The Hirt

Chapter Fifteen

15

The five teens sat around the hotel room, chatting quietly.  It was almost midnight, but none of them could even think about sleep considering the day’s events.  The guys had come over to the girls’ room so they could talk about what had happened and what they still needed to do.

“So,” Heather asked, a question just popping into her mind.  “Are we all going into the school or just a few of us?”

“I say just a few of us.  We don’t want to run the risk of a Mordan capturing, or killing, all of us.  Then there would be no chance of killing Lykos,” Henry suggested.  The group nodded in agreement.

Matt asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.  “Who’s gonna go?”

“I will,” Ivy answered confidently.  “I have the most experience with Mordans.  Plus, I love killing those things.” She said the word things with utter disgust in her voice.  Jimba nodded, smiling at Ivy as if she had just been talking about puppies.

“I think Heather should go,” Henry said quietly.  Everyone turned to stare at him in surprise, Heather included.  “I mean, she has already killed a main Mordan.  And, we all know, those seem to be harder to kill than his regular ones.  Plus, she’s the Time-Bearer.  I’m sure we’re more likely to find a Mordan when we have the most important Kidellian of all time there.  I think she should go.”  The others thought this over, Ivy looking angry.

Heather noticed this and chimed in.  “Look, I appreciate you guys trusting me with this, but I think Ivy’s right.  She definitely has more experience.  I almost didn’t kill Anirbas.”

“Why don’t you guys go together?”  Matt suggested.  “I mean, we were talking about sending more than just one Kidellian to the school.  Heather could use Ivy’s experience and Ivy could use Heather’s skill at finding Mordans.” 

This made Ivy even angrier.  “I can find a Mordan myself.  I don’t need help.”

“Well, that sucks,” Henry snapped.  “Heather and Ivy are going to the school together.  Raise your hand if you agree.”  Henry, Matt, and Jimba raised their hands, while Ivy stared angrily and Heather stared helplessly.  “Then it’s decided.”

Ivy sighed, folded her arms, and pointedly looked away.  Heather picked absentmindedly at the pillow next to her, dreading tomorrow, but her mind was already floating away to what Anirbas had shown her just before Heather had killed her.  Could her mom possibly be alive with two hands?  If so, then whose hand was that?

The five sat around in silence.

Matt finally broke it.  “Hey guys,” he spoke quietly.  “Assuming we defeat Lykos and everything, after all this is over, what are you guys gonna do?  I mean, we won’t have anything to train for.”

Henry shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I haven’t given much thought to it.  For the past, I don’t know, year I guess, it’s just been all about training in case Lykos was rising.  And now that he is, well, I don’t really know . . . It all just seems so impossible.”

Heather nodded.  “I know what you mean.  Just, like, two weeks ago, I had a totally normal life.  And now, I’m the reason a terrible human being is about to take over the world and I have to stop him.  I guess I’ll just go back to my family, but I don’t know what I’ll tell them.  I mean, they’ll wonder where I’ve been.”  Heather shook her head, pondering the craziness of it all.

“It’s just weird to think that nobody even knows they’re in danger, you know?” Jimba spoke up.  “We’re the only people in the world, besides Mordans of course, who know it could just end any second.  People just go on living their normal lives.”  They sat in silence again, thinking over what Jimba had brought up.  Heather realized that Matt may not even remember any of them by the time this was over, if what Henry had said was true.