Tag: new stories

Volume 1

4. The Home of Droh

imeryli

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.”

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Volume 1

2. Loose in the Library

imeryli

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.

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Books, fantasy, Volume 1

1. Welcome to RTA

imeryli

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.”

    Rey and Neil gulped.

Copyright © 2021 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.

Uncategorized

Stuck in an Old Story Part 2

imeryli

“We’re so screwed!” Neil cried as he shrieked at the sight of the dark beast coming their way.

“Shouldn’t we at least try to fight it?!” Rey asked.

“Dude, the size of that thing could crush us alone. We’re no match.”

“Krystal is right. We’re chickens.”

“Wherever Krystal is now is probably better than this!”

“Come on! Why don’t you fire an arrow or something?!”

“Wait! What’s that?!”

Rey looked up to see someone coming down from the sky. The dark beast was seemingly distracted by the sight. The closer Rey looked, the more he realized he knew exactly who he was looking at. Dropping from the sky was Sana. She drew out her trishula, unleashing a gorgeous fire from it towards the eyes of the dark beast. The dark beast began to tumble as its eyes stung from the fire. The ground shook as the beast got down to the ground. Sana landed before Rey and Neil. Rey was shocked to see her, but he was even more shocked that she changed clothes as well. She was wearing a short-sleeved red blouse with an orange saree cloth draped around her with matching red pants.

“Sana, what are you doing here?!” Rey exclaimed. “And you changed clothes?!”

“That’s the least confusing thing at this point,” Neil said.

“I was looking for you, and we stumbled upon that fairy tale book. Then, we ended up here,” Sana said.

“We? Who’s we?” Rey asked.

“Me and Zayn. I don’t know where he ended up though,” Sana said.

“Damn,” Neil said. “All of us are scattered at this point.”

“You mean Krystal isn’t with you?” Sana asked.

“No. She disappeared after stepping on some arrow thing,” Neil said.

“Okay, I know we have a lot to talk about, but we should maybe hide somewhere before the beast wakes up,” Rey said.

“Let’s go back to the cave!” Neil exclaimed.

Sana nodded and followed Rey and Neil.

***

On the other hand, Krystal got up from the bed and looked around her surroundings, getting increasingly confused. She didn’t understand how she got in the new place to begin with. Her incredibly long hair was tiresome and dragging.

“How did I even get here?” Krystal asked. She went to the nearby door and tried to open it, but it was locked tight. “Great. How the hell am I gonna get out of here?!”

Krystal looked at the window again. She walked towards it and shouted, “Hello! Anyone out there? Hello!”

Krystal could faintly hear a voice nearby. The person was saying hello, and they sounded familiar. She looked outside the window and was stunned. Way down on the ground was Zayn. He was wearing a gray kurta with purple pants and silver sandals. She said, “What are you doing here?! And why do you look so nice in that outfit?”

“What?”

“Never mind! Pretend you didn’t hear that last part.”

“Okay…what happened here?”

“Well, me, Rey, and Neil got zapped into this fairy tale book. We were in the same story, and somehow, I ended up here and now I have this ridiculously long mane.”

“I’ll need to come up there. We can communicate better when we’re in close contact.”

“You can’t. I think everything is locked. The door won’t open.”

“There’s another way. Let down your hair.”

“What?!”

“You just have to do it.”

“Why the hell would I do that?!”

“Ask less questions and throw down your hair.”

Krystal looked at her long braid and sighed. She grabbed hold of all her hair and threw it down out the window. Her braid went all the way next to where Zayn was. Zayn grabbed hold of her hair and began to climb up the tower with it.

“Oww!” Krystal exclaimed. “Watch how you grab my hair! I don’t understand how anyone would think this is practical. If the girl in this story had to go through this, imagine what else she went through!”

Before Krystal could complain some more, Zayn had arrived by the window. She didn’t know why, but she found herself to be flustered as he was nearby. She watched as Zayn quickly drew out his wand, transforming it into his clarinet. He said, “You might want to stand back.”

