Date on Earth: Tuesday, October 3
"Asher? Asher!"
"Oh sh-"
"Is he dead?"
"He's still breathing, so no."
"What the-"
I groaned, putting my hands to my head. I was met with a pounding headache that made my brain feel like it was going to explode.
"Thank goodness you're alive. I thought we would have to explain to the authorities why there was a lifeless corpse with us."
A boy that I vaguely made out as Tristen had kneeled next to me with frantic eyes. "You alright?"
I tried shaking off some of the dizziness. "What happened?" I tried asking, but it slurred together, sounding more like "Whahabened?" Tristen gave a sympathetic look and shrugged. "Don't know."
"What the heck did you do?" Diana exclaimed, a pinch of panic in her voice. "We came back from searching for sticks and stuff to find you pale and unconscious with the grass all full of these scary markings-"
"Asher," Tristen said with a serious undertone. His eyes flashed to the strange symbols marked on the ground, which I realized were the same ones that I had seen glowing from the cube. "I need you to tell me exactly what you did."
"I didn't do anything," Instinctively I tried to defend myself. "I just touched this weird cube thing-"
Tristen grabbed me by my shoulders, stopping me mid sentence. "It had weird symbols, didn't it? Same as the ones on the ground right now?"
My eyes widened. "How did you know that?"
Diana walked over with her eyes closed, shaking her head. "Hold up, so after you touched...whatever it was...did it, I don't know, hurt? Like really really bad? Like-"
"Like something was burning you up from the inside." Tristen's face had turned green, like he was about to puke.
"How do you guys know about that?" The confusion just added to my pulsing headache.
"Asher, show us your wrist," Tristen's voice shook.
"What?"
"Just wanna check something. Flip your wrist over."
Diana glanced at Tristen, her face also gaining a greenish tint.
Hesitantly, I turned over my wrist. There was a collective gasp.
"Woah, okay. That was definitely not there before." On my wrist was a tattoo with symbols that also seemed to mimic the ones on the cube. I ran my fingers over it, surprised to find it cold and hard to the touch.
Tristen and Diana stared at the tattoo, mouths gawking. Slowly, Tristen lifted up his sleeve, revealing his own tattoo that was imprinted on his wrist. I blinked before looking him in the eye. "How-" for the first time ever I was speechless. Tristen looked just as confused as I felt. And Diana-
She started to shake, wrapping her hands around herself. Taking deep breaths, she too lifted up her oversized sleeve. She had strange markings on her wrist as well. But that wasn't what caught my attention. Her arm was covered in bandaids, but it failed to cover the three large gashes that ran down her arm. Dry blood stuck to her arm like paint. The wound looked fresh.
Tristen sucked in a breath. "Who did that to you?"
Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Diana pulled her arm back. "So it didn't come after you guys too?" We both shook our heads. Diana took a few deep breaths to steady herself. "Last night when I touched...the thing you guys apparently touched, there was this monster. When I woke up, it was dragging me. It was pitch black with long sharp claws and when I tried to fly away it suddenly sprouted wings and-"
"Fly?" It probably wasn't the correct thing to focus on at the time, but my mind fixated on it. "You mean you flew? How is that even possible?"
The red haired girl wrapped her arms around herself. "Yeah, it's not awesome if you are deathly afraid of heights. And I have no idea. I-I don't think I was human anymore. It felt like I was...a bird or something. I didn't have to think about what to do to get off the ground. I just...did it. Ugh, it sounds like I'm on crack. None of this makes any sense! I have no idea how I could fly. I have no idea what that creature was or wanted. I have no idea how we could all have the same mark. And I have no idea how any of this is possible."
Diana's hands were balled up into tight fists and her face, even though contorted with anger, looked fragile, like a single word could break down her tough exterior.
Tristen was studying his tattoo, tracing his fingers over the marks. Quietly, he said, "Didn't have a monster waking me up from my sleep, but some weird stuff started happening to me too. Went to school and ditched a few classes before bumping into my ex-friend, Jason. He was mad and got his friends to hold me still while he punched me.
"Thing is, I barely felt anything. But when I opened my eyes, Jason's fingers were broken. From punching me. I ran and hid in one of the bathroom stalls before this really weird feeling came over me. And I think..."-Tristen looked at Diana-"You said you felt like you weren't human anymore, and now I know I definitely wasn't." He looked back down at his hands. "When I saw myself in the mirror, my skin was gray and I had a horn-"
"A unicorn?" I exclaimed loudly. "You turned into a unicorn?" Diana snorted loudly.
