Book 1: Awakening (The VIth Element Series)

Chapter 7: Alex

When I eventually opened my eyes, Jack and I were no longer in an ear-splitting vortex. Instead, we were standing in a gigantic, grassy field. From the smell of salty air, I guessed that we were somewhere near the coast.

"What...what the HELL just happened?" I asked Jack, staggering with dizziness and paling as I desperately tried to tame my stomach in the hope that it would not bring up the piece of buttered toast I had eaten for breakfast.

Jack laughed, looking dashingly handsome as usual and absolutely fine. He stretched with ease, much to my envy and watched me struggle to regain control of my balance and organs with an amused look on his face.

"Well...let's just say that you've had your first taste of how we move from one place to another, unless you're already blessed with the skill of teleportation. If it's any comfort," he added, "the experience gets better each time."

I groaned at his explanation, clutching my throbbing head.

"Surely the council can think up a better way of transportation than being dragged into a gigantic, black vortex and then feeling worse than ever before, once you have arrived at your destination?" I answered back after gulping lungful's of fresh air. "So far, in my opinion, they're doing a pretty shocking job!"

Jack chuckled at my annoyance.

"Well...that's been another question regularly proposed to the council but the answer is always the same – what's the point in changing our habits when that particular method of travelling gets you from A to B with hardly any damage?"

I threw Jack an "are you serious?" look.

"Hardly any damage!" I retorted, clutching my groaning stomach. "You call this hardly any damage?"

Jack laughed before I sighed, once more consumed with irritation.

"Well...if that's how the so called "council" views it, then they well and truly suck. Why can't they make the vortex rainbow coloured and noiseless instead of looking and sounding like a deafening, gaping void that's going to rip you into a million pieces?"

I was going to continue venting out my anger and sickness on Jack when, after looking down at my feet, I groaned in further annoyance. My trainers were completely covered in mud. Clearly, it had rained here, wherever here was and, what's more, it had rained a lot.

My day just kept on getting better and better.

"Why didn't you tell me to wear wellies instead of these?" I scowled at Jack, as he practically had to heave me out of the smelly, sinking mud-hole we had landed in. "My trainers are ruined."

Jack threw me an apologetic glance, as he saw the error of his ways, which had not only caused me grief, but had ruined his smart black shoes as well.

"Well...I would've told you if I'd known that this was where we would end up," he answered, grimacing as his own feet started to sink. "Clearly, they decided to change meeting locations since I last saw them and forgot to brief me."

I sighed at hearing this news, even more ill-tempered.

"Typical," I retorted, sulking. "So damn typical!" However, when I saw a girl who looked around my age suddenly fly over my head and into the distance, closely followed by her scout, I forgot my exasperation. "Wow," I abruptly gasped, watching her fantastic display. "This really is happening isn't it?"

When Jack saw what I was looking at he grinned.

"Sure is," he replied, smiling. Nevertheless, when he saw how far I had sunk, he turned his attention back onto me. "However, if we don't get a move on, nothing else will happen because we'll be spending the rest of our days trapped in a muddy bog."

I noticed what he was talking about and, groaning in disgust, heaved myself through the sludge.

"Why couldn't I have her talent?" I sighed as the mud now clung to my legs and ran into my shoes. I watched the flying girl land gracefully outside what I presumed was the gigantic, gothic-looking academy. The tassels on her beautiful, figure-hugging dress fluttered in the breeze, as her shoes made contact with the ground, although I was surprised she was wearing a dress in this weather. (Thankfully, the dress was so figure-hugging that it had preserved her modesty). I also decided that she was immune to the cold, unlike I was, which was rather surprising, considering the usual British weather and season. "It would not only save me time but money as well."

Jack frowned at my comment. Clearly, he was the kind of person who always tried to see the best in situations, no matter how bleak or exasperating they were.

"Don'tthink like that," he replied, helping me over a particularly horrible patch."Your talent is just as good as hers." Nevertheless, when Jack tripped and fellhead first into a puddle of brown sludge, spitting out grass and mud andcursing until he was blue in the face, he rapidly changed his tune. "On secondthoughts," he groaned, hastily wiping the grime off his face. "To be able tofly would be extremely handy right now."      

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AN:

I know it's bad to say but I ❤️ Alex's sass. She makes me crack up and I think her relationship with Jack is at its funniest in this chapter. Is she right to want flying powers like the girl in the sky though or is their more than meets the eye to this student? I wonder 👀