Volume 7: Copal
Issue 2: A Change of Scenery
Florian Reyes Honeywell
By Roach
Like ants following a pheromone trail to a cookie jar, students filed into the bus. I positioned myself in the middle, claiming one of the remaining window seats. As Camilo followed behind me, I noticed his gaze flicker to the back of the bus—to the theater kids who had taken up the last row of seats. I recognized Gabriel, Jay, and Lucy, who had grouped themselves together alongside a green-haired girl I didn’t know. But the moment was short-lived, and Camilo slumped down next to me.
The IMAGO tour bus stood parked outside Chapel, its motor huffing slightly as people continued to find their seats. Chatters of excitement and everyday conversations filled up the bus. Ahead of me, I could see Amber holding up her phone, as she and Jazmine facetimed with Raegan.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m missing out on this.” Raegan’s voice came out scratchy through the speaker.
“Me neither! We’ll miss you so much,” Amber said, although the exaggerated sweetness in her voice bordered on insincerity.
“I know, right? Ugh,” Jazmine chipped in. “But don’t worry about it, Rae. It’s like in the middle of nowhere, you won’t miss out on much…”
“Are you kidding me?” Raegan said. “I’m scrolling through their promo photos, and the resort looks super fancy. They have, like, a complete spa experience. A whole ass spa, guys.”
In an attempt to tune out of the conversation, I turned to look out the window. But Jazmine’s voice was too loud and close for me to ignore. She continued, “Well, it’s a school trip, not a spa trip, so we probably won’t have time for any of that…” While I thought the words were supposed to be comforting, the hopefulness sneaking into her voice communicated a quiet excitement.
“Aren’t you and Brandon going on a date this weekend, anyway?” Amber added in an attempt to change the topic.
Raegan groaned from the other end of the call. I shot a tired glance in Camilo’s direction, who responded to my exasperation by stifling a chuckle—clearly more amused with the trio than me.
“You’re not going to miss anything,” Jazmine said. “Anyway, what’s the big deal with the Extinction… Sanctuary, or whatever? Isn’t it just a zoo? You can literally take Brandon to a zoo.”
“It’s a refuge,” Raegan corrected. “And Brandon…”
“Bro.” A new voice joined the conversation, its baritone timbre easily cutting off Raegan. Sitting just across the aisle, an Albatross had turned to look at Jazmine with wide open eyes. “You think it’s just some zoo? They literally have mammoths. With open and natural habitats and everything. It’s, like, a real life Ice Age. You know, the movie? With the squirrel? Except it’s not a movie, it’s all ecological and stuff.”
Ecological and stuff was one way to put it. It was certainly impressive—how IMAGO used DNA technology to breathe new life into extinct species. The technicalities were beyond me, but I had to admit that it seemed more interesting than my mother’s branch within the organization.
“Dan, don’t ‘bro’ me.” Jazmine scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Guys, I’m going to have a meltdown!” Raegan’s shrill voice crackled through the speaker of Amber’s phone. I had thought that the trip would be a nice change of scenery, but now I started to worry that the scenery would follow us… At least, Mrs. Porter had warned us that the reception would be worse once we got to the Refuge, so I could always hope…
Just then, the sound of three quick claps drew my attention. Holly called out from the front of the bus, “Okay everyone, please settle down while I finish counting everyone. We’ll take off soon.” The library intern squinted her eyes as she surveyed the bus. Resting one hand on her fanny pack, she used the other to point as she counted the waiting students. Nothing about her demeanor let on that the doppelgänger situation had affected her, but seeing her now I couldn’t help but think back to it. Maybe that’s why she had ended up as one of our supervisors for the trip—to get away from the school, if nothing else.
“Gotta go,” Amber said, her voice hushed. “Love you bestie, you got this!” She blew an air kiss toward the phone’s camera lens.
“Tell Brandon we say hi!” Jazmine added.
“Guys, wait—” Raegan’s voice was cut off as Amber hung up the call. I sunk back into my seat with a relieved sigh.
A couple moments later, I saw Holly turn to the bus driver with a thumbs up. Then she sat down in one of the front seats, next to Mrs. Porter—the only teacher who had joined us for the trip.
