Even though I’m normally the first one in my English class (I much prefer words to numbers), Dylan cuts in front of me. Suspicious, I watch him walk past my desk and just as he does his hand darts out and then back in. Unsure of what he’d done, I approach my desk warily and as I sit down I find a post stick note stuck to the bottom of my desk. It read:
Be at Pine Lake for 5pm sharp if you want answers.
From You know who
I don’t know why, but I half expected a blank note which would’ve really annoyed me but that probably would’ve been the whole point. Should I go? Should I not? I really do need some answers… fine, I guess I’ll go because I’ll probably regret it if I don’t. I wonder what he’d say… or if he’d even be there. He better be. Else there’ll be hell to pay. As I turn my head back to look at Dylan, I feel a sharp slap across my arm.
“Ow!” I hiss between my teeth, cradling my wounded arm and glaring at the offender.
“What? I told you earlier that I would slap you every time you look in Dylan’s direction- I know you’ve got a crush on him and everything but-”
“No, I don’t!” I snap, cutting Izzy off.
“Oh, really? So why can’t you keep your eyes off of him? Why are you blushing?”
“I’m not,” I put my hands to my face-my cheeks are flushed, “but I’m not always…” I give up exasperated because I know deep down that Izzy is right. Somehow I have feelings for this sullen, depressing boy and what they are still remains a mystery.
Later that day at 5:30pm, I reach The Pine Lake and stop to admire it. Under the sunset glow, it shimmers and ripples as the gentle breeze caresses its surface and also makes my emerald green dress sway gently.
Scanning the area, I can find no evidence of Dylan’s presence. Had he tricked me? For a moment, I consider turning back but a magnetic pull is drawing me closer and closer into the lake. It isn’t the same kind of pull I feel when I see fire, because it makes me feel alive and excited, but this pull hypnotises me into a relaxed state. As I remove my white sandals, I then slowly take step after step into the clear, ice cold water. Then when half my lower legs are submerged, in a flash something springs out of the water and knocks me back into the shallows. Soaked and spluttering I hurry to my feet and stare down at the rolling ball of laughter.
“Ha, ha, ha! You should’ve seen your face! Priceless!” Dylan laughs in delight as his practical joke had been a success.
“How dare you! You think this is funny?” I accuse fuming. As my anger rises, I start steaming as the water evaporates.
Collecting himself back up, he stands and says: “Of course it’s funny, you would’ve laughed too if you were me,” he points out.
“No, I wouldn’t! Anyway…who are you and what have you done with the Dylan that I know?”
“Oh, it was mainly just a façade. I didn’t want to bring attention to myself, unlike you. Also I didn’t want the Humans to know.”
“So why did you have a go at me in the corridor?”
“Because I felt that it wasn’t the right time to tell you the truth. Don’t take what I said personally, I didn’t really mean it.”
“Okay, but don’t you dare jump out on me again, otherwise I’ll kill you.” I warn him.
“If you say so…” he replies.
We walk up the bank and I sit down on a nearby rock.
“I came here for answers and not to be the victim of your stupid practical jokes.”
“Fair enough, do you want to see something incredible?” He asks.
I give him a strange look and shrug. “Sure.”
With my consent, Dylan holds out his arms towards the lake- a fierce look of concentration on his face. Slowly, the water moves under his will, building up until it is a large wall at least 15 foot high. Unleashing it, the tsunami flows quickly across the lake and crashes down on the bank the other side.
“Wow…” I say impressed. “So I control fire and you control water then?” I ask squinting up at him.
“Uh-huh,” he says dropping down to sit beside me.
“Are there others?”
“Oh, yes…just not with the same powers over fire-that’s unique to you,” he explains.
“So, where are they? What am I? How many are there like us?” I fire at him.
“Whoa…okay…here goes…you are a Light Potent and part of a completely different race from the Humans. Within our race the most powerful beings are the Elementors who, like you and I, control a specific element such as fire, water, air or earth. There are also the Psychics who can control and read people’s minds. Then there are the Naturors who can share a deep bond with plants and especially animals; they are of great help to an Earth Elementor as they both forge power from the same source but in different ways. A Naturor can’t use the earth to create earthquakes but they can communicate much easier to animals and plants than an Earth Elementor can. They’re both normally bonded.
There are also the Defenders who can only shield themselves and others from harm and are essential in battle. Finally there are the Talentors who have essentially superhuman powers such as super: speed, strength, intelligence, smell, hearing and sight. They all live in a different Earth dimension in lands that are unquestionably stunning.” Dylan describes.
“Wow…that all sounds like flowers and sunshine to me, but I’m guessing that there’s a dark side of the force to with whom the good guys would battle?” I guess.
“Your guess is correct for how would we know light without darkness? How would we know good without evil? Unfortunately where there is power, there are also selfish, malevolent, machiavellian creatures that seek to cause others pain for their own enjoyment. These Dark Potents can control lightning and electricity. There are also Changelings that can morph into an exact replica of whoever they want except they cannot use the person’s power unless they drain them. The Dark Potents thirst for power is ceaseless and they are made ever more powerful because of it. Many Light Potents have been sneakily stolen from us over the years and have never returned. They have been our bitter enemies for centuries and when the time is right I’m sure one side of the Potents shall prevail in an ultimate battle, but for now we live secretly in fear of their next strike.”
“Wow, that’s awfully sinister. So, how do you get to Hogwarts? Through platform 93/4?”
His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What’s Hogwarts?”
I sigh dramatically. “You really haven’t spent enough time around humans have you?”
“Well, I’m only really here to retrieve you.”
“RETRIEVE ME? What am I some lost puppy?! Are you going to put a leash on me and say ‘here girl’?” I question him, whilst Dylan chuckles.
“No,” he replies “I guess you’re just one of my ruler’s loose ends.”
“So you live under a dictatorship?”
“I guess, but he would never make any big decisions without the other potents consent.”
“So how do I come into all of this?”
“I think it would be best to talk to your mother about that, I’m sure that she knows more about who you are than you think.”
“Right.”
After a small pause Dylan speaks up. “You’re taking all this surprisingly well,” he admits.
“What did you think I would do? Start having a panic attack?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you, not with your mood swings and short-temper,” he argues.
“It’s not my fault that I can’t tolerate irritating people,” I snap at him.
“One last thing.”
“What.”
“Does the girl know?” He asks with concern.
“I’m guessing by ‘the girl’,” I air quotation marks with my fingers, “you mean Izzy and no, she doesn’t,” I let out a half-laugh “I learned my lesson on that one.”
“What do you mean? What happened?” He presses.
“Let’s just say, I made a BIG mistake; I thought she would understand I thought she wouldn’t…,”I pause, hanging my head down “she called me a wicked witch and then ran away,” I shrug “I guess some people can’t handle the truth.” I explain feeling depressed.
He then places his hand on mine, relieving me of the headache and I smile gratefully at him. With nothing else left to say we sit there in a comfortable silence- watching the sun disappear below the horizon.