After being trapped, kidnapped and horribly confused, this was the last thing I wanted to hear. You’re not who you think you are. Is she crazy? Yes, she is. I… I’m Blake. How could I not be?
“You don’t even know who I am.” I let the anger burn at her.
She gives me a look of pity, like she was talking to someone who had been asleep for years, and didn’t know anything about modern times.
“I know about you though. Those people wouldn’t have come after you if you were normal. You’re one of us now, and you need to own up to it.”
“One of us?”
“A Super Natural. We’re like regular people, except not like them at all.”
“That clears it up,” I remarked sarcastically.
She ignored me and continued. “We’re born with powers. These powers strengthen parts of our bodies, making us extremely powerful.”
I forced a laugh. “Like I am supposed to believe that this crazy teenager and ten-year-old wizard are-“
“Oh, Lena is NOT ten. Not technically. She’s 148.”
“WHAT!?”
“Lena is not that old!” The little girl driving said, speaking for the first time. She had a weird accent and talked without giving her name a pronoun. “Lena is 132.”
Rim threw up her hands. “Close enough!” I made a face.
“What!? How does THAT make any sense?” Rim looked back at me.
“She enchanted herself a long time ago. She’s like a phoenix. She recycles until she wants to die. The only downside is that she doesn’t remember anything from her past life.”
“That’s crazy,” I summed up, crossing my arms in front of me.
Rim stiffened. “You think I’d make something like this up? It’s weird. Look, you can swallow it now, or you can swallow it when you figure it all out.”
I was starting to like this girl less and less. I leaned my head on the windowsill and closed my eyes, not realizing how tired I was. I wasn’t really sleeping, just resting. The gentle hum of the car was lulling, but I didn’t want to fall asleep. I did.
Fate just loves me that way. I dreamed about my mother and the time she brought me home cupcakes when I was upset. I haven’t seen her in a week. Uncle Fred came right before she left for her business trip. He said she called to tell us she was staying a little longer. Seeing her here, with a smile and that laugh like music and that cupcake… it made me feel bubbly. I wished she was here. Suddenly a voice bubbles from her mouth.
“Why did Armor say this was so important? I’m worried, Lena.” My eyes opened a crease.
It was Rim talking, her fingers drumming on the seat. Lena made a noise of agreement. “The time is coming. Lena has trust in your father and him. Whatever we’ll do with the boy will mean something. That’s what he said, right?”
“I don’t know. Something about him… He’s dangerous.” She looked scared. Were they talking about me?
“He’s here for a reason. You know that, so does Lena. The important thing is that we get him back in one piece.”
I sat up awkwardly, trying not to attract the attention of the girls. That was a mistake, as Lena spotted me in the rear-view mirror before I could move a muscle.
“He wakes.” She said quietly. Rim looked behind her and scowled. Her moment of innocence was over. I looked up at the dashboard. We were headed straight for a mountain.
“LOOK OUT!” Rim snorted.
“Oh, will you please relax!?”
Then we hit. It wasn’t like I expected. I braced myself for impact, but I didn’t feel anything. I opened my eyes. By the looks of it, we were barreling straight through the rock. A cave bat gave us a weird look as we hurtled past. I stared back at the strange pair who had kidnapped me in utter surprise.
Rim had stuck earbuds in her ears. Lena was humming jingle bells. If this was a dream, I must be crazy, I thought. The rock kept going and going until we approached a thick, black layer.
Was it shimmering? Enchantment? I didn’t have time to reason with it. We passed right through and emerged into a cavern the size of four football fields. The inside was filled with beautiful, colorful crystals of all shapes and sizes. Rubies, sapphires, you name it, they were all there.
Some were red and some were blue and some were so clear you wouldn’t think they were there after a quick glance. Hundreds of vehicles lined the inside of the cavern. Some were normal, like our car, and others were just bizarre. I spotted a big hot pink motorcycle, thousands of hovercrafts, and even a tank.
Lena parked the car next to a van implemented with enormous booster rockets mounted on the sides. She tapped Rim on the shoulder, which still had headphones in her ears. She looked up and yanked them out with a free hand.
“We’re here.”
“Where’s here?” I asked, still marveling at the van, wondering if mom would let me get one after I learned to drive.
Rim tugged at my shirt. “Come on.”
Lena opened the door for me. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car. The cavern was warmer than I had expected. My ears popped, probably from the pressure of being in the mountain.
Rim stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago she was a fragile thing. She looked like someone who really woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Still, she was pretty, with long lush curls and striking blue eyes like mine.
She stopped when she saw me staring. “What are you looking at? Come on.”
“Take me home,” I demanded softly.
“You could have at least asked me before you threw me in your car.” She stopped in her tracks and looked back at him.
“Don’t you see? You’re not safe unless you’re here.”
“I don’t care. I was fine before you guys showed up.” Her hands curled into fists.
“We were just trying to protect you!”
“Why do you care? You… you’re here on a mission. From someone…. someone named Armor?”
Her face paled and her eyes grew wider like they did before she realized he was awake. The face of vulnerability and fear, then anger.
“How much did you hear? Never mind. Come with me, and I will tell you the truth.” She looked me square in the eyes. I crossed my arms.
“Please Blake. You have to trust me.”
I didn’t want to trust her. I didn’t have any reason to do so. But that feeling came again. That I should know her. I had to listen to her. I couldn’t go without a chance to find out how I have that connection, or how anything that day happened. I needed answers.
I found myself following her to a large elevator in the center of the cavern. The three of us stepped on the platform. Rim scanned a card in a panel on the far side of the platform.
“Watch out,” she warned, putting her pass into her pocket. “It goes fast.”
I was about to tell her about a couple of rollercoasters that could have exceeded that description but just then we whizzed down at the speed of a highway. After my heart successfully leaped into my throat, I realized a magnet held our feet to the ground so we wouldn’t fly off. I’m glad someone thought of that.
Rim looked cool and collected even though her hair was billowing up in the shape of a flame. She was holding Lena in her arms, who wasn’t trying very hard not to scream.
“YAHOO!” Rim cried as we zipped down. I was too stunned to speak. I was too stunned to breathe.
“Where are we headed?” I yelled over the wind. I could hardly hear her, but Rim called out.
“You’ll see!”
“How descriptive,” I muttered, trying to level my breathing.
Then, out of nowhere, our ride came to a sudden halt as we stopped in front of two enormous gold doors. Butterflies flew from my stomach.
“Identify.” A computer voice said somewhere above our heads.
Rim put her hand on a scanning panel that had appeared out of the wall.
“Scanning….scanning…..greetings Elastic-Rim. Scan accepted.” With that confirmation, the gold doors slid open and revealed my new home.
“Welcome to Super Natropolis.”
ns 15.158.61.54da2
