SWNOVELS Chapter The Elemental Cage
The glass at the end of the training hall began to lift open as we waited in the silent green ships which turned out to be far bigger than they looked. Shadow was squeezing my hand tightly and breathing heavily. The Special Operations Crew sat in silence and the glass door opened fully and the ships took off, beginning the steep ascension into the deep, dark void of space.
I couldn’t help thinking that this was the last time I’d be alive, I couldn’t help the tears from rolling down my face. I shut my eyes tightly and took a deep breath and tried to think of anything else. I thought of Shadow. Her sparkling skin, her soft cool lips, her bright blue eyes.
I was beginning to feel a little better as we sliced past the atmosphere, cutting through the clouds and hitting space. The blazing stars scattered everywhere looked like tiny diamonds on a velveteen dress. The only light was coming from the sun which had expanded further otherwise it was completely dark. I opened my palm and a small flame flickered to life, licking and tickling my skin. I spun the flame around, beginning a nervous habit. Shadow placed her hand over it, dousing the flame and leaning her head closer to mine. I kissed her nose, brushing her cheek with the tips of my fingers. I looked back over my shoulder at the silent Crew seated in their own seats as if we were in an airplane.
Tyler and Emily were locked in an embrace, their lips locked together and their hands tangled in each others hair. They clutched each other urgently, truly believing the moment was their last. Gale and Twista gazed out silently into space, holding each other’s hand. Xavier sat with the now human Dallas who couldn’t stop talking. He was the only one who believed we would make it out alive.
I gazed back at Daniel who was navigating the ship with his back straight, but the tilt of his head was sad. I knew he was putting on a brave face for everyone.
Then an ear piercing, tearing sound nearly scared me out of my skin. I looked out of my window to the left and saw a ginormous flare fanning out from the sun nearly engulfing one of our spaceships.
“It’s happening,” I said softly then louder to Daniel, “do you mind speeding up a little and stopping about 2 meters in front of the sun? Shadow has her water powers to encase everyone in a cooling bubble that will protect us from the heat.”
“Sure thing,” he said and swerved so he could be in front of the sun and sped up the ship. We began advancing urgently, everyone clutching at each other and saying their goodbyes. I turned to Shadow.
“Stay strong,” I said. “Whatever happens.”
She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her lips to my cheek then she unbuckled herself and walked to the door. I followed her and so did everyone else. As we stood there waiting for the door to open, we all joined hands. I grabbed Shadow’s and Gale grabbed mine. Shadow closed her eyes and suddenly we became encased in a giant bubble of cool air.
Then the door opened.
The nine of us stepped out into space, the heat of the sun still reaching us through our enchanted bubble.
I looked to the side and saw each and every Super Human stepping out in their own bubbles identical to ours. I looked to Shadow and smiled at her watching the sun flare in her blue eyes.
“This is it,” I said, my voice sounding as loud as a fog horn echoing through space. “When I say go, begin using your magic. We might just be able to make this happen.”
Everyone was staring at the sun their chests moving up and down rapidly and tears pouring from their eyes.
“You have nothing to worry about,” I said calmly, trying to make myself believe it too. “We’re in this together.”
I took a deep breath and lifted my hands, every person following suit, getting ready to blast all their energy into the sun. I heard a small sob escape from Shadow as she lifted her hands and closed her eyes. I counted in my head.
3, 2, 1...
“GO!” I boomed , letting out my frustration and fear in that one word. Screams and shouts boomed all around me as the Super Humans released their powers. Beams of light pierced through the suns surface, ripples of water snaked their way across the flaming flares and small branches of ice reached out but never touched the sun as they melted long before . I knew these weren’t the powers of the Special Operations Crew because they weren’t doing anything. The sun continued to expand. A small girl screamed, sound waves slamming into the red giant and encasing the sun in an invisible barrier slightly lessening the intensity of the flames. I wondered why she wasn’t in the Crew... I’d have to see to that if we ever made it out alive. The powers of the Super Humans didn’t seem to be doing anything so they all gave up and looked at us.
That was when we started.
I tilted my head back and channeled all my energy into flames which spread out all across my body. I opened my palms toward the sun and ripples of heat waves swam up the suns surface trapping the flares inside the rippling barrier of heat. I looked to Shadow and nodded indicating that I was ready for her to unleash her powers.
She closed her eyes and opened her fists releasing twin beams of high pressure water. A smile spread across her face as the water slid on top of the heat wave encasement splashing as the water overlapped in some parts and rippling in others where the flares tried to escape.
“Tyler!” Shadow yelled, her hair whipping around her face as the twins began to warm up their gale force powers. “Now!”
Tyler smiled and let go of Emily’s hand, tensing his light blue arms as he shot out a ginormous beam of ice, freezing the water and creating a hard shell around the sun.
There was a large bang as the sun flared once more, but the flare did not escape. It just hit the hard barrier and stayed there.
I looked toward the twins and nodded, receiving cheeky smiles in return and a wink from the both of them... the first friendly gesture from Gale and Twista.
