Down End Road

My ankle was tugged and I was suddenly pulled back under the galactic lake. My hair was floating around me like wispy strawberry-blonde tendrils.

The air was knocked out of my lungs when all of a sudden I collided with a massive cave like rock. I felt my stomach ache from the impact and through a hazed mind began fumbling for a hold on the rock.

I reached for an arm of peach coloured coral, when a massive seaweed thin, magenta and neon blue tentacle shot up and swatted my hand away.

As the tentacle speedily slithered its way down it hit my face and knocked of my snorkel yet again. The small oxygen tank attached to my waste went with it. I was being dragged by the ankle, further and further into a black abyss.

My blood was pounding in my ears. It was then through the haze of the moment that I noticed a small blond blob swimming deeper towards me, and only then did I realise that I was still fiercely holding onto my foreign treasures that I had found only moments before.

Through my tired and panicked mind I managed to come up with the plan to use the jewel encrusted rock as a sort of weapon and began bashing the rock against the slimy tentacle wrapped around my ankle. Its hold on me loosened and our quick descent slowed pace.

I started to wriggle my foot whilst simultaneously bashing the rock continuously against the strange slimy tentacle wrapped around my ankle. Its grip weakened further and further and it slowly began re drawing from my ankle.

Suddenly I felt a hand grab my wrist an pull me up towards the surface. My vision had become clouded with black spots and my energy was quickly draining. Abruptly, my head broke through the surface of the odd feeling water and my senses sharpened almost immediately, at the sharp and tangy odour of smelling salts.

I jolted my head towards the source and screwed up my face in disgust and instantly heard the relieved sigh of Maverick Landon. “Thank goodness your alive...” He trailed off into a rant of nonsensical and unintelligible ramblings of how scared he was.

I found this extremely unnecessary seeing as I was the one who had been dragged under the water by a giant beast unknown to mankind. “Alright, alright alright, I get it Maverick you’re a scaredy cat,” I deadpanned. “Can we go back now,” I asked a look of weariness coming over my face.

He jumped up and began and I followed suit, only to be stopped dead in my tracks by the stinging sensation in my arm. I looked down to find a series of scratches and my three chosen objects. I gasped in disbelief taking in the scene.

Maverick opened his mouth to say something but decided against it and pursed his lips. “How... Ugh you know what lets just call this a miracle and go home,” I asked, my limitations of shock full for one day.

“Ben, can we please get some medical attention Myra was attacked by a Tentra.” Maverick bellowed. Ben ran over to us from the fireplace where a small box and many forms lay on the mantel.

His face was filled with grim worry as he looked intently at me looking for any signs of an injury. “Myra, are you hurt?” He questioned his gaze filled with concern. I gently shook my head and was surprised by how my hair was only mildly damp along with my skin.

I began to rake my hands through my hair and over my forearms only finding a cold sheen of moisture and tiny flecks of luminescent green goo. My eyes shot over to Maverick looking him over only to have found him in the same condition I was.

“Maverick why aren’t I drenched right now?” I asked a slight hint of worry seeping into my voice. He only looked at me questionably before faint recognition flashed in his eyes.

“Oh, right, I forgot your new... well um we kind of don’t know and the societies guess is long and science-y so, basically we don’t get wet in there well not much anyway, we only get sprayed with a kind of mist, the reason we wear suits is because we still get this green stuff on us and nobody likes wearing damp clothes so yeah,” he explained, his laid back and easy-going manner making this seem like a forgotten fact instead of a huge forgotten warning.

My head was spinning and I felt faint but dared not show it on my face. Ben cast another worried glance in my direction before he instructed me to go change so he could give me a check-up.

I peeled off my racerback swimsuit and twisted my mildly damp hair into a messy bun. Then, wriggled into my jeans only to feel a slight ache in my ankle when it banged into my shoe.

I looked down at the ankle that the tentacle grabbed only to see and ginormous purple bruise with a white line running through the middle of the loop like bruise.

It was a thick purple line that wrapped around my ankle and thoroughly freaked me out. AfterI yanked on my top and tied my bandanna around my wrist, I went out into the room again.

Maverick was in the corner wearing his simple jeans and concert t-shirt, looking intently at his cell phone. “Hey where’s Ben,” I asked, he immediately looked up his eyes widening at the sight of me.

I self-consciously put my hands in my front pockets and grabbed at the fabric inside. “Uh, he’s outside with your parents who by the way can’t come inside, you know on the whole banishing thing so if you want to see them, you’ll have to go to the gardens again.” He said bluntly, I opened my mouth to say something but decided against it. Only nodding in response.

I had given Ben my objections earlier and he said that he would have the results by the time we went to talk to my parents. I guessed that time was now. I was nervous to hear my results and out of habit had begun to wring my hands.

I started to fiddle with my medallion. Butterflies had bloomed in my stomach and were fluttering fiercely by the time I had reached the tent. My mother and father rushed toward me a soon as they saw me. Scooping me up in a tight embrace, gushing over how worried they were and asking if I was alright.

