“Rey! Attack from your left!” Sana commanded. Late at night in Daredevil City, Sana and Rey were up against a dark beast down in the alley of St. Franken Street. This dark beast looked similar to a jaguar, with its spots being a bright red color. Rey, in his beast form, attacked the dark beast directly into the wall, holding it down as much as possible.
“Quick! Give it a fireball attack!” Sana ordered. Rey nodded as he let out a mighty roar, emitting a fireball attack at the dark beast. The dark beast fell to the ground while Sana drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula. She spun her trishula around in the air and plunged it into the ground, sending a fiery path towards the dark beast. The flames consumed the dark beast, destroying it completely.
With that, Rey transformed back into his human form. Once he transformed back, he noticed Sana got down to the ground on her knees, looking very exhausted. Rey went towards her, lending her a hand.
“Need help?” he asked. Sana looked at Rey’s hand, grabbing it as Rey helped her get up.
“You okay?” Rey asked.
“Yeah. I’m probably just tired.”
“Let’s get back. Besides, we have classes in the morning.”
And so, Rey and Sana began to head back towards the academy. But Sana stalled for a moment, turning around to see a dark tower ahead of the city.
“Sana, what are you waiting for? Let’s go,” Rey told Sana. Sana turned back and nodded and then left along with Rey.
***
The next day, at the girls’ dorm house of the Ringmasters Training Academy, Krystal was in deep slumber in her own room. She slowly woke up, stretching out her arms as she let out a yawn. She turned to the alarm clock on her nightstand and gasped.
“Oh, damn! I overslept!” Krystal cried.
She immediately got out of bed and dashed off to the bathroom, brushing her teeth vigorously. After she did so, she opened her closet, going through the many outfits she had. She finally changed into an orange dress with a V-shaped neck and paired it with a pair of orange-colored pumps. Krystal then brushed her straight hair and grabbed her orange-colored purse, putting a granola bar inside. Krystal left her room, locking the door as she rushed down the halls, leaving the building and heading into the academy.
“Damn it. I know I’m gonna get in trouble with Professor Luna,” Krystal said as she ran down the hallway. She finally made it to the classroom, barging inside while Professor Luna was in the middle of teaching.
“Ms. D’Cruz, you are late!”
“Look, I’m sorry. My alarm didn’t ring.”
“But you certainly had the time to put on that expensive dress.”
“Hey! This is designer wear. It costs a fortune. I can’t just let such expensive clothes sit in my closet.”
“Really?! In that case, how about you start off the week with detention. You and Mr. Blake can report today after school.”
“What?! And why Prince, too?!”
“You know the rule of this school. Whatever befalls one student, the partner receives the same. Now, sit down.”
Krystal walked in frustration as she then sat down at her seat next to Prince, throwing her bag under the desk.
“Nice job, Krystal,” Prince told Krystal, rolling his eyes as he chewed on a watermelon-flavored candy cane.
“Shut up, Prince,” Krystal snapped.
“I guess I should’ve woken you up then,” Sana said to Krystal, turning around.
“You think?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Speaking of tardiness, where are Rey and Neil?” Professor Luna asked.
Sana and Heer turned to each other. Sana knew that Heer had the same thing on her mind. Rey and Neil were up to something.
“They’re probably out sick today, Professor Luna,” Heer replied, trying to keep her cool.
“If they show up late, I’ll have more detention to give!” Professor Luna exclaimed.
Where are those morons?! Sana thought, shaking her head.
***
“So, you sure about doing this?” Rey asked Neil. Rey and Neil were standing outside of Aiden’s office in the main hall. And at this time, Aiden was alone inside, completing some work.
“Of course, I am. It’s the only way to settle the old score I got with that chump,” Neil whispered.
“I don’t know why you hate him so much.”
“That’s nothing you need to know. Are you in or not?!”
“Well, duh. I’m ready to take this guy on. I’ll be the coolest guy in the academy if I can beat the school’s mentor.”
“We’ll attack once he comes out of the office.”
At that moment, Aiden had opened the door of his office. Rey and Neil stood near the walls while Aiden walked out from the room.
As he walked, Rey shouted, “Hey, Mr. Mentor!” Puzzled, Aiden turned around, seeing Rey and Neil standing before him. “You think you’re so tough, don’t you?!”
“Oh, it’s just you idiots,” Aiden shook his head.
“Who you calling an idiot?!” Neil shouted. “Last time we couldn’t fight. But this time we’re both going to pummel you to the ground.”
“You can’t be serious,” said Aiden.
“Hell yeah we are!” Rey exclaimed. “Ready, Neil?!”
“Of course, I am!” Neil agreed as he drew out his wand, transforming it into his bow and arrow.
Rey transformed into his tiger form. Aiden maintained his guard while Rey and Neil made their way to attack. As they came towards Aiden, Headmaster Devil came before them and said, “What are you two doing?”
The sight of Headmaster Devil shocked both Rey and Neil, making them fall to the ground with a thud. Rey transformed back into his human form while Neil’s bow and arrow changed back into a wand. The two immediately got up and said, “Headmaster Devil!”
“What were you two planning on doing?” Headmaster Devil inquired.
“Us?!” Neil asked. “We weren’t doing anything!”
“Yeah! What he said!” Rey agreed.
“Really?” Headmaster Devil said. “Because it looks like you two have cut class. And you were about to attack Aiden.”
“Um,” Rey and Neil mumbled. “Well…”
“Don’t bother. You know the penalty. The two of you will report to detention along with your partners,” Headmaster Devil ordered.
“Detention?!” Neil said, shocked.
“You’re seriously going to give us detention?!” Rey asked.
“Of course. You both have broken school rules,” Headmaster Devil said. “And if you both don’t show up, I’ll see to it you get even worse punishment. Do I make myself clear?”
Rey and Neil gulped and nodded in response. Headmaster Devil walked down the hall, while Aiden followed, eyeing Neil at the same time.
“Oh, great! Now we have to go to detention!” Neil whined. “Heer won’t be happy about that.”
“Please. Sana’s going to kill me now,” Rey sighed.
***
“You moron!” Sana yelled as she smacked Rey in the head, making him crash to the floor. It was lunch time where the gang were all seated at a round table in the cafeteria. And that was when Sana and Heer were informed about the detention notice they had received from Headmaster Devil.
“Could we lose some of the violence?!” Rey shouted back at Sana as he got up.
“I should get more violent on you! How can you two be so stupid?! Never once have I gotten detention before!” Sana shouted. “The library incident was one thing. Now you repeat previous mistakes and land us with real punishment. God, you two are such idiots!”
“Did you really have to try and sneak attack Aiden?” Heer asked Neil.
“Hey, I was just going to give my lousy brother a piece of my mind,” Neil retorted.
“Well then. Looks like the whole gang is going to be at detention tonight,” Krystal said.
“This whole thing started with you anyway,” Prince told Krystal.
“Shut up! All I did was oversleep. That professor doesn’t understand the value and time put into carrying off such expensive clothes every day,” Krystal replied.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“Where is the detention room anyway?” Rey asked.
“It’s supposed to be in the basement of the school if I’m correct,” Heer answered.
“And we’re going to be there for at least two hours,” Sana sighed. “And I have a ton of homework to do for my Elemental Study class.”
“Looks like we’ll just have to get through this together,” said Krystal.
“Not looking forward to that,” Prince said quietly.
***
At the end of the school day, while students had gone back to their dorms, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer headed down into the basement of the academy for their session of detention. “So, what room are we going to?” Rey asked.
“Room two,” Sana replied. The gang made their way down the hall until they reached the room. Sana was just about to open the door until it opened by itself, freaking out the others. They went inside the room. But there was nothing inside. It was just a huge empty space with white walls and a white floor.
“This is the detention room?” Neil asked. “Is this the right place?”
“That’s what it says on our detention slips,” Sana replied.
“Then why is there no one here?” Rey asked. “Or nothing here to say the least.”
“Maybe they forgot! I say we get out then!” Krystal exclaimed.
As Krystal turned to leave, the door of the room had immediately closed shut.
“Okay…this just got even weirder,” Sana said.
The group turned around as a puff of black smoke emerged within the room. As the smoke faded, they were stunned to see Aiden standing before them.
“It’s Aiden!” Krystal exclaimed.
“What’s he doing here?!” Neil asked, annoyed.
“More importantly, where is everyone getting these smoke effects for entrances?” Rey questioned.
“Um…are we in the right room?” Heer asked Aiden.
“You are,” Aiden replied.
“Then where are we supposed to sit?” Sana inquired.
“That’s not the kind of detention you all are being put in,” Aiden said.
“What are you talking about?!” Rey shouted
“Watch,” Aiden said.
Within an instant, the group was surrounded by fumes of black smoke, which made Aiden disappear as well. Everything changed within seconds. No longer were they in the same empty room. The group had been teleported into an eerie looking version of a classroom where the six of them were all strapped to seats, unable to move. Aiden stood before them in front of a blackboard, holding a pointer to the board.
“Okay seriously, am I the only one who’s wondering where these special effects are coming from?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Welcome to MY version of detention,” Aiden announced. “It’s time for you all to learn a lesson.”
The girl screamed as if she had been beaten by the Devil.
In the dark mountains of Daredevil City, right inside the tower, Droh had just beaten a young girl. And this girl was familiar. Because she was the same girl that was living in Droh’s home in Rosarina Town. Droh grabbed the girl by her hair, making her cry as he held onto her hair tightly in his grasp. “You useless child!” Droh shouted at the girl as he continued to hold onto her hair. “You let those kids get away with my personal documents! And on top of that, you destroyed half of my home to bits. I give you one task! To guard my house in case they show up! And this is what you do?! When I’m done with you-“
“Enough, Droh,” the voice of a woman called out, masked behind the shadows as she sat in a throne. “Don’t waste your grip on the child.”
Droh reluctantly let go of the girl’s hair, throwing her to the ground as her body curled in helplessness. “These children and their tears,” the woman sighed. “If she didn’t have so much power, I would have killed her myself by now.”
“I can do that this very instant,” Droh told the woman.
“No. Someone as powerful as her is needed for my plans to work. So what if they got those papers?! It’ll lead them to you. And even closer to me.”
“Very well. What do I do with her?”
“Take Runa to her room. Her tears will stain the floor.”
And that was the girl’s name; Runa. Droh grabbed Runa by her arm, taking her away into the halls where he threw her into a dark room, shutting the door.
***
The next day, during the afternoon at Ringmasters Training Academy, Sana was alone in the school’s art studio while other students were working on the next circus show. While in the room, Sana was applying henna on her hand. However, she struggled with using the henna cone to draw the design. As she was working, Rey entered the room, looking straight at her and saying, “Hey, Sana!”
Sana looked up, turning to Rey.
“Oh. Hi.”
“What are you doing here? We’re supposed to be working on the set for the next circus show.”
“Why else do you think I’m here? Krystal is forcing me and Heer to do henna for her Bollywood circus,”
“Oh…well you’re doing a pretty bad job.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just look at it. Your lines are so sloppy. No wonder you’re so bad at drawing.”
“Shut up! I don’t need your commentary.”
Rey rolled his eyes as he then sat down right beside Sana, taking the henna cone from her hand. “Hey!” Sana exclaimed. “Give me that!”
“Oh, shut up!” Rey cut off Sana. Sana kept quiet as Rey grabbed hold of her hand and started drawing the design on it with the henna cone. Sana looked down upon her hand as Rey tightly held on her wrist, carefully drawing a beautiful design. She looked up at Rey, who was completely focused on the design. While Rey’s focus was on drawing the design on her hand, her focus was on him.
“Now this is how you draw! See!” Rey exclaimed as he finished drawing the design on Sana’s hand, looking up at her. As he looked at her, he noticed she was in quite a trance, continuing to look at him without saying anything. He snapped his fingers, making her come back to reality. “What world are you in?!” Rey asked. “See this! Now that’s a drawing!”
“Oh…yeah.”
“That’s all you can say?!”
“It’s nice. There, I said it.”
“Thank you.”
Then, Krystal and Heer entered the art studio with Krystal saying, “There you guys are. We’ve been looking for you two everywhere. What have you been doing?” But before Rey or Sana could answer, Heer elbowed Krystal, eyeing the henna design on Sana’s hand and the henna cone that was in Rey’s hand. Both of them looked at each other, smirking.
“What?!” Rey and Sana shouted in unison, seeing the faces Krystal and Heer were making.
“Oh, nothing,” Heer chuckled.
“Now would you two hurry up! We need to rehearse for my circus show!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You mean OUR circus show,” Sana corrected.
“Uh, no. It’s mine. I’m the one in charge. And I’m the one that decided on the Bollywood theme. Hence, its mine!” Krystal exclaimed. “Now hurry. We need to get working.”
Krystal gave a dramatic turn, flipping her hair as she walked out of the room, leaving Sana, Rey, and Heer behind. “She’s such a drama queen,” Rey said as he got up and started walking with Sana and Heer following.
***
In the gymnasium, Sana, Rey, Krystal, and Heer came back to see the other students practicing their own circus acts. Neil and Prince were trying to set up a series of hoops for a practice run. As the group got together, Professor Luna had arrived at the gymnasium and announced, “I need the following students to go see Headmaster Devil right now. Sana J. Malik, Rey Murgatroyd, Krystal D’Cruz, Prince Blake, Neil Galloway, and Heer St. Hale!”
“Again?!” Neil sighed.
“Now what does he want?” Prince asked, rolling his eyes.
“It’s not like we’re the only students at this school worth calling,” Krystal said, shaking her head in annoyance.
***
And so, the group made their way out of the gymnasium and walked down the hall towards the Devil’s Lair. “Okay, who’s opening the door?” Rey asked the others.
“Does it really matter?” Heer asked.
“You remember what happened last time,” Neil said. “What if he’s with another one of his girlfriends?”
“That was bad timing on his part,” Krystal said.
“I opened the door last time. So, it’s not me,” Sana said.
“I don’t give a damn about who opens the door,” Prince said.
“Then why don’t you open it?” Krystal said.
Rey shook his head as he then went ahead and opened the door of Headmaster Devil’s office. “Hey, Devil! You busy or what?!” Rey exclaimed, barging into the office while the others followed.
“Laila! I told you it’s over between us!” Headmaster Devil shouted over his office phone. “Why?! Because I think we should see other people. And after that trip we took, I need to cut back a little. Now quit calling me!” With that, Headmaster Devil hung up, slamming the phone down. He looked up to see the group in his office and said, “Oh…you kids are here.”
“So, Laila’s free now?” Rey asked Headmaster Devil, smirking. Sana smacked Rey in the head, getting irritated.
“Must you always go after every free chick around?” Sana asked.
“Let’s get down to business. Why did you call us, sir?” Neil asked.
“I’ve examined the documents you gave us from Droh’s home,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Did you find out anything?” Sana inquired.
“Aiden is taking care of that. He will be studying them for some time and will notify me of anything important,” Headmaster Devil said. “But that’s not what I really wanted to talk to you about. From your trip to Droh’s house in Rosarina Town, you said that you met a girl there?”
“Yes. She’s a dark beast as well,” Sana replied.
“That girl was unusually powerful,” Heer added.
“The better question is what was that girl doing in Droh’s home?” Rey asked.
“There must be some connection,” Headmaster Devil responded. “We can’t do much for now.”
“Then what do we do?” Sana asked.
“Try to keep things on a low profile for now. I want you all to just focus in class and the upcoming circus show. Take some time off the situation,” Headmaster Devil told the group. “If anything happens, we’ll go from there. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the group responded in unison.
“Good. You all can go back for practice,” Headmaster Devil said.
And with that, the group left Headmaster Devil’s office. Headmaster Devil sat back in his chair, pondering, That girl…what relation does she have with Droh?
***
“Cut!” Krystal shouted in her orange-colored megaphone. In the gymnasium, Krystal was making everyone rehearse the dance sequence of her circus show. “What are you people doing?! You guys are supposed to sway your hands to the right! Not the left!”
“Does it really matter?” Sana asked, shaking her head.
“Yes it does! Everything has to be in alignment!” Krystal exclaimed. “Now, let’s take it from the top!”
“I’m done with this,” Prince said as he stepped out of the group, heading towards the wall.
“I’ll be back. I need to wash this henna off,” Sana said as she headed down to the washroom.
“Prince! You get yourself back here!” Krystal shouted at Prince with her megaphone.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he started chewing on a peppermint-flavored candy cane in his mouth.
***
In the washroom that was located between the boys and girls locker rooms, Sana went inside. As she went in, she noticed Rey was standing by the mirror, looking at his arms. “Really? You’re admiring yourself?” Sana said, unamused.
“No need to be jealous, Sana. It takes real genes to be as good looking as me,” Rey smirked as he brushed aside a parting in his hair. As he was doing so, Sana noticed a tattoo on Rey’s arm. The tattoo was a band which wrapped around Rey’s upper arm and right in front of it was a roaring tiger’s face.
“I’ve never seen your tattoo before,” Sana said.
“This one? Everyone in the Tiger Clan has one like this. There’s only a few of us so we all got one at birth. Just like everyone from every other human-beast clan out there.”
“I see. You mean you were born with that?”
“Yeah. It’s just a birthmark, Sana. Nothing more than that.”
“Can’t believe I never paid attention to it. It basically reminds you of your identity, doesn’t it?”
“You know you’re getting very sentimental right now. Especially over a birthmark.”
“Forget it. Sometimes I say stupid stuff.”
Sana rolled her eyes as she walked towards the sink next to Rey’s. Sana started washing the henna off her hand, while Rey continued to check himself out in the mirror. She turned over to him and said, “So, what do you think about this whole Droh situation?”
“I don’t know. Devil said not to worry about it now. So, don’t worry.”
“You can’t seriously be taking this lightly?! First we find out that there are dark beasts out there who possess human forms. And aside from Droh, there’s some monster child that’s just as dangerous.”
“Look, I get that you’re worried. But we’re just students of the academy. If the headmaster himself says we should chill, then why shouldn’t we?”
“He will say anything just so that we have nothing to worry about. If Droh has someone as powerful as that little girl on his side, who knows what other enemies we may have.”
“What do you mean by other enemies?”
“I can only imagine how many other dark beasts are out there like Droh and that girl. And what if all those documents are related to a team of other dark beasts he’s working with? Or someone he’s after?”
“But what point would he have of keeping reports on other accomplices?”
“He could be building a team. We may not know for what reason. But I have a feeling that he’s working with other people.”
“One thing I know is that you never take a break from thinking.”
“Shut up.”
***
Inside a private study room of the school library, Aiden was sitting at a desk with dim lights on as he was quietly studying the documents that the others had brought from Droh’s house. He used a flashlight to examine the documents as he looked at every single detail.
“These are all dark beasts. But question is why is Droh keeping all of them on file, including himself?” Aiden asked himself out loud as he continued to look at the documents. “It just doesn’t add up.”
Aiden continued to look through the papers and then began looking through a series of reports related to a study on a tiger’s DNA structure. “Interesting. Out of all these papers, most of the information relates to some tiger,” Aiden said as he examined the documents closely. He put his hand to his head, trying to think. “It looks like he is after someone.”
***
Outside of the academy, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer had gone out to take a break from practice. “You really didn’t have to shout at everyone today,” Heer told Krystal.
“Well, why wouldn’t I? I need everything to be perfect. And you know what’s worse? My designer messed up the color combination of my outfit for the show,” Krystal complained. “How could anyone think that midnight blue and crimson red could look good together?!”
“No one really cares you know,” Rey retorted.
“Shut up, Rey. I’m not even talking to you,” Krystal said.
“We come out for some fresh air…and you guys have to bicker. Come on now,” Sana said.
“I should’ve stayed back,” Prince said, rolling his eyes.
“For once I second Prince on that,” Neil agreed.
Suddenly, the others could feel a gust of wind coming towards their way. “What’s going on?” Heer asked.
“The forecast didn’t say anything about a tornado!” Krystal shrieked.
“For some reason I don’t think that’s the case!” Sana said, rolling her eyes at Krystal.
Suddenly, the wind stopped. The confused group looked ahead to see the girl, Runa, standing right before their eyes.
“It’s that girl,” Neil pointed out.
“What the hell is she doing here?!” Rey asked. Runa immediately levitated, turning away straight down the road.
“She’s getting away! We have to follow her!” Sana told the others as they then came along. All went after Runa, except Heer, who stood, watching on. There’s something really wrong with that girl. I can feel it, Heer thought.
Neil stopped, turning to see Heer standing still. He ran back to her and said, “What are you doing, Heer? We have to follow that girl.”
And so, Neil grabbed Heer by her hand, pulling her along as they followed Runa down the road.
The group followed Runa all the way into the woods until she had finally stopped in her tracks. She came down onto the ground and turned towards the others, looking at them, overwhelmed. “Okay guys, get ready!” Sana told the others. Rey and Prince immediately transformed into their beast forms.
“Heer, transform already!” Neil ordered Heer. But Heer didn’t listen. Instead, she was just looking at Runa, lost in thoughts.
“Heer, are you listening to me?!” Neil asked Heer. “Heer!” Heer slowly made her way towards Runa while the others stood by.
“What is she doing?” Krystal asked.
“Heer, stay away from her!” Neil ordered Heer.
“Heer, listen to Neil,” Sana told Heer.
But Heer continued to get closer to Runa. Runa stepped back a bit, feeling scared. “It’s all right,” Heer told Runa. “You don’t need to be afraid.” Runa looked back at her, puzzled.
“Heer?” Neil said.
“What’s your name?” Heer asked Runa.
“Ru…Runa,” Runa replied in a stuttering manner as she tried to step back further.
“It’s okay,” Heer told Runa, extending her hand towards her.
Runa looked at Heer’s hand with awe. She slowly extended her own hand towards Heer’s hand, eventually grasping onto it. But as she did, she felt a sense of shock rise up in her. “NOOO!” Runa cried. The cry of Runa released a strong electric shock from her hand to Heer, injuring Heer and making her fall to the ground.
“Heer!” Neil shouted. Neil ran to Heer, helping her get up as Sana, Krystal, Rey, and Prince rushed to the scene. Heer looked at Runa as the others did, seeing her body suddenly give off an eerie purple glow.
“No! Why did I leave?! Why did I escape?!” Runa cried to herself, putting her hands to her head as she got down to the ground on her knees. “What will happen if they find me?! Why did I leave?! Why did I come here?! Why?! Why?!”
“What’s wrong with this kid?!” Krystal asked.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Heer said.
At that moment, a cloaked figure suddenly emerged from a black puff of smoke, picking up Runa by her hair. She screamed as she struggled to free herself. And then, the cloaked figure disappeared in the same smoke, taking Runa along.
Rey and Prince transformed back.
“That…was weird,” Rey said.
“Forget weird. That was just bizarre,” Prince added.
“Are you all right, Heer?” Neil asked Heer.
“I’m fine,” Heer replied.
“What were you thinking, Heer?” Sana asked Heer.
“Yes! Why would you put yourself in danger like that?!” Neil asked Heer. “That girl is clearly a threat.”
“She may be. But I feel she needs help,” Heer replied. “That’s all I tried to do.”
Heer remained silent. The silence loomed over the whole group.
***
On the other hand, in the tower of the mountains of Daredevil City, the cloaked figure returned along with Runa. The cloaked figure removed its hood, revealing to be none other than Droh. He let go of Runa, throwing her to the ground. “She escaped again!” Droh shouted. “I don’t know how many times I have to deal with this insignificant creature.”
“Droh…let it be. Besides, you really shouldn’t treat your own niece with such brutality,” the woman, masked in the shadows, spoke.
“Niece my foot! I am not to blame that my sister adopted this kid and then left her in my care after her death!”
