Exciti

Chapter 21 (Liam and Adam)

(Liam)

"ADAM!" Liam screamed and ran to the edge of the dock, his phobia forgotten. He stared with paralyzing helplessness at the diminishing dot that was Adam's body. He turned to Lucy, who was kneeling by his side, to find her expression mirroring his terror. He looked behind him and yelled for help only to find that most of the other apprentices were running into the bubble. Liam couldn't tell from their retreating backs whether they were running to escape the scene or to call for help.

Tania was retreating, pulling her brother along with a defiant expression, "Don't look at us, it is his fault. He attacked me."

Lucy got up and started moving in their direction, Liam couldn't see her lips as her back was to him, but her posture and wild gestures told him the twins might just get what was coming to them. He turned back to the edge and looked down, his fear multiplying when he realized that he couldn't see Adam anymore.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before he felt a hand over his shoulder. He looked up to find Lucy choking back sobs and talking to him, "I will go get help, but you better go before they come here..." He stared at her blankly, he knew he had to reply, but his thoughts seemed sluggish, like they were stuck in Jell-O.

He finally opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn't going anywhere, only to find her gawking at something over his head. A gush of wind slammed into his back, and he turned to look.

His sluggish thoughts ground to a halt.

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(Adam)

The wind roared deafeningly in Adam's ears. His clothes whipped about him. The docks were getting further and further, his friends red and brown dots in the distance. He looked beneath him; the water was approaching fast. He remembered reading that landing on water from a great height was like falling on cement.

He closed his eyes, his heart thumping in his chest. Was he going to die, just like that? What would they tell his mom? Would Liam and Lucy be alright? Would he die without ever finding out what happened to Tam?

A loud no exploded somewhere deep inside him, burning the fear out of every nerve in his system. An electrifying need to survive invaded his senses. The need was so strong that his body glowed with it.

Wait, glowed?

He looked down his body, the glow was coming from his right pocket. Tam's voice echoed in his head. "That way, you will always have a piece of me to protect you!" He reached for the barber coin in his pocket. It was warmer than it should be, almost burning to touch. He glanced at the water; he must be halfway there. He had fifteen to twenty seconds before he became pancake Adam. He took the coin out and squinted at it, the glow almost blinding him. This better work! He held the coin closer to his lips, closed his eyes and murmured, "Please, help me!"

Nothing.

He fought a desperate sob building in his chest, "Please, I need help."

Nothing.

He poured out every ounce of his being into a scream, "Help!"

He was about to forfeit hope when a mass of electric white and blue lines bloomed from the coin. The lines unfurled until Adam was looking at an enormous bird, one he knew with certainty to be an eagle. He let his instincts take over and reached to hug the magnificent Tail's neck, praying it wasn't too late.

The eagle let Adam take hold before it flapped its wings once to slow their plummet, then spread them wide to gradually change their course from a vertical fall to a horizontal glide. Adam took the chance to swing a leg over the bird's expansive back. He finally dared to look down, the eagle's talons flicked the glittering water for a second before it flapped its wings once more to shoot them both upward.

He held onto the lines that made the eagle's neck, enjoying the slight electrical tingle they gave him. "Woohooooo!!! I'm alive!!" he yelled as they soared higher up. He leaned into the bird, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I knew it! Tam gave me the coin for a reason."

The bird cawed.

Adam smiled, heady with adrenaline, "We should get up there, to Lucy and Liam. Oh, he will flip for real this time!" He looked at the Bubbles above them. "Do you know which one is the Sumerian Bubble?"

The bird accelerated upward.

Adam took that for a yes. He then yelled over the roar of the wind. "Do you have a name?"

The bird didn't reply. Adam wasn't sure if it understood him, but he took this one as a no, "Well, you don't mind if I name you, do you? How about boy names?"

The bird squawked.

Adam laughed, "Ok, a girl then. How about Barb? After the Barber coin?"

The bird called. Adam grinned, "Awesome! Barb, do you think you can go faster?"

He was sure he heard Barb laugh as they ripped through the air like a bullet.

________________________________________________________________________

(Liam)

A few minutes later, Liam stared slack jawed at Adam.

He waved at them, grinning like an idiot, from way up in the air on a regal, 3D, neon colored sketch of an eagle with a wingspan wider than some airplanes. The giant bird hovered for a few seconds before it touched down on the dock, barely allowing Adam to dismount before its glowing outline unfurled and retracted into Adam's hand.

Liam's thoughts snapped back like a rubber band into the right tempo. He sprinted toward Adam and tackled him in a hug. Lucy arrived right after and started pounding on Adam's shoulder, "You...stupid...lucky...buffoon," she yelled, trying to look angry despite her teary eyes.

Adam laughed, "OW...you are crushing me...Ouch!"

When they finally let go of him, Adam was breathing hard and rubbing his shoulder, "I'm happy to see you too!" he grinned.

Lucy advanced again, and Liam had to hold her back to stop her from what seemed to be her only way of expressing emotions. He looked at Adam and mouthed. "How...?"

Adam raised his coin, "Tam's birthday gift was an Excitus!" 

Liam swore. He was never underestimating old coins again.

Lucy took the coin, "Unbelievable! Dr. little had it examined by a Sensorial. Tamara was only allowed to take the coin after it was declared a Non-Excitus."

"Maybe this... Sensorial... was wrong?" shrugged Adam

She shook her head, "You don't know what you are talking about. Sensorials are Naturals with gifts that make them very accurate at evaluating the powers of Exciti and other Naturals. They don't make mistakes. They often work as curators for fancy museums and auction houses. They are that good."

Liam pointed at the coin. "They were wrong about this one."

"You don't say!" replied Lucy in halfhearted sarcasm, shaking her head in disbelief.

Adam looked around, his grin replaced by an annoyed expression, "I notice the evil duo is gone!"

Lucy gave the coin back then pursed her lips and pointed with her thumb behind her, "They didn't want to be caught here, we thought you were..." she cleared her throat before she continued, "I'm not sure about the others though. We better get out of here in case they went to get help."

Liam forced his legs to move. They were still a little shaky. He kept glancing at Adam to make sure he was really there, even as they ran together to the TerraFerry. His distracted mind almost caused him to plow into Lucy when she skidded into a halt in front of him.

She was staring, again, in horror at the space ahead of them. Liam tried to look for what she was looking at, but could only make four black shapes that looked like birds in the distance.

He was raising his hands to ask her when she informed them with an ashen face. "Hushers! We are so dead."