystal chuckled. They looked at each other and Sana said, “I’m sorry for smacking you that day. And for all the insults that I didn’t mean.”
“I’m sorry for being harsh on you at rehearsal and my share of insults. I guess I should work on not bossing people around like a crazy person.”
“I should probably work on not smacking people.”
“I know some people that would love that,” Heer said.
The three of them chuckled. Akira entered the lobby and upon seeing the three girls, she said, “So, you two made up?”
“Yeah, we did,” Krystal said.
“As much as we hate to admit it, you certainly made us wake up a bit,” Sana said.
“Good. I should be blunt with you guys more often,” Akira said.
“Or you can hold back next time,” Krystal said.
“Anyway, do you guys want to head back?” Heer asked.
“Well, since Sana and Krystal made up, we should do something fun to celebrate,” Akira said.
“I agree,” Sana said. “You got something in mind, Krystal?”
“Actually, you can take the reign on this one, Sana,” Krystal said.
Sana was surprised, but happy with Krystal’s gesture. She said, “Well, I did want to check out the new indie bookstore that opened downtown.”
“Books A Plenty?” Heer asked.
“That’s the one,” Sana said. “And maybe afterwards, we could go to Devil’s Diner for dinner.”
“Yes! I can treat everyone to Marigold Surprises!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You guys okay with that plan?” Sana asked.
“It sounds good to me,” Heer said.
“All right. Let’s head out then,” Akira said.
With that, the girls all headed out together for grand night ahead.
Hello! Normally, I’d post a story every month revolving around the characters of The Ringmasters Society. This time though, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to take the time to talk a little bit about one of my favorite characters in the series: Heer St. Hale.
When it came to creating Heer and the other characters, the most important thing was showcasing a range of characters that varied in personalities. Heer’s was certainly one that stood out amongst Sana, Rey, and the others for her softer nature (as you can hopefully see in this illustration). I won’t give too much away for those who are yet to delve into the series, but one of the things that I can say about her is that she represents strength in a way that we don’t recognize. There is much beauty in vulnerability and I think Heer represents that. Because of which, she’s one of my favorites amongst the large cast of characters in the series.
Want to learn more about Heer? Definitely check out my series, The Ringmasters Society, by clicking the Books tab on my site. And follow the site for more content! I post bonus stories with the characters and will try to post more of my illustrations and other work!
“Pink or red, guys?” Krystal asked Rey and Prince. It was a Sunday afternoon in Daredevil City. Krystal, Rey, and Prince were at the Reshawna store inside Daredevil Mall. Krystal had dragged the two along for a shopping trip. She was hoping to buy a new outfit for Valentine’s Day.
“Hello?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Did you guys hear me?”
“We did. I just don’t understand what the big deal is,” Prince said. “Buy whatever you want.”
“I’m asking for your opinion!” Krystal said.
“I like the red, but I think the pink one brings out your eyes,” Rey said.
“See, Prince! Rey is giving a solid opinion here,” Krystal said.
“Fine. You want my opinion?” Prince said. “The red one makes you look like a firetruck and the pink one makes you look like a flamingo. Happy?”
Krystal could feel the anger in her boil up. She couldn’t stand the attitude Prince was giving her and she certainly didn’t like being called a firetruck or a flamingo. She calmed down and said, “Prince, you don’t need to have an attitude.”
“You’re the one who dragged us both here,” Prince said. “Don’t be surprised that I’m not exactly ecstatic right now.”
“That’s because everyone else was busy,” Krystal said. “I have to have the perfect dress for Valentine’s Day.”
“It’s not like you have a date or anything,” Prince said as he started chewing on a lemon-flavored candy cane.
Krystal could feel her irritation get to the brim. Even Rey took note of how annoyed she was by Prince’s words.
“So?! Are you trying to say I need to have a date to look good on Valentine’s Day?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“No,” Prince said. “I just don’t understand the effort. That too for such a lame holiday.”
“Oh, someone has beef with Valentine’s,” Rey chuckled.
Prince didn’t say anything. He rolled his eyes, turning away. The only way to deal with the situation was to not look at anyone.
Krystal, in her frustration, said, “Whatever. I’m just gonna go with the pink one.”
Krystal headed back to the fitting room to change. Rey looked over at Prince and said, “So, are you coming for lunch?”
“Nah, I’m gonna slip out now,” Prince said as he got up. “I need to do some things before tomorrow. See ya.”
Prince left and Rey watched him leave. He shook his head, knowing Krystal was going to have a tantrum once she stepped out. And the moment she came out of the dressing room, she said, “Did he seriously leave before lunch?!”
“He said he was busy.”
“Busy?! Ha! All he does is sleep and eat candy canes. What could possibly keep him busy?”
“So, now what?”
“I’m gonna pay for this and we’ll go to lunch.”
“Just us?”
“Well, I’m not going to lunch alone! Or are you busy as well?”
Rey thought he could make something up, but he did feel bad about Prince ditching. Plus, there was the possibility of Krystal paying.
“No, I’ll tag along,” Rey said.
***
The next day, it was Valentine’s Day. It seemed like a normal day at Ringmasters Training Academy, but there were some students engaging in the exchanging of cards, candy, and flowers. Prince was certainly not one of them. He went to his locker and opened it, looking at all the candy he had stocked up. He had boxes of chocolates and a box of Valentine’s Day themed candy canes that were hard to find. Prince took one of the candy canes from the box. As he started chewing it, Neil walked by along with Rey and said, “Whoah, Prince. Look at all the candy. You have a valentine?”
“Yeah,” Prince said. “Myself.”
“Did you really think Prince was into Valentine’s Day?” Rey asked Neil, chuckling.
“Well, he seems to be…for the candy at least,” Neil said. “Can I have some?”
“Do you think I hoarded all the leftover candy at the grocery store just to share it with people?” Prince asked.
“Well, damn,” Rey said.
Neil whimpered and said, “Sheesh, Prince. You don’t have to be so mean.”
“What else can you expect from him?” a voice said.
Krystal showed up with Sana and Heer at her side. She was proudly wearing the new outfit she bought the other day, but she was indeed upset.
“What do you mean by that?” Prince asked.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Is this about yesterday? You’re really upset about that?”
“Yes, I’m upset. And since I’m upset, you should wait two to three business days before fighting me on it.”
“Damn,” Rey said.
“Okay, what’s going on here?” Neil asked.
“I don’t have time for this,” Prince said as he shook his head. He grabbed his books and some candy from his locker and then slammed it shut, leaving.
“Well, that certainly didn’t go well,” Sana said.
“Who cares?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Krystal, I know you’re upset with Prince, but maybe you guys could talk it out?” Heer asked.
“Heer, I don’t have the energy to talk to him,” Krystal said. “I’d rather enjoy my Valentine’s Day in peace.”
“Do you even have a valentine?” Neil asked Krystal.
“Who says I need to have one to enjoy the festivities?! Sheesh!” Krystal exclaimed. She left the group, feeling even more annoyed.
“Wow. I’ve never seen her this mad,” Sana said. “She doesn’t even get this mad when directing a circus show.”
“Sana, she doesn’t even get this mad when Prince won’t wear the matching outfits she buys him,” Rey said.
“You know, I wish she would gift me new outfits. I would at least wear them,” Neil said. “I don’t have any money for shopping.”
“Guys, shouldn’t we do something?” Heer asked. “It’s not good for them to have tension like this.”
“Yeah. Like talking to them is gonna be something easy to do,” Rey said.
“No, Heer is right. We should do something,” Sana said. “I think I have an idea.”
***
Later, at the end of the school day, Prince went to his locker to retrieve the remaining boxes of candy he had. As he was getting everything together in his backpack, he could feel someone was coming up to him. He turned around to see Heer standing before him. He was surprised to see her. Prince said, “Heer…what brings you to my locker?”
“I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“No, you’re not. What’s up?”
“Are you doing anything right now? I could use some help if you’re free.”
“Help with what exactly?”
“I’m volunteering for a class at an elementary school today. The kids there are having a Valentine’s Day party and I need to take some baked goods I made. Do you mind helping me?”
Prince sighed. He was planning to go back to his dorm to work on some homework and finish his candy. And he very well could do that, but at the same time, he didn’t think it was right to say no to helping Heer out.
“I guess I can help you out,” Prince said.
“Great,” Heer said. “We can go to my room and get them.”
Prince nodded and followed Heer down the hallway.
***
On the other hand, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Neil had gone to Lola’s. Sana thought a hangout with Krystal could help her cool down from her anger with Prince. It was also a good way to talk things out with her while Heer handled things with Prince. As they passed by the candy aisle, Rey said, “Wow. Prince wasn’t kidding when he said he hoarded all what was left of the Valentine’s Day candy.”
Sana shoved Rey in the arm with her elbow. She directed his attention to Krystal, who shifted from being perfectly calm to frustrated again.
“Nice work,” Sana said.
“Hey, I was just saying,” Rey said.
“Rey’s right. It’s not like Prince is one to share,” Krystal said as she looked at a pink teddy bear on the middle shelf. “In fact, he’s the least caring person I know.”
“Come on, Krystal,” Neil said. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do!” Krystal exclaimed. “He’s a big jerk! I can’t believe we’re even partners!”
“Krystal, remember, you two do make a good team,” Sana said. “A unique team certainly…but a good team nonetheless.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed hold of the pink teddy bear. “It doesn’t change the fact that he’s a jerk!”
“Oh, sheesh,” Neil said. “Is it really that big of a deal? I mean you did drag him to the mall.”
Rey looked at Neil, knowing he shouldn’t have said what he said. Sana shook her head, seeing Krystal get even more angry than before. Neil could tell he messed up, seeing her face get red.
“Not a big deal?! You really have the nerve to say its not a big deal?!” Krystal yelled. As she yelled, Krystal ripped the head of the pink teddy bear. She only realized it upon seeing the faces of her friends.
“Damn, Krystal. You don’t have to take it out on the bear,” Rey said.
“And now you’re gonna have to pay for it,” Sana said.
“Ugh!” Krystal exclaimed. “Neil, why did you have to set me off?!”
“I didn’t know you’d act so ballistic,” Neil said.
“Um, its Krystal,” Rey said. “How could you not know that?”
“What did you just say, Rey?!” Krystal said.
“Nothing, nothing at all!” Rey exclaimed.
Sana shook her head. I swear, these two aren’t the brightest bulbs sometimes, she thought. I hope Heer has an easier time handling Prince.
***
Heer and Prince took a bus from the academy to reach Lillian Crossing Elementary School. The two got off the bus, each holding three boxes of pastries and baked goods that Heer made. Heer led them inside the school building and walked all the way to room 3B. As soon as they entered the classroom, they were welcomed by several children. Heer was happy to see all the kids. She had gotten to know them through the many times she had visited. She could tell it was something new for Prince, who seemed overwhelmed by all the attention.
Heer saw the classroom teacher, Ms. Williams, walk up to her. She had dark eyes and curly brown hair. She was wearing a beautiful flowy red dress with a pink heart pattern in spirit of the holiday.
“Hi, Ms. Williams,” Heer said.
“Hello, Heer,” Ms. Williams said. “Thank you so much for bringing your amazing treats. Is this a friend of yours?”
“Yes, this is Prince,” Heer said. “He goes to RTA with me.”
“Hi,” Prince said.
“Nice to meet you, Prince. I’m glad you could join us,” Ms. Williams said. “You guys can set up everything on the table right over there.”
“Sounds good. Thank you,” Heer said as she moved towards the table in the corner with Prince following.
Ms. Williams got all the kids together and had them settle down while Heer and Prince started setting up. There were plenty of items to unpack. Heer took out the cookies and cherry tarts while Prince got out the cupcakes and brownies. Prince couldn’t believe that Heer had made so much. He knew she was an avid baker, but this felt like a whole catering job. Once everything was set, Ms. Williams had the kids get their treats. Heer and Prince helped with serving. Even though Prince could’ve been chilling back at his dorm, he didn’t completely mind helping Heer.
“So, are you having a good time?” Prince asked Heer.
“Yeah, this is nice. I’m glad the kids are having fun.”
“I gotta ask you something. What made you decide to volunteer for this?”
“Do you see the boy over there in the purple cat shirt?”
Prince looked at the kids to see who Heer was referring to. He did see the boy in the purple cat shirt. He had the biggest smile on his face as he dove right into the pink frosted cupcake. The boy had scraggly black hair and big chocolate brown eyes.
“That’s Karthi,” Heer said. “One day, I went for a walk at the park nearby and he was there with some kids. He was getting picked on, so I stepped in and helped him out. He wanted me to come to the school and meet Ms. Williams and the other kids. So, I just like to come by and help out every now and then when I can.”
Prince wasn’t surprised that Heer had so much kindness in her. What did surprise him was how much she could do for those who weren’t even close to her.
“Something on your mind, Prince?” Heer asked.
“I hate admitting it. But the whole thing with Krystal does bother me. I don’t know why she has to be so dramatic sometimes.”
“She’s Krystal. It’s just how she is.”
“I know, but she doesn’t have to get mad at me. She’s the one that dragged me to the mall to begin with. Hell, she drags me everywhere.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. Have you ever thought about why she’s like that?”
“Why? Do you know?”
“I think she just wants to feel like she’s friends with you. You’re not the most outgoing person, so she probably feels like she has to drag you around to wherever she wants to go. She’s your partner, so it makes sense that she wants to feel like she matters to you.”
“Matters to me?”
“Yeah. Neil may do some crazy antics, but I always want to be there to look out for him. And I know he’d do the same for me. For Krystal, being your partner also means being your friend. Now, she could definitely approach this in better ways, but I think she does what she does because that’s what she knows.”
Prince was surprised. He could understand Heer’s perspective. He hadn’t even thought about seeing things from that angle. As he thought over what Heer said, Karthi walked up to Heer. She looked at him and said, “Are you having fun, Karthi?”
“Yes,” Karthi said. “Thank you for the treats.”
“It was my pleasure,” Heer said.
“Hey,” Prince said. “Your name is Karthi?”
“Yes,” Karthi said. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Prince,” Prince said. “You want to see something?”
Karthi nodded his head. Prince got his backpack, unzipped it, and took out one of the Valentine’s Day candy canes he had. He could already tell Karthi was in awe of it.
“These are special candy canes. They’re pretty hard to find,” Prince said. “You want it?”
Karthi nodded happily. Prince handed the candy cane to him. He got out the box from his backpack and handed it to Karthi saying, “Can you give these to everyone else?”
Karthi took the box from Prince and went off, handing the candy canes to his classmates. Heer was surprised by Prince’s gesture. She looked at him and said, “Wow. This is a first.”
“Oh, come on,” Prince said. “I can be nice. Now tell me, where did you find the time to make all of this?”
“I like to bake after school. It helps me relax after a long day of school,” Heer said.
“Interesting way to relax,” Prince said as he took a bite out of one of the cupcakes.
***
Back at the dorms of Ringmasters Training Academy, Krystal was painting her nails, trying to relax. She was finishing up the last of her fingernails when the sound of a knock on her door made her mess up. “Great, now my nails are ruined,” Krystal said as she got up from her vanity chair. “Ugh!”
Krystal walked up to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see Prince was there. She folded her arms and said, “Yes?”
Prince cleared his throat. He took a few seconds of silence before saying anything.
“I’m sorry,” Prince said. “I shouldn’t have been so rude to you the other day.”
Krystal was surprised to hear Prince apologize. She could tell he was being sincere, and it meant a lot to her. She smiled and said, “It’s okay.”
Prince smiled back. It was a rare sighting for Krystal. She said, “Wait here for a sec.”
Prince nodded and waited while Krystal headed back to her room. She quickly came back, handing him a pink teddy bear and saying, “I’m sorry, too.”
Prince chuckled as he took the teddy bear. He looked at it closer and said, “Why does this bear look like it’s been to the hospital?”
“Now that’s a story,” Krystal said. “Do you wanna grab breakfast tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“Sounds good. Good night.”
“Good night, Krystal.”
Krystal closed the door and Prince went on his way.
“So, any ideas what he could possibly want us for this time?” Krystal asked the others. She along with Rey, Sana, and Akira were all heading towards Headmaster Devil’s office. They were in the middle of class when they were called and if anyone wasn’t in the mood to go, it was Krystal.
“I have no clue,” Sana said.
“More specifically, why us four?” Krystal asked.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Rey said.
“Well, we’ll find out,” Akira said. “Maybe he just needs to talk to us.”
By the time they reached the door of Headmaster Devil’s office, Sana went ahead and opened it. She entered along with the others, seeing Headmaster Devil was actually not at his desk. He was watering some plants that he had sitting by the window.
“Hello there, kids,” Headmaster Devil said as he turned towards the group.
“Uh, hi,” Akira said. “Since when did you keep plants?”
“For a while now. It’s a new hobby I’ve developed,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Well, that’s nice and all, but why exactly did you call us four?” Sana asked.
“Oh, right,” Headmaster Devil said. “I have a mission for you four.”
“Mission?” Krystal asked. “Why us four specifically?”
“I’ll get to that if you let me talk,” Headmaster Devil said.
Krystal pouted as she gave a side-eye to Sana, Rey, and Akira who were seemingly chuckling at her. Headmaster Devil put his watering can down and said, “In Ringling City, there have been a strange number of disappearances occurring within Ringling High School.”
“You mean disappearances related to dark beast activity?” Sana asked.
“That’s what signs are pointing towards,” Headmaster Devil said. “The scene of every disappearance at the school has involved the discovery of residue from a spider’s web.”
“Eww. Clearly someone needs to get an exterminator,” Krystal said.
“Krystal, try to see the bigger picture here,” Headmaster Devil said, shaking his head.
“Are they all kids?” Akira asked.