“You speak so ill of the child, yet your antics at this moment are no less than that of a wailing toddler. So, give it a rest. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Her power is something I need for my plans.”
“Plans, plans, plans! You continue to talk about plans, yet you barely mention what you really want. You better know what you’re doing, Madame Naga.”
At that moment, the woman emerged from the shadows. That woman was Madame Naga. She wore her voluminous black maiden hair downward across her back as she wore a long sleeved black gown with a choker in the design of a snake wrapped around her neck. Madame Naga tapped her sharp black finger nails on the snake head scepter she held that was gold in color. She smirked and said, “Trust me…I know what I’m doing.”
It was a dark night in the streets of Daredevil City. And in this modern town, there was a small black-colored tower on the outskirts of the city, right up in a small mountain area. Inside this tower, a tall man dressed in a black suit, who had medium-length black hair tied in a ponytail, stood before a young woman who sat upon a throne that was shrouded in the shadows.
“Droh,” the woman spoke. “You have returned.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Did you complete the task?”
“Well, I managed to find the girl and that boy you spoke of.”
“You imbecile! This means you didn’t complete the job!”
“Relax. Temper, temper! This same temper will burn your blood if you don’t calm down.”
“Fool. You dare tell me off! What happened with those two?!”
“Things would have worked out better had it not been for the interference of some other students at the academy.”
“Other students you say? Interesting.”
“You still have not said what you want with those two.”
“It isn’t exactly the girl I’m interested in. That boy is who I really want. No matter. You’ll still have time to redeem yourself, Droh. For now, I need someone to watch those other students who may meddle with my plans.”
“Consider it done.”
***
In the morning at Ringmasters Training Academy, Sana was in her room at the girls’ dorm building, studying from various books at her desk. As she continued to study, she heard a knock at her door. “Come in,” Sana called out as she put on her black jacket, buttoning it over her red tank top and red skirt. The door opened and it was none other than Heer, who had come inside the room. “Good morning, Heer,” Sana greeted.
“Morning, Sana. I made cookies yesterday,” Heer said as she handed a tin box to Sana.
“Oh, thank you,” Sana said as she took a cookie from the box, immediately biting into it.
“So, what have you been doing?” Heer asked.
“Studying. I want to make sure I’m prepared for any pop quizzes next week,” Sana smiled.
“Help!” a voice shrieked. Sana and Heer turned around to see Krystal barge into Sana’s room. “I have a major crisis right now!” Krystal cried.
“What’s wrong, Krystal?” Heer asked.
“I can’t figure out which shoes to wear with my dress,” Krystal said as she then held two pairs of shoes in her hands. “Pumps or boots?”
“Of course. That’s what she calls a crisis,” Sana said.
“Shut up, Sana! I have two pairs of shoes in the exact same shade as my dress. Which one?” Krystal asked.
“I really don’t have time for this,” Sana shook her head.
“I like the boots,” Heer replied.
“See, Sana. At least Heer is more helpful than you,” Krystal said.
“She’s being nice to you, Krystal,” Sana said.
“Aren’t you guys coming?” Krystal asked. “We need to rehearse for the next circus show.”
“That’s right,” Heer said.
“I guess I’ll have to save the studying for later,” Sana sighed.
“Oh, please! The books can wait!” Krystal exclaimed.
***
At the gymnasium of the academy, Sana, Krystal, and Heer had arrived where other students were already in action, rehearsing for their own individual acts for the upcoming circus show. The trio then found Rey, Prince, and Neil at the other side of the gymnasium.
“Okay, guys. I’m here,” Krystal announced to everyone in the gymnasium.
“And why do we care?” Rey rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you talk to me like that, Rey Murgatroyd,” Krystal said. “Didn’t you know that Headmaster Devil appointed me as the coordinator for the new circus show?”
“What?!” Rey exclaimed. “You’re kidding!”
“I wish she was,” Prince shook his head.
“Why would you say that?” Neil asked Prince. “She is your partner.”
“Knowing her, she’ll take advantage of the opportunity and come up with some weird idea for the show,” Prince said.
“What exactly is your idea for the show, Krystal?” Sana asked Krystal.
“Oh it’s perfect!” Krystal exclaimed. “Get ready, guys! We are doing a Bollywood circus show!”
“Huh?” the others replied in unison.
“You heard me! I’m talking about drama! Sparkling outfits! Designer jewelry! Fancy sets!” Krystal continued. “Dance numbers! Music! The whole package I tell you!”
“Is this a circus show or a musical?” Prince asked.
“Shut up, Prince! This is going to be the best show ever,” Krystal told the others. “And we’re making it happen.”
“All of this is gonna cost beyond the school’s budget,” Sana said.
“Who cares about money? I’ll ask my daddy to invest some cash if we need it!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You really think you can ask your daddy for cash like its sitting at a doorstep waiting for you?” Rey chuckled.
“Rey, Krystal’s dad is the owner of D’Cruz Diamonds, the number one jewelry brand in France,” Neil told Rey.
“What?!” Rey exclaimed.
“That’s right! Heck, I’ll even ask him to send his latest designer pieces,” Krystal smirked as she took out her cellphone and started to dial her father’s number.
“Students!” a voice called.
The students turned around to see Professor Luna had arrived at the gymnasium. “I need to send six students to see Headmaster Devil in his office,” Professor Luna announced. “Sana J. Malik, Rey Murgatroyd, Krystal D’Cruz, Prince Blake, Neil Galloway, and Heer St. Hale, please go to the office now.”
“Not the Devil’s Lair!” Neil whined.
“I wonder what we did wrong,” Heer said.
“Whatever it is, Rey probably did it,” Sana said.
“Hey!” Rey exclaimed.
***
And so, the group made their way down the halls towards the Devil’s Lair. “Okay seriously…am I the only one wondering why the six of us have been called?” Heer asked as the group made their way towards the office.
“I have a feeling it’s about the egg incident from the other night. Whatever it is, just act natural,” Sana told the others. “The headmaster is a diligent, hardworking man. It’s probably important business.”
And so, Sana went ahead and opened the door of Headmaster Devil’s office, entering along with the others. “We’re here, Headmaster Devil,” Sana said. “So why have we been-“
Before Sana could finish her sentence, she and the others were startled at what they saw. Headmaster Devil was sitting at his desk and a tall, beautiful looking woman dressed in a short blue dress and studded heels was standing right near the headmaster’s desk. Headmaster Devil jumped from his seat and shouted, “You kids! Have you ever heard of knocking?!”
“What the hell?!” Prince said, surprised.
“Diligent and hardworking man you said, Sana?” Krystal asked Sana.
“Yeah. He certainly works hard with getting the ladies in his office,” Neil said.
“So, does that mean his previous girlfriend is free now?” Rey asked.
“You moron!” Sana shouted at Rey. “Are you seriously thinking what I think you’re thinking?! You pig!”
“What the hell?!” Rey shouted back. “Why is it that girls always feel that they know what a guy’s thinking?!”
“How about you two love birds quit bickering over there?!” Headmaster Devil shouted at Sana and Rey.
Sana and Rey kept quiet, turning away from each other. Krystal and Heer giggled.
“See. Even the headmaster gets what I’ve always thought,” Krystal whispered to Heer.
“I’m not surprised,” Heer whispered back.
“Is this a bad time?” the woman asked Headmaster Devil.
“I’m sorry, Laila. I have to deal with my students right now,” Headmaster Devil replied. “Go do your shopping and I’ll meet you for dinner tonight.”
“All right. Anything for you, Devil,” Laila smiled as she then embraced Headmaster Devil and then made her way out of the office, brushing the others aside.
“Anything for you, Devil,” Krystal mimicked Laila.
Rey turned around, looking at Laila as she made her way down the hall. “Wow, she’s something!” Rey said. Sana then whacked Rey in the face, making him fall on the floor.
“Moron! Must you always look at girls like that?!” Sana shouted.
“Can we get to business?” Headmaster Devil asked the others.
“Depends,” Neil replied. “Is your other business done with?”
“Hey! Don’t mock Laila. I know you’re jealous you can’t get her to be your girlfriend,” Headmaster Devil said. “Now…sit.”
The group immediately sat down before the headmaster’s desk. At that moment, Aiden had entered the office. “Ah! Aiden! Come in,” Headmaster Devil greeted Aiden.
Why is he here?! Neil questioned, looking away as Aiden made his way beside Headmaster Devil’s desk.
“So…why did you call us, sir?” Sana asked.
“I’ve called you to discuss the attack from Colors Day,” Headmaster Devil replied.
“Finally! I’ve been wondering about that all week!” Neil exclaimed.
“You mean you don’t want to discuss the egg incident from the library?” Sana asked.
“Idiot, why would you bring that up?!” Rey exclaimed.
“That is not important right now. Let’s focus on the Colors Day attack,” Headmaster Devil responded.
“Do you know the attacker, sir?” Heer asked.
“The attacker was human. But he was able to turn into a dark beast,” Sana said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“And you’ll probably see more,” Headmaster Devil said. “Aiden, why don’t you explain to them?”
“Of course,” Aiden agreed. “That attacker was none other than Droh. He himself is a human-beast but unlike any regular human-beast, his body is affected by negative energy. And so, the negative energy is what causes one to become a dark beast.”
“But all the dark beasts we’ve encountered are just regular wild animals that turned into dark beasts due to the effects of negative energy. So, how come only now we come across one who happens to be human as well?” Sana asked.
“Every human-beast is born as one. It’s something born within one’s DNA,” Aiden continued. “However, the form of a human-beast can be altered by emotions or other forces.”
“And what the hell does that mean?” Krystal asked.
“Take Droh for an example,” Aiden continued. “If there’s one thing I know about Droh, he’s always been greedy for power. And it’s that kind of negative energy that transformed him into a dark beast.”
“So, why’s this guy after Sana then?” Rey asked.
“We’re not completely sure if it was Sana he was after,” Headmaster Devil replied. “I feel he may have other motives. I don’t think this is the last time you’ll see him.”
“So, what do we do now?” Prince asked.
“I’m sending you all for an extracurricular assignment,” Headmaster Devil stated. “We have sources that have informed us that Droh only came to Daredevil City recently. His original home is actually in Rosarina Town, Italy. I’m going to have the six of you go to Rosarina Town and investigate his house. It’s possible you may find something there that could lead to what he’s really looking for.”
“We get to go to Rosarina Town?!” Krystal exclaimed. “As in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with the best shopping?!”
“You’re going there to investigate, not to buy half the city,” Headmaster Devil said.
“So, how are we getting to Rosarina Town?” Sana asked.
“I’ll send you in my private jet. Of course, no fooling around. My pilot will make sure you get there safely,” Headmaster Devil assured. “In fact, you all can go now.”
“No we can’t,” Krystal said.
“Why?” Neil asked.
“I have to pack! I need at least five bags worth of luggage if we’re going to Rosarina Town!” Krystal cried.
“Krystal!” the others shouted at Krystal in unison.
***
A few hours later, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were all aboard on Headmaster Devil’s private jet. “Seriously…you had to bring all of that?” Sana asked Krystal. She was referring to the five large sized suitcases Krystal had brought upon the aircraft.
“What?! We’re going to Rosarina Town, Sana! And I intend to make my stay luxurious!” Krystal exclaimed.
“We’re going there for important business. Not to wander around like stupid tourists,” Prince said.
“Oh, come on, Prince! And seriously, I think you need some new clothes. Quit wearing black all the time. It just reeks of despair and I already get enough of that with your bummed out attitude hanging over me like a sad cloud,” Krystal told Prince.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he chewed on a strawberry-flavored candy cane.
“I don’t even think we’ll have time for shopping,” Heer said.
“And why is that?!” Krystal asked.
“Headmaster Devil told us that we would have to return within a day itself. Which means we only have a day to find Droh’s house,” Neil replied.
“Why does he need us to come back so soon?” Rey asked.
“He and Laila are going out to Maleena. So they need the jet back soon,” Heer replied.
“So, his outing with his girlfriend is considered more important than us going to Rosarina Town?” Krystal pouted. “Now that’s just selfish.”
“Complain all you want, Krystal. The sooner we find Droh’s house, the better,” Sana said. “I just hope we don’t run into any trouble when we get there.”
***
The next day, by early morning, the private jet had landed in central Rosarina Town. “We have arrived at Rosarina Town,” the pilot announced over the intercom. The sound of the pilot’s voice had awoken most of the others who were already asleep.
“Just when I was getting some good beauty sleep,” Krystal said as she sat up from her seat.
Heer then tapped Krystal on her shoulder from behind. Krystal turned to her and Heer directed her attention to Sana and Rey, who were sitting right on the other side. Krystal and Heer looked at the two as they were still asleep with their heads resting against one another. Prince and Neil looked at Krystal and Heer, who were giggling, and then looked at Sana and Rey. They both shook their heads and said in unison, “Girls.”
And at that moment, Sana and Rey slowly awoken, opening their eyes to see each other as they got up. And in the awkwardness of the moment, the two turned away from each other and got up from their seats with Sana stepping into the aisle.
“I think we should get going now,” Sana said as she then made her way down the aisle. The others then turned to Rey.
“What?!” Rey shouted, giving off an annoyed look as he then went ahead and followed Sana.
“Boys, take my luggage! Come, Heer!” Krystal exclaimed as she then made her way down the aisle with Heer following her, leaving Prince and Neil to take all of Krystal’s bags.
“What does she think we are?!” Neil asked, appalled. “Bus boys?!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince rolled his eyes as he picked up two suitcases and Krystal’s bag and started walking.
“Is that all he can say?” Neil asked as he picked up the remaining three suitcases and followed Prince.
Once the whole group had ventured out from the private jet, they made their way down the road, taking off into the streets in a matter of minutes. “So, any ideas on how we’re going to find the house?” Rey asked the others.
“Well we have the address, right?” Neil asked.
“I have it. Headmaster Devil gave it to me. All we have to do is figure out a way to get there,” Sana replied.
“Well, while we’re waiting, let’s check into a hotel,” Krystal told the others.
“Why should we go to a hotel?” Heer asked. “We’re only here for a day.”
“I’m not carrying this luggage around all day!” Neil exclaimed.
“Then I know the perfect place!” Krystal exclaimed.
***
And so, once the group got hold of a taxi, they made their way to the closest hotel where they booked a large suite for all of them to stay in. And of course, Krystal was responsible for choosing the hotel with lavishness in mind. Once that was handled, they left the hotel and headed out in search of Droh’s house. “How does a guy like Droh get to live in a place like Rosarina Town?!” Krystal asked.
“Beats me,” Prince shrugged.
“I hate repeating myself, but seriously…how are we finding the place?” Rey asked. “We know nothing about the geography of this city, so we won’t have a clue.”
“We could get a taxi again,” Heer suggested.
“But we don’t know if Droh’s home is near this area in the city. And considering the fact that Krystal wasted majority of the currency we received on a lavish hotel, we can’t afford to pay a driver to take us for a long distance travel,” Sana pointed out.
“Well, excuse me for booking us an exclusive suite!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Here’s an idea,” Neil said. “Why don’t we all split up and go around and ask people here? Maybe we might find out something.”
“Worth a shot. We’ll meet back here near this store,” Sana said.
“And then we can do some shopping!” Krystal exclaimed.
“No, Krystal!” the others shouted.
***
And so, the group split up, going their own ways in their respective partnerships. Neil and Heer made their way inside a luxury boutique. Once they came in, Heer looked around the store, astonished at the many items for sale. “Wow. Krystal would have loved to come here,” Heer said.
“That’s true. Why did we even bother coming here?!”
“We can still ask someone here for help.”
“True. Here’s an idea. I’ll go ask the cashier and you can stay here.”
“Are you sure you can handle that?”
“Why not? I’m a ringmaster for crying out loud. I can handle asking for directions. Just stay here and shop or something.”
While Neil went up to the cashier, Heer took a look at a bag from one of the shelves. She picked it up, admiring its leather fabric. She then looked at the price tag and gasped. “Wow. There’s no way I could afford anything here,” Heer said.
Heer then turned around to see Neil go up to the cashier. “I hope he can do this,” Heer sighed.
“Hi. Can you tell me how I can get to this address?” Neil asked the cashier, showing a piece of paper with Droh’s home address written on it. While Heer watched Neil from afar, she was surprised to see Neil nodding as the cashier spoke.
“Oh, he actually is getting something,” Heer said, surprised. Neil then turned around and headed back to Heer.
“So, what did she say?” Heer asked.
“I have no clue.”
“What?! Then why were you nodding?!”
“She was speaking in Italian. I didn’t want to look stupid.”
“Well, I guess it’s too late for that.”
“Oh, forget it. We’ll just go find someone else.”
“And what if they speak to you in Italian?”
“Then I’ll just use a translator app on my phone! Come on!”
“He clearly doesn’t realize we don’t have service here.”
***
On the other hand, Rey and Sana were walking towards a bridge in the bay area. As they were walking, they stopped, getting a look over the view of the flowing waters. “This is getting boring,” Rey told Sana.
“Well, you’ve been doing nothing but sightseeing.”
“So?! I’m not the one who can speak Italian.”
“But you could make an effort in trying to get directions.”
“Man, you love to bicker.”
“Would you just shut up and-“
Before Sana could finish talking, she noticed Rey’s attention drawn towards something else. Standing on the bridge and looking down upon the water, there was a young girl with brunette hair, dressed in a long black-colored maxi dress. “Now I’m not bored anymore,” Rey smirked, admiring the beautiful woman. “Time to make my move.”
But before Rey could even approach the girl, Sana smacked Rey on the back of his head, which then caused him to fall over into the water. She shook her head and said in annoyance, “You’re such a pig. “
Rey popped his head out of the water and shouted, “Damn you, Sana!”
Sana shook her head, while the young girl that Rey was eyeing, looked on at Rey and giggled.
***
Meanwhile, at a local dance center, Krystal and Prince arrived and entered to what appeared to be a small ballroom where people were dancing. “I’m surprised you picked this over a boutique,” Prince said.
“I love it! I just love Waltz! We should join!”
“We’re here to find out about that address. Besides, I don’t do dance.”
“You don’t do dance. You don’t do matching colors. What do you do then?”
“Everything you don’t do. I’m not dancing.”
“Well, I’m the ringmaster here. And I’m taking you to the dance floor.”
Krystal grabbed Prince by his arm and the two went onto the dance floor where Krystal began dancing with Prince. Prince rolled his eyes as Krystal continued to sway along the dance floor, dragging Prince along with him. As they continued to dance, they caught the attention of a female dance instructor. The instructor walked up to them and the two turned to her. Great. Watch her talk like an idiot in front of her, Prince rolled his eyes.
“Molto buona,” the instructor spoke to Krystal in Italian. “Voi due ballo bene.”
“Grazie. Ho una domanda.”
“Che cos’è?”
“Ho bisogno di indicazioni per un indirizzo.”
As Krystal continued to converse with the instructor in Italian, Prince looked on, baffled. She can speak Italian? Prince thought. Some things you never know. Once Krystal had finished speaking to the instructor, she turned to Prince and said, “Perfect! The house is in an area that’s only three miles away from here! We’ll meet up with the others and we can go get a taxi. And this time, Sana won’t have to complain about money.”
“Since when can you speak Italian?”
“Since I was ten. I know. It’s impressive. Shows how smart I am, right?! I even know German, French, Japanese, and Portuguese.”
“Well then. You learn something new every day.”
***
And so, Krystal and Prince met up with the rest of the group at their meeting spot and then took a taxi. Once they got to their destination in the evening, Krystal paid the driver and the group stood before what was Droh’s home. It was a small, one story house that had an old, eerie outlook with a front yard that appeared to have dead flowers among the fields.
“Wow. This is almost how I pictured his house to look like,” Neil said. “Except it looks like it belongs in a grave.”
“Something tells me he didn’t garden much,” Krystal nodded her head as she looked at the front yard.
“You can give the house a makeover later. We need to get inside and look around,” Sana stated.
The group made their way towards the front of the house, with Krystal being extra careful to avoid the dead flowers on the front yard. Once they got to the doorstep, Krystal tried opening the door. “It’s locked!” Krystal pouted. “Now what?!”
“I’ll take care of that,” Sana smirked. She drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula. Once it had transformed, she immediately plunged the trishula into the door, crashing it onto the floor.
“Oh…that was easy,” Krystal said. The group then entered inside the house. Inside, it was completely dark with absolutely no lights on and objects were scattered everywhere.
“Is this a house or someone’s landfill?” Neil asked.
“Looks like no one has been here in a while,” Sana said as the others continued walking.
“Or bothered to send for cleaning services!” Krystal exclaimed as she carefully made her way around. “I better not get any dust on these new shoes!”
“And that’s all she can care about,” Prince said.
As the group continued walking, Sana came across what appeared to be an old study room. Once the group entered inside the room, Heer turned on the lights. It was indeed a study room. Several books crowded the top of the desk along with many different documents and papers that were scattered across the room. “Clearly this guy is in need of housekeeping! This place is a mess!” Krystal complained.
“Maybe we can find something in here,” Heer said. “There could be a lot of useful sources around.”
“Everyone start looking,” Sana told the others.
And so, the group commenced searching in the study room. They looked through all the various documents, books, and other materials they could find. As they continued looking, Rey dropped a file folder onto the floor, making several papers come out of it.
“Smooth, Rey!” Neil exclaimed.
“Oh shut up!” Rey shouted. Sana picked up the papers and was puzzled as she looked through them.
“This is odd,” Sana said.
“What is, Sana?” Heer asked.
“These papers,” Sana replied. “Just look at them.”
The others came around and took a look at the papers Sana was holding. They appeared to be DNA reports along with scans of various animals.
“These can’t all belong to Droh,” Neil said.
“Unless the guy can transform into other things besides a crocodile,” Rey said.
“I don’t think it’s possible,” Sana refuted. “He may be able to turn into a dark beast. But there’s no way that any human has the ability to transform into more than one animal.”
“Then why would he have all these DNA reports relating to different animal species?” Heer asked.
“Could it be possible that Droh’s been studying specific human-beasts?” Prince questioned as he looked at one of the documents. His eyes were drawn to the one that showed images of what appeared to be of a tiger’s body. “Now these may not have names of people, but one of these could be of Rey. That could explain why he came to the school. He clearly knows something about you, Rey. “
“I’m not the only human-beast in this world that can turn into a tiger,” Rey argued. “Besides, he came there to attack Sana.”
“We’re not positive on that,” Heer stated. “But from the looks of these documents, he could be studying other species of animals in order to be prepared when fighting various human-beasts.”
“This just keeps getting more confusing,” Sana shook her head.
“Sheesh! All this speculation is giving me a migraine!” Krystal exclaimed. “So, if we’re done with snooping around this messed up version of a house, can we go now?!”
“So you can shop?” Prince said.
“Is that a problem, Prince?!” Krystal asked, annoyed.
“This notebook here has some good stuff!” Rey exclaimed as he held an old, coffee brown-colored notebook and started going through the pages.
“Good work, Rey,” Sana said. “We should take these back to the academy. Headmaster Devil might be able to analyze these.”
“Excuse me,” a voice said.
The group turned around, startled to see a little girl standing before them. The little girl had raven black hair in a bob styled haircut with a purple bow tied in the back, and she wore a dark purple nightgown.
“Aww! It’s a cute little girl!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Where did she come from?” Sana asked, confused.
“Are you lost?” Heer kindly asked the girl.
“I live here,” the girl replied.
“You do?” Neil asked, puzzled.
“Yes. And you are trespassing here,” the girl said coldly. “And for that…I have to kill you.”
The girl’s eyes then glowed a bright purple glow as she suddenly transformed into what appeared to be the form of a panther.
“Another one?!” Krystal cried. “So much for being a sweet little girl!”
