Gabriel and the Binders' Ring

Chapter 3

The boys in the locker room are rowdy as they change. They eagerly ask if Gabriel had beaten up Jackson. "No, I didn't. I was protecting my friend. No big deal," Gabriel shrugs. They leave the locker room and enter the massive basketball court. The boys who had been asking him questions exchange bewildered looks and whispers. Gabriel knows what they are thinking. How the heck did this short skinny kid beat up an older student? Gabriel smiles to himself.

The gym class was short but fun; passer tests are required at the beginning and end of the semester, and Gabriel was the only one who passes with ease. Gabriel wipes himself down with some of the faded green locker room towels when the class had gotten back in the locker room. He throws them on the top of the gray lockers and takes his time getting dressed. He has his secret rendezvous; He hopes none of the other guys will linger.

Making sure everyone else has left, Gabriel makes his way out onto the gym floor. He stands there a moment looking around. The gym is huge; with bleacher stands on both sides. Walking over to the bleachers, he sits down. I wonder where the gym coach went off to? Probably has his lesson planning time after he sees our class. Gabriel fidgets and shifts positions in an attempt to make himself look cool.

After a few minutes pass and Gabriel comes to the conclusion he's been stood up. Gabriel lets out a deep sigh and head shaking at his stupidity, starts a slow walk to the gym doors but before he can reach them, the design on his side begins to burn and throb.

A sweet soft voice from behind him breaks the silence. "You weren't thinking about leaving were you Gabriel Heart?" Jazmyne suddenly appears directly behind him. Gabriel is a shocked and taken aback.

"How did you get in__" Gabriel starts to ask, just as his eyes meet hers. The dazed feeling returns with a vengeance. Gabriel looks deeply into her eyes--they were so perfect. While Gabriel stands smiling like a drone, Jazmyne takes his hand and leads him to the center of the basketball court. Gabriel's side is on fire, but he ignores it. This girl is no danger to him; she is so perfect and beautiful... Gabriel had always dreamed of the moment when a beautiful girl would notice him; they would fall in love and share their high school experience with each other. Dropping Gabriel's hand Jazmyne takes a few steps back.

"Why are you here?" Jazmyne asked coldly. Still in a dream-like trance, Gabriel is confused by her question. "This would have been the perfect feasting ground for me. This high school is filled with selfish people. I could have fulfilled all their wishes and wasted them without any fighting or problems. But then here comes a Champion, with that awful smelling Phoenix Mark! I just wanted to eat." Jazmyne glares at Gabriel. A final flare from his side is so hot it brings him out of his trance.

"What are you talking about? Phoenix mark?" Gabriel's smile slowly fades into a petrified stare as the reality of his surroundings set in. Two things disturb him the most: first, he had never told Jazmyne his name. And then, even scarier, she had just called him a Champion like Lockland from his dream. A cold chill makes its way down his back. Just then Jazmyne's red hair suddenly burst into flames, and hot coals replace her lovely eyes. Her perfect body flickered with orange and yellow flames. Gabriel yelps and stands to back away from her, tripping over his own feet and falling on his back.

Suddenly Jazmyne roars, "LIAR! YOU CAME HERE TO STOP ME. WELL, CHAMPION, YOU CAN DIE WHERE YOU STAND!" Throwing her arms, Jazmyne flings a flaming ball right at Gabriel.

Time feels like its slowing down, and Gabriel feels his natural instinct take over, and it sends him into a backflip. He feels his landing in his knees as his feet touch the floor again. He quickly looks at the spot where he had been laying moments before. It was a smoking, scorched black from the blast. His mind races. I've never done a backflip in my life. How did I do that? As he was wonders he takes off in a crisscross sprint. He runs towards the green bleachers on his right while dodging the barrage of fireballs. He glances up to see a person sitting in red robes with an oversize hood covering their face at the top of the bleachers.

"Gabriel," the figure calls in a booming voice, "That is a Jinn. Her weakness is water. What do you think you should do?" Gabriel slows down in confusion and feels the heat of a flame pass his ear. Who is this person? What the heck is a Jinn? And water? Where am I supposed to get water from? Suddenly as if a light had gone off in his head, he knows what to do: Jazmyne is made of fire, so what if I pull the fire alarm? The sprinklers would be sure to get rid of her! While he keeps rolling and ducking fire blasts, his eyes scan the gym for the fire alarm.

Bingo! But his success seems short-lived; the alarm was behind the Jinn, whose fiery hair and body were now brighter and larger. Ugh, why didn't I see her like this the first time? Now how do I get behind her? He rolls to the left a millisecond too slow, and the heat from a fireball is scorching his clothes. He has an idea but doesn't like it. He was running out of space to run, and the fireballs were starting small fires all around him.

Balling his fists, Gabriel takes off in a full sprint toward the Jinn. Her face written with shock at Gabriel's sudden aggression and puts up a firewall to protect herself, but it blocks her sight momentarily. Gabriel's feet didn't slow; he braces himself and jumps. He lands behind the Jinn feet first. The impact makes his knees wobble, but he doesn't stop running toward his goal. The Jinn turns around and lets out a high-pitch scream when she realizes his plan.

Somehow, Gabriel gets to the fire alarm and yanks it down. The piercing alarm screeches, and a burst of water from the gym's ceiling pours onto the court. He watches in fascination as the Jinn screams in agony before melting into a black mushy puddle.

Gabriel stands there for a moment cold, wet and afraid. He looks toward where the hooded figure had been and sees no one. He hears the shouts of teachers and students outside. He runs out into the commotion.

"Everyone evacuate, there has been a gas leak!" shouts Gabriel's math teacher as he guides students out of the door.

As Gabriel follows the crowd, he replays the event in his head. There was no gas leak. It was that thing. While his mind wanders, he bumps into someone. Gabriel gasps because the person who was in the red robes and hood is in front of him. Gabriel stares at the hooded figure aghast as they adjust their hood so he can see them more. It's a woman! And not just any woman, either...the woman underneath those bulky robes had familiar beautiful glowing markings on her face and hands. She looks to be in her fifties, but her eyes horrify Gabriel. They are absolutely white. "Oh Gabriel, your mother would be so proud of you," she said softly.

"You...you're crazy," Gabriel cries out and gives the woman a push out of the way. He runs past the scared student towards the bike racks, and he curses in anger. He had left the key for the bike lock in his locker along with his book bag. While grabbing the chain out of frustration and he gives a tug. The chain and small padlock breaks. Gabriel stands dumbfounded. This is insane. What is going on? Gabriel fumes as he threw the chain on the ground, grabs his bike, and speeds down the street.

When he gets tired of pedaling, he finds himself in front a park with a playground. He leaps off his bike and quickly guides it over to the nearest bench where he sits down. He feels hot tears of frustration swell up in his eyes. What is happening? I don't know what to do.

He did know one thing: he had to tell his dad, no matter what the outcome would be. Gabriel stands up, wipes his eyes, and grabs his bike. He needs to get home and fast...before anymore weird things come out of the shadows.

J