The Sankari Legends Book One: The Scars We Hide

“Get Zig to the lower level infirmary, and go check on your team’s rooms now!” Layne swiftly handed out commands, already turning towards where the crash had sounded.

I knelt down to grab one of Zig’s arms but Alec beat me to it.

“We’ll get him to the infirmary and then I’m right behind you.”

Before grabbing Zig’s other arm, KC pushed two guns and a knife holstered to a belt into my hands.

“You’ll need these,” she said.

With Zig between them, KC and Alec started moving towards the doorway that would lead them to the lower level infirmary, where hopefully, there was no battle happening. A loud crash sounded behind us but I flew towards the stairs, taking them two at a time, briefly muttering a prayer of thanks for all those early morning training sessions I’d been put through.

My feet left the last stair and I sprinted down the hall, cursing silently when I heard something shatter around the corner. As soon as I rounded it I had to drop and slide on the tiled floors when a vine shot directly where my head had been half a second ago. I let my momentum take me into a roll, hissing in pain as I came up on my knees with a gun in my good hand I quickly saw that Nicki and Tyler were at the other end of the hall, fully engaged with Daphne and two other guys that I recognized from their working with Brittany. The vine that had flown at my head hadn’t been intended for me, but had just almost been a really really unlucky hit. I rolled my eyes. That was just my luck. But I wasn’t planning on dying from a vine through my head. Not today or any other day.

I rolled up onto my toes, and if Nicki and Tyler saw me as I stalked down the hall they didn’t show it. I was a few doors away from them when I heard a voice hiss my name. My head whipped around, a gun aimed in the direction of the voice before I saw it was Sabin. He lifted a hand to his lips and beckoned me into the room and down to the floor where he was slumped against the wall. More crashes sounded a few feet away as I crouched beside him.

“What are you still doing here?” I kept my voice low.

“Trying to stay out of the way,” he winced as something clattered into the room. He held up the gun in his hand, “I ran out of bullets, and this damn thing,” he motioned towards his bullet wound, “is keeping me from shifting.”

“Okay so for the first problem, here,” I shoved one of my guns into his hand, “And second, can you walk?”

“Do you think I would be sitting here if I could walk,” His eyes flashed in frustration, but my gaze was already raking across the room, looking for any way to get him out of here. I stood and strode over to the window and looked down, only to be greeted with the sight of a giant Peter striding past with Alia in his hand. I banged my fist on the window but he didn’t turn towards me.

“Dammit.”

Then I saw, sitting folded up behind the door, a decrepit looking wheelchair. I ran over and yanked it out, snapping it open.

“Oh hell no.” Sabin said.

“Oh hell yes.” I replied.

I bent over and grabbed one of his arms to sling over my shoulder but he didn’t budge.

“If I go out in the hallway in that thing I’ll have to use both hands to move and won’t be able to use the gun.”

“Well then it’s a good thing I’ll be covering you.” I grunted as he stood, putting all his weight on me, and I lowered him as gently as I could into the wheelchair.

“Crap! Nicki!”

Tyler’s voice bellowed, and Sabin’s panic filled eyes met mine as he shoved an arm against my shoulder.

“Go.” His voice was terse.

I spun on my heel and stepped into the hall, reaching to pull off the sling slung over my shoulder. I knew I was probably going to regret this decision, but if I was about to get into a fight, I was going to need both arms. I gripped gun in my right hand as I pulled out the knife with my left.

As soon as he saw me the bigger of the guys came barreling to me, fists raised. I ducked under his first swing and sent an elbow into his back, but if he felt the jab it didn’t show. He whirled back around with a feint to my right and then slammed upwards with his left hand. I jerked my head to the right, but his blow still caught my ear and a starburst of pain exploded across my vision as I staggered to the side. I caught a quick glimpse of Tyler swinging his prosthetic arm at the girl’s head, a curse issuing with every blow to her. I felt more than saw Nicki behind me, doing her best to keep up with the other guy, but the lines of cuts dripping blood onto the floor said otherwise. I gritted my teeth as I brought my dagger in a back handed sweep aiming straight for the big guy’s face. Which I missed as he dodged and sent a kick towards my stomach that wouldn’t knocked me straight out the window if I hadn’t jumped back in time.