"A rhino," Tristen said. "I turned into a rhino."
Diana was still wheezing. "Oh man. Screw Headphones Guy. I'm calling you Unicorn Guy from now on."
"Please don't," he pleaded.
It took a moment for me to catch up, but the understanding slammed into me like a wave. My brain spiraled in a thousand different directions. But one statement they had said stuck out more than the others.
"Wait wait wait, slow down. You guys both touched the strange cube too and now have superpowers? Does that mean I'll also get cool powers? Ooh do you think I might turn into a bird too? I've always wanted to fly!"
Diana ignored me, finally calming down from her laughing fit. She became serious once again. "There was something else too." She fiddled with her sweater. "When I pointed out the clearing behind the trees, it wasn't because I guessed. I could actually see it. From the moment I woke up, there was this clarity. Nothing is even the slightest bit blurry."
"You're cured?" Tristen rubbed his eyes hard enough to look painful. "But I thought your eye condition was incurable."
"That's the thing. It is. Was. Like everything else, I don't know what this glowing thing is, but I think it healed me. No, I know it healed me. And gave me a huge permanent headache in the process." The words hung in the air, not yet processing.
We all seemed to come to the same realization simultaneously.
I tried to smother the hope that was festering in my chest. No. There was no way the cube could have fixed me. I didn't have a simple eye problem. The whole lower half of my body was jacked up. I had given up that fantasy a long time ago. Nothing could fix it. Nothing. Nadda.
Despite my logical side, I took the risk of glancing at my legs, failing at not feeling my hope swell, that maybe, just maybe, I'd have a chance to not be helpless. To not be given a pitiful look every time someone made eye-contact with me. To live a normal life.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for my sweatpants and pulled it up my leg slowly, not ready to let the feeling of hope dissipate just yet.
A wave of emotions crashed over me when I lifted the pants to reveal my legs. They were pale and skinny, but it didn't bend at weird angles. Bones didn't stick out in random places. They actually looked...normal.
Shaking, I laid my hands on them, massaging my thighs. A toe twitched and my eyes watered.
My legs. I can feel my legs.
A laugh bubbled up in my throat, coming out sharp. I wiped away tears before the others could notice.
I was healed. I was healed.
"What are you waiting for?" Diana smirked. "Try standing."
Glowing with a newfound confidence, I put my hands on the tree, using all my strength to pull myself up. I clinged onto a low hanging branch, allowing myself to stand up straight.
"I can't believe it," I whispered. "I'm standing." Not bothering to check if Tristen or Diana were close enough to make sure I didn't fall, I let go of the branch. Immediately my knees wobbled and I would've fallen to the ground if Tristen hadn't caught me at the last second.
"Don't worry," Tristen pulled up and I wrapped my arm around him for support. "You'll get it eventually."
"Worry?" I grinned broadly. "Why would I be worried? I can stand. I never thought in a million gazillion years that...that any of this would be possible. But look," I let go and Tristen tried catching me again, but stopped when he saw that I was fine, putting my weight against the tree. I reached up to a small tree branch and twisted it off. Sticking it into the ground, I leaned away from the oak and used the stick to keep balance.
"See?" The stick shifted and I almost toppled over but managed to regain posture.
"Don't be getting a big head now." Though her words weren't the friendliest, Diana also wore a grin, even if it looked more like a smirk.
Tristen patted me on the back and stabilized me when I nearly fell again. "Impressive. But you probably shouldn't push yourself too hard."
"Tristen, you worry about me too much. And standing like this isn't tiring me out." I hoped I sounded convincing, since despite my claim, my legs had already started to ache and my arms were getting sore from bearing most of the weight.
But I didn't want to sit down. I wanted to savor this moment, in case this time of pure bliss was only temporary. In case the next time I tried to get up, it would be impossible again.
Suddenly, I felt the makeshift cane snatched from beneath me, a hand grabbing my arm to hold me up. I glared. Diana shoved the stick into Tristen's arms and put me against the tree again. "What was that for? I was doing fine!"
Diana rolled her eyes. "Please, you were shaking like crazy and the only way you were going to sit down again is if I took the cane away from you."
"There're better ways to get him to rest," Tristen said.
"And I chose this way. Any problems with that?"
I raised my hand, "Actually, I have a few problems."
"Well, I'm not in the mood to hear them." Diana crossed her arms and sank down on her knees.
After a moment of silence, Tristen gazed up, peering through the trees. "Huh. Sun's already sinking. Gonna try to start the fire. One of you guys wanna help?"
