Chapter 1 (Carly)

Carly leaned to one side, resting her forehead against the window, letting her body succumb to the sporadic jolts of the bus. The window was cool enough from the condensation that it made her shiver. At the top of the window were two water droplets, racing each other to the bottom. She traced the right one’s path with her forefinger, hoping it would win. It lost. Another two droplets had formed at the top, and she traced one of them again. She lost again. Another two droplets formed, but this time she ignored them and began counting the mailboxes the bus passed by. She had counted the same mailboxes every morning on her way to school. There were 58 of them starting from when the bus picked her up.

Carly had mastered the art of entertaining herself. She didn’t have a smartphone like most of her classmates, and “snake” could only last her so long. She didn’t have many friends, and definitely none who rode the bus to school. Most of the other seniors in her class drove themselves. Without anyone to talk to, she usually had to resort to mind games. She played with arithmetic a lot: reducing fractions, dividing prime numbers, counting by powers of two. Other times she wondered about the physics of things. Why did the rain drops fall in the manner that they did? Why was it that once they hit a certain part of the window they no longer formed a drop but instead formed a stream?

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… she counted in her head as the bus rolled to yet another stop.

The sky was now a deep gray. The sun was completely eclipsed by the dense, dark clouds. The cars on the road were forced to turn on their brights. Carly had seen on last night’s news that a light sprinkle was to be expected, but this looked like the makings of a severe storm. She pulled her jacket in a little tighter wondering how it could be 40 degrees today when it had been 80 yesterday. Texas weather is so bipolar, she thought.

Oh, how she longed for those 100 degree mid-summer days. Of course, she never stayed outside for more than an hour on those days, else she risked third degree burns. But at least it was warm unlike this frigid weather. And Dallas was somewhat windy anyway. In the summer, that breeze was a gift, but now, in December, it was a frozen hell. On the bright side, it was only a few more weeks until school got out (and hopefully there would be a snow day before then), and then soon followed Christmas.

Carly wasn’t necessarily religious, but she did enjoy the holidays. Her foster parents and sister always put up a tree in their living room and decorated it with the most lavish ornaments and lights. Her foster mother would fill the air with the smell of gingerbread. And, of course, there would be a pile of presents for them to open on Christmas day. This family was by far the best foster family Carly had lived with over the years, and also the longest lasting. They never lashed out at Carly for being… unusual. Previous families threw her back at the government as soon as she threw a fit or broke a piece of furniture or slightly injured another person living in the house. Granted, she usually felt dizzy or blacked out when any of these things occurred so she couldn’t quite recall exactly what had happened in any of the incidents, but she was a young girl. How much harm could she have done?

Despite her past, the Hardings were very tolerant of her. They had kept her for three years already. But Carly was worried for her future. She had come to love the Hardings as if they were her own parents. They kept her well-fed, dressed, and even gave her her own room. They gave her a flip phone for emergencies, and splurged on makeup for her. They weren’t at all wealthy, but with all the care they showed her, she felt spoiled. So she had to wonder, what would happen in January once she turned 18 and was no longer under the care of the foster system? Would they keep her? As much as she wanted to say yes, she had learned to not be so confident in people. Everyone but the Hardings had abandoned her when things got rough. Even the people she trusted or expected to be there for her had failed her. Sure, the Hardings had kept her the longest out of all the foster families, but she hadn’t blacked out since she had been in their care -- only gotten dizzy. They hadn’t seen her worst side yet, and she wasn’t even sure what that side looked like. But it was enough to scare off even her closest friends, and the thought of that was frightening.

She wondered if she had ever done any damage as a baby, and if that was the reason her birth parents abandoned her. But surely if a girl couldn’t do much damage, a baby surely shouldn’t be able to.

She touched her chest to find her locket. It was shaped in a heart with the name Carly inscribed on the front and Slade inscribed on the back. On the bottom of the back her date of birth was written: January 10th , 1995.