The panther then attacked Sana into the wall, biting her arm. Rey quickly transformed into his tiger form and immediately rushed to Sana’s aid, pushing the panther off of Sana. Sana managed to get up while Rey tried to hold the panther off.
“Guys! You need to help!” Neil told Heer and Prince. Heer and Prince nodded as they both transformed into their beast forms. Neil and Krystal drew out their wands, tapping them to transform them into their weapons.
“Heer, tackle it into the wall!” Neil ordered Heer. Heer went ahead and pounced at the panther, holding it against the wall as she was told.
“Perfect,” Krystal smirked. “Prince, give a Sonic Roar!” Prince nodded as he then let out his roar, emitting strong sound waves towards the panther, which caused it to drop down, unable to bear the intense noise.
“Good work! She’s down! Rey!” Sana called out. “Hit her with a fireball attack!” Rey emitted a powerful fireball from his mouth, launching it directly at the panther. The panther suddenly looked up as the fireball attack surrounded the panther in flames.
Suddenly, the panther rose out from the flames, confusing the others. “What’s going on? She should be completely down by now,” Sana said.
The panther then opened her eyes, giving off the same purple glow as before. Suddenly, a series of glowing purple markings appeared all over the panther’s body. Once the markings were all shown upon the body, the fires suddenly changed into a purple color. The panther then let out a mighty roar, which caused the fire to spread rapidly, attacking the group with one blow. The intensity of the hit plunged the group out of the house, making them land into the front yard with a thud.
Inside the house, which was now half destroyed, the panther transformed back into the form of the little girl. The girl then passed out onto the floor as the markings on her body then disappeared.
Outside, at the front yard, Rey, Prince, and Heer transformed back into their human forms as they got up along with Sana, Krystal, and Neil.
“Eww! We landed on the pile of dead flowers!” Krystal shrieked. “Now I have dead petals and dirt on my dress!”
“Seriously, Krystal? Is that important?” Prince asked.
“Duh! This isn’t cheap you know!” Krystal exclaimed.
“What was that attack?!” Rey asked, shocked. “It blew us out of the house!”
“Clearly we’re not wanted,” Heer said.
“I’ll say! What was up with that kid?!” Neil asked. “I’ve heard of badly behaved kids, but that was taking it to a whole other level.”
“Who knows what that girl really is,” Sana replied. “We still got the documents we found. It looks like we’ll just have to head back to the academy with the sources we have. These papers have a good amount of information that could be useful to the headmaster.”
“But Sana, what about that girl?” Rey asked
“We’ll have to tell Headmaster Devil about her. Going back there is pointless now,” Sana said, looking at the state of Droh’s house, seeing it char within a matter of minutes. “Besides, we may end up facing her again at some point. Droh seems to have more secrets than we think.”
It was a busy day at the Ringmasters Training Academy. For today, students were preparing for the upcoming circus show in honor of Colors Day. While this holiday originated in India, many cities and countries over the world have started celebrating this holiday over the past couple of year. It is the one day where anyone could get covered in every color of the rainbow.
In order to prepare, regular classes were cancelled so that students could focus on getting their acts ready for the big event. While many students were busy setting up the arena for the show, other students were rehearsing acts for the event. And it was in the gymnasium where Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were all practicing.
“Why do you keep doing this to me, Prince?!” Krystal cried.
“Now what?” Prince asked in an annoyed tone as he chewed on a blueberry-flavored candy cane.
“I told you to wear the rainbow ensemble so we can match!” Krystal exclaimed.
“How many times do I have to say that I’m not wearing that?” Prince asked.
“You are getting on my last nerve, Prince,” Krystal said.
“Calm down, Krystal,” Sana said.
“What calm down?!” Krystal exclaimed. “I deal with this douchebag attitude every day with all the goodness in my heart and this is how I am treated?!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“What’s up with Krystal?” Heer asked Neil. “She’s getting angrier than usual.”
“It’s a special occasion,” Neil replied.
“Would you quit whining over stupid colors? It’s annoying,” Rey told Krystal.
“Oh, shut up! I don’t give a damn about what you have to say, Rey!” Krystal shouted back at Rey.
“Rey, let’s just focus on the act,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
Rey and Sana went to the side and Sana drew out her wand. Rey transformed into his tiger form, while Sana then tossed one of the hoops towards Rey. Rey immediately blew a blast of fire at the hoop, making it turn into a wheel of fire.
Once Sana was getting ready to toss the next wheel, she dropped it, putting her hand to her head as she began to feel dizzy. Rey then transformed back into his human form upon seeing Sana looking unsteady. “What’s wrong, Sana?” he asked. But before Sana could even answer, she passed out to the floor. The others saw her fall in shock and rushed to her along with Rey. Rey grabbed hold of Sana and called out, “Sana! Can you hear me?! Sana!”
“We should take her to the nurse immediately,” Heer told the others.
***
Later on, at the academy’s health center, Sana was taken to a room and remained unconscious while the nurse tucked her in bed with a soft, fuzzy blanket. She slowly woke up to see Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer surrounding her. As she tried to sit up, Rey said, “Sana, don’t get up. Just relax.”
“But I’m fine,” Sana said. “We need to rehearse.”
“Sana, you’re not feeling well,” said Neil. “Get rest.”
“You’re probably still weak from that night,” Heer told Sana.
“It makes sense,” Neil agreed with Heer. “That attack really took up a lot of your energy. You should take time to recharge.”
“Are you guys sure?” Sana asked. “What about our circus show?”
“Don’t worry about it. You shouldn’t take part in the show when you’re not feeling good,” Rey told Sana. “Get some rest.”
Sana’s eyes looked down at the ground, almost as if she seemed disappointed.
“Anyways, you should stay here till tomorrow,” Krystal told Sana. “Get better,” Heer patted Sana on her shoulder and the group left, leaving Sana in the health center, who went back to bed, looking disheartened.
***
Outside of the health center, while the others had made their way down the hall, Aiden was with Headmaster Devil in a corner where the others couldn’t see them. “I see,” Headmaster Devil said. “So, you mean to say Sana used the Ring of Fire attack with Rey?”
“Yes. She managed to perfect it in one shot, which is quite impressive for using it the first time itself. But it seems the power was far too much for her.”
“I see. That’s why she’s been feeling quite tired since then.”
“I believe you know why I brought this up to you.”
“Yes. You see potential in her and Rey.”
“A lot. And it has to be utilized properly.”
“I do agree. We’ll have to discuss it after the Colors Day festivities.”
***
At rehearsals, Krystal was helping the others with their acts for the show. As she was assisting them, she noticed Rey was sitting idle near the window of the gymnasium.
“Rey! Would you get over here?” Krystal called Rey. “You’re the one who’s supposed to open tomorrow’s show anyway.”
“I don’t know,” Rey said.
“What do you not know?” Neil asked.
“I don’t know if I want to do the show tomorrow,” Rey replied.
“What?!” Krystal shouted. “I planned everything! You can’t bail out now!”
“Would you chill out for once in your life?” Prince asked Krystal, annoyed.
“I don’t need to hear anything from you, Prince,” Krystal talked back.
“Come on, guys. Calm down,” Heer said. “Rey, is something wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Rey responded. “Now that Sana can’t do the show anymore, it feels weird doing it without her. So, why should I perform?”
The others remained silent.
“I see,” Heer sighed. “It’s for the best though. Sana needs to rest up after what happened yesterday.”
“I bet there is more to it that you’re not telling us,” Krystal smirked.
“Hey, what are you talking about over there?!” Rey asked.
“Nothing, nothing. Its fine, Rey. You don’t need to do the show,” Krystal told Rey.
“Then how’s the opening for the act going to work tomorrow?” Neil asked.
“Hello! I’m a creative genius. I’ll handle it!” Krystal exclaimed. “Tomorrow’s show will be amazing when everything is in my hands!”
***
The next day, things were getting busy at the academy. All the students were getting ready for the Colors Day Circus Show. Many guests had arrived at the arena for the big event. While the students were making sure things were all set up for the show, the performers were getting ready backstage. Especially Krystal, who was getting as much makeup done as possible.
“What the hell?!” Krystal shouted at her makeup artist. “You put more orange on this eyelid than the other!”
“You said orange is your favorite color,” the makeup artist said.
“Yeah! But in order to match my rainbow outfit, my eyeshadow has to be an even rainbow on both eyes. When will you people understand anything about coordination of colors?!” Krystal cried. “Fix it now!”
“Okay, okay. Sorry,” the makeup artist apologized as she continued to do Krystal’s eyeshadow.
Prince, Neil, and Heer watched Krystal’s drama as they got themselves ready.
“Wow is the only word I can say,” said Neil.
“Now you know what I have to deal with every day,” Prince rolled his eyes as he put on his gold-colored shoes.
“I think it’s kinda cute, guys,” Heer said as she brushed her curly brown hair that now had a pink streak on it. “She’s just having her diva moment.”
“Does anyone know where Rey is?” Neil asked.
“I think he went to go see Sana,” Prince replied.
***
Inside the academy, Sana was still resting in the health center. As she tried to sit up, she was startled to see Rey enter the room.
“Rey?” Sana said as Rey came up to her, sitting by her side on the bed.
“Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Seeing you. What else does it look like?”
“But you’re supposed to be getting ready for the show!”
“I decided not to do it.”
“What?!”
“You heard me. I’m not doing it.”
“But why?! You were supposed to open the show today. And you were so excited for this one.”
“True. But it’s not the same without my partner around. So, why bother?”
Sana kept silent, feeling touched. “You really didn’t have to,” Sana told Rey.
“I know. But I can be a nice guy when I want to be,” Rey said. “Speaking of which, I have something for you.”
Sana looked at Rey, confused. Rey then took out a small bowl of red holi power and he took some of it, applying it on Sana’s right cheek.
“Happy Colors Day!” Rey exclaimed.
Sana looked at Rey as Rey’s hand brushed against her cheek, coloring it with the beautiful red color. The simple gesture made her happy because she realized he cared enough to stay with her.
Rey looked back at her and said, “Are you going to say something or keep looking at me with those big eyes of yours?”
Sana then took some of the red powder from the bowl and put it on Rey’s left cheek.
“Thanks,” Sana said.
***
Outside at the arena, the guests were all seated before the arena. The show was about to begin. And so, it commenced with Krystal and Neil entering into the arena by the use of aerial silks, hanging onto them as they flew along the silk cloths and at the same time, throwing colorful powders of various colors to the audience. The audience clapped as they made their entrance, landing onto the center stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen…welcome to our Colors Day circus show,” Krystal greeted the audience. “I am Krystal D’Cruz.”
“And I am Neil Galloway,” Neil introduced.
“And we are your ringmasters for the show,” Krystal and Neil said in unison. “Enjoy.”
And the show began. As Krystal and Neil made their way off the stage, five baton twirlers along with five jugglers entered the arena in circular motion. And as they continued their respective acts, they threw their batons and balls into the air, catching them as they jumped upward in perfect sync to get them. The audience watched in amazement as they then transitioned off the stage.
As the baton twirlers and jugglers made their way off the stage, six performers entered by hand walking forward. Once they came in, Krystal came down on the trapeze, positioning her legs in the shape of a V as she came down onto the stage. Once she came down, two performers brought in a large red and white striped box. Krystal drew out her wand and tapped onto the box which opened, revealing Prince and Heer inside. Once Krystal closed the box, she tapped on it again, and that’s when it opened, revealing Prince and Heer in their beast forms, stunning the audience.
Prince and Heer then stepped out of the box, led by Krystal. And at that moment, Neil came back on the stage. Krystal and Neil then directed Prince and Heer with their wands to the center of the stage, making them sit separately. As they sat, Krystal and Neil then directed the hand walkers forward to Prince and Heer.
Next, a hand walker got on top of Prince, easily being able to maintain the balanced position on top of him as did another one did on top of Heer, which put the audience in awe. It wasn’t until the other hand walkers cartwheeled to the top and perfectly formed alignment that the audience stood and clapped as three hand walkers were lined on top of one another, each on Prince and Heer who were sitting at ease.
Once the hand walkers cartwheeled off of Prince and Heer, Krystal directed Prince forward on the stage to a series of hoops that were set up. She then took a tray of mixed holi powder and threw it in the air to which Prince let out his mighty Sonic Roar. The force of the roar sent the multi-colored powder through the hoops, creating a beautiful array of color blowing through them. The audience clapped at the beautiful sight.
And so, the other performers then came back on stage with everyone bowing down before the audience as they stood and gave a standing ovation.
“Thank you for enjoying the show,” Krystal called to the audience. “And happy Colors Day!”
As the guests started to leave, the students headed backstage to get changed. Prince and Heer had transformed back into their human forms and went to meet up with Krystal and Neil.
“Great show, guys!” Heer told the others.
“I know!” Krystal exclaimed. “Everyone loved my act! Though things would have been better if Prince had worn a matching outfit with mine.”
“Just because you’re my partner, doesn’t mean I have to match with you all the time like a lovesick married couple,” Prince said. “And that ugly orange color is never coming near me.”
“Oh, really?” Krystal said.
At that moment, Krystal went right up to Prince and then drew out orange-colored holi powder, which she splattered all over his face.
“Ha! Now I got it all over you!” Krystal exclaimed. “In your face! Hear me?! In your face!” At that moment, Krystal left victoriously, going back to remove her makeup while Prince shook his head.
“Wow, Prince,” Neil chuckled. “That’s quite a drama queen you got there.”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he looked in the mirror to see his now orange-colored face.
Heer made her way out of the circus tent. As she walked out, she was startled as she saw something dark slither into the lower level of the academy. Heer rushed back inside to the others and said, “Guys!”
“What’s wrong, Heer?” Neil asked.
“I saw something get into the school,” Heer replied.
“Saw what?” Prince asked.
“If it’s a rat, the janitor will take care of it!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I think it’s a dark beast,” Heer said.
Looking at the others, Heer could tell they were more alarmed now.
“Are you sure?” Prince asked.
“Well, we will only know if we go after it,” Heer replied.
“What?! We just finished a show! There’s no way I’m risking broken nails for this!” Krystal protested.
“Oh, screw that,” Neil retorted. “I’m ready for some action.”
***
Inside the health center, Sana tried to get up from the bed, while Rey helped her stand up, holding her by her shoulders. “Take it easy, Sana,” Rey told Sana.
“I’m fine, Rey. I can manage.”
“You said that last time. You need to take care of yourself, all right?!”
“Excuse me,” a voice said. Rey and Sana were startled to see a young man arrive inside the health center. The man had a goatee, long black hair tied in a small ponytail, and wore glasses. He was dressed up in a white lab coat, blue sweater, khaki pants, and brown dress shoes.
“Uh…who are you?” Rey asked.
“My apologies. I’m Dr. Droh,” the man replied. “I’m here for your checkup.”
“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll leave then,” Rey said.
“Hold it,” Sana paused with suspicion. “I know all the doctors that work in the academy and I’ve never seen you.”
Dr. Droh stalled in sudden shock while Sana and Rey looked on. Dr. Droh then grinned and said, “Well…you’re smarter than I thought.”
Sana and Rey looked at Dr. Droh, confused. And at that moment, Dr. Droh had transformed into the form of a dark-colored crocodile with bright red eyes. The sight shocked both Rey and Sana. “What the hell?!” Rey exclaimed.
“He just turned into a dark beast!” Sana said. “But since when do dark beasts have human forms?!”
At that moment, the dark crocodile made its way toward Sana, ready to attack.
“Sana!” Rey called out as he pushed Sana out of the way, pushing her into the wall while Rey was hit by the dark crocodile’s tale. As Sana tried to get up, Rey put his arm before her, “Sana, stay down! I’ll handle it!”
“Rey! You can’t take on it without me!” Sana exclaimed.
“I’ll be fine,” Rey assured.
And so, Rey went ahead and transformed into his tiger form. The dark crocodile went ahead and attacked Rey directly, hitting him against the wall again. Outside in the hall, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer were running down the halls when they heard noises from the health center.
“Prince, Heer…transform now!” Neil ordered. Prince and Heer nodded as they then transformed into their beast forms. As the four approached the door of the health center, the door was then thrown off with Rey thrown along with it down the hall.
“Rey!” Neil called out. That was when the dark crocodile emerged from the room into the hall.
“That’s a dark beast?!” Krystal asked.
“I’ve never seen one like that before!” Neil exclaimed. “Heer, hit it with an icicle attack!”
Heer immediately launched a series of icicles that formed when she emitted an ice energy beam attack from her mouth. The dark crocodile then countered with a dark energy beam attack from its mouth back at Heer.
“Quick! Move out of the way!” Neil ordered Heer. Heer jumped out of the way as the dark energy beam hit into the wall.
Inside the health center, Sana stood up, trying to make her way to Rey. The dark crocodile then saw Sana and launched another dark energy beam attack.
“Sana! Watch out!” Krystal shouted. Sana was just about to get hit until Heer pushed her out of the way in time.
“Heer, transform back and take care of Sana,” Neil ordered. Heer nodded as she transformed back into her human form and helped Sana get up, taking her into the health center.
“This is why I hate crocodiles! I guess we have to turn things up a notch!” Krystal smirked as she then drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her sonic bell.
“I hear you!” Neil agreed as he drew out his wand, tapping it to transform it into his bow and arrow.
Neil drew the arrow onto his bow and aimed it at the dark crocodile. Once he launched, it was ready to hit the crocodile. But before it could, the crocodile slammed the arrow with its tail, sending it back. Neil, Krystal, and Prince got out of the way as the arrow hit the wall, turning part of it into ice.
“I think it’s time you started hearing bells!” Krystal exclaimed. “Prince, use your Sonic Roar!” Prince immediately led out his roar, which launched a mighty sound wave aiming towards the dark crocodile. The dark crocodile bundled itself as it couldn’t bear the intensity of the sound. Krystal added more power by throwing her sonic bell into the ground, which intensified the sound waves further. Suddenly, the dark crocodile drew its tail in front and slammed it, sending an intense vibration that hit both Krystal and Prince. Neil went to check on them, and while doing so, the crocodile slithered its way down the railings of the stairs, disappearing.
Rey transformed back into human form, feeling a little exhausted from the attack. As he slowly got up, Neil turned to him as Krystal and Prince got up.
“You okay, Rey?” Neil asked.
“I’m fine,” Rey replied. “Where’s Sana?”
“In the health center with Heer,” Neil pointed out to which Rey rushed to the health center.
“Where did that ugly croc go?!” Krystal asked, infuriated as she looked around.
“It got away,” Prince said as he transformed back into human form. “It must’ve escaped while we were down.”
“That bastard!” Neil exclaimed.
“Good riddance! It almost ruined my outfit!” Krystal cried.
“We got beaten by some ugly crocodile and all you’re worried about is your outfit?” Prince asked.
“Yes! This costs a fortune you know!” Krystal exclaimed.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“How’s Sana?” Neil asked as he entered the health center along with Krystal and Prince.
“She’s a bit out cold,” Rey replied as he held onto Sana, trying to help her stand.
“We need to call the nurse,” Heer said.
***
After a while, the nurse came and took care of Sana in the health center. And at the same time, Headmaster Devil came along with some staff to clean up the damage in the halls from the attack.
“Headmaster Devil, we’re sorry we couldn’t take out the beast,” Heer apologized.
“Don’t be. Clearly it was more dangerous than expected,” Headmaster Devil replied.
“So what do we do about it?” Rey asked.
“I’ll look into the matter. We’ll have to investigate this a bit,” Headmaster Devil answered. “In the meantime, don’t worry. It’s Colors Day. You kids should go ahead and celebrate the festivities. All right?”
“Yes, Headmaster Devil,” Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer agreed in unison.
With that, Headmaster Devil walked away from the others down the hall. Something is definitely off. I’ll need to speak to Aiden about this, Headmaster Devil thought.
The nurse then stepped out of the health center and Rey was the first of the others to come up to her. “How’s Sana?” Rey asked.
“She’s fine now. I just gave her some medicine so she’ll be all right. You kids can go see her and take her out for the celebrations later,” the nurse replied.
“Thank you,” Heer nodded.
And so, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer went inside the health center where Sana was sitting up in bed. “How do you feel?” Krystal asked Sana.
“A lot better. Thanks,” Sana said.
“That’s good to hear,” Heer smiled.
“What about that dark beast?” Sana asked.
“Headmaster Devil said he’ll look into what happened,” Prince replied.
“So, don’t worry about it now,” Neil told Sana. “It’s Colors Day. We should go and celebrate now.”
“Yeah, you guys are right,” Sana agreed.
“Speaking of Colors Day, when did you get color on your cheek?” Krystal inquired, referring to the red powder on Sana’s cheek.
Sana remained unusually quiet as she eyed Rey. The others then turned to Rey, astonished to see he had red powder on his cheek as well.
“What?! I just put some on for her,” Rey said. “No big deal right?”
Prince shook his head, seeing the grins on Neil, Heer, and Krystal’s faces.
“So I see…I should’ve known!” Krystal exclaimed.
“What the hell are you talking about, stupid?!” Rey shouted.
“Who are you calling stupid?!” Krystal yelled.
“Easy, Rey. Don’t get her mad,” Heer told Rey.
“Or she can do worse things to you,” Neil said.
“Too late for that! Here! Have some orange juice!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed a glass of orange juice from the nightstand beside Sana and shoved it in Rey’s face.
“Get that crap away from me!” Rey screamed.
“What’s the matter?!” Krystal taunted. “Afraid of some Vitamin C?!”
“Shut up! Take it away!” Rey shouted.
“Can we just go outside now?” Sana asked, rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah we can!” Krystal exclaimed. “Let me just dump this orange juice on Rey and that’s Colors Day for you.”
It was mid-afternoon. The halls of Ringmasters Training Academy were dead silent. And the only thing that could be heard was the sound of Headmaster Devil’s footsteps as he walked down the hall, clacking his fancy dress shoes against the floors with Rey and Neil following him. The two were feeling very intimidated as they entered the office. As the two came inside, they expected to come into a scary looking place resembling hell. After all, this office was often referred to as the Devil’s Lair. And such a name for a mere room would scream of flames, demons, and possibly lingering souls.
But when they looked inside, their mouths dropped wide open at what they saw. Right by Headmaster Devil’s desk was a tall, elegant looking woman who wore a high slit dress in black that had long sleeved lacey sleeves. She had beautiful shiny red hair and her lips were bright red. She stood proud like the beauty that she was as she tapped her long red finger nails on the desk. And Rey and Neil couldn’t stop staring at her. Headmaster Devil went up to the woman and said, “Shaina! What are you doing here?!”
“You told me to wait for you, sweetheart. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past ten minutes. This is how you treat your girlfriend?” the woman retorted.
“Girlfriend?!” Neil exclaimed.
“What a player. The rumors are true then,” said Rey.
“What rumors?” Neil asked.
“Everyone’s been talking about how Headmaster Devil’s never been married. People think it’s because he spends his time with women in his office every day,” Rey whispered to Neil.
“Shaina, we’ll meet up later tonight. I have business to take care of,” Headmaster Devil told Shaina, holding her soft hand. “Okay?”
“All right. Anything for you, Devil,” Shaina smirked. “Give me a call when you’re free.”
With that, Shaina flipped her hair and made her way out of the office while Rey and Neil looked on. “Hey! What are you boys looking at?!” Headmaster Devil asked Rey and Neil, seeing them eyeing Shaina.
“Nothing, sir!” Rey and Neil replied in unison.
“Yeah right. I know. She’s quite a beauty. But she’s not for your eyes to stare at,” Headmaster Devil shouted. “Now sit.”