Krystal nodded as she took a few steps to back away. Zayn began to play his clarinet in the B-flat major scale. Twisting sand began to flow out from the clarinet onto the bars, building up further and further until it encased them like a cocoon. Zayn waited a moment before he kicked the bars down and entered the room.

“I’ve never seen you use your sand like that,” Krystal said.

“Well, it can work like that. Are you okay?”

“Not really! I don’t even know how I got here! How did you get here?”

“Sana opened the fairy tale book, and we got zapped into it.”

“Wait, is Sana not with you?”

“No. She may have ended up in the story with Rey and Neil.”

“Speaking of stories, why’d you tell me to throw down my hair?”

“So, you don’t know the story of Rajamani?”

“Rajamani?”

“It’s the story of a maiden with incredibly long hair that gets abducted by an evil witch away from her kingdom. In the story, she lets down her hair for the prince to climb up and rescue her.”

“Seriously? When did you read this story?”

“I read a lot of books when I was in…well, in my childhood.”

Krystal could sense Zayn was withholding information, but she found it was best to not question it.

“Anyway, I meant to say, I read a bunch of different stories at that time. My mom is half Iranian, so she had all these books of folktales from Asia. This story was one of the ones I read,” Zayn said.

“I see. I honestly didn’t expect you to read folktales.”

“Well, it was the best thing I could indulge in at the time. Anyway, we should focus less on small talk and get out of here. “

“You’re right. You want to try breaking the door? I would, but I’m not sure my sonic bell can do that.”

“Well, there’s another route.”

Krystal was puzzled, but she noticed Zayn looking at the window. She shrieked and said, “You want us to jump out the window?! Are you nuts?!”

“I know it’s scary, but I have a feeling you have to.”

“Wouldn’t breaking the door be easier?! I thought you at least had that much knowledge.”

“Look, we don’t have time to break the door and run around the tower to find an exit. There’s another reason I have, but it’s best to explain after we jump.”

“You mean after I die?”

“You’re not going to die. I’ll hold onto you as we jump.”

Ugh. I don’t know about this. My heart rate is going up, Krystal thought. I guess I have to trust him.

“Fine, let’s just do this already,” Krystal said as she walked towards the window. She looked down, startled by the height of the supposed jump. She gulped, unsure if she could handle it when suddenly, Zayn grabbed hold of her around her waist.

“Is this okay?” he asked. Krystal nodded, feeling flustered but secure. She wrapped her right arm around Zayn, so she could hold onto him.

“Ready?”

Krystal nodded. Zayn proceeded to jump along with Krystal. She held her screams inside as they dropped down to the ground. Zayn quickly drew out his clarinet to emit a sound energy beam that allowed them to gently bounce onto the ground. Krystal took a deep breath while Zayn looked at her and said, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. Now explain why you needed to do this instead.”

“If I’m correct, our best way of getting of the story is by completing it. You see, in the original story, Rajamani is rescued by Prince Mahendra and they escape by jumping out of the window.”

“Oh! So, how did I end up here? I mean, I left from the other story and landed in this one.”

“Do you remember anything before you got here?”

“I remember I stepped on something. It looked like an arrow.”

“An arrow? That means you must’ve gone to the next story. The arrow was probably a way of doing that.”

“That is a possibility. So, if you think we have to complete the story to get out, what happens next?”

Before Zayn could answer, he sensed a presence coming. He looked up, seeing a woman with a dark, long-haired mane, wearing a wine-red saree, and silver cuff bracelets floating above in the sky. Seeing her made him realize something.

“Krystal,” Zayn said.

“Yeah.”

“This is the part where we run.”

“What?!”

The woman immediately shot dark energy blasts from her eyes towards Krystal. Zayn got Krystal out of the way, and he grabbed hold of her hand. The two of them ran as the woman continued to launch her attacks.

“You can’t run away, Rajamani!” the woman shouted as she launched a dark energy blast from her hands.

“I’m not Rajamani!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Don’t tell her that!” Zayn said.

