Curio

Chapter 4

*Credits for music goes to Atlus Co.
*P*L*A*Y***M*U*S*I*C***A*B*O*V*E*

It was a beautiful chaos.

Seeing so many Adepts using their Curios all at once was kind of overwhelming, yet fascinating, as April grew up without much contact with them. People were flying everywhere, and some poor souls were already flung out of the circle and sulking on the sidelines. Both sides appeared to have rather strong members taking charge and bearing the full brunt of high powered attacks against one another. One girl was freezing the ground, then sliding people out like one does while playing air hockey. A blonde boy was flying around in the air, lifting up unsuspecting people and tossing them out. Flashes of light, gushes of pure energy, and shouts filled the air as both sides frantically tried to push the other out.

Jacks was casually walking around, somehow managing to shake Jonathan off his tail. He seemed undeterred by the people around him, and if anything, looked bored.

"What should I do?" April thought, looking around. Everybody was preoccupied with one another, so she was alone. Her fingers played with the hems of her skirt. "I'm not sure-"

Her thoughts were cut off as she felt arms wrap around her waist. Suddenly she was off the ground, being lifted into the air. April turned her head and saw that it was the boy flying around earlier. She struggled, panic setting in as she rose higher and higher into the air, her legs dangling and kicking uncontrollably.

"Sorry, newbie. But I gotta do what I gotta do. This isn't going to hurt too bad." He said, climbing even higher, in an attempt to probably try and intentionally scare her.

She'd be deluded if she denied that she wasn't scared. April was about 50 feet off the ground, and the grass below her seemed frighteningly far away. Deciding that they were high enough, the boy began to glide forward, towards the edge of the circle.

"Concentrate!" April scrunched her face, shutting her eyes firmly and trying to drown out her fear. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest. April tried to recall the stranger that came into the bookstore that day. How he burst into flames effortlessly, with a simple snap of his fingers. She tried to recall the grip of the woman's nails into her throat, and the deep griping fear that penetrated her entire being. Nothing happened.

The boy was nearing the edge of the circle. If tossed her now, she'd be out.

She squirmed in his arms, trying to slither out of his iron grip. "Come on! Light up NOW!" She cried out in desperation.

April felt a familiar tug in her stomach, and that clicking sensation, and she was engulfed in flames. The blaze quickly reached its fiery tongues towards her assailant, enveloping him in a blistering embrace. The boy bellowed in pain and in his surprise and the literal heat of the moment, he let go of her.

Time seemed to slow to a stop as she realized that there was no longer anything holding her up. April screamed, squeezing her eyes tighter shut as gravity took a firm hold of her and she began to fall, spiraling down at an alarming rate, transforming the world around her into a spinning blur. The ground rushed up to meet her, and she braced for the bone crushing impact.

Nothing.

After a moment, April opened her eyes to find that she was floating mere inches off the ground. She was lowered gently into the cold grass. The girl looked around for her savior to find a small girl- maybe about the age of 8- standing before her, her small hands quivering in front of her. The child sighed in relief. "That was a close one!"