“Yes. Six students have disappeared in the past two weeks,” Headmaster Devil said.
“So, what are we supposed to do then?” Rey asked.
“I want the four of you to go undercover in the school as students and investigate the situation. See if there really is a dark beast behind all of this,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Hold up. I understand going undercover, but why us four specifically? Can you at least answer that?” Krystal asked.
“Part of it was availability. But mainly I felt all four of your skills would work well together,” Headmaster Devil said. “When you get to the school, you’ll meet with the other student you’ll be working with.”
“Other student?” Sana said.
“You four will be working with a student from Crimson Phoenix,” Headmaster Devil said.
“What’s the student’s name?” Rey asked.
“The headmaster didn’t tell me,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Why?” Akira asked.
“Let’s just say she likes to mess around with me. She’s all about surprises,” Headmaster Devil said. “She did say she sent one of her best though.”
“Don’t tell me she’s one of your exes,” Krystal said.
Headmaster Devil rolled his eyes and said, “You better get going. Your mission begins tomorrow morning.”
Krystal shook her head as she walked out of the office with Sana, Rey, and Akira. Yep. Definitely one of his exes, Krystal thought.
***
The following morning, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Akira took off to Ringling City in West Viridian. Traveling didn’t take as long thanks to the hoverboards they got from school. The group landed near the building of Ringling High School. It was your average school building with a brick exterior, certainly not as big as Ringmasters Training Academy. Sana watched the students go inside the building. She turned to the others and said, “Okay, what’s the game plan?”
“Uh, aren’t we supposed to meet with the student from Crimson Phoenix?” Rey asked.
“But we don’t even know what the student looks like,” Krystal said. “Sheesh. Sometimes I wonder if Devil knows what he’s doing.”
“Honestly, I feel like the student is going to find us,” Akira said.
“How do you know?” Sana asked.
“Look,” Akira said.
Sana turned around to see a boy coming right up to them. He had dark hair with indigo highlights that was tied in short braids and golden clips on both sides of his head. He had sharp, dark eyes as well. He looked rather muscular and wore a blue tank shirt with a silver medallion over it, gold wristbands, gray trousers with golden trim, and gray boots.
“You must be Sana, right?” the boy asked.
“Yeah,” Sana said. “Are you the student we’re supposed to be meeting?”
“Yup,” the boy said. “I’m Rainer. Rainer Driskell.”
“Rain or drizzle?” Rey said.
“That wasn’t close, Rey,” Akira said.
“You’re a funny one,” Rainer said to Rey. “So, you’re the famous Rey.”
“Famous! I’m famous?!” Rey exclaimed. “Oh, hell, yeah!”
“And you two must be Krystal and Akira,” Rainer said.
“You seem to know us pretty well,” Krystal said.
“Headmaster Carmine knows how to gather intel,” Rainer said.
“How come your headmaster wouldn’t tell us about you?” Sana asked.
“Uh, let’s just say she’s an eccentric one,” Rainer said. “Anyway, I’m sure your headmaster told you guys about the job, right?”
“Yeah. Do you have a plan in mind?” Sana asked.
“Uh, I’m more of a one step at a time kind of guy,” Rainer said.
“Okay. You don’t have a plan,” Sana said.
Rainer could feel his cool guy act die in seconds. He knew Sana was right. After all, Headmaster Carmine didn’t give him too much of a plan. He also felt overwhelmed with working with RTA students. He had already heard all the stories about them.
“Sorry, that was a bit much. Maybe its best we come up with a plan together,” Sana said. “I mean that’s why we were chosen to work together, right?”
“Oh, yeah! You’re right!” Rainer said. “That’s a good start.”
“First thing we can do is figure out a way to get into the school,” Akira said.
“I got that covered,” Rainer said as he took off his backpack. He took out a few sets of uniforms. “We’re gonna need to change into these.”
Rainer handed everyone a uniform. Krystal looked at the uniform, which consisted of a white button-up shirt, red necktie, and a khaki skirt. She said, “They really make their students wear this? Why can’t schools take note from anime? At least the uniforms in those shows are cute.”
“Krystal, this is not the time to complain about fashion,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
***
Sana, Rey, Krystal, Akira, and Rainer went inside the school and changed in the bathrooms. Once they had changed, they stepped out into the hallway. Krystal had gotten a good look at herself in the uniform, and she said, “You know…as tacky as this uniform is, I certainly pull it off.”
“Okay, now what?” Sana asked.
“Now, we just slip into one of the classes,” Rainer said. “Based off the intel I got from Headmaster Carmine, four out of the six students were from the sophomore class. The other two were juniors.”
“Okay. Maybe we should split up then,” Akira said. “One group can join a sophomore class and the other will join the juniors.”
“That’s a good idea, Akira,” Sana said. “Rey and I can join the sophomores and you guys can join the juniors.”
“Actually, I think I should team up with you, Sana,” Akira said. “I have a feeling that’ll work better. Also, Rainer, you might need to babysit these two.”
“Babysit?!” Rey exclaimed.
“You two have been known to make dumb moves every now and then,” Akira chuckled.
“Hey! I am not dumb!” Krystal exclaimed. “I happen to know five languages!”
“I never said YOU were dumb. Just that you make dumb moves,” Akira said.
“Let’s just go with that plan. I’ll go with these two,” Rainer told Akira.
Akira nodded and went off with Sana. As Krystal walked in the other direction with Rainer and Rey, she said, “I think everyone underestimates my intelligence.”
***
After Rainer figured out where the junior classes were, he led Rey and Krystal to classroom 3C right when class was about to begin. Rainer could tell the teacher, Ms. Robinson, was looking at them suspiciously. However, he managed to convince her that they were indeed new students and she had them sit all the way in the back.
Rey couldn’t help but feel a need to daydream during class. Classes at the academy were far more fun than the calculus class they found themselves in. He saw Rainer was taking notes, trying to go along with the act. He thought he should do the same, but he looked over at Krystal, who was just retouching her lip gloss. Instead, he thought about what Sana would do. She would focus on the mission and look for any clues in her surroundings.
One of the students was called by Ms. Robinson to the board. Rey immediately took note of how slowly the brunette-haired girl was walking. He couldn’t see her face as she wrote on the board, but even her hand movements were slow. What was striking was he could faintly see a strange marking on her right leg. It was miniscule, yet noticeably squiggly.
Rey looked over at Rainer and whispered, “Hey, the girl at the board has something on her leg.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s some weird marking.”
“Rey, do you have something you wish to share with the class?” Ms. Robinson asked.
Rey gulped as the other students turned towards him. “Oh, nothing. I was just discussing the equation,” Rey said. “Calc is so fascinating.”
“Ms. Krystal, are you paying attention to the board or your makeup?” Ms. Robinson asked.
Before Krystal could even say anything, the bell rang. Students started getting up and Rainer signaled to Rey and Krystal to get out as quickly as possible.
“Honestly, what’s her deal?” Krystal said as she headed out with Rey and Rainer. “Everyone needs a touchup here and there.”
“Well, let’s not focus on that,” Rainer said. “What’d you see, Rey?”
“There was a strange marking on that girl’s leg. Plus, her whole body was acting so slow. Almost like she was drained out of energy,” Rey said.
“Okay. But how does that have to do with the disappearances?” Krystal asked. “How do we know she didn’t just pull an all-nighter?”
“The marking could be a clue though,” Rainer said. “Sophomore lunch is supposed to be after the next class. Maybe we can watch her there.”
“That sounds solid,” Rey said. “What do we do till then?”
“Till then, we can slip into sophomore chemistry,” Rainer said.
“Can’t we pick a fun class for once?” Krystal asked.
***
On the other hand, Sana and Akira had exited out of the English class they were in. As they walked down the hallway, Sana stopped upon hearing her phone ring. She took it out from her backpack and saw she had received a text from Rey. Akira turned to her and said, “Something up?”
“It’s Rey. They found a girl in their class with a suspicious marking on her leg. He said we should look out for anyone with a similar marking.”
“Strange marking? Did he say anything else?”
“He also mentioned she was very low on energy.”
“Hmm. Strange markings and low energy.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking the disappearances are probably linked to a dark beast. But I don’t know what kind. Though if spider web residue was found in the disappearances, that could be it. This almost reminds me of Madame Naga.”
“You’re right. I hope its not as serious as that.”
“All right. What do you think we should do now?”
“I think we should let Rey and the others follow their lead. In the meantime, we can snoop around and look for clues.”
“Don’t you think that isn’t wise considering some faculty member could be lingering around the halls?”
“True. We just have to be stealthy about it.”
***
After a few minutes passed, Sana and Akira headed downstairs to the first floor. They hid behind a section of lockers and Akira subtlety checked the hallway. Seeing no one was around, she said, “Clear.”
Sana and Akira stepped out into the hallway. As the two walked, Sana looked around everywhere to see if anything was out of place. Her searching came to a halt when she noticed something on the floor. She bent down and picked up what appeared to be a spider web.
“Akira, check this out,” Sana said.
Akira bent down and looked at the spider web that Sana was holding in her hand.
“Well then. Either this school has a bug problem, or a dark beast of the spider variety is behind this.”
“How do we find out for sure?”
Before Akira could answer, she could hear the sound of footsteps coming near. “Someone’s coming,” Akira whispered. “Quick. In the bathroom.”
Sana and Akira quickly headed into the bathroom before they could be seen. Once inside, Sana found more spider web residue on the bathroom floor. Seeing the residue herself, Akira said, “Okay, this is definitely not just a bug problem.”
“Let’s check the stalls,” Sana said.
Sana went to the end of the bathroom, looking at each stall. Akira went to one on the other end. She saw nothing, but as she turned to head back, she could feel something strange on the floor. She stepped on the floor again, hearing a creaking sound.
“Sana, get over here,” Akira said.
Sana walked over to the stall that Akira was at. Akira looked at her and said, “I think there’s something up with the floor here.”
Sana looked down at the tiled floor where Akira was standing. She pressed her foot against it, feeling an odd shaking sensation from it. She bent down and looked closely at the tiles. The more she looked at them, the more she noticed they weren’t fully pressed into the floor. Sana pulled at the tiles, taking them completely out. What was left was a big hole that seemingly led to the basement.
“So, does this qualify as a clue?” Akira asked.
“I would say yes. Unless this school is seriously behind on maintenance.”
“Well then…I say we go down and see where it takes us.”
Akira nodded. Sana slowly got down and jumped through the hole with Akira following her. Sana was about to walk ahead till Akira said, “Wait. We could be walking into enemy territory.”
“Yeah?”
“So, we should make ourselves discrete. I’ll transform into my siren form and carry you. No one will hear our footsteps then.”
“Aah, I gotcha. Sounds good.”
Akira proceeded to transform. Her golden glow enclosed her body and faded once she was in her siren form. She flapped her wings and began to fly, carrying Sana by holding onto her shoulders. Now they had a real search ahead of them.
***
Later on, in chemistry class, Rainer, Rey, and Krystal were seated in the back. They all continued to blend in, working on an experiment just like the rest of the class. Rainer was in the middle of mixing a solution when he asked Rey, “Hey, can you give me some water?”
With no response, Rainer turned to Rey, seeing he looked distracted.
“Rey, what’s up?”
“I smell something weird.”
Suddenly, puffs of smoke were emerging around the classroom. The smoke alarm went off and the teacher seemed to be caught off guard.
“Everyone! Exit the classroom and evacuate the building,” the teacher ordered.
Students began following the teacher out of the classroom, one after the other. Rainer, Rey, and Krystal headed towards the door. Rey tried to open it, but it was seemingly locked.
“Rey, lets go!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I can’t. The door won’t budge,” Rey said.
“Hold up. Why do I have a feeling there’s something in here with us?” Rainer asked.
Rey could feel what Rainer was feeling. He turned around and realized he was right. “Guys, look,” Rey said.
Rainer and Krystal turned around. Before Rey and the others was a woman. She had dark hair tied in a top bun, purple eyes, and a devilish smirk. Her pale gray skin glistened in the sunlight from outside along with the black gown she was wearing. The most eye-catching thing had to be the shiny red pendant she was wearing.
“So, you’re the kids snooping around on what I’m doing here,” the woman said.
“Damn. She found out what we were doing, and we’ve never even seen her,” Rey said.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Rainer asked.
“I don’t owe you my name, but I can tell you what they used to call me back in the day,” the woman said. “They call me the Spider Queen.”
“Uh, not in that outfit, honey,” Krystal said.
“As for what I’m doing, your friends downstairs seemed to have gotten the idea and I don’t like repeating myself,” the Spider Queen said.
“She got to Sana and Akira,” Krystal said, preparing herself by drawing out her wand. “She means business then!”
“Well, I say we show her a thing or two, guys!” Rey exclaimed.
“Don’t mind me if I do as well,” the Spider Queen said as her eyes glowed bright red.
Suddenly, several large spiders emerged from the sinks of the desks. The sight of them made Krystal shriek, “Eww! Spiders are one thing. But spiders in water is just nasty!”
“This is gonna be hard without Sana by my side, but we gotta attack!” Rey exclaimed as he transformed into his tiger form.
As the spiders made their way towards them, Krystal and Rey got into action. Krystal launched one sound beam after the other towards the spiders while Rey launched fireballs. It was all seemingly going just fine till Rey stopped and looked at Rainer. He had transformed his wand into what looked like a winged sword. But he was just standing there, seemingly frozen as he looked at his sword. Rey transformed back and said, “Rainer! What’s up with you?”
Rey immediately got attacked by a swarm of spiders. As he tried to fend them off, Krystal rushed in to help. But she too was ambushed by them.
“Ugh! Get these nasty things off me!” Krystal cried as she tried to hit them with her sonic bell.
The Spider Queen held out her hand turning it to signal the spiders. They started shooting webs at Rainer, enclosing his body. She began to head towards the door, and she said, “It seems my work is done. It’d be best if you leave yourselves out from this point.”
With the Spider Queen gone, Rainer realized he had to get out and help Rey and Krystal. He quickly tried to raise his arms and said, “Come on. Come on.”
His golden wristbands began to glow brightly. As he emerged from the webs, he concentrated the energy in his hands, and he created a giant sphere of water. He launched the sphere towards the spiders, washing them away. In the process, Rey and Krystal got wet as well. The spiders had all disintegrated one after the other. Krystal slowly got up and said, “You know, for once, I’m not mad that my outfit is ruined.”
“Uh, you hated the uniform anyway,” Rey said as he got up. “Damn. We’re soaking.”
“Sorry, guys,” Rainer said. “I messed up.”
“No, no! You just saved us right now!” Rey exclaimed. “Also, that move you just did was really cool! How’d you-”
“Guys, we need to get to Sana and Akira!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Oh, right! Let’s go!” Rey said.
The trio headed out through the door. By the time they got to the hall, Sana and Akira were right there. Rey was shocked to see them both. Akira was holding onto Sana, who was seemingly injured.
“Sana! Are you okay?” Rey asked.
“We’re fine, honestly,” Sana said.
“Fine?! That Spider Queen injured her leg,” Akira said. “Judging by the way you guys look, it seems she got to you as well.”
“Damn it! My hair is frizzing, isn’t it?!” Krystal cried.
“Look, we need to get out of here and find a safe spot to retreat,” Akira said.
“There’s a small park down the street. Its usually not crowded,” Rainer said.
“Let’s go there then!” Rey said as he helped Akira with holding Sana.
***
Rainer led everyone to Rowling Park. The park was indeed quiet. Hardly anyone was present there. Once they were there, Rey and Akira helped Sana sit down on one of the benches. Krystal took a spare scarf she had with her and used it to tie around Sana’s leg.
“How did it happen?” Rey asked.
“The Spider Queen used one of her spider legs to pierce Sana’s leg in combat,” Akira said.
“Hold on. She can transform herself?!” Rey exclaimed.
“We found her in the basement of the school. There’s an abandoned room where she’s keeping the missing students,” Sana said. “It looks like she’s using their energy to fuel her powers.”
“What the hell?” Rey said.
“This is absurd. I’m gonna call Devil and find out if he has any intel on this Spider Queen,” Krystal said as she started dialing Headmaster Devil’s number on her phone. “There’s gotta be something we’re not getting here.”
Krystal’s call was indeed answered. But instead of Headmaster Devil appearing on the screen, it was Zayn.
“Zayn?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Why are you answering?!”
“Uh, hi to you, too,” Zayn said.
“What’s up, man?” Rey asked as he walked over to see Zayn on Krystal’s phone screen.
“Uh, nothing much. I just needed to get something from the office,” Zayn said.
Zayn handed the phone to Headmaster Devil. Once he was on, he said, “Krystal, how are things going with the mission?”
“Well, a lot of stuff has happened today,” Krystal said. “I need to know if you know anything about someone named the Spider Queen.”
“The Spider Queen? You ran into her?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“So, you know her?” Rey asked.
“Yes. But her name hasn’t come up in a long time. She went off the radar years ago,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Who was she?” Krystal asked.
“She was a notorious dark beast. Not as powerful as Madame Naga, but definitely similar in abilities. After she was defeated by a ringmaster from the Ringmasters Society, she was never heard from again,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Wait. Maybe this ringmaster that defeated her took away a lot of her power,” Sana said. “That’s why she’s using the kids to fuel her power. She’s trying to regain it.”
“But how could she do that?” Akira asked.
As the others were pondering, Rey thought on it for a moment. He suddenly remembered something and said, “Maybe it has something to do with that red pendant she was wearing.”
“Oh! The pendant must be what draws out the energy from the humans,” Krystal said. “But why go after regular kids?”
“It’d be easier for her to swallow energy from normal humans than ringmasters or human-beasts,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Are the kids still in the basement?” Rey asked Sana and Akira.
