Spoiler
This is a longer chapter then most of mine, more then 2000+ words. I do really like this though, my Emeth chapters seem to always be my favorite, perhaps because he is character more so like me then any of the others? I don't know. I can see the obvious flaws in my writing as opposed to other, much better, writers. It has something to do with my description I think. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's something I need to improve on. Though I honestly don't know how. Anyway, I hope you like it!
Chapter 6: Sorocs
Viewpoint: Emeth
I wasn't exactly happy about trekking across the football field to the old school alone but I had to swallow any fear so I could have some fun at least. Lucas noticed it before, the look he gave me. I have always wanted an adventure and any chance I get he gives me that look and I know that he'll follow it through to the very end.
The look was our bond in a ways. Once a couple years ago at 8th grade prom everyone got trapped inside the gym because of a bear attack. I know, sounds weird, but bears would sometimes come out of the woods and toward the school. So during the dance the bear started trying to get inside the gym doors. So we had to stay inside. Having a bold moment I rarely posses, I leaped into action.
I told him that I needed this prom to go well(I was on a date with Melony Hodges, boy was she hot) so I had a plan. He gave me that look and I knew he had my back. He helped me pull one of the loud speakers to the door where the bear was, then distracted the teachers so I could finish the job. I turned the volume on the speaker as loud it was go.
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga blared throughout the gym and cause the bear to run away from the school. Needless to say it was a good end to the year. I even got a kiss from Melony. So the look means he's got my back and that was good enough for me.
The old school was replaced with the newly built one about 5 years back, they never tore it down because of the cost of construction and when the money was raised they decided to instead keep it as a memorial to the old principle who died the following year. It had been standing for about 70 years so it was pretty gross looking.
The door to the school had boards across it but when i tried to remove them they came off fairly easy. Everything felt as if it were ancient, the door seemed so fragile as I tried to open. The hallways were a ugly orange color, I guess they didn't have taste in the 40's. You could tell some kids had been in here since it had been closed, or hobos, because there were cigarettes and beer bottles on the floors.
"Lydia, Annabeth, Riley, Seth? Anyone there?" I said, keeping my voice down for some reason.
I turned down the hall and checked the classrooms as I went by. Most were completely empty and again filled with beer and other things I'd rather not mention and would rather forget. At the end of the hall the only place to go was up. The stairs were even more terrifying then the rest of the school. The air was humid, damp, and dusty. It was like I was in a coal mine.
Finally at the top I pushed on the door and was finally on the second floor. Same ugly walls, same deal as the floor one. What were these people thinking? I looked down the hall to get a good look at the number of classrooms when I noticed a door to one of the classrooms was open. I took a deep breath and made my way to the classroom at the end of the hall.
I was afraid of what I would find. A sleeping hobo? With my luck. What is up with me and hobo's all the sudden? Anyway, the dust around the door was a lot less thick, I began to notice as I got closer. The windows must have been open too cause it was flying around in the air. As I got closer I noticed a smell, like me after trying to cook something.
I peered my head around the door to the classroom, only to find the wall were singed. My nose was accurate. I pulled my body in a little farther to get a better look at the room and on the far side, near the chalk board, was Lydia. I'd know her anywhere, her long dirty blonde hair in a ponytail hanging over her shoulder. She was sitting with her arms around her legs and her head between them. Trying my best not to scare her I whispered-
"Lydia."
Her head shot up and I swear I saw a flame in her eye. She calmed down and lowered her arms to her side.
"Do I know you?" She said, keeping a tough demeanor I'd never seen on her before.
"Kind of. I'm friends with Lucas." I scratched my head, a little disappointed she didn't remember me.
"Why are you even here?" She asked.
"Looking for you, well not you specifically, a couple people in fact. You just happen to be one of those people." I said ranting.
"I get it." She turned her head toward the window and stared out.
"What happened in here? It looks like the aftermath of a fire, but it was recent." I said, walking closer to her.
"Can you just leave me alone?" Her eyes never leaving the window.
"Jake is worried about you, the storm is bad and we all need to get back to the cafeteria." I said trying to persuade her.
"Screw Jake. The storm does look pretty bad though." Lydia confessed. I put my hand out to help her up.
"Then we better get back, right?" I smiled. She looked over to me then grabbed my hand and stood up.
"Thanks." She said sounding as if she had too. The thunder rolled again and the sky became darker almost instantly, the clouds flashed and a strike of lighting hit the new school building. We both stood in awe as the building started to catch on fire.
"We need to get somewhere safe." I begged Lydia, grabbing her hand again. Lighting struck again but this time towards us, the bolt smashed into the windows and on the ground only a few feet from us sending us flying onto our backs.
"What in the world is going on here." I said breathing hard.
"A lightning storm, idiot!" Lydia yelled.
"What lightning do you know that can do that?" I pointed toward the spot where the lightning had hit, a small black spot was there but it moving, as if it were alive.
