"SNAP!"
It was a clear blue day as Tegan watched Vincent Marshall fall out the sky and hit the ground. She heard Vincent cry out in pain as Melissa hovered over him. This tournament was brutal, but she was filled with hope again as Lisa's words echoed through her mind. If they're able to destroy the 7 Zodiac Nests then earth will be saved & the good news is 2 are gone. Tegan sat next to Sloan and shook her head sadly. Firstly, Melissa didn't have to participate since she was an Alpha now and secondly, this wasn't even her final requirement.
"Melissa Haze is the winner of round 8!" Professor Uma announced.
Mrs. Soren helped Vincent to the medical tent since his leg was broken. She saw the nurse yank the rock spike outta the cadet's arm as blood oozed out. Next to her injured friend was an Indigenous girl with copper skin, short black hair, dark brown eyes, and wore a birthstone necklace around her neck.
The girl's name was Asha Enez and she's a new cadet at the Academy along with her twin brother, Kiba Enez. Despite being twins, their elements were very different. Asha's element is water and she was able to use her power to numb the swelling in Vincent’s arm. Kiba's element is earth, he summoned a few stone stumps and slabs for the injured to rest on. Tegan had to admit, for Greenhorns they were very in tune with their abilities.
"I'm really happy you won your last fight," Sloan wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. "Tough competition."
"Yeah," Tegan looked around nervously. "Do you think the other Professors know?"
"Hard to say," Sloan rubbed a thumb over his mouth and smiled. "They seem too calm, but they could be pretending. I bet they hold secret meetings late at night."
Tegan smiled back. "That makes me feel a little better."
Jen was spotted in the crowd with a serious expression on her face, she had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, tanned skin, ocean eyes that looked extremely cold, and there was a large scar across her left ear. Tegan heard that Jen was attacked by an Omen when she was little and lost half her hearing.
"Round 9 is Sloan Hendrix vs Jen Baker!" Sir North yelled.
Sloan got to his feet and she gave him a thumbs-up. "Keep calm and dragon on."
He smiled and approached Jen, everyone seemed excited as they cheered. She had no idea who would win but in her mind she was secretly rooting for her best friend. Tegan heard the gong as the two cadets clashed with each other. Suddenly, the ground under Sloan exploded as a rock hand wrapped around him. Her heart skipped a beat since it looked like Jen was trying to cripple him.
Then the air around them became chilly like a blizzard. Ice formed on the rock hand as Sloan summoned his power and split the hand in two. He stood holding a huge hammer as water swirled around his arms, Jen smirked, she didn't look bothered at all. Then the world around Tegan blurred and everything seemed to play in slow-motion. It felt uncanny yet familiar.
"Coughing."
That's what she been hearing all day, she saw her father and older brother gather in the family room.
"If only we had a spare medicine box," her father complained.
"I just checked outside and the Calamity Towers are still active," August sighed. "We can't go out."
"Let me get the medicine box!" Tegan blurted out.
"No firecracker," her father whispered.
"I can do it," she begged. "I know where the pharmacy is and mother is very sick."
August finally spoke. "Maybe we should let her go?"
"Its too dangerous!" her father hissed. "Shes only 10 years old."
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"Shes also extraordinary," August explained. "I'm scared and worried too. Sending my little sister out there is the stupidest thing ever, but I think we should give her a chance."
"Please father," Tegan wiped the tears from her eyes. "I wanna help mother."
The night air was eerie as she flew through her Las Vegas neighbourhood, lanterns hung in front of houses as she got closer to the Calamity Tower. It didn't take long and when she arrived it was like a ghost town. The only things she noticed were a few cars and motorcycles. A strong gust of wind swept through the streets pushing her back, she clung to a lightpost until she was able to move again.
Tegan sprinted towards the pharmacy and banged on the door. "Let me in please, I need medicine!"
It took a minute before someone opened the door and it wasn't a man or woman. The teenage girl looked Indian and she was dressed in rain boots, jeans, a raincoat, and her pretty face was a mixture of emotions.
"Get in!" the girl yanked her arm and closed the door.
Tegan looked around and saw a man, a pregnant woman and a German Shepard. All the curtains were down and the only light were candlesticks. Her older brother told her about the Tornado Omen lurking around the city. Tegan wasn't sure which element was more scary, but she had to be extra careful.
"A child?" said the man. "Sorry, are you lost?"
"No sir," Tegan checked her pockets and pulled out some money. "I came to get a medicine box for my mother."
"Alone?" asked the woman.
"Wait," the girl interrupted. "Your a Dior aren't you?"
"Uh yes?" The answer left her lips before Tegan had a chance to lie.
"I knew it!" the girl grinned. "Your awesome wings were a dead give away."
Tegan was so nervous she didn't realize her wings were still out, but hearing the word awesome made her feel a little better.
She smiled.
"Here you go," the girl handed Tegan a small red box with a blue cross on it. "Be careful."
"Thank you!" Tegan took the box and gave the girl the money.
When she left the pharmacy it seemed to have gotten more windy as she flew home. That's when she saw three Mystic Knights fighting a huge omen made out of wind. Fire and ice lit up the sky as the Omen gurgled loudly.
The earth Mystic Knight tried to put a stone dome over the monster but it easily cracked it. Not wanting to get caught, Tegan did her best to stay hidden but another gust of wind collided into her.
"Jen Baker wins the 9th round!" a voice said.
When she opened her eyes everything felt dizzy, it took a few minutes for her to notice Sloan being carried away. Tegan slowly got up and walked over to the medical tent. His uniform was shredded, one eye was swollen, and there were cuts and bruises on his body.
"Im sorry," she finally said.
"Its fine," Sloan shrugged. He didn't look like he was in pain. "Jen socked me good."
"Impressive!" Mrs. Soren said. "You were able to stop the bleeding on your own?"
Sloan laid down on the slab. "Just something my dad taught me."
Later that night, Tegan woke and looked at the clock. It was 3:25 AM. She glanced at the calendar on the wall and knew it was time for the Stellar event. When Tegan opened her dorm window it was strange, the night sky was filled with fog & swirling gray clouds. She was confused as Patches yawned and waddled over. For many weeks Tegan monitored the weather forecast and this didn't come up in the news.
Out the corner of her eye she saw red moonlight shining in the distance. It took less than a minute for her to change her clothes and swan-dive out the window. The city looked ghoulish as she soared through the midnight sky, she summoned a small flame to see better.
When Tegan arrived at the red moonlight she gazed at the massive hole in the clouds before flying in. It felt like she was in the eye of a storm, she touched the clouds and that's when she finally saw it.
The moon hung in the sky. It was bigger than normal and very scarlet, she smiled at the bewitching supermoon. Unfortunately, that excitement slowly vanished when she realized something.
"Its here," Tegan said carefully while watching the ominous clouds. "The Macabre Season."