My bravery seemed to had reach its apex when I told Abigail Beckett not to stay way from me. Ant the truth was that it didn't exactly mattered afterwards anyway.
It seemed whatever it was that had kept throwing us together, fate, destiny, had decided that it was time to stop, and I hadn't seen her outside of class since. It was strange, because I was both annoyed and relieved by that, and I wished there was a rewind button I could press so I would stop having so many complicated emotions and return to the easy life before. Relatively easy life. I didn't like the fact that I was starting to think about feelings, but there didn't seemed to be anything I could do to stop it.
Form tutor period was the guarantee time when I could actually see her. She would always smile at me and sit in between Oscar and I, but thats was far as it went. I had never went out of my way to talk to anyone, let alone a girl, and I certainly didn't intend to start now.
You don't need to do anything about it. I told myself, stealing a glance at her as she questioned Mr. Andrewson about the Class E Legre Test. It was strange that she was worrying over such a small thing; I would had taken that test two years ago had there not been a cut off point for numbers. We were considered too young to need to go.
For some reason, her reluctance and trepidation towards the test had rubbed off on me. On the day of the test, I combed through my room and picked up some valuables and stuffed them in a secret pocket of my undershirt. They won't make me take that off, the test wasn't highly monitor to the point where participants couldn't get through with non-metallic objects. I knew Ching Man brought some extra good in last time without getting busted.
We were flew over in one of the newest jet, a Class B eagle jet that probably cost the Association a small fortune to buy. I couldn't stop admiring the interior, but I tried to keep an ear out for what Abigail and her friends were saying. One thing was for sure - she was nervous.
Her nervousness infected me, and an unease grew inside me despite how normal everything seemed. I evaded the metal detector test and carried my belongings in with me. It wasn't much, just a small pendant of a silicone horse that Matthias had made me and some emergency supplies that I horded over the years as well as some cash. Not that those were used frequently, but it won't be tied to my identity bracelet which won't be allowed in.
I was standing in the designated spot, waiting for the announcement to go off. By now I had relaxed a little. Everything just seemed to be so normal.
As the countdown finished, I flung my blindfold aside and immediately headed to a hidden corner so I could scout around better. They usually try to trick us with some booby traps or Legres right at the beginning to make us lose our way. And I wasn't about to be fooled by that/
After a few minutes and still not seeing or hearing anything, I slowly got up and moved forward. This was strange; it was a almost guaranteed method they used, one that Ching Man told us in strict confidence since his father worked for the Association.
Wondering if there was a bigger trick up ahead, I carefully skirted from one hiding place to another, keeping an eye out in case a Legre came or if the building behind me decided to collapse. After an hour of absolutely nothing, I started to get a little worry. There were a few people that was in my line of vision, but no Legres.
A sudden low growl caught my attention and I turned slowly towards the source, conscious of the noise that I could made standing in the middle of concrete blocks. However, when I saw who, or rather, what was coming my way, I didn't hesitate to run.
Two Class C Legres, probably of the Canine group. They were the rare forms of dogs that had somehow mutated into massive, deformed size and their bite were paralyzing, if not lethal. The only option I had was to run, because they probably smelled me from a mile away. Another few appeared further, targeting the people that were in the area, one of whom I recognised as Darren from my section. But I wasn't in a position to help him.
Scanning my surrounding, I spotted an old gas station and immediately headed towards it. The increasingly louder growls behind me alerted me to the ticking time and I shot a fireball towards the tanks as I sped past it. The tanks should be emptied by the UGE, however, I hoped there was still enough to catch fire. The only other thing I hoped to find was a liquor store.
Judging from the intensity of the fire that exploded up behind me, there wasn't much juice left in those tanks at all, and it only delayed the two beasts for a few precious seconds as they skirted around it. Cursing under my breath, I started to zig zag across the narrower streets, hoping it would slow them down. Turning around, I saw the other were being chased by the same Legres, except they were being force to run back the way we came.
Short on time, I concentrated back on myself. Tapping on my watch, I contemplated about pressing the red button, but pride and suspicion stopped me. I wasn't keen on being take out by a helicopter, nor did the appearance of Class C Legres seemed normal. They had surveillance cameras all over the place, how were the Associate not alerted to what was happening?
Using the navigation system nonetheless, I took a sharp turn right and back on a main road. With nowhere to hide and the two Legres hot on my trail, I tried my best to evade their aggressive advance and used what moments I had to distract them with fireballs. But those only cause a small sizzle on their tough hide. My brain was swirling with thoughts. Those Legres could have easily over power us, but they were holding back and forcing the others to run in a particular direction, why?
Armed with some sense of security, I forged on and continued to go in the opposite direction they wanted me to. I won't give in until it was life or death, there was something extremely suspicious about this.Suddenly, my luck seemed to take a turn as one of the Legre seemed to hit an invisible barrier, causing it to wobble on its hind legs and almost fell into its companion. Using this moment to my advantage, I retailiated by setting everything flammable around them on fire.
The way the Legre crashed reminded me of Abigail, however, I couldn't be certain that it was her who had helped me. It could easily be one of the Mentals.