My mind raced as I went on the defensive. There had to be a way to take these guys down. A blocking bag would be nice, I thought

Just as I thought it, a blocking bag the appeared on my arm. Without thinking, I held it in front of me to protect against the blow coming for my gut.

Megan, where the hell did you get that? Tyler’s voice sounded in my head. I mean, I heard you think that having a blocking bag would be nice, but then you suddenly have one…

I don’t know! I said frantically, blocking another hit. It just… appeared.

The realization of what had just happened almost knocked the wind out of me more forcefully than any of the big guy’s punches. I had made the blocking bag appear. I had created it from my mind.

Crap. I thought. This couldn’t be happening. The others wouldn’t understand, but I knew what this meant…

Megan duck! Nicki’s voice broke through my thoughts and I dropped into a crouch as the skinny guy’s knife sped through the air where my head had been. I lashed out my leg to hook behind his knees, but he was already gone.

Formation Delta 7. Now. A calm voice spoke into my mind. Sabin was taking charge. I instinctively spun to face the walls, Tyler and Nicki doing the same and our shoulders touched.

60° Rotation. Megan you’re with Lettner now.

Somehow, I understood Lettner to be the runner with the knife.

The commands were coming quick now, and we reacted in time with them. As we adjusted and faced the enemy I gritted my teeth and thought,

You are supposed to be getting your sorry ass out of here. What are you doing?

My job. Sabin’s reply was quick and followed by,

Megan bring up projections around Lettner.

I felt my powers shifting and rolling in my mind, primed in response to Sabin’s command. How he had a name for what I had just discovered I could do I had no idea, but we could worry about that later. I pulled my power together before I flung it out and conjured an image of a brick wall in front of myself, which Lettner promptly smacked into.

One wall isn’t enough Megan.

I gritted my teeth and blinked rapidly as sweat trickled into my eyes.

Sabin, you don’t know what you’re asking. Nicki’s voice was filled with concern. This could be too much for her.

No, I can do this. I said. Just keep fighting.

With a thought and a shout, a box appeared around Lettner, completely encasing him. For the moment at least.

That’s not going to last long. I threw the thought to the others as I turned, dropping to a knee and raising my gun. Three shots in rapid succession, each missing as the big guy dropped and rolled, incredibly fast, to avoid the shots.

In two seconds shoot at Daphne’s right side.

I swung my arm around, and sure enough, just as Daphne shot an arm out to wrap a vine around Tyler’s (non-prosthetic) arm, her right side was exposed. I squeezed the trigger and knew I’d hit her as a piercing yell filled the hall. I was already on my feet, building the power in my mind into a wave, a swelling ocean of power, roiling and building until I thought my head was about to burst, and with a shove my power released in a flood, slamming steel boxes around Daphne and the big guy... Cayne, I was able to name him from the combined memories around me. I knew my steel boxes weren’t a permanent solution, but I could feel my power, more alive than it had ever been, simmering, but for the moment I willed it to remain strong and steady.

Tyler hunched over putting his hand on his knee, letting his battered prosthetic arm fall to the ground.

“Why the hell didn’t you do that sooner?” His voice was rough and came out in ragged gasps as he caught his breath.

I shot him a withering glare, but kept my focus on the containment boxes. “I can’t hold these for long.”

“On it,” Tyler said, eyes closing as he sought out the minds of the others.

Sabin rolled out into the hall, eyes taking in the three steel boxes surrounding the konna.

Pounding came from Cayne’s box, and with each punch that indented the metal wall I let my power flow over it and form a new one. But it was costing me.

“Alec is on his way up, but the others are busy.” Tyler’s voice strained on the last word and a concerned look crossed his face.

“What kind of busy?” I asked worried by what he meant.

Tyler held up a finger, closing his eyes. Then a vision of Alia standing braced for combat and shouting at empty space.

“Alia is fighting Odyssa.” Sabin’s voice was a mix of astonishment and admiration.