I nodded showing them my purple and blue bruise. My mother went pale when she saw it, but after a tedious amount of reassurances I had convinced her I was unharmed, save for and odd looking bruise and a few scratches on my arm.

We then walked over to ben and Cassandra who smiled at me kindly and gestured for me to sit down. I sat down in the chair, took a big gulp of lemonade, gobbled up two finger sandwiches then looked expectantly toward Ben and Cassandra.

“Well deary, first off we are apologies for the incident with the Tentra it never acts up and well we are just a little confused as to why it did but that is a matter for another day,” she glanced over to my parents her brilliant green eyes shimmering in the warm afternoon glow of sunlight.

“We would usually expect someone of your predicament to score somewhere between a twenty to thirty but you my dear got a fifty.” Cassandra chimed.

My eyes widened and I felt a small smile tug at my lips but quickly returned it to a flat line remembering I didn’t even know what it was out of, or really have a clear understanding about what it meant. “I’m sorry but I still am a little fuzzy about what this test is for?” I asked.

Cassandra only looked over to Ben who narrowed his eyes ever so slightly before answering. “The test gives us an idea as to how connected you are to the portals, those who are more connected will be put through a more intensive training program and those who aren’t will be put in an easier one.

No one ever scores a fifty, in fact only four people have and all of them were founding fathers. I ran the test four times but got the same result every time. You are gifted Myra the test has proven that.” He explained his skepticism demeaning.

I looked at him my mouth slightly agape. I nodded my head slowly. “How does the test work or the marking of the test rather,” I asked voicing the one question on my mind.

“Well, we take some of your DNA and fragments of your chosen objects and put them in a solution that glows. The brighter it glows tells us how gifted you are.” He explained his eyes lightening up with excitement at the new topic.

I could tell he loved scientific stuff, it seemed to naturally lighten up his mood. I nodded in understanding, trying my hardest to contain my excitement from the test results. I placed my hands on my lap underneath the table and began fidgeting with my two fingers nervously.

“So does this mean I will be put in the advanced class then?” I asked, they nodded and I felt instantly calmer. I had always been put in the advanced classes and to not get into one now seemed like a huge failure to me. “So, classes start on Monday next week, and during your enrolment here you will be living her amongst the other students,” Cassandra explained gesturing to the land belonging to the manner.

My fathers jaw visibly tensed and I saw a flash of fear in my mothers eye however she just smiled and said her thanks while my father nodded somberly. They then went on to explain my strengths and weaknesses.

“You seem to have excelled in speed and knowledge quite well which means you will have excelled speed and brain-power compared to the average teenager strength you are not as gifted in but above average all the same, that is compared to our less advantaged students here.” Cassandra chimed her usual cheery tone taking on an air of delicacy when she mentioned the ‘less advantaged’ students.

“However since you have had no training whatsoever in honing your skills, so you will have private tutoring lessons with either Ben, myself or Harris.” She said, my father's mouth dropped open at the mention of Harris his eyes holding barely controlled rage.

I was curious why he would respond like that. I knew Harris was not the most friendly of people but was he really that bad? He was just an old guy, right? “So Harris is still around,” My father squeezed out, his teeth clenched.

My mother looked crest fallen and heart broken, her eyes filled with a sadness that looked like more than just heartache. My mother reached across to my fathers lap and squeeze his clenched fist, which caused him to instantly relax. I sat up straighter, trying to conceal my confusion with a calm and mature façade, when I felt anything but.

Cassandra took the unvoiced cue and brought out a stack of papers hidden beneath the table. She drew out a large and ornate fountain pen to go with it placing it neatly on the large stack of papers.

My mother reached for the pile and read the first one to herself before handing it off to my father. “Charlie it says that while she is here we are not allowed to make contact with her and she may only be allowed to contact us off school grounds.” My mother explained a tone of worry betraying her usually easy-going and relaxed persona.

My fathers eyes widened and the muscle in his cheek feathered again but he only looked to me with pleading eyes. Eyes I knew were begging me to change my mind about this school. As much as I wanted to say no and tell them I couldn’t do it I knew I had to. This world had a strange effect on me, it was like a string was attatched to my heart and I could feel it tugging me closer to the society of the civil. The thought of leaving now just seemed impossible and implausible. I had never backed down from a challenge and I didn’t see the need to start now.

“What other conditions are there,” I asked silently praying there wouldn’t be any more specifically made for me. “There arent any more just this one rule plus the student handbook ofcourse,” my mother said her eyes lighting up ever so slightly.

“Well mom, dad are you gonna’ make it official.” I asked a slight feeling of desperation knotting in my stomach. My mother looked to my father again. He nodded gruffly and begrudgingly took the pen and signed the papers. My heart fluttered in my chest when he did so, it was as if my whole world had just been painted pink. I felt happy and extremely curious. Although that tugging in my chest started pulling again when we left the grounds.