Spying a few abandoned cars right next to the Legres, I immediately threw a few more fireballs towards their petrol tanks and the fire went up as several mini-explosions occurred. This successfully blocked their path to me, giving me enough time to stretch the distance between us.
A loud noise behind us caught my attention, but I didn't dare slowing down. Out of nowhere, a group appeared and I couldn't stifle the moan that made its way to my lips.
Fred Bowen, one of my least favourite person was running towards me with more enthusiasm than I wished to never see again, dragging Nat-something behind him. His face fell as he spied the two Legres that was next to the burning cars, I wasn't in any position to help.
More people appeared behind the duo, all of them looking worse for wear and absolutely exhausted, and none of them looked like they could deal with the situation.
"Come out." I shouted, hoping whoever it was that had helped me will show themselves. It was a long shot to hope that it was Abigail, but an additional person who had the reserve to produce a mind wall like that will be a severely welcome addition.
Having now stopped in my tracks, I created a wall of fire around myself and let Bowen iced his way in with his gang. I didn't particularly like having him near me, but I wasn't cold-blooded enough to leave all these people to fend for themselves.
The two Canines and the three Legres that was chasing them, which also looked Canine, congregated towards us, circling around us. I knew I could only sustain the flame for so long without additional fuel, and the others had to relied on Bowen's protection to not die of heat.
"Come out, I know you are out there." I shouted again, hoping that this new person will recreate what he or she did so we could have a chance to run away. We stood zero chance against fighting them, but escaping was on the table.
Just as I thought the others will either died from the heat or the fact that I had to lowered the barrier and indirectly let the Legre get to us, a thunderous sound came from a distance and everyone's head, including even the Legres', looked towards the direction it came from.
And like a domino effect, the building right next to the Legres started to collapse.
Quickly putting the fire out, we all ran with surprising synchronism and ran towards the opposite direction. I didn't dare think about whether or not the Legres would catch up to us, focusing all my energy on pumping my legs as fast as possible. When I finally looked up, I saw that Oscar had been the cause of the loud noise, and he was not alone.
Chased by a Japandus - and I knew exactly where we were. A specie native to northern China, it was one of the rarest type of Felixia, and the fact that it was in the test chilled me to the core. Something was very, very wrong.
"Run that way!" one of the girl shouted, and since everyone seemed more than happy to listen to her, I followed suit. I had some memory of a girl having the ability to see the near future, and this could possibly be her. What's her name again? Elaine?
Turning around and shooting several fireballs, I hoped that they would at least be forced to slow down and get crashed by one of the many falling blocks. And it worked. The sound of the hard concrete crushing on them was music to my ears, but I could see some of the other wincing.
"Gail?" a figure emerged and smiled at us, and my heart fluttered uncontrollably. She didn't look hurt, although her hair was windswept and untidy, indicating that she probably did some running away. She raised her right hands and I could felt a shift in the air as something invisible shot behind us. So it was really her who had helped me.
Risking a glance back, I saw that there was only one Legre that was still on our trail, the dreaded Japandus. It was the only one that could be fast enough to get out. The Canine's huge size probably help shield some of the debris from it as well.
Whatever Abigail did, it hit the Japandus like a wall and pushed it back. Stunned, I almost slow down and only sped up when the girl herself shouted at me like a mad woman.
"Does anyone know what is happening?" Abigail asked the question that had been on my mind for the last few hours, and no one answered. It was clear that whatever was happening definitely wasn't part of the test, and the Association seemed passive or oblivious to it. I didn't dare entertain the notion that they were behind this; it didn't make sense, and it would mean that we were doomed.
"I don't know." I finally answered when it seemed like nobody would. "This first hour or so was strangely quiet, then out of nowhere a bunch of Class C Legres came out and started rounding us up."
I could see some agreeing nods in my peripheral vision, but of course, that girl was not satisfied with that answer.
"What do you mean they were rounding you up?" She asked, obviously a bit bemused by the idea of it all. Honestly, I would love to know the answer to that too.but now wasn't the time to ask about the technicalities of it all.
"Exactly what I said." I answered, perhaps a little too harshly so I quickly added. "They tried to round all of us up back the way we came. I was lucky to get out."
"It's true." Nat-something added, and I was glad for some support. "If it wasn't for Evanna we would be stay stuck there as well."
"So the Legres just round everyone up and didn't attack anybody?" She asked, a good question, one that we cannot answer. She then went on to suggest us to press the button. Which caused the future-seeing girl to shout no.
"Can you see what happens if we circle back?" Abigail asked, obviously still holding out hope that the situation will fix itself. I took another look at that girl, and she didn't look like she was in a fit stage to see the future.
"I'll try." She answered, and I felt respect for her. I guessed not all girls were crazy lunatics. We all fell silent as she closed her eyes and did whatever she needed to to see, her quivering eye lashes was the only movement as she stood there like a statue.
"Go south." She suddenly announced, "There are too many uncertainty and changes going on for me to see clearly; but there is an opening in the south at the exit."