They stepped forward, the bubble extending around them, and they began to spin in unison, a tornado picking up around them. Our hair began whipping in all directions and I could my breath being sucked away with the force of their wind. Just as I was about to faint by loss of breath, the twins shot out their hands and the tornados spun across the ice creating a layer of wind which began to tighten around the sun as if trying to squeeze it back to its normal size.
Then I looked at Xavier who was shifting of his feet waiting to use his powers.
“Xav, buddy,” I yelled over the wind that was still trying to squeeze the sun to a smaller shape. “Close it up.”
He nodded and stepped forward closing his eyes and twisting his hands together. Then his eyes snapped open and he thrust his hands forward as if throwing something.
Deep green vines began entwining themselves over the writhing wind, red and pink flowers growing like a carpet along with them. The vines created an intricate patterned cave, enclosing all the elements under it and the invisible sun.
The light diminished as there was no sun to give us light, so I summoned my flames and set myself alight, providing so much light the Super Humans had to shield their eyes.
It was silent. There were no roaring flares or screams. It was just silence as we waited to see what would happen. The enormous sun now encased in many layers of layers just hung there far too large for its own good.
Then I remembered someone.
“Emily,” I called.
Her head snapped up, her black starry hair sparkling in the light my body cast upon us.
“You can control stars,” I stated and she nodded. I pointed to the sun and smiled. She nodded understanding my intention.
She was going to try to shrink it with her powers. But I doubted she could do it alone. I looked at Dallas and asked, “can you, like, make yourself a super giant?”
Dallas smiled cheekily and his form began to change, growing ten times bigger than a normal human’s. I took that as a yes.
I put my hand on their arms and closed my eyes, I could feel some of those floating powers draining from my system and hoped it would be enough to hold them up.
I opened my eyes and saw Dallas sauntering through space as if he’d done it a million times before. He placed his hands on either side of the sun and began to squeeze. Emily stood next to him, one hand on her temple and the other on the deep green cage made of vines. She took a deep breath and they began to work their magic. There was a large creaking sound and few loud bangs like gigantic popcorn. We all looked around us with bated breath. I held Shadow’s hand tightly. We were all sweating trying to hold our cage together and the sweat slipped in between our palms.
“Please, please, please,” I heard Shadow whispering to herself. Emily had a frown on her face but her lips began to lift into a smile. Dallas was smiling as well.
Then there was a loud suction sound and the sun began to shrink. The two Super Human continued pushing until the sun was back to its normal size and the curse that was placed on it years ago was reversed by his great-great-grandson and his Super Humans.
We all relaxed, releasing our hold on the sun and hugging each other wildly. The cage made out of vines withdrew and disintegrated into in a deep green sparkly dust drifting away out to space. The layer of wind twisted itself into a massive tornado which spun violently away bursting into grey dust a little further than where we stood. The ice began to crack and it burst open in a puff of white glitter and snow falling over our heads like a white Christmas. I smiled and looked at Shadow as she watched the colours of the cage raining down on us as it burst open. She smiled and slid her hand around my waist laying her head on my shoulder. The layer of water which she cast evaporated in a shower of deep blue glitter and the heat wave turned into deep red flames which exploded into a cascade of crimson ribbons that floated into space. One snaked its way around Shadow’s hair, pulling it up into a bow. She touched it and smiled.
“A part of me,” I whispered. She brought her face up to mine and kissed me. Her lips were cold and wet and she smelt like the ocean. I closed my eyes and leaned into her thinking that this moment could not get any better. We were in the middle of space floating in small bubbles watching galaxies swirl and stars twinkle. The feelings and thoughts of death disintegrated like our elements into sparkling dust and I knew this was what love felt like. I could hear people shouting in happiness and could hear small explosions mixed with what sounded like wind chimes. I broke away for a second and looked up into the black space not knowing if I was up or down because space can be like that. Explosions of sparks sprinkled down and disintegrated before they singed our faces. Fireworks in space... who new!?
I brought my face back down to shadows and we kissed once more. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly, breathing in every scent and not believing that we actually made it through this.
Shadow let me go and smiled up at me, a small strand of her hair escaping from the ribbon.
I saw Dallas, still ten times larger than a human being, carrying Emily back towards us, her figure curled up in his arms, her hair spilling over his large arms. She looked like a child. He stopped in front of us.
“Is she okay?” I asked him, feeling her forehead. It was cold.
“She should be,” he replied. “Just exhausted from the effort that’s all.”
Tyler had a pained expression on his face and he held her hand as Dallas carried her back to the space ships.
“Is anyone else hurt?” I called my voice still booming.
“Yes,” someone called out. “Five kids. Two girls and three boys.”
I thought for a while thinking that our space ship might be too small for all those kids then an idea hit me.
“Is anyone a healer here?” I called out. A tall girl raised her hand and smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Loreleigh,” she said her husky voice loud over the excited whispers.
“Take the injured onto Loreleigh’s ship,” I ordered. “The rest of us lets move out.”
Each person boarded their ships in high spirits unlike when we first arrived in space and we made the journey back to earth, back to Super Human Headquarters.