The Good Ones

Chapter 26: Bones

Mavis lost her stomach as her body went into free fall, spinning so fast that the sky above and the ground below became one in the same. On one of her spins, she saw Kevin falling a few feet in front of her. She didn't have the time to think, only to act. She called the wind and used it to propel her body to her mentor. She wrapped her arms around his torso and they rode the wind right into the Bushman's river.

The muddy water of the river raged around them, powered by the constant heavy rainfall. Mavis kept her hold on Kevin as they both kicked against the current and surfaced. Water rushed down her throat. She almost panicked until she remembered she was an Invicta and could do anything an Aqui could do, including breathe under water and manipulate it. She took a deep breath, inhaling the water and letting it fill her lungs. She summoned the river around them, and it lift them up like a hand and tossed them onto its bank. They rolled through the mud and came to a stop on their backs. Mavis turned over and coughed up a gallon of water. Her lungs burned as they were once again filled with air. She coughed several more times, unable to find relief.

"That fucking moron!" Kevin wheezed and beat the mud with his fist. "That stupid, fucking, son-of-a-whore!"

Mavis sat up and stared at the ground. She tried to understand what had just happened, but it didn't compute. The memory seemed impossible, like imagining a cold fire or dry water. Alex did not just throw them off that cliff.

Kevin got to his feet and shook off the water and mud. "I sure do hope that mother fucker lives! Because, the next time I see him, I'm gonna drag his crazy ass to that fucking cliff and throw him off myself!"

He continued to rage and swear and kick at the clumps of mud around him. He cursed Alex, Alex's parents, his brothers, his house, his truck, his cat, and, for good measure, cursed Alex himself again. It had finally happened. Kevin King had finally lost his "aw-shucks" facade. All it took was for his best friend to limit his nicotine intake and throw him off a cliff.

"He didn't mean to do it, Kevin," said Mavis. She could hear the hysteria in her own voice. "There was no way he did that on purpose."

"Oh, no, Mavis." Kevin coughed a few times and wagged his finger at her. "He knew exactly what the he was doing. Mother fucking son-of-a-whore."

Mavis finally realized what Kevin was implying. She became so angry, her vision blurred, and the sky and ground became one in the same. The next time she got a her hands on Alex Dodd, she wouldn't hold back. She'd slap him so hard, he'd forget what century he was in. "Are you telling me he thought I had a better chance at surviving a fall from a cliff than a fight against three elves?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," said Kevin. "Love makes people do some stupid, fucking shit."

Mavis jumped to her feet and grabbed Kevin by the arm.

"Hey! What are you-" Kevin started, then he screamed like a girl as the wind propelled them off the ground. They shot up and into the air like a rocket, flying parallel to the face of the cliff so fast that everything was a blur. Mavis had never done this before. She didn't even know how she'd known she could do it. She felt like a superhero for once in her life, one hand hanging onto Kevin, the other pointed up to the sky, off to kick some serious ass. The Dark Army elves and Alex Dodd alike. When their feet hit soil again, Mavis released Kevin and let him tumble back onto the ground. She threw her hands out in front of her, ready for a fight.

Unfortunately, there was nobody there. The only signs left of their encounter was the scuffle marks in the mud and the blood that spattered the grass. Mavis's heart slammed against her chest. "Alex!"