"I will!" Enthusiastically I crawled to the pile of sticks and grabbed two of them. "So do I just rub them together until they spark?"
"Not sure," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Never made one before."
"Well, I've seen them do that in movies, so I'll just try it." I mimicked the way I'd seen characters do in survival shows, glad to have something to do.
Another hysterical laugh nearly made it through my lips again. I could do things now. Things that were actually useful. For the first time, I could take care of myself and not depend on others for simple things like walking. Sure, right then I might've still needed to lean on something for support, but I could learn.
A miracle. That's what this was. One that had a strange way of arising, but one all the same.
Not only did the cubes heal, but according to Tristen and Diana, it gave them superpowers. And not just any power, but shapeshifting, which was like, the coolest of powers! Well, besides flight of course.
And they were making the whole deal sound like a bad thing when they could be superheroes. Like the ones that were in comics, fighting bad guys and even saving the world!
Okay, maybe I was getting slightly carried away.
My brain wandered as I rubbed the sticks together. I wiped a drop of sweat off my forehead. The sun had already disappeared and the only thing that offered a little bit of light was the full moon. Who knew it took so long to start a fire? The one indication that I was accomplishing anything was the wood being slightly warm.
I panted and gave my arms a second to rest. "Do one of you guys wanna try?"
Diana was leaning back on a small tree and smirked. "Naw, it's fun watching you struggle." She shivered and rubbed her arms. "But hurry up. It's dark and I'm freezing."
I looked to Tristen for help, but he was already sleeping on a pile of leaves, his back turned away. A light snoring could be heard coming from him.
I muttered under my breath and continued rubbing roughly. I cheered silently as the sticks started to smoke.
A single spark came from it and the dry twigs caught fire. I threw the sticks in it and backed away, falling on my back and sighing. "Finally. I thought it was never gonna flame up."
"Wow, congratulations Smiley Guy. I didn't think you could do it."
I scrunched up my nose. "'Smiley Guy?'"
She pointed to Tristen. "Unicorn Guy,"-she pointed at me- "Smiley Guy."
I gestured back at her. "Whiny Girl."
She scoffed. "If today has proven anything, it's that you're the whiny one mister 'I'm bored'."
"Well, all you've been doing since the moment I met you is complaining about Tristen."
"Whiny Guy."
"Whiny Girl."
Crickets chirped around us. An owl hooted in the distance, causing Diana to jump.
"You seem...jumpy," I said.
"Yeah well, having a monster try to eat you tends to put a person on edge," she shot back.
I sighed and looked at the stars through the canopy of trees. "This has been a strange first day of school."
The owl hooted again and a breeze passed by. Scooting closer to the fire, I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"I bet." Diana put her hands over the flames to warm them up. She stood back up. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted and going to sleep. Feel free to stay up or take a nap, I don't care."
Without another word, she laid down on her own pile of leaves, turning her back towards me.
I stayed up a little longer, watching the flames. The way it flickered. How the different colors moved in harmony. People feared it because of its dangerousness. Because of its power.
But if you took the time to stare at it closely, you'd realize the beauty in it. The warmth it offered as well as the ferocity in it.
It was ironic that earlier today, fire was what caused us to fear for our lives. Now we were using it to save it.
"With great power comes great responsibility." The iconic Spider-Man quote appeared in my mind, quite randomly.
But it made me think of our group. Me, Tristen, and Diana. Now we were the ones with the "great power."
Well, technically not me yet, since I hadn't shown any signs of being anything more than human.
Still, the same question arose. If great power led to having great responsibility, then what would our responsibilities be? In this world, it wasn't like we could go storming down the streets, beating up small low-life criminals. The police did that. And there weren't many threats that would need the help of three teenager hybrid-things.
Well, still technically two. But I knew I would manifest a cool shape shifting ability. After all, we each had touched the same thing.
A sharp migraine from behind my eye throbbed, shocking me out of my mental wonderings and I took my fingers, rubbing it. It was something I got occasionally, coming at the most random times.
I continued to rub it, but the pain didn't cease. Which was strange, because usually it only lasted a few seconds.
I took deep breaths, trying to get the pain to lessen, but it continued steadily.
Someone's in trouble.
The thought had come out of nowhere, shouting through my skull like someone was speaking through a megaphone.
It wasn't a question. It was a fact; someone was in trouble.
I recalled one other time that a similar thing had happened.
Moments after that warning, a horrible car crash happened right before my eyes.
