Imperium

Chapter 7

Surprises are always my most favourite of things, but this one makes my stomach tie itself into a knot. I get up, dodging the portal and moving my way to the floor.

I look at the portal floating over my bed, this purplish-black portal hangs in the air as if tied to a string from the ceiling of my room. If only this wasn't defying gravity and hadn't appeared out of thin air.

Where did my life take such a turn, I think. Yes, now I remember. I woke up from the ocean and things have never been the same ever since then. It's like I'm in some parallel universe with everyone either superpowered or an evil sadist.

My t-shirt slides into place, I pull the grey t-shirt down as I look at myself in the mirror. My eye continually runs to the portal, as if an army of the men in white will jump out of it. I grab my hoodie and wear it; I pull the hoodie's hat up.

I then jump up on my bed, I ready myself to enter the portal. I move back before preparing, I then move forward but stop in my tracks. Why would they call me so late at night, or early in the morning, whichever it is, I think to myself.

I tap my finger on my nose, dissecting and analysing every single possibility. I then close my eyes and start imagining the building's interior still fresh in my mind. My body breaks apart into tiny molecules.

I can feel my body pack itself up in the abandoned building. I phase as I appear inside the building. The moment I gain back my sight, I look around. There are no men in white, no nothing, just three teens standing in front of a portal.

Andrew taps his foot on the floor of the building, he does this so fast that his foot seems to have disappeared. One hand on his waist as if tired and about to complain about an interminable day at work.

"What was so important that you had to wake me up from such a peaceful slumber?" I groan with the deepest voice I could muster.

Anna's hand jump to cover her mouth as she turns around almost faster than Andrew himself. She then lets out slow and steady breaths whilst holding her hand over her chest to feel her heartbeat. Her heart beats faster as if to compensate for the missed beat.

Andrew disappears from my sight before appearing right beside me, "What took you so long?" Andrew complains, giving me a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"I was having the best dream of my life," I joke as I give out a fake and loud yawn.

"You know fantasizing about sleep won't help you fall asleep," Anna says, dropping reality back onto all of us.

I smile before looking around, "So what was so important?"

They share gazes, "Why didn't you use my portal?" Anna asks, diverting my attention from the question I had asked earlier. The hair on my neck rises as I sense the tension that fills the air. It is as smoke from a smoker's pipe, it clogs the room floating around everyone.

I purse my lip, I can't tell them why I didn't use their portal. Why I didn't just run in with a full-pledged smile. Instead, I came through my own means more than prepared for might have been the fight of a lifetime. Why? One word; trust.

"I was just practising," I blurt, not making eye contact, "you can't have enough practice now can you?" That sounded convincing right, I think to myself whilst looking at the three.

I look at all three of them, they now avert their gazes from me. Tension fills the air, Andrew runs his hand through his hair. He dashes to the couch, leaving a streak of red light where he has run.

"Now for the main reason we called you here," Andrew moves towards the couch in the middle of the room, "we recorded this for you."

I walk forward to the couch, "You were right," Anna admits as I walk to the couch. Several questions jump into mind as I hear this, I feel that I'm about to find out exactly what.