JUST LIKE THE regular afternoons, Jared was sitting on the couch at the center of the lobby with indistinct chatters filling the area as students kept parading the lobby back and forth in groups to get food. Everything was normal except that Jamie was not sitting with him in the lobby today."Are they not supposed to eat in the dining hall?" He thought out loud as he saw Santiago, Wong, Alessia and Dawn, lined in a semi circle digging their spoons into a cup filled with ice cream and spilling some of it on the floor at one corner of the lobby.It was against the rules to eat in the lobby but it seems like the rules were exceptional to the likes of Santiago, Wong, Jamie, Lily, Alessia and Ruby. They were more than just students. They were highly trained to protect the institution in case of external attacks. Jamie had told him they were called The Guardians.He wondered why the cafeteria and the lounge vending machine was situated at the other side of the building when it could be plac
IT ALL BEGUN like a dream. You know that type of dream that seems to have emerged from nowhere even though you have always been aware of it's existence. It could be felt, it could give a sense of direction, unconsciously at first, till it becomes a reality."The fortitude." Jared had muttered under his breath that morning while simply replying with a nod."It's going to be the best for you baby, I've done all the necessary findings on the institution and they specialize in taking care of people who have situations like yours, we can trust them honey," Jared's mom said to her son leaning closely to him and stroking his hair in an affectionate way.Jared on the other hand, had a lot going on in his mind and so many questions unanswered. It had been approximately five years, twenty six days he lost his father to a fatal accident which almost had him traumatized as he was in the same vehicle and witnessed his father being ripped in half—a sight he wished he never beheld.Barely two years
SARAH WAS PETITE, tall with blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She was in her mid thirties but still looked twenty-five as a result of her round babyish face.As far as she could remember, she had been writing and she grew up with the dream of covering the most insane, mysterious, mythical and unbelievable stories and reports in her writings. Before the last two years, she had been doing researches on different gods and their mythical stories, coming up with captivating writings in forms of articles and short stories. In the last two years, she realized that there seemed to be gods among humans and wanted to cover a writing about them but she had not really heard anything about them or gathered solid facts regarding their existence. But she knew, she could feel it that they existed. Now, finally, there is a stepping stone for her.She grabbed her Jacket and made her way to the scene.* * *As Ian climbed the iron railings with a huge back pack strapped to his back, he grumbled."I should
"DO YOU THINK we made the right choice?" Joanne asked her husband Bennie who didn't look bothered about their son leaving under their care as she made her way to the bed to join him in her light pink lingerie. "Bennie," She called out facing her already dozing husband who felt exhausted from driving almost all day. "I think he will do just fine," Bennie groaned without opening his already tired eyes. Joanne wasn't satisfied with the answer she got. "You know, he has never been on his own before, without me and there are so many strange kids...." "Trust me, he will be fine. Did you see the excitement in his eyes when he saw that kid with wings? I've never seen him look like that. He will have a sense of belonging and most importantly, he will be able to control those constant noises that pose as a problem for him. You don't have to worry, we made the right choice for him. Come over here," Bennie replied stretching out his hands for her to curl in with his eyes half opened. "Did yo
SARAH FINALLY FOUND the campervan after several hours of driving around the outskirts of the city. The campervan looked abandoned but she could tell someone had been there recently. She tried getting access into the campervan but it was locked. She paused, placed her hands on the door of the campervan, closed her eyes and in few seconds, she transitted. She saw herself inside the campervan in the midst of two men. One was peering into a map on the wall, the other was kneeling. She recognized Ian as the robber kneeling, but, didn't recognize the bearded man. She moved to the fridge in the campervan and saw an unfinished beer. She came back to reality. There was no clue pointing out the robber's whereabouts from what she saw. She immediately felt breaking into the campervan was the best option.She couldn't wait for the man to come around. He could have probably left ditching the campervan since the robbery was successful. She thought.After forcefully breaking in, she examined the inner
JARED WAS AWOKEN by a resounding synthesized female voice coming from a speaker located at the edge of the high walls of his room."How come I didn't notice that?" Jared grumbled as he sat lazily on his bed. He took a quick peep at the table clock beside him and dashed into the bathroom. He didn't hear what the synthesized female voice had said but it woke him anyway. He could find out from Alex later in the day.Just as he came out clean from the bathroom, there was a loud knock on the door."Jared are you ready?" Alex asked, raising his baritone voice a little bit high.Jared looked at the table clock before him. It read seven fifty. He was supposed to be awake since six forty-five. "Give me ten minutes," he yelled back.Exactly ten minutes after, Alex was about to knock again as he had not expected Jared to keep to the time he gave, the door swung open."Good morning, Mr Alex," Jared grinned."There's nothing good about the morning boy, you woke up late.""I couldn't sleep last ni