“They are. But their energy has already been taken. We need to find her and break the pendant. I’m pretty sure that’s the only way we can restore their energies,” Sana said.
“Well, you’d have to find out where she’s heading to do that,” Headmaster Devil said. “Krystal, send me her description details and I can see if I can get any intel on her location.”
“Sure thing,” Krystal said.
Headmaster Devil ended the call. While Krystal was preparing to send details, Rey took note of Rainer. He was sitting on a bench by himself, and he was awfully quiet for a while. He noticed Rainer was looking at his winged sword. Rey wondered why he didn’t use it when they were fighting the Spider Queen. Something about it seemed to bother Rainer.
“Rainer’s been pretty down,” Rey said.
“I noticed. Do you know what’s wrong?” Sana asked.
“Not exactly. But he keeps looking at the sword,” Rey said.
“I wonder why he has it if he doesn’t even use it in battle,” Krystal said.
“Well, someone should go talk to him,” Akira said. “To work better as a team, we have to understand each other’s emotions.”
“Akira has a point. I’m gonna go talk to him,” Rey said.
Rey got up and walked over to where Rainer was sitting. He could tell Rainer wasn’t even aware that he was coming. Rey said, “That’s a nice sword you got there.”
“Oh, thanks,” Rainer said, startled upon hearing Rey’s voice.
“I gotta ask…that trick you did back there was really cool. Do your wristbands allow you to control water?”
“Yeah. They help me concentrate my water energy.”
“That’s cool. If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you use your sword back there?”
Rainer wasn’t surprised that Rey would ask this question. After all, he couldn’t stop looking at his sword. Rey sat next to him as he pondered over how to respond.
“I understand if you don’t wanna talk about it,” Rey said. “I wanted to ask because it seems to bother you. I know we just met and all, but you’re a cool dude and I really think we could be good friends.”
“And we want to help you if we can,” Sana said.
Rainer looked up to see Sana, Krystal, and Akira had come by as well. Seeing all the support around him, he felt as though he could trust the others.
“Okay. This sword isn’t any ordinary ringmaster weapon,” Rainer said. “It’s the legendary sword of Shango.”
“Sword of Shango?” Sana said.
“Yeah. According to my ancestors, the sword belonged to Shango, the ultimate thunder ringmaster,” Rainer said.
“Thunder! You have water and thunder powers?!” Rey asked.
“Yeah. This sword has been passed down in my family for generations. For every generation, a worthy successor is chosen. This time it was me. My dad gave it to me recently. We had a whole ceremony as per tradition,” Rainer said.
“I see. So, it’s a lot to handle, isn’t it?” Akira asked.
“The power of this sword brings a lot of pressure along with it,” Rainer said.
“By any chance, do you mean family pressure?” Krystal asked.
“Oh, yeah. The elders had a lot to say about my dad’s decision. Of course, nothing beats the fact that my mom was against it,” Rainer said.
“Your mom?” Akira said.
“Yeah. There’s some history there. Not the good kind,” Rainer said. “Even though she and my dad aren’t together anymore, I still see her. And every time, it just gets worse.”
“That bad, huh?” Rey said.
“She didn’t even speak to me at the ceremony,” Rainer said. “And she waits a whole week later to send me a message explaining why she didn’t speak to me.”
“Wow. Mother of the year,” Krystal said.
Hearing the little bit of Rainer’s history with his family made Rey put things together. He looked at Sana and from the way she looked at him, even she could understand where he was coming from.
“So, your mother and the pressure from your family is making you doubt your worthiness of wielding the sword?” Rey asked.
“Pretty much. I haven’t even talked to the sword,” Rainer said.
“The sword talks?” Akira asked.
“When Shango died, he sealed his spirit in his sword so he could live on with every swordsman after. Kinda like a guide I guess,” Rainer said.
“Hey, isn’t that similar to your zodiac wand, Krystal?” Sana asked.
“I guess so,” Krystal said.
“Rainer, I may not have known you for long, but I think you’re a cool and capable guy,” Rey said. “You gotta believe in yourself, man! You got this!”
“You really think so?” Rainer asked.
“Definitely. You totally saved us back there. It may have messed up my hair, but a bad hair day is worth it when you’re still in one piece,” Krystal said.
“Your headmaster sent you here for a reason. She believed in you. You just have to have faith in yourself,” Sana said.
“I don’t know how this sword works. But if you trust in yourself, I’m sure the sword will trust you,” Akira said.
Rainer looked back at his sword. The golden wings on its hilt and its shiny sheen captivated him. He felt something different when looking at the sword this time. It was elation. He felt a sudden drive in him that he didn’t feel before.
Rainer stood up from the bench. He could tell the others were looking at him, possibly wondering what was on his mind. He turned to them and said, “Thank you, guys. I’m ready to get down to business.”
“Yeah! That’s what we like to hear!” Rey exclaimed.
“All right. We have to figure out where the Spider Queen is heading,” Akira said. “Sana and I didn’t get much insight from when we ran into her. That means we’ll have to use our brains and figure this out.”
“Well, let’s start with the basics. Why would she go to this school in the first place?” Sana asked. “One thing I can think of is that this school has the largest student body in the state. That aside, students are easy victims.”
“How so?” Rainer asked.
“They’re easier to get to. Remember those spiders she summons? I’m pretty sure she’d have them bite the students she chose as victims. Once they were bitten, they’d be vulnerable enough for her to abduct them and drain their energy,” Sana said.
“Those are good points,” Akira said. “But why did she leave the school entirely then if it was her perfect pool for victims?”
“Maybe because we caught onto her plan?” Rey asked.
“Seems too simple,” Rainer said.
As the others were trying to figure things out, Krystal said, “Oh my gosh! I got it! I know where the Spider Queen is!”
“You do?” Akira asked.
“Yes! I know the exact place she’d be heading,” Krystal said. “You said the reason she came to this school was because of the large population, right?”
“Yeah,” Sana said.
“Well, I happen to know that Akshay Arora is having a show tonight in Ringling City to showcase his upcoming summer collection,” Krystal said. “It’s the perfect place to nab victims.”
“Why would the Spider Queen go to a fashion show?” Rey asked.
“Hello?! Plenty of young celebrities, socialites, and personalities are all seated in one area. Its an easy way for her to get a bunch of victims all at once with her spiders and snuff out their energy,” Krystal said.
Sana looked at the others, who were just as surprised as her. She couldn’t believe it. “Krystal, you may actually be on to something,” she said.
“I always knew my knowledge of fashion would get me somewhere,” Krystal said as she flipped her hair.
“So, we just go to this fashion show and stop the Spider Queen,” Rey said.
“Its not that easy, Rey. You have to be invited to those shows,” Akira said.
“And we need a proper plan,” Sana said.
“Well, when it comes to fashion, I have my ways,” Krystal said.
“And I think I can come up with a plan,” Rainer said.
***
In downtown Ringling City, the Akshay Arora show was being held at 21st Tower. Attendees were entering one after the other. And Krystal was determined to get the group in. The plan was in motion. While Rainer was planning to enter the building from the opposite side, Krystal was in charge of getting the others inside the show. It only took her a few hours prior to the show, but she was able to make a legit invitation for them to get in and she went the extra mile by creating matching outfits for them all to wear. The outfits had a red and teal color palette with variations on the same design. Krystal’s was a dress with over-the-knee boots, Rey’s was a set with a jacket and shorts, Sana’s was a one shoulder jumpsuit, and Akira’s was a cropped jacket with a matching skirt. The four of them were standing in line to enter the building for the show.
“I gotta hand it to you, Krystal. I’m liking these outfits,” Sana said.
“Though why do we look like a band?” Akira asked.
“That’s because for tonight, we are,” Krystal said, handing the invite she made to Akira.
Rey looked over to see what was on the invite. After reading it, he said, “We’re Ringmaster Pop? What kind of dumb name is that?”
“Its not dumb!” Krystal exclaimed. “It’s not like you have my creativity, Rey.”
“What creativity?! The name sounds like something a bunch of wannabe kids trying to act like pop stars would come up with,” Rey said.
“Dude, let it go. We need to focus on the task at hand,” Akira said.
“Rainer just messaged me,” Sana said, looking at her phone. “He says he’s in the building.”
“Good. Once we’re in, things will really go into motion,” Krystal said.
“You mean IF we get in,” Rey said.
Krystal put her annoyance to the side as she stepped forward in line with the others following. She handed the invitation to the security guard. After looking at it, he said, “Ringmaster Pop?”
“We’re very popular in France,” Krystal said.
“Oh, I’ll have to check you guys out,” the security guard said. “You can come in.”
Krystal smirked as she led the others inside the building. She turned to Rey and said, “What was that you said, Rey? You eating those words now?”
“Shut up,” Rey said. “Now what?”
“We have to be on the lookout for the Spider Queen,” Akira said. “I’m guessing she’ll be in the audience.”
“Rainer needs us to signal him when we spot her,” Sana said. “I think we should split up to cover the area of the room.”
With everyone in agreement, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Akira split up, going in different directions to cover the whole space. Sana headed to the far-right corner. As she walked by, she stopped, seeing the Spider Queen was seated in the back at the end of the row. She quickly typed a message on her phone for everyone that read, “Found her. Stay in your positions.”
Sana notified Rainer of the sighting. Rainer was waiting in the balcony. He looked down at the audience, finding the spot where the Spider Queen was at. He bent down and drew out his wand, transforming it into the winged sword. The show had just started. Music was playing and the first model started walking the runway.
Rainer kept a close eye on the Spider Queen. He had to wait and see her make a move. He held tightly onto his sword. He looked at it and said, “Shango, if I need you, are you there?”
After a few seconds, Rainer wasn’t sure if Shango could hear him or if he was just talking to himself. But he wanted to put all his doubts aside. Suddenly, the sword’s blade began to glow. He also heard a faint yes. Rainer looked back at the audience and could see that the Spider Queen was getting ready to move, her pendant beginning to glow. Before she could summon her spiders to do their dirty work, Rainer raised his sword and a bright bolt of lightning emerged from the blade, hitting directly at the ceiling lights. The lights in the room went out and everything went dark. Audience members began to murmur amongst themselves. It didn’t take long for people to exit the area in masses. Once everyone was gone, Rainer raised his sword again, using the massive electric sparks from the blade to light up the space and bring back the electricity in the room. He could see Rey, Sana, Krystal, and Akira were together, standing on the runway. And not too far from them was the Spider Queen, who looked directly at Rainer.
“I should’ve made sure you were dead back there,” the Spider Queen said.
“Bet you didn’t count on this,” Rey smirked.
“There’s nothing to count on with a bunch of weaklings like yourselves,” the Spider Queen said.
“Let’s see if you still say that when we beat your ass this time,” Akira said.
“Everyone, go!” Sana exclaimed as she transformed her wand into her trishula.
Krystal got out her sonic bell while Rey and Akira transformed. The Spider Queen’s eyes glowed red and she unleashed her spiders towards Sana and the others. Sana turned to everyone and said, “Remember the goal. Don’t get too distracted by the spiders.”
Everyone nodded. Sana and Rey joined together taking on as many spiders with their fire combinations while Krystal used her sonic bell on them. Akira noticed Rainer still standing at the balcony. She flew over to him and said, “Aren’t you coming down?”
“You heard, Sana. We have to focus on getting that pendant,” Rainer said as he looked at the Spider Queen.
“We can’t all go after her at once. Not with those spiders.”
Rainer noticed that Sana, Rey, and Krystal were trying to take down spiders and get to the Spider Queen, but she just kept summoning more to get in their way. It seemed like they would keep coming no matter how many times they try to get to her. But then, something clicked.
“I have an idea. You’ll have to trust my lead.”
“Go for it.”
Rainer raised his sword up again, knocking out the lights in the room. The Spider Queen said, “This trick is an old one.”
“Is it?” Rainer asked.
Rainer illuminated the room again with his sword with Akira flapping her wings and launching a strong gust of sand towards the Spider Queen. “Now, guys!” Akira called to Sana, Rey, and Krystal.
Krystal launched a sound beam from her sonic bell at the Spider Queen. The Spider Queen deflected it with a dark energy beam from her hand. Rey went ahead and attacked her directly by pouncing at her. The Spider Queen pushed him off, making him hit into Sana.
Rainer once again turned off the light with his sword. This became a back-and-forth tactic he used so the others could continue to attack her directly. It didn’t take long for her to get agitated. She unleashed her spider legs from her back. Suddenly, she became a much larger presence.
“Damn,” Rainer said.
Along with the Spider Queen’s upgrade, there were still many of her spiders surrounding the group. The Spider Queen pinned Krystal to the ground by one her legs. Sana wanted to help her, but she knew she had to do something about the spiders. She looked at Rey, who nodded back at her. The two charged towards the spiders with Sana charging her fiery trishula through them and Rey launching one fireball after the other. Rainer looked at Akira, who nodded back at him.
“Krystal, I know its hard, but you have to ring your sonic bell,” Akira said.
“Ha! Like that’s going to stop me!” the Spider Queen laughed.
“Worth a shot,” Krystal grunted as she rang her sonic bell.
With the sonic bell’s sound, Akira aligned with it using her singing voice. The sound waves of her voice and Krystal’s sonic bell were able to freeze the Spider Queen in her tracks. It was just what Akira needed. Akira released the ribbons from both her arms and tied them around the Spider Queen’s legs, bringing her down to the ground. As she fell, the ribbons released and got back onto Akira’s arms, and she kicked the Spider Queen in the face.
With the Spider Queen down, Rainer took this as the opportunity to make a move. Seeing Sana and Rey taking out spiders and Akira and Krystal getting up, he said, “Guys, I need you to take cover!”
They quickly got out of the way and Rainer concentrated his energy through his wristbands. He launched a massive stream of water from his hands that hit the Spider Queen and all her spiders. Using this as a distraction, he grabbed hold of his sword and jumped off the balcony as the wings on the sword began to glow. He was flying. The sword allowed him to make his way towards the Spider Queen. With a clear shot at the pendant, he channeled everything into the blade, the electricity building up on it. Once he got near, he plunged the sword into the Spider Queen’s pendant, breaking it and sending a shock of lightning into her body.
The Spider Queen screamed in agony as she was struck by the lightning and the energy from her body began to get pulled out. Rainer stepped back along with the others as the spiders, the pendant, and the Spider Queen all disintegrated at once.
Shocked at his victory, Rainer fell to his knees. He felt pretty tired. Rey transformed back into his human form and said, “Way to go, Rainer!”
“Yeah, you totally saved the day!” Krystal exclaimed. “I can’t believe your sword lets you fly.”
“Great job,” Sana said.
“No. We all did a great job,” Rainer said as he got up. “I definitely couldn’t have done this without you guys.”
“Aww, come here!” Rey exclaimed as he gave Rainer a tight hug.
“Guys, the moment is nice and all, but we should really check on the students back at the school,” Akira said.
“That’s right!” Sana exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
***
After some time had passed, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Akira, and Rainer headed back to Ringling High School. They found the students in the basement, and they all had their energy restored. With them safe, they helped them get back to their homes safely. To treat themselves to a job well done, they decided to go to a restaurant called Bobby’s. Rainer chose it as he was a big fan of their chicken wings.
“Damn. How many wings have you had already?” Krystal asked Rainer.
“Oh, come on. He deserves it for how well he did today,” Akira said.
“Believe it or not, this is the way I like to treat myself,” Rainer said. “Well, this and a good night of gaming.”
“No way! Dude, we should totally game together sometime!” Rey exclaimed.
“I’m down,” Rainer said.
“You know, as crazy as this job was, it was great having you on board, Rainer,” Sana said.
“Same here,” Rainer said. “We’ll definitely be seeing each other again.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rey said.
“And hey, next time, you guys will have to meet my partner back at the academy. She’s awesome,” Rainer said.
As the group were laughing and talking amongst themselves, Rey was feeling stoked. Him and the others now had a new friend in Rainer. And he had a feeling there was more to look forward to in the future.
“You…got me candy canes?” Neil asked Prince. It was almost time for Christmas and that meant that the students of Ringmasters Training Academy would be going on winter break soon. Before going off for the holidays, Sana, Rey, and the rest of the gang agreed to do a Secret Santa exchange amongst themselves in spirit of the holidays. They all randomly picked names from a hat and whichever name they got would be the one they’d give their gift to. Everyone had to give their gifts by Christmas day. And seeing Prince hand a jumbo box of candy canes to him, Neil assumed Prince was his Secret Santa.
“Ho ho ho,” Prince said.
“What’s going on here?” Krystal asked as she came up to Neil and Prince by the lockers along with Akira.
“Apparently Prince is my Secret Santa,” Neil said as he held the box of candy canes.
“Prince, seriously? You got him candy canes?” Akira asked. “Way to be thoughtful.”
“Hey, be thankful I’m willingly just giving you my candy canes. I never give candy canes to anyone,” Prince said.
“Sheesh, Prince. Where’s your Christmas spirit?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I’ll have it once we’re on winter break and I can nap for two weeks straight,” Prince said.
“Well, you’re lucky I like this gift,” Neil said.
“You do?” Akira asked.
“Yeah! Now I don’t have to spend money on candy canes! And these are the flavored ones!” Neil exclaimed. “Thanks, Prince.”
“Don’t mention it,” Prince said.
“Neil, you can’t just settle! You deserve a meaningful gift!” Krystal exclaimed. “Prince, you need to step up your gift giving game!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said, rolling his eyes.
“Krystal, who did you get for Secret Santa?” Akira asked.
“I got Zayn,” Krystal said.
“Oh, interesting,” Akira said. She looked at Neil and Prince, who were grinning as much as she was.
“Who did he get by the way?” Krystal asked.
“Why are you so interested?” Akira asked.