That was everything the government knew about her when she was left at the entrance of a hospital in the middle of Dallas on January 11th , 1995. She was supposedly wrapped up in multiple fleece blankets, laying on a silk pillow in a woven basket. In her arms, she hugged a stuffed monkey and around her neck she wore the locket. She had big, chocolatey brown eyes and curly blonde hair. And she slept soundly. She didn’t wake up until a nurse picked her up, brought her inside, and she began crying. That’s what her social worker told her at least. Clearly, whoever had left her at the hospital wanted the best for her, but no parents in sight. Carly couldn’t even begin to imagine what they looked like, but as she had gotten older she had begun to care less about them. If they didn’t want her, she didn’t want them.

The bus lurched to a stop, knocking Carly into the seat in front of her.

Two girls Carly had never seen before walked onto the bus, and suddenly Carly noticed that the bus had taken a different route this morning. The mailbox count was completely off. What made these girls so special that they got a route made specifically for them?

Though she was annoyed, she had to admit the girls were gorgeous and courteous -- thanking the bus driver repeatedly for picking them up. One was blonde, the other a dark brunette. The dark brunette wore dark makeup and clothes. Someone never grew out of that emo phase, Carly thought, and the blonde had on an extremely pink outfit. Stereotypical, much? Carly rolled her eyes at them and turned back to the window to resume counting her now skewed number of mailboxes.

“Excuse me?” a high-pitched, perky voice said.

Carly turned her head, half surprised that someone had decided to talk to her this morning, half surprised that it was the emo girl who was talking. Not quite the voice I was expecting from her.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” the brunette asked, pointing to the empty seat next to Carly. Carly saw that the blonde was asking the guy across the aisle the same question.

She looked back up at the girl. “Um, sure. No problem.” She moved her backpack and scooted closer to the window. Then she attempted to resume her routine.

But the girl wouldn’t let her. “Hi, my name is Sierra. What’s yours?” She stuck a hand out.

Carly sighed and turned back to the girl. Feigning a smile, she reluctantly shook the girl’s hand and introduced herself.

“Carly, huh? What a pretty name.” Sierra turned across the aisle to tap the blonde’s knee. “Hey Sienna, meet Carly.”

The blonde whipped her hair around as she spun in her seat. She, too, decided to stick her hand out.

“Hey Carly, I’m Sienna. Sienna Delphino.” Her voice was equally as high as the brunette’s.

As Carly took her hand, Carly realized how astonishingly similar the brunette and blonde actually were. Same height, same eyes, same body type. Normally, she wouldn’t have said anything, but watching water droplet races and counting mailboxes no longer seemed that interesting. She let her curiosity get the best of her.

“Are you two twins?”

The girls smiled. “Yep,” they said in unison. “Identical.”

“Wanted to be told apart?” Carly asked, pointing to their hair.

“Nope,” they said, again in unison. “We were born this way.”

Carly raised an eyebrow. “But that’s not possible.”

“Our parents said the same thing to the doctors, but it’s the truth,” Sierra said. “We’re genetically identical. Must be magic.” She shrugged.

“Interesting,” Carly said, then decided to change to subject. “Did you two just move here? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I guess you could say that,” Sienna said. “We’ve been in the area for a while but we just settled down on a place to live.”

“You mean your parents did?”

“No. No parents. It’s just us.” Sierra flashed a smile.

Carly was confused. “Where are your parents?” She had never heard of anyone in high school living on their own voluntarily.

“They didn’t want to move. Plus, it was really our jobs that moved us. Our parents were busy with their jobs back at home,” Sienna explained.

“You guys have jobs that pay well enough that you can pay rent on your own? Why are you even still going to school?”

“Because, sweet Carly,” Sierra said, “education is important. We can’t advance our positions without it.” She smiled eerily. Just now had Carly realized how green their eyes were. She had never seen that color on anyone before. She had seen hazel, sure, but this was different. It was as if their eyes could pierce through yours and see every thought you had ever had. Carly had a feeling these were not girls you wanted to mess with.