"HEY GUYS, MEET Jared, the newest extraordinary in our midst," Jamie called for the attention of everyone as he approached them. They all stared at Jamie with a numb expression on their face."Hi! Jared," One of the girl said, grinning widely and waving her left hand."Hi!" Jared waved back and put on a smile.In few minutes, they had all crowded him, offering handshakes and hugs. He felt relieved until he noticed a girl among them withdrawn from the crowd that surrounded him."Who is she?" He asked Jamie barely whispering and without taking his eyes off her."Oh, She?" Jamie traced the direction Jared's eyes was pointing to and gulped hard. "Well...uhm, she's Ruby, that's how she is, kind of saucy. Just ignore her." Jamie said and walked away. Jared didn't take his eyes of her until she almost caught him staring at her, he quickly tilted his head and pretended he was looking at something else. He stole one more quick glance at her before he felt someone nudging him from behind."Wh
IT WAS NOT difficult locating the tavern as Sarah could remember Riley's Bar like it was yesterday. It was where she had her first kiss as a teenager, a feeling that still made her knees week. The outer view of the bar had not changed much from the years past. Although, it looked smaller than she could remember, she wondered if the interior of the bar was still the same picture she had in her head from years ago. She kept scanning the bar as she crossed to the other side of the road."Oops, sorry," She let out as she almost bumped into an old lady with a bag of groceries. Just a few more steps, she could tell where the accident involving Ian and his family had occured. She lowered to the ground inspecting the floors as if she could feel something beneath the hard tar floors. She slowly let her palm reach for the surface of the earth. As she came in contact with it, she transitted. But, this time, it came in flashes. She saw a male paramedic checking Ian's pulse and declaring him de
JUST LIKE THE regular afternoons, Jared was sitting on the couch at the center of the lobby with indistinct chatters filling the area as students kept parading the lobby back and forth in groups to get food. Everything was normal except that Jamie was not sitting with him in the lobby today."Are they not supposed to eat in the dining hall?" He thought out loud as he saw Santiago, Wong, Alessia and Dawn, lined in a semi circle digging their spoons into a cup filled with ice cream and spilling some of it on the floor at one corner of the lobby.It was against the rules to eat in the lobby but it seems like the rules were exceptional to the likes of Santiago, Wong, Jamie, Lily, Alessia and Ruby. They were more than just students. They were highly trained to protect the institution in case of external attacks. Jamie had told him they were called The Guardians.He wondered why the cafeteria and the lounge vending machine was situated at the other side of the building when it could be plac
"CAN YOU HEAR me Jamie?""Yes I can." Hearing Jamie's voice lissed Jared. He had been constantly attempting to communicate with Jamie telepathically for few minutes from his room, all his efforts proved abortive. He didn't give up as he knew Jamie could hear him but the difficulty was perceiving whatever sound that emanated from Jamie wherever he was. With more concentration, connection and persistence, he was glad he could also hear from Jamie the same way Jamie could hear from him."I just wanted to say I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I tried speaking to her telepathically and I think she freaked out. I'm sorry.""It's alright, I totally understand. But, just be careful next time, Ruby is dangerous," Jared heard Jamie's reply in his head."Is there anything I can do to help?""No, just stay out of trouble yourself so you don't get cuffed with this metallic wristband and quarantined. Whatever is on my wrist is preventing me from using my abilities.""That's awful. Really sorry about t
"CAN'T BELIEVE ANY human would come here," Sarah grumbled as she kept combing through the forest. She had to park her car outside of the woods as there was no way her car could pass through the gigantic trees. She had been rummaging the forest for almost thirty minutes and had not come across any sign of a single human. Frustration was beginning to eat her insides."Ugh!" She grunted as she kicked a tree in frustration. "I should have planned better before coming here." She heaved a sigh after realizing the high probability of being lost."Are you looking for me?" Her attention swept to the trails of the voice that had startled her. Lo and behold! It was Ian.She smiled at first but her smile slowly turned into a facial expression of horror as everything seemed crystal clear to her whilst fragments of her nightmare the night before reappeared.She turned to run but her limbs froze. A struggle to move ensued and she shrilled out of fear "what's happening?!"Someone else was in contro
