Gift of the Goddess

Chapter 8 - Let's be Heroes

I woke up to something burning against my chest. I threw my cover off and I stared at this blinding light coming from beneath my shirt.

"Ah!" I yelped and clutched my chest.

But the burning didn't stop. I threw my shirt off and tried to get a better look. The light was beginning to die down, and so was the heat. When the light was gone, it revealed a mark. It was a scar in the shape of a downward pointing sword on my chest.

"What the heck..." I mumbled.

I jumped a little as I heard a crash coming from my sister's room. I didn't even have time to react. She swung her door open and slid on the floor toward me, still in her pajamas with a wicked bed head.

"Hey, you o—" She stopped mid-sentence.

She looked at me funny. I was starting to think Zack pranked me again.

"Hey, your face; it looks fixed," she said in disbelief.

I grabbed my shirt off the floor and slowly headed to the front door. Crap! I don't have a good enough lie set up yet! I needed to escape.

"Well you know, puberty," I said as I slipped on my shoes..

"What? What does p—"

I immediately slipped out the door. I was lucky that I slept in my clothes. I slipped on my shirt and headed to Zack's. I focused on the card and it appeared out of glittery dust from the palm of my hand. It read 'vision' on the back.

"That's a whole lot of detail," I grumbled.

"Yo!"

I looked ahead and I saw Zack waving at me from down the road.

We met up, and both confirmed that what happened last night was real. We then agreed we should go somewhere private and talk about our cards and the imperiums. Zack was excited to show me his 'make Stryder salty powers.' There was this old abandoned factory near the outskirts of town. There was a rumor of it being cursed, so not many people ventured there. The perfect place for a secret conversation, or to get mugged.

As we arrived behind the building. Zack leaped in front of me with excitement.

"Ready to have that heroic little mind of yours blown!" Zack cheered.

"Whatever helps you shut up faster." .

Zack got in a stance and took a breath. Closing his eyes as he tried to focus. He held his hand out, and I could feel a wave of heat washing over me. Smoke slowly rose from his hand, and then a green flare erupted from his palm. I took a step back. And as the smoke faded and the flares died down. There were two balls of fire left rotating in his hand.

"Woah! Dude! Dude!"

He just summoned fireballs! Freaking fireballs! Just like in a video game!

"I know right? As if my devilish charms and smooth voice wasn't enough. I get even better."

"So it doesn't burn at all?"

"Not even a little. Now, more importantly, show me what you can do!"

"Well, I'm not really sure. My card only says vision on it." Zack started to break down laughing, almost dropping his fire.

"I guess I really am the cool one!" He stopped abruptly and slowly looked up at me with an 'I'm up to no good' smirk.

"Zack," I said as I slowly backed away from him.

"Stryder, if I'm wrong, you get a free hit," he said with a crazy look in his eyes.

"Zack, don't you d—"