After that, their conversation had fallen silent. This allowed Carly to hear the howling of the winds and claps of thunder echoing in the sky. The sky was almost black now, and only lit up when lightning sheared across it. It wouldn’t be long before buckets of rain spilled from the clouds. She closed her eyes in peace, listening to the rhythm of the thunder. As much as she hated the cold, she loved storms. Something about them had always attracted her. Maybe it was the light show they displayed on the dark canvas of clouds. Or maybe it was the concert they played in the auditorium of the sky. Either way, she loved the feeling of the electricity in the air playing with the hair on the back of her neck. She felt powerful, and in control. She expected that someday, if she were to accomplish anything extraordinary, it would be during a storm like this. She heard the faint sound of someone’s phone warning them of a tornado in the area. Even better. The edges of her lips curled up.

POP!

Carly was thrown forwards and sideways and backwards all at the same time. She looked out the window only to catch a glimpse of a piece of black rubber flying away in the wind. But she couldn’t see it for long. She was forced to cover her ears at the piercing pitch of metal on asphalt. SCREEECH!, it cried out as the bus jerked and spun to a stop. She was thrown into the seat in front of her once more before the bus finally came to a stop. It didn’t seem as if anyone was hurt but plenty of the students were crying out or calling someone on their phones. The mumblings were only drowned out by a huge thunder clap.

Sienna and Sierra had fallen to the floor during the accident. Sierra sat up holding her head, but Sienna remained on the ground. Sierra looked worried for her sister for a moment, but then she turned her attention to Carly.

“What the hell happened?” she exclaimed.

The bus was leaning over to one side, and there were tread marks all over the pavement behind them. Carly opened the window and saw the bus driver walking toward the back of the bus.

“I think a tire blew out,” Carly said.

Sienna had somewhat opened her eyes. She was moaning in pain, but Carly figured that to be a good sign of life.

Sierra knelt by her sister’s side, lifting her head off the ground.

“That’s it? It felt more like something knocked us off the road.”

Carly shrugged. “Maybe the wind hit us hard.” She peeked out the window again. The bus driver was on her knees fixing the wheel, but Carly was pretty sure it would be awhile before they got back on the road.

As she sat back down, Sienna was sitting up and barely intelligible in her speech.

“Sierra,” she said, holding the back of her neck. “Sierra, we’ve got to go.”

“You were knocked out, Sienna,” Carly said. “We should probably get you to a clinic, or at the very least the nurse at school.”

Sienna didn’t pay mind to Carly, but just reached for Sierra’s collar and yanked her down. “Now, Sierra. We have to go… now.”

Sierra nodded and stood up, helping her sister off of the floor.

“Sienna, really,” Carly said, “you need to get checked out. You could have a concussion. Sit down, and let’s wait until the bus starts moving again.”

But neither twin was listening. They stood still, staring at the back window of the bus. Carly followed their gaze. Great, she thought. It’s pouring and we’re stuck. But what were they so mesmerized by? She squinted a little more and found a shadow in the distance. It was walking toward the bus, but the rain blurred her view of it. Is he crazy? she thought. He’ll get soaked. Slowly, the shadow grew bigger and more detailed. Now, Carly could see he was dressed in a black sweatshirt with the hood up, black sweatpants, and a black mask. She still couldn’t see his eyes, though.

“Who is that?” she asked. “Do you know him?”

“No,” the twins answered. “But we know who he belongs to. C’mon, Carly. Let’s get out of here.”

“What? Go where? It’s pouring outside, and we’re still a mile from school.”

“Just trust us. We’re trying to protect you,” Sierra said. She grabbed Carly’s hand.

Carly yanked it away. “Trust you? I’ve just met you.”

The black figure was just a couple dozen feet from the bus.

“Carly"” Sierra started.

“And what exactly do I need protection from?” Carly’s head was spinning. She knew she didn’t know the girls, but her instinct was telling her to trust them. Plus, she felt like if they were right about that shadow man. She’d probably have a much easier time fighting with them instead of alone.

But on the other hand, how much could she trust them?

“Carly, please"” Sienna said.

