The Reaper's Token

We Sound the Silent Alarm

I squeezed her and felt this force pulling us apart, then together again. A blast of light like 20 suns exploded and surrounded us. I probably would have screamed if I hadn't been holding onto Violet. Luckily, racing at the speed of light doesn't take long. The momentum slowed before it finally - (pop!) - the forces snapped, and our knees hit the white tile, floors of L&D, and the light around us died.

"Ahh!..." I groaned as I fell on my back.

I lifted my head as the world dipped.

"Hey," I smirked. "Long time no see."

Violet sighed, but she smiled a little rosy smile, too, looking over her shoulder.

Most of the lights were off, but the floors and walls were so white and reflective that they practically glowed. Muffled and distorted sounds of people arguing came from the distance as Violet offered me a hand, and we stood up.

We cautiously walked down semi-dark halls and allowed the flickering, emergency lighting to lead us to L&D's food court. It was disappointing how quickly L&D had been abandoned.

The regular food service staff must have cleared out because the only people visible were a small cluster of dead teenagers with name tags. They were yelling at each other around a circular table. My shoes squeaked along with the tile floors as I walked up to them with Violet. The conversation turned to whispered murmurs and disintegrated into silence.

"Who is represented?" Violet asked.

"Central America, South America, and North America." A guy in a trucker's cap said as he spat his chewing tobacco into a cup.

"The meeting of the Americas," Violet whispered. "Have any of the other regions reached out?"

"We don't know how far it was broadcast." A tall girl with long, black hair and a soft, Spanish accent said.

"Have we sounded the Alarm yet? To call other regions in?" Violet asked.

"What happens in America stays in America." Said a guy wearing a shiny 'Viva Las Vegas' t-shirt and dark sunglasses.

"We are still debating that!" The tall, beautiful girl said, "most of the Teleportation stations have closed, and we are having trouble reopening them." She glared at the apprentice wearing the sequin shirt.

"Okay. Well, I'll briefly state that this isn't about us. Everyone's mentor from every single country in the world is locked in a room just a few hundred floors above us." Violet said firmly, "There is an army storming through San Francisco toward L&D. They will be here tonight. We shouldn't fight this alone because we certainly can't win this alone."

"How do you know that an army is already in San Francisco?" A redhead asked. She had a mischievous but kind face. She stood with her arms crossed beside a muscular guy in a red sweater with a white leaf centered on his chest. He grinned and, missing teeth, checker-boarded his cocky, broad smile. I smirked. Canadian badasses! I liked them immediately.

"I've seen it in a dream," Violet said kind of sheepishly. "I know it sounds crazy, but I have."

I looked down at her as she shrunk into herself. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders as if trying to fend off a chill. When was this dream, I wondered, and why didn't she tell me? My attention snapped back toward the table.

"Sound the alarm," the girl with the Spanish accent said to her partner. The tan, buff-looking dude in a white cotton shirt and khakis sprinted out of the food court.

A representative with dark hair and olive green eyes said, "since the enemy is coming through your territory, I assume you will take charge of organizing the attack."