Chapter 10

I didn’t see that one coming. “Uhhh… you’re kidding right?”

            “No. I’m not kidding. I can see the future.” She laughs at our reaction. “That’s not the first time I’ve gotten that look. That’s not even the worst part. Drumroll please!”

            None of us move. I still think that she’s pulling our legs.

            “Fine,” She says with a sigh. “There’s a prophecy"that I conveyed"about us.”

            “What kind of prophecy is this?” I ask slowly.

            “Well…” She takes a deep breath, “It goes like this:

Seven fighters

Cruelly made

But created

All the same…”

            “Wait! And you made up this prophecy?” I sigh in relief. There was no way that a poem that this girl made up was coming true.

She sighs with irritation. “No, I did not make it up. I just voice the prophecies; I have no control over them. Now, if you would let me continue.” She continues with her rather long “prophecy.”

By the time she is done, both boys have a contemplating look on their faces. Ian is the first to speak, “Well, It does kinda make sense if you think about it.”

            I think about it. And it still seems as outrageous of an idea as it did before I thought about it. “How do you reason that?”

            “Maybe if Alina could prophecy now for us…” he suggested looking hopefully at the “oracle.” I turn expectantly towards her.

            “It doesn’t work like that. I can’t just do it whenever I want! Sorry, I can’t prove anything now…maybe later. Who knows?”

             “Seven,” says Cole. “Four down, three to go.” Oh yah. What was the rest of the prophecy again? I was kind busy not believing it to actually listen to the words. Not that it really matters, ‘cause it’s all fake anyway. But how did she know about me then? Oh gosh. This makes no sense!

            “One mistake could change it all,” I say, remembering the last line. Crap. No one is that perfect. And what exactly was “all”?  Wait! I’m thinking as if I actually believe this. And I don’t. Do I?

            “Who do you think we are according to the prophecy?” I ask in a small whisper.

            “I think that I’m the lover,” Says Ian. We all shoot him strange looks.

            “Got a girl waiting for you back home?” I ask. He just blushes. I’m assuming that’s a yes.

            “I think that you are the leader, Leesha.  I mean you are the most doubting person I have ever met.”

            “You just met me! how would you know? Just because I don’t believe that you can tell the future doesn’t mean that I’m doubting. I means that I’m practical. And another thing: me? Leader? That’s funny!” But there was something in the way she said it that makes me think that she was serious. And the boys were looking at me, thinking. It is never good when guys think.  

            “Why not you?” Cole questions calmly.

            “Yah,” Ian agrees, “Why not?”

            “B-b-because.” I sputter. “I’m me.”

            “And apparently ‘me’s can’t be leaders,” Cole countered sarcastically.

            “No,” I reply. “They can’t. At least not when their name is Leesha Rose Jones.” Yes, that’s my middle name. By now you should be able to attest that my middle name doesn’t describe me at all. Unless you mean the thorns. They snicker. “Hey, I didn’t choose it,” I mumble.

            “But seriously, though. Give us a good reason,” Ian says.

            “Just leave it already!”

Cole walks toward me. “Listen, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We just think that you’d make a good leader. Think about it.” Cole puts his hand on my shoulder and Ian looks pretty POed. What’s with that? I will never understand boys.

“We haven’t even met the others. How would you know that I would be the best leader?”

“Good point. And Cole as right about you not having to do it if you don’t want to. It’s all about the choice you make. Many prophecies don’t come true because someone chose a different path,” Alina puts an end to the discussion. Thank you!

I exhale deeply.

 

The fire has dwindled to just glowing embers. Alina has fallen asleep and is snoring next to me. I stare at the cave wall, but I’m not really seeing it. Instead, I see my “dad” tucking me into my purple comforted bed, every square inch of space covered with stuffed animals. My five-year-old arms wrapped around a giant stuffed leopard that I named Leesha Junior. I wish I could go back to then. Then, I wouldn’t have to worry about all of this.

If my parents hadn’t sent me away, maybe then I still wouldn’t a little voice in my head chimed. I’m so tired of blaming people. The only person who really is to blame is me. Even as I think the worlds, I know that they’re not true. No! It’s not my fault! I was made this way! Its not my fault for being me. It’s those eff’n lab guy’s!

Hatred and vengeance fills me and must shine threw my eyes as well because Ian (who was staring at me) looks shocked.

I’m freaking tired of doing nothing! We have to get up off our lazy butts, find the others, and destroy those heartless geeks! Who cares if you have a genius IQ? That doesn’t give you a right to torture people and freaking mess with their DNA!!!

I hop to my feet and clap my hands together. “Up and atom! We’ve got work to do people.” Ian gets up quickly. Cole moans and mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like “Yah. Not a leader, huh?” as I kick at Alina’s lumpish form.

“Up! Up!” I yell at her resting form. She grunts in her sleep every time my foot makes contact with her side but she doesn’t wake up. With sudden inspiration, I belt a high F sharp worthy of the opera, The guys cover their ears and Alina sits up suddenly yelling “Fire! Fire!”

