The Dangers of Pomegranate Salad

Chapter 38

Chapter 38, The Revelation of PlaRh      

The next day at class, we are learning about various ways to make food with magic. Most of the kids are doing ok, making slightly under cooked eggs, partially burnt potatoes, and one kid who everything she makes is purple (Fanta if you hadn’t guessed) and then there’s me, who is just watching. It’s pretty boring. Haden comes over to me with a plate of what appears to be a pile of raw meat. “What is that?” I ask him. “Your lunch” he says jokingly, as he dangles some of it in my face. I move so fast to get away from it that I fall out of my chair. Haden laughs, as I stand up. I look at him with an annoyed expression and he keeps laughing. While he’s distracted I grab the plate and dump it on his head. He looks at me startled. Then he starts laughing again, and I laugh with him. “So what is it?” I ask him between fits of giggles. “It was supposed to be sushi, but it just ended up as a pile of raw fish.” He explains. “Lovely, you should go wash that off” I say. “But I was going to start a new fashion trend” he says. “I don’t think people are going to wear raw fish on their head just because you are.” He rolls his eyes. Fanta walks over to us with a plate of purple cheese. “I love your new hat” she says. “Why thank you” says Haden acting all dramatic and ‘feminine’. She holds up her plate. “It came from purple cows” she says pointing at the lavender tinted cheese. I nod. “Lovely” I say. Outside there is suddenly a lot of screaming. Everyone in the room goes silent. Then we all rush to the windows. Outside it’s a mad house. Well, more of a mad park. There are Animals and Golems everywhere. People are running around trying to avoid getting attacked and eaten. It’s insane. The room erupts in pandemonium. I look at Haden, and he looks at me. “Gea” I say. He nods. We move out of the crowd around the windows, and start to leave the room.  We sneak out easily in the chaos. As we go I grab Fanta’s arm, and drag her with us. She flips out, but once she sees it’s me she comes willingly. WE go into the main hall of the school. “What’s going on?” asks Fanta. “It’s Gea and Mrs. Underlan.” I say. “Gea’s using my power I can feel it. She’s going to use it to kill someone, we have to stop her” I yell. “Haden nods. “Let’s go” we all run out of the building, and look for Gea and Mrs. Underlan. Outside everything is a lot worse. Griphons and other magical beasts are tackling anyone that moves, and the Golems are swarming people. There are even some darkly colored Fay flying around and attacking people. Lily gives a little angry squeak at the fay.  “Lily, I need you to help anyone you can” I tell her. She nods and gives me a little salute before zipping off to go help a young woman who is being bombarded with dark fay. We keep running, Haden and Fanta using Magic to help anyone they can, while I use a tree branch I found to Beat the crap out of anything That comes at me. We come across Danny who is yelling at a Manticore that is trying to attack him. Fanta’s eyes Narrow and she tackles the beast. “I’ve got it!” she yells as she and Danny hold off the beast. “Keep going!” she screams over the roaring. Haden and I take off. We need to find them. I look around and finally spot them. They are heading for the Duxes house. “Haden!” I yell. “This way” I take off. They enter the building and I run in behind them. Anne and Ralph are standing at a table in the front room. Ralph looks surprised “Gea? Where have you been all these years?” Haden comes in a little late. No one but me seems to care. “I’ve been hiding from you!” Gea screams. Ralph is PlalRh? I guess it makes sense. “Why? Because I broke up with you? You know that’s what happens when people don’t actually love each other” he says kind of angrily “Ralph!” cries Gea. “You! You! GAH!” she obviously can’t find the words. “I what Gea? I wasn’t in love with you? That was a long time ago. We were young and stupid, and we made a mistake” said Ralph “A mistake? A Mistake?” she screams “That mistake had consequences, and they are standing right next to you” Haden’s eyes widen. Every one looks at him, even Ralph, “he- you” Ralph says in confusion. “Yes, that is our mistake” says Gea, her voice cracking. “We, but, what?” says Ralph, “I didn’t know we had a son! You ran off, when I told you it wasn’t working!” Ralph exclaims. “I ran off, because you didn’t love me! So I took him and I hid. And I swore that I would get my revenge, for me, and for him” Haden looks angry. “Hey! You’re doing this for me? You are trying to kill my father for me?” he asks Gea. “Yes, he abandoned us, he…” Haden cuts her off. “You abandoned him!” He yells, “You didn’t tell him about me, you dumped me with your goons, who abused me and used me as bait for her” he points at me “and then you nearly have me killed, to keep Terre for fuel, all for revenge on my father?” Gea’s face pales.  “I did it because I loved him! And he turned his back to me, after I gave him everything! And then, yes I ran, because I didn’t want you to be the mistake, I didn’t want us to be looked at in that way that people do, I didn’t want to be hated, I didn’t want you to be hated, for what we had done. Because he didn’t love us. We were just his mistake” says Gea, who is now crying. “Ralph I still love you!” she screams.  Ralph walks up to her, looking her in the eye. “I love you too” he says. They kiss. As they do, I feel like the world has just lifted off of my shoulders. I sigh in relief. The feeling at the pit of my stomach that’s been there since Gea put the spell on me is gone. I’m free; she can’t use my power anymore. The reason it was there was for her to kill Ralph, but now that they’ve found each other that’s not needed. Magic is an interesting thing. I run too Haden and he hugs me. We lean in to kiss; Anne glares at us and shakes her head. We embarrassedly move away from each other. “Can’t two teens of the opposite gender innocently hug each other?” I whisper to Haden “Apparently not” he mumbles back. “I can hear you” Anne says as she walks past us. We both blush.  Mrs. Underlan, who was standing to the side the whole time, looks really mad. “That’s it? You’re just going to forgive him?” she says angrily. “You are dismissed, I don’t need you anymore” says Gea. “I’m dismissed? I was promised the girl.” She yells, pointing at me. “I’m not a payment” I say. “You can’t have her now” says Gea. “I will have her And the Boy. They will pay for what Happened to My husband!” she screams. She turns on her heels and storms out of the building. There’s a flash out of the doors and she’s gone.