“I just asked a question! Nothing of it!” Krystal exclaimed. “Anyway, I’m going to go to class. I’ll see you all at lunch.”
Akira remained with Neil and Prince, watching Krystal walk off. As she turned to them, Neil asked, “So, do you know who Zayn got?”
“I do. He got Krystal as well,” Akira said.
“Oh, interesting,” Prince said. “A direct switch.”
“Hopefully he’s more creative than you,” Neil said to Prince.
“You just said you liked my gift,” Prince said.
***
Later in the day, Sana and Krystal were grabbing lunch in the cafeteria. As they chatted amongst themselves, they walked towards the table where Rey, Prince, Neil, Zayn, and Akira were seated. As they were about to sit down, Sana went up to Prince, drawing out a jumbo-sized candy cane with a red bow wrapped around it from her backpack. “Merry Christmas, Prince,” Sana said, handing the candy cane to him.
“Seriously?” Neil said.
“Sana, how did you get this?” Prince asked, admiring the candy cane. He admired the pristine shape of the candy cane, and the peppermint smell was more defined and poignant, probably because it was way more peppermint than a normal candy cane. “The jumbo-sized candy canes are not even in any of the candy stores near here.”
“True, but they are in this shop all the way in Doveland. Thankfully, they ship here. Pretty quickly as well,” Sana said.
“Wow. This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you,” Prince said.
“Hold it! You’re being thankful?!” Krystal exclaimed. “I’ve gifted you so many nice things and all I’ve gotten in return is your annoyance!”
“Yeah…but that’s different,” Prince said.
“Well, sugar really speaks to the guy,” Rey said.
“Only a specific kind of sugar that is,” Akira chuckled.
“Where’s Heer?” Krystal asked as she and Sana sat down.
“Coming right this way,” Zayn said.
Rey turned around to see Heer was coming their way. She was holding on tightly to a shiny red gift bag that had a snowman on it. He guessed it was her Secret Santa gift. He was curious to find out who was the recipient among the gang. Seeing her come directly to him, he said, “Are you my Secret Santa?”
“I am. It took me a while, but I finally got your present together,” Heer said as she handed the bag to Rey. “Be careful though. It’s quite fragile.”
“Eek! I’m excited!” Rey exclaimed as he carefully took the gift bag from Heer. He gently placed it on the table. He removed the tissue paper and took the object inside, which was wrapped in more tissue paper. As he carefully unwrapped it, he was astonished to see what it was. It appeared to be a snow globe, but it wasn’t an ordinary one. Inside the globe was a running tiger figurine and instead of snowflakes, the flakes appeared to be fiery. Rey was in awe of the globe. Before he could say anything, Sana said, “Wow, Heer, this is amazing.”
“Did you make it yourself?” Akira asked.
“Yeah. I’ve been working on it after school in the art room,” Heer said.
“Whoah! You made the figurine yourself?” Krystal asked. “It looks so good!”
“This is why I keep telling you to show off your work,” Neil said to Heer.
“Thanks, Heer!” Rey exclaimed as he got up from his seat and gave Heer a big hug.
“Aww, well, I’m glad you like it, Rey,” Heer said as she sat down with the others at the table. Rey wrapped the globe with the tissue paper and carefully put it back in the bag. He was stumped because he wasn’t expecting Heer to be his Secret Santa. Especially since he was also hers. He wondered what he could possibly gift her to compare to the thoughtful gift she gave him.
He wasn’t alone. Zayn was also stuck, thinking about what to gift Krystal. She seemed to be the hardest person to get a gift for. She has it all from designer clothes, jewelry, bags, shoes etc. What could you possibly give the girl who has everything? Zayn thought.
***
After school, Rey had Sana come with him for gift shopping. They stopped at every place possible from a small gift shop to the downtown Reshawna store. After much browsing, they stopped at Lola’s, one of the popular retailers in the country. As they were looking around, Rey brought a giant purple teddy bear to Sana’s attention.
“Really? That’s what you want to give her?”
“It’s cute! You’ve seen Heer. She definitely likes cute things!”
“You’ll need to get a little more creative.”
“Oh, come on. I’ve tried everything. I can at least afford something here. The only thing I could afford at Reshawna is a pen and even that was fifty dollars.”
“Look, your gift should be something meaningful. Something that comes from the heart. Heer put a lot of thought and care into her gift, so you just have to do the same for her.”
“Well, well, nice to run into you guys here.”
Sana turned along with Rey to see Akira walking towards them. She had a cart with a bunch of items in it and a bright red gift bag in her other hand.
“Hey, Akira,” Sana said. “What brings you here?”
“I wanted to get in on some shopping,” Akira said. “And since we’re here…here you go.”
“Wait, you’re Sana’s Secret Santa?” Rey asked.
“That I am,” Akira said.
“Oh, I wonder what this is,” Sana said as she took the bag from Akira and started to look inside. She pulled out a red velvet box. Once Sana opened it, she was astonished to see a gold locket with a fiery red diamond as the pendant. She remembered seeing a similar necklace in a jewelry shop a while back.
“Akira, this is beautiful!” Sana exclaimed. “It looks exactly like the one in this jewelry shop downtown.”
“That’s because it is the same one. I was with you and Krystal, remember? I had to get it,” Akira said. “I knew you liked it so much because the diamond reminds you of your own fire. So, I thought it’d be the perfect gift.”
“This looks expensive though,” Rey said.
“It was. But I bargained quite a bit and exchanged some of my old jewelry that I don’t wear anymore,” Akira said.
“Aww, thank you!” Sana exclaimed as she hugged Akira.
“No problem, girl,” Akira said as she hugged Sana back. “So, Rey, who are you shopping for?”
“I’m trying to find a gift for Heer,” Rey said.
“And you think she’s going to like a purple teddy bear? That’s cute,” Akira said.
“I said the same thing,” Sana said.
“What the hell?! You guys don’t think giant teddy bears are cute?!” Rey questioned.
“It’s not that they’re not cute. You just need to get something meaningful to her,” Akira said.
“That’s kinda hard,” Rey said. “She’s the most selfless person I’ve ever seen. I don’t think a simple gift is gonna cut it for her.”
“Well, its time you get creative,” Akira said.
“Hey, guys. Is that Zayn over there?” Sana asked.
Akira looked over the aisle, standing with both Sana and Rey. She did indeed see Zayn. He was in the jewelry section, seemingly looking at necklaces. Knowing that he never wore any jewelry aside from the same stud earrings he always had on, she assumed he was looking for a gift for Krystal.
“I wonder whose Secret Santa he is,” Rey said.
“He got Krystal,” Akira said.
“Really?” Sana asked. “I wonder what he’s going to get her.”
“She also got him. This’ll be interesting,” Akira said. “I’m gonna go surprise him. I guess I’ll see you guys later then.”
“Yeah. See ya,” Rey said.
As Akira left, Rey sighed. He spent hours looking for a gift and couldn’t find anything. Christmas was only a few days away. He knew Sana and Akira were right, but he didn’t even know how creative he could possibly get.
“What’s up with you, Rey?”
“Sana, this Secret Santa thing is hard. At this rate, I’ll never get a gift for Heer.”
“Don’t sweat it. Come on. Let’s go to the bus stop. Maybe you’ll think of an idea on the way back.”
Rey shrugged his shoulders. He followed Sana out of the store. On the other hand, Akira walked up to Zayn and said, “So, still looking for a gift?”
Zayn was startled upon hearing Akira’s voice. He turned to her and said, “Seriously?! What are you doing here?”
“Chill out. I’m just doing some shopping. What’s the matter? You don’t want anyone seeing you shop here?”
“I’m not buying anything from here anyway.”
“Why?”
“There’s nothing here that she’d like. I’m out of options. She’s just not an easy person to get a gift for.”
“Oh, come on. It can’t be that hard to find something she likes.”
“It’s not so much about what she likes and more so about what she has. She has practically everything. And whatever she doesn’t have, she has the money to get it herself.”
“Well then. I’ll tell you what I told Rey. Get creative. Maybe what you’re looking for is something that can’t be bought in a store.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
Zayn sighed as he exited the store, leaving Akira to finish her shopping. He wasn’t much of a gift giver himself. This Secret Santa thing felt more challenging than any battle or training he had ever done. And the worst part was he was running out of time.
***
The next day, it was an early morning at Ringmasters Training Academy. Sana was at her locker, getting her books for the first class of the day. As she was getting her stuff, she noticed Rey walking toward her. He looked incredibly tired which was quite unlike him. “What happened to you?” Sana asked.
“I stayed up all night trying to make a present. And I failed.”
“What exactly did you try to make?”
“All kinds of things. I tried drawing and nothing came out right. I even tried knitting and I poked my finger way too many times.”
“Did you think getting creative meant making something from scratch?”
“Well, what else could it have meant?!”
“Hold that thought. Hi, Heer!”
Rey shrieked as Heer came up to him and Sana. He didn’t want her to find out that he was her Secret Santa.
“Hi, guys. How are you all doing?” Heer asked.
“We’re doing just fine. And you?” Sana asked.
“I’m doing good,” Heer said. “Rey, are you alright? You look very tired.”
“I stayed up a little too late last night,” Rey said.
“Oh, I see. Hopefully you can get some sleep,” Heer said. “It’ll be nice once we’re all on break.”
“Yeah. Speaking of break, do you have any plans?” Sana asked.
“Well, I’m planning to visit Runa at St. Tulip’s. I thought I’d see her in the spirit of the holiday,” Heer said.
“Aww, that’ll be nice,” Sana said. “When are you going?”
“I’m heading over there tomorrow. Tomorrow’s her last day there before the holidays,” Heer said. “Anyway, I have to go talk to Aster and Tina before class. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”
“See ya,” Rey said.
Once Heer left, Sana noticed Rey’s fatigue disappear in an instant. He had a smirk on his face. It was as if he had stumbled on an idea of sorts.
“What’s with you?” Sana asked.
“I think I just got an idea for Heer’s present.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! And I’m gonna need you to help me!”
“Me? What am I supposed to do?”
“Just come with me and I’ll tell you,” Rey said as he pulled Sana by the arm, walking with her down the hallway.
***
Later in the day, at lunch, Krystal was sitting at the gang’s usual table, waiting for everyone else to arrive. As she was eating her chicken salad, she wondered what was taking everyone so long to show up. By now, at least a few of them would be here. As she kept eating, she stopped upon seeing Zayn approach the table. He looked at her and said, “Hey.”
“Hey. Where’s everyone else?”
“Well, Sana and Rey had to work on something. And Neil, Heer, Prince, and Akira are finishing up that writing assignment for Power Coordination.”
“So, it’s just us?”
“Pretty much. Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Totally fine.”
Zayn sat down next to Krystal. He took a sip from his bottle of orange juice. It was getting close to Christmas, and he still had no idea what he was going to get her. He tried to think of ideas the other night and couldn’t come up with anything. Since he was with her, he wondered if talking to her could give him an idea. Before he could say anything, Krystal said, “The holidays are so nice, aren’t they?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess.”
“Really? You guess?”
“Come on. What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I guess I should expect it from you by now that you’re not one to get excited about this time of year.”
“I’m not one to show excitement about anything to begin with.”
“That’s something we can agree on.”
Zayn found Krystal’s nonchalant attitude surprising and irritating. He knew he wasn’t one to show excitement, but he had his own way of feeling it.
“You know what does get me excited during this time?”
“What is it?”
“My mom’s favorite holiday is Christmas. Every Christmas morning, she likes to play songs on the piano.”
“Your mom plays the piano?”
“Yeah. Quite beautifully also. When I was a little kid, playing the piano early in the morning was the only thing that could get me up on Christmas morning. So, it’s become a tradition now.”
“Is there a favorite song of yours that she would play?”
“Actually yes. A very old song. Heavenly Stars.”
“Aww! I love that song!”
“It never gets old every time I hear it.”
As Zayn got back to eating his lunch, Krystal could feel an idea coming to her head. She had been struggling with figuring out a gift for Zayn. And now, she knew what to do.
***
The next day, Rey and Sana were on their way to St. Tulip’s after school. It certainly wasn’t an ordinary visit. Rey was dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit. He had the red hat, the red suit, and the black boots to match. He even made Sana get an elf costume. Of course, she wasn’t exactly ecstatic to wear it. Especially since Rey was making her carry a bunch of things along the way.
“You know, you could carry some stuff as well,” Sana said.
“I’m Santa. The elves handle all the carrying.”
“Well, Santa at least carries the sack.”
“Only when he delivers the presents to the good children. So, quit complaining and keep walking. When is Heer getting to the school again?”
“Around five. Which means we have a little less than hour till she gets there.”
“That’s perfect! We’ll be there in no time! Now, pick up the pace!”
“That’d be easier without all this baggage!”
“Quit complaining. We’re almost there.”
As annoyed as Sana was, she put her irritation to the side. She found Rey’s gesture was rather sweet. Of course, his nature was as such. But this act felt unlike anything he had ever done before in her mind.
It didn’t take long for Rey and Sana to reach St. Tulip’s. Once they entered the school, they went to the playground where Runa was at. Two kids were waving bye to her, leaving her by herself. Rey watched as Runa turned to him. Her eyes looked at him with awe. He could tell she was mesmerized.
“Rey!” Runa exclaimed as she came dashing towards him.
Rey bent down, opening his arms as Runa rushed and embraced him. He lifted her up, happy to see her.
“Look at you!” Rey exclaimed. “Do you know who I am?”
“You’re Rey.”
“No. I’m Santa! Don’t you see what I’m wearing?”
“You’re Santa?”
“Yeah! And I’m here to brighten your day! Oh, little elf, could you bring out the sleigh?”
Sana dropped the sack on the ground, pulling out a red mini sleigh. She placed the sleigh on the ground and Rey carried Runa over, seating her in it.
“All right, elf. Take her out for a ride.”
“Shouldn’t you be doing that? You’re Santa.”
“Yeah. But as an elf, it’s your job to help Santa.”
“How about we just push her together?”
“Okay, fine. But this is coming out of your paycheck, elf!”
Runa giggled as Rey and Sana got behind her, putting their hands behind the sleigh. Even Sana found herself amused, seeing Rey was taking his character seriously. With both their hands on the back of the sleigh, Rey said, “All right! Let’s go!”
Rey and Sana quickly pushed the sleigh around the playground through the nicely thick blanket of snow. As they looped around, Runa laughed as she found herself enjoying the ride. Rey couldn’t help but laugh with her as he was having just as much fun. And Sana found their joy contagious. Even though they kept looping around the playground, she didn’t find herself dizzy or tired. She was consumed by the joy that Rey and Runa were feeling.
Once they stopped, Rey went up to Runa and said, “You had a lot of fun, didn’t you?”
“Yeah!”
“Would you like some candy?”
“Candy! Yeah!”
“Alrighty! Elf, get me the candy!”
Sana went and grabbed the sack, taking out a candy cane and handing it to Rey. He presented it to Runa, and she took it, quickly nibbling on it.
“I got an idea,” Rey said. “Would you like to go on the swings with Santa?”
“Yeah!” Runa exclaimed.
Rey gave his hand to Runa, and she took it. The two dashed to the swings and sat on them, swinging back and forth together. Sana watched them and couldn’t help but smile. The warmth in their smiles was on full display. As she watched them, her attention turned to Heer, who had just arrived. Sana could tell from the look in her eyes that she was overwhelmed with joy.
“What’s all this?” Heer asked.
“This…is Rey’s Secret Santa gift to you.”
“Rey’s my Secret Santa?”
“Yeah. After you gave him such a special gift, he was struggling to figure out one for you. He dragged me to every store possible and couldn’t find anything. But when you mentioned you were visiting Runa before Christmas, he finally got an idea. He knew something from any store wouldn’t mean anything to you. And that’s because there’s nothing that brings you more joy than seeing those you love happy.”
Heer was astonished, seeing Rey and Runa swinging back and forth with merry. She understood what Rey’s gift to her was. It was bringing Runa joy for the holiday. Sana was certainly right about one thing. No gift could top the joy of seeing her loved ones happy.
As Heer was lost in her thoughts, she looked up as she felt a snowflake touch her cheek. It was starting to snow. The sight of it made her smile. She looked at Rey and Runa, who also stopped to admire the snow.
Rey quickly grabbed Runa’s hand and the two grabbed snow and quickly started packing them into balls. It didn’t take Sana long to realize what the two were doing. Rey and Runa threw snowballs at Sana and Heer. Sana laughed despite falling flat on the ground and Heer was giggling as well. Sana quickly joined in along with Heer and all four of them started a snowball fight. Sana could feel her face getting cold from all the snow, but she didn’t care. She was just in the moment.
After some time had passed, Rey quickly took Runa to the side, getting the sack from Sana. Heer watched Rey whisper something to Runa. He drew out a giant purple teddy bear from the bag and Runa grabbed hold of it. Runa dashed to Heer with the teddy bear, handing it to her.
“This is for me?” Heer asked.
“Rey told me to tell you it’s from Santa,” Runa said.
“Well, tell Santa that I like it very much,” Heer said.
“See, Sana! She does like it!” Rey exclaimed as he walked up to the others. “I told you the teddy bear was cute!”
“I thought I was your elf?! We’re using names again?!” Sana asked, chuckling.
“What’s going on here?” someone asked.
Heer turned around to see Aiden had arrived. She knew he was coming to pick up Runa. She didn’t realize how fast time had gone by.
“Well, as you can see, Santa has come to pay a visit to little Runa with his elf,” Rey said.
“Really? That’s cute,” Aiden said. “Did you have fun, Runa?”
“Yeah!” Runa exclaimed.
“That’s great,” Aiden said. “Are you ready to go?”