“There’s not a fire. I just couldn’t wake you up,” I inform her.

“Oh,” she blinks.

 “Anyway. It’s time for us to get going. We’re too close to the lab, we need to look for others, and we’re wasting time by just sitting here.”

“You may have been just sitting there,” Alina mumbles under her breath, “but I was sleeping.” She had seemed awake a second ago, but now she’s in that stage in between but you feel more like your asleep. My old math teacher called it “sleeping with your eyes open.”

“C’mon. Let’s go,” I insist.

“Who died and made you queen?” Alina moans, standing. I glare at her but I doubt she can process that right now. If I only had a blow horn…

We pack up the few item we have and head out. On the road again�"I can’t wait to get on the road again! Here we go with the songs.

 “So I may or may not be the leader. Loverboy over there thinks that he might kill,” I say gesturing to Ian. “Your obviously the enhanced, Alina. I mean, you can read the future for goodness sake!” I went from not believing to believing in 3.5.  “Anyone have any ideas about the rest of the seven?” I look pointedly at Alina.

“No. I’ve got no clue,” She smiled softly at me. We spend the next twenty minutes guessing at possible scenarios for the seven people. And then I stumble.

This in its self isn’t that unusual. I’m ultra-klutzy. But it’s not everyday that I trip over a super-secret trap door. And fall into someone’s kitchen.

“What is this?!” I yell as I look up at the hole that I had fallen through. Just call me Alice and give me a bunny to follow.

“Well, then! I spent years renovating this place,” a voice coming from behind me says. I turn around to se an old man standing a few feet from where I am sitting on the wooden floor. He is average height with pale skin and snow-white hair. There is a twinkle in his wise eyes that tells me that he isn’t really offended. 

“I must have bumped my head when I tripped because there is no way that this is actually happening,” I mumble, rubbing my eyes

The man laughed ruefully. “It is happening. I advise that you go back out the hole over there and don’t ever think about it again.”

“Leesha! Leesha!“ The others called form above.

“I’m in some guy’s kitchen!” I yell back.

“Oh great. Now she’s hallucinating. I better go in there and get her,” I hear Ian say and he drops into the hole. Since I hadn’t moved from my landing spot, except for standing up, He landed on top of me.

I crumple under his weight and there is a sharp snap as my arm twists behind the two of our weight. “OWWWWWWW!” I howl in pain.

“Are you okay?!” He asks, still on top of me.

“I’d be better if you’d get off,” I say through clenched teeth. He hurries to get off of me and air floods my lungs again. But the pain in my arm is still as sharp as a knife.

“What is this place?” He asks, looking around. I wish He’d stop talking.

“Welcome to Wonderland,” I say tightly. The old man hurries over to me and asks if I’m okay. Then he looks at my arm explaining that he used to be a scientist that specialized in antimony. And animal sciences. A spark of suspicion ignites in my mind as he describes his past job positions.

“Of course, I don’t work now. I retired a few years ago, he says as he examines my arm. “Nothing major. I’ll just get you some ice.” He announces and goes to a fridge a few feet from where I am laying and opens the freezer.

“Everything alright down there?” Alina asks.

            “That voice,” the scientist mumbles a sharp alarmed look in his once kind eyes, “I know that voice.”

            “We’re coming down!” before I can protest, two bodies drop down the trap door. Luckily the scientist had the sense to move me before working on my arm. So I wasn’t landed on again.

            The two landed lightly on their feet in a crouch with grace and kept their balance even now, before standing up. “Show offs,” Ian mutters before turning back to me worriedly.

            “You!” The scientist gasps looking at Alina.

            “Me. And you are…?” She leaves the question hanging.

            The scientist sputters before speaking, “You don’t know? How could you not know?! You’ve been haunting my dreams for years!” I pull a disgusted face. The idea of a sixty-year-old man dreaming of a fifteen year old girl was not appealing. Apparently Alina didn’t like the idea either because she pulls a face and says “Excuse me?!”

            “You and your prophecy!” We all straighten up at that and start paying attention. I had wondered why he was living under ground and now he knew something of us. This man was getting more interesting.

            “Prophecy?” Alina asks innocently. It was useless because one look at our faces told that we do know what he was talking about and we are dying for answers. Answers that apparently he might be able to give.

“I can see that we’re going to be a while,” He says rubbing his hands over his face and up through his white hair that still stuck up in spots after he pulled his hand out. “You might as well make yourselves comfortable.”

 

Reviews

[r. f. jordan]

“One mistake could change it all,” I say, remembering the last line. Crap. No one is that perfect. And what exactly was “all”? Wait! I’m thinking as if I actually believe this. And I don’t. Do I?
this is the work of an able author, who is able to weave quoted conversation with the contemplation of the narrator. each character appears able to apeak in their opwn tongue, separate from the others. the plot is advancing at a methodical rate, but not in a predictable fashion. i read the last chapter first because i'm one of those people, but i like it. i'll read more as time permits, not out of obligation but out of wanting to.