I didn’t know what to say about that. I had faith in Alia’s ability, but against an opponent like Odyssa? Another jolt from Cayne’s box made me stumble. I could feel the edges of my power starting to fray. The regeneration of the boxes slowly withering with every attack the konnainside of them threw at it. Took make matters worse, I could feel the stitches of my gunshot wound pulling out and blood slowly starting to seep through the bandages.

Behind me I heard pounding footsteps in the stairwell.

“Is everyone okay?” Alec asked as he ran down the hall towards us.

Nicki spoke up from her spot on the floor against the wall,

“Just fine, but we need a plan for once Megan drops these walls.”

Alec came around to stand in front of me, putting his hand on my good shoulder , eyes boring into mine.

“How much longer can you hold these?”

My hands started shaking at my sides, and I gripped my gun and dagger tighter to stop them.

“A few minutes, max.” My voice was tight and quiet. Even the energy it took to say that was taxing.

He gave me a clipped nod and then turned to face Tyler.

“Tell Alia I need her up here, now.”

“She’s in the middle of fighting Odyssa, man,” Tyler said.

Alec’s eyes widened slightly but that was the only reaction he gave to the mention of his sister fighting Odyssa. With only slight hesitation, he said:

“We have more important things to worry about here. Get KC to grab her.”

A second later KC ported in with Alia, and then was gone a second later, leaving Alia standing by Daphne’s box. She stepped away when she heard a muffled yell and pounding come from inside of it.

Alia looked pretty worse for wear, with cuts all over her skin—from jumping out of a window maybe? She also held her hand that wasn’t in a cast to her abdomen, with the faintest trace of a pained expression on her face.

“Okay so what’s the plan?” She looked at Alec, whose brows were drawn in tight. Their eyes locked and everyone watch with rapt attention as they had what seemed to be a silent conversation before Alec broke it with:

“You know that might not work, right?”

“Ahem, for those of us not included in the conversation, what exactly is it we’re talking about?” Nicki huffed, crossing her arms.

Alec started, “It’s a move we’ve only practiced a few times, and we haven’t even tried in the last year, but every time it’s ended with-”

“-with varying results.” Alia finished. She shrugged a little too optimistically. “But hey, who knows, it might work this time!”

Alec winced as Sabin exasperatedly said, “You mean whatever you’re about to do has never worked before?”

The trembling had now worked its way up my arms and the edges of my vision were growing blurry.

“Hurry the hell up,” I gritted out, “Or we’re all about to have another fight on our hands.”

“Okay, everyone, get back,” Alia said, casually twirling her finger, and smirking as Sabin’s wheelchair took off down the hall, Tyler and Nicki chasing after him.

The banging and shouting was still coming from inside the boxes, and with a wince I felt Cayne punch the wall of his unit, and this time it didn’t repair itself. I dropped my weapons as it became too much to hold onto them.

Alec saw and grabbed my hand.

“Just a few more seconds, Meg.” Then he looked over at Alia, whose face had morphed into one of concentration, all traces of joking gone.

“Let down the barriers on my mark.” Alec’s voice was quiet, but I felt his hand squeeze mine tighter.

“Five.”

I felt myself swaying where I stood.

“Four.”

Cayne’s fist was hitting rapid fire in the same spot, so close to breaking through.

“Three.”

My vision turned into a tunnel of black.

“Two.”

The yelling and pounding from inside the boxes stopped.

“One.”

I felt the blackness swirling inside of the prisons I’d created. Something was wrong.

“Now!”

The boxes were empty as I dropped them, but the dark energy that had filled them a moment before was on the edges of my mind, pulling me under, begging me to let it in.

I collapsed backwards, barely feeling someone’s strong grip catching me as I did. I faintly heard people speaking above me, but I couldn’t focus on that. I think I had my eyes closed, but I wasn’t sure. The world was completely dark now, a kind of darkness that burned in my chest and made it difficult to breath.

Oh no, this is what happened to Zig, isn’t it? I thought. I’m not as strong as him. I can’t fight this.

No, another, brighter part of my mind said. You can fight this. You are strong.

I realized that was the truth of it. I couldn’t just roll over and let the darkness consume me. I had to push back.