“No,” Carly said quickly. “You two are just as much of strangers to me as he is.”

“I’m not wasting anymore time,” Sienna said as she grabbed Carly’s arm and pulled her towards the front exit. “Let’s go, Sierra.”

Carly struggled to get free, but the twins were much stronger than they looked. She was right about having messed with them.

“What are you doing?” Carly cried out. “Let go of me!”

“I’m sorry, Carly,” Sierra said, “but we can’t do that.”

The twins forced her to the front of the bus. Carly, still struggling, turned her head to look at the back bus window. Where had the shadow gone?

She was forced down the steps into the rain, and the twins followed closely behind. Carly was squinting, but it was almost impossible to see anything in this storm. It also occurred to Carly just how much metal was near her and how much lightning there was this morning. Even without the metal as a threat, they were still extremely exposed with little nearby shelter. A tree was the best option, and it was probably just as dangerous to be near one.

“C’mon,” Sienna said. “We need to get out of sight.”

“I’m pretty sure this rain is coverage enough,” Sierra said.

“Better safe than sorry,” Sienna replied. “You know they would have our heads if anyone saw us.”

“Honestly, Sienna, I can’t see us.”

The girls stopped dead in their tracks. Carly noticed that the twins had let go of her, but she was too paralyzed to try and make a run for it. The shadow was only a foot in front of them, as if he had waited for them to come to him. Carly tried to remind herself that she didn’t know any of the people in her company, but she couldn’t help fearing only the shadow, especially now that he was up close. He still wore a mask, but it didn’t matter. The rain camouflaged his face well. Even up this close, she couldn’t see his eyes. But, up this close, he was much more of a threat.

Quickly, he muttered something inaudible as he thrust his hands forward. He touched nothing, but a blue ball of light appeared and grew to explode. The light knocked Sienna and Sierra off of their feet, leaving only Carly standing. She stood trying to contemplate what just happened, but soon shock reverted back to fear, as she found herself completely defenseless against someone who clearly had an advantage on her. Carly was still paralyzed when the faceless man grabbed her by the arm and dragged her in the rain. When he pulled her a few feet, her senses finally kicked in.

“Sienna! Sierra! Please! Help me!” she screamed, twisting in his grasp, but his grip just seemed to strengthen. “Stop!” she cried at him. “Where are you taking me?” Her voice was lost in the wind and downpour of rain.

Suddenly, a green light zoomed through the air and knocked him off of his feet. Carly took the brief opportunity to run. She made a break for the first best hiding spot she could see a large oak tree in the nearby yard. Once she made it to the tree, she slowed her breathing, attempting to calm down. The bus was completely out of sight now, she noticed. She hadn’t realized that they had walked so far. And speaking of they, where were they?

The rain lightened to just a sprinkle, but the sky was still dark and lightning still shot across the sky. Now Carly could see from a distance.

Across the road, she witnessed the twins back on their feet, fighting the black figure. But she almost couldn’t believe her eyes. It wasn’t a fist fight she was watching. Bursts of light flew back and forth between the sides. Some knocked their opponent off of their feet. Others were dodged. And yet still others were reflected back at their creator. It was a light show that mirrored the sky's, except that the lights had mass and were used as weapons.

But just as Carly accepted that fact, the game changed again. The hooded figure shouted something in another language Carly didn’t recognize as he waved his arms around. Before Carly’s eyes, fire appeared in his hands. He threw the flames at the twins, and the fire circled the girls, trapping them and forcing them to back into each other.

Sienna looked up at the sky, drew her hands up and rushed them down to her sides. The pouring rain was suspended and then iced mid-air, forming millions of tiny daggers. She flipped her palms out to the figure, and the millions of icicles rushed at him.

But the figure had already burnt the roots of a nearby tree, freeing it, and levitating it in the air, ready to use it as a shield. He muttered several incomprehensible words and spun his hands around. The tree, like a puppet, responded to his every movement. It blocked and shattered every single ice dagger thrown at him. Then, it flew towards the girls still caught in the fire. This time it was Sierra who was quick on her feet. She put her hands together with only her fingers touching, closed her eyes, and drew a deep breath. As she exhaled, the fire launched up at the tree. Carly first noticed the heat of the air surrounding her and then the ash that fell with the rain.

