Thirty-Eight- Briar-Rose

that's a lot of hyphens...

Chapter 38

Briar-Rose

It was kind of awkward and uncomfortable piggy backing on someone across the country, especially when that someone is the person you like.

We cross the border into California on the third day of traveling and settle down near the coast on the fourth day in a field bordered by trees and a few random boulders dropped there by ancient glaciers. I'm such a nerd. The field is so massive it seems to meet the sky in the distance, the tan grass up to my waist in some places. Purple and white wild flowers bloom in patches. Daisies and another yellow flower are abundant too. A few flat-ish boulders sit in a circle, perfect for sitting around a fire. A clear stream bubbles through the field, everything we need is within our reach.

Except for food. With Ash's appetite, we're running out of food, and he gets weaker quickest without it, because he's so used to eating enough for three people. But he says he's gone hungry before, so he'll be okay.

“Hey, to get our minds off of hunger, you wanna have a contest?” I say to the silent group. Some look up interested, some juts make an effort to look awake.

“Like what?” Nox asks, sitting up from lying on the ground.

“Well, we could say me against you and if I won, I'd move on to Ray or someone, and who ever wins the last round gets an extra Oreo.”

“I'm in!” Ash calls, at first being one of the ones just trying to stay awake. We laugh.

“And no fatal powers please! Anyone wanna go first?” I ask. Wren and Nox raise their hands and they get up. Nox strips down to his super tight underpants and evaporates to smoke. He rushes at Wren who hadn't seen the demonstration the first training session and doesn't know it knocks you to the ground, falls on his butt. Nox reforms, calls his bow and arrow, fits the arrow in and pulls back, not actually going to shoot.

“Next!” He calls. Ash gets up. Before Nox can do anything Ash kicks out his legs. Nox sprawls on the ground and Ash puts one foot on his chest, his hand drawn back as if he was going to send fire raining down onto him.

“Yeah, Ash!” Wren calls, humiliated about his quick defeat. But Nox rears back and knees Ash in the balls, rendering him motionless.

“Sorry man.” He says as Ash waddles back to the rocks. Then Marina stands up. A wave of water rears up behind her from the stream, but Nox merely sucks it into his black hole. Every time she tries something he does the same until she gives up in frustration.

Then it's Air's turn and she immediately flies into the sky, avoiding anything Nox can do. He stops to think for a minute, then walls of blackness descend around her, with a roof too, as solid as any building. We hear her pound against it for a while.

“Fine...” She sighs. And the walls disappear, but as they do a huge gale force wind centered only on Nox blows him backward six feet. Airborne happily caresses her iron fans. But then Nox is smoke again and plows into her while she's in the air. She lands on Ash with an “oof!” Nox reappears.

Then I get up, and as I take my stance to do some major weed whacking (except the weeds are whacking him) he cups his hands together and the wave of water from before settles in front of me, in the exact position Marina had it. I watch in horror as it crashes down on me, soaking me to the bone.

“Ugh! You a*s wipe!” I laugh, flicking water off my fingers. A vine erupts from the earth and wraps around him, pounding him over and over against a tree, but his hands are still free. Somehow he manages to string and arrow and lets it fly into the vine, severing it. It wilts almost immediately and he is freed. Then he traps me in walls like he did with Airborne.

“Okay! Okay! Uncle!” I laugh. The walls dissipate and I take my seat.

Then it's Jasper's turn, he gets up and Nox holds walls steadily above him. Jasper walks back to his seat.

Then Ray gets up and strips down to a bra and underwear. The guys blush. She cracks her knuckles and makes the 'come forward' motion that they do in Kung Fu movies. He rushes at her, ready to do something, but she turns into smoke and he runs straight into what feels like the strongest guy in the world punching you. She then reforms and uses rays of sun to burn his hands, making him incapable of using his bow. He stands, just staring at his blistering hands while she turns back to a cloud and wisps behind him silently, then reforms again. She grabs him in a choke hold and pushes him the ground, then before he can get up she momentarily blinds him and then straddles him, holding her dagger made of diamond to his neck, panting.

He breathes heavily waiting for his vision to fade in and he sees he's been defeated.

“I didn't want the Oreo anyway.” He grumbles. She smiles her blonde hair on one side of her head, the back of her neck glistening with sweat in the California sun. She continues to sit on him, but with the dagger gone, eating her Oreo in mockery. This is flirting.

“You do realize you're both in your underwear...” Ash says. Rays face freezes in an 'oh my god' expression and she looks down horrified. Her face immediately turns bright red and her jaw drops open, filled with Oreo. She scrambles to put on clothes while Nox just laughs hysterically on the ground. Next to me, Jasper scowls.

It's night and we all sit around a fire Ash made for us, it's ringed by rocks and pebbles, keeping the fire from spreading so he doesn't have to constantly monitor it.

“Ray, how did you discover your powers?” I ask. “I mean, I saw you burst into light, but that wasn't the first time.”

“I, uh, would've died when the school destructed if I hadn't glowed. I was trapped under rubble and there was no oxygen. I was about to pass out when I started glowing, and because of that someone found me.” She says.

“Wow. I'm so glad you didn't die!” Air says.

“Thanks?” She laughs. We talk about our reactions when we first discovered our powers and then go to sleep, the sparks from the fire rising into the sky.

But I dread tonight, tonight starts the dream cycle again.

Author's Note

reviews please! criticisms welcome!

Reviews

[Sylvana]

You put this chapter in the wrong book. (;
lol, weed whacking.. I liked how simple this chapter was, a nice fun break for everyone to relax, because soon they'll be in war.

[Wild Willow Blue]

Another good one!