And with that, Rey and Neil sat down in the chairs that were provided in front of
Headmaster Devil’s desk. Headmaster Devil then made his way to his desk, sitting in his throne-like chair. He looked at both Rey and Neil, glaring down upon both of them while the two boys gulped as they sat in the chairs. He then drew out a jug of orange juice from a mini fridge that was behind the desk, and took out two glasses, pouring some juice.
“Have some orange juice,” Headmaster Devil told Rey and Neil.
“Yes, sir!” Neil obeyed, taking the glass of juice from Headmaster Devil.
“Uh…no thanks,” Rey said.
“Why?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“I really don’t want,” Rey said, turning away.
“It’s Vitamin C. Take it,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Um, sir. Rey doesn’t like orange juice,” Neil intervened.
“Like?! Forget like! I hate it!” Rey cried.
“Oh…fine then,” Headmaster Devil said as he pushed the jug aside, continuing to keep an eye on Rey and Neil.
Man! For a player, he can be really intimidating, Neil thought.
I wonder if Shaina has a younger sister, Rey wondered. But I don’t want to ask.
“May I ask why you two were spying on Aiden?” Headmaster Devil asked Rey and Neil.
“Spying?! We weren’t spying!” Rey exclaimed.
“Do I look dumb to you? You both were following him and even planning to sneak attack him,” Headmaster Devil retorted. “And for what? Oh wait!”
“What?” Rey and Neil asked in unison.
“Now I understand,” Headmaster Devil said. “Neil, I know very well that Aiden is your twin brother.”
“Does that have to be brought up all the time?!” Neil said, rolling his eyes.
“I don’t know what enmity exists between you and Aiden. And I don’t know why the hell you two have that going on. But whatever it is, don’t bring it up in school. The battlefield is not here. This is a learning environment,” Headmaster Devil lectured. “Is that understood?”
“Yes, Headmaster Devil,” Rey and Neil replied in unison.
“Now…I need to figure out the right punishment for you both,” Headmaster Devil said as he tapped his fingers on the desk, pondering. “Ah! Yes, I got it! And since Sana and Heer are your partners, you will need them as well. After classes are over, you will be put on library duty. Which means you will be cleaning up and reorganizing the books over there before the school closes.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Neil asked.
“I don’t kid. Now move along. I’ll be expecting to see a clean and organized library by tomorrow morning,” Headmaster Devil said.
***
And so, after classes were over and majority of the students had gone back to their dorms, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer were in the library, cleaning and organizing the books on the many shelves across the room. “I can’t believe we’re in this mess because you two idiots had to spy on Aiden,” Sana said as she placed a book on a shelf.
“Hey! We were just gonna challenge the guy and see how strong he really is!” Rey exclaimed.
“But was that really necessary, Neil?” Heer asked Neil.
“That’s what he gets for glaring at me in the hall,” Neil retorted. “Just the sight of him annoys me.”
“Well look what we have here,” a voice said.
Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer looked around to see Krystal had come in the library along with Prince. “What are you guys doing here?” Sana asked.
“We were trying to find you guys. But we got the word that you were sent here as
punishment for Rey and Neil trying to sneak attack on Aiden,” Krystal replied.
“Nice to see the two idiots put in their place,” Prince smirked as he chewed on his orange-flavored candy cane.
“Oh, shut up, Prince!” Rey exclaimed.
“Is that the real reason you both are here?” Heer questioned.
“Our next circus show is coming up. And I’m trying to convince Prince that we should wear an orange combo for our outfits so we can coordinate,” Krystal said.
“There’s no way in hell that I’m wearing that color,” Prince said.
“If you can chew on orange for a whole hour, then you can wear it for a one hour circus event!” Krystal exclaimed.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said, shaking his head.
“Why orange?” Neil asked Krystal.
“It’s going to be color themed. And I absolutely love orange. So, I got matching outfits for us. Can’t you guys see it?” Krystal asked. “Two orange stars in the bright yellow spotlight! Just imagine!”
“I really can’t imagine,” said Rey. “I hate orange, so I’m on the same page as Prince.”
“You do realize that you’re a tiger,” Sana stated to Rey. “And tigers are orange.”
“No! It’s more of a creamy, brownish orange! Which I don’t mind!” Rey countered.
“Moron. Whatever. Prince and I are leaving for circus practice,” said Krystal. “Have fun working in the library!”
“And remember…the school closes at six. If you don’t remember to leave by then, you’ll be stuck here till morning,” Prince said. “Later.”
“Bye guys,” Heer said as she waved bye to Krystal and Prince who made their way out of the library.
“What time is it?” Neil asked.
“It’s almost five,” Heer replied as she looked at her watch.
“How are we going to finish cleaning before six?” Sana asked.
“Guess only more work can help,” said Rey.
And so, the four individuals continued to clean up the library. They kept working, even when all the students had left the school to their dorms and only the cleaning staff remained inside. “Where do these books go?” Neil asked as he held a stack of five textbooks.
“Put those in the Energy Knowledge section,” Heer told Neil. Neil went ahead to the Energy Knowledge section of the library, which was near one of the exits, and started placing the books on the bookcase. As he was placing the books, he noticed a small green switch on the side of the bookcase. The switch caught Neil’s full attention.
“Hey guys!” Neil called out to Sana, Rey, and Heer.
“What is it?” Rey asked as he, Sana, and Heer came by.
“Look at this. I found a switch on the bookcase,” Neil pointed out to the switch.
“Wow. What a discovery, Neil,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
“Come on, Sana. How often do you see a switch on a bookcase?” Neil asked.
“He has a point,” Heer said.
“Press it then! Let’s see what happens!” Rey urged Neil.
“Hold on, Rey,” Sana said. “How do we know it’s safe?”
“Sana, if it’s a green switch, it’s safe. If it’s red, it’s not. And this one’s green!” Rey exclaimed. “So, it’s safe!”
“And what kind of logic is that?!” Sana questioned, trying to comprehend Rey’s statement.
“Neil, just press the damn switch,” Rey told Neil.
And so, Neil went ahead and pressed his thumb on the switch. Once the switch was pressed, it gave off a green flashing light. Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer stood back when all of a sudden, the bookcase slid to the side, revealing a door on the wall.
“Whoah! Cool!” Neil exclaimed.
“Has that always been there and we’ve just never noticed?” Heer asked.
“Looks like it,” Rey responded. “Let’s open the door!”
“Hold it. I’m getting nervous about this,” Sana said.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Rey told Sana. “Neil, open the door.”
Neil then opened the door on the wall, which led to a small room. Sana, Rey, and Heer followed Neil inside the little room. It was completely blank and empty with only plain white walls and a white-colored tiled floor. The only thing inside was a small desk with a little box that sat upon the desk. The four individuals went towards the box, looking at it with curiosity.
“What’s in the box?” Neil asked.
“We’ll only find out if we open it,” Rey replied.
“I say we don’t. It’s obvious something is supposed to be hidden in there. Otherwise they wouldn’t lock it behind a secret door,” Sana said.
“Who cares?! No dark beast is going to pop out from there!” Rey exclaimed. “Open it, Neil!”
“Be careful,” Heer told Neil.
Neil then grabbed hold of the box. He took a deep breath and removed the lid. Inside the box was what appeared to be a small white-colored egg that had black spots on it. Neil took out the egg, showing it to the others.
“It’s an egg,” Heer said.
“Out of all things possible, why would an egg be stored in here?” Sana wondered.
“Beats me. But it looks cool,” Rey said as he looked at the egg.
“So, now what?” Neil asked.
“Just put it back. We’ve done enough snooping! We should get back to work!” Sana asserted as she made her way out of the room with Heer following.
“You heard her. Let’s go,” Rey told Neil as he started to leave.
Neil placed the egg on the table and headed out, closing the door. Little did he realize was that the egg had fallen off the table onto the floor, cracking its shell. And right from the inside of the egg’s shell, an eerie glow flashed from it.
Once the foursome had left the room, the school’s automatic speaker system went on and said, “The time is now six. The school building will now close and reopen tomorrow morning.” The foursome’s eyes beamed upon the end of the announcement. Sana rushed to the doors of the library and tried to open them, but they were locked.
“Damn it!” Rey exclaimed. “Now we’re stuck in here!”
“This is your fault, Neil!” Sana shouted. “If you didn’t go on about the mystery behind the switch, we would’ve gotten out on time!”
“Well sorry then!” Neil talked back. “It’s no big deal! We’ll just have to hang out here for the night!”
“Sana, we should inform Krystal,” Heer told Sana.
“You’re right. I’ll call her now,” Sana said.
***
In the girl’s dorm, Krystal was sitting alone in her room, smacking an orange lipstick on her lips as she sat in front of the dresser, looking in the mirror. Once she was done, she smiled upon seeing herself. “Now this color will look great for the show!” Krystal exclaimed.
Suddenly, Krystal’s cellphone rang on the dresser. She picked it up, seeing Sana was calling, and answered, “Sana! Where are you and Heer? You’re supposed to be here by now.”
“We’re stuck in the library now.”
“What?! Didn’t Prince tell you guys to leave before six?”
“It’s a long story. Anyways, do you think you can help us get out?”
“Sana, the school security is like state of the art. I should know since my dad was the one who provided it. Besides, I really don’t want to get my hands dirty after painting my nails.”
“Oh whatever. We’ll just manage here then.”
“You have fun with that.”
“Yeah. Bye. “
***
After hanging up, Sana placed her cellphone in her bag, which she placed down near a table.
“So…anyone got food?” Neil asked.
“We’re stuck in a library for the rest of the night and all you can think about is food?!” Sana asked Neil in an annoyed tone.
“Neil, I have some crackers in my bag. Come,” Heer told Neil.
While Neil followed Heer to the other side of the library, Rey and Sana remained where they were by the table. “Man, how are we going to stay here till morning?” Rey asked.
“We could do some reading. After all, we have that test tomorrow in Energy Enhancement class.”
“Don’t remind me about that.”
“God knows what you’d do without me. I could imagine you’d be stuck in the remedial classes!”
“Oh, shut up. I’ll have you know I got straight B’s last semester.”
“Says the guy who gets kicked out of class all the time.”
“You know I’m not gonna argue with you. Girls always need to be right in everything. “
“Whatever. I’m hitting the books. It’s not like we have anything else to do.”
Sana grabbed a stool near the bookcase and reached out for a book on the topmost shelf.
“I’d be careful if I were you,” Rey warned Sana.
“I’m fine,” Sana said, annoyed. As she got the book, she suddenly tripped off the stool, falling off. As she let out a small scream while falling, Rey caught her in his arms to which Sana threw her hands on Rey’s shoulders. She looked up at Rey, flustered.
“You idiot! I told you to be careful!” Rey told Sana, still carrying her.
“Who are you calling an idiot?! I was fine until you kept talking to me!” Sana shouted.
“Um guys,” said Neil as he and Heer had returned with Rey and Sana turning to both of them. “Are we interrupting?”
At that moment, Rey immediately dropped Sana down on the floor with Sana dropping her mouth wide open in shock.
“We’re good. She almost fell. That’s all,” Rey replied.
“You could’ve dropped me gently!” Sana yelled at Rey.
“Well then. I’m gonna go get my bag,” said Heer as she went back to the other side of the library.
“So, what are you guys doing?” Neil asked.
“Trying to study for the Energy Enhancement test tomorrow,” Sana replied.
“Damn it! I forgot about that!” Neil exclaimed.
“We should probably study…if we at least want to pass,” said Rey.
Suddenly, the sound of a scream echoed in the library. Sana, Rey, and Neil turned around.
“That sounded like Heer!” Neil exclaimed. Sana, Rey, and Neil ran to the other side of the library to look for Heer. When they looked around, they found Heer lying on the ground. Neil rushed towards Heer, holding her and called, “Heer! Can you hear me?! Heer!”
Slowly, Heer woke up. “Are you all right?” Neil asked Heer as she carefully got up. “What happened?”
“I saw something. It almost attacked me,” Heer replied in a state of shock.
“What almost attacked you, Heer?” Sana asked.
“I don’t know. It was some kind of creature,” Heer answered.
“Well, there’s nothing here right now,” said Rey.
Suddenly, all the lights in the library blew out, leaving the room in pitch black darkness.
“Who turned off the lights?” Sana questioned. The four turned around to see a series of six red eyes. Emerging from the darkness, a large-sized dark creature with three heads growled upon seeing Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer.
“That’s it!” Heer pointed out.
“What the hell is that?” Neil said.
“How’d it get in here?!” Rey asked.
“I don’t think now is the time to ask questions!” Sana exclaimed.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s take it down!” Neil exclaimed.
Just then, the dark beast’s three heads each launched a dark energy beam attack from their mouths directly at the foursome. They gasped, running off before they could get hit while the three headed beast went after them.
“What are we gonna do?! This thing can easily murder us!” Rey exclaimed.
“I think we established that!” Sana said.
“Quick! In the secret room!” Neil told the others.
Neil rushed to the switch, pushing it until the bookcase slid. He opened the door of the room, letting the others in. And then he closed it right before the dark beast could enter. As he closed the door, the dark beast tried to hit against the door with its heads to get in.
“What kind of beast is that?” Heer asked.
“The better question is where did that beast come from?” said Rey. “The whole school is locked so there’s no way anything could get in here.” Sana then looked down on the floor, and noticed the egg lying near the desk. She went towards it and picked it up to see the shell was completely cracked.
“Um guys…the egg here is broken,” Sana said.
“But how’s that possible?” Heer asked.
“Oh crap!” Neil exclaimed.
“What did you do?!” Rey questioned Neil.
“While I was rushing to get out, I forgot to put the egg back in the box,” Neil replied.
“You moron!” Sana and Rey shouted at Neil.
“Guys, it was an accident,” Heer defended Neil.
“That explains it! That thing must have come out once the egg broke. I bet Headmaster Devil hid it here because he knew it would release a beast if hatched,” Sana said as she analyzed the egg shell. “And now it’s on the loose.”
“But I’m confused. How does a thing that big come from an egg?!” Rey disputed.
“Wow, I’m surprised to see you being so inquisitive,” Sana mocked.
“Oh cut the crap, Sana!” Rey talked back. “Don’t you agree?! A dark beast with that much power and size doesn’t just hatch in seconds. Why would Devil have something like that hidden here to begin with?!”
“You know you bring up good points,” Sana admitted. “But we’re not in a position where we can find answers. That thing will kill us the moment it finds its way in here or if we even think to make a move.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Heer asked. “The beast is waiting outside. And the library is locked so the only way we can survive the night is if we take it out.”
“Heer’s right,” Neil agreed. “I was ready for that until that thing decided to play the first move!”
“Then we need a plan,” said Sana. “And it has to work.”
“Well you’re the genius, Sana. Think of something,” Rey told Sana.
“I think the beast has moved away from the door. But I don’t know when it’ll strike back,” Neil said.
Sana stood, pondering. There has to be a way to get out of this mess. But in order to take on such a powerful beast, we need more than our usual attacks, Sana thought. We need more energy. Suddenly, Sana realized something.
“What’s the matter, Sana?” Rey asked Sana.
“Rey, I just thought of something. And it relates to our Energy Enhancement class,” Sana replied.
“Is this really a time to be talking about that test?!” Neil asked, irritated.
“While you guys were thrown out, Professor Luna went over one important thing,” Sana said. “You obviously remember, Heer.”
“Of course! Energy conservation. Prince and I were called up to demonstrate. And Professor Luna wanted us to focus and keep our energy intact. With time, the energy within us grew at a higher limit as we kept it sealed within. The more focus we had, the higher our energy levels rose,” Heer explained.
“Exactly,” Sana said. “Rey, for this plan to work, we’re going to have to use a very strong attack. We haven’t done it before. But in order to defeat that beast, we need to use it. Which is why we’ll need some time before we can make our move.”
“What the hell?! I don’t understand a thing right now,” Rey said, confused.
“You will. Neil and Heer, you two are going to have to hold the beast long enough for our attack to work,” Sana told Neil and Heer.
“Don’t worry, Sana! We got you covered!” Neil agreed as he held a thumbs up to Sana.
“I just hope we can hold it up long enough,” Heer said.
“All right then. Here’s the plan,” Sana began explaining.
***
Outside the small room, the three headed beast was wandering around the library, prowling its way down the aisles like a mighty lion. Neil slowly opened the door of the room to see the beast outside. He then stepped out of the room with Heer, shutting the door.
“Ready, Heer?” Neil asked Heer.
“All set,” Heer replied. And so, Heer went ahead and transformed into her snow leopard form. The beast then turned to Neil and Heer.
“Time to take this ugly thing back to where it belongs!” Neil exclaimed. “Heer, attack it directly.”
Heer nodded and ran towards the dark beast, tackling it into the bookcase. As she tried to hold it down, one of the heads of the dark beast went ahead and bit Heer on her ear, causing her to feel great pain.
“Heer, hold on! Just attack it with your paw!” Neil ordered. Heer raised her paw and scratched the faces of the dark beast’s heads. The dark beast then pushed Heer into the wall and all three heads launched a dark energy beam attack at Heer.
“Heer, get out of the way!” Neil ordered. Heer managed to dodge the attack as it hit into the wall.
Inside the room, Rey had transformed into his tiger form. Once he had done so, Sana drew out her wand, tapping it to transform it into her trishula.
“Okay, Rey. Just close your eyes and focus. Maintain your energy from within,” Sana instructed Rey. Rey closed his eyes, keeping his concentration in tact as he sat in his beast form. Sana held her trishula to the ground, closing her eyes and focusing. Once the two were both in focus, they both started to give off a red orange glow from their bodies as they maintained equal concentration. That’s it! Now that both of our energies are in sync, we can expand it! Sana thought.
Outside, Heer was trying to get away from the dark beast.
“Okay, Heer! Enough running!” Neil told Heer. “I think it’s time you used an ice attack!” Heer nodded as she formed an icy energy beam from her mouth. She then launched it directly at the dark beast, hitting it into the wall.
Inside the room, Sana and Rey both opened their eyes, still giving off the bright glows from their bodies.
“All right! I think it’s time!” Sana exclaimed. “You ready?” Rey nodded. Sana opened the door of the room with the dark beast turning right at her. Rey leaped forward, standing before Sana.
“I hope she’s got this!” Neil said.
“Let’s go!” Sana called out as she threw her trishula into the floor, while Rey prepared for a fireball attack. “Ring of Fire!” At that moment, the trishula gave off an orange glow, which in turn released a series of flames that circled around the beast. Sana maintained balance, despite the immense strength of the attack, while Rey then launched the fireball attack at the dark beast. Once it hit the dark beast, the ring of fire closed in on the beast, engulfing it in the flames as it yelped in pain. Neil and Heer looked on in surprise.
“Damn. That’s some intense power,” Neil said in disbelief.
The fires consumed the beast completely. Once the fire died out, there was nothing left but the ashes of the beast on the floor. Sana began to breathe frantically as the attack was finished. Rey then transformed back into his human form.
“We did it!” Rey told Sana. But he was surprised to see Sana pass out, falling onto the floor.
“Sana!” Rey called out as he went to Sana with Neil and Heer coming to her as well.
Rey held Sana in his arms, looking at her unconscious face. “Sana, can you hear me?!” Rey asked Sana.
“I think she must be exhausted,” said Heer as she transformed back into her human form.
“That was quite an attack! And since you guys did it for the first time, she must be completely out of it,” Neil added.
“Well, now what?!” Rey asked, concerned.
“You look after Sana. Neil and I will clean things up here,” Heer told Rey.
“Are you guys sure?” Rey asked.
“Trust me. We got things from here,” Neil told Rey, patting him on his shoulder.
With that, Neil and Heer left Rey alone with Sana, going off to the other side of the library to clean up the mess. Rey held Sana in his arms, looking down upon her solemn face. He then lifted her and took her aside to the corner of the library near a bookcase. Once he helped her rest against the bookcase, he sat by her side and went to sleep on his own. Once Neil and Heer had finished cleaning up, the two of them yawned in exhaustion.
“I’m starting to get tired right now,” Heer said, yawning.
“Yeah. We should get some rest,” Neil said. Neil turned to a desk nearby where he sat down and rested his head against the table, falling asleep. Heer followed, sitting at the same table and putting her head down, where she drifted off in a matter of minutes.
***
In the early morning, at the crack of dawn, the light from the sun shined in the windows of the library. Rey and Sana both woke up slowly, looking right at each other as they got up. Sana tried to get up, but was having trouble with doing so. Rey assisted her, holding her by her shoulders till she could stand.
“You okay?” Rey asked Sana.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sana replied. “Thanks.”
Rey and Sana turned around to see Neil and Heer had gotten up as well. “Rise and shine, guys!” Neil exclaimed.
“Oh wow. It’s already six in the morning,” said Heer. “Do you feel better, Sana?”
“Yeah. I’m fine now,” Sana answered.
Suddenly, the doors of the library had opened. The others turned around and were surprised to see Aiden standing right at the doors. Neil turned away, unwilling to look at his brother.
“You guys have been here all night?” Aiden asked the others.
“Um…yes. Thanks for opening,” Heer told Aiden.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s get out of here,” Neil said.
“You know…I saw what happened here last night,” Aiden stated.
Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer were surprised upon hearing what Aiden said. Rey then yelled, “You mean to say you watched us last night and that you didn’t even bother to help?!”
“You seemed to have had everything under control by the time I got here. So, I felt no need to intervene,” Aiden replied. “But it seems you were able to handle the power of a fusion dark beast.”
“A fusion dark beast?” Sana pondered.
“And what the hell is that exactly?!” Rey questioned.
“What you dealt with is the result of experimentation,” Aiden replied. “Headmaster Devil has been in touch with a team of scientists who have been experimenting with the genetics of dark beasts. The beast within that egg wasn’t an ordinary one because it contains the DNA of various species of animals combined with the dark energy. And as you know, every regular dark beast usually maintains a singular genetic makeup.”
“Well, that explains the above average hideous looks,” Rey rolled his eyes.
“But why would our own headmaster be dealing with people who are making these beasts?” Sana asked.
“This is the only one,” Aiden responded. “Headmaster Devil had no deadly purpose behind this. In fact, this experiment was simply done to get an idea behind the creations of these creatures. In order to find out how these creatures came to be and how to defeat the many dark beasts in this world, it’s important to understand their construction.”
“I see,” Heer understood. “But was Headmaster Devil planning on hatching the egg at all?”
“Of course he was. But he’s obviously not a bright man to hide it in somewhere like here,” Aiden shook his head. “And since you guys are responsible for hatching the egg, I will have to tell him.”
“Oh great! More trouble on us!” Sana exclaimed.
“Whatever, I’m outta here,” Neil said as he headed out through the doors while Heer followed him.
Aiden looked on as Neil and Heer left, shaking his head.
“Come on, Sana,” Rey told Sana. “We should get ready for that test today.”
As Sana and Rey headed out, Sana was stopped by Aiden, who grabbed hold of her by her arm. She turned, confused, while Rey, who was already outside of the library, turned to see Sana held by Aiden through the library window.
“What the hell?! Why’s he stalling her?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Um…do you need something?” Sana asked Aiden.
“That attack you used during the battle was quite the spectacle. It was very powerful. Almost too powerful for you, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah…it was.”
“You handled the attack till the end. How did you manage? “
“Sana!” Rey called from outside of the library, looking impatient.
“As much as I’d like to answer your questions, I have to go,” Sana told Aiden, making him remove his grip on her arm. “Excuse me.”
And so, Sana made her way out of the library while Aiden looked on. I should tell Devil about this, Aiden thought. Outside, Sana noticed Rey waiting and headed off along with him.
“What was he talking to you about?” Rey asked Sana.
“I don’t know. He’s still a mystery to me. Anyway, forget him. We should get something to eat at the cafeteria.”
“And what about studying for our test?”
“Come on, Rey! In a way, we already studied. That attack last night took all the energy we needed.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But you took the hit for the most part. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I should be fine.”