“Okay,” Runa said as she grabbed hold of Aiden’s hand.
“Thanks for spending time with her,” Aiden said.
“Our pleasure!” Rey exclaimed.
“What are your plans for Christmas, Aiden?” Sana asked.
“My parents are hosting for Christmas. Heer is planning to be there,” Aiden said.
“Prince is joining as well,” Heer said.
“Well, that sounds fun,” Sana said.
“It will be. Even if Neil will be pouting the entire time,” Aiden chuckled. “Happy holidays to you guys.”
“Happy holidays!” Rey exclaimed. “Bye, Runa!”
Runa waved bye to the others as she headed out with Aiden. As they were leaving, Heer turned to Rey and said, “Rey.”
“Yeah?”
“This was very thoughtful of you.”
“Aww, I just wanted you to see her smile for the holiday.”
“The teddy bear is a nice bonus as well.”
“Yes!”
Heer embraced Rey and said, “Thank you.”
Rey smiled as he hugged her back. It didn’t take long for Sana to say, “Can we make this a group hug?”
“Get in here, my little elf!” Rey exclaimed. Sana joined in, hugging both Rey and Heer. She laughed along with Rey and Heer.
“Okay, let’s get out of here before we freeze,” Rey said as he let go of Sana and Heer.
“Do you guys want to get hot cocoa?” Heer asked. “There’s a coffee shop not too far from here.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sana said.
***
On the other hand, Zayn was taking a walk by himself at Auburn Park. Once it had started snowing, he basked himself in the cold snowflakes. It made him forget why he was even here. He came for a walk, hoping that it would help him figure out an idea for Krystal’s gift. But sadly, no idea came to mind. He was just about to leave the park, feeling like he wasn’t going to get any idea whatsoever. Then, he stopped as he saw a familiar face seemingly running towards him. It was Krystal. He was surprised to see her run so frantically to him. Once she reached him, she stopped, catching her breath. He asked, “What’s up with you? Why are you running so fast? And why are you here?”
“Geez. Let me catch my breath before you ask me so many questions.”
“Oh…sorry.”
As soon as Krystal regained her breath again, she stood up straight in front of Zayn and said, “Akira told me you’d be here, so I thought I’d get here as quick as I could.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah. I have something for you.”
“Wait…are you my Secret Santa?”
“Guilty is charged! Now, this wasn’t easy to get done. But I finished it!”
Krystal drew out a bright green gift box from her bag that had a red bow on it. She handed it to Zayn, waiting eagerly for him to open it. He looked at the gift, curious to see what she had gotten him. Seeing the eagerness in her eyes, he removed the bow and opened the lid of the box. He took the gift out. It was a circular-shaped music box. The box was in a light shade of green with intricate beading and baroque work all around it. He opened it and a beautiful array of stars emerged along with the tune. He recognized it immediately. It was the melody to Heavenly Stars.
“How did you do this?” Zayn asked.
“Well, I went to the music shop in town. Normally it takes at least a week to finish a customized music box. But I helped the guy in the shop with finishing it.”
“Is that why you missed class today?”
“Don’t tell any of our teachers that I skipped.”
Zayn couldn’t believe it. He was astonished that Krystal went through so much just to get him a gift. He looked at her and said, “Thank you, Krystal. This might be the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.”
“Well, I’m glad you like it! You’re certainly not an easy person to shop for.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Nice day for snow, isn’t it?”
“Certainly is. By the way, what are your plans for Christmas?”
Krystal didn’t answer this question quickly. And Zayn noticed that instantly. As she tried to find the words to explain, she simply said, “I’m staying around here.”
“Oh, your family is coming here?”
“Oh, no. I mean I’m just going to be at my penthouse downtown.”
“You mean…you’re not spending Christmas with anyone?”
“Well, my parents are actually separated. My mom doesn’t really talk to us anymore and my dad is always busy with business around this time. So, he’s usually traveling.”
“So, how long has it been since you spent Christmas with anyone?”
“Wow. I didn’t think about that. When I was little, my nanny used to spend Christmas with me. But that’s probably been a few years now.”
Seeing Krystal talk about this made Zayn surprised. He was even more surprised to see her talk about this in such a normal manner. It was like she was used to it.
“Krystal, I’m sorry.”
Zayn could tell Krystal didn’t know what to say. He even felt like he could see her eyes become glass-like. It was like tears wanted to come out, but she was holding back. She looked away for a moment. Zayn thought it was probably so she could wipe her eyes. She quickly turned back, smiled, and said, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m used to the holidays being like this. Really. It’s no big deal.”
Zayn didn’t say anything. He didn’t really know what to say. It seemed like Krystal was trying to hide her pain from him.
“Anyway, I’m glad you like your gift,” Krystal said. “I have to catch up on work that I missed the other day. I gotta hand in those assignments in the morning. I hope you have a nice Christmas.”
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Zayn said.
With that, Krystal took off, leaving the park while Zayn watched her leave. He felt sad for Krystal. This whole time he thought that she had everything one could possibly imagine in her hands. But he realized he was wrong. This realization did spark an idea in his mind. He quickly got out his cellphone and dialed Akira’s number. It didn’t take long for her to answer.
“Akira,” Zayn said. “We’re going to need to rearrange Christmas plans.”
***
It didn’t take long for Christmas to arrive. And on Christmas morning, Krystal woke up from her slumber and got ready for the day. She brushed her teeth and headed down to the penthouse kitchen to make breakfast. She decided to make scrambled eggs. After she finished cooking, she plated her food and sat down at the dining table to eat. The moment she started eating, she thought, Damn. These don’t taste great. Wow, I can’t even make basic scrambled eggs properly.
Krystal put down her fork and looked over the dining table. Seeing how wide and empty it was overwhelmed her. Before she could dwell on it further, her cellphone rang. She looked over, seeing it was Zayn calling. This surprised her, considering he never really called anyone. She picked up and said, “Hello?”
“Hey.”
“Hey. What’s up with you calling?”
“Can you come over?”
“Why? And where?”
“It’s important. Come to my dad’s house. I’ll send you the address.”
“But why?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
Zayn quickly ended the call. Krystal was puzzled, not sure what Zayn could possibly want on Christmas morning. Especially since Akira mentioned she was spending Christmas with Zayn and his family.
Krystal went upstairs to her room, rummaging through her closet to figure out what to wear for an unexpected visit. As she went through the many clothes, she found a cute green dress that had billowy sleeves and a red bow and sash around the waist. She looked at it and thought, Well, this may be a good time to break out this dress.
***
After she got ready, Krystal walked to one of the bus stops, and took the bus heading towards the upper portion of Daredevil City. Once the bus stopped, she walked for a bit towards what was Headmaster Devil’s home. Well, it was one of his homes. Krystal walked to the doorstep of the red brick home and rang the doorbell. As she waited outside, she was amused at how festive the home was. There were inflatable snowmen on the front lawn and snowflakes hanging around the house.
Finally, it was Zayn who opened the door. Krystal was surprised to see him look so festive. He wore a wine-red suit with a snowflake brooch pinned on the black turtleneck he was wearing. He said, “Hey.”
“Hey. You look festive.”
“As do you.”
“So, what was so important that I had to come out here? I mean aren’t you celebrating Christmas with your folks?”
“Come inside and I’ll show you.”
Zayn gave her his hand. Krystal was amused. She took it and he brought her inside the house. As she entered the home, she was welcomed by Sana, Rey, Prince, Neil, Heer, and Akira, who all said, “Merry Christmas!”
Krystal was taken aback by this surprise. They were all here in their most festive outfits. Wreaths, ribbons, and decorations were hanging everywhere. Stockings with all their names hung up above the fireplace. A beautiful tree with colorful lights and ornaments stood tall with an array of gifts underneath.
“What is all of this?” Krystal asked.
“It’s Zayn’s Secret Santa gift,” Sana said.
“Hold on. You’re my Secret Santa?” Krystal asked Zayn. “How did you do all of this?”
“Zayn told me that you were alone for the holidays. So, he wanted to bring everyone together to spend Christmas with you,” Akira said.
“But didn’t you guys have your own plans?” Krystal asked.
“We rearranged them so we could spend the day with you,” Prince said.
“We couldn’t just leave you alone for the holidays,” Rey said.
“And the decorations?” Krystal asked.
“I took care of the stockings and everything else around here,” Heer said.
“I helped put up the tree,” Neil said.
“This is amazing,” Krystal said. “I actually might cry!”
“Well, you should be thanking your Secret Santa,” Akira said.
“You’re right,” Krystal said. Krystal threw her arms over Zayn, giving him a tight hug. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!”
“Okay, lovebirds. Don’t get too mushy in front of us,” Rey said.
“Shut up!” Krystal and Zayn shouted in unison.
“Aww, they told me to shut up at the same time,” Rey said.
“Okay, okay. Let’s get this party started already,” Sana said. “I’ll get the hot cocoa.”
“And I’ll get the cookies,” Heer said.
As the others were getting settled, Krystal turned to Zayn and said, “Thank you once again. It really means a lot to me.”
“Well, you’re welcome,” Zayn said. “Don’t get used to this soft side though.”
“Ha. Sure. Whatever you say.”
Sana and Heer brought in cups of hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies for everyone. As they sat around the tree, Neil handed a green gift box to Akira. She assumed it was his Secret Santa gift. She opened the box, discovering a bright green suede jacket.
“Hold on, is this THAT jacket?” Akira asked. “The one I saw when we went to the mall that one time.”
“Luckily they had one left by the time I got the money together for it,” Neil said.
“Wow, that’s cute!” Krystal exclaimed.
“This is so nice. Thank you, Neil,” Akira said.
Prince pulled out one of the gifts, handing it to Neil. Neil opened it, discovering it to be an Artie Archer figurine, a character from his favorite TV show.
“You got me the Artie Archer figure?!” Neil exclaimed.
“I thought your candy canes were your gift to him,” Akira said.
“Well, I figured I didn’t put much thought into your first gift. So, I decided to get something else,” Prince said.
“Aww, Prince!” Neil exclaimed as he gave Prince a hug.
“You’re hugging me,” Prince said as he rolled his eyes.
Krystal laughed alone with the others. She felt great to be among her friends. The laughter, smiles, and pure joy were beautiful for her to be around. This was indeed a joyous Christmas.
It was cold and stormy as Neil and Heer hid among the bushes in the forest. It had been pouring for quite some time now. Neil could feel the water seep into his sneakers as he held onto his bow. But he was trying to not let it distract him. He had to keep his cool. He kept a close eye on his target. The catlike dark beast was growling faintly as it prowled among the trees. Neil looked over at Heer and whispered, “You ready?”
“Yes.”
“So, you’re clear on what you have to do?”
“I’ve understood everything.”
“All right. Now’s your chance then.”
Heer transformed into her snow leopard form and leaped from the bushes. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to react. The beast emitted a dark energy wave towards Heer, and she countered it with an ice energy beam. As the two forces collided, Heer pounced onto the dark beast, engaging with it in physical combat. While that was going on, Neil was preparing his bow, building up the energy to form the arrow. He kept his eyes on the dark beast, waiting for the moment that Heer would have it perfectly pinned down for him to strike. Once she got the beast down on the ground with her paws, Neil fired the arrow. Heer jumped out of the way as soon as the arrow hit at the beast, enclosing it in an ice coffin.
With the beast frozen, Neil stepped out from the bushes and Heer transformed back into her human form. Suddenly the atmosphere around them changed. Neil watched as they were both transported back into the white room. It was just a simulation.
Ryan had taken the students of his Power Coordination class to one of the special training rooms for a simulation exercise. With Neil and Heer completing their exercise, they were able to exit the white room. As Neil walked out with Heer from the room, they were welcomed with claps from their fellow students. Among those students were Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Zayn, and Akira. Ryan stepped away from the controls of the simulation generator and said, “Good job, you two.”
“Thank you so much, sir,” Heer said.
“So, how does it feel after experiencing the simulation for the first time?” Ryan asked.
“So real. I can’t believe all of that wasn’t the real thing. And don’t get me started on the weather,” Neil said.
“Well, that is the point of the simulation generator. The atmosphere and situations you’re placed in are meant to look and feel as real as possible once you enter. Devil sure knew how to invest in good equipment,” Ryan said.
“Mr. Malik, can we go in next?” one of the students asked.
Before Ryan could answer, the bell rang. As the students sighed in disappointment, Ryan said, “No worries, guys. These rooms are free to use after school as long as you are done before six. If you can’t do that, we’ll definitely come back here for another session. For now, all of you can leave for the day. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
With class dismissed, students began leaving the room, following Ryan out. Neil and Heer stuck around with the rest of the gang. Rey went up and high-fived Neil and said, “Nice work, man! You and Heer killed it out there.”
“Well, of course we did,” Neil said. “Was there any doubt?”
“Considering how easily me and Zayn mopped the floor with you and Rey, there certainly was,” Akira said.
“Ha! I completely forgot about that!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Listen, I was just messing around that day!” Neil retorted.
“Forget that. Can we leave now?” Prince asked.
“Actually, I was thinking we could stick around and use the simulator for some training,” Sana said.
“Hell yeah! I’m in!” Rey exclaimed.
“I wouldn’t mind some training myself,” Zayn said.
“Seriously? You guys actually want to hang around here more?” Prince asked.
“Oh, come on, Prince. It’s not like you have somewhere to be,” Krystal said.
“Here’s an idea. Why don’t we come back here in half an hour?” Heer asked. “We can recharge and meet up after some time.”
“Sounds good to me!” Rey exclaimed.
***
After some time, the gang returned to the training room. As they were getting situated, Prince was agitated. He wanted to go back to his dorm and take a nap. But Krystal insisted that he show up since she wanted to get in on some training. Zayn got hold of the controls while Neil looked over, sipping from a cup of lemonade he got from the cafeteria.
“Uh Neil, be careful with your drink around these controls,” Zayn said.
“Why did you even bring that here?” Akira asked Neil.
“Hey, I got thirsty!” Neil exclaimed.
“All right. Who wants to go first?” Zayn asked.
“Me!” Sana and Krystal said in unison.
“Oh great. Krystal, let us go first,” Rey said. “We volunteered to before our break anyway.”
“Who cares?! Prince and I need to get some training done! And since he would rather take a nap, we should go first,” Krystal said.
“She’s not wrong,” Prince said.
“You all can go in at the same time,” Zayn said.
“They can?” Heer asked.
“Yeah. One of the features of this thing allows for two teams to go in at the same time. According to the guide my dad showed me, you’ll end up in different simulations,” Zayn said. “Just step into the room and do what I tell you to.”
“All right! Sounds good!” Rey exclaimed.
Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince stepped inside the white room. Heer closed the door and stepped back. Once they were inside, Zayn pressed a red button and said, “Okay, guys. You should see four red dots appear in front of you. Step in front of them.”
Sana looked down and saw the four red dots appear. They appeared in pairs with one set on the left and the other on the right. Sana and Rey stood in front of the left one while Krystal and Prince stood in front of the other. With both teams in place, Zayn asked, “Okay, what difficulty level would you guys like?”
“Hmm good question,” Sana said.
“Neil and Heer took level ten. I say we can turn it up to eleven,” Rey said.
“Hey, you want to try and outdo us?!” Neil exclaimed.
“We’re here for a challenge, Neil,” Sana said.
“I’m fine with whatever. I’m sure I can handle it,” Krystal said.
Prince shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about what level they chose. He just wanted to get it over with.
Zayn put the teams in for level eleven. As he pressed the button to start the simulation, Neil accidentally dropped his drink and the lemonade splattered all over the controls. “Oops!” Neil exclaimed.
“Neil, what did you do?!” Zayn shouted as the controls started to spark. Zayn tried to shut down the system, but nothing was working, and the controls continued to act erratic.
“What’s going on out there?” Krystal asked.
“Neil messed up the controls,” Akira said.
“It was an accident!” Neil exclaimed.
As Zayn kept trying to stop the machine, it ended up being too late. Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince had disappeared. Zayn looked up at the two computer screens on the wall and he could see the others were just as surprised as he was. Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Prince had been transported into their simulations. But they had been switched. Sana was with Prince and Rey was with Krystal.
“Oh damn,” Akira said.
“How did they end up switching?” Heer asked.
“Neil’s screwup made the simulator malfunction and they must’ve switched,” Zayn said.
“I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Neil cried.
“You must have butter fingers or something,” Akira said.
“What do we do now, Zayn?” Heer asked.
“I’m gonna need to call my dad or Ryan to help us get them out,” Zayn said.
***
Rey rubbed his head as he got up from the hard, rocky ground. He couldn’t even process what had happened in the past few minutes. What did surprise him was seeing Krystal instead of Sana with him.
“Hold up! What are you doing here?!” Rey questioned.
“What am I doing here?! What about you?! Where’s Prince?!”
“Damn it. The simulator must’ve malfunctioned and made us switch. This sucks.”
“Yeah. I can’t believe I have to get stuck with you.”
“What does that mean?!”
“You’re a loose cannon. That’s what it means.”
“Oh yeah?! Well, you’re an airheaded klutz.”
Before Krystal could say anything back, something else preoccupied her mind. She looked around her, taking note of the scorching heat and bright blue sky. As her hands got a feel of the earthy ground, she said, “Where are we exactly?”
Krystal and Rey stood up from the ground. As soon as she stood up, she could feel that the altitude was even higher than before. That was when she looked down and realized she and Rey were standing on the edge of a cliff. She panicked and fell back down on the ground.
“We’re on a cliff! Of all the places to be transported at, it had to be here!” Krystal cried.
“Oh, come on. It’s just a cliff we’re standing on. It’s not like anything bad has happened yet.”