With the little power left in me I imagined a ball of light. I pushed it outwards, to the very recesses of my mind where the darkness was probing, and drove it out with the light. I could vaguely hear someone yelling my name, but as the darkness left me, I felt myself slipping down, not into the dark energy, but into the lightless abyss of exhaustion, my powers drained and my energy gone. I felt a small smile ghost my lips as I fell down.

I was safe.

The darkness would not claim me yet.

“When do you think she’ll wake up?”

Voices were quiet around me as they spoke.

“It could be anytime now. She’ll wake up when she’s ready.”

“And you’re sure that she’s going to be alright?”

“Yes I’m sure Alec, she’s going to be fine. Now shut up. Pestering me to death about it isn’t helping you or her.” I could barely recognize the voice. It was female… and young. Nicki maybe?

Someone huffed in resignation and I felt the air stir as they moved beside me.

A female voice, Alia I recognized, said, “Alec, standing there staring at her isn’t going to make her wake up any faster.”

“And it’s kind of creepy,” another voice, Tyler, chimed it.

With monumental effort I struggled to crack open my eyes. When I did I immediately slammed them shut, practically blinded by the bright lights.

“Guys!” I could hear the barely restrained excitement in Alec’s voice, “I think she’s waking up!”

“That’s what you said the past seven times!” Alia teased.

A groan escaped my lips as I forced my eyes into a squint.

“Hey look who decided to grace us with her presence!” Tyler laughed across the room.

“Shut up,” I said.

I rolled my head over to look at Alec, who was seated in a chair by my head. I let out a half grin, and he returned with a full smile, eyes showing his concern and relief.

I swept my gaze around the room. My whole team, along with Tyler and Nicki, were here, in varying states of injury, but alive. (Sabin was still in his wheelchair, which I could imagine he was not happy about at all). But the fact that they were all there in more or less one piece flooded me with relief. Zig was laying in the bed next to me, an IV in his arm and eyes closed. KC was sitting on one side and Peter on the other. I didn’t see Layne, and was about to ask where she was when Alia spoke up.

“Okay well now that everyone, well almost everyone, is present, I have something I’d like to say.” She rose from her chair at the foot of my bed, hissing in a breath as she grabbed the end rail for balance.

“Megan,” She met my gaze and held it. “I want to formally apologize for being an ass to you earlier. You know, before all of this,” she waved her hand around the room, gesturing to all of our bandaged friends, “happened.” I opened my mouth to tell her it was fine, but she held up a finger. “I’m sorry and I… I overreacted, and it was uncalled for.”

A quick glance around the room showed everyone’s faces in various states of shock. Alia never admitted she was wrong, and rarely apologized for anything.

“Anyways,” she continued, as if realizing that she had an audience and not wanting to appear like she was going soft. “I’m only going to say this once, but I think you’re powers are amazing, and I wish you would’ve told us about them sooner. I’ve already thought of like twenty different ways to incorporate them into our training!”

Alec cleared his throat and stopped Alia, “Maybe we should all focus on healing before we start thinking about training.”

Alia huffed, lowering herself back to her seat, “Yeah sure, whatever, but we’re still trying out my ideas when we get better!”

An indescribable emotion swelled up in me, and my thoughts from earlier resurfaced. I had been so worried about not being accepted and being hated by me team that I hadn’t even taken a second to entertain a future where they did accept me. Tears filled my eyes against my will, and with blurry vision I locked eyes with Alia.

Thank you, I whispered.

She shrugged her shoulders and gave me a genuine grin in return.

Don’t mention it, she mouthed back.

There was so much more I wanted to say to her. I wanted to thank her for

I let my head fall back against my pillow, not caring if everyone in the room saw the tear sliding down my cheeks. Not caring if they all thought it was because I was in pain, because they couldn’t see the feelings blossoming inside of me.

I felt Alec’s warm, calloused hand enveloped mine as the room settled into comfortable silence. As the tears slid down my cheeks I let my eyes slide closed. And for the first time in my life, in this room full of friends, with Alec’s hand in mine, I felt something that I’d longed for my whole life. Something I never thought I’d get. Acceptance. But more than that. Support.

Love.

And as I felt myself drifting back to sleep, I let the warmth was over my body, wishing with every fiber, every ounce of my being, that this feeling would never go away.