With a low rumble, the bus finally departed Chapel. I watched through the window as the school gradually shrunk with distance, its looming bell tower turning into little more than a thorn on the horizon. The bus meandered through the streets, straightening out its course once we reached the Golden Gate Bridge.
As we crossed the bridge, I peered out at the waves which gently stirred the ocean below us. Early afternoon sunlight painted its ripples in sharp gold. It occurred to me that the last time I had crossed the bridge had been in Amber’s car, the night we faced Bōsō. Once again, I recalled his warning about Reticle. Even as we were leaving the city, the questions which always dwelled in the back of my head now resurfaced to the forefront of my mind. What was Reticle doing at Chapel in the first place? Whatever it was, she wasn’t drawing as much attention as Bōsō had. Sometimes I even wondered if she was still around… or if she had been there at all. At this point, I couldn’t rule out that Bōsō had made it up just to mess with us.
As we approached the woods where we had raced him, something else occurred to me. I had already figured that there would be bad blood between the two of them, just by virtue of being from rival gangs. But the way Bōsō had called Reticle out specifically, rather than just the Dragon’s Teeth… It probed at my curiosity.
While the chatter of my classmates continued around me—Jazmine and Amber discussing their plans for the spa, the Albatross guy talking about hoping to ride one of the mammoths like a circus elephant, a game of Uno unfolding at the front of the bus, and the theater kids laughing in the background—I picked up my phone. We wouldn’t arrive at the refuge for another four hours, so maybe I could kill some time by doing research. Over the course of the last few weeks—when I had been searching for news updates—I had mostly been looking up Reticle or Dragon’s Teeth. Now, I typed in the names of both Reticle and Bōsō.
I clicked on the first search result; a PowerWatch Article from late last year.
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CHINATOWN SHOWDOWN: YAKUZA SCHORCHED BY DRAGON’S TEETH
AMELIA SCHAAL
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San Francisco, September 22nd. Yesterday around 7 pm, just as the sun set over Chinatown, several witnesses reported seeing Bōsō—one of the Yakuza’s emerging villains—riding his signature motorcycle into Dragon’s Teeth territory. Upon arrival, Bōsō announced a challenge to the rival gang—specifically, calling out their newest villain; Reticle. After making a name for herself over the course of the last few months, it seemed like only a matter of time before she would eventually clash with the Yakuza.
According to onlookers, Reticle secured a vantage point on the rooftop of a nearby apartment complex. She proceeded to fire at Bōsō with a sniper rifle of her own design. The shot melted through the engine of his motorcycle, rendering it useless within seconds. Forced to retreat, Bōsō walked away from the fight, pushing his motorcycle with him through the streets of Chinatown. Reportedly, no one was harmed as a result of their confrontation.
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If only our confrontation against Bōsō had been as quick and painless, I thought to myself. The article didn’t really offer a lot of information about Reticle that I hadn’t read before. She was a lesser villain who only started climbing the ranks of Dragon’s Teeth last year. I didn’t understand the specifics of her powers, other than she had some kind of grasp on technology. But, unlike Bōsō who had poured his tech skills into his bike, she designed her own weaponry—most notably a sniper rifle… that I hoped to stay clear of.
And, reading between the lines of the article, I couldn’t help but think that she contrasted Bōsō. Whereas Bōsō was rash and sought out trouble, she was straight to the point and hadn’t entertained his antics—instead, dealing with him quickly. They were different brands of dangerous, and—perhaps more importantly—she had humiliated him. Given the opportunity, I was sure Bōsō could have ridden his motorcycle up the building where she had positioned herself, just like I had seen it ride the cliff sides outside of Muir Woods. She must have been well aware of that, rendering his bike useless before he could even attempt it. So, not only was she smart, but efficient, too.
But even if I had been right about there being more to their history than I initially thought, that still didn’t tell me what we should do next. How were we supposed to find and stop someone like that? I didn’t realize how audibly I must have sighed until I heard Camilo’s voice next to me. “What’s up?” he said, bringing my attention back to the bus.
“Not much, just… homework,” I mumbled.