A CUP OF warm coffee lifted Sarah's spirits that morning even though she wasn't a fan of caffeine. Her eyes felt heavy and she felt drained, she wondered why. She had a nightmare that had her gasping the moment she woke up. She had seen herself in a forest, stuck to a tree like she was tied to it but there was no visible rope used in holding her back to the tree. She struggled so hard and screamed, but, her body wouldn't just come off the tree. It felt like someone else was in control of her body making sure she couldn't move an inch from the tree. She saw Ian and the bearded man from her transition few days ago approaching her. "You finally found me". Ian had said smirking in her dream before she woke up. The dream felt so real and she didn't know what to think. She couldn't say if it was an ordinary dream or it meant something. At this point, she had no idea what her next step should be. There was no possible way of finding Ian without a clue or something that could transit her to w
ALMOST AN HOUR of silence before Henry muttered. "We are almost there." The chirping of evening birds and the rustling of dried leaves filled the serene environment."Can you hear the lake?" Henry asked turning to face her as she had been lingering behind him all through their journey."Yes, I can," Zoe replied with a smile. Henry's roughly toned voice had intruded her thoughts."It's over there," Henry pointed at the flowing river ahead of them, less than fifty foot away. As they got to the riverbank, Henry stretched out his hands towards Zoe and she placed her palm in his. He mockingly offered her a seat on a large granite rock situated at the riverbank. He sat on the rusty ground beside her and placed his head on her thighs."What do you think about the river?" Henry asked as he lifted his head from her thighs and put a stone he had picked beside him in her right hand. She tossed the stone into the air and it landed into the river with a splash."Beautiful. That's all I can think o
IT WAS NOT difficult locating the tavern as Sarah could remember Riley's Bar like it was yesterday. It was where she had her first kiss as a teenager, a feeling that still made her knees week. The outer view of the bar had not changed much from the years past. Although, it looked smaller than she could remember, she wondered if the interior of the bar was still the same picture she had in her head from years ago. She kept scanning the bar as she crossed to the other side of the road."Oops, sorry," She let out as she almost bumped into an old lady with a bag of groceries. Just a few more steps, she could tell where the accident involving Ian and his family had occured. She lowered to the ground inspecting the floors as if she could feel something beneath the hard tar floors. She slowly let her palm reach for the surface of the earth. As she came in contact with it, she transitted. But, this time, it came in flashes. She saw a male paramedic checking Ian's pulse and declaring him de
"HEY GUYS, MEET Jared, the newest extraordinary in our midst," Jamie called for the attention of everyone as he approached them. They all stared at Jamie with a numb expression on their face."Hi! Jared," One of the girl said, grinning widely and waving her left hand."Hi!" Jared waved back and put on a smile.In few minutes, they had all crowded him, offering handshakes and hugs. He felt relieved until he noticed a girl among them withdrawn from the crowd that surrounded him."Who is she?" He asked Jamie barely whispering and without taking his eyes off her."Oh, She?" Jamie traced the direction Jared's eyes was pointing to and gulped hard. "Well...uhm, she's Ruby, that's how she is, kind of saucy. Just ignore her." Jamie said and walked away. Jared didn't take his eyes of her until she almost caught him staring at her, he quickly tilted his head and pretended he was looking at something else. He stole one more quick glance at her before he felt someone nudging him from behind."Wh
JARED WAS AWOKEN by a resounding synthesized female voice coming from a speaker located at the edge of the high walls of his room."How come I didn't notice that?" Jared grumbled as he sat lazily on his bed. He took a quick peep at the table clock beside him and dashed into the bathroom. He didn't hear what the synthesized female voice had said but it woke him anyway. He could find out from Alex later in the day.Just as he came out clean from the bathroom, there was a loud knock on the door."Jared are you ready?" Alex asked, raising his baritone voice a little bit high.Jared looked at the table clock before him. It read seven fifty. He was supposed to be awake since six forty-five. "Give me ten minutes," he yelled back.Exactly ten minutes after, Alex was about to knock again as he had not expected Jared to keep to the time he gave, the door swung open."Good morning, Mr Alex," Jared grinned."There's nothing good about the morning boy, you woke up late.""I couldn't sleep last ni
SARAH FINALLY FOUND the campervan after several hours of driving around the outskirts of the city. The campervan looked abandoned but she could tell someone had been there recently. She tried getting access into the campervan but it was locked. She paused, placed her hands on the door of the campervan, closed her eyes and in few seconds, she transitted. She saw herself inside the campervan in the midst of two men. One was peering into a map on the wall, the other was kneeling. She recognized Ian as the robber kneeling, but, didn't recognize the bearded man. She moved to the fridge in the campervan and saw an unfinished beer. She came back to reality. There was no clue pointing out the robber's whereabouts from what she saw. She immediately felt breaking into the campervan was the best option.She couldn't wait for the man to come around. He could have probably left ditching the campervan since the robbery was successful. She thought.After forcefully breaking in, she examined the inner