She knew she had to help, but all she could do was watch in awe. Even if she wasn’t stunned with the dazzling show, it’s not like she could possibly help fight against someone who could levitate a tree or with someone who could control fire.

Carly grabbed at the prickle she felt on her neck and looked up to the sky. A streak of light tore through the clouds, quickly followed by a deafening crack. The lightning seemed a lot closer to them now. They needed to get out of this storm.

But as she turned her attention back to the fight, she realized that that had only been the beginning. The figure had somehow increased the speed of the wind, and it was so strong that it blew both twins off of their feet. But as the girls were knocked back, Sierra increased the downpour from the sky, forming a stream connecting the clouds and the earth. The water forced the figure to lose his footing, thus he lost control of the wind. The girls took advantage of his misstep, and, just as twins do, knew exactly what the other was about to do. As if they had rehearsed this dance a thousand times before, in complete unison, they moved their hands from the sky to the ground, to the nearby ditch. Then they faced one another and mirrored each other’s movements to grow the water flow in the ditch. The shadow seemed completely unable to breathe, let alone escape. Carly finally believed that the fight was over.

But the figure was unrelenting. He had only been dragged in the ditch two blocks when he forced his way to the surface of the turbulent river gasping for air. He took the opportunity to shout out yet another unintelligible phrase. Carly frantically looked around, wondering what could possibly come next. And there she saw them.

The figure had enchanted an army of lawn gnomes, and it had begun marching towards the twins. If Carly hadn’t been so terrified, she would have laughed. Her anxiety almost made her do so anyway. As the army drew closer, they grew and grew and grew until they were as tall as the trees. Carly could only imagine what damage they could do…

Until she realized they wouldn’t.

“SIERRA, SIENNA WATCH OUT!” she screamed too late.

The twins were gawking at the gnomes when a wave two stories high came crashing down on them. They were both knocked to the ground sputtering, and before they could comprehend what was going on, yet another wave attacked. At the back of her mind, she had to give the hooded figure credit; he knew exactly how to play this game. He had only needed a distraction long enough to control the flooded ditch. This wasn’t his first fight. Carly watched in her horror, coming to the realization that this could be the end of both the twins and herself.

The figure sent two more waves at the twins. Carly couldn’t be sure that they were conscious anymore, but set that thought aside. She backed up against the tree as much as she possibly could and looked up to the sky as if asking for help. Her mind told her no one was listening, but her heart told to her ask just in case.

She looked back at the road. Sienna had an arm stretched out, reaching for her sister, but it didn’t look like Sierra had attempted to reach back. Carly’s mind burned, thinking of a way to save them.

Just then, she noticed that the waves had stopped. She looked at the figure who was gathering up enough water to drown an army. This had to be his final attack. If she was going to do something it had to be now.

The back of Carly’s neck burned, and her heart was racing. She suddenly felt all the more powerful and ready to attack this shadow man, yet she still had no game plan in mind. As she took a step forward she looked up to sky one last time…

CRACK!

Carly had not yet taken her hand off of the tree when the blinding white light surged through the trunk of the oak. Her hand absorbed the light into her core and she doubled over in pain. She briefly looked up to see the figure surfing a ten story high wave headed for Sienna and Sierra. Sienna had somehow garnered enough strength to embrace her unconscious sister, but Carly knew there was no way either could survive this blow.  The only thing she could force her convulsing body to do was to point in vain at the shadow.

And so she did.

And so she slipped out of consciousness.

Author's Note

I know there is weird wording, but I'm curious as to what you think of the chapter in general.

Reviews

[Camiaug]

I really enjoyed this chapter! I felt as though I was on the bus watching it all happen. I think you're imagery is so strong and real, I would try to utilize that as much as possible in future chapters because it makes this story come alive and really captures the entire scene.

[Michelle]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the comment!