Rey turned around and realized he had spoken too soon. Seeing the change in his expression, Krystal turned around as well and was just as shocked. In front of her eyes, she saw a giant spiderlike dark beast migrating its way out of the cave it came from. It unleashed an eerie roar, flashing long, pointy fangs. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. As the beast was making its way towards them, Rey said, “We’re gonna need to jump.”
“Jump?! Are you kidding me?! We’ll die!”
“We don’t exactly have a choice. It’s either jump and risk dying or actually die at the hands of this thing!”
“Oh, come on! Surely we can fight it now!”
Before Krystal could even transform her wand to fight the beast, Rey grabbed her hand and pulled her off the cliff. As the two jumped, they both screamed. Rey tried to concentrate his fire energy into his feet to power him up as they kept falling. Once they reached the ground, Rey was able to get him and Krystal down safely as he powered down the fire from his feet. He looked down, seeing his sandals had burned from the intensity of the heat.
“Damn. My shoes are crispy now,” Rey said. He looked over at Krystal, shrieking at the angry look on her face as he let go of her hand. She was beyond upset.
“You damn fool! You wanted to kill us both?!”
“What?! I saved us both! I risked my sandals for it!”
“Oh! So, I’m dramatic when I freak out over my clothes getting ruined, but I should give a damn about your ugly sandals?!”
“Hey! I loved these sandals! They’ve gotten me through a lot of things!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever! Where are we now?”
Krystal looked around, taking note of the greener terrain they were now on. There were tall trees in what was clearly the entrance to the forest. It definitely seemed safer compared to where they were before. But she wondered how long till the beast would come back. This was a simulation after all.
“I just realized something. I don’t think we can get out of here until we defeat that beast.”
“Huh?!”
“The point of the simulation is to test our skills against the dark beast we encounter. If you had just let me fight right then and there, we’d be back at school by now!”
“Are you seriously calling me stupid?”
“I’m not calling you smart.”
“Oh, shut up! How are you more annoying than an angry Sana?!”
“You shut up! Ugh, now I have to figure out how to get us out of this mess. Prince usually helps me with that.”
“Are you saying I’m not as smart as Prince?!”
“I never called you smart to begin with.”
Damn you, Krystal. You practically get the same grades as me and you’re calling me stupid?! Rey thought.
“So, if you’re as smart as you say you are, what’s our next move?” Rey asked.
“Well, it looks we’ll have to walk in this forest and find a place to recharge. Maybe then I’ll figure it out.”
With that, Krystal went on ahead and started walking inside the forest. Rey shrugged his shoulders and followed her, seeing he had no other option.
***
On the other hand, Sana and Prince hadn’t faced any dark beast, but they had their own share of problems. The simulator placed them in a cold environment where it was snowing heavily. The two were walking for a very long time, trying to find a place to take cover. While Sana was shivering and trying to persevere through the cold, Prince felt nothing and was instead drowned in his own irritation.
“Of all the environments to be put in, we had to be put in the one that’s most suitable for Neil and Heer,” Sana sighed. “This feels so cruel.”
As Sana kept moping, she noticed Prince was rather silent. Ever since they landed in the simulation, he hadn’t spoken more than two words. She turned to him as she kept walking and said, “Are you okay?”
“Me? Oh, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Your tone says otherwise.”
“This is all Krystal’s fault. Go training with me she said. It’ll be a great experience. Oh yeah. It’s perfect. I’m walking in this cold and who knows when we’ll get out.”
“You don’t have to be so negative about it.”
“Oh, please. Our chances of making it through this are low considering we have to defeat the dark beast together to get out.”
“Who says we can’t do that?”
“Our powers don’t complement each other. There’s no way we can work together. And since we’re stronger with our partners, we’re basically screwed since you guys wanted to take on a level eleven dark beast.”
Sheesh. With so much negative energy, I’m surprised he hasn’t turned into a dark beast himself, Sana thought. I really hope Rey is safe. I mean, Krystal is strong. She should be able to manage with him. But how are we going to work together to complete the simulation? That’s the only way out at this point.
Before Sana could ponder further, she beamed at the sight of a cave nearby. “Well, it looks like all hope isn’t lost yet,” Sana said to Prince.
Sana and Prince quickly headed over to the cave. Once they got inside, they sat down on the ground. Seeing as they had no firewood, Sana drew out her wand and transformed it into her trishula. She channeled her fire energy to allow for a flame to rise from the trishula’s head as it rested on the ground before her and Prince. With the fire in place, Sana was finally feeling warm again.
“This feels so good. I don’t know how Neil deals with the cold with such ease,” Sana said.
As Sana continued to warm herself up by the fire, she noticed that Prince was still quiet. She knew he was one to keep to himself, but she found herself to be rather annoyed with his silence. Sometimes she wondered if he really saw her and the others as his friends.
“I’m gonna take a nap,” Prince said.
“Um don’t you think we should stay awake?”
“Why?”
“In case the dark beast shows up here.”
“Please. No beast is going to show up here in this snow. If anything happens, just yell.”
With that, Prince got down on the ground and fell asleep immediately. Seriously? What’s this guy’s deal? Sana thought. We should be coming up with a strategy to defeat this dark beast and get out of here. Though that’s probably difficult considering we don’t know what kind of dark beast we’re dealing with. And Prince doesn’t even believe we could defeat it together.
***
Back in the training room, Zayn had called Ryan down and explained everything that happened. Ryan took a look at the machine and tried to see if there was anything he could do from his end. After some time passed, he said, “Okay, I’ve tried everything. It looks like there’s nothing we can do on our end.”
“Seriously? You can’t get them out?” Zayn asked.
“Normally, I could pull them out of the simulation if it got too drastic. But the controls are pretty much fried. Until we can get someone to properly fix the machine, there’s nothing I can do on my end,” Ryan said.
“Nice work, butter fingers,” Akira said to Neil.
“How many times do I have to say sorry?!” Neil exclaimed.
“It was an accident. The good thing is it seems they’re okay right now,” Heer said as she looked at her friends on the computer screens.
“Yeah, well they’re definitely not getting along smoothly,” Zayn said.
“In a weird way, this might be a good experience for them,” Ryan said.
“How so?” Neil asked.
“Every ringmaster always partners with a human-beast that possesses the same type of power, be it fire, water, sound etc. This provides a challenge for them since they’ve been switched,” Ryan said. “Not only will they have to deal with new power matchups, but new teams as well. So, we’ll see if they’re up to the challenge.”
“You’re not at least worried about Sana?” Zayn asked.
“Normally I would. But she knows how to handle herself,” Ryan said. “She’s a smart girl. She’s got this. They all do.”
I hope he’s right, Zayn thought.
***
In the forest, Krystal and Rey found a safe spot behind the bushes to lay low. As they were taking rest, Krystal was pondering over what their next move was. She even wondered how Prince was doing. She knew he would be fine with Sana but missed his presence. As she continued to think, she noticed Rey was looking at her. She got annoyed and said, “What are you looking at?”
“You make a funny face when you’re thinking.”
“Does Sana find your dumb comments amusing?”
“She’s certainly less annoying than you. She also would have a game plan by now.”
“So, she does all the work, and you just follow. That’s fitting.”
“Look, we can sit here and complain all day. But if Sana were here, she would tell us to cut the nonsense and figure things out.”
“Kinda hard to do that when our powers don’t match. We’re sound and fire. Not exactly an ideal pairing. Plus, it makes it hard for us to synchronize.”
“Geez, since when did you start taking after Zayn and his downer attitude?”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Aww, is this because you two have been spending so much time together?”
“What are you insinuating?!”
“I think you know.”
Before Krystal could say something back, she could hear the faint sound of steps coming near. She had a feeling the dark beast was heading their way.
Krystal peeped through the bushes to see if it was near. She couldn’t see anything aside from the trees and grassy ground.
“That’s strange. I thought I heard something,” Krystal said.
“Uh, Krystal,” Rey said.
Krystal turned around to see what Rey was so worked up about. And it turned out she was right. The dark beast was right behind them.
“How did it find us?!” Rey said.
“Forget that! We gotta save our butts!” Krystal exclaimed as she drew out her wand, transforming it into her sonic bell.
The dark beast let out its roar again. It didn’t waste time crawling its way towards Krystal and Rey.
“Okay, what’s the game plan?” Rey asked.
“Just do your thing and I’ll do mine,” Krystal said.
Krystal went ahead and plunged her sonic bell into the ground, unleashing a sound wave from it towards the beast. But the beast unleashed a dark energy wave to counter it. Krystal tried to hold it off as much as she could, but the beast’s attack felt much more overwhelming. It didn’t take long for her sound wave to die down from the dark energy wave’s power and she got struck by it.
Rey transformed into his tiger form. Before he could even make a move, the dark beast pinned its spider legs down on him. He could feel one of the legs piercing through his skin. The pain made him yelp. The beast was getting close to his face to tear into it. But before that could happen, he emitted a fireball from his mouth towards the beast’s face. This got the beast off him, but he couldn’t move much as he saw blood coming down one of his legs.
Krystal tried to get up, but it didn’t take long for the dark beast to attack with another dark energy wave. This one felt even stronger. Before Krystal could even react, the attack hit her and Rey like a tsunami. The wave sent her and Rey flying past some trees before they landed on the ground hard. At that point, Krystal could hardly get up. She couldn’t even see if the dark beast was still there. What she could see was Rey had transformed back into his human form. His leg was bleeding. And it seemed like he was completely out of it.
Even though she was tired and hurt, she knew she had to help Rey. She crawled her way towards him and quickly ripped off a piece of her top from the end. She wrapped it around the area on his leg that had been cut. She secured it, looking at Rey. She checked his pulse and could tell he was still okay. Krystal let out a deep breath as she decided to wait for Rey to wake up.
***
At the cave, Sana tried to take a nap like Prince, but she couldn’t even close her eyes. As she continued to warm up by the fire, she couldn’t help but think about Rey. It was weird not having him by her side. She was so used to working with him that Prince’s coldness toward her felt jarring. But she was hopeful that him and Krystal were okay.
As she tried to sleep again, she was alarmed by the sound of faint growling. She turned around, feeling like the growling was getting louder and louder. Sana went over to Prince and tried shaking him, saying, “Prince! Prince! Prince, wake up!”
Prince wouldn’t wake up. Sana could hear loud footsteps thumping against the ground along with the growling. She could feel her heartbeat racing. She shook Prince more and shouted, “Prince! Prince, you told me to wake you up if something was coming. There is something coming! Wake up!”
Prince still wouldn’t wake up. At this point, Sana had no other option but to yell loudly, “Prince, wake up!”
Sana’s yelling rattled Prince’s eardrums. He woke up, feeling exhausted and irritated. He said, “What is it?”
Seeing her turn around, Prince looked in her direction. Before them was indeed a dark beast. It was a tall, almost giant bear with razor-sharp claws projecting from its paws. The beast roared, going after Sana and Prince. The two immediately got up and ran out from the cave. As Sana grabbed hold of her trishula, she was quick to notice Prince getting pounded on by the dark beast.
Prince quickly transformed into his lion form to fend off the beast, emitting his Sonic Roar directly at its face. The beast quickly countered with a roar of its own, launching a dark energy beam at Prince’s face. Seeing the struggle, Sana tried to act quickly. She put everything into her trishula and sharply plunged it into the ground. What she didn’t realize was that she had plunged it so hard that the ground was starting to crack. This alarmed Prince as well.
And the ground did indeed crack. A lot. Sana, Prince, and the beast fell as rock had broken down and piles upon piles of snow fell with it. Sana tried to act quickly. She prepared her trishula, pointing it towards the ground with the hope that it would help ease her landing. She braced herself for the impact as she landed with the trishula’s head hitting the ground, allowing her to fall back without getting hurt too bad. Sana noticed Prince had acted quickly by aiming his Sonic Roar to the ground to allow him to bounce safely to it. Sana got up and rushed to him as he transformed back into his human form.
“Are you okay?” Sana asked Prince.
“Forget me. We still have to worry about that thing.”
Sana looked at the dark beast, seeing it was down on the ground, covered with snow and even pieces of rock. It looked like it wasn’t moving at all.
“What’s there to worry about, Prince? It looks down to me.”
“For now, yes. It’ll be up sooner than you think.”
Sana looked ahead, seeing some boulders and rock formations. She quickly made her way there with Prince following. The two hid behind one of the large boulders. Sana panted, feeling dizzy from everything that had just happened.
“That was too close,” Sana said.
“Yeah, you nearly did us in.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the one that caused the rock formation to crack. We could’ve died if we didn’t think act quick enough. What were you even thinking?”
“I was trying to help you out. You were getting hurt and I tried to act quick, but I guess I just didn’t account for my own strength.”
“No kidding.”
“Look, I genuinely wanted to just help you.”
“And I don’t need your help. You’re not my partner.”
Sana was very frustrated. There was a lot on her mind that she wondered if she should even say. But she decided to say it anyway.
“Look, I know you’re used to working with Krystal, but I’m trying here. We may have ended up here by accident, but that doesn’t mean you have to shut me out. All of us consider you to be a friend…even though you don’t open up to us,” Sana said. “But sometimes I wonder if you see us as friends. You always keep to yourself. And you have the right to. But sometimes it’s important to let people in. You may not act like it, but I know deep down you care about Krystal and the others.”
Prince found himself surprised. He sighed because everything Sana was saying was true. He was so caught up in his own annoyance that he didn’t realize how much it was affecting Sana.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Sana,” Prince said. “I can’t…explain why I’m like this. Like, I know, but I just don’t warm up to people as easily as you, Krystal, or the others do. So, I don’t really know how to say what’s on my mind or how to rely on others.”
“I get it. I think you know better than you give yourself credit for.”
“How so?”
“Well, I’ve seen how you work with Krystal. She can get so in her head. Heck, sometimes she doesn’t pay attention. But you always keep her on track. That’s because you care. Prince, we all care about you. No matter how nonchalant or annoyed you can be, you’ll always be our friend.”
“You’re not trying to make me cry, are you?”
“Ha! Funny. I know it’ll take more than some heartfelt words to make you cry.”
Prince chuckled. He knew Sana’s words were genuine. He looked over beyond the boulder and saw the dark beast had slowly gotten up and was starting to walk again.
“It’s up. I don’t really know how we’re going to defeat it,” Prince said.
“The only way to defeat it is to work together.”
“How though? You’re fire and I’m sound.”
“That’s true, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to get creative.”
“Okay…I’m listening.”
“I have a few ideas in mind.”
***
Krystal was trying really hard to figure out what to do next. She was also trying to not fall asleep considering the dark beast could come back any moment. Suddenly, Rey began to wake up, catching Krystal’s attention.
“How are you feeling?” Krystal asked Rey.
“I feel okay,” Rey said as he sat up. He looked at his leg, seeing part of Krystal’s top was used to stop the bleeding. “Did you do this?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You hate ruining your clothes.”
“Yeah, but I figured you got your sandals destroyed. I can take a hit for you as well. Besides, this is my combat outfit. I have plenty of these.”
“It’s strange. I felt the pain of the cut. I saw the blood. I thought that wouldn’t happen in a simulation.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Mr. Malik said that everything in the simulation feels real. Maybe when we get back to school, your cut won’t even be there.”
“Getting back to school. No idea how we’re going to do that.”
“Well, it looks like the way we get back to school is by working together to beat that dark beast.”
“How? You said yourself that our powers don’t match.”
“In a traditional sense yeah. But I’ve always believed in creativity and experimentation.”
“Isn’t that only with your choice of outfits?”
“Okay, but like it applies to this! There are ringmasters and human-beasts that have dual magic. That means like them we can figure out a way to combine our powers.”
“Okay. How do we do that?”
“Well, how do things go when you work with Sana?”
“I mean, Sana always knew what to do and I just trusted her. Even in the toughest situations, I can rely on her leadership.”
“That’s interesting. I always feel more confident as a leader when Prince keeps me in check.”
“Well, we’re gonna have to form our own dynamic.”
“And I think that starts with understanding our powers. Then we can come up with a game plan.”
***
Krystal and Rey took the time to figure out their plan of attack. After much discussing, they had an idea of what to do. Krystal knew the dark beast was still somewhere in the forest. She and Rey hid among the bushes. While they were hiding, Krystal relied on her keen hearing to sense when the beast was coming near. Once she heard the faintest sound of steps, she nodded to Rey. Rey peaked through the bushes, seeing it was indeed the dark beast that was nearby.
“All right. It’s here,” Rey whispered. “You ready for the action.”
“Ugh. I don’t know. I’m actually nervous.”
“You don’t have to be. We can do this. I’m ready when you are.”
Krystal took a deep breath. She had to remain calm. With Rey’s words of support, she felt more at ease.
“Okay, Rey. It’s showtime for you,” Krystal said.
“On it,” Rey said as he transformed into his tiger form.
Rey leaped from the bushes, catching the attention of the dark beast. The dark beast shot spider webs towards Rey. Rey kept dodging them, even though he wasn’t prepared for this kind of attack. But he was keeping the plan on the brain. One of his legs got caught by the spider webs. He tried to burn it with some of his fire, but the beast was quickly making its way towards him.
Before it could attack, Krystal jumped in and shouted, “Sound Beam!”, launching a sound energy beam from her sonic bell that hit the beast from behind. Once it was hit, Krystal got to the ground and saw the beast get up again. The beast launched a dark energy wave towards Krystal.
“Rey! Fireball!” Krystal ordered.
Rey immediately jumped in before Krystal and countered the wave with a fireball attack. As he held it off, Krystal ran behind the beast and launched another sound energy beam from her sonic bell. This started a back-and-forth pattern between Krystal and Rey. Rey would attack with a fireball and Krystal would attack with a sound energy beam. With each new attack, Krystal could see the beast was quickly losing focus with all the distractions.