Krystal got struck in her back by the beam, alarming Zayn. He quickly countered with a sound energy beam from his clarinet, striking the woman in the face. It bought them some time, so Zayn quickly got hold of Krystal and took her under the refuge of a tall plant that was leaning downwards, creating a shade effect. It was amongst several other plants and provided good cover. He signaled Krystal to keep quiet as he kept an eye out for the woman. Krystal controlled her breathing as she rested against the plant, still feeling the pain from the attack.

***

For Sana, Rey, and Neil, the three were taking cover inside the cave. Rey looked at Sana, who seemed to be strategizing something. He asked her, “Okay, you have a plan?”

“What makes you think I have a plan?”

“Because you’re thinking too hard.”

“At least one of us is thinking here.”

“Hey! It was my idea that we hide in the cave!”

“Rey, how long can we sit in this cave like ducks?” Neil asked. “We have to do something to get out here.”

“What can we do?” Rey asked. “This story makes no sense! I thought after Krystal left and Sana came, she’d be the same character. But look at her getup!”

“Rey, didn’t I tell you this story before?” Sana asked.

“Yeah, and I don’t remember,” Rey said. “All I remembered was the title and the ten-headed monster.”

Rey’s words made Sana realize something. She was trying to figure out the logistics of the story, and how it tied to a solution to getting out. Something finally clicked for her.

“I think I’m starting to understand something,” Sana said.

“Okay, share,” Neil said.

“You two mentioned a barrier when you tried to run away from the dark beast, right?” Sana asked. “The barrier is probably preventing you from leaving because the story hasn’t been completed.”

“You mean like we should be following the story?” Rey asked.

“Something like that. This whole time you’ve been trying to find an exit or something to get out of the story, but stories don’t just end like that,” Sana said. “I think to get out, we have to complete the story.”

“You mean complete it exactly how it was originally written?” Neil asked.

“Not exactly. See, these stories aren’t exactly like the ones I read. The one we’re in has a dark beast, so I can only assume someone or something casted a spell on this book to change that aspect of the story,” Sana said. “If we’re going to get out, we have to complete the story in a way that’s authentic to the way it is set up right now.”

“And how do we do that?” Neil asked.

“I know! You must remember the details of the story, right?” Rey asked.

“Based off the clothes, you two are the village boys that befriend the princess,” Sana said. “In the story, the two boys go into hiding after the princess’ supposed demise.”

“Demise?” Neil asked. “You mean Krystal could’ve gotten hurt or something?”

Sana pondered for a moment, remembering that Rey told her about Krystal stepping on an arrow before disappearing. It made her think that she must’ve exited the story, rather than disappeared.

“No, I think Krystal went to the next story. That’s what the arrow probably meant,” Sana said. “But I think the story must’ve replaced her with me once I entered.”

“How? You’re wearing a completely different outfit than what she wore,” Neil said.

“In the story, when the princess disappears, the two boys try to fend off the monster, but struggle to do so. They plead for the princess to come back, and she reappears, fully transformed,” Sana said. “She rises as the avatar of fire, Agni.”

The details of the story started to come back to Rey as Sana explained them. After thinking for a bit, he said, “So, if you hadn’t come to the story, we’d be stuck here forever?”

“Consider yourselves lucky,” Sana said, shaking her head. “Anyway, Agni takes out the monster and everyone is saved.”

“Hold on. I’m not gonna stand in the background while you get to have all the action,” Rey said.

“Yeah, me neither!” Neil exclaimed.

“You don’t have to. Remember, we’re taking on the story in our own way,” Sana said. “I have a plan that should work.”

***

On the other hand, Zayn and Krystal were still hiding under the giant plant. The plant’s shade protected them, and Krystal found comfort in how it almost felt alive, like the plant was trying to conceal them. Its soft yellow color was pleasing to her eyes. Krystal could feel the pain from the attack was going down a bit. She looked over at Zayn, who was rather quiet. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was actively looking out for the woman or if it was something else.

“Something on your mind?” Krystal asked.

Zayn turned to Krystal and said, “Huh?”

“I asked if something was on your mind.”

“Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been staring into nothingness for the past few minutes while I’m over here in pain. You haven’t even bothered to ask if I’m okay!”