"What is that?" Lydia said, panic in her voice.
"I don't know." The spot started to grow and shape into something completely different. Legs formed which were long and pointed, the tops of the legs and the torso were large in width, the arms were skinny and long and the head looked like an upside-down triangle. Lydia jumped up from the ground and walked over to the monster.
"Are you crazy!" I yelled out to her, pulling myself up from the fall.
"Watch this." She said with confidence. Her hands tensed up beside her and in an eruption fire scorched her arms and filled them up. The heat was intense and I could feel it from across the room. She aimed her arms toward the beast, who was letting out a high pitched roar.
The fire, like a jet engine, blew from her arms and started to smother the monster in a flurry of intense flames. A few seconds past and Lydia stopped her onslaught. Only a pile of ash remained on the floor as she turned off her flames and walked over to me.
"What, the, hell." was all I could say. My mouth must have been hanging all the way to my knees.
"I can't begin to explain that. After what happened with Jake I came here and when I got pissed this fire just came out of nowhere. It doesn't hurt and it's as easy as breathing. Do you think I am a freak?"
"That, was, so, awesome!" I said, trying to stop myself from jumping in the air like a nerd. My excitement didn't last long when the pile of ash made it's own eruption of fire like a pillar, spreading fire across the room. Lydia stood in front of me and fire just absorbed into her skin. It's roar was accompanied by a breath of fire, catching the room ablaze.
"Run!" I said over the intense sound of the flames, I grabbed her and ran out the door. The beast followed us, slowly but surely. In the hallway we made our way towards the only exit, the stairs. As slow as it was, we were slower, the monster shot fire directly in front of us, blocking our path.
With no where to go we turned around to face it. Lydia cast her fire at the black beast again but this time it shot back its own fire, canceling out her. It was a battle of fire and Lydia was losing. The fire was too strong and finally hit her, the fire hadn't hurt her but the force behind it threw her across the fire blocking our path and onto the floor. I looked across the flame to see her laying there, unconscious.
It was up to me. I stood my ground, my knees buckling. The eyes of the monster were fierce and almost caused me to throw myself into the fire. He took a deep breath and I knew what that meant. More fire. As if we needed anymore of that. The next moment was like a dream, the fire came towards me and I put my hands up to protect myself.
A odd noise told me i wasn't dead. It sounded like...steam? I opened my eyes and a pillar of ice was in front of me. I looked back at Lydia, had she done this? No. She was still out cold. So who was it? I looked down at my hands, and they were blue in tint. Had it been me?
I wanted to scream. Not the bad kind of scream, the good kind. It was exactly like a dream come true. As if I had stepped into my favorite book or video game. Water, not my personal favorite choice, but better then nothing! The pillar quickly melted and Giganto(my nickname for him) was pissed off. Obviously I had done something wrong, or right. I didn't care which.
I put my hands out mimicking Lydia but nothing happened. Oh crap. Giganto raised his arm into the air which formed a giant claw which he swept toward me like a deadly jump rope. Again, I held out my hands, this time with my eyes opened, and watched as water was pulled from my palms and covered the arm of Giganto, then instantly froze. Needless to say he wasn't too happy, again.
He smashed his arm again the lockers which also shattered his arm. He screamed in pain which made me cover my ears. I turned around and did a repeat, I put my hands close to the fire and as I did water dripped from my palms putting out the fire blocking my way. I ran over to Lydia and shook her until she was fully awake.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up." I said as if it would help any. She opened her eyes and looked at me which must have been a reality check cause her eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet.
"Seriously? It wasn't a dream!" She yelled in disappointment.
"Less talk, more run." I said motioning her toward the door. We were too late. Giganto shot his fire toward the door, blocking us again. "Giganto, you've been formidable but alas, you're seriously pissing me off. Lydia, fire on three!" She nodded in agreement.
"Three!" I said, catching her off guard. Opps. We both shot at the same time, fire and ice. Lydia wasn't expecting and neither was Giganto. He let out a horrible screech as both the elements struck him at once. When they stopped we knew it was over, the fire died around us and the only thing left were the beer bottles, which had survived the fire. Joy.
"What was that?" Lydia asked, referring to my power.
"Oh nothing huge." I said, water dripping from my hands and onto the floor. It was odd, cause all the sudden she just started laughing, then so did I. Not the ideal moment to be laughing but for some reason we couldn't help it.
"That was so crazy." She said after regaining her composure.
"Whatever is going in here, these powers, I doubt we are alone. We should go find everyone else. I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence." With the doorway clear we made our way to the first floor and to find the rest of our friends and hopefully answers.
Check out the other chapters!
Chapter 1 - Irritum
Chapter 2 - Animositas
Chapter 3 - Superbia
Chapter 4 - Avaritia[Currently not posted to YWS, continue to the next Chapter won't cause too much confusion]
Chapter 5 - May Traverse
Chapter 6 - Sorocos
Chapter 7 - Suspension
