Dignified

Chapter sixteen

Ryan turned, nearly flipping out of the air. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked around for the cause of the sound. "Is anybody there?" He asked, knowing it was useless asking since he was hundreds of feet in the air.

"Yes." the same cold, low voice said behind Ryan. He turned again, feeling scared. That voice sent chills down his spine and made his neck hair stand on end.

"Sh-show yourself!" He called out, trying to sound tough. There was a tap on his shoulder, sending him spinning around again. Was he going crazy? What was going on? That voice sounded very real and he didn't think he could imagine such a scary sound. He closed his eyes, sighing through his nose. 'Wake up,' he thought, feeling like he was dreaming. 'Get up, Ryan. You're in a nightmare.'

"You're not dreaming." The voice said. Ryan opened his eyes and screamed, nearly falling again. In front of him stood, or floated, a man with dark, spiky hair and very dark eyes. He wore an evil grin on his face, his arms crossed on his chest. He was dressed in a black leather jacket with black pants and boots. The man scared Ryan. He looked mean, yet playful in someway, sort of like a school playground bully. It were as if he were more willing to taunt then to kill, but that was only assumed through his appearance. "Have you been enjoying your powers?" He asked, grinning deviously.

"Uh, yeah, er- they've been, um, fun." Said Ryan nervously, rubbing his sweaty palms against his shorts.

"Well, I'm glad you've had you're fun, but I'm afraid it's time you return you're powers to their rightful owner." Ryan simply gawked, unable to respond.

"My name is Estemus. Estemus Avalon." He said, cocking his head. Ryan wrinkled his nose. 'What kind of name is that?' Ryan thought.

"It's my kind of name." Estemus replied lowly.

"Can...can you read my mind?" Ryan asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes. Yes I can. Ryan, do you know where you got your powers from?" He asked, his grin replaced with a serious, questioning look.

"A meteor." He said, rubbing the hem of his shirt nervously.

"Where do you think that meteor came from, Ryan?"

"How do you know my name?"

Estemus laughed. "One, I can read your mind, and two, I've been watching you." He said, lowly. "Now, answer me."

"I don't know. Space." Ryan said.

Estemus nodded. "That's right. But not just out of space, Ryan. The meteor came from another planet."

'Bullcrap.' Ryan thought. Estemus flew closer to Ryan, his eyes dark and angry. He circled Ryan, his lips curling into a smirk again. "That crystal doesn't belong to you, Ryan. It came from my planet, Chronis, and I am here to retrieve it." Said Estemus, his voice low and cold. "Why do you want it back?" Ryan asked.

"Because it's mine and it gives me great power. You can give it willingly or I can take it forcefully." He responded.

Ryan was completely still, considering his options. He had no idea what this guy was capable of, and he wasn't sure if he had more powers. He felt like he didn't have much of a choice. "You wish." Ryan said, letting himself fall. He smiled as he looked up watching Estemus disappear in the distance. He turned back, his head facing the ground now. He smirked as he watched everything from above, highly enjoying his fall. Suddenly, Estemus appeared right below him. Ryan screamed, positive they were going to collide. He closed his eyes and shielded his face, but never felt any impact. He opened his eyes again, but Estemus was gone. He turned to his side and saw him there, making him scream once again. Estemus punched Ryan hard in the gut before disappearing again. He turned up on Ryan's other side, hitting him there as well. Ryan was finally catching on. 'This guy can disappear in thin air and pop back up somewhere else.' He thought.

"You're right." Estemus said, hitting him across the head. Ryan felt as if his head had exploded. He felt a hit on his side, then his back, his arm, his leg, and finally his face. He flew backwards, gripping his bleeding nose. How could he fight someone if it were as if they weren't even there? The next time Estemus appeared beside Ryan, ready to strike, he flung his arm out at him. A large wave shot out and smacked Avalon across the face, sending him flying back. Ryan took advantage and flew down faster, the motion making him sick to his stomach. He was finally low enough to be able to see the people on the ground. He flew at incredible speeds, dodging the buildings and flying under the street lights. He didn't know if he was still being followed, but he kept on moving. The penthouse came in to view, much to Ryan's relief. He slowed to a sharp stop, losing control and ramming onto the terrace floor. He groaned in pain, rolling around on the floor before getting up. Ryan looked around carefully, but there was no one in sight. He entered the penthouse, rushing up to his brother's room. "Hey, Clark?" He asked, opening his door. Clark was playing with air, sending papers flying and things messing up.

"What?" He asked, calming the air down a bit. "Why are you bleeding?"

"Where do you think the meteor came from?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Space."

Ryan called his other two brothers and explained to them what had happened to him. "Dude said they came from his home planet, Chronis. He said the crystal, I don't know if he meant all of ours or just mine, belonged to him and he came to get it back."

"What was his name again?" Zach's asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Estemus Avalon." Ryan said, thinking it over.

"Weird name, but he's from another planet so I can't blame him."

Clark grunted. "Do you honestly believe there's another planet with other beings on it?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Well, we have super powers now, so doesn't that make you think that anything is possible?" Trace asked him.

"No, it doesn't." Clark responded.

"Guys, what are we going to do? This guy is after us. We don't know what he's capable of." Said Ryan, worriedly.

Zach's smirked. "Don't worry, bro," He said, putting an arm around Ryan. "We can take him."

"Get out of my room." Clark said, annoyed with the topic. Ryan headed towards the kitchen, pressing a napkin to his nose. His mind was still racing. Was Estemus really from another planet? Was the crystal that Ryan had taken really his? And whatever happened to the crystal? Ryan remembered grabbing it, but he had no clue what happened to it afterwards. He tensed as he realized something. Estemus could disappear and reappear anywhere else. "He took Peyton." He said to himself. "He took her and did who knows what to her and then brought her back up." Ryan turned to look at the calendar. 'Oh great. School starts in two days,' he thought. 'Wonderful.' He turned, hearing the door being unlocked from outside, and gasped. He ran up to his room quickly, making sure to avoid problems with his dad. He jumped into his bed, kicking off his shoes and pulling the cover up to his shoulder. A few seconds later, Scott opened the door, peering inside. Ryan held his breath, trying to appear asleep. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard his door click shut. He laid in bed for a couple of hours, listening to music, unable to sleep. He turned to see the clock on his wall and sighed. It read a quarter past one. "Two days until school starts and I still can't go to bed early." He muttered. "Well, technically this is early." He laughed.

In the other room, Clark shifted in bed, unable to sleep as well. He gave up and headed outside, preparing to go for a flight. "Sorry, dad." He mumbled, jumping off the railing and flying upward. He stopped and floated in mid air, getting an idea. Instead of willing himself to fly, he willed the air to push him. Clark grinned as he felt the air under his feet move him forward, almost as if he were riding the air. He looked around, enjoying the wind against his blonde hair. 'I think Ryan's on drugs.' He thought. 'If he's not, then I'm expecting to see this 'Estemus' guy.'

"Well, then, turn around." He heard Estemus say.

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