***
In the cafeteria, Sana and Rey came over to where Neil, Heer, Krystal, and Prince were seated at a round table. “There you guys are!” Krystal exclaimed. “Neil told us about everything that went down last night. You okay, Sana?”
“I’m fine, Krystal,” Sana replied.
“Hello?! What am I?! Chopped liver?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Yeah you are, Rey,” Krystal talked back.
“That’s enough, guys. Save the backtalk for performance classes today,” said Heer.
“Performance classes?!” Sana said, confused.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” Heer asked. “Headmaster Devil cancelled all regular classes today so that we could have rehearsals for the Colors Day Circus Show.”
“Oh yeah! Colors Day is coming up!” Rey exclaimed. “I almost forgot. So, that means no test today. Sweet!”
“So, that’s why you were obsessed with getting your orange ensemble for you and Prince,” Neil said to Krystal.
“And I’m still not wearing it,” Prince said, chewing on a peppermint-flavored candy cane.
“Well, now we’re doing a rainbow ensemble. Then we’ll stand out for sure. Just imagine!” Krystal exclaimed. “Two rainbows among an array of single colors!”
“It sounds kinda stupid to me,” Rey chuckled.
“Oh really?! Well then. I have a present for you, Rey,” Krystal said as she took out a cup of orange juice, shoving it in Rey’s face.
“Get that away from me! I hate orange juice!” Rey shouted.
“Didn’t your doctor ever tell you orange juice has Vitamin C?” Krystal taunted. “No wonder your tiger instincts are as low as your IQ.”
“Shut up! And get it away from me!” Rey retorted as he pushed away the cup of juice.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince rolled his eyes.
“Guys, I think playtime is over now,” Sana intervened as she took the cup of orange juice and drank it herself.
“You’re right. After all, I should save the arguing and constant bickering for you two,” Krystal smiled, talking to Sana and Rey. “You know…when you both get married.”
“What?!” Sana exclaimed.
“What the hell?! Do you really think I’d fall for someone as nerdy as she is?!” Rey asked.
“Hold it. What is that supposed to mean?” Sana questioned Rey. “And you don’t have anything distasteful about yourself? You’re the one who’s scared of orange juice.”
“I’m not scared! I just hate orange juice!” Rey retorted.
As Rey and Sana continued to bicker, Neil, Heer, Krystal, and Prince just watched.
“You guys obviously see what I’m saying,” Krystal said. “Just imagine!”
“I think we’ve had enough imagination for one day,” said Heer.
It was seven o’ clock sharp in the evening at Daredevil City, one of the largest cities in New Iris, America. All the guests had gathered in the arena for a big event that was being held at one of the city’s private academies. At this academy, many civilians had arrived at what appeared to be the academy’s arena. Once all the guests were settled down in their seats, the lights went out, shrouding the area in darkness. And at that moment, three spotlights flashed into the arena, focusing on three individuals.
In the center was a girl, who was dressed in a red trench coat, a white blouse with a red bowtie, a black skirt, a pair of black boots, a pair of white gloves, and a plain round top hat. The girl had wavy medium-length hair of a raven black color that was flowy like air. She opened her bright, chocolate brown eyes, looking at everyone who had gathered in the arena.
To her right was another girl, who was dressed in a red vest over a white peasant blouse, a black ruffled skirt with gold fringes, black boots with gold bands around them, a black choker necklace, and a round top hat with a gold band around it. This girl had long, straightened brunette hair with a blonde streak that framed her face, and her hazel eyes beamed in the spotlight as she stood with a bold stance.
Lastly to the left was a boy, who was dressed in a long black trench coat, a white shirt with a gold bowtie, red pants, black boots, and a top hat with a red band around it. He was quite tall, and his light brown hair stood out underneath his top hat along with his dark green eyes that opened in the spotlight.
The three individuals bowed before the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen…welcome to the RTA, also known as the Ringmasters Training Academy,” the center girl began. “I am Sana J. Malik.”
“I am Krystal D’Cruz,” the other girl introduced.
“And I am Neil Galloway,” the boy greeted.
“And we are your ringmasters for the evening,” the trio greeted in unison.
The audience clapped and cheered as all the lights came on in the arena, dazzling the place like a movie premiere. Sana, Krystal, and Neil were now surrounded by several other performers, ready to perform with them on the stage. “Enjoy the show!” Sana told the audience.
What followed was a series of circus acts by the performers in the arena. Sana, Krystal, and Neil made their way out from the arena as a group of jugglers riding unicycles came circling their way before the audience, who watched with intrigued eyes. Once the jugglers exited, Krystal went with three tightrope walkers onto the tightrope, leading them as she pranced her way forward. She waved an umbrella in her right hand as she successfully reached the end of the rope with the other walkers as well.
Up next, Neil came upon the trapeze, positioning his legs upward as he held on from the bottom, while a second performer united with him by joining his legs in the same position. There was a balance of symmetry between the two as they held onto the trapeze for the audience to watch in amazement.
Then, Sana came back into the arena, following with two performers, who brought in a large red and white striped box with wheels attached on the bottom. Once the two performers left, Sana drew out a wand from her trench coat and tapped onto the box. Once she tapped onto it, the door of the box opened, revealing a boy who was dressed in the same attire as Neil. He had wavy medium-length hair of a dark chocolate brown color and big brown eyes that popped out as he made his entry.
Sana then looked at the audience, and closed the door of the box. She waved her wand over the box door and then tapped it again. Once the door came down, in place of the boy, was a majestic tiger. The audience clapped upon seeing the magnificent act, with some standing up in admiration.
The tiger stepped out from the box and Sana led it into the center of the arena with her wand. She then directed her wand to a series of hoops. Once she pointed to them, the hoops then caught on fire to the audience’s shock. At that moment, Sana directed the tiger towards the hoops with her wand and the tiger then made its way through the hoops, jumping through them with such remarkable ease, not letting any of the burning flames catch onto its body. By the time the tiger reached the end with success, the audience clapped.
Sana then led the tiger back into the box, closing the door. The two performers came back and took the box back inside the circus tent, while Krystal and Neil jumped into the arena next to Sana, bowing before the audience as the other performers entered in. The audience stood before them and clapped, cheering for the magnificent display of artistry. Sana, Krystal, and Neil stood proud before the audience and said, “Thank you for coming. Have a good night.”
And so, the show had ended and the guests in the audience made their way out of the arena while the circus performers headed back inside their tents backstage. Sana, Krystal, and Neil headed into the dressing room where the box was left. Sana opened the door of the box and the tiger came out. “You can change back now, Rey,” Sana told the tiger.
And at that moment, the tiger had transformed into the form of a human boy; the same human boy who first appeared in the box. And his name was the name Sana had just called him by; Rey.
“Did you see how much love I got out there?!” Rey exclaimed. “Man! I’m a star!”
“Oh, shut up, Rey,” Krystal retorted. “My umbrella dance on the tightrope was the highlight of the show and you know it.”
“Says the girl who almost tripped at the end,” Neil chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter, guys. Everyone loved the show. That’s all that’s important,” Sana said.
“Prince! Heer!” Neil called out upon seeing a boy and a girl enter the dressing room.
The boy wore a classy navy blue suit with a white shirt and black tie and had a cherry-flavored candy cane that was sticking out from his mouth. His hair was a shiny ivory black and smoothened back on the top while his eyes were of a dark brown shade. The girl wore a blue jacket over a long white dress. She had long, curly brown hair and light blue eyes. “Great job today, guys,” Heer said.
“You saw us?” Neil asked.
“Well duh, moron. We we’re watching from the first row,” Prince said, irritated.
“The show would’ve been better if we had Prince in place of Rey,” Krystal said.
“Hey! You know I was the real star of the show! The crowd was going wild when I came in!” Rey retorted.
“Students,” a voice called.
The six individuals turned around to see a middle-aged man, dressed in a black cloak with an emblem on the back of the cloak. He had pale blond hair and blue eyes that gleamed like sapphires.
“Headmaster Devil,” Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer said in unison as they bowed down before the man.
“A dark beast has been detected outside of the academy,” Headmaster Devil told the group.
“Are you kidding me?! Right after the show?!” Krystal complained. “I don’t have time to get my hands dirty!”
“But how did it get near here?” Rey asked.
“The gates to the academy must not have been fully closed after the guests entered,” Sana concluded.
“You know the drill,” Headmaster Devil said. “Get to work.”
“You guys go,” Krystal told Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer. “This outfit is not meant for beast slaying.”
“This goes for all of you, Krystal,” Headmaster Devil ordered. “Now get with your partners and get the job done.”
“Yes, sir!” Sana agreed.
“And just when I was getting ready to take a cat nap,” Prince said.
At that moment, Rey, Prince, and Heer had transformed within a matter of seconds into their new forms. While Rey changed back into the form of a tiger, Prince had transformed into the form of a lion, while Heer had turned into a snow leopard. And so, Sana, Krystal, and Neil took off along with Rey, Prince, and Heer in their transformed states while Headmaster Devil watched them go.
The six individuals rushed down the campus of the academy and went outside of the main entrance. Suddenly, a dark-colored beast emerged from the shadows of the night, aiming to attack. The beast had the composition of a wildcat. What really made the beast stood out was its vampire red eyes and long fangs. The six of them dodged the beast, surrounding it in circular motion. “You really picked the wrong time to call for animal control!” Krystal shouted at the beast.
“Rey, go to your right and attack it from behind!” Sana ordered Rey. Rey then went forward and jumped upward, pouncing the beast to the ground. As he tried to hold it down, the beast kicked him off into the wall.
“Heer, hit him directly!” Neil told Heer.
Heer dashed off, directly pouncing the beast into the wall to hold it down. “Krystal, you can make a move now,” Sana told Krystal.
“All right then,” Krystal said as she drew out her wand from her vest. She spun her wand around and gave it a single tap, transforming the wand into a large sized circular shaped ring in a gold color that had a big red bow with a golden bell attached to it.
“Prince, use your Sonic Roar attack! I’ll add more power with my sonic bell!” Krystal ordered.
Prince nodded and immediately let out a mighty roar, which emitted large sound waves towards the beast. Heer got out of the way, while the beast remained traumatized by the loud noises from Prince’s Sonic Roar. Krystal then rang her sonic bell and plunged it into the ground, which released a sonic boom attack that further weakened the resistance of the beast.
“I’ll make the next move,” Sana said as she took out her wand and tapped it to transform it into the grand trident known as the trishula. “Rey, attack with a fireball move!” Rey emitted a fireball attack directly from his roar, which hit the beast until it was down on the surface. Sana then jumped in, plunging her trishula into the ground, which created a ring of flames around the beast.
“I think you need some cooling off now,” Neil said as he took out his own wand. Once he tapped it, the wand turned into a blue archery bow with an icy looking arrow attached to it. He pulled the arrow onto the bow and then hit it directly at the beast, striking it in its heart. At that moment, the arrow had not only hit the beast, but it spread a coating of ice that completely froze it.
“Why in the world would you freeze it?!” Sana shook her head. “That thing would’ve burned to ashes anyway.”
“Hey! My arrows do that. They freeze targets once they’re weakened,” Neil talked back.
“Quit complaining! You can just melt it down, Sana,” said Krystal.
“Right. Rey, go ahead,” Sana ordered Rey.
Rey released another fireball attack at the frozen beast, completely melting it down until there was nothing left but its ashes. “Eww! The smell of those things once they’re dead is horrible!” Krystal cried.
“Good work, guys,” said Sana. “Looks like we can call it a day.” And so, Rey, Prince, and Heer all transformed back into their human forms. “Well, that was a good work out!” Rey exclaimed.
“Thank God that’s over. I need to take that cat nap,” said Prince. “Good night.”
***
The next day, it was a silent morning at the Ringmasters Training Academy. All the students of the academy were just entering the school from their respective dorm rooms. However, there was one boy, who for some reason was being constantly looked at as he walked down the halls of the academy.
The boy was indeed sharp looking, as he came dressed in a fine white suit with cream-colored shoes, a blue shirt, and a white necktie. His hair was even well groomed, smoothened out with small spikes coming from the top. He made his way into what was known as the Devil’s Lair, also referred to as Headmaster Devil’s office. The boy opened the door and the headmaster looked up from his desk and said, “Good morning. Please sit.”
The boy made his way to the seat in front of Headmaster Devil’s desk, crossing his legs as he sat down. “I’m glad you were able to come,” Headmaster Devil told the boy. “This is a great opportunity for you.”
“Not really for me. More for your students.”
“Right. As you know, this is the Ringmasters Training Academy, one of the most exclusive academies in the country for students who excel in the performing arts and are fit to be professional circus performers or even better, ringmasters. Now besides you, me, and the rest of the academy, everyone else in the city and beyond simply thinks this is a school for a bunch of circus artists.”
“But I know that you all have a larger purpose beyond the mere entertainment for city folk.”
“Of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t have come here. This academy doesn’t just train students for the circus world. A ringmaster is known as the leader of the circus and the main star of the show. But for us, there’s a different meaning. Students in this school are divided into two groups…ringmasters and human-beasts. Every ringmaster is partnered with a human-beast. The ringmasters are students who are capable of coordinating themselves and their quick thinking skills with their human-beast partners. The human-beasts are the students who are able to transform into wild animals and use their own abilities to match up to those of their partners. Every partnership is formed based on compatibility and usage of skill as each human-beast has their own special power that matches up with each ringmaster, who yields a wand that transforms into a weapon that carries the same power. All these characteristics are what make up the ideal ringmaster duo.”
“Headmaster Devil, I know the deal. You don’t need to go into all the details that have been pounded into my brain many times before even entering this building. I myself am a highly trained human-beast, so I would know how things work around here. That’s why you brought me to your school. The question is…which students are the best at capturing the dark beasts? This school can only create so many exceptional students. And by exceptional, I mean ones who are qualified for recognition in the Ringmasters Society.”
“Of course. You had to bring that up. But let’s focus on the important matters. The dark beasts are everywhere. No one knows who or what they are or where they’ve come from. Heck, no one even knows why they continue to exist. All we know is our students are the only ones who are fit to stop them from wreaking havoc across the city and other places in the world. And since you’re a highly qualified human-beast yourself, you’ll be a great example for the students to follow.”
At that moment, Headmaster Devil’s office phone rang. He immediately took the call.
“Hello?”
“Headmaster Devil, the students are seated in the auditorium for the assembly.”
“All right. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Headmaster Devil hung up the phone and got up from his seat, with the boy getting up as well. “It’s time for the presentation,” Headmaster Devil told the boy. “Shall we?”
The boy nodded his head and followed Headmaster Devil out of the office and into the halls. The two made their way towards the auditorium. Inside the auditorium, while students were getting seated, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Neil, and Heer all sat down in the first row, near the front of the stage.
“Why didn’t you wear the pink blazer I gave you?” Krystal asked Prince.
“Please. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that color,” Prince said as he chewed on the raspberry-flavored candy cane that was in his mouth.
“Well, now look at you. You’re wearing navy blue which completely clashes with the pink ensemble I have on,” Krystal said as she pointed to her light salmon-colored blazer, pink halter top, rose pink ruffle skirt, and pink-colored pumps. “If you’re going to be my partner, at least coordinate matching colors to show it! And why must you always have those candy canes in your mouth? Christmas time is not all the time!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said.
“You can be so mean sometimes, Prince!” Krystal cried. “If you would at least cooperate in coordination of color combos, then we’d be the style icon duo of this school! Just imagine!”
“No one wants to imagine,” Prince mumbled as he shook his head and continued to chew on his candy cane.
“Does anyone know what this assembly is for?” Sana asked.
“From what I heard, Headmaster Devil is introducing some special guy to the school,” Rey replied.
“What makes him special?” Heer asked.
“Beats me,” Rey said. “From the rumors, I heard he’s a professional human-beast. So he’s supposed to be like a mentor at the school now.”
“Wow. Really?!” Sana asked.
“HA! I bet he’s not that good!” Neil smirked.
Then, Headmaster Devil entered onto the stage of the auditorium, heading towards the podium. All the students and professors stood up from their seats as the headmaster looked upon them. “You may all sit,” Headmaster Devil permitted. And so, everyone sat down, looking anxious as they waited for the headmaster to begin.
“Students and faculty…I am very pleased with the progress of our students at the academy. To others in the world, we may seem like a bunch of clowns or slacker circus artists. But we are more than that. And I am proud to have you all as students of the academy,” Headmaster Devil began speaking. “With time, I have begun to see that there are some of you who have the potential to qualify for the Ringmasters Society. Only the best of the best can be recognized for acceptance. For some of you, that would be a great honor. But only the most elite can make it to such a prestigious position. And now that I see students are training more and more to enhance their abilities, I would like to introduce a new addition to our academy. He is not joining us as a student…but as a mentor. He is one of the most well trained and highly skilled human-beasts in the city. In fact, he has trained all over from Europe to Asia. And so, he will provide great guidance to some of you. Please give a warm welcome for Aiden Galloway.”
While the other students clapped, Neil’s eyes beamed as his mouth dropped slightly in shock upon hearing that name. And at that moment, the boy, Aiden Galloway, made his entry onto the stage. As Aiden walked onto the stage, Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, and Heer all shared the same shocked face as Neil had.
“Neil! He looks exactly like you!” Krystal exclaimed.
“How is that possible?” Heer asked.
“That’s because he’s none other than my twin brother,” Neil replied as he sulked in his seat.
The others gave off surprised faces as they watched Aiden stand before the students and faculty on the stage. And it was true. He looked exactly like Neil from head to toe. And Neil wasn’t too happy to see Aiden on the stage. Sana looked up at Aiden, who gave off a stern, yet confident stance as he stood before the student body. I wonder what it’s going to be like with this guy around, Sana thought.
***
After the assembly, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Prince were walking down the hall during free period while Krystal and Heer had gone off to get breakfast in the cafeteria. “So…what do you guys think of Aiden?” Sana asked Rey, Neil, and Prince.
“I don’t think he’s so tough,” Rey replied. “I bet me and you could take him out.”
“Is he as strong as everyone says, Neil?” Sana asked Neil.
“Why should we care?!” Neil retorted. “He’s not a student here. Besides, he’s not the kind of guy to mentor anyone! I don’t know what drugs Devil was on that made him pick that guy to be a mentor here!”
“Someone’s a bit touchy,” Rey whispered to Sana.
“Typical,” Prince rolled his eyes. “A stupid tough guy who can’t stand his obviously better brother.”
“Did you say something, Prince?!” Neil said.
As the four kept walking, they stopped to see Aiden coming right in their direction. Aiden looked up, stopping as he saw the foursome together. He then turned to Neil, who glared at him in return. “You got a problem or something?!” Neil shouted at Aiden. “Quit looking at me!”
Aiden closed his eyes, smirking. “Still the same old idiot,” he said.
“What’d you say?!” Neil shouted further at Aiden.
“So, we finally come face-to-face with the school’s top dog,” Rey said. “We got thirty minutes till class starts. That’s plenty of time for a little battle. You in on this, Neil?”
“Oh, I’ll join you!” Neil agreed, fist pumping Rey in agreement.
“What?! You guys are crazy! We’ll get in trouble!” Sana exclaimed.
“Come on, Sana. We’ll take this guy out in a flash,” said Rey.
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he then turned away. “I’m outta here.”
“What the hell?! Why are you being such a wuss?!” Rey asked Prince as Prince began walking away from the group.
“I don’t do stupidity,” Prince replied as he continued walking with his back turned. “Later.”
“What a chicken!” Rey exclaimed. “You ready to fight?!”
“If you morons wish to get expelled, then be my guest,” Aiden replied.
“Guys, just go to class,” Sana told Rey and Neil. “Besides, we have a test for our Energy Enhancement class.”
“We have a test?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Damn it! I didn’t study!” Neil cried.
“We’ll settle this later! We gotta hit the books now!” Rey said as he and Neil dashed off down the hall.
“I’m sorry about them,” Sana apologized to Aiden. “They can be a bit of a handful.”
“Don’t be sorry. I know how my sad excuse for a brother is like,” Aiden replied. “You’re one of the first students I’ve met around here. What is your name?”
“Oh…Sana,” Sana answered. “Sana J. Malik.”
“Sana,” Aiden repeated in a quieter tone. “Well then…it’s nice to meet you. I hope to see you again.”
“Uh…sure,” Sana said.
With that, Aiden walked away, heading down the hall while Sana looked on.
***
Later on, Sana made her way to her Energy Enhancement class. She walked over to her seat, which was right next to Rey in the middle of the classroom where all the desks were set up side by side in three columns. “So I heard you met Aiden during free period,” Krystal told Sana, sitting behind her and Rey next to Prince.
“Who told you?” Rey asked Krystal, turning around.
“I did,” Prince replied. “Whenever someone does something stupid, someone has to talk about it.”
“I’m not stupid!” Neil exclaimed, sitting on the right column, next to Heer.
“Why are you so surprised about him being here?” Heer asked Neil. “He is your brother after all. Didn’t he tell you he was coming to the school?”
Neil sulked in his seat. “Let’s not talk about that,” Neil said while Heer sighed, shaking her head.
“But I saw you speaking to him alone, Sana,” Krystal said. “What was he like?”
“You spoke to him when we left?” Rey asked Sana.
“Only for a moment. Then he left,” Sana answered. “Why do you look so upset?”
“Shut up. I could care less,” Rey said, turning to the front of the classroom.
“Anyways Sana, tell me. What’s Mr. Aiden like?” Krystal asked Sana. “He may look like Neil, but somehow he’s actually more polished. There’s something charming about that guy. So, what did he talk to you about?”
“Would you shut up already?” Rey said to Krystal, turning back to her.
“Well then!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Krystal, he just asked my name and that’s all there is to it. You act as if he was ready to propose to me or something,” Sana said.
“Oh fine. Whatever you say,” Krystal said.
Once the bell rang, the teacher, Professor Luna, entered the classroom. She placed her briefcase onto her desk, brushing aside her neatly combed blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail. “All right, class. I know you were all expecting a test today. But I have decided to postpone it till tomorrow,” Professor Luna announced.
“Are you kidding me?!” Rey exclaimed. “I did fifteen minutes of cramming for nothing?!”
“Instead, we are going to discuss the importance of energy conversion during battles,” Professor Luna said as she began writing on the board. She then turned, and looked at Prince, who sat back in his seat, chewing on his raspberry-flavored candy cane while placing his feet on the desk. “Prince Blake,” Professor Luna called on Prince.
“Yeah?” Prince replied.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to put your feet on the desks?” Professor Luna said to Prince. “And why do you keep having those candy canes in your mouth during class?”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince mumbled, rolling his eyes.
“What did you say?!” Professor Luna asked Prince.
“I was just wondering why you care so much. My family has paid every damn dime to get me in this school. That makes the academy my home. So I can treat it like home. If treating it like home means chewing on my candy cane and putting my feet up, then deal with it,” Prince replied. “Besides, I do pay attention in this class.”
“He’s actually talking back,” Krystal said in a whispering voice, sounding surprised as ever.
“Is that so?! Well then, why don’t you come up before the class for my demonstration of energy conversion,” Professor Luna stated. “And I need another volunteer. Ah! Heer St. Hale! You come up with Prince to the front of the class.”
Heer nodded her head silently and went up to the front of the class along with Prince. As the two went up, Rey and Neil noticed Aiden through the window of the classroom, walking in the hall. The two looked at each other and Rey whispered, “He’s right there. Here’s our chance.”
“Rey Murgatroyd! Neil Galloway!” Professor Luna shouted. Rey and Neil turned to Professor Luna. “You think this is chatting time?! Fine then! You two can go out in the hall!”
