(Book 1) Hayden Mackay & The Forgotten Kingdom

6. The Other Gemstones

"Don't tell me that's your car!" I said completely baffled. I couldn't believe people were still using such types of vehicle.

I with Tyrell Kissler was standing at the parking lot, watching intently at an old, rust bucket, two door hardtop 1957 model Chevrolet Bel Air.

"Alright I won't," he said shrugging, "But unfortunately it is."

I looked at him astoundingly and tried to make sure if he was really serious about what he had just mentioned. "Dude, it's pink."

"I know," he said smiling awkwardly at me, "It takes a real man to drive a pink car. Now grab the shotgun, will you?"

I sighed feeling let down. Taking the decision of joining the academy Tyrell was advising me and bragging a lot about was the toughest thing to do. But now watching myself getting into a pink car was making it even tougher. My first impression about this decision wasn't that great. On the contrary, I made up my mind that the sitting in a pink car for now was the lesser problem than the peculiar thing lingering in my pocket.

Tyrell tuned the ignition on and the car jerked to life like a swarm of angry hornets. I quickly buckled my passenger seat belt and held onto the seat to calm my anxiety. I wasn't sure about the car and I wasn't sure about Tyrell driving it.

For a fifteen minutes or so, when I was getting adjusted to the sound of the car and building confidence on Tyrell's method handling it, I asked, "Where is this academy exactly?"

I just wanted to make sure to know each and everything about the place I was about to join. What is Tyrell was deceiving me? What if he is turned out to be a fraud?

"In Tampa bay," he said without vacillating, "It's away from the downtown, right across the Golden Pier Lake. Don't worry we will be there in half an hour."

I nodded, thinking how come I never came around to hearing such a lake. Then I remembered something else, quickly helping me frame my next question.

"So there are twelve of us?" I asked.

"Yup!"

"Everyone eighteen?"

"Yup! Almost everyone"

"Who is running it?"

"Hayden, has anyone told you that you ask too many questions?"

"Yeah, my mother did! How do you know?"

"There you go again."

I stayed quiet for a while but a lot of questions were bugging me tremendously. I looked outside the window only to lessen my curiosity. We were now passing one of my favorite beaches in Clearwater that I used to visit frequently my parents. Waves crashing the shore, seagulls screeching among themselves- nothing has changed a bit than the last time I visited with my dad and few of my friends to play beach volleyball. I scratched my head unable to bare the best of memories that were running inside my mind. And so asking questions was the only way for some distraction.

"So, is everyone from Florida?"

Tyrell smiled at him which probably he meant- "you can't stay quiet, can you?"

"No," he said, "Only you are from Florida. I met others from different states...yeah...I guess so...I am basically from Texas. Celina is from Nebraska, Leena from Kansas and Pruthvi I guess I found him in Maine...and...

"Okay I get it...you traveled entire country," I said and watching Tyrell's expression, he seemed thankful for cutting him in between, "Pruthvi? Did you say Pruthvi? Seems like an Indian name."

"Yup! He is my best buddy. Even Leena has got Indian roots. We are mixed. Six of us with Indian ancestry...settled in USA."

"How did you find all of them? I mean how did you know where they were located?"