And if there was one thing I didn't believe in, it was coincidences.
Frantically I looked around. First at Tristen, then at Diana. I made sure that they weren't the ones in trouble before I got up and looked past the trees.
Despite the full moon, the forest was still pitch black, besides the small area around the fire.
I shook my head. There was no way I was going to go blindly into the trees without a flashlight. Even then, I wouldn't have any idea where to go, since I didn't know who or what was in danger.
Close your eyes. The loud voice said in my head. Give in.
Seriously questioning my life choices, I obeyed.
The moment I closed my eyes, everything snapped into focus. My headache disappeared and instead I saw what looked like a trail leading into the forest. Hesitantly, I grabbed my cane and took a step. Then another.
I followed the invisible path deeper and deeper until I could no longer see the light from the campfire.
I came to a halt when a fallen tree blocked my way. I gasped as I observed my surroundings.
All around me were broken branches and trees that fell in a line. It looked like a trail of destruction from a huge beast.
Trying to pace myself, I made my way down the path of fallen debri.
It felt like years of walking before something started to take form in front of me. Something big. The sun reflected off of it and looked to have a spherical shape.
Someone's in trouble. The thought came even louder this time. I dropped my cane and almost collapsed, but managed to stay up. Picturing a person running, I mimicked the movements, swinging my arms and pumping my legs.
It felt extremely weird, and probably looked that way too, but I was more focused on the fact that I hadn't fallen yet.
The metal thing grew in my vision and I halted, panting.
It was round with little wings; a released parachute trailed behind it, full of holes. The sphere was damaged and a clear door was cracked open.
I gasped and hobbled over to the crashed ship. Through the door you could see the outline of a girl.
Cracking the clear door open, I observed the girl lying unconscious inside.
She had dark skin with straight black hair that was long enough to wrap around her torso. She wore a strange white and gray suit with a helmet. A series of gashes showed through her uniform, staining the material.
I quickly brushed the debri off of her and with all my might pulled her up. I dragged her out of the weird pod, flinching when her body bumped into the metal.
My adrenaline rush started to wear off, and it was getting harder to stay balanced. I found my makeshift cane and used it as I wrapped the unconscious girl's arms around my shoulders. I didn't know how I was going to carry her all the way back to the camp, but she needed help. And she wasn't going to get it lost in the middle of the forest.
Then how will we get help?
I threw the thought away, not ready yet to deal with the question. I traced my steps back, praying that I was going the right way. My arms and legs started to shake from overexertion, but I carried on, thanking my stick for not breaking from the weight.
Then I heard a faint calling in the distance. I felt my hope swell up as I yelled, "Tristen? Diana?"
"Asher!" Footsteps sounded in front of me and Tristen came into view, Diana appearing a moment later.
They did a double take when they saw the girl I was half-dragging.
"Is she..." Tristen trailed off, his face paling.
"No. Or, I don't think so. I forgot to check."
"You guys are giving me a migraine." Diana walked to the girl and checked her pulse.
"She's alive," she clarified. Diana examined her wounds carefully. "Who knows how long."
"What were you even thinking going out there alone? We woke up and when we didn't see you started to freak out-"
"No, he started freaking out. I was resting and appreciating the brief period of silence. Now you come back with your loud mouth and a corpse. Who does that?"
"Alright, alright. I get it. This looks pretty bad. But what did you want me to do? Leave her?"
Tristen rubbed his forehead. "If you stayed with us, you wouldn't have found her."
"And if I hadn't found her, she would 100% have died. Would you rather that happen?"
Tristen sighed aggressively. "Talk about this later. Here, give her to me."
Glad to rest my arms, I handed her to him. Together we walked back to the clearing and laid the girl on one of the piles of leaves.
The fire was starting to go out, so I grabbed a few sticks and threw them into it.
"What are we even supposed to do with her?" Diana said. "It's not like we have any medical supplies to help heal her wounds."
"Well I'm sorry for not thinking about everything when I bumped into an unconscious girl-"
"Guys!" Tristen exclaimed. "She's waking up!"
We immediately were silenced and were about to run to her side when we stopped dead in our tracks.
The girl was sitting upright.
And a gun was pointed straight at us.
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Author's Note:
Hey readers! I just have a quick question for you guys: Do you prefer these shorter chapters(like the length of 6-7) or do you like the longer chapters?
This book has a total of 27 chapters, but each one is pretty long, and I know it can be a hard read. Plus I can easily break them in half. Just let me know which way you prefer.
Thank you so much for reading!