“Are you complaining to me after I saved us both?”

“Complaining?! You think I’m complaining?! You think it’s cool that I sit here like a duck while you drown yourself in your loner thoughts?”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“The only thing ridiculous here is that you haven’t said much of anything since we started hiding here. There’s nothing ridiculous about me wanting you to show care for me!”

Krystal realized how strong her words came off upon seeing Zayn’s stunned expression. She found herself flustered, unsure as to why she said what she said. She turned around for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

“Okay, sorry about that last part. I think I came off too strong,” Krystal said. She could feel her cheeks were getting red.

Zayn found himself to be a little flustered as he tried to figure out what to say. He looked at her and said, “No, you’re fine. I should apologize. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else this whole time and you’re in pain. Are you okay?”

“I’m feeling a little better.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I explained things before she showed up and attacked us.”

“Who was she by the way?”

“She’s Rajamani’s stepmother, Tanveer. She’s the evil witch that kidnapped her when she was a child, wanting to auction her for her magical hair.”

“Okay then…that’s pretty dark. So, now what?”

“Well, we have to follow the rest of the story to get out of here.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m just thinking we might have to approach this differently. Like, think about it for a moment. No matter what the story is, all these fairy tales have something in common.”

“And that is?”

“They’re all about the battle of good verses evil. Sure, there’s unique morals in all of them, but the overarching theme is there.”

Krystal’s words made Zayn see things differently. Maybe she was onto something. He didn’t know for sure, but with the way things were, he figured there was no harm in going with Krystal’s approach.

“So, you think the important thing is to take down Tanveer?” Zayn asked.

“I think if we take her down together, we have a chance of getting out of here.”

“Okay, in that case, I may have an idea of what we should do.”

“You do? But we don’t know where she probably is now?”

“I was watching for her, and she may be in the forest right now, waiting for us. It’s what she did in the original story.”

“All right. Let’s hear this plan then.”

***

It didn’t take long for Zayn to explain his plan to Krystal. When they agreed on everything, they set out to put it into action. They made it into the forest and Krystal walked off on her own while Zayn hid amongst the trees and bushes. The forest was dense and oddly quiet. The tree branches hung like the hands of a witch reaching for its prey. Krystal gulped. She tried to remain calm, trusting the plan and Zayn. As she walked further into the forest, she said, “Hey, Tanveer! I’m here now.”

Krystal waited for a response. She tried to refrain from clenching her skirt to not look scared. It didn’t take long for her to sense a presence coming near.

It was Tanveer. She hovered before Krystal, seemingly ready to take her away with her sharp purple fingernails.

“At last, you finally come back,” Tanveer said. “It’s not like you have a choice.”

Krystal smirked and said, “Think again.”

This was Zayn’s cue. He rushed out from hiding, launching a sound wave from his clarinet at Tanveer. With Tanveer distracted, he stood by Krystal as she transformed her wand into her sonic bell. She launched a sound wave from her sonic bell to further boost Zayn’s attack on Tanveer. A visibly irritated Tanveer quickly rose back from the ground, her neck twitching as she tossed a dark energy beam towards Krystal like a football. Zayn quickly pulled Krystal out of the way as the energy beam hit one of the trees.

Zayn looked at Krystal and said, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good. Dodging is a lot harder with this much hair!”

“You’re gonna have to use it as an advantage somehow? Think of anything yet?”

“No! I’ve never exactly fought with ten feet of hair before.”

“I’ll keep her busy while you get an attack ready.”

Tanveer created a spiraling dark energy beam in her hands and tossed it while Zayn countered, calling out “B-flat major!” He played his clarinet in the key and a spiral of sand emerged, countering the energy beam.

Krystal tried to think of a way to use her hair to attack. It was crucial as Zayn told her that in the original story, Rajamani destroyed Tanveer with the powers of her magical hair. Krystal had to do that in combination with her sonic bell. She realized she had to trust herself that she could make it work, but it was hard to think on her feet so quickly.