Rey and Neil got up from their seats, giving off smirks as they left the classroom. Sana moped in her seat. I have a bad feeling those two are going to cause some trouble, Sana thought, shaking her head.
Outside of the class, Rey and Neil stepped out into the hall and hid quietly behind the pillars as Aiden was walking down the aisle. “I say we sneak attack on him,” Rey told Neil.
“Right. You can pounce on him from behind. Then I’ll make a move,” Neil added.
“Good idea!” Rey exclaimed.
“What are you two doing?!” a voice asked from behind Rey and Neil.
Rey and Neil gasped as they turned around to see Headmaster Devil standing right behind them.
“Headmaster Devil!” Rey and Neil exclaimed in unison.
“You didn’t answer my question. Why are you two out lingering in the hall?” Headmaster Devil asked.
“We were sent out of class, sir,” Neil replied.
“I see,” Headmaster Devil said. “So, what was this whole sneak attack plan you both were discussing?”
“Oh…that…um,” Rey mumbled. “We were just talking about an act…for the next circus show! Right, Neil?!”
“Right!” Neil agreed.
“Yeah, yeah. In my office,” Headmaster Devil ordered. “Let’s see what I have to do with you two idiots.”
“Damn it! I’m gonna be late!” Neil exclaimed as he dashed towards the front doors of Ringmasters Training Academy. It was a Tuesday morning, and the school day was just about to start. Neil only managed to wake up after getting ten phone calls from Heer, who told him that he had missed breakfast. Neil rushed through the hallway, knowing full well that Professor Luna would be displeased at his tardiness once again.
Neil looked at his phone as he kept running. He only had a minute left, and the door to the classroom was just at the end of the hall. Determined to make it at the bell, Neil lunged forward, quickly managing to slide through the door as soon as the bell rang.
“YES! I made it!” Neil exclaimed.
Neil looked around, seeing everyone was staring at him, including Sana, Rey, Krystal, Prince, Heer, Zayn, and Akira. Before he could get more attention to himself, Neil quickly made his way to his seat next to Heer.
“Smooth, Neil. Very smooth,” Prince said.
“Hey, I made it on time!” Neil exclaimed. “Besides, Professor Luna isn’t even here yet.”
“Apparently she’s not even coming today,” Rey said.
“Wait, what?” Neil asked.
“I heard one of the teachers say she had to fill in for one of the other instructors at the academy conference,” Sana said.
“Which means she won’t be here for at least two weeks,” Heer said.
“Thank God for that,” Krystal said as she finished painting her nails a baby pink color.
Sweet. A break from Luna is just what I needed, Neil thought.
Suddenly, Neil saw a man enter the classroom. One look at his outfit was enough for him to know Krystal would have an opinion on it. He wore a gray sweater, gray pants, and gray dress shoes. He had his brown hair smoothed back. Neil could hear Krystal whispering to Prince, “Wow, zero creativity in the fashion department.”
Fashion aside, Neil was getting an intense vibe from the guy. The man put down his briefcase on the desk. He looked up at everyone, cleared his throat, and said, “Hello, all. I’m Professor Lyle O. Justice. You can all call me Lyle though.”
Then why even introduce yourself as a professor? Neil questioned.
“Professor Luna has assigned me as your substitute. Just because I’m a sub, don’t think I’ll go easy on you kids,” Lyle said.
“Seriously?” Krystal said quietly. “Get over yourself, Lyle.”
“Young lady,” Lyle said. Krystal was startled, seeing Lyle was looking directly at her. “Why don’t you stand for us?”
Krystal begrudgingly stood from her desk. Lyle said, “What’s your name?”
“Krystal.”
“So, Krystal, would you like to share your riveting and engaging thoughts with the class?”
“Not really.”
“Did I give you a choice?”
“Technically you did by framing your sentence as a question.”
This will not end well, Prince thought.
“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about technicalities in detention,” Lyle said.
“What?!” Krystal exclaimed. “How is that fair?!”
Lyle turned back to the board to open his briefcase while Krystal sat down, puzzled. Even Professor Luna wasn’t this bad to her.
“All right. You will all read chapters ten through twelve in your textbook today and answer the following reflection questions,” Kyle said as he passed out papers to every student. “Whatever you don’t finish is homework, and you must bring it tomorrow. You have to engage all the content sufficiently to earn full credit.”
“Excuse me, sir, what does engage mean?” Heer asked.
Lyle turned to Heer and looked at her as if she had asked him for both his kidneys.
“I would expect students to know what basic directions mean,” Lyle said.
Sheesh. What an ass, Neil thought. Everyone began working quietly, opening their books and reading along. Neil opened the book and took a look at the reflection questions. There were five of them, and they seemed to be pretty basic questions. Neil figured the assignment wouldn’t be too bad.
***
Later that day, the gang met up at the cafeteria for lunch. As they got seated, Krystal came up to the table, annoyed as she put her lunch down and said, “That Lyle is such an ass. How dare he give me detention?!”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I didn’t even think you deserved it,” Prince said.
“Wow. That’s a first from you, Prince,” Krystal said.
“He seems to have a pretty big ego,” Zayn said.
“He never even answered Heer’s question,” Sana said. “What kind of educator is he?!”
“Maybe it was a silly question for me to ask,” Heer said as she reached for her fruit cup.
“Heer! Don’t you make any excuses for him talking to you like that!” Neil exclaimed.
“Yeah, he’s an ass,” Rey said as he munched on his grilled cheese sandwich. “I swear he’s making me wish Luna was back, and I never thought I’d say that.”
“At least it’s only for a short time,” Akira said. “When’s your detention, Krystal?”
“Friday. I’m going to miss the sale at Reshawna this weekend,” Krystal said. “I was gonna get the new Dreamy Lilac baguette!”
“You’re rich. Why would you care for a sale?” Prince asked.
“Money is something you have to use wisely, Prince!” Krystal exclaimed. “Sheesh. I just want this god-awful man gone already.”
“Come on, guys. It’s just two weeks,” Sana said. “Maybe he was just being tough for the first day. He could end up being a lot nicer tomorrow.”
Neil sighed. As much as he wanted to believe Sana on what she was saying, something in his gut was telling him otherwise.
***
Two days later, Neil dashed to Energy Enhancement class with two minutes to spare. Everyone seemed just as frazzled as he was. Two days with Lyle had turned into a level of monotony that wasn’t ideal. Neil was even surprised with himself that he showed up to class. It was probably because he was too afraid to skip in fear that Lyle would make him regret it by hurting his grade. After all, he was barely passing the quarter so far.
“Okay, I have your reflection papers graded,” Lyle said. “Some of you did what I wanted. Some of you didn’t.”
“Oh, God,” Neil said quietly.
Lyle began handing everyone their papers. Neil could see everyone was looking anxious to some degree. All but Sana and maybe even Akira.
As soon as Sana got her paper, she was immediately appalled. The score on her paper was seventy percent. She couldn’t believe the number of red marks, X-marks, and comments were blatantly ripping her work to pieces.
“He gave me a seventy,” Sana said, still in disbelief.
“Damn. We got the same score,” Rey said. “Something must be wrong with the universe.”
“Sheesh. Who gives a fifty on a reflection paper?!” Krystal said.
“I’m asking the same thing,” Neil said, bewildered by the fifty on his paper.
“Is there a reason you kids won’t stop chatting?” Lyle questioned Sana, Neil, and Krystal.
“Oh, we’re fine, sir,” Sana said.
“Actually, we’re not,” Neil said.
“Here we go,” Prince said quietly.
Neil stood up from his desk even though he could tell from the looks on Heer and his other friends’ faces that they wished he would just keep quiet. He said, “Aren’t these grades a little harsh?”
Neil could tell this question didn’t land well on Lyle. His sternness turned into a frightening vibe.
“Are you questioning my methods?”
“No, I’m just asking a question.”
“Neil, you got a fifty percent because your work was worth a fifty percent.”
What the hell?! Who does he think he is announcing my grade in front of everyone?! Neil thought.
“You know, I don’t think announcing my grade to everyone answers my question or gets your point across very well,” Neil said.
Neil could tell from the mixture of deafening silence and shocked faces from his classmates that he said something that wouldn’t land well. It didn’t take too long to guess from Lyle’s face that he wasn’t too happy either.
“Since you’re so bold today, Neil, why don’t you reflect on what you did wrong in detention on Friday,” Lyle said.
“What?! But I-”
“You can sit down now.”
Neil sat down and pouted. He said, “Great. I really blew it.”
“Well, at least you have company in detention,” Akira whispered.
“Hey, I equally don’t want to be there,” Krystal said.
“Okay, silence everyone. Open your books to chapter thirteen. Read till fifteen and do the reflection paper for the three chapters,” Lyle said as he passed out papers to the class.
Sheesh. He has the nerve to act like such a bastard when he doesn’t even bother to teach, Neil thought.
And so, another boring class went by. As everyone was getting to leave the classroom, Neil looked at Sana, who was staring at her reflection paper grade again.
“Still bummed about your grade?” Neil asked.
“I’m beyond bummed. This isn’t just the lowest grade I’ve ever received,” Sana said. “Some of these comments are just mean.”
“No kidding,” Krystal said.
“You could just ask him about it,” Rey said to Sana.
“And end up like Neil?” Zayn said.
“I’ll give it a shot,” Heer said.
“Uh, are you sure about that, Heer?” Prince asked.
“I got the same grade as Sana, so I had some questions about how to improve. I’m sure if I ask him now since class is over, he’ll be nicer,” Heer said.
Heer made her way to the front desk where Lyle was at. Neil watched her along with the others, scared at what could happen.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lyle,” Heer said. Lyle immediately turned from the chalkboard, looking at Heer. Heer could feel his intimidating presence, but she decided to remain calm and composed.
“I just wanted to ask some questions about the feedback on the reflection paper. I understand where your comments are coming from, but could you possibly explain this in a clearer way?” Heer asked.
Neil and the others watched with anticipation to see how Lyle would respond. Neil couldn’t tell from Lyle’s face if he was angry, annoyed, or both. Heer waited for an answer as Lyle cleared his throat.
“Ms. St. Hale, since you don’t seem to know what fluff is, it’s basically space-filler, superfluous verbiage, or the kind of writing that talentless high schoolers do to meet a word count,” Lyle said. “There was so much fluff in your paper that it was hardly even a paper anymore.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Heer said. “Is there a different way I should be answering the questions?”
Lyle sighed. He cleared his throat again and said, “Heer, when you reflect on something, you should be saying something.”
“But I did say something.”
“You gave me meta-commentary. If you want to improve, you should start by not writing fluff. Fluff writing may work for students like you now, but in the future, it will not be rewarded.”
“I’m sorry, I still don’t know what you mean by fluff.”
“Since you want to be difficult, you’ll learn a thing or two in detention this Friday.”
“Detention? But why?”
“That’ll be all. You can see yourself out now.”
Heer was so confused, but more importantly, she could feel her self-esteem shatter in seconds. She quickly turned to the door to leave as tears began to burst from her eyes. Neil was appalled, and he could tell the others were equally upset. They quickly left the classroom to catch up with Heer before she went too far.
***
Lunchtime felt like a therapy session. Heer couldn’t stop crying, and the rest of the gang was trying everything to cheer her up. Sana, Krystal, and Akira stayed with her at the table while the boys went to get food.
“No teacher has ever told me my writing is fluff,” Heer said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“An educator should never speak to anyone the way he spoke to you,” Sana said. “Or write such nasty comments.”
“I swear, what’s he got against fluff?!” Krystal exclaimed. “He must hate fluffy marshmallows! Or fluffed pillows!”
“Or stuffed animals while we’re at it,” Akira said.
Soon, Rey, Prince, Neil, and Zayn came back to the table with plenty of food on hand. The food included a nice tray of cookies and strawberry cupcakes.
“Okay, we got as much comfort food as possible,” Zayn said.
“My wallet hurts, but anything to make you feel better, Heer,” Prince said.
“Oh, please, Prince. Your wallet always gets burned at the candy store,” Krystal said as she grabbed one of the cupcakes.
“I don’t know about you guys, but this Lyle guy has gone too far,” Neil said.
“I can’t believe I haven’t gotten detention yet,” Rey said. “How does Heer get detention before I do?!”
“Well, you normally get detention without trying,” Sana said.
“You’re just mad that you got a seventy on the assignment like mwah!” Rey exclaimed.
Rey realized that he shouldn’t have said anything as soon as Sana started glaring at him. He turned away, hoping she’d cool off.
“I don’t even feel like going to that class anymore,” Heer said.
“You know, me too,” Neil said. “I say we don’t go until Luna comes back.”
“And risk more failures?” Sana said. “Yeah, not happening.”
“Of course, you’d say that,” Neil said as he rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m just not gonna bother till Friday. This man can fail me all he wants.”
“In other words, nothing else is new with you,” Prince said.
“Oh, shut up,” Neil said as he took a bite out of his salami sandwich.
***
Neil stood by his word. He refused to go to class up until Friday. It’s not like he was going for perfect attendance anyway. He met up with the gang in the hallway to catch up on what he missed.
“Wait, you got detention, Akira?!” Neil asked.
“Yup,” Akira said.
“You should’ve seen how badass she was,” Rey said.
“What’d you do?” Neil asked.
“Lyle went off about how half the class doesn’t know the meaning of reflection and was just doing meta-commentary on the assignments,” Zayn said. “So, Akira gets up and tells him that the grading system is a broken social hierarchy that enforces elitism amongst children.”
“The little man couldn’t take the heat,” Akira said.
“Why didn’t you guys tell me this earlier?” Neil asked.
“We didn’t think you’d want to hear about Lyle on your little vacation,” Krystal said. “I can’t believe half of us are going to be in detention today.”
“And I’m not part of that half,” Rey said. “I’m almost sad.”
“Well, it’s not too late to get detention today,” Sana said.
“Oh, not happening. Prince and I are going bowling after school,” Rey said.
“What?!” Neil exclaimed. “You made plans without me?! That too with Prince?!”
“I only agreed to go if he’d shut up,” Prince said.
Before Neil could say anything, the bell rang. As the others made their way to class, Neil wondered if he should even bother going. Of course, he did have to show up for detention, but he figured he didn’t have to subject himself to another day in Lyle’s den.
“Are you coming, Neil?” Heer asked.
“You guys go ahead. I think I’m gonna sneak into the library this time around,” Neil said as he dashed off.
“Why does he bother skipping again?” Sana asked. “You guys have to face Lyle at detention anyway.”
“In Neil’s world, there’s no harm in delaying the confrontation of your problems,” Prince said.
***
Later, at the end of the school day, Krystal, Heer, and Akira waited by the doors to the lower floor for Neil. Heer texted him to meet them there since they had to meet with Lyle for detention inside one of the classrooms there. Krystal was getting impatient, tapping her new purple strappy heels furiously on the ground.
“Krystal, you’re gonna scruff those heels if you keep doing that,” Akira said.
“Well, I can’t help it,” Krystal said. “At this rate, we might get detention for missing detention.”
“We could just go without Neil,” Akira said.
“No, we can’t just leave him,” Heer said. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
Thankfully, Neil arrived seconds later. He was sweating and panting before he finally said, “Sorry, I’m late, guys.”
“Why are you late?” Akira asked.
“I went to the wrong floor,” Neil said. “About three different times.”
“Oh, Neil,” Heer said.
“Whatever. Let’s just go in and get this over with,” Krystal said as she opened the doors.
The four headed inside, walking down the hall till they got to the very last classroom at the dead end and headed inside. Once inside, Neil was surprised that Lyle hadn’t shown up. The classroom had an eerie presence. Neil felt like some haunting presence was creeping over his shoulder.
“I can’t believe that jackass is late,” Krystal said.
“I sure can,” Akira said.
“Neil, are you okay?” Heer asked, seeing Neil looked slightly off.
“Do you guys feel like something is off?” Neil asked.
“Like what?” Krystal asked. “The only thing off is the AC circulation. How is it colder here than upstairs?”
Suddenly, Neil could hear the sound of the door locking. He turned around, seeing the door was indeed closed.
“Guys, who closed the door?” Neil asked.
Before the others could turn around, Lyle appeared just like that. The sudden sight of him frightened Neil. He had a feeling something bad was going to happen.
“Since when could you do that?!” Neil exclaimed.
Lyle wouldn’t say anything. Neil could tell that the girls were getting just as intimidated as he was. Suddenly, the room began to change. Neil could feel a sense of dizziness smack him upside. It was like a whiplash effect. In a matter of seconds, Neil felt his body was trapped. He was strapped to a chair at one of the desks. As he tried to budge, he could see Krystal, Heer, and Akira were stuck in the same way. He looked up to see Lyle standing before them. He was taken back to the time Aiden had the gang in detention. Except this time felt different. It felt far more sinister.
“Okay, what the hell is going on?!” Neil questioned Lyle. “Let us out!”
“I can’t let you out of detention,” Lyle said.
“I thought I wouldn’t have to relive the war flashbacks from when we had detention with Aiden,” Krystal said.
“What the hell do you have planned exactly?” Akira questioned.
“Why tell you when I can show you?” Lyle said.
Neil was suddenly more confused than scared. He turned to see Heer’s head hanging down, looking at the ground. She was eerily silent. He saw the same thing happen to Krystal and Akira as well. Before he knew it, he could feel an overwhelming sense of fatigue strike his head like a gust of wind. He could feel he was losing consciousness. Suddenly, everything went black.
Neil slowly woke up. When he did, everything around him was different. He wasn’t in the same classroom anymore. Lyle nor the girls were with him. He was alone in a completely white void. He could feel that his legs were going numb from the fear that was overtaking him.
Suddenly, Neil could feel his legs being pulled down. He could see demon-like arms grabbing hold of him. He tried to break free, but it was of no use. Neil felt the white void change as he went through a watery-like floor. It felt like he was drowning in paint. He was struggling to breathe as he was being pulled further and further down. As he was going down, he could hear a voice echoing through the waters. It was so powerful that the water shook like an earthquake. The voice kept saying, “You’re a failure.”
Hearing it made things even worse. Neil could feel he was losing consciousness.
***
On the other hand, Krystal woke up, feeling like she was smacked in the face. Her face felt sore. What was even weirder was she saw herself sitting on a set of railroad tracks. Before she could even think further, she could hear what sounded like a train ringing. She turned around, stunned to see that a train was indeed coming, and it was closer than she thought. Krystal got up to get off the tracks, but for some reason, she couldn’t get off them.
Krystal got up and started running while the train continued to come after her. She could feel her heartbeat race faster and faster as she kept running. She was surprised after running for a while because she hadn’t even been hit yet.
“Am I running fast or is this train running slow?!” Krystal cried.
Krystal could feel her legs were getting tired. She couldn’t keep up with the train any longer, and it wasn’t close to stopping. She didn’t even know where she was going. Beyond the railroad tracks, she saw trees and greenery on both sides, but it all looked the same. It was like she was on an endless train track. She could feel she was getting slower, her legs tiring out. The train was nowhere near close to stopping though. As she slowed down, she could feel the train smack into her. She was stuck to the front of it, like her body had been frozen. She screamed as the train kept going.
***
Akira found herself on the beach. The sand was warm, and the ocean waves were calm. The calmness was too gentle for her. She had a hunch that something was up. As she got up, she could see that the gentle waves were suddenly becoming more monstrous. The closer she looked, she thought she could see a face in the water that was familiar. Akira was astonished as she recognized the molding of the face in the water. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A man’s voice started echoing from the water. It kept saying, “Come home. Come home, Akira.”
For a moment, she believed what she was hearing was real. However, as the water came closer to her, she realized something was off. She released her siren vocals, unleashing a massive sound wave through the waters as they made her way toward her. The sound waves protected her from the water, and she could see that the man she was seeing had disappeared.
“I knew he wasn’t real,” Akira said. “He wouldn’t actually want me home.”
Akira noticed the beach was suddenly calmer. It was as if a change in her perception had changed her atmosphere. She could see she was the only one at the beach, which made her wonder where the others were. She pondered over how they were all doing, especially Krystal since she thought she was quite the klutz on her own.
Suddenly, Akira could feel the sand of the beach shake between her toes. It was like an earthquake was happening. Everything surrounding her shifted in a pixelating manner. Before she could process it, she was in a completely different place. She could see she was standing right by a railroad track with a train speeding through it like lightning. As quick as it was, she was still able to see Krystal was hanging onto the front of the tree for dear life, screaming her head off.
“Krystal?!” Akira exclaimed. “How did I get to her just like that?!”
Akira quickly transformed into her siren form. She flapped her wings and began flying above the train, trying to reach Krystal. Once she got close to the front, she shouted, “Krystal, are you okay?”
“Do I look okay to you?!” Krystal shrieked. “And how are you here now?!”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. Can’t you get off?”
“No, I tried that. It’s like some barrier is preventing me. This thing doesn’t even end!”
Akira tried to think quickly. She wondered how she got to Krystal in the first place. It was then she recalled thinking about how Krystal was doing earlier. That was the moment she was brought to her. She even realized that the tsunami stopped once she realized what she was seeing wasn’t real.
“Krystal! I think I figured out what to do!”
“Does that involve saving me?! Because you’ve been hovering like a damn bird this whole time!”
“You’re gonna have to stop it.”
“What?! How?!”
“You just gotta trust yourself. This train isn’t real.”
“You’re not the one stuck on it!”
“I’m serious. What we’re seeing isn’t real, but this is your mind. You just gotta believe that.”
Krystal couldn’t fully understand what Akira was saying. The more she thought about it, the more she realized why she couldn’t move from the train or why the train wouldn’t stop. It was because she had been losing her grip on reality. She quickly tried to think of something that would make the train stop. Thinking about that made her brain hurt, so she started thinking of a happy place. A shopping trip to the mall would be great. She could just think of the great deals she could get on the new Reshawna handbag collection.
Suddenly, she looked ahead and saw the train, and everything was gone. She was in one of her favorite boutiques in the mall. Krystal turned to see Akira fly down, landing on the ground next to her.
“We’re in the mall now?” Krystal asked.
“No, remember it’s not real. Knowing you, your brain instantly thought of the mall, so it took us here.”
“So, we can’t go shopping?”
“I think we have bigger concerns. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think our brains have been intertwined somehow.”
“Huh?”
“Lyle must’ve put us in some psychological coma where all of us are stuck in these realities that feel real, but they aren’t. The only reason I got to you is because I was wondering where you were.”
“Aww, you were concerned about me?”
“Honestly, I thought you were a lost cause for a bit.”
“Hey!”
“The point is, I went from my mind to your mind. Now we have to jump to either Heer or Neil’s mind. I think that’s the only way we can get our consciences back to normal.”
“Wait, if Lyle put us in this linked coma thing, doesn’t he know that we know by now?”
“Maybe, but we have the edge now since we now know what we’re seeing isn’t real. I say we go to Heer next.”
“You’re right. Between her and Neil, her brain is probably less of a mess.”
“Okay, just think of seeing Heer. Got it?”
Krystal nodded. She instantly thought of Heer, hoping she was safe. Akira was wondering what kind of state she was in.
Suddenly, the reality surrounding Krystal and Akira shifted. It was the same feeling Akira felt when it happened to her. Krystal felt like she switched the channel on the television. Now they were in a bitter winter scene. Krystal could feel the chills as snow was quickly piling down.
“Sheesh. Why is Heer’s brain so cold?!” Krystal exclaimed as she started shivering.
“Forget that. We need to find her and wake her up, so we can go find Neil.”
“Well, where could she be?”
“She can’t be far. We imagined that we’d see her.”
“Oh no! What if Heer has been frozen in a huge chunk of ice, and the only way for her to break free is to be awoken by the chosen one in a thousand years?!”
“What have you been watching lately?”
“Rey makes me watch a lot of old cartoons during study sessions.”