“We don’t have homework, remember? They excused us,” he replied.
“Well…” Instead of explaining what I was really up to, I showed him my phone screen. He skimmed quietly through the article.
After a few moments, he raised an eyebrow and said, “So… Are you… learning anything?”
“Not much that we haven’t already talked about,” I said.
“Why not just take a break then?” When he saw my frown, he added, “I mean, we’re going on vacation. What are you even going to do about any of this?”
He was right. We weren’t going to be anywhere near Chapel for the next couple of days, and that was the only clue Bōsō had really given us. Reticle was doing something, presumably nefarious, somewhere at Chapel. What was I supposed to do about it, from nowhere-NorCal? “I guess,” I relented, still not entirely free of the nagging feeling that I needed to be doing more.
“If you’re really worried, we can discuss it once we’re back. But we’ve been talking through the same circles for weeks now without getting anywhere. Maybe distancing ourselves from it will be… good. At least for a couple of days. Clear our heads, come back to it with a new perspective, you know?”
I nodded slowly, mulling it over.
“Besides, Amber hasn’t…” Camilo trailed off, as if realizing that he was about to say too much.
And, before he had a chance to retract anything he had said, Jazmine whipped her head around. “Amber hasn’t what?” she said. Jazmine wasn’t someone who ever acknowledged my existence, so—now that she was staring at Camilo and I—I was somewhat taken aback. Her narrow chin fit neatly in the small gap between the two seats, as she nestled her head there—staring at us like an owl peering out of a tree hollow. Her brown eyes flickered analytically between us. I had spent so much of high school staying under everyone’s radar, but maybe it hadn’t escaped Jazmine’s attention that I had been spending more time with her best friend…
“Amber hasn’t finished leveling up her character yet,” Camilo said. Whatever he had actually been about to say, I suspected it had very little to do with Dungeons & Dragons. Since our dungeon master, Linda, had returned from her out-of-town work, we had managed to meet for one more session—bringing our characters to level three.
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While DnD had been a nice break from everything that had been going on, it still weirded me out that Jannette had appeared at Chapel. That she had met Hive. While I would never tell her this, it was a collision of two worlds that I hadn’t at all expected. But, in the end, I was just glad that she had made it out okay… I still wasn’t sure what to make of her relationship with Holly, although Amber insisted that there was something more going on between them.
Just then, Amber’s head also popped up from behind her seat, right next to Jazmine’s. “Yes I did,” she said. “You’re the one who couldn’t decide on your bard… expertise… thingy.”
“Your… character?” Jazmine’s voice sounded hollow, like an echo. “What, are you doing theater now?” I started to wonder how much Amber had really told Jazmine about her new hobby.
Amber rolled her eyes. “Didn’t I tell you? Ranger and some of the Berkeley guys are playing this… dragons and whatever game. I’m trying to get in on it, so Camilo and Florian are teaching me.” I was somewhat taken aback with how easily she came up with an excuse—almost as if she had the lie on hand, just in case.
“No? You didn’t say anything.” Jazmine brows pinched together, in an expression that bordered between confusion and contempt. It was difficult to tell whether or not she bought Amber’s explanation—but either way, she didn’t seem pleased.
Camilo didn’t appear to be as bothered by this, and instead flashed a grin. “Well, as you can imagine, Amber’s been a difficult student. But we’re doing our best to teach her the ins and outs of DnD.” There was a glimmer in his eyes, as if seeing Amber fumbling for a cover story amused him.
“Whatever.” Amber tossed her flaming hair aside with a flick of her hand. “You’re the one who’s difficult.”
Camilo’s grin turned into a chuckle. “If you say so.”
Jazmine’s narrowed eyes darted suspiciously between Camilo and I; she looked at us as if we had just hopped out of an alien spaceship.
Amber continued, “Just remember, if it hadn’t been for my Action Surge, your precious Prospero”—meaning, Camilo’s character—“would be roasted by a dragon.” Although her tone was accusatory, there was something playful in her voice.
“Hey, so would Aurora if it hadn’t been for Prospero’s extraordinary trumpet skills,” Camilo countered, referring to her character. He glanced at me, as if expecting me to back him up. Amber shot me a similar look. My shoulders raised in a half-shrug—I hoped to stay out of this.