Before she knew it, Zayn was being pinned down by Tanveer’s nails. She knew she had to step in. Krystal immediately grabbed hold of her braid, whipping it like a lasso as she threw it and it wrapped around Tanveer’s arm. Krystal rang her sonic bell against her braid, and the sound wave rippled through her hair as it combined with the golden glow that shimmered through the strands. The powers of the hair and Krystal’s sound wave struck Tanveer, releasing her from Krystal’s grip as she fell to the ground in defeat.

Krystal quickly rushed to Zayn, helping him get up. She asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Zayn said. “Nice work by the way.”

“Look at you! You’re actually complimenting me!”

Before Zayn could say anything, he could feel something shaking beneath the ground. A portal began to open, taking Zayn and Krystal with it. It wasn’t too long until the two had landed back in the library. Krystal looked at her hair and clothes, seeing they had returned to normal.

“Yes! Hello, normal long hair!” Krystal exclaimed. “I can’t believe we did it!”

“That’s a relief. Imagine if we ended up in another story.”

“What about the others? Do you think we can do something?”

“If we open the book again, we’ll get sucked back in the story. We have to trust they know how to get out like we did.”

“You think they know?”

“They have Sana on their side. There’s no way they won’t know. For now, we can wait here for them.”

***

Sana looked outside the cave, trying her best to remain hidden. She could see the dark beast was still outside. She looked at Rey and Neil and said, “All right. We got one shot at this. Ready, Neil?”

“I don’t know about this,” Neil whimpered. “You’re sending me in like a headless bird.”

“Come on, man! You got this!” Rey exclaimed.

“We’ll back you up sooner than you think,” Sana said.

Neil gulped as he looked outside. He took a deep breath and said, “Okay. I’m going in.”

Neil immediately charged outside, screaming like a lunatic. Sana put her hand to her face in embarrassment while Rey began to chuckle.

“All right, dark beast! Come and get me!” Neil exclaimed as he flailed his arms.

“That idiot,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.

“He’s really taking this role seriously,” Rey giggled.

Neil waved his arms to get the beast’s attention. It didn’t take long for the dark beast to let out a loud growl as it stomped its way towards Neil. It moved its paw to grab him. That’s when Sana and Rey jumped in. Sana immediately struck the beast’s paw with embers coming from her trishula. The beast stepped back as Rey transformed into his beast form while Neil transformed his wand into his bow and arrow.

“You overacted,” Sana told Neil.

“Hey, I’m not a professional!” Neil exclaimed.

“Well, you’re a professional goof!” Rey laughed.

“All right, focus, guys. Remember the plan,” Sana said. “Neil, attack the legs. Rey and I got the rest.”

“Got it!” Neil exclaimed as he prepared his bow to fire. He charged up his energy for the perfect ice arrow and struck it at the beast’s feet. Its feet were frozen solid, providing the perfect distraction.

Sana and Rey got to work. She directed Rey, and he jumped, pouncing onto the beast’s body. He lifted his paw, using his Ember Claw attack to pierce his fiery claws into the beast’s chest. These distractions allowed Sana to keep close eye on what the beast’s next move would be.

The dark beast seemingly had enough. It was boiling with rage. Suddenly its face began to transform, shocking Rey and even Neil as he too watched. The beast grew an additional nine heads, each one with the same scary face. It didn’t take long for all ten heads to emit dark energy beams towards Sana, Rey, and Neil. Rey fell off while Neil turned to Sana and said, “Now it decides to be the ten-headed monster in the story?!”

“Don’t worry, I’m prepared for this,” Sana said. “Neil, aim for the heads on the left.”

“What?!”

“Just do it! You need to fire at least four arrows.”

Neil realized he didn’t have time to think as the heads started launching a dark energy wave towards the group. Sana quickly charged up the wave with her trishula and said, “Rey, aim for the heads on the right! Leave the two in the middle!”