As crazy as Krystal was sounding, Akira did begin to wonder if Heer was frozen somewhere. It would make the blistering cold atmosphere apt. She looked down on the ground, and she noticed some very faint footprints in the snow. As she looked ahead, she could see they continued further down.
“There are footprints here. It has to be Heer. Come on, let’s follow them.”
Akira and Krystal began walking along the footprints. As they kept going, Krystal thought she could see someone shivering in the distance. She instantly recognized the curly brown hair.
“Do you see her?” Krystal asked Akira. “She’s there!”
Krystal and Akira yelled out Heer’s name multiple times. It seemed she couldn’t hear them. Heer very much could hear something calling to her. She thought it was a familiar voice. It was one she had longed to hear for such a long time. Suddenly, the voices started to clash. She could hear Krystal and Akira’s voices overpowering her eardrums.
“Heer, can you not hear us?!” Krystal shouted.
“Guys, you don’t understand. He’s calling me,” Heer said.
“Heer, there is no one calling you,” Akira said. “It’s just us.”
“No, you’re wrong,” Heer said. “I heard him.”
“Look, everything except us is an illusion,” Krystal said. “We figured that out. Now, you have to.”
Krystal and Akira caught up with Heer, but she still wouldn’t look at them. It was as if she couldn’t even see they were there. Like she thought that they were the illusion instead of the voice she was hearing.
Heer could feel she was losing consciousness. She could feel the bitter cold was getting to her as she fell to her knees. The voice she was hearing became distorted. It wasn’t until she saw Akira and Krystal come up to her that she felt somewhat okay. She could actually see and feel their presence.
“You…you guys are really here,” Heer said.
“We are,” Akira said. “We’re the only things real here. You have to believe that.”
“Do you still hear that other voice?” Krystal asked.
“Not really,” Heer said. “I do feel really cold.”
“Well, we can escape the cold if we go to see Neil next,” Akira said. “Who knows what kind of state he’s in.”
“How…how do we…do that?” Heer asked as she was shivering.
“Just think about how you want to see Neil,” Akira said. “If we all do, we should be able to get to him. Hopefully before it’s too late.”
“What do you mean by too late?” Krystal asked.
“The longer he remains in the reality state increases the chances of trauma occurring to his mind,” Akira said. “It could be dangerous. Come on. Let’s do this.”
Heer tried to calm down and think of Neil. She decided not to let the bitter cold get to her as finding Neil was of the upmost of importance. Akira and Krystal followed the same. Suddenly, that spazzing feeling came again. Before they knew it, everything around them changed. Heer was stunned to see that she, Krystal, and Akira were underwater. There was no life to be seen. It was just a vast, endless body of water. At least it was until Heer could see Neil drowning deeper into the water. Heer pointed to him for Krystal and Akira to see. The three swam down as quickly as they could, getting close enough to him. All three of them grabbed hold of him, trying to pull him up.
However, something was holding Neil back. Heer could see there were hands pulling Neil back. She used all the strength she had to pull him away with Krystal and Akira helping out. Krystal quickly grabbed her wand, tapping it to transform it into her sonic bell. She rang it, allowing its soundwaves to strike the hands, making them let go. With Neil released from their grasp, the girls were able to pull Neil upward. Heer was struggling to figure things out as Neil was still completely out of it. She didn’t know if there was a surface for them to reach to. She figured that she had to get Neil to wake up if they actually wanted to get out. Heer concentrated her ice energy in her hand, placing it on Neil’s shoulder, allowing it to transfer from her to him. She hoped this would bring him back.
Damn. I feel like my body is melting, Neil thought. Is this what death feels like?I can’t…I can’t feel anything…
Neil could feel a jolt of energy shoot up inside of him. He opened his eyes, stunned to see Heer, Krystal, and Akira holding onto him. He realized just how out of it he had been. Seeing them helped him made him understand just how real they were. It was that feeling that made him feel like the surface was closer than ever.
And just like that, Neil, Heer, Krystal, and Akira all woke up in the classroom. They made it out of the ropes that initially had tied them down to their seats. They were all breathless with Neil unable to comprehend what he had just experienced. Before he could think too much about it, he saw Lyle. He wasn’t standing tall and powerful like before. Instead, he was on the ground just like them, seemingly out of breath and panting like crazy.
“Guys, look!” Neil exclaimed as he got up. The girls got up, all turning to see Lyle. Krystal found it almost laughable.
“Not so powerful anymore, are you?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“There’s no way you idiots could’ve broken out of the reality chamber,” Lyle said as he slowly tried to get up.
“You didn’t count on me figuring out what you were up to,” Akira said. “Next time you want to mess with someone’s head, know them better.”
“Okay, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to kick his ass,” Krystal said.
“You bet,” Neil said.
“That won’t be necessary,” a voice said.
Neil, Heer, Krystal, and Akira turned around to see Headmaster Devil. The classroom turned back to normal. Everything was seemingly okay then. Neil figured it was Headmaster Devil’s doing.
“I never thought I’d see the day that I was happy to see you, sir,” Akira said.
“Ouch,” said Headmaster Devil.
“What are you doing here?” Neil asked.
“I’ve heard some chatter lately from students about Lyle. I was coming here to have a chat with him about all the complaints I’ve been getting about his abusive behavior,” Headmaster Devil said. “Is this how you attempt to teach my kids a lesson?”
Lyle didn’t say anything. He simply looked away, almost like a little boy who didn’t get the toy he wanted for Christmas.
“You kids go on. I’ll deal with him right now,” Headmaster Devil said.
“Finally! Guys, let’s make it to that shoe sale!” Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed the others by their hands, taking them out of the room.
***
On Monday morning, Neil cautiously entered the classroom for Energy Enhancement. Everyone, specifically his friends, were looking at him like he was trying to rob the place.
“Neil, what are you doing?” Sana questioned.
“I was looking out for him. I don’t know what Devil is planning to do about him,” Neil said.
“You don’t have to worry. Considering what he tried to pull, I doubt he’ll be welcomed back,” Akira said.
“I still don’t get what he was trying to do,” Neil said.
“Neil, he was trying to fry our brains,” Krystal said. “I swear, Devil better have him locked up.”
“Why would he do that though?” Heer asked. “I know he was cruel, but can someone really be that level of evil?”
“In this world, yeah,” Akira said.
“If Akira hadn’t figured out it was illusions that you guys were seeing, you all might not still be here,” Zayn said.
“How did you figure it out, Akira?” Rey asked.
“That’s something to be told another time,” Akira said.
“Really? You’re being the secretive one?” Prince questioned.
Suddenly, the rest of the kids began applauding. Neil turned around along with the others to see Professor Luna had returned.
“Oh my gosh, Professor Luna! I’m so happy you’re back!” Neil exclaimed. “I could just hug you!”
“Yeah, please don’t do that, Neil,” Professor Luna said as she settled down at her desk. “Though your enthusiasm is amusing.”
“So, is the evil man gone?” one of the students asked.
“After what happened with Mr. Lyle this past week, Headmaster Devil had him sent away. We can’t have that kind of behavior in this school. Also, you won’t have to worry about the assignment grades as I won’t be counting them considering how unjust they were,” Professor Luna said. “While I’m saddened that I had to cut my conference time short, I’m actually happy to be back with all of you.”
As Professor Luna was getting ready to start the lesson, Neil couldn’t help but think about everything that happened with Lyle. Everything in the illusion still bugged him. He even wondered if he’d encounter Lyle again, or someone like him. As his thoughts got restless, he looked at Heer, who looked back at him with a smile. She had the most reassuring smile. He remembered it was that same warmth that helped him survive the ordeal. He realized just how lucky he was to have her as his teammate.
It was noon on a Saturday in Daredevil City. Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer were at their local park where they were playing a game of basketball. Well, Heer was just watching from the comfort of the bench, working on a knitting project.
“This is what happens when you play two against one, Neil,” Rey said.
“He’s right,” Sana said.
“Heer, are you sure you don’t want to play?” Neil asked.
“I honestly wouldn’t be of much help,” Heer said as she continued knitting. “Besides, I’m almost finished with this scarf.”
Neil sighed and said, “Fine. It’s fine. Things will be even better once I actually kick your asses.”
“Keep dreaming, buddy,” Rey said.
“Come on. One more round,” Neil said.
“I’m fine with that. You’re getting ice cream for us after this,” Sana said.
Sana, Rey, and Neil commenced in another round of basketball. As they were playing, Heer went back to her knitting. As she was finishing up the ends of the scarf, she heard a buzzing sound. She looked down and saw Neil’s phone was ringing.
“Hey, Neil, I think someone is calling you,” Heer said.
“Who is it?” Neil asked as he got ready to block the shot Rey was about to make.
Heer picked up the phone, looking at the caller ID. She said, “It’s your mom.”
Neil became stunned. He turned to Heer and said, “Huh?”
And at that moment, the ball hit Neil in the head, and he fell down. Sana turned to Rey, who had a look of shock on his face. He rushed to Neil and said, “Are you okay, man?!”
“Huh?” Neil said. “I’m good. I’m good.”
“Are you sure? That was quite a hit,” Sana said.
“Um, yeah,” Neil said as he got up. “Can we go now?”
“Go?” Heer asked as she got up from the bench. “I thought you wanted to finish the game.”
“I’m good with heading out,” Neil said as he got his phone from Heer.
“Do you at least want to get ice cream?” Rey asked. “I’ll buy for you…since I hit your head.”
“No, I’d rather just go home,” Neil said as he began to head off.
“What’s with him?” Rey asked. He started to follow Neil, saying, “Hey, man! How can you say no to ice cream?!”
“Heer, who did you say was calling him again?” Sana asked.
“It was his mom. What are you thinking, Sana?”
“I’m thinking that was the reason for his sudden change in behavior.”
***
Later in the day, Neil was in his room at the boys’ dorm house. He was trying to find something to do. Something other than look at his phone. After the call from earlier, he got two more missed calls and five text messages from his mom. He didn’t open or check any of them. And staring at the assignments on his laptop didn’t help with distracting him from thinking about his mom. He got out of his seat and landed flat on his bed, sighing. Before he could figure out something to do, he heard a knock on the door.
Neil got up and hurried to the door. Once he opened it, he saw Rey was standing outside.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Neil asked.
“Hey! We were planning on hitting up that new bowling alley at the mall. Are you coming?”
“Oh, sure thing. Let me freshen up quick.”
Neil quickly headed to the bathroom while Rey came inside. Rey looked around and said, “So, are you okay? You kinda just took off during our game.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I just had a headache,” Neil said as he washed his face.
“Must have been a hell of a headache,” Rey said as he looked over, seeing Neil’s phone ding. It was a message from his mom. Rey noticed several missed calls and messages from Neil’s mom on his phone. He’s still ignoring his mom, Rey thought. I wonder what’s up with that.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Neil said as he got out of the bathroom.
“Dude, is everything good with you and your mom? She’s texted and called you a dozen times.”
“Oh…it’s no biggie. I’ve been so busy today. I’ll call her back later.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
Neil immediately walked out of the room, leaving Rey puzzled. He had a feeling something was up, and Neil wasn’t telling him everything.
***
Later on, Rey and Neil joined Sana, Krystal, Prince, Heer, Zayn, and Akira at the bowling alley. As they were playing and munching on mozzarella sticks and churros, Rey could see Neil was still troubled. It wasn’t long till Sana and Heer both came up to him while Zayn was up to strike.
“So, did he say anything to you?” Sana asked Rey.
“No. He says it’s nothing,” Rey said.
“Do you believe him?” Heer asked.
“No,” Rey said. “He’s clearly got stuff going on in his mind. I don’t know why he’s acting like this.”
“Well, family has always been a touchy subject for him,” Heer said. “You can’t blame him for not wanting to talk about it.”
“But there’s a difference between not wanting to talk about it and acting like you’re completely fine,” Sana said.
“Hey, Neil, you ready for your turn?” Krystal asked.
Neil turned around to Krystal. He was pretty distracted, so he didn’t even hear what Krystal said. He asked, “Sorry, what did you say?”
“She asked if you want to bowl now,” Prince said.
Before Neil could say anything, his cellphone rang. He could feel the irritation boil up inside of him as he looked to see it was his mom again. He walked away and answered the phone, saying, “Can’t you understand that I don’t feel like talking, Mom?!”
“How dare you talk to me like that?! Your behavior is getting worse!”
“My behavior?!”
“Yes. You were so much better when you were younger.”
“What do you want?”
“If you read my texts, you would know. Have you figured it out yet?”
Neil sighed. He didn’t read the texts, but he knew exactly what his mom was talking about. What he couldn’t stand was his mother bringing up this conversation over a phone call.
“Hello? Can’t you say something?” Neil’s mom said.
“Isn’t this the kind of thing you talk about in person?!”
“No matter what time it’s brought up, you don’t say anything. You know people keep asking me what your future plans are. What am I supposed to say?”
“I have to go, Mom.”
“We’re not done talking, Neil!”
“Well, I am.”
Neil ended the call. He felt like throwing his phone. Then he remembered how expensive it was to get a new one. He turned around, seeing the others were looking at him, seemingly concerned. Neil grunted, feeling like he was being a damper on everyone’s fun. He went up to Rey, handing him his cellphone and said, “Take it and throw it somewhere. I’m heading back.”
As Neil took off, Krystal said, “Hold on! Neil!”
“Too late,” Prince said as Neil left.
“Whoah. That was intense,” Akira said. “I knew something was off with him, but I never guessed it was this bad.”
“You think he’s heading back to his room?” Zayn asked.
“Looks like it,” Heer said.
“No, he’s not just going back to his room,” Rey said. “I think he’s leaving the school.”
Sana was surprised to hear what Rey said. She could tell everyone else was equally surprised. She asked Rey, “What makes you say that?”
“I have a feeling. Look, I’m gonna go follow and catch up to him before it’s too late,” Rey said.
“Shouldn’t we come with you?” Heer asked.
“No, it’s better if I go alone,” Rey said as he started heading out. “I’ll keep you guys updated!”
***
Back at his room, Neil was starting to pack his backpack. Rey was right. He was leaving school. He didn’t know where he would go. He just knew he had to leave. As he packed a pair of socks in his backpack, he heard multiple knocks on his door. He sighed, knowing Rey probably followed him.
Neil opened the door to see he was right. Rey was there, sweating and panting like crazy.
“You seriously ran a marathon, didn’t you?” Neil said as he let Rey in.
“Well, duh! I had to stop you from leaving! Why won’t you just talk about what’s going on?”
“You know I hate talking about my issues!”
“Dude, that’s exactly what the problem is.”
“Oh, like you’re one to talk!”
“Dude, not cool.”
Neil sighed. He realized he was letting his emotions out on the wrong people. He turned to Rey and said, “I’m sorry. I…I just feel stressed out.”
“So, let me help with that.”
“How? Unless you can have your parents adopt me, I don’t think anything can help me right now.”
“Well, I can’t do that, but I may have something in mind.”
“What?”
“Just trust me on this. We’ll go out tomorrow early in the morning.”
“You know I hate early mornings on Sundays!”
“Well, make an exception this time around.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Just know that we’re going to go somewhere to help you clear your head.”
Rey began to head out while Neil stood by and watched him go. He was confused as to where Rey would want to take him. Rey stopped as he opened the door and said, “Don’t even try to leave before morning, or I will find you and beat your ass.”
Neil grunted at the thought of Rey challenging him. Rey left, leaving Neil alone. The anticipation of waiting till morning was annoying. But Rey was his best friend. He figured he should go ahead and trust him.
***
Early morning, Neil got ready to meet up with Rey at the front of the academy. Rey told him to only bring a few essentials with him and nothing else. He still had no idea where Rey was taking him. As he got to the front doors of the academy, Rey was already there, talking to Zayn and Akira. Sana and Heer were there as well.
“Thanks for letting me borrow your hoverbike, Zayn,” Rey said.
“Just don’t break it,” Zayn said.
“What?! You don’t trust me?!” Rey questioned.
“His hoverbike is pretty precious. I’m surprised he’s even letting you borrow it,” Akira said.
“Yeah. Why are you letting him borrow it, Zayn?” Sana asked as she held onto a hoverboard.
“Look, I’m not heartless. You said it was important, so I’m letting you borrow it,” Zayn said.
“Well, thank you,” Rey said. “Neil, are you ready?”
“Uh, yeah,” Neil said. “You still haven’t mentioned where we’re going.”
“It’s a surprise. Just know that it’ll be a safe space,” Rey said as he got on the hoverbike. “Now, hop on.”
“Are the rest of you guys coming?” Neil asked.
“Sana and I will be tagging along on hoverboards,” Heer said.
“We would come, but we got homework to catch up on,” Akira said.
“All right, we’ll see you later then,” Sana said.
With that, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer took off, riding into the sky. Zayn and Akira waved bye to them. As they were waving, Akira looked at Zayn and said, “So, what was the real reason you lent it to him?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act clueless with me. Prince told me that Krystal practically twisted your arm to lend it to them.”
“Nonsense. So, she said something. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Sure, sure.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“You should know by now. Come on. Let’s get some breakfast.”
***
Later in the morning, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer arrived in Salaar, a prominent town in the state of Aroma. It wasn’t too far from New Iris, so it didn’t take that long for the group to reach there. Neil was new to this area of the country, so seeing it for the first time was a sight to behold.
“So, can you tell me where we’re going now?” Neil asked
“You’ll know soon enough,” Rey said.
“How much longer till we land?” Sana asked.
“Coming up in a few minutes,” Rey said.
And in a few minutes, Rey led the group to land right in front of a brick red house that was amongst other alike houses in a small community. They landed right in the front yard and Rey was happy to see his parents and his sister, Alicia, standing right outside.
“Hey, Rey!” Alicia exclaimed.
“Hey, sis!” Rey waved as he parked the hoverbike.
“Wait, is this your family?” Neil asked.
“You bet,” Rey said.
“Nice to see you all again,” Sana said.
“Same to you, Sana,” Araceli said. “When Rey said he was visiting with friends, I was more than happy to accommodate.”
“Son, introduce us to your other friends,” Royce said.
Rey got off the hoverbike, immediately being hugged by Alicia. As he hugged her back, he said, “All right. I want you guys to meet Neil and Heer.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Heer said.
“Very nice to meet you,” Araceli said.
Neil was surprised. Of all the places to go to, Neil was surprised that Rey brought him to his parents’ house. Then again, it was better than visiting his own parents right now.
“Neil, are you good?” Rey said, seeing Neil space out.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Neil said. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Murgatroyd.”
“Same to you, Neil,” Royce said. “Rey, bring your friends in, and we can start brunch.”
With that, the group went inside to eat brunch with Rey’s family. Araceli had made eggs with chorizo along with tamales. As they were eating and conversing with each other, Neil couldn’t help but pay attention to how nice the atmosphere was. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had a nice family meal.
“Neil, is the food okay for you?” Araceli asked.
“Oh, yeah! It’s been a while since I had tamales this good,” Neil said. “Thank you, Mrs. Murgatroyd.”
“You’re very welcome,” Araceli said.
“I’d argue she makes the best tamales in our family,” Royce said. “Then again, some might say I’m biased.”
“Is it true that this whole community here is just your extended family?” Heer asked.
“Wait, seriously?” Neil asked.
“That’s right. We also have some other fellow Tiger Clan members here. We’ve always been a tightknit pack,” Royce said. “Though Araceli’s side of the family lives in their own community back in Mexico.”
“Wow. It’s amazing how close everyone is,” Sana said.
Hearing all of this made Neil realize how different his family was from Rey’s. It made him understand Rey’s excited nature better.
“Rey, let’s go play outside,” Alicia said as she tugged on Rey’s arm.
“Alicia, don’t you want to wait for your cousins?” Royce asked.
“Oh, who’s coming over?” Rey asked.
“Thiago, Carmen, and Triana are visiting,” Araceli said.
“All right then!” Rey exclaimed. “Ready for a piggyback ride, Alicia?”
“Yeah!” Alicia exclaimed.
Alicia immediately got on Rey’s back and he held onto her, rushing outside to the backyard as she laughed with glee.
“Be careful, you two!” Araceli exclaimed.
“We should go outside, too,” Sana said.
“You coming, Neil?” Heer asked.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Neil said.
***
Later in the day, after Rey and Alicia’s cousins arrived, it was a complete madhouse at the Murgatroyd residence. Rey and Royce were keeping Alicia and the other kids occupied. They were playing all sorts of games while Araceli was cooking dinner. Sana, Neil, and Heer were watching them have fun.
It was taking Neil back. He remembered the times that he would play such games with Aiden and Shuto after a long day of training. He took himself back to one day in a quiet winter. After completing their training, Neil and Aiden were having a snowball fight to themselves. Neil was in the middle of creating the biggest snowball he could ever make. When he got it ready, Aiden struck with three snowballs to his face, making him fall.
Neil got up and said, “No fair!”
“Ha! It’s not my fault you’re slow!”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!”
As the two bickered, Shuto came in and struck them both with snowballs. Neil got up and said, “No fair, Uncle Shuto. You never said you were playing.”
“How else would I get you two to shut up?” Shuto asked.
“Neil, let’s team up and take him down!” Aiden exclaimed.
“Yeah, good idea!” Neil said.
“All right. Bring it on,” Shuto said.
Neil couldn’t believe how long ago that memory was. Sometimes he thought about how it was hard to believe there was a time where he and Aiden got along.
“Neil, are you thinking about something?” Heer asked.
“Oh, yeah. I was just remembering something from my childhood,” Neil said.
“Something good?” Sana asked.
“Actually, yes,” Neil said. “I guess seeing Rey and his dad having fun reminded me of a time in my life where things didn’t feel so bad. I’m sorry. I’m being a downer, aren’t I?”
“No. After all, there’s a reason Rey made us come here today,” Sana said.
“What is that?” Neil asked.
“He knew that you were having issues with your mom. So, he wanted to bring you to a family environment that was warm and welcoming,” Heer said.
Neil watched Rey joyfully play with his cousins. After understanding his gesture, it made him see just how great of a friend Rey was.
“Rey really takes after his dad, doesn’t he?” Sana said.
“Yeah, the resemblance is uncanny,” Heer said. “Do you think Mrs. Murgatroyd needs help in the kitchen?”
“You could go ask her,” Sana said. “I’m going to join Rey and the others.”
“Uh, Heer, I’ll come with you,” Neil said.
Heer nodded. Neil and Heer went inside the house while Sana played with the others. Once they got to the kitchen, Heer helped Araceli with cutting vegetables while Neil stood by. He wanted to talk to Araceli, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Araceli herself noticed Neil was aloof. She said, “Rey told me about your mother.”
“Oh, yeah. I figured as much.”
“He didn’t go into detail. He figured that it was up to you on how much you wanted to share.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be honest. Part of me thought that seeing you all so happy would make me jealous. But I know Rey. He wouldn’t want to make me feel that.”
“You’re right. My son has a good heart.”
“He sure does.”
“Mrs. Murgatroyd, I finished cutting. Is there anything else I can do?” Heer asked.
“No, that’s it. Thank you, Heer,” Araceli said.
Heer nodded and headed out of the kitchen to go back outside. As Neil watched Araceli get hold of the cut vegetables, he said, “Seeing them outside, I remembered this time I was playing with my brother in the snow.”
“Aah. Rey mentioned you had issues with your brother.”
“I do. Though I’ll admit…a lot of it might just be projecting…from me. I don’t know.”
“Is it related to your mother?”
“Look, I don’t know what moms are supposed to be like, but with mine, she’s always on my back. It wasn’t like that when I was a kid. It was so much easier. Now that I’m in the academy, she’s always harping about my future and how I have to have a plan. She always talks about how my brother and all my cousins know what they’re doing. And I don’t. I just…I can’t take it…”
“Do you think she’s worried and trying to help you, but ultimately it’s not helping you?”
