Heroes (On Hold)

Chapter 3: Back to the Haven

This time, when the nothingness of the portal swallowed me up, I was prepared for it. I fought the urge to panic as the world dissipated around me and my vision went dark- suddenly I was only a consciousness drifting in a vast blackness. There was no way of telling how long it lasted- it felt like days, but I knew it was probably only seconds. The endless void of nothingness seemed to be infinite and eternal, and I again had to suppress the fear that roiled in the pit of my stomach.

Finally, the world blurred back into place, like ink bleeding into water. I felt my feet splash down into the frigid water of the fountain, soaking through my shoes, socks, and jeans. When I opened my eyes, the familiar courtyard and main building of the Haven greeted me, the clear blue sky almost electrically bright behind it. I probably should have been happy to be back somewhere familiar, after traveling and running for so long, but all I could feel was guilt and dread.

My eyes fixed on the white steps leading to the main doors. Oh god... Ben, was all I could think. The stairs had been scrubbed and polished, making them whiter than ever before, but I could still see the crimson smear of his blood on the stairs, the light fading from his eyes, the way his body went limp when the last bit of life faded from him. I struggled to contain my powers as the water by my feet simultaneously began to boil and freeze over.

A hand on my arm pulled my gaze away from those stairs and the awful memories they held for me. "Ella." Anita said, comforting me. She didn't say anything else, and I was glad for it. What could she say? 'It's okay'? It wasn't. 'Stop feeling bad about it'? Something told me this terrible guilt wouldn't be disappearing until I saw Ben again in the afterlife. 'It wasn't your fault'? It definitely was, no matter how many people tried to tell me otherwise.

Prying my gaze away from those hateful stairs, my eyes fell on something new. A long and thin band of silver ran in a giant circle along the pavement of the courtyard- that was definitely not here when I had left. "That's where your wall was to protect the school," Anita explained, noticing my gaze. "There's a plaque explaining it where the Puppeteer fell through the crack in the ground. It's dedicated to Ben, but they're calling it the Morgan Line, after you and your parents."

I swallowed hard and nodded. I was wrong- the school hadn't tried to abolish all signs of the battle. They had embraced it. Emotion welled inside of me, and I bit back the tears that threatened to spill over. "We should keep moving," I said once I had a hold of myself. Wordlessly, we approached the stairs. Anita continued up them, not stepping near the place where Ben had sacrificed himself. I refused to touch the stairs at all, choosing to fly right up them instead. As I did, I vowed to myself that I would never walk on those stairs again.

Inside, the hallways were weirdly deserted. "Where is everyone?" I asked her. "School's been back for a few months already, so why is no one out and about?"

"Lunch time. I was thinking we could go see Ms. Wren first, if its all the same to you. The only thing that's kept her from going after you herself is her new responsibilities at the Haven." I gave her a quizzical look. New responsibilities? "She got a promotion," Anita explained as we approached the office. "Ms. Wren is the new principal of the Hero's Haven."

Sure enough, when we reached the office, the plaque on Ms. Wren's office door now read Principal's Office, rather than vice principal. The rest of the room looked more or less the same, save for one key difference. Mr. Estel's old office now read Vice Principal, and inside it was sitting...

"Coach Clair?" I blurted out, surprised.

Our old gym teacher grinned at me. "In the flesh. Its good to see you again, Ella." A small smile rose to my face. "Don't get too excited bout this though. Just because I got promoted doesn't mean I won't still be whooping you all into shape in Gym class. You're not getting rid of me that easily!"