"Can't we find Mr. Andrewson or something." Another girl asked, her voice a little too loud and her naggy voice induced a headache in my head almost immediately. "Surely the Academy is trying to get us out. This could be a trick from one of the other participants."
The seer shook her head, but then shrugged. "I am not sure." She replied, and I didn't blame her. Everyone happened out of the blue and it's almost impossible to make sense. What could one possibly gain by rounding up P.O.E. students? Then a chilling possibility hit me; people were always looking for P.O.E. workers, what if this was a ploy to capture and sell us.
But that didn't make sense. We were all Academy students, therefore by capturing us, they directly go against the Academy and the UGE would have no choice but to help get us back. It was a stupid move on all sides, but apart from that I couldn't think of a big enough motivation behind it.
"I don't know what's going on." I said, seeing the hesitation on Abigail's face. "But I don't want to be in the middle of it. I trust Mr. Andrewson," and I did, I just didn't like him. "But I don't trust any of these people."
My words seemed to strike a cord with the rest, who readily agreed to my view. We then get rid of our bracelets, the one thing that would be tracking our moves. If things were really okay, we won't get into massive trouble; but if it wasn't, we were save from being tracked.
Eventually we reached the gate, somehow managing to evade whatever Legres that might be sent after us, and I knew that taking off those things were a good idea.
"Shall we climb over it?" A guy asked as we all stared at the barb-wired fence. It wasn't exactly un-scalable,but I was certain there must be an alarm of some sort.
Evanna advised us to exit through the actual gate, which would must certainly be guarded. I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea, but if the girl could see the future, then I wasn't one to argue.
As we approached the gate, everything seemed normal. Even though I didn't usually feel nervous, it was the only word that cold describe the way I felt.
Looking up, I could tell that it was already late afternoon, it would work to our advantage if we had cover.
"The Sun is setting." I said, and Bowen had the guts to roll his eyes at me. Someone needed to send him to have a mental health assessment.
"No kidding." He said, and I resisted the urge to send a fireball flying his way.
"We can sneak off better in the dark." Abigail piped up, and I couldn't resist the smile that tugged on my face. She seemed surprised by it, and I immediately dropped it. I didn't do smiles; but it was nice to see her reacting to it.
"If they have no idea that we weren't suppose to reach here, then maybe we can just walk out like usual." Bowen's brain seemed to be present afterall.
In the end, we decided to split up and approach the exit; it was best to feign innocent and hope they guards were unaware of what was happening. Abigail seemed sure that they were, and I wasn't stupid enough to shrug it off as a conclusion made purely by observation and guts. She was hiding what she could do.
Doing a wide loop from the west, I controlled my pace so that they others had a chance to arrive first. A sense of foreboding was heavy in my heart, and I knew it was a do or die moment. A plan of this magnitude won't be for nothing; if they wanted to capture us, it couldn't be something good. Our fate, if captured, would be a sorry one.
When the buildings finally cleared and the fence was again visible, I could see that almost everyone had arrived. Abigail was at the front, and I relaxed slightly as I took in the smiles on the guards face. So they really wasn't aware of the situation. Maybe we would be able to get to safety.
However, that reality was short-lived as the detector started beeping on Abigail's crossing. The guards looked at each other in confusion, but Evanna definitely wasn't confused.
"Guys, run!" She shouted, and the blond guy threw her to his back and everyone began to sprint towards the thickets in the distance. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the guards spoke urgently to the talkie, and I was glad they didn't use the rifles. Yet.
"Run!" Aibgail shouted as well, a horrified expression appearing on her face. Forcing myself to run faster, I ignored the guards' request to stop and the next thing I knew, bullets were wheezing past us.
For once in my life, I was gladr to be in a group of Mentals. The bullets were deflected from us, and for a moment I wished I was an air elementalist and not a fire one.
The sound of tires and exhausts drifted from afar, but I didn't slow down. Right now, I didn't trust anyone but the people around me. Whoever was after us must had a spy in the Academy, and while it won't be Mr. Andrewson, I couldn't be sure who it would be.
Abigail slowed in front of me, her head tilted towards the source of the noise as though she was a rabbit. She didn't even realised that she was stopping.
"What are you doing? Run!" I shouted at her, not taking any chances and grabbing her left arm. She stumbled, but managed to regain her balance and ran alongside me. She still looked a little daze and I held on to her for a few more seconds in case she collide with a tree.
We were now finally in the forest, and I knew that whatever were to happen next, I would have to protect the girl next to me. My hand reached out to the pendant that Matthias had made me and made a silent promise. I will get out of this alive, and I will return to my brother.
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And I am back from Vietnam! 16 days passed by really slowly at first but it sped up significantly at the end. It was a challenge to be without my laptop, but I kinda managed.
This is the end of Tom's POV in Evolution, and I will be moving onto Selection shortly. For those of you who are waiting for Evolution self pub update, it's getting there. The cover is done, the edit is getting there and I am hoping to get everything together by the end of August. Please do sign up for my newsletter for updates (link in profile).
And if you want some more P.O.E. action, check out Oscar's part in the SciKick bachelorette in the Wattpad Block Party Summer Edition II!