Neil was surprised to hear Araceli ask him such a question. In his life, it felt like most of the adults he encountered never asked such thoughtful questions.
“Yeah,” Neil said. “That’s exactly how I feel.”
“Look at that. You were able to share how you felt.”
“Yeah, I did do that. So, do you have anything else to say?”
“Well, I’m a mother myself. Rey is growing up, and I think after what he’s been through, he’s trying to focus on the present.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“While the future is important, you can’t spend too much time on it. There are so many unknowns. You’re a good kid, Neil. You may not know the answers to your mother’s questions now, but you’ll figure them out in your own way. On your own pace.”
Neil could feel a lightness in himself that he hadn’t felt in a while. It was almost overwhelming. He looked at Araceli and said, “Mrs. Murgatroyd, this might be an odd request, but…would you be okay with giving me a hug?”
Araceli smiled and did just that. She hugged Neil, and the warmth of this gesture gave him peace. This was something he desperately needed.
As Araceli let Neil go, she said, “If you ever need somewhere to go, you’re always welcome here.”
Neil wiped a few small tears that came from his eyes and said, “Thank you.”
“Now, I should finish preparing dinner,” Araceli said. “How about you go outside and play with the others?”
Neil nodded, leaving the kitchen. As he went outside, he saw everyone was continuing to have so much fun. Rey stopped, looking at him. It didn’t take long for Rey to go up to him, put his arm around him and say, “You coming to play?”
It was a quiet afternoon at Ringmasters Training Academy. This wouldn’t be normal for someone like Rey or Neil, but it was the norm for Aiden. At least when Rey and Neil weren’t randomly trying to jump him during the day. Aiden got up from his office desk. He got together a bunch of papers and placed them in a file folder. Once Aiden exited his room, he headed over to Headmaster Devil’s office. As soon as he walked in, Headmaster Devil was alone to his surprise. He was instead more occupied with a book in hand.
“Is this the Tatia effect?” Aiden asked.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You seem to spend less time with women in here.”
“Since no one knows how to knock around here, this is no longer a good place to invite the ladies over.”
“When was it ever a good place for that?”
“Enough bickering. What do you need?”
“I have the one file you wanted me to put together for you.”
Aiden handed the file folder to Headmaster Devil. “Nice work,” Headmaster Devil said as he briefly flipped through the folder’s contents. “So, you’re with Shuto tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How are things going over there?”
“Not much has happened yet. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Well, I’m sure it’s a nice break from all of the work you do here. Anyway, I’ll see you next week.”
“Yeah. See you.”
Aiden left the office and let out a deep sigh.
***
The following day, Aiden reported to the Ringmasters Society building early in the morning. He grabbed an egg and cheese sandwich from the cafeteria for breakfast and headed upstairs to Shuto’s office. Before he could knock on the door, Shuto stepped out of the room and said, “Good morning, Aiden!”
“Good morning.”
“Did you already eat?”
“Yeah. I got a sandwich. What are my duties for today?”
“About that…I have a rather simple task for you today.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“Today, your task is to have fun.”
Aiden found himself puzzled. He was wondering if Shuto was messing around with him. He questioned, “Is this a joke?”
“No, it actually isn’t,” Shuto chuckled. “You see it’s been a while since I took Yashi out. Work here gets pretty hectic. So, I thought I’d take the misses for a nice day out.”
“That’s cool, but what about me?”
“That’s why I’m telling you to take the day to enjoy yourself and relax. You hardly take any time off, so here’s a chance for you to do that.”
“And do what exactly?”
“Seriously, boy? You need to get out more often. Catch a movie. Go roller skating. Anything. Just go have some fun.”
“But…”
“Look, I really have no work for you today. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Shuto headed off while Aiden watched him leave. He couldn’t believe he had a whole day to do whatever he wanted. Normally, anyone would be elated for a day off, but he was stumped. He didn’t have a clue as to what he would do today. Aiden took the elevator and headed down to the lobby. As he was about to exit the building, he heard a voice say, “Hey, Aiden.”
Aiden turned around to see it was Haruka. She walked up to him and said, “How are you this morning?”
“Uh, I don’t know. Master Shuto gave me the day off.”
“Oh, that’s nice. It’ll be good to enjoy yourself today.”
“Not really. I have no idea how I’m going to spend my time today with no assignments or tasks to do.”
“Sweety, you’re fifteen. Save this energy for your thirties.”
Aiden sighed. He really had no idea how he was going to spend the day.
“Here’s an idea for you. Take yourself back to Daredevil City. I’m sure a bus ride there can help you pass the time.”
“I guess so. I’ll see you later then.”
As Aiden left, Haruka watched him leave. She shook her head, thinking, That boy…he really is something.
***
And so, Aiden took a bus to Daredevil City. As he was on board, he thought about what he would do while in the city. He could go to the city library, or he could go to a local coffee shop and read. Though he did think that Shuto would give him an earful for not adhering to the concept of “having fun” today. Aiden realized the best way to go about this was to treat it like an assignment. He looked at the bus schedule in his hand and noticed the next stop was Orchard Springs Park. He figured that would be a good place to start.
After some time passed, the bus stopped at Orchard Springs Park. Aiden got off and headed inside the park. As he entered, he realized it wasn’t your average park. With springtime, there were flowers blooming within all of the trees. Fallen petals covered the grass like beautiful jewels forming a necklace. Aiden thought a stroll around a peaceful place such as this would be a nice way to pass the time.
Aiden began walking around, taking note of how quiet the park was. There weren’t many people walking by, which was fairly normal for the time of day. As he continued to walk along the pathway that went through the park, he found himself at peace, but as time passed, he was bored. It wasn’t the scenery that bored him. It was the fact that he was all alone in a decently vacant park.
Aiden sat down on a bench and sighed. With no responsibilities at hand, he had no idea how to spend an entire day’s worth of free time. This sucks, Aiden thought. Is my life so bland that the only thing that I can think of doing now is work? I wonder what Neil’s doing now. It’s Friday, so class probably won’t be all day. Then again, that doesn’t stop him from skipping or anything.
Before he could get lost in more thoughts, Aiden was smacked in the head with a soccer ball. He fell off the bench as the ball rolled further away from him. As he got up, irritated, a kid about his age with short brown hair and brown eyes ran toward him with some other kids behind him. The kid shouted, “Hey, what did you do with our ball?!”
“Nothing, considering I was hit by it,” Aiden said.
“I don’t care about that. Thanks to you we lost it!”
“How exactly does that make sense?”
“If you weren’t in the way, it wouldn’t have gone so far!”
“Well, that’s a pretty stupid argument.”
“What did you say, kid?!”
This is absurd. I’m arguing with this kid over nothing. I should just go, Aiden thought.
As Aiden was about to leave, the kid shouted, “Hey, punk! Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not done talking to you!”
“Kid, I’m no punk. I certainly don’t want to waste my time with a useless argument.”
“Useless?! HA! You’re just afraid of me!”
“Listen, I’m now in a very irritable mood. So, if you want to agitate me further, you’re not going to like it. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
The kid got his fist ready and aimed to swing at Aiden. But before he could land his punch, Aiden caught his fist, surprising him. Aiden said, “I’ll say this once. You threw the ball that hit me. Therefore, you’re responsible for losing it. Not me. Your second mistake was trying to blame me for your incompetence. And thirdly, you tried to throw a punch at me when I told you I’m not to be messed with. What does that say about you? You’re a foolish little boy. Now, leave and don’t make things worse.”
Aiden released his grip on the boy’s hand. The boy looked very shaken and began to scurry away along with the other kids. Aiden sighed. He turned around and was stunned to see Shuto with Yashi at a bench not too far from him. While Yashi was seated at the bench, Shuto was standing and very clearly looking at him. Aiden couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he could certainly tell he had something to say.
***
After seeing Aiden, Shuto took him to an ice cream shop called The Scoop. He was still set on spending the day with Yashi, but she didn’t mind some time away, so he agreed to meet with her at a different park. While they stood in line, Aiden couldn’t help but wonder why Shuto had to take time away from Yashi to talk to him.
“So, what are you ordering?” Shuto asked.
“What?”
“I brought you to get ice cream. So, you’ll need to tell me what you want.”
“You brought me here to talk about me almost getting into a fight with that kid. Can’t we just get to it already?”
“Boy, I’m helping you out with this “having fun” thing since you clearly suck at it.”
Aiden was stunned. He sighed while Shuto put in an order, saying, “Hey, can I get a small scoop of Ube ice cream?”
Shuto looked over at Aiden, waiting for him to place an order. Aiden sighed and said, “I’d like a medium scoop of strawberry ice cream…with cheesecake bites.”
After getting their ice cream, Shuto and Aiden took a seat at one of the tables inside the shop. Aiden was eating the ice cream, and he was quite fond of it. He hadn’t had ice cream in ages and tasting it again felt rewarding. As he ate, Shuto said, “Enjoying it?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty great. How’s yours?”
“Very nice. You can never go wrong with Ube. So, do you want to talk about what happened back there?”
“Not really. It was simple. A stupid kid got in my face, and I told him off.”
“I know. You’re not to be blamed for how you handled it, but it seems today’s assignment is harder than anything that’s been given to you in the past.”
“Well, you’re not wrong about that.”
“Do you know why that is?”
Aiden sighed. He hadn’t really given it much thought. He took a few seconds to think before giving an answer.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve never really done the typical fun things kids do. From when Neil and I were kids, all I focused on was training.”
“Are you sure that’s it? Or do you just not remember what it was like to have fun?”
“What?”
“You don’t seem to remember that Haruka used to take you and Neil out for ice cream all the time back in those days. If they didn’t have strawberry, you’d get cookies and cream.”
“With the extra chocolate chunks. And Neil would get mad because he’d want the same thing and they only had enough for one person.”
“Yup. Haruka would make you flip a coin to see who gets it.”
“How could I have forgotten all of that? I’m like an old man.”
“Hey, respect your elders, boy!”
“Sorry, it’s just…I didn’t know how much I’ve been missing out on.”
Aiden let it all sink in. It was a lot for him to think about. And as he was processing it all, another surprise came walking in. Krystal, Zayn, and Neil walked into the shop. As soon as they walked in, Aiden could see Neil stall upon making eye contact with him. Shuto turned around to see the group and said, “Well, I think now is the perfect time for me to take off.”
“Seriously, old man?! You leave when I come in?!” Neil exclaimed.
“It’s not about you, boy,” Shuto said as he got up from the table. “Have a good day, kids.”
As Shuto left, Krystal said, “So, Aiden, what brings you here?”
“Shuto took me out for ice cream,” Aiden said. “I’ve been having a rough day.”
“Oh, yeah?!” Neil said.
“Neil, come on,” Zayn said.
“It’s okay, Zayn. So, why are you guys here?” Aiden asked.
“I was going to take Zayn out for ice cream, and Neil decided to tag along,” Krystal said.
“Why do you sound like you wanted to just go with him?” Neil asked.
“Zayn, let’s get in line,” Krystal said as she quickly got in the line with Zayn following.
Aiden was left with just Neil. He could tell Neil didn’t want to say anything. He figured he’d try to say something himself.
“So, what are you going to get?” Aiden asked Neil.
“Cookies and cream.”
“With the extra chocolate chunks?”
“You remember that?”
“I was just talking about it with Shuto. Those were the times when I used to actually have fun.”
“Geez, you sound like an old man reflecting on the mistakes of his life. Get a grip. You’re fifteen not fifty.”
Neil went in the line while Krystal sat down, holding a spoon and a cup with a scoop of raspberry swirl in it. She said, “So, what’s going on?”
“I was supposed to be doing internship stuff today, but Shuto decided to give me the day off to go learn how to have fun.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“Well, considering all I did was walk in a park, get bored, and almost get into a fight with some annoying kid, it’s been pretty bad.”
“To be fair, I think we tend to forget you’re our age.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t even act my age. Hell, Neil just told me off for acting like an old man.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say you act like an old man. Maybe you’re just very mature for your age. You’re also quite the workaholic.”
“Yeah.”
“Lucky for you, I can help you.”
“You can?”
“Yeah! Not to brag, but I’m slowly helping Zayn out of his loner boy phase. He hasn’t thanked me yet, but one day he will!”
Zayn and Neil came back to the table with their ice cream. Seeing them come back, Krystal said, “Hey, guys, why don’t we go to the beach after finishing our ice cream?”
“I’m cool with that,” Neil said.
“Same,” Zayn said.
“You coming?” Krystal asked Aiden.
“If you’re fine with it,” Aiden said.
***
And so, later on, Krystal, Zayn, Neil, and Aiden took a bus that eventually stopped at a small beach called Onyx Beach. Once they got there, Aiden could feel just how loose everything was. The way the breeze gently waved over the water, the way the shells popped out in the sand like little sparkling specks, and the way the others took in the atmosphere was all so freeing to him.
“You like it, Aiden?” Krystal asked.
Aiden turned to her and said, “It’s beautiful.”
Aiden walked closer to the water, hoping the waves would touch his feet. While Krystal and Zayn slowly walked in the sand, Neil stopped and watched Aiden. This may have been the calmest vision of him he had ever seen.
The water finally splashed at his feet. He could feel it caress him ever so gently. He let out a deep breath and thought, So, this is what peace feels like.
As he basked in the freedom he was feeling, Krystal called out and said, “Aiden, after this, do you want to go see a movie?”
Now recognizing he certainly had the time and the energy, Aiden said, “Sure.”
“Come on, Prince!” Rey exclaimed as he tugged at Prince’s arm along with Neil.
No matter how much Rey and Neil pulled, Prince was as solid as a rock. He didn’t want to budge. With a day off from school, Rey and Neil wanted to go out for a beach day. It was something they needed with all the stress in their lives as of late.
“I don’t understand why you need me to come with you guys,” Prince said.
“Come on! It’ll be fun!” Neil exclaimed. “Besides, we want as much of the gang there as possible.”
“Heer, Zayn, and Akira are busy with homework. You definitely don’t have an excuse better than that,” Rey said.
“I do. I’m just not interested,” Prince said.
“You say that all the time!” Rey exclaimed. “It’ll be fun. We’ll hang at the beach while you just chill. You can relax as much as you want. Maybe even take a book.”
“Or a candy cane,” Neil said.
Prince sighed. He would rather stay in his room, but he also felt some relaxation elsewhere wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Fine. I’ll go, but I’m just going to chill there,” Prince said. “Got it?”
“All right! We’re heading out in an hour, so be ready!” Rey exclaimed as he and Neil left the room.
***
In the late afternoon, Prince met up with Rey, Neil, Sana, and Krystal at the front of the academy. They headed downtown and boarded the bus. It didn’t take long for them to reach Swiftside Beach. As soon as the group arrived, no one was more excited than Krystal. She made her way towards the sand, saying, “Isn’t this so nice?! Zayn and the others are missing out!”
“Hell, I’m surprised Ms. Bookworm here wasn’t busy with homework,” Neil said, looking at Sana.
“Are you trying to say I don’t know how to have fun?” Sana asked.
“He isn’t trying. He’s just saying it,” Rey said.
“Well, let me prove you wrong then!” Sana exclaimed. “Who’s up for volleyball?”
“Sounds fun!” Krystal said. “Prince, join us!
Krystal and the others turned to see Prince was already settled. He laid on the towel he had set on the sand. Krystal said, “Prince, really?”
“I came here to relax,” Prince said as he got out a book from his backpack.
“Come on. Just one game,” Neil said.
“I’m good,” Prince said as he opened his book and began reading.
Rey, Neil, Sana, and Krystal walked off to set up for volleyball. Sana whispered to Rey, “Why did you invite Prince?”
“I thought he’d possibly lighten up and hang with us,” Rey said.
“You thought that by enticing him with relaxation only?” Neil asked. “And you guys make fun of my intelligence.”
“Who said that makes you any more intelligent, Neil?” Krystal said.
“You know what?! I’m gonna beat the crap out of you guys at volleyball!” Neil exclaimed.
“Dream on,” Krystal said.
As Rey, Krystal, and Neil got ready to start playing, Sana turned and looked at Prince. He didn’t seem bothered. If anything, he looked very much at peace, reading his book. She decided it was probably best to just leave him be.
Prince was deep into his book. He was reading a new novel called Lightning Strikes Silent Street by Rana Sandesh, and it was an engrossing read so far. He could feel the tension as he was getting through an intense chapter. The main character, Roohi, was wandering around in her apartment at night, unaware that someone was inside. As he got to the next page, he was startled as Sana, Krystal, Rey, and Neil were loudly commencing in their volleyball game.
“HA! We’re in the lead!” Krystal exclaimed after delivering a winning serve. She high-fived Sana while Rey and Neil looked ready to continue.
“It’s not over yet!” Neil exclaimed.
Prince shook his head as he looked back at his book. He tried to focus on the chapter. It was a lengthy read, but he was doing his best to pay attention while the others continued their game. After some time, his focus became disrupted again upon hearing Krystal shout, “Prince, watch out!”
“What?!” Prince said as he turned around. Before he could do anything, the ball smacked him in the head and he fell back, his book falling out of his hands.
Sana, Krystal, Rey, and Neil all ran up to Prince. Sana and Krystal helped him up with Sana asking, “Prince, are you okay?”
“If you want to get mad at someone, be mad at Neil! He served the ball!” Rey exclaimed.
“Really, dude?! You gotta blame me?!” Neil said.
“Well, you’re the one who threw it,” Rey said.
Prince hadn’t said a word. He was feeling a variety of things, but he was mostly agitated and angry. His head hurt, and he lost his place in his book, which was now dunked in sand. The others looked at him, and Rey and Neil looked particularly fearful of him. Maybe his agitation and anger were showing on his face.
“You know what?” Prince said. “I’m just gonna go get something to drink.”
Prince left while the others watched him leave. As he headed off, Neil said, “Damn. Is it me, or did he look mad?”
“It’s either that, or he’s annoyed. Probably both,” Krystal said.
“What should we do?” Sana asked.
“We should just leave him alone for a while,” Rey said. “Let’s get back to our game.”
“You guys go ahead. I’m gonna get a drink,” Sana said.
Krystal, Rey, and Neil got the ball and got back to their game. Sana picked up Prince’s book. She headed out towards the snack shack where Prince was at. He was drinking a large strawberry lemonade, and Sana could tell he was very irritated. She went up to him, handing him his book. Prince looked at her and took the book, saying, “Thanks.”
“How’s the book so far?” Sana asked.
“It was good until certain idiots smacked me in the head and made me lose my place.”
“Sorry. I know they can be a handful, but they didn’t mean to hit you.”
“So? They literally made me come here just to annoy the hell out of me. All I care about is relaxing. Is that so much to ask?”
“Is there something going on? You’re crabbier than usual.”
“Oh, wow, that’s so helpful.”
“Come on. Seriously, is something bothering you?”
Prince finished his strawberry lemonade. He got out of his seat and headed out while Sana watched him leave. He had a hard time explaining how he was feeling. He certainly felt that whatever he was feeling was nothing compared to the stuff that Sana and Rey had dealt with recently.
As Prince got back to where his towel and things were, he saw Krystal, Rey, and Neil were out in the water, swimming. They were having a lot of fun, splashing each other and everything. Krystal looked at Prince and said, “Hey, Prince! Do you want to join us?”
“I’m fine,” Prince said as he tried to figure out where he was in his book.
“You came to the beach, and you won’t even get in the water?” Krystal asked.
“Some people come to the beach to just chill. It’s clear you guys don’t get that,” Prince said.
“Hey, man! I know you’re upset, but you don’t have to be a jerk,” Rey said.
“Oh, right. I should be an absolute ray of sunshine after getting smacked in the head during your stupid game of volleyball,” Prince said.
“It was an accident,” Neil said. “I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“Oh, like that’s supposed to make me feel better,” Prince said.
“Okay, enough of the arguing!” Krystal exclaimed. “You can just sulk while we have some fun here!”
“To hell with the drama,” Prince said as he rolled his eyes and went back to focusing on his book.
While Prince tried to find the page he was on in his book, a gust of wind wavered over the waters. Prince was splashed by the water, himself and his book drenched. Prince could see the others look at him, clearly horrified. Though they were probably more horrified at how mad he would be. He got up, grabbing his book and towel. Sana was there and asked, “You need help?”
Prince sighed. He didn’t want to admit it, but he could use some time with a friend.
“Yeah,” Prince said.
***
Sana got her things and walked further down the beach with Prince to get a private spot for himself. She helped him dry off, using his towel to dry his hair. As she helped, she said, “I’m sorry this beach day hasn’t been going well for you.”
“It’s not your fault. Karma must hate me or something.”
“Don’t say that. Now, you did take my help. Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“I don’t even know how to explain it.”
“That’s fine. You just take your time with it.”
Prince took a deep breath. He wasn’t really used to opening up about his feelings to anyone. Sana was cool though, and he did think she was a relatively easy person to talk to. He said, “I’ve been feeling pretty tired lately.”
“You mean like tired as in annoyed? Or tired as in exhausted?”
“I don’t know. Maybe both. I don’t even know how I can talk about this with you specifically.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you and Rey have gone through a lot with the whole Madame Naga fiasco. My struggles are nothing compared to yours. I’m not like doing horribly, but I also feel like so much has been happening, and I just want a break.”
“Prince, whatever you feel is just as valid as what me and Rey are feeling. I’ll admit, things have been pretty hard with all the new revelations, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel tired. In fact, I think the entire group has been affected one way or the other. We just have to stick by each other through all of it.”
Prince agreed with everything Sana was saying. He realized he should’ve known Sana would care. She was a very caring person after all.
“So, I guess that’s why you wanted the perfect beach day all to yourself,” Sana said.
“I just wanted to relax and not think about anything. You guys love hanging out and spending time together, but sometimes I just enjoy being alone.”
“I understand.”
“Anyway, thanks for hearing me out.”
“Of course. That’s what friends do.”
Prince looked up, seeing Krystal, Rey, and Neil walking over to him. Neil said, “Hey, man. I’m sorry about earlier.”
“We should’ve been more direct with our apology,” Rey said.
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Prince said.
Rey nudged Krystal. She said, “And I’m sorry for mocking you for wanting to be alone.”
“Look at that. Krystal can shake away her ego,” Sana said.
“Oh, shut up, Sana!” Krystal exclaimed.
Prince was pleased with his friends’ apologies. He did think that he should apologize as well.
“I’m sorry, too,” Prince said. “I shouldn’t have been so crabby with you guys.”
“Hey, it’s all good, dude,” Rey said. “We’re all cool here!”
“Anyway, we were gonna go to Devil’s Diner for dinner. Zayn, Akira, and Heer said they can join us there,” Neil said. “You guys want to go?”
“I’m cool with that,” Sana said. “Prince, since you wanted to have some alone time here, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Prince was surprised at Sana’s gesture.
“Really?” Prince asked.
“Yeah, man. If you want some alone time here, it’s totally cool with us,” Rey said.
“Well, thank you then,” Prince said.
“All right. See you later then,” Krystal said as she headed off with Rey and Neil.
Sana went up to Prince, taking out a book from her bag and handing it to him. Prince looked at it, seeing it was a Rana Sandesh novel titled Silence Sounds Swell.
“I like Rana Sandesh books myself. It may not be the same one as what you were reading, but I figured you could read it until you get a new copy of the other one,” Sana said.
“Thank you, Sana. This is nice of you.”
“No problem. See you tomorrow then.”
“Actually, maybe I’ll join you guys later. After some time that is.”
“Okay. See you.”
After Sana left, Prince was by himself. It was a good kind of solitude. He finally had some peace all to himself.
The Ringmasters Society 