Rey nodded, turning to Neil. He nodded back and they proceeded. Neil began to fire one arrow after the next at the heads on the left. Each arrow struck each head, freezing it entirely. Rey quickly launched fireball attacks at each of the heads on the right. During this, Sana continued to charge through the dark energy wave, making her way towards the top where the middle heads were at. The two middle heads were seemingly putting more power into the dark energy wave to get Sana down, but she kept pushing. She powered her trishula through the wave, allowing its dark power to envelope it as the fiery power began to charge through it. Once she got closer to the two heads, she raised the trishula to prepare for the strike. Sana jumped, holding up the dark and fiery trishula as she plunged it through the heads, piercing it further through the body as she powered through to the ground. The dark beast split in two and slowly evaporated into dark purple ash.

Rey transformed back. He looked at Neil, whose mouth dropped wide open. He couldn’t blame him as he too was astonished at what he saw. At the same time, he knew he shouldn’t be surprised. This was Sana after all.

Sana slowly got up from the ground. Rey and Neil rushed to her side with Rey asking, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Sana said.

“That was so awesome!” Neil exclaimed. “Now was the girl in the story as badass as you were just now?!”

“You’d have to read it,” Sana smirked.

Before anything else could be said, a portal opened and took Sana, Rey, and Neil with it. The three screamed as they were transported back into the library, returning to their old clothes. As they got up, Krystal said, “You guys made it!”

“Yeah, we did. Was there ever any doubt?” Rey asked.

“She certainly did for a bit,” Zayn said.

“Hey!” Krystal exclaimed. “Anyway, you won’t believe what happened!”

“Damn it! It’s almost midnight!” Rey cried.

“Seriously?! We were gone that long?!” Neil exclaimed.

“And we still have to write the paper,” Krystal said as she sulked into her chair.

“Why don’t you guys just ask for an extension?” Zayn asked. “I’m sure getting sucked into a fairy tale book is a valid excuse.”

“Please! Professor D’Sena is such a miser. He could care less,” Neil said. “What are we gonna do?!”

“Well, if we work fast tonight, we can get this done,” Krystal said.

“How exactly?” Sana asked.

“With the way we had to strategize in our stories, this sets up the perfect foundation for our paper!” Krystal exclaimed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Rey said. “We can finish this with no problem.”

“All right! Let’s get cracking then!” Neil exclaimed as he turned on the lights.

“Please tell me you can get us out of here,” Sana said to Zayn. “I don’t want to have a sleepover at the library again.”

“Luckily I got my dad’s key,” Zayn said.

With that, Sana and Zayn headed out of the library while Rey, Krystal, and Neil stayed behind to work on their paper.

***

The following morning, Rey, Krystal, and Neil managed to finish the paper. Of course, it did take the entire night. So, when the afternoon rolled and they handed it in, they crashed after school for long naps.

The day after, the trio were in Combat Strategies I. Sana looked at the three of them as they were all snoring for a solid five minutes until she woke them up. Rey yawned and said, “Why do you have to wake us?”

“You want to get in trouble again?” Sana asked.

“It’d be worth it since we lost so much sleep after that whole paper,” Neil said.

Once the bell rang, students started gathering things. As Professor D’Sena cleaned the chalkboard, he said, “Rey, Krystal, and Neil, let me speak to you three for a moment.”

“Good luck,” Sana said as she exited the classroom with Prince, Heer, Zayn, and Akira.

Krystal gulped as she got up with Rey and Neil. The three walked up to Professor D’Sena. He turned around and said, “I finished reading your paper.”

“Oh God,” Krystal said.

“All right. Just tell us already,” Rey said.

“I was very impressed,” Professor D’Sena said.

“Wait, what?!” Neil exclaimed.

“Yes,” Professor D’Sena said. “The way you described the importance of combat strategies and applied them with the context of real examples was exhilarating. It was like you were actually in those battles.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Krystal said.

“Anyway, I’m happy to give you all an A on this paper. You three will pass this quarter,” Professor D’Sena said.

“Yes!” Neil exclaimed as he high-fived Rey and Krystal.

“And Neil,” Professor D’Sena said. “Try to skip class less next quarter.”

Rey and Krystal chuckled at Neil as they started leaving. Neil protested, “Me skipping class is nothing compared to what you guys do!”

Copyright © 2022 Meryl T

All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.