Invictus

Chapter 22

LIU

I was pretty excited about my weapon, but a little bit worried too. It's been two or three weeks since we got our powers and we only faced one creature.

After training last night, Khione came over and showed me how to make my weapon portable without attracting interest. She had me morph it severally into a brooch I now have to wear with everything I own.

People have been asking, I keep telling them it's Hunger Game merchandise, and so far it worked.

It's hallway time and I'm lounging in the corridor with Lyanna, she's planning on skipping a class and going to the movies alone. Her locker, which she transformed into a mini fridge, is open and she pulls out a halfway gone pack of marshmallows.

"Want some?" She said, angling it in my direction,

I put my hand in and pull out some, which end up in my mouth and I am lost for a while in its mushy goodness.

"These things flow from the rivers of Heaven" She said, between chews. Her cheeks puffed up.

I chuckle and close my locker, leaning back and staring down the halls.

Something dark whizzed by me, I straighten.

"Did you see that?" I ask

"What?"

"There's -"

A piercing scream echoed down the halls, Lyanna threw the Marshmallows back in her locker, and joined me as I ran down the halls.

Some girl was on the floor, screaming. Her black hair covered her face as she thrashed out. Some Jocks ran to pick her up, but she pushed them away, which shocked me, she's really slim.

Lyanna tapped me, "look."

There was a big black shadow hovering over her. I reached for my brooch, She shook her head.

"Too open" She tapped my cloud mark and stepped back.

I stepped back too, blocking out the noises, concentrating on wind movement.  In my minds eye, I created a bubble around the girl on the ground.

Pages began to rattle and flap, hair swept up and about and clothes started swaying.

But the Shadow was  still there. I narrowed my mental vision at it and it turned, to me.

It was black, but it had a man's face and shoulders, It was moving, back and forth.

I moved from a breeze to a full on gale, people behind the girl and the shadow began to fall.

"Earthquake!!" Someone yelled and everyone scrambled.

Lyanna had reached the girl and she appeared calm. I ran and helped her, all the while watching the shadow, it screamed at me and faded out.

The girl was shaking, I recognised her now.

"Linda, right?" I asked "from Physics?"

She nodded slowly, placing her hand in mine, we pulled her up, students shifting away from her as we led her to the nurses office.

She broke down halfway there, placing her head on Lyanna's shoulder and sobbing till we got into the nurses office.

Hera sat behind the desk, dressed as a normal nurse. She looked up as we walked in and helped Linda to the bed.

A lock of hair fell across Linda's face and she screamed, passing out shortly after. The lock turned grey.

"Phobos" Hera said, holding the lock of grey hair "Terror"

She rushed us off to class and we tried to avoid questions from all the members of the social ladder.

After school, we went back to the nurses office, Hera was sitting at her desk, flicking through files and Linda was sitting up in bed.

They both looked at us as we came in.

"How are you feeling? " Lyanna asked her, she smiled and nodded back, looking at Hera first.

"Linda should stay with you" Hera said, looking at me "Apparently you blew the terrors away"

"You saw it too?"

"We both saw it" Lyanna answered.

"I have explained to a point to her, she understands that you can protect her, if only she can keep whatever it is she saw and will be seeing, a secret"

"Sure about that?" Denise asked, itching the back of her head lightly .

"Yes, I'm sure" Linda answered, twirling the grey hair around her fingers.

"Okay then, after school, we stop by your house, get your stuff and return to Lyanna's"

"I should be able to dye your hair" Denise said, pulling away from the door so April could come in.

"Hi, I'm April" She said.

The bell rang and Hera passed out Late slips and we hustled to our classes.

Linda was by my car as we rounded into the parking lot. She stood unsure, looking at everything. Nervously. Everyone stayed a good distance away from her, talking lowly and pointing discreetly