“Okay! We got it where we want it!” Krystal exclaimed as she landed next to Rey. “Ready for the big finale?”
Rey nodded. Krystal took off and allowed Rey to do his thing. The dark beast looked visibly frustrated. It launched a dark energy beam towards Rey. Rey started to run. The beam hit him, but he took the hit and didn’t let it stop him from running. The beast continued to launch more dark energy beams towards Rey as he kept running. Rey ran in circular motion and as he was running, he was concentrating his fire energy towards his legs. Once the fire energy built up, it began to power from his legs through his whole body. His body became engulfed in an armor of flames. He began to leave a trail of these flames as he kept running. It didn’t take long for the beast to be surrounded in a ring of Rey’s fire. The heat became so overwhelming that the beast stopped launching its own attacks. Even though Rey had taken several hits, his fire armor helped protect him.
With the beast overwhelmed from the heat, Rey launched a fiery roar towards the beast. At the same time, Krystal jumped from the trees where she had been waiting. She held her sonic bell tightly and rang it, launching a powerful sound wave towards the beast as she landed directly on top of it and plunged her bell into its head. The sound waves combined with the fire disintegrated the beast in a combined blow.
Once the flames disappeared and whatever was left of the beast remained, Krystal panted, letting out a deep breath. Rey transformed back into his human form, tired and fatigued. But he smiled at Krystal, happy they pulled if off. He went up to her and the two high-fived each other.
“Nice work, Krystal!”
“Right back at you, Rey!”
Suddenly, Krystal and Rey were transported out from the simulation. They returned to the white room and were welcomed back with Heer opening the door for them.
“We’re back!” Krystal exclaimed. “And my clothes are okay!”
“So is my leg!” Rey exclaimed. “And I have my sandals back.”
“Well, it was just a simulation after all,” Ryan said.
“I have to say…you guys were amazing out there,” Akira said.
“Honestly it was unlike anything I had seen before,” Heer said.
“Yeah! That combination you guys did together was incredible!” Neil exclaimed.
“I like to call it Sonic Ring of Fire,” Krystal smirked.
“Well, Krystal, you certainly handled the leadership role with grace,” Zayn said.
“Aww, you’re blushing,” Rey said to Krystal, seeing her cheeks turn red.
“Shut up,” Krystal said, shoving Rey’s arm with her elbow.
“You guys did well. Now we just have to see how Sana and Prince pull through,” Ryan said as he looked at the computer screen.
Everyone else joined Ryan in watching. Rey looked at Krystal and could tell she was thinking the same thing. They both had faith in Sana and Prince.
***
Sana and Prince were still hiding behind the boulder. It stopped snowing a while ago. Sana kept a close eye on the dark beast as it walked around. After talking through ideas on how to attack, Sana was waiting for the right moment to strike. Eventually, the beast was heading towards their direction. Sana got hold of her trishula and Prince knew that meant it was gametime. She turned to him and said, “Listen, I trust you, okay.”
Prince appreciated Sana’s words. It made him want to do right by her. “I trust you, too,” Prince said.
With that, Sana rose from behind the boulder and Prince went along her side. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to see them and immediately launch a dark energy beam their way. Sana raised her trishula and shouted, “Ember Fury!”
She spun her trishula around as embers began to burst from the trishula’s head. The motion combined with them countered the dark energy beam with precision. She stopped and said, “Let’s do this, Prince.”
“Got it,” Prince said as he transformed into his lion form.
The dark beast unleashed a dark energy wave that combined with ice energy. As it hit Sana and Prince, she could feel the intensity of the ice strike her like needles. She and Prince hadn’t prepared for ice magic, but she wasn’t too surprised that the beast could use it given the terrain they were in.
“Try to bear it as much as you can!” Sana told Prince. “We still need to go with the plan!”
Prince nodded. Sana combatted the ice and dark energy wave with her trishula, igniting a flame to power through it. With the help of it, Prince moved towards the beast despite parts of his fur being covered with patches of dark ice.
The dark beast stopped its attack upon Prince coming towards it. Prince engaged in physical combat with the dark beast, trying to get at it with his paw. The dark beast’s form proved to be quite the challenge since it was much bigger in size. It didn’t take long for it to pin down Prince with its sharp claws. The claws were close to piercing into Prince until Sana came from behind and shouted, “Pyro Strike!”
She plunged her trishula into the ground, launching the fiery path towards the dark beast, striking it, allowing for Prince to get up and out of the way. Sana saw the dark beast was about to get up again. She knew they had to act quickly to bring it down.
“Prince, I’m gonna need a boost,” Sana said.
Prince nodded in response. As Sana got ready to jump, Prince launched a sound energy beam, directing it towards her feet to help her jump higher. She jumped high, hitting the dark beast in the face with her trishula. Once she got down to the ground again, she jumped again, and Prince repeated the same thing as before. As the two kept doing this pattern, the dark beast was getting backed off more and more. When Sana was about to hit again, the dark beast countered with a dark energy wave. She pushed through it even though the attack hurt her and rattled her skin. She struck the beast again with even greater force, forcing it to the ground again.
Before it could get up again, Sana knew she and Prince had to deliver the final blow. She turned to Prince and said, “Okay, now’s the time! Put everything you can in your Sonic Roar, Prince!”
Prince nodded. He braced himself and launched a mighty Sonic Roar that passed through Sana and towards the dark beast. Sana ran through the Sonic Roar, allowing her trishula to catch the power of the roar’s sound waves. The fire that was burning through the head of the trishula grew even bigger with the sound waves powering it up. Sana could see the dark beast was up again. It countered with a dark energy wave. Sana took in the attack and continued to run, still letting the trishula power up through Prince’s Sonic Roar, which he continued with all his might. Even though the dark beast’s dark energy wave was powerful, Sana and Prince didn’t stop once.
Sana could see her trishula was wrapped in fiery power. As she pushed through, she jumped and swung the fiery trishula at the dark beast. The fiery power combined with the Sonic Roar hit the dark beast all at once, slamming it all the way into a rocky wall.
Prince stopped his Sonic Roar, transforming back into his human form. He walked over to Sana, and he could see the dark beast had disintegrated. Sana sighed and said, “Well, it’s done.”
“Thank God. I’m tired.”
“Ha. Same. You did a good job. Thanks for backing me up.”
“We did a good job.”
In seconds, Sana and Prince were transported back into the white room. Heer opened the door for them, and Krystal rushed in and hugged them both.
“Yay! You two made it! You guys were amazing!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You watched us?” Sana asked.
“Of course, we did!” Neil exclaimed. “You guys were awesome out there.”
“Sana always knows how to shake things up,” Rey said.
“Well, it wasn’t all me,” Sana said. “Prince and I managed to work well as a team.”
“Looks like you two worked things out as well,” Prince said to Krystal and Rey.
“We sure did!” Krystal exclaimed as she hugged Rey.
“Damn, I think you hug tighter than Sana does,” Rey said as he could feel him being squeezed tightly by Krystal’s embrace.
The rest of the gang laughed while Ryan smiled, seeing Sana and the others were okay. He cleared his throat and said, “I have to say…the four of you handled yourselves great out there.”
“Though I must say it started off quite rocky,” Akira said.
“Even though you guys had the challenge of different powers, you managed to make it work,” Heer said.
“Heer’s right. Your creativity and ingenuity were present today. I have a feeling you all are going to grow stronger faster than you think,” Ryan said. “Anyway, I’m going to have to call someone to fix the machine. You guys should head out for the rest of today. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Bye, Dad,” Sana said as Ryan left the training room.
“So, what are we all up to now?” Neil asked.
“I gotta go work on a report due for Energy Enhancement class,” Akira said.
“Oh, same here,” Heer said.
“Crap! I haven’t started that yet! I’ll join you guys!” Neil exclaimed as he headed out with Akira and Heer.
“Okay, Rey! Let’s celebrate our victory today with a trip to the mall!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Rey by his arm. “I think its time we invest in more pieces for your wardrobe.”
“No way! Are you kidding me?!” Rey cried. “I don’t wanna go shopping!”
“You said that last time and still went along. It won’t kill you,” Krystal said as she walked ahead, taking Rey with her. “Zayn, do you want to tag along?”
“Sure. It’s not like I have anything else to do,” Zayn said as he followed Krystal and Rey.
“Oh, of course you want him to come along,” Rey said.
“Shut up!” Krystal exclaimed.
After Krystal, Rey, and Zayn left, Prince said to Sana, “I hope you don’t plan on dragging me for shopping.”
“How about we just go grab a burger?”
“All right. I’m cool with that.”
Sana and Prince made their way out of the training room. It was the end of an eventful day and a new challenge. And with it came many new possibilities.
It was early morning at Ringmasters Training Academy. Rey made his way into the school happier than ever. He was all dressed up in an attire far different from his usual getup. He wore a straw hat that bore a skull emblem on it, an eyepatch, a thick red jacket with gold accents, white shirt, gray pants, and black boots. That’s right. It was Halloween and he was all dressed up for the festivities. As he strolled down the hallway, he stopped once he saw the rest of the gang near the lockers. He could see they were astonished at his appearance.
“Rey, you know the Halloween dance isn’t until tonight, right?” Sana asked.
“So?! Who says I can’t get into the spirit early?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Dude, your costume is sick!” Neil exclaimed.
“I have to say…I may not be the biggest fan of your fashion sense, but you look nice,” Krystal said.
“What are you talking about?! I’ve got great fashion sense!” Rey retorted.
“Before I gave you a makeover, you were sticking to basic tees and a cheap leather jacket,” Krystal said.
“So, you’re really just gonna wear that around all day?” Zayn asked.
“Hell yeah!” Rey exclaimed. “I would’ve brought the matching sword with me, but I don’t feel like carrying it around. You guys are going to the dance tonight, right?”
“Of course, we’re going,” Krystal said. “I have the cutest outfit planned. And they’re holding a contest for best costume! Yours truly has to win!”
“I’m not going,” Zayn said.
“What? Are you serious, dude?” Rey asked.
“Why not, Zayn?” Heer asked. “All the dances at our school are pretty fun.”
“Come on, guys. This is Zayn we’re talking about,” Akira said. “You all know he’s about as much fun as a math textbook.”
“Oh, shut up,” Zayn said.
“What excuse could you possibly have?” Prince asked. “Even I’m going.”
“Look, we can talk about this later,” Zayn said. “We gotta get to class anyway.”
With that, Zayn walked on ahead. Rey pouted and said, “That guy. I swear, sometimes I wonder if he has the soul of an old man in him.”
“You know, I’m sure there are old people that can loosen up more than him,” Sana said.
“I mean, we all know who his dad is,” Akira said.
While the others were talking and walking over to class, Krystal watched Zayn head off. She too was just as frustrated as Rey was. Probably even more. And she wanted to do something about it.
***
It didn’t take long for the day to go by. And once Power Coordination class was over, Ryan dismissed his students. While Sana, Rey, Prince, Neil, Heer, and Akira headed out, Krystal got to Zayn before he could leave.
“You need something, Krystal?” Zayn asked.
“Where are you going now?”
“Back to my room. Why?”
“Were you serious about not going to the dance tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not? And don’t tell me you don’t have time because that’s your most overused excuse.”
“Dances are boring. Besides, I just like to chill on Halloween.”
“But this dance is gonna be fun! Costumes, candy, desserts, and there’s a chocolate fountain! You can’t say no to a chocolate fountain.”
“She’s right, Zayn. Your dad hosts few dances and parties at the school. But the Halloween one is his absolute favorite,” Ryan said as he finished erasing the chalkboard. “He goes all out for it.”
“See! Even Mr. Malik insists you go!” Krystal exclaimed. “You can’t just sit in your dorm while the rest of the gang goes out tonight.”
“Look, I don’t even have a costume. So, it’s not like I can go if I want to,” Zayn said.
“Well, lucky for you we have time! And the costume shop downtown is still open! Come on!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Zayn by his hand. “See you tonight, Mr. Malik!”
“Bye, guys,” Ryan said.
How do I always end up getting dragged into things with her? Zayn wondered as Krystal continued to take Zayn by the hand.
***
After some time had passed, Krystal and Zayn arrived at Spooky Style, the city’s one-of-a-kind Halloween shop. Once they went inside, Krystal searched the entire store for costumes that Zayn would like. Once she compiled a few options, she gave them to Zayn to try on. She made him try on a range of things. From superhero to ninja, he wasn’t satisfied with any of the options. After he put on the pumpkin costume, he stepped out of the dressing room and said, “What made you think I’d like to dress up as a pumpkin?”
“I mean…you put it on.”
“That doesn’t mean anything!”
“Aww come on. I think it looks adorable on you!”
“Look, this is pointless. None of these costumes are right for me. I look like a fool in everything.”
“Oh, you don’t have to take yourself so seriously! Its Halloween. Besides, I have one more option for you,” Krystal said as she handed Zayn his next costume to try on.
Zayn sighed as he took the costume from her and went back inside the dressing room. Krystal waited outside, wondering why Zayn had to be so self-conscious. Of all the times to not take yourself seriously, Halloween was certainly one of them. After some time had passed, Zayn stepped out of the dressing room and Krystal found herself astonished at what she saw. He was all dressed up in a detective costume. He had a black fedora on, black necktie, white collared shirt, tan jacket, gray pants, and black shoes. To her, he looked rather nice in it. And considering he wasn’t hating on it instantly, she thought he liked it as well.
“So, what do you think?” Krystal asked.
“It’s…it’s not bad. I actually don’t hate it.”
“Come on. Admit it. You like it!”
“Okay, fine. I like it. Happy?”
“I’m just happy we found something you like! Now you have no excuse to not go to the dance!”
“Look, I may like this costume, but I don’t know about going to the dance.”
“Oh, come on! You didn’t come all the way here with me to try on these costumes just to not go, right?!”
“To be fair, you dragged me.”
“And to be fair, you could’ve taken off long before we made it here.”
Damn. She has a point, Zayn thought. Why did I even come here? Zayn turned around to the mirror and looked at himself in the costume. He actually didn’t mind it. In fact, he found himself quite liking the getup. It was different, but not too far off from costumes he wore as a child when he went trick-or-treating.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go. But only for like an hour or so,” Zayn said.
“You may say that now. But I’m sure you’ll be staying the whole night,” Krystal said.
***
In the evening, students and faculty were gathering in the ballroom of Ringmasters Training Academy for the Halloween dance. Sana and Rey entered the ballroom soon after. Sana was amazed at the arrangements made. There were huge pumpkins in every corner of the room and ghost balloons flying high near the ceiling. Spider webs were draped across the walls and fun ghost-shaped lights were flashing over the dance floor. She stopped looking around upon seeing Heer, Neil, Prince, and Akira in a corner by the snack table. While Rey was still dressed in his pirate costume, Sana was wearing a ladybug outfit. She admired the costumes her friends were wearing. Heer was dressed as a pink princess, Akira was a cowgirl, Neil was a vampire, and Prince was Santa Claus.
“Wow, you guys look great,” Sana said.
“So do you, Sana,” Heer said.
“I’m loving the wings on your ladybug costume,” Akira said.
“Neil, you’re rocking the vampire look,” Rey said. “And Prince, I’m surprised you put effort into your costume.”
“I said the same thing when I saw him,” Neil said.
“I only wore this to have an excuse to eat candy canes tonight,” Prince said.
“Do you really need an excuse to eat candy canes?” Sana asked, chuckling.
“I wonder where Krystal is,” Heer said. “I know she likes to be fashionably late, but she’d be here by now.”
“She took Zayn out for costume shopping, so they’ll be here a little late,” Akira said.
“Zayn’s coming?” Neil asked. “He made it sound like he had no interest in this.”
“Well, you know, Krystal. She has her ways of persuasion,” Sana said.
“You know, she’s always into persuasion when its with Zayn,” Rey said as he started eating one of the ghost-shaped sugar cookies he picked up from the snack table.
“Hello, students!” Headmaster Devil exclaimed into the microphone as he got up on the center stage. He was dressed up in a zombie costume and he was standing beside Ryan, who was dressed up as a werewolf, and Aiden, who was dressed up as a vampire.
“Oh, I didn’t know Aiden was coming,” Sana said.
“He stole my costume!” Neil exclaimed.
“Oh please. It’s not like you told him what you’re wearing,” Prince said.
“Maybe its like a twin telepathy thing,” Akira said.
“Yeah, right,” Neil scoffed.
“I hope you all are having a good time!” Headmaster Devil exclaimed. “At midnight, we’re going to declare the winners of the costume contest. So, be sure to have all your votes in! Have fun!”
With that, students got back to dancing and eating snacks. It didn’t take long for Rey to notice the chocolate fountain at the end of the snack table and go, “Oh yes! Chocolate heaven!”
Sana chuckled along with the others as Rey headed over and got his sugar cookies sprinkled with the chocolate from the fountain. The others stopped by and helped themselves to some candy from the giant candy bowl.
***
Outside the front steps of the academy, Zayn was waiting, all dressed up in the detective costume he got from Spooky Style. Krystal asked him to wait outside the academy for her before going inside to the party. He kept checking his phone for the time, wondering when she’d arrive. He heard the sounds of heels going clickety-clack against the ground pavement. He knew it was her. Zayn looked up and saw Krystal walking towards him, dressed in a bright orange fairy costume with golden wings. She seemed brighter than ever, which seemed impossible considering how colorful she looked every day.
“Sorry, I’m late, but I had to get the finishing touches on my wings done,” Krystal said. “So, what do you think?!”
“You look…beautiful.”
Whoah. Did he really say beautiful?! I didn’t even expect him to compliment me, Krystal thought.
“Wow, you’re a lot more forward than I thought!”
“What does that mean? You want me to say you look horrendous instead?”
