“Theo!” I shout, starting to panic. Was he okay? But before I can shout again, another equally bright flash streaks towards us. A moment later, Theo stands there, a massive grin splitting his face.
“I GOT MY SKILL!” he shouts, startling birds into flight. “WHAHOOO!”
“Whoa, wait,” I say, grabbing his arm quickly before he can sprint off again. “Remember, this is a teamwork race!”
Theo giggles but doesn’t run off again and I breathe a sigh of relief. I look over at Cassidy and Benny, who are staring at Theo, wide eyed.
“Let’s keep going,” I tell them, pulling us along even as questions bubble up.
“Was that your skill?” Cassidy asks, in awe. “You were so fast.”
“Yeah I was, like a car! Like a jet!” Theo says, sticking his arms out and flying a circle around us. I tie the coat around his wrist again, but I really doubt how much it could stop him now. “A screen popped up, but I couldn’t read the words.”
“It’s kind of like turbo flames,” I muse to myself. “When you ran, you looked like you were on fire.”
“Woah, really?” Theo says, thoroughly enjoying the attention. “But I wasn’t, I think it’s the fire that makes me super fast.”
“No running,” I remind him as he plants his feet. He smiles a little guiltily and turns back.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“But I won the race, right?” the boy asks cheekily.
“You certainly did,” I smile back. “Now let’s go tell Mr. Ren the news!”
We quickly walk back, Theo chattering to Benny and Cassidy without waiting for their replies. Checking my phone, I see we still have 18 minutes before we have to decide which challenge to pick. I hoped Ren’s was a favorable option, but worry gnawed in my chest. Was there a good option in this situation? How long could they survive like this?
But Theo had gotten an ability. That hadn’t been something I’d expected. At the very least, it made him better able to defend himself, if it came to that. I just hoped he wouldn’t go crazy, running off or setting random stuff on fire.
“Almost there,” I tell them. When we approach the store, I see that Ren and the others aren’t back yet. Like clockwork, I yank my phone out and stare at that damn timer. 14 minutes and 23 seconds. I bite my lip before hearing a greeting from outside.
“Hello!” Ren waves as Theo hurries outside, with the other kids slowly following him. I wave back, smiling in relief when I see they’re all okay.
“So?” I ask eagerly. “What did you find?”
“The challenge said ‘Atlantis Revival’,” he told me with a small frown. “I don’t know what that means, but I’d guess it would be underwater, and I don’t think any of the kids can swim.” I nod in agreement.
“Yeah, an underwater challenge is a no go,” I say. “Atlantis? That’s…weird.”
“Everything is weird,” Ren sighed. “What about you? What did it say at the daycare?”
“Not something we want to face,” I reply. “It said ‘wasp drones’, and that sounds awful.” I grimace at the thought of giant bugs.
“So it looks like the best option is here,” Ren gestures around us at the soggy store and I shrug. “Whatever ‘collectibles’ means, I guess we’ll have to figure it out.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Buuuttt…”
“But? What?” Ren asks at my drawn out sentence.
“I do have to admit that I was wrong,” I tuck my hands behind my back in mock shame, hanging my head.
“Oh?” Ren asks. “What about?”
“Theo got a Skill. It’s…pretty amazing, actually. I’m worried it might be too much for him, though. You know how he can get.”
“What is it?” he turns to me, eyes wide in surprise. While he had told him that it was possible, he had probably thought like me that they would be too young for…whatever was going on.
“We don’t know for sure, since he can’t read, but it was like a turbo flame,” I chuckle a little at the memory. “I’m sure he’ll come up with a name for it.”
“It might even come in use, if he can control it,” Ren murmured thoughtfully. As much as I would love to chat more about it, I can feel the deadline pressing down on us.