Before their exchange could continue, I heard two synchronous pings: Amber and Jazmine’s phones. Jazmine turned away from us, sinking back into her seat. After a few seconds, she sighed, “Looks like Rae is escalating to Code Red…”
“Can’t be worse than turning into dragon dinner,” Camilo mumbled under his breath.
“Shush. This is serious,” Amber said. “Someone posted on the Confessional about Brandon…”
I’d heard enough. I plugged in one earbud, shuffled Spotify rewind, and pulled up a half-solved Sudoku puzzle I had forgotten about.
As time passed, the bus fell into a rhythm—conversations droned on around me, gradually quieting down as the minutes turned into hours. In between her gossiping with Jazmine, Amber would exchange a few words with Camilo about DnD. I tuned into their conversation with one ear, and into my music with the other. Every now and then, I could hear the Uno game stirring up in the front of the bus. Based on the long periods of quiet concentration and the occasional exchange of snide remarks, it sounded like the game had stopped being fun about an hour ago—only persisting out of spite.
As the sun inched its way across the blue sky—diving behind white clouds before coming up for air again—our surroundings transformed outside the bus. We had long since lost sight of San Francisco’s coast, passed through endless farms in the valley, and were now driving deeper into the wilderness. Most signs of human influence came from the farms and crops we passed by, but even they became fewer and farther in between as we approached the Refuge.
The bus crawled up the rocky road, while the landscape around us rolled and folded into the horizon. The hills nestled an assembly of dark brown buildings, in between groves of pines and sequoia trees—it must be the resort, I realized. Past it, hints of snow still capped distant mountain tops. “Look,” Camilo grinned, pointing out the window.
My gaze traced his finger, just behind the resort. As we climbed farther up the hillside, I could see what he was talking about—at first, they were just a scattering of small, brown specks in a sea of green. But, as we approached, the specks took on the unmistakable shapes of kangaroos, jumping across the hillside.
The scope of the refuge didn’t really hit me until that moment. The resort—an assembly of timbered buildings on the bottom of a hill—seemed tiny against the vast landscape beyond. While I could see what must be the kangaroo exhibit on one of the hillsides, enormous trees sheltered the rest of the park.
The conversations which had died down in the last hour or so now picked up again. In the cacophony of voices, I could only make out fragments of what was said. The theater kids argued about who would win in a fight—Gabriel or a kangaroo—while Jazmine told Amber about how she couldn’t wait to check out the rooms. Across from us, the Albatross guy let out an exaggerated yawn; he had spent the latter half of the bus ride asleep, with his head resting against the window.
The bus drove beneath a black archway, which spelled out WELCOME TO CUVIER RESORT. And, at last, we came to a stop.
Slowly, we filed out of the bus. I had only brought my backpack, stuffed with toiletries, a couple of books, and enough clothes to last the weekend. This seemed to be the case for most of us. Amber, on the other hand, pulled out a large, pink suitcase from the bus’s luggage compartment.
Up close, the resort looked less like a cabin than I initially thought—its appearance was more sleek and modern, accentuated by wooden pillars and wide windows. Several buildings of complementary architecture were strewn around. Guided by Mrs. Porter and Holly, the group of students walked up to the main building. Gravel crunched underneath the wheels of Amber and Jazmine’s suitcases.
We entered a large lobby, brightened by a crackling fireplace. Before I could process my surroundings fully, my attention was immediately drawn to the receptionist’s desk.
Standing next to it, in conversation with a man in a business suit, I recognized Archean. Maybe I shouldn’t have been that surprised, since he was one of IMAGO’s own heroes. Yet, I hadn’t expected that this school trip would bring me face to face with a real, professional superhero.
“Wait… Is that… Archean?” Michelle, from my chemistry class, said.
“Oh. My. God. It is Archean,” the Albatross replied. Affirming murmurs rippled through the group of students.
I glanced at Camilo, who shrugged back at me—seemingly just as puzzled. Then I turned toward Archean again.