“Oh, lighten up! I’m just surprised you could be so nice, that’s all.”
“Remind me again why you wanted me to wait before going in.”
“The others are already there. And I didn’t want to enter the party alone.”
“Right. Can we go in now? The sooner I’m in, the sooner I can leave.”
Geez, he’s already being such a grump, Krystal thought, shaking her head.
Krystal and Zayn went inside the academy. As they were walking inside and heading towards the ballroom, Krystal had a weird feeling. It was a sensation she was feeling from the chills up her skin. At first, she thought she was just cold. But it seemed like something weird was going on.
“Is it just me or is something feeling kinda off?” Krystal asked.
Suddenly, the hallway was completely dark. Krystal and Zayn stopped in their tracks.
“Were you referring to the lights?” Zayn asked.
“Okay, this is creepy! If this is their way of adding the spooky factor for Halloween, I’m not amused.”
“Damn it. If only there was some light.”
“Wait! I got it!”
Within a few seconds, Krystal’s wings started to glow a bright yellow color. Zayn was surprised to say the least.
“Your wings light up?”
“Pretty cool, right?!”
“As fascinating at that is, I think we should focus on figuring out what’s going on here.”
Before Krystal could even respond, she heard a growling sound coming right behind her. She looked at Zayn and could tell he heard the same. They both turned around at the same time. Krystal found herself terrified as a catlike dark beast was right before them.
The beast lunged towards Krystal. Zayn grabbed hold of her and got them both out of the way. Before he could grab his wand from his jacket, someone shouted, “Rey, attack with a fireball!”
Sana and Rey stepped in and Rey, who was in his beast form, emitted a fireball from his roar towards the dark beast. The fireball scorched the dark beast’s skin, burning it to a crisp. Rey transformed back into his beast form and the lights began to come back on in a flickering manner.
“Are you guys okay?” Sana asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Zayn said as he helped Krystal get up.
“Okay, what is going on here?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Is this some kind of sick joke?!”
“It was horrible!” Rey exclaimed. “We were just dancing, and I spilled punch on myself. So, Sana helped me clean out the stains. See, I borrowed this shirt from my dad, and he’d kill me if I got it ruined. It was passed down by my grandpa and-”
“Is there a point to this story?” Zayn asked.
“Oh, right! When we were about to head back inside, this weird smoke thing started filling up the ballroom and we got attacked by two dark beasts,” Rey said.
“Thankfully I had my wand on me,” Sana said.
“Were the beasts that attacked you the same kind as this one?” Zayn asked.
“Yeah. Same kind exactly,” Sana said.
“Where are the others at?!” Krystal asked.
“They’re in the ballroom. We were going to check on them till we saw you guys here,” Rey said.
With that, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Zayn headed back into the ballroom. There was no smoke, but something else was definitely amiss. Sana was stunned to see all the students and faculty were frozen in gray-colored ice. Neil, Heer, Prince, and Akira were all frozen as well.
“What happened here?” Sana asked. “I really hope they’re all okay.”
“They should be. I’m not even sure if this is real ice,” Zayn said.
“Neil being frozen. Now that’s irony,” Krystal said. “Aww, Prince dressed up as Santa! I think I’m rubbing off on him in the fashion department!”
“Uh, Krystal, we need to focus. Our friends and everyone else are in danger,” Rey said.
“Not us,” a voice said. Sana and the others turned to see Headmaster Devil with Ryan and Aiden.
“Dad, how did you guys make it out?” Zayn asked.
“Aiden was quick enough to use his wind powers to create a barrier around us when the smoke appeared,” Headmaster Devil explained.
“Okay, what’s going on?! This isn’t some trick, is it?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I assure you its not,” Ryan said. “We’re just as confused as you all are.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t think dark beasts alone are responsible for this,” Aiden said. “There has to be some mastermind here.”
“You’re correct,” a voice said.
Sana was just as stunned as the others. It didn’t take long before multiple dark beasts entered from all sides of the ballroom, cornering the group. They all had the same catlike appearance as the ones from before. Their eyes glowed a demon red as they all looked hungry.
“Okay, we’re doomed,” Rey said.
“There’s no time to waste then,” Ryan said as he pulled out his wand and transformed it into his pistols. “We’re gonna have to fight them all.”
“But there’s so many of them!” Krystal exclaimed. “And we don’t know who that voice was just now!”
“Aiden, get the others out of here and find out who is behind this,” Headmaster Devil ordered as he transformed his wand into his scepter. “Ryan and I will stay behind and take care of these beasts.”
“But, Dad, there’s so many! How can we just leave you here?!” Sana asked.
“We’ll be fine, Sana. Just get out of here!” Ryan ordered.
“Guys, follow me!” Aiden told Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Zayn. He concentrated the wind energy in his palm and allowed it to surround them all as a protective barrier as they made their way past the other beasts and left the ballroom. Aiden used all his willpower to get everyone past the doors. Once the doors were shut, they stood in the hall. Sana could hear the snarling beasts in the ballroom combined with shots firing from her dad’s pistols. As worried as she was, she knew her dad was going to be okay.
“What do we do now?” Rey asked.
“We have to figure out what that voice was. These beasts must be under the control of whoever froze everyone. Once we find that person, we can take them down and everything should go back to normal,” Aiden said.
“Okay, how do you suggest we go about that?” Sana asked.
“We’ll have to split up to cover more ground. Krystal and Zayn can take this floor and the basement. I’ll go with Sana and Rey upstairs,” Aiden said.
“Split up?! Are you kidding me?! That’s like a horror movie no-no!” Krystal cried.
“Well, we have no choice, Krystal. We have to cover more ground if we want to find whoever’s responsible for all of this,” Aiden said.
“You two will be fine. Just give us a call if anything goes wrong,” Sana said.
“You guys can do the same,” Zayn said.
With that, Sana, Rey, and Aiden took off, leaving Krystal and Zayn by themselves. Zayn went ahead and Krystal followed him. They ended up walking towards the staircase that led to the basement. Krystal gulped. Going to any basement in the kind of situation they were in was frightening. She followed Zayn down, who was seemingly okay. As they made it to the basement floor, Krystal shrieked at the sight of a spider crawling on the ground. She grabbed hold onto Zayn’s arm in the moment.
“It’s just a spider,” Zayn said. “Do you really have to freak out over that?”
“Listen, I don’t like spiders, okay!”
“I’m just saying you’ve seen all kinds of dark beasts and creatures. Does a spider really have to scare you?”
“How rude?! We’re in a scary situation here and you’re out here questioning what I should be afraid of?!”
“That’s not what I meant…I…”
Seeing Krystal turn away made him realize she was pretty scared. He even admitted to himself that he too was feeling a little unsure and restless. He sighed and said, “Listen…if you’re okay with it, you can hold my hand if you want.”
Krystal was surprised to see Zayn be so considerate. She felt a little more at ease. She grabbed hold of his hand and they kept walking down the basement floor. They passed the few cellars that would hold inmates and the old brick walls. It was astonishing just how ancient the basement looked in comparison to the rest of the academy. Once they got to the end of the floor, Zayn said, “Well, it looks like this place is clear.”
“So, do we head back to the first floor then?”
“Guess so. There’s nothing here to be concerned over.”
Krystal suddenly felt chills go up her back. This sudden shift was noticeable to Zayn. She turned around along with him, and her fear was proven right. Something was indeed there. Before them was a tall catlike dark beast that stood on its hind legs. It had several red eyes, and it opened its mouth, letting out a mighty roar and showing off its sharp, blood-thirsty teeth.
The beast launched red beams from its eyes towards Krystal and Zayn. The two got out of the way, landing on the ground.
“You will be mine,” the beast said.
“It talks?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“It sounds like the voice from before,” Zayn said.
The beast roared again and launched a dark energy beam towards Krystal and Zayn. Zayn immediately drew out his wand and transformed it into his clarinet. But before he could attack, the beam struck him in his chest.
“Zayn!” Krystal cried.
Before Zayn could get up, the beast pounced on him, pinning him down with its paws. His clarinet fell to the side, and he was helpless. Krystal drew out her wand and transformed it into her sonic bell. She plunged her sonic bell to the ground and shouted, “Sonic Boom!”
The sonic bell emitted a strong sound wave towards the dark beast. The beast was seemingly shocked by the sound wave, putting its paws on its ears. As the attack was doing its thing and distracting the beast, Krystal helped Zayn get up and grabbed his clarinet. She held onto him as they quickly got past the beast and began heading up the basement stairs.
Once they made it back to the first floor, they stopped, allowing themselves to catch a breath. Krystal handed Zayn’s clarinet back to him. As Zayn relaxed, he looked at Krystal and said, “Thanks for helping me back there, Krystal.”
“Oh, yeah. No problem. I wish I knew what the hell that thing was.”
“Whatever it is, its an unusual dark beast. It spoke in its beast form.”
“Yeah. Its definitely different from Madame Naga and those other dark beasts. Maybe there’s a human in the beast’s body?”
“Even then, it doesn’t explain why its randomly attacking the school.”
“Hey, are you guys okay?!” Rey asked as he ran up to Krystal and Zayn along with Sana and Aiden.
“We’re fine. How’d you guys find us?” Zayn asked.
“We could feel an intense pressure coming from the lower level,” Aiden said. “Did you run into a dark beast?”
“Not just any dark beast. We think we ran into the one that’s behind all this. It started talking in its beast form with the same voice we heard back in the ballroom,” Krystal said.
“No way. A dark beast was talking in its beast form?! So, does it possess a human form then?” Sana asked.
“We don’t know. We were attacked and Krystal was able to distract it with her sonic bell for us to escape,” Zayn said.
“You know, this actually sounds like something I’m familiar with,” Aiden said.
“What’s that?” Sana asked.
“Well, I’ve heard stories about a talking dark beast that terrorizes people around Halloween. From what I heard, its targets were always random, and it only seemed interested in obtaining human flesh,” Aiden said.
“Okay, that’s totally creepy!” Krystal exclaimed. “How did you hear about that?!”
“I’ve only heard about it once or twice. It always sounded like one of those made-up horror stories people tell to scare others,” Aiden said.
“Honestly, nothing should sound far-fetched to us anymore,” Sana said. “So, I guess this beast is able to control other beasts then as well. Even though this story explains who were dealing with, it still doesn’t explain a motive.”
“Sana, you really think a dark beast that eats people on Halloween needs a motive?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Eats people?! So, did it freeze everyone else in the ballroom because it plans to feast on their flesh?!” Krystal exclaimed.
Sana was about to answer Krystal. But she froze at what she saw coming from the basement. Soon, the others turned to see the dark beast rising from the staircase.
“Eww, just when you thought these things couldn’t get uglier,” Rey said.
The beast let out a thunderous roar as it fired the red beams from its eyes. The group dodged the beams, all jumping back. Rey and Aiden transformed into their beast forms.
“Rey, try to use your Ember Paw on it!” Sana called out.
Rey prepared the fiery claws of his paw and tried to jump onto the beast. Aiden tried to take a hit at the beast as well, assisting Rey in pinning it down. The beast broke free from their grips and fired its beams at them. After the beams hit them, the grayish ice started to form from their feet. Sana acted quickly and plunged her trishula into the ground, unleashing fiery flames that melted the ice before it could freeze Aiden and Rey.
“The beams cause the freezing! Don’t let them hit you!” Sana exclaimed.
“Easier said than done,” Zayn said as he drew out his clarinet. “B-flat major!”
Zayn played his clarinet and sand swirled out from it, twisting into a tunnel that struck the beast at its chest. As the beast was seemingly pushing through the sand, Zayn kept going, trying to push himself harder. It didn’t take long for the beast to grab hold of Zayn, piercing the claws from its paws into his jacket. Zayn’s clarinet fell to the ground. He couldn’t believe he got himself in the same position again. The beast was preparing its red eyes to zap Zayn head-on.
Krystal rung the bell from her sonic bell and the beast let go of Zayn. It puts its paws on its ears again, unable to bear the sounds from the sonic bell. Krystal rushed to Zayn, helping him get up.
“So, that’s it!” Sana exclaimed. “This beast is sensitive to sound! I think I know a way we can take it down!”
“Okay, well you better explain it quick before it gets back up again!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Aiden, start by using your wind powers somehow to hold it off. Krystal and Zayn, you need to combine your sound powers to keep it occupied,” Sana said. “When I give the signal, you guys stop, then Rey and I will deliver the final blow.”
“That sounds pretty solid!” Zayn said.
“Aiden, go!” Sana called out.
Aiden nodded and unleashed a wind howl, emitting a strong gust of wind tunneling towards the beast at its chest. As Aiden was using all his power to hold off the beast, Zayn turned to Krystal and said, “You ready?”
Krystal nodded and said, “Let’s do this!”
Zayn and Krystal stood side-by-side. They got themselves in mirroring stances. Krystal rung her sonic bell and called out, “Sound Beam!”
Zayn prepared his clarinet and said, “A major!” He played his clarinet and unleashed a mighty sound wave that collided with Krystal’s sound beam. The two forces combined into a hyper sound wave and spun their way through Aiden’s wind tunnel. Once they hit the dark beast, the sound wave and winds blasted the beast towards the wall, pressing it further into it.
Sana eyed Rey and he nodded in response. He rushed to her side, aligning with her. Sana plunged her trishula into the ground, powering her fire energy into it. Rey concentrated his fire energy within to prepare for their attack.
Once she felt ready, Sana shouted, “Okay, guys, stop your attacks!”
Aiden stopped his wind attack while Zayn and Krystal released their sound attacks as well. Krystal dropped to the floor, feeling tired from using all her energy. She could see Zayn and Aiden were out of breath as well.
Sana plunged her trishula further into the ground. A fiery circle began to form around, enclosing the dark beast in its range. “Ring of Fire!” Sana called out.
Rey launched a mighty fiery roar towards the beast as the flames from Sana’s fire circle united and attacked the dark beast all at once. The dark beast let out a demonic scream as its body began to burn from the fire. It didn’t take long for the beast’s body to be completely burnt as the fires faded. Sana got to her knees, tired from the attack. Rey transformed back, feeling breathless as well.
Aiden transformed back into his human form and said, “I can’t believe we did it.”
As Sana panted, she noticed something odd. While the beast’s body was down and burnt, something appeared to be coming out of it. Rey noticed this as well and was weirded out by the sight of it.
It appeared to be a young girl with short brown hair and a pink dress on. But the girl wasn’t just any girl. She appeared to be a ghost.
“Okay, I’m confused now,” Sana said.
“What the hell are you?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Oh, this must be weird for you all,” the ghost said. “My name is Marie. My soul has now been released from the beast’s body since you defeated it.”
“Released?! You mean you were trapped in that thing?!” Krystal asked.
“I perished many years back. The beast you defeated took my body as its new vessel to survive in this world and it feeds off humans every Halloween to live,” Marie said. “But now that you’ve defeated it, I’m free to rest in peace now.”
“Wow. Those stories were pretty damn true then,” Zayn said.
“So, what about the dark beast’s voice?” Aiden asked.
“Yeah. We were surprised it could talk. Was that you?” Sana asked Marie.
“Once the beast took my body, it could use my voice as well. That’s how it would scare its prey,” Marie said.
“Really? I’m pretty sure his appearance would do the job on its own,” Krystal said.
“Well then. I’m sorry you had to endure all that for so long. It must’ve taken a toll on your soul,” Aiden said.
“I’ve waited long to be free. And now I finally can be. Thank you for giving me that chance,” Marie said.
“No problem. Just doing what we do best,” Rey said with a smile.
As Marie waved bye to the group, she faded along with the beast’s body. Rey said, “Well, that’s something you don’t see every day.”
“We should go check the ballroom and make sure everyone is okay,” Sana said.
“Agreed,” Aiden said.
Sana, Rey, and Aiden ran and headed towards the ballroom. As Krystal was about to get up, Zayn offered her a hand and she took it as he helped her get up. She noticed the tears on the shoulders of his jacket from the beast’s grip. She said, “Sorry about your jacket.”
“It’s no big deal. Honestly, it goes with the theme.”
Krystal giggled at Zayn’s comment as the two went off and followed Sana, Rey, and Aiden.
***
Back in the ballroom, all the students and faculty were returned to their normal selves. With all the mayhem over, the party was back on. Everyone went back to dancing, eating, and laughing. As Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Zayn filled Neil, Heer, Prince, and Akira on what happened, Neil said, “You mean to say I was frozen?! ME?!”
“I know. I too thought it was funny,” Rey said.
“Aww, Neil, it’s okay,” Heer said, seeing a whimpering Neil. “I too was frozen.”
“To be fair, it wasn’t your typical kind of ice,” Sana said.
“I’m just mad I missed out on all the action,” Akira said.
“I’m not. I welcome a good nap,” Prince said.
“Of course, you would say that, Prince,” Krystal said. “I just can’t believe Devil canceled the costume contest because of this!”
“Oh, come on. A little fun is needed after what went down,” Rey said. “Come on, guys! Don’t just stand here! Let’s go dance!”
Sana, Rey, Prince, Neil, Heer, and Akira headed over to the dance floor and started dancing amongst the other students. Krystal was about to join them till Zayn said, “You want to dance…with me?”
“Hold up. You’re asking me this?!”
“Well, you saved me twice back there. I figure I owe you one.”
“Well then. The dance covers one saving. I’ll have to get back to you on the other one.”
“Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let’s join them.”
Zayn offered his hand to Krystal, and she took it, taking him over to the dance floor with the others. She got Zayn in hold and started dancing with him, twirling him around while he went along with it. She knew he wouldn’t admit he was having fun. But she didn’t need him to. She just knew. The gang were all together and it was the perfect way to close an eventful Halloween night.
The Ringmasters Society 