The Day I Gave Everyone Superpowers

Chapter 4: This isn't an excavation academy.

 When we arrived at the airport, Christine awoke with a surprise. The plane bounced on the pavement and she was rather confused. She got up immediately and her face blushed bright red. I didn't care though, we had another leg of the journey ahead. So I was actually feeling a little excited. The jet lag did a number on all of us so most of the kids slept on the way to the mountain base. About an hour into the drive Christine apologized about her falling asleep in my lap. I simply accepted it (not admitting I thought it was cute) and the drive continued.

It was about 3 in the afternoon and we stopped at the base of the mountain. Of course, the kids were disappointed to see that we had to climb hundreds of stairwells so the journey was going to be full of whining. Luckily, I remembered when they built this thing and Christine did some research so we both knew what was coming. The adults brought a ton of water bottles so we didn't burn alive which was good.

Christine started to stick close to me once we could see the academy. She would sometimes tap my shoulder and point out the different trees, how old they are and even how many animals can live in such a condition. Man, living in the country can teach you a thing or two. While listening to Christine talk, I hear one of the kids in front of me say something weird.

"I heard that they were able to capture their very own vortex and put it in the center of the hall", they say in a whisper. I doubt what I just heard and continue to listen to Christine.

The kids near the back popped cigarettes when the adults weren't looking and continued to smoke them. As soon as I looked back to see them light them, Christine stops, turns around and makes a scene. She turns to the group of kids and yells "HEY! DON'T SMOKE!!! YOU DON'T THINK THE TEACHERS WILL NOTI-." Before she could get anything else out, the biggest of the kids slaps her, hard. The entire pack stops and she collapses. The teachers and I run to her aid. The kids who hurt Christine get scolded and the nurse and I help her to her feet. She had a bruise on her cheek and she was holding back tears.

"Are you ok Christine?" I ask her.

"I'll be fine", she says as tears finally break through. The nurse tries to pull out her first aid pack and Christine stops her. "I said I'm fine!" she says in a raised voice. The teachers don't like back talk but they don't scold her. Probably because they knew the kids were under a lot of stress going up these stairs. But after a minute or two, we start to climb again.

Christine starts to sniffle next to me and again I ask her if she's alright. She just simply grabs my shoulder and buries her face in it. She begins to cry. I told her politely to calm down because we were almost to the top. She collected herself and began to focus on the top, which was about a mile away now. We were about to meet what this place is all about.

As we climbed the last few stairs the kids were looking back down and were gasping in awe. Christine simply kept going as if she has seen better. I simply follow her to the door with the adults. The doors open as we get close. They're big doors. Like the ones you see on those big cathedrals. Anyways when we enter the place seems bigger than what it looks like on the outside. The people who greet us are Chinese natives and greet us in their language. Then they talk in English.

"Welcome to D.I.G.O.P academy." They say in harmony. Automatically Christine is looking at the place in disbelief. I ask her what troubles her.

"This place doesn't look like an excavation academy." She says with her face still puzzled. I actually take a closer look and she's right. This place is too sleek for an excavation academy.

After about an hour or so touring the main areas, we are sat in what looks to be the main hall. I look up at the ceiling and see something amazing. A black spinning wheel of death encased in glass at the very center of the room. The vortex the kid was talking about! I point it out to Christine and her jaw drops. She's amazed. Then the academy instructors grab our attention. Time for the lecture on how this place works.

After dinner we are told to go straight to bed. The girls are in their dorms nearest to the cafeteria and the boy's dorms are closest to the bathrooms. Lucky us.

At what seemed to be midnight, I hear some shuffling outside my door. It was pitch black in my room and I prefered it to stay that way so the other boys don't awake. I crack the door open and peer down the hall just in time to see a figure pass the corner. I quickly get my pajamas top on and tiptoe down the hall. I enter the secondary corridor to see the figure enter the main hall. I follow it quietly and look in the hall. No one's there. The big doors on the right side of the hall are open, letting the balcony free to be on and letting all the moonlight in. I notice a shadow in the moonlight and notice a girl figure. I creep closer to find it's Christine again.

She's standing on the edge of the balcony, closest to the railing. She looks like the girl on the Titanic movie when she spreads her arms out. She just stood there. Staring into the abyss. I whisper hello and she whips around as if she just got caught. She realizes it's me and turns back around. I walk up to her and lean on the railing as well. She thanks me for letting her cry on my shoulder. I come clean and admit that I thought it was cute when she slept in my lap. Her face blushed again and she twirled her hair around her finger. She asks why I'm even here at this academy.

"My father said I needed to meet new people and I needed to learn the ways of excavation. But a few nights before I left, I heard him on the phone saying that he's getting rid of me for the last few years that I would be living with him. So that when I get back, I would be moving out anyways. Yeah my father hates me." I say in an unhappy voice.

"Well my father never saw me speak. My mom thought this would let me meet new people as well as find a career path." Says Christine. "I just wanted to go to the city and meet people there. Then I wouldn't have to be here."

"But if you never went here, you would have never met me." I add.

"Yeah, you're a nice kid Kal. Thanks for being my friend for this trip."

"Anytime. Maybe you can visit me in my mansion sometime." I say.

"I don't know, my mom doesn't like meeting new people all that much. But maybe." she responds. We sit on the balcony and watch the starry night. All of the sudden she starts holding my hand. Then I start blushing. She notices and then asks the one question that makes me almost faint.

"Kal, do you like me?" asks Christine. Only the humm of the vortex is heard for the few seconds after she asks me. After thinking about the question I finally answer.

"You are my best friend Christine. The best I've ever had, so you could say yes." I say in a nervous voice. Then she smiles and says goodnight. Her nightgown drifting behind her. I head to my own dorm myself, not wanting to get caught and go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day.