I had seen him on TV and in photos before—which didn’t really compare to seeing him in the flesh. He leaned his back against the counter, his gloved hands making small gestures as he talked to the other man. It was an unexpected sort of casualness that news reporters didn’t really capture.
Yet, his outfit was far from casual. Archean wore a ruby red suit, complemented by a leather cape. A silvery mask, shaped like a triceratops skull, concealed his identity—only revealing the lower half of his deep brown face. A sash crossed his chest, with a variety of bones and fangs sewn into it. From what I knew about him, I recognized these skeletal remnants as fossils. Although he wasn’t using his powers at a moment, he was able to bring these remains to life and command them in battle.
Archean and the man in the suit turned toward us. It took me a moment to recognize who he was with. It was Dr. Morris—the judge for the Science Fair, not to mention my mom’s coworker. While I hadn’t expected to see him either, any surprise I might have felt was overshadowed by Archean’s presence.
“Why’s he here?” Somewhere to my left, I heard Jay’s hushed hiss—voicing the question that was also on my mind. While I knew Archean was on IMAGO’s team, I couldn’t quite connect the dots. Was he a guest here? No, then he wouldn’t be in costume, right? So, was he working? Judging by his shining smile, he certainly didn’t seem like he was about to jump into battle or stop any disasters.
At least, I hoped not.
Before I could speculate further, Archean waved to us. He straightened himself up, while Dr. Morris turned and nodded to Mrs. Porter. “Welcome. Good to see you all here,” Dr. Morris addressed the group. Without really questioning it, we had all started to gather around them—the magnetic effect a hero exerted, I supposed. When I looked around at my classmates, people giggled and exchanged curious looks. Even Amber, who usually kept her cool, ran her fingers restlessly through her hair while a smile played with her lips. And I couldn’t claim to be immune to this effect either, suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of self-consciousness—my awareness spreading through my body, through the swarm.
I hung back—suddenly conflicted, unsure as to how I should be acting in this situation. As I found myself at the back of the group, I turned toward Camilo. But, where I thought Camilo had been standing next to me, I now saw Hannah.
She didn’t seem to partake in our classmates’ excitement. Her eyebrows had furrowed slightly—not exactly into a frown, but rather, into an expression of reserved curiosity. Then, upon noticing my stare, she turned to me. Instantly, her brows relaxed while she tilted her head, sending a sort of questioning look my way. Embarrassed, I looked down. I didn’t bother searching for Camilo, instead staring at my shoes as I listened to Dr. Morris speak with quiet authority.
“I’m Dr. Everett Morris,” he said. “Some of you may remember me from the Science Fair, where I assisted as a judge. My employer could only offer a limited number of spots for this trip, so I helped with the selection process for it as well. On behalf of IMAGO, I would once again like to extend my congratulations to all of you. Your excellent work makes me hopeful for the future of science.”
He cleared his throat, and I glanced up again. From the back of the group, I couldn’t really see much—aside from the horns of Archean’s mask, which caught a sliver of light from the ceiling lamps above. Dr. Morris continued, “That being said, I’m sure you’re all more excited about meeting Archean than listening to an old, sentimental scientist’s musings. Archean, why don’t you introduce yourself?” He spoke in a flat voice—if he hadn’t been staring so blankly over the crowd, I would have thought he read from a script.
“Sure thing,” Archean said, his tone more upbeat. “I’m Archean. You may know me for my hero work. But, before I ever became a hero, my dream was to be a researcher. So, when IMAGO asked me if I could help tour you guys through the Extinction Refuge, I was absolutely thrilled.”
A ripple of excited murmurs spread through the crowd. “Can you show us one of your fossils?” someone exclaimed. A sharp hush came from Mrs. Porter.
Archean chuckled. “Sure. What’s your name?”
“Daniel,” the voice said—which I was able to pinpoint as the Albatross guy. “But Dan is fine.”
“Alright, Dan, we can look at that tomorrow—once we go out to the Refuge. In the morning, we will all meet up here in the lobby. But, for now, I’m sure you guys are eager to settle in, relax, and be terrific students who will get all your homework done. Isn’t that right?” he said, with a hint of humor that signaled he was quite aware that no one would be doing any homework. The comment earned him a couple of chuckles and smiles from my classmates.
