The Next Generation (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 31

    “Who’s ‘she’?” Lucy asked. 

    Nox looked at Lucy with a worried expression. “Eyra,” he said softly. “The creature that I was made to destroy.”

    Lucy turned to look at Ben. “What is he talking about?”

    Ben gave Lucy a quick summary of what Nox had just told him, about the two planets and how Nox was made to counter the creature of destruction. 

    “So her name is Eyra?” Ben asked Nox after he had finished. 

    “Yes,” Nox answered. “We don’t have much time. She’s already on my trail. She’ll hunt down every one of you until she finds me.”

    “But how?”

    “Ben! We don’t have time for the specifics!” Nox yelled. “She’s going to kill every last one of you!”

    Ben stopped. “What do you need me to do?”

    “Gather all the supers. We need every last one of them to make this work. We need to fight.”

    Ben nodded, expression solemn but determined. “Then wake us up, Nox.”

    Nox gave them a final look before he sent them off. “Good luck, you two.”

…

    Ben jolted awake with a gasp. He shot up, propping himself up on his elbows. He had been carried back to the hotel room that he had been sharing and was laying on the makeshift bed on the couch in the corner. He could see his roommate, a thin but fit boy with petite features, dark brown almond eyes, and shaggy brown hair sitting on the bed, reading a book. He had looked up in surprise when he heard Ben. 

    “You’re awake,” he said.

    “Darren, there’s no time. We have to go.”

    Darren looked at Ben in confusion. “Go where?”

    “To fight.”

    Darren put the book down and quickly stepped down from the bed. “Ben, I think we’ve all had more than enough of that today. How about you just calm down and go to sleep. It’s late.”

    “You don’t understand! If we don’t fight, everyone’s lives are in danger! Not just here, but around the world.”

    “Ben, listen to me,” Darren said. “You’re fine. We’re all fine. You just need to stay here and not get into any more trouble than you are already in.”

    “It’s a super thing,” Ben said desperately. “You wouldn’t understand.”

    Darren’s expression went cold. “So this is what it's come to,” he said softly. 

“You know, Ben, I may not be a super, but I am still more than strong enough to defend us. We don’t need you.”

    Ben looked at Darren, confused. “You really think that’s what this is about?”

    “What else could it be?”

    “Darren, if I wanted to show that I’m more powerful than you, I would have knocked you across the room by now. This has nothing to do with that.”

    “Then fight me, Ben,” Darren said bitterly. “Show me what you mean.”

    “I don’t want to fight you.”

    Darren put his fists up. “I said fight me!” he yelled, getting into stance.

    “No.”