The Legend of the Firewalker, Book #1

Chapter 22.2

Author Note:

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Chapter 22.2

Lafonda gawked at Malick, then at Nathan. "Okay," she said sarcastically. "Don't all speak at once."

"It's complicated," Nathan said finally.

She rolled her eyes.

"But," he said, before she could respond, "to make a long story short, I didn't want to tell anybody about my powers or my dreams until I had a better handle on what was happening to me. Plus, I didn't want to endanger anyone."

She thought for a second. "So how did you know it was Leah when you had never met her?" she asked. Lafonda's eyes lit up. "Wait!" she blurted out. "The yearbook!"

Nathan smiled and Lafonda smacked him on the arm.

"Ow!" he yelled, while trying to rub his arm with his bandaged hand.

"That's why you were acting so strange!" she exclaimed. "You could have told me, Nathan. You didn't have to go through all of this by yourself."

Nathan inspected the small red bruise forming on his arm. "I wasn't totally alone," he said, while grinning at Malick. "I had a little help along the way."

Malick smiled back, and Lafonda glowered while pursing her lips.

"I also suspected that it was Leah in my dreams after hearing you and Amanda — I mean, Lauren — talk about what had happened to Leah the night of your birthday party."

Lafonda nodded. "Speaking of Amanda, aka Lauren, and her band of creepy friends," she said, "who are they?"

Nathan turned to look at Malick and Lafonda responded by rolling her eyes.

Malick took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before speaking. "They're the Fallen Ones," he said finally. "Well, at least one of them. I don't know who Lauren is. I had never heard of her."

"Wait a minute," Lafonda responded eagerly. "Like the Legend of the Fallen Ones? Like what Jonathan was talking about?"

Malick nodded. "Yup," he said. "The very ones."

"You've got to be kidding me!" she said, turning to seek confirmation from Nathan.

Nathan shook his head. "No," he said. "He's not joking."

"Then, what do they want?" she asked.

Nathan looked at Malick.

"I'm not sure," Malick said with a shrug. "But I did hear them say they were looking for someone, and they thought that person could be Jonas or Leah, but why the others, I do not know. Does this mean they have powers too?"

"I've asked them," Lafonda said. "And none of them knows."

Malick stood up. "Regardless of whether they have powers or not," he spouted, "everyone should stay low and refrain from using their powers. And that includes you, Lafonda."

"Me?" she said, sounding puzzled.

Malick nodded and leaned against the desk. "Yes, you too," he sighed. "I've seen people use Pneuma as a shield to reflect energy balls, for example, but as an entire body shield? That is unheard of."

"So what does that mean?" she asked, looking concerned. "I didn't even know I could do that."

Malick stood up straight. "Well, somebody did," he said. "The ability to perform Pneuma Novo is hereditary, and I find it hard to believe that it's just a coincidence that so many people in one location would possess the ability to use Pneuma and not know about it." He paused to take a deep breath again and sighed. "I know my grandmother was a member of the Order, and since our grandmothers are good friends, I would start there."

Lafonda spun around and the frown lines in her forehead deepened. "Are you implying that someone in my family, specifically my grandmother, is hiding something from me?" she asked defensively. 

"I don't know," said Malick with a shrug. "But somebody in your family or Nathan's has to know something."

Lafonda stood up and headed towards the door.

Nathan had a befuddled look on his face. "Lafonda," he said, "are you okay?"

She stopped to cut a look at Malick before opening the dorm room door. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I've just reached my limit on this conversation." She glanced in the room again before shutting the door. "I guess I'll see you tonight then," she said.

"Tonight?"

"Yes," she said, "at the closing ceremony."

Nathan nodded. He still looked surprised by her sudden exit.

"Yeah," he said, raising his bandaged hand. "But I can't promise how good I'll look."

She forced a smile and then shut the door.

"What just happened?" asked Nathan. "She does that all the time. She says she's okay, but is she really?"

Malick laughed. "She seems like her normal self to me," he said. He grinned, but suddenly got quiet. "But she was pretty shaken up last night when Jonathan and I brought you to the monastery," he said. "I'm sure it was just because she'd never seen you like that." 

Nathan sighed while lowering his head and twisting his lip. 

"Anyhow," said Malick, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm glad you're doing okay, but I'd better get going. Steve's resting in my room. He's a little dehydrated and still slightly confused, but he'll be all right. We still haven't decided what to tell his parents yet."

"We need to talk," said Nathan. Malick's forehead frowned and he had a puzzled look on his face.

Nathan inched closer and whispered. "About your ability?" he said. "You know, about this rare gift of fire that we both seem to have?"

Malick grew silent.

"And your grandmother," he continued, while recalling what Jonathan said about his father. "Is she the only member of the Order?"

Malick's face went blank for a moment, but then he sighed heavily. "I said she was a part of the Order," he responded, finally breaking the silence. He paused to take a deep breath again. "Let's talk about this later, okay?"

Malick headed towards the door while a puzzled Nathan watched him.

"By the way, I think there's a certain lady that's looking forward to seeing you tonight," Malick said.

Nathan appeared flustered by the sudden shift in the conversation and just nodded. 

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