Archean continued, “So…” He paused. “You’re Grace, right?” he said.
While I couldn’t see who he was talking to, I heard Mrs. Porter answer, “Yes, that’s me.”
“Why don’t you tell everyone what the plan is?”
“Right,” Mrs. Porter said. “There will be supper tonight at 7 pm, so we will meet here before going to the dining area. But, for now, you’re free to settle into your rooms. When you head up to the receptionist, tell him your name and you will receive your key card. We won’t have any other scheduled activities until tomorrow morning. At 9, we will meet again for breakfast, before we meet up with Archean in the lobby at 10. Then we will head out to the Extinction Refuge. Any questions?”
“Do we have to share rooms with anyone?” a girl in the front asked.
“Yes. Your rooms are already assigned. These won’t be changed. Other questions?” Although she opened the floor once again, the ice in her tone didn’t invite any other questions. “Good,” she concluded. “Let’s line up now.”
Archean added, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. I look forward to getting to know you all better.”
Gradually, a line formed by the receptionist. From the back, I watched Archean and Dr. Morris leave together. I wondered how they knew each other—had they only been brought together by this trip? The familiarity they showed when speaking together almost suggested otherwise, as if they were colleagues normally.
Shortly after, once I received my key card, Camilo came over to me. “Which room are you in?” he said.
I looked at my card. “Room… 25.”
“Damn. I’m in 19,” he replied.
“Bro, me too!” a loud voice sounded behind us. Camilo and I turned around at the same time, coming face to face with the Albatross. He slapped Camilo on the back—although I thought the gesture was meant to be friendly, Camilo cringed and took a step away from him.
“That’s great… Daniel, right?” Camilo murmured. His tone reflected my own disappointment—if I had to bunk with someone, I wasn’t ecstatic about bunking with someone I didn’t know. And besides Camilo and Amber, I really didn’t know anyone that well.
I glanced around the group of students. Some were talking to their newfound roommates, while others were already setting course for the elevators. Unsurprisingly, I had already lost track of Amber and Jazmine—I guessed they were in a hurry to check out the amenities.
“Just Dan is fine,” Daniel beamed. “This is going to be awesome. Did you know they have a gym here?”
“Uhm, no, I didn’t…”
“Oh man, we got to check it out!”
“Maybe… But let’s go to the room first, alright?” Camilo said.
“Right. Smart idea,” Daniel agreed. He squeezed Camilo’s shoulder, and started to guide him toward the elevator.
“Okay, well… See you later?” I muttered. It didn’t seem like Camilo heard me over Daniel’s monologuing about how cool it was to meet Archean—how a real superhero had spoken his name. While Camilo didn’t seem as enthusiastic, I couldn’t help but smile to myself—if only Daniel knew he would be sharing a room with a hero.
But who was I bunking with?
As the small crowd dissipated and people navigated to their rooms, I still hadn’t seen any signs of my roommate. If I were lucky, maybe I had the room to myself. Either way, I didn’t exactly envy Camilo—I’m not sure I had it in me to keep up with an Albatross.
Realizing that I had fallen behind my classmates, I scurried over to an empty elevator. With a ping, it took me to the second floor. Down the hall, I saw a handful of students entering their own rooms. I walked toward mine. Paintings decorated the hallway walls; they were in the style of scientific illustrations, and portrayed animals like dodos and passenger pigeons.
I reached room 25. The keycard beeped, and I let myself inside.
Sitting on the side of a bed, I saw a familiar figure.
Jay.
Their gray eyes narrowed as they turned toward me.
For a moment, I froze up. A light ripple fizzled through the swarm. “Hey,” I managed, my voice low.
They didn’t say anything, instead, nodding shortly before looking down at their phone—making it clear that they weren’t going to small talk with me.
That was fine with me.
I ventured to the empty bed on the opposite side of the room, and tossed my backpack onto the white duvet. I heard Jay let out a deep, annoyed sigh behind me. And, somehow, I was starting to think that an Albatross wouldn’t make for such a bad roommate. Maybe Camilo had lucked out, after all.